Amusement devices: toys – Having permanent magnet – For operating valve – switch – or clutch
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-16
2001-11-27
Nguyen, Kien T. (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices: toys
Having permanent magnet
For operating valve, switch, or clutch
C446S133000, C446S136000, C446S454000, C463S063000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06322415
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to the guidance of toy vehicles and, more particularly, electromagnetic guidance thereof on a predefined track.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
U.S. Pat. No. 1,084,370 discloses an educational apparatus having a transparent sheet of glass laid over a map or other illustration sheet that is employed as a surface on which small moveable figures are guided by the movement of a magnet situated below the illustration sheet. Each figure, with its appropriate index word, figure or image is intended to arrive at an appropriate destination on the top of the sheet and to be left there temporarily.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,036,076 discloses a toy or game in which a miniature setting includes inanimate objects placeable in a multitude of orientations on a game board and also includes animate objects having magnets on their bottom portions. A magnet under the game board is employed to invisibly cause the movement of any of the selected animate objects relative to inanimate objects.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,637,140 teaches a toy vehicular system in which magnetic vehicles travel over a toy landscape as they follow the movement of ferromagnetic pellets through an endless nonmagnetic tube containing a viscous liquid such as carbon tetrachloride. The magnetic attraction between the vehicles and ferromagnetic pellets carried by the circulating liquid is sufficient to pull the vehicles along the path defined by the tube or channel beneath the playing surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,045,393 teaches a device with magnetically moved pieces. Game pieces are magnetically moved on a board by reciprocation under the board of a control slide carrying magnetic areas or elements longitudinally spaced apart in the general direction of the motion path. The surface pieces advance step-by-step in one direction as a result of the back and forth reciprocation of the underlying control slide.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,117 discloses a magnetic force-guided traveling toy wherein a toy vehicles travels on the surface of a board, following a path of magnetically attracted material. The toy vehicles has single drive wheel located centrally on the bottom of the vehicle's body. The center of the gravity of the vehicle resides substantially over the single drive wheel so that the vehicles is balanced. A magnet located on the front of the vehicles is attracted to the magnetic path on the travel board. The magnetic attraction directly steers the vehicle around the central drive wheel along the path.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a guidance apparatus for moveable toy vehicles that includes a track, or roadway, on which the toy vehicles move. The track has one, and preferably more than one, intersection. The intersection has a magnetic guidance mechanism for steering the toy vehicles in alternate directions through the intersection. An intersection magnetic sensing mechanism, electromagnets at the intersection and magnets in the vehicles, stops the vehicles prior to entering the intersection. Additionally, the vehicles stopped at the intersection can be actuated by a timing mechanism after passage of a predetermined time period. Furthermore, the vehicles stopped at the intersection can be actuated only after a mechanism for sensing vehicle presence in the intersection senses no vehicles in the intersection. Preferably, the guidance mechanism for steering toy vehicles through an intersection includes an electromagnet under each roadway of the intersection. Each electromagnet has a pair of poles that straddle the path of the toy vehicle. The toy vehicle has a magnet on its undersurface. Each of the electromagnets under the roadways is actuatable for current to flow in each of two directions through the electromagnet for each of the two poles of the electromagnet to be either a positive or a negative pole. The two poles of each electromagnet can thus either attract or repel the pole of the magnet on the underside of the vehicle, depending on the direction of current flow through the electromagnet. Since the two poles of the electromagnet straddle the path of the toy vehicle, when energized, one pole will attract and the other pole will repel the vehicle magnet to guide the vehicle in a first direction (i.e., right). Reversing the current through the electromagnet reverses the polarity of the two poles, thus guiding the vehicle in the opposite direction. No current flow through the electromagnet results in no magnetic interaction with the vehicle, and the vehicle proceeds straight.
Preferably, a surface roadway is located over the track or roadway described above. Additionally, a surface toy vehicle is movable on the surface roadway in reaction to movement under this surface toy vehicle of the toy vehicle (i.e., powered subsurface vehicle) on the track or roadway under the surface roadway. Each powered subsurface vehicle has a motor therein and a collision avoidance mechanism. The collision avoidance mechanism includes a magnet on the rear of each of the subsurface vehicles and a magnetic field sensor on the front of each of the subsurface vehicles. The magnetic field sensor is adapted to de-energize the power source of the associated subsurface vehicle when the magnetic field sensor senses the magnetic field of the magnet of another subsurface vehicle located ahead of the subsurface vehicle. In this manner, following subsurface vehicles stop prior to impact with leading subsurface vehicles. A similar type of Hall effect system, with a magnet on the vehicles and a sensor adjacent the intersection can determine when a vehicle is approaching the intersection. A vehicle approaching an intersection can be stopped by one of the electromagnets adjacent each roadway that function to electromagnetically block intersection access on command.
Preferably, guidance of the toy vehicles through the intersection can be accomplished with a remote control that provides vehicle guidance instructions to the electromagnetic guidance mechanism of the intersection. Alternatively, the electromagnetic guidance mechanism of the intersection can be preprogrammed to guide the toy vehicles through the intersection on, for example, a random basis.
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Cosentino Christopher S.
Cyrus Peter
Fernekes Leo M.
Kogan Eduard
Kolb Scott J.
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