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Wednesday, 26 February 2025

GOOD CITATIONS

 Somewhat bored waiting for toy parts to arrive I've been googling SpaceX patents.

I first saw Jack Rosenthal's fabulous US Golden Astronaut patents on my friend's Paul Vreede's lovely SpaceX website, on which they're all there.

https://triangspacextoys.info/SpGApapr/rUSptnts/rUSptnts.html

You can follow up on Google US patents too [there's more than one Jack Rosenthal here!]

https://patents.google.com/?inventor=Jack+Rosenthal

I thought it would be fun to look up the 'Other References' cited on the Cruiser 1 patent [image: Google USPO]


Here are the 'Other References' close up.

I couldn't find an image for Playthings April 1958 but I found the March edition showing the "Knickerbocker Moon Car", seen here top right.


I found Modern Plastics July 1953 and the so called 'space car', pictured at the top.


I couldn't find Technology Week and the 'lifting body' image.

I thought it would be interesting to compare the actual toys.

Golden Astronaut


Knickerbocker

Irwin


Has anyone else looked at any toy patents at all?
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8 comments:

  1. lewis p morley2/26/2025 8:17 pm

    Interesting detective work! This is the second Moonbase post today featuring a patent drawing for a toy.
    I'm a bit mystified as I thought Patents protected novel inventions. Both the SpaceX and Bandai Supersonic Airliner look more like registered designs, rather than novel inventions. I wonder if that was considered the same thing back in the US in the 50s and 60's?

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    1. WOODSY2/27/2025 11:28 am

      I'm not sure Looey. Jack Rosenthal is listed as 'inventor' of the Golden Astronaut toys on the Google Patents site summary of this toy. Paul V's site talks about these US and the UL counterparts in much more detail for each SpaceX/ GA toy.

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    2. WOODSY2/27/2025 11:28 am

      UL? I meant UK.

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  2. Paul Adams from New Zealand2/27/2025 5:17 am

    I wonder if that magazine should be Aviation Week and Space Technology ?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous2/27/2025 8:21 am

      Probably is Paul, but the site is sitting behind a paywall.
      https://archive.aviationweek.com/issue/19670313

      Delete
    2. WOODSY2/27/2025 11:30 am

      I did find a publication called Technology Week. I think it was a NASA thing. I couldn't find that particular one listed.

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  3. Anonymous2/27/2025 8:12 am

    I love that yellow Irwin toy, ive been after one for years but they are US only mostly. The great patent hunt, back in the day revealed loads of the spacex and major matt mason patent and the subsequent design registration search for SWORD and spacex is what uncovered the Hovertank. Besides this, there were loads of other toy patents to be seen, including a lot of interesting stuff, which seemingly didnt make it out of the office. Bill

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    1. WOODSY2/27/2025 11:35 am

      Sadly I wasn't part of the great SpaceX Patent hunt but I applaud the effort that you guys put in tracking them all down in various city libraries and archives back in the Noughties! Great job Bill and Paul V! I did a little bit of the same for SWORD and a couple of JR21 toys but not all. The SWORD Hover Tank documents you guys uncovered were just stunning and I'm still gobsmacked!

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