BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a trackset having tracks on the floor, ceiling and vertical walls of a room in which a child is playing with the trackset according to this invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1 generally identifies one or more powered toy cars mounted on a trackway having a plurality of tracks 12 mounted on a horizontal floor 14, a horizontal ceiling 16, and vertical walls 18, 20 of a room in which a child is playing. As shown, the trackway is a closed circuit, but the tracks could be laid only on one or more of the horizontal and vertical mounting surfaces of the room, as described below. Each track 12 is preferably made of a flexible material so that the track can be bent into an arcuate shape, such as arc 22, to span the distance between the horizontal floor and the vertical room walls, or between the horizontal ceiling and the vertical room walls. Each track has a predetermined length, for example, eighteen inches, and successive tracks are interconnected by a snap-on connector 25 that overlaps the ends of the successive tracks.
The toy car 10 has wheels 26 and, at its underside, as best seen in FIG. 2, a pair of permanent magnets 28, 30 is mounted. A ferromagnetic material, such as a metal strip 32, as best seen in FIG. 3, is embedded in the track. Thus, the car 10 is magnetically attracted to the track and is held in position against the track by the force of the magnetic attraction.
As also best seen in FIG. 3, a double-sided tape 34 is mounted between the track and any or all of the mounting surfaces 14, 16, 18, 20. The tape 34 has an upper adhesive 36 for adhering the track to the tape, and a lower adhesive 38 for adhering the track to the mounting surface. Preferably, each adhesive is not a permanent adhesive and is pressure-sensitive. The tape 34 can be continuous, that is, extending along the entire length of the trackway, or preferably, is a plurality of tape portions, as shown in FIG. 2, spaced apart lengthwise of the trackway.
In use, the tracks 12 are mounted on the room walls 18, 20 and the ceiling 16 with the aid of the tape 34. Tape can also be used to mount the tracks on the floor 14, but this is not necessary. The powered car 10 travels along the trackway and climbs up and down the room walls, and across the ceiling, without falling under the influence of gravity due to the magnetic attraction between the permanent magnets 28, 30 and the strip 32. The force of magnetic attraction is greater than the force of gravity. The propulsion force of the car 10 is greater than the force of the magnetic attraction.
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, also may find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.
While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a toy car trackset, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the tracks could also be mounted on a steeply inclined surface.
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.
What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.
Patent Application
20080064295
