Apparatus, game and method for capturing articles with coil spring

• US 7,156,716 B1
• Filed: 04/21/2004
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Igor Belykh
• Original Assignee: Igor Belykh
• Inventors: Belykh, Igor
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIEN T
• Application Number:
  US10/829,835
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 446/486, 446/128, 446/489, 273/447, 273/148.R, 294/19.2, 294/19.1
• US Class Current: 446/486
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00403 Stepped
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/186 Spring
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/30 Capturing games for grabbing or trapping objects, e.g. fishing games
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/00 Other toys

Abstract

A coil spring toy with the ball-trapping tool attached to one or more ends is disclosed. The coil spring toy may be used with a game apparatus having a toy stairway, and a set of lightweight balls of a specific size. A method to play the game includes mechanically starting the spring toy to move downstairs due to gravity and its known properties. If started properly, a spring toy will capture the balls, located on the stairs, with the trapping tool, while it lands on each stair. Captured balls may be kept inside spring toy while it moves and finally stops. The balls may be transparent and may be filled with particles to produce additional visual and sound effects. Collected balls can be manually released out of spring toy by means of its stretching. After balls are released and counted, and are placed back on the stairs, the action may be repeated. The goal of the game is to start a spring toy so that it will collect the maximal number of balls on the stairs during one or several actions in order to get the maximal number of points of designated values.

Claims

1. A toy spring in the form of a resilient coil having a first end and a second end;

and

at least one trapping mechanism attached to one or more of the first and second ends,

wherein the trapping mechanism is configured to trap articles within the resilient coil,

wherein the trapping mechanism includes a ring having a diameter approximately equal to a diameter of the resilient coil and one or more flexible members attached to the ring and disposed across an area of the ring.

2. The toy of claim 1 wherein the one or more flexible members divide the area of the ring into two or more parts, wherein each part has a width that is less than a characteristic dimension of an article to be trapped.

3. The toy of claim 1 wherein the one or more flexible members include one flexible member that divides the ring area into two sub-areas of approximately equal width.

4. The toy of claim 1 wherein the one or more flexible members include two substantially parallel flexible members that divide the ring area into three sub-areas of approximately equal width, measured along the ring diameter in a direction substantially perpendicular to the parallel flexible members.

5. The toy of claim 1 wherein the flexible members are sufficiently flexible that the articles can be pushed between the flexible members or between one flexible member and a side of the ring by a force no greater than a weight of the toy spring, but the articles can'"'"'t be pushed out by a force approximately equal to the total weight of all articles trapped within the resilient coil.

6. The toy of claim 1 wherein the ring is formed from one or more turns of the resilient coil, the one or more turns being proximate the first or second end.

7. The toy of claim 1 wherein the ring has the same diameter as the resilient coil and a thickness equal to two or more turns of the resilient coil.

8. The toy of claim 1 wherein the articles include one or more balls.

9. The toy of claim 1 wherein the at least one trapping mechanism includes a first trapping mechanism attached to the first end and a second trapping mechanism attached to the second end, wherein the first and second trapping mechanisms are configured to trap articles within the resilient coil.

10. The toy of claim 1 wherein the toy spring is designed to resemble an identifiable creature, or character.

11. The toy of claim 10, wherein the toy spring includes a head or other part of the identifiable creature, or character, wherein the head or other part is attached to the resilient coil proximate the trapping means.

12. The toy of claim 1, further comprising one or more articles configured to be trapped by the trapping means.

13. A toy kit, comprising:

a toy spring in the form of a resilient coil having a first and a second end, a first trapping mechanism attached to the first end for capturing articles and retaining the articles within the resilient coil and a second trapping mechanism attached to the second end, wherein the first and second trapping mechanisms are configured to trap articles within the resilient coil, wherein the first and/or second trapping mechanism includes a ring having a diameter approximately equal to a diameter of the resilient coil and one or more flexible members attached to the ring and disposed across an area of the ring; and

a toy stairway having a plurality of steps.

14. The toy kit of claim 13 wherein each step includes one or more dimples for receiving one or more balls.

15. The toy kit of claim 13 wherein the toy stairway includes a set of universal toy building block connectors.

16. The toy kit of claim 15 wherein the set of universal toy building blocks includes:

a full width post in the form of a two by two connector block, having a height of about the resilient spring when it is in a collapsed state;

a half width post in the form of a two by one connector block, having the same height as said full width post;

a stair plate, having horizontal dimensions of ten by eight connectors, with a flat upper surface with one or more dimples on said surface, each dimple for receiving one of the balls; and

a base plate, having the same horizontal dimensions as said stair plate, with two pin connectors at each of its four corners.

17. The toy kit of claim 13 further comprising a plurality of balls.

18. The toy kit of claim 17 wherein the balls are hollow and made of thin plastic, having specific diameter of about one third and/or about half of spring toy diameter.

19. The toy kit of claim 17 wherein the balls are transparent and filled with lightweight particles that produce visual and/or sound effects when the balls are in motion.

20. The toy kit of claim 19 wherein the particles are of different colors.

21. The toy kit of claim 13 wherein the toy spring is designed to resemble an identifiable creature, of or character.

22. The toy kit of claim 21, further comprising a head or other part of the identifiable creature, or character, wherein the head or other part is attached to the resilient coil proximate the first or second trapping mechanism.

23. The toy kit of claim 21 wherein the toy stairway is designed to resemble an identifiable environment.

24. The toy kit of claim 21 further comprising one or more articles designed to resemble identifiable targets that the creature, or character captures.

25. A method for playing a game with a toy spring in the form of a resilient coil having a first and a second end, and one or more trapping mechanisms attached to one or more of the first and a second trapping mechanism attached to the second end, wherein the first and second trapping mechanisms are configured to trap articles within the resilient coil, the method comprising the steps of:

placing the resilient coil on a top step of a toy stairway having a plurality of steps;

placing an article on one or more of the steps; and

initiating a motion of the resilient coil down the steps in a walking-type motion;

whereby the one or more trapping mechanisms trap articles that are sufficiently centered with respect to the trapping mechanism as the resilient coil lands on each step.