ENDLESS TRACK FOR A TRACKED VEHICLE

CHENILLE SANS FIN POUR CHENILLARD

English Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An endless track concept particularly adapted for a tracked
vehicle toy but also applicable to a real tracked vehicle and wherein
the track is characterized by its simple and economical construction,
as required for a toy. This endless track includes a plurality of
simply interconnected links, with each link being made solely of a
length of wire bent into a generally U-shape configuration. Each
link includes a transverse portion and opposite end portions, the
transverse portion having a wheel-engaging concave central portion, a
pair of wheel guide convex portions at opposite ends respectively
of the concave central portion, outer end portions projecting end-
wise away from the wheel guide convex portions respectively, the end
portions project from the intermediate portion generally longitudinally
of the track and have each a hook engaging the corresponding outer and
portion of a next link. The first legs are sufficiently long to prevent
the track from coming out of engagement with the wheel of the vehicle
toy, even if there is no track tensioning means on the toy.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1- An endless track for a tracked vehicle toy comprising
a plurality of interconnected links, each consisting of a length
of wire bent into a generally U-shape configuration when seen in top
plan view, defining opposite end portions and an intermediate portion,
the latter extending transversely of the endless track and being bent
into a sinusoidal configuration lying in a common plane nearly perpen-
dicular to the plane containing said end portions, said sinusoidal
configuration defining a wheel tread-engaging concave central portion
and a pair of similar wheel guides extending on each side of a vehicle
wheel and formed by slightly diverging first legs, each leg being
extended by a convex portion in turn extended by a second leg outwardly
spaced from the respective first legs and in turn extended by a short
pivot portion, such short pivot portions being aligned transversely
of the track and located at substantially the level of said concave
central portion, said opposite end portionsforming extensions of said
short pivot portions and extending longitudinally of the track and
forming a hook at the outer end thereof, the hooks of each link pivotally
engaging the respective short pivot portions of a next link, the dis-
tance between said concave portion and each of said convex portions being
equal to at least 0.6 times the distance between said end portions.

Description

10~97~5
This invention relates to an endless track for a tracked
~ehicle and, more particularly, to an endless track for a tracked vehicle
toy.
The known endle~s tracks for real tracked vehicles are of
comple~ coDstruction and involve a number of parts which cannot practically
and economically be reproduced at the reduced scale required for a tracked
vehicle toy.
It is a general ob~ect of the present invention to provide
an endless track partioularly adapted to be made for a tracked vehicle
toy and, in particular, which i8 of simple and economical construction.
The endless track herein~fter defingd in detall has each
link made of a single length of wire which is bent to provide the neces-
sary wheel guidance and link interconnection, to be econo~ical to produ¢e.
This endless track concept well s~mulates a real endless tra~k, and may be
used on a toy vehicle having no track ten ioning means.
The above and other objects and advantages of the present
1 invention will be understood with reference to the follo~ing detalled de~-
cription of a preferred embodiment thereof, which is illustrated~ by Nay
a~ example, in the accompsnying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 i8 an elevation view af an endless track link according
to the present invention and as seen in the longitudinal
direction and in the bottom run of the endles~ track;
Figure 2 i8 a side view of a portion of endless track according to
the pre~ent invsntion and with a wheel partly shown in
dotted lines and in operat~ve position with the portion of
the tra~k; and
~1gure 3 i8 a plan view as seen from the top in Figure 2.
The endless track according to the present lnvention includes
'. 8 plurality of idsnt$cal link 1 which are con~ected one to another to
far~ an endles3 loop. This eDdles~ trsck is engaged in ~onventional
- 2 -

~04978~
manner around a row o~ wheels, such as wheel 2 shown in dotted lines.
These wheels support the body of a vehicle partly shown at 3.
Each illustrated lln~ 1 i5 made of a single length of wire
which i~ bent into a generally U-shape configuration~ as sesn in top
view, as in Figure 3. Each link 1 includes oppo its co-planar end portions
4 and an intermediate portion 5. The latter extends transversely of the
endless track and is bent sinusoidally and lie in a plane which is nearly
p~rpendicular to the plane containing end pQrtions 4 to form a wheel
tread-engaging concave central portion 6 and a pair of conve~ portions
7 at opposite sides respectively of the concave central portion.
Portions 6 and 7 are interconnected by leg~ 6~ which are slightly diverg-
ing in a direction away fro~ central portion 6.
Leg~ 6' form wheel guide~ extending on each side of the wheels
2. The intermediste portion 5 of each link further includes a second
pair of legs 7~ e~ch forming an exto~sion o~ each convex portion 7
and in turn extendod by ~ ~hort outer pivot portion ô longitudinally
pro~e¢ting transvers21y of the endlesæ track at substantially the level
of conca~e central portion 6 and each between the cQrresponding leg 7~ :
and end portion 4,
The two end portions 4 of each link 1 pro~ect endwise on
one side and away from the afore-mentioned plane of the intermediate
portion 5. Each end portlon 4 proJeets endwise from the outer end of
an outer end portio~ 8 nearly orthogonal to the common plane defined by
the corresponding intermediate portion 5.
The end portions ~ of each liDk are bent transversely inward
relative to the endless track fr~m the outer ends;of the corre~ponding
intermedi~te portions ~. ~ach end portion 4 forms a hook 9 at its outer
end, which~ due to the bending of the end portions, engages or hooks o~ -
the ¢orrespondiDg outer end portion 8 Qf the next link 1.
The hooks 9 are thus laterally restrained each between the
3 - :-
:

1049785
corresponding leg 7' and end portion 4 of the next link.
Ref~rring to the drawings, it will be noted that the distance
between the conca~e portion 6 and each of the convex portions 7 i9 equal
to at least o.6 times the distance betwuen the outer end portions 4. It
therefore follows that the wheel guides are ~ufficiently high to positively
prevent the track from comi~g off the wheels of the vehicle, even if the
endless track i9 loose and there i9 no track tensioning means on the toy.
.