Running toy

A running toy includes a rotatable drum, a drive shaft rotatable through a reverse mechanism by a driver assembly housed in the rotatable drum and having an end projecting out of the rotatable drum and supporting a drive gear on the projecting end, a support by which the axially opposite ends of the rotatable drum are rotatably supported and substantially covering the axially opposite ends of the drum, a guide gear fixed to the support and held in mesh with the drive gear for guiding the drive gear to revolve around the guide gear to rotate the rotatable drum in response to rotation of the drive gear, a shell assembly openably covering the cylindrical body of the rotatable drum and having one end pivotally attached to the support and an opposite end movable toward and away from the support, and a mechanism for moving the shell assembly in response to rotation of the rotatable drum.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a running toy movable in a mysterious 
pattern. 
Children's running toys have been proposed in various designs since they 
are quite popular for their movability. For example, there are known a 
running toy which moves along a track and another running toy which can 
move in any direction and then in the opposite direction when it hits an 
object such as a wall. 
These known running toys are primarily designed to achieve their own 
mobility. However, the pattens of their movement are rather simple and 
children are likely to be bored soon by the toy's movements. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a running toy which is 
movable in a complex movement pattern that is mysterious to the eye and 
which is of much interest to the user. 
According to the present invention, the above object can be achieved by a 
running toy including a rotatable drum having a cylindical body and 
axially opposite ends, a driver assembly disposed in the rotatable drum 
and composed of a drive source, a drive shaft, a gear train operatively 
disposed between the drive source and the drive shaft for transmitting 
power from the drive source to the drive shaft, and a reverse mechanism 
for varying the gear train in meshing combination to change the direction 
of rotation of the drive shaft, the drive shaft having an end projecting 
through one of the axially opposite ends of the rotatable drum and 
supporting a drive gear on the projecting end, a support by which the 
axially opposite ends are rotatably supported and substantially covering 
the axially opposite ends, a guide gear fixed to the support and held in 
mesh with the drive gear for guiding the drive gear to revolve around the 
guide gear to rotate the rotatable drum in response to rotation of the 
drive gear, a shell assembly having one end pivotally attached to the 
support and an opposite end movable toward and away from the support, the 
shell assembly being shaped to be able to substantially cover the 
cylindrical body when the opposite end of the shell assembly is positioned 
closely to the support, and a means for moving the shell assembly in 
response to rotation of the rotatable drum. 
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present 
invention will become more apparent from the following description when 
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which preferred 
embodiments of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative 
example.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
As shown in FIG. 1, a running toy 1 according to a first embodiment of the 
present invention is designed in the shape of a green caterpillar. The 
running toy 1 is generally composed of a rotatable drum 2, a support 
comprising a pair of support members 3 by which the rotatable drum 2 is 
rotatably supported, a pair of bobbins 4 mounted respectively on the 
support members 3 for turning movement with the rotatable drum 2, and a 
shell assembly 5 attached at one end to the support members 3 and serving 
as a back of the running toy 1, the shell assembly 5 being contractable 
into a substantially spherical form. 
In FIG. 2, the shell assembly 5 comprises a plurality of partly spherical 
members 6 pivotally coupled together along a leaf spring 7 extending on 
and across the centers of the reverse concave surfaces of the partly 
spherical members 6. The partly spherical members 6 include a leading 
member pivotally mounted on the support members 3. Each of the partly 
spherical members 6 comprises the partly spherical surface of a spherical 
segment. The partly spherical members 6 may be formed by cutting off a 
spherical surface along a plurality of different planes passing through 
the center of the spherical surface. Strings 8 extend through opposite end 
portions of each of the partly spherical members 6. One end of each of the 
strings 8 is tied to the trailing member 6a at the distal end of the shell 
assembly 5, and the opposite end of each string 8 is fixed to one of the 
bobbins 4. A weight 9 is attached to the reverse concave surface of the 
distal end member 6a. 
Each of the support members 3 is in the shape of a segment formed by 
cutting off a spherical body along a plane. Each of the bobbins 4 is 
mounted centrally on one of the support members 3 for turning movement 
with the rotatable drum 2. The strings 8 can be wound around or unwound 
from the respective bobbins 4 as the bobbins 4 are rotated. FIGS. 3A 
through 3F show the manner in which the string 8 is fixed to the 
corresponding bobbin 4. The bobbin 4 includes a cylindrical body 4a having 
a recess 72 defined in an outer circumferential surface thereof. A 
retainer 70 is angularly movably attached by a pin 70a to an inner wall of 
the recess 72. The retainer 70 has an outer curved surface which is of the 
same curvature as that of the outer circumferential surface of the 
cylindrical body 4a. The string 8 has one end fastened to one end of the 
retainer 70. A stopper 71 projecting from the support member 3 is 
positioned above the bobbin 4. 
When the bobbin 4 is rotated clockwise in the direction of the arrow B1 
(FIG. 3A), the string 8 is progressively wound around the bobbin 4 as 
shown in FIGS. 3A through 3C. Conversely, when the bobbin 4 is rotated 
counterclockwise in the direction of the arrow B2 (FIG. 3D), the string 8 
is progressively unwound from the bobbin 4 as shown in FIGS. 3D through 
3F. With the string 8 completely unwound, the retainer 70 is pulled by the 
string 8 to cause its string-attached end to be lifted into abutment 
against the stopper 71 as shown in FIG. 3F. Therefore, the bobbin 4 is 
stopped from further rotation. 
As illustrated in FIG. 4, in which the support member 3 is omitted from 
illustration, the bobbin 4 is resiliently supported on a shaft 26 of the 
rotatable drum 2 by a coil spring 80 disposed around the shaft 26 for 
normally urging the bobbin 4 against the head of a screw 81 threaded into 
the rotatable drum 2. When the bobbin 4 is subjected to external forces 
larger than the force by which it is resiliently pressed by the spring 80 
against the screw head, the bobbin 4 is caused to slide with respect to 
the rotatable drum 2. Therefore, the bobbin 4 can be prevented by the 
stopper 71 from rotating counterclockwise beyond the position of FIG. 3F, 
thus preventing the string 8 from being wound in the direction of the 
arrow B2. 
As shown in FIG. 5, two rows of teeth 2b are provided on the axially 
opposite outer circumferential surfaces 2a of the rotatable drum 2, each 
of the teeth 2b having a more gradual sloping surface in the clockwise 
direction and a steeper sloping suface in the counterclockwise direction. 
A driver assembly 29 (FIGS. 6 and 7) is housed in the rotatable drum 2 and 
includes a drive shaft 20 rotatable selectively in one direction or the 
other. The drive shaft 20 supports on an end thereof a drive gear 21 
projecting from one of the axially opposite side walls of the rotatable 
drum 2 at an off-center position. The drive gear 21 is held in mesh with a 
guide gear 62 fixedly mounted on the inner side of one of the support 
members 3. When the drive shaft 20 rotates in one direction or the other, 
therefore, the drive gear 21 revolves around the guide gear 62 to rotate 
the rotatable drum 2 in one direction or the other. 
The driver assembly 29 also has a switch lever 23 projecting through a 
cylindrical surface of the rotatable drum 2. The shaft 26 is disposed 
centrally on each of the axially opposite side walls. A pair of accessory 
members 24 designed to look like the feelers of a green caterpillar is 
pivotally supported at ends 24a on respective pins 25 mounted on the 
support members 3. The accessory members 24 can therefore be angularly 
movable about the pins 25 radially outwardly through recesses 3a defined 
in outer peripheral surfaces of the support members 3. 
The driver assembly 29 accommodated in the rotatable drum 2 will be 
described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. 
The driver assembly 29 has a motor 30 (FIG. 6) energizable by a battery 
(not shown) and having an output shaft 31 operatively coupled by a gear 
32, speed reducer gears 33, 34, a clutch gear 35, and an idler gear 36 to 
a drive gear 37 on the drive shaft 20 for rotating the drive shaft 20 in 
one or normal direction. A first worm gear 38 mounted on the end of the 
drive shaft 20 remotely from the gear 21 is held in mesh with a gear 39 
mounted on one end of a shaft 47 which supports a pinion gear 48 on the 
other end. The pinion gear 48 meshes with a rack 40 on one end of a 
reverse starter 41. When the drive shaft 20 is rotated in the normal 
direction, the gear 39 is rotated by the first worm gear 38 in the 
direction of the arrow I thereby to move the reverse starter 41 in the 
direction of the arrow K. The reverse starter 41 has a slanted surface 40a 
on an end of the rack 40, the slanted surface 40a being inclined 
downwardly (FIG. 7) in the direction of the arrow K. After the drive shaft 
20 has continuously been rotated in the normal direction for a certain 
period of time, the slanted surface 40a slidingly engages a lateral 
surface of an outer end 42a of a substantially crank-shaped lever 42. 
Since the outer end 42a is displaced off-center from the longitudinal axis 
of the lever 42, the lever 42 is turned about its longitudinal axis. A 
pointed tooth 42b on the inner end of the lever 42 is thus brought into 
mesh with a second worm gear 43 on a clutch shaft 44 on which the clutch 
gear 35 is supported. Therefore, continued rotation of the clutch shaft 44 
through the clutch gear 35 causes the clutch shaft 44 to be axially moved 
in the direction of the arrow M against the resiliency of a coil spring 45 
disposed around the clutch shaft 44. When the second worm gear 43 is 
axially shifted out of mesh with the pointed tooth 42b, the pointed tooth 
42b engages the end surface of the second worm gear 43 to prevent the 
clutch shaft 44 from returning under the force of the coil spring 35. At 
this time, the clutch gear 35 is axially shifted out of mesh with the 
idler gear 36 and into a larger-diameter gear 37a on an end of the gear 37 
on the drive shaft 20. Therefore, since the idler gear 36 is displaced out 
of the gear train, the drive shaft 20 is now rotated in the opposite or 
reverse direction. The first worm gear 38, the gear 39, and the pinion 
gear 48 are also rotated in the reverse direction to move the rack 40 and 
hence the reverse starter 41 in the opposite direction of the arrow L. 
When the reverse starter 41 has moved a certain distance in the direction 
of the arrow L, an engaging hook 41a on the free end of the reverse 
starter 41 engages the outer end 42a of the lever 42 to depress the same. 
The pointed tooth 42b on the lever 42 is now turned radially outwardly out 
of engagement with the end surface of the second worm gear 43, whereupon 
the clutch shaft 44 moves back to the original position in the direction 
of the arrow N under the force of the coil spring 45. The clutch gear 35 
then returns into mesh with the idler gear 36 to enable the drive shaft 20 
to rotate again in the normal direction. Therefore, the driver assembly 29 
has a reverse rotation mechcanism with a gear shifter means, for changing 
the direction of rotation of the drive shaft 20 in each prescribed 
interval of time. The driver assembly 29 has its center of gravity 
displaced a certain distance from the geometric center of the rotatable 
drum 2. 
Operation of the running toy 1 thus constructed will be described below. 
When the drive shaft 20 is rotated in the normal direction by the driver 
assembly 29, the rotatable drum 2 is rotated in the direction of the arrow 
R (FIG. 2) to move the running toy 1 in the direction of the arrow P. At 
this time, each of the bobbins 4 is in the angular position of FIG. 3F 
with the string 8 fully unwound. The bobbins 4 are now idly rotated with 
respect to the rotatable drum 2, and the shell assembly 5 is extended 
behind the rotatable drum 2 as shown in FIG. 2. Inasmuch as the center of 
gravity of the driver assembly 29 and hence the rotatable drum 2 is 
displaced from the center of the rotatable drum 2, the speed of rotation 
of the rotatable drum 2 is cyclically varied. Simultaneously, the shell 
assembly 5 is slightly moved back and forth with respect to the rotatable 
drum 2 under inertial forces produced by the weight 9. Therefore, the 
running toy 1 runs in substantially the same pattern as that of the 
advancing motion of a green caterpillar. 
When the direction of rotation of the drive shaft 20 is reversed by the 
reverse mechanism of the driver assembly 29, the rotatable drum 2 is then 
rotated in the opposite direction of the arrow O with the feeler members 
24 housed in the support members 3. The bobbins 4 are also rotated in the 
opposite direction to wind the strings 8 therearound as shown in FIGS. 3A 
through 3C for thereby causing the shell assembly 5 to be wound or 
contracted around the rotatable drum 2. As some teeth 2b on the rotatable 
drum 2 engages the rear edge 6b of the shell member 6a, the drum 2 rides 
on the reverse side of the rear end of the shell assembly 5, whereupon the 
running toy 1 is shaped as a substantially spherical form and rolls on a 
floor 50, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. At this time, the bobbins 4 are in 
the angular position of FIG. 3C and idly rotates with respect to the 
rotatable drum 2 with the strings 8 completely wound. 
Upon reversal of the driver assembly 29 again, the rotatable drum 2 and the 
bobbins 4 are reversed to allow the strings 8 to be unwound as shown in 
FIGS. 3D through 3F. The shell assembly 5 is now unwound or extended under 
the resilient force of the leaf spring 7. The running toy 1 is therefore 
converted from shape of FIGS. 9 and 10 through the shape of FIG. 8 back to 
the configuration of FIG. 2. This form conversion is immediately possible 
only when the rotatable drum 2 is positioned below the shell assembly 5. 
When the rotatable drum 2 is positioned above the shell assembly 5, 
however, the running toy 1 cannot move since the shell assembly 5 below 
the rotatable drum 2 is extended. Then, as the direction of rotation of 
the rotatable drum 2 is reversed again, the running toy 1 is converted to 
the spherical form again. By repeating the above process, the running toy 
1 will finally restore the form as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and can run 
again. The running toy 1 repeats the form conversion each time the 
direction of rotation of the drum 2 is reversed, thus changing the 
direction of movement thereof. 
As described above, the movement pattern of the running toy 1 of the 
present invention is unexpected and mysterious to the eye, which is of 
much interest to the user. 
FIGS. 11 through 18 illustrate a running toy according to a second 
embodiment of the present invention. Like the first embodiment, the 
running toy resembles a green caterpillar. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the 
running toy, generally designated at 101, generally comprises a rotatable 
drum 102, a substantially spherical support 103 in which the rotatable 
durm 102 is rotatably supported, a shell assembly 104 pivotally mounted on 
the support 103 and capable of coaction therewith for forming a complete 
spherical shape, and an elongate swing member 105 for swinging the shell 
assembly 104 in response to rotation of the rotatable drum 102. 
The rotatable drum 102 has a cylindrical body 102c having two rows of teeth 
102b extending entirely around axially opposite outer circumferential 
surfaces 102a, respectively. The rotatable drum 102 also has a pair of 
axially opposite side walls 102d, 102e on which the confronting portions 
103b of the support 103 are rotatably supported. As shown in FIG. 12, a 
driver assembly (described later on) housed in the rotatable drum 102 
includes a drive shaft 120 having one end projecting from one of the side 
walls 102d at an off-center position, the projecting end of the drive 
shaft 120 supporting a drive gear 121. The drive gear 121 is held in mesh 
with a gear 162 serving as a guide member and fixed by an attachment 163 
to the inner surface of the portion 103b of the support 103 confronting 
the drive gear 121. The rotatable drum 102 can therefore be rotated in one 
direction or the other when the drive gear 121 meshing with the gear 162 
is rotated. A shaft 126 is disposed centrally on each of the side walls 
102d, 102e of the rotatable drum 102 and rotatably suported on the 
attachment 163. 
As shown in FIG. 13, a gear 152 is centrally attached to the other side 
wall 102e and mounted on the shaft 126. The gear 152 is held in mesh with 
a gear 151 rotatably supported by a shaft 150 on the portion 103b of the 
support 103 confronting the gear 152. In FIG. 14, the shell assembly 104 
extends along the cylindrical body 102c of the rotatable drum 102 and 
cooperates with the support 103 in forming the spherical form. An end 104a 
of the shell assembly 104 is pivotally supported by a pin 111 on a 
connector 110 fastened to the support 103 and is normally urged in the 
direction to be closed over the drum 102 by a coil spring 106 extending 
between the support 103 and a portion 104b of the shell assembly 104. The 
swing member 105 comprises an arcuate toothed member having an end 105a 
pivotally coupled by a pin 104c integral with the shell assembly 104 to 
the shell assembly 104 slightly behind the portion 104b thereof. The 
arcuate toothed member 105 has a row of teeth 105b defined along a 
longitudinal edge thereof and held in mesh with the gear 151. 
FIG. 15 shows a pair of feeler members 107 shaped like those of a green 
caterpillar. The feeler members 107 are pivotally supported at ends 107a 
theref on the support 103 by means of shafts 107c, respectively. A feeler 
swinging member 108 supported on the support 103 has an end 108b angularly 
movable about an axis 115 and is normally urged by a spring 116 to turn in 
one direction. The feeler swinging member 108 is in the form of a 
substantially sectorial plate having teeth 108a which are movable into or 
out of engagement with the teeth 102b on the drum 102 for turning the 
feeler swinging member 108 about the axis 115 in the direction of the 
arrow G or H. The end 108b of the feeler swinging member 108 has an oblong 
projection 109 having opposite ends 109a. When the feeler swinging member 
108 is angularly moved about the axis 115, the ends 109a of the projection 
109 engage tongues 107b of the ends 107a of the feeler members 107 for 
swinging the feeler members 107 in the directions of the arrows T. 
The driver assembly accommodated in the rotatable housing 102 will be 
described with reference to FIG. 16. 
The driver assembly, generally denoted at 129, includes a reverse mechanism 
for rotating the rotatable drum 2 in one direction or the other. The 
rotative output from a motor (not shown) is transmitted through an output 
gear (not shown) and speed reducer gears (not shown), as with the first 
embodiment, and thence through a clutch gear 135 and an idler gear 136 to 
a drive gear 137 on the drive shaft 120 for rotating the drive shaft 120 
in one or normal direction. At this time, a first worm gear 138 mounted on 
the drive shaft 120 remotely from the drive gear 121 rotates a gear 139 in 
the direction of the arrow J to cause a pinion gear 148 coupled by a shaft 
147 to the gear 139 to move a rack 140 in mesh therewith in the direction 
of the arrow L. A reverse starter 141 having the rack 140 on one end 
thereof is therefore moved in the direction of the arrow L. An engaging 
hook 141a on the opposite end of the reverse starter 141 then engages an 
outer end 142a of a lever 142 which is pivotally supported on a shaft 142c 
extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of the lever 142. The 
outer end 142a of the lever 142 is now depressed by and along a slanted 
surface 141b of the engaging hook 141a, whereupon a pointed tooth 142b on 
the inner end of the lever 142 is elevated into mesh with a second worm 
gear 143 mounted on a clutch shaft 144 which supports the clutch gear 135. 
As the clutch shaft 144 rotates continuously, the second worm gear 143 
meshing with the pointed tooth 142b moves the clutch shaft 144 axially in 
the direction of the arrow M against the resiliency of a coil spring 145 
coiled around the clutch shaft 144. When the pointed tooth 142b is brought 
out of mesh with the second worm gear 143, the pointed tooth 142b engages 
an end surface 143a of the second worm gear 143 to prevent the clutch 
shaft 144 from returning under the force of the coil spring 145. At this 
time, the clutch gear 135 on the clutch shaft 144 is shifting out of mesh 
with the idler gear 136 and into mesh with a larger-diameter gear 137a on 
the drive shaft 120 at one end of the gear 137, thereby rotating the drive 
shaft 120 in the opposite or reverse direction. The first worm gear 138, 
the gear 139, and the pinion gear 148 are also reversed in their rotation 
to move the reverse starter 141 in the direction of the arrow K. The 
reverse starter 141 has a slanted surface 140a on one end of the rack 140, 
the slanted surface 140a being inclined downwardly in the direction of the 
arrow K. As the reverse starter 141 is moved in the direction of the arrow 
K as described above, the slanted surface 140a engages the outer end 142a 
of the lever 142 to raise the outer end 142a along the slanted surface 
140a. The lever 142 is turned about the shaft 142c to displace the pointed 
tooth 142b radially outwardly out of engagement with the end surface 143a 
of the second worm gear 143, whereupon the clutch shaft 144 returns to the 
original position in the direction of the arrow N under the force of the 
coil spring 145. The clutch gear 135 now meshes with the idler gear 136 to 
rotate the drive shaft 120 in the normal direction. 
The running toy 101 of the second embodiment will operate as follows: 
When the drive shaft 120 is rotated in the normal direction by the driver 
assembly 129, the rotatable drum 102 is rotated in the direction of the 
arrow A in FIG. 14 to move the running toy 101 in the direction of the 
arrow P in FIG. 11. 
At this time, the swing member 105 is in the position of FIGS. 11, 13 and 
14 with the shell assembly 104 fully opened from the rotatable drum 102. 
The feeler members 107 are now turned in the directions of the arrows T 
until they project obliquely upwardly from the support 103 in response to 
the angular movement of the member 108 in the direction of the arrow G. 
The center of gravity of the rotatable drum 102 is displaced from the 
geometric center thereof, thus cyclically varying the speed of rotation of 
the drum 102. Therefore, the running toy 101 moves in a pattern resembling 
that of a green caterpillar. 
When the direction of rotation of the drive shaft 120 is reversed by the 
reverse mechanism of the driver assembly 129, the rotatable drum 102 is 
then rotated in the direction of the arrow D (FIG. 14) with the feeler 
members 107 retracted in the support 103. The running toy 101 is now moved 
back in the direction of the arrow Q (FIG. 11). The swing member 105 is 
moved in the direction of the arrow R (FIG. 14) in response to rotation of 
the gear 151, thus causing the shell member 104 to swing about its pivoted 
end until it moves through the position of FIG. 18 and covers the 
rotatable drum 102 as shown in FIG. 17. The support 103 and the shell 
assembly 104 now cooperate with each other in making the running toy 101 
completely spherical in appearance. 
As the driver assembly 129 is reversed again, the rotatable drum 102 is 
also reversed to convert the running toy 101 from the form of FIG. 18 back 
to the form of FIG. 11. As with the first embodiment, this form conversion 
is possible only when the rotatable drum 102 is positioned below the shell 
assembly 104. When the rotatable drum 102 is positioned above the shell 
assembly 104, however, the running toy 101 cannot move since the shell 
assembly 104 below the rotatable drum 102 is opened away from the drum 
102. Then, as the direction of rotation of the rotatable drum 102 is 
reversed again, the running toy 1 is converted to the spherical form again 
as shown in FIG. 17. By repeating the above process, the running toy 101 
will eventually restore the form as shown in FIG. 11 and can run again. 
The running toy 101 repeats the form conversion each time the direction of 
rotation of the drum 102 is reversed, thus changing the direction of 
movement thereof. 
In the first and second embodiments described above, the direction of 
rotation of the drive shaft is reversed cyclically in each period of time 
through different gear combinations. However, the direction of rotation of 
the drive shaft may be reversed by moving the lever 42 or 142 in response 
to engagement of the feeler members 24 or 107 with an object such as an 
obstacle positioned in the way of the running toy 1 or 101. 
Although certain preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it 
should be understood that many changes and modifications may be made 
therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.