AUTOMATICALLY ENGAGING AND DISENGAGING GEAR BOX ASSEMBLY

• Main Authors: FRITZINGER, DANIEL D, HALL, CRAIG R
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 28.11.1996
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: AMUSEMENTS; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS INVEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OFTRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GASEXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS, IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; BLASTING; CHUTES; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GAMES; GEARING; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HEATING; HUMAN NECESSITIES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; MERRY-GO-ROUNDS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; ROCKING-HORSES; SIMILAR DEVICES FOR PUBLIC AMUSEMENT; SPORTS; SWINGS; SWITCHBACKS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS, BUILDING BLOCKS; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLES IN GENERAL; WEAPONS

A gear box assembly for automatically engaging and disengaging an output gea r (60) which is non-rotatably concentrically mounted on a driven axle shaft (3 2) attached to plural wheels (34, 36) in a children's ride-on toy is described. The assembly includes an electric motor (56) with a pinon (42) driving plura l driven gears (44, 48, 52), and a yoke (70) which is pivotable between two positions and provides a mount for at least one of the plural driven gears. In one position, the yoke pivotally engages the output gear (60) and drives the vehicle's wheels, and in another position, the yoke pivotally disengages the output gear thereby allowing the vehicle's vheels to freely rotate without driving or back-driving the motor or other gears. In the preferred embodimen t, the yoke is counterbalanced for rotation about a defined axis. In alternativ e embodiments, the yoke includes a friction member (72) for developing frictio n between one of the driven gears to rotate the yoke into engagement. A gear box assembly for automatically engaging and disengaging an output gear (60) which is non-rotatably concentrically mounted on a driven axle shaft (32) attached to plural wheels (34, 36) in a children's ride-on toy is described. The assembly includes an electric motor (56) with a pinon (42) driving plural driven gears (44, 48, 52), and a yoke (70) which is pivotable between two positions and provides a mount for at least one of the plural driven gears. In one position, the yoke pivotally engages the output gear (60) and drives the vehicle's wheels, and in another position, the yoke pivotally disengages the output gear thereby allowing the vehicle's vheels to freely rotate without driving or back-driving the motor or other gears. In the preferred embodiment, the yoke is counterbalanced for rotation about a defined axis. In alternative embodiments, the yoke includes a friction member (72) for developing friction between one of the driven gears to rotate the yoke into engagement.