Patents Assigned to Tonka Corporation
-
Patent number: 5727985Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: March 8, 1996Date of Patent: March 17, 1998Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventors: Kevin M. George, Michele P. Trammell
-
Patent number: 5605140Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: January 19, 1995Date of Patent: February 25, 1997Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventor: David R. Griffin
-
Patent number: 5487692Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: September 30, 1994Date of Patent: January 30, 1996Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventors: Kevin B. Mowrer, Robert L. Beck
-
Patent number: 5452889Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: February 4, 1994Date of Patent: September 26, 1995Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventors: David P. Lewinski, John F. Mayer, Carol L. Guthrie
-
Patent number: 5377656Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: May 10, 1993Date of Patent: January 3, 1995Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventors: David P. Lewinski, Ronald C. Boyle
-
Patent number: 5267549Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: June 15, 1992Date of Patent: December 7, 1993Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventor: David A. Webber
-
Patent number: 5253866Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: July 18, 1991Date of Patent: October 19, 1993Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventors: Randall H. Moorman, Hansan Ma
-
Patent number: 5224464Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: October 28, 1991Date of Patent: July 6, 1993Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventors: Richard T. Burnham, John Sutyak
-
Patent number: 5224894Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: July 11, 1990Date of Patent: July 6, 1993Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventors: Walter L. Nelson, Robert D. Zera, Gail M. Good
-
Patent number: 5156684Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: August 31, 1990Date of Patent: October 20, 1992Assignee: Tonka Corporation, Kenner DivisionInventors: John F. Mayer, Paul J. Van Risseghem
-
Patent number: 5115794Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: November 7, 1989Date of Patent: May 26, 1992Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventor: Randall H. Moormann
-
Patent number: 5113842Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: April 26, 1990Date of Patent: May 19, 1992Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventor: Randall H. Moormann
-
Patent number: D337796Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 1990Date of Patent: July 27, 1993Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventor: John R. Sutyak
-
Patent number: D353427Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 1992Date of Patent: December 13, 1994Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventor: Stephen A. Wuesthoff
-
Patent number: D355230Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 1993Date of Patent: February 7, 1995Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventor: Robert L. Brown
-
Patent number: D360439Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 1994Date of Patent: July 18, 1995Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventor: David P. Lewinski
-
Patent number: D360914Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 1994Date of Patent: August 1, 1995Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventor: Robert L. Brown
-
Patent number: D361105Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 1994Date of Patent: August 8, 1995Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventor: David R. Griffin
-
Patent number: D362280Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 1994Date of Patent: September 12, 1995Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventor: Kevin M. George
-
Patent number: D368280Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 1994Date of Patent: March 26, 1996Assignee: Tonka CorporationInventor: Robert L. Brown