Articulated model vehicle

A model vehicle having a normal low-rider configuration is provided with independently repositionable roadway wheels that may be deployed separately and in various combinations, using a manually-switched, battery-powered control, into temporary roadway wheel &#8220;hop&#8221; positions.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention pertains generally to model vehicles intended for juvenile and adult personal amusement or entertainment, and particularly concerns a battery-powered, model automobile that is articulated and that can be easily manually controlled to simulate different low-rider automobile operating configurations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Numerous different model vehicles having hand-held, manually operable controls that control model vehicle speed, model forward/reverse direction, and model steering have been made available in the marketplace in different configurations, including different low-rider wheels retracted configurations. Some such available model vehicles have included construction features which, when operated manually, enable the model vehicle to be placed in a limited number of hop (wheel actuated/extended) operating configurations such as front-hop, back-hop, see-saw configurations and the like. Because prior model vehicles typically use a single motor to actuate the wheels on each side of the car, only one wheel or both wheels together on each side of the car can be actuated at any one time. Simultaneous, independent actuation of all 4 wheels is not possible.

Accordingly it is a principal purpose and object of the present invention to provide a battery-powered model vehicle that normally has a low-rider operating configuration, and that may be manually controlled to temporarily place and to operate independently and simultaneously each wheel of the model vehicle to achieve various hop (wheel actuated/extended) operating configurations, including front-hop, back-hop, see-saw, slammed, 3 wheel extended and all wheel extended configurations. Also, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a battery-powered model vehicle with construction features that enable the vehicle to be promptly restored to its low-rider operating configuration following deployment in a hop configuration, and further to provide construction features which enable the model vehicle to be fixed or posed in any one of its different hop configurations.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent during consideration of the descriptions, drawings, and claims which follow.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A model automobile having a normal low-rider configuration is provided with independently repositionable roadway wheels that may be deployed separately and in various temporary roadway wheel hop position combinations, using a manually-switched, battery-powered control.

From a construction standpoint, the invention includes a molded model vehicle chassis, spring biased rocker arms pivotally carried by the model vehicle chassis, a model roadway wheel rotatably carried by each biased and pivoted rocker arm, a chassis-carried, independently-operated, battery-powered drive train for each such rocker arm, and a hand-held control that may be manually operated to independently position each model roadway wheel in a temporary hop position as distinguished from a normal low-rider position.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a preferred embodiment 10 of the present invention which basically is comprised of battery-powered model automobile 12 and co-operating hand-held manual control 14 . The solid-line illustration of model automobile 12 is of that component in its normal low-rider or slammed (wheels retracted) configuration condition; the dotted-line illustration of the model automobile in FIG. 1 is of that component with its body in a temporary front-hop (front wheels actuated/extended) configuration condition 16 .

FIGS. 2 through 7 illustrate model automobile 12 in the additional temporary configurations that may be obtained by the operation of control 14 . Specifically FIG. 2 schematically illustrates, using dotted-lines, model automobile 12 in a temporary back-hop (rear wheels actuated/extended) configuration condition 18 . FIGS. 3 and 4 , are front elevation views of model automobile 12 illustrated in a dotted-line temporary right-hop (2 right side wheels actuated/extended) configuration condition 20 and in a dotted-line temporary left-hop (left side wheels actuated/extended) configuration condition 22 , respectively. FIGS. 5 and 6 are similar to FIGS. 4 and 3 , respectively, except they are model automobile back elevation views. FIG. 7 , in addition to illustrating the chassis sub-assembly 26 of model automobile 12 , shows the model automobile in a temporary 4 wheel hop (all wheels actuated/extended) configuration condition 24 .

The chassis sub assembly 26 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 basically is comprised of molded model frame 30 , four dog-leg rocker arms 32 that are each pivotally connected at 34 to frame 30 , that each carry one of the four model automobile wheels 36 , and that are each urged to its normal low-rider condition by a respective coiled tension spring 38 . The dotted-line showings in FIG. 7 illustrate those components in their temporarily deployed hop (wheels actuated/extended) configuration conditions.

As illustrated in FIG. 8 , each rocker arm 32 and wheel 36 combination is driven by a separate battery-powered prime mover 40 , which normally has the form of a direct-current rotary solenoid, and an interconnected gear train 42 . Four circular drive cranks 44 that are each rotatably driven by the power output gear of a respective gear train 42 independently engage the underside of rocker arms 32 and function to cause separate deployments of model automobile wheels 36 to their hop (wheels actuated/extended) configuration condition so long as control 14 is activated to provide energy to a respective prime mover 40 . When control 14 is de-activated, tension forces induced in spring elements 38 return the deployed model automobile wheels 36 to their initial or normal low-rider (wheels retracted) configuration condition.

Referring again to FIG. 1 , hand-held control 14 normally contains several electrical dry-cells, e.g., 4 Size AA alkaline batteries, that constitute the model automobile power supply (see FIG. 11 , component 50 ), and also contains wheel position switches 52 , 54 , 56 , and 58 , multi-position forward/reverse motion switch 60 , multi-position and steering direction switch 62 . Multi-position switch 60 controls reversible motor 64 that in-turn drives the model automobile wheels 36 positioned at the rear of the vehicle through inter-connected drive train and axle 66 . (See FIGS. 8 and 10 ). Multi-position switch 62 controls servo element 68 that in turn steers the automobile wheels 36 positioned at the front of the vehicle through inter-connected connecting rods 70 . (See FIGS. 8 and 9 ).

Although FIG. 1 , depicts an electric wire interconnecting hand-held control 14 and model automobile 12 , a conventional radio control could be utilized. This would require the batteries or power supply for the drive motors to be mounted in the model automobile 12 . Also, a transmitter would have to be incorporated into hand-held control 14 and a receiver would have to be incorporated into automobile 12 .

FIGS. 12 and 13 pertain to model automobile 12 operated in a posed configuration with its front wheels 36 maintained in a fixed rather than temporary hop (wheels extended) position. The FIG. 12 illustration specifically relates to a so-called front hop (front wheels extended) vehicle configuration condition. Chassis 30 includes four attached housings 80 that each contain an extendible/retractable slide pin 82 which is manually positioned to engage a blind-hole molded in the inner surface of a respective rocker arm 32 when aligned therewith. In FIG. 13 the slide pins 82 provided for selective manual engagement with the rear rocker arms 32 of model automobile 12 are each shown in a retracted position where the slide pins 82 provided for selective manual engagement with the front rocker arms 32 are each shown in an extended position.

Various changes may be made in the size, shape, and inter-relationship of the different invention elements illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope, meaning, or intent of the claims which follow.