This invention relates to toys adapted to move upon a surface and which include means to house an animal, such as a mouse, which animal provides the motive power for the toy .

The natural pleasure which children obtain from playing with animals, such as with dogs in ball games and watching mice in treadmills, is extended by this invention to combine with the pleasure which children obtain from self-propelled toys, such as motor cars and the like. The motive power hitherto used for self-propelled car like toys has varied from small internal combustion engines (in sophisticated toys) to clockwork mechanisms and battery powered electric motors. Whilst the foregoing power sources provide predictable performance for the toy there is often a feeling of lack of participation (on the part of the user) in the operation of the toy, except for those very sophisticated toys which are remotely controllable by radio signal or other means.

The present invention provides a simple toy with an unpredictable performance, because of the nature of the power source, but allows the user to participate in the operation of the vehicle by encouraging the animal housed in the toy to exercise or walk and so provide the motive

power for the toy .

In broad terms the invention can be said to comprise an animal propelled wheeled toy having a body, a plurality of wheels mounted on the body, an animal treadmill to hold an animal captive, said treadmill being mounted on the body so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the axes of rotation of the wheels, said treadmill having door means to allow an animal to be placed in and removed from the treadmill, said toy being propellable along a surface by the transfer of energy applied to the treadmill to said surface through said treadmill.

A presently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Fig.l is a side view of a racing car toy according to the invention,

Fig.2 is a plan view of the toy illustrated in Fig.l,

Fig.3 is a front end view of the toy illustrated in Fig.l, and :-

Fig.4 is an enlarged side view of ^" the animal treadmill used to propel the toy.

As illustrated there is a body 1 for a toy racing car on which there are mounted two parallel axles 2 and 3 with wheel pairs 4 and 5 fixed thereto or rotatably mounted thereon. There is an opening 6 through the body to house

an animal treadmill 7.

The treadmill 7 is comprised of interconnected disc like sides 8 and 9 with stub axles 10 and 11 projecting therefrom. The stub axles 10 and 11 are housed in notches 12 and 13 respectively in upstanding lugs 14 and 15 on the toy body 1. The stub axles 10 and 11 are held captive in the notches 12 and 13 by cap members 16 and 17 rotatable secured to posts 18 and 19. The cap members 16- and 17 include flanges 20 and 21 respectively with cut outs 22 and 23 whereby, when the caps are rotated to align the cut outs 22 and 23 with the stub axles 10 and 11 the latter may be raised from engagement with the notches 12 and 13 in the lugs 14 and 15.

The centre height from the axis of rotation of the stub axles lϋ and 11 to the surface S upon which the wheels 4 and 5 are adapted to sit is marginally less than the diameter of the treadmill so that the periphery of the treadmill when mounted on the body 1 will bear upon the surface S. It follows that as an animal, such as a mouse, housed in the treadmill walks along the bars 24 joining the treadmill sides 8 and 9 the treadmill will rotate and the periphery thereof will move relative to the surface S thereby causing the body 1 to move forwardly or backwardly ,depending upon the direction the animal is facing in the treadmill.

To animal is loaded into the treadmill through a door 25

conprises of two side frame members 26 linked by bars 24 and pivoted at first ends at 27 to the trea-dmill sides 8 and 9. The other ends of the members 26 are-, notched as at 28 so as to be a snap over fit onto the bar 24a thereby retaining the door 25 closed. To allow improved visibility of the animal in the treadmill there are observation panels over openings 29 in opposite sides of the treadmill at positions ninety degrees out of phase. The observation panels are preferably made from clear plastic sheet material and they also serve to retain the animal in the treadmill. More than two observation panels may be provided if desired. One or more of the observation panels may have releasable connections to the treadmill to allow an animal to be loaded into the treadmill or removed therefrom through an opening 29.

Whilst the foregoing description has been concerned with the direct drive of the toy body by contact between the periphery of the treadmill and the surface S it is also possible to drive the toy through the wheels 4 and 5 as by arranging the periphery of the treadmill to engage upon a friction wheel mounted on one or both of the axles 2 and 3. The wheels 4 and 5 in such an arrangement would be fixed to the axles 2 and 3.

In a more positive arrangement a belt could be used to connect the treadmill stub axle(s) to one or other of the axles 2 or 3. In another, still more positive arrangement, toothed wheels on the axles 2 and 3 could be provided so

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that the teeth thereof are engaged with the bars 24 of the treadmill or by gear means fixed to the treadmill or its supporting stub axles(s). In both of these arrangements rotation of the treadmill would result in rotation of the axles 2 and/or 3 and the wheels fixed thereto.

In the three alternate arrangements set out above the periphery of the treadmill would not need to bear on the surface S. Although a cylindrical treadmill is desirable for a number of reasons it will be clear that for some of the alternate arrangements for energy transfer to the wheels 4 and/or 5 a treadmill of another shape would be possible.