Other

Goldfarb; Adolph E.

Benkoe; Elizabeth

Benkoe; Elisabeth

Benkoe; Erwin

Delmar K Everitt

Adolph E Goldfarb

Ronald F Chesley

Richard D Frierdich

Erwin Benkoe

Erwin Benkoe, Deceased

Norman J Burger

Richard D Friedrich

Elisabeth Benkoe, Executrix

Drew Plakos

Pontoons along both sides of the vehicle can be filled with either air or water, at the user's preference. When the pontoons are filled with air the vehicle floats in water and is driven along the water surface by a propeller and also by a tread drive. When the pontoons are filled with water the vehicle sinks in water and is driven along the bottom by, again, the propeller and treads. In either event when the vehicle comes to a dry surface it continues to be driven along that surface by the treads. The pontoons are provided with a hole and plug for use in filling or draining them. Preferably the interior spaces of the pontoons communicate through a cross-connection chamber that rougly equalizes the amount of water in the two pontoons, so that the vehicle has minimal tendency to capsize or ride in the water at a cant. An unusual two-worm-and-worm-gear drive train provides power to the tread drivers both fore and aft with high mechanical advantage and very few moving parts. The worm gears slide laterally along the tread-driver axles under action of a manually manipulated shifter, to disengage the worm gears from the worms for free-wheeling unpowered play; the motor power is controlled by the same shifter.

Toy four-wheel-drive climbing vehicle operable on land, over water, and

This toy propels itself along the surface of a pool of water or along an extremely steep, irregular nonwater surface. A battery powers a motor, which drives the vehicle's four wheels and a steerable water jet. The wheels carry pronounced peripheral cleats for propulsion along both a water surface and a very steep, irregular nonwater surface. The hollow wheels, several times overscale, contribute significantly to overall buoyancy. The water-jet impeller aids propulsion along a water surface and can be rotated horizontally to direct the vehicle in circles of variable diameter. The motor shaft is aligned with the direction of vehicle travel and extends both forwardly and rearwardly from the motor to drive a symmetrical geartrain for nonwater-surface propulsion: fixed on each shaft end is a pinion that drives a spur gear, which in turn drives a worm, that in its turn drives a worm gear keyed to an axle. The worm gear drives the axle, which drives the wheels and tires. The forward and rearward ends of the motor shaft drive the front and rear wheels respectively; the rearward end also drives the water jet, through an extension of the rear pinion and a crown gear fixed to the water-jet impeller. A shifting bar is also provided in the vehicle for manual shifting of the worm gears in and out of mesh with the worms.

Amphibious self-powered toy vehicle with integrated four-wheel and

Accessible at both sides of this toy vehicle is a shifter element that enables a user to control the vehicle using only one hand, and without picking the vehicle up or even obstructing its forward travel. The shifter element may be used to turn the vehicle on or off. If the vehicle has two or more operating modes the shifter may be used to select between the modes. The shifter thus enhances the play fantasy, since 'real' vehicles start and stop without being raised from the street by their drivers. The shifter element moves transversely relative to the vehicle. In one position the element protrudes at one side of the vehicle, and if pushed inwardly there the element moves toward the other side of the vehicle. In the other position the element protrudes at the other side of the toy; if pushed inwardly it moves toward the first side. In operation, laterally protruding wheels at the corners of the vehicle protect the shifter element from actuation by nearby objects; yet the element is readily operated by squeezing either of its ends against the opposite side of the vehicle.

Wheeled miniature toy vehicle with control element that is

This track, particularly for use with electrically self-propelled vehicles, has various elements for interfering with vehicle passage. Different effects are obtained--amusing, fascinating, or enhanced competitive play with two or more vehicles. Most of the interfering elements are detachable, and usable in different combinations and arbitrarily selectable positions. Three element types are (1) bumps that redirect the vehicles, tending to make them go around curves in the track without moving to the sides; (2) small flooring sections operated (by levers) vertically through holes in the track floor, to variably influence the vehicles' passage along the track; and (3) a gate, with a releasable catch, for starting cars along the track simultaneously in a race.

Toy track presenting interference to passage of toy vehicles thereon

An amphibious toy vehicle about the length of a 'penlight' battery can climb any grade where it will not tip over backward, and can propel itself through water. An 'AA' battery powers an electric motor in the four-wheel-drive vehicle. The motor has a double-ended shaft, driving a symmetrical worm-and-worm-gear geartrain. The motor and geartrain are aligned along one side of the chassis; the battery alongside them occupies the rest of the chassis. Both climbing and water-propulsion capability are enhanced by several-times-overscale hollow (to aid flotation) wheels, with pronounced peripheral cleats. A flotation chamber extends beneath the entire chassis. To resist degradation due to dirt, the chassis is substantially sealed against dirt particles, but for economy the sealing is not watertight. To compensate for this, the entire electromechanical system has been made to operate even with the chassis full of water. In particular the on-off switch is 'self wiping' and the key motor components are corrosion resistant.

Amphibious self-powered miniature car with unusual climbing capability

Toy motorcycle play apparatus comprising a toy motorcycle having an energy-storing drive-train mechanism, and a launcher for imparting energy to the mechanism and then releasing the motorcycle for forward movement. The motorcycle comprises aligned rotatable front and rear ground-engaging wheels and an intermediate flywheel, all rotatable about horizontal transverse axes. The energy-storing drive-train mechanism is formed by the flywheel, one of the wheels, and a gear train between them which reduces speed and increases power and duration of rotation at that drive wheel. In operation, the motorcycle is powered by the flywheel, which also serves to maintain it upright by gyroscopic action as it moves forwardly. The launcher holds the motorcycle in the desired upright orientation with the drive wheel elevated so that it can rotate freely while energy is being stored in the flywheel. Then the motorcycle is released, the drive wheel is allowed to engage the launcher platform and propel the motorcycle forwardly. In a hand-powered version, a device such as a toothed rack may be pulled by the user to impart energy to the flywheel; then the user may selectively lower and release the motorcycle.

Toy motorcycle and launcher apparatus

This toy operates on continuous-belt treads that cooperate with other 'climbing toy' features to provide extremely exaggerated ability to negotiate steep and/or rough surfaces. The car selectably operates: (1) as a conventional electrically powered toy, at at least one speed, on a flat surface; (2) as an electrically powered 'climbing toy' with particularly advantageous weight distribution, at at least one reduced speed with greater torque, on a steep and/or irregular surface; or (3) as an unpowered free-rolling toy vehicle. Major weight components, particularly the battery and motor, are in a symmetrical, compact, balanced and relatively low arrangement--at about the same height as the tread drivers. Together with a speed-reduction mechanism they fill the toy's housing. The speed-reduction mechanism preferably has front-and-rear duplicate gear trains: at each end, two worms that are both powered from the motor shaft but through different speed-reduction gears, and an axle-driving worm gear shiftable between the worms.

Self-powered miniature toy vehicle with treads and with unusual

Wheel for toy amphibious vehicle

This toy car has a selector on its sides for use, without picking the vehicle up, in selecting operation:

Wheeled miniature toy vehicle with easily selectable plural modes of use

A target structure comprising of at least one target and means coupled to the target for exploding the target when the target is hit by an object. In a particular embodiment, the target is a horizontal panel and projector means is located beneath the panel and projects the panel away from the target structure when the panel is struck by an object. The projector means is spring-loaded and is triggered by the force of the object striking the panel.

Target structure

Tire for toy vehicle

A wheeled turbine-powered toy vehicle and launcher apparatus. The toy vehicle has at least three spaced-apart ground engaging wheels on which it is supported and a drive mechanism operatively coupled to at least one of the wheels for transmitting rotation to the wheel. The drive mechanism includes a rotatably energy storing flywheel and an air turbine operatively coupled to the flywheel. The apparatus further includes an air delivery tube having a mouthpiece open to the atmosphere for the user to place into his or her mouth and blow air into. The tube has an outlet which is disposed adjacent to the air turbine for directing air against the turbine blades to cause the turbine to rotate. The toy vehicle is designed for use alone or with a launcher. In a preferred form, the launcher supports the toy vehicle above any surface to permit the user to blow into the mouthpiece and impart high speed rotation to the turbine and thus the flywheel, while the ground-engaging drive wheel or wheels of the toy vehicle are free to rotate. For convenience the launcher and toy vehicle mounted on it may be hand-holdable; after the energy has been imparted, the launcher and vehicle may be placed on the ground and the vehicle released and propelled forwardly. In one form the launcher includes a biased propelling member for initially overcoming the vehicle's inertia. In another form the toy vehicle may be manually released from the top of an incline ramp.

Wheeled turbine-powered toy vehicle and launcher apparatus

A toy vehicle only slightly longer than a 'penlight' battery, and with chassis less than twice the width of such a battery, is able (traction permitting) to climb any grade on which it will not tip over backward--grades up to about 40.degree.--and to negotiate a vertical step taller than its tire radius. The AA-battery-powered four-wheel-drive vehicle has a small electric motor with a double-ended shaft, and a symmetrical gearing system consisting of, at each end of the motor, a pinion fixed on the shaft, a spur gear driven by the pinion and driving a worm, and a worm gear keyed to a corresponding axle. The motor, pinions, spur gears and worms, and the upper portions of the worm gears, are aligned along one side wall inside the vehicle chassis, with the battery alongside them occupying the rest of the chassis. Traction and climbing characteristics are enhanced by twice-overscale tires, preferably of open foam, with highly pronounced treads. A light distributor in the vehicle simulates two headlights, using light from a single light bulb.

Ultracompact miniature toy vehicle with four-wheel drive and unusual

Toy apparatus including an assembly for coupling a self-powered 4-wheel drive toy pulling vehicle to a toy sled which provides a variable resistance or drag to test the pulling power of the vehicle. The toy apparatus simulates in a simplified and economical way its full-scale counterpart; in particular it provides for variations (such as in weight amount and location and coupling configuration) permitted or demanded by rules of competitive load-pulling events. The coupling assembly includes a harness mounted on the pulling vehicle and providing an upright transversely extending tab or bar, and a tongue pivotally mounted on the sled and having a transversely extending slot for receiving the tab. The tongue is pivoted about an axis generally parallel to the ground. This coupling tends to keep the toy vehicle-sled combination moving in a straight line and limits any tendency to veer off to the side. The pulling advantage of the vehicle may be changed by changing the tongue inclination or hitch height by use of one of a plurality of supplements which fit on the tab. The harness is also provided with a plurality of receptacles for weights to load either or both the front and rear of the vehicle to maintain wheel traction. The harness releasibly fits a standard size toy vehicle chassis which supports a plurality of different vehicle bodies so the coupling assembly can be used with many different pulling vehicles.

Growing community of inventors

Woodland Hills, CA, United States of America

Delmar K Everitt