Foldable toy vehicles
AssigneeMattel, Inc.
InventorsMark S. Mayer, Allan F. Papp, William Willett
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A toy vehicle reconfigurable between unfolded and folded configurations includes a generally body pivotally supporting a pair of generally planar driving systems on either lateral side. Each driving system includes a motor and gear train driving a continuous track passed over multiple pulley wheels. One pulley wheel of each driving system is carried on an arm mounted to a frame of the system so as to pivot between retracted and extended positions and spring loaded to the extended position. The tracks are sufficiently elastic to accommodate the movement of the one wheel from the extended position to a retracted position. The arms are pushed into the retracted position when the vehicle is pushed into a combined remote control unit and storage case.
Claims11
A foldable toy vehicle (20) comprising:
- a body having opposing front and rear ends and opposing left and right lateral sides extending between the ends and opposing lower and upper sides extending between the front and rear ends and left and right lateral sides
- left and right, generally planar frames elongated front to rear;
- left and right suspension members extended from the left and right lateral sides of the body respectively connecting the left and right frames with the body so as to pivot each respective frame about an axis extended front to rear between the frame and the body along the respective right and left lateral sides of the body;
- a linkage further connecting the body with each of the left and right frames so as to simultaneously pivot each of the left and right frames with respect to the body on the respective left and right suspension members with respect to the body between a folded configuration with the left and right frame members generally coplanar and parallel with a generally horizontal plane of the body and an unfolded configuration with the left and right frames generally parallel with one another and perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the body;
- front and rear track turning members fixedly located on each frame respectively proximal the front and rear of each frame;
- an endless track on each frame surrounding an entire periphery of the frame and extended over and against at least the front and rear track turning members of the frame for rotation of the track about the frame on the track turning members;
- at least a third track turning member on each frame supported on a distal end of an arm having a proximal end mounted on the frame for pivotal movement in the plane of the frame about a point located longitudinally between the first and second turning members between a retracted configuration with the distal end located closest to the frame proximal the rear end of the frame and an extended configuration with the distal end located most distant to the frame, the endless track being sized and sufficiently elastic to accommodate the pivotal movement of the arm and third turning member between the retracted and extended configurations without loss of continuous contact with the front, rear and third turning members on the frame;
- and
- a bias member on each frame connected between the frame and the arm of the frame so as to bias the arm from the retracted configuration to the extended configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.