Remote-Controlled Toy Vehicle
AssigneeMattel, Inc.
InventorMark S. MAYER
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A toy vehicle includes a chassis, a front road wheel supported for rotation from the chassis and a rear road wheel supported for rotation from the chassis. A reversible motor is supported from the chassis and is operatively coupled with one of the front and rear road wheels so as to rotate at least one of the front and rear road wheels to propel the toy vehicle in a forward direction. A wheelie mechanism is operatively connected to the motor and has a first end pivotally attached to the central axis of one of the front and rear road wheels.
Claims15
A toy vehicle comprising:
- a chassis;
- a front road wheel supported for rotation from the chassis and a rear road wheel supported for rotation from the chassis in line with the front road wheel so as to define a central vertical longitudinal plane bisecting each of the front and rear road wheels, each of the front and rear road wheels being supported from the chassis for rotation at least about a central axis of each respective wheel extending transversely to the central vertical longitudinal plane;
- a reversible motor supported from the chassis and operatively coupled with one of the front and rear road wheels so as to rotate at least one of the front and rear road wheels to propel the toy vehicle in a forward direction;
- and
- a wheelie mechanism operatively connected to the motor and having a first end pivotally attached to the central axis of one of the front and rear wheels.
A toy vehicle comprising:
- a chassis;
- a front road wheel supported for rotation from the chassis and a rear road wheel supported for rotation from the chassis, each of the front and rear road wheels being supported from the chassis for rotation about a central axis of each respective wheel;
- a motor supported from the chassis;
- a wheelie mechanism having a first end pivotally attached to the central axis of one of the front and rear road wheels;
- a propulsion system operatively connecting the motor to one of the front and rear road wheels, the propulsion system including a series of gears through which the motor effectuates rotation of one of the front and rear road wheels to propel the toy vehicle forward;
- and
- a wheelie system operatively connecting the motor to the wheelie mechanism, the wheelie system including a series of gears through which the motor effectuates rotation of the wheelie mechanism;
- wherein the motor selectively propels the toy vehicle forward in a generally horizontal operating position in which both the front and rear road wheels contact a supporting surface and in a generally vertical operating position in which the front wheel is spaced apart from the supporting surface and the rear road wheel contacts the supporting surface.
A method of driving a toy vehicle, having in-line front and rear road wheels and a wheelie mechanism, in a generally horizontal operating position in which the front and rear road wheels contact a supporting surface and in a generally vertical operating position in which the front road wheel is spaced-apart from the supporting surface comprising the steps of:
- a) actuating a motor on the toy vehicle to rotate in a first rotational direction to rotate one of the front and rear road wheels to propel the toy vehicle in a forward direction;
- and
- b) actuating the motor to rotate in a second rotational direction to rotate the one of the front and rear road wheels to propel the toy vehicle in a forward direction and to pivot a portion of the wheelie mechanism away from the toy vehicle to raise a remaining one of the front and rear road wheels off of the supporting surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.