Marble toy

A toy having a base, a support bound to the base, and a lever pivotally secured to the support. A trough is connected to the support and has a zig-zag channel terminating into a generally straight channel. A plunger is slidably disposed in the trough at the end of the generally straight channel. A method for moving a spherical object from a higher elevation to a lower elevation.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention is related to a toy. More specifically, this invention 
provides a toy primarily for executives, or the like, and to a method for 
moving spherical objects from a higher elevation to a lower elevation. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,617,846 to Hawks teaches a gravity toy. U.S. Pat. No. 
1,739,719 by Gunderman illustrates an amusing gravity toy or game. U.S. 
Pat. No. 2,400,410 by Hatcher illustrates a marble runaway toy. U.S. Pat. 
No. 2,558,881 to Scharkoff provides for a marble shooting coaster toy with 
projector. U.S. Pat. No. 2,729,914 by Cook teaches a marble runway. U.S. 
Pat. No. 3,333,851 to Rosen discloses a game apparatus of the projected 
ball type wherein a ball or like projectile is propelled by a hand 
operated striker in a substantially vertical plane for gravitating 
movement past or onto successive slideway members projecting from a 
substantially vertical plane. U.S. Pat. No. 3,570,171 by Shook teaches an 
amusement device of the spherical ball type. None of the foregoing prior 
art patents teach or suggest the particular toy of this invention. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention accomplishes its desired objects by broadly providing 
a method for moving spherical objects from one elevation to another 
elevation comprising the steps of: 
(a) rolling in a zig-zag course down an inclined surface at least one 
spherical object; 
(b) altering the course of the rolling spherical object from a zig-zag 
course to a straight course; 
(c) rolling the spherical object down the straight course; 
(d) stopping the rolling of the spherical object down the straight course 
with a plunger means; and 
(e) elevating the plunger means in order to release the spherical object 
through an opening in the straight course such that the spherical object 
falls downwardly into a tray means. 
The present invention further accomplishes its desired objects by further 
broadly providing a toy having a base means and a support means bound to 
said base means. A lever means is pivotally secured to the support means 
and a trough means is connected to the support means and has a structure 
defining a generally zig-zag channel terminating into a generally straight 
channel. A plunger means is slidably disposed through a plunger aperture 
at the end of the generally straight channel. 
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a toy. 
It is another object of this invention to provide a method for moving 
spherical objects from one elevation to another elevation that is lower 
than the first elevation. 
These, together with the various ancillary objects and features which will 
become apparent to those skilled in the art as the following description 
proceeds, are attained by this novel toy and method, a preferred 
embodiment being shown with reference to the accompanying drawings, by way 
of example only, wherein:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring in detail now to the drawings wherein similar parts of the 
invention are identified by like reference numerals, there is seen the toy 
generally illustrated as 10, of this invention comprising a base, 
generally illustrated as 12, supporting a support, generally illustrated 
as 14, bound to the base 12. A lever, generally illustrated as 16, is 
pivotally connected to the support 14, and a trough, generally illustrated 
as 18, is connected to and supported by the support 14. The trough 18 is 
included with respect to a horizontal plane from about 3.degree. to about 
30.degree., preferably 10.degree. (see FIG. 2). 
The base 12 has an end that terminates into a pair of base arms 20--20 such 
that the base 12 has a structure defining a generally U-shaped recess 22. 
A tray, generally illustrated as 24, is arcuately shaped on one end in 
order to be slidably disposed within the U-shaped recess. More 
specifically with respect to the tray 24, the tray has a bottom 26 with a 
perimeter 28 and an upright wall 30 attached to the bottom 26 and 
extending thereabove along the perimeter 28 of the bottom 26. The upright 
wall 30 is interrupted by an opening, generally illustrated as 32, with a 
wall bottom 34 (see FIG. 5) that slants from the bottom 26 of the tray 24 
upwardly at an incline through the upright wall 30 and terminates on the 
outside surface of the upright wall 30 such that the opening 32 provides a 
tray spout for the tray 24 wherethrough spherical objects (e.g. spherical 
balls 36) may be rolled from the tray 24. 
the support 14 has a recess 38 wherein the lever 16 pivotally connects to 
the support 14. The lever 16 has a weighted end 40 and an end 42 having a 
recess 44 wherein the spherical balls 36 fall from the trough 18 to be 
discharged eventually into the tray 24, as further explained below with 
more specificity. 
The trough 18 has a zig-zag channel, generally illustrated as 46, that 
terminates at 48 into at generally straight channel 50 that is in a neck 
52 of the trough 18. The zig-zag channel 46 communicates with a trough 
recess, generally illustrated as 54, that is surrounded in part by an 
upright trough wall 56. Between the trough recess 54 and the zig-zag 
channel 46 is a first channel curve 58 that is approximately 75.degree. 
(as illustrated in FIG. 2). The zig-zag channel 46 comprises a second 
channel curve 66 of approximately 75.degree. that immediately communicates 
with the straight channel 50. The zig-zag channel 46, as well as the 
trough recess 54 and the straight channel 50 within the neck 52 of the 
trough 18, are slanted with respect to a horizontal plane from about 
3.degree. to about 30.degree., as was indicated for the trough 18 in 
general. 
At the end of the straight channel 50 in the neck 52 of the trough 18 is a 
spherical object aperture 62 wherethrough spherical balls 36 leave the 
straight channel 50 and fall by gravity into the recess 44 in the end 42 
of the lever 16. At the end of the neck 52 of the trough 18 and in close 
proximity to the spherical object aperture 62 is a plunger aperture 64 
wherein a plunger, generally illustrated as 66, is slidably disposed. 
Plunger 66 comprises a plunger shaft 68 and a plunger head 70 integrally 
bound to the plunger shaft 68. The plunger shaft 68 slidably lodges within 
the plunger aperture 64 such that when the plunger head 70 is supported by 
and flushed against the top surface at the end of the neck 52, the plunger 
head 70 extends partially over the spherical object aperture 62 (as 
illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4 and 7) and prevents the spherical balls 36, 
which roll by gravity through the straight channel 50, from falling 
through the spherical object aperture 62 until the end 42 of the lever 16 
raises the plunger head 70 upwardly away from the spherical object 
aperture 62 by upward contact with the end of the plunger shaft 68, as 
will be explained further hereinafter. The diameter of the spherical balls 
36 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the spherical object aperture 
62, so typically the plunger head 70 has to extend over the spherical 
object aperture a sufficient distance such that the spherical balls 36 can 
not fall through the spherical object aperture 62 without the plunger head 
70 being driven away from the spherical object aperture as illustrated in 
FIG. 6. 
With continuing reference to the drawings for operation of the invention 
and the method for moving spherical balls 36 from one elevation to another 
elevation, spherical balls 36 are placed in the recess trough 54 of the 
trough 18. Since the trough 18 is preferably inclined at about 10.degree., 
the spherical balls 36 begin to gravity feed (some around the first 
channel curve 58) into the zig-zag channel 46 where the spherical balls 36 
flow in a zig-zag fashion through the zig-zag channel 46. When the 
spherical balls 36 reach the end of the zig-zag channel 46 at 48, the 
zig-zag course of the spherical balls 36 is altered into a straight course 
which is conducted by the straight channel 50 wherethrough the spherical 
balls 36 roll and stop upon coming to rest against the plunger head 70 and 
partially over the spherical object aperture, as illustrated in FIG. 2. To 
start the toy 10 moving after at least one spherical ball 36 is resting 
against the plunger head 70, end 42 of level 16 (which is normally in the 
position of FIG. 2 because of the weight of the weighted end 40) is 
depressed downwardly in direction of arrow A in FIG. 2 and subsequently 
released, causing the weighted end 40 of lever 16 to travel downwardly in 
direction of the arrow B in FIG. 2. As weighted end 40 of lever 16 travels 
in direction of the arrow B, end 42 of lever 16 travels upwardly in a 
direction opposite to the direction of arrow A, causing the end 42 of 
lever 16 to eventually come in contact with the bottom of the plunger 
shaft 68 of the plunger 66. This causes the plunger 66 including its 
plunger head 70 to be driven upwardly in direction of the arrow C in FIG. 
6. When the plunger head 70 passes over a spherical ball 36, the entire 
diameter of the spherical object aperture 62 opens up for a first in-line 
spherical ball 36, which enables the latter to fall freely through the 
spherical object aperture 62 and immediately into the recess 44 of the end 
42 to interrupt the fall of the spherical ball 36. When the spherical ball 
36 strikes the bottom of the recess 44 in the end 42 of the lever 16, the 
force and weight of the spherical ball 36 causes the end 42 of the lever 
16 to be driven downwardly again in direction of the arrow A (see dotted 
line positions of lever 16 in FIG. 2). Plunger 66 including its plunger 
head 70 follows immediately downward in direction of the arrow D in FIG. 7 
to the dotted line position in FIG. 7 and the solid line position in FIGS. 
2 and 5, preventing a second in-line subsequent spherical ball 36 from 
immediately following the first in-line spherical ball 36. 
As the end 42 of lever 16 approaches the tray 24, the first in-line 
spherical ball 36 rolls out of recess 44 by gravity and into the tray 24. 
With this release of weight, the end 42 starts traveling upwardly again 
(from the weighted end 40 moving downwardly in direction of arrow B) in a 
direction opposite to the direction of the arrow A. The entire process is 
subsequently repeated causing the second in-line spherical balls 36 
thereto to fall through the spherical object aperture 62. The process 
continues as long as there are spherical balls 36 available to be released 
through spherical object aperture 62. The toy 10 may somewhat perpetually 
operate from spherical balls 36 falling through the spherical ball 
aperture 62, striking and lodging in the recess 44 of the end 42 of lever 
16 which sends the same downwardly in direction of the arrow A, and 
rolling away therefrom from gravity, causing the end 42 to be sent 
upwardly to receive another spherical ball 36. The trough 18 may be 
replenished of spherical balls 36 by lifting or raising the tray 24 and 
rolling the spherical balls 36 from the tray 24 into the trough 18. 
While the present invention has been described herein with reference to 
particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various 
changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure, and it 
will be appreciated that in some instances some features of the invention 
will be employed without a corresponding use of other features without 
departing from the scope of the invention as set forth.