Abstract:
A toy turtle is provided with a head, a tail, front right and left flippers, and rear right and left flippers extending from a body. A battery driven gear motor within the body causes linkage in the body to drive the front flippers back and forth, propelling the turtle through the water. The rear flippers are selectively positionable by the user to act in combination either as a rudder, controlling the direction in which the turtle swims when the flippers are positioned asymmetrically, or to control the turtle&#39;s swimming speed by increasing or reducing drag when the flippers are positioned symmetrically.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a swimming toy. More specifically, this invention concerns a battery-powered toy in the form of a turtle for use in water such as in a swimming pool. 
     BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Toys, which resemble animals and are capable of moving themselves along the land or in water, are well known. Such toys of the prior art tend to be either very limited in their function, or include complicated mechanisms and circuits for providing a variety of functions. For instance, the speed at which the toy propels itself is generally fixed or may require an expensive multi-speed motor. Such toys of the prior art tend to move in a straight line, which limits their usefulness in a defined area such as a swimming pool. Some toys are adapted to move in a circular pattern, but those which are adjustable to move in either a straight line or a circular pattern use either a complicated steering mechanism or a steering rudder to accomplish this function. Such mechanisms tend to be expensive and prone to fail, while such rudders are unnatural appendages when integrated into an animal shape such as a turtle. Thus, either the toy is more expensive to manufacture than the marketplace will tolerate, or the toy performance is impaired and, after a very short time, a child becomes bored with his or her toy and abandons it. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved toy, which is inexpensive to manufacture, yet which is more useful and less complicated than those of the prior art. 
     It is a further object to provide a more natural appearance and movement, according to the animal being simulated. 
     It is a further object to provide a toy turtle, whose naturally shaped and proportioned flippers move as do a real turtle&#39;s, while being adjustable for simultaneously allowing the turtles swimming speed and direction to be controlled according to the environment in which it is used. 
     These objects are attained according to the present invention in a toy comprising a sea turtle shape whose front flippers are driven in a natural motion by a battery-operated motor to propel the turtle through the water, and whose rear flippers are manually positionable to steer the turtle and/or to regulate the turtle&#39;s swimming speed by increasing or reducing drag as the turtle swims through the water. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, a toy turtle is provided which has upper and lower shell portions, which form a body. A head, a tail, front right and left flippers, and rear right and left flippers extend from the body. A battery driven gear motor within the body causes linkage in the body to drive the front flippers back and forth, propelling the turtle through the water, as do a real sea turtle&#39;s, for swimming. The rear flippers are positionable by the user to act either as a rudder, controlling the direction in which the turtle swims when the flippers are positioned asymmetrically, or to control the turtle&#39;s swimming speed by increasing or reducing drag when the flippers are positioned symmetrically. 
     According to another feature of the invention, a blow-molded float is contoured to extend into voids within the body and provide buoyancy so that the turtle floats as it swims. 
     It is anticipated by the inventor that the mechanism and system employed herein could alternatively be adapted for use in other animal shapes, such as say a crocodilian shape, a salamander, or such. 
     Besides flippers, other such appendages may be used within the spirit of the invention, such as fins, wings, or limbs, provided that the appendages serve to propel the animal through the water when driven by the motor. 
     The toy according to the present invention is expected to have a long-lasting appeal for a youngster, as it does more than simply paddle along in the water. Furthermore, such a toy can be produced at relatively low cost and should have a long service life, due to its simplicity and minimal number of components. 
     The features which are considered novel and most vital to the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, will be best understood from the following description of the preferred embodiment, when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a toy turtle according to the preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a top view of the toy turtle of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the toy turtle of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the toy turtle of FIG. 1, with the bottom shell portion and float removed and the front flippers in their most forward position; 
     FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the toy turtle of FIG. 1, with the bottom shell portion and float removed and the front flippers in their most rearward position; 
     FIG. 6 is a partial bottom view of the rear end of the toy turtle of FIG. 1, with the rear flippers asymmetrically positioned for rightward turning while swimming; 
     FIG. 7 is a partial bottom view of the rear end of the toy turtle of FIG. 1, with the rear flippers asymmetrically positioned for leftward turning while swimming; and 
     FIG. 8 is a partial exploded view of the front end of the toy turtle of FIG. 1, showing the swimming mechanism and front flippers in the top shell portion. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIGS. 1-8 show the preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein a toy in the form of sea turtle  100  is provided, having upper shell portion  102 , lower shell portion  104 , and appendages including head  106 , tail  108 , front right flipper  112 , front left flipper  114 , rear right flipper  116 , and rear left flipper  118 . It should be noted, especially since several of the drawings are bottom views, that the terms “left” and “right” refer to the turtle&#39;s left and right sides, not necessarily to the left and right sides of the drawings. 
     The upper and lower shell portions are held together by fasteners, glue, and or any other such method, to form hollow body  122  and to capture the appendages therebetween. 
     Also captured with the hollow body  122  are gear motor  124 , battery housing  126 , switch  128 , and blow-molded float  130 . A typical household battery (not shown) is positioned with the hollow interior of battery housing  126  through opening  132  in lower shell portion  104 , and then sealingly encased by battery cover  134 , which is removably secured to lower shell portion  104  by fasteners  136 . Wiring  138  connects gear motor  124  to the battery through switch  128 , such that the motor is energized when the switch is in its “on” position and is de-energized when the switch is in its “off” position. All electrical components, including the battery and its related connectors, switch  128 , gear motor  124 , and wiring  138 , are sufficiently protected with appropriate sealants and gaskets to prevent wetting when turtle  100  is submerged in water. 
     All of the afore-listed flippers are loosely captured by the shell portions  102  and  104  in a fashion that allows some fore/aft pivoting relative to body  122 . Front right flipper  112  includes vertical hole  142  that loosely surrounds vertical pin  144  of upper shell portion  102  to allow the flipper to pivot horizontally in forward and rearward directions about the axis of the pin. Front left flipper  114  includes vertical hole  146  that loosely surrounds vertical pin  148  of upper shell portion  102  to allow this flipper to pivot horizontally in forward and rearward directions about the axis of this pin. Rear right flipper  116  includes vertical hole  152  that loosely surrounds vertical pin  154  of upper shell portion  102  to allow this flipper to pivot horizontally in forward and rearward directions about the axis of this pin. And rear left flipper  118  includes vertical hole  156  which loosely surrounds vertical pin  158  of upper shell portion  102  to allow this flipper to pivot horizontally in forward and rearward directions about the axis of this pin. 
     When motor  124  is energized, eccentric  162  rotates such that vertical pin  164  revolves in a circular and clockwise motion. 
     Front left flipper  144  includes longitudinal extension  166 , having vertical pin  168  extending downwardly there-from. 
     Front right flipper  122  includes longitudinal extension  172 , having there-through slot  174  for loosely receiving pin  164  and also having there-through slot  176  for loosely receiving pin  168 . 
     As should be best appreciated from FIGS. 4,  5 , and  8 , the revolution of pin  164  within slot  174  forces extension  172  to move in a cyclic fore/aft motion, thereby causing front right flipper  112  to pivot cyclically in a fore/aft motion about pin  144 . This cyclic fore/aft motion of extension  172 , and therefore of its slot  174 , additionally forces pin  168 , and therefore longitudinal extension  166  of front left flipper  114 , to move in a similar cyclic fore/aft motion, thereby causing front left flipper  114  to pivot cyclically in a fore/aft motion about pin  148 , in phase with the motion of front right flipper  112 . The front flippers are both hydro-dynamically shaped to provide less drag when moving forward in the water than when moving backward in the water. This fore/aft motion of the flippers, combined with such a forward drag advantage, efficiently propels the turtle forward in the water. 
     Hollow blow-molded float  130  is filled with air to offset the weight density of the other components and thereby provide buoyancy to allow the turtle to swim at the water surface. Alternatively, some or all of the components of the toy could be made of material that is less dense than water, or air could be trapped be the assembling together of the upper and lower shell portions, to provide the same buoyancy. 
     Each of rear flippers  116  and  118  includes extension  178 R and  178 L, including ratcheting indentations  182 R and  182 L for being selectively engaged by vertical pins  184 R or  182 L that extend from upper shell portion  102 . This allows the flippers to be pivoted into a plurality of distinct for/aft positions. As rear right flipper  116  is forcibly pivoted about pin  154  by the user, pin  184 R firmly engages one of ratcheting indentations  182 R to hold the flipper in the selected position. As rear left flipper  118  is forcibly pivoted about pin  158  by the user, pin  184 L firmly engages one of ratcheting indentations  182 L to hold this flipper in the selected position. 
     Pivoting of both rear flippers  116  and  118  fully backward minimizes drag as the turtle swims through the water, and thereby allows the turtle to swim fastest. As the flippers are incrementally and symmetrically forced into more forward positions, the swimming is slowed by increasing drag as the turtle moves through the water. 
     Swimming direction can also be controlled by the asymmetrical positioning of the rear flippers. This is best appreciated by viewing FIGS. 6 and 7. For the sharpest rightward turning, rear right flipper  116  is pivoted into its most forward position for maximum drag on the turtle&#39;s right side, while rear left flipper  118  is pivoted into its most rearward position for minimum drag on the turtle&#39;s left side, as shown in FIG.  6 . This will cause the turtle&#39;s swimming pattern to be clockwise in the tightest circle. Clockwise patterns in incrementally larger circles at incrementally faster speeds can be accomplished by pivoting only the rear right flipper  116  incrementally rearward, or clockwise patterns in incrementally larger circles at incrementally slower speeds can be accomplished by pivoting only the rear left flipper  118  incrementally forward. 
     Alternatively, For the sharpest leftward turning, rear left flipper  118  is pivoted into its most forward position for maximum drag on the turtle&#39;s left side, while rear right flipper  116  is pivoted into its most rearward position for minimum drag on the turtle&#39;s right side, as shown in FIG.  7 . This will cause the turtle&#39;s swimming pattern to be counter-clockwise in the tightest circle. Counter-clockwise patterns in incrementally larger circles at incrementally faster speeds can be accomplished by pivoting only the rear left flipper  118  incrementally rearward, or counter-clockwise patterns in incrementally larger circles at incrementally slower speeds can be accomplished by pivoting only the rear right flipper  116  incrementally forward. 
     As can be appreciated, twenty-five distinct swimming speeds and swimming patterns can hereby be realized through the repositioning of only two components and without the need for an expensive multi-speed motor and multi-position switch. 
     The foregoing description and drawings provide only the preferred of many possible embodiments of the inventions, and are not intended to limit the invention. Many obvious alterations could be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. It is therefore intended that only the following claims should limit the invention.