Abstract:
A low cost toy top having a simple structure and capable of changing its operating characteristics upon collision with an opponent toy top. The toy top which is spun on a playing board to play a match with an opponent toy top by being collided with the latter includes a main body including collisional portions adapted to come into contact with the opponent toy top, wherein at least some of the collisional portions are provided with a friction member for converting a rotational force of the opponent toy top into a rotational force of the toy top at the time of collision.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a toy top and, more particularly, to a toy top capable of changing rotational characteristics upon contacting an opponent toy top during spinning. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Conventionally, a toy top capable of changing rotational characteristics upon contacting another toy top without a user&#39;s operation has been proposed (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2006-55333). This toy top is so constructed that an upper layer member and a lower layer member are rotatably connected through a mounting base, a shaft portion formed on the lower layer member has a movable shaft piece therewithin so as to move in a vertical direction, and a driving means is provided on the mounting base to vertically move the shaft piece in association with the rotation of the lower layer member. Each time the opponent toy top comes into contact with the lower layer member of the thus constructed toy top, the movable shaft piece moves upward or downward, whereby the rotational characteristic of the toy top changes from that at the time of spinning while being supported by the shaft portion to that at the time of spinning while being supported by the shaft piece and vice versa. 
         [0005]    In the proposed toy top, although the rotational characteristics thereof can be changed upon collision with the opponent toy top, it is necessary to construct the toy top so that the lower layer member is rotatable and to incorporate the vertically movable shaft piece inside the shaft portion, leading to problems that the toy top has a complex structure and requires much labor in assembling thereof and thus a high production cost. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention has been made in view of the abovementioned problems. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel toy top with a simple structure which is capable of changing its rotational characteristics upon collision with an opponent toy top and which can be produced at a low cost. 
         [0007]    In order to solve the abovementioned problems, according to the present invention, there is provided a toy top which is spun on a playing board to play a match with an opponent toy top by being collided with the latter. The toy top comprises a main body including collisional portions adapted to come into contact with the opponent toy top, wherein at least some of the collisional portions are each provided with a friction member for converting a rotational force of the opponent toy top into a rotational force of the toy top at the time of collision. 
         [0008]    In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the friction member is formed of a resilient rubber material. 
         [0009]    In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main body comprises an upper layer section having a function of attacking the opponent toy top, a middle layer section determining a height of the toy top, a lower layer section having a shaft portion and fitted on the middle layer section, and a coupling member coupling together the upper layer section and the middle layer section, wherein the collisional portions are disposed in the upper layer section so that the friction members protrude outward therefrom. 
         [0010]    In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the upper layer section includes a first attacking member and a second attacking member, the first attacking member has an outer diameter smaller than that of the second attacking member and is fitted on the second attacking member from above, the first attacking member has attacking portions formed on an outer periphery of an upper surface thereof so as to attack the opponent toy top from below, and the friction members are attached to the outer periphery of the upper surface of the first attacking member to protrude upward and laterally outward. 
         [0011]    According to the present invention, when the toy top comes into contact with the opponent toy top, the rotational force of the opponent toy top can be converted into a rotational force of the toy top of the invention through the friction member, so that the toy top can restore the rotational force, which has been lessened, by means of the collision with the opponent toy top. Thus, the toy top can change the operation mode with such a simple structure in which the friction members are attached thereto. 
         [0012]    In one embodiment of the present invention, as the friction members are formed of a resilient rubber material, the friction members can absorb a collision impact to reduce damage to the toy top at the time of the collision with the opponent toy top and positively convert the rotational force of the opponent toy top into the rotational force of the toy top of the invention by friction of the friction members. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1A and 1B  are a perspective view and a front view illustrating an embodiment of a toy top according to the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the toy top shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B ; 
           [0015]      FIGS. 3A to 3D  are a perspective view, a plan view, a front view and a bottom view showing a first attacking member of an upper layer section constituting the toy top, respectively; 
           [0016]      FIGS. 4A to 4D  are a perspective view, a plan view, a front view and a bottom view showing a second attacking member of the upper layer section constituting the toy top, respectively; 
           [0017]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  are a perspective view and a front view, showing a middle layer section constituting the toy top, respectively; 
           [0018]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  are a perspective view as viewed from below and a bottom view, illustrating a lower layer section constituting the toy top, respectively; 
           [0019]      FIGS. 7A to 7D  are front views illustrating the process of assembling the toy top; and 
           [0020]      FIGS. 8A and 8B  are diagrams depicting an operating mode of the toy top of the present invention along with a normal toy top on a playing board. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0021]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  show an embodiment of a toy top according to the present invention. The toy top A is constituted by a main body that includes an upper layer section  1  which has a function of attacking an opponent toy top and which is constituted by a first attacking member  10  and a second attacking member  20 , a middle layer section  2  determining the height of the toy top, a lower layer section  3  having a shaft portion  41  adapted to come into contact with a surface of a playing board, and a coupling member  4  in a screw shape coupling together the upper layer section  1  and middle layer section  2  (see  FIG. 2 ). 
         [0022]    The first attacking member  10  is, as shown in  FIGS. 3A to 3D , a disk-like member made of synthetic resin and having a fitting hole portion  11  formed in the center thereof in which a fitting portion  22  of the second attacking member  20  described later is fitted. On diametrically opposite sides of the fitting hole portion  11  is formed a pair of engagement recesses  11   a  for engaging a bridge  22   a  to perform positioning when the fitting hole portion  11  is fitted on the fitting portion  22  of the second attacking member  20 . Further, the first attacking member  10  is formed to have an outer diameter smaller than that of the second attacking member  20 , and around a peripheral edge of an upper surface of the first attacking member  10  are formed attacking portions  12  constituted by inclined surfaces with a vertical attacking function of attacking from below in contact with a lower surface of the opponent toy top. The first attacking member  10  is provided on the upper and side surfaces thereof with a plurality of friction members  13 , some of which protrude upward and the rest of which protrude laterally outward. The friction members  13  are formed of a rubber material which is resilient so that when the toy top A comes into contact with an opponent toy top, ,the friction members  13  may convert a rotational force of the opponent toy top into a rotational force of the toy top A and absorb an impact of collision to reduce the damage to the toy top A. Thus, the first attacking member  10  is provided on the upper and side surfaces thereof with collisional portions, some of which have the friction members  13  attached thereto and some others of which do not have friction members thereon. 
         [0023]    The first attacking member  10  is also provided on a lower surface thereof with a pair of semi-circular engagement walls  14  which are symmetrically formed at the outside of the fitting hole portion  11  so as to fit in an inner peripheral surface of the second attacking member  20 , to thereby stably hold the first attacking member  10  on the second attacking member  20 . 
         [0024]    The second attacking member  20  is, as shown in  FIGS. 4A to 4D , a metallic disk-like member having a hexagonal fitting hole portion  21  formed in the center thereof in which an upper portion of the middle layer section  2  described later is fitted, the fitting portion  22  being formed above the fitting hole portion  21 . The fitting portion  22  includes the bridge  22   a  formed in a diametrical direction and a swelling portion  22   b  formed in a circular shape in the center of the bridge  22   a  to bulge out, and an opening  23  into which a screw portion  4   a  of the coupling member  4  is inserted is formed in the center of the swelling portion  22   b . Further, attacking portions  24  constituted by rugged parts protruding outward with a lateral attacking function of attacking in contact with a side surface of the opponent toy top are formed in an outward-projecting manner on an outer peripheral surface of the second attacking member  20 . 
         [0025]    The middle layer section  2  is, as shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , formed in a cylindrical shape and has an inner wall surface formed with a thread  31  to configure a screw hole  32  into which the screw portion  4   a  of the coupling member  4  described later is screwed. Further, an upper outer perimeter surface of the middle layer section  2  swells outward to form a swelling portion  33  of an approximately hexagonal shape, which is fitted in the fitting hole portion  21  of the second attacking member  20  to prevent a deviation in a circumferential direction from occurring at the time of joining together the upper layer section  1  and the middle layer section  2 . The middle layer section  2  is also provided on a lower end outside surface of a cylindrical portion  34  thereof with a pair of engaging protrusions  36  that are formed so as to respectively engage with a pair of engagement receiving portions  43  formed on the lower layer section  3  described later. 
         [0026]    The lower layer section  3  is, as shown in  FIG. 6A , formed in an inverted truncated-cone shape and has a shaft portion  41  that is formed on a lower side thereof so as to protrude downward. A pair of arcuate openings  42  is formed point-symmetrically with respect to an axis of the shaft portion  41  outside the shaft portion  41 , and part of an inner wall of each of the openings  42  is protruded toward the shaft portion  41  to form the engagement receiving portion  43 . Thus, when the lower layer section  3  is fitted from below onto the middle layer section  2  and is then turned in a circumferential direction, the engaging protrusions  36  of the middle layer section  2  engage the respective engagement receiving portions  43  of the lower layer section  3 , so that the lower layer section  3  can be fixed on the middle layer section  2 . 
         [0027]    When the toy top A having the above-described configuration is assembled, the first and second attacking members  10  and  20  for the upper layer section  1 , the middle layer section  2  and the lower layer section are firstly selected as shown in  FIG. 7A . Thereafter, the first attacking member  10  is fitted onto the second attacking member  20  from above, and then the swelling portion  33  of the middle layer section  2  is fitted into the fitting hole portion  21  of the second attacking member  20  from below as shown in  FIG. 7B . 
         [0028]    Next, the screw portion  4   a  of the coupling member  4  is inserted through the opening  23  of the second attacking member  20  and is screwed into the screw hole  32  of the middle layer section  2 , so that the upper layer section  1  with the first attacking member  10  stacked on the second attacking member  20  is fixed on the middle layer section  2  as shown in  FIG. 7C . In this state, the upper layer section  1  is brought into pressure contact with the middle layer section  2  by the coupling member  4 , so that the upper layer section  1  and the middle layer section  2  are fixed to each other without causing backlash. 
         [0029]    Then, the engaging protrusions  36  formed on the cylindrical portion  34  of the middle layer section  2  are opposed to and inserted into the openings  42  of the lower layer section  3 , and the lower layer section  3  is turned in a circumferential direction relative to the middle layer section  2  to engage the engaging protrusions  36  with the bottom sides of the engagement receiving portions  43 , whereby the toy top A constituted by the upper layer section  1 , the middle layer section  2  and the lower layer section  3  can be assembled, as shown in  FIG. 7D . 
         [0030]    The toy top A thus assembled is launched by a known starter (not shown) so as to rotate or spin at a high speed onto a playing surface b of a playing board B (see  FIG. 10A ). The toy top A spins at a high speed at first and its rotational speed is gradually reduced with time, while the opponent toy top A′ still spins at a higher speed than that of the toy top A. At this time, if the toy top A collides with the opponent toy top A′ spinning at the high speed, the toy top A can absorb an impact of collision through the elasticity of the friction member  13  to reduce damage thereto and enhance its spinning state by converting a rotational force of the opponent toy top A′ into its own rotational force through means of the frictional force generated between the friction member  13  and a contact surface of the opponent toy top A′ without any slippage occurring therebetween, resulting in that the toy top A can avoid at least stopping of its spinning earlier than that of the opponent toy top A′. 
         [0031]    As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the toy top A with such a simple structure in which merely the friction members  13  are provided on part or the whole of the peripheral surface or upper surface of the upper layer section  1  thereof can not only dodge the attack of the opponent toy top A′ but also convert the rotational force of the opponent toy top A′ into its own rotational force. Thus, a toy top capable of changing its operating characteristics without the use of a complex structure can be realized. 
         [0032]    Incidentally, since the toy top A described above is provided on part of the upper layer section  1  thereof with the friction members  13 , when the other part of the upper layer section  1  thereof that has no friction member thereon comes into contact with the opponent toy top A′, the toy top A can do damage to the opponent toy top A′ or may be instead attacked by the opponent toy top A′ as in a match played with the conventional toy tops, so that a match played with toy tops which progresses in a variety of patterns can be enjoyed.