Abstract:
An integral pump assembly may be used to power a toy vehicle. The pump pressurizes fluid stored within the pressure vessel. The pressurized fluid within the pressure vessel drives the engine that powers the toy vehicle until the stored pressurized fluid has been depleted. The pump may then repressurize the pressure vessel to again drive the pneumatic engine. The pump is substantially disposed within the body of the toy vehicle.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/344,054, filed Jan. 3, 2002, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a toy vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a toy vehicle having both an integral pump and vessel for powering an engine. Still more particularly, the present invention is for a toy submarine having an engine for powering the toy submarine, a vessel for storing fluid to drive the engine and a pump for supplying fluid to the vessel, each of which is integral with the toy submarine.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Some existing toy vehicles having pneumatic engines have detachable pressure vessels for storing fluid. The pressure vessel is removed from a toy vehicle and pressurized by a separate pump. Once pressurized, the pressure vessel is reattached to the toy vehicle for powering the engine. Constant detaching and reattaching of the fluid pressure vessel can lead to degradation of the joint between the pressure vessel and the toy vehicle. A poor joint between the pressure vessel and the toy vehicle leads to a loss of pressurized fluid within the pressure vessel, which results in a less powerful engine. When the joint has deteriorated sufficiently, the entire toy vehicle must be replaced to attain the same degree of performance as when the toy vehicle was new. Moreover, since the pressure vessel is detachable, it is easily lost or misplaced. Without the pressure vessel, the toy vehicle is inoperable and the missing vessel must be replaced.  
           [0004]    Other existing toy vehicles have integral fluid pressure vessels, but still require a separate pump to pressurize the pressure vessel. The pump is connected to the pressure vessel to pressurize the pressure vessel. The pump must be disconnected from the pressure vessel to use the toy vehicle. Therefore, one must remember to bring the corresponding pump for the toy vehicle or the pressure vessel cannot be pressurized, which results in the toy vehicle being inoperable. Furthermore, repeatedly connecting and disconnecting the pump to and from the pressure vessel can lead to degradation of the connection between the pump and pressure vessel, thereby increasing the difficulty of pressurizing the pressure vessel. Once the joint has deteriorated sufficiently, the entire toy vehicle must be replaced to attain the same degree of performance as when the toy vehicle was new. As with the detachable vessel, the pump may be easily misplaced or lost, again resulting in the toy vehicle being inoperable and requiring replacement of the pump.  
           [0005]    Thus, there is a continuing need to provide improved toy vehicles having integral pumps and pressure vessels.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The present invention relates to a toy vehicle having an engine that is powered by a pump and a pressure vessel, which are both integral with the toy vehicle. The integral pump selectably supplies fluid to the pressure vessel. The integral pressure vessel is in fluid communication with the engine to provide pressurized fluid to power the engine.  
           [0007]    Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a toy vehicle having an engine, vessel and pump that are all integral with the toy vehicle. By providing a toy vehicle having an integral vessel and pump, the degradation of joints between the engine and vessel and between the vessel and pump is eliminated. Additionally, because the vessel and pump are integral with the toy vehicle, loss or misplacement of the vessel and pump is avoided.  
           [0008]    The foregoing objects are basically attained by providing a toy vehicle having an engine for powering the toy vehicle, a vessel integral with the toy vehicle for storing fluid to drive the engine, and a pump integral with the toy vehicle for supplying fluid to the vessel.  
           [0009]    Other objects, advantages and salient features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses preferred embodiments of the invention. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    Referring now to the drawings that form a part of the original disclosure:  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is cross sectional view taken through the longitudinal centers of the main engine shaft, connecting rod, and piston of a pneumatic engine, in which the cam is at a zero degree position;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIGS. 2A through 2C are sequential conceptual views showing the principles of co-action of the cam connecting rod and piston, in which FIG. 2B is taken along line  2 B- 2 B of FIG. 1;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a partial cross section view of FIG. 1 showing the piston, connecting rod, cylinder and intake chamber of the pneumatic engine;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a view sequential to that of FIG. 1A showing the piston and connecting rod location at a twenty degree position relative to the fixed engine bracket;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a view sequential to that of FIGS. 3 and 4 showing the piston at its maximum height and the cylinder at its lowest atmospheric pressure, which occurs when the cam is at a 180 degree position relative to the engine bracket, which represents the end of the up stroke and beginning of the down stroke;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is a schematic view sequential to the views of FIGS.  3  to  5  showing the cam at a rotational position of about 350 degrees;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7 is view sequential to the view of FIG. 6 showing the cam position at about 355 degrees, which is approximately the first point of contact of the proximal element of the check valve by the piston spring;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 8 is a view sequential to the view of FIG. 7 showing the completion of one engine cycle so that the piston and check valve are shown in a position an instant before their position shown in FIG. 3;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the location of the engine assembly and pressure vessel relative to a vertical axial cross-section of a toy airplane;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 10 is a top view of an integral pump, vessel and engine assembly according to the present invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 11 is a cross section taken along line  11 - 11  of FIG. 10 of the integral pump, vessel and engine assembly of the present invention;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a toy submarine having the integral pump, vessel and engine assembly of the present invention showing the pump handle in a first position; and  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of the submarine of FIG. 12 showing the pump handle in a second position. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0024]    The present invention relates to a toy vehicle  11  having an engine  13  that is powered by a pump  9  and pressure vessel  10  that are both integral with the toy vehicle, as shown in FIGS.  10 - 13 . Preferably, the engine is a pneumatic engine. The toy vehicle may be a submarine  111 , as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, or a plane (FIG. 9) or car, but is not limited to such embodiments.  
         [0025]    A selectably pressurizable vessel  10  is shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. Preferably, pressure vessel  10  is made of a resilient polymeric plastic bottle. In one embodiment of the invention, the pressure vessel  10  has a capacity of about 2.5 liters with the range thereof preferably being between two and three liters. The pressure vessel  10  is integral with the toy vehicle. Preferably, the pressure vessel  10  is substantially disposed within the housing  113  of toy vehicle  11 , as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. Preferably, the housing (hull)  113  of the toy submarine  111  completely encloses the pressure vessel  10 .  
         [0026]    Pressure vessel  10  is pressurized by a pump  9  that is integral with the toy vehicle  11 , as shown in FIGS.  10 - 13 . Preferably, the pump  9  is substantially disposed within pressure vessel  10 . The pump  9  includes a pump housing or cylinder  90  and a piston  7  axially movable within the pump cylinder. Piston  7  is positioned at a first end  5  of a rod  6 . A pump handle  3  is connected to the second end  4  of rod  6 . Preferably, the pump handle  3  forms a portion of the toy vehicle housing, such as a nose  115  of a toy submarine  111  as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. Preferably, pump cylinder  90  is substantially disposed within pressure vessel  10 , as shown in FIG. 11. Drawing the pump handle  3  outward relative to the pressure vessel  10 , as shown in FIG. 13, moves piston  7  to a second end  92  of pump cylinder  90 , thereby filling the pump cylinder with fluid. Pushing pump handle  3  inward relative to pressure vessel  10  moves piston  7  back to a first end  91  of pump cylinder  90 , as shown in FIG. 11, thereby pushing fluid out of pump cylinder  9  and into pressure vessel  10 , thereby supplying fluid to the pressure vessel and increasing the pressure of the fluid within the pressure vessel.  
         [0027]    As shown in FIG. 13, the nose  115  of the toy submarine  111  is the pump handle  3 . When the pump handle  3  is in the position shown in FIG. 13, the piston  7  is at the second end  92  of pump cylinder  90 . Moving the nose  115  between the first and second positions shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, which correspond to the piston being at the first end  91  and second end  92  of pump cylinder  90 , respectively, supplies fluid to vessel  10 , which pressurizes the vessel. When the pressure vessel is pressurized to a desired level, the nose  115  is secured to rim  117  of housing  113  to prevent further pressurizing the pressure vessel. Any suitable manner of securing the nose to the rim may be used. Preferably, a tongue and groove locking means is used, where a tongue (not shown) on the inner surface of the nose  115  is locked into a groove (not shown) on the outer surface of rim  117 . Additional locking means may be used to provide a more secure closure between the nose  115  and the rim  117  of the hull  113  of the toy submarine  111 .  
         [0028]    In a preferred embodiment, the toy vehicle is a toy submarine  111 , as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. The housing forms the hull  113  of the toy submarine  111 . The pump, vessel and engine  13  are all integral with the toy submarine  111 , and are substantially disposed within the hull  113  of the submarine. The nose  115  of the submarine is the pump handle, which forms the foremost portion of the submarine hull  113 . The nose  115  is rotated to unlock it from the rim  117  of the hull  113 . Repeatedly moving the nose away from and back toward the hull pressurizes the pressure vessel  10 . Once the pressure vessel  10  has been sufficiently pressurized, the nose is reattached to the hull and rotated to a locking position with the hull. The toy submarine is then ready to be operated without having to detach the pump from the toy submarine or to attach the vessel to the toy submarine. In a preferred embodiment, the user simply imparts a quick spin to the propeller  105  to initiate supplying fluid from the vessel  10  to the engine  13  to drive the toy submarine. The rotation of the propeller  105 , which is connected to the piston spring  70  as described below, causes the piston spring to unseat second ball  14 , thereby initiating an engine cycle, which is described in more detail below.  
         [0029]    Passageway  95  connects pressure vessel  10  to engine  13 , as shown in FIG. 11. Preferably, the engine is a pneumatic engine, which, preferably, is similar to the engine described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,517 to Kownacki, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The engine shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 is identical to that shown in FIGS.  1 - 9 , except for the passageway between the vessel and the engine. In FIGS.  1 - 9 , a straight passageway  24  runs between the vessel  10  and the engine  13 . In FIGS. 10 and 11, the passageway  95  has a 90 degree elbow  99  between the vessel and the engine. As pressure vessel  10  is pressurized, passageway  95  and intake chamber  18 C are also pressurized at the same time, as they are in fluid communication with one another.  
         [0030]    Intake chamber  18 C has an upper end  18 U and a lower end  18 L, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and  11 . A first ball  20  is situated at the upper end  18 U of intake chamber  18 C to seal first outlet (relief)  26 . A second ball  14  is positioned in a second outlet that connects intake chamber  18 C to piston chamber  56 C. First and second balls  20  and  14 , respectively, are connected by a spring  22 . The pressure vessel  10  is filled with pressurized fluid by pumping the handle  3 . The build up of pressure in intake chamber  18 C forces first ball  20  and second ball  14  to move axially in opposite directions, which creates tight seals with first and second outlets  26  and  27 , respectively. Spring  22  may be compressed by pressing button  96  to permit passage of air or any other fluid through first outlet  26 , as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. Button  96  is not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.  
         [0031]    Button  96  may be used to relieve pressure from the pressure vessel  10 , or to drain any water or other unintended fluid that may have entered engine  13  while using toy vehicle  11 . Depressing button  96  moves rod  97  axially downward, as shown in FIG. 11, thereby moving first ball  20  downward and compressing spring  22 . This opens first outlet  26 , thereby relieving air, water or any other fluid that has entered any part of the engine  13  and pressure vessel  10 , including passageway  95  and intake chamber  18 C. Except when moved by depressing button  96 , first ball  20  seals first outlet  26  of the intake chamber  18 C, thereby providing a tight fluid seal of the compressed fluid in pressure vessel  10 . Spring  98  is positioned on rod  97  between upper surface  103  of intake chamber  18 C and lower surface  101  of button  96 . Depressing button  96  to open first outlet  26  moves lower surface of button  96  downward, thereby compressing spring  98  between the lower surface of the button and the upper surface of the intake chamber. Releasing button  96  causes spring  98  to expand, thereby moving button  96  back to its normal operating position, thereby moving rod  97  upward and expanding spring  22  such that it no longer prevents first ball  20  from sealing first outlet  26 .  
         [0032]    The intake chamber  18 C is connected to the pressure vessel  10  by passageway  95 , as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. One end  94  of passageway  95  is connected to one side of pressure vessel cap  28 . Neck  29  of pressure vessel  10  is connected to the other side of pressure vessel cap  28 . Preferably, passageway end  94  and pressure vessel neck  29  are externally threaded to thread into internally threaded pressure vessel cap  28 . Provided between the pressure vessel neck  29  and the cap  28  and between the passageway end  94  and the cap  28  are circumferential elastomeric gaskets  30  and  30 A, respectively.  
         [0033]    Passageway end  94  and cam chamber housing  34  of the engine  13  are secured together with a mounting screw  82 . The intake chamber housing  18  is connected to piston chamber housing  56  by mounting screws  83 . Piston chamber housing  56  is connected to cam chamber housing  34  by mounting screws  84 . Mounting screws  82 ,  83  and  84  facilitate maintaining alignment of shaft  38  by keeping engine  13  stationary, especially since large forces impacting into and perpendicular to the centering of the shaft axis are common during normal usage. The cap  28  eliminates vibration and impact forces during normal usage of the vehicle. In addition to making chamber housings  18 ,  56  and  34  and passageway  95  unitary, mounting screws further prevent any excessive movement between parts.  
         [0034]    A main engine shaft  38  is connected to a cam  44 , as shown in FIGS. 1, 2A,  2 B,  2 C and  11 . Further, through bearings  40  and  42  attached to the main shaft  38 , the main shaft  38  is rotationally secured to cam  44  within cam chamber housing  34 . Accordingly, cam  44  rotates within cam chamber housing  34 , thereby rotating main shaft  38 . Cam  44  is connected to a cam shaft  46 . Connecting rod  52  connects cam shaft  46  to a piston  54 .  
         [0035]    A propeller  105  is connected to a first end  38 A of main shaft  38 . A hub  107  is connected to propeller for imparting motion to the propeller by a user of the toy vehicle.  
         [0036]    The position of cam shaft  46  relative to the cam chamber housing  34 , as shown in FIG. 1, is herein referred to as the zero degree position of the cam. At this rotational position of the cam  44  and cam shaft  46 , connecting rod  52  and piston  54  are at their lowest, that is, distal-most position relative to the main shaft  38  of the system. The operation of cam  44  and connecting rod  52  relative to piston  54  may be more fully appreciated with reference to the sequential views of FIGS. 2A, 2B and  2 C. These figures comprise radial cross-sectional views taken in the direction of Line  2 B- 2 B of FIG. 1. The position of the engine of FIG. 1 shown in FIG. 2B, is the point of greatest extension of connecting rod  52  and piston  54  relative to the main engine shaft  38  upon which cam  44  rotates.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 2A shows a position of the connecting rod  52  relative to the zero position of FIG. 2B that is 15 degrees before the zero position. As such, the position is the 345 degree position, that is, a downstroke position of the engine, while the position of the connecting rod  52  and cam  44  shown in FIG. 2C is the 15 degree, that is, an upstroke position of the engine. The significance of these rotational cam positions is further set forth below.  
         [0038]    Engine cylinder housing includes a cam chamber housing  34  and a piston chamber housing  56 . The piston chamber  56 C is in fluid communication with the intake chamber  18 C through second outlet  27 . The piston chamber  56 C is seated upon a sealing O-ring  64 , which thereby sits upon the intake chamber  18 C.  
         [0039]    By virtue of a piston seal  66  and a circumferential integral skirt  67 , which are more fully described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,085,631 and 6,230,605 (“Piston-to-Cylinder Seal for a Pneumatic Engine”) to Kownacki, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, piston  54  is slidably mounted along a longitudinal axis of the piston chamber  56 C and assures a substantially fluid tight relationship between the piston and the internal circumferential walls of the piston chamber housing  56 , as shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0040]    The piston  54  includes an axial member  68  which projects distally toward the second outlet  27  of the intake chamber  18 C and is proportioned in diameter for insertion thereunto. Mounted about said axial member  68  is a piston spring  70  having an outside diameter that is barely sufficient to clear the outlet  27  and having a length sufficient to effect selectable contact with the second ball  14  that seals the second outlet  27  of the intake chamber  18 C. Spring  70  extends further axially than axial member  68  on which the spring is mounted.  
         [0041]    As shown in FIGS.  3 - 8 , as piston  54  moves downward within piston chamber  56 C, the spring  70  contacts second ball  14 , which prior to such contact seals second outlet  27  due to pressurized air in intake chamber  18 C. As spring  70  contacts second ball  14 , the ball does not move since the downward force due to the spring coefficient of spring  70  is less than the combined force generated by the spring coefficient of spring  22  plus the force of the pressurized air in intake chamber  18 C. Prior to contact by spring  70 , second ball  14  is held against conical surface of outlet  27  by the air pressure against the intake chamber side of second ball  14  from the pressure vessel  10  passing through passageway  95  and intake chamber  18 C. This is the condition that is shown in the views of FIGS. 4 through 7, more fully described below. Accordingly, only in the condition shown in FIGS. 1, 2B,  3  and  8 , that is, in which the cam is at a zero degree position, that is, a maximum piston rod stroke extension, will the spring force of piston spring  70  and the force of the piston  54  on the piston chamber side of second ball  14  overcome the combined force of valve spring  22  and the force of intake chamber air pressure on second ball  14 . Thus, spring  70  compresses against the piston chamber side of second ball  14  until the additional force of the axial member  68  pushing against the piston chamber side of second ball  14  overcomes the forces on the intake chamber side of second ball  14 , thus unseating second ball  14  from outlet  27 .  
         [0042]    The length of time that the second ball  14  remains unseated from second outlet  27  is extended by choosing a greater spring constant for spring  70  than for spring  22 . As the pressure is equalized between intake chamber  18 C and piston chamber  56 C, since the spring constant of spring  70  is greater than the spring constant of spring  22 , spring  70  extends further axially by the axial length of the spring beyond the end of axial member  68 . This lengthens the amount of time in which high pressure air flows into piston chamber  56 C, thereby creating a more powerful engine. Furthermore, since second ball  14  is unseated when the piston  54  is at the bottom of its stroke, back pressure in the piston chamber  56  is eliminated.  
         [0043]    This force is calculated by multiplying the air pressure from the pressure vessel  10 , that is, approximately 100 pounds per square inch, times the area of the housing inlet  62 , which has a diameter of about 1.7 millimeters. Thereby, the force necessary to accomplish closure of ball  14  against conical surface  72  and inlet  27  is 0.332 pounds, which is about 151 grams of force. Such opening of second ball  14  is only accomplished at the lowest point of the cam stroke, that is, the zero degree position shown in FIGS. 1, 2B,  3  and  8 . Further, since spring  70  is only about one millimeter longer than the minimum distance required to open ball  14 , only the downward-most position of piston  54  and, with it, of axial member  68  will effect an opening of the ball  14  relative to conical surface  72  of only one millimeter (in vertical linear terms), thereby allowing air to pass about the sides of ball  14  and into the piston chamber housing  56 . This process enables air to pass about the spring  70  and through inlet  27  as is indicated by arrows  76  in FIG. 3. As this occurs, air pressure quickly equalizes around ball  14  to create high pressure within the lowermost part of the piston chamber housing  56 , thus initiating the upward stroke of the piston  54  and connecting rod  52 , causing skirt  67  of piston seal to expand radially against walls of said housing  56 .  
         [0044]    It is noted that an important function of spring  70 , accomplished by careful selection of the spring force thereof, is that the expansion of spring  70  against second ball  14 , prior to air pressure equalization about the ball permits a longer interval of compressed air from the pressure vessel to enter the lowest part of the cylinder, than that existent in prior art compressed air engines. This results in a more powerful engine stroke. Further, by selection of a suitable spring constant, spring  70  will expand powerfully against ball  14  upon the initiation of the pressure stroke. The same is represented by the transition in piston positions shown between the zero degree cam position of FIG. 3 and the 20 degree cam position of FIG. 4, in which skirt  67  remains flush with the walls of housing  56 , thereby assuring high pressure within said housing during the FIG. 4 phase of the engine stroke. It is, accordingly, to be appreciated that the view of FIG. 3 represents both completion of a downward stroke and the initiation of an upward stroke.  
         [0045]    The beginning of the upward motion of piston  54  is shown in FIG. 4, this corresponding to the twenty-degree position of the cam. Therein, high pressure within piston chamber  56 C moves the piston  54  upward and, with it, connecting rod  52 , thus furthering the rotation of cam  44  and, with it, main shaft  38 . As piston  54  moves upward, there is no force exerted on the piston chamber side of second ball  14 . Thus, the force created on the intake chamber side of second ball  14  by the high pressure air within intake chamber  18 C and the spring constant of spring  22  overcomes the force of the spring constant of spring  70 , thereby causing the second ball to reseat in outlet  27 .  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 5 shows the point of maximum height, that is, the top of the 8.5 millimeter stroke of the engine which corresponds to the point of lowest air pressure within piston chamber housing  56 . At that point, piston seal  66  will pass exhaust apertures  78  permitting escape of air from cylinder housing  56  thereby creating a relative vacuum therewith. This escaping air is shown by arrows  80 .  
         [0047]    After the maximum stroke height of FIG. 5 is accomplished, the angular inertia from the propeller  105  (FIGS. 12 and 13) is transmitted through shaft  38  to cam  44  to connecting rod  52  and to piston  54 . As shown in the transition from FIG. 5 to FIG. 6, this causes downward motion of the rod and piston. As this occurs, air pressure within piston chamber  56 C increases as does the potential energy of spring  70 . This process continues causing spring  70  to contact ball  14  at about 350 degrees. FIG. 7, which corresponds to a cam position of 355 degrees, shows a point of near maximum pressure within piston chamber  56 C. The 360 degrees or zero degrees position is shown in the view of FIG. 8. At that point, as above described with reference to FIG. 3, the spring force of spring  70  overcomes the force applied by the compressed air input from pressure vessel  10  against the distal surface  56   a  of ball  14 .  
         [0048]    Summarizing this action, the power of the downstroke of the piston derives from the angular inertia of the propeller which, during a period of low cylinder pressure, is transmitted through the power shaft to the piston  54  and to the piston spring  70  during which potential energy is imparted to both said spring and to compressed air within piston chamber housing  56 . Conversely, power for the upward stroke of the piston derives from a combination of the mass and energy of the compressed air input and the release of potential energy within piston spring  70 , as shown in FIG. 4. Therein, the one way check valve, as actuated by piston spring  70 , keeps the supply of air from the pressure vessel  10  closed for all but a brief interval during which the spring force of piston spring  70  plus the force of piston  56  overcome the air pressure against surface  56   a  of second ball  14  and the spring force of spring  22 . The spring force and spring rate of piston spring  70 , as well as the narrow clearance of less than a millimeter between the outside diameter of the spring and the cylinder inlet  20 , taken with the conical geometry  72  of housing inlet  62 , all co-act to provide a reiterating high pressure air inlet of suitable duration, thereby initiating a process of engine expansion and compression respectively using the potential energy stored within the pressure vessel  10  and spring  70 .  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the location of the entire engine assembly, as above described, and pressure vessel  10 , relative to fuselage  76 , main wing  78  and propeller  80  of a model airplane equipped with the present inventive pneumatic engine.  
         [0050]    As used in this application, directions are intended to facilitate the description of the toy vehicle of the present invention. Such terms are merely illustrative of the toy vehicle of the present invention and do not limit the invention to any specific orientation.  
         [0051]    While advantageous embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.