Abstract:
A whirling device has a hollow, aerodynamic body that pivots on a vertical rod, and a rotary wheel that mounts in and projects from the body. The wheel has hub and blades that extend outward from the hub. The body pivots in response to air flow to align the with the air flow while the blades whirl the rotary wheel in response to the air flow. Artwork on the body and rotary wheel simulates animation when the rotary wheel whirls. The body and rotary wheel are each made from flat blanks of thin sheet material.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
         [0001]    This invention relates to whirling devices and more particularly a novel air driven whirling device.  
         BACKGROUND ART  
         [0002]    A number of attempts have heretofore been made to provide air driven whirling devices that respond to air flow. Some of these devices are supported by a stationary support and others are moved relative to the ground so that a rotating whirling wheel or propeller portion rotates in response to air current.  
           [0003]    U.S. Pat. No. 1,930,164 to Fletcher, U.S. Pat. No. 1,953,272 to Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 1,954,721 to Whitlow, U.S. Pat. No. 2,069,110 to Naus, U.S. Pat. No. 2,573,625 to Swart, U.S. Pat. No. 2,701,928 to Keenan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,810,223 to Fraesdorf, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 2,817,913 to Meyer, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,768 to Thigpen disclose wind driven display devices or signs. U.S. Pat. No. 3,172,220 to Christensen discloses a device that mounts on the top of an automobile antenna. U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,562 to Jones discloses an air driven animated toy.  
         DISCLOSURE Of THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    An aerial device adapted to mount on a stationary support or a moving support, such as an antenna on a vehicle, has an aerodynamic body of thin sheet material supporting a whirling wheel or propeller that rotates relative to the body in response to air currents. The embodiment shown has both the body and rotary wheel made from a flat blank of sheet material such as cardboard and can be bent along fold lines, secured to form the body and be readily assembled. The form shown is particularly suited to mount on the antenna of a vehicle, and an illustrative form has indicia and artwork showing two football players. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]    Details of this invention are described in connection with the accompanying drawings that bear similar reference numerals in which:  
         [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a whirling device embodying features of the present invention.  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the whirling device of FIG. 1 with dashed lines showing internal parts.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the hub of the rotary wheel of the whirling device of FIG. 1.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 4 is a plan view of the flat blank for the aerodynamic body of the whirling device of FIG. 1.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 5 is a plan view of the flat blank for the rotary wheel of the whirling device of FIG. 1.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the whirling device of FIG. 1 with artwork and indicia.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the whirling device of FIG. 1 mounted in an inverted position.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the whirling device of FIG. 1 mounted in a first side position.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of the whirling device of FIG. 1 mounted in a second side position. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]    Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a whirling device  12 , includes a hollow thin-walled aerodynamic body  13  and a rotary propeller or wheel  14  supported by the body  13 . The body  13  has spaced, substantially parallel first and second walls  16  and  17 , and spaced third and fourth walls  18  and  19  that extend between and connect the first and second walls  16  and  17  along opposite edges. The first and second walls  16  and  17  bend inward and converge at one end to form a pointed front end  21  of the body  13 , and bend inward and converge at the opposite end to form a pointed rear end  22  of the body  13 . A longitudinal axis  20  extends from the front end  21  to the rear end  22 .  
         [0016]    Aligned, round first and second body apertures  23  and  24  are provided in forward portions of the third and fourth walls  18 , respectively. The first and second body apertures  23  and  24  are sized to receive a vertical rod  26  to support the body  13  for rotation about a vertical axis  27 . The body  13  is shaped such that air flow along the body  13  rotates the body  13  to align the longitudinal axis  20  with the direction of air flow. Round first and second wheel apertures  28  and  29  are provided in lower portions of the first and second walls  16  and  17 , respectively, intermediate the front and rear ends  21  and  22 , to support the rotary wheel  14 , as described hereinafter. A substantially rectangular wheel opening  30  in the fourth wall  19  allows the rotary wheel  14  to be inserted into the body  13  with a portion of the rotary wheel  14  projecting beyond the body  13 . The third wall  18  includes a centrally disposed hole  25 .  
         [0017]    The rotary wheel  14  shown includes a hub  31  and four equally spaced radially extending blades  32  as viewed from the side. The hub includes spaced hub sections  31 A and  31 B, each having a centrally disposed hub aperture  33 . Each blade  32  has two axially spaced blades sections  32 A and  32 B that extend from the hub sections  31 A and  31 B, respectively, and that converge to a point  32 C at the circumference, so as to be V-shaped as viewed from the end. Referring to FIG. 3, opposed first and second T-bushings  41  and  42  insert into the hub apertures  33 . A bushing spacer  44  engages the head of the T-bushings to hold the hub sections  31 A and  31 B a fixed distance apart at the hub  31 . An axle  43  extends through the first wheel aperture  28 , the first T-bushing  41 , the bushing spacer  44 , the second T-bushing  42  and the second wheel aperture  29 , with the rotary wheel  14 , the first and second T-bushings  41  and  42  and the bushing spacer  44  rotating together freely on the axle  43 . The axle  43  has a head  45  at one end and a speed nut  46  on the opposite end to secure the axle  43  to the body  13 . The first and second wheel apertures  28  and  29  are aligned along a wheel axis  34 , about which rotary wheel  14  rotates, that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis  20 .  
         [0018]    Referring to FIG. 4, the body  13  shown is made of a flat body blank  50 , preferably cardboard. The first wall  16  connects to the third wall  18  along a first primary fold line  51  of the body blank  50 , and the second wall  17  connects to the third wall  18  along a spaced, parallel second primary fold line  52  of the body blank  50 , so that when the body blank  50  is folded along the first and second fold lines  51  and  52 , a portion of the body  13  is formed, with the first and second fold lines  51  and  52  at two corners. The fourth wall  19  includes first and second wall sections  19 A and  19 B. The first wall section  19 A connects to the second wall  17  at a first section fold line  55  at the rear of the body  50 . The second wall section  19 B is connected to the first wall  16  at a second section fold line  56  at the front of the body  50 . The first wall section  19 A has a third section fold line  57  spaced from the first section fold line  55  so that when the body blank  50  is folded along the first and third section fold lines  55  and  57 , the end portion beyond third section fold line  57  will attach to the first wall  16  as by a staple or adhesive. Similarly the second wall section  19 B has a fourth section fold line  58  spaced from the second section fold line  56  so that when the body blank  50  is folded along the second and fourth section fold lines  56  and  58 , the end portion beyond fourth section fold line  58  will attach to second wall  17  as by a staple or adhesive. The first and second wall sections  19 A and  19 B of the fourth wall  19  define the opening  30  through which the rotary wheel  14  extends.  
         [0019]    The first wall  16  has a first end fold line  61  along the front and a second end fold line  62  closer to the first front edge  63 . Similarly, the second wall  17  has a third end fold line  65  and a fourth fold line  66  closer to the second front edge  67 . When folded along these fold lines the forwardly converging front end  21  is formed. The portions between second and fourth end fold lines  62  and  66  and front edges  63  and  67  abut one another and can be fastened by staples or an adhesive. The rear end portion of the first wall  16  and second wall  17  butt against one another and may be fastened by staples or adhesive to form the rearwardly converging rear end  22 . It is understood the above described body can be formed in a variety of ways including being a molded plastic body.  
         [0020]    Referring to FIG. 5, the rotary wheel  14  shown is made from a flat wheel blank  72 , preferably of cardboard, that is in the shape of two star shaped sections making up hub sections  31 A and  31 B and blade sections  32 A and  32 B that are mirror images as viewed from the side and are connected end to end along a wheel fold line  73 . When the wheel blank  72  is folded along the wheel fold line  73 , the hub sections  31 A and  31 B of the rotary wheel  14  and two axially spaced hub sections  31  and  32  are formed. The circumferential end portions the blades are shown fastened by staples or an adhesive could be used.  
         [0021]    The whirling device  12  will operate with the wheel axis  34  horizontal as shown in FIG. 6 and in an inverted position as shown in FIG. 7. Further opposed third and fourth body apertures  91  and  92  may be provided in a front portion of the first and second walls  16  and  17 , respectively, so the whirling device  12  may operate when turned on either side with the wheel axis  34  vertical, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.  
         [0022]    Referring again to FIG. 6, the whirling device  12  shown is mounted on the vertical rod  26  such as a vehicle antenna by inserting a bottom stop collar  83  on the antenna and sliding the body  13  down on the rod  26  via the first and second body apertures  23  and  24 . A top stop collar  84  is provided above the body  13 . Air flow about the whirling device  12  pivots the body  13  about the rod  26  to point the front end  21  into the air flow while air flow striking the front edge of the blades  32  causes the rotary wheel  14  to rotate. The whirling device  12  may have indicia and artwork simulating animation, such as artwork illustrating a human body portion on the body  13  and artwork illustrating a limb on each blade  32  so that the whirling blades  32  simulate moving limbs. As an example, and not a limitation, FIG. 6 shows two football players with the rotating blades  32  depicting the leg of one football player striking the behind of the other football player as the rotary wheel  14  rotates in response to air currents.  
         [0023]    Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example and that changes in details of structure may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.