초록 ▼

Play systems of the present disclosure comprise a children's ride-on vehicle and a companion track. The companion vehicle and track each include a guide surface that is complementary to the companion apparatus and configured to guide the vehicle along a path of travel defined by the track. The child

Play systems of the present disclosure comprise a children's ride-on vehicle and a companion track. The companion vehicle and track each include a guide surface that is complementary to the companion apparatus and configured to guide the vehicle along a path of travel defined by the track. The children's ride-on vehicle may be powered, steerable, and configured to operate on and off the track. When the children's ride-on vehicle is guided and/or steered along the path of travel, the complementary guide surfaces do not substantially impede progress of the vehicle. When the children's ride-on vehicle is guided and/or steered away from the path of travel, the complementary guide surfaces contact and/or frictionally engage to direct the vehicle along the path of travel and/or to slow progress of the vehicle.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A play system, comprising: a track including a rail with a track guide surface and a track support surface adjacent the track guide surface; anda children's ride-on vehicle, including: a reduced-scale vehicle body sized for a child and including a seat sized for a child;a plurality of wheels oper

1. A play system, comprising: a track including a rail with a track guide surface and a track support surface adjacent the track guide surface; anda children's ride-on vehicle, including: a reduced-scale vehicle body sized for a child and including a seat sized for a child;a plurality of wheels operatively coupled to the vehicle body, wherein the plurality of wheels includes one or more steerable wheels, wherein each steerable wheel includes a rim with a rolling surface and is configured to rotate about a rolling axis, wherein at least one of the one or more steerable wheels is a guide wheel that includes a wheel guide surface; anda steering assembly coupled to the one or more steerable wheels, wherein the steering assembly is configured to translate steering inputs from a child sitting on the seat of the children's ride-on vehicle into directional changes of the rolling axis of each of the one or more steerable wheels, relative to the vehicle body to which the one or more steerable wheels is coupled, by pivoting the one or more steerable wheels relative to the vehicle body;wherein the track support surface is configured to support the children's ride-on vehicle with a child seated upon the children's ride-on vehicle;wherein the track support surface defines an undulating path of travel that includes sequential maximum and minimum elevations of the track support surface;wherein the track guide surface and the wheel guide surface are complementary to each other, configured to guide the children's ride-on vehicle along a path of travel defined by the track, and configured to inhibit separation of the children's ride-on vehicle from the track while the children's ride-on vehicle is operated by a child sitting on the seat; andwherein the children's ride-on vehicle is configured to frictionally engage the track guide surface with the wheel guide surface if the children's ride-on vehicle is steered away from the path of travel, and wherein the children's ride-on vehicle is configured to progress along the path of travel without significant frictional engagement of the wheel guide surface with the track guide surface if the children's ride-on vehicle is steered along the path of travel. 2. The play system of claim 1, wherein the track support surface includes a track region that defines the undulating path of travel, and further wherein the track support surface further includes a track region that defines a planar path of travel. 3. The play system of claim 2, wherein the track region that defines a planar path of travel has an elevation that is equal to the minimum elevation of the track support surface that defines the undulating path of travel. 4. The play system of claim 2, wherein the exterior angle between the track guide surface and the track support surface is the same for both the track region that defines the planar path of travel and the track region that defines the undulating path of travel. 5. The play system of claim 1, wherein the steering assembly includes a steering mechanism in the form of a handlebar, steering wheel, or at least one steering lever, and further wherein the steering mechanism is coupled to the one or more steerable wheels by a steering linkage to transfer steering inputs from the steering mechanism to the one or more steerable wheels to cause the one or more steerable wheels to pivot relative to the vehicle body. 6. The play system of claim 1, wherein the children's ride-on vehicle is configured to slow progress of the children's ride-on vehicle along the path of travel when the track guide surface and the wheel guide surface are frictionally engaged. 7. The play system of claim 1, wherein the wheel guide surface and the track guide surface are configured to redirect the children's ride-on vehicle along the path of travel if the children's ride-on vehicle is steered away from the path of travel and into the track guide surface. 8. The play system of claim 1, wherein an interior angle between the wheel guide surface and the rolling surface is obtuse. 9. The play system of claim 1, wherein the wheel guide surface includes at least a portion that is substantially frustoconical. 10. The play system of claim 1, wherein the wheel guide surface is on an inboard side of the guide wheel and wherein the wheel guide surface bulges toward an inboard side of the children's ride-on vehicle. 11. The play system of claim 1, wherein the wheel guide surface and the track guide surface are configured to selectively, frictionally engage each other with an extended contact. 12. The play system of claim 1, wherein an exterior angle between the track guide surface and the track support surface is obtuse. 13. The play system of claim 1, wherein an exterior angle between the track guide surface and the track support surface is substantially the same as an interior angle between the wheel guide surface and the rolling surface. 14. The play system of claim 1, wherein the rail has an inboard side, an outboard side, a top, and a base, and wherein the track guide surface is on the outboard side of the rail and inclined from the base of the rail toward the inboard side at the top of the rail. 15. The play system of claim 1, wherein the rail includes a top portion that is the narrowest portion of the rail. 16. The play system of claim 1, wherein the children's ride-on vehicle includes a battery-powered motor operatively coupled to, and configured to drive, at least one of the plurality of wheels. 17. The play system of claim 1, wherein the guide wheel is a first guide wheel and the wheel guide surface of the first guide wheel is on an inboard side of the first guide wheel, wherein the children's ride-on vehicle includes a second guide wheel with a wheel guide surface on an inboard side of the second guide wheel,wherein the track guide surface is a first track guide surface and the rail includes a second track guide surface, and wherein the first track guide surface and the second track guide surface face toward opposite outboard sides of the track, andwherein the wheel guide surface of the second guide wheel is complementary to the second track guide surface. 18. The play system of claim 1, wherein the guide wheel is a first guide wheel and the wheel guide surface of the first guide wheel is on an inboard side of the first guide wheel, wherein the children's ride-on vehicle includes a second guide wheel with a wheel guide surface and a rim with a rolling surface, wherein the wheel guide surface of the second guide wheel is on an inboard side of the second guide wheel,wherein the rail is a first rail and the track includes a second rail with a track guide surface, and wherein the track guide surface of the first rail and the track guide surface of the second rail face toward opposite outboard sides of the track, andwherein the wheel guide surface of the second guide wheel is complementary to the track guide surface of the second rail. 19. The play system of claim 18, wherein the track includes a first track support surface adjacent to the track guide surface of the first rail and a second track support surface adjacent to the track guide surface of the second rail, wherein the first track support surface is configured to support the first guide wheel and the second track support surface is configured to support the second guide wheel. 20. The play system of claim 19, wherein an exterior angle between the track guide surface of the first rail and the first track support surface is substantially the same as an exterior angle between the track guide surface of the second rail and the second track support surface, and wherein both exterior angles are obtuse. 21. The play system of claim 18, wherein an interior angle between the wheel guide surface and the rolling surface of the first guide wheel is substantially the same as an interior angle between the wheel guide surface and the rolling surface of the second guide wheel, and wherein both interior angles are obtuse. 22. The play system of claim 18, wherein the first rail and the second rail are spaced apart with a substantially constant gauge. 23. The play system of claim 18, wherein the track includes a straight portion and a curved portion, wherein a gauge defined by the first rail and the second rail in the straight portion is narrower than a gauge defined by the first rail and the second rail in the curved portion. 24. A kit to assemble the play system of claim 1, comprising: a plurality of track sections configured to interconnect to form the track with a substantially continuous rail; andthe children's ride-on vehicle. 25. A play system, comprising: a track including a rail with a track guide surface and a track support surface adjacent the track guide surface; anda children's ride-on vehicle, including: a reduced-scale vehicle body sized for a child and including a seat sized for a child;a plurality of wheels operatively coupled to the vehicle body, wherein the plurality of wheels includes a guide wheel that includes a wheel guide surface and a rim with a rolling surface;a battery-powered motor operatively coupled to, and configured to drive, at least one of the plurality of wheels; anda steering assembly coupled to one or more steerable wheels, wherein the guide wheel is a steerable wheel, and wherein the steering assembly is configured to translate steering inputs from a child sitting on the seat of the children's ride-on vehicle into directional changes of the one or more steerable wheels;wherein the track support surface is configured to support the children's ride-on vehicle with a child seated upon the children's ride-on vehicle;wherein the track support surface defines an undulating path of travel that includes sequential maximum and minimum elevations of the track support surface;wherein the track guide surface and the wheel guide surface are complementary to each other, configured to guide the children's ride-on vehicle along a path of travel defined by the track, and configured to inhibit separation of the children's ride-on vehicle from the track while the children's ride-on vehicle is operated by a child sitting on the seat;wherein an exterior angle between the track guide surface and the track support surface is substantially the same as an interior angle between the wheel guide surface and the rolling surface;wherein the rail has an inboard side, an outboard side, a top, and a base, and wherein the track guide surface is on the outboard side of the rail and inclined from the base of the rail toward the inboard side at the top of the rail; andwherein the children's ride-on vehicle is configured to frictionally engage the track guide surface with the wheel guide surface if the children's ride-on vehicle is steered away from the path of travel, and wherein the children's ride-on vehicle is configured to progress along the path of travel without significant frictional engagement of the wheel guide surface with the track guide surface if the children's ride-on vehicle is steered along the path of travel.