A NEW OR IMPROVED TOY
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A. M. and Wm Clark of
53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW OR
IMPROVED TOY" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a toy in which is combined a spring propelled carrier,
a trigger for retaining and releasing the carrier, a guide and a wheel which can be
placed into the carrier and which is provided with a disc which rests upon a ledge
formed in the guide so that when the wheel is shot or thrown out by the action of
the spring propelled carrier, a revolving motion is imparted to it and when it
strikes the ground it rolls on its edge or it can be made to spin on its axis like
a top.
The apparatus is furnished with a hollow handle forming a guide for a rod on
the outer end of which the carrier is firmly secured. The rod is exposed to the
action of the spring which is situated in the interior of the handle and has a
tendency to force said rod outward.
The trigger is arranged on the handle and if the carrier and the rod are forced
back against the action of the spring the trigger engages with the carrier so as to
retain the same in position. If the inner or rear end of the trigger is then pressed
inward towards the handle the carrier is released and it is driven outward.
The carrier is provided with U shaped ears which engage with lips formed on &
guide which extends from the handle. This guide is bifurcated and serves to
retain the carrier in the proper position.
The wheel is mounted on a shaft and the carrier is provided with recesses to
receive the ends of said shaft when the wheel is introduced into the carrier. With
the wheel is combined the disc which may be mounted on the shaft or which may
be otherwise connected to the wheel. When the wheel is placed in the carrier
the disc bears upon a ledge formed on the interior of the guide. The disc may
be provided with cogs which engage with cogs formed on the ledge so that
when the wheel is thrown out by the action of the spring propelled carrier a
revolving motion is imparted to said wheel but instead of forming cogs on
the disc or ledge these parts may be so arranged that a revolving motion is
imparted to the wheel simply by frictional contact. The wheel may also be
provided with two discs one on each side and in this case the guide has two
ledges.

page_text: I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW OR
IMPROVED TOY" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention consists in a toy in or by which a wheel or circular projectile
mounted on or provided with a spindle is made capable of having imparted to it
rotary motion in different directions, according to the position in which the toy is
held, as for instance either a rolling motion in the direction in which it is impelled
or a return rolling motion after its inertia due to its propulsion has been expended,
or, again, by further changing the position of the toy, said wheel may be spun
upon its axis as a top. The Invention includes certain constructions and
combinations of parts whereby these several results, or any of them may be
obtained in an easy and efficient manner, substantially as hereinafter described.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying Drawings forming part of this
Specification in which similar letters indicate corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of the toy with its wheel or top in
position ready to be discharged as a projectile, and the whole in position so that
when said wheel is discharged it will first have a rolling or turning motion in a
forward direction and afterwards a return rolling motion. Figure 2 is a side view
of the same with the wheel in the course of being discharged, but before leaving a
carrier through which the impulse to project it is communicated. Figure 3 is a
front end view, but with the parts in an inverted position; and Figure 4 a
longitudinal view, in part, in a plane at right angles to Figures 1 and 2, and with
the parts in the same inverted position as in Figure 3. A indicates the handle of
the toy, which handle is here shown as made hollow and as forming a guide for a
rod B on the outer end of which is firmly secured a carrier C for the wheel or
projectile D of the toy.
Within this handle A, is a spring E that serves by its pressure on the rod B to
impel the carrier C to the position shown for it in Figure 2.. On said handle is
fitted a trigger F arranged so that when. the carrier C and its rod B are forced
back against the pressure of the spring E, it engages with the carrier to retain the
carrier in a locked position as shown in Figure 1. By pressing however on the
rear end portion of the trigger, the carrier is released and it is forcibly driven
outward by the action of the spring E.
•
The cariier C is provided with clips a a which are fitted to engage with, and
slide upon or along parallel longitudinal ribs bb formed upon opposite sides of a
bifurcated or channel-like guide G, arranged to extend outward from the handle A,
which guide serves to retain the carrier in its proper position and to direct its
motion when liberated from the trigger.
The wheel or circular projectile D, is mounted on a spindle c, and the carrier C,
is constructed with recessed bearings d on opposite sides of its forward ends to
receive freely within them, from the front end of the carrier, the ends of the
spindle c, and forming a guide and support for said spindle when the carrier
having the wheel within it occupies a 'downward position as shown in Figures 1
and-2. With the wheel D, is combined an outer concentric disc or pinion e, which
may be mounted on the spindle c, or be otherwise connected to the wheel. When
the wheel D is set within the carrier C, this disc or pinion e, bears against or is in

page_text: contact with a ledge rail or rack f, on and along the guide G, or there may be a
rail or rack falong each side of said guide and duplicate discs or pinions e on or
connected with the wheel D, to work in contact therewith. It is preferred to
construct each disc e, with teeth or in other words to make a pinion of it, and to
similarly construct each ledge f, to make of it a rack, so that when the wheel D, is
thrown out by the action of the spring propelled carrier C, a positive revolving
motion by gear will be imparted to said wheel about or around its axis, which
motion by reason of the reduced diameter of the disc as compared with that of the
wheel will be a very rapid one. When each disc e, and ledge fare plain or smooth,
that is formed without teeth, then said devices may be so arranged that a rotary
motion is imparted to the wheel D, simply by frictional contact between the disc
and ledge or rail.
The toy may be used either for shooting and rotating the wheel in the air, or for
impelling and rotating it over the ground or floor, or for spinning it as a top on its
spindle. Supposing the toy to be held with its carrier C, in a downward position,
as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and so that the wheel D, when projected is made to
roll over or come in contact, at its periphery, with the ground or floor, then, so
soon as its inertia due to the impulse given it by the spring propelled carrier has
died out, said wheel will be made to roll backward, that is to have a return
movement, by reason of the back rotary motion given it when in its guide and
carrier through the contact of the disc or pinion e with the rail or rack f. On the
other hand, supposing the toy to occupy an inverted position as shown in Figures 3
and 4 then the wheel D, after it has been thrown from the carrier C, will simply
have a forward rolling motion given to it by the rotary motion it received when in
its guide and carrier. Again, if the toy be held with one of its sides uppermost or
so that the wheel D, after it has been thrown out, will drop upon one end of its
spindle c, the rotary motion which it received when in its guide and carrier C, will
cause it to spin like a top in a right hand direction, and, if the toy be again turned
to present its other side uppermost, then the wheel D will be caused to spin in a
left hand direction.
While it is preferred to use a spring propelled carrier for the wheel, the toy
might be made with a solid handle or without a spring to propel the carrier, and
said carrier be provided with a handle to project it by hand for the purpose of
throwing out the wheel or top which will have rotary motion imparted to it when
in its guide and carrier as herein-before described. Under such an arrangement,
of course the trigger would also be dispensed with.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1 In a toy for throwing a circular projectile, wheel or top, the combination,
with the stock or handle and guide for said projectile, of a carrier for imparting
the necessary impulse to the projectile, and means for giving a rapid rotary motion
to the projectile while in its guide and carrier, substantially as specified.
2nd In combination with the guide for the wheel or top and the sliding carrier
by which said wheel or top is projected out of the guide, the wheel or top provided
with a spindle and one or more discs or pinions for operation in connection with
one or more rails or racks on the guide, essentially as described.
3rd The combination substantially as herein before described, of the spring
propelled carrier, the trigger for retaining and releasing the carrier and the guide.
4 The carrier C, constructed with open mouthed recessed bearings & in its
forward end, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
5th The combination substantially as bereinbefore described, of the spring
propelled carrier, the trigger for retaining and releasing the carrier, the guide, the
ledge, rail or rack on the guide, the wheel to be placed within the carrier, and the
disc or pinion formed on or connected to the wheel and bearing against or engaging.
with the ledge, rail or rack on the guide.

page_text: 6th. In a toy for throwing and rotating a wheel or circular projectile; the method
herein described. of giving to said wheel a return rolling motion after the inertia as
derived from its projection has been expended, by communicating a back rotary
motion to the wheel while in the act of being projected essentially as specified.
Deted this 10th dow of Tune & D 1884