US3195267A - Rolling object and runway therefor - Google Patents

Description

y 20, 1965 R. B. GEHLEN 3,195,267

ROLLING OBJECT AND RUNWAY THEREFOR Filed Jan. 21, 1963 FIG; 1.

INVENTOR. PIC/MR. B. Gel/451v United States .Patent O 3,195,267 ROLLING OBHECT AND RUNWAY THEREFOR Richard B. Gehien, 38 Otis Ave, St. llaul, Minn. Filed Jan. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 252,894 2 Claims. (CI. 46-43) This invention relates to a new and novel toy that may be enjoyed by any number of people and by both young and old alike. More particularly this invention relates to a new and novel toy to impart forward motion to an off center rollable object and thence allow said object to follow a random path of motion.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a new and novel amusement device for imparting rolling movement to hard-boiled eggs and other objects having similar rolling characteristics. A further object of this invention is to provide a new and novel toy that may be readily collapsed and alternately easily set up for imparting forward movement to egg shaped objects. Another object of this invention is to provide a combination of an inclined amusement device for imparting rolling movement to a rollable object and a new and novel rollable object that will roll in a random path upon having forward motion imparted thereto by being rolled down said device.

Other and further objects are those inherent in the invention herein illustrated, described, and claimed, and will be apparent as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the aforegoing and related ends this invention then comprises the features hereinafter fully illustrated and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various Ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

The invention is illustrated with reference to the drawings in which corresponding numerals refer to the same parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the chute of this invention and rollable objects used in conjunction therewith located forwardly thereof;

FIGURE 2 is a side view illustrating the structure of FIGURE 1 other than that the legs of the chute have been repositioned to decrease its angle of inclination and one of the rollable objects is illustrated as being rolled down the chute;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view showing the chute in the same posit-ion as illustrated in FIGURE 2 and also illustrating various paths of motion that have been imparted to rollable objects that have been rolled down thechute;

FIGURE 4 is a back end view of the chute illustrated in FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view of a rollable object of this invention that may be advantageously used -with the chute of the preceding figures.

Referring now in particular to FIGURES 1-4, there is illustrated a chute of this invention, generally designated .10, that is to be used in combination with egg shaped objects 11. The chute includes a generally V-shaped trough -12 made up of elongated sidewalls 12a and 12b respectively. The walls are suitably joined together by conventional means such as nails or glue, to in transverse cross section, extend at about right angles to one another. The lower end of each wall is diagonally cut at 120 so that the upper longitudinal edge of each wall portion is substantially longer than the opposite longitudinal apex edge portion of the same wall. Advantageously the angle of cut .at 12c, with reference to the longitudinal apex edge, is between 140155. As a result, when the chute is set up in an inclined operating 3,195,26? Patented July 20, 1965 position such as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the edges 1 20 will either abut against the floor (table) 14 throughout their transverse length or else form a relatively small acute angle relative thereto. This feature adds stability to the chute when it is set up in an operating position.

The end portion of the trough opposite edges has crosed legs 13 and 14 secured thereto for supporting said trough in an adjusted elevated condition. One end of the leg 13 is pivotally connected at 15 to the wall 12a to pivot about an axis at right angles to wall 1211 while one end of the leg 14 is pivotally connected to the wall 12b at .16 to pivot about an axis at right angles to wall 12b. The legs advantageously are of identical size and shape while the pivot 15 is located a greater longitudinal distance from the rear edge 12:: of the trough than pivot 16 by a dimension approximately eual to the Width W of a leg. As a result of longitudinally offsetting the pivots I5 and 16 from one another by a distance W, the legs may be readily pivoted to support the trough at various angles of inclination T with adjacent edge portions of the legs abutting against one another. Since the legs are pivotally connected to the trough to cross one another adjacent their upper ends in a trough supporting condition to in effect form an X adjacent their upper ends, the mid-portions of the legs bearing against one another in conjunction with the lower end portion of the trough bearing against the table forms a stable structure for a limited range of pivotal adjustments of the legs relative the trough. That is, the legs may be pivoted in the direction of arrow 13 about their respective pivoted axis, from .a position as illustrated in FIGURE 1 to a position as illustrated in FIGURE 2 and thereby decrease the angle of inclination T of the trough relative to the table.

By setting up the chute 10 such as illustrated in FIG- U RES 1-4, positioning an egg shaped object 11 such as a hard-boiled egg on the upper end of the trough, and then releasing said object, the released object 11 will roll down the trough in the direction of the arrow 19 in an attempt to hit one of a plurality of randomly spaced objects positioned on the table 14 a distance substantially in advance of the lower end 120 of the trough. It is not necessary that objects be spaced on the table in advance but they may be subsequently rolled down the trough one after another. Since the yoke of a hard-boiled egg may be located in any one of numerous positions within the shell, and it is of a greater density than the density of the white of the egg, the yoke provides an oifcenter weight whereby it is not possible to ascertain the direction of roll the egg will take upon leaving the lower end of the trough. Accordingly if a number of eggs are rolled down the trough they will stop in spaced relation on the table and will follow random paths of travel such as paths 2 1, 2 2, 23 and 24 illustrated on FIGURE 3. Likewise there is a chance that after one or more eggs have come to rest on the table in front of the lower end, an egg subsequently rolled down the trough will hit one of the eggs already setting on the table.

As may be apparent from the above, by providing a trough of this invention a game that is especially popular at Easter time, is provided. This will give old and young alike something to do with hard-boiled eggs besides eating them.

In order to achieve a type of unpredictable roll as a hard-boiled egg and at the same time provide an object that may be utilized the year around, it is within the purview of this invention to provide an object generally designated 30. The object 30 includes a hollow, generally egg-shaped, casing 31 having a small relatively heavy weight 32 positioned within its interior. The interior of the casing, other than for weight 32, is filled with a material 36 that advantageously may be of a viscosity corresponding to that of heavy'axle grease. As a result of providing the material 3 3, the position of the weight 32 Within the casing 31 will be constantly changing as the object 30 rolls down the trough. Due to the viscosity of said material, the movement of the Weight 3-2 in the casing will be erratic as the casing rolls down the chute and likewise the path of movement of object 30 after, it leaves the chute will accordingly be erratic. Advantageously the casing may be made of a suitable plastic.

A feature of this invention not previously set forth is that if it is desired to put the chute away, it may be collapsed by first pivoting the leg 16 about its axis in a direction opposite arrow :18 to extend in the same longitudinal direction as the wall member 12a to extend along wall 12a and then pivoting legl4 in the same direction to extend along the wall 12b throughout its length.

. Also it is to be understood that the chute may be used in combination with other shaped rollable objects that have an erratic type of movement upon leaving the lower end ofthe chute and that various upright objects of other shapes may be set in front ofthe chute in random spaced,

or predetermined spaced relationship on a gamebo-ard. If there is provided a game board having marked spaces thereon and upright objects of any desired shape set on said spaces, the object of the game would be to roll the rollable object down the chute and hit the upright object or objects set on the game board. Such usage would be a mere game of chance, two primary controllable variables being the initial force imparted to the object that is rolled down the chute and the heighth of the upper end of the chutetrelative to thetable.

As many widely apparently different embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the specific embodiments herein.

What I claim is:

1. Amusement apparatus comprising an elongated, generally V-shaped trough having opposite sidewalls, one end of said trough being diagonal cut to have the longitudinal apex edges ofsaid walls of a substantially shorter longitudinal dimension-than the opposite edges of said walls, an elongated first leg pi votally connected to one of said wall-s adjacent the opposite end portion of the trough :to pivot about an axis generally. at right angles to the plane of said one wall, and an elongated second leg pivotally connected to the other: of said walls to pivot about an axis generally at right angles to the plane of said other wall, the pivot connections being longitudinally ofiset by a dimension about equal to the longitudinal width of a leg. a

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further-characterized in that thereis provided .an egg-shaped object to be rolled down the trough comprising a hollow casingya weight Within said casing and means within said casing for tempor arily suspending said weight within the casing so that said means and the weight means impart erratic movement to the casing as said object leaves the trough after being rolled down thetrough;

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD C. P-INKHAM, Primary Examiner.

Claims (2)

1. AMUSEMENT APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED, GENERALLY V-SHAPED TROUGH HAVING OPPOSITE SIDEWALLS, ONE END OF SAID TROUGH BEING DIAGONAL CUT TO HAVE THE LONGITUDINAL APEX EDGES OF SAID WALLS OF A SUBSTANTIALLY SHORTER LONGITUDINAL DIMENSION THAN THE OPPOSITE EDGES OF SAID WALLS, AN ELONGATED FIRST LEG PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID WALLS ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE END PORTION OF THE TROUGH TO PIVOT ABOUT AN AXIS GENERALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE PLANE OF SAID ONE WALL, AND AN ELONGATED SECOND LEG PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE OTHER OF SAID WALLS TO PIVOT ABOUT AN AXIS GENERALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE PLANE OF SAID OTHER WALL, THE PIVOT CONNECTIONS BEING LONGITUDINALLY OFFSET BY A DIMENSION ABOUT EQUAL TO THE LONGITUDINAL WIDTH OF A LEG.

2. THE APPARATUS OF CLAIM 1 FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT THERE IS PROVIDED AN EGG-SHAPED OBJECT TO BE ROLLED DOWN THE TROUGH COMPRISING A HOLLOW CASING, A WEIGHT WITHIN SAID CASING AND MEANS WITHIN SAID CASING FOR TEMPORARILY SUSPENDING SAID WEIGHT WITHIN THE CASING SO THAT SAID MEANS AND THE WEIGHT MEANS IMPART ERRATIC MOVEMENT TO THE CASING AS SAID OBJECT LEAVES THE TROUGH AFTER BEING ROLLED DOWN THE TROUGH.

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