Toppling toy

• US 5,533,919 A
• Filed: 10/16/1995
• Issued: 07/09/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Laverne R. Peterson
• Original Assignee: Laverne R. Peterson
• Inventors: Peterson, Laverne R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Mickey
• Application Number:
  US08/543,753
• Time in Patent Office: 267 Days
• Field of Search: 446/2, 446/331, 446/487, 446/486, 273/86 D, 273/86 R, 273/391, 273/392
• US Class Current: 446/2
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/28 Chain-reaction games with toppling pieces; Dispensers or positioning devices therefor

Abstract

A toppling toy having a housing on which a plurality of toppling members are sequentially arranged, having a reset mechanism which resets the toppling members simultaneously. The housing has a top wall, a bottom wall, and a continuous side wall, defining a cavity between the walls. Each toppling unit is a toppling member and a ballast member fixedly attached to and suspended from the toppling member by a flexible member attached to the toppling member. The reset mechanism is characterized by a disc-shaped push-button protruding through an opening in the top wall. The push-button is permanently affixed to a flange housed within the cavity. The flange is supported and biased by a resilient member, such as a foam annulus, resting on the bottom wall. The flange also defines pairs of holes which are brought into registry with pairs of apertures defined by the top wall, through which holes and apertures the resilient member has been passed so that, during the ready state of the toy, the ballast member hangs freely in the cavity. After toppling the toppling members, the toppling members are reset by depressing the push-button causing the flange to move vertically downward and compress the resilient member. As the flange moves downward, it forces the ballast member downward causing the flexible member to become taut, which tilts the toppling member into an upright position, whereupon the push-button may be released.

Claims

1. A toppling toy for amusement comprising:

a plurality of toppling units, each toppling unit further comprising a toppling member, a ballast member, and a flexible member flexibly connecting said toppling member to said ballast member,

a housing, having walls defining a top wall for support of said plurality of toppling units and further defining a cavity beneath said top wall, said top wall further defining a plurality of apertures, each of said plurality of apertures for close passage of said flexible member and said each aperture dimensioned to prevent passage of said toppling member, and a plurality of said toppling member being arranged upon said top wall and spaced apart such a distance as to permit a falling toppling member within a row of toppling members to engage an adjacent upright toppling member and cause it to tip over, and each of said ballast members being housed within said cavity; and

,

resetting means, including a plate for selective contact with each said ballast member provided intermediate said top wall and each said ballast member, said plate defining a plurality of holes, each of said plurality of holes for close passage of said flexible member, each of said plurality of holes dimensioned to prevent passage of said ballast member, and each of said plurality of holes positioned in registry with each of said plurality of apertures, each said flexible member passing through a respective one of said plurality of holes and a respective one of each said plurality of apertures, whereby movement of said plate to its extreme position away from said top wall causes each said flexible member to become taut thereby forcing each said toppling member into an upright position;

and a resilient member biasing said plate toward said top wall.

2. The toppling toy according to claim 1, wherein said housing has an opening, said toppling toy further includes a protruding member protruding from said opening, said protruding member allowing transmittal of a force to said plate to move said plate away from said top wall.

3. The toppling toy according to claim 2, wherein said opening is located in said top wall.

4. The toppling toy according to claim 2, wherein said protruding member is a cylindrical projection projecting from said plate.

5. The toppling toy according to claim 1, further comprising a bottom wall positioned parallel to said top wall, wherein said top wall, said bottom wall and said plate are each sheet material, wherein said plate is positioned parallel and between said top wall and said bottom wall, and wherein said resilient member is a foam annulus sandwiched between said plate and said bottom wall, whereby movement of said plate away from said top wall compress said annulus.

6. The toppling toy according to claim 1, wherein said housing is dimensioned and configured to placement of said housing adjacent a housing of another toppling toy, whereby toppling of at least one said toppling member triggers toppling of a toppling member of said another toppling toy.