EP3171953B1

EP3171953B1 - Toy puppet

Info

Publication number: EP3171953B1
Application number: EP15733923.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Enrico GRANI
Original assignee: Grani & Partners SpA
Current assignee: Grani & Partners SpA
Priority date: 2014-07-21
Filing date: 2015-06-25
Publication date: 2019-03-20
Anticipated expiration: 2035-06-25
Also published as: WO2016012879A1; EP3171953A1

Description

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a toy puppet.

Background Art

The need is particularly felt, in many sectors of industrial and commercial business, to renew the products manufactured and to look for new ones in order to better distinguish the same from those of the competition.
This need is felt, in particular, in the sector of collection manufactured articles and/or for playful entertainment consisting of puppets representing a character or an animal.
The subjects depicted in these puppets are varied: footballers, celebrities, cartoons, films, TV series or TV shows stars, animals.
Others puppets are known from KR 2010 0011141 , US 2 403 531 , CN 201 880 364 , US-A-2 403 531 and WO 89/06152 .
The puppets of known type, however, are susceptible of further improvements aimed at obtaining original manufactured articles and with new forms, that have innovative features aimed at improving the aesthetic perception of the product and at being more attractive to customers.
Moreover, today the need is strongly felt to have manufactured articles for playful entertainment in which child-game interaction is not static.

Description of the Invention

The main aim of the present invention is to provide a collectible toy puppet that allows the achievement of the above improvements resulting in an innovative, original and valuable product.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a toy puppet in which child-game interaction is dynamic.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a toy puppet which allows to overcome the mentioned drawbacks of the prior art in the ambit of a simple, rational, easy, effective to use as well as low cost solution.
The above mentioned objects are achieved by the present toy puppet having the characteristics of claim 1.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become better evident from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive embodiment of a toy puppet, illustrated by way of an indicative, but not limitative example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an exploded view of a toy puppet according to the invention;
Figure 2 is an axonometric, partially broken away view of a toy puppet according to the invention in an assembly configuration.

Embodiments of the Invention

With particular reference to such figures, reference number 1 globally indicates a toy puppet.
The puppet 1 comprises:

a first half-shell 2 internally hollow and having a first joining edge 3 and a first surface 4 shaped to define one half of a hemisphere;
a second half-shell 5 internally hollow and having a second joining edge 6 and a second surface 7 shaped to define one half of a hemisphere;
a balancing element 8 having a substantially hemispherical shape.

The half- shells 2, 5 can be assembled together at the joining edges 3, 6 to form, in an assembly configuration, a single body reproducing the features of a character, wherein the first surface 4 and the second surface 7 are arranged adjacent to form a substantially hemispherical lower surface 4, 7 inside which the balancing element 8 is housed.
In the ambit of the present discussion, the lower surface 4, 7 defines the support base for the puppet as better described below.
The joining edges 3, 6 can be associated with each other by interposition of union and centering means 9, 10, 11, 12.
The union and centering means 9, 10, 11, 12 comprise at least two locking elements 9, 10 associated with the half-shells and suitable for the interlocked mating of the same.
The locking elements 9, 10 comprise a first pin element 9 associated with the first half-shell 2 and a second pin element 10 having a cavity adapted to accommodate the first pin element 9.
The union and centering means 9, 10, 11, 12 also comprise a first protrusion 11 obtained along the first joining edge 3 and a second protrusion 12 obtained along the second joining edge 6, in which the protrusions 11, 12 are associable with each other by interlocking.
In the ambit of the present discussion, with character is meant any representation of a person, a humanized subject or an animal.
Conveniently, for the character it is possible to identify a coronal plane, i.e. a plane which, with reference to the character's features, divides it into a front half and a rear half.
Similarly, with reference to the character's features, it is possible to also identify a longitudinal axis 13.
In an assembly configuration, the puppet 1 has the joining edges 3, 6 arranged at the coronal plane of the character.
In other words, the coronal plane of the character coincides with the joining edges 3, 6.
Advantageously, the facial features 14 of the character are reproduced on a single half- shell 2, 5 and this greatly increases the visual impact of the puppet 1 considering that, in this manner, the joining edges 3, 6 do not interfere with the front part of the character, which is the most visible one when using puppet 1. Conveniently, the half- shells 2, 5 are made of a polymeric material.
The balancing element 8, on the other hand, is made of metal or other material with a high specific weight.
The balancing element 8 comprises a hemispherical surface 15 and a circular surface 16, although it may take different forms.
The circular surface 16 defines a circumference 17 which is in common with the hemispherical surface 15.
In the assembly configuration the hemispherical surface 15 is arranged substantially mating with the lower surface 4, 7.
Moreover, the circular surface 16 is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 13.
It is emphasized that the hemispherical surface 15 allows for the even distribution of weight of the balancing element 8 on the lower surface 4, 7.
Advantageously, the puppet 1 comprises a retaining element 18 of the balancing element 8 which, in assembly configuration, abuts the circular surface 16 of the balancing element 8.
The retaining element 18, e.g., consists of a protruding edge formed on one or both the half- shells 2, 5 and is of substantially annular shape so as to substantially abut the entire circumference 17.
The operation of this invention is as follows.
The balancing element 8 is accommodated within the first surface 4 or the second surface 7.
The two half- shells 2, 5 are associated with each other by interlocking of the joining edges 3, 6 and of the locking elements 9, 10 to form a single body.
The puppet 1 assembled this way, once placed on a flat surface, remains in the vertical position by means of the balancing element 8.
It is underlined, in fact, that the balancing element 8 allows to place the center of gravity of the puppet 1 in a lowered position; in this case, the center of gravity of the assembly composed of the half- shells 2, 5 and of the balancing element 8 remains within the internal volume of the lower surface 4, 7.
This characteristic means that, even if the puppet 1 is inclined with respect to the support surface, it will never fall and tends to return to its initial position.
It has been found in practice how the described invention achieves the intended objects.
In this regard the fact is underlined that the particular device to provide a balancing element having a substantially hemispherical shape and mating with the lower surface of the half-shells allows to keep the puppet in the vertical position and its oscillation as a result of the application of external forces, without tipping over.
By virtue of this distribution of the weights, when resting on a flat surface the puppet tends to place itself in a balancing position in which the coronal plane and the longitudinal axis are substantially vertical.
The present invention also meets the need of children to interact with the games in a dynamic way since the puppet making the subject of the invention can be made to oscillate without ever falling.

Claims

Toy puppet (1), consisting of:
- a first half-shell (2) internally hollow and having a first joining edge (3) and a first surface (4) shaped to define one half of a hemisphere;

- a second half-shell (5) internally hollow and having a second joining edge (6) and a second surface (7) shaped to define one half of a hemisphere;

- a balancing element (8);
wherein said half-shells (2, 5) can be assembled together at said joining edges (3, 6) to form, in an assembly configuration, a single body reproducing the features of a character, with said first surface (4) and said second surface (7) arranged adjacent to form a substantially hemispherical lower surface (4, 7) inside which said balancing element (8) is housed; and
wherein said joining edges (3, 6) can be associated with each other by interposition of union and centering means (9, 10, 11, 12), comprising a first protrusion (11) obtained along said first joining edge (3) and a second protrusion (12) obtained along said second joining edge (6), said protrusions (11, 12) being associable with each other by interlocking;
characterized by the fact that:
- said balancing element (8) has a substantially hemispherical shape; and

- said union and centering means (9, 10, 11, 12) further comprises at least two locking elements (9, 10) associated with said half-shells (2, 5) apart from said joining edges (3, 6) and suitable for the interlocked mating of said half-shells (2, 5), said locking elements (9, 10) comprising, in turn, a first pin element (9) associated with said first half-shell (2) and a second pin element (10) having a cavity adapted to accommodate said first pin element (9).
Puppet (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that, in said assembly configuration, said joining edges (3, 6) are arranged at the coronal plane of said character.
Puppet (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said balancing element (8) comprises a hemispherical surface (15) and a circular surface (16), in said assembly configuration, said hemispherical surface (15) being arranged substantially mating with said lower surface (4, 7).
Puppet (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one retaining element (18) of said balancing element (8).
Puppet (1) according to claims 3 and 4, characterized in that said retaining element (18), in assembly configuration, abuts said circular surface (16) of the balancing element (8).
Puppet (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that each of said half-shells (2, 5) is made of polymeric material.