GB2246305A - Toy airport - Google Patents

Abstract

A toy airport comprises a runway portion (12) which is provided with a turntable (16) on which a toy aircraft can be positioned, and audio and/or visual means which co-operate with the turntable to cause an audio and/or visual signal to be produced when the turntable means is at one position, and deactivated at another position. <IMAGE>

Description

TCY LIRPOPsT This invention relates to a toy airport, and in particular, to the runway portion of a toy airport.

In known toy airport arrangements, a model is provided having a representative runway portion, and a representative terminal building portion. Such arrangements, however, are rather limited in that children tend to become very bored with such toys since there is little to keep their minds occupied with such a simple device.

It is an object of this invention to overcome this problem.

In accordance with the present invention, a toy airport comprises a runway portion which is provided with turntable means on which an aircraft can be mounted, and audio and/or visual means which co-operate with the turntable means to cause an audio and/or visual signal to be produced.

In such an arrangement, the mind of a child is kept occupied, since the turntable exercises the child's imagination in respect of take off, landing and/or docking of aircraft.

Suitably, the turntable means is adapted that in one position, it causes the audio/visual signal to be activated, and that in at least one other position, the audio/visual signal is deactivated. Preferably, the audio/visual signal is only activated when the turntable means is in a position where the aircraft is "cleared" either to take off or to proceed to a terminal building portion of the toy airport.

Suitably, the turntable means is provided with visable indication means at an outer circumferential point of the turntable means to show to the child the direction at which the front of the aircraft should be pointed to.

This indication means is preferably at a position corresponding to the position at which the audio/visual signal is activated.

Suitably, the turntable means comprises an upper member and a lower member, between which members an arm is provided forming part of the means giving the audio/visual signal. The lower member is also provided with apertures at appropriate positions, through which apertures the arm can pass in order to contact the rest of the audio/visual means provided below the lower member of the turntable, and thus connect the circuit of the audio/visual means. At every other position, the arm is prevented from such contact by the lower member of the turntable.

Advantageously, the lower member is provided with a plurality of apertures through which the audio/visual means can be activated.

Preferably, the limitable means has at least one retaining member thereon whereby the toy aircraft can be at least partly restrained on the turntable means.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a toy airport, in accordance with the invention, and Figure 2 is a plan view of the turntable portion of the toy airport shown in Figure 1, with the upper member of the turntable removed.

The toy airport 10 shown in Figures is in a jigsaw configuration (see 11) and includes a runway portion 12 and a terminal building portion 14.

On the runway portion 12 of the toy airport, a turntable 16 is provided on which a toy aircraft (not shown) can be mounted. The turntable is freely rotatable such that a child holding the toy aircraft on the turntable, can rotate the turntable by turning the aircraft which remains stationary relative the turntable.

The features of the turntable are more easily seen from Figure 2. The turntable which can turn in either direction (ie either clockwise or anticlockwise) includes an upper member 20 (shown in Figure 1, but shown removed in Figure 2) and a lower member 22.

The lower member is provided with two apertures 23 around the outer circumference thereof.

The turntable arrangement is also linked with audio signed means in the form of an audio circuit including a standard sound module 25 and speaker 27, wherein this circuit is either activated or deactivated by means of an arm 24, which extends over the lower member 22, and the outer end 29 of which only makes contact with the rest of the audio circuit, (which is positioned underneath the lower member) when one of the apertures 23 in the lower member allows the arm 24 to deflect slightly downwards through the lower member, and close the audio circuit.

There are also provided a number of visual indicators 26 (in the form of numerals 18 to 20 printed on the top of the upper member of the turntable) so as to indicate to the child, the direction which the front of the aircraft should be pointed. Due to the position of the apertures 23 in the lower member being either directly below or in a corresponding position to the printed visual indicators 26 on the upper member, the printed visual indicators when pointed at the centre of the take off runway 12a or at the centre of the docking runway 12b to the terminal, causes an audio signal to be produced.

The turntable 16 is also provided with two retaining members in the form of squares 28 slightly upstanding at the edges thereof, the front wheel of the toy aircraft can be placed within and retained by a square 28.

The advantage of this feature is that any twisting motion effected to the toy aircraft by a child holding the toy aircraft is more easily transferred to the turntable 16 thus causing the turntable to rotate more easily.

This feature is also of particular usefulness to a "wind-up" toy aircraft, where the rear wheels of the toy aircraft are reversed to store energy for subsequent release of the rear wheels to cause the rear wheels to rotate forward. Since release of the rear wheels causes the rear wheels to rotate forward, the rear wheels have to be held stationary by the child when the toy is on the turntable, and thus it is useful to be able to rotate the turntable 16 by twisting the toy aircraft itself since one does not have to move one's hand from the toy aircraft to move the turntable, and one in any case needs to hold the rear wheels of the wind-up toy as release thereof would cause the toy to move forward.

The toy aircraft also produces a noise in addition to the turntable noise emission. The toy aircraft noise is activated by a door of the toy aircraft being pivoted open.

The arrangement herein described provides an audio indication to a child playing with the toy airport.

In particular, it provides an indication that a toy aircraft on the turntable is in a position to take off or is "cleared" to proceed to the airport terminal building, since an audio signal such as a siren or engine noise is sounded. This noise is suitably automatically deactivated by the audio/visual circuit after a pre-determined interval of time.

Such an arrangement gives the child numerous possibilities to exert his imagination, and thus provides a amusing and thoughtful toy.

Claims (11)

1. A toy airport comprises a runway portion which is provided with a rotatable turntable means on which a toy aircraft can be positioned, and audio and/or visual means which co-operate with the turntable means to cause an audio and/or visual signal to be produced when the turntable means is at least at one position.

2. A toy airport as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the turntable means is adapted that in at least one position, it causes the audio/visual means to be activated, and that in at least one other position, the audio/visual means is deactivated.

3. A toy airport as claimed in either Claim 1 or 2 wherein the audio/visual means is only activated when the turntable means is in a position where the toy aircraft on the turntable means can proceed either to a terminal building portion of the toy airport or the runway portion of the toy airport.

4. A toy airport as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the turntable means is provided with visable indication means at an outer circumferential point of the turntable means to show where the front of the toy aircraft on the turntable means should point.

5. A toy airport as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the audio/visual means is activated when the indication means points towards either a terminal building portion of the toy airport or the runway portion of the toy airport.

6. A toy airport as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the turntable means comprises an upper member and a lower member, between which members an arm is provided forming part of the audio and/or visual means.

7. A toy airport as claimed in Claim 6 wherein the lower member is provided with an aperture at an appropriate position, through which aperture the arm can pass in order to contact the rest of the audio/visual means provided below the lower member of the turntable means.

8. A toy airport as claimed in Claim 7 wherein at every other position, the arm is prevented from contact with the rest of the audio/visual means by the lower member of the turntable means.

9. A toy airport as claimed in either Claim 6 or 7 wherein the lower member is provided with a plurality of apertures through which the audio/visual means can be activated.

10. A toy airport as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the turntable means has at least one retaining member thereon.

11. A toy airport substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.