Abstract:
A three-dimensional toy train is built-up from a plurality of modeled flat parts that are directly stamped on a thin plate for forming a front locomotive, a back locomotive and a plurality of passenger cards. The modeled flat parts are provided at predetermined positions with slits of predetermined depths, so that the flat parts are connected through engagement of these slits with one another in different ways. A player is trained to employ imagination and thinking ability in the process of connecting the modeled flat parts to form the toy train.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a three-dimensional toy train built up from a plurality of modeled flat parts, each of which being provided at predetermined positions with slits to enable connection of the modeled flat parts through engagement of the slits with one another to form locomotive and cars of the toy train. And, a player is trained to employ imagination and thinking ability in the process of assembling the flat parts into the toy train. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A conventional modeling toy usually includes a plurality of connectable parts and a manufacturer&#39;s instruction sheet. A player follows the instruction sheet to sequentially assemble the connectable parts into a complete model. In the process of assembling the modeling toy, the player is trained to employ his or her thinking and enjoys the fun of building up the toy. Glue is usually applied on the connectable parts to facilitate firm connection of the parts to one another. Once the conventional modeling toy is completed, it could not be disassembled for re-assembling and therefore brings only little fun to the player. Moreover, when the instruction sheet enables a player to assemble the connectable parts more easily, it also prevents the player to employ his or her free imagination and thinking ability in assembling the toy. 
     It is therefore tried by the inventor to develop a three-dimensional built-up toy train to eliminate drawbacks existing in the conventional built-up toys. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A primary object of the present invention is to provide a three-dimensional built-up toy train that allows a player to employ imagination and thinking ability in the process of assembling the toy train, and the toy train could be disassembled for re-building at any time. 
     To achieve the above and other objects, the present invention includes a plurality of modeled flat parts directly stamped on a thin plate for assembling into a front locomotive, a back locomotive, and a plurality of two-section passenger cars. The modeled flat parts are provided at predetermined positions with slits having predetermined depths to enable connection of the modeled flat parts through engagement of the slits with one another. A player may employ her or her free imagination and thinking ability to engage the slits on different modeled flat parts in different ways, giving the completed toy train different appearance. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein 
     FIG. 1 is an assembled perspective view of a three-dimensional built-up toy train according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 shows various modeled flat parts are stamped on thin plates for assembling into a locomotive of the toy train of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 shows various modeled flat parts are stamped on a thin plate for assembling into a two-section passenger car of the toy train of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a two-section passenger car of the toy train of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 shows various modeled flat parts are stamped on a thin plate for assembling into a one-section passenger car of the toy train of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Please refer to FIG. 1 that is an assembled perspective view of a three-dimensional built-up toy train according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As can be clearly seen from FIG. 1, the entire toy train of the present invention is built up from a plurality of modeled flat parts that are directly stamped on thin plates, as shown in FIGS. 2,  3  and  4 . The modeled flat parts could be assembled into a front locomotive  10 , a back locomotive  20 , a plurality of two-section passenger cars  30 , and a plurality of toy passengers  40 . 
     Please refer to FIG.  2 . Each front locomotive  10  includes two front locomotive walls  10 , each of which is a locomotive-shaped flat part having a beveled front edge. Each of the two front locomotive walls  10  is provided near front and rear ends of a straight lower edge with two slits  101 , at the beveled front edge with a first recess  102 , and on a straight upper edge at a predetermined position with a second recess  103 . There are also flat parts for a windshield  11  and a front roof  12  that are provided at two lateral sides with two tabs  111 ,  121 , respectively, adapted to engage with the first recesses  102  at the beveled front edges and the second recesses  103  at the upper edges, respectively, of the two front locomotive walls  10 . A first front locating part  13  is provided on an upper edge near two outer ends with two slits  131  for engaging with the two front locomotive walls  10 , and on a lower edge of the two central slit  131  for engaging with a supporting part  15 . A second front locating part  14  is symmetrically provided on an upper edge near two outer ends with two pairs of slits  141  for engaging with the two rear slits  101  separately on the lower edges of the two front locomotive walls  10 , and provided on a lower edge with a central slit  141  for engaging with the supporting part  15 , too. 
     The supporting part  15  is provided on an upper edge with two spaced slits  151  for engaging with the central slits  131  and  141 , and on a lower edge with a central slit  151  for engaging with a slit  161  at an upper side of a wheel holder  16 . The wheel holder  16  is provided at a lower side with two sideward projected round heads  162  to rotatably support two round wheels  17 . 
     Each back locomotive  20  includes two back locomotive walls  20 , each of which is a flat part being provided on a lower edge with three spaced slits  201 , and on an upper edge with a recess  202 . There are also a flat part for a back roof  21  that is provided at two lateral sides with two tabs  212  adapted to engage with the two recesses  102  at the upper edges of the two back locomotive walls  20 . 
     A first back locating part  22  is symmetrically provided on an upper edge near two outer ends with two pairs of slits  221  for engaging with the most front slits  201  on the lower edges of the two back locomotive walls  20 , and provided on a lower edge with a central slit  221  for engaging with a link part  24 . A second back locating part  23  is provided on an upper edge near two outer ends with two slits  231  for engaging with the middle slits  201  on the lower edges of the two back locomotive walls  20 , and on a lower edge with a central slit  231  for engaging with the link part  24 . A stopper part  25  is engaged at two upward opened slits  251  with the two rear slits  201  of the two back locomotive walls  20 . 
     The link part  24  is provided on an upper edge near a front portion thereof with two spaces slits  241  for separately engaging with the central slits  221 ,  231  on the lower edges of the first and the second back locating parts  22 ,  23 ; on a lower edge of the front portion with a central slit  241  for engaging with a slit  261  on an upper side of a wheel holder  26 ; and on the lower edge of a rear portion of the link part  24  with a downward extended round head  242  for engaging with a ring-shaped end of a connector  29  or  34 , of which another ring-shaped end is connected to one passenger car  30  as will described in more details later. 
     The wheel holder  26  is provided at a lower side with two laterally extended roundheads  262  to rotatably support two wheels  27  thereon. 
     Two coupling parts  28  are provided on a lower edge with two spaced slits  281  for separately engaging with two upper slits  141 ,  221  of the second front locating part  14  and the first back locating part  22 . 
     Other connecting mechanisms for the back locomotive walls  20  are the same as that for the front locomotive walls  10 . 
     Please refer to FIG. 3 that shows various parts for building up a two-section passenger car  30  of the toy train shown in FIG.  1 . As shown, each two-section passenger car includes two floor parts  30 , each of which being provided at two lateral sides with two side slits  301  for engaging with a wheel holder  31  and at a center with an axially extended insertion hole  302  for a toy passenger  40  to insert therein. Since there are two symmetrical sets of flat parts for forming the two-section passenger car  30 , only one set of the flat parts is described herein. 
     The wheel holder  31  is provided on a lower side with two spaced slits  311  for separately engaging with a slit  331  provided on an upper edge at an end of a long coupling  33 , on the lower side at two outer ends thereof with two laterally extended round heads  312  for rotatably supporting two wheel parts  35 , on an upper side with a central slit  311  for engaging with a link part  32 , and on the upper side at two outer ends thereof with two upward extensions  313  for engaging with the side slits  301  on the floor part  30 . 
     The link part  32  is provided on a first end portion of a lower edge with a central slit  321  for engaging with the central slits  311  on the upper side of the wheel holder  31 , and at an outmost end of a second portion of the lower edge with a downward extended round had  322  for engaging with an ring-shaped end of a connector  34 , another ring-shaped end of which is engaged with the downward extended round head  242  of the link part  24 . 
     Each long coupling  33  engaged at an end with one lower slit  311  of the wheel older  31  is provided on the upper edge at another end with another slit  331  for engaging with a lower slit  311  of another wheel holder  31  connected to a next passenger car  30 , so as to couple two adjacent passenger cars  30 . 
     To build up the three-dimensional toy train with the above-described flat parts, first connect the two front locomotive walls  10  to the first and the second front locating parts  13 ,  14  by engaging the two bottom slits  101  of the walls  10  with the upper slits  131 ,  141  of the locating parts  13 ,  14 , so that the first front locating part  13  is located in front of the second front locating part  14 . Then, connect the support part  15  to the two front locating parts  13 ,  14  by engaging the two spaced upper slits  151  of the supporting part  15  with the lower central slits  131 ,  141  of the two front locating parts  13 ,  14 , and connect the wheel holder  16  to the supporting part  15  by engaging the upper slit  161  of the wheel holder  16  with the lower central slits  151  of the supporting part  15 . Thereafter, the windshield  11  and the front roof  12  are connected to the front locomotive walls  10  by engaging the tabs  111 ,  121  of the windshield  11  and the front roof  12  are connected to the front locomotive walls  10  by engaging the tabs  111 ,  121  of the windshield  11  and the front roof  12  with the recesses  102 ,  103  of the front locomotive walls  10 , respectively. 
     Then, connect the two back locomotive walls  20  to the first and the second back locating parts  22 ,  23  by engaging the most front and the middle bottom slits  201  of the two walls  20  with the upper slits  221 ,  231  of the two locating parts  22 ,  23 , respectively, so that the first back locating part  22  is located in front of the second back locating part  23 . The stopper part  25  is connected to the walls  20  by engaging the two slits  251  with the two rear slits  201  of the walls  20 . Then, connect the link part  24  to the first and the second back locating parts  22 ,  23  by engaging the two upper slits  241  of the link part  24  with the lower central slits  221 ,  231  of the two back locating parts  22 ,  23 , so that the downward extended round head  242  of the link part  24  is close to the stopper part  25 . Thereafter, connect the wheel holder  26  to the link part  24  by engaging the upper slit  261  of the wheel holder  26  with the lower central slits  241  of the link part  24 . Wheels  27  may be rotatably mounted onto the two laterally extended round heads  262  of the wheel holder  26  before the latter is connected to the link part  24 . Finally, connect the back roof  21  to the two back locomotive walls  20  by engaging the two tabs  212  with the upper recesses  202  on the two walls  20 , and connect the two coupling parts  28  to the second front locating part  14  and the first back locating part  22  by engaging the slits  281  with two upper slits  141 ,  221 , respectively. At this point, a locomotive for the toy train is formed. 
     Next, assemble each section of the two-section passenger car  30  by rotatably mounting the two wheel parts  35  onto the laterally extended round heads  312  of the wheel holder  31 , and engage the two upward extensions  313  of the wheel holder  31  with the two side slits  301  of the floor part  30 . Then, connect the link part  32  to the wheel holder  31  by engaging the lower slit  321  of the link part  32  with the upper central slit  311  between the two upward extensions  313  of the wheel holder  31 . Finally, connect the two coupling parts  33  to the wheel holder  31  by engaging two upper slits  331  at an end of the coupling parts  33  with the two lower slits  311  of the wheel holder  31 . At this point, one section of the two-section passenger car  30  is formed. By engaging the upper slits  331  at another end of the two coupling parts  33  with the two lower slits  311  of another wheel holder  31  on a second section of the two-section passenger car  30 , a two-section passenger car  30  is completed. The link parts  32  for the two-section passenger car  30  are so mounted that their downward extended round heads  322  are separately located at two opposite ends of the two sections of the passenger car  30 . 
     The connectors  29  and  34  are used to connect the locomotive of the toy train to the fist two-section passenger car  30  and a preceding two-section passenger car  30  to a following two-section passenger car  30  by separately engaging two ring-shaped ends of each connector  29 ,  34  with the round heads  242 ,  322  of two adjacent link parts  24 ,  32  or two round heads  322  of two adjacent link parts  32 . 
     The toy passengers  40  may be connected to the passenger car  30  by inserting a lower tab  41  of the toy passenger  40  into the central slit  302  of the floor part  30 , as shown in FIG. 4. A player may employ his or her imagination and thinking ability to assemble the various flat parts in different ways into a toy train. Differently shaped toy passengers may be provided to increase the fun of the toy train. To create more fun, the toy passengers may be differently designed cartoon figures, or figures of famous performers or politicians. 
     FIG. 5 shows another set of various flat parts for assembling into a second embodiment of the passenger car. The passenger car of this embodiment is a one-section passenger car and is built up from a flat floor part  50  having two side slits  501  and a central slit  502  for a toy passenger  55  to connect thereto; a wheel holder  51  being provided on a lower edge near two outer ends with two slits  511 , on the lower edge at two outer ends with two laterally extended round heads  512 , on an upper edge at two outer ends with two upward extensions  512  for engaging with the two side slits  501  of the floor part  50 , and on the upper edge with a central slit  511 ; two wheel parts  54  rotatably mounted on the two round heads  512  of the wheel holder  51 ; a link part  52  being provided on a lower edge with a central slit  521  for engaging with the upper central slit  511  of the wheel holder  51  and on the lower edge at two outer ends with two downward extended round heads  522 ; and a connector  53  having two ring-shaped ends for separately engaging with round heads  522  of two link parts  52  of a preceding and of a following passenger car  50 , so as to serially connect two passenger cars  50 .