Patents Assigned to Tonka Corporation
  • Patent number: 5727985
    Abstract: A remote control toy vehicle includes an invertible chassis having vehicle body portions on opposite sides thereof, a plurality of highly resilient balloon tire support wheels, a high torque drive motor assembly for driving at least one of the support wheels and a remote control receiver circuit. The chassis and the support wheels are constructed and positioned so that the support wheels define a three dimensional maximum outer perimeter of the vehicle from which the chassis and the other components of the vehicle are spaced inwardly, and the remote control receiver circuit includes an antenna which is contained within the body of the vehicle. The high torque drive motor assembly, the position of the antenna, and the positions and configurations of the support wheels enable the vehicle to perform a variety of self-inverting, tumbling and deflecting maneuvers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1998
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin M. George, Michele P. Trammell
  • Patent number: 5605140
    Abstract: A toy gun includes a gun body having a handle portion, a primary barrel on the gun body and a concealed secondary barrel in the handle portion. The gun further includes a piston and cylinder assembly which is operable for selectively delivering blasts of compressed air to the primary or secondary barrels for selectively launching projectiles therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1997
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventor: David R. Griffin
  • Patent number: 5487692
    Abstract: An expandable wheel assemble for toy vehicles includes an axle, a first hub fixed to the axle, a second hub supported by the axle, and at least one web that spans between and is joined to the hubs, and has a central portion movable outwardly from the axle due to centrifugal force when the wheel assembly is rotated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 30, 1996
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin B. Mowrer, Robert L. Beck
  • Patent number: 5452889
    Abstract: A device for striking a ball, such as a soft foam rubber ball, includes a ball striking element including a clear transparent shell portion which is formed in a configuration similar to a device such as a golf club or a baseball bat and a colored liquid in an inner cavity in the shell portion. The colored liquid only partially fills the inner cavity in the shell portion so that it not only acts to transfer weight in the device during a ball striking exercise but to also provide a unique splashing visual effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 26, 1995
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventors: David P. Lewinski, John F. Mayer, Carol L. Guthrie
  • Patent number: 5377656
    Abstract: A toy gun includes a ball holding member and a piston and cylinder assembly for producing blasts of compressed air in order to launch soft foam balls from the ball holding member. The gun further includes a water supply assembly for supplying water to the piston and cylinder assembly so that a quantity of dispersed water is expelled from the gun when a ball is launched therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 3, 1995
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventors: David P. Lewinski, Ronald C. Boyle
  • Patent number: 5267549
    Abstract: An air powered toy gun includes first and second barrels and a manually operable piston-and-cylinder assembly which includes a cylinder, and a piston in the cylinder. The piston is movable in a first direction in the cylinder for applying pressurized air to the first barrel in order to launch a first projectile therefrom, and it is movable in an opposite second direction for applying pressurized air to the second barrel in order to launch a second projectile therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1993
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventor: David A. Webber
  • Patent number: 5253866
    Abstract: The present invention is a toy sound producing ball, having a ball portion, such as a foam football, joined with a passive sound device, such as a whistle, which produces sound when air travels relative to the sound device, wherein the whistle is joined to the interior or exterior of the ball portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1993
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventors: Randall H. Moorman, Hansan Ma
  • Patent number: 5224894
    Abstract: A container and a container lid enclose and conceal a figurine. The container is made of a resilient shape-retaining polymer material and can be turned inside-out. The container acts as a stand or platform for the figurine when turned inside-out, thereby holding the figurine in an elevated position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1993
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventors: Walter L. Nelson, Robert D. Zera, Gail M. Good
  • Patent number: 5224464
    Abstract: A toy archery set comprising a bow; a barrel rigidly attached to the bow; a movable plunger which has finger grooves and is longitudinally disposed within the barrel; a spring operably coupled to the plunger and to the barrel providing a projecting force either directly or through a pneumatic cylinder; and an arrow constructed of foam having fletching, a tip designed to adhere to a target, and a means to attach the arrow to the bow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1993
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventors: Richard T. Burnham, John Sutyak
  • Patent number: 5156684
    Abstract: An air brush set including an air brush handle having a nozzle, a tank in communication with the handle, a pump in communication with the tank which is capable of increasing the pressure of gas within the tank and an ink source having a felt tip adapted to act in communication with the air brush nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1992
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation, Kenner Division
    Inventors: John F. Mayer, Paul J. Van Risseghem
  • Patent number: 5115794
    Abstract: A launcher for a soft compressible closed cell foam ball which includes a cavity in which the ball is forced into from the front of the barrel and is held loosely therein and a plunger coupled to the barrel for causing theball to be compressed and then spring out of the cavity accompanied by a loud popping sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1992
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventor: Randall H. Moormann
  • Patent number: 5113842
    Abstract: A ball launcher for launching a plurality of soft closed cell plastic compressible balls, one ball at a time, by causing a plurality of balls in a line, one ball at a time (each time the plunger is moved back and forth), to squeeze past a constriction at the front of the launcher. The front most ball in the line of balls, to be launched, is urged against the constriction by a resilient biasing carriage engaging the rear most ball in the line of balls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 19, 1992
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventor: Randall H. Moormann
  • Patent number: D337796
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1993
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventor: John R. Sutyak
  • Patent number: D353427
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1994
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventor: Stephen A. Wuesthoff
  • Patent number: D355230
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1995
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventor: Robert L. Brown
  • Patent number: D360439
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 18, 1995
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventor: David P. Lewinski
  • Patent number: D360914
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 1, 1995
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventor: Robert L. Brown
  • Patent number: D361105
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 8, 1995
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventor: David R. Griffin
  • Patent number: D362280
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 12, 1995
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventor: Kevin M. George
  • Patent number: D368280
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 26, 1996
    Assignee: Tonka Corporation
    Inventor: Robert L. Brown