What is claimed is:
1. A jump rope device comprising
a pair of stations disposed in mirror-image facing relation to each other, each station having a pair of rotatable mechanisms for receiving and turning a pair of ropes in opposite directions to each other and a pair of motors for rotating said mechanisms;
synchronization means in each station for synchronizing the rotation of said rotatable mechanisms; and
electronic means in each station for controlling the speed of rotation of each rotatable mechanism.
2. A jump rope device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said synchronization means includes a pair of gears, each gear being disposed in a respective motor of at least one of said stations and having a hole therein to indicate a position of said respective motor; a pair of photogates, each photogate being positioned for sensing the passage of said hole in a respective gear during rotation of said respective motor and gear and emitting a corresponding signal indicative thereof; and a microcontroller operatively connected to each said photogate to receive said signal and for turning said motors relative to each other into a fixed relative synchronized position.
3. A jump rope device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said electronic means includes a dual closed loop control system.
4. A jump rope device as set forth in claim 1 wherein each motor is a DC motor.
5. A jump rope device as set forth in claim 1 which further comprises an electronic means for setting up a modulated infrared beam between said stations, and a microchip for monitoring said beam and being operatively connected to said motors to deactivate said motors in response to a detection of an interruption in said beam.
6. A jump rope device as set forth in claim 1 which further comprises a remote control safety switch for use by a user to deactivate said motors.
7. A jump rope device as set forth in claim 1 wherein each station includes a housing having said pair of motors therein and a collapsible tripod support supporting said housing thereon.
8. A jump rope device as set forth in claim 7 wherein each station includes means for anchoring said tripod support to a floor.
9. A jump rope device as set forth in claim 8 wherein said means for anchoring includes a suction cup for engaging a floor and a turnbuckle securing said suction cup to said tripod support.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A toy land vehicle, comprising:
a vehicle body;
a motor mounted in said body;
a wheel shaft operatively connected to said motor and extending to the side of said body; and
a wheel mounted on an end portion of said wheel shaft, wherein said wheel shaft includes a polygon shaped wheel driving element that is countersunk into an inner portion of said wheel having a complimentary polygon shaped recess, and a locking nut secured on said shaft that holds said wheel against said wheel driving element,
wherein rotation of said wheel shaft by said motor causes rotation of said wheel driving element, which in turn causes rotation of said wheel as a result of said wheel driving element being countersunk into an inner portion of said wheel.
2. The toy land vehicle of claim 1, wherein said wheel driving element is a lug nut that is screwed onto a threaded portion of said wheel shaft prior to installing said wheel on said shaft.
3. The toy land vehicle of claim 2, wherein said lug nut has a hexagon shape.
4. The toy land vehicle of claim 1, wherein said locking nut is removable from said wheel shaft to enable the wheel to be removed therefrom.
5. The toy land vehicle of claim 1, wherein said wheel shaft is in a form of a bolt.
6. The toy land vehicle of claim 1, wherein said motor is a miniaturized electric motor.
7. The toy land vehicle of claim 1, wherein said wheel shaft is operatively connected to said motor by a power transfer element that transfers power from said motor to said wheel shaft, wherein said power transfer element includes a polygon shaped recess and an end portion of said wheel shaft includes a polygon shaped head that fits into said polygon shaped recess in a manner that enables rotation of said transfer element to cause rotation of said wheel shaft.
8. The toy land vehicle of claim 7, wherein said polygon shaped recess has a hexagon shape and said polygon shaped head of said wheel shaft has a complimentary hexagon shape.