Patent GB-1493022-A (GB)
Title: Racing game for powdered vehicles
IPC: A63H18/00
Filed: 1975-03-12
Abstract: 1493022 Toy race games TOMY KOGYO CO INC 12 March 1975 10322/75 Heading A6S [Also in Division G4] Toy racing vehicles each have wheels with hubs of relatively small diameter and run along a continuous trackway having two paths, one with a flat surface along which the cars run and second with upstanding walls spaced apart along which run the wheel hubs so that the vehicles then travel at a slower speed, switching means permitting players to divert the vehicles from one track to the other. As shown, toy vehicles 18, Fig. 1, race around tracks 10 connected in sections and bellows 114, 116 are operated by the players to set a switching section 12 and guide the respective vehicles from one track to the other. The outer track is constructed to allow the vehicles to run on its flat surface and thus travel more quickly than the vehicles in the inner track, which has side walls for the vehicle hubs to run on. A counter 16 records the number of laps traversed by each vehicle 18, which is electrically powered. Charging stations 14 are operated by the players to withdraw each vehicle 18 temporarily from the track and recharge its individual battery.  Each vehicle 18, Figs. 2. 8 has an electric motor 202 driving through a gear train to rear wheels 32 and powered by a cell 206 recharged via downwardly depending contacts each vehicle have hubs 34, 36. The outer track 20, Fig. 2 is of sufficient width to allow the wheels 30, 32 of a vehicle 18 to run along its base, so that the vehicle travels at a relatively fast speed. The inner track 22 is 200. The front and rear wheels 30, 32 of narrower and the hubs 34, 36 which are of a lesser diameter run along the tops of side walls 26, 28 so that the vehicle travels relatively slowly. Each vehicle has a downwardly depending guide finger 118, and an upwardly extending finger 174, 174' respectively, to actuate the counter 16. The switching section 12, Figs. 3, 4 consists of fixed guide rails 42, 44, 46, 48, 50 and two vertically movable guide rails 60, 62, A double cam 80, 90, 92, Fig. 5 is normally biassed transverse to the track by a spring 82 so that the guide rail 60 is raised and the guide rail 62 is lowered. In this position, a vehicle 18 travelling in the fast lane 20, Fig. 3. will engage its depending guide finger 118 with the raised guide rail 60 and be diverted into the slow lane 22, while a toy vehicle travelling in the slow lane 22 will not engage its depending guide finger 118 with the lowered guide rail 62 and will remain in the slow lane. Either player can operate his bellows 114, 116 to actuate a simple piston and cylinder servo 94, 96 either of which traverses the double cam 80, 90, 92 against spring biass to raise instead the guide rail 62 and lower the guide rail 60. Now a vehicle 18 travelling in the fast lane 20 will not be deflected by the lowered guide rail 60 into the slow lane 22 but will instead remain in the fast lane, while a vehicle travelling in the slow lane 22 will engage its depending guide finger 118 with the raised guide rail 62 and be diverted into the fast lane 20. The counter 16. Figs. 2, 6 consists of paired depending fingers 144, 148; 158, 160 offset relatively to the two tracks 20, 22 for engagement only by one or other of the upwardly extending fingers 174, 174'. Thus the finger 174 can engage only the depending fingers 158, 160 while the finger 174' can engage only the depending fingers 144, 148. The depending fingers 144. &c. form parts of two actuators 142, 156 journalled for rotation about a rod 140 and each fast with a finger 153, 164 respectively having a tooth 154, 165 to step round gears 132. Each gear 132 meshes a large gear 126 carrying a pointer on the outside of the counter 16. Spring- biassed detents 136 prevent inadvertant movement of the gear trains. &c. To recharge one of the vehicles, 18 at a charging station 14, a player first slides a control 212, Figs. 8, 9 laterally of the track to turn a guide rail 218 about its pivot 220 and thus divert the vehicle to the charging point. The depending contacts 200 (see also Figs. 2, 10) on the vehicle 18 engage upstanding contact arms 196 extending through slots in the track to arrest the vehicle. A switch control 184 is depressed to make contacts 180, 182 and connect rechargeable batteries 178 in the recharging station with the rechargeable cell 206 in the vehicle 18. When charging has been completed, the switch control 184 is released and a second control 232 is slidden transversely of the track, to turn arms 192 (Fig. 9) carrying the upstanding contact arms 196 about pivots 194. The contact arms 196 are thereby separated, releasing the downwardly depending contacts 200 on the vehicle 18 which is now able to proceed and return to the main track.