CA1043567A - Animated figure toy - Google Patents
Animated figure toyInfo
- Publication number
- CA1043567A CA1043567A CA241,315A CA241315A CA1043567A CA 1043567 A CA1043567 A CA 1043567A CA 241315 A CA241315 A CA 241315A CA 1043567 A CA1043567 A CA 1043567A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- toy
- post
- torso
- actuating
- base structure
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
- A63H3/00—Dolls
- A63H3/28—Arrangements of sound-producing means in dolls; Means in dolls for producing sounds
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
- A63H3/00—Dolls
- A63H3/20—Dolls with parts moved due to movements of other parts, e.g. limbs
Landscapes
- Toys (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A toy figure representative of the various types of individuals that may be employed in any number of play situations. The toy figure is generally comprised of a movable upper torso and a stationary lower torso. In one embodiment, the upper torso is rotatably actuated by exter-nally coupled means. In a second embodiment, the upper torso is rotatably attached to the lower torso, the upper torso includes an arm rotatably attached thereto, and the upper torso and such arm are both rotatably ac-tuated by externally coupled means.
A toy figure representative of the various types of individuals that may be employed in any number of play situations. The toy figure is generally comprised of a movable upper torso and a stationary lower torso. In one embodiment, the upper torso is rotatably actuated by exter-nally coupled means. In a second embodiment, the upper torso is rotatably attached to the lower torso, the upper torso includes an arm rotatably attached thereto, and the upper torso and such arm are both rotatably ac-tuated by externally coupled means.
Description
104;~ 7 This invention relates to toy figures, and more particularly to toy Eigures that are actuated by externally coupled means.
Toy figures have been immensely popular with children for a number of years. For example, children and adults both have been fascinated by miniature toy soldiers. The last couple of generations have been brought up on the fantasy of little tin or lead soldiers that could be moved around on a make~believe battlefield.
However, the high price of tin and lead, and other metals, have made the cost of manufacture of such metal toy soldiers prohibitive.
Furthermore, for the most part, tin and lead soldiers, particularly lead soldiers, were stationary figures that had to be moved by hand around the battlefield.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive toy figure.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a toy figure that is fabricated from a plastic material, yet is very durable.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive, yet durable, toy figure that includes movable parts that may be externally actuated.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a minia-ture toy figure that is fabricated from plastic materials, yet an appearance of rich, realistic clothing on the toy figure is obtained.
In a broad aspect, the invention resides in a toy figure comprising a lower torso having at least two legs and having a vertically-disposed open channel between said lets; an upper torso rotatably coupled to said lower torso; a base structure supporting said lower torso in a relatively stationary position, said base structure including a journal co~municating with said vertically-disposed open channel; and actuating means for rotating said upper torso, comprising: a post-rotatably mounted in said journal and said vertically-disposed open channel, said post including an upper end coupled to said upper torso for oscillating said upper torso when said post ~ ?
B
104;~ 7 is oscillated; and an actuating lever on said post, said actuating lever extending to the exterior of said base structure, whereby said actuating lever may be swung back-and-forth to oscillate said upper torso.
- la -.2~
10435~7 Additional ob~ects, advantages and characteristic features of the present invention will become readily apparent fro~ the following descrip-tion of the preferred e~bodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIBURE 1 is a front elevational view of a first toy figure and a portion of a partially sectioned base structure tha* retains the toy figure in accordance with the present inYention;
FIGU2E 2 is a partial side elevational view, partially sectioned, of the toy figure ant the base structure of FIGURE 1 taken along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 in accordance with the present invention;
FIGURE 3 is a partial sectional side elevational view of the toy figure of FIGURE 1, that also illustrates an exploded view of the actuating ~echanism of the toy figure, in accordance with the present invention:
FIGURE ~ is a perspective view of a first actuating means for actua-ting the toy figure of FIGURE 1 in accordance with the present invention;
FI~U~E 5 (third sheet of drawings) is a perspective view of a second actuating ~eans for actuating the toy figure of FIGUR$ 1 in accordance with the present invention;
FIGURE 6 (third sheet of drawings) is a partial top plan view of the second actuating ~eans of FIGURE 5 in accordance with the present invention;
FIGURE 7 (third sheet of drawings) is a partial bottom plan view of the second actuating ~eans of FIGURE 6 in accordance with the present in-vention;
PIGURE 8 (second sheet of drawings) is an exploded perspective view of a second toy figure and a base structure that retains the toy figure in accordance with the present invention.
FIGURE 9 (second sheet of drawings) is a partial side elevational view of a portion of the actuating means for actuating the toy figure of FIGURE 8 in accordance with the present invention;
FIGURE 10 (second sheet of drawings) is a top plan view of a lever of the actuating means of FIGURE 8 in accordance with the present inventionî
FIGURE 11 is a partial bottom plan view of a third actuating means in accordance with the present invention;
FIGURE 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIGURE
11; and FIGURE 13 is a perspective Yiew of the actuating means of FIGURE 11.
Referring now to FIGURE 1, there is shown a front elevational view of a ~oy soldier 10 that is retained on a base structure 13 in accordance with the principles of the present invention. FIGURE 1 is partially sec-tioned to expose various positions of the toy soldier 10 and the base struc-ture 13. The toy soldier 10 is generally comprised of an upper torso 11 and a lower torso 12. The upper torso 11 has a female coupling member 14, The female coupling me~ber 14 includes a female cylindrical coupling means 14a and a snap ring 15, as illus~rated.
Referring also to FIGURE 2, there is shown a partial side elevational view, partially sectioned, of the toy soldier 10 and the base structure 13 in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Further illustrated is actuating means 16 which is housed within the base structure 13. Referring briefly to Figure 4, there is shown a perspective view of actuating means 16 for actuating the toy soldier 10 in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Actuating means 16 is generally comprised of a vertical post 17, a lever 18, and an actuating wheel 19~
Referring no~ to FIGURE 3, there is shown a partial side elevational view of the toy soldier 10 of FIGURE 1, that also illustrates an exploded view of th0 actuating means of the toy soldicr 10 in accordance with the principles of the present invention, The vertical post 17 of the actuatin~
means 16 has a male cylindrical coupling means 17a as part of its distal end. Referring to FIG~RES 1, 2 and 3 collectively, it may be appreciated that the lower torso 12 of the toy soldier 10 has an open cha~mel 12b be-t~een the le~s of the toy soldier 10~ Furthermore, the lower torso 12 has 10435~'7 a cylindrically-shaped recessed area 12a that is located in proximity of the upper end of the open channel 12b, Thus, the upper torso 11 may be rotatably attached to the lower torso 12 by means of placing the snap ring 15 within the cylindrically-shaped recessed area 12a of the lower torso 12. Therefore, by means of a somewhat loose interference fit, the upper torso 11 may rotate relative to the lower torso 12, Referring now once again to FIGURE 4, the actuating means 16 is fur-ther co~prised of a connecting rod 20, which couples the lever 18 to the actuatin~ ~heel 19, a hinge 23, that is formed by reducing the thickness of lever 18 and that is located in close proximity of the vertical post 17, a co~bination sprocket wheel and rod 21, and a flexible snapping me~ber 22.
For a number of years, hinges of the type illustrated in FIGURE 4 have been constructed of plastic materials to provide durable hinge means, In the operation of the actuating means 16, when the actuating wheel is rotated in the direction of the arrow l9a, the lever 18 is pulled in the direction of the arrow 18a, and since the vertical post 17 is stationary except for rotational move~ent and further because of the utilization of the hinge 23, the vertical post rotates in the direction of the arrow 17a. Thus, an upper porso 11 of a toy soldier 10 that is nounted onto the vertical post 17 will then rotate in the direction of rotation that is experienced by the vertical post 17. At the same ti~e, the co~bination sprocket wheel and rod 21 will rotate in the direction of tho arrow 21a, as illustrated, so as to move the flexible snap-ping member 22 to cause a noise that may stimulate the rat-a-tat of a machine gun, not shown, that is being held by the toy soldier 10~
It is obvious from the foregoing that if the actuating wheel 19 is rotated in the direction opposite the direction illustrated by the arrow 19a that the upper torso 11 of the toy soldier 10 will rotate in a direction opposite from the direction which it rotated in the prior discussion. Re-ferring briefly to FI~URE 1, theXe is sho~ an opening 24 in the base struc-ture 13 which allows the bottom portion of the actuating wheel 19 to be lo-1043S~i7 cated outside of the base structure 13, Thus, the toy soldier 10 and thebase structure 13 may be moved along, or back and forth on, a ground surface to actuate the actuating means 16, which in turn, rotates the upper torso 11 of the toy soldier 10. Referring once again to FIGURE 3, the lower torso 12 of the toy soldier 10 is fabricated by means of a two-step process. First, the skeleton 25 is ~ade up of polyethylene, Then, the skeleton 25 is in-stalled in a mold and it is "shot'` with vinyl to obtain the outer body 26.
The skeleton 25 ~ay be of any desired color, for example, black or brown, to obtain the proper colored shoes, and the outer body 26 may be of any desired color, for example, army ~reen to give the properly colored uniform. As may be readily appreciated, the upper torso 11 may also include a skeleton body of polyethylene that is flesh colored to provide suitable arms, face, neck, etc,, and such skeleton ~ay then be "shot" with vinyl to provide the desired color of the hel~et and accessories, etc, It is further noted at this time that the vinyl, which forns, for the most part, ~he outer clothing of the toy soldier 10, may be replaced by a heavy substance which gives the adult or child a feel of handling a lead soldie~, Referring to FIGURE 5, there is shown a perspective view of a second actuating means 27 for actuating the toy soldier 10 of FIGURE 1 in accordance with the principles of the present invention~ Except for the fact that the second actuating ~eans includes a pair of living hinges 28 and 29, basically the second actuating ~cans 27 is similar to the actuating means 16 that was discussed earlier, Of course, an additional difference is the fact that the second actuating means 27 would have to be housed within a base structure somewhat different than the base structure that was discussed earlier, be-cause of several reasons, one being that the actuating hheel 30 of FIGURE 5 is horizontally disposed, Referring now to FIGURE 6, there is showm a partially top plan view o the second actuating ~ans 27 in accordance with the principles of the pxeSent invention~ Bxiefly, the second actuating means 27 is sho~m in its ~0435~i7 nor~al position. Upon rotation of the actuating wheel 30 in the clockwise direction as defined by the arrow 31, the lever 32 moves into the position defined by the dashed lines designated by the letter "A" and the vertical post 33 rotates in the counterclockwise direction. Of course, upon rotation of the actuating wheel ~ the counterclockwise direction as defined by the arro~ 34, the lever 32 moves in the position as defined by the dashed lines that are designated by the letter "B", and in turn, the vertical post 33 moves ~n the clockwise diTection, The actuating l~heel 30 includes a serrated periphery which facilitates actuation 6f the second actuating means by merely rotating it with one~s finger, Briefly referring now to FIGURE ~, there is shown a partial bottom plan view of the second actuating means 27, more specifically, the underside of the actuatin~ wheel 30 of FIGURE 5. The underside of the actuating wheel 30 has a slot 35 which represents an opening in the base structure that would house the actuating wheel 30, Further, it includes a friction pad 36 which may be attached to the underside of the actuating wheel 30, It is ob-vious that if the toy soldier 10 and the base structure 13 is moved along, or back and forth onJ a ground surface, the friction pad 36 would grip the ground surface in such a fashion to actuate the second actuating mean~ 27 so as to ~ove the upper torso 11 of the toy soldier 10. The friction pad 36, which may be of any suitable thickness so as to ensure contact with the ground s`ur-ace, ~ay be fabricated from rubber if so desired. It is further noted that ~he actuating ~aans 16 and the second actuating means 27 may be fabricated of any suitable plastic material which would ensure the necessary strength and durability, for exanple, polypropylene. Of course, the second actuating neans 27 may include a noise maker of ~he type illustrated in FIGURE 4.
Referring now to FIGURE 8, there is shown an exploded perspective view of a ~oy policeman 37, or toy soldier, and a base structure 38 in accordance with the principles of the present invention, The toy policeman 37 and the base structure 38 may be made of any suitable plastic material, for exa~ple, ~0435~7 polystrene~ As illustrated, the toy policeman 37 is comprised of a front upper torso 39, a rear upper torso 40, a front lower torso 41, a rear lower torso 42, a rotatable arm 45, a retaining rod 44, an arm actuator 4S, a ver-tical post 46, a lever 47, a striker 48, a cam 49, a cam follower 50, guide means 51, a retaining me~ber 52, and a pair of wall members 53.
In asse~bling the toy policeman 37, the front upper torso 39 and the rear upper torso 40 ~ay be affixed ~ogether by suitable adhesive means so as to trap the rotatable ar~ 43, and its integral members, and also to retain the cao follower 50 within the guide means 510 The aforementioned parts and their respective associated posts may then be placed within the front lower torso 41, and then She rear lower torso 42 may be affixed to the front lower torso by suitable adhesive means, for example, glue, Referring now to FIGU~E 9, there is shown a partial side elevational view of the ca~ follower 50 actuating the rotatable arm 43 Referring also to FIGURE 10, there is shown a top plan view of the lever 47 being moved to actuate the noise maker of the toy policeman 37~ The noise maker is located in proximity of a front wall 38a of the base structure 38, and it includes the retaining member 52 and the pair of wall members 53.
In the operation of the toy policeman 37, the lever 47 may be ro-tated back and forth to rotate the combined upper torso 39-40 by means of the vertical post 46 that is part of the rear upper torso 40. At the sam~ time, the ca~ follo~er 50 rides back and forth in the cam 49, which is sloped from a low level in the rear lower torso 42 to a higher }evel in the front lower torso 41~ In turn, the cam follower 50 travels up and down within the guide means 51 to actuate the arm actuator 45, so as to rotate the r~tatable arm 43 approxi~ately 90 degrees as illustrated in FIGURE 9 As may be reaclily appreciated, at the sane ti~e the striker 48 hits one of the pQiY of wall memhers 53 to proYide a desired sound effect.
Referring now to FI WRES 11-13, a third actuating means of the pre-sent inYenti~n, generally designated 60, includes a unitary post 62, actuating iO9~ '7 lever 64 and flexible striker 66, all of which may bc molded from a suitablepolymeric material~
Post 62 includes an uppcr end 68 provided with a male coupling means 70 engageable in female coupling member 14 (FIGURE 1) on figure toy 10. Post 62 also includes an intermediate portion 72 provided with a frusto-conical undercut 74 forming ~ shoulder 76 engageable with a mating shoulding 78 on a base structure 80 to prevent downward withdrawal of post 62 from base struc-ture 80. Upward withdrawal is prevented by the engagement of an annular col-lar 82 with the lower end 84 of a cylindrical journal 86 on base structure 80, Base structure 80 is provided with a plurality of serrations 88 forming an arc in the path-of-travel of striker 66~ Thus, when actuating lever 64 is manipulated to rotate or oscillate post 62, striker 66 will coact with serratisns 88 to produce a suitable sound.
While the particular animated figure toys herein shown and described in detail are fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the ad-vantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that they are merely illustrative of the presently-preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein-sho~l other than as defined in the appended claims which form a part of this disclosure, Whenever the ~erm "means" is employed in these claims, this term is to be interpreted as defining the corresponding structure illustrated and de-scribed in this specification or the equivalent of the same~
Toy figures have been immensely popular with children for a number of years. For example, children and adults both have been fascinated by miniature toy soldiers. The last couple of generations have been brought up on the fantasy of little tin or lead soldiers that could be moved around on a make~believe battlefield.
However, the high price of tin and lead, and other metals, have made the cost of manufacture of such metal toy soldiers prohibitive.
Furthermore, for the most part, tin and lead soldiers, particularly lead soldiers, were stationary figures that had to be moved by hand around the battlefield.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive toy figure.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a toy figure that is fabricated from a plastic material, yet is very durable.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive, yet durable, toy figure that includes movable parts that may be externally actuated.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a minia-ture toy figure that is fabricated from plastic materials, yet an appearance of rich, realistic clothing on the toy figure is obtained.
In a broad aspect, the invention resides in a toy figure comprising a lower torso having at least two legs and having a vertically-disposed open channel between said lets; an upper torso rotatably coupled to said lower torso; a base structure supporting said lower torso in a relatively stationary position, said base structure including a journal co~municating with said vertically-disposed open channel; and actuating means for rotating said upper torso, comprising: a post-rotatably mounted in said journal and said vertically-disposed open channel, said post including an upper end coupled to said upper torso for oscillating said upper torso when said post ~ ?
B
104;~ 7 is oscillated; and an actuating lever on said post, said actuating lever extending to the exterior of said base structure, whereby said actuating lever may be swung back-and-forth to oscillate said upper torso.
- la -.2~
10435~7 Additional ob~ects, advantages and characteristic features of the present invention will become readily apparent fro~ the following descrip-tion of the preferred e~bodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIBURE 1 is a front elevational view of a first toy figure and a portion of a partially sectioned base structure tha* retains the toy figure in accordance with the present inYention;
FIGU2E 2 is a partial side elevational view, partially sectioned, of the toy figure ant the base structure of FIGURE 1 taken along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 in accordance with the present invention;
FIGURE 3 is a partial sectional side elevational view of the toy figure of FIGURE 1, that also illustrates an exploded view of the actuating ~echanism of the toy figure, in accordance with the present invention:
FIGURE ~ is a perspective view of a first actuating means for actua-ting the toy figure of FIGURE 1 in accordance with the present invention;
FI~U~E 5 (third sheet of drawings) is a perspective view of a second actuating ~eans for actuating the toy figure of FIGUR$ 1 in accordance with the present invention;
FIGURE 6 (third sheet of drawings) is a partial top plan view of the second actuating ~eans of FIGURE 5 in accordance with the present invention;
FIGURE 7 (third sheet of drawings) is a partial bottom plan view of the second actuating ~eans of FIGURE 6 in accordance with the present in-vention;
PIGURE 8 (second sheet of drawings) is an exploded perspective view of a second toy figure and a base structure that retains the toy figure in accordance with the present invention.
FIGURE 9 (second sheet of drawings) is a partial side elevational view of a portion of the actuating means for actuating the toy figure of FIGURE 8 in accordance with the present invention;
FIGURE 10 (second sheet of drawings) is a top plan view of a lever of the actuating means of FIGURE 8 in accordance with the present inventionî
FIGURE 11 is a partial bottom plan view of a third actuating means in accordance with the present invention;
FIGURE 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIGURE
11; and FIGURE 13 is a perspective Yiew of the actuating means of FIGURE 11.
Referring now to FIGURE 1, there is shown a front elevational view of a ~oy soldier 10 that is retained on a base structure 13 in accordance with the principles of the present invention. FIGURE 1 is partially sec-tioned to expose various positions of the toy soldier 10 and the base struc-ture 13. The toy soldier 10 is generally comprised of an upper torso 11 and a lower torso 12. The upper torso 11 has a female coupling member 14, The female coupling me~ber 14 includes a female cylindrical coupling means 14a and a snap ring 15, as illus~rated.
Referring also to FIGURE 2, there is shown a partial side elevational view, partially sectioned, of the toy soldier 10 and the base structure 13 in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Further illustrated is actuating means 16 which is housed within the base structure 13. Referring briefly to Figure 4, there is shown a perspective view of actuating means 16 for actuating the toy soldier 10 in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Actuating means 16 is generally comprised of a vertical post 17, a lever 18, and an actuating wheel 19~
Referring no~ to FIGURE 3, there is shown a partial side elevational view of the toy soldier 10 of FIGURE 1, that also illustrates an exploded view of th0 actuating means of the toy soldicr 10 in accordance with the principles of the present invention, The vertical post 17 of the actuatin~
means 16 has a male cylindrical coupling means 17a as part of its distal end. Referring to FIG~RES 1, 2 and 3 collectively, it may be appreciated that the lower torso 12 of the toy soldier 10 has an open cha~mel 12b be-t~een the le~s of the toy soldier 10~ Furthermore, the lower torso 12 has 10435~'7 a cylindrically-shaped recessed area 12a that is located in proximity of the upper end of the open channel 12b, Thus, the upper torso 11 may be rotatably attached to the lower torso 12 by means of placing the snap ring 15 within the cylindrically-shaped recessed area 12a of the lower torso 12. Therefore, by means of a somewhat loose interference fit, the upper torso 11 may rotate relative to the lower torso 12, Referring now once again to FIGURE 4, the actuating means 16 is fur-ther co~prised of a connecting rod 20, which couples the lever 18 to the actuatin~ ~heel 19, a hinge 23, that is formed by reducing the thickness of lever 18 and that is located in close proximity of the vertical post 17, a co~bination sprocket wheel and rod 21, and a flexible snapping me~ber 22.
For a number of years, hinges of the type illustrated in FIGURE 4 have been constructed of plastic materials to provide durable hinge means, In the operation of the actuating means 16, when the actuating wheel is rotated in the direction of the arrow l9a, the lever 18 is pulled in the direction of the arrow 18a, and since the vertical post 17 is stationary except for rotational move~ent and further because of the utilization of the hinge 23, the vertical post rotates in the direction of the arrow 17a. Thus, an upper porso 11 of a toy soldier 10 that is nounted onto the vertical post 17 will then rotate in the direction of rotation that is experienced by the vertical post 17. At the same ti~e, the co~bination sprocket wheel and rod 21 will rotate in the direction of tho arrow 21a, as illustrated, so as to move the flexible snap-ping member 22 to cause a noise that may stimulate the rat-a-tat of a machine gun, not shown, that is being held by the toy soldier 10~
It is obvious from the foregoing that if the actuating wheel 19 is rotated in the direction opposite the direction illustrated by the arrow 19a that the upper torso 11 of the toy soldier 10 will rotate in a direction opposite from the direction which it rotated in the prior discussion. Re-ferring briefly to FI~URE 1, theXe is sho~ an opening 24 in the base struc-ture 13 which allows the bottom portion of the actuating wheel 19 to be lo-1043S~i7 cated outside of the base structure 13, Thus, the toy soldier 10 and thebase structure 13 may be moved along, or back and forth on, a ground surface to actuate the actuating means 16, which in turn, rotates the upper torso 11 of the toy soldier 10. Referring once again to FIGURE 3, the lower torso 12 of the toy soldier 10 is fabricated by means of a two-step process. First, the skeleton 25 is ~ade up of polyethylene, Then, the skeleton 25 is in-stalled in a mold and it is "shot'` with vinyl to obtain the outer body 26.
The skeleton 25 ~ay be of any desired color, for example, black or brown, to obtain the proper colored shoes, and the outer body 26 may be of any desired color, for example, army ~reen to give the properly colored uniform. As may be readily appreciated, the upper torso 11 may also include a skeleton body of polyethylene that is flesh colored to provide suitable arms, face, neck, etc,, and such skeleton ~ay then be "shot" with vinyl to provide the desired color of the hel~et and accessories, etc, It is further noted at this time that the vinyl, which forns, for the most part, ~he outer clothing of the toy soldier 10, may be replaced by a heavy substance which gives the adult or child a feel of handling a lead soldie~, Referring to FIGURE 5, there is shown a perspective view of a second actuating means 27 for actuating the toy soldier 10 of FIGURE 1 in accordance with the principles of the present invention~ Except for the fact that the second actuating ~eans includes a pair of living hinges 28 and 29, basically the second actuating ~cans 27 is similar to the actuating means 16 that was discussed earlier, Of course, an additional difference is the fact that the second actuating means 27 would have to be housed within a base structure somewhat different than the base structure that was discussed earlier, be-cause of several reasons, one being that the actuating hheel 30 of FIGURE 5 is horizontally disposed, Referring now to FIGURE 6, there is showm a partially top plan view o the second actuating ~ans 27 in accordance with the principles of the pxeSent invention~ Bxiefly, the second actuating means 27 is sho~m in its ~0435~i7 nor~al position. Upon rotation of the actuating wheel 30 in the clockwise direction as defined by the arrow 31, the lever 32 moves into the position defined by the dashed lines designated by the letter "A" and the vertical post 33 rotates in the counterclockwise direction. Of course, upon rotation of the actuating wheel ~ the counterclockwise direction as defined by the arro~ 34, the lever 32 moves in the position as defined by the dashed lines that are designated by the letter "B", and in turn, the vertical post 33 moves ~n the clockwise diTection, The actuating l~heel 30 includes a serrated periphery which facilitates actuation 6f the second actuating means by merely rotating it with one~s finger, Briefly referring now to FIGURE ~, there is shown a partial bottom plan view of the second actuating means 27, more specifically, the underside of the actuatin~ wheel 30 of FIGURE 5. The underside of the actuating wheel 30 has a slot 35 which represents an opening in the base structure that would house the actuating wheel 30, Further, it includes a friction pad 36 which may be attached to the underside of the actuating wheel 30, It is ob-vious that if the toy soldier 10 and the base structure 13 is moved along, or back and forth onJ a ground surface, the friction pad 36 would grip the ground surface in such a fashion to actuate the second actuating mean~ 27 so as to ~ove the upper torso 11 of the toy soldier 10. The friction pad 36, which may be of any suitable thickness so as to ensure contact with the ground s`ur-ace, ~ay be fabricated from rubber if so desired. It is further noted that ~he actuating ~aans 16 and the second actuating means 27 may be fabricated of any suitable plastic material which would ensure the necessary strength and durability, for exanple, polypropylene. Of course, the second actuating neans 27 may include a noise maker of ~he type illustrated in FIGURE 4.
Referring now to FIGURE 8, there is shown an exploded perspective view of a ~oy policeman 37, or toy soldier, and a base structure 38 in accordance with the principles of the present invention, The toy policeman 37 and the base structure 38 may be made of any suitable plastic material, for exa~ple, ~0435~7 polystrene~ As illustrated, the toy policeman 37 is comprised of a front upper torso 39, a rear upper torso 40, a front lower torso 41, a rear lower torso 42, a rotatable arm 45, a retaining rod 44, an arm actuator 4S, a ver-tical post 46, a lever 47, a striker 48, a cam 49, a cam follower 50, guide means 51, a retaining me~ber 52, and a pair of wall members 53.
In asse~bling the toy policeman 37, the front upper torso 39 and the rear upper torso 40 ~ay be affixed ~ogether by suitable adhesive means so as to trap the rotatable ar~ 43, and its integral members, and also to retain the cao follower 50 within the guide means 510 The aforementioned parts and their respective associated posts may then be placed within the front lower torso 41, and then She rear lower torso 42 may be affixed to the front lower torso by suitable adhesive means, for example, glue, Referring now to FIGU~E 9, there is shown a partial side elevational view of the ca~ follower 50 actuating the rotatable arm 43 Referring also to FIGURE 10, there is shown a top plan view of the lever 47 being moved to actuate the noise maker of the toy policeman 37~ The noise maker is located in proximity of a front wall 38a of the base structure 38, and it includes the retaining member 52 and the pair of wall members 53.
In the operation of the toy policeman 37, the lever 47 may be ro-tated back and forth to rotate the combined upper torso 39-40 by means of the vertical post 46 that is part of the rear upper torso 40. At the sam~ time, the ca~ follo~er 50 rides back and forth in the cam 49, which is sloped from a low level in the rear lower torso 42 to a higher }evel in the front lower torso 41~ In turn, the cam follower 50 travels up and down within the guide means 51 to actuate the arm actuator 45, so as to rotate the r~tatable arm 43 approxi~ately 90 degrees as illustrated in FIGURE 9 As may be reaclily appreciated, at the sane ti~e the striker 48 hits one of the pQiY of wall memhers 53 to proYide a desired sound effect.
Referring now to FI WRES 11-13, a third actuating means of the pre-sent inYenti~n, generally designated 60, includes a unitary post 62, actuating iO9~ '7 lever 64 and flexible striker 66, all of which may bc molded from a suitablepolymeric material~
Post 62 includes an uppcr end 68 provided with a male coupling means 70 engageable in female coupling member 14 (FIGURE 1) on figure toy 10. Post 62 also includes an intermediate portion 72 provided with a frusto-conical undercut 74 forming ~ shoulder 76 engageable with a mating shoulding 78 on a base structure 80 to prevent downward withdrawal of post 62 from base struc-ture 80. Upward withdrawal is prevented by the engagement of an annular col-lar 82 with the lower end 84 of a cylindrical journal 86 on base structure 80, Base structure 80 is provided with a plurality of serrations 88 forming an arc in the path-of-travel of striker 66~ Thus, when actuating lever 64 is manipulated to rotate or oscillate post 62, striker 66 will coact with serratisns 88 to produce a suitable sound.
While the particular animated figure toys herein shown and described in detail are fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the ad-vantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that they are merely illustrative of the presently-preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein-sho~l other than as defined in the appended claims which form a part of this disclosure, Whenever the ~erm "means" is employed in these claims, this term is to be interpreted as defining the corresponding structure illustrated and de-scribed in this specification or the equivalent of the same~
Claims (4)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A toy figure comprising:
a) a lower torso having at least two legs and having a vertically-disposed open channel between said legs;
b) an upper torso rotatably coupled to said lower torso;
c) a base structure supporting said lower torso in a relatively stationary position, said base structure including a journal communicating with said vertically-disposed open channel; and d) actuating means for rotating said upper torso, comprising:
1. a post rotatably mounted in said journal and said vertically-disposed open channel, said post including an upper end coupled to said upper torso for oscillating said upper torso when said post is oscillated; and 2. an actuating lever on said post, said actuating lever extending to the exterior of said base structure, whereby said actuating lever may be swung back-and-forth to oscillate said upper torso.
2. A toy figure as recited in claim 1 wherein said post also includes an intermediate portion provided with a frusto-conical undercut forming a shoulder engaged with a mating shoulder provided on said base structure to prevent downward withdrawal of said post from said journal and wherein said post is provided with an annular collar engaging the lower end of said journal to prevent upward withdrawal of said post from said journal.
3. A toy figure as recited in claim 1 wherein said actuating means includes means for producing sounds simulating gun shots.
4. A toy figure as recited in claim 3 wherein said means for producing sounds comprises a flexible striker carried by said post and a plurality of serrations forming an arc in said base structure in the path-of-travel of said flexible striker.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US531837A US3928932A (en) | 1974-12-11 | 1974-12-11 | Animated figure toy |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1043567A true CA1043567A (en) | 1978-12-05 |
Family
ID=24119256
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA241,315A Expired CA1043567A (en) | 1974-12-11 | 1975-12-09 | Animated figure toy |
Country Status (10)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US3928932A (en) |
| JP (1) | JPS5174743A (en) |
| AU (1) | AU477091B2 (en) |
| BR (1) | BR7505745A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1043567A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE7533759U (en) |
| ES (1) | ES442160A1 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2293956A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB1491295A (en) |
| IT (1) | IT1051612B (en) |
Families Citing this family (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4279419A (en) * | 1980-07-21 | 1981-07-21 | Victory Games, Inc. | Table top golfing figure with spring driving rotatable upper torso |
| US4536166A (en) * | 1985-01-03 | 1985-08-20 | Mattel, Inc. | Cap firing animated figure toy |
| US5147237A (en) * | 1990-10-22 | 1992-09-15 | Toymax Inc. | Toy audio device |
| US5092810A (en) * | 1990-10-22 | 1992-03-03 | Steven Lebensfeld | Toy audio device |
| US5073140A (en) * | 1990-10-22 | 1991-12-17 | Steven Lebensfeld | Toy action figures and speech and sound effects accessory therefor |
| US5393058A (en) * | 1993-05-05 | 1995-02-28 | Rowland; Bruce | Robot golf game |
| US6569030B1 (en) * | 2002-03-19 | 2003-05-27 | David Paul Hamilton | Golf stroke demonstration robot |
| US7871304B2 (en) * | 2008-07-10 | 2011-01-18 | Lovato Anthony R | Device for enhancing sporting event on television |
| BR112012008232A2 (en) * | 2009-10-09 | 2019-09-24 | Mattel Inc | toy figure |
| US8761927B2 (en) | 2010-12-17 | 2014-06-24 | Disney Enterprises, Inc. | Externally actuated figure |
Family Cites Families (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US2279603A (en) * | 1941-04-30 | 1942-04-14 | Enloe P Wallis | Manual mechanical image |
| US3179413A (en) * | 1962-10-16 | 1965-04-20 | Raymond W Lecierc | Toy golf game |
| US3452472A (en) * | 1966-10-31 | 1969-07-01 | Marvin Glass & Associates | Movable joint for use in figure toys |
| US3751849A (en) * | 1971-02-25 | 1973-08-14 | Goldfarb | Stacking toy |
-
1974
- 1974-12-11 US US531837A patent/US3928932A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1975
- 1975-09-03 AU AU84511/75A patent/AU477091B2/en not_active Expired
- 1975-09-08 JP JP50108125A patent/JPS5174743A/ja active Pending
- 1975-09-08 BR BR7505745*A patent/BR7505745A/en unknown
- 1975-09-15 IT IT69295/75A patent/IT1051612B/en active
- 1975-10-01 FR FR7530084A patent/FR2293956A1/en active Granted
- 1975-10-09 GB GB41402/75A patent/GB1491295A/en not_active Expired
- 1975-10-23 DE DE7533759U patent/DE7533759U/en not_active Expired
- 1975-10-28 ES ES442160A patent/ES442160A1/en not_active Expired
- 1975-12-09 CA CA241,315A patent/CA1043567A/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| US3928932A (en) | 1975-12-30 |
| JPS5174743A (en) | 1976-06-28 |
| IT1051612B (en) | 1981-05-20 |
| ES442160A1 (en) | 1977-04-01 |
| FR2293956B1 (en) | 1978-03-17 |
| BR7505745A (en) | 1976-08-03 |
| AU477091B2 (en) | 1976-10-14 |
| FR2293956A1 (en) | 1976-07-09 |
| GB1491295A (en) | 1977-11-09 |
| DE7533759U (en) | 1976-02-19 |
| AU8451175A (en) | 1976-10-14 |
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