Wrist-borne launcher for toy vehicle having flywheel motor

A wrist-borne launcher for a toy vehicle having a road-engaging flywheel mounted on an axle, one end of which extends through the bearing of a false wheel and terminates in a male coupler coaxial with a ring on the outer hub thereof. When not in use, the vehicle is held on a platform having a battery compartment, the platform being provided at its underside with a wrist-engaging cuff. Wires from the battery compartment pass through an arm cantilevered from the platform to reach over the hand of the player. The wires are connected to an electric motor housed in a power box supported at the free end of the arm, a depressible switch being connected in series with the motor. The shaft of the motor terminates in a female coupler coaxially disposed within a cylindrical socket formed in the side of the box corresponding to the underside of the platform, a switch actuator being interposed between the female coupler and the rim of the socket. When the player removes the vehicle from the platform and pushes the false wheel against the power box so as to telescope the hub ring within the socket, the male coupler then engages the female coupler and the ring depresses the switch actuator to activate the motor, thereby driving the flywheel. When the flywheel is revved up, the player then releases the vehicle onto a road surface to permit the vehicle to speed away from the launcher.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
Field of Invention 
This invention relates generally to wrist-borne launchers for toy vehicles, 
and more particularly to a launcher for a vehicle having a road-engaging 
flywheel which is revved up on the launcher area by means of an electric 
motor whereby the flywheel, when the vehicle is thereafter released by the 
player, functions to drive the vehicle. 
Many toy vehicles are provided with a spring motor which when wound up, 
acts to store energy. The spring motor is operatively coupled through a 
gear train to a set of wheels on the vehicle which are driven as the 
spring unwinds. 
In order to obviate the need for a spring motor and a winding operation, it 
is known to make use of a flywheel as the vehicle motor. Because of its 
relatively heavy mass and inertia, the flywheel serves to store motive 
energy. To exploit the inertia characteristic of a flywheel, the typical 
vehicle of this type is provided with a retractable pull-out string 
operatively coupled to the flywheel. When the string is pulled out by the 
player and the flywheel thereby set into motion, the axle of the flywheel 
then engages a gear train to drive a set of wheels on the vehicle. Whether 
using a flywheel or a spring-wound motor, conventional toy vehicles also 
incorporate gear trains and clutches, and are therefore relatively complex 
and expensive to manufacture. 
Also known are toy vehicles which include a miniature electric motor and a 
battery compartment as well as switches. When the motor is activated, it 
drives a set of wheels through a gear train. Because such electrically 
powered vehicles are comparatively heavy, the motor therefor must be 
capable of operating under heavy load conditions, and this adds 
significantly to the cost of the vehicle. 
In recent years, toy vehicle launchers have been developed in which the 
launcher is strapped or otherwise attached to the wrist of the player so 
that the player can then, by pointing his hand, determine the direction of 
vehicle travel when the vehicle is released. The vehicle, itself, in the 
typical launcher, is without any motor. But the launcher includes a 
spring-operated catapult which when unlatched by the player hurls the 
vehicle forward. This has limited play value; for once released, the 
vehicle, which has no motor, can only travel a short distance. 
SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
The main object of this invention is to provide a wrist-borne launcher for 
a toy vehicle having a flywheel motor, the launcher including means to rev 
up the flywheel before the vehicle is released by the player so that the 
released vehicle is capable of travelling a relatively long distance on a 
road surface. 
More particularly, an object of this invention is to provide a toy vehicle 
for use in conjunction with a launcher of the above type, in which the 
flywheel motor also functions as the drive wheel for the vehicle, thereby 
obviating the need for a gear train intercoupling the flywheel and a wheel 
set and additional mechanical expedients which render the vehicle 
structure complex and costly. 
Also an object of the invention is to provide a wrist-borne launcher 
assembly of the above type in which the launcher incorporates an electric 
motor and a battery compartment, the activated electric motor being 
coupled to the flywheel of the vehicle to rev it up. 
A significant feature of the invention resides in the inclusion of a power 
gauge coupled to the shaft of the electric motor to indicate the point at 
which the flywheel is fully revved up and the vehicle is ready to be 
released. 
Briefly stated, these objects are attained in a wrist-borne launcher for 
toy vehicle having a road-engaging flywheel mounted on an axle, one end of 
which extends through the bearing of a false wheel and terminates in a 
male coupler coaxial with a ring on the outer hub thereof. When not in 
use, the vehicle is held on a platform having a battery compartment, the 
platform being provided at its underside with a wrist-engaging cuff. Wires 
from the battery compartment pass through an arm cantilevered from the 
platform to reach over hand of the player. The wires are connected to an 
electric motor housed in a power box supported at the free end of the arm, 
a depressible switch being connected in series with the motor. The shaft 
of the motor terminates in a female coupler coaxially disposed within a 
cylindrical socket formed in the side of the box corresponding to the 
underside of the platform, a switch actuator being interposed between the 
female coupler and the rim of the socket. When the player removes the 
vehicle from the platform and pushes the false wheel against the power box 
so as to telescope the hub ring within the socket, the male coupler then 
engages the female coupler and the ring depresses the switch actuator to 
activate the motor, thereby driving the flywheel. When the flywheel is 
revved up, the player then releases the vehicle onto a road surface to 
permit the vehicle to speed away from the launcher.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
Structure 
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a wrist-borne vehicle launcher in 
accordance with the invention, the major components of which are a 
platform 10 on which the vehicle 11 to be launched is latched when the 
vehicle is not in use, a cantilever arm 12 and a power box 13. 
Platform 10 is provided at its underside with a cuff 14 formed by a pair of 
curved, flexible, flat pieces for embracing the wrist 15 of the player. 
Arm 12, which includes a wiring duct, is cantilevered from the front end 
of the platform to reach over the hand of the player, power box 13 being 
secured to the free end of the arm. 
Vehicle 11, whose appearance may simulate that of a racing car or which may 
take the form of any other four-wheeled vehicle, is provided with a set of 
free-running front wheels 16A and 16B which engage a road surface, and a 
set of rear wheels 17A and 17B which are fixedly secured to the chassis 
and are therefore false or mock wheels. Interposed between false wheels 
17A and 17B is a weighted flywheel 18 mounted on an axle 19 (see FIGS. 4 
and 5) whose ends are received in the bearings of false wheels 17A and 
17B. 
Flywheel 18, which is made of metal and has a larger diameter than the 
diameter of the false wheels, is provided with a center tire 20 of 
elastomeric material, which tire engages the road surface after the 
vehicle is launched. Thus, in operation the vehicle rides on the front 
wheels and the single rear flywheel, though to all appearances it rides on 
four wheels. 
The end of axle 19, which extends into the bearing of false wheel 17A, 
terminates in a male coupler 21 formed by four pins 21.sub.p radiating 
outwardly from the coupler head at 90.degree. angles from each other. 
Coupler 21 is coaxially disposed within a ring 22 protruding from the hub 
of false wheel 17A. 
Platform 10 is provided at its top side with a battery compartment which 
includes a removable cover 23, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7. A pair of 
cylindrical batteries 24 and 25 is stored in this compartment. The end 
poles of the batteries make contact with terminals (not shown) for 
connection to a DC motor. 
Molded in cover 23 is a pair of spaced concave recesses 23A and 23B in 
which front wheels 16A and 16B of the vehicle are nested. At the rear of 
platform 10 is a like pair of recesses 26A and 26B in which false wheel 
17A and 17B are nested, the side wall of recess 26A having a notch 26N 
therein to accommodate the male coupler 21 projecting from false wheel 
17A. 
Intermediate recesses 26A and 26B is a concave center recess 26C to 
accommodate flywheel 18. The forward end wall of 26C is engaged by a ridge 
27 on the underside of the vehicle (see FIG. 4) adjacent the front of 
flywheel 18. The rear wall of recess 26C is engaged by flexible latching 
tab 28 adjacent the rear of the flywheel, so that the vehicle can be 
snapped into the flywheel recess and thereby detachably held on the 
platform until put to use by the player. 
Power box 13, as best seen in FIG. 4, houses a miniature DC motor 29 which 
is energized by the batteries in the platform compartment through a 
normally-open depressible switch. This switch is defined by a fixed 
contact 30 and a flat spring contact 31 which, when a switch actuator 32 
is depressed, engages fixed contact 30. The positive terminal T.sub.1 of 
motor 29 is connected by a wire W.sub.1 to the positive terminal in the 
battery compartment, wire W.sub.1 running through a flat duct 12D 
extending along the length of arm 12 at the underside therof, as shown in 
FIG. 2. The arm is provided with flexible front and rear baffled sections 
12F and 12R which permit the launcher to accommodate its form to the shape 
of the hand of the player. 
The negative terminal T.sub.2 (FIG. 4) of the motor is connected to fixed 
switch contact 30, the movable spring contact 31 being connected by a wire 
W.sub.2 which passes through duct 12D of the cantilever arm 12 to the 
negative terminal in the battery compartment. Thus when the switch is 
depressed by its actuator 32, battery power is applied to energize motor 
29. 
One end of the shaft of motor 29 is secured to a female coupler 33. This 
coupler is coaxially disposed within a socket having a cylindrical outer 
rim R, this socket being formed in the end of power box 13 which 
corresponds to the underside of the platform. Female coupler 33 is in the 
form of a cylindrical cup having four slots 33S (see FIG. 6) at positions 
corresponding to the radial positions of pins 21.sub.p on male coupler 21. 
Interposed between female coupler 33 and rim R of the socket is the arcuate 
head 32H of the switch actuator 32, the curvature of this head conforming 
to the curvature of rim 34 and having a lateral fin which is received in a 
slot in the rim to maintain the position of the actuator. 
Operation 
When one wishes to play with the launcher, vehicle 11 is detached from 
platform 10 on which is normally latched, and the launcher is coupled by 
its cuff 14 to the wrist of the player who then holds the vehicle in his 
hand. The player, as shown in FIG. 5, presses the false wheel 17A of the 
vehicle against the power box 13 so that the ring 22 on the hub of the 
false wheel telescopes within the rim R of the socket containing female 
coupler 33. 
In pushing in the hub ring, this causes male coupler 21 projecting from the 
hub to engage female coupler 33, the pins of the former nesting within the 
slots of the latter. At the same time, the pushed-in ring 22 engages the 
head 32H of the actuator to operate the switch and thereby apply battery 
power to motor 29. 
As a consequence, the shaft of the energized motor is operatively coupled 
to flywheel 18 to set it into motion. In order to assure that the flywheel 
is adequately revved up before the vehicle is released from the hand of 
the player, a power gauge 34 is provided. Power gauge 34, as best seen in 
FIGS. 2 and 6, is disposed on the end of power box 13 opposite to the 
female coupler and it takes the form of a dollar having an eccentric 
weight 34W on one side thereof, the periphery of the gauge being visible 
through a window 36. 
A drag wheel 35 mounted on the shaft of motor 29 operates within collar 34, 
and as a result of frictional contact therewith, acts to turn this collar 
from its normal or static position in which weight 34W is at the bottom to 
a position in which this weight is then visible through window 36. 
By color coding the periphery of gauge collar 34, a power indication is 
provided. Thus the periphery may be colored green, except for the weighted 
portion 34W which is colored red. Hence when the motor coupled to the 
flywheel is operated for a brief period sufficient to cause a red power 
indication, this signals the player that it is time to release the 
vehicle. 
The player, before releasing the vehicle, points the launching platform 
with his hand toward a road surface, such as a floor or table in his 
playroom. When the vehicle is released, it will race across this surface; 
for the stored energy in the flywheel is sufficient to provide extended 
travel for the released vehicle. 
While there has been shown and described a preferred embodiment of a 
wrist-borne launcher for toy vehicle having flywheel motor in accordance 
with the invention, it will be appreciated that many changes and 
modifications may be made therein without, however, departing from the 
essential spirit thereof. 
Thus in practice, there is no mechanical need for false wheels on the toy 
vehicle, and one may provide other configurations to hold the bearings for 
the flywheel axle, with a coupler attached to one end of this axle. Also, 
while in the embodiment shown, the coupler on the flywheel axle is a 
female element and that on the motor shaft is a male element, in practice 
this arrangement may be reversed; for all that is necessary for the 
coupler elements is to be complementary and to interengage.