Steering mechanism for pop-up toys

Abstract

A collapsed steering and control mechanism for pop-up toy vehicles which mechanism is immediately operational after being popped up.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A steering and control mechanism for pop-up toy vehicles which, in a first folded position, is flat and, in a second popped up position, is operational for multi-directional steering.  
     
     
         2 . A mechanism in accordance with    claim 1    wherein said mechanism attached to a toy to be steered and wherein said mechanism is, when folded, of substantially similar thickness to said toy.  
     
     
         3 . A mechanism in accordance with    claim 2    wherein said mechanism, when folded, is of a thickness less than or equal to the thickness, when folded, of said toy.  
     
     
         4 . A mechanism in accordance with    claim 1   , wherein said mechanism is operable immediately after being moved from said first position to said second position, without further manual operations  
     
     
         5 . A mechanism in accordance with    claim 1   , wherein said mechanism is free of resistance to steering caused by interlocking, jamming, etc. in collapsing together or popping up in any desired steering position and is thereby protected from accidental damage during these manipulations.  
     
     
         6 . A mechanism in accordance with    claim 1   , wherein the mechanism includes 
 a foldable rectangular yoke with an opposed front wall and rear wall, an opposed right side wall and left sidewall, said opposed front and rear walls joined by flexible corners to said opposed side walls, said yoke being attached to the toy, and    a foldable steering member attached to said yoke for bending said yoke into a parallelogram by application of lateral force between one of said opposed walls of said yoke.    
     
     
         7 . A mechanism in accordance with    claim 5   , wherein said rectangularity is in a horizontal plane.  
     
     
         8 . A mechanism in accordance with    claim 6   , wherein a front and a rear wall of the yoke remain parallel throughout the steering movement, but move laterally relative to each other and a left side wall and a right side wall of said yoke incline relative to the toy to accommodate such lateral movement.  
     
     
         9 . A mechanism in accordance with    claim 7    wherein said steering member is attached to said front wall of said yoke and a front wall of said toy and is configured to apply lateral force on said front wall of said yoke relative to said front wall of said vehicle.  
     
     
         10 . A mechanism in accordance with    claim 8    wherein a right wheel is rotatably attached to said right side wall and a left wheel is rotatably attached to said left wall, so that when said steering member applies said lateral force and said right and left side walls incline, said wheels also incline to thereby steer the toy.  
     
     
         11 . A mechanism in accordance with    claim 7    wherein said steering member is attached to said rear wall of said yoke and a front wall of said toy and is configured to apply lateral force on said rear wall of said yoke relative to said front wall of said vehicle to move said rear wall of said yoke laterally relative to said vehicle.  
     
     
         12 . A mechanism in accordance with    claim 8    wherein a right wheel is rotatably attached to said right side wall and a left wheel is rotatably attached to said left wall, so that when said steering member applies said lateral force and said right and left side walls incline, said wheels also incline to thereby steer the toy  
     
     
         13 . A mechanism in accordance with    claim 1    wherein said steering member and yoke are cardboard.  
     
     
         14 . A mechanism in accordance with    claim 6    wherein 
 said steering member is disposed parallel to said side walls of said yoke and is attached to said front and rear wall of said yoke but not to said toy and  
 a small section of said left and right side walls of said yoke are attached by a flexible link, respectively, to a left side and right side of said toy, so that when said steering member is turned, said side walls turn in parallel to said steering member.  
 
     
     
         15 . The mechanism of    claim 1    is simple to manufacture.