Road structure – process – or apparatus – Pavement – Rubber or rubber-like
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-24
2001-12-11
Shackelford, H. (Department: 3673)
Road structure, process, or apparatus
Pavement
Rubber or rubber-like
C404S035000, C404S041000, C238S01000B, C238S01000B, C273SDIG003, C104S055000, C104S063000, C016S004000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328500
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a kit for assembling a closed-loop toy roadway, comprising interconnecting segments that can be configured into a desired shape and length, for young children to follow while playing; for example, in riding their wheeled vehicles. The invention also relates to the individual segments for forming the toy roadway and to a method of constructing the toy roadway from such segments.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Parents of young children are often faced with the dilemma of wanting their children to play indoors so they can be readily supervised but having to forego that interest when the child selects a wheeled vehicle, such as a tricycle, to play on.
Various types of toy vehicle roads are available. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,194 discloses toy road boards comprising plastic panels, connected via square or rectangular Velcro tabs. The boards feature connectable realistic geographical areas depicting a multiplicity of scenes—residential, city, country, and race track—replete with buildings, trees and different ground elevations embossed in the plastic board material. The miniaturized scenes include “roadways” that can be connected from one board to the next. See column 1, lines 60-68, and column 2, lines 58-68 (indicating “city” board, “residential” board, and “off road area” board, for example). However, the roads of the '194 patent are for use with miniature toy vehicles rather than for a child to play on and are not cited as offering a closed-loop configuration. Moreover, such boards typically cannot be configured in a length and form to allow the child to meander from room to room. Nor are such boards cited as being skid-proof.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,875 features a flexible track made up of a multiplicity of interconnected rigid track sections shaped to define desired vertical and horizontal curvatures, such as banks and hills. The track is made of track sections extending laterally and coupled to permit pivotal displacement of the track segments about an axis. Such track, however, is designed to accommodate road racing vehicles, particularly electrically powered slot car sets (see column 1, lines 5-10), and not children riding wheeled vehicles.
Consequently, a need exists for a roadway that young children may play on, for example, with their tricycles, that is made of a flexible material, that has a skid-proof top surface and backing to ensure the safety of the young child, and that can be configured into a closed roadway of a variety of shapes and lengths.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention provides a kit for assembling a closed-loop simulation of a roadway for young children to play on. The kit comprises at least four curved road segments and at least two straight road segments. The segments have an upper surface, a lower surface, two opposing parallel sides, a front connecting end, a back connecting end, and a width sufficient to accommodate a young child playing thereon, for example, riding a tricycle. Made of a flexible material, the segments can be connected end-to-end by fastening means disposed along a portion of each connecting end so as to form a continuous, closed-looped roadway of virtually any desired length and shape. The segments may also be connected to form a noncontinuous portion of a roadway. The upper surface of the roadway has at least one marking simulating a roadway lane marking, each marking being disposed longitudinally so it is substantially parallel to the two parallel sides of the segment. Typically, the upper surface is of a carpet-like material and has a nonskid backing, similar to that found on carpets. Other materials, however, may be used. The lower surface also has a nonskid surface for restricting movement of the road segment against a supporting surface. Thus, the inventive closed-loop roadway is particularly suited for use both inside and outside a home.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention is a segment for forming the roadway. The segment has the features described above. That is, each segment is made of a flexible material, has a straight shape or a curved shape, and comprises two opposing nonskid surfaces, a front connecting end, a back connecting end, and fastening means secured to at least a portion of each connecting end. The fastening means comprises a plurality of loops secured to one connecting end and a plurality of hooks secured to the connecting end of an adjacent segment. On one surface is at least one marking simulating the markings on a roadway. The at least one marking is disposed longitudinally on the segment so that the marking on one segment aligns substantially with the marking on an adjacent segment when the segments are connected end-to-end. Preferably, the markings comprise discontinuous lines that simulate lane markings, for example. Alternatively, the markings may comprise two solid lines of yellow or any other desired color to simulate a no-passing zone, or a solid line of white of any other desired color on one of the parallel sides to connote an outer lane marking.
The present invention also includes a method of constructing the closed-loop simulation of a roadway from the inventive segments. The method comprises: (a) positioning two road segments, having the features described above, so they are adjacent each other and the front connecting portion of one segment aligns with the back connecting portion of the adjacent segment and the fastening means on the adjacent connecting portions—wherein the fastening means comprises a plurality of hooks on one segment and a plurality of loops on the adjacent segment—are in relational cooperation; (b) connecting the adjacent segments by engaging the plurality of loops with the plurality of hooks; (c) positioning an additional segment adjacent the interconnected segments as described in step (a); and (d) repeating steps (b)-(c) until a closed-loop play roadway has been configured of the desired length and shape.
REFERENCES:
patent: Re. 32106 (1986-04-01), Lemelson
patent: 914058 (1909-03-01), Martyne
patent: 2052228 (1936-08-01), Horn
patent: 2862333 (1958-12-01), Gardiol
patent: 3589064 (1971-06-01), Harada
patent: 3597876 (1971-08-01), Haji
patent: 3630524 (1971-12-01), Cooper et al.
patent: 3860237 (1975-01-01), Cooper et al.
patent: 3862874 (1975-01-01), Hopper et al.
patent: 4078799 (1978-03-01), Lahr
patent: 4106695 (1978-08-01), Carella et al.
patent: 4207787 (1980-06-01), Lewallyn
patent: 4241875 (1980-12-01), Vandenbrink
patent: 4242389 (1980-12-01), Howell
patent: 4266769 (1981-05-01), Saitoh
patent: 4277201 (1981-07-01), Abell
patent: 4287130 (1981-09-01), Dohm et al.
patent: 4352329 (1982-10-01), Fetty et al.
patent: 4376596 (1983-03-01), Green
patent: 4468910 (1984-09-01), Morrison
patent: 4504012 (1985-03-01), Fetty et al.
patent: 4655784 (1987-04-01), Rahman
patent: 4671977 (1987-06-01), Berry
patent: 4842194 (1989-06-01), Halbert
patent: 4921741 (1990-05-01), Mullen
patent: 5160091 (1992-11-01), Hesse
patent: 5203733 (1993-04-01), Patch et al.
patent: 5364204 (1994-11-01), MacLeod
patent: 5820294 (1998-10-01), Baranowski
patent: 5868076 (1999-02-01), Myus et al.
Hartmann Gary S.
Ryndak & Suri
Shackelford H.
LandOfFree
Segmented toy roadway, toy roadway segment, and method of... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Segmented toy roadway, toy roadway segment, and method of..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Segmented toy roadway, toy roadway segment, and method of... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2597977