WO1997001381A1

WO1997001381A1 - Remote controlled toy ball

Info

Publication number: WO1997001381A1
Application number: PCT/AU1996/000405
Authority: WO
Inventors: Victor Manuel Pracas
Original assignee: Play Innovations Australia Pty. Ltd.
Priority date: 1995-06-29
Filing date: 1996-06-28
Publication date: 1997-01-16

Abstract

A remote controlled toy ball (10) which comprises a remote control unit (12) for controlling movement of the ball. The ball (10) comprises a hollow spherical shell (14), which is made of two hemi-spherical halves connected together by a threaded connection (15). A motorised body (16) is housed within the shell (14) and is adpated to run on an inner surface of the shell (14) in response to a control signal from the remote control unit (12). The motorised body (16) is provided with two wheels (18) driven by an electric motor (19), both wheels (18) having rubber tyres adapted to grip the inner surface of the shell (14). The inner surface of the hollow spherical shell (14) is substantially smooth so that the motorised body (16) can run in any direction and thereby cause the shell (14) to roll in any direction over the ground, provided there are no obstructions in its path. The shell (14) is typically opaque so the the motorised body (16) is invisible. The play value of the toy ball (10) lies principally in the apparent ability of the ball to move about on the ground of its own record, under the control of the operator of the remote control unit (12).

Description

REMOTE CONTROLLED TOY BALL

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a remote controlled toy ball, the movement of which along the ground can be controlled by a .remote control unit.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Many novelty toys arouse the curiosity of both adults and children because of the mysterious way in which an apparently inanimate object appears to move of its own accord. In some instances, gravitational, centrifugal or elastic forces are harnessed to give the object some movement. In other cases, such as in the present invention, a hidden motor is employed to provide the motive energy. In the present invention, a motor is hidden within the interior of a ball, and the operation of the motor can be remotely controlled so that the ball can be made to move about upon the ground of its own accord.

Balls are one of the most universal of toys, played with by children all over the world. Toy balls come in many shapes and sizes and are generally designed to be thrown and bounced during play. However, other balls, such as marbles and bowling balls are only designed for rolling upon the ground, and throwing or bouncing such balls would soon damage them. The ball according to the present invention is also not designed for throwing or bouncing, but its play value lies rather in its ability to apparently move of its own accord. As is well understood by toy manufacturers, the play value of a toy is a measure of the capacity of the toy to hold a child's attention and to evoke interest and involvement during play. A disadvantage with many prior art novelty toys, which rely on the curiosity and fascination of the user to hold attention, is that the movement of the toy is generally not controllable by the user. Typically, once the toy is activated its movement is fairly predictable or cannot be readily controlled by the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention was developed with a view to providing a novelty toy in the form of a ball whose play value is significantly increased by the ability of the user to control movement of the ball remotely.

According to the present invention there is provided a remote controlled toy ball comprising:

a remote control unit for controlling movement of the ball; a hollow spherical shell; and, a motorised body housed within the shell and being adapted to run on an inner surface of the shell in response to a control signal from the remote control unit whereby, in use, the shell is driven in a rolling motion over the ground by said motorised body.

Preferably the inner surface of said hollow spherical shell is substantially smooth so that said motorised body can run in any direction and thereby cause the shell to roll in any direction.

In a preferred embodiment said motorised body is provided with two ground engaging elements driven by an electric motor, said ground engaging elements being adapted to grip the inner surface of the shell. Advantageously said two ground engaging elements are driven via a switchable drive transmission, wherein in a first condition of the drive transmission the two elements are both driven in the same direction and in a second condition of the drive transmission the two elements are driven in opposite directions. Preferably said switchable drive transmission is switched between said first and second conditions by a control signal from the remote control unit. Typically said switchable drive transmission is adapted to disengage the ground engaging elements from the electric motor whenever the motor is deactivated, wherein the ground engaging elements can then free-wheel.

Preferably said ground engaging elements are wheels fitted with rubber tyres adapted to grip the inner surface of the ball.

In a preferred embodiment said motorised body is provided with a weight located below the axis of rotation of said two wheels and adapted to counterbalance the weight of said hollow spherical shell as the motorised body runs on the inner surface of the shell . Preferably said motorised body is provided with at least one jockey wheel, in addition to said two driven wheels, said jockey wheel riding on the inner surface of the shell so as to minimise friction between the inner surface and said motorised body. Typically the motorised body is provided with two jockey wheels located on opposite sides of the motorised body and lying in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said two wheels.

In an alternative embodiment said motorised body is provided with four wheels, one pair of said wheels at least being driven by an electric motor and one pair of said wheels at least being steerable by a remotely controllable steering servo mechanism.

Preferably said motorised body is provided with a magnetic switching means adapted to connect said motorised body to a battery in a STANDBY condition and to disconnect said motorised body from the battery in an OFF condition, whereby said motorised body can be placed in the OFF condition by bringing a magnetic field source into close proximity to the remote controlled toy ball. Advantageously said magnetic field source is a permanent magnet provided in a base for the toy ball, said base being provided with a first concave depression in which the toy ball can be received in a rest position. Preferably the base is provided with a second depression within which said remote control unit is received in a non-operative or rest position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to facilitate a more thorough understanding of the nature of the invention, a preferred embodiment of the toy ball will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a first embodiment of the remote controlled toy ball according to the invention illustrated with a remote control unit;

Figure 2 is a top perspective view of a motorised body employed within the toy ball of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side view of the motorised body of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a rear view of the motorised body of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a bottom perspective view of the motorised body of Figure 2;

Figure 6 shows inside the two halves of the remote control unit of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of the remote controlled toy ball with a remote control unit;

Figure 8 is a top perspective view of a third embodiment of the remote controlled toy ball having a motorised body with steerable front wheels; and, Figure 9A and 9B illustrate a preferred embodiment of a base for the remote controlled toy ball according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Figure 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the remote controlled toy ball 10 which comprises a remote control unit 12 for controlling movement of the ball, the remote control unit 12 also being in the shape of a ball. The ball itself comprises a hollow spherical shell 14, which may be given a textured outer surface to enhance the grip of the ball when rolling on the ground. As can be clearly seen in Figures 2, 3 and 4 the toy ball 10 further comprises a motorised body 16 housed within the shell 14 and adapted to run on an inner surface of the shell in response to a control signal from the remote control unit 12. In Figures 2, 3 and 4 the shell 14 is shown made of transparent plastic for illustrative purposes. It is preferred that the shell 14 be substantially opaque so that the mysterious source of the ball's motive power remains hidden and unknown. However, obviously the shell 14 can be made of transparent, translucent or semi¬ transparent material if desired. The shell 14 is made of two hemi-spherical halves connected together by a threaded connection 15 as shown in the detail enlarged in Figure 2.

In this embodiment, the motorised body 16 is provided with two wheels 18 driven by an electric motor 19, both wheels 18 having rubber tyres adapted to grip the inner surface of the shell 14. The inner surface of the hollow spherical shell 14 is substantially smooth so that the motorised body 16 can run in any direction and thereby cause the shell to roll in any direction over the ground, provided there are no obstructions in its path.

In this embodiment, the two wheels 18 are driven via a switchable drive transmission (not visible) which may be switched between first and second conditions by a servo mechanism (also not visible) in response to a control signal from the remote control unit 12. In the first condition of the drive transmission, the two wheels 18 are both driven in the same direction by the electric motor 19, whereas in the second condition of the drive transmission the two wheels are driven in opposite directions. Hence, when the drive transmission is switched to the first condition, the motorised body 16 will run forwards in a substantially straight line so that the spherical shell 14 also rolls in a substantially straight line in the same direction. However, when the drive transmission is switched to the second condition, the spherical shell 14 remains more or less stationary as the motorised body 16 turns in a circle to face a new direction. In this way, the toy ball 10 can be made to roll in different directions, although with this embodiment it will always roll in a substantially straight line provided the surface on which it is rolling is horizontal.

Advantageously, the switchable drive transmission is arranged so that the wheels 18 are disengaged from the electric motor 19 whenever the motor is deactivated, so that the wheels 18 can free-wheel in this condition. Thus, if the spherical shell 14 is rolled along the ground manually with the electric motor deactivated, the motorised body 16 will simply roll on the inner surface of the spherical shell 14, rather than tumbling within the shell as the wheels grip the inner surface. Likewise whenever the ball is being driven along the ground by the motorised body and is then brought to a halt by deactivating the electric motor of the motorised body 16, the wheels 18 immediately disengage from the motor and the motorised body 16 is prevented from tumbling within the spherical shell during the short period required to bring the shell to a stand still due to the momentum of the rolling ball.

The motorised body 16 further comprises a control circuit 21 mounted above the electric motor, switchable drive transmission and servo mechanism, which includes a radio receiver for receiving a control signal transmitted from the remote control unit 12. The radio receiver is typically an FM radio receiver connected to an antenna 20 which is arranged in a coil mounted above the motorised body 16. A battery compartment 22 receives two 1.5 volt batteries for providing electric power to the control circuit 21, the servo mechanism and electric motor of the motorised body 16. The two halves of the hollow spherical shell 14 can be separated manually to replace the batteries in the battery compartment 22 when necessary.

Preferably the antenna 20 and control circuit 21 are housed within an inner hemispherical shell 23 having an outer radius smaller than the inner radius of the outer shell 14 of the ball, so that the inner shell 23 is free to move within the outer shell 14 as the ball rolls. The inner shell 23 protects the antenna 20 and circuit 21 from damage and also helps to keep the motorised body 16 correctly oriented within the outer shell 14. Battery compartment 22 is located outside the inner shell 23 and therefore the batteries can be replaced without requiring access to the inside of inner shell 23.

The motorised body 16 is also provided with a weight 24 located below the axis of rotation of the two wheels 18 and designed to counterbalance the weight of the hollow spherical shell 14 as the motorised body runs on the inner surface of the shell. The weight 24 helps to keep the motorised body in a substantially horizontal orientation by forcing the shell 14 to roll along the ground as the motorised body attempts to climb up the inner surface of the shell. The motorised body 16 is provided with a first and second jockey wheels 26, 28 mounted at the back and front of the motorised body 16 respectively, in addition to the two driven wheels 18. At any one time, one of the jockey wheels 26, 28 rides on the inner surface of the shell 14 so as to keep the motorised body 16 lifted away from the inner surface of the shell and thus minimises friction. As can be seen most clearly in Figure 3, when one of the jockey wheels (in this case 26) is in rolling contact with the inner surface of the shell 14 the other jockey wheel (in this case 28) is lifted approximately lmm away from the inner surface of the shell 14. This allows the motorised body 16 to turn on the spot more freely when the switchable drive transmission is switched to the second condition, in which the wheels 18 are driven in opposite directions by the electric motor 19 as described above.

As can be seen in Figure 1, the remote control unit 12 of this embodiment includes two push buttons 30 which can be depressed to cause the control unit to transmit a control signal to the motorised body 16, the first button causing the control circuit of the motorised body to switch the drive transmission to the first condition, and the second button causing the control circuit of the motorised body to switch the drive transmission to the second condition. The remote control unit 12 also includes an antenna 32 which is connected to a low power FM radio transmitter provided on a circuit board 34 mounted within the hollow confines of the ball-shaped control unit 12, as illustrated in Figure 5. Antenna 32 is typically in the form of a wire coil housed within a plastic tube 33 as can be seen more clearly in the detail enlargement in Figure 6.

A 9 volt battery 36 is housed within the other half of the ball-shaped casing of the control unit 12, and provides power for the FM transmitter. The remote control unit 12 of the illustrated embodiment is simple to operate as the two buttons 30 do not require great dexterity on the part of a child.

Figure 7 illustrates a second embodiment 40 of the remote controlled toy ball which also includes a remote control unit 42 for controlling movement of the ball. The ball itself comprises a hollow spherical shell 45 similar to but slightly larger than that of the first embodiment. The motorised body of this embodiment is similar to the motorised body 16 of the first embodiment illustrated in Figures 2 to 5, in that it is provided with first and second driven wheels 18 as well as first and second jockey wheels 26,28. However, in this embodiment mstead of a single electric motor which drives both wheels via a switchable drive transmission, there are first and second electric motors which drive the first and second wheels 18 respectively. Each electric motor can be driven independently of the other. For this reason, the remote control unit 42 as shown in Figure 7 is provided with first and second control levers 52 for controlling the operation of the first and second electric motors of the motorised body respectively.

The first and second control levers 52 are spring-loaded so as to be biased to a neutral position as shown in Figure 7. In the neutral position the control levers 52 are positioned approximately midway along first and second slots 53 provided in the outer casing of the remote control unit 42. If the first control lever 52 is pushed in a forwards direction the first electric motor drives the corresponding wheel 18 in a forwards direction. Likewise, when the second control lever 52 is pushed in a forwards direction a control signal is transmitted to the motorised body so as to cause the second electric motor to drive the second wheel 18 in a forwards direction. When either one of the first and second control levers 52 is moved in a backwards direction, the corresponding electric motor causes the corresponding wheel 18 to be driven in a reverse direction. Hence, the operator of the remote control unit 42 can cause the ball to roll in a straight line in a forwards direction by pushing both of the control levers 52 in a forwards direction. By moving both control levers 52 in a backwards direction the operator can cause the ball to move in a reverse direction. If the control levers 52 are moved in opposite directions the first and second electric motors will also drive the corresponding wheels 18 in reverse directions. The spherical shell 45 will remain more or less stationary as the motorised body within turns in a circle to face a new direction. The direction of turning will depend on which of the first and second control levers 52 has been moved in a forwards direction and a backwards direction respectively. In this embodiment, because the wheels 18 may be driven independently from each other, the ball may be made to roll in a curved line by operating only one of the first and second electric motors at a time. The uneven traction of the wheels 18 on the inner surface of the shell 45 of the ball causes the ball to roll in a curved line, rather than a straight line as when both wheels 18 are being driven in the same direction. In other respects, the second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment.

A third embodiment of a remote controlled toy ball according to the present invention is illustrated in Figure 8. The most important difference between this embodiment and that of the previously described embodiments is in the motorised body 46 housed within the shell 44 and adapted to run on an inner surface of the shell in response to a control signal from a remote control unit (not illustrated) . As can be seen in Figure 8 the motorised body 46 of this embodiment is provided with four wheels 48, all four wheels 48 having tyres adapted to grip the inner surface of the shell 44. In this embodiment, the two rear wheels 48 are driven by an electric motor 49 via a switchable drive transmission (not visible) which may be switched between first and second conditions similar to that of the first embodiment.

However, in this embodiment the front wheels 48 of the motorised body are steerable by means of a servo mechanism 50 responsive to a control signal from the remote control unit 42. Hence, unlike the first embodiment, the motorised body 46 of this embodiment is steerable so that the ball can be made to roll in a curved line, rather than simply straight lines as in the first embodiment. In other respects, the toy ball 40 of this embodiment is substantially identical to that of the first embodiment, and the similar parts will not be described again here.

The remote control unit for this embodiment is similar to that shown in Figure 1 except that it is provided with four push buttons 30 for controlling the transmission of control signals to the motorised body 46. Two of the push buttons 30 control the forwards and reverse movement of the motorised body, and the other two push buttons control the steering left and right of the motorised body 46. Thus, for example, if a left push button on the remote control unit is depressed, the front wheels 48 of the motorised body 46 turn to the left causing the motorised body 46 to attempt to follow a curved path on the inner surface of the outer spherical shell 44 of the toy ball. Because of the weight distribution of the motorised body 46 the effect is to cause the shell 44 to roll in a curved line over the ground. In this way, it can be seen that by the use of a four wheel chassis for the motorised body 46, together with a second servo mechanism under the control of the remote control unit, the play value of the remote controlled toy ball is further enhanced.

In each of the above described embodiments of the remote controlled toy ball the control circuit 21, electric motor and servo mechanism remain in a standby mode continuously once two 1.5 volt batteries have been inserted in the battery compartment 22. In the standby condition, the motorised body of the remote controlled toy ball is ready to drive the hollow spherical shell in a rolling motion over the ground whenever an appropriate control signal is transmitted from the remote control unit to the radio receiver of the control circuit 21. In the standby condition the control circuit 21 continuously consumes a small amount of electrical power, and therefore there is a danger that the batteries of the motorised body will become unnecessarily depleted if they are left in the motorised body when the toy ball is temporarily discarded or stored in a toy shelf or cupboard for later use. In this connection, there is no simple way of disconnecting the batteries from the motorised body, such as by a simple on/off switch, without removing the motorised body from within the hollow spherical shell. Furthermore, it is easy for the user to forget that the motorised body within the hollow spherical shell remains in a standby condition, as the motorised body is normally invisible to the user.

In order to avoid unnecessary depletion of the batteries for the motorised body, a magnetic switch 56 is preferably provided located on an under surface of the motorised body 16 adjacent the weight 24 as can be seen most clearly in Figure 5. First and second wires 58 connect the magnetic switch 56 between the batteries in battery compartment 22 and the control circuit 21. The magnetic switch 56 is designed to connect the control circuit 21 of motorised body 16 to the batteries in a STANDBY condition and to disconnect the control circuit from the batteries in an OFF condition. The motorised body can be placed in the OFF condition by bringing a magnetic field source into close proximity to the remote controlled toy ball so as to open an electrical contact within the magnetic switch 56. Advantageously, the magnetic field source may be a permanent magnet provided in a base 60 for the toy ball as illustrated in Figures 9A and 9B.

The base 60 is typically manufactured from injection moulded plastics material, and is provided with a first concave depression 62 of a size and shape adapted to receive the hollow spherical shell of the toy ball 10 therein in a rest position. In this embodiment, the base 60 is also provided with a second depression 64 within which the remote control unit is received in a non-operative or rest position. As shown in Figure 9B, a permanent magnet 66 is located within the base 60 immediately below the first concave depression 62 within which the toy ball 10 is received. It will be understood that when the toy ball is placed on the base 60 in the first depression 62 the magnetic field generated by magnet 66 will cause the magnetic switch 56 to disconnect the control circuit of the motorised body from the batteries, thus placing the motorised body in an OFF condition. In the OFF condition, the motorised body cannot be activated, even when the buttons on the remote control unit are depressed, since no electrical power is being supplied to the control circuit of the motorised body. Thus, the remote controlled toy ball can be conveniently stored on its base without any danger of the batteries being unnecessarily depleted during non-use.

From the above description of preferred embodiments of the remote controlled toy ball according to the invention, it will be appreciated that the play value of the toy lies principally in the apparent ability of the ball to move about on the ground of its own accord under the control of the operator of the remote control unit. However, the play value may be further enhanced by incorporating a sound effect which is activated whenever the electric motor is activated, or which operates intermittently according to a predetermined sequence. In addition, an electric light may be mounted on the motorised body which also becomes illuminated when the electric motor is activated and which is visible to the user through one or more transparent or translucent "windows" provided in the hollow spherical shell 14 as it rolls along the ground.

It will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant arts that numerous modifications and variations may be made to the described embodiments of the remote control toy ball, in addition to those already described, without departing from the basic inventive concepts. For example, in an alternative arrangement the motorised body may have only one wheel driven by the electric motor and adapted to grip the inner surface of the shell. Alternatively, one or more endless rubber tracks may be provided in place of wheels. All such variations and modifications are to be considered within the scope of the present invention, the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description.

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A remote controlled toy ball comprising: a remote control unit for controlling movement of the ball; a hollow spherical shell; and, a motorised body housed within the shell and being adapted to run on an inner surface of the shell in response to a control signal from the remote control unit whereby, in use, the shell is driven in a rolling motion over the ground by said motorised body.

2. A remote controlled toy ball as defined in claim 1, wherein the inner surface of said hollow spherical shell is substantially smooth so that said motorised body can run in any direction and thereby cause the shell to roll in any direction.

3. A remote controlled toy ball as defined in claim 2, wherein said motorised body is provided with two ground engaging elements driven by an electric motor, said ground engaging elements being adapted to grip the inner surface of the shell.

4. A remote controlled toy ball as defined in claim 3, wherein said two ground engaging elements are driven via a switchable drive transmission, wherein in a first condition of the drive transmission the two elements are both driven in the same direction and in a second condition of the drive transmission the two elements are driven in opposite directions with respect to each other.

5. A remote controlled toy ball as defined in claim 4, wherein said switchable drive transmission can be switched between said first and second conditions by a control signal from the remote control unit.

6. A remote controlled toy ball as defined in claim 5, wherein said switchable drive transmission is adapted to disengage the ground engaging elements from the electric motor whenever the motor is deactivated, wherein the ground engaging wheels can then free-wheel.

7. A remote controlled toy ball as defined in claim 3, wherein said ground engaging elements are wheels fitted with rubber tyres adapted to grip the inner surface of the ball.

8. A remote controlled toy ball as defined in claim 7, wherein said motorised body is provided with a weight located below the axis of rotation of said two wheels and adapted to counterbalance the weight of said hollow spherical shell as the motorised body runs on the inner surface of the shell.

9. A remote controlled toy ball as defined in claim 7, wherein said motorised body is provided with at least one jockey wheel, in addition to said two driven wheels, said jockey wheel riding on the inner surface of the shell so as to minimise friction between the inner surface and said motorised body.

10. A remote controlled toy ball as defined in claim 9, wherein the motorised body is provided with two jockey wheels located on opposite sides of the motorised body and lying in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said two wheels.

11. A remote controlled toy ball as defined in claim 1, wherein said motorised body is provided with four wheels, one pair of said wheels at least being driven by an electric motor and one pair of said wheels at least being steerable by a remotely controllable steering servo mechanism.

12. A remote controlled toy ball as defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said motorised body is provided with a magnetic switching means adapted to connect said motorised body to a battery in a STANDBY condition and to disconnect said motorised body from the battery in an OFF condition, whereby said motorised body can be placed in the OFF condition by bringing a magnetic field source into close proximity to the remote controlled toy ball.

13. A remote controlled toy ball as defined in claim 12, wherein said magnetic field source is a permanent magnet provided in a base for the toy ball, said base being provided with a first concave depression in which the toy ball can be received in a rest position.

14. A remote controlled toy ball as defined in claim 12, wherein the base is provided with a second depression within which said remote control unit is received in a non- operative or rest position.