PVC SHELL TOY VEHICLE

Abstract

A toy vehicle has a hard top shell formed with a top concave shell cavity. The hard top shell has an inside surface. The hard top shell is pervious to light. A top layer of adhesive adheres to the hard top shell. A flexible chassis core is formed with a top profile and a bottom profile. The top profile matches and receives the top hard shell. The top layer of adhesive adheres to a top surface of the chassis core. A bottom layer of adhesive adheres to a bottom surface of the flexible chassis core; and a hard bottom shell is formed with a bottom concave shell cavity. The bottom concave shell cavity is formed to fit to the bottom profile. The hard bottom shell is pervious to light.

Description

This application claims priority and is a continuation in part from inventor THOMPSON, Dean United States utility patent application Ser. No. 12/842,404 entitled Hard Shell Bodyboard Kickboard, filed Jul. 23, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This application also claims priority from and is a continuation in part from inventor THOMPSON, Dean United States utility patent application Ser. No. 12/857,744 entitled PVC Shell Skatepark, filed Aug. 17, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This application also claims priority from and is a continuation in part from inventor THOMPSON, Dean United States utility patent application Ser. No. 12/882,398 entitled PVC Skin Toy vehicle, filed Aug. 17, 2010, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the field of toy vehicles.

DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART

A variety of recreational products have imprinted graphic skin. Toys, sporting goods and other kinds of equipment typically have a screen printed finish. A variety of different techniques have developed which are specific to particular methods of manufacturing different products.

Toy vehicles come from a family of sports boards. Since they are used for recreation, decoration is preferred. A variety of patents describe different configurations for applying printed film to a soft body board. A variety of sports boards have been treated with different constructions for maintaining a balance between cost and performance. Sports boards can be stiff, or have variable stiffness such as described in Moran U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,890 issued Jul. 6, 1993, entitled Bodyboard With Variable Stiffness the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Szabad in U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,913 describes a sports board having a slick film surface and a method for making, issued Jul. 25, 1989. Szabad teaches a sports board for surfing, snow sledding or other sports having a shaped polyethylene core to which a polyethylene film and polyethylene sheet laminate is heat laminated over substantially all the surfaces of the core

Pearson in U.S. Pat. No. 6,203,389 entitled bodyboard, issued Mar. 20, 2001 describes a bodyboard, “having a durable, slick outer skin on the lower surface, a conventional upper surface and a specially shaped lower surface for maximized speed, maneuverability, and performance”, learned disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Pearson teaches a core covered by bidirectional epoxy cloth, which has been popular in less expensive sports boards. Unfortunately, the epoxy cloth is usually not very durable.

Yeh in U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,920 entitled glider having improved resistance to erosion wear, issued Jan. 24, 2006, describes a bodyboard that has a polyethylene skin laminated to a polyethylene board, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Yeh teaches a soft outer film receiving graphic print and being bonded to the polyethylene board with a plurality of concave depression formed on the top and side edges to enhance grip. A variety of different configurations have been tested in the water, in the marketplace, and described in the patent literature. While there has been much advancement in the area of high end performance body boards, there has been little improvement in improving less-expensive constructions.

A variety of other graphic film have been applied to toy vehicle for laminate construction. For example, United States patent application 2008/0020166 published Jan. 24, 2008 by inventor Esposito, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, teaches and a decent antiskid material laminated along with a translucent filler grip piece. It has also been known to use grip tape, such as described in Fuster, U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,759 issued Apr. 22, 1997, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Grip tape may include an abrasive material such as silicon vehiclebide disposed on a tape. Laminate graphic print can also be seen in Parten U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,513, entitled Method Of Manufacturing A Toy vehicle issued May 1, 1990, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Parten describes that a preprinted label applied to a board lower surface can be sealed by applying a suitable coating to protect the label.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A toy vehicle is made of a chassis generally planar configuration and has a deck that has a pair of upturned ends, namely a front upturned end and a rear upturned end. A plurality of wheels, such as four, are mounted to a bottom of the toy vehicle. The plurality of wheels includes at least a front wheel and at least a rear wheel. A chassis core formed as a plank is formed with a top profile and a bottom profile. The top layer of adhesive adheres to a top surface of the chassis core, or screws can be used. A top layer of adhesive is adhering to a top surface of the chassis core, or screws can be used. A top hard shell can be matching and fitting to the top profile. The top hard shell has a top paint layer in printed on an underside of the top hard shell. The top hard shell is pervious to light. The top layer of adhesive may adhere the top hard shell to the chassis core, or screws can be used A bottom layer of adhesive adheres to a bottom surface of the chassis core. A hard bottom shell is formed to fit to the bottom profile. The hard bottom shell is pervious to light and between 0.05 mm and 0.9 mm thickness PVC and made of PVC.

The toy vehicle hard top shell, flexible chassis core, and hard bottom shell can be formed with a bottom convex. The hard top shell has a top printing means, and the hard bottom shell further has a bottom printing means. The top printing means has a graphic film a foil layer laminated to a graphic print layer, and the graphic print layer is laminated to the hard top shell. The hard top shell further has a top printing means which can be painting a lower surface of the hard top shell. The top hard shell can be transparent.

Optionally, the hard top shell may have a top printing means, and the hard bottom shell may have a bottom printing means so that the bottom printing means includes a multi-layer graphic film comprising a foil layer laminated to a graphic print layer. The graphic print layer can be laminated to a top surface of the hard bottom shell. The bottom printing means may have the technique of painting an upper surface of the hard top shell. The printing means may include the hard top shell being made of PVC, and the hard bottom shell being made of PVC. The flexible chassis core is made of a flexible chassis plank formed with a bottom convex. The hard top shell, flexible chassis core, and hard bottom shell can be formed with a bottom convex. The top printing means may include a graphic film a foil layer laminated to a graphic print layer, such that the graphic print layer is laminated to the hard top shell. The top printing means may include painting a lower surface of the hard top shell with a contrasting color scheme.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a close-up cross-section diagram of the layer construction.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view diagram of the layer construction.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section diagram of the hard sheet introduced into the mold.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section diagram of the hard shell been removed from the mold.

The following call out list of elements can be useful in referencing the element numbers of the drawings.

• 11 Top Outside Graphic Layer
• 12 Top Hard Layer
• 14 Top Paint Layer
• 15 Top Shell
• 16 Top 1st Graphic Layer
• 17 Top 2nd Graphic Layer
• 18 Top Glue Layer
• 19 Top Substrate
• 21 Bottom Outside Graphic Layer
• 22 Bottom Hard Layer
• 24 Bottom Paint Layer
• 25 Bottom Shell
• 26 Bottom 2nd Graphic Layer
• 27 Bottom 1st Graphic Layer
• 28 Bottom Glue Layer
• 29 Bottom Substrate
• 31 Top Post
• 32 Bottom Post
• 33 Core Cavity
• 41 Sheet of PVC
• 42 Sheet Edge
• 43 Shell Cavity
• 45 Mold Cavity
• 46 Mold
• 47 Mold Top Face
• 48 Mold Top Edge

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A toy vehicle such as a toy car is made of a chassis, four wheels and a shell. The shell or body of the vehicle is not perfectly flat and is curved so that the shell can approximate a replica of a scale model. The shell is in the shape of a vehicle shell which is curved in the longitudinal direction lengthwise and also widthwise having a depression or cavity in the middle for housing the chassis.

The top shell 15 is formed as a top cover that is preferably a hard shell of PVC which can be flexible. The bottom shell 25 is formed as a bottom cover which is also preferably a hard shell of PVC which can be flexible. The middle portion is a chassis which can be formed as a plastic injection molded layer and comprise a top substrate and a bottom substrate. The chassis is connected to the four wheels, and may house components such as a microcontroller, radiofrequency transceivers, motors and servos for driving the remote control toy vehicle. It is preferred that the chassis have a top section such as a top housing and a bottom section such as a bottom housing which attach together such as by screws so that the top substrate and the bottom substrate form a housing for internal mechanical components.

The chassis core is preferably formed of a top substrate 19 plastic injection molded member meeting with a bottom substrate 29. The top substrate further includes a top post 31 that protrudes from the top substrate 19. The bottom substrate 29 includes a bottom post 32 that extends from a bottom surface of the bottom substrate 29. The hard shell can be attached by a screw to the post. The post may be hollow for receiving the screw. The chassis core is preferably slightly flexible for absorbing shock. The chassis core has a cavity 33 that holds components.

It is preferred that the hard layer is preformed to shape, but can also be a flat. The top cover can be molded to a relatively hard shell shape, then the bottom cover can be molded to a relatively hard shell shape, and the top cover is fitted over a chassis core. It is preferred to make a batch of top covers, then make a batch of bottom covers and then making a batch of chassis that match the top and bottom covers. The final step involves assembly using a spray or film glue to glue the top and bottom covers to the chassis core, or screws with small washers can be used.

The top layer or top shell has a top hard layer 12 providing structural flexibility and structural strength to the top shell 15. The top hard layer 12 is preferably a sheet of transparent or translucent PVC that can be formed into a shell structure by vacuum forming in a hollow formation cavity. Depending upon the final shape, the top hard layer 12 can be made flexible with as thin as 0.1 mil thickness PVC, but can also be about 100 mil thick PVC if necessary, such as if the plank shape is relatively flat. It is preferred that the thickness is approximately between 0.05 mm and 0.9 mm thickness PVC.

A hollow formation cavity of a mold cavity 45 can receive a rectangular sheet of PVC 41 having a sheet edge 42 around the edge of the sheet. The mold cavity 45 is an opening which receives a heated piece of transparent PVC and vacuum forms the sheet into a shell such as a top shell 15 having a shell cavity 43. The shell cavity is concave. The top mold face 47 surrounds the mold cavity 45. An edge of the mold, namely the mold top edge 48 defines the extent of the suction power. Suction is formed in the mold cavity 45 by a plurality of openings on the surface of the mold cavity 45.

The sheet of PVC 41 is preferably first laminated to other sheets, and then trimmed with a trimming machine so that sheet edges 42 are formed. The sheet of PVC 41 is then heated until it is soft enough to be vacuum formed in a mold cavity 45 of a mold 46 so that the hard sheet is bent to form a shell cavity 43. The mold top face 47 is preferably flat so as to form a vacuum along eight mold top edge 48 four sucking in the hard sheet 41.

Before placing into the mold machine, the top hard layer 12 receives a top paint layer 14 on an underside of the top hard layer 12. Also before placing into the mold machine, the top hard layer 12 optionally receives a top first graphic layer 16 or a top second graphic layer. Printing means may include a means for adding graphics to the top shell which is the hardtop layer. For example, the top first graphic layer can be a foil such as a metallized plastic sheet that is laminated to the top paint layer 14, and the top second graphic layer can be a sheet of plastic film. Alternatively, the top first graphic layer can be a graphic film and at least some portions of the top paint layer 14 can be omitted so that the graphic film can be seen through the clear top hard layer 12. Alternatively, the top shell can be directly screenprinted with a foil as the first or second graphic layer under the screen printing. Foil means metallic colored film which may have thin metal deposit, not a thick sheet of metal like standard kitchen use aluminum foil.

After assembly, the top outside surface may receive a top outside graphic layer 11 which can be applied to the outside surface of the top hard layer 12. The top outside graphic layer 11 can be formed as an adhesive sticker, or as a thermally laminated plastic sheet that adheres to the top hard layer 12. The overlap channel 31 includes the elements of the laminate construction including the top paint layer 14 which is bonded to a top first graphic layer 16, a top second graphic layer 17 and glued by a top glue layer 18 to a top substrate 19. The glue layer 18 can be applied by a plastic adhesive film or by spray glue. It is preferred to use a spray glue 18. Along the overlap portion, the spray glue 18 either: adheres the outside surface of the top hard layer 12 to the inside surface of the modern glue layer 28; or adheres the outside surface of the bottom hard layer 22 to the inside surface of the top glue layer 18.

The construction of the bottom layer is substantially similar to the construction of the top layer. The bottom layer has a bottom outside graphic layer 21 overlying a bottom hard layer 22, which in turn receives a bottom paint layer 24, and a bottom second graphic layer 26 and a bottom first graphic layer 27 which is secured by a bottom glue layer 28 to a bottom substrate 29. A top substrate 19 can be connected to the bottom substrate 29 especially if the substrate is made of similar material so that the core can be a multiple layer core.

The best mode for manufacturing the board is according to the following steps. The first step is to print the inside surface of the hard shell. The second step is to use laser printing for printing film which is heat laminated to the inside surface of the hard shell. The third step is to form the hard shell. The fourth step is to trim the hard shell edge in a trimmer. The fifth step is to spray glue on the inside of the hard shell.

The best mode also includes the step of either painting the inside surface of the hard shell, or laminating printed film to the inside surface of the hard shell. Depending upon the design, it is generally more feasible to only paint the inside surface of the hard shell or only laminating printed film to the inside surface of the hard shell. The printed film can be printed on the inside surface of the printed film in reverse, or on the outside surface of the printed film in a positively printed non-inverted manner. The best mode is to print the film in a positively printed manner such that the print is on the top surface or outside of the printed film. The printing on the outside surface of the printed film would mean that the PVC and the printed portion may be touching.

The printing on the printed film can be opaque or a shiny lucent paint. The best mode for printing means is to Print on the outside surface of a foil sheet which is then laminated to the PVC. It is also possible to use a bilayer printed film construction by having print on the inside surface of a clear sheet which then receives a foil sheet underneath the clear sheet. The bi-layer printed film construction can be first printed in a roll and laminated together in a roll of printed film, for later lamination to a PVC sheet. Another manner of printing would be to print on the inside surface of the PVC sheet, and laminate a foil underneath the PVC sheet.

Therefore, while the presently preferred forms of the invention been shown and described, and several modifications thereof discussed, persons skilled in this art will readily appreciate that various additional changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined and differentiated by the following claims.

Claims

1. A toy vehicle, of generally planar configuration comprising:

a. a plurality of wheels mounted to a bottom of the toy vehicle, wherein the plurality of wheels includes at least a front wheel and at least a rear wheel;

b. a core formed as a top substrate and a bottom substrate with a cavity formed within the core for housing components;

c. a top hard shell defining an exterior profile of the toy vehicle, wherein the top hard shell has a top paint layer in printed on an underside of the top hard shell, wherein the top hard shell is pervious to light, wherein the top layer of adhesive adheres the top hard shell to the chassis core, wherein the hard top shell is between 0.05 mm and 0.9 mm thickness PVC and made of PVC.

2. The toy vehicle of claim 1, wherein the flexible chassis core further includes a top post for connecting the flexible chassis core to the top hard shell.

3. The toy vehicle of claim 1, wherein the hard top shell further comprises a top printing means, and wherein the hard bottom shell further comprises a bottom printing means wherein the top printing means further comprises a graphic film a foil layer laminated to a graphic print layer, wherein the graphic print layer is laminated to the hard top shell.

4. The toy vehicle of claim 1, wherein the hard top shell further comprises a top printing means, and wherein the hard bottom shell further comprises a bottom printing means wherein the top printing means further comprises painting a lower surface of the hard top shell.

5. The toy vehicle of claim 1, wherein the hard top shell further comprises a top printing means, and wherein the hard bottom shell further comprises a bottom printing means wherein the bottom printing means further comprises a multi-layer graphic film comprising a foil layer laminated to a graphic print layer, wherein the graphic print layer is laminated to a top surface of the hard bottom shell.

6. The toy vehicle of claim 1, wherein the hard top shell further comprises a top printing means, and wherein the hard bottom shell further comprises a bottom printing means wherein the bottom printing means further comprises painting an upper surface of the hard top shell.

7. The toy vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a graphic image seen through a transparent top hard shell and through a layer of clear sand.

8. The toy vehicle of claim 1, wherein the hard top shell further comprises a first printing means, wherein the hard bottom shell further comprises a second printing means, wherein the hard top shell is made of PVC, wherein the hard bottom shell is made of PVC, wherein the flexible chassis core is made of flexible chassis.

9. The toy vehicle of claim 8, wherein the flexible chassis core is formed with a bottom post.

10. The toy vehicle of claim 8, wherein the hard top shell further comprises a top printing means, and wherein the hard bottom shell further comprises a bottom printing means wherein the top printing means further comprises a graphic film a foil layer laminated to a graphic print layer, wherein the graphic print layer is laminated to the hard top shell.

11. The toy vehicle of claim 8, wherein the hard top shell further comprises a top printing means, and wherein the hard bottom shell further comprises a bottom printing means wherein the top printing means further comprises painting a lower surface of the hard top shell.

12. The toy vehicle of claim 8, wherein the hard top shell further comprises a top printing means, and wherein the hard bottom shell further comprises a bottom printing means wherein the bottom printing means further comprises a multi-layer graphic film comprising a foil layer laminated to a graphic print layer, wherein the graphic print layer is laminated to a top surface of the hard bottom shell.

13. The toy vehicle of claim 8, wherein the hard top shell further comprises a top printing means, and wherein the hard bottom shell further comprises a bottom printing means wherein the bottom printing means further comprises painting an upper surface of the hard top shell.

14. A toy vehicle, of generally planar configuration comprising:

a. a plurality of wheels mounted to a bottom of the toy vehicle, wherein the plurality of wheels includes at least two front wheels and at least two rear wheels;

b. a core formed as a top substrate and a bottom substrate with a cavity formed within the core for housing components;

c. a top hard shell matching and fitting to the top profile, wherein the top hard shell has an abrasive layer providing traction for user on an outside top surface, wherein the top hard shell has a top paint layer in printed on an underside of the top hard shell, wherein the top hard shell is pervious to light; and

d. a hard bottom shell formed to fit to the bottom profile, wherein the hard bottom shell is pervious to light.

15. The toy vehicle of claim 14, wherein the hard top shell, flexible core, and hard bottom shell are formed with a bottom convex.

16. The toy vehicle of claim 14, wherein the hard top shell further comprises a top printing means, and wherein the hard bottom shell further comprises a bottom printing means wherein the top printing means further comprises a graphic film a foil layer laminated to a graphic print layer, wherein the graphic print layer is laminated to the hard top shell.

17. The toy vehicle of claim 14, wherein the hard top shell further comprises a top printing means, and wherein the hard bottom shell further comprises a bottom printing means wherein the top printing means further comprises painting a lower surface of the hard top shell.

18. The toy vehicle of claim 14, wherein the hard top shell further comprises a top printing means, and wherein the hard bottom shell further comprises a bottom printing means wherein the bottom printing means further comprises a multi-layer graphic film comprising a foil layer laminated to a graphic print layer, wherein the graphic print layer is laminated to a top surface of the hard bottom shell.

19. The toy vehicle of claim 14, wherein the hard top shell further comprises a top printing means, and wherein the hard bottom shell further comprises a bottom printing means wherein the bottom printing means further comprises painting an upper surface of the hard top shell.