United States Patent 1191
`4,736,648
`[11] Patent Number:
`[45] Date of Patent:
`Perego
`Apr. 12, 1988
`
`[54] SPEED CONTROL FOR VEHICLES FOR
`CHILDREN
`
`[75]
`
`Inventor: Gianluea Perego, Arcore, Italy
`
`[73] Assignee:
`
`Peg Perego Pines S.p.A., Italy
`
`[21] Appl. No.: 27,157
`
`[22] Filed:
`
`Mar. 11, 1937
`
`4,639,646
`
`11’1911'1l Harris et al.
`
`313/139
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`52-53330 4/197? Japan
`630496 10/1949 United Kingdom
`
`Tit/4301?.
`ISO/65.1
`
`Primary Examiner—Allan D. Herrmatm
`Attorney. Agent. or Firm—McGiew and Tuttle
`
`[30]
`
`Foreign Application Priority Data
`
`[s1]
`
`ABSTRACI‘
`
`Mar. 21. 1986 [m 11.4131
`
`21314/86[U]
`
`Int. 01.4 .......................... (1056 1/14; 360K 1/00
`[51}
`{52] us. Cl. ..................................... 14/474; 14/4135;
`14/430 R; 14/512; 74/312; 130/311; 313/109;
`313/139
`[53} Field of Search ....... . .......... 14/414, 413.5, 480 R.
`14/512, 312, 313; 192/0093; 130/651;
`313/109, 139
`
`[56]
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`846,376 3/ 1901' Adams
`3,135,234
`6/1964- Turnidge
`4,077,233 3/ 1978 Hammond
`
`...... 74/430 R
`
`
`..... 192/0398
`
`14/480 R X
`
`A speed control for children's vehicles driven by a
`battery powered electric motor comprises, in combina-
`tion: a first lever that can be moved between a first
`
`position controlling tow speed power supply and a
`second position corresponding to a high Speed, and a
`second lever that can be moved between a first and
`second position controlling forward and reverse vehicle
`movement respectively. Between the said two levers
`provision is made for rigid reciprocal connection means
`acting unidirectionally between the said first and second
`levers so as to take the first lever to its first position
`when the second lever is taken to its second position.
`
`2 Claims, 2 Drawing Sheets
`
`
`
`
`
`1
`
`Mattel Ex. 2002
`Mattel Ex. 2002
`Dynacraft v. Mattel
`Dynacraft v. Mattel
`|PR2018-00040
`IPR2018-00040
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Apr. 12,1988
`
`Sheet 1 of2
`
`4,736,648
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`2
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Apr. 12, 1933
`
`Sheet 2 of2
`
`4,736,648
`
`
`
`3
`
`

`

`- 1
`
`SPEED CONTROL FOR VEHICLES FOR
`CHILDREN
`
`4,736,648
`
`2
`The feet 20, 21 cooperate respectively with a change-
`over switch 22 and with a reversing switch 23 which
`are part of an electric control circuit which is per se
`known and therefore not shown in detail.
`The change-over switch 22 can be moved between
`two stable positions, in which the batteries feeding the
`electric motor of the vehicle are connected in parallel
`and in series respectively; the parallel connection (FIG.
`2) corresponds to the first speed (lower) while the series
`connection (FIG. 3) coresponds to the second speed
`(higher). A comparable effect can be obtained by re-
`spective connection of disconnection of resistors.
`The reversing switch 23 is normally in the stable
`vehicle forward direction position (FIG. 2) and can be
`shifted to the instable reverse direction position (FIG.
`4), in which the electric motor feed current polarities
`are inverted.
`
`Charactefistically, respective tongues 24, 25 extend
`radially from the arms 16, 17 of the levers 14, 15; these
`tongues cooperate with each other in the manner de~
`scribed below.
`When the levers 14, 15 are disposed in the position
`shown in FIG. 1. the vehicle moves forward at a low
`speed; the gear control lever 14 can be considered as
`bottom gear.
`If it is wished to increase speed, the lever 14 is moved
`to the position shown in FIG. 3 (second gear) so as to
`act
`through the intermediary of its foot 20 on the
`change-over switch 22 which places the vehicle electric
`motor feed batteries in series connection. In this condi-
`tion the tongues 24, 25 are adjacent to each other.
`If the driver of the children‘s vehicle decides to en—
`gage reverse gear with the vehicle moving at a rela-
`tively high speed, it Will be seen that, by moving the
`lever 15 from the position shown in FIG. 3 to the posi-
`tion shown in FIG. 4, the tongue 25 will act upon the
`tongue 24, thus causing the lever 14 to shift automati-
`cally to the low speed position (bottom gear). This
`makes it possible to prevent damage to the electric
`motor and also sudden reverse and forward accelera-
`tions of the vehicle, which could cause the child to fall
`out of the vehicle.
`
`The first and second gear or speed position of the
`lever 14 can be stable and determined by the same elas-
`tic means that determine the positions of thechange-
`over switch 22.
`
`The lever 14, on the other hand, can advantageously
`always be shifted by the elastic means of the reversing
`switch 23 into the forward direction position (FIGS.
`1-3), as soon as the manual action of the child on the
`lever 14 has terminated.
`I claim:
`1. A speed control for children’s vehicles driven by a
`battery powered electric motor of the type comprising,
`in combination: a first lever that can be moved between
`
`a first position controlling low speed power supply and
`a second position corresponding to a high speed, and a
`second lever that can be moved between a first and
`second position controlling forward and reverse vehicle
`movement respectively, wherein provision is made be-
`tween the said two levers for rigid reciprocal connec-
`tion means acting unidirectionally between the said first
`and second levers so as to take the first lever to its first
`position when the second lever is taken to its second
`position.
`2. A speed control as described in claim 1, wherein
`the connection means consist of a pair of radial tongues
`projecting respectively from the said two levers.
`i
`t
`I
`‘
`t
`
`The present invention relates to an improved speed
`control for children’s vehicles driven by a battery pow-
`ered electric motor.
`Children’s vehicles of the said type are known which
`have a speed control comprising a first and second
`speed lever applicable respectively to a gearbox
`proper—for example first and second gear—and to
`reverse gear.
`Speed controls of such kind suffer from the disadvan-
`tage that the reverse gear can be engaged by the chil-
`dren while the vehicle is at top speed.
`As well as damaging the motor, this causes sudden
`decelerations and accelerations in reverse gear which
`can result even in serious falls.
`The object of the present invention is to obviate the
`aforesaid disadvantages by embodying a speed control
`for children’s vehicles in which, when reverse gear is
`engaged, the gearbox goes automatically into the lower
`gear.
`To achieve this object the invention embodies a gear
`control for children’s vehicles driven by a battery pow-
`ered electric motor, of the type comprising, in combina-
`tion: a first lever that can be moved between a first
`position controlling slow speed power supply and a
`second position corresponding to a high speed, and a
`second lever than can be moved between a first and a
`second position controlling forward and reverse vehicle
`mOVement respectively, wherein provision is made be-
`tween the said two levers for rigid reciprocal connect-
`ing means acting unidirectionally between the said first
`and second levers so as to take the first lever into its first
`position when the second is taken into its second posi-
`tion.
`The said connection means preferably consist of a
`pair of radial tongues projecting respectively from the
`said two levers.
`The structural and functional characteristics of the
`invention, and its advantages, will become more appar-
`ent from an examination of the following description
`referred to the appended drawings, which show an
`example of a gear control device embodied according
`to the innovatory principles of the invention.
`In the drawings:
`FIG. 1 is a front eleVation showing a device embod-
`ied in accordance with the invention;
`FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the same device as in
`FIG. 1 in a first operative position;
`FIG. 3 is a partially sectional particular showing the
`device in a second operative position; and
`FIG. 4 is a particular as in FIG. 3, but showing the
`device in a third, provisional operative position before it
`returns to the same position as is shown in FIG. 2.
`With reference to the drawings, the speed control
`device in question is indicated overall by 1|] and com-
`prises a box-shaped body 11 defining a plurality of forks
`12, 12. 12 (the intermediate one being in common) to
`which, through a single pivot 13, are pivoted two levers
`14, 15. The lever 14 relates to the gearbox of the chil-
`dren’s vehicle, whereas the lever 15 serves to change
`the direction of the vehicle from forward to reverse
`(FIGS. 1 and 2).
`Each of the levers 14, 15 consist of an arm 16, 17
`which at one free end has a grip 18, 19 and at the oppo—
`site end a foot 20, 21.
`'
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`5
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`10
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`15
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`25
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`30
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`35
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`45
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`50
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`55
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`65
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`4
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