HK1087371B - Toy vehicle - Google Patents

Description

Toy car

Technical Field

The present invention relates to toy vehicles, particularly but not exclusively those types of toy vehicles which children play with. A particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention relates to a toy vehicle including a manually powered drive unit arranged such that when the powered drive unit is discharged the vehicle is driven at a speed selected by a user from a plurality of alternative speeds.

Background

Many different types of toy vehicles have been previously proposed.

For example, U.S. patent No.6,450,857 (to Imagic) discloses a four wheel drive toy vehicle that can be pushed by hand to rotate a flywheel contained within the vehicle body. When the vehicle is released, the energy stored in the rotating flywheel is transferred to each of the four wheels through a series of gears, and the vehicle moves backwards or forwards (depending on the direction in which the drive unit is being charged) until the energy stored in the flywheel is released.

The particular toy vehicle is specifically designed so that the driven front wheels of the vehicle can move vertically up and down to allow the vehicle to clear small obstacles and to drive over rougher surfaces without stopping. The ability to negotiate obstacles and rougher terrain makes the vehicle more similar to a real full-size motor vehicle, increasing its attractiveness, particularly for children.

Sold in bulk under the trademark Hot Wheels, manufactured by Mattel, IncHave further improved the realism of these vehicles by providing an arrangement whereby the vehicles can make a sound somewhat similar to an engine turn when the toy vehicles are pushed by hand to rotate the flywheel.

While these previously proposed toy vehicles have met with commercial success, it remains the case that it is possible to further improve those vehicles to make them more realistic. For example, although it has previously been proposed to emulate the sound of an engine revolution, it does not control the speed at which the vehicle is driven. Real full-size motor vehicles are able to run at different speeds and likewise the attractiveness and popularity of the toy from a realism perspective may be more advantageous if a device is designed to allow a user to drive the vehicle at different speeds.

It is an object of the present invention to attempt to improve the realism of such vehicles, particularly by providing a device whereby a user can select any one of a number of different vehicle speeds.

Disclosure of Invention

To achieve this object, a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a toy vehicle comprising: a drive unit; a plurality of wheels; a mechanical linkage connecting the drive unit and the one or more wheels, which allows the release of energy stored in the drive unit, thereby driving the one or more wheels and propelling the vehicle; and a user operable selection mechanism arranged to allow a user of the toy to select a desired speed from a plurality of different speeds at which the vehicle is to be driven when the drive unit is de-energised by said one or more wheels.

According to another embodiment of the present invention there is provided a user operable selection system for a toy vehicle capable of being actuated at any one of a plurality of speeds selected, the selection system comprising:

a carrier for a gear train, said gear train comprising a plurality of gears, each of said gears associated with a particular propulsion speed being movable to engage with a mechanical linkage for connecting a drive unit and one or more wheels for driving the one or more wheels at the associated propulsion speed; and

a control mechanism arranged to control movement of the carrier to select the particular rate of advancement, the control mechanism being retainable in a plurality of positions, wherein each position is associated with a particular carrier position and thereby a particular selected rate of advancement.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a toy vehicle comprising: a chassis; a drive unit contained in the chassis; a plurality of wheels provided outside the chassis; a mechanical linkage provided in the chassis for connecting the drive unit and one or more of said wheels to allow release of energy stored in the drive unit to drive said one or more driven wheels and propel the vehicle; a user operable selection mechanism arranged to allow a user of the toy to select a desired speed from a plurality of different speeds at which the vehicle is to be driven when power to the drive unit is released through said one or more wheels, the selection system comprising: (i) a carrier for a gear train, said gear train comprising a plurality of gears, each of said gears associated with a particular propulsion speed being movable to engage with a mechanical linkage for connecting a drive unit and one or more wheels for driving the one or more wheels at the associated propulsion speed; and (ii) a control mechanism arranged to control movement of the carrier to select the particular rate of advancement, the control mechanism being retainable in a plurality of positions, wherein each position is associated with a particular carrier position and thereby a particular selected rate of advancement; the vehicle further includes: an actuator pivotally mounted on the chassis for operation by a user to operate said user operable selection system; and a body connectable to the actuator, pressing the body towards the chassis being operable to pivot the actuator towards the chassis to effect operation of said user operable selection system.

Preferred features and advantages of these and other aspects and embodiments of the invention are set forth in the appended claims and elsewhere in the following description.

Drawings

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a toy vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the toy vehicle illustrated in FIG. 1 with certain parts removed and others shown in phantom;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the toy vehicle illustrated in FIG. 2 with some components further removed;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view taken along line A-A in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a gear clutch mechanism used in the toy vehicle shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional plan view taken along line B-B in FIG. 3 (the features shown in FIG. 4 are shown in phantom) illustrating the configuration of the mechanical linkage for a first selected speed;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional plan view taken along line B-B in FIG. 3 (the features shown in FIG. 4 are shown in phantom) illustrating the configuration of the mechanical linkage for a second selected speed;

FIG. 8 is an oblique perspective view of the user operable selection mechanism and actuating member;

FIGS. 9a and 9b are cross-sectional plan views taken along line C-C of FIG. 3 showing, respectively, the configuration of the user-operable selection mechanism and the mechanical linkage for a first selected speed (as shown in FIG. 6), and the configuration of a portion of the user-operable selection mechanism and the mechanical linkage for a second selected speed (as shown in FIG. 7);

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of components of the user operable mechanism;

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of another component of the user operable selection mechanism;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an actuating member for use with the user operable selection mechanism;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the components illustrated exploded in FIG. 11; and

fig. 14 is a schematic plan view of a cam track formed on one surface of the component shown in fig. 13.

Detailed Description

A particularly preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in terms of a vehicle which includes a flywheel as the drive unit, and a mechanical linkage which provides four wheel drive. It should be noted, however, that while the preferred embodiments described hereinafter represent particularly advantageous arrangements, this description is provided by way of example only and does not limit the scope of the invention. For example, it is very possible to use a drive unit other than a flywheel. It is also not necessary that the vehicle be a four wheel drive vehicle.

Finally, it should be noted that the relative positions and movements referred to hereafter (e.g., top, bottom, front, rear, up, down, forward and rearward) are exemplary only, and as such should not be construed to imply that the orientation of the vehicle or components thereof is such as to limit the scope of the claimed invention.

Referring now to fig. 1, there is shown a front view of a toy vehicle 1 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the exemplary embodiment the vehicle 1 comprisesFour wheels 3 (only two of which are visible) extend from the chassis 5. A body 7 is connected to the chassis 5, which body may represent, for example, a real motor vehicle (Hummer in this particular example))。

Fig. 2 is a front view of the toy vehicle 1 shown in fig. 1 with the wheels 3 removed and the body 7 shown in phantom. Fig. 3 schematically shows the vehicle shown in fig. 2 with the vehicle body 7 removed.

Referring now to fig. 2 and 3, the chassis includes a pair of apertures 9, one on each side of the vehicle (only one visible), through which extend rear axles 11. A rear axle 11 extends all the way through the vehicle and carries the rear wheels of the vehicle 1 on both sides of the axle.

The chassis also includes a pair of slots 13, one on each side of the vehicle (only one visible), through which a front axle 15 extends. The front axle 15 extends all the way through the chassis and is pivotable about a point within the chassis to allow the front wheels to move "up" and "down" in the indicated directions. The front axle 15 carries front wheels (one at each end) and when the axle is successively passed correctly through the chassis, the upward movement of one front wheel relative to the chassis causes the downward movement of the other wheel relative to the chassis. As mentioned above, the pivoting of the front chassis makes the vehicle more tolerant of small obstacles and rough terrain.

The actuating member 17 is pivotally connected (by a pivot pin 19 passing through the chassis) to the uppermost surface of the chassis 5. The actuating member includes front and rear tabs 21 which snap into recesses or notches formed in the underside of the body 7 to attach the body 7 to the vehicle.

The actuating member 7 carries a wedge shaped cam 23 (which tapers in a direction into the plane of the paper) which is movable to drive a cam follower 25 (in a direction into the plane of the paper) forming part of a user operable selection mechanism, the manner of movement of which will be described below. The actuating member 17 is pivotable about a pivot pin 19 from an indicating position to a position closer to the uppermost surface of the chassis 15. The actuating member 17 comprises a partially curved guide arm 27 in the chassis, flanged at its lowermost end (not visible). The pivotal movement of the actuating member 17 causes the guide arms 27 to move into and out of the chassis 5, the flanged lowermost ends of the guide arms 27 preventing the actuating member from being disengaged from the chassis 5.

As shown in fig. 1-3, the chassis 5 includes another pair of apertures 29 (one on either side of the chassis, only one visible) through which a translatable gear set shaft 31 extends. The ability to translate the gear set shaft (i.e. lateral movement in a direction into the plane of the paper as shown in figures 1 to 3) to select different gear configurations and hence different actuation speeds will be described later.

Although not shown in the figures, the chassis is longitudinally split into two parts (i.e. in the direction from the front axle to the rear axle), which are connected to each other, for example by means of a plurality of screws.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view taken along line a-a in fig. 3 showing the four-wheel drive mechanism described previously. Each of the front and rear axles 15, 17 carries a pair of wheels 3, one on each side of the axle. Although the wheels are not shown in fig. 3, they are included in fig. 4, 6, 7 and 9 for illustration.

The front axle 15 extends through a pivot connector 31 comprising a pivot head 33 which is received in a recess in the wall of the chassis 5; a first passage 35 through which the front axle 15 extends; and a second channel 37 in which the proximal end 39a of the drive shaft 39 is mounted in such a way that the drive shaft 39 can rotate relative to the pivot connector 31.

The front axle 15 carries a crown gear 41 arranged to mesh with a first transmission gear 43 supported by a transmission shaft 39. The distal end 39b of the drive shaft 39 carries a second transmission gear 45 arranged to mesh with a crown gear 47 carried by the rear axle 11. The rear axle crown 47 includes a clutch mechanism (shown in detail in fig. 5).

The rear axle also carries two drive gears 49, 51, with the smaller gear 51 acting as a pinion for the larger gear 49. In the preferred embodiment, the larger gear 49 of the two drive gears is driven in a low speed mode and the smaller gear 51 is driven in a high speed mode.

Those skilled in the art will immediately recognize that driving either of these two drive gears 49, 51 rotates the rear axle with rear wheel 3 and crown gear 47. Rotation of the crown gear 47 causes rotation of the first and second transmission gears 43, 45 supported by the transmission shaft 39, the rotation applied to the first transmission gear 43 being transmitted to the crown gear 41 supported by the front axle 15 to drive the front wheels 3 of the vehicle.

Referring now to figure 5, there is shown a plan view of crown gear 47 as viewed along rear axle 11 from the direction of the two drive gears 49, 51.

The crown gear includes a concave inner bottom surface 53 defined by a vertical peripheral wall 55, which carries the teeth of crown gear 47. The inner bottom surface 53 includes a plurality of vertical, generally triangular, spaced teeth 59, the teeth 59 being arranged to interfere with a protruding boss 65 formed around the clutch 61. The clutch 61 includes an annular ring 63 which is fixedly connected to the rear shaft 11 so as to rotate with the shaft. The projections 65 extend outwardly from the periphery of respective resilient arms 67 which extend from the annular ring 63 and are deformable towards the ring 63 (in the event of excessive torque being applied to the rear axle).

As shown in fig. 5, when the torque applied to the shaft 11 is less than the force required to elastically deform the arms 67 towards the ring 63, the projections adjacent to the aforementioned teeth 59 and the crown wheel rotate together with the shaft 11. If the moment applied to the axle 11 exceeds the force required to elastically deform the arms 67, the arms are deformed towards 63, pulling the projections 65 away from the teeth 59 and the crown stops rotating with the rear axle 11.

By virtue of this arrangement, it is advantageous for the clutch 61 to be set to slip in the event of excessive torque being applied, since it prevents damage that might otherwise occur (for example damage to the teeth 57 of the crown wheel and the meshing teeth of the second transmission gear 45), for example damage to the rotation of the front wheels for some reason.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional plan view taken generally along line B-B of fig. 3 when the cart is configured to operate in a low speed mode. For simplicity and to aid in understanding the operation of this embodiment, the features shown in FIG. 4 are shown in dashed lines in FIG. 6.

Mounted inside the chassis 5 is a drive unit 69, which in the preferred embodiment comprises a flywheel 71. The flywheel 71 is positioned in the chassis by a pivot pin 73 that allows the flywheel 71 to rotate. The flywheel is engaged by a drive shaft 75, the distal end 75a of which carries a pinion gear 77. The pinion 77 meshes with a first gear 79 which is located in the chassis by a second pivot pin 81. The first gear 79 also comprises a pinion 83 arranged to mesh with a second gear 85 which is located in the chassis by a third pivot pin 87. The second gear 85 includes an elongated pinion gear 89 disposed in meshing engagement with a gear set 91 fixedly connected to the aforementioned translatable gear-set shaft 31.

The gear set 91 includes a spur gear 93 which is movable along the shaft 31 and normally is biased away from the bushing 95 by a spring 97. The spur gear 93 meshes with the elongated pinion 89 and carries ratchet teeth 99 which mesh with corresponding ratchet teeth 101 formed on a first low speed gear 103 which is fixedly connected to the shaft 31. Spur gear 93, ratchet teeth 99, 101, low speed gear 103 and spring 97 form a clutch mechanism that is operable to disengage the driven wheel and other transmission from the flywheel in the event that the torque applied to translatable shaft 31 exceeds the side force applied by the spring for biasing spur gear 93 away from bushing 95.

The gear set further includes a high speed gear 105 which is separated from a low speed gear 103 by a toothless holder portion 107, the function of which will be described later. In a preferred arrangement, the ratchet teeth 101, low speed gear 103, toothless gripper portion 107 and high speed gear 105 are formed as part of a gear set. As will be apparent from a comparison of fig. 4 and 6, the low speed gear 103 is significantly smaller than the larger gear 49 of the two drive gears supported by the rear axle 11, and the high speed gear 105 is significantly larger than the smaller gear 51 of the two drive gears supported by the rear axle 11.

As shown in fig. 6, in the low speed mode, the low speed gear 103 meshes with a larger drive gear 49 supported by the rear shaft. The effect of driving the larger drive gear 49 with the smaller low speed gear 103 will reduce the angular velocity of the larger drive gear 49, and therefore the angular velocity of the wheels and the overall speed of the vehicle motion, as compared to the smaller low speed gear 103.

As noted above, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional plan view taken generally along line B-B in FIG. 3 when the cart is configured to operate in a high speed mode. Referring now to fig. 7 (in which like elements are shown in a different configuration than in fig. 6), the high speed configuration and the low speed configuration shown differ primarily in that the gear set shaft has been translated (i.e., moved laterally) toward the left in the figure, thereby disengaging low speed gear 103 from the larger drive gear 49 and engaging high speed gear 105 with the smaller drive gear 51. In this case, the large high-speed gear 105 meshes with the small drive gear 51 supported by the rear shaft. The effect of driving the smaller drive gear 51 with the larger high speed gear 105 is to increase the angular velocity of the smaller drive gear 51, and therefore the angular velocity of the wheels and the overall speed of the vehicle motion, as compared to the larger high speed gear 105.

It will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that moving the cart along a surface by hand causes the wheels to rotate, which in turn causes the drive gears 49, 51 to rotate (by virtue of the transmission shown in figure 4). Depending on whether the vehicle is in low or high speed mode, rotation of drive gears 49, 51 causes either first drive gear 49 to drive low speed gear 103 of the gear set or second drive gear 51 to drive high speed gear 105 of the gear set. The linkage between the first and second ratchet teeth 99, 101 transfers the drive applied to the gear set 91 (by virtue of the engagement between the low and first drive gears 49, 103 or the high speed and second drive gears 51, 105) to the spur gear 93 and from there to the elongated pinion 89 and the second gear 85. The second gear 85 engages and drives the pinion 83 of the first gear 79, which drives the pinion 77, the drive shaft 75, and ultimately the flywheel 71.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that under the gear/pinion interference between each gear set 91 and the flywheel 71, the angular velocity of the gears increases gradually-the effect being that the flywheel can rotate very rapidly even though the vehicle is moving relatively slowly along a surface to drive the wheels.

Once the flywheel has rotated (by moving the vehicle along the surface by hand to turn the wheels) to "charge" the drive unit 69, releasing the vehicle allows the flywheel to release the stored energy by driving the transmission described above, thereby moving the wheels, thus propelling the vehicle along the surface until the energy stored in the flywheel is exhausted.

Although we have described in detail for a long time how the drive mechanism of the cart works, we have not yet explained how the user operates the cart via a user-operable selection mechanism to move the translatable gear-set shaft from the aforementioned low-speed setting to the aforementioned high-speed setting (and back again).

Referring now to fig. 8 of the drawings, a user operable selection mechanism is shown and generally indicated by reference numeral 109. Also shown in part are rear axle 11, rear axle crown gear 47, larger gear 49 of the two drive gears (smaller gear 51 of the two drive gears being hidden in the figure), and translatable gear-set shaft 31.

In fig. 8, the hidden smaller drive gear 51 is engaged with the high speed drive wheel 105 (i.e. the vehicle is in high speed mode) and the toothless holder portion 107 of the gear set is located in a component of the user operable selection mechanism 109. The actuating member 17 (which is shown spaced from the user operable selection mechanism for clarity) includes a channel 111 through which a pivot pin 19 (see figures 1 to 3) extends to allow the actuating member to pivot about the pin (as described above with reference to figures 1 to 3). The aforementioned wedge-shaped flange 23, and the flanged lowermost end 113 of the actuating member guide arm 27, are clearly visible on the underside of the actuating member 17.

The preferred configuration of the user operable selection mechanism 109 will be described in detail later. It is sufficient to mention at this point that only the toothless holder portion is located in the selection mechanism 109 so that the rotation of the gear set 91 (with the gear set shaft 31) is not impaired, so that the movement of the selection mechanism 109 supports the gear set 91 located therein.

Fig. 9a and 9b are cross-sectional plan views taken along line C-C of fig. 3 showing the configuration of the user-operable selection mechanism and the mechanical linkage for a first selected speed (as shown in fig. 6), and the configuration of a portion of the user-operable selection mechanism and the mechanical linkage for a second selected speed (as shown in fig. 7), respectively.

Referring first to figure 9a, the user operable selection mechanism comprises a fixed housing 115 which is located in the chassis 5 (not shown) and remains fixed in position therein. A spring-biased shuttle (shunt) 117 movably retained in the housing 115 is connected to a first arm 119 extending generally perpendicularly from the housing and in turn connected to a second arm 121 extending generally perpendicularly from the first arm 119 (generally parallel to the gear set shaft 31). The second arm is connected to a third arm (not visible in fig. 9a and 9 b) which extends generally vertically downwards (i.e. into the plane of the paper) and terminates in a crescent-shaped notch portion 123 (somewhat similar to a spanner opening) in which notch portion 123 the aforementioned toothless gripper portion 107 is located.

Fig. 9a shows a low speed setting in which the shuttle 117 is locked against spring bias (in a manner to be described later) in a position in which it only slightly protrudes from the stationary housing 115. In this position, the gear set is held (by virtue of the toothless holder portion 107 being located in the notch portion 123) in a position whereby the low speed gear 103 meshes with the larger gear 49 of the two drive gears on the rear axle 11.

The selection mechanism is operated by the user to open the shuttle 117, whereupon the shuttle 117 moves with the spring bias to further extend from the stationary housing 115. When the shuttle is removed from the housing 115, it supports a first arm 119, a second arm 121 and a third arm 125; the notch portion 123; gear set 91 located in notched portion 123; and a gear set shaft 31. These parts continue to move until shuttle 117 reaches the limit where it is clear of housing 115, at which point (as shown in figure 9 b) low speed gear 103 has disengaged from the larger gear 49 of the two drive gears and high speed gear 105 has engaged with the smaller gear 51 of the two drive gears.

Subsequent operation of the user operable selection mechanism moves the shuttle 117 (against the spring bias) back to the locked position shown in figure 9a, in which the gear train is in the low speed configuration. Subsequent operation of the selection mechanism will cause the gear set to switch between the two modes.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of one major component of the user-operable selection mechanism, and fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the various components mounted together to form the other major component of the user-operable selection mechanism.

Referring first to fig. 10, clearly visible are a first arm 119, a second arm 121, and a third arm 125, each arm extending generally perpendicularly from the other arms. Also clearly visible is crescent-shaped notch portion 123 in which holder portion 107 of the aforementioned gear set 91 (not shown in this figure) is located. The first arm 119 includes, at its proximal end 119a, a pair of depending grip fingers 127 that extend in a direction generally parallel to the third arm 125. The jaws 127 define a slot 129 into which other major components of the selection mechanism (as shown in figure 11) may fit. The surface of the first arm 119 which, in use, is directed towards the underside of the actuating element 17 has an inclined portion 130 which serves as a cam follower 25 (figure 1) for a wedge-shaped flange on the underside of the actuating element 17.

Referring to fig. 11, the other major components are comprised of a housing 115 (comprised of first and second mating housing portions 115a and 115 b), a shuttle 117, a spring 113 operable to bias the shuttle 117, and a generally J-shaped hook 133 having a distal end 133a and a proximal end 133 b. The proximal end 133b of the hook 133 functions as a cam follower, as will be described in detail later.

To assemble the components, the distal end 133a of the hook 133 is secured inside the second portion 115b of the housing by engaging the distal end 133a with a fastener (not visible) that is generally provided centrally at the bottom (not visible) of the second housing portion 115 b. Once secured in place, the proximal end 133b (and the remainder of the spring) is upstanding from the bottom of the second portion 115b and is located in a channel 135 formed in the wall of the second portion 115b in such a way that the proximal end 133b of the hook 133 can pivot about the securing element 133a (within the confines of the channel 135) in the direction indicated. Once the hook 133 has been mounted in place, the spring 131 is mounted above said fixing at the bottom of the second housing part 115b, so that it is also vertical there.

Referring now to fig. 11 and 13 (fig. 13 provides an enlarged perspective view of shuttle 117), shuttle 117 includes a body portion 137 that is generally H-shaped in cross-section (along line D-D indicated in fig. 11 and 13) to define a first channel 139 and an opposing second channel (not visible) that are both open at one end (the bottom end shown) and closed at the other end by a top wall 141. The two channels are arranged one behind the other and each of them is open to the outside of the shuttle 117. First channel 139 includes a cam track 143 (shown in detail in fig. 13 and 14), and as is evident particularly from fig. 13, a plurality of projections extending outwardly from the bottom of first channel 139 define cam track 143. The second channel is configured to receive the vertical spring 131 therein. The body portion 137 is comprised of a first portion 145 and a larger second portion 147, the interface between the first and second portions forming a circumferential step 149.

The top wall 141 of the shuttle 117 supports a generally T-shaped tab portion 151 arranged so that it can be slidably received in the slot 129 defined by the pawl 127 depending from the first arm 119 of one component of the user operable selection mechanism illustrated in figure 10 above.

The first portion 115a of the housing 115 includes a top wall 153 with a square aperture 155 that is slightly larger in size than the first portion 145 of the shuttle 117 but smaller than the larger second portion 147 of the shuttle 117 so that the shuttle 117 can move up through the aperture 155 to a point where the step 149 rests against the underside of the top wall 153. One side wall of the first portion 115a is provided with a channel 157 that is an extension of the channel 135 formed in the second portion 115 b. The second portion 115b includes a plurality of vertical pins 159 that can fit into sockets (not visible) formed on the side walls of the first portion 115a to connect the first portion 115a and the second portion 115 b.

To complete assembly of this component of the user operable selection mechanism, the shuttle 117 is positioned over the vertical spring 131 so that the spring is positioned in the aforementioned second channel, and the proximal end 133b of the J-hook 133 is positioned at the start position 161 (fig. 14) in the cam track 143 formed in the first channel 139. The first portion 115a of the housing can then be mounted to the shuttle 117 so that its smaller first portion 145 extends through the aperture 155 in the top wall 153 and moves towards the second housing portion 115b to compress the spring 131 until the upright pin 159 is securely received in a complementary receptacle formed in the side wall of the second portion 115 b.

Once assembled, the spring 131 will bias the shuttle 117 so that the circumferential step 149 rests against the underside of the top wall 153 of the housing 115 (the maximum extent of extension of the shuttle 117 from the housing) and the proximal end 133b of the hook 133 is positioned at a starting position 161 (fig. 14) in the cam track 143.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of an actuating member 17 for use with the user operable selection mechanism described above with reference to fig. 10, 11 and 13. As described above with reference to fig. 8, the actuating element 17 includes a passage 111 through which a pivot pin 19 (see fig. 1-3) extends to allow the actuating element to pivot about the pin (as described above with reference to fig. 1-3). The aforementioned wedge cam 23, as well as the flanged lowermost end 113 of the actuating member guide arm 27, are also clearly visible on the underside of the actuating member 17.

Fig. 14 is a schematic plan view of the cam track 143 formed in the first channel 139. As shown, the cam track 143 is defined by two sidewalls 163 of the first channel 139 and a series of projections 165, 167 that rise from a bottom 169 of the channel 139. The middle projection 167 includes a locking notch 171, the function of which will be described later.

The base 169 includes a first ramp 173 (defined by dashed lines in fig. 14) that terminates at its highest point in the lip 175, and a second ramp 177 (defined by solid lines in fig. 14) that terminates at its highest point in the lip 179. The lips 175, 177 provide a means for preventing the cam follower (i.e., the proximal end 133b of the hook 133) from returning below the ramp (i.e., in the opposite direction as indicated in fig. 14).

Referring now to fig. 12 and 14, pivoting the actuating member 17 about the pivot pin 19 (by applying pressure thereto in the direction P indicated in fig. 3, 8 and 12) causes the wedge cam 23 to move, thereby compressing the cam follower 130 (formed on the first arm 119) at a point on the wedge cam, generally indicated by reference numeral 173. As the cam 23 presses against the cam follower 130, the cam follower moves along the surface of the cam 23 from point 173 toward point 175 and supports the first arm 119, the second arm 121 and the third arm 125, and the gear set 91 positioned in the crescent-shaped notch portion 123. Movement of the cam follower from point 173 to point 175 also simultaneously causes the shuttle 117 (engaged with the pawl 127 depending from the first arm 119) to move against the bias of the spring to retract into the housing 115 (which is fixed in position relative to the chassis and other components of the user operable selection mechanism as previously described).

When shuttle 117 retracts into housing 115, the proximal end 133b of hook 133 moves from the starting position 161 in cam track 143, through intermediate position 181, up to first ramp 173, and over lip 175 to first limit point 183 where spring 131 is compressed to its maximum amount, shuttle 117 stops to rest against the bottom of second housing portion 115b and can not retract further into the housing. At this point the actuating element 17 presses against the upper surface of the chassis and cannot pivot any further towards the chassis 5.

Considering now the configuration of the mechanical linkage at this point, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that when the shuttle is retracted into the housing, the high speed gear 105 of the gear set 91 (which is located in the crescent-shaped notched portion 123 at the end of the third arm 125) is disengaged from the smaller drive gear 51 (supported by the rear axle 11) and the low speed gear 103 is engaged with the larger drive gear 49. That is, operating the selection mechanism moves the hook proximal end 133b from the start position 161 to the limit position 183 while moving the gear set 91 and the translatable shaft 31 provided in the chassis 5 from the positions shown in fig. 7 or 9b to the positions shown in fig. 6 or 9 a.

Releasing the actuating element 17 moves the shuttle 117 out of the housing 115 under the bias provided by the compression spring 131 while the distal end 133a of the hook 133 moves from the limit point 183 in the cam track 143 toward the middle projection 167 and the locking notch 171 formed therein (the ridge 175 prevents the distal end 133a of the hook 133 from returning below the ramp 173 toward the starting position 161). When the proximal end 133b of the hook 133 enters the locking notch, the gear set 91 returns slightly from the restrained position where the low-speed gear 103 is fully engaged with the larger drive wheel 49 to a position where the low-speed gear 103 and the larger drive wheel 49 are less engaged but still maintain a certain amount of engagement to readily allow the user to drive the other gears, and vice versa.

When the proximal end 133b of the hook is in the locking notch 171, it is held in the notch by the bias provided by the partially compressed spring 131, which spring 131 acts to pull the proximal end into the notch. In this position, the low speed gear 103 is effectively locked in mesh with the larger drive wheel 49 and any pushing of the vehicle will produce a lower speed. When the proximal end 133b of the hook 133 is positioned in the locking notch, the actuating member 17 is slightly spaced from the upper surface of the chassis, but at a different spacing than when the proximal end 133b of the hook 133 is in the starting position 161.

When the force is applied to the actuating member again in the direction P, the actuating member again abuts the upper surface of the chassis and the proximal end 133b of the hook 133 moves to the second limit position 185.

Releasing the actuating element again at this point causes shuttle 117 to move away from housing 115 under the bias provided by compression spring 131 while distal end 133a of hook 133 moves from second limit point 185 in cam track 143, past intermediate projection 167, up to second ramp 177, past second intermediate position 187, and over second ridge 179 before stopping movement at start position 161.

When the distal end 133a of the hook leaves the second limit point 185, reaches the start position 61 through the second intermediate point 187, the gear train 91 supported by the crescent-shaped end 123 of the third arm 125 moves so that the low-speed gear 103 is disengaged from the larger gear 49 of the two drive wheels, and the high-speed gear 105 is engaged with the smaller gear 51. That is, the selection mechanism is operated to move the hook proximal end 133b from the second limit point 185 to the start point 161 through the second intermediate point 187 while moving the gear set 91 and the translatable shaft 31 provided in the chassis 5 from the position shown in fig. 6 or 9a (low-speed configuration) to the position shown in fig. 7 or 9b (high-speed configuration).

It will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that by repeatedly depressing and releasing the actuating member (or acting directly on the body 7 of the vehicle), it is possible to switch between low and high speed propulsion modes of the vehicle. The possibility of switching the propulsion speed both before charging the vehicle and while the vehicle is in motion will greatly increase the attractiveness and thus the overall popularity of the vehicle.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and substitutions can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, although in the preferred embodiment the drive unit comprises a flywheel, it will be apparent that a variety of different drive mechanisms may be used instead. Similarly, while the preferred embodiment provides for transitioning between two discrete speed modes, it will be apparent that transitions between more than two speed modes can be achieved by incorporating minor design changes in the disclosed embodiments. Furthermore, although in the preferred embodiment the vehicle includes four wheel drive, it will be apparent that not all of these wheels need to be driven. It will also be apparent that the vehicle does not necessarily require four wheels. For example, it may have a single wheel, two wheels, three wheels, or more than four wheels.

It is finally noted that although certain combinations of features described herein have been explicitly recited in the appended claims, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the combinations set forth in the claims herein, but extends to encompass any combination of features described herein, regardless of whether such features are claimed in subsequent combinations.

Claims (44)

1. A toy vehicle, comprising: a drive unit; a plurality of wheels; a mechanical linkage comprising a movable gear set having a plurality of interconnected gears, said mechanical linkage connecting said drive unit and one or more of said wheels to allow release of energy stored in said drive unit to drive said one or more wheels and propel the vehicle; and a user operable selection mechanism arranged to allow a user of the toy to select a desired speed from a plurality of different speeds at which the vehicle is to be driven when the drive unit is de-energised by said one or more wheels; wherein said user operable selection mechanism is operable to move said gear set so as to change the configuration of said mechanical linkage to effect selection of a desired speed at which the vehicle will be driven; and the user operable selection mechanism comprises a carrier in which the gear train is located, the carrier being movable to effect movement of the gear train and selection of the desired speed of advance, and a resiliently biased shuttle connectable to the carrier for movement.

2. The toy vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a shaft on which the gear set is mounted.

3. The toy vehicle of claim 1, wherein the movable gear set includes a low speed gear movable into a mechanical linkage between the drive unit and one or more driven wheels to select a low propulsion speed and a high speed gear movable into a mechanical linkage between the drive unit and one or more driving wheels to select a high propulsion speed.

4. The toy vehicle of claim 3, wherein the movable gear set includes a clutch mechanism.

5. The toy vehicle of claim 1, wherein the user-operable selection mechanism further comprises a control mechanism arranged to control movement of the carrier to select a particular propulsion speed, the control mechanism being retainable in a plurality of positions, wherein each position is associated with a particular carrier position and thereby a particular selected propulsion speed.

6. The toy vehicle of claim 1, wherein the selection mechanism is operable by a user to select a desired propulsion speed prior to charging the drive unit, while the drive unit is charging, or while the drive unit is discharging.

7. A toy vehicle, comprising:

a drive unit;

a plurality of wheels;

a mechanical linkage comprising a movable gear set having a plurality of interconnected gears, the mechanical linkage connecting the drive unit and one or more of the wheels to allow release of energy stored in the drive unit to drive the one or more wheels and propel the vehicle, and the gear set comprising a clutch mechanism, a low speed gear movable into the mechanical linkage between the drive unit and one or more driven wheels to select a low propulsion speed, and a high speed gear movable into the mechanical linkage between the drive unit and one or more driven wheels to select a high propulsion speed; and

a user operable selection mechanism arranged to allow a user of the toy to select a desired speed at which the vehicle will be driven as the one or more wheels are driven by energy from the drive unit, the selection mechanism being operable to move the gear set so as to change the configuration of the mechanical linkage to effect the selection of the desired speed at which the vehicle will be driven;

wherein the user operable selection mechanism comprises a carrier in which the gear train is located, a control mechanism arranged to control movement of the carrier to select a particular rate of advancement, and a resiliently biased shuttle device which is capable of being connected to the carrier for movement, the control mechanism being retainable in a plurality of positions wherein each position is associated with a particular carrier position and thereby a particular selected rate of advancement.

8. The toy vehicle of claim 7 wherein the control mechanism includes a housing fixed in position relative to the vehicle, the shuttle being movable relative to the housing; and means for holding the shuttle in a plurality of positions, wherein each position is associated with a particular carrier position and thereby a particular selected speed of advancement.

9. The toy vehicle of claim 8, wherein the retaining device includes a cam track formed on a surface of the movable shuttle.

10. The toy vehicle of claim 9, including a cam follower secured to the housing and movable through the cam track under operation of a user-operable selection mechanism.

11. The toy vehicle of claim 10 wherein the shuttle is located within the housing with a spring bias between the shuttle and a bottom of the housing, the shuttle being movable into and out of the housing, the cam follower including a hook secured at one end of the housing, a free end of the hook being movable through the cam track.

12. The toy vehicle of claim 11, wherein the cam track is configured such that the free end of the hook is movable from a starting position, through at least one holding position, and back to the starting position.

13. The toy vehicle of claim 12, wherein the free end of the hook is movable through the cam track in only one direction.

14. The toy vehicle of claim 13, wherein the cam track is contoured to allow the free end of the hook to move in only the one direction.

15. The toy vehicle of claim 14 wherein the user operable selection mechanism is configured to allow a user to select between a low propulsion vehicle speed and a high propulsion vehicle speed, and the movable gear set is configured to:

(i) the high speed gear is included in the mechanical linkage when the free end of the hook is at the start position of the cam track,

(ii) when the hook is moved from the start position, past a first limit point to the holding position, thereby effecting selection of the low propulsion vehicle speed, the high speed gear is disengaged from the linkage, the low speed gear is engaged with the linkage, and

(iii) when the hook moves from the holding position, past a second limit point and reaches the start position, thereby enabling selection of the high propulsion vehicle speed, the low speed gear disengages from the linkage and the high speed gear engages with the linkage.

16. The toy vehicle of claim 15, wherein the spring bias acts to push the shuttle out of the housing and pull the free end of the hook into the retaining position.

17. The toy vehicle of claim 16 wherein the retaining position includes a notch in a cam track configuration around which the hook moves when the user-operable selection mechanism is operated to select low speed from high speed and high speed from low speed.

18. The toy vehicle of claim 17, wherein the slot opens in a direction in which the resilient bias biases the shuttle away from the housing.

19. The toy vehicle of claim 18 further comprising an actuator operated by a user to operate the user-operable selection mechanism.

20. The toy vehicle of claim 19 wherein the vehicle includes a chassis and the actuator is articulated to the chassis.

21. The toy vehicle of claim 20, wherein the actuator includes a cam such that when the actuator is moved toward the chassis, the cam presses on a connector between the carrier and the control mechanism, thereby moving the user-operable selection mechanism to effect operation thereof.

22. The toy vehicle of claim 21 wherein the actuator additionally includes an attachment device for attaching the body to the vehicle.

23. The toy vehicle of claim 22, wherein the coupling arrangement includes a tab formed on the actuator that is receivable into a complementary recess formed in the body to couple the body and the actuator.

24. The toy vehicle of claim 23, wherein pressing the body toward the chassis is operable to pivot the actuator toward the chassis to effect operation of the user-operable selection mechanism.

25. The toy vehicle of claim 24, comprising four wheels.

26. The toy vehicle of claim 25 wherein the mechanical linkage is configured such that the drive unit is operable to drive all four wheels.

27. The toy vehicle of claim 26, wherein the drive unit is manually powered.

28. The toy vehicle of claim 27 wherein the drive unit is manually charged by moving the wheels of the vehicle across a surface to rotate the wheels to charge the drive unit.

29. The toy vehicle of claim 28, wherein the direction of rotation of the wheel when the drive unit is energized is the same as the direction of rotation of the wheel when the drive unit is de-energized.

30. The toy vehicle of claim 29, wherein the drive unit includes a flywheel.

31. A user-operable selection system for a toy vehicle, wherein the toy vehicle is capable of propulsion at any one of a plurality of selected speeds, the selection system comprising:

a gear set comprising a plurality of speed-determining gears, each speed-determining gear being associated with a particular propulsion speed and being movable to a respective gear position at which it engages with a mechanical linkage for connecting the drive unit and one or more wheels for driving the one or more wheels at the associated particular propulsion speed;

a movable carrier for the gear set; and

a control mechanism arranged to control the movement of said movable carrier to select said specific speed of advancement, the control mechanism being retainable in a plurality of positions, wherein each position is associated with a specific carrier position and a gear position, thereby being associated with a specific selected speed of advancement, wherein the control mechanism comprises a resiliently biased shuttle, the shuttle being connectable to said carrier.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the control mechanism includes a housing fixed in position relative to the cart, said shuttle being movable relative to said housing; and means for maintaining said shuttle in a plurality of positions, wherein each position is associated with a particular carrier position and thereby a particular selected speed of advancement.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the retaining device comprises a cam track formed on a surface of the movable shuttle device.

34. A system as set forth in claim 33 including a cam follower secured to said housing and movable through said cam track under operation of said user operable selection system.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein said shuttle is located within said housing with a spring bias between said shuttle and a bottom of said housing, said shuttle being movable into and out of said housing, said cam follower comprising a hook secured at one end of said housing, a free end of said hook being movable through said cam track.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the cam track is configured such that the free end of the hook is movable from a starting position, through at least one holding position, and back to the starting position.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the free end of the hook is movable through the cam track in only one direction.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the profile of the cam track allows the free end of the hook to move in only the one direction.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the user operable selection system is configured to allow a user to select between a low propulsion vehicle speed and a high propulsion vehicle speed, and the gear set is configured to:

(i) a high speed gear is included in the mechanical linkage when the free end of the hook is at the cam track start position,

(ii) when the hook is moved from the start position, past a first limit point to the holding position, to effect selection of the low propulsion vehicle speed, the high speed gear is disengaged from the linkage, the low speed gear is engaged with the linkage, and

(iii) when the hook moves from the holding position, past a second limit point and reaches the start position, thereby enabling selection of the high propulsion vehicle speed, the low speed gear disengages from the linkage and the high speed gear engages with the linkage.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the spring bias acts to push the shuttle out of the housing and pull the free end of the hook into the retention position.

41. The system of claim 40 wherein the holding position comprises a notch in a cam track configuration around the circumference of which the hook moves when the user operable selection system is operated to select low speed from high speed and high speed from low speed.

42. A system according to claim 41, wherein said slot opens in a direction in which said resilient bias biases the shuttle away from said housing.

43. A system according to any one of claims 31 to 42, wherein the selection system is operable by a user to select a desired propulsion speed before charging of the drive unit, while charging of the drive unit, or while discharging of the drive unit.

44. A toy vehicle, comprising:

a chassis;

a drive unit contained in the chassis;

a plurality of wheels disposed outside the chassis;

a mechanical linkage provided in the chassis for connecting the drive unit and one or more of the wheels to allow release of energy stored in the drive unit to drive the one or more wheels and propel the vehicle;

a user operable selection mechanism arranged to allow a user of the toy to select a desired speed from a plurality of different speeds at which the vehicle is to be driven when the drive unit is de-energised by said one or more wheels, the selection mechanism comprising:

(i) a carrier for a gear train, said gear train comprising a plurality of gears, each of said gears associated with a particular propulsion speed being movable to engage with a mechanical linkage for connecting a drive unit and one or more wheels for driving the one or more wheels at the associated propulsion speed; and

(ii) a control mechanism arranged to control movement of the carrier to select the particular rate of advancement, the control mechanism being retainable in a plurality of positions, wherein each position is associated with a particular carrier position and thereby a particular selected rate of advancement;

the vehicle further includes:

an actuator pivotally mounted on said chassis for operation by a user to operate said user operable selection mechanism; and

a body connectable to the actuator, pressing the body towards the chassis being operable to pivot the actuator towards the chassis to effect operation of the user operable selection mechanism.