A GRAB FOR A TOY CRANE

Abstract: A grab with two identical two-armed levers is hinged at least at two places along their axis of rotation. For each of the levers, its two arms are mutually contiguous exclusively on one side of the central plane of the assembled grab at right angles to the axis of rotation. The hinge parts of the grab are constructed as integral parts of its halves, and it is adapted to hang in a U-shaped loop on an endless cord. The gripping faces of the grap have a friction increasing shape.

Description: A grab for a toy crane The invention concerns a grab for a toy crane, said grab having two two-armed levers adapted to grip an object by mutual movement above their axis of rotation, said levers being hinged at at least two places along their axis of rotation. The DE Patent 833 169 discloses such a grab which is sus¬ pended from a crane arm in two separate cords. The grab can be raised and lowered with operating means on the crane with simultaneous rolling up or rolling out of both cords, and the grab can be closed or opened by shortening or extending one of the cords with respect to the other. This known grab requires a separate cord for its opening/ closing function and cannot therefore be retained in a closed state without this separate cord. Also US 2 166 854 shows such a crane grab, but whose jaws have suspension points outside their common pivot shaft, and the jaws are connected in these points with a common, carrying cord. Another cord is connected with the pivot shaft, and the jaws of the grab can be opened and closed by different pull in these cords. However, the jaws of the grab have no mutually intersecting parts like in the pre¬ sent invention. GB 619 367 shows a toy crane with a grab whose parts in- tersect each other in a common fulcrum, and these parts are just hinged in this single fulcrum. The present invention provides a grab which is inexpensive to produce, is functional and is realistic in use. When the grab is constructed as stated in the character¬ izing portion of claim 1, it is first and foremost pos¬ sible to manufacture the two two-armed levers of the grab as identical parts, which is an advantage in terms of pro- duction. Further, it is hereby possible to let the two levers intersect each other seen in projection along the axis of rotation, so that their mutual movement about the axis of rotation will be a scissors-like movement. This movement makes it possible to use the gravitational pull from the object which the grab carries to intensify the grip of the grab of the object, which can hereby be re¬ tained safely by the grab at any time. Claims 2 and 3 concern mutual hinging of the two parts of the grab. When the hinges are constructed as integrated parts of the levers, an additional productional advantage is obtained since no separate shaft or other hinge device is needed. The grab of the invention lends itself for use with a crane where a U-shaped loop on an endless cord carries the grab. Claims 4-7 provide expedient embodiments of the grab for this. Claims 8 and 9 concern the gripping face of the grab, which is advantageously so constructed as to provide re¬ latively great friction between the gripping face of a grab and the objects which is gripped. A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawing, in which fig. 1 is a perspective view of a grab of the invention carrying an object, fig. 2a shows the two halves of the grab of fig. 1, seen from the side, fig. 2b shows the assembled grab, seen from the side, fig. 3a shows the two halves of the grab, seen from above, and fig. 3b shows the assembled grab, seen from above. A grab 10 consists of two identical halves 11 preferably made of plastics. Each half 11 has a gripping member 12 formed as a rectangular plate. Two substantially box- shaped parts 13 and 14 are provided from the upper edge of the gripping member 12, said parts extending mutually in parallel at a certain distance from each other and forming an angle with the gripping member 12 which is approxi¬ mately a right or a slightly obtuse angle. The inner side of the gripping members 12 is formed with a part 19 which has ribs 20 on the part of its face which is directed away from the gripping member 12. The part 19 is preferably made of rubber or another material having a relatively great coefficient of friction. From the free end of the box-shaped part 14, a bracket 15 extends further forwardly and offset toward the other box- shaped part 13. The bracket 15 carries two uprights 23 which have depressions 22 at the top serving as bearings for the shaft 21 of a pulley 16. An incision 24 is provided at the free end of the box- shaped part 14, said incision being defined by a flap 25 at one side. The flap 25 carries a circular projection 17 on the side of it which faces inwardly toward the incision 24. The other box-shaped part 13 is formed with a projec¬ ting flap 26 having on its outwardly facing face a circu- lar depression 18 with dimensions enabling the projection 17 to fit in it. The flap 26 has a thickness so as to fit in the incision 24. As mentioned, the assembled grab 10 consists of two uni¬ form halves 11. Fig. 2a shows how the two halves 11 are placed one above the other before being assembled. During assembly, the central brackets 15 of the respective halves 11 are moved up and down, respectively, into the gap be- tween the box-shaped parts 13 and 14 of the opposite part 11, and the flaps 26 are passed into the incisions 24. When the flap 26 touches the projection 17 on the flap 25, it will flex outwardly owing to the flexible properties of the material and open the incision 24 so that the flap 26 can be completely engaged with the incision 24. When the depression 18 on the flap 26 is opposite the projection 17 on the flap 25, the flap 25 moves resiliently backwards, and the projection 17 retains the two parts 11 with re¬ spect to each other by snap cooperation with the depres- sion 18. Thus, the flaps 25 with the projections 17 and the flaps 26 with the depressions 18 define a hinge with an axis of rotation through the two pairs of projections 17 and de- pressions 18 in engagement with each other, so that the two parts 11 of the grab can perform a mutual movement about the axis of rotation thus defined. The pulleys 16 has a peripheral depression or groove 27 disposed in the central plane of the assembled grab per¬ pendicular to the axis of rotation through the hinge elements 17, 18, 18, 17. Fig. 1 shows how the grab 10 is suspended in a cord 28 forming a U-shaped loop and being engaged with both pulleys 16. The grab 10 grips an object 29, with the ribs 24 on the gripping faces engaging the object 29, which is retained owing to the friction between the ribs and the upper face of the object 29. The cord 28 exerts an outward pull in both pulleys 16, and the central bracket 15 with the pulley 16 constitutes one arm of a two-armed lever for each of the parts 11, while the box-shaped part 14 constitutes the other arm. The cord 28, when pulling the pulleys 16, will thus cause the as- sembled grab 10 to grip the object 29. In the shown embodiment, the rubber parts 19 with ribs 20 are adapted to grip the object 29 and retain it by means of friction between the ribs 20 and the surface of the object 29, the part 19 may also be provided with means in the form of projections and/or recesses adapted to engage corresponding complementary parts on the object 29, which is then retained by purely mechanical means and not by friction.

Claims: P a t e n t C l a i m s 1. A grab (10) for a toy crane, comprising two two-armed levers adapted to grip an object (29) by mutual movement about their axis of rotation, said levers being hinged at at least two places along their axis of rotation, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the first arm (15) and the second arm (14) for each of the levers are mutually con- tiguous on respective sides of the central plane of the grab (10) perpendicular to the axis of rotation. 2. A grab according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the hinges are constructed as integral parts (25, 17; 26, 18) of respective ones of the levers. 3. A grab according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that each lever has hinge parts (26, 24; 17, 18) mu¬ tually complementary in pairs for cooperation with the corresponding hinge parts of the other lever. 4. A grab according to claims 1-3, c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d in that it is adapted to hang in a U-shaped loop on an endless cord (28). 5. A grab according to claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that both levers are adapted to cooperate with the cord (28). 6. A grab according to claims 4-5, c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d in that it cooperates freely movably with the cord (28). 7. A grab according to claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that each of the levers has a pulley (16) for coopera¬ tion with a cord (28). 8. A grab according to claims 1-7, c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d in that its gripping faces (12) has a friction increasing shape (20). 9. A grab according to claim 8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the gripping faces has a friction increasing coating (19). 10. A grab according to claims 1-9, c h a r a c t e r - i z e d in that its two two-armed levers (11) are con¬ structed as substantially identical parts.

Inventors: DIDERIKSEN ERLING THUE, PAGEL KIM, DIDERIKSEN, ERLING, THUE, PAGEL, KIM
Applicants: LEGO AS, LEGO A/S
Application year: 1991
Main classification: A63H17
IPC codes: A63H17, A63H33