Patent Publication Number: US-9901811-B2

Title: Playing field for toy tops

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority under 35 USC 119 of Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-102525 filed on May 23, 2016, the entire disclosure of which, including the specification, claims, drawings and abstract, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a playing field for toy tops to play with toy tops by spinning the toy tops and in particular to a playing field for toy tops to play with toy tops by making the toy tops collide with each other. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     As a playing field for toy tops to play with toy tops by spinning the toy tops, there has been known a playing field for toy tops to play with toy tops by making the toy tops collide with each other. This kind of playing field for toy tops typically has a mortar-shaped playing board and is formed such that toy tops having been released onto the playing board move toward the center. The toy tops having moved toward the center collide with each other, and one of them knocks down the other toy top (s) or hits the other toy top (s) to fly out of the playing board, thereby winning a battle. 
     However, when the playing board has a simple mortar shape, the toy tops merely move toward the center while spinning. Hence, movements of the toy tops are monotonous. Then, there is provided a playing field for toy tops for which ingenuity has been exercised in changing trajectories (movements) of toy tops. (Refer to, for example, Japanese Patent No. 5802367.) 
     The playing field for toy tops described in Japanese Patent No. 5802367 has a playing board constituted of: a ring-shaped part having a diameter which becomes smaller toward the lower end; and a turntable disposed in an opening part defined by the lower end of the ring-shaped part, wherein a concave part is formed at a part of the upper surface of the turntable. According to this playing field for toy tops, the toy tops having been released onto the playing board are led to the turntable by inclination of the ring-shaped part and change their trajectories (movements) by centrifugal force of the rotating turntable. 
     However, providing only one turntable makes movements of toy tops on the turntable almost the same and monotonous, and hence is not enough to increase possibility of collision between toy tops. Therefore, there has been desired an advent of a playing field for toy tops which makes toy tops perform complex movements and increases possibility of collision between toy tops. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Objects of the present invention include providing a playing field for toy tops which has high possibility of collision between toy tops. 
     In order to achieve the above and/or other objects, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a playing field for toy tops, including: a playing board for released toy tops to move about; a plurality of turntables disposed on the playing board; a motor; and a power transmission mechanism which transmits power of the motor to the turntables, thereby rotating the turntables, wherein the playing board is formed in a shape of a mortar having a diameter which becomes smaller toward a lower end with a vertical center line kept, the turntables are disposed at points of the playing board other than a center of the playing board, the turntables are disposed such that upper surfaces incline along the playing board, and rotary shafts of the turntables incline in a direction toward the center of the playing board according to the inclination of the upper surfaces. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention is fully understood from the detailed description given hereinafter and the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not intended to limit the present invention, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a playing field for toy tops according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the playing field for toy tops of the embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic view showing a power transmission mechanism for turntables in the playing field for toy tops of the embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the playing field for toy tops shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view of a disk in the playing field for toy tops; and 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view showing a power transmission mechanism for the turntables in the playing field for toy tops according to another embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hereinafter, a playing field for toy tops according to an embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to the drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a playing field for toy tops according to embodiments of the present invention, and  FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the playing field for toy tops shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     A playing field for toy tops  1  according to an embodiment includes: a base  10  constituting a periphery part of a playing board  2 ; a disk  20  constituting a center part  2   b  of the playing board  2 ; two turntables  30  installed inside the disk  20  to be almost flush with the upper surface of the disk  20 ; a casing  50  which houses a power transmission mechanism  40  (see  FIG. 3 ) for these two turntables  30 ; and a cover  60  which covers the upper part of the base  10 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the base  10  is approximately hollow-cylindrical and provided with, on the upper end, a ring-shaped slope (a part of the playing board)  2   a  having a diameter which becomes smaller toward a lower end relative to a vertical center line. At three points of a surrounding wall  11  of the base  10 , support parts  12  are formed. The support parts  12  are projecting outward in the radius direction and support the lower end of the cover  60 . On the surrounding wall  11  of the base  10 , a projecting part  13  is also formed between two of the support parts  12 . In the projecting part  13 , a part of the casing  50  is housed. Further, on the base  10 , a positioning wall  14  formed of a part of the surrounding wall  11  projecting upward as well as outward in the radius direction is formed. 
     The disk  20  is fixed to one end of the casing  50 . The upper surface of the disk  20  is formed of a curved surface having a diameter which becomes smaller toward a lower end relative to a vertical center line. The disk  20  is fitted to a circular lower end (lower-end opening) of the ring-shaped slope  2   a  on the base  10 . The turntables  30  are disposed at two points of the disk  20  in the diameter direction of the disk  20 , the two points being other than the center of the disk  20 . The upper surfaces of the turntables  30  are not particularly limited to flat surfaces. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , in the casing  50 , a motor  41  (which may function as a change mechanism) having a drive shaft  41   a , a gear train  42  which transmits power of the motor  41  to the turntables  30 , thereby rotating the turntables  30 , and a power switch  43  for the motor  41  are installed, and a battery housing part  44  is formed between the motor  41  and the power switch  43 . The gear train  42  is a part of the power transmission mechanism  40 . The motor  41  is a motor capable of positive rotation and negative rotation, and the power switch  43  doubles as a switch to change the rotation direction of the motor  41 . That is, when the power switch  43  is at its neutral position, the motor  41  (power) is off, when the power switch  43  is moved in one direction from the neutral position, the motor  41  rotates in one direction, and when the power switch  43  is moved in the other direction from the neutral position, the motor  41  rotates in the other direction. 
     The motor  41  may not be a motor capable of positive rotation and negative rotation, and such motors  41  may be provided for the number of turntables  30 . Alternatively, if there are three or more turntables  30 , the motor  41  capable of positive rotation and negative rotation may be used for some of the turntables  30 . Further, instead of or in addition to the rotation direction, the rotation speed of the motor(s)  41  may be changeable. 
     On the power transmission mechanism  40 , a lever  45  (a change mechanism) is disposed. The lever  45  is supported by a rotary shaft  30   a  of one of the turntables  30  to be rotatable on the rotary shaft  30   a . On one end of the lever  45 , a movable idler gear  42   b  which constantly meshes with a gear  42   a  attached to the turntable  30  and an auxiliary gear  42   c  which constantly meshes with the movable idler gear  42   b  are installed. When the lever  45  is rotated in one direction (to the position indicated by a solid line), the movable idler gear  42   b  meshes with a motor-side idler gear  42   d , and the auxiliary gear  42   c  separates from the motor-side idler gear  42   d . On the other hand, when the lever  45  is rotated in the other direction (to the position indicated by a two-dot chain line), the movable idler gear  42   b  separates from the motor-side idler gear  42   d , and the auxiliary gear  42   c  meshes with the motor-side idler gear  42   d.    
     Thus, by operating the lever  45 , the two turntables  30  can be rotated in the same direction or in the opposite directions to each other. In the case shown in  FIG. 3  where the gear  42   b  and the gear  42   c  are different from each other in size (the number of teeth), by operating the lever  45 , the rotation speeds of the turntables  30  are also changed. Note that, in the embodiment, one turntable  30  is provided with the reversal mechanism (lever  45 , etc.), but the other turntable  30  may also be provided with the reversal mechanism. 
     The rotation directions of the turntables  30  exert a great influence on rotation (spin) of toy tops A. The rotation (spin) direction of a toy top A is clockwise or anticlockwise when viewed from above. If the rotation direction of a turntable  30  and the rotation direction of a toy top A are different from each other, the rotation speed of the toy top A increases, whereas if the rotation direction of a turntable  30  and the rotation direction of a toy top A are the same, the rotation speed of the toy top A decreases. That is, if two turntables  30  rotate in the same direction, it is advantageous to a toy top A which rotates in one direction, but disadvantageous to another toy top A which rotates in the other direction. Then, a fair battle cannot be fought. Therefore, if toy tops A having rotation directions opposite to each other are going to fight a battle and there are two turntables  30 , it is preferable that these turntables  30  be rotated in the opposite directions to each other. 
     Here, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the disk  20  of the embodiment, the disk  20  constituting the center part (a part of the playing board)  2   b , is formed of a curved surface having a diameter which becomes smaller toward the lower end with the vertical center line. The turntables  30  incline along the center part  2   b  of the playing board  2 , and the rotary shafts  30   a  of the turntables  30  incline accordingly. Therefore, the gears  42   a  attached to the turntables  30  are to mesh with the gears  42   b  of the gear train  42  in the inclining state with respect to the gears  42   b . However, the inclination of the gears  42   a  with respect to the gears  42   b  is small. Hence, as shown in B part enlarged in  FIG. 4 , either the gears  42   a  or the gears  42   b  are inclined so that the gears  42   a  and the gears  42   b  can mesh with each other. 
     Thus-configured casing  50 , to which the disk  20  is fixed, is installed in the base  10  as follows. 
     First, a bar part of the casing  50  fits under the ring-shaped slope  2   a  of the playing board  2  from above a large hole of in a center part of the base  10 . Then, the disk  20  is fitted to the circular lower end of the ring-shaped slope  2   a  from above, the edge part of the disk  20  is partly placed on a shelf  16  formed in the base  10 , and the power switch  43  is exposed from a hole  13   a  of the projecting part  13  of the base  10 . Thus, the casing  50  is installed in the base  10 . 
     Next, the cover  60  is described. 
     The cover  60  is made of a transparent synthetic resin to be see-through. This cover  60  has a surrounding wall  61  which touches the outer surface of the surrounding wall  11  of the base  10 . The cover  60  has, at an upper part, a ring-shaped ceiling wall  62  overhanging in a central direction. The ceiling wall  62  covers an upper outer edge part of the ring-shaped slope  2   a  on the base  10 . At some points of the surrounding wall  61  of the cover  60 , swelling parts  63  which are projecting outward in a radius direction and a swelling part  64  which covers the positioning wall  14  of the base  10  are formed. On a lower end of the surrounding wall  61 , a flange  65  which is projecting outward in the radius direction is formed, and on the flange  65 , connection parts  66  which are fitted to fastening parts  12   a  of the support parts  12  of the base  10  are formed. 
     In the thus-configured playing field for toy tops  1 , by operating the power switch  43 , the motor  41  is driven, which rotates the turntables  30  via the gear train  42 . The motor  41  is a motor capable of positive rotation and negative rotation, and the rotation directions of the turntables  30  change according to the rotation direction of the motor  41 . 
     When toy tops A are released onto the playing board  2  in this state (motor-driven state), the toy tops A are led to the center part  2   b , which is constituted of the disk  20 , by the ring-shaped slope  2   a . When the toy tops A on the center part  2   b  move onto the turntable (s)  30 , the toy tops A revolve on and around the turntable(s)  30  along the border(s) between the turntable(s)  30  and the center part  2   b.    
     That is, in the above-described case where the center part  2   b , which is constituted of the disk  20 , is curved and the upper surfaces of the turntables  30  are flat surfaces, steps are generated at some points between the turntables  30  and the disk  20  (at some points of C parts shown in  FIG. 5 ). Consequently, the toy tops A on the turntable(s)  30  move and revolve along the step(s), and (i) when reaching point(s) with no step by centrifugal force or (ii) by climbing over the step(s) by an increase in the centrifugal force, the toy tops A are thrown out of the turntable(s)  30 . Thus, trajectories of the toy tops A change, and a possibility of collision between the toy tops A increases. 
     The thrown-out toy tops A collide with each other, so that one of the toy tops A gets pushed out of the way, namely, is hit to fly out. However, toy top A falls around (near) the base  10  by being guided by the swelling part(s)  63  of the cover  60 . Hence, the toy top A does not scatter in all directions. 
     In the above, an embodiment of the present invention is described. Needless to say, however, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment and can be appropriately modified in various aspects without departing from the spirit of the present invention. 
     For example, although two turntables  30  are disposed in the disk  20  in the above embodiment, three or more turntables  30  may be disposed. 
     Further, although the turntables  30  are disposed in the disk  20  in the above embodiment, the disk  20  and the base  10  may be formed as a single unit, and the turntables  30  may be disposed in the playing board  2 . 
     Further, although the shafts of the gears constituting the gear train  42  are each configured to extend in the up-down direction in the above embodiment, if the inclination of the gears  42   a  with respect to the gears  42   b  is large, the shafts thereof may be each configured to extend in the lateral direction, and the gears  42   a  and  42   b  may mesh with each other by utilizing bevel gears as shown in  FIG. 6 . That is, bevel gears or the like are used as the gears  42   a  attached to the rotary shafts  30   a  and the idler gears  42   b  which mesh with the gears  42   a , thereby changing directions of the rotary shafts  30   a . Consequently, the idler gears  42   b  can easily mesh with the gears  42   a  when the rotary shafts  30   a  incline. 
     Further, although power of the motor  41  is transmitted to the turntables  30  via the gear-type mechanism in the above embodiment, the power may be transmitted to the turntables  30  via a belt-type mechanism or the like. 
     According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a playing field for toy tops, including: a playing board for released toy tops to move about; a plurality of turntables disposed on the playing board; a motor; and a power transmission mechanism which transmits power of the motor to the turntables, thereby rotating the turntables, wherein the playing board is formed in a shape of a mortar having a diameter which becomes smaller toward a lower end of a vertical center line, the turntables are disposed at points of the playing board other than a center of the playing board, the turntables are disposed such that upper surfaces incline along the playing board, and rotary shafts of the turntables incline in a direction toward the center of the playing board according to the inclination of the upper surfaces. A power source for the motor may be included in the playing field for toy tops or may be an external power source. 
     Preferably, the upper surfaces of the turntables are flat surfaces. 
     According to the playing field for toy tops of the present invention, the plurality of turntables can change trajectories of toy tops, which can increase the possibility of collision between toy tops. 
     Further, according to the playing field for toy tops of the present invention, the turntables can catch toy tops on the mortar-shaped playing board while the toy tops are on the way to the center of the playing board, which can make toy tops perform complex movements. 
     Preferably, the playing field for toy tops further includes a change mechanism to change at least one of a rotation direction and a rotation speed of at least one of the turntables. 
     According to the above playing field for toy tops of the present invention, the rotation directions of the turntables can be changed, which can make toy tops perform more complex movements. 
     Preferably, the turntables are rotatable in directions different from each other. 
     According to the above playing field for toy tops of the present invention, the turntables are rotatable in directions different from each other, which can eliminate the relative merits of toy tops that rotate in directions different from each other and hence can realize fair and enjoyable battles. 
     Preferably, the playing board is constituted of: a ring-shaped slope having a diameter which becomes smaller toward a lower end of a vertical center line; and a disk fitted to a lower-end opening of the ring-shaped slope and having a diameter which becomes smaller toward a lower end of the vertical center line, and the turntables are disposed in the disk. 
     According to the above playing field for toy tops of the present invention, the turntables are disposed in the disk, which allows the disk and the turntables to be handled as a single unit and hence makes assembly work easy. 
     Preferably, the playing field for toy tops further includes a casing and a power switch, wherein the disk is disposed on one end of the casing, the casing houses: the motor; and the power transmission mechanism constituted of a gear train connecting a drive shaft of the motor with the rotary shafts of the turntables, and the power switch is disposed on another end of the casing. 
     According to the above playing field for toy tops of the present invention, the motor, the power transmission mechanism and the power switch are all housed in the casing, which makes the assembly work easier. 
     Preferably, the playing field for toy tops further includes a cover which has an opening at a center part and covers the playing board. 
     According to the above playing field for toy tops of the present invention, the cover can control the flying direction or the like of toy tops. 
     Preferably, the playing field for toy tops further includes a base, wherein a surrounding wall of the cover partly swells outward in a radius direction, thereby forming a swelling part, and a space through which the toy tops fall is formed between the swelling part and a surrounding wall of the base. 
     According to the above playing field for toy tops of the present invention, the wall of the swelling part guides, around the base, toy tops having been sent flying, which can certainly prevent toy tops from scattering in all directions.