Amusement Device Including Spherical Balls And Track Therefore With Obscured Depressions Therein

Abstract

Various forms of game toys comprise a generally descending track down which a plurality of differently-colored balls or toy cars roll. Rises spaced along the descending track allow balls or cars to stop and remain at certain stations where they are hidden from view in a tunnel until they are struck by later-released balls or cars which then remain stopped. Thus a ball or car rolling into a tunnel ejects a differently-colored ball or car from the tunnel, creating an illusion that the ball or car changed color as it rolled through the tunnel.

Description

My invention relates to game toys, and particularly to inexpensive game apparatus which requires no skill to use and may be enjoyed by persons of all ages, including persons watching as well as participants. The game provides an illusion that a moving object has suddenly changed color which is amusing to observe.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an elementary form of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view taken at lines 2--2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a section view taken at lines 3--3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4a is a section view taken at lines 4--4 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4b is a view similar to FIG. 4a illustrating an alternate construction.

FIG. 4c is a view similar to FIG. 4a illustrating a further alternate construction.

FIG. 5 is an end view of a modified form of game apparatus utilizing a simplified track construction.

FIGS. 6a and 6b are plan and side elevation views, respectively, of a further form of the invention utilizing a helical descending track.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a toy car situated on a section of descending track.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of a toy car provided with spring-type front and rear bumpers, where the front bumper also operates as braking means.

FIGS. 9a and 9b are plan and side views, respectively, of a modified form of toy car which may be used.

FIG. 9c is a diagrammatic view illustrating a modified form of track for use with the car of FIGS. 9a and 9b.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an electrically-powered toy which may be used with a further form of the invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-4a, the apparatus will be seen to comprise a back panel 10 which is held in a generally vertical plane by base legs 11, 12 to which panel 10 is preferably hinged, as at 13, and folding brackets 14, 15 (only 15 is visible in FIG. 1) connected between each base leg and panel 10 serve to hold panel 10 erect, yet allow the apparatus to be folded into a generally flat form for storage. Mounted on the front of panel 10 are a plurality of sections of descending track 16, labelled 16a through 16f. As best seen in FIG. 3, each section of track includes a base portion 16g down which a ball 17 may roll, and an upwardly-extending flange portion 16h which prevents the ball from rolling away from panel 10 and off the track. It is not at all necessary that the track sections have the rectangular cross-section shown in FIG. 3, and several alternative cross-sections are shown in FIGS. 6b and 7. It is desirable that the side flange of the track sections project upwardly enough to insure that balls rolling down the track sections stay on the track, but also that a large portion of a ball be visible from in front of panel 10 as it rolls along a track section. End strips 18 and 19 are provided at the sides of panel 10.

Spaced along each of various sections of track is a tunnel or station into which the track section extends, the tunnels in FIG. 1 being labelled 21 through 26. Each tunnel covers a length of the section of track with which it is associated, and is opaque so as to obscure any balls within a tunnel from the view of players situated in front of the apparatus. Tunnels 22 and 24 are shown in phantom in FIG. 2. Situated within each tunnel is a ball-retarding or obstacle means, and such means may take a variety of forms. In FIG. 4a the ball-retarding means is shown as comprising a simple hole or depression 27 in the track base within tunnel 22. As a ball rolls down track section 16b into tunnel 22, it will be seen that the rising edge 27a of depression 27 will decelerate the ball, tending to bring it to a stop. FIG. 4b illustrates that the ball-retarding means may comprise a rise 28 in the track base rather than a depression. FIG. 4c illustrates that the ball-retarding means may comprise a springfriction device, such as spring arm 29 riveted to the tunnel roof and friction pad 29a. Whichever form of ball-retarding is used, it is arranged in relation to the weight of the balls used and the slope of the preceding track section, so that one or more balls lying within a given tunnel will remain in that tunnel until struck by another ball from the rear, and so that a ball which enters a tunnel and strikes the rear ball of a group of balls situated in the tunnel will eject the forward one of the balls of the group from the tunnel, leaving the other balls of the group and the just-entering ball at rest within the tunnel. The game is preferably played with a group of balls all having the same size and weight, but each of a different color, and at the start of the game, groups of balls are loaded into each tunnel in random fashion, so that the players are unaware of the colors of the different balls in each tunnel.

In the play of the game, a player places a ball of a given color at the top end 30 of the upper track section 16a and releases it. The ball rolls down track 16a and enters tunnel 21, striking the set of balls then stored in tunnel 21 and ejecting the front one of the stored balls from tunnel 21, so that the latter drops down onto track section 16b, and then rolls down track section 16b, eventually ejecting the front one of the balls stored in tunnel 22, and so forth, with balls successively being ejected from tunnels 23, 24 and 25, and one ball eventually rolling down track section 16f to a final stop. When a ball reaches a final stop at the end of track section 16f, it will be seen that the same number of balls will be stored in each tunnel as originally, but with each group of balls having a different set of colors. The next player then can release a ball from point 30, and similar phenomena occur, with different color changes, of course. Each time a ball enters a tunnel, a differently-colored ball immediately emerges, providing an illusion that the same ball changed color as it rolled through the tunnel.

While the device shown in FIG. 1 has each tunnel situated at the lower end of its associated track section, some or all of the tunnels may instead be located elsewhere along a track section, so that a descending track both enters and emerges from a tunnel. Also, while the different track sections are shown having similar slopes in FIG. 1, it is possible, and within the scope of the invention, to provide different slopes, so that discernible changes in acceleration or deceleration occur between the different track sections. If the balls enter different tunnels at different speeds, it will be apparent that the ball-retarding means in different tunnels may have to provide different amounts of deceleration.

An exemplary set of rules for playing and scoring using the device of FIG. 1 will now be set forth. It is assumed that the game uses a plurality of balls, all of the same size and weight, but with a wide variety of colors, and with the color of a given ball indicating its score value. A number may be printed on each ball to also indicate its score value.

After one or several balls are loaded into each tunnel the remaining balls are placed in a container (not shown) and each player draws a ball from the container, without looking inside, and the relative number (i.e., color) of the ball he draws specifies the order in which he will play relative to the other players. To play, a player places his ball at the starting place on the upper track, i.e., at point 30 in FIG. 1, and releases it. Different colors of balls advance down successive track portions in the manner previously described, and one ball eventually emerges at the bottom. The player is given a score corresponding to the color of that ball. If desired, he can also be given a score corresponding to the color of the ball he released. The players play in turn a predetermined number of times, and the player having the highest total score is the winner. More complex sets of rules may be devised, if desired. Inasmuch as the most leftward ball stored in tunnel 25 is always the next ball to emerge, it is particularly desirable that it, and the other balls in that tunnel be effectively hidden from view. Rules may be devised so that the players will benefit if they can predict or guess when higher valve balls will be the next to emerge from tunnel 25, and rules may be devised so that the players "bid" on the right to play the next ball, and so that their scores are adjusted upwardly or downwardly depending upon their success in predicting the color of the ball which emerges when they play. If desired, the container (not shown) from which the players draw balls may be formed at the lower end of track section 16f, so that the ball which emerges each time from tunnel 25 automatically returns into the container. Rules may be devised so that balls which leave tunnels other than the last tunnel also determine a player's score. The tunnels may be arranged so that different numbers of balls remain in different tunnels.

In FIG. 5 panel 10a leans rearwardly and is supported by a simple folding prop in stepladder fashion. The track sections are formed by simple flat strips edge-mounted on panel 10a to project perpendicularly therefrom, with each strip descending as it extends across the panel. With panel 10a tilted and the strips extending perpendicularly to the panel, it will be seen that each strip and the panel form a V-groove track section down which the balls may roll. Though not shown in FIG. 5, tunnels of the type described are, of course, situated along some or all of the V-groove track sections.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6a and 6b the descending track 40 is shown formed as a helix rather than leading back and forth in one plane as in FIG. 1. The track is shown as comprising a helically-wound angle shape which provides a V-groove down which the balls may roll, although it is to be understood that the track cross-section need not be a V-groove in shape. The upper end 40a of track 40 is fastened to the top of a box 41, and successive turns of the helix pass through pairs of holes 44, 44 in the box as shown. Bracket 42 stiffens the structure and maintains the turns of the helix at their correct slopes. The lower end of the helical track terminates in a bumper or stop plate 43. It will be understood that each passage of the helical track through the box provides a hidden ball storage area similar in function to the tunnels provided in FIG. 1, and it will be understood that ball-retarding means are installed at some or all of the track sections inside box 41. It will be apparent that the helix pitch need not be uniform, and if desired the helix can vary in diameter, and can have an elliptical or oblong configuration rather than a circular configuration. Different ball speeds at different hidden areas within the box may require different adjustment of the various ball-retarding means, of course. It is also important to note that an additional box of the same general type as box 41 may be placed where bracket 42 is shown, for example, so that each turn of the helical track passes through two such boxes, and obviously more than two boxes may be used. Further, the use of a helical descending track does not require the use of boxes, which provide the hidden areas in one or more vertical stacks. If desired, a helical coil track may be supported with two or more brackets like bracket 42, open-ended tunnels may be fastened at selected places along the track, and the boxes dispensed with.

Conservation of linear momentum indicates that the velocities of two balls which collide before and after a direct central impact can be expressed as

M.sub.1 v.sub.1 +M.sub.2 v.sub.2 = M.sub.1 v.sub.1 '+ M.sub.2 v.sub.2 ' (1 ) i where v.sub.1, v.sub.2 are velocities before impact and v.sub.1 ', v.sub.2 ' are velocities after impact. Since the two balls are not perfectly elastic, their relative velocity after impact differs from their relative velocity before impact by a coefficient of restitution e, as follows:

v.sub.2 '-v.sub.1 '+ e (v.sub.1 -v.sub.2). (2)

The coefficient of restitution depends upon the material of which the balls are made. Typical values of e for glass, ivory, steel and cast iron are 0.95, 0.89, 0.55 and 0.50, respectively. Assuming the two balls have identical masses, and solving equations (1) and (2) simultaneously, it will be seen that after moving ball No. 1 strikes stationary ball No. 2, the velocity v.sub.1 of ball No. 1 will be v.sub.1 (1 -e )/2 and that of ball No. 2 will be v.sub.1 (1+e)/2. If the balls were perfectly elastic (i.e., e= 1.0) it will be seen that the velocity of ball No. 2 after impact would equal the velocity v.sub.1 which ball No. 1 had prior to impact, and that the velocity of ball No. 1 would be zero. From this it will be apparent that less effective ball-retarding means may be used if the balls are made of a material having a high coefficient of restitution. If the balls have a very low coefficient of restitution, the velocity v.sub.1 ' of ball No. 1 after impact will be very slightly less than half the velocity it had prior to impact, and the velocity v.sub.2 ' of ball No. 2 after impact will be very slightly greater than half the velocity which ball No. 1 had prior to impact, so that both balls will travel essentially together, with the lead ball No. 2 gradually pulling further ahead of ball No. 1. If the balls were perfectly inelastic, both would travel along together after impact at one-half the velocity ball No. 1 had prior to impact. The above theoretical discussion applies rigorously only to a pair of balls which are not subject of other forces, such as rolling friction, and it assumes collision on a level surface by direct central impact. Since both balls are carried on a generally-descending track in the forms of the invention thus far described, gravitational acceleration would tend to roll a previously-moving ball even if the balls were perfectly elastic, and hence use of a ball-retarding means is necessary, irrespective of the coefficient of restitution of the balls.

While the invention thus far has been described in connection with simple round balls, it will now become apparent that major principles of the invention are applicable if other types of rolling objects are used. One alternative form of rolling objects which have particular appeal, to many small children particularly, are toy or model automobiles or similar vehicles equipped with freely-turning wheels so that they will readily roll down an inclined track. Using the same basic principles as the ball game apparatus of FIG. 1, a descending track along which different colored model cars can roll may include one or more tunnels or hidden areas with car-retarding means, so that a car entering one such tunnel bumps one or more similar cars of different color stationed therein and ejects the front car from the tunnel. Inasmuch as a car of one color enters the tunnel and a car of another color immediately emerges therefrom, an illusion is created that the tunnel changed the color of a car, and the tunnel may be pleasurably visualized by younger minds as an "Instant Paintshop."

FIG. 7 illustrates one form of model car 50 carried on a section of descending track 51. The toy car is preferably made of metal or plastic (and preferably weighted if made of plastic) and may have either metal or rubber tires. The tires or wheels of the toy car, especially if they are rubber, are preferably contained within the body sides so that no rotating part of the car will rub against the vertical flange of the track and decelerate the car. If desired, the track face may be sloped outwardly as shown at 52 so that a hard, non-rotating portion, if any, of the car engages the track edge, causing less friction and deceleration. It is also desirable that either the lateral extremities of the car comprise smooth rounded edges, as at 53, 53, so that the car will tend to make point or line contact with a track wall rather than area contact when the car engages a wall, or that the wall height and shape be arranged so that point or line contact occurs. While FIG. 7 illustrates the use of both such arrangements for reducing friction, it will be apparent that only one or the other ordinarily need be used. The width of the track must be limited, of course, so that the cars cannot turn so much as to become wedged between the sides of the track. When curved tracks are used they preferably include banked portions to also minimize frictional contact with the sides of the track.

The shapes, sizes and placement of both the front and rear bumpers of the toy cars is important for proper operation. When the front bumper of a rolling car strikes the rear bumper of a stationary car, it is important that the front bumper not ride up over or down under the rear bumper so as to snag the two cars together. Further, it is desirable that the moving car front bumper apply force to the stationary car along a line which passes near the center-of-gravity of the stationary car, so that the momentum of the moving car pushes the stationary car forward, rather than appreciably up or down. The waste of some energy during each collision is not any crucial problem, however, since a large portion of the kinetic energy which a moving car has prior to impact is due to gravitational acceleration acting during its run rather than being energy transferred from the car which bumped it. It should be noted that the angle at which the bumpers of the two cars engage depends in part on the type of car-retarding provision which is maintaining the stationary car in place. Assuming that each car tunnel or "paintshop" contains a single stationary car, it will be seen that use of a track depression into which only the front wheels of the stationary car extend will tilt that car somewhat in a nose-down direction relative to the general angle of the track, while use of a longer track depression accommodating both front and rear wheels of the stationary car will avoid that nose-down pitching of the car. Conversely, use of an upward bump or rise on the track as a car-retarding means can cause a nose-up pitching of the stationary car. Spring-friction means engaging opposite sides of the stationary car can be arranged at a selected height so that no upward or downward pitching occurs, and so that a large proportion of the momentum of the moving car is transferred to propel the stationary car.

If the cars were all identical and perfectly elastic, each collision would result in the previously-moving car coming to a dead stop and in the car which was struck proceeding forwardly with all the momentum the previously-moving car had at the moment of impact, less the energy required to push the struck car past its car-retarding means. In actual practice the cars are not exactly identical, of course, but have slightly differing frictional characteristics. Nor are the cars perfectly elastic, of course, and some energy is dissipated during each collision. As in the case of rolling balls, less effective car retarding means may be used if the cars have a high coefficient of restitution so that the car moving prior to impact comes nearer to a dead stop upon impact, but some form of car-retarding means is ordinarily necessary to prevent gravitational acceleration of stopped cars. The coefficient of restitution of the toy cars need not be governed simply by material selection. Irrespective of what material the toy car body is formed from, the coefficient of restitution governing toy car impact may be increased by use of spring-suspended bumpers on the cars. FIG. 8 illustrates a toy car having spring-type front and rear bumpers. The use of a spring rear bumper increases the effective coefficient of restitution when the car is bumped from the rear. In FIG. 8 rear bumper 55 is attached to a fixed tab 57 on the bottom of the car by means of two U-shaped leaf springs 56, 56, which compress when the rear bumper is struck by a moving car. The front bumper 58 functions not only to increase the elasticity of the impact, but also as a brake. Shaft 59 extending rearwardly from front bumper 58 slidably passes through slots in two depending tabs 60, 61, and the rear end of shaft 59 is attached to fixed tab 62 by spring means shown as compression spring 63. Shaft 59 and the slots in tabs 60, 61 are non-circular so that the shaft and bumper cannot rotate. A cross-arm 64 is rigidly affixed to shaft 59 and extends in front of both front wheels 65, 66. Upon impact with a stationary car, front bumper 58 pushes rearwardly against the spring force of spring 63, and cross-arm 64 eventually frictionally engages one or both front wheels of the car, helping brake the car to a stop. It will be apparent that either leaf springs or coil springs may be used to spring-suspend the car bumpers, and that the bumpers themselves can constitute leaf springs or the like. Further, it will be apparent that by extending shaft 59 further rearwardly and providing another cross-arm lying normally in front of the car rear wheels, four-wheel braking may be provided.

FIGS. 9a and 9b illustrate a modified form of toy car which may be used with a track which snakes back and forth in a single plane generally similar to the track of FIG. 1. Several sections of such a track are shown in FIG. 9c at 61, 62, with the track side flange and tunnels omitted. The end of one section of track and the beginning of the other are preferably curved as shown, so that travel from one track section to the next results in an inversion of the toy car, as if the driver of the car were performing an outside loop. The toy car is provided with wheels both on its top and its bottom. After the car reaches the end of a track section which proceeds in one direction across the board, it inverts and returns across the board. The top half of the car may be colored differently than the lower half, and the side flange of the track preferably extends upwardly high enough to block a view of whichever half is down. Thus as the car proceeds back and forth across the board it appears to change color each time it inverts.

FIG. 10 illustrates schematically a control arrangement for toy vehicles which may be used like the previously-described toy vehicles, but which uses electrically-powered toy vehicles rather than being powered by gravity, so that the same procedure may be used on tracks having level sections as long as desired. The level tracks can be made in a wide variety of configurations such as circular, figure-eight, elliptical, etc., and they can, of course, include non-level sections as well. Tunnels or hidden areas of same nature as those heretofore described may be stationed at various places along such level tracks.

Referring to the schematic diagram of FIG. 10, it will be seen that a shaft 70 is slidably secured in guides 71, 71 so as to be able to reciprocate in the directions shown by the arrows between limits determined by stop projections 73, 73 on shaft 70. Overcenter spring means shown as comprising compression spring 72 is connected between shaft 70 and a fixed pin 74 to urge shaft 70 to one or the other of its limit positions. The shaft is shown in an unstable center position in FIG. 10 for use of illustration. Shaft 70 is mechanically connected to operate the movable pole of a single-pole double-throw switch S. Inasmuch as most forms of toggle switches incorporate their own overcenter mechanisms, the overcenter mechanism shown may be deemed to be that of switch S. Shaft 70 is connected to both the front bumper 75 and rear bumper 76 of a toy car. When another toy car strikes the rear bumper of the car illustrated by FIG. 10, shaft 70 is translated in a direction so as to close the movable switch arm to contact a, thereby applying power from battery B to drive the toy car motor M, so that the car drives forwardly. Motor M preferably comprises a small permanent magnet field DC motor. Then later, when the front bumper of the toy car strikes a stationary car, shaft 70 is driven in an opposite direction, opening contact a and closing contact b of switch S, so that battery power is disconnected from the motor and a short circuit is connected across the motor, thereby providing dynamic braking and rapidly bringing the car to a stop with minimum coasting. If the armature resistance of the motor used is too high, unacceptable coasting might result, and in such instances I prefer to provide car-retarding means within each tunnel of one of the forms discussed above in connection with the gravity-actuated forms of the invention.

Interesting results can be obtained if various cars of the type illustrated by FIG. 10 are arranged so that different amounts of impact force are needed to translate their respective switches, or if different amounts of impact force are needed to start them than to stop them, or if some of the cars are arranged to travel at higher speeds than others (by using additional batteries or resistors in series with their motors, for example). Under different conditions a moving car then might strike the rear one of a group of stopped cars hidden in a tunnel, the rear one striking the one ahead, etc., in domino fashion, so that a number of cars emerge from the tunnel.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained, and since certain changes may be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. Game apparatus, comprising, in combination: a plurality of spherical balls; a track along which said balls may roll in succession in single file; means for obscuring a view of one or more of said balls at a selected station along said track; and means comprising a depression in said track for causing one of said balls which strikes another of said balls situated at said station to remain at said station.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said track is a generally-descending track whereby said balls are propelled along one or more sections of said track by gravitational acceleration.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each of said spherical balls is a different color.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 having a panel, said track comprising a plurality of successive sections which slope generally downwardly and progress in opposite directions across the face of said panel.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said track comprises a plurality of successive sections which slope generally downwardly and progress in opposite directions all within the same plane.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said spherical balls each comprises a solid ball formed of a material having a coefficient of restitution greater than 0.5.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said track comprises a flat panel, means for holding said panel in an inclined position, and a plurality of flat strips affixed to the face of said panel.