Mattel, Inc.

Larry R Wood

Keith Alan Hippely

Terence A Choy

Brian E Walsh

Michael T McKittrick

Jill E Barad

Madhusudan Joshi

Prodromos Papavasiliou

A toy vehicle playset includes a trackway having a vehicle launcher coupled to a looped track portion and a dual tank unit positioned within the travel path of the toy vehicle through the trackway. The trackway further includes an exit ramp on the opposite side of the dual tank unit from the track loop which is coupled to a toy vehicle catcher and a display area. The dual tank unit includes a pair of tank portions separated by an intervening wall. The dual tank unit is supported within the trackway travel path such that either tank portion is alternatively positionable within the travel path of the toy vehicle. The playset further includes a multiply articulated robot arm supporting one or more thermally conductive tools or stamps which are immersible within the proximate one of the dual water tanks and appliable to the surface of the toy vehicle when resting in the toy vehicle catcher. The toy vehicle when launched down the trackway traverses the track loop and passes through the aligned one of the tank portions of the dual tank unit to receive a hot or cold water bath. The toy vehicle is at least partially covered with a thermochromic paint or coating and undergoes a thermochromic appearance change in the bath. Ideally, each of the tank portions is filled with a different temperature water supply.

Thermochromic toy vehicle playset having robot arm detailer

Toy vehicle playset having vehicle receiving and holding station

Toy vehicle playset for thermochromic vehicles

A toy painted with paint containing thermochromic material which changes color as the temperature of the toy varies. Selected portions of the toy may be painted with the thermochromic material to provide a variety of patterns, designs, numbers, letters or other indicia which change color in response to temperature variations. In addition, different portions of the toy may be painted with different paints containing different colored thermochromic materials.

Toy with thermochromic material

A toy vehicle includes a body supported by a plurality of wheels. At least one wheel of the toy vehicle is comprised of a pair of half portions coupled to a pivotal hinge at a common outer edge. One of the half portions is coupled to the vehicle body while the remaining half portion is coupled solely to the pivoting hinge. The wheel portions of the articulated wheel remain closed when the toy vehicle is rolled across a playing surface and separate to form a mouth-like opening when the vehicle or a portion thereof is raised from the play surface.

Toy vehicle having articulated wheel portions

Toy apparatus in a playset including a robotic arm module for handling toy vehicles advanced along a path past a plurality of stations including a pickup station, an immersion station, and an exit station. The robotic arm module has gripper members actuatable for picking up the toy vehicle at the pickup station, then dipping the toy vehicle into a liquid and then depositing the toy vehicle at an exit station. The robotic arm apparatus is in the form of a parallelogram linkage which enables twisting action of the gripper members as well as up and down and sideways movement.

Toy apparatus including robotic arm

A toy vehicle spray painted with paint containing thermochromic material which changes color as the temperature of the vehicle varies. Selected portions of the toy vehicle may be painted with the thermochromic material to provide a variety of patterns, designs, numbers, letters or other indicia which change color in response to temperature variations. In addition, different portions of the toy vehicle may be painted with different paints containing different color thermochromic materials.

Growing community of inventors

Redondo Beach, CA, United States of America

Larry R Wood