The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 15, 2000
Filed:
Oct. 03, 1997
Peter Cyrus, Seattle, WA (US);
Rich Franko, Seattle, WA (US);
Peter M Maksymuk IV, New York, NY (US);
Leo M Fernekes, New York, NY (US);
Stefan Rublowsky, Brooklyn, NY (US);
Eduard Kogan, Howard Beach, NY (US);
Scott J Kolb, New York, NY (US);
Eric S Moore, New York, NY (US);
Dmitriy Yavid, Brooklyn, NY (US);
Christopher S Cosentino, Staten Island, NY (US);
Parvia Corporation, Seattle, WA (US);
Abstract
The present invention is a guidance apparatus for movable toy vehicles that includes a track, or roadway, on which the toy vehicles move. The track has an intersection. The intersection has a guidance mechanism for steering the toy vehicles in alternate directions through the intersection. A sensing mechanism, i.e., infrared emitters at the intersection and phototransistors in the vehicles, stops the vehicles prior to entering the intersection. The vehicles stopped at the intersection are then actuated after the mechanism for guiding the toy vehicles through the intersection has been actuated. Additionally, the vehicles stopped at the intersection can be actuated by a timing mechanism after passage of a predetermined time period. Furthermore, the vehicles stopped at the intersection can be actuated only after a mechanism for sensing vehicle presence in the intersection senses no vehicles in the intersection. Preferably, the guidance mechanism for steering the toy vehicles through the intersection includes a rotatable portion of the intersection that can be configured in more than one orientation to guide the toy vehicles in alternate directions based on the orientation of the rotatable portion.