Balancing Skill Game

Abstract

An elongated substantially cylindrical toy simulating the head end portion of a snake including a throat portion, flanges, and head having a base member opposite the head is adapted to be balanced in an upright position in the palm of a player's hand. An electrical circuit, including lamps selectively located in the toy and a time delay circuit for each lamp, a source of electrical energy and manually operated switches adjacent the base, is contained by the toy which selectively energizes the lamps in a predetermined sequence while the toy remains balanced. A plurality of mercury switches are located in the body and are connected in series between the source of electrical energy and lamps. If the toy is caused to tilt beyond a certain point the mercury switches open and deactivate the time delay circuits and lamps.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the invention

The present invention relates to games of skill and more particularly to a toy comprising an elongated hollow member simulating a snake, such as a Cobra, or the like, which contains an electrical circuit for illuminating portions of the toy during a balancing act.

2. Description of the prior art

I do not know of any patents disclosing a game or toy which is illuminated in a sequence determined by time lapse while the toy is balanced by a user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An elongated substantially cylindrical hollow toy, having a base end, simulates, at its other end, the configuration of a snake, such as a Cobra, having a neck portion, laterally projecting flange portions and a head including eyes. The toy is preferably formed of translucent plastic material. The hollow interior of the toy contains an electrical circuit including a source of electrical energy disposed adjacent the base end, a lamp located in the throat area and a pair of lamps respectively located in the flanges, a head illuminating lamp and a pair of lamps illuminating the eyes. Time delay means in the circuit successively illuminate the lamps and de-energize them in sequence during such time as the toy remains balanced in an upright position while supported by the user's hand in response to a starting switch adjacent the base end of the toy. In the event balance of the toy is lost by a player during a game, one or more of a plurality of gravity actuated mercury switches opens the circuit and interrupts the lamp illuminating sequence.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a game toy for improving the balancing skill of users wherein portions of the toy is illuminated in sequence by a plurality of lamps during a predetermined period of time during which balance of the toy must be maintained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view, partially in section of the toy;

FIG. 2 is a wiring diagram of the electrical circuit contained by the toy;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are horizontal cross-sectional views taken substantially along the lines 3--3 and 4--4, respectively, of FIG. 1; and,

FIGS. 5 and 6 are vertical cross-sectional views taken substantially along the lines 5--5 and 6--6 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings:

The reference numeral 10 indicates the toy, as a whole, which is preferably formed of translucent plastic material elongated cylindrical in general configuration having exterior roll threads 12 adjacent its base end 14 and having its other end portion simulating a snake, such as a Cobra, having opposing longitudinally extending laterally projecting flanges 16 defining a throat portion 18 and terminating in a snake head shape 20 including a pair of eyes 22. The toy is provided with a hollow interior, indicated at 24, which extends upwardly from its base end 14 to at least the position of the eyes 22. The base end 14 is normally closed by a base member or cap 26 threadedly engaging the threads 12. This hollow interior 24 contains an electrical circuit, indicated generally at 28. The circuit 28 principally consists of four interconnected identical time delay configurations or sections, respectively contained by the shield lines W, X, Y and Z, employed to illuminate a plurality of different colored lamps L1, L2, L3 and L4 in a predetermined sequence for an interval of predetermined time, for example, thirty seconds each for the lamp L, the pair of lamps L2, the lamp L3 and a shorter interval of time, for example, fifteen seconds for the pair of lamps L4. The lamp L1 is preferably located in the throat area 18 while the pair of lamps L2 is located in the respective flange 16. The lamp L3 is located in the head portion 20 and the pair of lamps L4 is located adjacent the respective eye 22.

A battery B or a pair of batteries, such as flashlight batteries, are disposed in series within the base end portion of the toy and maintained in electrical contact with each other and the circuit by a spring 29. The negative side of the battery B is connected to ground through an "off-on" switch S1. The positive side of the battery B is connected in series through four miniature mercury bulbs acting as normally closed switches S2, S3, S4 and S5. These mercury switches are arranged in a four-quadrant cluster with the contacts disposed toward the center of the cluster and arranged with a slight tilt with the degree of tilt determined by the accuracy of balance to be maintained by the player using the toy. The purpose of these mercury switches is to interrupt the lamp lighting sequence in the event balance of the toy is lost by the player during a predetermined period of time. A positive current source wire 30, connected with the mercury switch S5, is connected with one terminal of a normally open push-button starter switch S6. The other terminal of the starting switch S6 is connected to the control gate 32 of a silicon controlled rectifier Q1 through a resistor R1. The cathode 34 of Q1 is connected to ground. The anode 36 of Q1 is connected to the source wire 30 through a resistor R2.

Each time delay section W, X, Y and Z basically includes a silicon controlled rectifier, a PNP transistor, a unijunction transistor, resistors, capacitors, at least one lamp and a potentiometer. In the interest of brevity only the time delay section W will be described in detail.

The anode of Q1 is also connected to the base 38 of a PNP transistor Q2 through a resistor R3. The emitter 40 of Q2 is connected to the source wire 30. The collector 42 of Q2 is connected to ground in series through a potentiometer P1, a resistor R4 and timing capacitor C1. The joined contacts of resistor R1 and capacitor C1 are connected to the emitter 44 of a unijunction transistor Q3. Base-two 46 of Q3 is connected to the source wire 30 through a resistor R5. Base-one 48 of Q3 is connected to ground through a resistor R6.

Base-one 48 of Q3 is also connected to the control gate 50 of a second silicon controlled rectifier Q4. The anode 52 of Q4 is connected to the source wire 30 in series through the lamp L1. The cathode 54 of Q4 is connected to ground. A capacitor C2 is connected in series between the anodes 34 and 52 of transistors Q1 and Q4.

This substantially completes the description of the time delay section W. The capacitor C2 triggers the time delay sequence of the next time delay section X as presently described.

The time delay section X, illuminating the pair of lamps L2, includes a PNP transistor Q5, unijunction transistor Q6, silicon controlled rectifier Q7, potentiometer P2, resistors R7, R8, R9 and R10 and capacitors C3 and C4, similarly connected with each other and the source wire 30 wherein current through the resistor R7, connecting the anode 52 of transistor Q4 to the base of transistor Q5, initiates the lamp lighting sequence of the lamps L2 as presently explained.

The PNP transistor Q8, unijunction transistor Q9 and silicon controlled rectifier Q10, interconnected by potentiometer P3, resistors R11, R12, R13 and R14 and capacitors C5 and C6 forming the time delay section Y and connected in the manner previously described, illuminates the lamp L3 in sequence as presently explained.

Similarly PNP transistor Q11, unijunction transistor Q12 and silicon controlled rectifier Q13, connected with the potentiometer P4 and resistors R15, R16, R17, R18 and capacitors C7 and C8 forming the time delay section Z in a like manner illuminate the lamps L4.

OPERATION

In operation the "off-on" switch S1 is closed and the toy 10 is positioned with the cap 26 supported by the upwardly disposed palm surface of a player, not shown. The push-button switch S6 is momentarily closed to start the time delay sequence. When the switch S6 is closed, positive potential is applied from the battery B through the balance switches S2, S3, S4 and S5 through the resistor R1 to the control gate 32 of transistor Q1. Transistor Q1 conducts and applies a negative potential to the base 38 of transistor Q2 through resistor R3. Transistor Q2 is normally nonconductive by the positive potential applied to its base through resistors R2 and R3. The negative potential applied to the base 38 of the transistor Q2 results in charging the timing capacitor C1 by the rate of current through the potentiometer P1 and resistor R4. When the capacitor C1 is fully charged its positive potential is applied to the emitter 44 of unijunction transistor Q3 so that Q3 becomes conductive resulting in a positive potential at its base-one connection 48 with the resistor R6 which is also applied to the emitter 50 of the silicon controlled rectifier Q4 which then conducts and illuminates the lamp L1. Current through the lamp L1 also results in the potential at one side of capacitor C2 to go negative applying a commutating potential to the anode 36 of transistor Q1 thus interrupting current through transistor Q1.

Current through the transistor Q4 is also applied to the base of transistor Q5 through resistor R7 thus initiating the time delay action in the second section X of the circuit 28. Current sequence through the transistor Q5, potentiometer P2, unijunction transistor Q6 and silicon controlled rectifier Q7 and their connected resistors and capacitors is identical to that described for the time delay action of section W and illuminates the pair of lamps L2 for the predetermined duration of time. Similarly conduction of the silicon controlled rectifier Q7 turns off the silicon controlled rectifier Q4 by the negative potential applied to its anode by the capacitor C4. Similarly potential applied to the control gate of silicon controlled rectifier Q10 causes it to conduct and illuminate the lamp L3 and turn off the silicon controlled rectifier Q7, by the capacitor C6 and after the predetermined time delay current is applied to the control gate of silicon controlled rectifier Q13 for illuminating the pair of lamps L4 and similarly turn off silicon controlled rectifier Q10 by the charge on capacitor C8.

As stated hereinabove, the time span or delay of the fourth or last section Z is of shorter duration in accordance with the smaller value timing capacitor C7. The sequence of illuminating the lamps L1 through L4, as above described, progresses as long as the toy 10 is balanced in a substantially vertical position by the player. In the event the player loses or almost loses balance of the toy 10 current from the battery B to the current source wire 30 will be interrupted by the opening of one or more of the mercury switches S2, S3, S4 or S5 in accordance with the degree of inclination of the longitudinal axis of the toy with respect to the vertical thus interrupting the time delay sequence and disqualifying the player attempting to balance the toy 10 for the predetermined span of time. Diametrically opposed prongs or pins 60, secured to the base end portion of the toy, serve as handles which may be grasped by the player when balance is lost to avoid damage to the toy components as by dropping the toy. The lamp lighting sequence may then be restarted by a subsequent closing of the starting switch S6.

Obviously the invention is susceptible to changes or alterations without defeating its practicability, therefore, I do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein.

Claims

I claim:

1. A balancing device, comprising:

an elongated hollow body; and,

an electrical circuit contained by said body,

said circuit comprising a plurality of lamps, a source of electrical energy, in series circuit with each of said lamps time delay means in electrical circuit with said source of electrical energy and said lamps for causing said lamps to become illuminated sequentially; and inclination sensitive means in series circuit between said lamps and said source of electrical energy for breaking the circuit between said lamps and said source of electrical energy when said body is inclined beyond a certain angle.

2. The toy according to claim 1 wherein

said inclination sensitive means comprises a plurality of mercury switches,

said mercury switches being normally closed when said body is disposed vertically and at least one of said mercury switches being opened in response to said body being inclined beyond a predetermined angle with respect to the surface of the earth.

3. The toy according to claim 2 in which said plurality of lamps are disposed in spaced-apart relation throughout at least one end portion of said body.

4. The toy according to claim 3 in which said time delay means includes:

a plurality of time delay sections, each time delay section being connected with at least one of said plurality of lamps.

5. The toy according to claim 4 in which each said time delay section includes:

a transistor;

a silicon controlled rectifier;

a unijunction transistor; and,

a potentiometer the base of said transistor being connected to the anode of said silicon controlled rectifier, said potentiometer being connected at one end to the collector of said transistor and at the other end to the emitter of said unijunction transistor, one base of said unijunction transistor being connected to the control gate of said silicon controlled rectifier, and the anode of said silicon controlled rectifier being connected in series with the source of electrical energy through at least one of said lamps.

6. The toy according to claim 5 in which said body is characterized by an open base end and a closed head end portion;

and, a cap closing said base end.

7. The toy according to claim 6 in which said body is formed of translucent material and said head end portion simulates the head end portion of a snake.