Railways – Tubular way
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-03
2002-12-31
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Railways
Tubular way
C463S064000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06499409
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to the field of track mounted devices. Such devices historically have primarily comprised trains mounted on tracks. Such designs can be utilized for advertising, monitoring or amusement or as play things for young and old alike. They can be used commercially for advertising and attention gathering. They can be used for side-by-side racing when more than one individual tracks are provided adjacent one another. They can be formed in planer 2-dimensional arrangements similar to train track designs or can be configured with track segments in three dimensions similar to a roller coaster. The same blower can be utilized to provide pressurized air to both tracks to save on expenses and to equalize such competition. More particularly the present invention deals with a pneumatic track powered by pressurized air flow therethrough for moving of an object therealong as desired through one or more track sections. The present invention provides a unique system for controlling the movement of the object and maintaining fully effective and efficient operation thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous prior art devices have been patented for various track related and particularly pneumatically powered track related device which are distinguishable from the present invention such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,128,690 patented Aug. 30, 1938 to M. L. Burke et al on a “Pneumatically Operated Educational Game”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,571,081 patented Oct. 9, 1951 to J. C. Wilson on a “Pneumatic Racing Game Apparatus”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,630,320 patented Mar. 3, 1953 to R. N. Francis on a “Racing Game Device”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,224,771 patented Dec. 21, 1965 to F. A. Altieri and assigned one-half to Charles Trivinia on a “Fluid Pressure Drive Racing Game Apparatus”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,466,043 patented Sep. 9, 1969 to L. H. McRoskey et al and assigned to Republic Tool & Manufacturing Corp. on “Combined Passing Race Track And Self-Propelled Vehicles”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,524 patented Dec. 28, 1971 to J. Cooper et al on a “Racing Game With Selectively Actuated Lane Switching Members”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,953 patented Feb. 22, 1972 to J. S. Fixler and assigned to Industrial Patent Development Corp. on a “Fluid Pressure Operated Game”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,071 patented Oct. 10, 1972 to J. E. Anderson on a “Fluid Actuated Track System With Constant Flow Valve”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,024 patented Jan. 24, 1978 to N. Hamano and assigned to Tomy Kogyo Co., Inc. on a “Continuous Racetrack Having Vehicle Accelerating Device”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,562 patented May 30, 1978 to C. Kimura and assigned to Okuma Seisakusho Co. Ltd. on a “Toy Railway System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,935 patented Jul. 1, 1980 to H. Parker on an “Apparatus For Rocket Sled Game”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,005 patented Oct. 21, 1980 to G. A. Barlow et al and assigned to Gordon Barlow Design on a “Track Racing Game”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,283,053 patented Aug. 11, 1981 to H. Parker et al on an “Air Powered Rocket Sled Game”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,602 patented Jul. 10, 1984 to W. Vandersteel on a “Pneumatic Pipeline Transport System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,256 patented Feb. 16, 1988 to J. J. Sassak on a “Pneumatic Construction Game”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,188 patented May 15, 1990 to R. S. McKay et al on a “Toy Race Track And Lap Counter”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,116 patented Oct. 16, 1990 to J. J. Huber on a “Race Water Track Toy”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,301 patented Jul. 5, 1994 to J. C. Woodside on an “Air Propelled Toy Dragster Car”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,434 patented Aug. 15, 1995 to K. B. Caulkins on a “Magnetic Conveyance System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,453 patented Jul. 23, 1996 to L. G. Johnson on an “Air Pressure Toy Rocket Launcher”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,614 patented Dec. 17, 1996 to S. H. Aidlin et al on an “Air Handling System For A Pneumatic Conveyor”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,736 patented Jul. 29, 1997 to J. D. Myers on a “Racer Toy Utilizing Water-Driven Boats”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,658,198 patented Aug. 19, 1997 to Y. Nagasaka et al and assigned to Imagic, Inc. and Tomy Co., Ltd. on a “Pneumatic Running Toy”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,773 patented to J. F. Oullette on May 16, 2000 and assigned to Oullette Machinery Systems, Inc. on an “Infeed Assembly For Use With An Air Conveyor System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,951 patented Jul. 18, 2000 to E. Ostendorff and assigned to Mattel, Inc. on a “Toy Vehicle And Trackset Having Lap-Counting Feature”.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a propulsion track apparatus including an object designed for movement therealong. This construction of this object preferably includes a first frame and a second frame maintained spatially disposed therefrom and flexibly resiliently movable with respect thereto by an interconnecting frame suspension such as a spring or other flexibly resilient member. This spring will maintain the first and second frames flexible with respect to one another and also slightly spatially disposed from one another to aid in such flexibility. Each of the frame means includes a wheel means rotatably mounted thereon to facilitate guiding of movement thereof through the pneumatic track and through the air tunnel. Preferably the first frame will include four such individual wheels and the second frame will include four additional such wheels to aid in this movement.
The pneumatic track of this apparatus extends generally longitudinally between a starting end and a terminating end in such a manner as to provide a path for movement of the object therealong. The pneumatic track includes an enclosed pneumatic conduit as the preferred construction thereof. The pneumatic track also includes a track air relief device which is positioned therein which is designed to allow excess air flow pressure within the track to be expelled. The track air relief means preferably will include a plurality of longitudinal slots defined therein extending longitudinally approximately parallel to the pneumatic track at a position adjacent to the starting end thereof. Preferably seven or some other odd number of longitudinal slots will be included in order to prevent interaction or engagement thereof with respect to the even number of wheels in the object to prevent interaction between the object and the longitudinal slots themselves.
The pneumatic track itself will preferably also include two individual track sections connected in parallel with respect to one another defined preferably as a primary track and a secondary track. At least one wide section will be positioned immediately upstream of the terminating end of the pneumatic track to urge movement of the object means to the track inlet irrespective of whether the object is moving within the primary section or the secondary section thereof.
A uniquely configured air control device is also preferably included in the present invention which is designed to be connected to the pneumatic track for the purpose of providing a continuous supply of pressurized air thereto in a controlled manner in order to continuously and effectively urge movement of the object therealong.
The air control device preferably includes an air control housing which defines a track inlet defined therein which is connected with respect to the terminating end of the pneumatic track to be in fluid flow communication therewith. In a similar manner a track outlet is defined by the air control housing spatially disposed from the track inlet and connected with respect to the starting end of the pneumatic track to be in fluid flow communication therewith. This air control device can be connected to more than one set of pneumatic tracks for the purpose of driving more than one object therethrough for providing the capability of side-by-side competitive racing using a single air control system. The system could include separate speed controls to aid in providing a competitive racing device.
An air tunnel is defined within the air control device which e
Niederer Eric
Niederer Lee
Morano S. Joseph
Olson Lars A.
Sperry, Zoda & Kane
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