Unpowered toy vehicle play set

• US 6,508,179 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2002
• Issued: 01/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Payne, Julian R., Butkiewicz, Robert A., Ponton, Francis, Annis, Robert, Hayes, Trevor J., Gleason, Daniel, Robotham, Jeremy S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Mark T.
• Application Number:
  US10/071,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20020108527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 347 Days
• Field of Search: 104/53, 104/54, 104/55, 104/56, 104/58, 104/60, 104/63, 104/64, 104/67, 104/69, 104/79, 104/130.01, 104/130.05, 104/164, 238/10.R, 238/10.A, 446/168, 446/170, 446/171, 446/172, 446/174, 446/444, 446/445, 472/88, 472/85, 463/58, 463/62, 463/63, 463/69
• US Class Current: 104/60
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 18/04 Up-and-down-hill trackways A63H18/06 takes precedence

Abstract

A play set for use with unpowered (e.g. {fraction (1/64)} scale) toy vehicles having non-steerable, free rotating wheels includes a closed loop track with a conveyor that raises such unpowered toy vehicles from a lower end to an upper, elevated end and a driven, tilting roadway that randomly directs toy vehicles from the upper level to either of two track branches. At least part of each track branch can be opened to release a toy vehicle from the track. A merge track section joins together a lower level end of each of the two track branches and leads to the lower end of the conveyor. The upper end of the conveyor and the tilting roadway are simultaneously supported by a single and driven by a single motor.

Claims

1. An unpowered toy vehicle play set including a closed loop track comprising:

a conveyor having a lower end and an upper end, a motor and a conveying element driven by the motor and configured to engage unpowered toy vehicles at the lower end and raise the engaged toy vehicles to the upper end;

at least one tilting roadway along a portion of the closed loop track extending from the upper end towards the lower end of the conveyor, the tilting roadway being mounted to tilt laterally side to side generally transversely to a direction of the closed loop track along the tilting roadway; and

at least two track branches leading away and down from the at least one tilting roadway towards the lower end of the conveyor, the at least one tilting roadway being sufficiently proximal to the two track branches to direct unpowered toy vehicles coasting across the tilting roadway onto either of the at least two track branches.

2. The unpowered toy vehicle play set of claim 1 wherein the tilting roadway includes a longitudinally extending upright divider proximal an end of the tilting roadway distal to the upper end of the conveyor to divide the outlet end into two lanes, each lane being generally aligned with a separate one of the two track branches.

3. The unpowered toy vehicle play set of claim 1 wherein the closed loop track further comprises a merge portion coupled with a lower end of each of the at least two track branches to bring the at least two track branches together before reaching the lower end of the conveyor.

4. The unpowered toy vehicle play set of claim 1 wherein the motor is also coupled to the tilting roadway to tilt the tilting roadway side to side.

5. The unpowered toy vehicle play set of claim 1 wherein at least one of the track branches includes a hazard designed to allow a vehicle in the track branch to leave the closed loop track.

6. The unpowered toy vehicle play set of claim 4 wherein the at least one track branch includes a vehicle supporting roadway portion and at least one retaining wall extending along at least part of a lateral side of the roadway portion and wherein at least part of at least one of the roadway portion and the one retaining wall is movable with respect to adjoining remainder of the one track branch to provide an opening to allow an unpowered toy vehicle coasting along the one track branch to leave the closed loop track.

7. The unpowered toy vehicle play set of claim 5 wherein each of at least two track branches include a portion movable with respect to an adjoining remainder of the track branch to allow an unpowered toy vehicle coasting along the track branch to leave the closed loop track.

8. The unpowered toy vehicle play set of claim 5 wherein at least the one track branch includes both a portion of the retaining wall and a portion of the track surface movable with respect to adjoining remainders of the one track branch to allow an unpowered toy vehicle coasting along the one track branch to leave the closed loop track through either movable portion.