Electrical pulse counters – pulse dividers – or shift registers: c – Applications – Game or sport
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-29
2001-02-20
Wambach, Margaret R. (Department: 2816)
Electrical pulse counters, pulse dividers, or shift registers: c
Applications
Game or sport
C463S059000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06192099
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a lap counter for a race track for toy racing cars or the like, and in particular to a lap counter able to take into account the possibility of cars crossing from one track to another.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Race-tracks for toy cars and the like are a very popular form of toy. A particularly popular form of such toy is one where the race track is formed from a plurality of segments that can be fitted together to form a race track of any desired shape, and where the cars are guided and powered by means of a slot formed along the track segments and thus along the completed track when the segments are put together.
Generally such race tracks include two parallel slots per segment, and thus the completed race track includes two parallel guide slots. Since of course the race track is normally configured so as to form a closed loop, one of these slots will be an inner slot and the other will be an outer slot. Inevitably therefore the distance taken by one slot in a complete lap will be shorter than the distance taken by the other, and since compared to a real race track such a toy race track has proportionately tighter bends, this difference is significant and a toy racing car in the outer slot will have to travel a substantially longer distance than one in the inner slot.
To overcome this disparity in distance of the two slots, it is conventional to have one track segment in which the two slots cross over. If such a segment is included in the completed race track then the effect is that once every lap the two tot racing cars will swap slots. The toy car in the outer slot will move to the inner, and the toy car in the inner slot will move to the outer. Over a number of laps this will even out the disparity that would otherwise be caused by the difference in length between the inner and outer slots.
PRIOR ART
One disadvantage of the introduction of a cross-over segment into the track, however, is that it makes lap counters approximate. A popular feature of such toy racing tracks is that means are provided to count the number of laps completed by the toy cars. Generally such means include means located in each slot for noting when a car passes, and for totaling this number and displaying it so as to be seen by a user. However, when the cars are swapping tracks on a regular basis since the lap counters only recognise that a car has passed by and do not know which car has passed the counter, the lap counter can only be approximate and one cannot tell with certainty exactly how many laps each individual car has completed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention therefore there is provided a lap counting mechanism for a toy race car adapted to be guided in a slot formed in a race track, wherein the race car is formed with a guide member that travels in the slot, the guide member being formed with a left-right asymmetry, and wherein the track is provided with means for sensing the presence of a car and for identifying the car sensed by means of the left-right asymmetry.
By means of this arrangement it is possible for the lap counting mechanism not only to detect that a car has passed but to be able to know which car has passed. The laps done by individual cars may therefore be counted accurately even though the cars may be changing tracks.
The asymmetry may be formed by providing one side of the guide member with means responded to by the sensing means. The asymmetry and the sensing means may be of an electrical nature, or an optical nature or a magnetic nature.
For example, in one embodiment one side of the guide member is formed with a conductive surface and the sensing means comprise pairs of electrical contacts formed on either side of the slot, the pair of contacts on the side of the slot corresponding to the conductive surface being electrically connected by the conductive surface as the car passes the sensing means.
Alternatively in another embodiment one side of the guide member is formed with a reflective surface and the sensing means comprise optical sensors formed on either side of the slot, the sensors comprising a light emitting means and a light receiving means, and the optical sensor on the side of the slot corresponding to the reflective surface generating a signal as a car passes the sensing means by light emitted from the light emitting means being reflected from the reflective surface to the light receiving means.
In addition to a simple left-right asymmetry, the means that is responded to by the sensing means may also encode more complex information. This may be achieved for example by dividing the means responded to into segments along the guide member. This information may be used to further identify the car, or it may be used to help calculate the speed.
It may also be possible to use the detection of a passing car to trigger the generation of sound and/or light effects.
It will also be understood that while the invention is particularly suitable for use with toy racing cars, it is not limited thereto and may be applied to any form of toy race track where the items being raced are guided by slots. For example toy trains, boats, horses etc. The invention should not therefore be considered limited to toy racing cars.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4997187 (1991-03-01), Smollar et al.
patent: 5299969 (1994-04-01), Zaruba
patent: 5542668 (1996-08-01), Casale et al.
patent: 5676586 (1997-10-01), James
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Ngai Keung Metal & Plastic Manufactory Limited
Wambach Margaret R.
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