HILL RACE TRACK

• US 3,665,636 A
• Filed: 07/31/1969
• Issued: 05/30/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Anthony D. Miller, John T. Benson
• Original Assignee: Anthony D. Miller, John T. Benson
• Inventors: Benson, John T., Miller, Anthony D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancene, Louis G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weinhold, D. L.
• Application Number:
  US04/846,317
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 46/43,1,201,202,213,206,216 238/10 273/86
• US Class Current: 463/69
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 18/04 Up-and-down-hill trackways A63H18/06 takes precedence

Abstract

A roadway for toy vehicles which provides a tall, winding, mountain-like road with two parallel tracks, which can be stored in a box of limited height, comprising a rigid lower member forming lower portions of the tracks and a flexible upper member forming upper portions of the tracks. The upper member can be placed in a substantially flat configuration for storage, or can be placed in a largely helical configuration and supported on top of the lower member to form the upper portion of the roadway. A starting gate at the upper end of the roadway can be used to start a pair of vehicles, or can be swung out of the way to allow moving vehicles received from previous track regions to move into the mountain-like roadway without hindrance.

Claims

1. A roadway for toy vehicles comprising:

means forming first and second substantially parallel and laterally spaced tracks, said tracks formed with an inclined spiralling portion, and forming a crossover at a central region of said inclined spiralling portion to transfer vehicles on the radially outer and inner tracks above said crossover to the radially inner and outer tracks, respectively, below said crossover, the path length for a vehicle from the top of the innermost track, through said crossover and to the bottom of the outermost track along the spiralling portion being approximately equal to the path length for a vehicle from the top of the outermost track, through said crossover and to the bottom of the innermost track along the spiralling portion, whereby to provide a fairer race for a pair of vehicles racing each other along said roadway.

2. The roadway described in claim 1 wherein:

said inner and outer tracks lie at substantially the same level at said crossover and are oriented to direct vehicles from said inner and outer tracks across the paths of vehicles from said outer and inner tracks respectively; and

including starting gate means positioned along said tracks above said crossover, for starting a pair of vehicles at positions substantially laterally even with each other, whereby to cause the vehicle on the inner track to normally cross the crossover before the vehicle on the outer track.

3. A roadway for toy vehicles which can be connected in a track layout comprising:

roadway means forming a pair of tracks, including means at an up-track end for connection in series with a pair or track sectioNs of said layout and holes in each track for receiving a stop; and

a member mounted beneath said tracks, including a pair of stops for projecting through said holes to prevent vehicles from moving along said tracks and starting means for simultaneously depressing said stops to allow vehicles to start moving along said tracks, said member mounted for movement between a first position wherein said stops normally project through said holes and a second position wherein said stops are indefinitely retained away from said holes, whereby to selectively start vehicles at said stops or allow moving vehicles received at the up-track end to continue unimpeded along said tracks.

4. The roadway described in claim 3 wherein:

said member is constructed of flexible material and is pivotally mounted on said roadway means to allow depression of said member below said tracks and pivoting to a position at the side of said tracks.

5. The roadway described in claim 3 wherein:

said roadway means includes a portion between said tracks with a button-receiving hole; and

said starting means comprises a button for projection through said button-receiving hole when said stops project through said holes in said tracks, and said member is constructed of flexible material and is pivotally joined to said roadway means portion between said tracks for pivoting to a position wherein said stops and button lie at the side of said roadway member.