Patent Publication Number: US-6666743-B2

Title: Spinning top

Description:
This invention relates to spinning tops. More particularly, the invention relates to tops which provide an enhancement in the spinning time and which provide a competitive advantage when different tops compete by intentional collisions to determine which top will spin the longest. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Tops have existed for decades as toys for children. At the beginning, the tops were made from wood and were spun by winding a string on the body of the top, holding the free end of the string and releasing the top or projecting the top toward a support surface. The top became progressively unwound from the string before reaching the support surface and spun when it hit the support surface. 
     In more recent years, improvements have been provided in the implementation of the top to produce a spinning of the top. For example, a cap has been disposed on the top and has been provided with an aperture and a pinion gear in the aperture. A strap having teeth at one end to define a rack gear has been disposed in the aperture to become coupled to the pinion gear. When the strap has been pulled through the aperture, it has caused the gear to rotate. The gear in turn has caused the top to rotate. An advantage of this arrangement has been that the top has been disposed on a support surface and that the strap has been pulled from the aperture while the top has been disposed on the support surface. 
     Even with the advances in the tops as specified in the previous paragraph, children have been, and still are, seeking other advantages in the operation of the top. For example, children are always seeking to lengthen the period of time during which the top spins. Children are also interested in using the tops as offensive toy weapons in competitive games involving toys by having their tops bump other tops and prevent the other tops from spinning while their toys continue to spin. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     A hollow rotatable member preferably made from a clear plastic material and a hollow cover are attached to each other in a spinnable top. A ring is disposed within the top on the cover at a position of the top&#39;s substantially maximum diameter to provide stability and inertia to the top during the top&#39;s rotation, thereby significantly increasing the top&#39;s spinning time. 
     A cap fits tightly on the upper portion of the rotatable member. A strap having teeth defining a rack gear extends through an aperture in the cap and engages a pinion gear in the aperture. When the strap is pulled from the aperture, the pinion gear rotates and causes the top to spin. Because of the tight fit between the top and the cap, the top can be thrown outwardly and downwardly to a support surface and can be spinning as it reaches the support surface. 
     A belt is disposed on the cover at the position of the seam between the rotatable member and the cover. Depending upon their positioning and configuration, lugs on the belt also enhance the top&#39;s stability and balance or destabilize and unbalance the top. Each player may have as collectible items a plurality of different belts with different lug configurations. The lugs strike competitive tops and prevent them from spinning. The belt may be provided with an increased height to facilitate the disposition of graphics (e.g., advertisements) on the belts. The graphics enhance the desire of children to consider the belts as collectible items. 
     The cap may have an increased vertical dimension to facilitate the manual holding of the top in a vertical direction when the strap is pulled from the cap aperture to initiate the top&#39;s spinning. This increased vertical dimension of the cap prevents the user from interfering with the strap when the cap is pulled from the cap aperture. It also provides for a vertical disposition of the top on the support surface while the top is spinning. Lights may be disposed within the rotatable member to provide illuminations while the top is spinning. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a top constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention and shows how a user spins the top on a support surface; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged front elevational view of the top and shows a strap in a position to be pulled for producing a spinning of the top; 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the top; 
     FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view, partially broken away, of a cap for receiving the strap and for producing a spinning of the top when the strap is pulled from an aperture in the cap; 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line  5 — 5  of FIG. 3 with the cap disposed tightly on the top and the strap disposed in the aperture in the cap in a position to be pulled from the cap and additionally shows an improvement in the top shown in the previous Figures; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another preferred embodiment of the top and shows a cap having an increased vertical dimension to facilitate the spinning of the top in a vertical direction; 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a belt disposed on the top and having lugs which are disposed to strike competitive tops and prevent the competitive tops from spinning and which are unevenly spaced on the belt to unbalance the belt, and to provide for a wandering of the top, hopefully toward competitive belts; 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a belt and shows advertising (e.g. XYZ Company) on the belt, thereby enhancing the desire of users of the top to purchase as collectibles belts with different advertisements. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a top generally indicated at  10  is provided to spin on a support surface. The top  10  includes a rotatable member  12  (FIG. 2) which may be made from a suitable material (e.g. polyurethane) and which may be provided with substantially a frusto-conical configuration. A hollow cover  14  also having a frusto-conical configuration is disposed on the rotatable member  12  and is suitably attached to the rotatable member as by screws  16 . The cover  14  may be preferably made from a strong non-scuffable metal such as stainless steel to provide protection such as against scuffing of the rotatable member  12  and to enhance the aesthetics of the top. 
     A tip  18  (FIGS. 2 and 5) preferably made from a suitable material such as nylon extends downwardly from the bottom of the cover  14  to facilitate the spinning movement of the top  10  on a support surface. Nylon is advantageous for use as the tip  18  because it has a low friction on a support surface and thereby extends the time during which the top can spin on the support surface. The tip  18  is removably attached to the cover  14  as by a screw  19  (FIG.  5 ). In this way, the tip  18  may be replaced with another tip when the tip  18  becomes pitted from extended use. Other low friction materials than nylon may also be used as the tip  18 . 
     A belt  22  (FIGS. 2 and 3) preferably made from a suitable plastic material such as a polyurethane or a thermoplastic rubber is removably disposed on the rotatable member  12  and the cover  14  for disposition over the seam between the rotatable member and the cover. The belt  22  is provided with lugs  24   a  and  24   b  respectively disposed near the top and bottom of the belt at spaced positions around the annular periphery of the belt. The annular positioning of the lugs  24   a  is preferably disposed in a staggered relationship to the annular positioning of the lugs  24   b  and are preferably equally spaced in the annular direction around the periphery of the band. Preferably the same annular spacing is provided for the lugs  24   b  as for the lugs  24   a  when the top is to be provided with a balanced construction. However, a different arrangement may be provided for the lugs  24   b  than for the lugs  24   a  when the top  10  is to have an unbalanced relationship. Different unbalances may be provided for the top  10  by providing a plurality of belts, each having a different configuration of the lugs  24   a  and  24   b.    
     The rotatable member  12  is provided at its upper end with a cavity  26  (FIG. 5) to receive a body portion  28  of a support member  30  preferably made from a suitable material such as polyurethane. The body portion  28  is retained in the cavity  26  by any suitable means such as an adhesive. A head portion  32  on the support member  30  extends above the upper end of the rotatable member  12 . The head portion  32  has a socket  34  which is shaped to receive a pin  36  having a substantially tight fit in the socket. 
     The pin  36  is integral with a cap  38  which extends above the pin. The cap  38  preferably has a cylindrical configuration and sits on the head portion  32  of the support member  30 . The cap  38  has an aperture  40  (FIG. 4) which extends through the cap and preferably emerges at opposite ends at positions annularly spaced from each other by an angle less than 180 degrees. A pinion gear  39  is disposed within the aperture  40  in the cap  38 . 
     A strap  42  preferably made from a plastic material such as a polystyrene extends through the aperture  4 D. The strap  42  is freely slidable in the aperture  40  when the cap  38  is not disposed on the support member  30 . In this way, the strap  42  can be fully passed through the aperture  40  before the cap  38  is disposed on the support member  30 . The strap  42  is provided with teeth  44  at one of its surfaces. The teeth  44  engage the pinion gear  39  when the cap  38  is disposed on the support member  30  and the top  10  is to be operated. 
     The strap  42  is provided with an integral gripping member  46  at one of its ends. The gripping member  46  may have a hollow ring-shaped configuration, although any other configuration of the gripping member may be used. A finger (FIG. 1) of the top user may be disposed in the gripping member  46  when the user desires to spin the top. 
     A ring  48  (FIG. 5) made from a suitable material such as aluminum or stainless steel is disposed within the cover  14  at the upper end of the cover. The ring  48  may be press fit into the inner surface of a retainer  49  which is disposed within the cover  14  and may be considered to be a part of the cover. The ring  48  offers certain advantages. It provides a weight at the approximate position where the top  10  has a maximum diameter. Thus, when the top is spun by pulling the strap  42  out of the aperture  40  in the cap  38 , the ring  48  provides an enhanced inertia to the top  10 . This causes the top  10  to spin for a significantly longer period of time than the top would spin if the ring  48  were not included. The ring  48  also enhances the stability of the top  10  since it widens the platform in which the top is operating. When the lugs  24   a  on the belt  22  have a substantially symmetrical relationship with respect to the lugs  24   b  on the belt  22 , the belt  22  also enhances the stability of the top  10 . 
     To operate the top  10 , the strap  42  is inserted into the aperture  40  in the cap  38 , with the cap separated from the support member  30 . Preferably the strap  42  is fully inserted into the aperture  40  so that the gripping member  46  is disposed adjacent the cap  38 . The cap  38  is then disposed on the head portion  32  with the pin  36  disposed tightly in the socket  34 . 
     The top  10  is spun by holding the cap  30  and pulling the strap  42  out of the aperture  40 . The resultant spinning of the top  10  may be accomplished by holding the cap  38  above a surface and pulling the strap  42  out of the aperture  40  in the cap  38  and then allowing the top to drop to the support surface or by disposing the top  10  on a support surface and pressing the cap downwardly on the support surface while the strap  42  pulled out of the aperture  40 . The tight relationship between the top  10  and the cap  38  allows the top to be thrown outwardly and downwardly toward a support surface and to be spinning as it reaches the support surface. 
     The top  10  is able to spin on a support surface for long periods of time when there is no impediment preventing the top from spinning. However two (2) youngsters may be spinning tops  10  at the same time. When this occurs, the belt  22  on one of the tops  10  may strike the belt  22  or the hollow cover  14  on the other top and prevent the other top from spinning or curtail the spinning of the other top to a time shorter than the spinning time of the one top. In this way, the spinning of the top  10  has now become competitive. Before this, the spinning of a top occurred primarily on an individual basis and did not involve a competition between simultaneously spinning tops. 
     It will be appreciated that the belt  22  on the top  10  has primarily been provided as a weapon against the spinning of other tops. However, the belt  22  may also provide a balancing or stabilization to extend the time for the spinning of the top  10 , particularly when there is no other top spinning in the same location at the same time that the one top is spinning. 
     It will also be appreciated that different arrangements may be provided to perform the same functions as are disclosed in this patent application. For example, a different arrangement may be provided than the cap  38  and the strap  42  extending through the aperture  40  in the cap for spinning the top  10  without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     The belt  22  may be considered as a collectible item. For example, individual belts may be provided with different colors and with different graphics. Individual belts  22  may also be made from different materials and may be provided with different gripping members than the ring-shaped gripping member  46  shown in the drawings. Particularly when the users of the tops constitute young children, each child may have a number of different belts  22  and may substitute one of these belts for another when he or she is competing with other children to prolong the spinning time of his or her top  10  relative to the spinning time of other tops. The children may wear the belts  22  as bracelets to indicate to others their belt collections. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates a modification of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-5. In this modification, the rotatable member  12  is formed from a clear plastic material and a plurality of lights  60  such as light emitting diodes are disposed in the rotatable member to provide an illumination. The lights  60  are connected to a battery  62  to provide an illumination. This enhances the aesthetic appearance of the top  10 . 
     FIG. 6 shows a modified cap, generally indicated at  64 . The cap  64  is constructed in a manner similar to that described previously in that the aperture  40  may be provided in a first portion  66 , preferably cylindrical, of the cap and in that the pinion gear  39  is disposed in the aperture. In the modification shown in FIG. 6, a second portion  68  extends upwardly from the first portion  66  of the cap  64 . The second portion  68  is also preferably cylindrical and preferably has a diameter less than that of the first portion  66 . The second portion  68  is adapted to be manually grasped when the top  10  is to be rotated. 
     By displacing the second portion  68  from the strap  42 , the user is able to grasp the second portion without interfering with the strap  42  when the strap is pulled from the aperture  40 . The second portion  68  is also advantageous because it facilitates a vertical disposition of the top when the strap  42  is pulled from the aperture  40 . This provides for a vertical disposition of the top  10  on the support surface and enhances the time during which the top spins on the support surface. The manual grasping of the second portion  68  is also facilitated by providing elements such as O-rings  69  at spaced portions in the direction of the height of the second portion. The O-rings  69  also enhance the visual appearance of the cap  64 . 
     As previously described, the lugs  24   a  and  24   b  are provided with a symmetrical relationship when the top  10  is to have a balanced spinning operation. The lugs  24  may be considered asymmetrical when the lugs  22  are uniformly spaced from a weight standpoint around the annular periphery of the belt. However, it may be sometimes be desired for the top  10  to have an unbalanced operation. For example, the user of the top  10  may desire to have an unbalanced operation when striving to topple another top. With an unbalanced operation, the top  10  may wander more than with a balanced operation. A top with an unbalanced belt  22  may be considered as asymmetrical. 
     FIG. 7 shows a belt  70  in which the lugs  24   a  are different from the lugs  24   b . In FIG. 7, the lugs  24   a  are larger and more closely spaced than the lugs  24   b . It will be appreciated that a mixture of different sized lugs are provided at  24   a  and in which a different mixture of lugs of different sizes may be provided at  24   b , the mixture at  24   a  being different than the mixture at  24   b . It will also be appreciated that, although two rows of lugs are provided in FIG. 1 (the balanced arrangement) and in FIG. 7 (the unbalanced arrangement), different numbers of rows of lugs than two (2) may be provided and the number of rows of lugs may even be one (1). 
     It will be seen that the disposition of the lugs may have an infinite number of different possibilities. Belts with different configurations of lugs may accordingly constitute collectibles to children just as, for example, different Pokemon cards may constitute collectibles to children. The urge of children to consider the belts as collectibles may also be enhanced if different graphics are provided on the belts. For example, the graphics may relate to the name of a movie as shown at  72  in FIG.  8 . The graphics may also relate to movie stars or famous baseball players or to well-known characters in a wide variety of different fields. 
     Although this invention has been disclosed and illustrated with reference to particular embodiments, the principles involved are susceptible for use in numerous other embodiments which will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art. The invention is, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.