Patent Application
20110263176
Toy sets with relay segments have been popular for many years and generally include one or more track sections arranged to form a path around which one or more toy vehicles can travel. Toy vehicles which may be used on such track sets may be either self-powered vehicles or may receive power from an external source. In order to increase play value of the track sets, various track amusement features have been added to the track sets. For example, track features, such as stunt devices or elements, including loops, jumps, collision intersections, etc., have been included in such track sets to increase the play value of the track sets.
However, with many track sets, the vehicles run on a closed loop track moving through the same track features lap after lap. Although such track sets may have one or more stunt devices, a vehicle in the track set may perform the same stunt over and over as it travels along the track. Thus, even in track sets with more than one stunt device, the motion of the vehicle generally remains consistent for each vehicle as it travels along a specific section of the track. This repetitive nature of vehicle travel may result in loss of interest in the track set over a short period of time.
Some track sets have incorporated switching mechanisms to enable a user to direct a vehicle to a select travel path. However, generally such systems require manual manipulation of the track and/or manual actuation of a switch to reroute one or more vehicles traveling on the track. Play possibilities may be limited as travel along the select paths may again become repetitive over a short period of time.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a toy track set with interchangeable elements to provide numerous configurations.
In one embodiment, a linking toy segment for pivotal securement to another linking toy segment is provided, the linking toy segment having: a base structure; an actuatable device secured to the base structure, the actuatable device being capable of movement from a first position to a second position; a first coupling member secured to the base structure and extending away from the base structure in a first direction, the first coupling member being configured to be pivotally received on top of another coupling member; a second coupling member secured to the base structure and extending away from the base structure in a second direction, the first direction being different from the second direction, the second coupling member being configured to be pivotally secured underneath another coupling member; a trigger moveably secured to the base structure proximate to either the first coupling member or the second coupling member, the trigger being pivotally mounted to the base for movement between a first position and a second position; and wherein the actuatable device is moved from the first position to the second position when the trigger is moved from the first position to the second position.
In another exemplary embodiment, a toy set is provided the toy set having: a plurality of interchangeable linking segments each being configured for pivotal securement to each other, each linking segment having: a base structure; an actuatable device secured to the base structure, the actuatable device being capable of movement from a first position to a second position; a first coupling member secured to the base structure and extending away from the base structure in a first direction, the first coupling member being configured to be pivotally received on top of another coupling member; a second coupling member secured to the base structure and extending away from the base structure in a second direction, the first direction being different from the second direction, the second coupling member being configured to be pivotally secured underneath another coupling member of another one of the plurality of interchangeable linking segments; a trigger moveably secured to the base structure proximate to either the first coupling member or the second coupling member, the trigger being pivotally mounted to the base movement between a first position and a second position; and wherein the actuatable device is moved from the first position to the second position when the trigger is moved from the first position to the second position.
In still another exemplary embodiment, a method for pivotally coupling a plurality of toy relay segments together, the method including the steps of: securing either a first coupling member or a second coupling member of a first one of a plurality of interchangeable linking segments to either a first coupling member or a second coupling member of a second one of the plurality of interchangeable linking segments; wherein the first coupling member of the first one of the plurality of interchangeable linking segments is secured to a base structure and extends away from the base structure in a first direction and is configured to be pivotally received on top of the second coupling member of the second one of the plurality of interchangeable linking segments; wherein the second coupling member of the first one of the plurality of interchangeable linking segments is secured to the base structure and extends away from the base structure in a second direction and is configured to be pivotally received beneath the first coupling member of the second one of the plurality of interchangeable linking segments, the second direction being different from the first direction; and wherein an actuatable device is secured to each of the first one of the plurality of interchangeable linking segments and the second one of the plurality of interchangeable linking segments, each actuatable device being capable of movement from a first position to a second position and a trigger is moveably secured to each of the first one of the plurality of interchangeable linking segments and the second one of the plurality of interchangeable linking segments, each trigger being pivotally mounted for movement between a first position and a second position; and wherein the actuatable device of each of the plurality of interchangeable linking segments is moved from the first position to the second position when the trigger of the corresponding one of the plurality of interchangeable linking segments is moved from the first position to the second position.
In accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention a linking toy segment for pivotal securement to another linking toy segment is provided. In addition, a method for linking the toy segments together as well as a toy set comprising a plurality of linkable toy segments is provided.
Referring now to at least
Each toy segment 12, 14 has a first coupling member 24 secured to the base structure and extending away from the base structure in a first direction 26. In addition, each toy segment 12, 14 has a second coupling member 28 secured to the base structure and extending away from the base structure in a second direction 30, the first direction being different from the second direction.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first coupling member is configured to be pivotally received on top of another coupling member, namely the second coupling member of another toy segment. As such, the second coupling member is configured to be pivotally secured underneath another coupling member, namely a first coupling member of another toy segment.
In addition, each toy segment has a trigger 32 moveably secured to the base structure proximate to either the first coupling member or the second coupling member. The trigger is pivotally mounted to the base structure for movement between a first position 33 (
Movement of the trigger from the first position to the second position will cause the actuatable member to move or release the actuatable member from the first position towards the second position.
As illustrated in
Referring now to at least
It is, of course, understood that alternative coupling arrangements may be employed and exemplary embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the specific configurations illustrated herein. Accordingly, the central aperture and the plurality of flexible tabs are configured to releasably engage the shaft portion of another coupling member.
In addition, each second coupling member will have a base portion 45 configured to be rotatably received in an aperture 47 of each first coupling member to allow for the rotation or pivotal movement of the coupling members with respect to each other. Furthermore, this coupling arrangement allows the first coupling member to be pivotally secured to the second coupling member such that movement in the direction of arrows 48 is possible between segments coupled together. This movement allows the segments to be arranged in different angular positions while still being coupled together. Moreover and regardless of the angular arrangement of the two segments with respect to each other each segment is configured such that movement of the actuatable device to the second position will cause portion 36 to move the trigger to the second position.
In addition and in one non-limiting embodiment, each coupling member will have a plurality of peripheral tab portions 49 extending from a peripheral portion of the coupling member. As illustrated in the FIGS. the peripheral tab portions of the first coupling member are located towards an upper surface of the first coupling member and the peripheral tab portions of the second coupling member are located towards the bottom of the second coupling member. Accordingly and when the first coupling member is pivotally secured to the second coupling member the positioning of the tabs upper and lower allows a users fingers to grab the tabs and pull the second coupling member from the first coupling member.
In one non-limiting embodiment the trigger has a platform portion 50 and an arm member 52 secured to the platform portion at one end and pivotally secured to the base structure at the other end. In one embodiment, the trigger is spring biased into the first position by a spring 54 positioned in the base portion.
In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, the actuatable devices may be theme or character related in that each actuatable device is a character or is representative of a story line in a book, movie, play, television show or any other form of media. Furthermore each actuatable device may perform additional actions as it transitions from the first position to the second position. For example and as illustrated in
Also shown in
In this embodiment, relay segment 12 has a two part function/sequence, release of an object, which moves from one position to another and then the object causes a portion to move another trigger coupled thereto. Accordingly and in this embodiment, there is a slight time delay between triggering events, which allows the action sequence to be played out.
Exemplary embodiments allow a plurality of toy relay segments to be releasably and pivotally secured other relay segments via coupling members of the relay segments, each being configured to be releasably secured to another coupling member such that the securement of the relay segments together positions the actuatable device to move a trigger of another relay segment coupled thereto.
Thus the various embodiments provide for customizable toy sets wherein a plurality of interchangeable relay segments, each of which may be releasably and pivotally coupled to each other, allow a user to create a customized expandable set. The relay segments may include one or more stunt elements and may be selectively positioned at the beginning, middle, or end of the track set. Each relay segment may be configured to enable a toy vehicle or object to traverse an obstacle and/or perform a stunt and launch the toy vehicle down a track towards another relay segment, which then may initiate a second vehicle or object to be released and traverse still another obstacle and/or perform still another stunt.
A user may customize the track by positioning the relay segments in desired portions of the track. In one embodiment, a plurality of relay segments may be sequentially coupled together with a plurality of track segments to generate a series of relay events. The series of events, which may include various stunt elements, can be rearranged in a plurality of sequences and/or parallel paths to provide numerous play patterns. In this way, a user can experience diverse track play and excitement time and time again.
While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
