Model vehicle racetrack tool

Claim 2

A tool for use in assembling and disassembling like adjacent track sections for model vehicles, each of said track sections including a longitudinally extending body of insulating material having two ends, said track section having a substantially flat top wall forming a running surface for said model vehicles and including a guide groove of substantially equal longitudinal extent with said track section for use in guiding model vehicles, said guide groove having generally upstanding side walls depending from said track section top wall, a projection from each end of said track section, a laterally extending hook being fixed to each of said projections, said hooks facing in laterally opposite directions, a recess in each end of said track section constructed and arranged to receive a corresponding projection of a like adjacent track section, a hook retaining means at each end of said track section and spaced from the end thereof for releasably engaging a corresponding laterally extending hook of a like adjacent track section, and detent means located on each end of said track section for coacting with corresponding detent means of an interconnected like adjacent track section for normally maintaining an aligned relationship of said guide grooves of said two like adjacent interconnected track sections, each corresponding hook and hook retaining means including means for urging like adjacent, in registration, track sections toward one another and into engagement in response to the application of oppositely directed lateral forces thereto thereby overriding coacting corresponding detent means of said adjacent track sections, said tool comprising a gripping section for use in holding said tool, a track engaging member fixed to said gripping section and at least one lever arm fixed to said gripping section for use in applying a turning force to said tool, said track engaging member including two depending spaced legs, each of said legs being constructed and arranged to be inserted within a guide groove of one of said track sections in a given direction and rotatable therein in a direction orthogonal to said given direction, said legs being fixed relative to said gripping section so that a turning force applied to said gripping section in said orthogonal direction causes said legs to rotate in said orthogonal direction, said legs being spaced apart a distance sufficient to permit a simultaneous insertion of each of said legs within the respective guide grooves of each of two of said adjacent track sections with corresponding hooks and hook retaining means arranged in registration, said tool being usable to translate said orthogonal turning force applied to said tool into said oppositely directed lateral force on said track sections by coaction between said spaced legs and a side wall of said respective guide grooves of said adjacent track sections.

Claim 3

The invention according to claim 1, said tool including a second lever arm fixed to said gripping section and extending outwardly therefrom, both said first and second lever arms and said track engaging member being spaced from one another about said gripping section in a manner that said lever arms are useable to apply force to said track engaging member through a moment arm when said legs are located within respective guide grooves of said like adjacent track sections to override said corresponding detent means for use in assembling and disassembling said like adjacent track sections.

Claim 4

The invention according to claim 2, wherein said first lever arm includes a substantially flat blade on the distal end thereof and said second lever arm includes an open-ended wrench on the distal end thereof, said lever arms and said track engaging member being spaced substantially equally on said tool about said gripping section.

Claim 5

In combination, a track section for model vehicles and a tool for use in assembling and disassembling like adjacent track sections, said track section comprising a longitudinally extending body of insulating material having two ends, said track section having a substantially flat top wall forming a running surface for said model vehicles and including a guide groove of substantially equal longitudinal extent with said track section for use in guiding model vehicles, said guide groove having generally upstanding side walls depending from said track section top wall, a projection from each end of said track section, a laterally extending hook being fixed to each of said projections, said hooks facing in laterally opposite directions, a recess in each end of said track section constructed and arranged to receive a corresponding projection of a like adjacent track section, a hook retaining means at each end of said track section and spaced from the end thereof for releasably engaging a corresponding laterally extending hook of a like adjacent track section, and detent means located on each end of said track section for coacting with corresponding detent means of an interconnected like adjacent track section for normally maintaining an aligned relationship of said guide grooves of said two like adjacent interconnected track sections, corresponding guide grooves of like adjacent track sections being laterally separated a given distance when corresponding hooks and hook retaining means of said track sections are in registration and said track sections are not assembled, each corresponding hook and hook retaining means including means for urging like adjacent, in registration, track sections toward one another and into engagement in response to the application of oppositely directed lateral forces thereto thereby overriding coacting corresponding detent means of said like adjacent track sections, said tool comprising a gripping section for use in holding said tool, a track engaging member fixed to said gripping section and at least one lever arm fixed to said gripping section for use in applying a turning force to said tool, said track engaging member including two depending spaced legs, each of said legs being constructed and arranged to be inserted in a given direction within a guide groove of a track section and rotatable therein in a direction orthogonal to said given direction, said legs being fixed relative to said gripping section so that a turning force applied to said gripping section in said orthogonal direction causes said legs to rotate in said orthogonal direction, said legs being spaced apart a distance sufficient to permit a simultaneous insertion of each of said legs within the respective guide grooves of each of two adjacent track sections in registration and arranged with said guide grooves separated said given distance, said tool being usable to translate said orthogonal turning force applied to said tool into said oppositely directed lateral force on said track sections by coaction between said spaced legs and a side wall of each of said respective guide grooves of said adjacent track sections.

Claim 6

In combination, a track section for model vehicles and a tool for use in assembling and disassembling like adjacent track sections, said track section comprising a longitudinally extending body of insulating material having two ends, said track section having a substantially flat top wall forming a running surface for said model vehicles and including a guide groove of substantially equal longitudinal extent with said track section for use in guiding model vehicles, said guide groove having generally upstanding side walls depending from said track section top wall, a projection from each end of said track section, a laterally extending hook being fixed to each of said projections, said hooks facing in laterally opposite directions, a recess in each end of said track section constructed and arranged to receive a corresponding projection of a like adjacent track section, a hook retaining means at each end of said track section and spaced from the end thereof for releasably engaging a corresponding laterally extending hook of a like adjacent track section, and detent means located on each end of said track section for coacting with corresponding detent means of an interconnected like adjacent track section for normally maintaining an aligned relationship of said guide grooves of said two like adjacent interconnected track sections, corresponding guide grooves of like adjacent track sections being laterally separated a given distance when corresponding hooks and hook retaining means of said track sections are in registration and said track sections are not assembled, each corresponding hook and hook retaining means including means for urging like adjacent, in registration, track sections toward one another and into engagement in response to the application of oppositely directed lateral forces thereto thereby overriding coacting corresponding detent means of said like adjacent track sections, said tool comprising a gripping section for use in holding said tool, a track engaging member fixed to said gripping section and at least one lever arm fixed to said gripping section for use in applying a turning force to said tool, said track engaging member including two depending spaced legs, each of said legs being constructed and arranged to be inserted in a given direction within a guide groove of a track section and rotatable therein in a direction orthogonal to said given direction, said legs being fixed relative to said gripping section so that a turning force applied to said gripping section in said orthogonal direction causes said legs to rotate in said orthogonal direction, said legs being spaced apart a distance sufficient to permit a simultaneous insertion of each of said legs within the respective guide grooves of each of two adjacent track sections in registration and arranged with said guide grooves separated said given distance, said tool being usable to translate said orthogonal turning force applied to said tool into said oppositely directed lateral force on said track sections by coaction between said spaced legs and a side wall of each of said respective guide grooves of said adjacent track sections.

Claim 7

The invention according to claim 1 wherein said gripping section, said lever arm and said legs are All constructed and arranged to be co-planar.

Claim 8

The invention according to claim 2 wherein said gripping section, said first and second lever arms and said legs are all constructed and arranged to be co-planar.

Claim 9

The invention according to claim 2, wherein said first and second lever arms and said track engaging member all being substantially equally circumferentially spaced from one another.

Claim 10

The invention according to claim 3 wherein said gripping section, said first and second lever arms and said legs are all constructed and arranged to be co-planar.

Claim 11

The invention according to claim 4 wherein said gripping section, said lever arm and said legs are all constructed and arranged to be co-planar.