US3680777A - Variable track for a toy vehicle - Google Patents

Variable track for a toy vehicle Download PDF

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Publication number
US3680777A
US3680777A US10869A US3680777DA US3680777A US 3680777 A US3680777 A US 3680777A US 10869 A US10869 A US 10869A US 3680777D A US3680777D A US 3680777DA US 3680777 A US3680777 A US 3680777A
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United States
Prior art keywords
ties
track
rail
track section
pair
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
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US10869A
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English (en)
Inventor
Toshikatsu Arai
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Tomy Kogyo Co Ltd
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Tomy Kogyo Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H18/00—Highways or trackways for toys; Propulsion by special interaction between vehicle and track
    • A63H18/02—Construction or arrangement of the trackway
    • A63H18/021—Flexible tracks; Fluid-pressure-actuated tracks
    • 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

  • the present invention has been made to eliminate such drawbacks or disadvantages and contemplates to provide a new and useful variable track assembly for a toy vehicle, especially for use in combination with a toy locomotive, a toy train or the like.
  • a variable track for a toy vehicle comprising pliable bed means, said bed means comprising a plurality of pliable bed sections each having a pair of transversely spaced retention means, and a pair of transversely spaced pliable rails on which said toy vehicle travels, said rails being removably attached by said retention means to said bed means.
  • One of the most important features of the present invention consists in that by manual regulation of such pliable members during the assembling operation a desired shape of the course of travel for the toy vehicle can be freely formed.
  • FIG. 1 is a plan view of a bed section according to the present invention, illustrating the state in which a rail is attached thereto;
  • FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line X X of FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bed section shown in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 4 is a plan view of the bed section shown in FIG. 1, illustrating the state in which it is curved;
  • FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side view of a track assembly according to the present invention, illustrating the state in which it is assembled so as to have an arcuate grade;
  • FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating one example of how to join two adjoining bed sections
  • FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one of the many possible layouts of the track assembly according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a crossing device according to the present invention, illustrating the manner in which it is incorporated with track sections;
  • FIG. 9 is a plan view of a points or switching device according to the present invention.
  • A indicates a flexible or pliable bed section which comprises a center beam 1 and a plurality of ties or sleepers 2 arranged at regular intervals and at right angles with the center beam 1 and integrally fonned therewith.
  • B indicates a flexible or pliable rail having suitable length and having in its both side faces longitudinally extending grooves Ba which symmetrically divide the rail into an upper portion Bb and a lower portion Be.
  • the upper and lower portions Bb, Bc have longitudinal bores Bb, Bc passing therethrough, respectively. The provision of such bores makes it possible to reduce the weight of the rail B and to save material to manufacture the same.
  • the bed section A and the rail B are both molded from relatively soft and pliable plastics material.
  • Each of the sleepers 2 is provided with a pair of transversely spaced retention means 3 each of which is formed of a pair of parallel spaced-apart upstanding projections 3 provided on each side of the sleeper and e forming a groove 5 therebetween.
  • the bed section has certain elasticity and is kept straight longitudinally, when not in use.
  • each groove 5 The width and the depth of each groove 5 are designed so that the rail B can be snugly received by the groove.
  • the rail B has laterally protruding symmetrical upper and lower portions Bb, Be and, if desired, the bottom surface of the lower portion He can be used as a rail surface. In this case, the user has only to insert the upper portion Bb in the grooves 5 after turning the upside down.
  • either of the upper portion Rb and the lower portion Be is adapted to serve as mounting portion of the rail B and that both of the upper surface and the bottom surface of the rail B can be used as rail surfaces on which a toy vehicle travels, respectively.
  • a pair of mounting grooves may be formed in each sleeper 2 at both sides thereof so that the rail B can be removably attached to the sleepers by inserting it in the grooves.
  • the projections 4 may be formed into any shape other than those illustrated in the drawings.
  • the retention means 3 for removably holding the rail B may be properly designed and is not limited to those illustrated in the drawings.
  • Reference numeral 6 indicates a connecting member which is adapted to be inserted in a connecting hole 7 to connect two bed sections A as shown in FIG. 6.
  • the connecting member 6 and the corresponding hole 7 are not always necessary for connecting two bed sections A, because the pliable rail member B functions or serves as means for connecting such bed sections, that is, when a pair of rail members B is mounted on adjoining bed sections A by retention means 3, after such adjoining bed sections have been suitably arranged, the bed sections are connected together by the engagement of the rail members with said retention means 3.
  • stoppers which are designed to prevent the bed sections from being curved excessively so that the toy vehicle running along the track can freely negotiate with the curves of the track, assembled.
  • stoppers 8 are not always required, because, for example, the distance between each two sleepers 2, designated Y can be made narrower than such interval as illustrated in the drawings so that adjoining sleepers 2 may be brought into contact with each other directly, when curved.
  • the track system comprises a continuous track assembly composed of a plurality of bed sections A and rail members B, a crossing device C for forming crosstracks, two points or switching devices D, a bridge E, a plurality of support means F for supporting the bridge E, and a toy locomotive G adapted to travel along the continuous track.
  • the crossing device C is a substantially cross which is moulded from relatively solid plastics material. It has a square portion Ca and substantially tongue-like lugs Cb projecting horizontally from the four sides thereof, as clearly shown in FIG. 8.
  • the square portion Ca has in its upper surface crossed paths B in the form of a groove for permitting the passage of the locomotive G.
  • Each of the horizontally projecting lugs Cb is provided on its upper surface with two pairs of parallel spaced apart projections 9, each being arranged in alignment with the adjacent one, for removably receiving an end sleeper 2 therebetween, so that four bed sections A with rails B can be removably attached to the four lugs Cb to form cross-tracks.
  • the points or switching device D is also moulded from relatively solid plastics material and comprises a bed proper Da, a branch Db diverging therefrom, two pairs of transversely spaced apart parallel rails B which are fixed to said bed proper and its branch, respectively, and a pivotable rail member 10 for switching the paths of travel for the locomotive G.
  • the pivotable rail member 10 is pivoted to the bed Da at 11 and is adapted to pivot in the direction indicated by the arrow until it assumes the position depicted by the dotted line, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9.
  • the switching device D is also provided with three pairs of parallel spaced apart projections 9 which perform the same fiinction as those of the projections 9 of the crossing device C previously described.
  • the vehicle can be any desired wheeled vehicle, such as a toy automobile, desirably a toy locomotive, train or the like. It can be powered by a battery actuated electric motor, spring motor or any other available motor or engine. It should be noted that the track system shown in FIG. 7 is only one of the many possible layouts embodying the present invention. It goes, therefore, without saying that any other desired shape or configuration of track assembly may be assembled according to the present invention.
  • the track for toy vehicle can be formed into any desired shape or configuration at will with such simple procedure as described and illustrated.
  • the flexible bed sections and rail members which constitute essential components or elements of the track, and also other track assembly constituting members are molded from plastics material, they can be easily massproduced at a relatively low expense.
  • the flexible bed sections and rail members are separated from each other, in addition to being flexible, they can be folded into a compact form and do not need a large space for storage. For example, even if the rail member is long, say, five meters long, it can be folded into a compact spiral form and can be easily stored.
  • a variable track arrangement for a toy vehicle comprising a longitudinally extending track section, said track section comprising a plurality of separate regularly spaced ties extending transversely of the longitudinal dimension of said track section and formed of a soft pliable plastic material, said ties being elongated and having a substantially rectangular cross-section transversely of the longitudinal dimension of said track section, and means for connecting a plurality of said ties together, said connecting means comprising an elongated beam formed of a soft pliable plastic material secured integrally with said ties and interconnecting the midpoints of the longitudinal dimension of said ties, retention means formed on said ties, a pair of rails formed of a soft pliable plastic material removably secured to said ties by said retention means, said retention means for each said rail comprising a pair of laterally spaced parallel projections formed integrally with and extending upwardly from said ties so that each pair of projections snugly receive one said rail therebetween, and said rails having oppositely disposed upper and lower traveling surfaces so that said
  • each of said bed sections comprises means for preventing the bed section from being laterally curved excessively.
  • a variable track arrangement for a toy vehicle comprising a longitudinally extending track section, said track section comprising a plurality of separate regularly spaced ties extending transversely of the longitudinal dimension of said track section and formed of a soft pliable plastic material, said ties being elongated and having a substantially rectangular cross-section transverse of the longitudinal dimension of said track section, and means for connecting a plurality of said ties together, said connecting means comprising an elongated beam formed of a soft pliable plastic material integrally connected with said ties and interconnecting the midpoints of the longitudinal dimension of said ties, said beam having a connecting hole at one end of said track section and a connecting member projecting therefrom on the other end of said track section for interconnecting adjacent said track sections by setting said connecting member into the connecting hole of an adjacent certain track section, retention means formed on said ties, a pair of rails formed of a soft pliable plastic material removably secured to said ties by said retention means, said retention means for each said rail comprising a pair

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US10869A 1969-02-13 1970-02-12 Variable track for a toy vehicle Expired - Lifetime US3680777A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP1265269 1969-02-13

Publications (1)

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US3680777A true US3680777A (en) 1972-08-01

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ID=11811285

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10869A Expired - Lifetime US3680777A (en) 1969-02-13 1970-02-12 Variable track for a toy vehicle

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US (1) US3680777A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
FR (1) FR2032886A5 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB1296075A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (15)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3762641A (en) * 1971-01-05 1973-10-02 E Schubert Railroad track
DE2248727A1 (de) * 1972-10-05 1974-04-11 Fleischmann Geb Biegbares gleis fuer spiel- und modellbahnen
US4397419A (en) * 1979-09-12 1983-08-09 Artur Fischer Guiding element for toy vehicles
US4544094A (en) * 1983-09-19 1985-10-01 Mattel, Inc. Means for joining toy track sections
US4951872A (en) * 1988-01-09 1990-08-28 Sandpipe Computer & Model Services Limited Track jointers
USD341395S (en) 1991-05-10 1993-11-16 Middleton-Sharpe W Ted Model railroad track module
US5440996A (en) * 1994-02-10 1995-08-15 Mattel, Inc. Track set with rotating intersection for toy trains
US5542668A (en) * 1995-01-27 1996-08-06 Empire Of Carolina Game using slot track raceway
US6299072B1 (en) 1999-02-11 2001-10-09 Learning Curve Toys International, Inc. Toy train track connector
US20040182947A1 (en) * 2002-10-08 2004-09-23 Wa Choi Man Flexible track for a toy vehicle
US20040203316A1 (en) * 2001-09-18 2004-10-14 Alessandro Quercetti Suspended runway
WO2004062758A3 (en) * 2003-01-06 2005-09-22 Tobe Zane Flexible vehicle guiding element
US20050287919A1 (en) * 2004-01-23 2005-12-29 Sheltman David A Toy vehicle track structure
WO2015149093A1 (de) * 2014-04-04 2015-10-08 Centurioni Patrick Schienensystem für eine kamera
US10046246B2 (en) 2014-09-02 2018-08-14 Mattel, Inc. Reconfigurable toy vehicle track, accessory, and track set

Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1260151A (en) * 1916-09-23 1918-03-19 William G Coughlin Rail-chair.
US1694528A (en) * 1928-07-18 1928-12-11 John L Clarkson Flexible railway track
US2196257A (en) * 1938-06-14 1940-04-09 Dubilier William Track system for toy trains
US2405533A (en) * 1944-11-30 1946-08-06 Varney Gordon Track structure for model railways
US2703204A (en) * 1949-02-18 1955-03-01 Robert L Miller Track for model railroads
US2862333A (en) * 1954-02-08 1958-12-02 Gardiol Franco Deformable toy track
FR1255104A (fr) * 1960-01-22 1961-03-03 Voie pour chemin de fer miniature
US3464624A (en) * 1965-12-13 1969-09-02 Interlego Ag Building set combination including toy rails,ties and special track sections

Patent Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1260151A (en) * 1916-09-23 1918-03-19 William G Coughlin Rail-chair.
US1694528A (en) * 1928-07-18 1928-12-11 John L Clarkson Flexible railway track
US2196257A (en) * 1938-06-14 1940-04-09 Dubilier William Track system for toy trains
US2405533A (en) * 1944-11-30 1946-08-06 Varney Gordon Track structure for model railways
US2703204A (en) * 1949-02-18 1955-03-01 Robert L Miller Track for model railroads
US2862333A (en) * 1954-02-08 1958-12-02 Gardiol Franco Deformable toy track
FR1255104A (fr) * 1960-01-22 1961-03-03 Voie pour chemin de fer miniature
US3464624A (en) * 1965-12-13 1969-09-02 Interlego Ag Building set combination including toy rails,ties and special track sections

Cited By (20)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3762641A (en) * 1971-01-05 1973-10-02 E Schubert Railroad track
DE2248727A1 (de) * 1972-10-05 1974-04-11 Fleischmann Geb Biegbares gleis fuer spiel- und modellbahnen
US4397419A (en) * 1979-09-12 1983-08-09 Artur Fischer Guiding element for toy vehicles
US4544094A (en) * 1983-09-19 1985-10-01 Mattel, Inc. Means for joining toy track sections
US4951872A (en) * 1988-01-09 1990-08-28 Sandpipe Computer & Model Services Limited Track jointers
USD341395S (en) 1991-05-10 1993-11-16 Middleton-Sharpe W Ted Model railroad track module
US5440996A (en) * 1994-02-10 1995-08-15 Mattel, Inc. Track set with rotating intersection for toy trains
US5542668A (en) * 1995-01-27 1996-08-06 Empire Of Carolina Game using slot track raceway
US6299072B1 (en) 1999-02-11 2001-10-09 Learning Curve Toys International, Inc. Toy train track connector
US20040203316A1 (en) * 2001-09-18 2004-10-14 Alessandro Quercetti Suspended runway
US6953377B2 (en) * 2001-09-18 2005-10-11 Alessandro Quercetti Suspended runway
US20040182947A1 (en) * 2002-10-08 2004-09-23 Wa Choi Man Flexible track for a toy vehicle
US7051948B2 (en) * 2002-10-08 2006-05-30 Battat Incorporated Flexible track for a toy vehicle
WO2004062758A3 (en) * 2003-01-06 2005-09-22 Tobe Zane Flexible vehicle guiding element
WO2005038137A3 (en) * 2003-10-14 2005-06-30 Battat Inc Flexible track for a toy vehicle
US20050287919A1 (en) * 2004-01-23 2005-12-29 Sheltman David A Toy vehicle track structure
WO2015149093A1 (de) * 2014-04-04 2015-10-08 Centurioni Patrick Schienensystem für eine kamera
US20170146184A1 (en) * 2014-04-04 2017-05-25 Centurioni Patrick Rail system for a camera
US10330248B2 (en) * 2014-04-04 2019-06-25 Centurioni Patrick Rail system for a camera
US10046246B2 (en) 2014-09-02 2018-08-14 Mattel, Inc. Reconfigurable toy vehicle track, accessory, and track set

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB1296075A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1972-11-15
FR2032886A5 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1970-11-27

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