CONNECTING PIECE FOR TOY TRACK AND TOY TRACK
The present invention pertains to a connecting piece for toy track and a toy track. The toy track includes a supporting piece and the connecting piece for toy track. The connecting piece for toy track includes a flexible tube, a first connector, and a second connector. The first connector and the second connector are respectively connected to two ends of the flexible tube and coaxially arranged with respect to the flexible tube. The first connector is provided with a plug-in groove, and the second connector is provided with a plug-in convex part matched with the plug-in groove. The flexible tube has a first annular outer diameter, the first connector has a second annular outer diameter, and the second connector has a third annular outer diameter. The first annular outer diameter, the second annular outer diameter, and the third annular outer diameter are equal to each other.
This application is the national phase entry of International Application PCT/CN2016/112321, filed on Dec. 27, 2016, which is based upon and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201610529347.4, filed on Jul. 6, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates to the field of toys for children, in particular to a toy track and a connecting piece thereof.
BACKGROUNDCurrently, the ability to think independently and the hands-on skill are getting seriously in the process of teaching children to learn for more and more parents and schools. Toy tracks (especially the tracks for various kinds of balls or roller coasters) are suitable toys for children to exercise their hands-on skills and promote brain development. Various types of toy tracks can be assembled by combining flexible tube-like items. The toy tracks may also be used in combination with plug-in building blocks, so they are flexible, and a toy can be played with in a variety of ways. As a result, children's psychology of creativity i.e. designing the route for balls or roller coasters according to their ideas, can be completely satisfying. Compared with simple plug-in building blocks available in the current market, the toy tracks can activate children's creativity and create a strong desire to play.
Most toy tracks available include flexible tube structures and supporting pieces. As shown in
In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a connecting piece for toy track so as to ensure the smooth sliding of balls or roller coasters on the track.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the connecting piece for toy track provided by the present invention includes a flexible tube, a first connector, and a second connector, wherein the first connector and the second connector are respectively connected to two ends of the flexible tube and coaxially arranged with respect to the flexible tube. The first connector is provided with a plug-in groove, the second connector is provided with a plug-in convex part matched with the plug-in groove. The flexible tube has a first annular outer diameter, the first connector has a second annular outer diameter, and the second connector has a third annular outer diameter. The first annular outer diameter, the second annular outer diameter, and the third annular outer diameter are equal to each other, so that the surface of the flexible tube, the surface of the first connector, and the surface of the second connector are on the same annular surface after the plug-in convex part is plugged into the plug-in groove.
According to the above-mentioned connecting piece for toy track, a cross section of the plug-in convex part is circular or polygonal, a cross section of the first connector is annular, and an inner wall of the first connector protrudes inward to form a convex rib to fasten the plug-in convex part.
According to the above-mentioned connecting pieces for toy track, the flexible tube is a hollow flexible tube, the first connector is connected to the hollow flexible tube through a first convex column, and the second connector is connected to the hollow flexible tube through a second convex column.
According to the above-mentioned connecting piece for toy track, a bendable metal wire is arranged inside the flexible tube. One end of the metal wire is connected to the first convex column and the other end is connected to the second convex column.
Further, a toy track provided by the present invention includes a supporting piece and the above-mentioned connecting piece for toy track. A plurality of clamping grooves with intervals are arranged on the supporting piece, and the size of each clamping groove is matched with the first annular outer diameter.
According to the above-mentioned toy track, the supporting piece includes a circular body/elliptical body, and the clamping grooves are arranged on an inner wall of the circular body/elliptical body.
According to the above-mentioned toy track, a plurality of clamping grooves are uniformly distributed on the inner wall of the circular body/elliptical body. According to the above-mentioned toy track, the supporting piece includes an arc-shaped body with an opening, the arc-shaped body is an elastomer, so the arc-shaped body can be opened or closed relative to the opening, and the clamping grooves are arranged on the inner wall of the arc-shaped body.
According to the above-mentioned toy track, a plurality of clamping grooves are uniformly distributed from one end of the arc-shaped body to the other end of the arc-shaped body along the arc-shaped body on the inner wall of the arc-shaped body.
According to the above-mentioned toy track, the outer wall of the arc-shaped body is provided with a plug-in ridge to be connected to a building block in a plug-in type manner.
The present invention has the following advantages. Since the first annular outer diameter, the second annular outer diameter, and the third annular outer diameter of the connecting piece for toy track are equal to each other, the surface of the flexible tube, the surface of the first connector, and the surface of the second connector are on the same annular surface after the plug-in convex part is plugged into the plug-in groove, so that the balls or roller coasters can slide smoothly over the tracks.
Further, a plurality of clamping grooves are arranged on the supporting piece of the toy track, so the requirement of adjusting the position of the track can be satisfied.
Moreover, the supporting piece includes a circular body/elliptical body or an arc-shaped body with an opening, which can meet the requirement of sliding balls or roller coasters on winding tracks compared with a flat body.
Hereinafter, the conception, specific structure, and technical effect of the present invention will be further explained with reference to the drawings for a full understanding of the objectives, characteristics, and effects of the present invention.
In the drawings, reference numerals are referred to as follows. 1—flexible tube, 2—first connector, 21—plug-in groove, 22—plug-in body, 23—first convex column, 24—convex rib, 3—second connector, 31—plug-in groove, 32—plug-in body, 33—plug-in convex column, 34—second convex column, 4—supporting piece, 41—main body, 411—opening, 42, 43—semicircular concave hole, 44—plug-in ridge, 45—clamping groove, 5—sphere, 6—metal wire, D1—first annular outer diameter, D2—second annular outer diameter, D3—third annular outer diameter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONReferring to
In order to ensure the reliability of the plug-in connection, the cross section of plug-in convex part 33 is square-shaped, the cross section of first connector 2 is annulus-shaped, and the inner wall of first connector 2 protrudes inward to form convex rib 24 to fasten plug-in convex part 33. The cross section of plug-in convex part 33 is not limited to a square shape but may be a circle or other polygonal shape also.
Further referring to
Referring to
In the use of the connecting piece for toy track of the present invention, second connector 3 and first connector 2 on different flexible tubes 1 may be connected to each other to form an extension track (as shown in
Referring to
It should be noted that supporting piece 4 is not limited to the structure shown in
Referring to
The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above. It should be understood that many modifications and changes can be derived by those skilled in the art according to the conception of the present invention without creative effort. Therefore, any technical solution that can be obtained by those skilled in the art through logical analysis, reasoning, or limited experiments on the basis of the prior art according to the conception of the present invention shall fall within the scope defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A connecting piece for toy track, comprising: a flexible tube, a first connector, and a second connector, wherein the first connector and the second connector are respectively connected to two ends of the flexible tube and coaxially arranged with respect to the flexible tube, the first connector is provided with a plug-in groove, the second connector is provided with a plug-in convex part matched with the plug-in groove, the flexible tube has a first annular outer diameter, the first connector has a second annular outer diameter, the second connector has a third annular outer diameter, the first annular outer diameter, the second annular outer diameter, and the third annular outer diameter are equal to each other, so that a surface of the flexible tube, a surface of the first connector, and a surface of the second connector are on a same annular surface after the plug-in convex part is plugged into the plug-in groove.
2. The connecting piece for toy track according to claim 1, wherein a cross section of the plug-in convex part is circular or polygonal, a cross section of the first connector is annular, and an inner wall of the first connector protrudes inward to form a convex rib to fasten the plug-in convex part.
3. The connecting piece for toy track according to claim 1, wherein the flexible tube is a hollow flexible tube, the first connector is connected to the hollow flexible tube through a first convex column, and the second connector is connected to the hollow flexible tube through a second convex column.
4. The connecting piece for toy track according to claim 3, wherein a bendable metal wire is arranged inside the flexible tube, a first end of the bendable metal wire is connected to the first convex column and a second end of the bendable metal wire is connected to the second convex column.
5. A toy track, comprising a supporting piece and the connecting piece for toy track according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of clamping grooves with intervals are arranged on the supporting piece, and a size of each of the clamping grooves is matched with the first annular outer diameter.
6. The toy track according to claim 5, wherein the supporting piece comprises a circular body/elliptical body, and the clamping grooves are arranged on an inner wall of the circular body/elliptical body.
7. The toy track according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of the clamping grooves are uniformly distributed on the inner wall of the circular body/elliptical body.
8. The toy track according to claim 5, wherein the supporting piece comprises an arc-shaped body with an opening, the arc-shaped body is an elastomer, so the arc-shaped body is opened or closed relative to the opening, and the clamping grooves are arranged on an inner wall of the arc-shaped body.
9. The toy track according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of the clamping grooves are uniformly distributed from a first end of the arc-shaped body to a second end of the arc-shaped body along the arc-shaped body on the inner wall of the arc-shaped body.
10. The toy track according to claim 6, an outer wall of an arc-shaped body is provided with a plug-in ridge to be connected to building blocks in a plug-in type manner.
11. The toy track according to claim 5, wherein a cross section of the plug-in convex part is circular or polygonal, a cross section of the first connector is annular, and an inner wall of the first connector protrudes inward to form a convex rib to fasten the plug-in convex part.
12. The toy track according to claim 5, wherein the flexible tube is a hollow flexible tube, the first connector is connected to the hollow flexible tube through a first convex column, and the second connector is connected to the hollow flexible tube through a second convex column.
13. The toy track according to claim 12, wherein a bendable metal wire is arranged inside the flexible tube, a first end of the bendable metal wire is connected to the first convex column and a second end of the metal wire is connected to the second convex column.
14. The toy track according to claim 8, an outer wall of the arc-shaped body is provided with a plug-in ridge to be connected to building blocks in a plug-in type manner.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 27, 2016
Publication Date: Jan 31, 2019
Inventor: Yunzhang LUO (Chengdu)
Application Number: 16/069,512