Vibration Powered Toy

Abstract

An apparatus includes a housing, a rotational motor situated within the housing, an eccentric load adapted to be rotated by the rotational motor, and a plurality of legs each having a leg base and a leg tip at a distal end relative to the leg base. The legs are coupled to the housing at the leg base and include at least one driving leg constructed from a flexible material and configured to cause the apparatus to move in a direction generally defined by an offset between the leg base and the leg tip as the rotational motor rotates the eccentric load.

1 - 47 . (canceled) 
     
     
         48 . An apparatus comprising:
 a body;   a rotational motor coupled to the body;   an eccentric load, wherein the rotational motor is adapted to rotate the eccentric load; and   a plurality of legs each having a leg base and a leg tip at a distal end relative to the leg base including at least one leg on a first lateral side of the apparatus and at least one leg on a second lateral side of the apparatus, wherein the legs are coupled to the body at the leg base and include at least one driving leg configured to cause the apparatus to move in a direction generally defined by an offset between the leg base and the leg tip as the rotational motor rotates the eccentric load, wherein a distance between a plane defined by the leg tips and a longitudinal center of gravity of the apparatus is less than a distance between a leg tip of the at least one leg on the first lateral side of the apparatus and a leg tip of the at least one leg on the second lateral side of the apparatus.   
     
     
         49 . The apparatus of  claim 48  wherein the body includes a housing, the rotational motor and the eccentric load are situated within the housing, and the legs are coupled to the housing at the leg base. 
     
     
         50 . An apparatus comprising:
 a body;   a rotational motor coupled to the body, the rotational motor having an axis of rotation;   an eccentric load, wherein the rotational motor is adapted to rotate the eccentric load; and   a plurality of legs each having a leg base and a leg tip at a distal end relative to the leg base, wherein the legs are coupled to the body at the leg base and include at least one driving leg configured to cause the apparatus to move in a direction generally defined by an offset between the leg base and the leg tip as the rotational motor rotates the eccentric load, wherein the axis of rotation of the rotational motor passes approximately through a center of gravity of the apparatus.   
     
     
         51 . The apparatus of  claim 50  wherein the body includes a housing, the rotational motor and the eccentric load are situated within the housing, and the legs are coupled to the housing at the leg base. 
     
     
         52 . The apparatus of  claim 51  wherein the axis of rotation passes within 20% of the center of gravity of the apparatus as a percentage of the height of the apparatus. 
     
     
         53 . The apparatus of  claim 51  wherein the axis of rotation passes within about 6% of the center of gravity of the apparatus as a percentage of the height of the apparatus. 
     
     
         54 . The apparatus of  claim 51  wherein the axis of rotation of the rotational motor passes sufficiently close to the center of gravity of the apparatus to induce a substantially constant tendency for the apparatus to roll about the longitudinal center of gravity. 
     
     
         55 . The apparatus of  claim 54  wherein the housing is configured to facilitate rolling of the apparatus about the longitudinal center of gravity, based on a rotation of the eccentric load, when apparatus is on a substantially flat surface with the legs oriented in an upward direction. 
     
     
         56 . The apparatus of  claim 54  wherein the apparatus is configured to prevent the apparatus from resting in an inverted position on the substantially flat surface, wherein the inverted position is defined by the apparatus being in a position where the legs point in substantially an opposite direction from when the legs rest on the substantially flat surface. 
     
     
         57 . The apparatus of  claim 56  wherein the housing includes a shoulder on each lateral side and a top side that includes a protruding surface that extends above the shoulder on each lateral side when the apparatus is in an upright position. 
     
     
         58 . The apparatus of  claim 57  wherein a distance between the substantially flat surface and the longitudinal center of gravity is approximately the same as a distance between the protruding surface and the longitudinal center of gravity. 
     
     
         59 . The apparatus of  claim 50  wherein the distance between the center of gravity and the substantially flat surface is in a range of 50-80% of the value of a lateral stance, wherein the lateral stance is defined by a distance between outermost left and right legs. 
     
     
         60 . The apparatus of  claim 50  wherein a lateral distance between the eccentric load and the leg tip of the at least one driving leg is within a range of 50-150% of a length of the at least one driving leg. 
     
     
         61 . An apparatus comprising:
 a housing having a top side and a bottom side, wherein the top side includes a shoulder on each lateral side of the housing and a protruding surface extending above each shoulder when the apparatus is oriented with the top side facing up;   a rotational motor situated within the housing, the rotational motor having an axis of rotation;   an eccentric load, wherein the rotational motor is adapted to rotate the eccentric load; and   a plurality of legs each having a leg base and a leg tip at a distal end relative to the leg base, wherein the legs extend from the bottom side of the housing and are coupled to the housing at the leg base and include at least one driving leg configured to cause the apparatus to move in a direction generally defined by an offset between the leg base and the leg tip as the rotational motor rotates the eccentric load, wherein a center of gravity of the apparatus is within a range of 40-60% of the distance between a plane that passes through the leg tips of the plurality of legs and the protruding surface on the top side of the housing.   
     
     
         62 . The apparatus of  claim 61  wherein the leg base for each of the plurality of legs is above the center of gravity of the apparatus when the apparatus is oriented with the top side facing up. 
     
     
         63 . The apparatus of  claim 62  wherein an axis of rotation of the rotational motor passes within approximately 6% of a center of gravity of the apparatus as a percentage of the height of the apparatus. 
     
     
         64 . An apparatus comprising:
 a housing having a front end, rear end, top side, bottom side, and lateral sides, wherein the front end includes a nose adapted to contact obstacles as the apparatus moves in a forward direction and to have increased deformable resilience relative to the lateral sides of the housing;   a rotational motor situated within the housing, the rotational motor having an axis of rotation;   an eccentric load, wherein the rotational motor is adapted to rotate the eccentric load; and   a plurality of legs each having a leg base and a leg tip at a distal end relative to the leg base, wherein the legs are coupled to the housing at the leg base and include at least one driving leg configured to cause the apparatus to move in a direction generally defined by an offset between the leg base and the leg tip as the rotational motor rotates the eccentric load.   
     
     
         65 . The apparatus of  claim 64  wherein the nose is further adapted to cause the apparatus to deflect off of obstacles at an angle as the apparatus moves in a forward direction. 
     
     
         66 . The apparatus of  claim 65  wherein the nose includes a first surface extending toward a first lateral side of the nose and a second surface extending toward a second lateral side of the nose, wherein each of the first surface and the second surface are angled away from a forward direction of motion as the first surface and the second surface extend toward the lateral sides of the nose. 
     
     
         67 . The apparatus of  claim 66  wherein the first surface and the second surface substantially meet at a point at approximately a centerline of the nose. 
     
     
         68 - 144 . (canceled)