Abstract
A miniature ball run system may have a first component with opposing faces and a conduit interconnecting the opposing faces. The first component is configured to allow an object to traverse the first component in response to a force and pass through a second component interconnected with one of the opposing faces. The second component and the first component each have a plurality of surfaces that are untouchable by the object as it traverses the first component or the second component when in motion.
Claims
1. A miniature ball run system, comprising: a first component having a front face, a rear face, and a conduit surface interconnecting the front face to the rear face, the conduit surface being configured to allow an object to traverse the first component in response to a force; and a second component with a passage through its thickness through which the object may move and to which either the front face or the rear face of the first component can interconnect, wherein at least one of the first and second component comprises a plurality of surfaces opposite the conduit surface, the plurality of surfaces being untouchable by the object as it traverse the first component or the second component when in motion.
2. The ball run system of claim 1, wherein the first component is a tube, an angled tube, an inclined tube, an elbow, or a combination of the same.
3. The ball run system of claim 1, wherein the second component is a tile with one or more magnets disposed in the rim thereof.
4. The ball run system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of surfaces includes a plurality of polygonal faces.
5. The ball run system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of surfaces includes a plurality of triangles.
6. The ball run system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of surfaces are part of pyramidal structures.
7. The ball run system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of surfaces includes rounded surfaces.
8. The ball run system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of surfaces includes rounded triangular surfaces.
9. The ball run system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of surfaces are part of a scalloped structure.
10. The ball run system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of surfaces includes rounded triangular surfaces.
11. The ball run system of claim 1, wherein the first component is a tube, an angled tube, an inclined tube, an elbow, or a combination of the same and the second component is a tile with one or more magnets disposed in the rim thereof, wherein the tile further comprises at least one orifice in a face of the tile recessed from the rim, the at least one orifice configured for receiving a projection from either the front face or the rear face of the first component.
12. The ball run system of claim 11, wherein the tile comprises a plurality of surfaces circumscribed by the rim and visible from outside of the tile.
13. The ball run system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of surfaces is within the recessed face of the tile.
14. The ball run system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the plurality of surfaces is triangular.
15. The ball run system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of surfaces forms at least one pyramidal structure.
16. The ball run system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of surfaces forms a plurality of pyramidal structures.
17. The ball run system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of surfaces is within the recessed face of the tile and opposite the conduit surface.
18. The ball run system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of surfaces within the recessed face of the tile and the plurality of surfaces opposite the conduit surface have triangular shapes.
19. The ball run system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of surfaces within the recessed face of the tile form pyramidal structures and the plurality of surfaces opposite the conduit surface form scalloped structures.
20. The ball run system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of surfaces within the recessed face of the tile are untouchable by an end user and the plurality of surfaces opposite the conduit surface can be touched by the end user.
Description
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary isometric view of a third embodiment of an exemplary component of a miniature marble run system.
[0026] FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary top plan view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 1A.
[0027] FIG. 1C illustrates an exemplary bottom plan view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 1A.
[0028] FIG. 1D illustrates an exemplary profile view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 1A.
[0029] FIG. 1E illustrates an exemplary front and rear view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 1A.
[0030] FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary top view of a second embodiment of an exemplary component of a miniature marble run system.
[0031] FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary bottom plan view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 2A.
[0032] FIG. 2C illustrates an exemplary front view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 2A.
[0033] FIG. 2D illustrates an exemplary rear view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 2A.
[0034] FIG. 2E illustrates an exemplary profile view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 2A.
[0035] FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary isometric view of a third embodiment of an exemplary component of a miniature marble run system.
[0036] FIG. 3B illustrates another exemplary isometric view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 3A.
[0037] FIG. 3C illustrates an exemplary bottom plan view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 3A.
[0038] FIG. 3D illustrates an exemplary front view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 3A.
[0039] FIG. 3E illustrates an exemplary profile view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 3A.
[0040] FIG. 4A illustrates an exemplary isometric view of a fourth embodiment of an exemplary component of a miniature marble run system.
[0041] FIG. 4B illustrates a top plan view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 4A.
[0042] FIG. 4C illustrates an exemplary front and rear view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 4A.
[0043] FIG. 4D illustrates an exemplary profile view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 4A.
[0044] FIG. 5A illustrates an exemplary isometric view of a fifth embodiment of an exemplary component of a miniature marble run system.
[0045] FIG. 5B illustrates a front view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 5A.
[0046] FIG. 5C illustrates an exemplary rear view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 5A.
[0047] FIG. 5D illustrates an exemplary bottom plan view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 5A.
[0048] FIG. 6A illustrates an exemplary front view of a sixth embodiment of an exemplary component of a miniature marble run system.
[0049] FIG. 6B illustrates an isometric view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 6A.
[0050] FIG. 6C illustrates an exemplary profile view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 6A.
[0051] FIG. 6D illustrates an exemplary cross-sectional plan view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 6A.
[0052] FIG. 6E illustrates an exemplary cross-sectional profile view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 6A.
[0053] FIG. 7A illustrates an exemplary front view of a seventh embodiment of an exemplary component of a miniature marble run system.
[0054] FIG. 7B illustrates an exemplary profile view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 7A.
[0055] FIG. 7C illustrates an exemplary cross-sectional plan view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 7A.
[0056] FIG. 7C illustrates an exemplary cross-sectional profile view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 7A.
[0057] FIG. 7D illustrates another exemplary cross-sectional profile view of the exemplary component illustrated in FIG. 7A.
[0058] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a miniature marble run system using a plurality of components.
[0059] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a miniature marble run system using a plurality of components.
[0060] FIG. 10A illustrates a first comparison of a marble run system of the prior art with a miniature marble run system described herein.
[0061] FIG. 10B illustrates a second comparison of a marble run system of the prior art with a miniature marble run system described herein.
[0062] FIG. 10C illustrates a miniature marble run system using exemplary components in FIGS. 1A-E and FIGS. 6A-E.
[0063] FIG. 10D illustrates a miniature marble run system with a more detailed view of an exemplary component illustrated in FIGS. 6A-E.
[0064] In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different and interchangeable and interrelated figures. Parts and components of each figure may be substitutes for other components in other figures to achieve the various methods and embodiments disclosed herein. Methods and protocols disclosed in any embodiment may be run in any order so as to affect their disclosed goals and/or enable performance of the systems as described. Additionally, any one embodiment may utilize any method or protocol described and in any portions, sequences, and combinations thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0065] With reference to the illustrative embodiments of FIGS. 1A-E, an exemplary miniature marble run system may include tubular conduit 10 having a front face 1, a rear face 2, a plurality of projections 3, an underside/rolling surface 4, and an exterior comprised of a plurality of different surfaces 5 and 6, and a plurality of boundaries 7. In an exemplary embodiment, tubular conduit 10 may be circular in cross-section, and in particular, one half of a circle in cross-section, although other shapes may be contemplated as well, e.g., full circular/cylindrical, square, triangular, octagonal, and/or combinations of polygons and/or circular cross-sectional shapes. In an exemplary embodiment, surfaces 5 and 6 may be a plurality of different surfaces, such as a concave surface 5 and a convex surface 6. In one aspect, concave surface 5 may be surrounded by smooth surfaces terminating in a line, seam, or other vertex or division. In another aspect, convex surface 6 may be a line, seam, or other vertex or division between surfaces that may form a second major diameter from an exemplary center line for the cross-section of the tubular conduit 10 (with the first major diameter being one or both of faces 1 and/or 2). In yet another aspect, surface 6 may be the surface dividing the surfaces 5 from one another. Additionally, surface 6 may be a culmination of numerous surfaces, e.g., a point. According to an exemplary aspect of the disclosures herein, surfaces 5 and 6 may be chosen to maximize the scatter of light through an exemplary conduit 10 to add to the stimulation of any exemplary marble run system constructed from the same. While surfaces 5 and 6 may appear trigonal as illustrated in FIGS. 1A-E, those skilled in the art may choose any number of surfaces to create an increased light scattering effect during use of the miniature marble run system composed thereof, such as, for example, dimpled, ridged, random, diamond, pyramidal, frusto-pyramidal, frusto-spherical, spherical, pegged, cruciform.
[0066] With continued reference to FIGS. 1A-E, an exemplary component 10 may have a front face 1 and a rear face 2 extending radially outwardly from the center of the cross-section of the underside/rolling surface 4. As illustrated, the front face 1 and rear face 2 may be disposed a distance 8 from the convex surface 6 on the external portion of the underside/rolling surface 4. Distance 8 may be such to allow a user to handle component 10 and attach the same to another component to create an exemplary marble run system, such as, for example, the exemplary miniature marble race systems 105, 110, and 115 illustrated in FIGS. 8-10.
[0067] With continued reference to FIGS. 1A-E, and in particular FIGS. 1A and 1E, projections 3 may be any form of attachment mechanisms known to those skilled in the art, including snap-fit, friction fit, hook-and-loop, and/or magnetic. As illustrated, the projections 3 may abut the exterior circumference of the faces 1 and/or 2, and in a preferred embodiment, may be tangent with their edges. In a preferred embodiment, projections 3 may be located further from the center of the cross-section of the underside/rolling surface 4. In another preferred embodiment, projections 3 may be located to be aligned with the highest surface 6 on the exterior of the conduit 10, e.g., at the same distance 8. According to each of these preferred embodiments, the location and placement of projections 3 has been chosen to maximize the robustness of the connection between the conduit 10 and any other component of an exemplary miniature marble race system to avoid breakage of the projections from repeated use. It has been found that the preferred placement of projections 3 strike the proper balance of relative ease by which end users, typically children around the age of 3 years old, can manipulate and attach/detach such conduit 10, but also avoid breakage of the projections from repeated use. As may be seen in the placement of projections 23, 33, 43, and 53 vis--vis front/rear faces 21/22, 31/32, 41/42, and 51/52, respectively, the same preferred positioning may have the same benefits as described with respect to projections 3 of conduit 10.
[0068] Referring to FIGS. 2A-E, another exemplary component of an exemplary miniature marble race system may be illustrated. As illustrated, an exemplary half-turn tubular conduit 20 may have a front face 21, a rear face 22, a plurality of projections 23, an underside/rolling surface 24, and an exterior comprised of a plurality of different surfaces 25 and 26, a major boundary 27, and a minor boundary 29. In an exemplary embodiment, half-turn tubular conduit 20 may be circular in cross-section in whole or in part, e.g., a half of a circle in cross-section, although other shapes may be contemplated as well, e.g., full circular/cylindrical, square, triangular, octagonal, and/or combinations of polygons and/or circular cross-sectional shapes. In an exemplary embodiment, surfaces 25 and 26 may be a plurality of different surfaces, such as a concave surface 5 and a convex surface 6 as illustrated in FIG. 1A. In one aspect, concave surface 25 may be surrounded by smooth surfaces terminating in a line, seam, or other vertex or division. In another aspect, convex surface 26 may be a line, seam, or other vertex or division between surfaces that may form a second major diameter from an exemplary center line for the cross-section of the tubular conduit 20 (with the first major diameter being one or both of faces 21 and/or 22). In an exemplary embodiment, the combination of surfaces 25 and 26 may be triangular and form a scalloped appearance. Alternatively, surfaces 25 and 26 may form a wavy surface.
[0069] In yet another aspect of the illustrative embodiments of FIGS. 2A-E, surface 26 may be the surface dividing the surfaces 25 from one another. Additionally, surface 26 may be a culmination of numerous surfaces, e.g., a point. According to an exemplary aspect of the disclosures herein, surfaces 25 and 26 may be chosen to maximize the scatter of light through an exemplary conduit 20 so as to add to the stimulation of any exemplary marble run system constructed from the same, as may be illustrated in FIG. 8. While surfaces 25 and 26 may appear trigonal as illustrated in FIGS. 2A-E, those skilled in the art may choose any number of surfaces to create an increased light scattering effect during use of the miniature marble run system composed thereof. Like the conduit 10 of FIGS. 1A-E, an exemplary half-turn tubular conduit 20 may be illustrated with a distance 28 between an exterior surface 6 and an upper-most part of front/rear faces 21/22, respectively. Further similarly to the projections 3 of conduit 10, an exemplary half-turn tubular conduit 20 may have projections 23 located at distances 28 from the extent of front/rear faces 21/22 and at positions substantially the same to achieve substantially the same attachment and release benefits described previously.
[0070] While the half-turn tubular conduit 20 may be shown with arch-like boundaries 27 and 29, those skilled in the art may consider the use of rectilinear, triangular, or other shaped boundaries 27 and 29, according to needs. Alternatively, while one boundary 27 may be circular in shape, boundary 29 may be rectilinear. Further alternatively, while each of boundary 27 and 29 may be shown as being disposed in the same plane, it may be contemplated to add a slope to each boundary so that the front face 21 is disposed in a different plane than the rear face 22.
[0071] Referring to FIGS. 3A-E, another exemplary component of an exemplary miniature marble race system may be illustrated. As illustrated, an exemplary sloped tubular conduit 30 may have a front face 31, a rear face 32, a plurality of projections 33, an underside/rolling surface 34, and an exterior comprised of a plurality of different surfaces 35 and 36, boundaries 37. In an exemplary embodiment, half-turn tubular conduit 20 may be circular in cross-section, and, in particular, one half of a circle in cross-section, although other shapes may be contemplated as well, e.g., full circular/cylindrical, square, triangular, octagonal, and/or combinations of polygons and/or circular cross-sectional shapes. In an exemplary embodiment, surfaces 35 and 36 may be a plurality of different surfaces, such as a concave surface 5, 25, 35 and a convex surface 6, 26, and 36 as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 2A, respectively. In one aspect, concave surface 35 may be surrounded by smooth surfaces terminating in a line, seam, or other vertex or division. In another aspect, convex surface 36 may be a line, seam, or other vertex or division between surfaces that may form a second major diameter from an exemplary center line for the cross-section of the sloped tubular conduit 30 (with the first major diameter being one or both of faces 31 and/or 32). In an exemplary embodiment, a sloped tubular conduit 30 may be inclined from the front face 31 to the rear face 32 along line L by an angle of with a line (shown in FIG. 3E as a dashed line) that extends orthogonally from the lowest extent of rear face 32 and/or a line that is tangent to the junction formed by boundary 37 and the lowest edge of rear face 32. In a preferred embodiment, may between 15 and 195 (to form a C shaped turn), more preferably may be between 0 and 75 and even more preferably may be 45. In another embodiment, an exemplary line L may connect the center of the front face 31 to the center of the rear face 32. Alternatively, an exemplary sloped tubular conduit 30 may have more than one angle of curvature such as multiple peaks, valleys, bends, and windings. For example, an exemplary sloped tubular conduit 30 may be sinusoidal with at least one high portion and at least one lower portion disposed along the distance L connecting the front face 31 to the rear face 32. Additional valleys and bends in an exemplary sloped tubular conduit 30 may take advantage of the plurality of surfaces 35 and 36 to maximize and/or provide multiple various light reflection surfaces. While the conduit 30 may be shown to slope along one plane, it is contemplated that the slope of an exemplary conduit 30 may occupy numerous points in three-dimensional space.
[0072] Referring to FIGS. 4A-D, another exemplary component of an exemplary miniature marble race system may be illustrated. As illustrated, an exemplary elbow conduit 40 may have a front face 41, a rear face 42, a plurality of projections 43, an underside/rolling surface 44, and an exterior comprised of a plurality of different surfaces 45 and 46, a major boundary 47, and a minor boundary 49. In an exemplary embodiment, elbow conduit 40 may be circular in cross-section, and in particular, one half of a circle in cross-section, although other shapes may be contemplated as well, e.g., full circular/cylindrical, square, triangular, octagonal, and/or combinations of polygons and/or circular cross-sectional shapes. In an exemplary embodiment, surfaces 45 and 46 may be a plurality of different surfaces, such as a concave surface 5 and a convex surface 6 as illustrated in FIG. 1A, a concave surface 25 and a convex surface 26 as illustrated in FIG. 2A, and a concave surface 35 and a convex surface 36 as illustrated in FIG. 3A. In one aspect, concave surface 45 may be surrounded by smooth surfaces terminating in a line, seam, or other vertex or division. In another aspect, convex surface 46 may be a line, seam, or other vertex or division between surfaces that may form a second major diameter from an exemplary center line for the cross-section of the tubular conduit 40 (with the first major diameter being one or both of faces 41 and/or 42).
[0073] In yet another aspect of the illustrative embodiments of FIGS. 4A-D, surface 46 may be the surface dividing the surfaces 45 from one another. Additionally, surface 46 may be a culmination of numerous surfaces, e.g., a point. According to an exemplary aspect of the disclosures herein, surfaces 45 and 46 may be chosen to maximize the scatter of light through an exemplary conduit 40 so as to add to the stimulation of any exemplary marble run system constructed from the same, as may be illustrated in FIG. 9. While surfaces 45 and 46 may appear trigonal as illustrated in FIGS. 4A-D, those skilled in the art may choose any number of surfaces to create an increased light scattering effect during use of the miniature marble run system composed thereof. Like the conduit 10 of FIGS. 1A-E, the conduit 20 of FIGS. 2A-E, and the conduit 30 of FIGS. 3A-E, an exemplary elbow conduit 40 may be illustrated with a distance 48 between an exterior surface 46 and an upper-most part of front/rear faces 41/42, respectively. Further similarly to the projections 3 of conduit 10, an exemplary elbow conduit 40 may have projections 43 located at distances 48 from the extent of front/rear faces 41/42 and at positions substantially the same to achieve substantially the same attachment and release benefits described previously.
[0074] While the elbow conduit 40 may be shown with arch-like boundaries 47 and 49, those skilled in the art may consider the use of rectilinear, triangular, or other shaped boundaries 47 and 49, according to needs. Alternatively, while one boundary 47 may be circular in shape, boundary 49 may be rectilinear. Alternatively, while each of boundary 47 and 49 may be shown as being disposed in the same plane, it may be contemplated to add a slope to each boundary so that the front face 41 is disposed in a different plane than the rear face 42.
[0075] As may be contemplated as between components 20 and 40, a variety of other turns, twists, and angulation may be had for a particular conduit. While component 20 may illustrate a 180-degree change in direction for an exemplary object sliding over the surface 24 of the same, component 40 may show a 90-degree change. However, all angles may be contemplated by these disclosures, including those that form helixes and other out-of-plane contortions.
[0076] Referring to FIGS. 5A-D, another exemplary component of an exemplary miniature marble race system may be illustrated. As illustrated, an exemplary funnel conduit 50 may have a front face 51, an exit 52, a plurality of projections 53, a minor rolling surface 54, a major outer shell 55, a minor outer shell 55A, one or more orifices 56, a major boundary 57, a major rolling surface 58, and a minor boundary 59. In an exemplary embodiment, funnel conduit 50 may be comprised of a minor rolling surface 54 that is circular in cross-section, and in particular, rolling surface 54 may be one half of a circle in cross-section, although other shapes may be contemplated as well, e.g., full circular/cylindrical, square, triangular, octagonal, and/or combinations of polygons and/or circular cross-sectional shapes. The An exemplary funnel conduit 50 may also comprise a bowl-shaped major rolling surface 58, which may be a half-circular toroid with an axis of rotation centered at exit 52, although other toroidal shapes may be contemplated of non-circular cross-section. For example, exemplary funnel conduit 50 may be shaped so as to enclose a conical volume, a pyramidal volume, a cubic volume, or other such volumes available to those skilled in the art. While each of the rolling surfaces 54 and 54 may have one shape, the minor outer shell 55A holding minor rolling surface 54 and the major outer shell 55 holding major rolling surface 58 may be the same or differently shaped from the rolling surfaces they contain. The outlines of the major boundary 57 and minor boundary 59 may also outline the shapes of the rolling surfaces 58 and 54, respectively, or differ therefrom. For example, while rolling surface 58 may be a circular toroid in shape, major boundary 57 may be square based on a cubic prismatic outer shell 55. Thus, an exemplary funnel conduit 50 may have multivarious shapes and dimensions depending on needs.
[0077] With continued reference to FIGS. 5A-D, an exemplary funnel conduit 50 may have orifices 56 that are capable of friction fitting with the plurality of projections 53. In a preferred embodiment, the orifices 56 may be spaced in similar fashion to the spacing of projections 53 to enable a front face 51 or other like faces 1, 2, 21, 22, 31, 32, 41, and 42 to stably connect thereto.
[0078] Referring to FIGS. 6A-E, another exemplary component of an exemplary miniature marble race system may be illustrated. As illustrated, an exemplary conduit tile 60 may have a raised rim 61, recessed front face 62, a recessed rear face 62A, a tile thickness 63, a plurality of orifices 64, and a passage 65. In a preferred embodiment, tile 60 may be square shaped, but any other shapes may be contemplated, including triangular, rectangular, octagonal, or circular. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, tile 60 may have a centralized passage 65 through thickness 63, although passage 65 may be located other than the center of tile 60. While in a preferred embodiment an orifice 64 may be located at each vertex of tile 60 (e.g., four orifices 64 for each corner of a square/rectangular rile 60), orifice 64 may be equally spaced about the passage 65 through the thickness of tile 60. Further alternatively, orifice 64 locations may be dictated by the projections of other components of an exemplary miniature marble run system. While tile 60 may be shown with an opaque surface, it can just as well have a translucent surface through which a number of light reflecting features may be internally contained, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10A-D.
[0079] With reference to FIGS. 6D-E, an exemplary tile 60 may have a cross section through its thickness 63 showing the internal features of such an exemplary tile 60, which may include a plurality of surface 67 and 68. In an exemplary embodiment, surfaces 67 may be concave surfaces while surfaces 68 may be convex surfaces. In a preferred embodiment, surfaces 67 may be the inward sloping features of pyramidal projections/cavities while surface 68 may be the ridges and points of such pyramidal projections. When encased within translucent faces 62/62A, the surfaces 67 and 68 may appear as pyramidal and/or prisms for multiple reflections of light that may pass through the faces 62 and/or 62A. An example of the prism effect of the surfaces 67 and 68 when encased within otherwise flat translucent faces 62 and/or 62A may be understood with reference to FIGS. 9-10, with particular emphasis on these features as illustrated in FIGS. 10C-D. Again, while these surfaces 67/68 may appear as though they exist on the faces 62 and/or 62A of a particular tile 60 or appear as though they protrude therefrom, it is an exemplary aspect of the present invention to create an optical effect in which the plurality of surfaces 67/68 seem to be on the exterior of tile 60 when they are disposed below the smooth faces 62 and 62A of tile 60. In an exemplary embodiment, the otherwise translucent and non-contoured surfaces within rim 61 may focus the effect of the internal surfaces 67/68 of tile 60 to the recessed surfaces 62/62A in which those surfaces are encased. In a preferred embodiment, the otherwise non-contoured/single surface interiors of rim 61 may magnify or otherwise emphasize the contoured/multi-surface interior (e.g., surfaces 67, 68) of tile 60 within the recessed faces 62 and 62A.
[0080] Rim 61 may further hold a plurality of magnets 66 disposed within cavities in the tile 60 and separated by corner pockets 69 and one or more assembly lodging points 601. Exemplary lodging points 601 may be spaces in which connecting media 620 may be securely received, either via friction fit, snap-fit, sonic welding, or other mechanical/chemical interconnections known to those skilled in the art. On the cross-section illustrated in FIGS. 6D-E, an exemplary ledge section 603 may extend downwardly from front surface 62 to close the space between faces 62 and 62A and form the walls of passage 65. Further illustrated in FIG. 6E may be the contoured surface within tile 60 comprised of valley surface 67 and peak surfaces 68, which in an exemplary embodiment may be pyramidal, frusto-pyramidal, conical, or other polyhedral forms having a plurality of polygonal faces and a common vertex for the faces. Alternatively, the surfaces within tile 60 may be spherical or rounded whereby the maximum radial extent from the recessed surface of face 62/62A may be considered surface 68 and the points of such spherical or rounded features molded into and most proximal to the flat recessed surface of face 62/62A may be considered surface 67.
[0081] With reference to FIGS. 7A-D, an exemplary dynamic tile 70 may have a cross section through its thickness 73 showing the internal features of such an exemplary tile 70, which may include a plurality of surface 77 and 78 located behind recessed flat faces 72 and 72A. In an exemplary embodiment, surfaces 77 may be concave surfaces while surfaces 78 may be convex surfaces. In a preferred embodiment, surfaces 77 may be the inward sloping features of pyramidal projections/cavities while surfaces 78 may be the ridges and points of such pyramidal projections. When encased within translucent faces 72/72A, the surfaces 77 and 78 may appear as pyramidal and/or prisms for multiple reflections of light that may pass through the faces 72 and/or 72A and be separated from any passage or opening in tile 70 via an inner wall 705 and/or outer wall 702. Between walls 702 and thickness 73 may be a lodging space in which may be found connection media 720 for joinder of the shell halves making up face 72 and face 72A.
[0082] In contrast to tile 60, an exemplary tile 70 may have a mobile component 740 located within tile 70, but movable relative thereto via mobile connection 750. As illustrated in FIG. 7C, connection 750 may enable certain portions of mobile component 740 to rotate within tile 70, while other spaces 75 may allow for mobile component 740 to pass therethrough. While mobile component 740 may be illustrated as a square shape, component 740 may be any form or type of movable construct that has rotation, deflecting, or otherwise movable connections to one or more parts of tile 70, e.g., walls 705 and/or ridges 703. Like surfaces 77 and 78, the surfaces of an exemplary mobile component 740 may also provide for increased light scattering effects, including being translucent with a plurality of surfaces or being self-illuminating (e.g., glow in the dark and/or plug-in).
[0083] Rim 71 may further hold a plurality of magnets 76 disposed within cavities in the tile 70 and separated by corner pockets 79 and one or more assembly lodging points 701. Exemplary lodging points 701 may be spaces in which connecting media 720 may be securely received, either via friction fit, snap-fit, sonic welding, or other mechanical/chemical interconnections known to those skilled in the art. On the cross-section illustrated in FIGS. 7C-D, an exemplary ledge section 703 may extend downwardly from front surface 72 to close the space between faces 72 and 72A and form the walls circumscribing mobile component 740 within passage 75. Further illustrated in FIG. 7D may be the contoured surface within tile 70 comprised of valley surface 77 and peak surfaces 78, which in an exemplary embodiment may be pyramidal, frusto-pyramidal, conical, or other polyhedral forms having a plurality of polygonal faces and a common vertex for the faces. Alternatively, the surfaces within tile 70 may be spherical or rounded whereby the maximum radial extent from the recessed surface of face 72/72A may be considered surface 78 and the points of such spherical or rounded features molded into and most proximal to the flat recessed surface of face 72/72A may be considered surface 77.
[0084] FIGS. 8-9 may illustrate several ball run systems 105, 110 comprised of a plurality of the exemplary components herein described and illustrated. For example, FIG. 8 may illustrate exemplary components 10 as they interconnect to an exemplary component 20 to allow for an object 100, such as a ball, to roll through the same. Projections 3 and projections 23 extending from the faces 1, 2, and 21 and 22 of each of exemplary components 10 and 20, respectively, may be obscured by their retainment within orifices 84 within translucent adaptors 80. An exemplary component 20 may utilize a major boundary 27 to prevent object 100 from falling off of the ball run configuration 105 while in use. Additionally, an exemplary object 100 may have stored therein a weight feature 101, which may comprise material with a greater density than that of the material making up the object (e.g., a metal sphere 101 within plastic object 100). Alternatively, weight feature 101 may be magnetic or comprise a plurality of components to increase the stimulation of the system, e.g., adding multiple metal spheres 101 to create sounds as they go through the ball run system. While the adaptors 80 may take the form of floral-like shapes, others are equally usable provided they allow for engagement of the various exemplary components 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 described and/or illustrated herein.
[0085] As another example, FIG. 9 may illustrate a composition of the components 20, 40, and 50 as well as the tiles 60 and 70 to form ball run system 110. As illustrated, an object 100 may follow a path formed by the interconnections of the various components 20, 40, 50, 60, and 70 to travel from a high point (e.g., the location of annotated adaptor 80) to a lower point (e.g., the location of an exemplary funnel 50). Much like adaptor 80, exemplary tiles 60 may serve a similar function in interconnecting components 20, 40, and 50 to one another to create a pathway for each object 100 to pass therethrough. In an exemplary embodiment, while adaptors 80 and components 20, 40, and 50 may interconnected using projections 23, 43, and 53, respectively, the magnets within tiles 60 and/or 70 enable these types of structures to connect to other tiles 60 and/or 70, without the need for such projections.
[0086] Referring now to FIGS. 10A-10D, an exemplary miniature ball run system 115 comprised of components 10 and 60 may be shown in assembled and disassembled form. Also illustrated in FIGS. 10A-B are prior art ball run system components 110 and 160, the component 110 being a type of conduit that lacks the light deflecting surfaces 5/6 that may be found on an exemplary component 10. As is more evident from FIG. 10B, tile 160 lacks the internal light deflecting surfaces 67/68 contained within the recessed faces 62/62A of tile 60. The system 115 may be incompatible with the tile 160 and/or conduit 110 due to its size and configuration despite having similar thicknesses 63/73. In other words, system 115, as well as others 105, 110, may not be meant for use with larger variations and be limited to a smaller, compact size that is a fraction of pre-existing components (e.g., 110, 160), but may still have projections 3/23/33/43/53 that are the same size as the projections used on other pre-existing components 110 and/or orifices 64/74 that are the same size as the orifices used on other pre-existing components 160. Thus, while the components 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, may share the same interconnection mechanisms as their larger counterparts, their sizes are fractions of the prior art variants and not interchangeable with the same. As a miniaturized ball run system 105, 110, and/or 115, an exemplary system may be easier for younger audiences to handle and construct/deconstruct without forfeiting a large amount of play space to accomplish the task. In an exemplary embodiment, each of the components is between 25% and 60% the cross-sectional area of the prior art components.
[0087] Each of the components described herein and/or illustrated may be made from any type of suitable plastic and suitable form and size magnets to allow for the constructions described herein. Furthermore, each of the disclosures of the surfaces 5, 6, 25, 26, 35, 36, 45, 46, 67, 68, 77, and 78 may be interchanged and/or substituted or used in addition to or in place of one another. Furthermore, the surfaces for each of the exemplary components herein may be numerous forms and varieties, including scalloped surfaces, waves, pyramids, dimples, series of geometric solids (e.g., cylinders, rods, cones, and cubes), and other repeating geometric shapes and other forms of tessellation with variations in heights of the patterns/shapes making up the same.
[0088] Many further variations and modifications may suggest themselves to those skilled in art upon making reference to above disclosure and foregoing interrelated and interchangeable illustrative embodiments, which are given by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope and spirit of the interrelated embodiments of the invention described herein.
