The present invention relates to a transmission mechanism for a music box having a plurality of ornaments coupled thereon, and especially to an ornamental display assembly having decorative elements rotated in opposite directions, which are actuated by a common power source.
Currently, various music box-incorporated ornamental display assemblies have been disclosed and have appeared on the market, such as carrousels or the like. These ornamental display assemblies are rotated or reciprocated by the drive mechanism of a wind-up music box mechanism through a transmission mechanism. However, conventional transmission mechanisms for use with wind-up music box mechanism are commonly complicated and expensive.
In addition, such kinds of devices are often provided with a plurality of decorative ornaments and may be provided with a mechanism, respectively, to cause the decorative ornament to move as the music drum rotates. The decorative ornament is usually mounted on a support member which is associated with the drive mechanism to provide the movement to the decorative ornament.
In order to provide reciprocating movement or rotational movement to different decorative objects of the ornamental display assembly, it is known to use an output shaft of the music drum to provide the power source for the reciprocating movement of a decorative element and to use the unwinding of spring to provide the rotational movement for a separative decorative ornament. When this concept is applied to a variety of movements of the decorative elements, separate drive mechanisms are required and the decorative elements must be laterally spaced apart on the ornamental display assembly. Such a placement inherently requires a complex drive system to provide the desired motion to the decorative ornaments and needs a larger space.
Thus, it is desirable to improve the defects of the prior arts.
It is one object of the present invention to provide a transmission mechanism for a music box ornament which is simple in structure and inexpensive to manufacture.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an ornamental display assembly having decorative elements rotated in opposite directions, which are actuated by a common power source.
In one preferred embodiment, the transmission mechanism for a music box having a plurality of ornaments coupled thereon includes a drive mechanism disposed in the music box and including a music box mechanism, a rotating device disposed on and driven by the music box mechanism, a first support member mounted on the drive mechanism for supporting a first ornament of the music box and coupled with the rotating device, and a second support member having one end coupled with a second ornament and the other end passing through an axle hole of the first support member and connected to a rotating shaft of the drive mechanism. When the drive mechanism is actuated, the first support member is driven by the rotating device while the second support member is rotated by the rotating shaft of the drive mechanism, thereby respectively causing the first and second ornaments to rotate in different manners.
In a specific embodiment, the transmission mechanism further includes a following device disposed on the drive mechanism and between the first support member and the rotating device for being coupled with the first support member and the rotating device to cause the first support member to rotate in a direction opposite to that of the second support member. The outer diameter of the second support member is slightly less than an inner diameter of the axle hole of the first support member such that the first support member is freely driven by the following device.
In addition, the transmission mechanism further includes a support plate mounted on the drive mechanism and having two lugs extending from one surface thereof corresponding to two holes of the drive mechanism, respectively, for securing the support plate on the drive mechanism, and a lug extending out of the other surface thereof for rotatably securing the following device thereon. Preferably, the following device is a following gear and the rotating device is an active gear, both of which can be engaged with each other.
The first support member includes an axle gear engaged with the following gear, a flange extended from one side of the axle gear for supporting the cover, and an axle journal extended around the axle hole of the first support member to be hitched on the rotating shaft of the drive mechanism. Preferably, the axle gear, the flange, and the axle journal are integrally formed together.
The present invention may best be understood through the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: