US2940216A - Magnet game or toy - Google Patents

Description

June 14, 1960 F. KOCH 2,940,216

MAGNET GAME OR TOY Filed March 2'7, 1956 IN V EN TOR.

AT v.5,

United States Patent MAGNET GAME OR TOY Fritz Koch, Dresden, Germany, assignor to Wolfgang Koch, Koln-Zollstock, Germany Filed Mar. 27, 1956, Ser. No. 574,165

3 Claims. (Cl. 46-238) The present invention relates to amusement devices, and more specifically to a game or toy in which the movement of figures or pieces is caused by magnetic fields.

Magnet games are known in which a propelling magnet influences a toy figure which is made from ferromagnetic material or equipped with a permanent magnet. In such games attraction or repulsion takes place according to the poling of the magnets. The toy pieces for producing a repellent effect by means of a propelling rod are generally provided with magnets, the magnetic axis of which lies in the direction of movement, that is horizontally. Accordingly the propelling magnet must be advanced with coaxially situated magnetic axis, in so doing, however, the magnets can easily tip over so that attraction takes place.

The invention overcomes these objections and provides toy figures and toy pieces, in which mutual repulsion is always ensured, independently of the direction from which one of the magnets approaches the other. The characteristic feature of the invention consists in providing at least two toy pieces or figures which are movable on a non-feromagnetic surface and adapted to influence each other under the action of a magnetic field and each of said toy pieces is provided with a permanent bar magnet, said magnets being arranged with their magnetic axes perpendicular to the plane of movement and being poled in the same sense so that like poles are facing each other in any position of the toy pieces at equal distances from the plane of movement. As a result, a repulsive'action between the toy pieces is always ensured, inde pendently of the relative positions of said toy pieces. 7

This principle enables a large number of different uses. In addition to a translatory movement it is also possible to obtain by very simple means a rotary movement of the toy figures, in that the magnet is provided with a concave resting surface the axis of which coincides with the magnetic axis. When a second magnet is approached, the first commences to rotate about its magnetic axis, either to the right or to the left according to the side towards which the magnetic axes are inclined.

In the accompanying drawing there is shown a toy figure with rotary movement about a vertical axis, and the propelling means therefor; and

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawing, the playing piece 18 carries a bar magnet 19 with vertical magnetic axis. So as to permit turning, the piece 18 has a convex resting surface 20. A propelling magnet 21 serves for producing the movement influence and is Patented June 14, 1960 like poled with the magnet 19. Owing to the convex resting surface 20 of the piece 18, the approach of the propelling magnet 21 causes the magnet 19 to rotate either to the left or to the right as desired, according to which side the magnet 21 is slightly inclined as it approaches. The magnets 19 and 21 can carry any kind of toy figure.

From the above detailed description of the invention, it is believed that the construction will at once be apparent, and while there is herein shown and described preferred embodiment of the invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A magnet toy comprising at least two toy pieces adapted to move over a substantially horizontal nonmagnetic surface, each of said toy pieces having a magnet with the poles therein vertically aligned and substantially at the same height and with the uppermost pole of each magnet having the same polarity and of sufiicient strength to efiect repulsive movement of one toy piece on said surface to cause substantially continuous spinning of said one toy piece upon approach of another toy piece in close proximity thereto, one of said toy pieces constituting the sole propelling means for the other toy piece, the one toy piece having a convex bottom, whereby it will turn as it is repulsed, in a direction depending upon a slight relative side tilt between the axes of the magnets of the two toy pieces.

2. A magnet toy as defined in claim 1, wherein the base of the toy piece acting as the propelling means is provided with a handle for tilting said second mentioned toy piece and the magnet therein about a horizontal axis so as to cause the propelled toy piece to rotate on its convex resting surface.

3. A magnet toy as defined in claim 2, wherein the permanent magnet in the base of the propelled toy piece has its axis arranged to coincide with the axis of the convex resting surface of said base, said axis extending substantially vertical during the movement of said toy piece, and the toy piece acting as the propelling means being constructed to allow adjustment of the magnet in the base of said propelling toy piece by inclining the entire propelling toy piece so that its magnetic axis is inclined with respect to the vertical axis of the magnet in the propelled toy piece.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,605,703 Brown Nov. 2, 1926 2,500,180 Hubbell Mar. 14, 1950 2,528,938 Wolf Nov. 7, 1950 2,540,216 Quinby Feb. 6, 1951 2,570,625 Zimmerman et al Oct. 9, 1951 2,619,349 Abrahamson Nov. 25, 1952 2,668,389 Morrison Feb. 9, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,727 Great Britain 1897 628,139 Great Britain Aug. 23, 1949

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