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 Posted - December 09 2008 : 11:43:42 AM
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Folks:
I was inspired by the PowerTorque variations thread, and did some searching in the US patent database...
PowerTorque, patent no. 3,918,198
MU-2, patent no. 3,009,425
You may need to install a TIFF plugin such as AlternaTIFF to view USPTO images.
Interesting trivia:
-The PowerTorque patent concentrates pretty heavily on the method of mounting (in a hollow shell), the snap-together assembly features, and especially the plastic gimbal mount, which makes sense, and the basic idea of a spur gear train isn't exactly new. 
-The MU-2 patent explicitly states the design's suitability for multiple-motoring (were twin-motor units ever sold?) and appears to cover rubber traction tires!
Both patents, of course, are now expired.
I suspect a lot of other Tyco products may have interesting patents.
Edited by - Autobus Prime on December 09 2008 11:46:07 AM
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Posted - December 09 2008 : 11:54:36 AM
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| Cool links...
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Posted - December 09 2008 : 7:48:15 PM
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Wow, that's pretty awesome stuff. Great thinking! I had meant to do something like this a year ago and just forgot about it. You get a gold... bolt. Or something.
Reading about the PT, its sad how the focus was completely on Low Cost. That came back to bite them. The PT was also for sale, I think, before the patent was actually issued. But this could also explain the temporary use of the Rivarossi drive for the C630.
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Posted - December 09 2008 : 11:54:41 PM
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Really nice find, Autobus. I tried their search function, and it's not exactly easy to come up with matches.
Tony, maybe we should put that exploded view of the PT truck & motor on the forum somewhere, since people are always asking for service tips. I know someone was asking for an exploded view a while back.
This paragraph from the summary of invention is of particular note:
"It is another object of the present invention to provide a traction system for model vehicles having the advantageous characteristics mentioned in the preceding paragraph, which assures optimum operating characteristics over a long and useful life, with a minimum of downtime for repairs, and wherein repairs can be quickly and easily effected without the need for special tools."
So what went wrong?  
The Tyco Depot
Edited by - NickelPlate759 on December 09 2008 11:55:28 PM
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Posted - December 10 2008 : 08:58:57 AM
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quote:Really nice find, Autobus. I tried their search function, and it's not exactly easy to come up with matches.
Tony, maybe we should put that exploded view of the PT truck & motor on the forum somewhere, since people are always asking for service tips. I know someone was asking for an exploded view a while back.
This paragraph from the summary of invention is of particular note:
"It is another object of the present invention to provide a traction system for model vehicles having the advantageous characteristics mentioned in the preceding paragraph, which assures optimum operating characteristics over a long and useful life, with a minimum of downtime for repairs, and wherein repairs can be quickly and easily effected without the need for special tools."
So what went wrong?
Originally posted by NickelPlate759-December 09 2008: 11:54:41 PM
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NP759:
:Happy:
Well, if you look at the previous paragraph to that quote, you'll see that the "advantageous characteristics" were "substantial savings in manufacturing costs", in production and assembly...cost is a huge factor where toys are concerned. I'm sure there's a huge inside story to be told here, if we could only find the right person to ask.
Their search function IS unhandy on pre-1976 patents, and later ones can be tricky, too, because of the unique patent-jargon. I find that the best way to find pre-76 image-only patents is to start with a possibly related patent, look at the referenced patent numbers (at the end or beginning of the document) and look those up. It's kind of weird to see just what the Big Inventions in model railroading are - they're not always what you expect, and because the USPTO apparently doesn't distinguish based on scale, a lot of them are 1:1 rail vehicles!
There has to be a ton of Tyco patents out there. Anybody care to look at the bottom of an accessory, to see if there's any patent number there?
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