Aquatic toys
AssigneeDuncan Products Limited
InventorDuncan Tong
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Self-propelled aquatic toys lide toy sharks are known having a body portion, a middle tail and an outer tail. The middle tail has been driven to oscillate from side to side while outer tail has flapped freely from side to side. Better propulsion and simulation is, however, achieved by driving the outer tail. In this way, operation of the drive at either limit of oscillation initially drives the outer tail to the same sense, i.e. left or right, as the middle tail and thereafter the middle tail and together with the outer tail is moved from that limit position towards the other limit position.
Claims7
A self-propelled aquatic toy comprising:
- a body,
- a middle tail pivotably mounted relative said body so as to be capable of rotating clockwise to a first limit position and counterclockwise to a second limit position about a first upright axis,
- an outer tail pivotably mounted relative said middle tail so as to be capable of rotating clockwise and counterclockwise about a second upright axis,
- drive means in said body to rotate said middle tail portion from side to side about said first upright axis when the toy is being driven through the water, a rotatable crank driven by said drive means, and a pivoted lever mounted about the first upright axis and engaged by said crank and oscillated about its pivot point upon rotation of said crank, said pivoted lever being connected to said middle tail portion to rotate said middle tail portion about said first upright axis upon actuation of said drive means, said pivoted lever additionally linking said drive means to said outer tail portion, a degree of backlash being provided in the driving of said middle tail by said pivoted lever, whereby operation of said drive means at the first limit position of said middle tail initially takes up said backlash to drive said outer tail to rotate clockwise about said second axis and thereafter said middle tail is then rotated counterclockwise about said first axis to the second limit position at which said middle tail initially takes up said backlash to drive said outer tail to rotate counterclockwise about said second axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.