US 6,508,179 B2Granted

Unpowered toy vehicle play set

AssigneeMattel, Inc.

InventorsRobert Annis, Daniel Gleason, Trevor J. Hayes, Robert A. Butkiewicz, Julian R. Payne, Jeremy S. Robotham, Francis Ponton

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Abstract

A play set for use with unpowered (e.g. {fraction (1/64)} scale) toy vehicles having non-steerable, free rotating wheels includes a closed loop track with a conveyor that raises such unpowered toy vehicles from a lower end to an upper, elevated end and a driven, tilting roadway that randomly directs toy vehicles from the upper level to either of two track branches. At least part of each track branch can be opened to release a toy vehicle from the track. A merge track section joins together a lower level end of each of the two track branches and leads to the lower end of the conveyor. The upper end of the conveyor and the tilting roadway are simultaneously supported by a single and driven by a single motor.

Claims8

Dependent claims

An unpowered toy vehicle play set including a closed loop track comprising:

a conveyor having a lower end and an upper end, a motor and a conveying element driven by the motor and configured to engage unpowered toy vehicles at the lower end and raise the engaged toy vehicles to the upper end;
at least one tilting roadway along a portion of the closed loop track extending from the upper end towards the lower end of the conveyor, the tilting roadway being mounted to tilt laterally side to side generally transversely to a direction of the closed loop track along the tilting roadway;
and
at least two track branches leading away and down from the at least one tilting roadway towards the lower end of the conveyor, the at least one tilting roadway being sufficiently proximal to the two track branches to direct unpowered toy vehicles coasting across the tilting roadway onto either of the at least two track branches.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.