EP1582242A1

EP1582242A1 - Sectional toy adapted for spinning, rolling, and bouncing games

Info

Publication number: EP1582242A1
Application number: EP04007996A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Kuo-Ching Liu
Original assignee: Glory Innovations Inc
Current assignee: Glory Innovations Inc
Priority date: 2004-04-01
Filing date: 2004-04-01
Publication date: 2005-10-05

Abstract

A sectional toy includes a spinning body (2) and a ring portion (1) fitted around the spinning body (2) to rotate along with the latter. Circumferential outer (13) and inner (16) surfaces of the ring portion are regularly or irregularly shaped outer rolling surface and inner engaging surface, respectively. The spinning body (2) includes a central shaft (22) and at least one spinning disc (21) put around the central shaft (22). The ring portion (1) serves as a weight to enable the spinning body (2) to spin like a top over a prolonged time, and the outer rolling surface (13) of the ring portion (1) enables the spinning body (2) to bounce while rolling on a surface, so that the sectional toy is adapted for spinning, rolling, and/or bouncing games.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a sectional toy, and more particularly to a sectional toy that is suitable for play in exciting spinning, rolling, and/or bouncing games to create a lot of fun.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The conventional spinning top have been constantly modified and improved to show various appearances and ways of playing. Figs. 8 and 9 illustrates a structurally very simple sectional top including a spinning disc 101 and a support shaft assembled from two shaft plates 102. The spinning disc 101 and the two shaft plates 102 are initially separable parts of a plastic board 10 formed on the plastic board 10 by way of, for example, pressing. The spinning disc 101 is formed at a center with a cross-shaped through hole 103 by way of punching. A user may remove the spinning disc 101 and the two shaft plates 102 from the plastic board 10, assembles the shaft plates 102 into a cross-sectioned support shaft, and extends the support shaft through the cross-shaped through hole 103 to assemble the support shaft to the spinning disc and thereby forms the sectional top. The sectional top so formed may be twisted at an upper end of the support shaft to quickly spin on a surface.
The above-described sectional top made of the plastic board is light in weight and tends to spin only over a relatively short time due to a low inertia force thereof. The plastic sectional top is also easily tilted over against wind or contact with external things. Therefore, the conventional plastic sectional top as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is only suitable for monotonously spinning on a surface but not for playing other games, and has low value in terms of recreational purpose.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a sectional toy that can spin, roll, and/or bounce on a surface over a prolonged time and is therefore suitable for playing various interesting and exciting games.
To achieve the above and other objects, the sectional toy according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a spinning body and a ring portion fitted around the spinning body to rotate along with the latter. Circumferential outer and inner surfaces of the ring portion are regularly or irregularly shaped outer rolling surface and inner engaging surface, respectively. The spinning body includes a central shaft and at least one spinning disc put around the central shaft. The ring portion serves as a weight to enable the spinning body to spin like a top over a prolonged time, and the outer rolling surface of the ring portion enables the spinning body to bounce while rolling, so that the sectional toy is adapted for spinning, rolling, and/or bouncing games.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the ring portion includes a smooth circular inner engaging surface provided with an annular groove, and the spinning disc includes a round circumferential edge adapted to engage with the annular groove on the ring portion, such that the ring portion is firmly fitted around the spinning disc through engagement of the annular groove on the inner engaging surface with the outer edge of the round spinning disc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein
Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a sectional toy according to the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an assembled perspective view of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 shows the sectional toy of the present invention is played as a spinning top;
Fig. 4 shows the sectional toy of the present invention is played as a rolling bouncer;
Fig. 5 shows the sectional toy of Fig. 4 bounces while rolling on a surface;
Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a sectional toy according to another embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 7 is an assembled sectional view of the sectional toy of Fig. 6;
Fig. 8 shows a conventional sectional top before being assembled for playing; and
Fig. 9 is an assembled perspective view of a conventional sectional top.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Please refer to Fig. 1 that is an exploded perspective view of a sectional toy according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the sectional toy mainly includes a ring portion 1 and a spinning body 2.
The ring portion 1 is an integrally formed annular member defining a hollow center. An outer circumferential periphery of the ring portion 1 is formed into a plurality of continuously arranged regularly or irregularly shaped lumps 11 and valleys 12, so as to provide a regularly or irregularly shaped outer rolling surface 13. An inner circumferential periphery of the ring portion 1 is also formed into a plurality of continuously arranged regularly or irregularly shaped projections 14 and recesses 15, so as to provide a regularly or irregularly shaped inner engaging surface 16. It is noted the projections 14 and the recesses 15 on the inner engaging surface 16 are not necessarily in parallel with the valleys 12 and the lumps 11, respectively, on the outer rolling surface 13.
The spinning body 2 includes at least one spinning disc 21 and a central shaft 22. The spinning disc 21 may be, for example, a plastic disc having a cross-shaped through hole 211 formed at a center thereof, and projections 212 and recesses 213 alternately formed along an outer periphery thereof. The projections 212 and the recesses 213 on the spinning disc 21 have shapes and dimensions corresponding to that of the recesses 15 and the projections 14, respectively, on the inner engaging surface 16 of the ring portion 1, such that the spinning disc 21 may be fitly engaged with the hollow center of the ring portion 1.
The central shaft 22 is assembled from two flat shaft plates 23, 24. Each of the two shaft plates 23, 24 includes an elongate upper part or twist section 231, 241 and a triangular lower part or support head 232, 242. One of the two shaft plates, for example, the shaft plate 23, is provided at the triangular support head 232 with a slit 233 that axially upward extends from a bottom center of the support head 232 by a predetermined length, while the other shaft plate 24 is provided at the elongate twist section 241 with a slit 243 that axially downward extends from a top center of the twist section 241 by a predetermined length, such that the two shaft plates 23, 24 may be assembled together through engagement of the slit 233 with the slit 243 and thereby form the central shaft 22 that has a cross-shaped cross section. The central shaft 22 is then connected to the spinning disc 21 by extending the assembled upper twist sections 231, 241 through the cross-shaped through hole 211 on the spinning disc 21, so as to form the spinning body 2.
Please refer to Fig. 2. The ring portion 1 is firmly fitted around the spinning body 2 with the projections 14 and the recesses 15 on the inner engaging surface 16 correspondingly engaged with the recesses 213 and the projections 212, respectively, on the outer periphery of the spinning disc 21, such that the spinning body 2 and the ring portion 1 rotate synchronously when the spinning body 2 is turned.
Please refer to Fig. 3. The sectional toy of the present invention may be turned as a spinning top. In this case, the ring portion 1 serves as a weight for the spinning body 2 to spin over a prolonged time as a result of inertia effect. Moreover, the lumps 11 and valleys 12 on the outer rolling surface 13 of the ring portion 1 produce an impact effect when the spinning body 2 rotates, making the spinning top suitable for exciting spinning games.
The sectional toy of the present invention may also be a rolling bouncer as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. When a user twists the central shaft 22 using fingers to rotate the spinning body 2 and allows the regularly or irregularly shaped outer rolling surface 13 of the ring portion 1 to contact with a surface, the whole sectional toy of the present invention will bounce while rolling on the surface to pass over obstacles, if any. Therefore, by designing the ring portion 1 differently, the sectional toy of the present invention may be played in different manners to move quickly or pass over obstacles, and is therefore very suitable for providing interesting and exciting games.
It is understood the ring portion 1 and the spinning body 2 may have structure and configuration other than that shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 6 and 7 shows a sectional toy according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this alternative embodiment, a ring portion 1' is formed on a circumferential outer periphery with a plurality of regularly or irregularly shaped lumps 11' and valleys 12' to provide a regularly or irregularly shaped outer rolling surface 13'. The ring portion 1' has a circumferential inner periphery that is a substantially smooth circular surface 17' with a circle of annular groove 18' provided thereon. The ring portion 1' is fitted around a round spinning disc 21' of a spinning body 2' with the annular groove 18' engaged with a circumferential edge of the spinning disc 21', so as to rotate along with the spinning body 2'. As in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the ring portion 1' serves as a weight to enable the spinning body 2' to spin as a top over a prolonged time due to the inertia effect, and the lumps 11' and the valleys 12' on the outer rolling surface 13' of the ring portion 1' also enables the spinning body 2' to bounce while rolling on a surface.
The present invention has been described with some preferred embodiments thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications in the described embodiments, such as in the outer rolling surface of the ring portion, can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

A sectional toy adapted for spinning, rolling, and bouncing games, comprising a ring portion and a spinning body; said spinning body being assembled from at least one spinning disc and a central shaft, said central shaft including an elongate upper part or twist section extended through a center of said spinning disc, and a lower part or support head, on which said sectional toy rotates; said sectional toy being characterized in that:

said ring portion is an annular member defining a hollow center, an outer circumferential periphery of said ring portion being formed into a plurality of lumps and valleys to provide an uneven outer rolling surface, and an inner circumferential periphery of said ring portion provides an inner engaging surface; that

said inner engaging surface of said ring portion is adapted to fitly engage with a circumferential edge of said spinning disc to fit said ring portion around said spinning disc, such that said ring portion and said spinning body rotate synchronously; and that said uneven outer rolling surface of said ring portion enables said spinning body to bounce while rolling on a surface.
The sectional toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inner engaging surface of said ring portion is uneven and provided with a plurality of projections and recesses, and said circumferential edge of said spinning disc has an uneven configuration corresponding to that of said inner engaging surface of said ring portion.
The sectional toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inner engaging surface of said ring portion is a smooth circular surface provided with an annular groove, and said spinning disc is a round disc adapted to engage a circumferential edge thereof with said annular groove of said ring portion.
The sectional toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said spinning disc of said spinning body is provided at a center with a cross-shaped through hole, through which said central shaft is extended.
The sectional toy as claimed in claim 2, wherein said spinning disc of said spinning body is provided at a center with a cross-shaped through hole, through which said central shaft is extended.
The sectional toy as claimed in claim 3, wherein said spinning disc of said spinning body is provided at a center with a cross-shaped through hole, through which said central shaft is extended.
The sectional toy as claimed in claim 4, wherein said central shaft of said spinning body is assembled from two flat shaft plates, each of which includes an elongate upper part or twist section and a triangular lower part or support head; one of said two shaft plates being provided at said triangular support head with a first slit that axially upward extends from a bottom center of said support head by a predetermined length, and the other said shaft plate being provided at said elongate twist section with a second slit that axially downward extends from a top center of said twist section by a predetermined length, such that said two shaft plates are assembled together through engagement of said first with said second slit to thereby form said central shaft that has a cross-shaped cross section.
The sectional toy as claimed in claim 5, wherein said central shaft of said spinning body is assembled from two flat shaft plates, each of which includes an elongate upper part or twist section and a triangular lower part or support head; one of said two shaft plates being provided at said triangular support head with a first slit that axially upward extends from a bottom center of said support head by a predetermined length, and the other said shaft plate being provided at said elongate twist section with a second slit that axially downward extends from a top center of said twist section by a predetermined length, such that said two shaft plates are assembled together through engagement of said first with said second slit to thereby form said central shaft that has a cross-shaped cross section.
The sectional toy as claimed in claim 6, wherein said central shaft of said spinning body is assembled from two flat shaft plates, each of which includes an elongate upper part or twist section and a triangular lower part or support head; one of said two shaft plates being provided at said triangular support head with a first slit that axially upward extends from a bottom center of said support head by a predetermined length, and the other said shaft plate being provided at said elongate twist section with a second slit that axially downward extends from a top center of said twist section by a predetermined length, such that said two shaft plates are assembled together through engagement of said first with said second slit to thereby form said central shaft that has a cross-shaped cross section.