Racing toy apparatus

Claim 2

A racing toy apparatus, comprising: means defining a raceway; a plurality of individual racing toys operatively associated with said raceway for movement therealong in generally parallel paths, one racing toy for each participant; driving means for moving said racing toys along said raceway only during predetermined intermittent operating intervals of time, said driving means including a gear train operatively associated with power means and including a ''''forward'''' gear member and a ''''reverse'''' gear member constantly in mesh in said gear train and third geaR means, said forward and reverse gear members being movable into alternate meshed engagement with said third gear means to drive said third gear means in opposite directions during certain of said operating intervals to provide intermittent forward and reverse movement of said racing toys; signal means operatively associated with said driving means so as to be actuated only during certain of said intermittent operating intervals; and individually operable clutch means for each racing toy for selectively operatively connecting each racing toy independently to said third gear means by said participants in an attempt to operatively move the racing toys only during said operating intervals.

Claim 3

The racing toy apparatus of claim 1 wherein said signal means comprises light means energized and de-energized in timed relationship with said intermittent operating intervals.

Claim 4

The racing toy apparatus of claim 1 wherein said racing toys comprise miniature vehicles.

Claim 5

The racing toy apparatus of claim 1 including means for varying the timing of said operating intervals.

Claim 6

The racing toy apparatus of claim 4 wherein said last named means includes a cam member having varying sizes of operative cam lobes.

Claim 7

The racing toy apparatus of claim 4 including means for varying the length of said operating intervals.

Claim 8

The racing toy apparatus of claim 6 wherein said last named means includes a cam member having varying sizes of operative cam lobes.

Claim 9

The racing toy apparatus of claim 1 wherein said raceway is elongated with opposite starting and finishing ends thereof, with certain ones of said clutch means having exposed manually manipulatable portions at one end of the raceway and the other of said clutch means having exposed manually manipulatable portions at the opposite end of the raceway.

Claim 10

The racing toy apparatus of claim 8 wherein said signal means comprises a traffic light disposed on and intermediate the ends of said raceway.

Claim 11

The racing toy apparatus of claim 1 wherein said raceway is elongated with opposite starting and finishing ends thereof, and including flag means at said finishing end of the raceway, the flag means being automatically actuatable when the first racing toy reaches the finishing end of the raceway.

Claim 12

The racing toy apparatus of claim 1 wherein said signal means has means for effecting different signals for said forward and reverse operating intervals.

Claim 13

The racing toy apparatus of claim 11 wherein said signal means comprises light means for effecting green and red light signals for said forward and reverse intervals, respectively.

Claim 14

The racing toy apparatus of claim 1 wherein said raceway is elongated and has opposite ends and said driving means includes a pair of pulley-like members for each racing toy, one pulley member of each pair thereof at each end of the raceway, and a cable member wrapped about each pair of pulleys and connected to the respective racing toy for moving the same in response to driving at least one of the pulleys.

Claim 15

The racing toy apparatus of claim 13 wherein said clutch means includes means for selectively engaging and disengaging at least one of said pulley member to said third gear means.

Claim 16

The racing toy apparatus of claim 14 including means for bodily moving one of each pair of said pulley members into and out of driving association with said third gear means.

Claim 17

The racing toy apparatus of claim 15 wherein said clutch means includes a gear member operatively associated with one of each pair of said pulley members and movable independently into and out of engagement with third said gear means.

Claim 18

The racing toy apparatus of claim 1 wherein said signal means is actuated in response to movement of said ''''forward'''' and ''''reverse'''' gear members.

Claim 19

The racing toy apparatus of claim 17 wherein said signal means comprises light means for effecting a green light signal when said ''''forward'''' gear member is in mesh with said third gear memBer and for effecting a red light signal when said ''''reverse'''' gear member is in mesh with said third gear member.

Claim 20

The racing toy apparatus of claim 18 including switch means in circuit with said light means, said switch means being actuated automatically in response to movement of said ''''forward'''' and ''''reverse'''' gear members.

Claim 21

A racing toy apparatus comprising: means defining an elongated raceway having a plurality of parallel tracks with opposite starting and finishing ends; a plurality of individual toy racing devices, one for each participant, each racing device being operatively associated with one of said tracks for movement therealong; driving means operably associated with power means and associatable with said racing devices for moving said racing devices along said tracks in a forward direction during certain predetermined intermittent operating intervals of time and in a reverse direction during other predetermined operating intervals, said driving means including a forward gear means and a reverse gear means associated with said power means and a third gear means, said forward and reverse gear means being adapted to alternately engage said third gear means to drive said third gear means in opposite directions during the operating intervals; an upstanding singular simulated traffic light operably associated with said driving means and mounted intermediate the ends of the raceway, said traffic light having a green light and a red light visible from either end of said raceway, said traffic light displaying a green light during said forward direction intervals and a red light during said reverse direction intervals; and a plurality of individually and selectively operable clutch means, one for each track, operably associated between said third gear means and each racing device for selectively associating a racing device to said driving means to move said racing devices during said operating intervals.

Claim 22

A racing toy apparatus comprising: means defining an elongated raceway having a plurality of parallel tracks with opposite starting and finishing ends; a plurality of individual toy racing devices, one for each participant, each racing device being operatively associated with one of said tracks for movement therealong; driving means operably associated with power means and associatable with said racing devices for moving said racing devices along said tracks in a forward direction during certain predetermined intermittent operating intervals of time and in a reverse direction during other predetermined operating intervals, said driving means including a forward gear means and a reverse gear means associated with said power means and a third gear means, said forward and reverse gear means being adapted to alternately engage said third gear means to drive said third gear means in opposite directions during the operating intervals; an upstanding singular simulated traffic light operably associated with said driving means and mounted intermediate the ends of the raceway, said traffic light having a green light and a red light visible from either end of said raceway, said traffic light displaying a green light during said forward direction intervals and a red light during said reverse direction intervals; and a plurality of individually and selectively operable clutch means, one for each track, operably associated between said third gear means and each racing device for selectively associating a racing device to said driving means to move said racing devices during said operating intervals.

Claim 23

The racing toy apparatus of claim 20 including flag means at said finishing end of the raceway, the flag means being automatically actuatable when the first racing device reaches the finishing end of the raceway.

Claim 24

The racing toy apparatus of claim 20 wherein said driving means includes a pair of pulley-like members for each racing device, one pulley member of each pair thereof at each end of the raceway, and a cable member wrapped about each pair of pulleys and connected to the respective racing device for moving the same in response to driving at least one of the pulleys, said clutch means including means for selectively engaging and disengaging at least one of said pulleys to said driving means.

Claim 25

The racing toy apparatus of claim 20 wherein said traffic light includes a switch means operatively associated with said forward and reverse gear means for illuminating either said green light or said red light in reponse to the movement of the forward gear means into engagement with the third gear means or the movement of the reverse gear means into engagement with the third gear means respectively.