US2560481A - Animated bird toy - Google Patents

Description

C. ROUSE July 10, 1951 ANIMATED BIRD TOY Filed Nov. 12, 1946 {a ax! IM 10 INVENTOR CALVIN E0055 ATTORNEY Patented July 10, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANIMATED BIRD TOY Calvin Rouse, Jamaica, N. Y.

Application November 12, 1946, Serial No. 709,306

3 Claims.

This invention relates to toys.

An object of the invention is to provide a toy having an animal-like or bird-like figure, and which is provided with means for animating the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bird-like figure having wing-like protuberances carried thereby, and having means whereby said protuberances may be moved to give a life-like and amusing appearance.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bird-like figure having animatable wing-like protuberanoes, and having the head portion thereof resiliently supported upon the body thereof, in such a manner that animation of the wing-like parts will have a sufficiently disturbing effect upon the body thereof as to cause the head to undergo substantially a nodding motion.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a bird-like animatable toy figure which is simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture, and which is easily operated by children and attractive to them.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of my improved toy, partly broken out to show the construction thereof,

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view thereof,

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof, with a portion of the body broken away to disclose the interior construction,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the body of the toy shown in Fig. 1, but disassembled therefrom.

In the manufacture of toys intended for small children, it is important that they be attractive in appearance, and be in the" form of some amusing object, such as a birdlike or animallike figure. Where the toy is animatable, it is of utmost importance that it be relatively simple in the nature of its animation, and that it be operable by some simple, direct means accessible to the child.

The invention as exemplified by the toy described herein is, in my opinion, one which satisfies all the above stated requirements for a toy which is suitable for small children. For a clear understanding of the nature of the invention, and the means for carrying it out, reference may now be had to the drawings in which like reference characters denote similar parts throughout.

the several views. As shown, there is a base member Ill which may be formed of any suitable material such as wood or plastic, and which is of sufiicient weight as to provide a stable support for the bird-like figure disposed thereupon.

The base member It] may be cylindrical in external contour, and is provided with two upwardly extending bores 12 and M for the reception of the lower extremities l6 and I8 respectively of the right and left legs 29 and 22 of the bird. The legs are made of any suitable hollow tubular material having longitudinal bores 24 and 26 respectively. The upper end portions 28 of the legs extend upwardly into a downwardly open semi-circular recess or slot 30 which is cut into the belly portion of the body 32 of the bird, the shape and relative location of the slot being best seen in Figs. 4 and 5. The slot 30 is enlarged where necssary as at 30a to receive the legs of the bird as they are inserted therein from below, and is otherwise smaller in thickness than the diameter of the legs.

The effect of this enlargement 30a is to provide quasi-cylindrical sockets in the birds belly, which open out along their sides into the slot, thus restraining the legs against lateral movement in the slot and holding them in secure engagement in the birds body. These sockets, as seen in Fig. 4, do not extend all the way upward to the top diameter line 34 of the slot 30, which is thus somewhat higher than the top ends of the legs which extend into the slot, the sockets being somewhat convergently inclined, to bow the legs substantially in the manner indicated in the view.

Grommets 35 rest upon the top of the base l0, being suitably apertured at 38 to allow the legs 29 and 22 to extend therethrough, the grommets providing additional support for the legs especially against dislodgement from the base apertures l2 and I4, and from the base itself. Left and right wings 4H and 42, which are generally circular in plan view as seen in Fig. 3, and are otherwise smoothly curved on their upper surface 44, as seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, are provided with elongated bores 46 for the reception of the outer ends of relatively stiff wire rods 48 and 50, the inner ends of which are bent to form eyes or loops 52.

Pull cords 54 extending through the bores 24 and 26 in the hollow tubular legs 20 and 22, are attached at their upper ends to the eyes 52 of the rods supporting the wings, the lower ends of the pull cords extending downwardly into the lateral forwardly open cylindrical recess 56 in the base ID, the base bores l2 and I4, and hence the le bores 24 and 26 communicating with the recess 56. The pull cords 54 have their lower end portions 58 extending out of the lower ends of the legs and through the base recess 56, extending around the outer surface 60 of a thrust disk 62, and uniting along the said outer surface 60.

The disk 62 is biased forwardly, that is, to the left as seen in 1, by means of a compression spring 64 which is disposed coaxially within the recess 56, so as to exert pressure between the inner wall 66 of the recess 55 and the inner surface of the thrust disk 62. The result is to normally maintain the pull cords 54 under tension, and, since the wing rods 48 rest adjacent their loops or eyes 52, upon the outer portions of the upper end openings of the tubular legs, as seen in Fig. 4, with the eyes 52 directly over the said leg openings, the wings are thus fulcrumed upon the said portions of the leg openings. Hence, a downward pull upon the cords 54, as under the influence of the spring 64 pressing the thrust disk 62 outward, will draw the eye ends 52 of the wing rods 48 downward into the upper end openings of the tubular legs, thus pivoting the wings, and lifting them upward to the solid line positions shown in Fig. 4.

And similarly, inward pressure upon the thrust disk 62, that is, in a direction to the right as seen in Fig. 1, will release the normal tension of the spring 54 on the pull cords 54, allowing the weight of the wings 40 and 42, which is thus unbalanced, to draw them downward in the direction indicated by the arrows 68, under the influence of gravity, lifting the wing rod eyes 52 partly out of the upper end openings of the legs, and allowing the wings to droop to the positions indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, and further, until they assume substantially vertical positions, with their lower surfaces H1 resting against the sides of the legs 20 and 22 respectively.

The thrust disk 62 extends inside a hollow cylindrical push cup 12, being held against the inner end surface of the push cup as shown in Fig. 1, by the frictional engagement of the outer edges of the disk 62 with the inner cylindrical wall surfaces of the push cup 12, the joined inner ends of the cords 54 being firmly held against dislodgment between the disk 62 and the inner end wall of the push cup. It is apparent that the push cup, which is smaller in diameter than that of the recess 56, will move freely therein with the thrust disk 62. Pressure upon the cup 12 in the direction of the arrow 74, as seen in Fig. 1, will also press in the thrust disk 62, releasing the pull cord tension, as already explained, and depressing the wings.

Release of said pressure on the cup 72, will allow the spring 64 to bias it outwardly, pulling on the cords 54, and automatically restoring the bird wings to elevated position, which is limited by contact of the wing rods 48 with the outer ends of the slot along the line 34. I

The bird is provided with a head 16 having a bill 78 and eyes as shown, with head plumage in the form of a feather 8D. A neck 82, formed of a resilient coil spring, has its upper end received in a recess in the head 76, and its lower end re- 4 ceived in a recess in the body 32. The spring 82 is sufliciently flexible and resilient that slight shaking of the body, through manipulation of the pressure button 12 or otherwise in the handlin of the bird, Will cause the head to shake so as to simulate nodding motion. In the construction of the bird, it will be understood of course, that the pull cords 54 may be one integral length of cord, without joints along its length.

Although I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in size, shape, materials and arrangement with out departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is;

1. A toy comprising a base, having a pair of upright spaced bores formed therein and a substantially horizontal bore communicating with said spaced upright bores, a spring pressed plunger in said horizontal bore, pull cord means engaging said plunger at one end for retaining the same against ejection from said bore under the influence of said spring, a bird-like figure supported on hollow tubular legs upon said base, and having a lateral slot cut into its underbelly, said tubular legs extending upwardly into said lateral slot, wing rods having loops formed on their inner ends and fulcrumed on the outer edges of the upper end openings of said tubular legs, said pull cord means extending upwardly through said tubular legs and engaging said wing rod loops o normally bias them downward into said leg open ings to tilt the outer ends of the wing rods upwardly under the influence of said spring, and wings on the outer ends of said wing rods, said wings being thus normally biased by said spring into upraised extended position, whereby upon depression of said plunger into said horizontal base bore to compress said spring, the tension on said pull cords is released, allowing said wings to droop under the influence of the unbalanced gravity force.

2. The construction of claim 1, characterized further in that said bird like figure is provided 'with a head portion resiliently supported by said body portion.

3. The construction of claim 1, characterized further in that said bird-like figure is provided with a resilient neck extending from said body portion, a head portion carried on the upper end of said neck portion, and having a bill, eyes and plumage, whereby upon actuation of said wing operating plunger the resultant vibration causes said bird head to oscillate relative to said body portion, substantially in a nodding motion.

CALVIN HOUSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,787,535 Klaudt Jan. 6, 1931 2,202,677 Usinskis May 28, 1940 2,421,279 Marty May 27, 1947

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