CONVERTIBLE TOY TRUCK
A modular toy vehicle design having a universal mating system between the main chassis body and front end of the vehicle and the rear end body portion that is transformable such that multiple rear end body styles will interchangeably mate with one or multiple main chassis body and front end designs and where electrical interfaces can be automatically established between the main chassis body and front end and the rear end body portion simply by mating and aligning the two together. The design allows for an electrical connection to be made in the process of mechanically mating and aligning the main chassis body and front end of a toy vehicle to its rear end body portion. The main chassis body and front end can have what can be referred to as a flatbed portion, where the flat bed can have opposing longitudinally extending substantially upright side edges where each side edge can have a recessed groove or track extending along its length. The rear end body portion can have a cutout creating a forward and a bottom opening sufficiently large to receive the flatbed portion there through.
1 . A modular toy vehicle comprising:
a simulated front end cab portion and main body chassis, where said cab portion has a rearwardly exposed rearward facing rim, said rearward facing rim having a first contour;
a flat bed portion attached over a rearward chassis portion of the main body chassis rearward of said cab portion, where said flat bed has opposing substantially upright longitudinally extending side edges, where each of said side edges have lengthwise inwardly recessed grooves; and
a back end body shell portion defining a cavity with an opening having a forward facing rim, said forward facing run having a second contour matingly conforming to said first contour and said opening sufficiently sized to receive the flat bed there in and said back end body shell portion having opposing substantially upright interior side wall portions space apart on opposing sides of said cavity to receive the opposing side edges of the flatbed there between and said interior side wall portions each having inwardly extending protrusions, where said protrusions are positioned and sized to slidably engage within and along the lengthwise inwardly recessed grooves, such that when the protrusions have traveled to the forward most portion of the groove, the second contour of the forward facing rim and the first contour of the rearward facing rim are adjacent.
2 . The modular toy vehicle as recited in claim 1 , where the lengthwise inwardly recessed grooves each have an outwardly extending detent along a front portion of said groove and within the groove for retaining the back end once the inwardly extending protrusion have traveled over the detent.
3 . The modular toy vehicle as recited in claim 2 , where the lengthwise inwardly recessed grooves each have an outwardly extending stop at a front most portion of said groove and within the groove for stopping the forward travel of the back end as the back end slidably engages the flat bed once the inwardly extending protrusions have traveled to the forward most portion of the groove.
4 . A modular toy vehicle comprising:
a simulated front end cab portion and main body chassis;
a flat bed portion attached over a rearward chassis portion of the main body chassis rearward of said cab portion, where said flat bed has opposing substantially upright longitudinally extending side edges, where each of said side edges have lengthwise inwardly recessed grooves; and
a back end body shell portion defining a cavity with an opening and said opening sufficiently sized to receive the flat bed there in and said back end body shell portion having opposing substantially upright interior side wall portions space apart on opposing sides of said cavity to receive the opposing side edges of the flatbed there between and said interior side wall portions each having inwardly extending protrusions, where said protrusions are positioned and sized to slidably engage within and along the lengthwise inwardly recessed grooves, such that when the protrusions have traveled to the forward most portion of the groove.
5 . The modular toy vehicle as recited in claim 4 , where the lengthwise inwardly recessed grooves each have an outwardly extending detent along a front portion of said groove and within the groove for retaining the back end once the inwardly extending protrusion have traveled over the detent.
6 . The modular toy vehicle as recited in claim 5 , where the lengthwise inwardly recessed grooves each have an outwardly extending stop at a front most portion of said groove and within the groove for stopping the forward travel of the back end as the back end slidably engages the flat bed once the inwardly extending protrusions have traveled to the forward most portion of the groove.
7 . A method for making a modular toy vehicle comprising the steps of:
providing a simulated front end cab portion and main body chassis and a flat bed portion attached over a rearward chassis portion of the main body chassis rearward of said cab portion, where said flat bed has opposing substantially upright longitudinally extending side edges, where each of said side edges have lengthwise inwardly recessed grooves; and
providing a back end body shell portion defining a cavity with an opening and said opening sufficiently sized to receive the flat bed there in and said back end body shell portion having opposing substantially upright interior side wall portions space apart on opposing sides of said cavity to receive the opposing side edges of the flatbed there between and said interior side wall portions each having inwardly extending protrusions;
slidably engaging the protrusions within and along the lengthwise inwardly recessed grooves, to the forward most portion of the groove.
8 . The method as recited in claim 7 , where the lengthwise inwardly recessed grooves each have an outwardly extending detent along a front portion of said groove and within the groove for retaining the back end once the inwardly extending protrusions have traveled over the detent.
9 . The method as recited in claim 8 , where the lengthwise inwardly recessed grooves each have an outwardly extending stop at a front most portion of said groove and within the groove for stopping the forward travel of the back end as the back end slidably engages the flat bed once the inwardly extending protrusions have traveled to the forward most portion of the groove.