WO2007083869A1

WO2007083869A1 - Multiplayable top

Info

Publication number: WO2007083869A1
Application number: PCT/KR2006/003354
Authority: WO
Inventors: In-Seob Sim
Original assignee: In-Seob Sim
Priority date: 2006-01-20
Filing date: 2006-08-25
Publication date: 2007-07-26
Also published as: KR100666058B1

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a multifunctional top. The top is constructed so that a shaft passes vertically through a center of a main body. A space is vertically defined in a center of the main body, and a rolling member is press-fitted into the space. The shaft is press-fitted into an inner race of the rolling member. A hollow first cord winding part protrudes integrally from a lower portion of the main body, and a hollow second cord winding part protrudes integrally from an upper portion of the main body. A conical notch having a predetermined depth is formed in a center of a lower portion of the shaft, and a locking groove is formed in a lower end of the conical notch. Further, pin holes are formed, respectively, in upper and lower ends of the shaft.

Description

Description MULTIPLAYABLE TOP

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates, in general, to multifunctional tops and, more particularly, to a multifunctional top, which is constructed so that the main body of the top revolves on a shaft inserted into the main body, thus allowing the shaft to be placed on a drill bit, having a sharp point, or on a thread while the main body is spinning, and in which an additional adapter having at an end thereof the shape of a ball is fitted over the lower end of the shaft when a thread or drill bit is not used, thus allowing a player to enjoy playing with the top in a general manner. Background Art

[2] Generally, a top is a plaything which is manufactured by shaping wood into a cylinder and sharpening the lower portion of the cylinder, and is whipped to make it spin, or which is manufactured to have a conical shape and is made to spin by winding a cord around a main body and then unwinding the cord. Such a top, spun with a cord, is called a cord spin top.

[3] The top includes a main body and a shaft. The main body is manufactured by shaping wood into a conical shape or is manufactured to have the conical shape through injection molding using resin. The shaft is passed through the center of the main body in a direction from an upper portion to a lower portion thereof, or from the lower portion to the upper portion, and is inserted into the main body in such a way that part of the shaft is exposed to the outside.

[4] Further, the upper portion of the main body is printed or painted with several colors, thus showing variously mixed colors while the main body spins.

[5] When a person desires to play with the top, one end of the long cord is fastened to the portion of the shaft that protrudes upwards from the main body. In such a state, the cord is wound around the portion of the shaft that protrudes downwards from the main body in such a way as to completely surround the lower portion of the main body. After the other end of the wound cord is hooked to on or held by the person's finger, the main body is thrown at a level planar surface, and simultaneously the cord is pulled. At this time, while the main body is spun by force generated when the cord is unwound, the main body falls to the planar surface.

[6] However, while the top is spun using the cord, the shaft provided in the main body is rotated along with the main body. Thus, the top can spin only on a level planar surface, but cannot spin on thread or a drill bit having a sharp point. As such, there are limited ways to play with the top, and thus a player may lose interest in playing with the top.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

[7] Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a multifunctional top, in which a main body revolves on a shaft inserted into the main body, so that the top does not fall over but continues to spin even when the shaft is placed on a drill bit having a sharp point or on a thread, thus allowing a player to continue playing with the top, and in which an additional adapter having a ball-shaped end is fitted over the lower end of the shaft when the thread or drill bit is not used, thus allowing a player to enjoy playing with the top in a general manner. Technical Solution

[8] In order to accomplish the object, the present invention provides a multifunctional top, which is constructed so that a shaft 30 passes vertically through a center of a main body 10, wherein the main body 10 comprises a conical body, an outer circumferential surface of the body tapering to a center of a lower end of the body, and a space 11 having a stepped lower end is vertically defined in a center of the main body, and a rolling member 20 is press-fitted into the space 11 and is constructed so that a plurality of balls 23 and 23' is rotatably provided between a hollow outer race 21 and a hollow inner race 22 while a predetermined interval is maintained by a retainer 24, and the shaft 30 is press-fitted into the inner race 22 of the rolling member 20, and a hollow first cord winding part 12 protrudes integrally from a lower portion of the main body 10 having the space 11, and a hollow second cord winding part 13 protrudes integrally from an upper portion of the main body 10 to be opposite the first cord winding part 12, and a conical notch 31 having a predetermined depth is formed in a center of a lower portion of the shaft 30, and a locking groove 32 is formed in a lower end of the conical notch 31, and pin holes 33 and 33' are formed, respectively, in upper and lower ends of the shaft 30.

[9] A cord removal prevention cap 14 is coupled to an upper end of the second cord winding part 13 of the main body 10, a pin hole 141 is formed in a center of the cord removal prevention cap 14, and a coupling groove 142 is formed in a lower portion of the cord removal prevention cap so that the coupling groove 142 is coupled to the upper end of the second cord winding part 13. Concave rings 15 and 15' are formed in the upper portion of the main body 10 at regular intervals to have the arrangement of concentric circles. Convex parts 16 and 16' are provided between the concave rings 15 and 15', and are painted with several colors.

[10] Further, an adapter 40 having a ball-shaped lower portion is coupled to the lower end of the shaft 30, an insert groove 41 is formed in a center of an upper portion of the adapter 40, and a cut slit 42 is formed in a portion of the insert groove 41, thus allowing the lower end of the shaft 30 to be inserted into the insert groove 41.

Advantageous Effects

[11] As described above, the present invention provides a multifunctional top, in which a main body revolves on a shaft inserted into the main body, so that the top does not fall over but continues to spin even when the shaft is placed on a drill bit having a sharp point or thread during the rotation of the main body, thus allowing a player to continue playing with the top. [12] Further, the present invention provides a multifunctional top, in which an additional adapter is fitted over the lower end of the shaft when the thread or drill bit is not used, thus allowing a player to enjoy playing with the top in a general manner. Therefore, the present invention arouses interest in playing with the top.

Brief Description of the Drawings [13] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multifunctional top, according to the present invention;

[14] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing important parts of the multifunctional top, according to the present invention; [15] FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the multifunctional top, according to the present invention; and [16] FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are views showing the use of the multifunctional top, according to the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention [17] Hereinafter, the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. [18] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a multifunctional top according to the present invention includes a main body 10, rolling members 20 and 20', a shaft 30, and an adapter 40. [19] The main body 10 is constructed so that it does not fall due to its own weight or centrifugal force while the main body revolves on the shaft 30 at high or low speed.

Further, the main body causes its upper surface to look beautiful while the main body is spinning. [20] To this end, the main body 10 has the shape of a cone which has a larger width or diameter compared to its height. That is, the outer circumferential edge of the disc is formed to have a predetermined thickness, and is tapered towards the center of the lower portion of the disc. [21] Further, a space 11, having a predetermined diameter and a predetermined height, is formed vertically through the center of the main body 10. The lower portion of the space 11 is narrowed to have a smaller diameter than the average diameter of the space 11, thus defining a step. The upper portion of the space 11 is formed to have the same diameter as the average diameter of the space 11.

[22] Further, a first cord winding part 12, which is hollow, is integrated with the main body 10 in such a way as to protrude from the stepped lower portion of the space 11. A second cord winding part 13, which is hollow, is provided on the upper portion of the main body 10 opposite the first cord winding part 12, and protrudes upwards from the main body to have a predetermined diameter and a predetermined height.

[23] The inner surfaces of the first cord winding part 12 and the second cord winding part 13 are spaced apart from the outer surface of the shaft 30, which will be described in detail below, by a predetermined interval, thus preventing the main body 10 from interfering with the shaft 30. That is, this construction allows the main body 10 to smoothly revolve on the shaft 30.

[24] Further, a cord removal prevention cap 14, through which the shaft 30 passes, is coupled to the upper end of the second cord winding part 13. A ring-shaped coupling groove 142 having a predetermined depth is formed in the cord removal prevention cap 14 in such a way as to be opposite the upper end of the second cord winding part 13. The diameter of the cord removal prevention cap 14 is greater than that of the second cord winding part 13, thus preventing a cord 70 wound around the second cord winding part 13 from being removed from the second cord winding part.

[25] Concave rings 15 and 15' are formed in the upper portion of the main body 10 at regular intervals to have the arrangement of concentric circles. Convex parts 16 and 16' are provided between the concave rings 15 and 15', and are painted with several colors.

[26] The rolling members 20 and 20' cause the shaft 30 inserted into the space 11 to be spaced apart from the space 11 defined in the main body 10 by a predetermined interval, in addition to allowing free rotation to occur without interference between the main body 10 and the shaft 30. The rolling members are press-fitted into the upper and lower portions of the space 11.

[27] The rolling member 20 having these functions is constructed so that a plurality of balls 23 and 23' is provided between a hollow outer race 21 and a hollow inner race 22, and is rotated while a predetermined interval is maintained by a retainer 24. The shaft 30 is press-fitted into the inner race 22.

[28] The shaft 30 prevents the spinning main body 10 from falling, and allows the spinning main body 10 to be placed on a thread 50 or a drill bit 60 having a sharp point. A conical notch 31 having a predetermined depth is formed in the lower portion of the shaft 30. A straight locking groove 32 is formed in the lower end of the conical notch 31 to cross the conical notch 31. [29] Further, pin holes 33 and 33' having a predetermined diameter are integrally formed in the shaft between the upper end of the shaft 30 and a portion of the shaft above the conical notch 31. The thread 50 is fitted into either of the pin holes 33 and 33'.

[30] The adapter 40 is coupled to the lower end of the shaft 30, and is rotated on the level planar surface along with the main body 10. An insert groove 41 is formed in the upper portion of the adapter, and has a diameter which is smaller than the outer diameter of the shaft 30. A cut slit 42 is formed in a side of the insert groove 41, and is widened or narrowed so that the adapter is firmly coupled to the shaft 30.

[31] Further, the lower portion of the adapter, which is opposite the insert groove 41, has the shape of a ball. Such a construction allows the adapter to revolve on a portion thereof on the planar surface.

[32] Such a multifunctional top is assembled as follows. First, the shaft 30 is press-fitted into the inner race 22 of the rolling member 20. In such a state, the outer race 21 of the rolling member 20 is press-fitted into the space 11 defined in the main body 10. In this case, the lower end and the upper end of the shaft 30, over which the rolling member 20 is fitted, are exposed outside the first cord winding part 12 and the second cord winding part 13 by predetermined lengths.

[33] Depending on the size of the top, another rolling member 20' may be fitted into the space.

[34] Next, a pin hole 141 of the cord removal prevention cap 14 is fitted over the portion of the shaft 30 that is exposed to the upper portion of the main body 10. Subsequently, the cord removal prevention cap 14 is coupled to the second cord winding part 13 such that the coupling groove 142 formed in the lower portion of the cord removal prevention cap 14 is fitted over the upper end of the second cord winding part 13.

[35] Afterwards, the lower portion of the shaft 30, which is exposed to the outside of the first cord winding part 12, is inserted into the insert groove 41, which is formed in the upper portion of the adapter 40. Since the diameter of the insert groove 41 is smaller than the diameter of the shaft 30, the lower end of the shaft 30 cannot be inserted into the insert groove 41. However, the cut slit 42, formed in one side of the insert groove 41, is widened by a predetermined interval, so that the diameter of the insert groove 41 is enlarged, thus allowing the shaft 30 to be easily inserted into the insert groove 41. While the shaft 30 is inserted into the insert groove 41, the elastic force of the elastic part 41 acts in a direction in which the cut slit 42 is narrowed. In this way, the shaft is inserted into the insert groove through press-fitting, thus preventing the shaft from being undesirably removed from the adapter.

[36] When a player desires to spin the top, assembled in this way, using a thick cord, one end of the thick cord is fastened to the second cord winding part 13, and the other end of the thick cord is passed through the outer circumference of the main body 10 and is fastened to the first cord winding part 12. The remaining part of the thick cord is wound around the inclined lower portion of the main body 10. In such a state, when the top is thrown at the planar surface, the top spins in the same manner as a conventional top.

[37] Meanwhile, when a player desires to spin the top using a thin cord 70, as shown in

FIG. 4, the cord 70 is repeatedly wound around the second cord winding part 13. Afterwards, one end of the cord 70 is pulled with all of player's force, with the upper and lower ends of the shaft 30 held by the hand. At this time, while the cord 70 is unwound, the second cord winding part 13 is rotated. That is, the lower end of the second cord winding part 13 is integrated with the upper portion of the main body 10, and the outer races 21 of the rolling members 20 and 20' are coupled to the space 11 which is defined in the main body 10, so that the main body 10 is rotated at high speed with the shaft 30 fixed.

[38] In such a state, even when the adapter 40 is removed from the lower end of the shaft

30, and the locking groove 32 is seated on the thread 50, which is pulled in opposite directions, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 4, the top spins without falling. Even when the conical notch 31 is seated on the drill bit 60, as shown in FIG. 5, the top spins without falling. As such, the present invention allows the top to spin in various manners.

[39] Meanwhile, in addition to the above manners, as shown in FIG. 6, even in the state where a thread 50 is threaded through the pin hole 33' which is formed in the lower portion of the shaft 30, the top can spin. In this case, even if the shaft 30 moves up and down relative to the pin hole 33', that is, the thread 50 is turned, the top does not fall over onto the planar surface, but continues to spin.

[40]

[41]

Claims

[1] A multifunctional top, which is constructed so that a shaft (30) passes vertically through a center of a main body (10), wherein the main body (10) comprises a conical body, an outer circumferential surface of the body tapering to a center of a lower end of the body, and a space (11) having a stepped lower end is vertically defined in a center of the main body, and a rolling member (20) is press-fitted into the space (11) and is constructed so that a plurality of balls (23)(23') is rotatably provided between a hollow outer race (21) and a hollow inner race (22) while a predetermined interval is maintained by a retainer (24), and the shaft (30) is press-fitted into the inner race (22) of the rolling member (20), and a hollow first cord winding part (12) protrudes integrally from a lower portion of the main body (10) having the space (11), and a hollow second cord winding part (13) protrudes integrally from an upper portion of the main body (10) to be opposite the first cord winding part (12), and a conical notch (31) having a predetermined depth is formed in a center of a lower portion of the shaft (30), and a locking groove (32) is formed in a lower end of the conical notch (31), and pin holes (33)(33') are formed, respectively, in upper and lower ends of the shaft (30).

[2] The multifunctional top according to claim 1, wherein a cord removal prevention cap (14) is coupled to an upper end of the second cord winding part (13) of the main body (10), a pin hole (141) is formed in a center of the cord removal prevention cap (14), and a coupling groove (142) is formed in a lower portion of the cord removal prevention cap so that the coupling groove (142) is coupled to the upper end of the second cord winding part (13).

[3] The multifunctional top according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an adapter (40) having a ball-shaped lower portion is coupled to the lower end of the shaft (30), an insert groove (41) is formed in a center of an upper portion of the adapter (40), and a cut slit (42) is formed in a portion of the insert groove (41), thus allowing the lower end of the shaft (30) to be inserted into the insert groove (41).