Telescoping glider
A toy is provided including a gliding portion and a launching portion configured to releasably connect with the gliding portion. In some embodiments, the gliding portion includes a gliding body and a wing structure having a compact configuration in which the wings are substantially parallel to the body, and a flight configuration in which the wings extend from the body. In some embodiments, the launching portion includes telescoping sections configured to extend the length of the launching portion.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/688,275 entitled “TELESCOPING GLIDER,” filed Jun. 6, 2005, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUNDMany children and young adults enjoy toys that may be propelled, thrown, or otherwise simulate flying or movement along a play surface. The present disclosure relates generally to projectiles, such as glider-like toys, and mechanisms for launching such toys. Examples of gliders and mechanisms to propel gliders and other toys are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,705,148, 2,810,985, 3,037,320, 3,140,560, 3,264,777, 3,797,472, 3,841,292, 3,898,765, 3,943,657, 3,949,519, 3,968,947, 3,977,120, 4,064,647, 4,106,232, 4,125,960, 4,133,500, 4,135,718, 4,159,087, 4,170,084, 4,209,937, 4,329,808, 4,411,249, 4,712,510, 4,794,905, 4,863,413, 4,915,664; 5,129,650, 5,423,706, 5,522,372, 5,556,319, 5,624,295, 5,725,410, 5,733,164, 5,908,341, 5,919,079, 5,928,053, 6,076,829, 6,102,765, 6,105,903, 6,343,969, 6,361,393, 6,443,793, 6,450,852 and United Kingdom Patent No. GB2038645, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety and for all purposes.
SUMMARYThe present disclosure relates generally to projectile toys and launching mechanisms, and more particularly to glider-like toys that are launched into the air using a telescoping device. The gliding portion of the toy may resemble an action figure and may have features configured to be activated upon launching, such as a movable wing structure.
The advantages of the disclosed toy may be understood more readily after a consideration of the drawings and the Detailed Description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 3A-C illustrate front, side, and rear views, respectively, of an exemplary gliding portion coupled to a launching portion.
FIGS. 4A-B illustrate movement of wings, relative to a body of an exemplary gliding portion, between a compact configuration in which the wings are substantially parallel to the body and a flight configuration in which the wings extend from the body upon disconnection of the gliding portion from the launching portion.
FIGS. 9A-C illustrate an exploded view of the gliding portion of
The disclosed toy 10 is shown in
Toy 10 may include a launching portion 14 configured to launch or otherwise propel the projectile. The launching portion may releasably connect to the gliding portion until a predetermined force is applied to the launching portion to disconnect the projectile or gliding portion from the launching portion.
Launching portion 14, such as a baton as depicted in
In some versions of toy 10, the launching portion may be configured to activate a feature of the gliding portion upon release of the gliding portion from the launching portion. The toy feature may include movement of a section of gliding portion 12, such as a movable wing structure, activation of one or more light or sound features, and the like. For example, when the gliding portion is released, the gliding portion may produce engine sounds for toys representing airplanes, animal sounds for toys representing birds or other flying animals, weapons or eyes of the toy may light up, etc. Toy 10 may include one or more sensors to automatically trigger activation of the toy features upon release of the gliding portion from the launching portion.
A holster 20 may be provided to assist a user in carrying toy 10. For example, holster 20 may be configured to carry or otherwise support gliding portion 12 and/or launching portion 14. In some configurations, the holster may be configured to couple to an existing article of clothing, such as a belt. In other configurations, the holster may include a strap, which may include a hook-and-loop closure, to secure the holster around a user's leg, arm, or waist.
Gliding portion 12 may include a gliding body 26 configured to support a wing structure 28. As shown, the exemplary gliding portion takes the form of a winged superhero, FIGS. 3A-C illustrate front, side, and rear views, respectively, of an exemplary gliding portion 12 and launching portion 14. Gliding portion 12 may include an action
As illustrated in
The gliding body, or one or more sections thereof, may be detachable from the wing structure. In some configurations, the wing structure may be configured to be removed from the body to be played with as a traditional glider, similar to that of a paper airplane, or to be attached to other toy bodies to provide additional play options. In other configurations, action
The gliding portion may be comprised of any suitable light-weight material or combination of materials, including, but not limited to, plastics, foams, and various textiles. For example, the toy may be fabricated from any suitable material, or combination of materials, such as plastic, foamed plastic, wood, cardboard, pressed paper, metal, or the like. A suitable material may be selected to provide a desirable combination of weight, strength, durability, cost, manufacturability, appearance, safety, and the like. Suitable plastics may include high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene, or the like. Suitable foamed plastics may include expanded or extruded polystyrene, or the like.
As shown in
In the exemplary toy configuration of
A variety of mechanisms may be used to releasably couple the gliding portion to the launching portion. These mechanisms may include springs, magnets, or any other suitable mechanism configured to retain the gliding portion substantially securely, and then release the gliding portion when the launching portion is moved in a particular manner, such as by swinging the launching portion and/or quickly stopping such motion to trigger release of the gliding portion. For example, guide 36 may include an enlarged end 40, as shown in
Fasteners 4 may be any suitable fastener, including, but not limited to, snaps, screws, glues, and the like. As illustrated in
As previously noted with respect to
A secondary wing 50, as shown in
As shown in
The pair of wings 44 may be joined to coupling 56 by support arms 46. The support arms may be configured to rotate relative to the coupling to expand the wings form the body. For example, the support arms may rotatably connect the primary wings to the coupling, which is secured to the body. The coupling may be configured to move the primary wings relative to the secondary wing. As shown in
As shown in the rear view of
In some versions of toy 10, the coupling is biased to urge and/or maintain the wing structure, or a section of the wing structure such as the primary wings, in the flight configuration. For example, once the gliding portion is released from the launching portion, a biasing member 64 may urge the coupling towards the receiving portion, thereby moving support arms 46 away from the receiving portion so that the wing structure is in a flight configuration. As illustrated in
Although the present invention has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing operational principles and preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances. The subject matter of the present invention includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed herein. Inventions embodied in various combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements, and/or properties may be claimed through presentation of claims in a subsequent application.
Claims
1. A toy comprising:
- a gliding portion having a body and a wing structure;
- where the wing structure includes a pair of wings having a compact configuration in which the wings are substantially parallel to the body, and a flight configuration in which the wings extend from the body; and a coupling configured to transition the wing structure between the compact configuration and the flight configuration; and
- a launching portion adapted to launch the gliding portion;
- where the launching portion includes a releasable connection with the gliding body and a releasable connection with the coupling.
2. The toy of claim 1, wherein the launching portion includes telescoping sections configured to extend upon application of a predetermined force to the launching portion.
3. The toy of claim 1, wherein the launching portion is configured to activate a feature of the gliding portion upon release of the connection with the gliding body.
4. The toy of claim 3, wherein the feature includes at least one of a light and a sound.
5. The toy of claim 1, further comprising a holster configured to support at least one of the gliding portion and the launching portion.
6. The toy of claim 1, wherein the gliding body is detachable from the wing structure.
7. The toy of claim 1, wherein the coupling is biased to maintain the wing structure in the flight configuration.
8. The toy of claim 7, wherein the coupling is connected to the gliding body by a spring.
9. The toy of claim 1, wherein the gliding body includes a receiving portion configured to receive an extension of the launching portion.
10. The toy of claim 9, wherein the receiving portion includes a guide configured to align with a groove in the launching portion.
11. A toy comprising:
- a projectile having one or more features and a channel including a guide with an enlarged portion; and
- a telescoping launching portion configured to releasably connect to the projectile and activate the one or more features upon release of the projectile from the launching portion;
- where the launching portion is configured to insert into the channel in alignment with the guide and engage with the enlarged portion of the guide, thereby releasably connecting the launching portion to the projectile.
12. The toy of claim 11, wherein the launching portion includes a storage compartment.
13. The toy of claim 11, wherein the one or more features include a movable wing structure.
14. The toy of claim 13, wherein the wing structure includes a coupling and a pair of wings joined to the coupling by support arms.
15. The toy of claim 14, wherein the support arms are configured to rotate relative to the coupling.
16. A gliding toy comprising:
- a body representing an action figure; and
- a wing structure mounted to the body and including primary wings and a secondary wing, wherein the primary wings are configured to move relative to the secondary wing.
17. The gliding toy of claim 16, wherein support arms rotatably connect the primary wings to a coupling secured to the body, and further wherein the coupling is configured to move the primary wings relative to the secondary wing.
18. The gliding toy of claim 17, wherein the coupling is configured to move the primary wings between a compact configuration in which the wings are substantially parallel to the body, and a flight configuration in which the wings extend from the body.
19. The gliding toy of claim 18, wherein the coupling is biased to maintain the primary wings in the flight configuration.
20. The gliding toy of claim 16, further comprising a launching portion adapted to releasably connect with the body and including telescoping sections configured to extend and propel the body when a predetermined force is applied to the launching portion.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 2, 2006
Publication Date: Dec 28, 2006
Inventors: Steed Sun (San Gabriel, CA), Ruben Martinez (Whittier, CA), Michael Strauss (Signal Hill, CA), Henry Miller (Alta Loma, CA)
Application Number: 11/446,554
International Classification: A63H 27/00 (20070101); A63H 27/14 (20060101);