Rolling toy

• US 6,485,349 B1
• Filed: 05/15/2001
• Issued: 11/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Snyder, Carol, Hoppy, Joseph E., Hayes, Christopher J., Gubitosi, Domenic T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ackun, Jacob K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, Bena B.
• Application Number:
  US09/854,928
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 446/168, 446/173, 446/175, 446/269, 446/270, 446/438, 446/439, 446/448, 446/227, 446/297, 473/570, 473/571, 273/123.R, 273/124.A, 273/118.A
• US Class Current: 446/168
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 29/08 Driving mechanisms actuated by balls or weights
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/006 Infant exercisers, e.g. for attachment to a crib

Abstract

A rolling toy having a tubular assembly with a helical ridge that guides movement of a ball within the tubular assembly when the toy is rolled.

Claims

1. A toy comprising:

a ball;

a tubular assembly having a center axis, a first end, a second end located opposite from said first end, an interior surface facing an interior area of said tubular assembly and located between said first end and said second end, and a helical ridge raised from said interior surface and coiling around a circumference of said interior surface, said first end having a passageway that communicates an area external of said tubular assembly with said interior area and that is sized to permit said ball to pass therethrough, said helical ridge being configured and located to guide said ball away from said first end when said ball moves along said interior surface and said tubular assembly is rolled about said center axis in a first rotational direction, said helical ridge being configured and located to guide said ball toward said first end when said ball moves along said interior surface and said tubular assembly is rolled about said center axis in a second rotational direction opposite from said first rotational direction;

a motion sensor for sensing rolling movement of said tubular assembly;

at least one of a light and an audio transducer; and

a controller configured to activate at least one of said light and said motion sensor in response to said motion sensor sensing rolling movement of said tubular assembly.

2. The toy of claim 1, said helical ridge originating at said second end and ending at said first end.

3. The toy of claim 1, said helical ridge coiling around said circumference a plurality of times to define a channel located between adjacent convolutions of said helical ridge.

4. The toy of claim 1, said first end being closed off to prevent said ball from exiting said tubular assembly at said first end except through said passageway.

5. The toy of claim 4, said passageway having a peripheral surface, said helical ridge ending at said peripheral surface.

6. The toy of claim 4, said tubular assembly further comprising another ridge raised from said interior surface, said another ridge originating at said helical ridge and following a path toward said passageway.

7. The toy of claim 6, said passageway having a peripheral surface, said another ridge ending at said peripheral surface.

8. The toy of claim 4, said passageway having an oval peripheral surface.

9. The toy of claim 4, said second end being closed off to prevent said ball from exiting said tubular assembly at said second end.

10. The toy of claim 1, at least a portion of said interior surface being transparent.

11. The toy of claim 1, said tubular assembly further comprising another sensor for sensing when said ball is in said passageway.

12. The toy of claim 11, said tubular assembly including said audio transducer said controller being coupled to said another sensor and said audio transducer, said controller being configured to send audio signals to said audio transducer in response to said another sensor sensing said ball.

13. The toy of claim 11, said tubular assembly including a plurality of lights, said light being one of said plurality of lights, said controller being coupled to said another sensor and said lights, said controller being configured to activate said lights in response to said another sensor sensing said ball.

14. The toy of claim 13, said tubular assembly including another helical ridge raised from an exterior surface of said tubular assembly and coiling around a circumference of said exterior surface.

15. The toy of claim 14, at least one of said helical ridge raised from said interior surface and said another helical ridge raised from said exterior surface including a hollow interior area, at least some of said plurality of lights being located within said hollow interior area.

16. The toy of claim 13, said plurality of lights including light emitting diodes.

17. The toy of claim 1, said passageway having a peripheral surface that is located substantially tangential with respect to said interior surface.

18. A toy comprising:

a ball;

a tubular assembly having a center axis, a first end, a second end located opposite from said first end, an interior surface facing an interior area of said tubular assembly and located between said first end and said second end, said first end having a passageway that communicates an area external of said tubular assembly with said interior area and that is sized to permit said ball to pass therethrough, said tubular assembly further comprising means for guiding said ball toward said first end when said ball moves along said interior surface and said tubular assembly is rolled about said center axis.

19. A toy comprising:

a tubular assembly having a first end, a second end located opposite from said first end, an interior surface facing an interior area of said tubular assembly and located between said first end and said second end, a helical ridge raised from said interior surface and coiling around a circumference of said interior surface, a passageway passing through a wall of said first end, a sensor that senses when an object is located in said passageway, an audio transducer, and a controller coupled to said sensor and said audio transducer and that sends audio signals to said audio transducer in response to said sensor sensing the object in said passageway.

20. The toy of claim 19, said helical ridge originating at said second end and ending at said first end.

21. The toy of claim 19, said helical ridge coiling around said circumference a plurality of times to define a channel located between adjacent convolutions of said helical ridge.

22. The toy of claim 19, said passageway having a peripheral surface, said helical ridge originating at said second end and ending at said peripheral surface.

23. The toy of claim 19, said tubular assembly further comprising another ridge raised from said interior surface, said another ridge originating at said helical ridge and following a path toward said passageway.

24. The toy of claim 19, said passageway having a peripheral surface that is located substantially tangential with respect to said interior surface.

25. The toy of claim 19, at least a portion of said interior surface being transparent.

26. The toy of claim 19, said tubular assembly further comprising a plurality of lights, said controller being coupled to said plurality of lights and being configured to activate said plurality of lights in response to said sensor sensing the object in said passageway.

27. The toy of claim 26, said plurality of lights including a plurality of light emitting diodes.

28. The toy of claim 19, said tubular assembly further comprising a motion sensor for sensing movement of said tubular assembly, said controller being coupled to said motion and being configured to send additional audio signals to said audio transducer in response to said motion sensor sensing movement of said tubular assembly.