Launcher for a toy glider

Abstract

A method for making an affordable toy glider and launcher with intrinsic cross-sectional strength and extended useful life, each made from a sheet of corrugated paperboard. The sheets have a patterned layout of a complete set of glider and launcher parts that are printed on a printable side of the corrugated paperboard. All parts are precut and retained in place. The central body (fuselage) has two mirror imaged sides foldable along scored guide lines to form a three sided “U” shaped structure. A nose pack with coin weights used for balance, is placed at the nose section between the sides. A wing and stabilizer cutouts are inserted in slots with tabs used to center and fix the cutouts in place. Included is a pistol grip launcher which is universal in its use for launching all types of toy gliders.

Description

[0001]This is a Divisional application of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 096,977, filed on Mar. 13, 2002, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002](1) Technical Field[0003]This invention relates generally to toys that fly, and more particularly, to a hand launched gliding apparatus. It also relates to a launching apparatus.[0004](2) Description of the Prior Art[0005]The ability to fly like a bird is an ancient aspiration of mankind. The first person to take a scientific approach to human flight was Leonardo Da Vinci. His designs included three types of aircraft, the omithopter, helicopter, and glider. However, his designs required human power to fly, thus was impractical.[0006]Building and flying stick models has been and still is an excellent way to learn about glider construction and the basics of flying objects. This is the method used by aviation's pioneers, and the skill is still basic to building free flight and ra...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]A primary object of the present invention is to offer the consumer an affordable toy glider and launcher with excellent durability and performance.

[0010]Another object of the present invention is to reduce the manufacturing costs for a toy glider and launcher without sacrificing its structural durability or glide capability.

[0013]Yet another object of the invention is to provide a compact package containing a series of glider models and a launcher in a cutout, punch-out format, for ease of assembly within minutes.

[0014]Accordingly, the present invention includes a novel hand launched glider. All of its parts are punch cut from corrugated paperboard. The fuselage pattern, when folded along pre-scored guidelines, transforms into a “U” shaped central body forming a channel configuration with intrinsic cross-sectional strength. The two uprights have the same profile, showing the silhouette and reproduction of the glider model. Each side has cutout slots, positioned in line, for inserting a wing and horizontal stabilizer. A laminated corrugated paperboard nose pack, which includes a cavity for adding a coin weight, is placed and fixed between the two sides at the nose portion of the “U” shaped body. A portion in the nose pack extends below the body portion preventing the nose pack from being forced rearward during a crash. In addition to serving as a nose weight to permit level flight, the nose pack has excellent impact absorption characteristics guaranteeing a longer life for the gliding object. The proposed embodiment includes a tab-in-slot solution placed along the front-to-back centerline of the wing and the horizontal stabilizer to ensure that the wing and horizontal stabilizer maintain a perfectly centered position relative to the central body, thereby eliminating the need to make adjustments between flights. The tabs are inserted after the wing and horizontal stabilizer have been inserted to effectively trap both the wing and horizontal stabilizer in a centered position inside the uprights of the “U” shaped structure. Score lines at each wing tip provide adjustment to the wing for changing various aspects to gliding.

Problems solved by technology

However, his designs required human power to fly, thus was impractical.

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