US2002358A - Electrically lighted toy - Google Patents

Description

May 21, 1935. A N, SWTH 2,002,358

ELEGTRICALLY LIGHTED TOY Filed Aug. 18, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l I: JBBQIEIRWATIIQDN THE d1 Ti 5 2e v UUUUUUU 46 70 so 4 5 44 e4 54 T7 52 L S INVENTOR ATTORN EYS May 21, 1935. A sM|TH 2,002,358

ELECTRICALLY LIGHTED TOY Filed Aug. 18, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l iilll w lNVENTdR AnH'zom NSmIHI QM/ 4 ATTORNEYS Patented May 21, 1935 UNITED STATES ELECTRICALLY LIGHTED TOY Anthony N. Smith, Girard, Pa., assignor to The Girard Model Works, Inc., Girard, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 18, 1933, Serial No. 685,699

17 Claims.

. This invention relates to electrically lighted toys, and more particularly to electrically lighted toy railway coaches.

The primary object of the present invention is'to generally improvetoy railway coaches by arranging the samepfor-v-realistic illumination. More particular objects of my inventioneenter about toy railway coaches of small inexpensive type, and are: to provide for illumination of such toys at a minimum of expense; to avoid wiring and soldering; to illuminate the toy indirectly without exposing the lamp to direct observation through the windows of the coach despite the small dimension of the coach body; and to fill in the under-carriage of the toy with the lighting apparatus, thereby improving the appearance of the toy, for these toys in inexpensive form present too open and skeletonized an appearance, and at the same time lowering rather than raising the center of gravity of the toy, thereby improving its stability.

Further objects of my invention center about the particular case of an observation coach which forms the'last car in a train and is ordinarily provided with an open platform and an illuminated sign, and are: to provide a realistic illuminated sign in aninexpensivemanner; toilluminate the platform as well as the sign by the use of only a single lamp; and, if desired, to additionally illuminate the interior of the coach as well as the platform and the sign, all from a single lamp.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as will hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the toy elements and their relation one to the other as hereinafter are more particularly described in the specification and soughtto be defined in the claims. The specification is accompanied by drawings in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of an observation coach embodying the features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a section taken in the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

" Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view with the lamp housing and sign removed;

Fig. 5 is a section taken in the plane of the line 55 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the lamp hous ing and sign;

Fig. 7 is a detail taken in the plane of the line of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is an inverted plan view of my invention modified for battery operation;

wheels 22.

Fig. 9 is a vertical section taken in the plane of the line 99 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a section taken in the plane of the line Ill-10 ofFig.9;

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of a coach arranged for indirect interior illumination; and

Fig. 12 is a section taken inthe plane of the line lZ-IZ of Fig. 11.

Referring to all forms of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the toy comprises in each 10 case a toy body B mounted on a suitable wheel and axle assembly. The toy is illuminated by a lamp L located beneath the toy body and surrounded by an appropriate enclosure or housing H which is mounted on the bottom of the toy 15 body by a preferably detachable mounting. The bottom of the toy body is at least partially cut away above the housing H, as is indicated at 0, thus admitting light from the lamp 1; reflected by the interior of housing H upwardly into the toy body. In the'case of an observation coach the housing H is preferably located at the trailing end of the coach, and the end wall of the housing, instead of being made imperforate, is arranged to act as a sign S which is illuminated by light from lamp L. It will thus be evident that the sign S and the coach body may both be illuminated by a single lamp.

Considering the invention in greater detail and referring first to Figs. 1 to '7 of the drawings, the coach body B is made up of a sheet metal bottom wall I! the edges of which'are turned downwardly to form side flanges I 4 and end flanges IS, the side flanges ll being enlarged at IE to form bearings for axles 20 carrying appropriate flanged The side walls 24 of the coach body are also made of sheet metal, andare apertured in simulationof windows 26 and securedto'bottom wall II by conventional tongue and slot con-' struction.-- The top 28 of the coach may be 40 pressed-from a single piece of" sheet metal provided with intumed edges 30 which fit over mating outwardly turned edges on the side walls 2. The enclosed portion of the coach body is made shorter than bottom wall l2, thereby forming a platform 32 on which there is mounted a railing -34, which may also be pressed of sheet metal and secured to platform 32 by tongue and slot relation. The projecting end of top 28 may be lined and bent downwardly to form a skirt or awning 36, all in simulation of an observation coach. The coach is provided with a coupling member 38 at only the forward end thereof, for the observation coach is, of course, used at the end of the train.

base.

To illuminate the observation coach I provide a lamp bulb L which may be of the ordinary flashlight type and which is screwed into a simple form of socket 40 made of sheet metal indented at 42 to receive the thread of the lamp The top edges of the lamp socket are projected upwardly to form spacers 44, best shown in Figs. 3 and 5, and tongues 48 which pass through slots in the bottom wall I2 and are twisted to hold the socket in place. The trailing end of the socket is, of course, left open to receive the lamp, while the leading end of the socket is closed by insulation washers 43 which are riveted in place, on either side of a flange 50 turned inwardly at the end of the socket, by an eyelet 52. This eyelet acts as a center contact for the lamp and also secures in place the end 54 of a relatively thinilexible downwardly bowed strip of metal 50 which acts as a shoe or wiper contacting with the third rail 58 of the track system. The wiper ispreferably additionally supported by continuing the opposite end upwardly to form a T-shaped end 60 which is movably anchored in a slot 02 in a piece of insulation 64 held on bottom wall I2 by tongues 06, this construction being best shown in Fig. '7. The bottom wall I2 of the car is, of course, cut away, as shown at 08, to prevent contact between the wiper and the coach body. The insulation strip 64 is preferably provided with a longitudinal slot I0 as well as the transverse slot 62, this slot I0 being dimensioned to receive the enlarged part of the T-shaped end of the wiper when first assembling the toy.

The lamp L is enclosed by housing H and, as is best shown in Fig. 6, this housing is generally cylindrical in shape but provided with an open top I2. The housing is preferably formed by rolling up a piece of sheet metal to desired form, the circular end I4 being joined integrally with the cylindrical body at the bottom line IS. A lug I8 is bent outwardly on one of the top edges of the housing, and a camming tab is formed on the other top edge of the housing.

The wall 14 is preferably cut out or incised, as shown at 82, to form an appropriate sign through the; letters of which light may pass. This wall 14 is preferably backed by a thin sheet of celluloid or like translucent material 84, best shown in Fig. 3, the disc of celluloid being held in place by a pair of tongues 88 formed on the side edges of wall I4 and bent around upon the celluloid material. By using colored celluloid, say, red, the sign may be similarly and realistically colored.

The bottom wall I2 of the coach is at least partially cut away above housing H, as is best shown in Fig. 4. Cutting awayof the bottom 'wall at 90 beneath platform 32 causes illumination of the platform. Cutting away of bottom wall I2 at 92 beneath the coach body itself permits illumination of the interior of the coach body. The end flange i6 is, of course, cut away at the sign S, as is best shown in Figs. 2 and 4, to afford uninterrupted illumination of the sign. I am thus enabled to illuminate the sign, the platform, and the coach body all from a single lamp.

The bottom of the coach is provided with recesses 94 which mate with and receive the lugs 78 and 80 on the housing H, it being understood that to mount the housing in place it is simply necessary to catch the lug 18 in one of the recesses and to then press the sloping cam surface of tab 80 upwardly into the other recess. To remove the housing, as when replacing the lamp,

it is merely necessary to compress the side walls of the housing together slightly, and thereby release tab 80.

The observation coach already described is for use with an electrically operated train, the lamp being energized from the third rail of the track system. A similar observation coach may be arranged for battery illumination when drawn by a mechanically operated or spring wound train,

and such a coach will be described with reference to Figs. 8, 9 and 10 of the drawings. The lamp L may be mounted in a socket 40 generally similar to that already described, and may be surrounded by a housing H provided with a sign S, just as has already been described, this housing and sign being omitted in Fig. 8 for clarity but being shown in the nearby Fig. 6.

The lamp is energized by a flashlight battery cell I00 which is supported in a vertical position in the coach body, the cell being passed upwardly into the body through an opening I02 in the bottom wall thereof. The top end of the battery is received and supported by a yoke I04 the side walls I00 of which are anchored at the junction of the side walls and top of the coach body, as is shown at I08. A portion of the yoke I04 is preferably struck downwardly to form a resilient contact member III) which bears against the end wall of the battery cell I00.

The battery is held in place by a bottom support I I2 having a vertical wall I I4 and anchoring lugs H0 at one end thereof, the latter being received by the bottom wall of the coach. The opposite end of support H2 is provided with stop lugs II8 which cooperate with a wall I20 bent downwardly from the bottom wall and comprising a portion of the cut away material of the bottom wall. This wall I20 is pressed inwardly to form acatch I22. It will thus be evident that by inserting lugs II6 above the bottom wall of the coach at one side of the cell and pressing the support I I2 upwardly against catch I22, the support will be retained in place, thus holding the battery in place.

The center portion of support H2 is cut away and carries a strip of insulation I24 held in place by appropriate tongues I26. Insulation strip I24 carries a switch lever I28 mounted by means of a rivet or eyelet I30 the upper end of which bears against the pole I32 of battery cell I00. Switch arm I28 may be formed integrally with an operating arm I34 projecting from the side of the car. It will be evident that by throwing the arm I34 forwardly, switch arm !28 will be moved away from the center contact or eyelet of the lamp socket, thereby opening the lamp circuit. When, however, the arm I34 is moved rearwardly, the switch arm I28 bears against the center contact of the socket, thereby completing the lamp circuit, the other side of the circuit being, of course, through the coach .body or ground because both the socket and battery cell are grounded. The motion of the switch may, if desired, be limited by a stop lug I30 bent upwardly and riding around a cut-out portion of insulation strip I24, the ends I38 of the cut-cut portion defining the permissible movement ofthe switch.

To renew the battery the wall I20 is bent outwardly, releasing catch I22, and permitting removal of the entire bottom support II 2. To

.change the bulb the housing H is removed as before described. It will be understood that, except for the parts already mentioned, the observation coach body may in general resemble that heretofore described in connection with Figs. 1 through 6.

The features of my invention may, if desired, be applied to an ordinary enclosed coach, in contrast with the observation coach already described. For this purpose the lamp housing H is preferably located directly beneath the middle of the coach, as is shown in Figs. 11 and 12 of the drawings. The coach body is generally similar to that already described in that it comprises a bottom wall l2 and a top 28, but the side walls 24 enclose the entire coach body. A coupler 38 is provided at both ends of the coach. The wheel and axle assembly may be similar to that already described. The lamp L is screwed into a socket 49 like that already described, and similarly secured to the bottom of the coach by tongues 36, but in the present case the socket is so disposed that the lamp bulb is located at the center of the coach. The wiper 56 extends from the insulated center contact of socket 40 downwardly and then upwardly, the T-shaped end 60 being received, as before, in an appropriately slotted strip of insulation 64. The housing H differs from that previously described, first,

in being shorter in axial direction so as to readily fit in the available space, secondly, in having a simple U-shaped configuration in cross-section, as is clearly shown in Fig. 12, instead of the nearly cylindrical cross-section preferred when illuminating a circular sign, and, thirdly, in having an imperforate end instead of. being incised to form the lettering of the sign. The enclosure of the lamp may be and preferably is improved by bending a sheet metal wall I40 downwardly from the bottom of the coach, this wall being formed from material struck away above the housing, and surrounding the socket 40. The lamp is thus fully enclosed on all sides except the top which is relatively widely open to permit illumination from the lamp to be thrown upwardly into the coach body. The exterior of the housing may be painted as desired, but the interior is preferably left in an unpainted or tinned condition so as to act as an efficient reflector of light. The housing is detachably secured to the bottom of the coach by means of a lug l8 and camming tab best shown in Fig. 12 and similar to those described in connection with the observation coach'.

It is believed that the mode of constructing and using the illumination system of my invention, as well as the many advantages thereof, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description thereof. The coach is illuminated in an inexpensive manner suitable for toys of the character disclosed. Thelamp is energized without the use of wiring or soldering of any kind, whether energized by third rail or battery. The illumination is indirect and realistic because the bulb itself is not directly visible. It should be kept in mind that with a small coach body the necessary space for the socket and bulb is large in proportion to the height of the body, so that the bulb is apt to come in direct view through the windows of the coach whether suspended downwardly from the top of the coach or held upwardly from the bottom of the coach. The under-structure of the coach is made more substantial in appearance. A toy simulating an observation coach may be provided with a realistically illuminated sign, and the platform or, if desired, the platform and the coach body as well as the sign, may all be illuminated from a single lamp.

The arrangement may be modified slightly for other purposes, for example, to simulate a headlight, instead of a sign, and, if such a headlight is provided on a toy trolley car, the fioor may be cut away to illuminate the front platform or vestibule of the trolley car.

It will therefore be apparent that while I have shown and described my invention in preferred forms, many changes and modifications may be made in the structures disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention, defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. An electrically lighted railway toy comprising a toy body, a wheel and axle assembly thcre beneath, a lamp housing mounted beneath one end of the toy body, the end wall of said housing being arranged to pass light, the bottom of the toy body being cut away above said housing, and a lamp in said housing, said lamp serving to simultaneously illuminate the end of the housing and the interior of the toy.

2. An electrically lighted railway toy comprising a toy body having an end platform, a lamp housing mounted beneath the platform, the end wall of said housing being arranged to pass light, the bottom of the toy body being cut away above said housing at the platform, and a lamp in said housing, said lamp serving to simultaneously illuminate the end wall of the housing and the platform.

3. An electrically lighted toy railway observation coach comprising a toy body having a rear platform and simulating an observation coach, a lamp housing mounted beneath the platform of the coach, the trailing wall of said housing being provided with a sign, the platform being cut away above said housing, and a lamp in said housing.

4. An electrically lighted toy railway observation coach comprising a toy body having a rear platform and simulating an observation coach, a lamp housing mounted beneath the platform and rear portion of the coach, the trailing wall of said housing being provided with a sign, the bottom of the coach body being cut away above said housing at the platform and at the rear portion of the coach, and a. lamp in said housing.

5. An electrically lighted toy railway observation coach comprising a toy body having a rear platform and simulating an observation coach, a lamp housing detachably mounted beneath the platform and rear portion of the coach, the trailing wall of said housing being provided with a translucent sign, the bottom of the coach body being cut away above said housing at the platform and at the rear portion of the coach, a lamp socket mounted and grounded at said housing, a lamp in said socket and shielded by said housing, and means to connect the insulated center terminal of the socket to a source of energization, the aforesaid lamp serving to simultaneously illuminate the sign, the platform, and the interior of the coach.

6. An electrically lighted toy railway coach comprising a toy body, a flanged wheel and axle assembly therebeneath, and lighting means for illuminating said toy body including a lamp housing mounted at the bottom of the toy body, and a lamp socket supporting a lamp in said housing, the bottom of said toy body being cut away above said housing to permit the light from the lamp to shine upwardly into the toy body, and means connecting the center contact of the lamp socket to a source of energization, said means including a thin strip of resilient conductive metal having one end connected directly to and supported by the center contact of the socket, and another portion arranged for contact with a third rail.

'7. An electrically lighted toy railway coach comprising an enclosed toy body, a flanged wheel and axle assembly therebeneath, and lighting means for illuminating said toy body including a lamp housing detachably mounted at the bottom of the toy body, a lamp socket supporting a lamp in said housing, said socket being mounted on and grounded on the toy body, the bottom of said toy body being cut away above said housing to permit the light from the lamp to shine upwardly into the toy body, and means connecting the insulated center contact of the lamp socket to a source of energization, said means including a downwardly bowed thin strip of resilient conductive metal having one end secured directly to and supported by said center contact, and its other end insulatedly and movably anchored in the bottom of the coach, the intermediate portion being adapted for direct wiping contact with a third rail.

8. An electrically lighted toy railway observation coach comprising a toy body having a rear platform and simulating an observation coach, a lamp housing mounted beneath the rear portion of the coach, the trailing wall of said housing being provided with a sign, the bottom of the coach body being partially cut away above said housing, a lamp socket mounted and grounded at said housing, a lamp in said socket and shielded by said housing, and a thin strip of resilient conductive metal having one end secured directly to and supported by the center contact of the socket, and another portion arranged for contact with a third rail.

9. An electrically lighted toy railway observation coach comprising a toy body having a rear platform and simulating an observation coach, a lamp housing mounted beneath the platform of the coach, the trailing wall of said housing being provided with a sign, the bottom of the coach body being cut away above said housing at the platform of the coach, a lamp socket mounted and grounded at said housing, a lamp in said socket and shielded by said housing, said lamp serving to simultaneously illuminate the sign and the platform, and a thin strip of resilient conductive metal having one end secured directly to and supported by the center contact of the socket, and another portion arranged for contact with a third rail.

10. An electrically lighted toy railway observation coach comprising a toy body having a' rear platform and simulating an observation coach, a lamp housing mounted beneath the platform and rear portion of the coach, the trailing wall of said housing being provided with a sign, the bottom of the coach body being cut away above said housing at the platform and at the rear portion of the coach, a lamp socket mounted and grounded at said housing, a lamp in said socket and shielded by said housing, and a thin strip of resilient conductive metal having one end secured directly to and supported by the center contact of the socket, and another portion arranged for contact with a third rail.

11. An electrically lighted toy railway observation coach comprising a toy body having a rear platform and simulating an observation coach, a lamp housing detachably mounted beneath the platform and rear portion of the coach, the

trailing wall of said housing being provided with a translucent sign, the bottom of the coach body being cut away above said housing at the platform and at the rear portion of the coach, a lamp socket mounted and grounded at said housing, a

lamp in said socket and shielded by said housing, said lamp serving to simultaneously illuminate the sign, the platform, and the interior of the coach, and. a thin downwardly bowed strip of resilient conductive metal having one end secured to and supported by the center contact of the socket, and its other end insulatedly and movably anchored in the bottom of the coach, the intermediate portion being adapted for direct wiping contact with a third rail.

12. An electrically lighted toy railway observation coach comprising a toy body having a rear platform and simulating an observation coach, a lamp housing mounted beneath the platform of the coach, the trailing wall of said housing being provided with a sign, the bottom of the coach body being partially cut away above said housing, a lamp socket mounted and grounded at said housing, a lamp in said socket and shielded by said housing, a flashlight battery disposed vertically in said coach body, means at the top of the coach body for grounding the upper end of the battery, detachable support means at the bottom of the coach body for holding the battery in place and for contacting with the bottom terminal of the battery, said contact being insulated from the coach body and acting as a pivot for a switch lever, one end of said switch lever being movable into and out of engagement with the center contact of the lamp socket.

13. An electrically lighted toy railway observation coach comprising a toy body having a'rear platform and simulating an observation coach, a lamp housing mounted beneath the platform and rear portion of the coach, the trailing wall of said housing being provided with a sign, the bottom of the coach body being cut away above said housing at the platform and at the rear portion of the coach, a lamp socket mounted and grounded at said housing, a lamp in said socket and shielded by said housing, a flashlight battery in said coach body, means contacting with and grounding one end of the battery, insulatedly mounted means contacting with the opposite terminal of the battery, said means being movable into and out of engagement with the center contact of the lamp socket.

14. An electrically lighted toy railway observation coach comprising a toy body having a rear platform and simulating an observation coach, a lamp housing detachably mounted beneath the platform and rear portion of the coach, the trailing wall of said housing being provided with a translucent sign, the bottom of the coach body being cut away above said housing at the platform, a lamp socket mounted and grounded at said housing, a lamp in said socket and shielded by said housing, said lamp serving to simultaneously illuminate the sign and the platform, a flashlight battery disposed vertically in said coach body through the bottom thereof, means at the top of the coach body contacting resiliently with one end of the battery, detachable support means at the bottom of the coach body for holding the battery in place and for contacting with the bottom terminal of the battery, said contact being insulated from the coach body and acting as a pivot for a switch lever, one end of said switch lever being movable into and out of engagement with the center contact of the lamp socket.

15. An electrically lighted vehicle toy comprising a small size toy body having a top, windowed side walls, and a bottom, a wheel and axle assembly therebeneath, and lighting means for illuminating said toy body including a lamp socket mounted on and beneath the bottom of said body, a lamp therein, and a special lamp housing detachably mounted on and beneath the bottom of the toy body around the lamp, whereby said lamp is not directly visible when looking through said windows in normal manner, the bottom of said toy body being cut away just above said housing to permit the light from the lamp to shine upwardly into the toy body, and the detachable mounting of the housing afiording access to the lamp.

16. An electrically lighted toy railway coach comprising a small size toy body having a top, windowed side walls, and a bottom, a flanged wheel and axle assembly therebeneath, and lighting means for illuminating said toy body including an upwardly bent or downwardly convex sheet metal lamp housing mounted beneath the bottom of the toy body and extending horizontally therealong, said housing being open at the top, a lamp socket mounted at one end of said housing with its axis horizontal, and a lamp supported in horizontal position in said housing by said socket, whereby said lamp is not directly visible when looking through said windows in normal manner, the bottom of said toy being cut away just above said housing to permit the light from the lamp to shine upwardly into the toy body.

17. An electrically lighted toy railway coach comprising an enclosed small size toy body having a top, windowed side walls, and a bottom, a flanged wheel and axle assembly therebeneath, and lighting means for illuminating said toy body including a relatively small lamp housing detachably mounted beneath the bottom of the toy body, a lamp socket supporting a lamp in said housing, whereby said lamp is not directly visible when looking through said windows in normal manner, said socket being mounted and grounded on the toy body, and means connecting the insulated center contact of the lamp socket to a source of energization, the bottom of said toy body being cut away above said housing to permit the light from the lamp to shine upwardly into the toy body.

ANTHONY N. SMITH.

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