Patent ID: 6485349
Filing Date: 2002-11-26
Classification: A63H

Abstract:
A toy comprising:a ball; a tubular assembly having a center axis, a first end, a second end located opposite from said first end, an interior surface facing an interior area of said tubular assembly and located between said first end and said second end, and a helical ridge raised from said interior surface and coiling around a circumference of said interior surface, said first end having a passageway that communicates an area external of said tubular assembly with said interior area and that is sized to permit said ball to pass therethrough, said helical ridge being configured and located to guide said ball away from said first end when said ball moves along said interior surface and said tubular assembly is rolled about said center axis in a first rotational direction, said helical ridge being configured and located to guide said ball toward said first end when said ball moves along said interior surface and said tubular assembly is rolled about said center axis in a second rotational direction opposite from said first rotational direction; a motion sensor for sensing rolling movement of said tubular assembly; at least one of a light and an audio transducer; and a controller configured to activate at least one of said light and said motion sensor in response to said motion sensor sensing rolling movement of said tubular assembly.