Patent GB-1311059-A (GB)
Title: Amusement device
IPC: A63H18/08
Filed: 1971-12-22
Abstract: 1311059 Toys TOMY KOGYO CO Ltd 22 Dec 1971 [28 Dec 1970] 59742/71 Heading A6S A toy comprises a trackway having a continuous rack and a first vehicle provided with a driving gear to mesh with and run along the track, a stand, &c, connected to the trackway having a driving device powered from a gearwheel rotatably mounted in the trackway and interrupting the rack, a brake to restrain the first vehicle with its driving gear meshing the gearwheel in the trackway, and a second vehicle driven along a track of the stand, &c, when the driving gear of the first vehicle rotates the gearwheel in the trackway. As shown, a first vehicle in the form of a mother snail 18, Fig. 1, traverses a track 10 having a rack 16. At each end of the track there is a turntable 26, and adjacent one turntable a tree and a clamp 20, 22 acts to hold a baby snail 24 which has a magnet so that, as illustrated, it may alternatively be mounted upon the back of the mother snail 18. Beside the track 10 is located a sunflower tree 28, arrival of the mother snail 18 at its foot causing a second vehicle in the form of a ladybird 32 to climb up or down the trunk of the tree while its flower 30 rotates. The mother snail 18, Fig. 2, comprises an electric motor 36 driving through a train of gears 46, 66, &c to a pinion (74), Fig. 4 (not shown), meshing the rack 16 on the track, the gear 46 being axially slidable by hand operation of a rod (70), Fig. 3 (not shown), to declutch the drive. The gear train 46, &c also transmits drive to coloured disks 82, Fig. 1, on each side of the snail, which are accordingly rotated, and to a cam 62, Fig. 2, having a projection 64 engaged by a follower 80 on a spring biassed, slidable rod 76 to the top of whioh the eyes 78 of the snail are fixed. As the snail 18 progresses, its eyes 78 are intermittently raised and lowered. The sunflower tree 28, Fig. 6, is driven from a gear 116 projecting through an interrupted portion of the rack 16, to be meshed by the drive pinion (74) of the snail 18. The gear 116 meshes a gear 110 fast with a horizontal shaft 104 geared to vertical shafts 92, 94 connected by a helical spring 90, the shaft 94 carrying at its top the sunflower 96. The ladybird 32 has a projection 100 engaged with the coils of the spring 90, and is slidden by rotation of the spring up and down the tree 28. A spring-biassed detent 112 at the foot of the tree extends beside the track 10 and so projects as to obstruct progress of the mother snail 18. When the mother snail 18 reaches the foot of the tree, its forward movement is prevented by engagement with the detent 112: at the same time, its drive pinion (74) disengages from the rack 16 and instead meshes the gear 116. The snail motor 36 therefore drives the shafts 92, &c and the helical spring 90, causing the ladybird 32 to ascend (or descend) the tree 28 and the sunflower 96 to rotate. When the ladybird abuts a stop 118 at the top (or bottom) of its path, further rotation of the shafts 92, 104 and the gear 116 is prevented: the snail 18 jerks forward off the gear 116, overcoming the spring biassed detent 112, and continues along the track 10. When the snail 18 returns along the track 10 in the opposite direction, the process is repeated, the ladybird 32 being returned to its original position. Each turntable 26, Fig. 1, at the ends of the track 10, comprises a base 122, Fig. 10, having an arcuate rack 130, and a turntable top 120 formed with teeth 126 to act as a continuation of the track. A spring 134 biasses the turntable top in one direction of rotation. A gear 128 projects through the teeth 126 and drives through gears 150, 132 to the arcuate rack 130. A spring biassed detent 146 restrains free egress from the rack 126 of the snail 18. When the snail runs onto one of the turntables 26, it engages the detent 146, which prevents it moving forwards, while its drive pinion (74) meshes the gear 128 to rotate the turntable top 120 through 180 degrees against the biass of its spring 134. The turntable top 120 ceases to rotate, and the snail 18 then jerks forward over the detent 146, back onto the track 10.