GB2104787A

GB2104787A - A power supply connector and power intake section of track for a toy racing set

Info

Publication number: GB2104787A
Application number: GB08217031A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mun-Hay Ngai
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-08-28
Filing date: 1982-06-11
Publication date: 1983-03-16
Also published as: GB2104787B

Abstract

The power supply connector 10 and track section 41 have complementary edge connectors (15, 40) for joining the power supply connector to the track section. Connector 15 is in the form of a socket and connector 40 is in the form of a projection. The projection is insertable into the socket in a direction normal to the longitudinal extent of the track section and parallel to the plane of the upper surface of the track section. The socket has a plurality of electrical terminals in the form of strip contacts (31, 32, 33) arranged to make direct electrical contact with associated terminals (42) on the projection when the projection is inserted into the socket. The power supply connector may be integral with a power pack such as a battery box or may be connected to a power pack, such as a transformer by electrical leads. The power supply connector has four electrical terminals (34-37) for connecting the power supply connector to manually operable speed controllers. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A power supply connector and power intake section of track for a toy racing set This invention relates to a power supply connector and power intake section of track for a toy racing set and more particularly but not exclusively to a power pack, having an integral power supply connector, and a power intake section of track.

"Power pack" as used herein is intended to mean a battery box or a transformer.

In known toy racing sets the power pack is connected to a section of track by electrical leads which detract from the appearance of the assembled track and add to its manufacturing costs.

The invention provides in a first aspect a power pack and a power intake section of track for a toy racing set, wherein the power pack and track section have complementary edge connectors for joining the power pack to the track section, the edge connector of the power pack having a plurality of electrical terminals arranged to make direct electrical contact with associated terminals on the edge connector of the track section.

Preferred and/or optional features of the first aspect of the invention are set forth in claims 2-10.

Hence, no electrical leads are necessary to connect the power pack to the track.

The invention provides in a second aspect, a power supply connector and a power intake section of track for a toy racing set, wherein one of the power supply connector and track section has a socket and the other of the power supply connector and track section has a projection insertable into the socket in a direction normal to the longitudinal extent of the track section and parallel to the plane of the upper surface of the track section, the socket having a plurality of electrical terminals arranged to make direct electrical contact with associated terminals on the projection.

Preferred and/or optional features of the second aspect of the invention are set forth in claims 12-17.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a plan view of a base section of a power pack and in dash-dot lines part of a track section; Figure 2 is a front elevation of the base section shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a section taken along line Ill-Ill of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a plan view of a power supply connector, and Figure 5 is a section taken along line V-V of Figure 4.

Figures 1-3 of the drawings show a base section of a battery box dimensioned to receive four batteries (in two rows of two) connected electrically in series. The base section is formed as an integral plastics moulding and comprises a rectangular bottom wall 10, upstanding side walls 11-14, a power supply connector in the form of a socket 1 5 projecting laterally from one long side of the base section and a lug 1 6 projecting laterally from an opposite side of the base section.

A first and second metal conductor strip 1 7 and 18 are secured to the inner surface of the bottom wall by hollow rivets 19 and have upturned resilient ends 20 and 21 held against lateral movement by projections 22 integral with the base section. The ends 20 and 21 make electrical contact with the positive and negative terminals of the chain of series connected batteries, the two centre batteries of the chain being electrically connected to a third metal strip 23 secured to the side wall 11.

The socket 1 5 comprises a base 24 and two sides 25 and 26 having respective inturned flanges 27 and 28 at their upper ends. The sides 25 and 26 are strengthened by respective triangular wing portions 29 and 30.

The base 24 of the socket 1 5 has exposed portions 31 32' and 33' of three laterally extending metal conductor strips 31, 32 and 33 secured to the underside of the bottom wall 10 by hollow rivets.

The lug 16 has four upstanding tubular members 34-37 in which are located generally tubular rivet-like metal sockets 38. The metal sockets 38 in the members 34 and 36 are connected to a metal conductor strip connected to metal strip 1 7 by one of the rivets 1 9. The socket in member 35 is connected to the metal strip 31 and the metal socket in the member 37 is connected to the metal strip 33. The metal strip 32 is connected to metal strip 18 by one of the rivets 1 9.

The metal sockets 38 of members 34 and 35 receive plugs attached to electrical leads connected to a first hand operated speed controller and the metal sockets 38 of members 36 and 37 receive plugs attached to electrical leads connected to a second hand operated speed controller.

The socket 1 5 is adapted to receive as a close sliding fit a lateral projection 40 on a power intake section of track 41 of a toy car racing set. The track has two pairs of electrical conductive rails.

One rail of each pair is connected by a metal strip to a first terminal 42 on the projection of the track section and the other two rails are connected by respective metal strips to second and third terminals 42 respectively on the projection of the track section. The first, second and third terminals 42 may be hollow rivets and make electrical contact with the exposed portions 31 32' and 33' respectively when the projection of the track section is located in the socket 1 5.

The metal strips 17, 18, 31,32 and 33 are formed from iron sheet for economical reasons.

This metal is not very resilient in nature but is much cheaper than alternative metals such as copper or bronze. In order to overcome the lack of resilience, plastics fingers 43 integral with the base 24 and having pips 44 are provided to urge the exposed portions 31 32' and 33' of the strips 31,32 and 33 upwards and into contact with the terminals 42 on the projection 40.

The battery box has a removable lid (not shown) so that the batteries can be replaced. The lid may have depending sides which fit over the side walls 1 1--14.

Instead of the socket 1 5 and projection 40, other edge connectors may be employed.

The battery box may have the appearance of a model building such as a spectator enclosure or race control building.

Figures 4-5 show a power supply connector 50 which is particularly suitable for use with a transformer (not shown). The power supply connector is not integral with the transformer but is instead connected to the transformer by electrical leads 51.

The power supply connector has a socket 52 similar to the socket 1 5 and comprising a base 53 and two sides 54 and 55 having internal flanges 56 and 57 at their upper ends. The base 53 has exposed portions 58', 59' and 60' of three laterally extending metal conductor strips 58, 59 and 60 secured to the underside of the power supply connector by hollow rivets 61 The exposed portions 58', 59' and 60' are urged upwardly by fingers 62, with pipe 63, integral with the base of the socket.

The power supply connector has four upstanding tubular members 64-67, similar to members 34-37, in which are located generally tubular rivet-like metal sockets 68 for connection to hand operated speed controllers. The metal conductor strips of the power supply connector are connected to the sockets 68 in a manner similar to the connection between the strips 31, 32 and 33 and the sockets 38. However in place of the strip interconnecting the sockets of tubular members 34 and 36, the third lead 51 is connected to the socket 68 of the member 64; the first and second leads 51 being connected to the split strip 59'.

Finally, the power supply connector 50 has serrated finger engageable sections 69 and 70 to facilitate sliding connection of the connector 50 to a projection on a section of track similar to that shown in Figure 1, and also a cover 71.

Claims

1. A power pack and a power intake section of track for a toy racing set, wherein the power pack and track section have complementary edge connectors for joining the power pack to the track section, the edge connector of the power pack having a plurality of electrical terminals arranged to make direct electrical contact with associated terminals on the edge connector of the track section.

2. The combination of claim 1 , wherein one of the edge connectors is a socket and the other edge connector is a projection insertable into the socket.

3. The combination of claim 2, wherein the projection is insertable into the socket in a direction normal to the longitudinal extent of the track section and parallel to the plane of the upper surface of the track section.

4. The combination of claim 3, wherein the terminals on the socket are strip metal contacts.

5. The combination of claim 4, wherein the strip metal contacts are urged into contact with associated terminals on the projection by fingers integral with the socket.

6. The combination of claim 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein the socket is on the power pack and the projection is on the track section.

7. The combination of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the power pack is provided with further electrical terminals for connecting the power pack to one or more manually operable speed controllers.

8. The combination of claim 7, wherein the further electrical terminals are on a lug secured to or integral with at least a part of the power pack and are adapted to receive plugs connected to electrical leads.

9. The combination of any one of claims 6-8, wherein the battery box has the appearance of a model building.

9. The combination of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the power pack is a battery box comprising a base section and a removable cover, the base section and the edge connector on the battery box being an integral plastics moulding.

10. The combination of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the power pack has the appearance of a model building.

11. A power supply connector and a power intake section of track for a toy racing set, wherein one of the power supply connector and track section has a socket and the other of the power supply connector and track section has a projection insertable into the socket in a direction normal to the longitudinal extent of the track section and parallel to the piane of the upper surface of the track section, the socket having a plurality of electrical terminals arranged to make direct electrical contact with associated terminals on the projection.

12. The combination of claim 11, wherein the socket is on the power supply connector and the projection is on the track section.

13. The combination of claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the terminals on the socket are strip metal contacts.

14. The combination of claim 13, wherein the strip metal contacts are urged into contact with associated terminals on the projection by fingers integral with the socket.

1 5. The combination of any one of claims 11-14, wherein the power supply connector is provided with electrical leads for connection to a transformer and has further electrical terminals for connection to one or more manually operable speed controllers.

1 6. The combination of any one of claims 11 14, wherein the power supply connector is integral with a base section of a battery box provided with a removable lid.

1 7. The combination of claim 1 6. wherein the battery box is provided with further electrical terminals for connecting the battery box to one or more manually operable speed controllers.

1 8. A power pack substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1-3 of the accompanying drawings.

1 9. A power supply connector substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.

New claims or amendments to claims filed on 21.10.82.

Superseded claims 1-17.

New or amended claims:

1. A power supply connector and a power intake section of track for a toy racing set, wherein one of the power supply connector and track section has a socket which supports a plurality of electrical terminals and the other of the power supply connector and track section has a projection which is insertable into the socket in a direction normal to the longitudinal extent of the track section and parallel to the plane of the upper surface of the track section and which supports a plurality of electrical terminals arranged to make direct electrical contact with associated terminals on the socket.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the socket is on the power supply connector and the projection is on the track section.

3. The combination of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the terminals on the socket are strip metal contacts.

4. The combination of claim 3, wherein the strip metal contacts are urged into contact with associated terminals on the projection by fingers integral with the socket.

5. The combination of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the power supply connector is provided with electrical leads for connection to a transformer and has further electrical terminals for connection to one or more manually operable speed controllers.

6. The combination of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the power supply connector is integral with a base section of a battery box provided with a removable lid.

7. The combination of claim 6, wherein the battery box is provided with further electrical terminals for connecting the battery box to one or more manually operable speed controllers.

8. The combination of claim 6, wherein the further electrical terminals are on a lug secured to or integral with at least a part of the battery box and are adapted to receive plugs connected to electrical leads.