Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63G—MERRY-GO-ROUNDS; SWINGS; ROCKING-HORSES; CHUTES; SWITCHBACKS; SIMILAR DEVICES FOR PUBLIC AMUSEMENT
  • A63G25/00—Autocar-like self-drivers; Runways therefor
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63K—RACING; RIDING SPORTS; EQUIPMENT OR ACCESSORIES THEREFOR
  • A63K3/00—Equipment or accessories for racing or riding sports
  • A63K3/02—Starting-appliances

Definitions

• Racetrack arrangement for holding speed and/or skill races
• the invention relates to a racetrack arrangement for holding speed and/or skill races, for comparing the performance of mobile devices powered by human strength or operated by people and for arranging these so that the races provide equal opportunities for the competitors, the danger of accidents is reduced to a minimum and the opportunity for disturbing the competitors is avoided.
• the racetrack is installed on a site and has a starting point, finishing point and a route leading from the starting point to the finishing point, furthermore, in a given case it is supplemented with information displays serving to inform the competitors and/or protective equipment suitable for protecting the competitors.
• Games have been one of the most ancient of human activities stretching back to prehistoric times.
• a special game form are those activities involving more than one person, and within these those where the participants compete against each other.
• the competitions can be intellectual, physical or a combination of these, they can be played by persons individually or between teams, without using equipment or with it.
• those competitions form a separate family that are held along a determined route, on a course with a set size and/or geometry.
• the number of variations is inexhaustible and they are mostly based on the comparison of e.g.: speed and/or skill and/or other abilities.
• the aim of the invention is the development of a race course arrangement that overcomes the deficiencies of the known facilities and offers realistic competition, increased speed and competitive experience and actual equal opportunity.
• the racetrack arrangement is for holding speed and/or skill races, for comparing the performance of mobile devices powered by human strength or operated by people and for arranging these so that the races provide equal opportunities for the competitors, the danger of accidents is reduced to a minimum and the opportunity for disturbing the competitors is avoided - in which arrangement the racetrack is installed on a site and has a starting point, finishing point and a route leading from the starting point to the finishing point, furthermore, in a given case it is supplemented with information displays serving to inform the competitors and/or protective equipment suitable for protecting the competitors - set up in such a way that the competition course is divided into at least two largely independent tracks practically supplementing each other per pair, the tracks are installed around a central area that can not be accessed by the competitors or only in a given case, both the first and second track are formed by at least one closed corridor each with physically insurmountable borders on each side and by an open corridor with an insurmountable border on only one side, of the tracks that belong to each other there is a
• a further criterion of the arrangement according to the invention may be that the closed corridors are separated from the central area by the inner bordering structure and from the open corridor by the outer bordering structure.
• the internal bordering structure is arranged along a line that returns to itself, surrounding the central area, e.g. as a fence.
• the inner bordering structure is replaced in at least a section in the proximity of the transition zones by visual markings.
• the inner bordering structure is intermittently surrounded by the outer bordering structure.
• first track and the second track cross each other at the same level. In another case in the transition zones the first track and the second track cross each other at different levels.
• the arrangement installed at the tracks there is a starting device, finishing line, result sign and one or more signalling devices giving instructions to the competitors and or signalling danger and or other information.
• the signalling devices are devices suitable for displaying visual and/or audio information.
• the result signs in a given case the start devices and/or signalling devices are connected to a central unit.
• the first track, its parts and accessories bear a symbol, in an advantageous case the same colour, that harmonises them all.
• the second track, its parts and accessories bear a symbol, in an advantageous case the same colour that harmonises them all.
• the colour of the first track and the colour of the second track differ significantly from one another.
• the racetrack includes auxiliary devices that influence the surface quality of it, for example, wetting or anti-dust devices.
• the arrangement according to the invention has numerous advantageous characteristics. Among these the most important is that it really does unify the advantages of the known solutions, it really does overcome their deficiencies, the large degree of lack of equal opportunity, offer protection against accidents and real competition experience, and in practice terminates the probability of the competitors disturbing each other.
• Figure 1 is the ground plan drawing of a possible construction example of the arrangement
• Figure 2 is a connection outline drawing of the central unit that harmonises the operation of the racetrack and the accessories.
• the mentioned simplest construction can be seen as a "basic case" that serves two persons or two teams and that can be developed further according to demand.
• the further developed versions there are, naturally, more tracks and more starting points belonging to them.
• first track 3 and second track 4 available for the vehicles of the two competitors A and B, which tracks are arranged as each other's "mirror image" - actually as each other's antimetric.
• the racetrack 2 is in theory destined for motor-driven devices, but exceptions can be made to this.
• the competition devices - the structure of which is nit the subject of the present application - are to be strictly of the same performance and with the same equipment.
• the closes corridor 31 consists of two main parts: the closes corridor 31 and the open corridor 32.
• the starting point 30 has a starting device 34. It is called “closed” because it is separated from the central area 5 by the inner bordering structure 6 and from the site 1 on that side by the outer bordering structure 7 so that the competitor is forced to always remain within them.
• any line may be taken, in other words it is not like a railway track.
• three zones of the closed corridor 31 can be observed: the flat curve 31a, the straight section 31b and the hairpin bend 31c.
• the topographical data of these sections of the racetrack 2 - the (continuous or varying) width of the closed corridor 31 the sizes of the radii of the curves, and the length of the sections - the competition conditions, the speeds that can be reached and the time results, etc. may be influenced.
• the finish line 35 may be anywhere along the first track 3, which must be (or may be) passed the number of times determined by the prevailing competition rules.
• the starting point 30 naturally may be planned to be in the transition zone 33 or near it, or even, in a given case, in the central area 5.
• the competitor gets to the "outside” via the transition zone 33, in other words to the open corridor 32 outside the outer bordering structure 7 of the first track 3. So competitor A going on the first track 3 continuously "avoids" the outer bordering structure 7, as he/she travels firstly within it in the closed corridor 31 and secondly outside it in the open corridor 32.
• the competitor may select a line, not shown, for him/herself with a greater degree of freedom - as only one of the sides is bordered so that it may not be crossed.
• the straight section 32b and the hairpin bend 32c may be differentiated from one another.
• the open corridor 32 is much more suitable for the competitor who is forced to give up due to a technical fault or some other reason to leave the race and stop on the side of the open corridor 32, or even leave the racetrack 2 completely.
• the open corridor 32 provides the opportunity for the racetrack 2 to be supplemented by a section of track, e.g. loop, starting from any part of the open corridor 32 and returning to it there, whilst maintaining the basic principles.
• the second track 4 is the mirror image of the first track 3. So what we said previously is also true with respect to the starting point 40 of the second track 4, its closed corridor 41, its open corridor 42, its transition zone 43, its starting device 44 and finish line 45, as well as, in a given case, with respect to the supplementary track section connected to the open corridor 42. So competitor B on the second track 4 going alternately on the closed corridor 41 and then the open corridor 42 also avoids the outer bordering structure 7 in the same way as we mentioned in the case of competitor A. Due to the "mirror image" character of the first track 3 and the second track 4 it turns out that, although they can freely choose the line they take - competitors starting out at the same time from starting points 30 and 40 have strictly the same route available.
• transition zones 33 and 43 deserve separate attention, both competitors use them and this is where in the given construction example the first track 3 and the second track 4 cross each other at the same level.
• the safety 37 and signalling 47 devices inform the competitors of each other's position, in other words "HIGHWAY CODE" rules appear on the signalling devices 37 and 47 that inform the competitor that is approaching it what to do: e.g.: slow down.
• More of the signalling devices 37 and 47 may be positioned along the first track 3 and the second track 4, however, it is a certain advantage if they are (also) positioned near the transition zones 33 and 43 of the hairpin bends 31c and 41c.
• the starting points 35 and 45 are positioned so that they can be seen easily from a distance, e.g. on the straight section 32b of the open corridor 32 of the first track 3 and on the straight section 42b of the open corridor 42 of the second track 4. It is worth placing the result signs 36 and 46 before these. And advantageous version may also be if the central area 5 contains start-finish corridors connected to the tracks 3, 4 via the transition zones 33, 43.
• the signalling devices 37 and 47 emit clear and easily visible signals for both the competitors and the people watching. They should have visual signals, but could also have audible signals as well. It is also possible to provide the competitors with information continuously, automatically or with the intervention of a person (e.g. track marshal activity) from the central unit 8, in the form of harmonised signals.
• the continuous information provision does not only have to be for calling attention to danger, but instructions may also be given, e.g. prescribing alternated travelling directions for the competitors, the open or closed corridor to be used, the tasks carried out and those still to be done (e.g. the number of circuits to be completed), etc.
• both the first track 3 and the second track 4 have a symbol system that is characteristic of them but also clearly different from each other, e.g. a colour code. All the accessories should be realised strictly within the symbol system, e.g. the starting devices 34, 44, the finish lines 35, 45, the result signs 36, 46 and the signalling devices 37, 47. In theory it is possible for the differing symbols, e.g. colours, to be assigned to the competitors A and B.
• the racetrack 2 accessories - not shown on the figure - that continuously take care of the cleanliness of the course surface and/or other quality factors.
• the accessories may include devices with the help of which the course may be made wet, heated, made rough and with which dust is removed from the surface.
• Theoretical connection outline drawing seen in figure 2 only wishes to point out that the racetrack 2 equipment, the starting devices 34, 44, the finish lines 35, 45, the result signs 36, 46 and the signalling devices 37, 47 may be in connection with their "pairs" via the central unit 8 and with the other equipment.
• the operation of the equipment can be harmonised and the races can be easily organised, automated. This may be carried out in such a way that the competitors, the organisers and judges (jury), and furthermore, the people watching are informed of all the judgement data and information immediately and continuously.
• racetrack arrangement according to the invention may be applied in all cases where with - characteristically motorised - vehicles, with the maximum observance of safety and equal opportunity, exciting competition and an increased experience of competing is needed.

Landscapes

• Toys (AREA)
• Train Traffic Observation, Control, And Security (AREA)
• Professional, Industrial, Or Sporting Protective Garments (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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ID=89980517

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (2)

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Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (7)

• 2001
  • 2001-10-09 HU HU0201998A patent/HUP0201998A2/hu unknown
• 2002
  • 2002-10-08 US US10/492,249 patent/US20040198506A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-10-08 WO PCT/HU2002/000102 patent/WO2003031006A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (4)

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