Abstract: A drive mechanism for a toy vehicle. The drive mechanism connects a drive shaft of the vehicle to a driven wheel having an axis of rotation. It includes a first arm affixed to the vehicle drive shaft for rotation therewith. A second arm is affixed to the wheel axle for rotation with the axle. The first and second arms are pivotally connected together at a position offset from the drive shaft and the wheel axis. A spring biases the arms into an overlapping relationship in which, during normal rolling movement of the vehicle, the drive shaft is aligned with the driven wheel so that the wheel rotates about the axis of the drive shaft. A first stop is provided to engage the arms to limit rotation of the arms about their pivotal connection relative to each other in the direction of rotation of the wheel axle. A second stop engages the arms to limit rotation of the arms away from each other towards a fully extended position.

Abstract: A motor driven toy mobile playset has three articulated deck sections. Each section has a wheel and axle assembly powered by a battery motor driving a single drive shaft that extends through all of the sections transverse to the wheel axles. When supported upon a level playing surface the sections form a chassis having a generally planar deck. Various bores and slots are defined on the sections for removably mounting accessories. Some of the accessories are mountable within bores in the ends of the wheel axles. One accessory is driven by a power take-off. A crane boom is mountable in a number of positions including one which provides a manually operable winch with a hook and cable. The front section has a lighted bridge structure with a spotlight and an upper head lamp bar both utilizing a single light bulb connected to the battery.

Abstract: A toy vehicle with a chassis carrying an axle for rotation has a hollow wheel mounted for rotation on the axle. Openings extend through the peripheral wall of the wheel that normally contacts a supporting surface. Inside the wheel a spider is secured to the axle for rotation with a number of legs spaced from the axle. A claw is attached to each of the legs for pivotal movement relative to the leg with the free end of the claw substantially within the wheel. Pivotal movement of the claw relative to the leg is permitted by a "living hinge" which also biases the claw to remain in the wheel. The hollow wheel is normally driven on a smooth surface through engagement with the spider-claw subassembly. However, when the wheel encounters a rough surface or obstruction that tends to cause the wheel to slip, the claws emerge and engage the surface and the vehicle clambers across the obstruction.

Abstract: A motor driven wheeled toy is provided with a driven axle that swivels in a vertical plane transverse to the direction of movement of the vehicle. More than one of such driven axles, each swiveling independent of the other, may also be provided. The vehicle motor drives an elongated shaft that is transverse to the axle. Respective gears are carried by and rotate with the shaft and the axle for transmitting power between the shaft and the axle. A connector having substantially right angle plates is carried by the shaft for rotation around the axis of the shaft. The shaft fits through a bearing aperture in the end plate of the connector. The axle extends through an opening in the transverse side plate of the connector which permits the axle to rotate with respect to the connector and to swivel together with the connector around the axis of the shaft.

Abstract: A toy for randomly creating stationary and moving graphic reprensentations and images includes a multi-sided housing for mounting the image producing mechanism. The image producing mechanism includes at least a pair of rotatable, planar elements or sheets and a drive mechanism. One sheet includes graphics combined with a plurality of cutout portions. Another sheet is mounted behind the first sheet and includes multiple graphics that are intended, in their stationary position, to be aligned with the cutouts of the first graphics to complete a picture or image. The first sheet is rotatably mounted and weighted to always assume the same orientation. The second sheet is also rotatably mounted within the housing and is connected to the drive mechanism. The drive mechanism includes a rotatable pendulum within the housing so that upon rotation of the housing, the pendulum swings downwardly actuating the drive mechanism.

Abstract: An electronic dart game includes the provision of a housing and a plurality of generally radially positioned target areas. The housing may be self-supporting or may include means for supporting the housing on a vertical surface such as a wall or door. The targets comprise a plurality of generally tapered or pie-shaped segments, each segment being a depressible panel or switch for establishing an electrical contact when depressed. A plurality of projectiles, preferably loosely filled flexible packets, are hurled by the players toward the targets. Because of the proximity to one another and the adjacent nature of the innermost tips of the panels, a plurality of panels, or switches, may be actuated upon being hit by one of the projectiles. Each of the panels includes a light source, such as a light emitting diode, to indicate when the panel has been actuated. A microcomputer and associated circuitry is programmed to provide a plurality of games for a predetermined number of players.

Abstract: A launching device is provided for rapidly spinning and subsequently launching a top. The launcher is particularly suited for launching spherical or ovoid-shaped top elements such as real or artificial eggs. The launcher includes a centrally mounted, resilient friction wheel which is manually rotated through a crank and gear mechanism to impart rotation to the top elements. The launcher includes a dish-shaped platform for supporting the spinning elements and a pivotal platform portion which is manually depressed to release the spinning top elements onto an adjacent supporting surface.

Abstract: A doll having a hollow body and a head is provided with a cap supported for movement on top of the head. A liquid reservoir is provided within the hollow body having a flexible wall to provide for pumping action and a conduit extends between the reservoir and an outlet adjacent the cap for directing a stream of liquid against the cap to move the cap on the doll's head when the flexible wall is depressed inwardly.

Abstract: A new and improved maze game apparatus comprises a playing surface for supporting a ball rolling along upstanding walls defining a maze for providing a plurality of interconnected ball directing travel paths. One of the paths leads all the way between an inlet or starting position and an outlet or discharge position. One or more paths are defined by the maze and provide dead ends, traps and other pitfalls along the way. The playing surface is supported on a hollow, convexly curved, downwardly projecting hollow wall preferably in the form of a hemisphere of clear, plastic adapted to rockably support the playing surface above a floor, table or other surface so that the playing surface may be manually tilted to direct and control a rolling ball along a selected travel path in the maze.

Abstract: A toy launcher of a safe and simple construction for use in propelling soft, round discs includes a round or saucer shaped housing with an integrally formed handle for engagement by an operator's hand and a two position, manually operable actuating arm for moving a disc from a loading position to a firing position and for simultaneously placing a spring actuated firing mechanism in a firing position under the control of a trigger mechanism. After positioning a disc in the disc firing position, the actuating arm is returned to the disc loading position both to position another disc in the disc loading position and to clear a launching slot in the launcher to enable the disc in the disc firing position to be propelled.

Abstract: A round-about game apparatus for use by a plurality of players requires timely actuation of the playing pieces to circumvent score reduction. The game apparatus generally includes a housing having a platform, a rotatably mounted striking element and a drive mechanism for moving the striking element in a circular path. A plurality of playing pieces are arranged around the circular path of travel of the striking element such that the playing pieces will be struck by the rotating element unless timely actuated by the associated player of the game. The playing pieces are selectively actuated so as to move out of the path of travel of the striking element to avoid a score reduction. After a predetermined number of hits, a particular player is eliminated from the play of the game and the game continues until all but one of the players remains, that player being declared the winner.

Abstract: A skill type game having a playing area and two goal areas at opposite ends of the playing area includes a sound actuated flipper at each goal area for selectively blocking and propelling a playing object. The game players control the operation of each of the flippers by shouting or emitting other sounds in an attempt to project the playing object into the other players goal area and prevent the playing object from entering his own goal area. The sound actuated flipper arrangement includes control circuitry to provide an automatic lock-out feature to prevent sustained sounds from continually and/or continuously activating the flippers. The control circuitry of the sound actuated flipper arrangement provides a first predetermined time interval during which the flipper is operated and a second predetermined time interval within which operation of the flippers is inhibited. The playing area is defined by two relatively open areas each inclined upwardly from one of the goal areas to a center line.

Abstract: A manual manipulation toy includes a circular platform having a plurality of upstanding spaced apart pins thereon adapted to engage and interrupt the progress of a rolling ball which is released at an upper level on the surface of the platform to roll towards a lower level while the platform is manually rotated in either direction to move the pins into engagement with the rolling ball thereby to retain the ball on the surface as long as possible. The platform is supported for rotation about an inclined, upstanding central axis and means is provided for selectively adjusting the angle of inclination and for counting the number of revolutions of the platform between the time when the ball is first released and subsequently rolls off an edge of the surface into a peripheral trough.

Abstract: A competitive game device employing propulsion means suitable for propelling table tennis balls toward a target suitable for receiving such balls. The target is located in a field having sloping contours for guiding balls which have missed the target to return to a launching position from which such balls may again be propelled toward the target. This invention provides pneumatic podially operated ball propulsion means having actuators spaced from the field in which the target is located and which are movable with respect to each other and the field. Competing players or teams may be allocated sets of colored or otherwise coded balls to be launched and relaunched toward the target. The stations from which a competitor propels the allocated balls at the start of the game may be randomly selected.

Abstract: A wheeled toy is provided with a frame which includes a vertically extending post on the upper end of which is fixedly mounted an inverted cup-shaped member. The frame is supported for movement over a supporting surface by means of a pair of wheels which are journaled in the frame and are mounted nonsymmetrically with respect to said post, the frame including an elongated handle by means of which the toy may be rolled along a support surface. An inner member shaped similarly to the fixed cup-shaped member is rotatably mounted on the post and is driven directly by one of the wheels through an annular flange portion of the inner member which rests on the upper edge of said one wheel. This inner member includes a flange portion which extends outwardly beyond the bottom edge of the fixed cup-shaped member, a pair of cover members being biased to an upright position when the toy is at rest substantially to enclose the fixed cup-shaped member.

Abstract: A rolling toy comprises a pair of wheels mounted on a common axle with inside faces of the wheels in spacedapart relation. A body is mounted for free rotation on the axle between the inside faces of the wheels and includes a head portion projecting upwardly of the wheels and a lower portion below the axle. Balance weight means is provided in the lower portion for maintaining the head portion in an upright position as the wheels rotate. The head portion may be fashioned in a variety of different ways to represent clowns, elfs and other characters, and the rolling toys are adapted to be coaxially aligned and engaged with one another in a side by side cluster to roll in unison as a group.In addition, the toys are especially adapted for use with a variety of different types of play apparatus such as wheeled vehicles, rolling rings, swings, ramps, cages and the like.

Abstract: A vibratory game apparatus for use with a plurality of game pieces movable over a playing surface in response to vibration thereof comprises an open top enclosure or arena for containing a group of said game pieces during play. The enclosure includes a floor which comprises a vibratory playing surface and an upstanding sidewall or fence formed around the outer periphery of the playing surface which is vibrated by means of one or more elongated elements having teeth along one edge adapted to be manipulated longitudinally back and forth with the teeth in engagement with an upper edge portion of the sidewall thereby imparting vibratory action to the playing surface via the vibrating sidewall structure.

Abstract: An action game apparatus for testing manual skill and dexterity comprises a housing having a thin transparent sheet forming a playing surface and a magnet is manually movable over one face of the playing surface to attract and move a magnetic playing piece on the opposite face of the playing surface towards a goal. The playing surface is provided with walls defining a tortuous path leading to the goal and as the playing piece is moved along the tortuous path, it is subjected to bombardment from projectiles which are randomly propelled in the general vicinity of the playing piece. If a projectile strikes the playing piece with enough force, the magnetic attraction between the manually movable magnet and the attracted playing piece is broken and the player must start again and reestablish magnetic contact before movement toward the goal can again proceed.

Abstract: An amusement device simulating a holster for attachment to a belt or to the waistband of a garment. The holster retains a number of projectiles such as ping pong balls and projects the projectiles from the front of the holster each time the side of the holster is contacted by a force such as being hit or slapped with the palm of the hand by a game player.

Abstract: An amusement game device includes a rotatable playing surface which is provided with a number of target points and corresponding numerical indicia. A target aiming tower is provided for each game player through which playing objects are dropped by each game player. A set of playing cards bearing numerical indicia correspond to and identify the various target points on the rotatable playing surface. The target points are formed by openings in the surface of the rotatable playing surface which are aligned with respective underlying biased target arm members. When a target arm member is contacted by a playing object, a symbol indicating a hit or score is aligned with a respective opening so as to be visible to the game players.