Abstract:
A remote control helicopter includes a body, a tail wing, a rotor assembly, a landing skid assembly, and a charging port on the bottom of the helicopter. The remote control for the helicopter includes an outer housing, landing skid grooves, a power switch, a throttle control stick that controls the ascent and the descent, a direction control stick that controls the turning or rotation of the helicopter, and a charging plug.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to toys, more specifically to a remote controlled and rechargeable flying toy helicopter. 
       BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    Remote control (RC) helicopters are popular electronic toys in the mass market. However, RC helicopters can take up a large amount of shelf space and are difficult to assemble and disassemble. 
         [0003]    A significant portion of that shelf space is used to protect the rotors and rotor blades, which can be damaged or broken if an RC helicopter is not appropriately packaged and stored. The rotors and rotor blades of prior art RC helicopters are typically secured onto the RC helicopter using screws. These prior art rotors and rotor blades are designed to prevent detachment of the rotors and rotor blades from the RC helicopter, making disassembly of the rotors and rotor blades difficult. Accordingly, the prior art RC helicopters must take a large amount of shelf space. 
         [0004]    Most RC helicopters also require recharging such as via a USB port with a USB adaptable charging cable, via a power cable attached to a charger attached to a wall, or via a recharging cable attached to the 2 in 1 charger and remote control. For RC helicopters, the latter recharging method is generally preferred as it requires no external or additional power source, such as a USB port or a wall outlet. In a typical RC helicopter using the latter recharging method, there is a rechargeable battery located inside the RC helicopter. This rechargeable battery is recharged from the remote control by plugging the RC helicopter into the remote control using the recharging cable or wire. The remote control itself is typically powered by a plurality of alkaline batteries enclosed within the remote control. Once the RC helicopter is recharged, the cable is unplugged and the RC helicopter can be played with using the remote control. 
         [0005]    The connection pieces for these prior art cables and connectors are difficult for younger children to distinguish and these younger children may misconnect or even break the connection pieces while attempting to recharge the RC helicopter. The above prior art recharging solutions do not easily prevent this issue of misconnecting the RC helicopter to a charging source, such as a USB port or the remote control. In addition, the remote controls of prior art RC helicopters can also take up a large amount of shelf space. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    It is an object of the invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art discussed above. 
         [0007]    It is an object of the invention to minimize the amount of shelf space and storage space taken by an RC helicopter and its remote control. 
         [0008]    It is an object of the invention to provide a sturdy platform to secure an RC helicopter. 
         [0009]    It is an object of the invention to make it easier and more straightforward to attach an RC helicopter to its remote control. 
         [0010]    It is an object of the invention to prevent breakage of an RC helicopter and its remote control. 
         [0011]    It is an object of the invention to provide easy assembly and disassembly of an RC helicopter. 
         [0012]    It is an object of the invention to simplify and reduce costs of the manufacture and the assembly of an RC helicopter. 
         [0013]    It is an object of the invention to provide a child friendly RC helicopter. 
         [0014]    It is another object of the invention to provide a simple, efficient, durable, and cost effective RC helicopter. 
         [0015]    To address the aforementioned objectives and other objectives that will become apparent from the description of the invention, the present invention provides a rechargeable RC helicopter with a remote control. The remote control contains grooves capable of attaching to the landing skids of the RC helicopter. When in the attached position, the remote control and RC helicopter are also connected at the recharging plug and port, thereby charging the RC helicopter. Various portions of the RC helicopter can be assembled and disassembled without the use of additional fasteners and tools. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of an RC helicopter and a remote control in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of a remote control in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  illustrates a perspective view of an RC helicopter in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of a detached rotor and rotor blades of an RC helicopter in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  illustrates a perspective view of a landing skid assembly detached form a main body of an RC helicopter in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  illustrates a perspective view of a landing skid assembly attached with a main body of an RC helicopter in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  illustrates a perspective view of a landing skid assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 8  illustrates a second perspective view of a landing skid assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 9  illustrates a top view of a landing skid assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0025]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 to 3 , one embodiment of the RC helicopter  10  includes a main body  100  attached to a cockpit cover  104 , a tail and tail fins  101 , a rotor assembly, and a landing skid assembly  121 . Located on the bottom side of the main body  100  is a charge port  123  that connects to a rechargeable battery (not shown). Under the main body  100  is the landing skid assembly  121  with a plurality of landing skids  122 . 
         [0026]    The rotor assembly comprises of a main shaft  103 , a plurality of rotors and rotor blades  111 , and a stabilizer bar  102 . The main shaft  103  is powered by the rechargeable battery and controlled by a mechanical gear assembly and a main circuit board (not shown). Depending on the requirements of the RC helicopter  10 , the mechanical gear assembly and the main circuit board assembly can include a variety of different parts, such as a receiving antenna or a receiver for control signal, an electronic voltage regulator, a motor, and a tail wing controller. 
         [0027]    The RC helicopter  10  can be controlled by a remote control  20  equipped with a throttle control stick  202  to control the thrust and speed of the RC helicopter  10  and a directional control stick  203  to control the direction of the RC helicopter  10 . Toward the center of the remote control housing  200  is an on/off power switch  201  and a charge plug  204 . When the charge plug  204  is coupled with the charge port  123  on the RC helicopter  10 , the power source of the remote control  20  can be used to charge the battery powering the RC helicopter  10 . 
         [0028]    Along two sides of the charge plug  204  are a pair of landing rail grooves  205 . The landing rail grooves  205  fit with and are capable of attaching to the landing skids  122  of the RC helicopter  10 . Aligning the landing rail grooves  205  with the landing skids  122  also aligns the charge plug  204  with the charge port  123 . This makes the alignment process much more straightforward and reduces the chance of misconnecting the RC helicopter  10  to the remote control  20 , thereby preventing breakage of the RC helicopter  10  and the remote control  20 . An indicator such as an LED light can be used to show that the charge plug  204  is properly connected to the charge port  123 . 
         [0029]    The landing rail grooves  205  also serve to hold the RC helicopter  10  closer to the remote control  20  when the two are attached. This results in a more stable attachment while reducing the amount of shelf or package space needed to store the RC helicopter  10  and the remote control  20  when not in use. 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the rotor blades  111  can use catch rails  113  instead of screws to attach to a rotor blade grip  112 . The catch rails  113  hook onto rods or structures located on the rotor blade grip  112 , which attaches to the main shaft  103 . Depending on the requirements of the RC helicopter  10 , the rotor blades  111  can be fixed to the rotor blade grip  112 , or be allowed to pivot about the rods of the rotor blade grip  112 , during operation of the RC helicopter. 
         [0031]    By using catch rails  113  to secure the rotor blades  111  to the main shaft  103 , assembly and disassembly of the rotors and rotor blades  111  become much easier and no tools are necessary to perform the assembly and disassembly. Consequently, manufacturing costs are reduced as no metal is required and less time is needed to assemble the RC helicopter  10 . In addition, the rotor blades  111 , the rotor blade grip  112 , the stabilizer bar  102 , and the main shaft  103  can be readily detached to reduce the amount of shelf or package space needed to store the RC helicopter  10 . 
         [0032]      FIGS. 5 and 6  show the main body  100  and the landing skid assembly  121  in a detached position and an attached position, respectively. In the attached position, the landing skid assembly  121  helps support the charge port  123  such that the charge plug  204  can be securely connected to the charge port  123 . 
         [0033]    The landing skid assembly  121  is preferably molded into one piece with a plurality of landing skids  122  and a plurality of clips  124 . The main body  100  is also preferably molded into one piece, with holes onto which the clips  124  can engage. No screws are required to attach the main body  100  to the landing skid assembly  121 . As previously mentioned, constructing the RC helicopter  10  without screws and in accordance with the invention helps reduces manufacturing costs. Furthermore, this allows the landing skid assembly  121  to be readily detached from the main body  100  to reduce the amount of shelf or package space needed to store the RC helicopter  10 . 
         [0034]      FIGS. 7 to 9  show the landing skid assembly  121  with the plurality of landing skids  122  and the plurality of clips  124 . 
         [0035]    While the foregoing is a description of the preferred embodiments carried out the invention, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments shown and described herein, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims. For example, one skilled in the art will recognize that the different elements of the invention, for example the charge connectors (charge port  123  and charge plug  204 ), the attachment elements (landing rail groove  205  and landing skids  122 ), and the clip elements (clips  124  and their corresponding engagement elements), can be placed in alternate positions, for example on the RC helicopter  10 , the remote control  20 , or vice versa. Similarly, fasteners such as the clip elements and the catch rails  113  are interchangeable with other fasteners. 
       LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS 
       [0000]    
       
           10  Remote control flying toy helicopter 
           20  Remote control 
           100  Main body 
           101  Tail and tail fins 
           102  Stabilizer bar 
           103  Main shaft 
           104  Cockpit cover 
           111  Rotor blade 
           112  Rotor blade grip 
           113  Catch rail 
           121  Landing skid assembly 
           122  Landing skid 
           123  Charge port 
           124  Clip 
           200  Housing 
           201  Power switch 
           202  Throttle control stick 
           203  Directional control stick 
           204  Charge plug 
           205  Landing rail groove