PARACHUTE ROCKET TOY
A parachute rocket toy in which the parachute is attached to the rocket by spars is provided. A preferred embodiment uses semi-rigid spars attached to a ring that surrounds the rocket body and may slide along the body. As a portion of the parachute deploys, it may pull on the closest spars, which in turn pull the connector ring to the top of the rocket. As the ring slides to the top of the rocket, it pushes the spars, and thus the parachute, outward. A tail may be wrapped around the parachute to hold it in place for launch and ascent. After the tail unwraps, it may facilitate deployment of the parachute.
This application claims the priority to and benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/846,898, filed on Jul. 16, 2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
FIELDThe present invention relates generally to toy rockets that use parachutes and methods of preparing such rockets for launch.
BACKGROUNDToy rockets have been known to provide amusement, particularly to children. Such rockets and their launchers are described in U.S. Patent Pub. Nos. 2006/0089075 and 2006/0225716. To prevent damage to the rocket and to provide greater entertainment, it is known that a parachute may be used to slow the rocket's descent. Examples of toy parachutes are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,765,721, 2,937,474, 4,005,544 and 6,902,460. It is generally appreciated that a parachute that deploys faster will result in a longer descent. Prior art parachutes are attached to the rocket by string, as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,850, or rigid ribs, as in U.S. Pat. No. 2,008,107. Unfortunately, string may become easily tangled, which can cause difficulty and frustration when attempting to prepare for a launch. Tangled strings may also result in non-uniform parachute deployment. On the other hand, rigid spars suffer from increased weight, which may limit the achievable altitude, and may also suffer from greater susceptibility to breaking Both strings and rigid spars can lead to slow parachute deployment.
SUMMARYA parachute rocket toy in which the parachute is attached to the rocket by spars is provided. The spars are attached to the rocket through a connector ring, which may slide along the body of the rocket. As the rocket reaches the apex of flight, the parachute deploys to slow the descent to Earth.
A preferred embodiment uses semi-rigid spars attached to the connector ring. As a portion of the parachute deploys, it may pull on the closest spars, which in turn pull the connector ring to the top of the rocket. As the connector ring slides to the top of the rocket, it pushes all the spars, and thus the parachute, outward, resulting in a faster and more uniform deployment. The spars avoid the problem of tangled strings and allow for quick reset for another launch.
Additionally, a tail may be wrapped around the parachute to hold it in a more aerodynamic and drag-free position for launch and ascent. The tail may unwrap during flight, after which the parachute may deploy. The deployment may be facilitated by the unwrapped tail.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a toy rocket is disclosed, and comprises an elongate body; a connecting ring, a plurality of at least partially rigid spars. The connecting ring is slidably disposed around the body, and the parachute is reconfigurable between a collapsed condition and an open condition. The plurality of at least partially rigid spars connects the parachute and the connecting ring.
In exemplary embodiments, one or more fins extend from the body.
In exemplary embodiments, a tail extends from the parachute.
In exemplary embodiments, the body includes an interior cavity for receiving fluids.
In exemplary embodiments, at least one spar of the plurality of at least partially rigid spars is connected to an edge portion of the parachute.
In exemplary embodiments, the plurality of at least partially rigid spars is pivotably connected to the connecting ring.
In exemplary embodiments, each spar of the plurality of rigid spars includes a ball configured for insertion into a corresponding socket of the connecting ring.
In exemplary embodiments, the connecting ring includes at least one interior groove for mating with a rail disposed along the body.
In exemplary embodiments, a stopper member is affixed to an end of the body.
In exemplary embodiments, the stopper member restricts movement of the connecting ring past the stopper member.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method of using a toy rocket is disclosed, and comprises (a) providing a toy rocket comprising an elongate rocket body attached to a parachute; (b) sliding a connecting ring disposed around the body toward the tail end so that a plurality of at least partially rigid spars interconnecting the connecting ring and the parachute are disposed in a substantially vertical orientation; (c) folding the parachute into a collapsed configuration about the rocket body; and (d) launching the toy rocket so that after reaching an apex of height, the rocket body slides downwardly through the connecting ring so that the plurality of at least partially rigid spars move the parachute in a radially outward direction.
In exemplary embodiments, the method further comprises wrapping a tail of the parachute about the parachute in the collapsed condition.
In exemplary embodiments, movement of the parachute in a radially outward direction causes the parachute to reconfigure from a collapsed configuration to an open configuration.
In exemplary embodiments, the step of launching the toy rocket comprises providing pressurized fluid into an interior cavity of the body.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with references to the accompanying figures, wherein:
The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the words “may” and “can” are used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include,” “including,” and “includes” mean including but not limited to. To facilitate understanding, like reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate like elements common to the figures.
The present invention is described with respect to the following embodiments. The embodiments are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the invention.
It will be appreciated by those in the art that the present invention may be employed with any aerial projectile for which it is desirable to attach a parachute.
The embodiment of the present invention depicted in
As shown, fins 7 may be attached to the body 5 of the rocket 26. Fins 7 may be straight, angled, curved, or otherwise shaped and may provide guidance, stability, and/or spin, in addition to or alternative to other aerodynamic effects on rocket 26. In embodiments, fins 7 may be provided for ornamentation. In the embodiment of
Still referring to
In the embodiment depicted in
Turning to
In embodiments, the spars 1 may be attached to parachute 3 by a number of mechanisms known in the art. Such parachute attachment means may include but are not limited to stitching, adhesive, tying, mechanical devices, such as hinges or other joints, snaps, a clasp, or a top and bottom plate joined together with the parachute material clamped by and between the two plates. The spars 1 may be attached to the edge of parachute 3 or to some other location on parachute 3. Each spar 1 may be attached at multiple locations to the parachute 3, such as an edge and an interior location.
In embodiments, the spars 1 may be connected to the rocket by pins, hinges, various joints, or other methods of attachment known in the prior art. The embodiment of spars 1 shown in
In the embodiment shown in
Still describing the embodiment of
When the rocket body 5 slows and/or reverses direction, the connector ring 2 may continue motion in the initial direction, e.g., upwards, at a different rate and/or for a time longer than the rocket body 5, for example, due to wind resistance on the connector ring 2, still-packed parachute 3, and/or tail 9, each of which presents a larger cross-sectional area than the body 5 of rocket 26. Such a difference in speed of descent will cause the body 5 to slide through connector ring 2 such that the connector ring 2 approaches the end 101 of the body 5 of rocket 26. In embodiments, the movement of connector ring 2 relative to rocket body 5 may be caused or amplified by differences in their masses. The mass of connector ring 2 may be relatively high or optionally relatively low compared to the combined mass of the other components of rocket 26, particularly body 5 and the components fixed to it.
The movement of connector ring 2 along rocket body 5 will also cause the connected bases of the spars 1 to move along the rocket body 5 towards end 101. In this regard, the spars 1 are caused to move radially outward as they pivot with respect to socket 11. Such motion causes the shafts 13 of the spars 1 to translate forces into the parachute 3 so that the parachute 3 is caused to spread out under the motion of the spars 1. Accordingly, since the spars 1 are at least partially rigid, the movement of the connector ring 2 along rocket body 5 causes the spars 1 to push the parachute 3 in an outward and/or upward fashion, which facilitates opening of the parachute 3. The movement of connector ring 2 towards end 101 thus may provide any of the following benefits: it may facilitate deployment of the parachute 3, it may decrease the parachute deployment time, or it may cause the parachute 3 to deploy closer to the highest altitude attained by the rocket 26. Additionally, the spar and connector system may facilitate more uniform deployment of the parachute. In embodiments, as one portion of the parachute 3 begins to open, it will lift the closest spar or spars 1, which will lift the entire connector ring 2, thus pushing out the remaining spars.
Accordingly, rocket 26 and parachute 3 are configured and arranged such that the parachute 3 deploys only after the rocket 26 reaches its apex of height following launch (due to the motion of connector ring 2), and so that the parachute 3 deploys quickly and efficiently thereafter (due to the forcing of spars 1). In this regard, a toy rocket 26 and accompanying parachute 3 are provided so that a user may observe the flight of rocket 26 to its maximum height following launch, and subsequently observe substantially the entirety of the descent of rocket 26 due to the quick manner in which parachute 3 deploys. Such a configuration is desirable because it provides the user with an optimum amount of time in which to view the rocket 26 between launch and return to the ground.
In embodiments, the connector ring 2 and rocket body 5 may reach their apexes together. The slidable connector ring 2 may allow the rocket body 5 to begin falling to earth while the parachute 3 deploys or begins to deploy at or near the apex of the trajectory and thus prevents the connector ring 2 from falling at the same speed as the rocket. In this scenario, the rocket body 5 falls downward and slides through connector ring 2 with approximately the acceleration due to gravity, less wind resistance. Meanwhile, the parachute 3 deploys and slows the downward acceleration of the parachute 3 itself, as well as the spars 1 and connector ring 2 attached thereto. Thus, if rocket 26 begins its descent at a faster rate than the parachute 3, then spars 1, connector ring 2, and stopper 4 will prevent the rocket from sliding completely through connector ring 2. Viewed with respect to the body 5 of rocket 26, stopper 4 will prevent connector ring 2 from sliding off the end 101 of the rocket body 5. When connector ring 2 engages stopper 4, the decelerating force of the parachute 3 will act upon the entire rocket 26, including rocket body 5.
In embodiments, rocket 26 may include a tail. Referring to
Referring to the embodiment of
In an alternative embodiment depicted in
Still referring to the embodiment shown in
Upon launch, the nose 24 and end 101 form the leading end of the rocket 27. After launch and upon ascent of the rocket 27, the tail 17 unwraps. Depending on how quickly the tail 17 unwraps, the parachute 21 may deploy before the rocket reaches its apex, at the apex, or after the apex. If the parachute 21 deploys before the apex, the rocket 27 will slow and turn downward for descent. If the rocket 27 reaches the apex without deployment of the parachute 21, the rocket will likely turn downward on its own. To ensure that the nose 24 of the rocket remains at the leading end throughout flight, the nose 24 may be weighted. The deployment of the parachute 21 with the spars 1 and connector ring 2 may occur as described above for parachute 3. However, in this embodiment, the connector ring 2 will slide along body 5 until it reaches stopper 25. Stopper 25 may be located at or near end 102. Like stopper 4, stopper 25 can prevent the connector ring 2 from sliding off the rocket body 5. When the stopper 25 engages connector ring 2, the decelerating force of the parachute 21 may act upon the rocket body 5 and the affixed components. Now that embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail, various modifications and improvements thereon will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as set forth above, are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. The spirit and scope of the present invention is to be construed broadly.
Claims
1. A toy rocket, comprising:
- an elongate body;
- a connecting ring slidably disposed around the body;
- a parachute reconfigurable between a collapsed condition and an open condition; and
- a plurality of at least partially rigid spars connecting the parachute and the connecting ring.
2. The toy rocket of claim 1, wherein one or more fins extend from the body.
3. The toy rocket of claim 1, wherein a tail extends from the parachute.
4. The toy rocket of claim 1, wherein the body includes an interior cavity for receiving fluids.
5. The toy rocket of claim 1, wherein at least one spar of the plurality of at least partially rigid spars is connected to an edge portion of the parachute.
6. The toy rocket of claim 1, wherein the plurality of at least partially rigid spars are pivotably connected to the connecting ring.
7. The toy rocket of claim 6, wherein each spar of the plurality of rigid spars includes a ball configured for insertion into a corresponding socket of the connecting ring.
8. The toy rocket of claim 1, wherein the connecting ring includes at least one interior groove for mating with a rail disposed along the body.
9. The toy rocket of claim 1, wherein a stopper member is affixed to an end of the body.
10. The toy rocket of claim 9, wherein the stopper member restricts movement of the connecting ring past the stopper member.
11. A method of using a toy rocket, comprising:
- providing a toy rocket comprising an elongate rocket body attached to a parachute;
- sliding a connecting ring disposed around the body toward the tail end so that a plurality of at least partially rigid spars interconnecting the connecting ring and the parachute are disposed in a substantially vertical orientation;
- folding the parachute into a collapsed configuration about the rocket body;
- launching the toy rocket so that after reaching an apex of height, the rocket body slides downwardly through the connecting ring so that the plurality of at least partially rigid spars move the parachute in a radially outward direction.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising wrapping a tail of the parachute about the parachute in the collapsed condition.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein movement of the parachute in a radially outward direction causes the parachute to reconfigure from a collapsed configuration to an open configuration.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of launching the toy rocket comprises providing pressurized fluid into an interior cavity of the body.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 16, 2014
Publication Date: Jan 22, 2015
Inventor: Steven J. Huebl (Jordon, MN)
Application Number: 14/332,963
International Classification: A63H 27/00 (20060101); A63H 33/20 (20060101);