US3628280A

US3628280A - Breath powered oscillator novelty

Info

Publication number: US3628280A
Application number: US75832A
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard L Nave
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-09-28
Filing date: 1970-09-28
Publication date: 1971-12-21
Anticipated expiration: 1988-12-21

Abstract

A breath powered toy held and supported by either hand and adapted to stimulate breathing, improve respiratory capabilities by exercising the user''s lungs and unique in that its attractive operation promotes one''s incentive to use it. A column of air is blown by way of a tube and suitably ported conduit means into an oscillatory or rocking cylinder, that is, a cylinder (with or without a figure toy) provided with a piston whose reciprocating pitmanlike rod operates a shaft-supported disk and a complemental flywheel. This intriguing cylinder-piston-eccentric assembly alerts and engenders interest and, in so doing, accomplishes the respiratory result desired.

Description

United States Patent Inventor Richard L. Nave 805 W. Mulberry Ave., San Antonio, Text. 78212 App]. No. 75,832

Filed Sept. 28, i970 Patented Dec. 2 I i971 BREATH POWERED OSCILLATOR NOVELTY 10 Claims, 10 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 46/44, 46/56, 128/25 R, 272/57 R int. Cl A63h 29/16 FieldolSearch.......................................... 46/44,S6; 272/57 R; 128/25 R References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/i9l8 Grove 46/56 1,629,!35 S/l927 Vinson ABSTRACT: A breath powered toy held and supported by either hand and adapted to stimulate breathing. improve respiratory capabilities by exercising the user's lungs and unique in that its attractive operation promotes ones incentive to use it. A column of air is blown by way of a tube and suitably ported conduit means into an oscillatory or rocking cylinder, that is, a cylinder (with or without a figure toy) provided with a piston whose reciprocating pitmanlike rod operates a shaft-supported disk and a complemental flywheel. This intriguing cylinder-piston-eccentric assembly alerts and engenders interest and, in so doing, accomplishes the respiratory result desired.

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2 60 Richard L Nova 72 a Alt nae BREATH POWERED OSCILLATOR NOVELTY This invention relates to toys and playthings for youngsters wherein eye-appealing and animated structural means is utilized in a distinct and different manner and with a view toward inducing the user to amuse himself and, in so doing, to willingly display his newly acquired talents to those who are concerned, and pertains, more particularly, to a breath powered novelty which embodies unique means whose inmotion-performance is amusingly attractive to the user.

Animated toys wherein a directed stream of air operates a pinwheel, a bladed impeller or the like are not, as is known, novel. Several prior adaptations could be cited for background purposes but two citations will suffice; namely, a US. Pat. to Grove No. l,275,0l7 which shows a jet actuated paddle wheel which utilizes a crank motion to operate a rockable cylinder, and a remotely similar toy disclosed in a U.S. Pat. to A. Rick, Jr. No. 541,0l I.

An object of the present invention is to improve upon prior patents in this field and to advance the art. To the ends desired, a hand-held toy is utilized and constitutes an innovation in that is resembles, broadly construed, a wind instrument. However, and instead of producing a tone, it utilizes the air column to activate animated means whose inmotion functioning amusingly attracts the attention of the user and observers and, what is more significant, stimulates breathing and the health promoting benefits which are capable of attainment.

Briefly the disclosed toy is such in shape, size and form that it can be supported and held in alignment with the users mouth in either hand and, in side elevation, resembles a wind musical instrument equipped with a cup-type mouthpiece. All of the primary component parts are made of moldable plastic material of an appropriate economical but suitable grade. The elongated blocklike body member is herein set forth as having top and bottom lengthwise edges, outward and inward vertical edges joining the horizontal top and bottom edges, and lefthand and right-hand planar sides. An appropriate handgrip is joined to and depends from a median portion of the bottom edge. Constantly viewable animated air-actuated crank motion means is operatively and accessibly mounted on one side, usually the left hand side, of the body member, said means being normally stationary, that is, at rest, but being susceptible of coming into play and set into eye-attracting and amusing motion when acted on by a concentrated column of air. To the ends desired a breath concentrating and supply tube is accessibly mounted atop the top edge and has a cleanout plug at the forward or outer end, is clipped in place and has a mouthpiece conveniently arranged for practical use. The generated air column is delivered into conduit means which is embodied in the body member and is associatively and cooperatively communicable with the animated air-actuated means through the medium of appropriately and timely registrable air inlet and exhaust ports.

In carrying out an adaptable embodiment of the invention, the body member has a bore providing an air receiving and delivery duct, said duct being provided at its respective ends with air ports and having its forward end normally closed by a manually applicable and removable cleanout plug. In fact, the body member is also provided with a right angularly disposed bypass duct which has a lower end communicating with said first-named delivery duct and an intake upper end which opens through the top edge of the body member and is communicable with the air column provided in the breath concentrating and air supply tube which is perched on and fastened to the top edge. The constantly viewable and animated air-actuated means is preferably, but not necessarily, operatively mounted on the lefl hand side of the body member. This means is normally inactive but is designed and adapted and so constructed that it is activated and set into eye-attracting and noticeably amusing motion and brought into play by the applied column of air which is supplied by the user.

As will be hereinafter more fully appreciated, individual initiative becomes a key factor in that the user becomes breath conscious, and discovers that it is a resourceful and beneficial aid in that it affords the user a comprehensive understanding that a simple continuous stream of air which is concentrated and passed through a tube and is transmitted by way of coor dinating conduit means, is oriented with coacting ports in a manner to induce breathing and to simultaneously acquaint the user with the knowledge that an activated cylinder can be oscillated by a reciprocating piston and wherein the connecting rod, through the medium of an eccentric crank connection, functions to turn a rotatable disc and a complemental flywheel.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. I is a view in side elevation of the breath powered oscillator novelty showing how the same is held and used and how the desired end result is attainable.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the breath powered oscillator device appearing in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an end view in elevation observing the structure of FIGS. 1 and 2 in a direction from right to left.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detailed view with parts appearing in section and elevation and which is taken on the section line 4-4 of FIG. 3 looking in the direction of the indicating arrows.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary detailed view with parts appearing in section and elevation and showing how the forward end of the tube is communicatively connected with what is herein described as air delivering conduit means.

FEG. 6 is a section taken on the plane of the vertical section line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a similar view taken on the plane of the section line 7-7 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation and of a diagrammatic type showing the lefl hand face or side of the body member and showing the piston and cylinder and crank motion action and how the cylinder is oscillated or rocked to assume one of its inmotion positions.

FIG. 9 is a view like FIG. 8 also of a diagrammatic type showing another position of the cylinder, piston and eccentric disc.

And FIG. [0 is a fragmentary elevational view observing the forward or outer end portion of the left-hand side (lefl compared to the showing in FIG. I) and wherein the rocking or oscillatory cylinder is provided with an animating figure head.

With reference in particular to FIGS. I to 4, inclusive, it will be evident that the one-piece hand-held plastic or equivalent component is denoted, generally stated, by the numeral 12. It comprises an elongated or substantially rectangular body member having a horizontal top edge I4, a similar horizontally elongated bottom edge I6, a vertical forward edge 18 joining the edges I4 and I6 and an inner or rearward edge 20 also joining the

edges

14 and 16. An appropriate integral depending handgrip 2] is joined with a median portion of the bottom edge 16 so that it can be caught hold of (with either hand) in the manner shown in FIG. 1. The planar sides are designated as a right side 22 (FIG. I) and a similar complemental left side 24 (FIG. 4). The expressions "left" and right" are used in relation to the inuse position of the device shown in FIG. 1 wherein the handgrip is being held by the user's left hand. With continuing reference to the body member, and with respect to FIG. 5, it will be seen that a bore of requisite length and cross section is provided in the forward end portion and is denoted at 26 and is provided at its respective ends with longitudinally spaced communicating ports C. The outer or forward end of this bore is closed by an insertable and removable cleanout plug 28. Disposed at right angles to the bore is a coacting sleeve-lined bore 29 and these two bores constitute air delivering conduit means. The air from the mouflr of the user is supplied or delivered by way of an elongated plastic tube 30 of requisite length whose forward end 32 is normally closed by way of a cleanout plug 34. This tube is perched atop the top edge 14 and is held in place by U-shaped attaching clips 36 fastened in place as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4 in particular. The inner end portion of the tube, that is the portion 38, is provided with a suitably designed and attached cupped mouthpiece 40 which in use is held against the lips of the user in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1. Manifestly air blown into the mouthpiece 40 is supplied by way of the hollow tube 30 to the bypass passage 28 and into the complemental bore 26 for use by way of the spaced alternatively performing ports C. The stream of air thus generated is utilized to operate constantly viewable animated air-actuated crank motion means which is operatively and accessibly mounted on the forward left-hand side 24 of the body member. This means is normally stationary and at rest but is adapted to be set into motion and eye attracting amusing oscillation when acted on by the concentrated column of air. This means, more specifically stated, comprises a cylinder 42 of plastic material having closing heads 44 at its respective ends as brought out in FIG. 4. The cylinder is integral with a rectangular base 46 which is fitted fiatwise against the surface 24, the base and cylinder being assembled and held in place by the headed end 48 of a first shaft 50 which is mounted in a bearing provided therefor and which has a nut-equipped end portion 52 projecting as shown in FIG. 6 and which is provided with an appropriately mounted and captive coil spring 54. The sidewall and base portion of the cylinder proximal to the coacting surface 24 has longitudinally spaced inlet and exhaust ports A formed therein as is best illustrated in FIG. 4. The aforementioned piston 56 (FIG. 4) is reciprocable in the chamber portion of the cylinder and is shiftable back and forth between the ports A. The pitmanlike connecting or piston rod 58 has one end joined to the piston and its other end is reciprocable through a guide provided in the right-hand cylinder head 44. The terminal end portion of the rod is provided with a sleeve or an equivalent connecting member which in turn is pivotally connected to an eccentric pin 62 provided on a marginal portion of a rotatably mounted disc 64 of requisite size. This disc is keyed at 66 on one end portion of a second pin or shah 68 which is mounted in a bear ing provided therefor. This shaft 68 extends through the body member and its opposite end portion (FIG. 7) 70 is provided with an appropriate flywheel 72 which rotates proximal to the adjacent side surface of the body member as is evident par ticularly in FIG. 7. Thus, the piston-equipped cylinder is mounted for rocking or oscillation on the first spring-biased shaft or pin 50 and the eccentric disc 64 and companion flywheel 72 are mounted on the

end portions

66 and 70 of the second pin or shaft 68.

It is within the purview of the invention to provide the exterior of the cylinder with an added attraction referred to as a figure head and denoted at 74 in FIG. and which represents a clown or the like and has a portion 76 fixed in place on the cylinder so that as the cylinder is rocked (FIGS. 8 and 9) the figure head is also rocked back and forth or from side to side as suggested by the indicating arrows in FIG. 10. This figure head is an optional detail and may be of any delineated shape and color to add to the overall eye-catching performance of the cylinder-piston-eccentric disc assembly. With further respect to the oriented and sequentially operable ports or orifices, it will be noted that the body portion adjacent the cylinder and piston and conduit means is provided with additional longitudinally spaced ports B. Thus there are three ports to the left as brought out in FIG. 5 and three to the right as brought out in the same figure.

It will be evident from the views of the drawings that the oscillator toy or novelty can be an is usually held in either hand, that is the right hand or left hand as suggested in FIG. I and is held in such a manner that the cupped mouthpiece 40 is placed in line with the user's pursed lips (FIG. 1 The plastic supply tube 30 is thus in line to receive the current of air which is blown therethrough and also through the

conduit passages

26 and 28.

The rocking cylinder takes air pressure at either end of the cylinder. The only other feature to consider is where the crankpin is located when the user is ready to blow in the air tube 30. Only light pressure is required in operating this oscillator.

The user should be sure that crankpin 62 is off dead center, at either end. A drop of oil on the moving parts occasionally will keep them running smoothly. A few drops on the piston rod close to the hole in the cylinder head is also helpful. Should too much moisture get in the drilled ports, merely pull out the cleanout plug in the front end of the body and blow the moisture out.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

I. A breath powered hand-held toy comprising, in combination, an elongated body member having horizontal top and bottom lengthwise edges, outward and inward vertical edges joining said top and bottom edges and left and right sides, a handgrip joined to and depending from a median portion of said bottom edge, constantly viewable animated air actuated means operatively and accessibly mounted on one side of said body member, said means being normally at rest but being adapted to be set into eye-attracting and amusing motion when acted on by a concentrated column of air, a breath concentrating and supply tube accessibly mounted, and an air column delivering conduit means embodied in said body member and associatively and cooperatively communicable with said animated air actuated means.

2. The toy defined in and according to claim I, and wherein said animated air actuated means is characterized by a crankmotion-type cylinder-pistomdisc assembly.

3. The toy defined in and according to claim I, and wherein said animated air actuated means is characterized by a cyIinder-piston-disc assembly, a first shaft joumaled in a bearing provided therefor in said body member, a median portion of said cylinder being mounted for oscillation on said shaft, the respective end portions of said cylinder being provided with air inlet and exhaust ports, and said body member being provided with registrably oriented and coordinating air inlet and exhaust ports.

4. The toy defined in and according to claim 3, and a second shaft spaced rearwardly from, parallel with said first shaft and journaled for rotation in a second bearing provided therefor in said body member, said disc centrally keyed on one end of said second shaft and marginally provided with an eccentric pin, said piston having a reciprocating pitman-type connecting rod, said rod having a terminal sleeve pivotally and operatively joined to said eccentric pin.

5. The toy defined in and according to claim 4 and wherein said cylinder, piston and disc are aligned with each other on said right-hand side, said second shaft having an end portion projecting beyond the surface of the left side, and a flywheel complemental to said disc and keyed on said end portion.

6. The toy defined in and according to claim 5, and wherein said breath concentrating and supply tube is perched and clipped atop said top edge and has its forward end provided with an accessible removably mounted cleanout plug, and has its rearward end provided with a cupped mouthpiece.

7. A breath powered hand-held toy comprising, in combination, an elongated body member having top and bottom lengthwise edges, outward and inward vertical edges joining said top and bottom edges and left and right sides, a handgrip joined to and depending from a median portion of said bottom edge, said body member having a bore providing an air delivery duct, said duct being provided at its respective ends with air ports and having its forward end normally closed by a manually applicable and removable cleanout plug, said body member being also provided with a bypass duct having a lower end communicating with said air delivery duct and an intake upper end opening through said top edge, an elongated breath concentrating and air supply tube perched on and fastened to said top edge, said tube having a forward end portion communicatively joined to the upper intake end of said bypass duct, said forward end having an insertable and removable cleanout plug, the rearward end projecting beyond the adjacent end of the body member and being provided with an accessible mouthpiece, and constantly viewable animated air actuated means operatively mounted on the left-hand side of said body member, said means being normally inactive but being designed and adapted to be activated and set into eye-attracting and noticeably amusing motion when brought into play by a column of air acting on it, said means having air ports which are communicable with said first-named air ports.

8. The toy defined in and according to claim 7, and wherein said animated air-actuated means is characterized by a rockably mounted cylinder having air ports at its respective ends, a piston confined and reciprocable in the cylinder and provided with a reciprocably mounted pitman-type connecting rod. and a rotatably centrally mounted companion disc having an eccentric pin to which an adjacent end of said rod is cooperatively connected.

9. The toy defined in and according to claim 8, and wherein an exterior peripheral surface portion of said cylinder is provided with a fixedly mounted coacting figure toy which rocks back and forth in conjunction with said cylinder.

10. The toy defined in and according to claim 8, and wherein said disc is located complemental to one side of said body member and is keyed on a rotating body-supported shaft.

and, in combination, a flywheel located on the other side of said body member, said flywheel being also keyed on said shafi and rotated in conjunction with the shaft and disc i i i i l

Claims

1. A breath powered hand-held toy comprising, in combination, an elongated body member having horizontal top and bottom lengthwise edges, outward and inward vertical edges joining said top and bottom edges and left and right sides, a handgrip joined to and depending from a median portion of said bottom edge, constantly viewable animated air actuated means operatively and accessibly mounted on one side of said body member, said means being normally at rest but being adapted to be set into eye-attracting and amusing motion when acted on by a concentrated column of air, a breath concentrating and supply tube accessibly mounted, and an air column delivering conduit means embodied in said body member and associatively and cooperatively communicable with said animated air actuated means.

2. The toy defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein said animated air actuated means is characterized by a crank-motion-type cylinder-piston-disc assembly.

3. The toy defined in and according to claim 1, aNd wherein said animated air actuated means is characterized by a cylinder-piston-disc assembly, a first shaft journaled in a bearing provided therefor in said body member, a median portion of said cylinder being mounted for oscillation on said shaft, the respective end portions of said cylinder being provided with air inlet and exhaust ports, and said body member being provided with registrably oriented and coordinating air inlet and exhaust ports.

8. The toy defined in and according to claim 7, and wherein said animated air-actuated means is characterized by a rockably mounted cylinder having air ports at its respective ends, a piston confined and reciprocable in the cylinder and provided with a reciprocably mounted pitman-type connecting rod, and a rotatably centrally mounted companion disc having an eccentric pin to which an adjacent end of said rod is cooperatively connected.

10. The toy defined in and according to claim 8, and wherein said disc is located complemental to one side of said body member and is keyed on a rotating body-supported shaft, and, in combination, a flywheel located on the other side of said body member, said flywheel being also keyed on said shaft and rotated in conjunction with the shaft and disc.