Patent Application
20200054954
The present invention is related to building toys, and more specifically, kits for designing and building marble run tracks.
Marble run toys known in the art have interconnecting track sections that may be arranged by a user in any of a plurality of designs. Once constructed, the track can define a downhill track through the various sections or modules. The interchangeable nature of the various module designs allow for the construction of many different marble run layouts.
In popular marble run kits, the vertical receiving tube 14 of each module is generally designed to directly physically connect to an exit tube 16 of an upstream module, thus allowing the marble to transition from module to module. In
Like many construction toys, the marble run kits currently available allow for creative play by enabling the user to construct the marble run (or multiple runs) in a multitude of configurations. Unlike many construction toys, however, the marble run kits have the added advantage providing an animated feedback of the player's design via movement of the marble. Accordingly, marble run kits have enjoyed pervasive success.
It would be advantageous to create a toy kit that builds on the advantages of the marble run kits with additional interactive feedback while preserving the appealing aspects of the original design.
At least one embodiment described herein contemplates a marble track piece that includes a marble-actuatable switching element, a lamp and/or speaker, and a drive circuit configured to cause the lamp to light and/or the speaker to emit sound, and a power source. Such an embodiment allows for the user to design the marble run, that includes visual and/or audible effects. In some embodiments, the effects may be controlled via wireless operation, for example, using infrared or Bluetooth transmission.
In a first embodiment, a triggered marble run module is intended for use with a plurality of physically interconnectable marble run modules. Each module retains a marble and guides the travel of the marble through the module on at least a first surface. The triggered marble run module includes a marble travel path, a marble actuated switch and an output circuit. The marble actuated switch has first and second terminals and is operably coupled to close a circuit between the first terminal and second terminal through the first terminal and the second terminal responsive to actuation by a marble traveling in proximity of the marble actuated switch. The output circuit generates at least one of a group consisting of an audio output, a visual output, and an RF signal output, responsive to formation of the closed circuit between the first terminal and the second terminal through the first and second spring elements.
In a second embodiment, a triggered marble run module is also intended for use with a plurality of physically interconnectable marble run modules. Each module retains a marble and guides the travel of the marble through the module on at least a first surface. The triggered marble run module includes a marble travel path and a switch. The switch has an actuator disposed at least in part in the marble path, a conductive first spring element electrically coupled to a first terminal, and a conductive second spring element electrically coupled to a second terminal. The first spring element has a first bias in which the first spring element and the second spring element form an open circuit between the first terminal and the second terminal. The actuator is operably coupled to cause the first spring element to overcome the first bias and form a closed circuit between the first terminal and the second terminal through the first and second spring elements.
The above-described features and advantages, as well as others, will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention is a marble run kit that includes a plurality of physically interconnectable marble run modules. Each module is configured to retain a marble and guide the travel of the marble through the module on at least a first surface. One or more of the marble modules is a module that generates a light display or an audible display responsive to actuation of a switch disposed on the first surface by contact with a marble. The other marble modules may suitably be traditional passive modules, for example, such as those shown in
To this end, the A/V module 200 includes an interconnectable track base 202, an output circuit 204 (see
The travel region 218 is in this embodiment a sloped, lateral, u-shaped marble channel configured to receive and guide a corresponding, suitable marble. A marble channel, as used herein, is a channel having a cross-sectional size and shape sufficient to retain a marble therein while a marble travels through the channel. The u-shaped marble channel of the travel region 218 has a cross-sectional diameter that is less than twice the diameter of a marble intended for use with the kit. In general, the marble channel of the travel region 218 includes a marble receiving surface 220 and an opposite bottom surface 222. The travel region 218 is configured to retain and guide the marble from the vertical receiving tube 212 to the exit tube 216. The receiving surface 220 of the channel slopes downward from the receiving tube 212 to the exit tube 216 to allow the marble to advance at least in part via gravity. The travel region 218 and receiving surface 220 in this embodiment extend into and/or under the vertical receiving tube 212 to catch the marble falling into the receiving tube 212 and direct the marble down the travel region 218.
The marble actuated switch 206 is a spring biased contact switch disposed in and through an opening 224 in the marble receiving surface 220. The marble actuated switch 206 has a first and a second position.
The track base 202 also includes a second vertical receiving tube 232 disposed above the exit tube 216, which allows for an alternative travel path of the marble. The second vertical receiving tube 232 is configured to attach to a corresponding exit tube of another module, such as any of the modules 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E or 18 of
The housing 205 is a container that is configured to support the output circuit 204. The output circuit 204 includes an electrical circuit that is configured to generate an audio and visual output. To this end, the output circuit 204 in this embodiment includes electrical circuitry, lights, a speaker and a power source, not shown in
Referring to
The first side 248 also includes a plurality of battery housings 262 that are configured to receive and fit coin cell batteries. In this embodiment the first side 248 includes three battery housings 262 (not all visible in
The printed circuit board 260 includes various electrical components, as well as conductive traces, not shown, for establishing the electrical connections discussed below in connection with
The marble actuated switch 206 is shown in
The axles 318 extend axially from either side of the rocker arm 316. One of the axles 318 is received and rotatably movable within the boss 294 of the second side 250 shown in
The support pillar 306 extends vertically in the interior 251 and secures the first and second contacts 308, 310 in a vertically spaced manner. Each of the spring contacts 308, 310 is an elongate conductive metal spring element that extends in a cantilevered manner from the support pillar 306 in the same lateral direction as the distal end of the rocker arm 316. Each of the spring contacts 308, 310 is electrically connected to, respectively, conductive terminals (or traces) 308a, 310a of the printed circuit board 260. Thus, when the spring contacts 308, 310 touch at the distal end, such as by operation of the rocker arm 316 (not shown in
The contacts 308, 310 are spring biased to be open-circuited, as shown in
It will be appreciated that the use of the rocker arm, cantilevered spring elements and the sloped button element 314 allow for the marble to both pass the switch 206 without stopping, and yet generate enough force to close the switch 206.
The integrated circuit 272, the switch 274, and the LEDs 258 may suitably be mounted on the printed circuit board 260. In this embodiment, the integrated circuit 272 includes a control circuit 282, an audio circuit including an audio synthesizer 284, and a memory 286. It will be appreciated, however, that in other embodiments the audio synthesizer 284, control circuit 282 and memory 286 maybe distributed across multiple integrated or stand-alone circuits. Moreover, it will be appreciated that the printed circuit board will also contain other circuit elements suitable to support the operation of the integrated circuit 272, as would be known in the art.
The memory 286 stores at least one audio signal, and preferably a plurality of audio signal sequences. The plurality of audio signal sequences can be representative of the audio sounds of various animal noises, various noises associated with space travel, and/or weapons, robots, or other groups of sounds associated with a particular kind predetermined subject matter.
The power source 270, which as discussed above is three coin-cell batteries, each 1.5 volts, is connected to the power input of the integrated circuit 272 through the on-off switch 274. The switch 206, as discussed above, is operably connected to close and open the connection between terminals 308a, 310a, which are also provided directly or indirectly to the integrated circuit 272. As shown in
The audio synthesizer 284 comprises any commercially available device configured to drive the speaker 256 to create audio signals. In some cases, external analog circuit elements may be required to be connected, as would be described by the data sheets of the integrated circuit 272. The audio synthesizer circuitry 284 is preferably configured to sequence through multiple different sound effect patterns that the speaker 256 broadcasts, based on the audio signal sequences stored in the memory 286.
The LEDs 258 are operably coupled to the integrated circuit 272 to be powered (and hence illuminate) in a predefined pattern. To this end, each LED 258 may be separately connected to and driven by the integrated circuit 272. The control circuit 282 is configured to, upon closing of the switch 206, execute a sequence of operations wherein the audio synthesizer 284 drives the speaker to play one of the sound effects, and the LEDs 258 illuminate in a predefined blinking pattern. The lights and sound sequence lasts on the order of a second or less, which ensures that the effect is noticeable, yet does not excessively drain the power source 270.
The control circuit 282 is operably programmed to cause different stored sound effects to play at different occurrences of the switch 206 closing. Specifically, the control circuit 282 is configured to, responsive to the formation of the closed circuit across the terminals 308a, 310a, cause the audio circuit 284 and speaker 256 to generate the audio output based on in part on a first audio signal sequence of the plurality of audio signal sequences stored in the memory 286. The control circuit 282 is further configured to, responsive to the formation of a subsequent closed circuit across the terminals 308a, 310a, cause the audio circuit 284 and speaker 256 to generate the audio output based on in part on a second (different) audio signal sequence of the plurality of audio signal sequences stored in the memory 286, and so forth. The control circuit 282 can also be programmed to provide different LED blinking sequences at different occurrences of the switch closing.
It will be appreciated that the output circuit 204 in other embodiments may include different sets of outputs. For example, in some embodiments, the output circuit may only be capable of provide visual output, such as lighting one or more LEDs. In one example, the switch 206 may suitably be connected directly in the power line from the battery to the LEDs. The output circuit 204 may alternatively include a logic circuit and a latch circuit configured to generate a lighting sequence of the LED lights. The output circuit 204 in still other embodiments may include no LEDs, only providing an audio output using the audio synthesizer 284 or any suitable battery-powered audio generator. The output circuit 204 may in other embodiments consist of, or include, an RF transmitter that generates an output RF transmission (or other wireless signal) responsive to the closing of the switch 206. The wireless signal may be received by another device, not shown, but which causes another action responsive to receipt of the wireless signal. In this manner, the marble actuation of the switch 206 may cause an action to take place on an entirely different module, or even some other device.
With contemporaneous reference to
The switch 274 in the operation described herein is placed in the closed position, such that the integrated circuit 272 receives electrical power from the power source 270. Although the module 200 may be used as a marble run module with the switch 274 in either the closed or open position, the switch is placed in the closed position to provide power to the integrate circuit 272 to activate the triggered A/V features of the module 200.
In the absence of a marble or any other external force, the actuator 314 of the switch 206 stands proud of the marble receiving surface 220, or in other words is in the first position, as shown in
When a marble exits the exit tube of the upstream module, and enters the vertical receiving tube 212, the marble falls to the marble receiving surface 220 of the travel region 218, and then is urged toward exit tube 216 by gravity and/or momentum. As the marble travels toward the exit tube 216 on the marble receiving surface 220, it engages the button actuator 314. The weight and/or momentum of the marble is translated through the rocker arm 316 and spacer 312 to the spring bias contact 308. The translated force overcomes the spring bias of the contact 308 (the actuator 314 goes into the second “closed” position) such that the contact 308 flexes and electrically contacts the spring biased contact 310, thereby closing the switch 206. When the marble passes by the button actuator, the bias of the spring bias contact 308 causes it to return to the first position shown in
Referring now to
In this embodiment, however the control circuit 282 performs a set of operations, responsive to detecting the closure of the switch 206, that create a sequence of lighting of the LEDs 258, and which cause the audio synthesizer 284 and speaker 256 to create an audible output using one of the audio signal sequences stored in the memory 286. The control circuit 282 in this embodiment maintains a counter, wherein each value of the counter corresponds to one of the plurality of audio signal sequences stored in the memory 286. The control circuit 282 causes the audio synthesizer 284 and speaker 256 to create an audible output corresponding to the audio signal sequence corresponding to the current counter value. The control circuit 282 thereafter increments the counter, so that a different sound is made the next time the switch 206 is closed.
Specifically,
To this end, the A/V module 400 includes an interconnectable track base 402, an output circuit 404, an assembly housing 405 and a marble actuated switch 406. The track base 402 includes a vertical receiving tube 412, an exit tube 416, and a travel region 418. The vertical receiving tube 412 includes a connecting portion 414 configured to directly physically connect to a corresponding exit tube of an upstream module. For example, the connecting portion 414 may suitably connect to any of the exit tubes 16 of
The travel region 418 is in this embodiment a sloped, lateral, u-shaped marble channel configured to receive and guide a corresponding, suitable marble, similar to travel region 218. In general, the marble channel of the travel region 418 includes a marble receiving surface 420 and an opposite bottom surface 422. The travel region 418 is configured to retain and guide the marble from the vertical receiving tube 412 to the exit tube 416. The receiving surface 420 of the channel slopes downward from the receiving tube 412 to the exit tube 416 to allow the marble to advance at least in part via gravity. The travel region 418 and receiving surface 420 in this embodiment extend into and/or under the vertical receiving tube 412 to catch the marble falling into the receiving tube 412 and direct the marble down the travel region 418.
The marble actuated switch 406 is a spring biased contact switch disposed in and through an opening 424 in the marble receiving surface 420. As shown in
As will be discussed below in detail, the switch 406 is spring biased towards the first position, but is configured to depress to the second position responsive to the weight (and/or falling force) of a standard toy marble, not shown. Thus, when a marble rolls over the switch 406, it transitions the switch 406 from the first position to the second position. As will be discussed below, the transition of the switch 406 from the first position to the second position triggers an audio visual display. However, it will be appreciated that switch 406 may alternative be used to trigger transmission of an RF signal to cause an action somewhere away from the module 406.
The housing 405 is a container that is configured to support the output circuit 404. The output circuit 404 may suitably be identical in function and structure to the output circuit 204 of
Referring to
The first side 448 also includes a plurality of battery housings 462 that are configured to receive and fit coin cell batteries. In this embodiment the first side 448 includes three battery housings 462 and three coin cell batteries, not visible. The battery housings 262 align with an access door similar to the access door 244 of
The printed circuit board 460 includes various electrical components, as well as conductive traces, not shown, for establishing the electrical connections discussed below above connection with
Referring now to the switch 406 of
The rocker arm 516 includes a hub 540, an actuator arm 542, and a counterbalance arm 544. The hub 540 is pivotably mounted to housing 405, and has a horizontal axis of rotation in the conventional orientation of the module 400. The actuator arm 542 extends in a first direction from the hub 540, and includes a vertical portion 542a that extends upward (forming an L-shaped arm) to connect to and support the button actuator 514. The counterbalance arm 544 extends in a second direction from the hub 540 that is largely opposite to the first direction, the counterbalance arm 544 being sized and arranged to sufficiently counterbalance the actuator arm 542 and button actuator 514.
The drive pillar 518 is fixedly attached to, and extends vertically downward from, the rocker arm 516. In this embodiment, the drive pillar 518 extends vertically downward from the hub 540 of the rocker arm 516 but other arrangements are possible. The drive pillar 518 includes an angled bottom surface 519 configured to engage the spacer 512. The angled bottom surface 519 engages the spacer 512 such that the rotational movement of the rocker arm 516 and drive pillar 518 translates to vertical downward movement of the first conductive spring contact 508.
The button actuator 514 extends upward from the distal end of the rocker arm actuator arm 542 and terminates in a top surface 524. A portion of the button actuator 514 extends through the opening 424 of the travel region 418 to expose the surface 524 to marbles on the marble receiving surface 420. (See also
Referring to the contact assembly 502, the support pillar 506 extends vertically in the interior 451 and secures the first and second contacts 508, 510 in a vertically spaced manner. Each of the spring contacts 508, 510 is an elongate conductive metal spring element that extends in a cantilevered manner from the support pillar 506 in the lateral direction. Each of the spring contacts 508, 510 is electrically connected to, respectively, conductive terminals (or traces) 508a, 510a of the printed circuit board 460. In this embodiment, the circuit board 460 is arranged such that the contacts 508, 510 may be directly soldered to the printed circuit board 460.
When the spring contacts 508, 510 touch at the distal end, such as by operation of the rocker arm 516, the contacts 508, 510 complete an electrical connection between terminals 508a and 510a. The spacer 512 is disposed above the top of the spring contact 508.
The contacts 508, 510 are spring biased to be open circuited, as shown in
It will be appreciated that the use of the rocker arm, cantilevered spring elements and the sloped button element 514 allow for the marble to both pass the switch 406 without stopping, and yet generate enough force to close the switch 406.
The terminals 508a, 510a may suitably be connected to the output circuit 204 of
It will be appreciated that the above described embodiments are merely exemplary and that those of ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own implementations and modifications that incorporate the principles of the present invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof. It will be appreciated that the embodiment described above may be employed with only audio effects, or only visual effects. It will be appreciated that other quantities of LEDs may be used.
In other embodiments, the travel regions 218 and/or 418 may take other shapes that are capable of guiding a marble from a receiving tube to an exit tube. By way of non-limiting example, the travel regions 218/418 may take the shape of the marble travel regions between the receiving tubes 14 and exit tubes 16 of any of the modules 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D and 11E of
In still other embodiments, the switch 206, 406 may be replaced with a wireless sensor, such as an infrared motion sensor, light sensor or the like.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/703,232, filed Jul. 25, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62703232 | Jul 2018 | US |
