US3631636A

US3631636A - Track cleaner for miniature racing cars

Info

Publication number: US3631636A
Application number: US889132A
Authority: US
Inventors: Walter Nadolny
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-12-30
Filing date: 1969-12-30
Publication date: 1972-01-04
Anticipated expiration: 1989-01-04

Abstract

A track cleaning brush attachment for miniature racing cars. A cleaning brush is spring loaded on a Tee-shaped member which is adapted to be pushed by the car so that the brush will clean the track. The brush is reversible and has one side of an abrasive surface and the other side of a polishing surface.

Description

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Inventor Walter Nadolny Box 383 (734 74th Str. Ocean), Marathon, Fla. 33050 Appl. No. 889,132 Filed Dec. 30, 1969 Patented Jan. 4, 1972 TRACK CLEANER FOR MINIATURE RACING CARS 2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 51/178, 15/54 Int. Cl 1324b 23/00 Field 01 Search 51/178;

Primary Examiner-James L. Jones, Jr. Attorney-James P. Malone ABSTRACT: A track cleaning brush attachment for miniature racing cars. A cleaning brush is spring loaded on a Tee-shaped member which is adapted to be pushed by the car so that the brush will clean the track. The brush is reversible and has one side of an abrasive surface and the other side of a polishing surface.

INVENTOR.

I ALTER INADOLNY .BY v

TRACK CLEANER FOR MINIATURE RACING CARS This invention relates to track cleaning means for miniature racing cars, and more particularly, to a brush attachment for cleaning the tracks, which is adapted to be pushed or pulled by the cars.

Miniature racing cars have become a very popular hobby. They comprise small cars with electric motors which ride on an electrified track. After some use, the track tends to become dirty and this interferes with the electrical contact between the electrified rails and the car mounted contacts which ride on the rails.

It is a tedious job to clean these tracks by hand. The present invention solves this problem by providing a cleaning attachment which is attached to the car. The attachment includes a reversible brush having one side of an abrasive material, such as emery, and the other side, of a polishing material such as felt.

Accordingly, a principal object of the invention is to provide new and improved track cleaning means for miniature electric racing cars.

Another object of the invention is to provide new and improved track cleaning means for miniature electric racing cars comprising a brush attachment adapted to be pushed or pulled by the cars along the track.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved track cleaning means for miniature racing cars comprising a holder member having a pair of holding arms, a brush member of cleaning material adapted to fit into said holding arms and means to mount said brush holder on a car so that the brush may be moved along a track by said car.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front exploded view of the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a top view ofFIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating the operation of the invention.

Referring to the figures, the brush attachment is adapted to be connected to a car C to be pushed or pulled along the track T by the car.

More specifically, the brush attachment comprises a Teeshaped member 1, having a plurality of slots 2, 3, 4 in the cross member portion, and a long slot 5 in the leg portion of the Tee member. The brush B may be a block of any solid material and is preferably reversible, having a polishing surface 6 on one side, for instance, of felt, and an abrasive surface 7 on the other side, for instance of emery paper. The brush is mounted on a holder member 10 which has a pair of holding

arms

11 and 12, which are adapted to grip the brush B. The holding arms 1 l and 12 have side lips and the member 10 is preferably made of a bendable material such as copper or brass so that the holding arms can be clamped against the brush. The other.

side of the holder member has a plurality of prongs 13, I4, 15, which are adapted to fit into the slots 2, 3, 4 of the Tee member.

It is preferable that the prong be spring loaded down against the track and to provide the spring action, a pair of

springs

16 and 17 are provided which fit over the prongs l3 and 15, the upper ends extending through the slots 2 and 4 of the Tee member. The springs are compressed and the upper ends of prongs l3 and 15 are bent over the Tee member to maintain spring compression. Alternatively, the prong may be held in place by

clips

21 and 22. The upper end of the center prong extends through the slot 3 of the Tee member and is bent or twisted over in order to clamp the assembly in place.

In order to use the invention, the Tee member 1 is placed with the bnish B on the track and the mounting slot engaging the guide fin F of the racing car. The guide fin or pin is a conventional part of the car and is adapted to extend down into a conventional slot in the track for the purpose of guiding the car around curves in the track. when attachin the cleaning attachment to the car, the member 1 rs preferab y bent slightly as illustrated in FIG. 5, to provide good contact between the brush B and the track T. The car is then operated in a conventional manner and the brush is pushed around the track. If it is desired to pull the brush, then the end of slot 5 in the Tee member should be closed to form a closed slot.

It is preferable to first use the abrasive emery surface in contact with the track to clean off the track, and then to reverse the brush so that the felt side is in contact with the rails. The car is then operated another few revolutions in order to polish the rails so as to provide good electrical contact between the rails and the sliding electrical contacts mounted on the car.

I claim:

1. Track-cleaning means for miniature racing cars, comprising,

a holder member having a pair of holding arms,

a brush member of cleaning material adapted to fit into said holding arms,

and means to mount said brush holder on a car so that the brush may be moved along a track by said car,

said holder member being spring-loaded from said mounting means,

said member of cleaning material comprising a reversibly mountable block having a felt surface on one side and an abrasive material on the other side.

2. Apparatus as in claim I wherein said mounting means comprises,

a Tee-shaped member, the leg portion of said member having a slot therein and the cross portion of said member having a plurality of mounting slots,

and said holder member has on one side a plurality of prongs adapted to fit into said slots and having on the other side a pair of holding arms,

wherein said member of cleaning material is reversible and comprises a block having a felt surface on one side and an abrasive material on the other side.

Claims

1. Track-cleaning means for miniature racing cars, comprising, a holder member having a pair of holding arms, a brush member of cleaning material adapted to fit into said holding arms, and means to mount said brush holder on a car so that the brush may be moved along a track by said car, said holder member being spring-loaded from said mounting means, said member of cleaning material comprising a reversibly mountable block having a felt surface on one side and an abrasive material on the other side.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said mounting means comprises, a Tee-shaped member, the leg portion of said member having a slot therein and the cross portion of said member having a plurality of mounting slots, and said holder member has on one side a plurality of prongs adapted to fit into said slots and having on the other side a pair of holding arms, wherein said member of cleaning material is reversible and comprises a block having a felt surface on one side and an abrasive material on the other side.