US3293753A

US3293753A - Design creating tool

Info

Publication number: US3293753A
Application number: US518375A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harold M Gage; Edward E Headrick
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1966-01-03
Filing date: 1966-01-03
Publication date: 1966-12-27
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-27

Description

Dec. 27, 1966 H. M. GAGE ETAL DESIGN CREATINGTOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 K C min m? m mvvy ME y m p o m WM]. WW E Filed Jan. 5, 1966 Dec. 27, 1966 H, G ETAL 3,293,753

DESIGN CREATING TOOL Filed Jan. 3, 1966 2 SheetsSheet 2 FIG. 3

FIG. 4

I NVEN TOR. HAROLD M. GAGE I'IDWARI) E. HEADRIC'K way S ATTORJVEY United States Patent 3,293,753 DESIGN CREATING TOOL Harold M. Gage, 4836 Crown Ave., and Edward E. Headrick, 4900 Crown Ava, both of La Canada, Calif. 94601 Filed Jan. 3, 1966, Ser. No. 518,375 4 Claims. (Cl. 33-27) This invention relates to mechanical movement devices for marking a pattern on one of two relatively-moving surfaces, and is more specifically related to that indefinite area of classification which transcends between a mechanical device for producing designs in serious art concepts and a toy for amusement.

This invention, as illustrated and described herein, has for its main object the provision of an amusement device which enables a person to create highly-intricate lacy patterns for decorative use as well as for pure entertainment and amusement.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tool for creating designs, whereby the design is established by producing an arbitrary cam surface, and the finished design which that cam surface is instrumental in creating is unknown until the tool develops the cam surface into an artistic pattern.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the best mode contemplated for the present invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top-plan view of a toy device embodying the concepts of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side view through the housing of FIG- URE 1, taken substantially along the line 22 of FIG- URE 1, and is essentially an elevational view of the internal mechanism with the side of the casing broken away;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom view of the internal mechanism as revealed by removal of the bottom wall of the casing; and

FIGURE 4 is a top schematic relationship illustration of the rotating container, with the top wall of the container removed to illustrate the internal mechanism operating a marking stylus.

Although this invention may be employed with various types of marking surfaces, it is illustrated in the environment of a renewable type of surface which is old and well known, particularly in the toy field. This type of surface is created by the adherence of finely-divided aluminum powder to a translucent window. It is employed in at least one well-recognized toy wherein a marking stylus is driven by coordinate drive mechanism.

In the present invention, a stylus is driven along the surface to scrape away some of the adhering aluminum. The marking is eradicated by inverting the container holding the aluminum and dusting the entire window with fresh aluminum powder. The powder adheres over the entire surface and obliterates any previously-made markings.

In the drawings, a toy device embodying the invention is illustrated as being housed in a case having a front deck 11, and a framed circular opening 12.

Within the case housing 10, and framed within the opening 12, is a rotary container 14. This container is sealed in order to hold a quantity of finely-divided aluminum powder and prevent the escape of that powder. This embodiment illustrates a circular container having a bottom wall and a circular side wall 16. The top of the container is closed by a wall 17. The wall 17 is preferably of glass, or a plastic material suitable for the transmission of light to the extent that a coating of aluminum on the interior side may be seen from the exterior and any markings made in that aluminum coating will be evident from the exterior. Hence, the generic term translucent will be employed to refer to this quality of this top wall 17, and any one of a range of materials may be selected to fit this requirement. The purpose is obvious, and that is to permit the design to be scratched on the interior surface in order that the aluminum may be contained Within the sealed rotary container 14 and yet have the pattern which is made be observable from the exterior, preferably without interior illumination.

To cause the marking on the interior .of top wall 17, a stylus 20 is swingingly supported inside container 14 on arm 21 which operates from a pivot point laterally of the central axis of container 14. In the illustrated embodiment, this pivot mount is provided by a pulley 22, which is driven from the exterior to cause the arm 21 to move through a swinging path as suggested by the semi-circular mark 23 shown in FIGURE 4. The mark 23 would be produced if the rotary container 14 were to remain stationary while the arm 21 is swinging. This condition does not exist in actual use of the invention.

A drive crank 24 mounted on the front deck 11 provides a source of manual power for driving both the rotary container and the swingable arm 21. Electric power is an obvious alternative, if desired.

The drive crank 24 is geared to drive the container 14 in a regular rotary motion, and also is geared to drive a turntable 25 located adjacent to the crank on the front deck 11. The purpose of the turntable 25 is to hold any one of a number of different cams. A dotted outline 26 is suggestive of the location of a cam. Then, a cam follower and lever arm 27 are positioned to ride the surface of the cam 26 and, by means of interior linkage, produce an erratic swinging drive in the arm 21. Thus, the arm 21 is driven in an irregular swinging path in one sense of the word, because of the configuration of the cam surface, but the movement is regular in that it is repeated over and over. By making the drive from crank 24 to the turntable 25 at a definite speed ratio with the drive to container 14, the stylus 20 will not track a prior mark. Thus, the same pattern is repeated at different positions on the surface of the top wall 17 until a complex and intricate lacy pattern is created. The pattern created is something which could not be done in any manual manner and is generally unpredictable from the cam configuration until after the pattern is actually created. The mechanism chosen to illustrate the invention in sufficient detail that this embodiment could be made and used without further development or experimentation is set out in the drawings.

Within the case housing 10 is a platform 29 which has the appearance of a false bottom in the housing. This platform serves to support various bearings.

A cylindrical post 31 is anchored to the platform 29, and extends up through the center of bottom Wall 15 of the rotary container 14. This post is the operating center for the container and stylus.

A pulley 32 is seated upon the top surface of platform 29, and is mounted on the post 31 by means of a bearing 33. The bottom wall 15 of the container 14 is seated upon the top surface of pulley 32, and is preferably anchored to the pulley in order that positive rotational drive may be transferred from the pulley 32 to the container 14.

A rotatable shaft 35 extends up through the central axial opening of the cylindrical post 31 and projects to a position on the interior of the sealed rotary container 14. A cantilever beam 36 is centered around the shaft 35 and anchored in a fixed position to the post 31, and, hence, is non-rotative. The beam extends to a position a distance from the hub to mount the pulley 22, which pulley in turn mounts the swingable support arm 21. A drive pulley 38 is fixed to the end of the shaft 35 and is rotatable with the shaft. A wire belt 40 provides drive 3 relationship of pulley 39 with the stylus arm support pulley 22.

Thus, the pulley 38 serves as a means to drive the stylus 20 through its arcuate swing. Oscillatory drive of the shaft 35 is translated into oscillatory drive of the pulley 38, which, in turn, produces the oscillatory'drive of the pulley 22. If the drive of the pulley 38 is greater than the limits of the path 23, damage could result. Therefore, stops 42 are carried by the pulley 22 and are positioned to strike an abutment post 43. This movement limitation is indicated best in FIGURE 4 of the drawing. Thus, if the drive movement imparted to the pulley 38 is greater than the limit that is permissible in the drive of the stylus, slippage will take place in the wire belt 40 and prevent overdrive.

The rotary container 14 is intended to be driven in a regular rotary drive motion. This drive is provided from the drive crank 24 which is equipped with a central shaft 45. Shaft 45 is held by hearing 46 in the platform 29. A pulley 47 is fixed to shaft 45. A wire belt 49 interconnects pulley 47 with pulley 32 to apply drive translation to the container supporting pulley 32 and, hence, drive the container 14.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the stylus is also driven from the same drive crank 24. A pulley 51 is secured on the end of shaft 45, and as best illustrated in FIGURE 3, operates to drive an adjacent pulley 52 by means of a wire belt 53. Pulley 52 is mounted on a shaft 54, which extends up through the case to the surface of the front deck 11, and this shaft 54 carries the turntable 25. Hence, rotation of the drive crank 24- operates the rotary container 14 in a regular rate of rotation and rotates the turntable 25 in a regular rotary motion, but at a considerably different speed because of the different relationship of the drive pulleys as seen in FIGURE 3. No particular size is specified, this being adaptable to wide ranges of different speeds according to the type of pattern one may choose to create in the resultant configuration.

The turntable 25, operating through a selected cam 26, operates the cam follower and lever 27 according to known cam follower principles. A spring, which is not illustrated, is used to urge the cam follower and lever 27 against the surface of the selected cam 26. The swing movement of lever 27 is transmitted to stylus arm 22.

The lever 27, in FIGURE 2, rises behind the crank 24, but the FIGURE 1 illustrates the true spaced relationship. The lever is formed to extend below the level of the front deck 11 down and under the container 14 to the level of platform 29. Here, the lever 27 is attached and adapted to drive a vertical shaft 56 which extends vertically through platform 29 and acts as a bearing pivot point for the lever.

A lever 58 is secured on the end of shaft 56 below the platform 29. The lever 58 is at an angle to the direction of the lever 27, as best seen in FIGURE 3, and, therefore, acts as a pitman lever. To the end of the lever 58 there is secured a wire link 59 which is secured at the opposite end to a lever 60 carried by the shaft 35. Hence, swinging movement of the cam follower lever 27 is translated through linkage to the shaft 35, Shaft 35 is oscillated to cause oscillatory rotation of the pulley 38 in container 14, with the resultant arcuate drive of the sylus 20 previously discussed.

A well 61 in the front deck 11 is provided to hold a selection of various cams. A cam 62 is illustrated in the well. Note that the cam has a central hole 63, much like a phonograph record and this hole 63 fits rather closely upon the projection of shaft 54 above the surface of turntable 25.

A stub shaft 64 carried a distance from the hole 63 is positioned to extend into a matching hole 65 in turntable 25 in order to provide a locking action of the cam upon the turntable.

The cams may be prepared in advance for selection by inexperienced and younger children, but these cams are also easily manufactured by the operator to suit his own fancy. Then fiberboard or plastic material may be quickly cut with suitable tools in any outline form that will fit the available space in the well 61, which serves as a sizelimiting gauge to prevent oversize cams driving the lever 27.

Further, an interesting variation may be created by operating the cam follower lever 27 by hand, rather than by means of a regular cam. Thus, irregular patterns, designs, and configurations are able to be produced by the more skilled operator. To facilitate such hand operation, a vertical post 66 extends from the extreme end of the lever 27.

Whereas the present invention has been shown and described herein in what is conceived to be the best mode contemplated, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention which is, therefore, not to be limited to the details disclosed herein, but is to be afforded the full scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A design creating tool, comprising:

a sealed container having a translucent top wall, a bottom wall spaced from said top wall, and a dust material in said container capable of clinging to said top wall and being scraped off by a mechanical device; L

a fixed central hub extending through said bottom wall, bearing means supporting said container for rotary motion around said hub, a cantilever beam in said container mounted on said .hub and extending to a position a distance from the hub, a support arm pivotally mounted on said cantilever beam a distance from said hub and swingable through a semi-circular path, a stylus mounted on said support arm in marking relationship to said translucent top wall for scraping away a path of said dust material;

a cam operated drive means having a rotating cam and a cam follower, and drive transmission means operating through said hub for swinging said support arm in said path as a function of drive imparted from said cam to said follower; and

a power drive means for driving said sealed container and cam at a fixed speed ratio which prevents retracing of the stylus in the same path on the said top wall.

2. A design creating tool as defined in claim 1, further characterized in that:

said cam-operated drive means is a rotary mount with replaceable cam.

3. A design creating tool as defined in claim 1, further characterized in that:

said cam-operated drive means is a turntable with replaceable cam forms; and

a manually-driven crank, having a first drive linkage to said sealed container and a second drive linkage to said cam turntable, and said linkage producing the drive speeds of said container and turntable at a predetermined speed ratio.

4. A design creating tool, comprising:

a turntable having a markable surface;

a marking stylus, a support arm swingably supported about a center a distance from the turntable axis and swingable through a fixed arcuate path across said surface of said table, said stylus carried by said arm in marking relationship to said surface;

drive linkage having a cam follower operable in a reciprocable path, said linkage connected in drive imparting relationship to said support arm, said support arm operable within said fixed arcuate path as a function of cam follower movement, said cam follower path being of a length to produce a moveurge of said resilient means in a fixed relationship to turntable rotation or hand operated for custom effect.

5 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,159,280 11/1915 Schorno 3318 1,980,917 11/1934 Grupp 3327 2,720,704 10/1955 McBerty 33-27 10 LEONARD FORMAN, Primary Examiner.

H. N. HAROIAN, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A DESIGN CREATING TOOL, COMPRISING: A SEALED CONTAINER HAVING A TRANSLUCENT TOP WALL, A BOTTOM WALL SPACED FROM SAID TOP WALL, AND A DUST MATERIAL IN SAID CONTAINER CAPABLE OF CLINGING TO SAID TOP WALL AND BEING SCRAPED OFF BY A MECHANICAL DEVICE; A FIXED CENTRAL HUB EXTENDING THROUGH SAID BOTTOM WALL, BEARING MEANS SUPPORTING SAID CONTAINER FOR ROTARY MOTION AROUND SAID HUB, A CANTILEVER BEAM IN SAID CONTAINER MOUNTED ON SAID HUB AND EXTENDING TO A POSITION A DISTANCE FROM THE HUB, A SUPPORT ARM PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID CANTILEVER BEAM A DISTANCE FROM SAID HUB AND SWINGABLE THROUGH A SEMI-CIRCULAR PATH, A STYLUS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT ARM IN MARKING RELATIONSHIP TO SAID TRANSLUCENT TOP WALL FOR SCRAPING AWAY A PATH OF SAID DUST MATERIAL; A CAM OPERATED DRIVE MEANS HAVING A ROTATING CAM AND CAM FOLLOWER, AND DRIVE TRANSMISSION MEANS OPERATING THROUGH SAID HUB FOR SWINGING SAID SUPPORT ARM IN SAID PATH AS A FUNCTION OF DRIVE IMPARTED FROM SAID CAM TO SAID FOLLOWER; AND A POWER DRIVE MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID SEALED CONTAINER AND CAM AT A FIXED SPEED RATIO WHICH PREVENTS RETRACING OF THE STYLUS IN THE SAME PATH ON THE SAID TOP WALL.