Toy dump truck with automatic dumper mechanism

In combination:

• a remotely-controlled toy loader truck including a chassis having a longitudinal track;
• an elongated gear rack received slidably in said track and formed with forward and rearward extremities configured with respective forward and rearward gear segments;
• a first work arm mounted rotatably on one end from a forward portion of said chassis and projecting therefrom to be rotated between first and second positions;
• a drive motor on said chassis;
• a lost motion device coupled with said motor and including a first gear meshed with said forward gear segments and operative, upon activation of said motor in one direction, to initially rotate said first arm through a predetermined arc while leaving said gear rack at rest and, upon continued activation of said motor in said one direction, to rotate said first gear and drive said gear rack in an activation direction in said track;
• and
• a second work arm rotatably mounted rearwardly on said chassis and including a second gear meshing with said rearward gear segment to be rotated by said gear rack as it moves forwardly and rearwardly in said track.

In combination:

• a plurality of remotely-controlled toy loader trucks including respective elongated chassis, respective first work arms mounted rotationally from respective first locations on the respective chassis for rotation from a respective first position to a respective second position, second work arms mounted rotationally from a second location, respective accessory drive motors, respective drive mechanisms coupled between respective said drive motors and the respective said first and second arms and including respective lost motion devices operative, upon actuation of the respective said motors for rotation in respective one directions, to rotate the respective said first arms through respective predetermined arcs from the respective said first positions without rotating the respective said second arms and further operative, upon continued rotation of the respective said accessory motors in the respective said one directions, to rotate the respective said second arms;
• a plurality of accessory controls each mounted in an individual one of the respective trucks and operative in response to an individual plurality of selected control signals, each of the individual pluralities of the selected control signals bearing a unique identification code to operate the respective control;
• and
• a control device for coupling with said accessory controls including a plurality of control pad devices, each including respective control switches operable by an operator to generate said selected control signals.

In combination for use with transportable elements,

• a movable vehicle,
• motor means operatively coupled to the movable vehicle for providing a controlled movement of the movable vehicle,
• a scoop mounted on the movable vehicle for receiving and transporting the transportable elements in accordance with the movement of the movable vehicle,
• a bin mounted on the movable vehicle for receiving the transportable elements from the scoop, and
• a linkage drive coupled to the scoop and the bin and operative to initially raise the scoop to a position above the bin for a transfer of the transportable elements from the scoop to the bin and to subsequently move the scoop to a position for transport of the transportable elements in the scoop in accordance with the movements of the vehicle and to move the bin clear of the path of the subsequent movement of the scoop.

In combination for use with transportable elements,

• a movable vehicle,
• a motor means operatively coupled to the vehicle for providing a controlled movement of the vehicle,
• a scoop mounted on the vehicle for receiving and transporting the transportable elements,
• a bin mounted on the vehicle for receiving the transportable elements from the scoop,
• a first linkage device coupled to the scoop and initially operative to raise the scoop to a position above the bin for a transfer of the transportable elements from the scoop to the bin and subsequently operative to move the scoop to a position for transporting the transportable elements in the scoop in accordance with the movements of the vehicle, and
• a second linkage device operatively coupled to the bin and responsive to the movements of the scoop for moving the bin clear of the path of the scoop during the subsequent movement of the scoop.

In combination,

• a movable vehicle,
• motor means operatively coupled to the vehicle for providing a controlled movement of the vehicle,
• a scoop mounted on the vehicle for receiving and transporting the transportable elements in accordance with the movements of the movable vehicle,
• a bin mounted on the vehicle for receiving the transportable elements from the scoop,
• a hitch having first and second operative relationships and operative in the first relationship to hitch a movable member to the movable vehicle and operative in the second relationship to unhitch the movable member from the vehicle,
• a movable linkage device, and
• a drive operatively coupled to the linkage device and the hitch to change the hitch from the first operative relationship to the second operative relationship in accordance with the movements of the linkage device.