An Improved Toy.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 15th May, 1897
An Improved Toy.
I, ERNST PAUL LEHMANN of No. 6, Plauerstrasse, Brandenburg on the Havel,
Prussia, in the Empire of Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be. particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in toys and it consists, first, in an improved
driving mechanism, and, secondly, in an improved combination and arrangement
of parts for imparting to the toy-figure either a forward and backward swinging,
or a vertically extending and collapsing, or a combined motion, making the said
figure to swing backward and forward and simultaneously to alternately collapse and
extend.
In the accompanying drawings, the improvements of my invention are illustrated
in the shape of a toy coachman seated on a spring-driven cart, but this is only an
example, and the motion derived from the improvement of my invention may as well
be applied to toy-figures of any other kind.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the toy, partly in section;
Figure 1 shows a detail of construction;
Figure 2 is an end view of the toy ;
Figure 3 is a plan of the driving mechanism; and
Figures and 5 are, respectively, a side elevation and end view of a modification.
The driving mechanism, in this case, consists of a coiled or cylindrical spiral
spring A, one end of which is secured to the casing B, the other end being fastened
to the stem C, which projects and has a key C¹ to be turned for winding up the
said driving spring A. The said stem C carries a wheel D engaging with toothed
wheels E E' placed at opposite sides of the driving wheel D, and by the said
wheels E E' the axle F of the toy receives motion, an intermediate wheel e, Figure 1ª,
being placed between the wheel E¹ and the driven wheel e' on the shaft F, whereby
motion is transmitted to the axle F in one direction. But in some cases it will
be found sufficient to employ only one set of wheels at one side of the shaft F
meshing with the driving wheel D. The novel feature of this part of my invention
consists in employing a coiled cylindrical spiral spring arranged at right angles to
the driven shaft F. The cylindrical spiral spring not only is cheaper, than a flat
spring wound in a plane, but it also affords security against breaking. A cylindrical
spring of sufficient length could not be employed in the usual manner, surrounding
the axle F, because the said axle has a crank. By placing the spring A. at right
angles to the driven axle F, as illustrated, a long, wire-coiled cylindrical spring may
be employed.
To the cranks F' of the, axle F, two rods G made integral with each other by a
stay or stays, are connected to be reciprocated by the crank motion, and the said
rods G form the skeleton of the figure H. Arms I and a head K may be rigidly
or pivotally connected to the said skeleton, and the surrounding body is formed of
a pliant material, such as fabrics of any kind, paper, leather or metal foil. It will
be easily understood, that, by the rising and descending motion of the skeleton
rods G, the figure will alternately be stretched to the height as shown, and
collapsed, as the body of pliant material folds up on being contracted. The
reciprocating up and down motion of the rods G may be made a vertical and
straight one, by placing a link between the said rods and cranks F¹, and by
providing suitable guides for the said rods. But in the modification illustrated in
the drawings, the said skeleton rods G will receive both an upward and downward

page_text: and a forward and backward swinging motion, as the said rods G, the lower ends
of which are connected to the cranks F¹, are guided in a slot m of the coach box M,
or in any other suitable guides provided for the purpose of forming a fulcrum to
the said rods G. It will be easily seen, that, as the lower end of the said rods G
describes a rotary motion with the crank F', the said rods will be swung to and fro,
the fulcrum of said backward and forward motion being the slot or guideway m.
The modification illustrated by Figures 4 and 5 consists in replacing the rods G by
a system by lazy-tongs L connected to the crank F¹ of the driving axle F. The
fulcrum, in this case, is provided by a cross-bar N, which simultaneously serves
as a pivot to the skeleton of the figure in its backward and forward reciprocating
motion, and as a point of resistance for stretching and extending the lazy-tongs.
When the crank F' is down, as shown in Figure 4, the lazy-tongs are stretched and.
the figure raised, and when the crank takes its highest position, the lazy-tongs are
collapsed, as indicated by dotted lines, and the figure, accordingly, is contracted.
It will be easily understood that the double rod G, as shown in Figure 2, may be
replaced by a single rod, centrally arranged, as the lazy-tongs in Figure 5, or two or
more separate rods may be arranged on two or more cranks of the axle F, each
of said rods forming the skeleton of a separate figure, and said figures may be of
different size, and the several cranks may be formed on the axle F in opposite
directions, whereby one figure will be stretched or raised, while the other is collapsed,
and the several figures may differ from each other in shape and meaning.
A further modification may be constructed by employing a rod to support the
figure, said rod, instead of being jointed to the crank, being provided with a slot and
the crank F arranged to work within said slot. The said rod, in this case, is pivoted
to a cross-bar, such as N, in Figure 5, and the figure, as will be easily understood,
will receive a forward and backward swinging motion round the pivot rod, without
being collapsed and stretched, as described with reference to the other modifications
illustrated by the drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. A toy having a driving mechanism comprising a cylindrical coiled spiral spring
arranged at right angles to the axis to be driven, and a set or sets of wheels to
transmit motion from the axis of said spring to the axis to be driven, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
2. A toy having a crank shaft, a rod or rods jointed to the crank or cranks of said
shaft, a fulcrum provided for the said rod or rods, and a figure or figures with a
collapsible body to which the said rod or rods serve as a skeleton, substantially as and
for the purpose described.
3. A toy having a crank shaft, a system or systems of lazy-tongs jointed to the
crank or cianks of said shaft, a fulcrum rod provided for said system or systems
of lazy-tougs and a figure or figures to which the said system or systems of lazy-
tongs serve as a skeleton, substantially as and for the purpose described.
4. A toy having a crank shaft, a link or links jointed to the crank or cranks of said
shaft, a rod or rods jointed to said link or links, a guide or guides provided for said
rod or rods, and a figure or figures receiving a straight reciprocating motion by the
said crank shaft and link or links, substantially as and for the purpose described.
5. A toy having a crank shaft, the crank or cranks of which are arranged to work
in a slit or slits of a pivoted rod or rods receiving a reciprocating forward and back-
ward motion and serving as a skeleton or skeletons to a figure or figures, substantially
as and for the purpose set forth..
Dated this 221007
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.