EP4674495A1

EP4674495A1 - Top toy

Info

Publication number: EP4674495A1
Application number: EP25170374.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Makoto MURAKI
Original assignee: Tomy Co Ltd
Current assignee: Tomy Co Ltd
Priority date: 2024-07-01
Filing date: 2025-04-14
Publication date: 2026-01-07
Also published as: CN121266140A; JP2026006881A; US20260001002A1

Abstract

A top toy includes a shaft and a trunk part. The shaft includes a constricted part. The trunk part is connected to the shaft, and includes a shaft support unit and an elastically locking part. The elastically locking part is configured to grip the constricted part. The shaft being movable between a first position and a second position higher than the first position in the axial direction. The shaft is held at the first position by the elastically locking part. The elastically locking part includes a first sliding contact part. The shaft includes a second sliding contact part being slidably in contact with the first sliding contact part. The elastically locking part is elastically deformed when the shaft is pushed to the second position in the shaft hole by an outside impact, and is configured to move the shaft part to the first position when the outside impact disappears.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO THE RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-106217 filed on July 1, 2024 . The entire content of Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-106217 is incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a top toy.

Background Art

From the past, a top toy is known that includes an elastically locking part that uses elastic force to grip a constricted part of a shaft inserted in a shaft hole formed on a shaft support unit (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-54986

SUMMARY

Problems the Invention Is Intended to Solve

However, in the abovementioned top toy, the shape was such that from the state with the constricted part gripped by the elastically locking part, it was not possible to push the shaft deeper into the shaft support unit. For example, in a state with the constricted part gripped by the elastically locking part, a flange directly below the constricted part abuts the lower surface of the shaft support unit, and the shape was such that the shaft could not be pushed deeper into the shaft support unit.
For that reason, when the top toy is shot and lands on the floor, a large landing impact acts on the top toy. Also, the top toy might bounce due to this landing impact, causing a loss of rotational energy, and making it difficult to land the top toy in a desired position on the floor.
The present invention was created considering these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a top toy in which it is possible to reduce energy loss due to landing impact, and to land the top toy in a desired position on the floor.

Means for Solving the Problems

A top toy includes a shaft and a trunk part.
The shaft includes a constricted part. The trunk part is connected to the shaft. The trunk part includes a shaft support unit and an elastically locking part. The shaft support unit has a shaft hole to which the shaft is inserted. The elastically locking part is configured to grip using elastic force the constricted part. The shaft being movably configured in the shaft hole in an axial direction between a first position and a second position higher than the first position in the axial direction. The shaft is held at the first position by the elastically locking part. The elastically locking part includes a first sliding contact part. The shaft includes a second sliding contact part being slidably in contact with the first sliding contact part when the shaft moves in the axial direction. The elastically locking part is elastically deformed when the shaft is pushed to the second position in the shaft hole by an outside impact. The elastically locking part is configured to move the shaft part to the first position when the outside impact disappears.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a top toy of an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an upper trunk part seen from below.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a lower trunk part.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the lower trunk part.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the support structure of a shaft.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the shaft.
FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are perspective views of the shaft and a shaft locking member showing the state of change when landing.
FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C are perspective views of the top toy showing the state of change when landing.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of a top shooting device.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of an example of a battle stadium.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a top toy 100 of an embodiment.
This top toy 100 includes a trunk part 10 constituted by an upper trunk part 11 and a lower trunk part 12, and shaft in rod form (rod-shaped shaft) 20.

Top Toy 100

The top toy 100 is constituted mostly from plastic.

Upper Trunk Part 11

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the upper trunk part 11 seen from below.
Though not particularly limited, the upper trunk part 11 is a composite configured by assembling a plurality of components. The upper trunk part 11 includes a flywheel made of metal, for example. The upper trunk part 11 is shown here in a short columnar shape, but recesses and projections may also be formed on the outer periphery.
At the lower side center of the upper trunk part 11, an insertion hole 11b in which a shaft head 21 of the shaft 20 (FIG. 6) is inserted is formed inside a circular recess 11c.

Lower Trunk Part 12

Overview

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the lower trunk part 12, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the lower trunk part 12. In the explanation of this lower trunk part 12, "left-right," "front-back," and "up-down" mean the "left-right," "front-back," and "up-down" directions shown by arrows in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.
The lower trunk part 12 is configured from a lower trunk part body 13 and a shaft locking member 14.
The lower surface center part of the lower trunk part body 13 is bulging facing downward in an inverted frustum shape (see FIGS. 8A-8C).
A shaft hole 13a that penetrates the lower trunk part body 13 vertically is formed on the lower trunk part body 13. The shaft locking member 14 is fitted and fixed from above on the lower trunk part body 13, and the shaft 20 inserted from below in the shaft hole 13a is locked by the shaft locking member 14. FIG. 5 shows the locking structure of the shaft 20 by the shaft locking member 14 in a state with the lower trunk part body 13 removed.

B. Shaft Locking Member 14

The shaft locking member 14 is provided with a thick, short cylinder-shaped ring-shaped part 14a, a pair of elastically locked parts 14b, 14b for securing the shaft locking member 14 itself to the lower trunk part body 13, and a pair of elastically locking parts 14c, 14c for locking the shaft 20.
Each of the pair of elastically locked parts 14b, 14b have an L shape, are vertically installed on the ring-shaped part 14a, with the lower end part serving as an outward facing projection 14d that is bent outward. The pair of elastically locked parts 14b, 14b are provided at facing positions sandwiching the center line of the shaft locking member 14.
Each of the pair of elastically locking parts 14c, 14c is vertically installed on the ring-shaped part 14a, and the lower end part has inward facing claws 14e formed. The pair of elastically locking parts 14c, 14c is provided at facing positions sandwiching the center line of the shaft locking member 14.

C. Lower Trunk Part Body 13

On the top surface of the lower trunk part body 13, a pair of arc-shaped walls 13b, 13b is formed at the front-back edges of the shaft hole 13a. When the shaft locking member 14 is attached to the lower trunk part body 13, the pair of arc-shaped walls 13b, 13b is fitted inside the ring-shaped part 14a.
On the top surface of the lower trunk part body 13, a three-sided wall 13c that becomes a recess in the top view facing the shaft hole 13a on the outside of each arc-shaped wall 13b is formed. The three-sided wall 13c is provided corresponding to the abovementioned elastically locked part 14b, and when the shaft locking member 14 is attached to the lower trunk part body 13, is positioned on the outside of the shaft locking member 14.
A rectangular hole 13d in which the elastically locked part 14b can be inserted is formed between the arc-shaped wall 13b and the three-sided wall 13c outside of that. When the shaft locking member 14 is attached to the lower trunk part body 13, the elastically locked part 14b is inserted from above in this rectangular hole 13d, and the projection 14d of the elastically locked part 14b gets under the floor surrounded by the three-sided wall 13c as is engaged by elasticity. As a result, the shaft locking member 14 is secured to the lower trunk part body 13.
At the left and right of the hole wall that forms the shaft hole 13a, grooves 13e on which the elastically locking parts 14c are disposed are formed. On the top surface of the lower trunk part body 13, walls 13f erected from the edge of the grooves 13e are formed corresponding to the elastically locking parts 14c. Inside the walls 13f, so as to position the elastically locking parts 14c, the elastically locking parts 14c enter the grooves 13e by pressing the shaft locking member 14 in from below. In a state entered into the grooves 13e, the tips of the claws 14e of the elastically locking parts 14c project inside the shaft hole 13a.

Linking Structure of the Upper Trunk Part 11 and the Lower Trunk Part 12

The upper trunk part 11 and the lower trunk part 12 have their center lines matched to each other, are overlapped in the vertical direction of the shaft 20, and are joined together by screwing, etc. Alternatively, the upper trunk part 11 and the lower trunk part 12 are butted against each other in the axial direction at a first relative rotation position centered on the shaft 20, and by being relatively rotated to a second relative rotation position centered on the shaft 20, the lower surface of a joining piece (not illustrated) of the lower trunk part 12 and the upper surface of the joining piece (not illustrated) of the upper trunk part 11 abut and are joined.

Shaft 20

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the shaft 20.
The shaft 20 is configured in a rod shape. The shaft 20 includes an insertion part 20A that can be inserted in the shaft hole 13a, and a projecting part 20B that projects downward from the lower trunk part 12. The insertion part 20A and the projecting part 20B are fitted from the axial direction and joined to each other by a pin (not illustrated). The bottom edge of the projecting part 20B constitutes the ground contact part.
The shaft 20 is configured to be attachable and detachable from below the shaft hole 13a. The shaft 20 is also exchangeable with another shaft with different rotation characteristics. The shaft 20 may also be configured not to be attachable and detachable.
The shaft head 21 on the top end of the insertion part 20A is inserted in the insertion hole 11b of the upper trunk part 11 when the insertion part 20A is inserted in the shaft hole 13a.
A small flange 23 is formed on the insertion part 20A, and a constricted part 26 is formed along the entire circumference directly below the small flange 23. This constricted part 26 is divided by a partition in the circumferential direction, and the claws 14e noted above can be fitted in the divided recesses. By fitting of the claws 14e in the recesses of this constricted part 26, the claws 14e engage with the constricted part 26, and the shaft 20 is gripped by the claws 14e. The lower surface of the constricted part 26 serves as the inclined surface 26a that has a downward slope facing radially outward (see FIG. 6). This inclined surface 26a constitutes a second sliding contact part.
The shaft 20 can be moved in the axial direction so as to be able to take a first position gripped by the claws 14e, and a second position that enters at a position higher (deeper) than the first position inside the shaft hole 13a. When the shaft 20 moves, the inclined surface (second sliding contact part) 26a is in sliding contact with the claws 14e. In other words, the lower surfaces of the claws 14e are inclined surfaces, and constitute a first sliding contact part that is in sliding contact with the second sliding contact part.
According to this structure, when the shaft 20 moves inside the shaft hole 13a to the second position due to landing impact, the claws 14e are elastically deformed by the sliding contact with the inclined surface 26a with energy stored, and when the landing impact has stopped, the shaft 20 is moved to the first position by the stored elastic force by sliding contact with the inclined surface 26a.
A large flange 27 is formed below the constricted part 26. The large flange 27 constitutes a portion of the projecting part 20B. When the shaft 20 is in the first position gripped by the claws 14e, the large flange 27 is separated from the lower surface of the lower trunk part 12. When the shaft 20 is in the second position which enters deeper in the shaft hole 13a, the large flange 27 abuts the lower surface of the lower trunk part 12.
In the projecting part 20B, a gear 28 that meshes with teeth 93a of a battle stadium 90 described later is formed below the large flange 27.
The part indicated by code 20a in FIG. 6 is a ridge, and has the function of engaging with the fixing part inside the top toy 100 and stopping rotation. It is also possible not to provide this ridge.

Operation of Shaft 20

FIGS. 7A - 7C are drawings showing the state of change of the shaft 20 and the shaft locking member 14 when landing, and FIGS. 8A - 8C are drawings showing the state of change of the top toy 100 when landing.
Before landing, the constricted part 26 and the claws 14e are in an engaged state (FIG. 7A), and the shaft 20 is in a state projecting downward from the lower trunk part 12 (FIG. 8A).
When the shaft 20 moves from this state to the second position direction due to landing impact, the pair of claws 14e, 14e are pushed and spread by sliding contact between the second sliding contact part of the constricted part 26 and the first sliding contact part of the claws 14e, elastically deforming the elastically locking part 14c (FIG. 7B). By this movement of the shaft 20, the shaft 20 is pushed into the lower trunk part 12, so the large flange 27 abuts the lower surface of the lower trunk part 12 (FIG. 8B).
Thereafter, when the landing impact stops, the elastically locking part 14c operates in the direction to eliminate bulging due to the stored elastic force, and by the sliding contact between the second sliding contact part of the constricted part 26 and the first sliding contact part of the claws 14e, the claws 14e push the shaft 20 back to the first position (FIG. 7C). By this movement of the shaft 20, the shaft 20 returns to the state of projecting downward from the lower trunk part 12 (FIG. 8C).
According to the shaft structure and the shaft locking structure described above, the impact energy is absorbed by the elastically locking part 14c elastically deforming when the shaft 20 is pushed into the shaft hole 13a due to landing impact, so it is possible to prevent bouncing of the top toy 100 as much as possible. As a result, it is possible to reduce the loss of rotational energy, and possible to land the top toy 100 in a desired position on the floor.

Top Shooting Device 80

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a top shooting device 80.
The top shooting device 80 includes a top holder 81 that holds the rotationally energized top toy 100. The top holder 81 is provided with the same number of insertion pieces 81a corresponding to the arc-shaped grooves 11a of the top toy 100. A locking part 81b that projects in the rotationally energized direction is formed on the insertion piece 81a. After the insertion piece 81a is inserted in the arc-shaped groove 11a of the top toy 100, the top toy 100 is rotated relatively in the direction opposite to the rotationally energized direction of the top toy 100 with respect to the top holder 81, and by the locking part 81b getting under the edge wall of one end part of the arc-shaped groove 11a, the top toy 100 is attached to the top holder 81.
A handle 82 is provided on the top shooting device 80. One end of a cord (not illustrated) is attached to this handle 82. The cord is wound on an input rotor (not illustrated) by the restoring force of a mainspring, and by operating the handle 82 to pull the cord, rotational force is inputted to the input rotor. The input rotor is coupled to the top holder 81, which is rotated by the rotation of the input rotor.
With this top shooting device 80, the top toy 100 attached to the top holder 81 is rotationally energized by rotating the top holder 81 by operating the handle 82. When operation of the handle 82 is stopped, while rotation of the top holder 81 stops, the top toy 100 continues rotating due to inertial force, so the locking part 81b comes out from under the edge wall of one end part of the arc-shaped groove 11a, and is pushed out by sliding contact with the inclined surface of the back of the insertion piece 81a, and the top toy 100 is shot.
Here, the input rotor coupled to the top holder 81 was rotated using a cord, but it is also possible to use a gear for the input rotor coupled to the top holder 81, with the gear rotated by a rack belt having a belt part on which a rack is formed.

Battle Stadium 90

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the battle stadium 90.
The bottom surface of a field 91 of the battle stadium 90 is a concave curved surface, and the field 91 is covered by a transparent cover 92 with an open center. A guide section 93 on which are formed teeth 93a that mesh with the gear 28 of the shaft 20 of the top toy 100 that moves around inside the field 91 is arranged in the field 91.
With this battle stadium 90, by meshing the teeth 93a with the gear 28 of the shaft 20 of the top toy 100, the top toy 100 is rolled with respect to the guide section 93, and it is possible to increase the speed at which the top toy 100 moves around.

Modification Examples

Above, an embodiment of the present disclosure was described, but the present disclosure is not limited to the abovementioned embodiment, and it goes without saying that modifications are possible within a scope that does not stray from its gist.
For example, in the embodiment above, the lower surface of the constricted part 26 was an inclined surface (sliding contact part) 26a that has a downward slope facing radially outward, but it is also possible to have it be an inclined surface (sliding contact part) up to the portion of the insertion part 20A below that. In other words, the shaft 20 and the elastically locking part 14c are provided with sliding contact parts that do not impede movement of the shaft 20, and that are in sliding contact with each other when moving.
In the embodiment above, instead of the elastically locking part 14c, it is also possible to have the shaft 20 locked by two or more locking parts that are urged by a coil spring in the radially inward direction with the ability to move back and forth in the radial direction.
According to the present disclosure, by the elastically locking part being elastically deformed when the shaft is pushed into the shaft hole by landing impact, the impact energy is absorbed, so it is possible to prevent bouncing of the top toy as much as possible. As a result, it is possible to reduce the loss of rotational energy, and possible to land the top toy in a desired position on the floor.

Claims

A top toy comprising
a shaft including a constricted part; and

a trunk part being connected to the shaft, the trunk part including a shaft support unit and an elastically locking part,

the shaft support unit having a shaft hole to which the shaft is inserted,

the elastically locking part configured to grip using elastic force the constricted part,

the shaft being movably configured in the shaft hole in an axial direction between a first position and a second position higher than the first position in the axial direction,

the shaft being held at the first position by the elastically locking part,

the elastically locking part including a first sliding contact part,

the shaft including a second sliding contact part being slidably in contact with the first sliding contact part when the shaft moves in the axial direction,

the elastically locking part being elastically deformed when the shaft is pushed to the second position in the shaft hole by an outside impact,

the elastically locking part being configured to move the shaft part to the first position when the outside impact disappears.
The top toy according to claim 1, wherein
at least one of the first siding contact part and the second sliding contact part is an inclined surface.
The top toy according to claim 1, wherein
the shaft includes a flange below the constricted part,

the flange abuts a lower surface of the shaft support unit when the shaft is in the second position.
The top toy according to claim 1, wherein
the shaft is removably inserted in the shaft hole.
The top toy according to claim 1, wherein
the constricted part has a recess that is divided by partitions in a circumferential direction, and

a part of the recess is fitted with the elastically locking part.