Toy That Can Travel and Can Generate Suction

The present disclosure relates generally to toys that can travel and can generate suction so as to enable the toy to travel along walls and optionally to travel along ceilings, and more particularly to toy vehicles that can travel and generate suction.

In electrically-powered toy vehicles, the size and cost of the electric motors available for use in these vehicles has dramatically decreased, while the power of the motors have either increased or remained the same. The smaller motors are lighter and use less energy than earlier motors. Due to the decrease in weight and power requirements, toys can now be designed and manufactured that would have been impossible only a few decades ago. One such toy design is the suction wall climber toy that includes a fan powered by a small, lightweight motor. The fan draws air in from the bottom of the toy, which creates a low-pressure zone under the toy. The low-pressure zone is sufficient enough to hold the weight of the toy against a flat surface and consequently, the toy can drive up walls and can even run inverted along a ceiling.

The prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,803 to Urakami, entitled Device Capable Of Suction Adhering To A Wall Surface And Moving Therealong; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0144624 to Clark, entitled Wall Racer Toy Vehicle; U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,591 to Raviv, entitled Vehicle With Vacuum Traction; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,194,032 to Garfinkel, entitled Mobile Toy With Zero-Gravity System, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,371,898 to Sinisi, entitled Suction Wall Climbing Toy With Articulated Body Segments.

A problem associated with suction toys is that of weight. The suction created by the toy must be sufficient to counteract the weight of the toy. In this manner, the toy will not fall from of a ceiling or wall. However, the toy must contain a fan, wheels, drive motors, control circuits, and batteries. Furthermore, the toy must contain a housing strong enough to protect these elements from repeated falls from a ceiling or wall to a floor. Consequently, when designing a suction toy, every effort is made to minimize the size and weight of the components. The result is a small fragile toy that contains no auxiliary or extraneous elements that would increase the mass of the toy. Consequently, prior art suction toys tend to have very spartan, lightweight bodies.

Another problem relates to weight balance. It has been observed that some suction toys of the prior art, particular toys with only one front drive wheel positioned on one side of the toy's body and one rear drive wheel positioned on the other side of the toy's body, can exhibit steering that differs from side to side. In other words, driving the suction toy along a wall and steering right will result in a sharper or less sharp right turn, than driving the section toy along the wall and steering left.

It is therefore an object of the disclosure to address this and/or other shortcomings of prior art devices.

According to an aspect, there is provided a suction-generating toy, comprising a chassis having a bottom surface with at least one opening formed thereon, a motorized fan element that is fluidly coupled to the at least one opening and that is structured to draw air into the at least one opening for producing a low-pressure region thereabout, a first limb element that is pivotably attached to the chassis for pivoting between first and second rotational positions, a first drive assembly that includes: a first drive motor, a first primary drive wheel that is rotatably connected to the first drive motor and that is positioned to engage a surface for propelling the suction-generating toy along the surface, a first auxiliary wheel that is rotatably connected to the first drive motor, and a first linkage element that includes a first end that is connected to an eccentric portion of the first auxiliary wheel such that as the first auxiliary wheel is driven to rotate by the first drive motor, the first end of the first linkage element moves through a first path of motion, and a second end that is coupled to the first limb element such that as the first end moves through the first path of motion, the first linkage element drives the first limb element to pivot between the first and second rotational positions, wherein the first drive motor and first primary drive wheel are disposed on a first lateral side of the chassis, about a longitudinal axis of the chassis that passes through a center of gravity of the suction-generating toy, and wherein the first auxiliary wheel and the first linkage element are disposed on a second lateral side of the chassis that is opposite the first lateral side of the chassis so as to at least partially offset a moment exerted by a weight of the first primary drive wheel about the longitudinal axis of the chassis when the suction-generating toy is in a selected orientation on the surface.

For simplicity and clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the Figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment or embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described herein. It should be understood at the outset that, although exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the figures and described below, the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the exemplary implementations and techniques illustrated in the drawings and described below.

Various terms used throughout the present description may be read and understood as follows, unless the context indicates otherwise: “or” as used throughout is inclusive, as though written “and/or”; singular articles and pronouns as used throughout include their plural forms, and vice versa; similarly, gendered pronouns include their counterpart pronouns so that pronouns should not be understood as limiting anything described herein to use, implementation, performance, etc. by a single gender; “exemplary” should be understood as “illustrative” or “exemplifying” and not necessarily as “preferred” over other embodiments. Further definitions for terms may be set out herein; these may apply to prior and subsequent instances of those terms, as will be understood from a reading of the present description. It will also be noted that the use of the term “a” or “an” will be understood to denote “at least one” in all instances unless explicitly stated otherwise or unless it would be understood to be obvious that it must mean “one.”

As used herein, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed as being inclusive and open ended, and not exclusive. Specifically, when used in the specification and claims, the terms “comprises” and “comprising,” and variations thereof mean the specified features, steps or components are included. These terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps, or components.

As used herein, the terms “about” and “approximately” are meant to cover variations that may exist in the upper and lower limits of the ranges of values, such as variations in properties, parameters, and dimensions.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the systems, apparatuses, and methods described herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, the components of the systems and apparatuses may be integrated or separated. Moreover, the operations of the systems and apparatuses disclosed herein may be performed by more, fewer, or other components and the methods described may include more, fewer, or other steps. Additionally, steps may be performed in any suitable order. As used in this document, “each” refers to each member of a set or each member of a subset of a set.

The embodiments described herein are exemplary (e.g., in terms of materials, shapes, dimensions, and constructional details) and do not limit by the claims appended hereto and any amendments made thereto. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that there are yet more alternative implementations and modifications possible, and that the following examples are only illustrations of one or more implementations. The scope of the disclosure, therefore, is only to be limited by the claims appended hereto and any amendments made thereto.

Referring to, there is provided a suction-generating toyaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For greater certainty, the term ‘suction-generating toy’ is intended to refer to a toy that can travel and can generate suction so as to enable it to travel along walls and optionally to travel along ceilings. The suction-generating toymay still be referred to as a suction-generating toy even when it is not operating, simply due to the fact that it possesses the ability to generate suction when it is operating. In other words, at any given time the suction-generating toyis still to be considered to be a suction-generating toy regardless of whether it is operating to generate suction at that time, or whether it is not operating to generate suction at that time.

In this embodiment, the suction-generating toyincludes a chassishaving a bottom surface with at least one openingformed thereon, and a motorized fan elementthat is fluidly coupled to the at least one openingand that is structured to draw air into the at least one openingfor producing a low-pressure region thereabout. The suction-generating toyalso includes a first limb elementthat is pivotably attached to the chassis for pivoting between first and second rotational positions (see, respectively), and a first drive assembly. The first drive assembly includes a first drive motor, a first primary drive wheelthat is rotatably connected to the first drive motorand that is positioned to engage a surface(S) for propelling the suction-generating toyalong the surface (S), and a first auxiliary wheelthat is rotatably connected to the first drive motor. The first drive motormay thus be said to be operatively connected to the first primary drive wheeland to the first auxiliary wheel. The first drive motormay be operatively connected to the first primary drive wheeland to the first auxiliary wheelvia an optionally provided first gear arrangementin embodiments where the output speed of the first drive motoris adjusted down to the desired output speeds of the first primary drive wheeland the first auxiliary wheel. Alternatively, any other suitable speed reduction arrangement could be used instead of the first gear arrangementto adjust the speed of the first drive motordown to the desired output speeds of the first primary drive wheeland the first auxiliary wheel.

The first drive assembly also includes a first linkage elementthat has a first endthat is connected to an eccentric portion of the first auxiliary wheelsuch that as the first auxiliary wheelis driven to rotate by the first drive motor, the first endof the first linkage elementmoves through a first path of motion, and a second endthat is coupled to the first limb elementsuch that as the first endmoves through the first path of motion, the first linkage elementdrives the first limb elementto pivot between the first and second rotational positions. As shown inspecifically, the first drive motorand first primary drive wheelare disposed on a first lateral side (I) of the chassis, about a longitudinal axis (L) of the chassisthat passes through a center of gravity (COG) of the suction-generating toy, and the first auxiliary wheeland the first linkage elementare disposed on a second lateral side (I) of the chassisthat is opposite the first lateral side (I) of the chassisso as to at least partially offset a moment applied by a weight of the first primary drive wheelabout the longitudinal axis (L) of the chassiswhen the suction-generating toyis in a selected orientation on the surface(S).

In an additional embodiment such as shown inthe first primary drive wheelis disposed on a first side of the first drive motor, and the first auxiliary wheelis disposed on a second side of the first drive motoropposite the first side of the first drive motor.

In an embodiment such as shown in, the first primary drive wheelhas a textured drive surfaceto facilitate more secure engagement between the surface(S) and first primary drive wheelwhen driving the suction-generating toyalong the surface(S).

As provided above, the suction-generating toyincludes the chassis, and the chassisis structured to support the various other elements of the suction-generating toyas disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the chassisfunctions as a support, base frame for the suction-generating toy, and the chassisincludes a main chassis frame. The chassisalso includes the bottom surface on which the at least one openingis positioned.

In the specific embodiment provided in, the chassisincludes a bottom platethat is mounted to the main frame of the chassis. The bottom platehas a substantially rectangular shape, and the bottom surface of the chassisis defined on a bottommost surface of the bottom plate. The at least one openingis centrally positioned on the bottommost surface of the bottom plateand extends up through the bottom plate.

In an embodiment such as provided in, the structure of the chassisof the suction-generating toyis shown with the bottom plateremoved such that the interior of the chassisis exposed. In this specific embodiment, the interior of the chassisincludes a forward chassis section, a rearward chassis section, and a number of mounting armsthat extend out from the forward and rearward chassis sections to support the motorized fan elementon the chassis.

In an additional embodiment, the chassisincludes a flexible skirtelement that is connected to the bottom surface of the chassisand extends at least partially around a periphery of the bottom surface. The flexible skirtdefines a periphery around the low-pressure region which is produced by the motorized fan element.

In the specific embodiment provided in, the flexible skirtis mounted on the bottom plateand extends downwardly from the bottom plate. The flexible skirtextends around the rectangular peripheral edge of the bottom plate. The flexible skirtis formed as a non-continuous skirtwhere, at specific points along the length of the flexible skirt, breaches are formed in the flexible skirtthat enable air to flow past the flexible skirtand into the low-pressure region from one or more directions. The position and the size of the breaches in the flexible skirtcan be selected to control the flow rate of air that is able to flow past the flexible skirt.

In an additional embodiment, the chassisdefines a fluid conduit therewithin, where the fluid conduit is in fluid connection with the at least one openingthat is formed through the bottom plateof the chassis. The motorized fan elementincludes a fanthat is mounted within the fluid conduit in the chassis, and a fan motorwith an output shaft (not shown) on which the fanis mounted. The fanof the motorized fan elementis structured to be driven by the fan motorof the motorized fan elementto draw air up from a region that is defined below the bottom plate. It will therefore be understood that, when the motorized fan elementis activated, the fanof the motorized fan elementwill draw air up into the fluid conduit and create the low-pressure region below the suction-generating toy. The pressure differential between the low-pressure region and the regions surrounding the low-pressure region is determined by the thrust power of the motorized fan elementand the air permeability of the skirt(when a bottom edge of the skirtis contacting the surface(S), and the surface(S) is a suitably flat surface). When this pressure differential is great enough to generate a suction force with a magnitude that is sufficiently high to overcome a force of gravity acting on the suction-generating toywhen the suction-generating toyis on a surface(S) that is vertical or is inverted (such as a wall or a ceiling), then the suction-generating toycan self-adhere to the surface(S). Worded another way, in some embodiments, the motorized fan elementis operable to generate a suction force to hold the suction-generating toyto a surface(S) that is vertical (such as a wall). in some further embodiments, the motorized fan elementis operable to generate a suction force to hold the suction-generating toyto a surface(S) that is inverted (such as a ceiling).

In an embodiment, the suction-generating toyincludes a toy housingthat is connected onto the chassisand that is structured to provide some distinguishable form or figure to the chassisand to the overall form of the suction-generating toy.

In the specific embodiment provided in, the suction-generating toyis structured to resemble a gecko and to have a gecko-like form. In this embodiment, toy housingis structured to resemble the torso of a gecko.

In an embodiment such as shown in, the suction-generating toyfurther comprises a second limb elementthat is pivotably attached to the chassis for pivoting between third and fourth rotational positions (see, respectively). The second limb elementcan be provided as part of the suction-generating toyto, for example, depict one or more hind limbs of an animal that the suction-generating toyis formed to resemble (i.e., a gecko).

In an additional embodiment such as shown in, the suction-generating toyis structured such that a first longitudinal side (III) of the chassisof the suction-generating toyis defined about a lateral axis (L) of the chassisthat passes through the center of gravity of the suction-generating toy. In the same way, a second longitudinal side (IV) of the chassisthat is defined about the lateral axis (L) of the chassisis positioned opposite the first longitudinal side (III).

In another additional embodiment such as shown in, the first limb elementis pivotably connected to the first longitudinal side (III) of the chassis, and the second limb elementis pivotally connected to the second longitudinal side (IV) of the chassis. In the specific embodiment provided in, the first limb elementis pivotably connected proximate a frontmost end of the chassisof the suction-generating toy, and the second limb elementis pivotably connected proximate a rearmost end of the chassis.

In yet another additional embodiment, the suction-generating toyis structured to drive the motion of each of the first limb elementand second limb elementin concert such that when the first limb elementis in the first rotational position, the second limb elementis in the third rotational position, and when the first limb elementis in the second rotational position, the second limb elementis in the fourth rotational position. For example, each of the first drive motorof the first drive assembly and a second drive motorof a second drive assembly that drives a motion of the second limb elementcan be controlled by the same controller element of the suction-generating toy.

The second drive motormay be said to be operatively connected to the second primary drive wheeland to the second auxiliary wheel. The second drive motormay be operatively connected to the second primary drive wheeland to the second auxiliary wheelvia an optionally provided second gear arrangementin embodiments where the output speed of the second drive motorneeds to be adjusted down to the desired output speeds of the second primary drive wheeland the second auxiliary wheel. Alternatively, any other suitable speed reduction arrangement could be used instead of the second gear arrangementto adjust the speed of the second drive motordown to the desired output speeds of the second primary drive wheeland the second auxiliary wheel.

In the specific embodiment shown in, the first rotational position of the first limb elementis defined at a position where an angle (A) between an axis of the first limb elementthat passes through a centrepoint of the first limb element, and an axis (L) that is parallel to the lateral axis (L) of the suction-generating toyis approximately equal to zero. The second rotational position of the first limb elementis defined at a position where the angle (A) between the axis of the first limb elementthat passes through a centrepoint of the first limb element, and the lateral axis (L) of the suction-generating toyis greater than zero and in a clockwise direction. Similarly, the third rotational position of the second limb elementis defined at a position where an angle (A) between an axis of the second limb elementthat passes through a centrepoint of the second limb element, and another axis (L) that is parallel to the lateral axis (L) of the suction-generating toyis approximately equal to zero. The fourth rotational position of the second limb elementis defined at a position where the angle (A) between the axis of the second limb elementthat passes through a centrepoint of the second limb element, and the another axis (L) that is parallel to the lateral axis (L) of the suction-generating toyis greater than zero and in a counterclockwise direction.

In the specific embodiment provided in, each of first and second limb element,are formed to have a pair of opposing end members, where each opposing end member of the pair of opposing end members is shaped as a leg and foot such that each of first and second limb elements,define a pair of legs of the gecko-shaped toy. In this way, the first limb elementdefines a pair of front legs and the second limb elementdefines a pair of hind legs of the gecko-shaped toy.

In an additional embodiment, each of the first and second limb elements,are formed as contiguous structures, and each of the first and second limb elements,include a pivot structure for pivotably connecting each of the respective first and second limb elements,to the chassisof the suction-generating toy.

In the specific embodiment provided in, the pivot structure of the first limb elementincludes a first pivot structure, where the first pivot structurehas a generally cylindrical structure and is formed to be pivotably connected to the chassis. The opposing end members of the first limb elementare connected to opposing sides of the first pivot structureand extend outward therefrom. Similarly, the pivot structure of the second limb elementincludes a second pivot structure, where the second pivot structurealso has a generally cylindrical structure and is formed to be pivotably connected to the chassis. The opposing end members of the second limb elementare connected to opposing sides of the second pivot structureand extend outward therefrom. Each of the first limb elementand second limb elementare formed as hollow limb elements such that the first limb elementhas a hollow underside, and the second limb elementhas a hollow underside. By providing each of the first and second limb elements,with the hollow undersides,, the overall weight of the suction-generating toyis reduced, thereby requiring less suction to be generated by the motorized fan elementfor suctioning the suction-generating toyagainst the surface(S).

In an additional embodiment such as shown in, the chassisincludes a first pivot flangethat extends outwards from the chassis, and that is structured to pivotably support each of the head elementand first limb element, and to thereby form part of the first pivot assemblytherewith. Similarly, in an embodiment such as shown in, the chassisalso includes a second pivot flangethat extends outwards from the chassis, and that is structured to pivotably support each of the tail elementand second limb element, and to thereby form part of the second pivot assemblytherewith.

In the specific embodiment provided in, the first pivot flangeextends out proximate the frontmost end of the chassis, and the second pivot flangeextends out proximate the rearmost end of the chassis. In the first pivot assembly, the head pivot flangeis pivotably connected on top of the first pivot flange, and the first pivot structureof the first limb elementis pivotably connected to a bottom side of the first pivot flange. Similarly, the tail pivot flangeis pivotably connected on top of the second pivot flange, and the second pivot structureof the second limb elementis pivotably connected to a bottom side of the second pivot flange

In an embodiment such as shown in, the suction-generating toyis structured with a second wheel element on which the suction-generating toyis supported. This second wheel element can function either as an idler wheel that will simply be driven to rotate as the suction-generating toyis driven by the first primary drive wheel, or it can function as a second primary drive wheel. In the embodiments where the second wheel element of the suction-generating toyfunctions as the second primary drive wheel, the second primary drive wheelis positioned on the chassis for engaging the surface(S) to thereby propel the suction-generating toyalong the surface(S).

In an embodiment such as shown in, the second primary drive wheelalso has a textured drive surfaceto facilitate more secure engagement between the surface(S) and second primary drive wheelwhen driving the suction-generating toyalong the surface(S).

In an embodiment, the steering control of the suction-generating toyas disclosed herein is primarily driven by “skid steering”. Because the first primary drive wheeland second primary drive wheel(when present) are fixed on the first and second shafts,, the suction-generating toycannot be steered by angling the first and second primary drive wheels,in different directions. Instead, the suction-generating toyis steered by turning and/or varying a speed of either the first or second sides of the suction-generating toyvia at least one of the first and second primary drive wheels,. For driving the suction-generating toyto turn and/or pivot, the first primary drive wheeland/or second primary drive wheelare controlled to rotate in opposing directions so that the suction-generating toyturns in either first or second rotational directions, thereby causing the first and second primary drive wheels,to drag—or skid—across the surface(S) such that the suction-generating toysteer turns.

It will be noted that, in some prior art devices such as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,371,898, there is a first drive motor towards the front of the vehicle, and a second drive motor towards the rear of the vehicle, wherein the first and second drive motors are entirely on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Additionally, any linkage connecting each motor to a limb of a simulated character is on the same side of the longitudinal axis as the drive motor. As a result, there is a relatively large amount of unoffset weight at the front of the vehicle on one side of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and a similarly large amount of unoffset weight at the rear of the vehicle on another side of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. As a result of these asymmetrically positioned weights, it is possible that, when driving the vehicle along a wall, steering the vehicle to the left would result in a different response than steering the vehicle to the right, thereby making the vehicle difficult to control with any precision. When it is stated that there is unoffset weight at the front of the vehicle on one side of the longitudinal axis, it refers to a weight at the front of the vehicle on one side of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, for which there is no equivalent weight at the front of the vehicle on the other side of the longitudinal axis. In general, an unoffset weight at some point along the length of the vehicle on one side of the longitudinal axis, refers to a weight at that point along the length of the vehicle on one side of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, for which there is no equivalent weight at that point along the length of the vehicle on the other side of the longitudinal axis.

By contrast, in the suction-generating toyof the present disclosure, there is at least one feature that results in a reduction in the amount of unoffset weight that is on one side (e.g. the second side (II)) of the longitudinal axis Lat the front of the suction-generating toyand a reduction in the amount of unoffset weight that is on the other side (e.g. the first side (I)) of the longitudinal axis Lat the rear of the suction-generating toy.

The at least one feature includes at least one of: the position of the first drive motor, and in embodiments where provided, the position of the second drive motor; and the position of the first auxiliary wheeland of the first linkage element, and in embodiments where provided, the position of the second auxiliary wheeland of the second linkage element.

With respect to the position of the first drive motor, it will be noted that a first portionof the first drive motoris positioned on the first side (I) of the longitudinal axis L, and a second portionof the first drive motoris positioned on the second side (II) of the longitudinal axis L. With respect to the position of the second drive motor, it will be noted that a first portionof the second drive motoris positioned on the first side (I) of the longitudinal axis L, and a second portionof the second drive motoris positioned on the second side (II) of the longitudinal axis L. It will be noted that, in some embodiments in which there is provided both the first and second drive motorsand, it is possible for only the first drive motorto be positioned such that a first portionis positioned on the first side (I) of the longitudinal axis L, and a second portionis positioned on the second side (II) of the longitudinal axis L.

With respect to the position of the first auxiliary wheeland of the first linkage element, it will be noted that the first auxiliary wheeland the first linkage elementare positioned on an opposite side of the longitudinal axis Lto the first drive wheel. It will further be noted that the first drive wheelis positioned at a first drive wheel longitudinal position along the length of the suction-generating toyand the first auxiliary wheelis positioned at a first auxiliary wheel longitudinal position along the length of the suction-generating toy, that is the same as the first drive wheel longitudinal position. It will further be noted that the first linkage elementis positioned farther laterally from the longitudinal axis Lis than the first gear arrangement. As a result, even though the first linkage elementweighs less than the first gear arrangement, the first linkage elementhas an improved capability to offset the weight of the first gear arrangement.

Similarly, it will be noted that the second auxiliary wheeland the second linkage elementare positioned on an opposite side of the longitudinal axis Lto the second primary drive wheel. It will further be noted that the second primary drive wheelis positioned at a second primary drive wheel longitudinal position along the length of the suction-generating toyand the second auxiliary wheelis positioned at a second auxiliary wheel longitudinal position along the length of the suction-generating toy, that is the same as the second primary drive wheel longitudinal position. It will further be noted that the second linkage elementis positioned farther laterally from the longitudinal axis Lis than the second gear arrangement. As a result, even though the second linkage elementweighs less than the second gear arrangement, the second linkage elementhas an improved capability to offset the weight of the second gear arrangementwhen steering the suction-generating toyleft or right, particularly when the suction-generating toyis oriented directly upwards or directly downwards on a wall.

It will be noted that providing the at least one feature described above, the suction-generating toyis more likely to exhibit similar responsiveness when steering left as when turning right, particularly from an initial orientation of the suction-generating toythat is directly upwards or directly downwards on a wall.

In an additional embodiment such as shown in, the suction-generating toyincludes a pair of pivot bodiesthat extend down past the bottom surface of the chassisas defined on the bottommost surface of the bottom plate. In this way, a bottommost point of each of the pair of pivot bodiesis positioned below the bottom surface of the chassis. By positioning the pivot bodiesin this way, each of the pair of pivot bodiesfunctions as a pivot point that supports the suction-generating toyon the surface(S) such that the toycan more stably pivot and “skid” when at least one of the first primary drive wheeland second primary drive wheeldrives the suction-generating toyto turn/pivot in the first or second rotational directions. As described above, the steering control of the suction-generating toyis primarily “skid steering” control. By providing the pair of pivot bodiesthat extend below the bottom surface of the chassis, the suction-generating toywill be partially supported on the pair of pivot bodiesas the suction-generating toyskid turns in either the first or second rotational directions.

In the specific embodiment provided in, the pair of pivot bodiesare mounted to the chassisand extend down through openings in the mounting platesuch that the bottommost portions of the pair of pivot bodiesare disposed below the bottommost surface of the mounting plate. The bottommost portions of the pair of pivot bodiesare formed as substantially convex surfaces to facilitate more smooth pivoting of the pair of pivot bodieson the surface(S). The pair of pivot bodiesare disposed at diagonally opposite positions on the mounting platesuch that the pair of pivot bodiesare equally spaced apart relative to both the longitudinal axis (L) of the chassis and the lateral axis (L) of the chassis.

In an embodiment such as shown in, the first primary drive wheelis disposed on the first lateral side (I) of the chassis, and the second primary drive wheelis disposed on the second lateral side (II) of the chassis, opposite the first lateral side (I). Furthermore, the suction-generating toyis structured such that the second primary drive wheelis longitudinally spaced apart from the first primary drive wheelalong the length of the suction-generating toy.