ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 29 -- United States Patent no. 12,208,339, issued on Jan. 28.
"Elastic launching car toys" was invented by Alex Prieto (Kowloon, Hong Kong).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Toys having a rigid inner chassis and an outer body made of a very elastic and deformable material, elastomer are disclosed. The outer body of the car, when pulled back and released, enables the transfer of force directly to the wheels. The back of the chassis acts as a guide for the car. It is the point where the user's hand rests and guides its forward propulsion. Thus, the vehicle moves forward thanks to the combination of the elastic material of the outer body and the rigid chassis that holds the whe...