Toy vehicles have proven to be an extremely popular and long lasting type of toy product. Not surprisingly, practitioners in the art have provided a virtually endless variety of toy vehicles to address this consumer popularity and industry need. Thus, toy vehicles have been provided which are free wheeling or unpowered as well as those which are self powered. Self powered toy vehicles have included wind up motor drives as well as vehicles having battery-powered electric drive apparatus. In addition to basic drive apparatus, practitioners have endeavored to incorporate a variety of features within their toy vehicles. The objective in providing such featured toy vehicles is to increase the amusement and play value of the toy vehicle beyond simple movement play patterns. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,645,037 issued to Choi sets forth a PROGRAMMABLE TOY AND GAME in which a toy vehicle has a keyboard which may be activated by a user to set up a motion or multiple different motions of the toy vehicle. Sounds and lights may be activated to coordinate with the movement. The toy vehicle may assume a number of appearances. The keyboard can also be used to play a game of skill, for instance, shooting at a target.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,987 issued to Choi sets forth a PROGRAMMABLE TOY in which a programmable device such as a toy vehicle or novelty item includes a keyboard supported thereon which is accessible to a user. The user is able to input a motion or sequence of motion to the toy. Various sounds and light effects may be activated in coordination with the movements. While a toy vehicle is shown, different types of toys may be used.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,104 issued to Choi sets forth a PROGRAMMABLE TOY WITH INDEPENDENT GAME CARTRIDGE in which a toy vehicle or the like supports a keyboard on an independent cartridge with a microprocessor which may be activated by a user to selectively cooperate with the toy vehicle and set up any one of multiple motions by the toy vehicle. Sounds and lights are also provided for additional effect and may be coordinated to the toy vehicle movement. The keyboard on the cartridge may also be used independently to play a game programmed into the cartridge microprocessor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,345 issued to Choi sets forth a PROGRAMMABLE TOY having a keyboard supported on the toy vehicle body. The keyboard may be activated by a user to set up a desired sequencing of motions, lights and sounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,829 issued to Chainani, et al. sets forth a PROGRAMMABLE TOY which utilizes a graphic programming system implemented on a personal computer. The programmable toy comprises a vehicle that can be instructed to make various movements and turns and, additionally, may be programmed to track an infrared source. The graphic program is created by selection of graphic objects from the control panel which are presented on a cartoon-like graphic screen.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,907 issued to Chainani, et al. sets forth a METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROGRAMMING TOYS utilizing a graphic programming system implemented on a personal computer. In the preferred embodiment, the programmable toy comprises a vehicle that can be commanded to make various turns and movements or to track an infrared source.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,131,508 issued to Brown; 3,482,352 issued to Helm; 3,621,608 issued to Bosley, et al.; 3,648,408 issued to Terzian, et al. and 3,780,470 issued to Roberts, et al. set forth a variety of early attempts to provide programmable toy vehicles.
In an art area generally related to the fanciful expression portion of the present invention toy vehicle, practitioners in the art have provided a number of facial expression dolls and toy figures. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,733,358 issued to Jacobs sets forth a TALKING ACTION FIGURE HAVING FACIAL EXPRESSIONS in which a body defining an internal cavity supports a head attached to the body. The head is deformable into a plurality of facial expressions. An electrical circuit disposed within the body cavity is operatively coupled to a sound generator. The sound generator and circuit cooperate to produce audible speech. An actuator is operatively coupled to both the head and the electrical circuit and is arranged to synchronize changes of facial expression with the sound produced.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,544,098 issued to Hampton, et al. sets forth an INTERACTIVE TOY having a small fabric-colored toy creature which displays a variety of facial expressions and which undergoes various speech routines coordinated or related to the facial expressions.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,068,536 and 6,352,464, a continuation thereof, both issued to Madland, et al. and both entitled MECHANISM FOR ANIMATED CHARACTER set forth a character generally resembling a food article such as an apple or the like within which a movement mechanism is supported. The figure defines a plurality of facial features which are moved by the movement mechanism.
U.S. Pat. D464,382 issued to Hornsby, et al. sets forth a TOY having a fanciful somewhat robot-like figure supported by a plurality of wheels and having extending arms displays different features upon a facial screen supported on the figure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,616,503 issued to Fong sets forth an ANIMATION DEVICE FOR HEAD AND MOUTH OF A TOY having a cam assembly which is operative to engage the jaw of a toy figure. The cam assembly is configured for linear movement along a first axis concurrently with pivotal movement about second and third axes which extend in generally perpendicular relation to each other and to the first axis. The assembly is supported within a housing suitable for installment in a toy figure or the like.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,823,847 issued to Gellman; 5,769,687 issued to Ko; 5,108,341 issued to DeSmet; 4,294,033 issued to Terzian; 3,828,469 issued to Giroud and 3,660,932 issued to Raffeli, et al. set forth examples of facial expression changing apparatus for dolls and the like which generally to the facial expression changing capabilities of the present invention toy vehicle.
Other prior art devices relating generally to the subject matter of the present invention are found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,699,097 issued to Rudell, et al.; 4,775,352 issued to Curran, et al.; 4,767,374 issued to Yang and 4,683,669 issued to Greer, Jr.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,842 issued to Frei sets forth a ROLLING TOY WHICH MOTION RECORDING AND PLAYBACK CAPABILITY while U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,197 issued to Watanabe sets forth a KEY ACTION, MOVABLE TOY both of which relate generally to the subject of toy vehicles.
Additional prior art devices relating generally to the subject matter of the present invention are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,386,942 issued to Tang; 6,257,948 issued to Silva; 6,079,985 issued to Wohl, et al.; 6,053,798 issued to Tang; Published U.S. Patent Application 2005/0026537 filed on behalf of Hsieh, et al.; Published U.S. Patent Application 2005/0053909 filed on behalf of Chan and Published U.S. Patent Application 2001/0053651 filed on behalf of Wright.
While the foregoing described prior art devices have to some extent improved the art and have in some instances enjoyed commercial success, there remains nonetheless a continuing need in the art for evermore interesting, amusing and novel toy vehicles.