GB2119267A

GB2119267A - Remotely-controlled mobile toy figures

Info

Publication number: GB2119267A
Application number: GB08309609A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Chen Chi-Siung
Original assignee: CHI SIUNG CHEN
Current assignee: CHI SIUNG CHEN
Priority date: 1982-04-14
Filing date: 1983-04-08
Publication date: 1983-11-16
Also published as: GB8309609D0

Abstract

A toy formed of two remotely controlled robots one preferably in the shape of a cat and the other in the shape of a mouse. The two robots are separately and remotely controllable and the cat robot acts as a catcher to try to catch the mouse robot which in turn tries to evade catch. The mouse robot has switch means which are preferably electrical contact switches comprising a pair of exposed contacts positioned side by side and insulated from one another. The cat robot has an electrically conductive projection which activates those switches when it touches them. Activation of certain switches disables the robot to simulate a catch and activation of other switches activates a noise producer to simulate escape from attack. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in toys This invention relates to toys and in particular a toy game to be played by two players each controlling one remotely controlled robot with the objective being for one player's robot to catch the other player's robot.

Remotely controlled toys are known but I am not aware of any proposals for a game where two separately remotely controlled toys are provided and the objective is to simulate the catching of one by the other.

The invention has therefore been made with this in mind.

According to the invention there is provided a toy game comprising two robots separately and remotely controllable as to their movement over the ground by two players, one robot being a catcher and having as its objective the catching of the other robot which is the escaper and which has as its objective the evasion of the catcher robot, the escaper robot having positioned over its body a number of sensitive switch means and the catcher robot having over a limited region of its body, means for activating the switch means on the body of the escaper robot, activation of certain of the switch means on the escaper robot disabling that robot to simulate a catch whilst activation of other switch means on the escaper robot causing that robot to simulate an escape from attack.

Such a toy game can give an interesting simulation of a game of catch and provide a considerable amount of play value.

The robots can be any type of item simulating a vehicle, an animal or even a human figure. However in a preferred embodiment the catcher robot has the appearance of a cat whilst the escaper robot has the appearance of a mouse. The toy game of the invention can then be played to simulate the catching of a mouse by a cat.

In the case where the robots are a cat and a mouse, the limited region of the body of the cat over which it can activate the switch means on the mouse can be the mouth region whilst for the mouse the switch means which will disable, i.e. stop further movement of, the mouse can be positioned in the region of the neck of the mouse. The remaining switch means positioned at other parts of the mouse body can then, if activated by the cat, be used to initiate say a squeaking noise just as if a frightened mouse is running away.

Further means can be provided to delay the cat for a limited period if it tries to make a catch but misses that part of the body which will disable the mouse.

The sensitive switch means on the mouse are, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, in the form of electrical contact switches of the type similar to those found in T.V. receivers for changing from channel to channel, such switches comprising a pair of exposed electrical contacts positioned side by side and electrically insulated from one another, contact and shorting occurring when a finger of a person touches the two contacts.

In the case of the toy game accordig to the invention these pairs of contacts can be provided on the body of the mouse and a conducting metal strip provided in the mouth region of the cat. Then if the mouth part of the cat touches a pair of contacts that switch will be activated but if any other part of the cat's body or some extraneous item touches the contacts anywhere on the mouse body there will be no activation. There could for example be ten sets of such switches on the mouse body, the two positioned either side of the neck being those whose activation which will disable the mouse.

The remote control of the cat and mouse can be by any means such as infra red control, noise control or even a length of Bowden cable. However, the preferred method of control is by radio transmissions.

The robots will preferably be electrically driven and can move over the ground in any conventional way for such toy, e.g. by moving around on wheels or by a simulated walking or running action. Preferably the catcher robot is capable of moving faster than the escaper robot.

An example of a toy game according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the cat robot with its radio control; Figure 2 is a similar view of the mouse robot; Figure 3 is a side view showing the cat robot chasing the mouse robot; Figure 4 is an exploded view of the cat robot; and Figure 5 is an exploded view of the mouse robot.

The cat robot 1 0 has a cat-shaped body 1 2 mounted on a chassis 14. The latter has wheels 1 6 by means of which the robot moves around over the ground, the wheels being driven by conventional motors 1 8 according to a conventional radio control signal picked up by an aerial 20 and passed to a receiver 21 from a control box 22. The motors 1 8 and the radio control receiver 21 are powered by batteries (not shown) housed in a battery box 24.

Projecting from the front of the chassis 14 under the mouth of the body 1 2 is finger 30 the end of which carries a small plate 32 faced with electrically conductive material.

The finger 30 can be resiliently mounted so that when it is depressed it activates a switch, not shown, to deactivate the motors 1 8 for a pre-set period of time.

The mouse robot 40 has a mouse-shaped body 42 mounted on a chassis 44. The latter has wheels 46 by means of which the robot moves around over the ground, the wheels being driven by conventional motors 48 according to a conventional radio control signal picked up by an aerial 50 and passed to a received 52 from a control box 54. The motors 48 and receiver 52 are powered by batteries (not shown) housed in a battery box 56.

Around the edge of the chassis 44 is an upstanding skirt 60 and at spaced locations around the skirt are provided pairs of electrical contacts 62. As best shown in Fig. 3, the lower edge of the mouse body 42 stops short of the ground so that these contacts 62 are exposed and can be contacted by the finger 30 projecting from the chassis 14. These contacts form parts of switches not shown such that when an electrical contact is established between a pair that activates the corresponding switch.

Certain of the switches associated with the contacts, e.g. those contacts marked X, will deactivate the motors 48 so simulating a "catch" of the mouse by the cats. Others, however, such as those marked Y, will activate a sound producer (not shown) to simulate the signal of a mouse, representing a "near miss" and escape of the mouse. In such a case the cat robot could be deactivated for a short period to give the mouse robot a "headstart".

Claims

1. A toy game comprising two robots separately and remotely controllable as to their movement over the ground by two players, one robot being a catcher and having as its objective the catching of the other robot which is the escaper and which has as its objective the evasion of the catcher robot, the escaper robot having positioned over its body a number of sensitive switch means and the catcher robot having over a limited region of its body, means for activating the switch means on the body of the escaper robot, activation of certain of the switch means on the escaper robot disabling that robot to simulate a catch whilst activation of other switch means on the escaper robot causing that robot to simulate an escape from attack.

2. A toy game as claimed in Claim 1 in which the catcher robot is in the form of a cat and the escaper robot is in the form of a mouse.

3. A toy game as claimed in Claim 2 in which the cat robot has the means for actuating the switch means near its mouth.

4. A toy game as claimed in any preceding claim in which the sensitive- switch means on the escaper robot are electrical contact switches comprising a pair of exposed electro cal contacts positioned made by side and electrically insulated from one another and the means on the catcher robot for activating those switches comprises an electrically conductive strip of material which can bridge the two contacts when it touches them.

5. A toy game as claimed in any preceding claim in which the movement of each robot is independently radio controlled.

6. A toy game substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.