Amusement devices: toys – Rolling or tumbling – Including extrinsic guide or means cooperable with extrinsic...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-27
2002-04-30
Ackun, Jr., Jacob K. (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices: toys
Rolling or tumbling
Including extrinsic guide or means cooperable with extrinsic...
C446S465000, C446S467000, C446S138000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06379213
ABSTRACT:
STATEMENT OF REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
N/A
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
Although the inverted pivot methodology may be applicable to any requirement for rotational movement around a displaced axis, its development was driven by a requirement to maximize the length of wooden toy railcars while maintaining their ability to successfully navigate most commercially available wooden railroad curved tracks, switches, inclines and bridges.
2. Description of Prior Art
Currently the overall length of wooden toy railcars is limited by the steepness of the traditional industry inclines (hills, overpasses, etc.). Maximum inclines measure 28 to 32 degrees. The transition from flat track to these inclines is very rapid and two axle toy railcars longer than three inches tend to make coupler contact with the track while beginning the incline which ultimately derails the railcar. This same undesirable track contact and derailment also occurs at the toy railcar's retransition from incline to level track. In the case of inclines associated with the inverted “U” or hump shaped overpass track, the length of the railcar additionally becomes a limiting factor because the underside of extended length toy railcars tend to drag at the pinnacle of the incline.
To date the wooden toy train industry has taken three basic approaches to this problem.
1. One is to use oversized wheels and to move them closer to each car end. Use of oversized wheels allows the railcar to enter the incline transition by holding the car body well above the track and, thus, avoiding undesirable contact with the track. However, this application is currently limited to two axle railcars and even these toy railcars do not successfully navigate the “hump shaped” trace accessory. Maximum car length is about 3.5 inches. The use of oversized wheels is not desirable because their size in proportion to the railcar body greatly degrades the realism of the toy because the overall height of the toy railcar remains fixed, and thus, the railcar body takes on the appearance of little more than a stick with wheels.
2. A second approach is to use wheel track technology similar to that on full scale railcars. Current wooden toy railroad industry wheel trucks, again, use oversize wheels and a “T” shaped pivot pin located in the top of the wheel truck. In this application, the stem of the “T” is secured into a bearing housing in the railcar underbody along the “y” axis and the top of the “T” is positioned in the wheel truck along the wheel truck's “z” axis. The wheel truck pivots around both the “y” and “z” axis. While this approach allows the use of a more realistic wheel configuration (wheel trucks vs. two axle) and somewhat longer toy railcars (approx.4+ inches); the disproportional, oversized wheels again detract from the railcars realism as in Item 1 above. This second approach is also bound by the same maximum railcar height limitation as above and, thus, is still relegated to using the undesirable “stick on wheels” appearance.
3. An industry third approach is to use a “rocker” wheel truck assembly. In this approach, the top of the wheel truck has two flat, slightly declining surfaces which, when attached to the railcar with the use of a pivot pin, allows the wheel truck to “rock” or pivot along the “z” axis and spin on the “y” axis. The top of the wheel truck is permanently attached to the underside of the railcar along the “y” axis. However, this third approach also requires to use oversized wheels and, thus, the “stick on wheels” appearance.
The object of this inverted pivot invention is to provide a new wheel truck assembly using geometry that will allow extended length toy wooden railcars (5 to 6 inches) to successfully navigate the wooden toy train industry's standard inclined track configurations.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new wheel truck assembly which allows for the use of small diameter wheels, which, in turn, allows for more realistic appearing toy railcars.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the teachings of this invention, the use of inverted pivot wheel truck assembly allows:
1. more realistic wooden toy railcars;
2. railcars exceeding five inches or more to successfully navigate steep track inclines including the “hump” shaped overpass configuration as described above. The invention may be made of any appropriately configured rigid material.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2847798 (1958-08-01), Orel
patent: 2939245 (1960-06-01), Orel
patent: 3330066 (1967-07-01), Crawford
patent: 3660927 (1972-05-01), De Christopher
patent: 3850310 (1974-11-01), Osthall
patent: 4583955 (1986-04-01), Toloczko
patent: 5048704 (1991-09-01), Takahashi
patent: 5427561 (1995-06-01), Eichhorn et al.
patent: 5681202 (1997-10-01), Sander
Ackun Jr. Jacob K.
Denk Paul M.
McConnell Shaquita
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