Domino toppling toy

A domino toppling toy is provided which is capable of toppling a plurality of domino pieces in domino trains located at different vertical elevations. The last domino piece in a lower domino train actuates an actuation lever and hence a locking lever. The locking lever then releases a lock of an upwardly energized lifter carriage movement. An intermediate domino piece disposed in the lifter carriage in an upright position topples down outwardly from the lifter carriage on to the first domino piece in an upper domino train, when the lifter carriage is stopped by a stopper plate for further upward movement, thus enabling to drive the higher domino train by the toppling force of the lower domino train.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to a domino toppling toy for 
sequentially toppling a plurality of domino pieces standing in alignment 
in a domino train. More specifically, the invention relates to a domino 
toppling toy capable of toppling a plurality of domino pieces in domino 
trains located at different vertical elevations. 
A domino toppling game is one of the most popular amusements. There have 
been developed various appliances for making domino toppling more 
interesting or attractive. A novel appliance for use in a domino toppling 
game has long been desired which can topple sequentially a plurality of 
domino pieces in domino trains located at different vertical elevations. 
In order to effect the above function, there has been devised a novel 
means for transmitting a toppling force from a preceding domino train to a 
succeeding domino train at a different vertical elevation. 
Transmission of the toppling force can be achieved by lifting up one 
intermediate domino piece in standing position and the toppling down the 
lifted intermediate domino piece at an elevation corresponding to the 
succeeding domino train. The invention is to provide a device for lifting 
up one intermediate domino piece to the elevation corresponding to the 
succeeding domino train. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a domino 
toppling toy capable of transmitting a toppling force in a lower domino 
train to an upper domino train. 
A further and more specific object of the present invention is to provide a 
domino toppling toy having a novel means for lifting up an intermediate 
domino piece in response to the toppling of the last domino piece in a 
lower domino train, and toppling the lifted intermediate domino piece in 
order to topple the first domino piece in another upper domino train. 
To accomplish the above-mentioned and other objects, there is provided a 
domino toppling toy for toppling a plurality of domino pieces in domino 
trains located at different vertical elevations, which comprises a 
carriage for transporting at least one intermediate domino piece and 
adapted to move up and down; first means for applying an upward force to 
move the carriage upwardly; second means for holding the carriage at a 
lower position against the upward force applied to the carriage by the 
first means; third means for disabling the second means to hold the 
carriage at the lower position; and fourth means for stopping the upward 
movement of the carriage after the third means disabled the operation of 
the second means. In the domino toppling toy thus constructed, the third 
means is actuated by the last domino piece in a lower domino train, and 
the first domino piece in an upper elevational domino train is toppled 
down in response to a toppling of the at least one intermediate domino 
piece which is caused by a shock exerted when the fourth means stops the 
upward movement. 
The present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed 
description given hereinbelow and from the accompanying drawings of the 
preferred embodiment of the present invention, which, however, should not 
be taken as limitative to the present invention but for elucidation and 
explanation only.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawings, particularly to FIG. 1, there is illustrated 
the preferred embodiment of a domino toppling toy according to the present 
invention. As shown in FIG. 1, each domino piece 17.sub.1, 17.sub.2, 
17.sub.3 . . . constitute a lower domino train 17 which is disposed one 
after another on a base 17a. Likewise, each domino piece 19.sub.1, 
19.sub.2 . . . constitute an upper domino train 19 which is disposed one 
after another on a base 20. The base 20 is located at an upper elevation 
with respect to the base 17a. A lifter device is interposed between the 
upper and lower domino trains 19 and 17, whereby a toppling force of the 
last domino piece 17.sub.1 in the lower domino train 17a is transmitted to 
the first domino piece 19.sub.1 in the upper domino train, as hereinunder 
described in detail. 
The lifter device has an actuation lever 1 which is pivotable about a pivot 
3 supported on a base B with brackets 2. The actuation lever 1 has one end 
1a location adjacent the last domino piece 17.sub.1 positioned at the end 
of the lower domino train 17, so that when the last domino piece 17.sub.1 
topples down to the one end 1a, it can pushes the end 1a downwardly. An 
elongated opening 5 is formed at the other end 1b of the actuation lever 
1. A locking lever 4 is also pivotably supported on the base B around a 
pivot 8 formed on brackets 7 extending upwardly from the base B. The 
locking lever 4 has one end 4a provided with a connector pin 6. The 
connector pin 6 is engaged with the above elongated opening 5 of the 
actuation lever 1 in such a manner that the connector pin 6 can slide 
along the inner periphery of the elongated opening 5. The locking lever 4 
has a magnet 9 secured on the other end 4b thereof. 
A lifter frame 14 is supported on the base B and is so constructed as to 
permit a vertical movement of a lifting carriage 10 therewithin. As shown 
in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lifting carriage 10 comprises a bottom palte 10a to 
which a magnet 11 having a pole opposite to that of the magnet 9 of the 
locking lever 4 is attached, a pair of slide walls 10b extending from the 
bottom plate 10a, and a top plate 10c. As apparent from FIG. 2, the top 
plate 10c has a length shorter than that of the bottom plate 10a and has a 
semi-circular free end 10d. At the semi-circular free end 10d, fixedly 
secured is a connecting code 15a which passes through the space in the 
lifter frame 14 and extends outwardly via pullys 15b and 15c mounted on 
the top of the frame 14 with brackets 15e and 15f to a counter weight 15d. 
The lifter frame 14 is provided with a horizontally extending stopper plate 
13 at the opening 15 which serves as an outlet for an intermediate domino 
piece 18 disposed in a standing position in the lifting carriage 10. The 
intermediate domino piece 18 in the lifting carriage 10 is supported by a 
support extension 12 vertically extended from the bottom plate 10a of the 
lifting carriage 10 so as not to topple down during its transportation to 
the lifted position. The stopper plate 13 extends into the internal space 
of the frame 14 so that the stopper plate 13 may limit an upward movement 
of the lifting carriage 10 by abutting against the bottom plate 10a of the 
lifting carriage 10. As seen from FIG. 1, the stopper plate 13 is located 
at an elevation higher than that of the base 20 on which the upper domino 
train 19 is disposed in alignment. 
In a position shown in FIG. 1, the magnets 11 and 9 fixedly secured on the 
respective carriage 10 and locking lever 4 operate to attract each other 
to hold the lifting carriage 10 at the lowered position. At this position, 
the lifting carriage 10 is prevented from an upward movement by a magnetic 
force between the magnets 11 and 9 against an upward force applied by the 
counter weight 15d. By a magnetic attraction of the magnets 11 and 9, the 
locking lever 4 is held in a counterclockwise position in FIG. 1 thereby 
to lift up the end 4b about the pivot 8. Due to the counterclockwise 
position of the locking lever 4, the actuation lever 1 interconnected with 
the locking lever 4 by means of the connector pin 6 is held in a clockwise 
position about the pivot 3 in FIG. 1 thereby to locate the end 1a adjacent 
the last domino piece 17.sub.1 in the domino train 17, at a raised 
position. 
When the last domino piece 17.sub.1 is toppled, since the domino 17.sub.1 
is placed at the end of the base 17a, it falls down just onto the end 1a 
of the locking lever 1 to apply a downward force thereto. As a result, the 
actuation lever 1 rotates about the pivot 3 in a counterclockwise 
direction to lift up the end 1b connected to the end 4a of the locking 
lever 4. This causes a clockwise rotation of the locking lever 4 against 
the magnetic attraction force described above. Thus, the magnet 9 is 
released from engagement with the magnet 11 and hence the lifter carriage 
10 from the magnetic force. The lifter carriage 10 free from the magnetic 
force travels upwardly with an upward force applied by the counter weight 
15d. During the upward travel, the bottom plate 10a abuts with the stopper 
plate 13 to prevent the lifter carriage 10 from moving further upwardly. 
Upon abutting the bottom plate 10a of the lifter carriage 10 with the 
stopper plate 13, a shock is applied to the carriage 10 to cause a 
toppling of the intermediate domino piece 18. The intermediate domino 
piece 18 is then falls down through the opening 16 to cause a toppling of 
the first domino piece 19.sub.1 of the upper domino train 19. 
As appreciated from the foregoing, the toppling force of the last domino 
piece placed in the lower elevation can be transmitted to the fixed domino 
piece in the upper elevation easily and successfully. This will make 
playing a domino game more interesting. 
The present invention has been disclosed in terms of the specific 
embodiment of the present invention, the invention, however, should not be 
limited to the specific embodiment but be understood as to include all of 
the possible modifications except departing from the principle thereof. 
For example, the magnets used for holding the lifter carriage are not 
always necessary to be provided on both carriage and locking lever. The 
holding means for the lifter carriage at the lowered position can be 
embodied by a single magnet or any other appropriate constructions. 
Furthermore, the means for applying an upward force to the lifter carriage 
may be replaced by a spring pulling carriage upwardly. Therefore, the 
invention should be understood as including any of possible embodiments 
covered in a scope of the following appended claims.