GB2358360A

GB2358360A - Toy vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2358360A
Application number: GB0028832A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Manresa Luis Ma Arnau
Original assignee: Winkler International SA
Current assignee: Winkler International SA
Priority date: 1999-11-26
Filing date: 2000-11-27
Publication date: 2001-07-25
Anticipated expiration: 2020-11-27
Also published as: GB0028832D0; DE20020019U1; GB2358360B

Abstract

A toy vehicle for use on an electrified track has a universal chassis or frame 10, which has supports for the front wheels, rear wheels, electric motor or engine, track guide and current pick-ups (all not shown), with an upper body or shell part 30 and a matching lower body or shell part 40 which together form an enclosing body for the universal chassis 10, the enclosing body defining the outward appearance of the toy vehicle and having openings for the front and rear wheels, guide unit and current pick-ups. The universal chassis 10 may be used with different enclosing bodies, e.g. racing car, sports car or touring car, or, since the universal chassis 10 supports all the equipment necessary for the vehicle to run on the track, may be used without an enclosing body. The universal chassis 10, upper body 30 and lower body 40 may be formed from moulded plastics, and may be fastened together with screws (not shown) which pass through holes 48, 18 and 38 on the lower body 40, chassis 10 and upper body 30 respectively. The universal chassis 10 may have an opening 17 below the engine supports for cooling the engine (not shown), with a corresponding aperture 47 on the lower body 40.

Description

2358360 TITLE Toy Vehicle

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a toy vehicle for use on electrified track.

Many different toy vehicles for use on electrified track are known. For example, Spanish Utility Model U 9703099 describes a toy vehicle with electric traction, designed to travel on tracks provided with guide grooves flanked by conductors or current conductive tracks. The vehicle involved is of the kind which includes a chassis on which front and rear wheels are mounted, the front wheels for free rotation and the rear traction wheels for operation by a transmission associated with a small electric motor. A body-like housing is coupled on the chassis, reproducing a given model of vehicle. The toy vehicle also comprises, mounted on the front lower part of the chassis, a guide unit and dynamic current pick-up. The guide unit comprises a rim adapted for sliding within the guide grooves retaining the vehicle and keeping it on the track. The dynamic current pick-up comprises brushes, the ends of which, during vehicle movement, rub on the conductive tracks. Means are provided to carry the current from the brushes to the terminals of the electric motor. The guide unit and current pick-up in addition comprises a stem which is arranged through a tubular element integral with the chassis, the stem being able to rotate and it has available an appendage which can limitably rotate within an arcuate opening of the chassis.

Amongst other documents disclosing such toy vehicles, there can also be mentioned as background Spanish Utility Models 128,007; 128,071; 128,072; 142,303; 213,112;

1023869U and Patents EP-A-0525567 and EP-A-0786277.

A common drawback of the toy vehicles of this kind is that the chassis of the vehicle includes parts which only match with a particular shape of housing or body. This is a serious limitation because for another model of vehicle another chassis has to be provided, specially configured for this other model. Therefore, in manufacture, as D067034 J's t i; many different kinds of chassis have to be provided as different models of bodil, wished to offer.

To overcome this important drawback, the invention provides a toy vehicle for Oil Os electrified track which comprises an invariable chassis for every case and, in ad4i Oil to the mentioned upper body or housing, a lower body matching with the uppe t odi and together with it forming an enclosing body for the chassis. The enclosing bod) defines a predetermined vehicle model. This and the details associated wit i fastening of the upper and lower bodies with the chassis, as well as openin,4 3 spaces being provided for the wheels and for the guide unit and dynamic currentp k up, are discussed below in greater detail.

It is obvious then that by providing an invariable chassis for every cas' he production of the toy vehicles is significantly simplified. They show great vers,0 It is enough to only change the bodies to obtain other vehicle models, always wijh,he same chassis.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. I is a perspective view of the upper body of a toy vehicle according I Oi the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the chassis of the toy vehicle of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the lower body of the toy vehicle of Fig. 1. i With reference to the drawing, a toy vehicle according to the invention for u n electrified track (not shown) comprises an upper body 30, an intermediate chas- s 0 and a lower housing 40, all these parts being preferably obtained by moulding pl s material, as is already known in this kind of toy. However, other materiah d manufacturing systems can be used within the invention.

The upper body 30 includes a significantly widened part 32 which occ-,!ip s approximately the rear half of the toy vehicle. Under the part 32 there are two h( i JI w protuberances 3 6 (only one of which can be seen) which defme internal holes 3'! 9 n Do 34 V I 0 0 the said rear half, there exists a top bulkhead 35 which would correspond to an elementary cockpit for the driver; at the central part of same upper body there is an opening 37 for introducing the driver (not shown), while the front half 42 has a sharp pointed configuration under which another protuberance 36 is formed, also hollow and with an internal hole.

The chassis 10 includes supports I I for conventional bearings of a rear shaft (not shown) bearing two rear driving wheels (not shown), supports 12 for an electric engine (not shown) which drives the said rear shaft, supports 13 for the front wheels (not shown) and a support 14 for a guide unit and dynamic current pick-up 20 for feeding current to the engine, known in itself.

The chassis 10 comprises a wide opening 17 located within the support 12 for locating the engine. The chassis 10 is provided with protruding parts 16 provided with through holes 18, two of the parts 16 at respective sides of the engine supports 12 and the third part 16 toward the front close to the start of the wheel supports 13.

The lower body 40 has a significantly large area with parts 34 accompanied with protuberances 46 with holes 48, a large opening 47 coincident with the opening 17 of the chassis and front configurations 44 accompanied with another protuberance 46 also provided with an internal hole 48.

Said protuberances 36, 16 and 46 of both bodies 30, 40 and the chassis 10 are coincident with respect to a corresponding central vertical imaginary line. By passing.

screws (not shown) through the holes 38, 18 and 48 of the protuberances 36, 16 and 46 respectively the chassis 10 will be trapped between the upper body 30 and the lower body 40 and the compact fastening of said elements to each other will be achieved.

It is pointed out that the chassis 10 remains invariable for any vehicle model, lacking any configuration characteristic of any given vehicle model. The upper body 30 and lower body 40 are those which, apart from comprising openings or free spaces for the D067034 wheels, for the engine and for the guide unit and dynamic current pick-up, will c n( the model involved, for which the parts such as 3 2 and 42 of the upper bod s al. match the parts 34 and 44 of the lower body, respectively.

Having available a single chassis 10 valid for any vehicle model repres(l a 1 substantial simplification and versatility. Furthermore, since the chassis 1 as available all the elements for travelling such as the engine support 12, supports 1 nd 13 for the wheels and support 14 for the guide unit and current pick-up 20, at a i n time, and according to the preferences of the user, it can be used without the i er 1 and lower bodies 30, 40 being attached to it.

Although the illustrated toy vehicle takes the form of a racing car, it is obviou at the invention, which lies in the use of a single or universal chassis 10, applies ec 1 ly to other vehicle models such as tourist, sport, de luxe etc., vehicles for which o e upper 3 0 and lower 40 bodies will have to show the appropriate fonn,., I d characteristics.

DO 7

Claims

1. A toy vehicle for use on an electrified track, the toy vehicle comprising a chassis including supports for bearings of a rear shaft connected to two rear driving wheels, supports for an electric engine for driving the rear shaft through a transmission, supports for the front wheels and a support for a guide unit and dynamic current pick-up which engages the electrified track to energise the engine, a top body, and a lower body, wherein the upper and lower bodies match one another and together define an enclosing body for the chassis, the enclosing body having openings for the front and rear wheels and for the guide unit and dynamic current pick-up, wherein the enclosing body defines the appearance or model of the toy vehicle, and wherein the chassis is of a single configuration which can be coupled to different enclosing bodies corresponding to different vehicle models.

2. A toy vehicle according to claim I in which the upper and lower bodies are provided with configurations (32, 34, 42, 44) which can be interengaged to each other and with the chassis for fitting predetermined mutual relative positions.

3. A toy vehicle according to claim 2 in which the upper and lower bodies are provided with protuberances (36, 46) which can entrap between them parts (16) of the chassis.

4. A toy vehicle according to claim 3 wherein the protuberances (36, 46) define holes (3 8, 48) coincident with each other and with holes (18) of the parts (16) of the chassis for accepting screws.

5. A toy vehicle according to any preceding claim in which the chassis is provided with an opening located under the engine supports for cooling the engine, said opening substantially coinciding with a related opening in the lower body.

D067034

6. A toy vehicle according to any preceding claim in which the chassis 1 !1 incorporated all the rolling, operating, guiding and current pick-up elements nece., y to run on the electrified track without the upper and lower bodies being attached 4