US3206890A - Toy roadway and vehicle - Google Patents

Description

p 1965 w. J. FREYERMUTH TOY ROADWAY AND VEHICLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 25, 1962 INVENTOR- W//J&//YM%'/f//W% j W ATTOR 5X9 Sept. 21, 1965 w. J. FREYERMUTH TOY ROADWAY AND VEHICLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 25, 1962 M YI MH iC L J ll '9, w jf-4aczzzw 3,206,890 TOY ROADWAY AND VEHHCLE William J. Freyermuth, 19 Mohawk, Pontiac, Mich. Filed Nov. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 239,525 2 Claims. (Cl. 46202) This invention relates to a toy Comprising a toy roadway along which a toy vehicle is adapted to travel and, in particular, is related to a toy of the general type aforementioned oomprising a toy roadway adapted to be manipulated to adjust its vertical inclination and thereby induce gravitational travel of a toy vehicle therealong.

By way of introduction to a description of the present invention with reference to various preferred embodiments thereof, it may be helpful at this point to make a few observations which, for the most part, will be quite obvious particularly to those familiar with the toy art. Thus, and in the first instance, toy vehicles such as simulated passenger cars, trucks, buses and the like are well known and comprise a body or chassis member having wheels attached thereto whereby a child or adult so inclined may push the vehicle along a floor or similar surface to cause the vehicle to travel therealong a short distance until the inertial forces imposed on the vehicle have been dissipated. Thus, operation of a toy vehicle of this type is relatively discontinuous requiring an additional propelling push each time that the vehicle stops and, in addition, the path of travel of such a toy vehicle is quite random in nature as will be readily apparent. Continuous travel, at least for a limited period of time, of such toy which has of course been accomplished by equipping them with batteries or mechanical power devices for driving their wheels, while the path of travel has continued to be relatively random unless additional electrical or mechanical controls are employed to aid in guiding the vehicle.

On the other hand, insofar as establishing a predetermined path of travel for the toy is concerned, this problem is solved in toys such as trains in which the car bodies of the train carry wheels mounted for rolling support on tracks, either of the monorail or dual rail type, which establish a predetermined path of travel for the train. In this instance, however, a suitable power source is required to propel the train continuously along the track or tracks, or else the train requires repeated pushings by the operator thereof to continue it along the track or tracks. With respect to the train art in particular, due to curves in the track and the relatively high speeds at which the trains may be propelled in attempting to negotiate such curves, it quite commonly happens that one or more cars of the train jump the track at such curves.

It is a principal object and feature of this invention to provide a toy comprising, in combination, a movable roadway, such as a runway or a monorail or dual rail track system, adapted to be manipulated to adjust its vertical inclination and thereby induce continuous gravitational travel of a toy vehicle therealong, and a toy vehicle such as a simulated passenger car, truck, bus, train car or the like adapted to be removably seated and retained on the roadway for travel therealong as the inclination of the latter is adjusted, thereby providing a toy in which the vehicle is powered by gravity for movement along the roadway.

It is yet another object and feature of this invention to provide a toy of the type aforementioned wherein means are provided in association with the roadway or vehicle or both to prevent the vehicle from inadvertently jumping or leaving the roadway irrespective of the speed of the vehicle as it travels along the roadway and negotiates curved or looped portions of the latter.

According to one preferred embodiment of the inven- United States Patent tion, the roadway takes the form of a runway or chute arcuately concavely curved in cross section to form a seat removably receiving and retaining a toy automobile, bus or the like for travel therealong, whereby the roadway may be manipulated to vary its inclination vertically to cause the toy to travel by gravity down the incline of the roadway while the concave curvature of the latter serves to maintain the vehicle on the roadway even as it negotiates turns, curves, loops or the like along portions of the roadway.

While the shape of the roadway may involve simply a straight portion, or portions bent or bowed in a vertical plane to form a series of plateaus joined by inclined ramp portions, or one or more straight portions joined to curved end portions and various other combinations of configurations as will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the description of the invention proceeds, it is a further object and feature of this invention, according to another preferred embodiment thereof, to provide a chute-type roadway of the type aforementioned having a circular configuration forming an infinitely continuous roadway, and including means pivotally mounting the roadway centrally thereof whereby manual tipping of the roadway about its pivotal support varies the inclination of various portions of the roadway at the proper time wit-h respect to the vehicle thereon to cause the latter to travel in a continuous path about the roadway while being retained thereon due to the arcuately concavely curved cross section of the latterv It is yet another object and feature of this invention, according to another preferred embodiment thereof, to provide a chute-type arcuately concavely curved roadway of the type aforementioned comprising a straight portion and curved portions at each end thereof joined to the straight portion intermediate the ends of the latter to form a continuous path of travel for a toy vehicle confined for travel therealong, and further comprising means pivotally connecting and supporting the straight portion of the roadway intermediate the ends of the latter for pivotal adjustable movement to vary the inclination of the latter to propel the vehicle by gravity therealong.

Another object and feature of this invention, according to other preferred embodiments thereof, is to provide a toy comprising, in combination, a movable continuous roadway including track means adapted to be manipulated to adjust the vertical inclination of the roadway and track means and thereby induce continuous gravitational travel of a toy vehicle therealong, and a toy vehicle such as a car of a train including wheel means mounted for rolling support along the track means and further including means cooperable between the vehicle and track means to releasably lock the vehicle on the track to prevent the vehicle from jumping therefrom.

A more specific object and feature of this invention, according to another preferred embodiment thereof, is to provide a toy of the type aforementioned comprising a roadway characterized by a monorail track and a car of a train including wheel means adapted to be removably mounted in engagement with the track to support the vehicle for rolling movement thereon while simultaneously releasably retaining the vehicle on the track.

It is yet another object and feature of this invention, according to another preferred embodiment thereof, to provide a toy of the type aforementioned comprising a roadway including a pair of laterally spaced substantially continuous conventional tracks, a toy vehicle such as the car of a train having conventional wheels mounted on the tracks for rolling support therealong, and retaining means carried by the vehicle and releasably engageable with the tracks to releasably retain the vehicle thereon.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter as the 3 description thereof proceeds, and in which reference is made to the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a toy roadway illustrating one preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1, and additionally illustrates a toy vehicle on the roadway;

FIGURE'3 is a top plan view of a toy roadway constructed in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation of a toy roadway constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 6 is a view taken on line 66 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken on line 77 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 8 illustrates another preferred embodiment of the invention in which the roadway takes the form of a monorail track system adapted to removably support a toy train car or the like for rolling movement thereon, and is a sectional view taken in a plane extending transversely and perpendicular to the center line of the monorail track system and the train car;

FIGURE 9 is a view corresponding generally to FIG- URE 8, but illustrates another preferred embodiment of the invention comprising a monorail-type roadway and a train car;

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 1010 of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 11 illustrates another preferred embodiment of the invention and is a fragmentary sectional view taken in a plane extending transversely and perpendicular to the center line of a dual track roadway and a train car mounted thereon, and particularly illustrates a preferred means for removably retaining the train car on the tracks;

FIGURE 1 2 is a sectional view taken along line 1212 of FIGURE 11;

FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary view corresponding generally to FIGURE 12 but illustrating another preferred means associated with each track of a dual track roadway system for releasably retaining thereon a train car or the like; and

FIGURE 14 is a view likewise corresponding generally to FIGURE 12 but illustrating another preferred means for releasably retaining a train car or the like on a roadway of the dual track type.

Referring now particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates a straight chute or runway type of roadway of any suitable and desired length and preferably formed from a low friction material such as any one of the well known plastic materials having this characteristic, and which roadway is arcuately concavely curved in cross section so as to removably receive a toy vehicle indicated schematically at 12. The vehicle is shown as being supported within the concave recess of the roadway by means of wheels 14 which may be rotatably fixed to the vehicle, rotatable while nonsteerable relative thereto, or rotatable and steerable relative thereto. On the other hand, no wheels at all need be provided in which event the vehicle is also preferably constructed of a low friction material of the type aforementioned.

Thus, with the vehicle 12 cradled within the concave configuration of the roadway 10, the latter may be manipulated in the users hand to vary the inclination thereof vertically in one direction or the other or alternately in 'both directions to cause the vehicle to roll or slide down the roadway due to its own gravity. While so rolling or sliding, the vehicle is confined within and prevented from leaving the concavely curved roadway so as to travel along the length of the latter in either direction.

FIGURES 3 and 4 illustrate another embodiment of the invention comprising the chute or runway type roadway 16 preferably formed of materials of the type aforementioned, and which is arcuately concavely curved in cross section similar to the previously described embodiment but is disposed in a circular configuration in one general plane to, in effect, form an infinitely continuous circular roadway. The radially inner edges of the roadway are joined by an integral central membrane 18 having an opening 20 centrally thereof. An adapter 22 is suitably secured to the lower surface of the membrane 18 and includes a downwardly opening socket member 24 extending through the opening 20 to universally pivotally receive a ball member 26 carried by an upstanding stud fixed to a suitable support as indicated at 28.

Thus, the inclination of the roadway 16 may be adjusted vertically in one plane about an axis through the center of the ball member 26 or so adjustably inclined in a multiplicity of planes with a Wobble type action to cause the vehicle, not shown but which may be constructed as previously described, to travel in a continuous path around the roadway. Due to the arcuately concave configuration of the roadway, the gravitational and inertial forces imposed upon the vehicle will cause the latter to tend to climb the radially outer wall of the roadway, which wall confines this movement to prevent the vehicle from leaving the roadway and, whether the wheels of the vehicle are steerably dirigible or not and irrespective of whether any wheels at all are provided on the vehicle, to in essence guide and steer the vehicle about the roadway. As mentioned above, the roadway need not be wobbled in a-plurality of planes to achieve movement of the vehicle therealong but need merely be pivoted in one plane since, as the vehicle travels down the roadway inclined, for example, downwardly to the left in FIGURE 4 the gravitational and inertial forces on the vehicle will cause the latter to travel around the curved lower portion of the roadway to -a point whereby, merely by tipping the roadway in a reverse direction, the vehicle will then be traveling down hill again and so on during successive manipulations of the roadway.

Referring now to FIGURES 5 through 7, another preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a roadway mdicated generally at 30 and comprising a straight portion 32 having turns or curved portions 34 at each end thereof, such turns or curved portions being oined to the straight portion of the roadway by roadway portions 36 which extend straight but oblique to the axis of the straight portion 32 of the roadway and join the latter to either side of the mid-point thereof. Again, the roadway is preferably formed of materials aforedescribed, and all portions of the roadway are arcuately concavely curved in cross section and disposed in a common plane. The central or mid-point of the straight portion 32 of the roadway intermediate the junctions thereof with the roadway portions 36 is suitably secured to axle members 38 pivotally mounted in the upstanding laterally spaced arms of a suitable support bracket 40.

Thus, a toy vehicle constructed as aforedescribed may be placed on any portion of the roadway 30 and caused to travel therealong in an infinitely continuous path mere- 1y by alternately tipping or teetering the roadway in one direction or they other about the axis of the axle members 38. More specifically, with the vehicle disposed substantially over the axle members with the roadway disposed substantially horizontally as illustrated in FIGURE 5, the roadway may be tipped downwardly to the left or counterclockwise in FIGURE 5 to cause the vehicle to travel downwardly along the straight portion 32 of the roadway until reaching the curved portion 34 at the lower end thereof at which time, and again irrespective of whether the vehicle is provided with steerable wheels, fixed wheels or no wheels at all, the vehicle will be steered around the curved portion of the roadway due to the concave configuration thereof into the lower end of the corresponding roadway portion 36. During this action, the vehicle will tend to climb the outer wall of the curved portion of the roadway which will prevent the vehicle from leaving the roadway while at the same time redirecting it down toward the opposite wall of the roadway thereby providing the turning function. At the proper time, such as when the vehicle negotiates a little more than 90 of the 180 turn in the curved portion of the roadway, the entire roadway may be teetered in the opposite direction so as to be inclined downwardly to the right in FIGURE 5 at which time the vehicle will travel down the roadway portion 36, back into the straight portion 32 and travel toward the other curved portion 34 thereof where the cycle aforedescribed may be repeated, and so on indefinitely.

Thus, in each of the embodiments aforedescribed and due primarily to the arcuately concave curvature of the roadway irrespective of the particular form or configuration that it takes or the means for manipulating it, the roadway serves to power the vehicle by gravity, to direct the vehicle in a pre-selected direction of travel, to resist the tendency of the vehicle to leave the roadway particularly when negotiating a curve thereon and to steer the vehicle around such curves. At this juncture, while a roadway comprising simply a straight length as shown in FIGURE 1 adapted to be manipulated in the hand and roadways having various turns and other configurations therein as illustrated in FIGURES 4 through 7 and including means for pivotally mounting such latter roadways on a support have been shown and described, it should now be readily apparent that the partic ular configuration of the roadway may be varied almost indefinitely. For example, the straight length of roadway 10 illustrated in FIGURE 1 may have a series of vertically spaced flights joined by inclined ramp portions, as may any of the portions of the roadways 16 and 30 illustrated in FIGURES 4 through 7. By the same token, various other types of curves, crisscrossing roadway patterns and the like may be employed even to include complete vertical loops in portions of such roadways.

Before referring in specific detail to the embodiments illustrated in FIGURES 8 through 14 which involve the mounting of a vehicle such as a train car or the like on a roadway including one or more tracks, it may be noted here that in each of these embodiments the roadway including such track or tracks corresponds at least in part to the roadways previously described from a functional standpoint; that is, the track or tracks of the road- Ways of these embodiments may consist of straight portions, curved portions and the like and various combinations thereof adapted to direct the vehicle in a preselected direction of travel and to steer the vehicle, while such roadways may be pivotally mounted or otherwise manipulated to vary their angular vertical inclinations in one direction or the other or alternately between such directions to cause a train car to travel therealong by gravity. Consequently, it will not be necessary to burden the specification with repetitious description regarding this aspect of the operation of the embodiments to be described. On the other hand, the embodiments of FIG- URES 8 through 14 show various preferred ways of mounting a vehicle on a track type roadway so as to be in rolling support therewith and positively releasably lockingly retain the vehicle on the roadway.

Referring now to FIGURE 8, the numeral 42 indicates a roadway-of the monorail track type including on opposite side surfaces thereof opposed vertically spaced pairs of mounting grooves 44 and 46 which, it will be appreciated, extend completely along the length of the mono rail whatever its length and shape might be. A vehicle such as a train car or the like is indicated schematically at 48 and includes a wheel housing 50 fixedly secured to one side thereof and mounting a substantially vertically disposed axle 52 about which a pair of suitably verti- 6 cally spaced wheels 54 are rotatably supported for removable rolling engagement with the pair of grooves 44. Another pair of wheels 56 are suitably rotatably supported in vertically spaced relation along another axle member 58 having its upper end suitably hingedly connected as indicated at 60 to a support member 62 fixed to the vehicle so as to depend therefrom, the wheels 56 being adapted for removable rolling engagement within the other grooves 46 on the monorail. A spring 64 is operatively connected between the wheel housing 50 and a spacer member 66 mounted about the axle member 58 so as to continuously urge the latter counterclockwise in FIGURE 8 to bias the wheels 56 into engagement with the grooves 46, a lever 68 being provided on the free end of the axle member 58 and being accessible exteriorly of the vehicle whereby, upon pulling the lever to the left in FIGURE 8, the wheels 56 may be swung laterally from the monorail roadway and the entire vehicle lifted therefrom. Conversely, when mounting a vehicle 48 on the monorail roadway, the lever 68 is moved as aforementioned to spread the wheels 56 laterally from the wheels 54 to dispose such wheels opposite their respective grooves 46 and 44, at which time the lever may be released to dispose the respective wheels in rolling supported engagement within the grooves 44 and 46.

Thus, with the vehicle mounted on the monorail roadway, it will be apparent that the respective pairs of wheels 54 and 56 not only provide a rolling support means for the vehicle on the monorail roadway, but also a means for releasably locking and retaining the vehicle on the monorail roadway to resist any tendency of the vehicle to jump or become dislodged therefrom under ordinary operating circumstances. In conclusion with respect to this embodiment, it will of course be appreciated that the construction illustrated in FIGURE 8 will be duplicated at another portion of the vehicle 48 longitudinally spaced from the portion illustrated in FIGURE 8 to provide the supporting and retaining function aforementioned, such other construction not being shown since it may be an exact duplicate of that illustrated in FIGURE 8.

Referring now to the embodiment of FIGURES 9 and 10 the numeral 70 again schematically illustrates a vehicle such as a car of a train or the like while the numeral 72 indicates a roadway of the monorail track type having opposed upper and lower rounded support edges '74 and 76 which, it will be understood, extend throughout the entire length of the monorail. A pair of longi tudinally spaced wheel housings 78 are suitably fixed to upper portions of the vehicle and support horizontal axles 80 on which the wheels 82 are rotatably supported, the configuration of the wheels being complementary to that of the upper support edge 74 of the monorail so as to prevent any tendency of the vehicle to shift laterally relative to the axis of the monorail. A pair of mounting brackets 84 are fixed to one side wall of the vehicle in longitudinally spaced relation and pivotally mount as indicated at 86 the wheel support levers 88, each of which includes an axle 9t} rotatably supporting a wheel 92 having a configuration complementary to that of the lower support edge 76 of the monorail for the purpose aforementioned. A spring 94 interconnects the extreme free ends of the wheel support levers 88 to continuously bias them toward each other as illustrated in FIGURE 10.

In this embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent that swinging movement of the levers 88 away from each other so as to extend the spring 94 will increase the vertical distance between the respective wheels 82 and the respective wheels 92 so as to free the vehicle from the monorail for removal purposes and, conversely, to permit mounting the vehicle on the monorail. Consequently, with the vehicle mounted on the monorail as illustrated, the spring 94 continuously biases the wheels 92 toward the wheels 82 as limited by the interposed monorail roadway 72, thereby providing rolling support for the vehicle on the monorail roadway and, at the same time, providing a means for releasably locking the vehicle body in retained relationship on the monorail to prevent any tendency of the vehicle to jump therefrom.

Referring now to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 11 and 12, the roadway indicated generally at 96 comprises a support means indicated schematically at 98, and which may be a plurality of cross ties, having suitably secured thereto the lower flange 100 of a pair of laterally spaced conventional toy train tracks indicated generally at 102. Each track additionally includes a vertically upstanding web 104 and the usual upper flange 106 extending to either side of the web. A vehicle such as a car of a train is indicated fragmentarily at 108 and will include in the usual manner a suitable number of longitudinally spaced wheels indicated schematically at 110 along each side thereof engaging the upper surface of the upper flanges 106 of the rails of rolling support of the vehicle therealong.

A generally L-shaped retaining bracket is indicated generally at 112 and, as will be noted particularly from FIGURE 11, is of considerable width being just somewhat narrower than the distance between the tracks 102. One leg 114 of the bracket is disposed substantially flush with a corresponding floor portion 116 or the like of the vehicle 108 and adjustably pivotally connected thereto by a rivet 118 or the like for a purpose to appear more fully hereinafter, such leg 14 of the bracket and the corresponding portion 116 of the vehicle respectively including elongate locking recesses 120 adapted to removably slidably receive an elongate locking pin 122 with the parts disposed in the positions of FIGURES 11 and 12. The other leg 124 of the bracket is bifurcated and depends downwardly to some extent between the tracks 102, the extreme ends of the bifurcated portions of such leg being bent upwardly and back upon themselves to form a pair of aligned bearings 126 to rotatably mount a retaining pin 128 and opposite ends of which are adapted to extend beneath and lockingly rotatably and slidably engage a portion of the top flanges 106 of the respective tracks.

In operation, FIGURES 11 and 12 illustrate the disposition of the retainer bracket 112 and associated parts with the vehicle mounted on the tracks 102. In this position, the locking pin 122 prevents any inadvertent pivotal movement of the retainer bracket and, as a consequence, the retaining pin 128 is held in a position in which the ends thereof rotatably and slidably engage beneath a portion of the upper flanges of the respective tracks 102 to positively prevent the vehicle from jumping therefrom. When it is desired to remove the vehicle from the tracks, the locking, pin 122 is removed and the bracket 112 pivoted so as to dispose the retaining pin 128 obliquely of the axes of the tracks to an extent in which the end portions of the retaining pin will easily clear the tracks upon lifting the body upwardly therefrom. Conversely, when it is desired to mount the vehicle on the tracks, the retainer bracket and, hence, the retaining pin 128 is disposed obliquely to the axes of the tracks, the vehicle and particularly its wheels 110 seated on the tracks and then the bracket swiveled so as to extend perpendicularly between the tracks as shown and the locking pin 122 inserted at which time the vehicle is releasably locked to the tracks as aforedescribed.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 13, a vehicle body is indicated fragmentarily at 130 and the roadway indicated generally at 132 is again of the dual track type, although only one of the tracks 134 having an upstanding web 136 and the upper flange 138 is shown, it being understood that the structure now to be described will be duplicated with respect to the other track. Thus, an integral retainer bracket 140, preferably made of Teflon or related low friction plastic substances, has a base portion 142 rigidly secured as by a rivet 144 to a portion of the vehicle and includes laterally spaced depending locking fingers 146 which are laterally yieldable relative to each other and the upper 138 of the tracks from'the positions illustrated in FIGURE 13 to positions outwardly bowed therefrom. An inclined cam face 148 is provided on the lower inner end of each finger 146. It will be understood that, like the embodiment of FIGURES 11 and 12, the vehicle also includes a suitable number of longitudinally spaced wheels seated on the upper surface of upper flanges 138 of each of the tracks 134 to support the vehicle for rolling movement therealong, such wheels not being shown in order not to obscure details of the invention.

In the operation of this form of the invention, the locking fingers 146 may be manually sprung apart to rerelease the vehicle from the upper flanges of the tracks to remove the vehicle therefrom and, conversely, upon mounting a vehicle on the tracks, the inclined cam faces 148 at the locking ends of the fingers will cam over the lateral side edges of the upper flanges 138 of the tracks, yield laterally outwardly during this camming action and then snap beneath the upper flanges and slidably engage the latter to positively retain the vehicle on the tracks.

In FIGURE 14, a roadway of the dual track type is again illustrated generally at 150 and comprises the laterally spaced conventional toy train rails 152 each of which includes anupper flange 154 of conventional construction and as previously described. In this embodiment of the invention, a vehicle is indicated fragmentarily at 156 and will be equipped in the usual manner with a suitable number of longitudinally spaced wheels for engagement with the upper flanges 154 of the tracks for rolling support of the vehicle therealong, such wheels again not being shown in order not to obscure details of the invention. An integral retainer bracket 158, preferably formed of a low friction material as aforementioned, comprises a base portion 160 secured to the vehicle as by rivets 162, and a pair of laterally spaced depending locking fingers 164 extend from each end of the base portion of the bracket, such fingers being laterally yieldable relative to each other and the upper flanges of the tracks from the positions illustrated in FIGURE 14 to positions outwardly bowed therefrom. An inclined cam face 166 is provided on the lower inner ends of each finger 164 as in the previous embodiment.

It will now be apparent that the retainer bracket 158 functions similar to the bracket 140 previously described in that the locking fingers 164 may be manually spread laterally apart to remove the vehicle from the tracks and, when mounting the vehicle on the tracks, the cam faces 166 will cam past the upper flanges of the tracks while the locking fingers yield laterally outwardly relative to each other, and finally will snap back into locking and sliding engagement with the under surfaces of the upper flanges of the track to positively retain the vehicle thereon.

While several forms of the invention have been shown and described, other forms will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it will be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and described above are merely for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention which is defined by the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. Ina toy, the combination comprising a movable continuous roadway arcuately concavely curved in crosssection, said roadway including a straight portion and curved portions at each end thereof joined to said straight portion intermediate the ends of the latter, means pivotally supporting said roadway about a single axis, substantially transverse to and intermediate the ends of said straight portion for selective manipulation of said roadway to adjust the vertical inclination and thereby induce continuous gravitational travel of a toy vehicle there- 9 10 along, and a toy vehicle removably seated within said References Cited by the Examiner roadway for travel therealong as the vertical inclination UNITED STATES PATENTS of said roadway is adjusted.

2, The toy as defined in claim 1 wherein said means 2052228 8/36 Horn 46 201 pivotally supporting said roadway includes a U-shaped 6 2585754 2/52 Dunkelberger bracket having arms extending along each side of said FOREIGN PATENTS straight portion, and axle members extending from the 488,042 6/38 Great Britain sides of said straight portion to said arms and being pivotally mounted In said arms- RICHARD c. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,206,890 September 21, 1965 William Jr Freyermuth It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3, line 59, for "rotatably" read non-=rotatably column 7, line 18, for "of", third occurrence, read for line 28, for "14" read 114 M column 8, line 3, after "upper" insert flanges Signed and sealed this 19th day of April 19660 (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Commissioner of Patents ERNEST W. SWIDER Attesting Officer

Claims (1)

1. IN A TOY, THE CONBINATION COMPRISING A MOVABLE CONTINUOUS ROADWAY ARCUATELY CONCAVELY CURVED IN CROSSSECTION, SAID ROADWAY INCLUDING A STRAIGHT PORTION AND CURVED PORTIONS AT EACH END THEREOF JOINED TO SAID STRAIGHT PORTION INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF THE LATTER, MEANS PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING SAID ROADWAY ABOUT A SINGLE AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSE TO AND INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF SAID STRAIGHT PORTION FOR SELECTIVE MANIPULATION OF SAID ROADWAY T ADJUST THE VERTICLE INCLINATION AND THEREBY INDUCE CONTINUOUS GRAVITATIONAL TRAVEL OF A TOY VEHICLE THEREALONG, AND A TOY VEHICLE REMOVABLE SEATED WITHIN SAID ROADWAY FOR TRAVEL THEREALONG AS THE VERTICAL INCLINATION OF SAID ROADWAY IS ADJUSTED.

Images