US3602430A - Rail construction for toy rail vehicles - Google Patents

Rail construction for toy rail vehicles Download PDF

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Publication number
US3602430A
US3602430A US882102A US88210269A US3602430A US 3602430 A US3602430 A US 3602430A US 882102 A US882102 A US 882102A US 88210269 A US88210269 A US 88210269A US 3602430 A US3602430 A US 3602430A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
rail
face
web
beads
groove
Prior art date
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Expired - Lifetime
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US882102A
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English (en)
Inventor
Artur Fischer
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Individual
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Individual
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Publication of US3602430A publication Critical patent/US3602430A/en
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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H19/00—Model railways
    • A63H19/30—Permanent way; Rails; Rail-joint connections

Definitions

  • a pair of beads each extends along one of these edges portions and at least one electrical conductor is provided on one of the major sur- PATENTEU M153] 1911' 3502 4130 RAIL CONSTRUTEON FOR TOY RAIL VEHICLES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  • the present invention relates generally to toys, and more particularly to construction toys. Still more specifically the invention relates to a rail construction for toy rail vehicles.
  • Some of the rails provided in this context consist of electrically conductive material via which electrical power is supplied to electrically operated toy rail vehicles such as trains or the like. It is common to provide the two actual rails of electrically conductive material and connecting one to positive and the other to negative polarity, whereas the ties electrically insulate the rails from one another. However, it is also known to connect the two actual rails to negative polarity and to provide a third rail which extends along the actual rails and which is connected to positive polarity. This third rail has no guide functions for the wheels of the vehicle and is only contacted by a sliding contact-usually a spring contactprovided on the vehicle.
  • a rail for toy rail vehicles which comprises an elongated web having opposite major surfaces and two transversely spaced longitudinal edge portions.
  • a pair of beads each extend along one of these edge portions and at least one electrical conductor is provided on one of the major surfaces extending lengthwise of the web and having an exposed face adapted to be engaged by a contact of a toy rail vehicle which is to receive electrical energy from the conductor.
  • the rail itself that is either the bead which serves for guidance of the vehicle, the web or both, can serve as electrical conductors in conjunction with the aforementioned electrical conductor, with the latter being conducted for instance to positive polarity and the rail and/or web being connected to negative polarity.
  • the rail and/or web must con sist of an electrically conductive material, which may be an electrically conductive plastic.
  • synthetic plastic material and especially from electrically nonconductive synthetic plastic material, as by extrusion, it is advantageous to provide two electrical conductors located respectively on the two major surfaces of the web. Each of these electrical conductors then has an exposed face which may be contacted by a contact on a toy rail vehicle.
  • the toy rail construction according to the present invention may be util ized as a rail for electrically operated toy trains or as a guide rail for electrically operated toy elevators.
  • the rail constructions according to the present invention may be provided in sections of desired length, and such sections may be connected longitudinally with one another and with other components of a toy construction kit.
  • the support and/or connecting means provided for this purpose will be in form of elements provided with recesses or grooves or the like whose cross-sectional configuration corresponds to that of one of the beads of the rail sections so that an increment of such a bead can be matingly received in the corresponding groove or recess.
  • the rail construction is used in conjunction with the known type of construction kit wherein the various components are connccted with one another via matingly undercut coupling heads and coupling grooves-as for instance disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 514,165-then the cross-sectional configuration of one of the beads may be made to correspond with that of the grooves in components of the building kit so that such components may serve as support means for the rail.
  • the electrical conductor or conductors have at least limited freedom of sliding displacement lengthwise of the respective rail section, because there are many instances where the rail must be installed in a curved condition, that is curved transversely to its elongation and in direction normal or substantially normal to the plane of its web.
  • the electrical conductor will then extend slightly beyond the opposite longitudinal end faces of the web whereas a similar conductor located at the convex side of the curvature will have its end portions slightly inwardly displaced of the respective opposite end faces.
  • an end portion of the electrical conductor-which latter is advantageously received in a groove provided in the respective major surface of the webto extend beyond one end face of the web, whereas in the region of the other end face the groove has a depth greater than necessary to accommodate the thickness of the electrical conductor so that a second rail section can be connected to the first rail section with its outwardly projecting portion of its electrical conductor extending into the groove section of greater depth into overlapping electrically conductive engagement with the portion of the electrical conductor of the first-mentioned rail section which is located in this groove section of greater depth.
  • the projecting portion of the conductor may be suitably configurated or consist ofsuitable material to provide for tight, advantageously springy, engagement with the overlapping trailing portion of a conductor in another rail section with which it is to be conducted.
  • the rail sections are provided with two electrical conductors a portion of one of them may extend beyond one end face of the web and a portion of the other of them may extend beyond the other end face of the web.
  • the groove in which the conductor or conductors are received may be of undercut cross section to make it possible to retain the respective electrical conductor therein with at least limited freedom of sliding movement lengthwise of the respective groove, and also to permit a connection between the conductors of adjacent connected rail sections simply by sliding the conductor of one rail section out of its groove to the extent necessary to lodge a portion in proper electrically conductive engagement in the groove of the adjacent rail section. If the rail section is formed by extrusion or the like, the groove may be produced simultaneously with the production of the rail section.
  • FIGURE is a partly sectioned, partly perspective fragmentary view illustrating an embodiment according to the present invention.
  • reference numeral )1 identifies the rail construction per se. It comprises a web 2 which is elongated as shown, and along whose longitudinally extending edge or marginal portions there extend the beads 3 and 4 which are preferably although not necessarily of one piecev with the web 2.
  • the beads 4 are of circular cross section but it is understood that the other cross-sectional configurations are possible and that the crosssectional configuration of one of the beads may differ from that of the other of the beads.
  • grooves 5 each of which accommodates in the illustrated embodiment an electrical conductor 6, such as a metallic strip.
  • the groove 5 facing the right-hand side of the drawing is provided in the region of one end face of the web 2 with a portion 8 in which its depth is greater than the depth of the remainder of the groove 5.
  • the electrical conductor '5 located in the opposite groove 5 projects beyond this end face 7 with a portion 9. If a similar rail construction is to be connected to the one shown in the drawing a portion 9 of one of its electrical conductors corresponding to the portion 9 shown in the drawing would be inserted into the portion 5 of greater depth which is provided in the right-hand groove 5 in the drawing.
  • the portion 9 in the illustrated embodiment is bent inwardly so that, when it is inserted into a corresponding portion 8 of another rail construction, it will become lodged therein with a spring action and provide for good electrical contact with the cooperating electrical conductor.
  • Reference numeral lil identifies a support element, which may be an element specifically provided for the purpose or a building block ofa toy erecting ltit.
  • This support element llli is fragmentarily illustrated and when in use for supporting the rail construction will rest on a supporting surface S.
  • At least that face of the element llll which will be directed upwardly when the element ii is used to support the novel rail construction is provided with a mating groove-here undercutl which matingly receives one of the beadsin the illustrated embodiment the bead i.
  • the support element llll may serve to provide a structural connection between two longitudinally adjacent rail constructions, or for connecting the rail con struction with other parts of a system being erected by the playing child. In the latter case the support element lll may be provided with additional connecting means for connecting it to other components of the erecting kit.
  • the configuration of the portion 9, for instance, may be different from what has been illustrated as long as it is such that good electrical continuity is assured by contact of a portion 9 of one section ofa rail construction in a groove portion 8 of another section of the rail construction.
  • the rail construction according to the present invention is primarily intended as a guide rail providing electrical power, for instance as a monorail on whose bead 3 in the illustrated embodiment the vehicle to be guided will move, it can also be utilized as a structural element in conjunction with other components of a toy erecting kit and at such times as it not required as a rail. For instance, it may serve as a reinforcing element, it may serve as a support of a bridge or act in other capacities.
  • a rail for toy rail vehicles comprising an elongated web having opposite major surfaces, two transversely spaced longitudinal edge portions, and longitudinally spaced faces, said web being provided in at least one of said major surfaces with a groove including a first portion extending from one towards the other of said end faces, and a second portion extending from said one portion to said other end face, said first portion having a predetermined depth and said second portion having a depth at least substantially double said predetermined depth; a pair of beads each extending along one of said edge portions; and at least one electrical conductor on said one major surface extending longitudinally of said web and having an exposed face adapted to be engaged by a contact ofa rail vehicle which is to receive electrical energy, said conductor further having a center section accommodated in said first portion, and two end sections one of which is accommodated in said second portion and the other of which projects beyond said one end face for insertion into a second portion ofa groove ofa similar rail so as to establish electrical continuity with the end section of a conductor provided on said similar rail.
  • a rail as defined in claim 4 said beads having a predetermined cross-sectional configuration, and said support means comprising mating engagement means arranged to matingly engage one of said beads.
  • said support means comprising a support element having a face which is directed upwardly when said support means is in use; and said engageextends upwardly from said face and the other of said beads is located above and spaced from said face.

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  • Toys (AREA)
US882102A 1968-12-06 1969-12-04 Rail construction for toy rail vehicles Expired - Lifetime US3602430A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE19681813054 DE1813054A1 (de) 1968-12-06 1968-12-06 Schiene fuer Spielzeugbaukaesten

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3602430A true US3602430A (en) 1971-08-31

Family

ID=5715431

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US882102A Expired - Lifetime US3602430A (en) 1968-12-06 1969-12-04 Rail construction for toy rail vehicles

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (1) US3602430A (xx)
BE (1) BE742643A (xx)
CH (1) CH493257A (xx)
DE (1) DE1813054A1 (xx)
ES (1) ES153851Y (xx)
FR (1) FR2025529A1 (xx)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4084746A (en) * 1976-08-25 1978-04-18 Cheng Richard C M Model track section
US4951872A (en) * 1988-01-09 1990-08-28 Sandpipe Computer & Model Services Limited Track jointers
WO2011110972A1 (en) * 2010-03-11 2011-09-15 Plastokit Quality Ltd. Method and system for a modular connector

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4084746A (en) * 1976-08-25 1978-04-18 Cheng Richard C M Model track section
US4951872A (en) * 1988-01-09 1990-08-28 Sandpipe Computer & Model Services Limited Track jointers
WO2011110972A1 (en) * 2010-03-11 2011-09-15 Plastokit Quality Ltd. Method and system for a modular connector

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE1813054A1 (de) 1970-06-18
ES153851Y (es) 1970-11-16
BE742643A (xx) 1970-05-14
FR2025529A1 (xx) 1970-09-11
ES153851U (es) 1970-02-01
CH493257A (de) 1970-07-15

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