Abstract:
A rocket powered toy vehicle includes a vehicle body to which a multiplicity of wheels are mounted, the vehicle body mounting a rocket motor. The rocket motor includes at least a pair of side-by-side thruster units for propelling the toy vehicle along a supporting surface. The thruster units may be connected by a coupling member which carries a fuse for substantially simultaneous ignition of the thruster units and facilitating insertion and removal of the rocket motor.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention concerns a novelty rocket powered toy vehicle having a removable rocket engine. More particularly, it concerns a relatively inexpensive toy and a replaceable rocket engine which, when mounted, extends from the vehicle to avoid burning the toy, permits easy installation and removal, and provides dual rocket motors with substantially centerline thrust fusably ignitable to provide side-by-side thrusting of the toy.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     Toy vehicles of various types are well known to those skilled in the art which have a variety of propulsion systems. Such propulsion systems include gasoline or electric motors which are relatively expensive and include remote control mechanisms. On the lower end of the cost scale, novelty products have been developed within the fireworks industry which are self-contained, disposable items made of paper or the like and classified as consumer fireworks. Between the controllable gasoline and electric, toy vehicles on the one end, and the small disposable toy vehicles commonly made of paper or the like is a fairly large distinction in technology, reliability and consumer interest. Accordingly, there has developed a need for a simple and economical, yet fairly reliable and entertaining, rocket-powered vehicle, and particularly one which may be powered by consumer class fireworks rocket motors.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     This object and others has largely been met by the novelty rocket powered toy vehicle of the present invention. That is to say, the toy vehicle hereof is simple and straightforward in design, while providing an ability to removably receive rocket motors so that spent motors can be discarded and replaced in the vehicle, and not requiring sophisticated ignition systems.  
         [0006]     Broadly speaking, the present invention includes a toy vehicle having wheels which are not themselves powered but mounted for rotation relative to a vehicle body, with the body having a cavity configured to removably mount a rocket motor having an ignitable fuse. The cavity is positioned and oriented along the centerline of the vehicle body to provide substantially centerline thrust. The cavity is also configured and positioned to complementally receive the rocket motor only partially therein, such that a portion of the rocket motor extends outside the cavity.  
         [0007]     More preferably, the rocket motor may be provided with side-by-side thruster units. The, thruster units may be connected by a coupler to hold them in substantial alignment and facilitate mounting and removal from the toy vehicle, as well as further insulate the heat at the ends of the thruster units from the user. Most advantageously, the coupler includes a pair of openings aligned with the open ends of the thruster units to thereby serve as nozzles to direct the burning gasses rearward, and a center port for permitting the passage of an ignitable fuse therethrough. Moreover, the rocket motor preferably includes a single fuse for ignition but which is oriented to ignitably interconnect the thruster units for ignition in common and, to the extent practical, substantially simultaneous ignition. The fuse is most preferably carried by the coupler and need not extend into the interior of the thruster units, but rather is located sufficiently proximate propellant at the open end of the thruster unit to provide ignition to the propellant.  
         [0008]     The novelty vehicle advantageously provides a plurality of coupled, side-by-side thruster units whereby if one thruster unit fails to ignite, ignition of the second thruster unit maintains entertainment value. Moreover, by providing the propellant in separate thruster units, the hazards associated with ignition of a larger common charge are avoided. The cavity of the vehicle body provides sufficient stability to the rocket motor alignment so that the rocket motor does not significantly shift, and the coupler directs the thrust rearwardly away from the vehicle body to avoid damage caused by heat. By using consumer class fireworks rocket motors, the novelty vehicle can be repeatedly used without significant expense or difficulty in operation.  
         [0009]     These and other advantages will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art with reference to the drawings and description which follow. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a left rear perspective view of a rocket powered toy vehicle in accordance with the present invention, showing a rocket motor inserted into a chamber at the rear of the vehicle with the coupling member of the motor extending rearwardly therefrom;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged, fragmentary exploded view of the rocket motor of the present invention, showing the coupling member nozzle openings aligned with the discharge openings of the thruster units and passage in the coupling member for receiving the fuse therethrough; and  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged, top plan view in partial cross-section of the rocket motor of  FIG. 2 , showing two side-by-side thruster units held together by the coupling member with the fuse extending between the discharge outlets and the nozzle openings. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0013]     Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, a novelty rocket powered toy vehicle  10  in accordance with the present invention broadly includes a vehicle body  12 , a plurality of road wheels  14  rotatably mounted to the vehicle body for permitting the toy vehicle  10  to roll atop a supporting surface  16 , and a rocket motor  18 . The rocket motor  18  is configured to be removably mounted to, and extend rearwardly from the vehicle body  12 , so that it may propel the toy vehicle along a supporting surface and; upon completed combustion of the solid fuel rocket motor  18 , the rocket motor  18  may be replaced by another, substitute rocket motor  18  for rapid reuse without the need for tools.  
         [0014]     In greater detail, the vehicle body  12  is preferably molded of plastic material and may be provided in separate component parts, such as an upper shell  20  and a lower chassis  22 . The shell  20  may be glued, snap-fitted or attached using screws or other threaded fasteners to assemble the vehicle body. The vehicle body  12  has a forward end  24  and a rearward end  26 , and a longitudinal axis A which extends from the forward end  24  to the rearward end  26  along the centerline of the toy vehicle  10 , centered between the road wheels  14 . The longitudinal axis A substantially defines, or is at least substantially parallel to, the intended direction of travel of the toy vehicle  10 . The vehicle body  12  also includes a left side  28  and a right side  30 . The vehicle body  12  defines an opening  32  at the rearward end  26  thereof, and further defines a chamber  34  extending forwardly therefrom. The vehicle body  12  surrounds and defines the chamber, which is of a shape complemental to the rocket motor  18  to resist transverse, i.e. side-to-side movement, of the rocket motor  18  when inserted into the chamber  34 . A stop member  36 , such as a wall, is a part of the vehicle body  12  located forward of the opening  32 .  
         [0015]     The road wheels  14  are located outboard of the longitudinal axis A and preferably proximate the left side and right side of the vehicle body. The road wheels  14  are carried by axles  38 , shown in phantom lines in  FIG. 1 , which are snap fitted or otherwise rotatably carried by the vehicle body  12 , to permit the road wheels  14  to roll along the supporting surface  16 . The road wheels  14  may be inexpensively formed of natural or synthetic rubber, synthetic resin, or other suitable materials known to those skilled in the art. In addition to road wheels  14 , which rotate about the generally horizontal axles when placed on a supporting surface, the vehicle body  12  also preferably includes a plurality of guide wheels  40 . The guide wheels  40  are positioned relatively forwardly and rearwardly, respectively, of the forward end  24  and the rearward end  26 , and further are preferably positioned relatively outboard of the left side  28  and right side  30  of the vehicle body. The guide wheels  40  are supported by outriggers  42  formed as part of the vehicle body  12 , and rotatably carried by individual upright stub shafts  44  carried by the outriggers  42 . The stub shafts  44  define the axes of rotation for each of the guide wheels  42 , such that each of the guide wheels  40  lie in a generally horizontal plane and rotate about an upright axis perpendicular to the axles  38  defining the axes of rotation of the road wheels  14 .  
         [0016]     The rocket motor  18  is provided as a consumer fireworks item, also known as a class C firework in accordance with guidelines established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Each rocket motor  18  includes at least first thruster unit  46  and a second thruster unit  48 , which are positioned in side-by-side relationship, and preferably a coupling member  50  for holding the two thruster units together. The thruster units  46  and  48  each include a casing  52  which includes a circumscribing casing wall  54 , a normally forwardly oriented closed end  56 , and a normally rearwardly oriented discharge outlet  58 . Each thruster unit also includes a propellant charge  60  positioned within the casing  52  and extending rearwardly to communicate with the discharge outlet  58  forpermitting ignition of the propellant charge  60  by an external fuse  62 . The propellant charge  60  is preferably a conventional black powder, potassium perchlorate, sodium salicylante, sodium benzoate, and combinations thereof, or equivalent rapidly burning or explosive material commonly used in consumer fireworks as noted above, and the propellant charge for each of the thruster units  46  and  48  is 250 grams or less, for a total propellant weight of the rocket motor  18  to 500 grams or less to limit the potential thrust and to ensure that the rocket motor  18  is considered a class C or consumer fireworks item. More preferably, the propellant charge  60  may be about 2 grams or less in weight for each of the thruster units  46  and  48 , and most preferably the propellant charge  60  of each of the thruster units is about 1.81 grams, of which 0.01 gram is black powder or its equivalent material for encouraging initial ignition, and 1.8 gram is a whistle effect which in addition to providing an audible whistle when ignited, also provides a propulsive effect as part ofthe propellant. The whistle effect component may be, for example, potassium perchlorate about 70% by weight and potassium benzoate about 30% by weight.  
         [0017]     The coupling member  50  is preferably molded of synthetic resin material, is mounted over the discharge outlet  58  of each ofthe thruster units  46  and  48 , and extends rearwardly therefrom. The coupling member  50  may be glued using a suitable adhesive to the casing  52  of each thruster unit  46  and  48  so that the rocket motor  18  is a unitary, one-piece member in use. The coupling member  50  may be wrapped in paper which may be printed to provide any information desired to be conveyed to the user, such as, for example, a message in the nature of “insert it into the car” or the like. The coupling member  50  is provided with an open front end  64  into which the thruster units  46  and  48  are inserted, a circumscribing belt-portion  66  which may include an, axially extending ridge  68  extending inwardly into the coupling member for snugly receiving the thruster units, and a back end  70 . The back end  70  includes a pair of nozzle openings  72  and  74  which are aligned with the discharge outlets  58  of the thruster units  46  and  48 .  
         [0018]     As may be seen in  FIG. 3 , when the thruster units  46  and  48  are fully inserted and seated into the coupling member, the belt portion  66  extends forwardly from the back end  70  apart of the length of the casings of the thruster units. In addition, the transverse dimensions laterally across the coupling member  50  and a top- to-bottom dimension are both greater than the corresponding dimensions transverse and top-to-bottom of the opening  32  for the chamber  34 , such that the coupling member  50 , when assembled to the thruster units  46  and  48 , may not pass through the opening  32  and enter the chamber  34 . Thus, the rocket motor  18  is mounted to the vehicle body  12 , the coupling member  50 , as well as the discharge outlets  58  of each of the thruster units  46  and  48 , extend rearwardly from the opening  32  such that the discharge outlets  58  and the nozzle openings  72  and  74  are located rearwardly of the vehicle body  12  as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The nozzle openings  72  and  74  are sized complementary to the transverse dimensions of the discharge outlets  58  and aligned therewith to permit a substantially free, unresticted flow of combustion gasses rearwardly upon ignition. The coupling member  50  further includes a passage  76  through the back end  70  which is positioned between the nozzle openings  72  and  74  to permit the ignitable fuse  62  to pass therethrough. As seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the fuse  62  is a conventional twisted paper or fabric fuse having a black powder coating to facilitate rapid burning, and extends through the passage  76  rearwardly to allow for access for ignition. The fuse  62  extends forwardly through the passage  76  and then is bent or routed in a transverse direction so that it lies across the discharge outlets  58  of each of the thruster units  46  and  48 . The propellant charge  60  extends forwardly from the closed end  56  of each thruster unit  46  and  48  to the discharge outlet  58  thereof, so that the propellant charge  60  is readily ignitable by and in operative communication with the fuse  62 .  
         [0019]     One of the benefits of the toy vehicle  10  of the present invention is, in addition to its relatively inexpensive construction, its ease of use. The rocket motor  18  is inserted into the chamber  34 . When fully inserted, the casings  52  of the thruster units pass through the opening  32  and are partially received in the chamber  34 , so that the closed end  56  of each of the thruster units  46  and  48  lies in engagement with the stop member  36  of the vehicle body  12 . In this fully inserted condition, illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the discharge outlets of each of the thruster units  46  and  48  of the rocket motor  18 , and the coupling member  50 , extend rearwardly from the opening  32 . The discharge outlets  58  are located rearwardly of the vehicle body  12  to provide clearance for the exhaust gases upon igniting the propellant charge  60 , thereby avoiding singeing or burning of the vehicle body  12 . Moreover, the coupling member  50  inhibits any further entry of the thruster units into the chamber  34  to provide additional assurance that the discharge outlets will be properly positioned.  
         [0020]     The toy vehicle is then placed on the supporting surface. The fuse  62  is then lit, and as the burning fuse reaches the discharge outlets  58  of each of the side-by-side thruster units  46  and  48  ignite substantially simultaneously because the fuse  62  enters the passage substantially at the center and then, because the fuse is oriented to one side and then back to the other, the burning of the fuse  62  splits into two directions to reach each of the discharge outlets  58 , and thus the propellant charge  60  for each thruster unit  46  and  48 , at substantially the same time. This provides for substantially simultaneous side-by-side thrusting of each of the thruster units so that the toy vehicle  10  is thereby propelled in the desired forward direction, rather than experiencing significant thrust moment off the centerline longitudinal axis A of the vehicle. Even if only one of the thruster units  46  and  48  successfully ignites, the toy vehicle is still propelled, and most preferably the inclusion of the whistle effect as part of the propellant charge provides an entertaining audible whistle as the propellant charge burns. The arrangement of the thruster units in side-by-side relationship permits the thrust to remain substantially along the centerline, to provide inexpensive substantially simultaneous ignition of the thruster units, and to minimize the amount of propellant charge in either thruster unit while obtaining sufficient propulsion power to provide amusement. All of these factors contribute to greater enjoyment to the user in an economical toy vehicle. When the guide wheels  40  are provided as shown in the preferred embodiment, the guide wheels  40  help to turn the toy vehicle  10  should it impact an object during its travel, thereby reducing damage. Reuse of the toy vehicle  10  is thereby economically provided by simply pulling the exhausted rocket motor  18  after use, and substituting a new rocket motor  18 . This may be readily done because no tools are necessary to pull the exhausted motor from the chamber  34  and insert a new rocket motor in its place, although tongs or the like may be employed to replace hot rocket motors  18  immediately after use. The close, snug fitting of the rocket motor in the chamber  34  further helps to maintain the direction of the thrust, as does the nozzle openings in the coupling member  50 . The rocket motor  18  is thus designed to be relatively inexpensive, easy to ignite, and readily replaceable to provide economy of use.  
         [0021]     Although preferred forms of the invention have been described above, it is to be recognized that such disclosure is by way of illustration only, and should not be utilized in a limiting sense in interpreting the scope of the present invention. Obvious modifications to the exemplary embodiments, as hereinabove set forth, could be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.  
         [0022]     The inventor hereby states his intent to rely on the Doctrine of Equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of his invention as pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set out in the following claims.