GB2197216A - Climbing toy - Google Patents

Abstract

A toy creature (C) has pathways (P) at the ends of a rigid pair of legs (10). Strings (1,2) pass through these pathways (P) and, when one string is pulled down more tautly than the other, the one string will be gripped in the respective pathway (P) and the legs (10) will pivot thereabout. The pathway (P) through which the other string passes is able to slide up that string, and the legs (10) may therefore be made to climb up the strings (1,2) by pulling down alternately on the strings. In order to simulate a creature such as an animal, a pair of arms (9), a head (7) and the legs (10) may be pivotally connected to a torso (5). If the arms (9) and legs (10) are provided with interengaging toothed racks (13,14), rotation of the legs (10) will cause the arms (9) to rotate in the opposite direction. This provides a more realistic approximation to a climbing creature. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Toy This invention relates to a toy having two strings up which another part of the toy is able to climb.

According to the present invention, a toy comprises two strings which are arranged to be suspended side by side and a climbing device which includes a rigid body part having at each side a pathway along which a respective one of the strings passes to mount the body on the strings, the arrangement of the pathways being such that, when the bottom of one of the strings is pulled down more tautly than the other, the one string is held frictionally in the corresponding pathway, and the body part rocks so that the remote side of the body part slides up the other string whereby, by pulling down on the strings alternately, the body part climbs the strings. In this way, an amusing toy is provided.The body part climbs up the strings when they are pulled down on alternately, and the body part may be returned to the bottom of the strings simply by releasing the tension from both strings to allow the body part to slide down.

The climbing device may include a second body part flexibly connected, e.g. by pivoting, to the first body part to add interest to the toy by virtue of the two body parts pivoting relatively to one another as the device climbs up the strings. If the climbing device has a second pair of pathways formed above or below the first pair and the strings are arranged to pass along respective ones of the second pair of pathways, then the stability of the climbing action is improved because movement of the climbing device in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the two strings is prevented. Furthermore, the second pair of pathways may be arranged to cooperate with the strings to limit movement of the climbing device in the plane of the strings.

The climbing device will normally be shaped to resemble a creature such as an animal, human or robot and the rigid body part may conveniently be a rigid pair of arms of a rigid pair of legs of such a creature. However, the body part may be the creature as a whole and hence a second pair of pathways of the type referred to above may be formed in this body part and comprise wide passageways in which the strings are loosely fitted.

As an alternative, the second pair of pathways may be carried by the second body part. For example, if the first body part is a pair of arms of a monkey, the second pair of pathways may be formed in a torso of the monkey.

As a further alternative, the second pair of pathways may be carried by a third body part forming part of the climbing device, the third body part being flexibly connected to the second body part. Thus, the first body part may be a pair of arms, the second body part may be a torso and the third body part may be a pair of legs. Equally well, the first body part may be the pair of legs and the third part may be the pair of arms. If arcuate toothed racks are provided on the first and third body parts, with the two racks being in engagement with one another, then rocking of the first body part in one direction relatively to the second body part will cause the third body part to rock in the other direction relatively to the second body part and thereby produce a more realistic approximation to a real creature climbing a pair of strings.

The realism may be further improved by arranging for a head of the toy creature, i.e. a fourth body part of the climbing device, to be flexibly connected to the second body part, e.g. the torso, and positioned so that one of the first and third body parts rocks the head in the same direction as its own direction of movement.

The cooperation of the strings and first pathways must be such that, when the bottom of one of the strings is pulled down more tautly than the other, the one string is held frictionally in the corresponding pathway and the first body part rocks so that the remote side of the body part slides up the other string. It is believed that the structure needed to provide this cooperation is that the end of each pathway, where the part of the corresponding string above the device leaves the pathway, is positioned inwardly of, i.e. nearer to the centre line between the strings than, the other end of the pathway, where the part of the corresponding string below the device leaves the pathway.When the string is then tautened by a downward pull on the part of the string below the device, the parts of the strings above and below the device will then be laterally offset in a sense to provide on the first body part a torque which causes the body part to rock in the appropriate direction.

During the rocking of the first body part, the appropriate string must be held frictionally in its corresponding pathway. This is facilitated if the pathway is non-linear, e.g. S-shaped.

However, this is not a prerequisite as it would be possible for the toy to operate satisfactorily if each pathway is linear, provided that sufficient frictional engagement could be generated where the string changes direction upon leaving the ends of the pathway. However, if the first body part were rocked by tension in one of the strings, until the corresponding linear pathway became aligned with the tautened string, the necessary frictional engagement between the string and pathway would be lost and that side of the climbing device would also slide down its string. Particularly, therefore, when the pathways are linear, care must be taken to ensure that the first body part is not rocked by the tautening of one string until the corresponding pathway is aligned, or nearly aligned, with the string.

This might involve a positive limitation, for example engagement of one or other of the strings with one or other of the second pair of pathways, to limit the rocking motion of the second body part in the plane of the strings. Alternatively, skill may be required, for example by making it necessary for the user of the toy to use his skill to judge the tension to be applied to one string, before the tension is applied to the other string, such that the first body part rocks sufficiently to provide a climbing action, but not so far that the corresponding linear pathway is brought sufficiently into alignment with a corresponding tautened string, for the frictional engagement between the pathway and string to be lost.Similar means of limiting the rocking of the first body part may be necessary or desirable, even when the first pathways are non-linear, if adequate frictional engagement depends on the friction generated where the string changes direction at the ends of the pathway.

In order to carry and keep the two strings the correct distance apart, a rigid support may be provided which connects the tops of the strings. Whilst this support may be hand-held, it is convenient to provide it with means for suspending it from a surface or object. This suspension means may comprise, for example, holes or hooks allowing the support to be hung up, or at least one patch of contact adhesive.

The invention will now be described a way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front view of a toy in accordance with the present invention; and, Figure 2 is a rear view showing the detailed construction of part of the toy of Figure 1.

The toy comprises two strings 1, 2 suspended from the ends of a rigid, plastics support plate 3 which has holes 4 to permit the plate to be hung from hooks and which also has a number of adhesive contact patches 3' (shown dotted) on the rear of the plate to permit the plate to be stuck to a suitable surface, e.g. a wall.

The toy also comprises a creature C mounted on the two strings. The creature has a torso 5 made up of two oval plates held apart from one another by a pair of spacers 6 and a number of axles (as described below) used to enable the other parts of the creature to pivot relatively to the torso 5.

A head 7 is pivotally connected by an axle 8 to the torso 5 and an integral pair of arms 9 and an integral pair of legs 10 are connected to the torso 5 by axles 11 and 12 respectively. The arms and legs 9, 10 each have a respective arcuate rack portion 13, 14, these rack portions being intermeshed with one another so that, for example, if the arms 9 pivot clockwise, the legs 10 are forced to pivot anti-clockwise.

The head 7, the arms 9 and the legs 10 are sandwiched between the two oval plates of the torso 5 and in this way they are prevented from rotating or pivoting out of the plane of the torso 5.

The arms 9 are provided with a pair of lugs 15 which straddle the base of the head 7 in such a way that, as the arms 9 rock, one of the lugs 1 5 knocks the base of the head 7 above the axle 8 and causes the head to pivot in the same direction as the arms. As a result of the provision of the racks 13, 14 and the lugs 15, the movement of the head 7, arms 9 and legs 10 are interdependent and a realistic climbing effect is thereby achieved.

At the ends of the arms 9 are a pair of Ushaped bridge portions 16 which define elongate slots (pathways) between themselves and the arms 9 through which the strings 1, 2 are free to pass.

At the ends of the legs 10 are pathways P, each of which is formed by an oval top plate 1 7 having sandwiched between itself and the legs 10 a pair of spacer members 18 having sinuous surfaces 19 which face one another to define an S-shaped non-linear pathway P extending overall in an upwardly and inwardly inclined direction with a respective one of the strings 1, 2 passing therethrough.

When the bottom of, for example, string 1 is pulled more tautly than string 2, by means of a toggle 20, the part of the string 1 passing through the non-linear pathway P tries to turn and align itself with the general direction of the string 1 as a whole, this direction normally being vertical. The part of the string 1 in the pathway P engages frictionally the sinuous surfaces 19 and the torque which the string 1 applies to the spacers 18 results, as viewed in Figure 2, in the legs 10 being pivoted in an anti-clockwise direction about the points of contact between the string 1 and the left-hand pathway P, until further pivoting is prevented by the innermost side of the lefthand bridge portion 16 coming into contact with the string 1.

The string 2 passing through the other pathway P fits loosely therein and hence does not frictionally engage the surfaces 19 and, as the legs 10 pivot anti-clockwise, the string 2 is able to slide through the right-hand pathway P as the right-hand side of the legs 10 rises upwards. The meshed teeth of the rack portions 13, 14 convert the anti-clockwise rotation of the legs 10 into a clockwise rotation of the arms 9 about its axle 11. The left-hand lug 15 on the arms 9 nudges the left-hand side of the head 7 and this causes the head to pivot in the clockwise direction.

If the string 2 is now pulled downwards more tautly than the string 1, the legs will pivot in the clockwise direction about their right-hand side, the arms 9 will pivot in the anti-clockwise direction and the head 7 will also pivot in the anti-clockwise direction. In this way, the creature C will have climbed slightly further up the strings.

It may therefore be seen that by alternately pulling on the strings 1, 2 the creature C may be made to climb to the top of the strings, and it may be allowed to slide down to the bottom simply by releasing tension from both of the strings 1, 2.

Claims (6)

1. A toy comprising two strings which are arranged to be suspended side by side and a climbing device which includes a rigid body part having at each side a pathway along which a respective one of the strings passes to mount the body on the strings, the arrangement of the pathways being such that, when the bottom of one of the strings is pulled down more tautly than the other, the one string is held frictionally in the corresponding pathway, and the body part rocks so that the remote side of the body part slides up the other string whereby, by pulling down on the strings alternately, the body part climbs the strings.

2. A toy according to claim 1, in which the climbing device further comprises a second body part flexibly connected to the first body part.

3. A toy according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the climbing device has a second pair of pathways formed above or below the first pair and along which respective ones of the strings slidably pass, thereby preventing movement of the climbing device in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the two strings.

4. A toy according to claim 3, in which the second pair of pathways are arranged to cooperate with the strings to limit, when one string is pulled down more tautly than the other, movement of the climbing device in the plane of the strings.

5. A toy according to at least claims 2 and 3, in which the second pair of pathways are carried by the second body part.

6. A toy according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the climbing device further comprises a fourth body part flexibly connected to the second body part and arranged to be rocked by the first or third body part.

6. A toy according to claims 2 and 3, or to claim 4, in which the second pair of pathways are carried by a third body part flexibly connected to the second body part so as to form part of the climbing device.

7. A toy according to claim 6, in which the first and third body parts each have an arcuate toothed rack, the two racks being in engagement with one another so that clockwise pivoting of one of the two body parts relatively to the second body part causes anticlockwise pivoting of the other, and vice versa.

8. A toy according to claim 6 or claim 7, in which the climbing device further comprises a fourth body part flexibly connected to the second body part and arranged to be rocked by the first or third body part.

9. A toy according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a rigid support connecting the tops of the two strings.

10. A toy according to claim 9, in which the rigid support has means for suspending itself from an object or surface.

11. A toy according to claim 10, in which the suspension means is at least one contact adhesive patch.

12. A toy according to any of the preceding claims, in which the first pair of pathways formed in the first body part are non-linear.

13. A toy according to claim 12, in which the non-linear pathways in the first body part are S-shaped.

14. A toy substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

CLAIMS Amendments to the claims have been filed, and have the following effect: Claims 1,2,5,6,7 and 8 above have been deleted or textually amended.

New or textually amended claims have been filed as follows: Claims 3,4,9-14 above have been re-numbered as 2,3,7-12 and their appendancies corrected.

1. A toy comprising two strings which are arranged to be suspended side by side and a climbing device which includes a first, rigid body part having at each side a pathway along which a respective one of the strings passes to mount the body part on the strings, the arrangement of the pathways being such that, when the bottom of one of the strings is pulled down more tautly than the other, the one string is held frictionally in the corresponding pathway, and the body part rocks so that the remote side of the body part slides up the other string whereby, by pulling down on the strings alternately, the body part climbs the strings; a second body part flexibly connected to the first body part; and a third body part flexibly connected to the second body part, the first and third body parts each having an arcuate toothed rack, the two racks being in engagement with one another so that clockwise pivoting of one of the two body parts relatively to the second body part causes anti-clockwise pivoting of the other, and vice

4. A toy according to claim 2 or claim 3, in which the second pair of pathways are carried by the second body part.

5. A toy according to claim 2 or claim 3, in which the second pair of pathways are carried by the third body part.