Abstract: A toy train set includes a toy train car operative upon a two rail trackway. The trackway includes a braking system for reducing the toy train speed at selected places along the trackway and a track intersection having no moving parts which permits a child user to select either of two direction paths. An elongated beam spring is provided on the toy cars to facilitate placement upon the trackway by a younger child.

Abstract: A toy vehicle utilizing a multiple-use shaft which is cylindrical and has a series of longitudinal grooves parallel to the longitudinal axis, each groove having a shape to mate with both gear teeth and keys. The groove edges are radiused to eliminate gouging of bearing surfaces in which the shaft is journaled. Internally splined gears are slidably mounted on the shaft with their splines fitted in driving relation to the multiple-use shaft.

Abstract: A portable toy racing set is disclosed which includes a booster for accelerating toy vehicles around a curved track. The booster includes an arm which pivots about an axis perpendicular to the track and offset from the center of a curved portion of the track. A finger depends from the arm and travels from a position adjacent the side of the track to a position which causes it to contact the vehicle.

Abstract: A toy train set includes a toy train car operative upon a two rail trackway. The trackway includes a braking system for reducing the toy train speed at selected places along the trackway and a track intersection having no moving parts which permits a child user to select either of two direction paths. An elongated beam spring is provided on the toy cars to facilitate placement upon the trackway by a younger child.

Abstract: An animated figure toy (10) includes an upper torso (14) made of transparent material and a lower torso (16) rotatably secured together. The upper torso is provided with a neck opening (30) in which a hollow head is rotatably mounted. The hollow head includes a jaw (19) articulately mounted thereon by a tang portion (78) captured between the upper end (72, 74, 76) of an elongated jaw actuator (64) which extends into and out of the interior of said head upon actuation of a gear train (50, 52, 54) and an eccentric (56) through a torso coupling mechanism (34, 36, 46) upon rotation of the torsos with respect to each other. The transparent upper torso allows the gear train and mechanism to be viewed.

Abstract: An animated figure toy (10) includes a head (14) in which a pendulum (26) is swingably mounted for reciprocating a cam follower (48) to blink eyelids (60, 62) and simultaneously move eyeballs (68, 70) from side to side.

Abstract: A toy vehicle trackway set includes a base member defining a circular ramp, a vehicle loop, a straight track segment and a vehicle receiving net.The trackway may be assembled in a first configuration in which a self-powered toy vehicle may be accelerated sequentially through the straight track, the loop, and the ramp and be launched from the ramp toward the receiving net or in a second configuration in which the straight track serves as a handle, the loop snap fits about the ramp and the receiving net snaps inside the ramp to captivate one or more toy vehicles.

Abstract: A toy for rolling flexible material into structural members which may be assembled into any of a number of desired structures. The apparatus includes a base having bearing means formed on either end to support a tube assembly over which structural members are formed. One of the bearings is moveably mounted on the base and includes an enlarged opening to allow formed tubular structural members to be easily removed from the tube assembly. The tube assembly is comprised of inner and outer tubes rotatable with respect to each other and having elongated slots formed therein which are alignable in one position to allow flexible material to be inserted therein and gripped to facilitate the formation of a tubular structural member.

Abstract: A moveable toy (10) consisting of a base (12) and a motorized vehicle (14). The base includes a track (46) having a central groove (50) ending in openings (54) at either end. The track includes teeth (48) which cooperate with a drive gear (44) held in the vehicle to drive the vehicle along the track. Rotors (56) having notches (58) on the top surface are rotatably held in openings at each end of the central groove in the track. Upon actuation, the vehicle travels along the track until it arrives at either end of the track, where the vehicle rotates the base to allow the vehicle to continue along the track end for further movement of the toy in the same direction.

Abstract: A track system for toy vehicles formed from a plurality of like interconnectable track sections, each section having a main body portion with upwardly disposed opposing sidewall portions, opposite ends of the sidewall portions and main body portion having sets of projections configured and dimensioned for interlocking engagement with like track sections. Hook members are integrally formed in the main body portion on opposite ends of the longitudinal centerline thereof for interlocking engagement. Each track section is preferably formed in a planar configuration with reduced cross sectional areas defining hinge sections for enabling pivoting of the sidewall portions into transverse relation relative to the main body portion. Regions on opposite sides of the hinge section are configured for interlocking to maintain the positions of the sidewall portions.

Abstract: A figure toy with positionable appendages and having upper and lower torso portions pivotally interconnected with a spring member at the axis of pivoting. The rear of the torso is configured for retaining sound emitting devices, such as a plurality of caps, and a mechanism including a spring-biased hammer member is provided within the torso, the hammer member being cocked in response to pivoting in a first direction against the force of the spring of the upper torso relative to the lower torso. Upon release of the upper torso, the spring urges pivoting of the upper torso in the opposite direction, with a time delay mechanism suddenly releasing the hammer under force of its bias, near the end of travel in the opposite direction, to fire the cap, thus simulating the sound of a punch with the arm positioned to a punching position.

Abstract: A toy vehicle playset (100) includes a stunt apparatus (102) and plurality of vehicles (104), (106) and (108). Each vehicle includes front wheel (14) having outwardly extending protuberances (20) adapted to engage a ramp (130) on stunt apparatus (102) and wheelie-inducing members (158) and (160), which are mounted inside stunt apparatus 102 for causing vehicles (104), (106) and (108) to perform wheelie-type maneuvers which are caused, in part, by increasing the speed of the vehicles automatically be engaging a shift lever (68) with a protuberance (122) provided on stunt apparatus (102).

Abstract: A child's playset comprised of a number of rooms offering different stage settings which may be changed. Each room includes a pair of walls at an angle with respect to each other and a floor having two different heights. The playset is preferably formed by attaching four rooms together at hinges whereby the rooms may be moved with respect to each other to form different shaped playsets. In addition, the rooms may be brought together to form a square wherein a handle extending upwardly from the walls of each room come together to form a central carrying handle for transportation of the playset.

Abstract: A dual slide switch voltage encoder is provided in which a plurality of analog voltages are produced as output signals of the encoder at a single output terminal. Two three position slide switches having manual actuators are utilized to provide a series of nine different analog output voltages having substantially equal increments in magnitude therebetween. A reference voltage from a microprocessor is utilized to develop these analog output voltages which are subsequently fed into an analog to digital converter in the microprocessor. Thus the present invention utilizes two three position slide switches to create a series of analog voltages having equal increments in magnitude therebetween wherein each of these analog voltages represents a different logic state corresponding to a specific combination of the various possible mechanical positions of the manual actuators of the two three position slide switches.

Abstract: A pushbutton tuner display apparatus for an entertainment device is disclosed in which a plurality of pushbuttons are used to tune a radio apparatus in the entertainment device in one mode of operation, while in another mode of operation the entertainment device operates as a cartridge tape player in which the pushbuttons are utilized as display devices which indicate which tape track is being monitored by the cartridge tape player. Additionally, one pushbutton is utilized as a display to indicate the reception of a stereo radio signal. Each pushbutton comprises a clear plastic light pipe surrounded by an opaque plastic part having openings at the front and rear. An associated light bulb mounted inside the frame of the entertainment device is utilized to provide light to each rear portion of each light pipe, and each light pipe has a prismatic portion which transmits received light to a front portion of the light pipe where an illuminated operative state display indication is produced.

Abstract: Electronic signal processing circuitry for use in the ignition system of an internal combustion engine is disclosed herein. A signal generator which receives crankshaft position pulses from a sensor and produces periodic outut pulses which have durations equal to a constant percentage of the period of the input sensor pulses is disclosed. The generator includes a crankshaft position sensor feeding a bistable flip-flop which controls a dual slope integrator circuit having its output coupled to a comparator with the comparator output coupled back to the reset terminal of the flip-flop. The generator produces pulses at the output of the flip-flop which have durations equal to a constant percentage of the period of the crankshaft position sensor pulses.

Abstract: A pointer and scale indicating assembly for a radio receiver is disclosed. A scale with indicia thereon is fixed to a radio receiver chassis and a pointer arm is movably mounted in the chassis to positions corresponding to the frequency to which the radio receiver is tuned. A resilient pointer rod is mounted on the pointer arm and has an end portion visually cooperating with the scale indicia to indicate the receiver frequency. The pointer rod is hand insertable onto the pointer arm and is attached thereto by having an end portion of the pointer rod cooperating with a raised surface and a holding projection of the pointer arm.

Abstract: A disengageable transmission device is provided in which a driving pinion is used to selectively drive a driven wheel via a wheel train mounted on pivotal lever. The fulcrum of the pivotal lever is positioned so as to minimize the rotational torque effects on the wheel train lever of the contact between the driving pinion and the wheel train and of the contact between the driven wheel and the wheel train. An energy escapement control device is also provided and the torque effects of this device on the wheel train lever are also limited by the positioning of the fulcrum of the lever.