Top spinning apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SPINNING A TOP ON A PLAYING SURFACE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: A SUPPORT; A PAIR OF RELATIVELY TELESCOPED ELEMENTS, ONE OF THE ELEMENTS BEING CARRIED IN A VERTICAL POSITION BY THE SUPPORT ABOVE THE PLAYING SURFACE, THE ELEMENTS INCLUDING FACING SURFACES CONFIGURED TO PERMIT LONGITUDINAL SHIFTING OF THE OTHER ELEMENT BETWEEN AN UPPER POSITION FOR PLACING THE SURFACES IN FRICTIONAL INTERENGAGEMENT PRECLUDING RELATIVE ROTATION THEREBETWEEN AND A LOWER POSITION PERMITTING RELATIVE ROTATION THEREBETWEEN; RESILIENT MEANS COUPLED BETWEEN THE SUPPORT AND OTHER ELEMENT FOR PLACING A TORQUE ON THE LATTER WHEN IT IS ROTATED IN ONE DIRECTION ABOUT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS WITH RESPECT TO SAID ONE ELEMENT, THE TORQUE URGING ROTATION OF SAID OTHER ELEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID ONE ELEMENT ABOUT SAID AXIS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION; AND HOLDING STRUCTURE OPERABLY COUPLED TO SAID RESILIENT MEANS TO HOLD A TOP ABOVE THE PLAYING SURFACE WHEN SAID OTHER ELEMENT IS TORQUED, AND TO RELEASE THE TOP FOR SPINNING ON THE SURFACE WHEN SAID OTHER ELEMENT IS ROTATED IN SAID OPPOSITE DIRECTION IN RESPONSE TO SAID TORQUE.