US3145501A - Knockdown marble railway toy - Google Patents

Description

g 25, 1964 E. M. GROSSER 3,145,501

KNQCKDOWN MARBLE RAILWAY TOY Filed June 7, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ion/4:0 M01704 6:01:54

United States Patent 3,145,591 KNGCKDOWN MARBLE RAILWAY TQY Edward Morton Grosser, 2038 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park, Calif. Filed June 7, 1961, Ser. No. 115,595 1 Claim. (Cl. 46-17) My invention relates to toys especially designed for,

use by children in the three year to ten year age group and is concerned with a relatively simple, multi-part toy employin a marble to roll from a high point to a low point and arranged so that children in this particular age group can readily assemble and disassemble the parts of the railway toy in order to provide numerous interesting configurations variable in plan and in elevation.

It is an object of my invention to provide a railway toy for children that can quite easily be arranged in various different horizontal and vertical patterns by the children themselves.

Another object of the invention is to provide a railway toy having parts to be easily put together and taken apart without any substantial danger of injury to the user.

Another object of the invention is to provide a railway toy susceptible to connection in various dilierent configurations generally indicative of the basic functioning of a real railway.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rail way toy that can easily and economically be manufactured.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a railway toy in which the parts are readily stacked or stored.

A further object of the invention is in general to provide an improved toy.

Other objects together with the foregoing are attained in the embodiment of the invention described in the accompanying description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan of a portion of the marble railway toy set up in one form with various units made pursuant to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of another portion of marble railway toy set up with the various units fabricated pursuant to the invention;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded view showing in isometric perspective parts of a pair of adjacent sections in disassembled form and with a connector disassembled from but in correct position relative thereto;

FIGURE 4 is an isometric perspective showing a support, a portion being broken away to reduce the size of the figure;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged plan of a pair of adjacent sections of the railway, portions of the individual sections being omitted to reduce the size of the figure;

FIGURE 6 is a cross section, the plane of which is indicated by the line 6-5 of FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 7 is a cross section showing a detail of the support, the plane of section being vertical and on a median plane.

The marble railway toy pursuant to the invention can be incorporated in a number of diiierent Ways and with a number of different units all having a common functional interrelationship.

The toy is intended primarily to be useful in connection with one or more marbles, used to refer to balls or spheres of any suitable material. A representative marble 6 is not to exceed a predetermined diameter and is initially received at a high point of a succession of straight sections 7 or special sections such as switch members 8 and collector boxes 9 connected together in such a way as to afford any one of numerous difierent configurations. The various sections, especailly the sections 7, can be dif- "ice ferently interconnected in elevation and for that purpose there are provided supports 11.

Each of the sections 7 (as well as the sections 8 and 9) is preferably comprised of a block of appropriate material such as hardwood or relatively stiif plastic. A representative section is flat on the bottom 13, has a pair of parallel sides 14 and 15 and has a generally planar top 17 interrupted by a longitudinally extending groove 18. The groove is open ended and extends symmetrically throughout the length of the section and is approximately semicircular in contour slightly larger than the marble 6 so as to receive the marble with a small clearance. Thus the marble can readily roll from one end to the other of the groove 18.

Each of the sections 7 is provided at both ends with recesses or sockets 19 and 21. These are substantially identical so that a description of one applies equally to the other. Beneath and spaced from the bottom portion of the groove 18 the material of the section is removed to afford an enlarged chamber 23 of approximately circular cylindrical, longitudinal cross section. The chamber extends transversely for the major part of the distance between the sides 14 and 15 of the section and terminates in hemispherical ends. The chamber 23 is in communication with the exterior through a relatively small aperture 24 having curved ends and parallel sides, the elongated aperture being substantially symmetrically disposed within the end of the block or section and merging smoothly with the chamber 23.

Designed to interengage with successive ones of the sections 7 is a link 26. This conveniently is fabricated of a semirigid but readily deformable material such as rubber, nylon or high density polyethylene and is dumbbell shaped in side elevation and of a comparable shape in plan. The link includes a first enlarged portion 27 of substantially the same configuration and size as the enlarged chamber 23 and a second enlarged portion 28 likewise of substantially the same size and configuration as the enlarged chamber 23. Interconnecting the two portions 27 and 28 with smooth contours is an intermediate reduced portion 29 having approximately the configuration and size of the reduced aperture 24. The link is symmetrical except that the enlarged portion 28 is interrupted to provide a notch 31. The notch 31 has a pair of walls 32 and 33 converging and meeting in the reduced portion 2h. When the ends of the enlarged portion 28 are squeezed toward each other the walls 32 and 33 are approached so that the over-all transverse dimension is greatly diminished.

In use, the link is deformed sufiiciently so that the first enlargement 27 is distorted and forced through the relatively small aperture 24. It resumes its enlarged shape again to occupy substantially all of the space within the enlarged chamber 23. This portion of the device can be made a relatively tight fit so that once assembled the link normally remains in position in the associated block, although it can of course be removed by the exertion of sufiicient force. When the link has been retained with its first enlarged portion 27 within one end of the block, the other enlarged portion 28 is pinched as above described. The deformed portion 28 is introduced into the socket 21 in an adjacent block Within which the por tion 28 resumes its former shape so that the sections are then connected in longitudinal alignment. There is a slight distance between the successive sections. In addition, the end surface of each is given a curved contour, particularly as shown in FIGURE 6, so that one block can readily be inclined with respect to its neighbor in either direction. It is also possible to tilt or bank one section with respect to its neighbor so that superelevation can be simulated. A reasonably strong pull separates adjacent sections, as the portion 28 is cammed into collapsed posi- 3 tion and passes readily through its aperture 24 after which it expands to its unstressed shape.

In addition to the means for connection a succession of sections together as described, means are provided for elevatingindividual sections. For that reason each section on its bottom surface 13 is interrupted by an opening 41 comparable to the aperture 24. The opening 41 leads into an enlarged chamber 42 or socket comparable to the chamber 23. A link such as the link 26 can be installed in the chamber 42.

T support a link for that purpose, there is provided a base 43 from which an upright 44 extends. The upright at its upper end is provided with a cross channel 46 having substantially the same cross sectional configuration as do the various enlarged chambers 23. If desired, the ends of the cross channel can be closed, as before, but it is preferred to leave them open.

The height of the upright 44 is as desired and in fact a plurality of such uprights can be built vertically, one upon the other, with the same technique used in connecting the generally horizontal sections such as 7, except that the upright ends are flat and close rather than curved and spaced. The link at its upper end is fastened into an appropriate chamber 42 or socket, the link itself flexing slightly if the superposed section 7 is supported at an inclination. In some cases the topmost surface 48 of the upright 44 is rounded or curved. With this arrangement, particularly as shown in FIGURE 2, a sequence of sections can be supported on uprights of dilferent heights and so can' be arranged at various different elevations.

If the flexible links need not be used as part of the support, the sections can be provided with simple or slightly conical dowel recesses 57 and ordinary dowels 58 can be arranged vertically on appropriate bases 59 to engage the'walls of the recesses either at right angles to the sections or at other angles thereto to support the sections at an elevated level or at various'inclinations.

If desired, one of the sections 8 can provide a switch by having not only a straightaway groove 51 but also an intersecting curved groove 52. A switch point 53 is mounted on a pivot 54 so that it can be disposed in either location, the groove being locally flattened for that purpose. An end or terminal block 9 simply has a circular area 56 with a tangent entrance so that the marbles can lose their velocity and be stored therein. In accordance with this invention, therefore, there has been provided an improved marble railway toy well suited for use by children of the three to ten year age group.

What is claimed is:

A knockdown marble railway toy comprising a pair of elongated, rigid blocks having curved ends, having substantially continuous, alignable grooves extending longitudinally in the upper face thereof and adjacent to but spaced from the curved ends thereof having transversely extending, cylindrical chambers substantially circular in longitudinal cross section and closed at the transversely opposite ends thereof, said blocks also having apertures of lesser height than said chambers and oflesser transverse length than said chambers establishing communication between said chambers and said curved ends;.and

a yieldable connector dumbbell-shaped in side elevation and dumbbell-shaped in plan disposed substantially to fill said chambers, said connector having a pair of transversely extending cylindrical members substantially circular in longitudinal cross section connected by a reduced portion'of a transverse cross section and length substantially to fill both of said apertures when said blocks are disposed with said curved ends substantially in abutment, at least one of said cylindrical members having a longitudinally extending notch therein closable by transverse approaching movement of the two parts of said member on either side of said notch.

References Cited in the file of-this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 409,744 Garben Aug. 27, 1889 817,871 Pickles Apr. 17, 1906 1,619,298 Hornby Mar. 1, 1927' 2,060,808 Williams May 7, 1935 2,106,148 Kellner Jan. 18,- 1938 2,266,464 Kraft Dec. 16,- 1941 2,388,297 Slaughter Nov. 6, 1945 2,806,322 Ford Sept. 17, 1957 2,885,822 Onanian lvlay 12, 1959 2,927,396 Hall Mar, 8, 1960 3,032,919 Amsler May 8, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 51,481 Germany Apr. 9, 1890- 156,387 Great Britain Jan. 3, 1921 563,992 Canada Sept. 30, 1958

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