Toy skateboard

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9289694-B2
Application number	US-201414510227-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2014
Priority date	Apr 23, 2014
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

Abstract

In one embodiment there is a toy skateboard having two configurations. In the first configuration, a pair of non-motorized truck assemblies are attached to the deck, and the upper surface of the deck has a finger engaging region for a user's fingers to engage and move the skateboard. In the second configuration, the rear non-motorized truck assembly is replaced with a motorized rear truck assembly, wherein the movement of the skateboard is controlled by the processor in response to remote signals. In addition, the processor may detect a back EMF voltage generated by the rotation of a motor caused by a manual manipulation of a wheel controlled by the motor. The processor would have sleep and wake states and would transition between the two when the detected back EMF voltage reaches a pre-determined value.

First claim

We claim:

1. A toy skateboard assembly comprising:
a deck configured to resemble a reduced-scale skateboard having a first end, a second end, an unobstructed upper surface, and a lower surface;
a pair of non-motorized truck assemblies configured to resemble reduced-scale skateboard truck assemblies, and further configured for attachment to the lower surface of the deck, each of the non-motorized truck assemblies having a pair of freely rotatable wheels, and wherein the pairs of wheels separately connect to at least one axle extending transversely to a longitudinal axis of the deck when attached, wherein the pair of non-motorized truck assemblies are separately attached to the lower surface proximate to the first and second ends of the deck to define a first configuration such that the unobstructed upper surface defines a finger engaging region for a user's fingers to engage and move the freely rotatable wheels along a riding surface; and
a self-contained motorized truck assembly having a pair of motor-controlled wheels and further having a housing configured to contain at least (i) a battery, (ii) a processor, (iii) a receiver in communication with the processor, (iv) a pair of motor-controlled axle gears separately extending from sides of the housing and secured to a motor-controlled wheel, of the pair of motor-controlled wheels, and (v) a pair of motors, each motor separately controlling a motor-controlled wheel, of the pair of motor-controlled wheels, and wherein said receiver is configured to receive signals to control the movement of the pair of motor-controlled wheels and wherein the processor is configured to control the movement of the pair of motor-controlled wheels in response to said signals to include at least the turning of the toy skateboard, such that turning the toy skateboard does not require a leaning object or leaning figure positioned on the upper surface to turn the toy skateboard,
and wherein the self-contained motorized truck assembly is further configured to completely replace one of the non-motorized truck assemblies such that when said non-motorized truck assembly and its pair of freely rotatable wheels are removed from the lower surface of the deck and the self-contained motorized truck assembly and its motor-controlled wheels are secured to the lower surface of the deck in place of said non-motorized truck assembly such replacement defines a second configuration, and wherein the second configuration is further defined to place the motor-controlled wheels on said riding surface such that movement of the toy skateboard through the motor-controlled wheels is further controlled by the processor.

2. The toy skateboard of claim 1 , wherein the motorized truck assembly includes a housing defined to include a top profile substantially conforming to a portion of the lower surface towards one of the ends, of the first or second ends, and wherein the battery, processor, and pair of motors are completely positioned within the housing below the top profile of the housing.

3. The toy skateboard of claim 2 , wherein the housing includes a first section and a second section with an intermediate region there-between, and wherein the housing is further defined to include two battery compartments separately positioned in the first and second sections and the pair of motors and the pair of motor-controlled wheels are positioned between the two battery compartments and wherein the second section of the housing containing one of the battery compartments is angled upwardly to match an angle of the second end of the deck such that the battery contained in said battery compartment is angled.

4. The toy skateboard of claim 1 , wherein the deck is scaled to approximately 4 inches in length.

5. The toy skateboard of claim 1 wherein the receiver is defined as an IR sensor for receiving signals from a remote control unit, the IR sensor being positioned in the motorized truck assembly under the lower surface of the deck such that the IR sensor is positioned to receive signals reflected from a surface under the deck of the skateboard.

6. The toy skateboard of claim 1 further comprising a circuit in communication with the processor and battery, and configured to change the battery voltage to a fixed voltage.

7. The toy skateboard of claim 1 , wherein a remote control unit includes one or more signals to initialize a set of pre-program instructions on the processor to control the pair of motor-controlled wheels to perform one or more skateboard maneuvers.

8. The toy skateboard of claim 7 , wherein the one or more skateboard maneuvers include a skateboard trick, a hill climb, variable speed control, and playback of user recorded input.

9. The toy skateboard of claim 8 , wherein the remote control unit includes one or more functions to record and store user input, and a function to replay the stored commands.

10. The toy skateboard of claim 9 , wherein the processor includes a function to interrupt the function to replay stored commands if the processor receives a signal from the remote control during playback.

11. The toy skateboard of claim 1 , wherein the pair of motors, includes a first motor coupled to a first motor-controlled wheel, of the pair of motor-controlled wheels, and the processor is configured to detect a back electromotive force (“EMF”) voltage generated by the rotation of the first motor caused by a manual manipulation of the first motor-controlled wheel, and the processor is further configured to include at least a sleep state and a wake state and is configured to transition between said sleep state and said wake state when the detected back EMF voltage reaches a pre-determined value.

12. The toy skateboard of claim 11 , wherein said processor is further configured to control the pair of motors in accordance with one or more of the following pre-programmed motions resulting in a tactile response when said detected back EMF voltage reaches the pre-determined value:
(a) move at least one of the pair of motor-controlled wheels momentarily,
(b) move at least one of the pair of motor-controlled wheels continuously,
(c) resist motion of at least one of the pair of motor-controlled wheels momentarily,
(d) resist motion of at least one of the pair of motor-controlled wheels continuously,
(e) oscillate at least one of the pair of motor-controlled wheels momentarily, and
(f) oscillate at least one of the pair of motor-controlled wheels continuously.

13. The toy skateboard of claim 12 , wherein said processor is further configured to detect a second back EMF voltage generated by the rotation of the first motor in an opposite direction due to a manual manipulation of a first rear wheel in an opposite direction; and
when either said detectable back EMF voltage reaches the pre-determined value, the processor is further configured to control the first motor in accordance with one or more of the following pre-programmed motions resulting in a tactile response:
(a) move at least one of the pair of motor-controlled wheels momentarily,
(b) move at least one of the pair of motor-controlled wheels continuously,
(c) resist motion of at least one of the pair of motor-controlled wheels momentarily,
(d) resist motion of at least one of the pair of motor-controlled wheels continuously,
(e) oscillate at least one of the pair of motor-controlled wheels momentarily, and
(f) oscillate at least one of the pair of motor-controlled wheels continuously.

14. A toy fingerboard comprising:
a deck configured to resemble a reduced-scale skateboard, a non-motorized truck assembly configured to resemble a reduced-scale truck assembly for a skateboard and a s

Assignees

• Innovation First Inc

Inventors

• Norman David Anthony
• Mimlitch Iii Robert H
• Olivera Raul

Classifications

• A63H29/00

  Drive mechanisms for toys in general · CPC title

• A63H17/26

  Details; Accessories (drive mechanisms A63H29/00) · CPC title

• A63H17/262

  Chassis; Wheel mountings; Wheels; Axles; Suspensions; Fitting body portions to chassis · CPC title

• A63H30/04

  using wireless transmission · CPC title

• A63H11/00

  Self-movable toy figures · CPC title