Electric Toy Vehicular Track System

Abstract

The present invention is an electric toy vehicular track system that can be used with electric toy trains or race cars. The tracks comprise flexible, electrically conductive toy vehicular “rails,” which can be conductive wires or strips. The rails are embedded in the upper surface of a flexible mat, which can be disposed in a rolled-out configuration, when the track system is in use, or in a rolled-up cylindrical configuration, for compact storage when not in use. In the rolled-out configuration, the flexible mat lies flat upon a horizontal supporting surface, such as a floor or a tabletop. Upon being rolled out, the track system can be connected to its electric power source, such as a household AC circuit, through one or more power control units.

1 . An electric toy vehicular track system, comprising:
 a flexible mat which is alternately disposed in a rolled-out configuration or in a rolled-up configuration, wherein the flexible mat in the rolled-out configuration lies flat upon a substantially horizontal supporting surface, and wherein the flexible mat in the rolled-up configuration is rolled into a compact, substantially cylindrical shape;   multiple flexible electrically conductive toy vehicular rails which are embedded in an upper surface of the flexible mat, wherein a rail set comprising one or more of the toy vehicular rails defines a toy vehicular track, and wherein the flexible mat contains one or more toy vehicular tracks, and wherein each toy vehicular track forms a closed circuit track path, comprising multiple straight track sections and multiple curved track sections;   one or more electric toy vehicles, wherein each of the electric toy vehicles contains one or more electric locomotive motors, each having a speed that is variable, and wherein each electric toy vehicle is configured to electrically engage one or more of the toy vehicular rails in one of the toy vehicular tracks, so that the locomotive motors are electrically connected to the toy vehicular rails that are engaged by the electric toy vehicle; and   an electric power supply connected to the toy vehicular rails through a speed control unit, comprising one or more variable resistors that are controllable to vary a supply voltage to each of the locomotive motors through the one or more of the toy vehicular rails engaged by the electric toy vehicle, so as to vary the speed of the locomotive motors and a corresponding speed of the electric toy vehicle.   
     
     
         2 . The electric toy vehicle or track system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a speed selector switch having one or more selector poles and two or more selector positions, wherein at least one of the selector positions connects the electric power supply to the toy vehicular rails through the speed control unit and through one or more primary deceleration resistors, and wherein the primary deceleration resistors reduce the supply voltage to each of the locomotive motors, so as to limit the speed of the locomotive motor and the corresponding speed of the electric toy vehicle on both the straight track sections and the curved track sections. 
     
     
         3 . The electric toy vehicular track system according to  claim 2 , wherein at least one of the selector positions connects the electric power supply to the toy vehicular rails in the straight track sections directly through the speed control unit and connects the electric power supply to the toy vehicular rails in the curved track sections through the speed control unit and through one or more secondary deceleration resistors, and wherein the secondary deceleration resistors reduce the supply voltage to each of locomotive motors while the electric toy vehicle electrically engages the toy vehicular rails in one of the curved track sections, so as to limit the speed of the locomotive motors and the corresponding speed of the electric toy vehicles on the curved track sections. 
     
     
         4 . The electric toy vehicular track system according to  claim 2 , wherein at least one of the selector positions connects the electric power supply to the toy vehicular rails in both the straight track sections and the curved track sections directly through the speed control unit. 
     
     
         5 . The electric toy vehicular track system according to  claim 3 , wherein at least one of the selector positions connects the electric point supply to the toy vehicular rails in both the straight track sections and the curved track sections directly through the speed control unit. 
     
     
         6 . The electric toy vehicular track system according to  claim 2 , wherein at least one of the selector positions directly connects the electric power supply to the toy vehicular rails through the speed control unit and through one or more tertiary deceleration resistors. 
     
     
         7 . The electric toy vehicular track system according to  claim 3 , wherein at least one of the selector positions directly connects the electric power supply to the toy vehicular rails through the speed control unit and through one or more tertiary deceleration resistors. 
     
     
         8 . The electric toy vehicular track system according to  claim 4 , wherein at least one of the selector positions directly connects the electric power supply to the toy vehicular rails through the speed control unit and through one or more tertiary deceleration resistors. 
     
     
         9 . The electric toy vehicular track system according to  claim 5 , wherein at least one of the selector positions directly connects the electric power supply to the toy vehicular rails through the speed control unit and through one or more tertiary deceleration resistors. 
     
     
         10 . The electric toy vehicular track system according to  claim 6 , wherein the tertiary deceleration resistors comprise two variable resistors, one of which connects to the toy vehicular rails in the straight track sections, and one of which connects to the toy vehicular rails in the curved track sections. 
     
     
         11 . The electric toy vehicular track system according to  claim 7 , wherein the tertiary deceleration resistors comprise two variable resistors, one of which connects to the toy vehicular rails in the straight track sections, and one of which connects to the toy vehicular rails in the curved track sections. 
     
     
         12 . The electric toy vehicular track system according to  claim 8 , wherein the tertiary deceleration resistors comprise two variable resistors, one of which connects to the toy vehicular rails in the straight track sections, and one of which connects to the toy vehicular rails in the curved track sections. 
     
     
         13 . The electric toy vehicular track system according to  claim 9 , wherein the tertiary deceleration resistors comprise two variable resistors, one of which connects to the toy vehicular rails in the straight track sections, and one of which connects to the toy vehicular rails in the curved track sections.