US3611616A

US3611616A - Toy playing board

Info

Publication number: US3611616A
Application number: US6121A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alfred Einfalt
Original assignee: Gebrueder Einfalt Blechspielwarenfabrik GmbH
Current assignee: Gebrueder Einfalt Blechspielwarenfabrik GmbH
Priority date: 1970-01-27
Filing date: 1970-01-27
Publication date: 1971-10-12
Anticipated expiration: 1988-10-12

Abstract

A TOY PLAYING BOARD SIMULATING A MOUNTAINOUS LANDSCAPE HAS AT ITS EDGE A PERIPHERAL FLANGE. THIS FLANGE INCLUDES ALONG IT LENGTH AN UPWARDLY PROTRUDING RIB REINFORCING THE FLANGE AND A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING PROTRUSION CONSTITUTING A FIRST SUPPORTING SURFACE FOR PLACING THE BOARD ON A FLAT BASE SUCH AS A TABLE. THE RIB IS OUTWARDLY CONTINUED BY A LATERAL FLAT FLANGE PORTION CONSTITUTING A SECOND SUPPORTING SURFACE COPLANAR WITH THE FIRST SUPPORTING SURFACE. THE FLANGE FURTHER INCLUDES LENGTHWISE SPACED APART UPWARDLY EXTENDING PROTRUSIONS WHICH CONSTITUTE SUPPORT SURFACES FOR A SECOND PLAYING BOARD TO BE NESTED WITH THE FIRST PLAYING BOARD.

Description

.@ct. 12, 1971 A EINFALT 3,611,61

TOY PLAYING BOARD 1 Filed Jan. 27, 1970 United States 3,ll,6l6 Patented Oct. 12, 1971 Ser. No. 6,121

Int. Cl. A63h 19/36 US. Cl. 46-1 R 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toy playing board simulating a mountainous landscape has at its edge a peripheral flange. This flange includes along its length an upwardly protruding rib reinforcing the flange and a downwardly extending protrusion constituting a first supporting surface for placing the board on a flat base such as a table. The rib is outwardly continued by a lateral flat flange portion constituting a second supporting surface coplanar with the first supporting surface. The flange further includes lengthwise spaced apart upwardly extending protrusions which constitute support surfaces for a second playing board to be nested with the first playing board.

The present application is a continuation-in-part application based upon my co-pending application Ser. No. 614,190, filed Feb. 6, 1967, now abandoned.

The invention relates to a toy playing board and more particularly to a toy playing board simulating a mountainous landscape preferably traversed by one or more roadways along which one or more toy vehicles may be caused to travel.

BACKGROUND Toy playing boards of the general kind above referred to are presently often made of a suitable plastic sheet material shaped by a deep drawing technique. For reasons of costs of manufacture and weight, the boards are generally made of a rather thin sheet gauge and as a result, have little inherent stiffness. The type of play for which the boards are intended, requires that the same will rest flatly and without appreciable deformation on a plane supporting surface. It is further desirable for convenience of storing and shipping that the boards can be nested without undergoing considerable deformation or even permanent damage due to breaking along the edges.

Boards of this type as now generally known have a flat peripheral flange with which the boards rest on the supporting surface such as a table. It has been found that such flat flange is generally not capable of supporting the board and any vehicles or other accessories placed thereupon without considerable spreading or other deformation of the board. Moreover, the flange or the board itself tends to crack when subjected to the unavoidable rough handling by a playing child or when a number of boards are nested or stacked.

THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide a novel and improved toy playing board of the general kind above referred to the stiffness of which is such that the board retains its shape and the flange is not likely to crack.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved playing board of the general kind above referred to which can be nested with other boards of the same kind and size without damage to any of the boards and which permits convenient separation of the nested boards.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved toy playing board which can be produced with the desired stiffness by typical mass production techniques at economically acceptable costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The afore pointed out objects, features and advantages of the invention and other objects, features and advantages which will be pointed out hereinafter and are set forth in the appended claims, are obtained by providing a hollow, thin walled plastic body open at its base and simulating a mountainous landscape which may be traversed by one or several roadways. This body has along the peripheral outline of its base edge a laterally protruding flange including along its length a downwardly extending protrusion of uniform depth. This protrusion constitutes a support surface for placing the board on a base and stiffens the board along its edge which as evident constitutes the weakest portion of the board. To facilitate nesting of the board with like other boards, the flange further includes lengthwise spaced apart upwardly extending protrusions of uniform height. These upwardly directed protrusions constitute support surfaces for the flange of a second board nested with the first one.

The surface area with which the board is supported on the base may be increased by disposing the down wardly extending protrusion intermediate the width of the flange and continuing the flange by a strip outwardly extending at the same level as the base of the downwardly extending protrusion. This strip constitutes an outer second support surface for supporting the board on the base.

If desired, the flange can be further stiffened by providing a reinforcing rib along the length of the flange and disposed between the inner and outer surfaces supporting the board on the base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In the accompanying drawing several preferred embodiments of the invention are shown by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toy playing board simulating a mountainous landscape having mountain peaks and valleys;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on line 11-11 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a section taken on line III-III of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the figures more in detail, the exemplified toy playing board comprises a hollow body a open at the bottom and made of light gauge plastic sheet material. Any suitable plastics may be used such as P.V.C. (polyvinylchloride). The body may be produced by any suitable mass production technique, for instance by a deep drawing process.

The board as shown, simulates a mountainous landscape having mountain peaks and valleys which may be traversed by roads.

The sloping edges b of the hollow body terminate in an outwardly extending lateral flange including along its length a downwardly extending protrusion c with a flat base with which the playing board may rest on a supporting surface indicated in FIG. 2 as a table d.

To stiffen the flange the same .is formed with an upwardly extending peripheral rib or bead e. This rib is continued by a downwardly directed flange portion 1 terminating in a continuous flat flange portion or strip g. As is best shown in FIG. 2, the base of the inner flange protrusion c and the outer flange portion g are coplanar so that they constitute inner and outer support surfaces for the board. As is now evident, the configuration of the flange as shown and described, lends considerable stiffness 3 to the flange without requiring an increase of the gauge of the sheet material used for forming the hollow body thereby facilitating the forming of the board including its flange by mass production techniques.

According to FIG. 3 the flange at the edge of wall b includes a plurality of downwardly extending protrusions c 0 c of uniform depth instead of the continuous strip 0. These protrusions constitute the inner support surfaces for the board. The flange is further formed with upwardly extending protrusions h which are lengthwise spaced along the strip. Protrusions h are all of the same height and constitute support surfaces for nesting playing boards as shown in FIG. 3. This figure also shows that the protrusions h hold the flanges of the boards spaced apart from each other so that there is no danger of damage to the flanges in particular to the supporting surfaces thereof by jamming or rubbing between adjacent boards. As is indicated in FIG. 3 the protrusions h are preferably staggered with reference to the downwardly extending protrusions c c several boards are nested the protrusions 11 on a lower board cannot be pushed into the protrusions h of the next upper board thereby avoiding mutual damage to the protrusions by forcing the same into each other.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to certain now preferred examples and embodiments of the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art, after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is intended, therefore, to cover all such changes and modifications in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A playing board for toy vehicles comprising:

a hollow thin walled plastic body open at its base and simulating a mountain landscape, said body having along the peripheral outline of its base edge a laterally protruding flange including a lengthwise downwardly This has the advantage that 4 extending protrusion of equal depth and with a flat base constituting a support surface for supporting the body on a base, and lengthwise spaced apart upwardly extending protrusions of uniform height constituting support surfaces for supporting the flange on another one of said bodies.

2. The playing board according to claim 1 wherein said downwardly extending protrusion is disposed intermediate the width of the flange, and said flange is continued by an outer flange portion terminating in a continuous strip substantially coplanar with the flat base of said downwardly extending protrusion, said strip constituting a further support surface for supporting the body on the base.

3. The playing board according to claim 2 wherein a reinforcing rib extending along the length of the flange is interposed between the flange and the outer flange portion integral with the flange and the outer flange portion.

4. The playing board according to claim 1 wherein said downwardly extending protrusion is divided into several spaced apart protrusion portions.

5. The playing board according to claim 4 wherein the upwardly extending protrusions on the flange are staggered with reference to the downwardly extending protrusion portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,025,626 3/1962 Schumacher 46216 X 3,415,007 12/1968 Howe 4630 X 3,426,474 2/1969 Einfalt 46216 X OTHER REFERENCES Faller Brothers Racing Layout 4971, Faller Brothers catalog 1965-1966, p. 9.

ANTONIO F. GUIDA, Primary Examiner R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner