US2846222A - Musical toy with movable set - Google Patents

Description

g- 5, 1958 E. HANDLER 2,846,222

MUSICAL TOY WITH MOVABLE SET Filed May 21, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 ELL/0T HANDLER,

IN VEN TOR.

- HUEBNER,BEEHLER,

' E. HANDLER MUSICAL TOY wrm MOVABLE SET Aug. 5, 195

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 21, 1954 51.; lOT HANDLER, INVENTOR HUE'BNER,BEEHLER, WORRE'L 8 HERZ/G, AT TORNEYS- Aug. 5, 1958 Filed May 21, 1954 gig-3- E. HANDLER MUSICAL TOY WITH MOVABLE SET 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ELL/0T HANDLER,

IN VEN TOR.

HUEBNER,BEEHL ER,

WORREL 8 HERZ/Gy ATTORNEYS- Aug. 5, 1958 E. HANDLER MUSICAL TOY WITH MOVABLE sm:

4 SheetsSheet 4 Filed May 21. 1954 ELL/0T HANDLE R,

IN VEN TOR.

HUE'BNER,BEE'HLER, WORRE'L 8 HERZ/G,

ATTORNEYS- United States Patent MUSICAL TOY WITH MOVABLE sEr Elliot Handler, Los Angeles, Calif. Application May 21, 1954, Serial No. 431,349 Claims. (11. 272-31 This invention relates to animated toys and particularly to an animated musical toy wherein the animation comprises changing of the appearance of a scene on amovable stage, preferably in accompaniment with music synchronized with the animation.

This invention has among its objects the provision of a new and improved toy construction of simple operation comprising aminimum number of operative part-s adapted to accomplish the intended general purposes with a minimum of production cost.

-Another object of the invention is the provision of a musical toy of new and improved construction incorporating a music-making mechanism of a type exemplified in Duncan Patents Nos. 2,504,666 and 2,649,652, for example, with means for rotating a stage and indexing changes in the scenery thereof at predetermined intervals during the playing of a preselected tune.

Another further object of the invention is the provision in a musical toy of means displaying the characters or episodes corresponding to a story, particularly to a nursery to passages or sequences in the jingle, rhyme, or the like, are activated or make their appearance on' the stage, or both, in cadence with the music.

By the instant embodiment it is intended to provide a mode of successive appearance, either individually or collectively, of a group of characters illustrating the nursery rhyme or jingle, Farmer in the Dell, by means adapted to cause their selective animation and appearance or disappearance in accompaniment with a repeti tion of the well-known child verse and mnsicby that name.

It is also among the objects of the invention to provide improvements over prior art devices heretofore intended to accomplish generally similar purposes; to provide an improved stage, drive means, stopping means and tripping means associated therewith; and to provide new and improved screening means for a portion of the display, scene, or group of characters, at preselected intervals.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the construction, arrangement andcombination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed outin the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 7

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of atoy embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a top View thereof.

Figure 3 is a front view, parts being cut away to show details of the operative mechanism.

, crank shaft 42 having an operating handle 43 thereon.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detailed view of an operative I.

2 portion of the tripping and stopping mechanismcomprising a portion of the operative mechanism of this invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, which are set forth for purposes of illustration but not of limitation, there is shown a house 20 simulating a farmer's cottage, composed as of sheet metal mounted as on a base 21 as by means of conventional metal ears and slots 22. The house 20 and the base 21 constitute a frame which houses the remainder of the toy.

Also mounted in optionally similar fashion upon the base 21 is a housing 23, likewise optionally of sheet metal. A vertical arde 24 is preferably rotatably mounted as by means of an aperture 26 in the base 21, and'an opening 27 in the housing 23 which also accommodates the upper end of a gear member 29'.

A stage platform 30 of disc-like configuration is likewise preferably rotatably mounted upon the axle 24. The stage platform 30 is horizontally disposed and is held upon the axle 24 against vertical axial removal as by means of upset ear portions 31. Said stage 30' is formed as with a central boss 32, normally engaged against the ears 31', and a'downwardly depending boss 33 having a frusto-conical face 34 adapted to receive and make frictional clutching engagement with a frusto-conical face 35 formed in the upper end of said gear member 29. Said frictional engagement is maintained as by a compression spring 36 retained upon the axle 24, by other ears 37 outstruck therefrom and a thrust washer 38.

The gear teeth of gear 29 engage a pinion 41 of a Said crank shaft is mounted for rotation in the depending frame members 44 and 45 of a cast metal comb 46, for example, of the type described in said patents of Duncan above referred to, which is secured as by rivets 46 to the underside of the top 47 of the housing 23 A bracket 48 likewise secured to the underside of the top of the housing 23 rotatably confines an axle 49 around which a rubber belt 50 is trained. Said belt 50 is normally stretched between the crank shaft 42 and said axle 49, so that rotation of the crank shaft will turn the belt 50. Rubber protuberances 51 on the belt pluck selected wires 52 of the musical comb 46 for playing, in this instance, the melody The Farmer in the Dell. One of the protuberances, 53, on the belt is enlarged for the purpose of tripping, at a predetermined interval in the playing of the tune, a tiltable stop member 54. Said stop member is pivotally secured to a bracket 55 riveted as at 56 to the underside of the top 47 of the housing 23. The pivotal connection is formed at 57 by means of a tongue formed in the bracket 55, said tongue being in spaced parts 58, as illustrated most clearly in Figure 7, pref erably flanked by shoulders 59 and terminal cars 60 so as to permit pivotal movement of said stop member 54 by means of slots 61.

The'stop member 54 is notched as at 62, and one of the springlike wire teeth 52, individually designated at 63, is engaged in said notch 62, thereby normally urging said stop member to a position of maximum clockwise rocking movement around said tongues 58, to a position shown in solid outline in Figure 5, wherein a stop portion 64 extends upwardly through a slot 65 in the top of the housing 23. Upon rotation of said belt and said enlarged protuberance 53 to a position of engagement against a lip 66 on the stop member 54, the stop member is tilted against the tension of said spring wire 63 to a position, such as shown in dotted outline in Figure 5, wherein an opposite stop portion 67 extends upwardly through an aperture 68 in said top of the housing 23, said stop por' tion 64 being in such event retracted below its opening 65.

The movable platform 30 is formed with a plurality of depending stops 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, which likewise extend inwardly from the downturned rim 78 of the platform. Other stops '80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, and 87 depend from the platform 30, at points spaced inwardly from said downturned edge 78 of the platform 30. The 70 series of said stops is in circumferential alignment with the stop portion 64, and the 80 series ofsaid stops is in alignment with the stop portion 67 of said stop member 54. Said stops 70, etc., and 80, etc., are arranged around the platform and relative to the stop member 54, so that upon "normal clockwise rotation of the crank, the platform 30 will be rotated in a counterclockwise direction as seen fromthe top, until the normally extended stop portion 64 isengaged against one of the stops. 70. Continued rotation of the crank 42 will cause rotation of the belt 50 and plucking engagement of the protuberances 51 thereon against the teeth 52 of the musical comb. Meanwhile, the clutch 34-35 will slip to permit the plaform 30 to remain stationary.

When the enlarged protuberances 53 on .the musical belt engages against the lip 66 on the stop member 54, the stop portion 64 will be retracted to its opening 65, freeing the corresponding 70 series stop, and permitting continued rotation of the platform 30 until one of the 80 series stops engages against the stop portion 67 which, during the engagement of the enlarged protuberance 53 against the lip 66, is extended through its opening 68. Thus, the stop 67, by its engagement against one of the 80 series stops on the platform, prevents undesired movement of the platform 30 during the interval when the stop portion 64 is retracted by means of the protuberances 53. Such stoppage is only momentary, and in some applications of the described mechanism, such auxiliary stops 67 and the 80" series stops corresponding thereto may be omitted.

Stations 91 91, 92, 93, 94, and 95 are provided in circumferentially spaced relationship on the platform 30, and figurines respectively designating a cheese, a mouse, a cat, a boy, a mother and a farmer, are secured to the platform 30 at said corresponding stations.

Rotation of the crank 42 and consequent rotation of the platform 30 carries the figurines into the house through a door 96, and upon their making a sufficient movement within the house 20 causes them to emerge through an opposite door 97. The front of the house thereby serves as a screen or backstage drop. The screening effect is enhanced by the provision of a movable curtain or door panels 99 of a flexible material such as cellophane. The panels 99 may be hinged or otherwise secured, as by gluing, stapling, or the like, along the edges 100 of the doors 96 and 97, so that their free edges 101 may be pushed open by the figurines as they rotate therethrough.

A shield 102, secured as by rivets 103, to the front of the housing 23, hides the movement of the platform 30, and provides a finished appearance. The shield, the base, the house 20 and the figurines 21 may be ornamented in any suitable fashion.

The operation of the instant embodiment of the invention above described is as follows:

Rotation of the crank 42 causes rotation of the musical belt 50, whose plucking protuberances 51, by their predetermined arrangement, play a tune on the musical comb 52. Simultaneously, said crank rotation drives the gears 41 and 29, which operates through the clutch faces 34 and 35 to rotate the platform 30.

Initially, the figurines are all disposed within the house 20. Rotation of the crank and belt, after a predetermined interval, carries the enlarged tooth 53 into engagement with the lip 66 of the stop member 54. Immediately prior to such engagement, the stop portion 64 is extended and is engaged against the stop 71 to prevent normal rotation in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in either Figure l or 2.

. Engagement of said enlarged tooth 53 with said lip 66 retracts the stop portion 64 and elevates the stop portion 67. Retraction of said stop portion 64 permits rotation of said platform 30 in said counterclockwise direction until the stop portion 67 engages the stop 82, assuming the crank 42 is being continuously rotated as intended. Such engagement of the stops 67 and 82 momentarily stops the rotation of the platform 30, and once the tooth 53 has cleared the lip 66, said stop 67 is retracted through the urgency of the spring wire 63 or its like, thereby releasing the" stop 82 and freeing the platform for continued rotation, which, however, is promptly prevented by the engagement of the now elevated stop portion 64 with the succeeding stop 72. In this position of the parts, as illustrated in Figure 2, the station 90 (the farmer) is exposed to view, having passed through the doors 99. Such emergence is normally timed to the playing on the musical comb of the beginning of the first refrain, concluding Heigh-ho, the merry-oh, the farmer in the dell. The farmer thus appears in the dell..

. As the musical belt and crank are further rotated, slippage again occurs in'the clutch 34-35, so that the platform is again held stationary until the enlarged tooth 53 on the musical belt retracts the stop portion 64, holding the platform stationary through the slippage of said clutch.

Such engagement of the tooth again corresponds to the beginning of the next refrain, starting The farmer takes a Wife. The wife thereupon-promptly appears andremains next to the farmer whilev the remainder of the refrain is played,-and so on, the stop portions 64 and 67 operating substantially in the manner of an escape? ment mechanism, to halt the rotation of the platform at angularly separated positions corresponding to the 4 70 series stops 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76 and 77, and the associated 80 series stops 83, 84, 85, 86 and 87.

However, upon the emergence of the cheese 95 through the doorway 97, the stop 77 is engaged by the stop portion 64, and thereafter, upon release of the stop 77, continued rotation of the crank carries the cheese in position 95 around until engagement of the stops 80 by the stop portion 67 and, immediately thereafter, engagement of the stop 64 with the stop 70. The angular distance from the stop 77 a to the stop 70 is such that the cheese is left standing alone immediately in front of the door 96, which is the same position occupied by the farmer 90 in Figure 1 of the drawing. The cheese therefore stands alone during the playing of its refrain, at the conclusion of whichthe stop 70 is released by the stop 64, and the stop 64 is engaged again with the stop 71, whereupon the entire entourage becomes hidden within the house 20. the entire cycle is then repeated as often as desired.

The stop 67 by its preliminary engagement with the respective stops of the 80 series, assists the wire63 and cams the stop portion 64 effectively into its extended position as shown in solid outline in Figure 5.

This invention features the provision of a movable stage having thereon a plurality of figurines, or the like, adapted to move across the stage sequentially, and preferably intermittently, in a manner to correspond with and be synchronized with a musical melody played upon a musical belt driven by mechanism preferably utilized to energize the music-making element. It also features the provision of such a toy in which an element of surprise is introduced by the extraordinary animation, movement or treatment of one figurine (in this case, the cheese). In the illustrated embodiment, the cheese alone of all the figurines is left standing on the stage, and thereafter all of the figurines are caused to disappear.

Although I have herein shown and described my in- I vention in what I have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom Within the scope of my invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the fullscope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent structures and devices,

I claim: I 1. A toy comprising a stage platform rotatably mounted for movement about a vertical axis, drive means for rotating said stage platform, stop means engaging said stage platform and normally holding the same against rotation, musical sounding means having a movable member energized by said drive means to play a melody, and tripping means mounted on said movable member for intermittently engaging and deactuating said stop means thereby permitting rotation of the stage, said musical sounding means being coordinated with said tripping means and stop means to play a melody between stops, said stage platform having display means thereon indicative of the subject matter of the melody played by said sounding means.

2. A toy as defined in claim 1, comprising: a frame simulating a scene illustrative of a story, the rotatable stage platform being mounted on said frame and including a plurality of objects spaced therealong also illustrative of the story, said frame including means for shielding said objects from view during a portion of the rotation of said stage platform, said stage platform comprising a substantially horizontally disposed disc-like member, said objects being mounted along an outer edge portion of said disc-like member, said shielding means being positioned across said disc-like member, whereby objects in front of said shielding means are visible and objects posed behind said shielding means at a circumferentially-spaced location on said disc-like member are hidden from view.

3. A toy as defined in claim 2, including yieldable normally closed door means in said shielding means, said door means being in the path of travel of said objects as they pass behind said shielding means, the door means being engageable by said objects to force them yieldably aside to permit said objects to pass through said door means.

4. A toy comprising a rotatably mounted stage platform, friction clutch means operatively associated with said platform, movable drive means for rotating said platform through said clutch means, stop means for normally holding said platform against rotation, said stop means including stop elements attached to said platform and a pivotally mounted stop lever yieldably loaded for normally engaging said stop elements thereby stopping rotation of said platform by producing slippage in the clutch means, tripping means movable with said movable drive means for intermittently engaging said stop lever and counteracting the load thereon for intermittent disengagement of said stop lever from said stop elements, and musical sounding means energized by said drive means to play a melody, said musical sounding means being coordinated with said tripping means and with said stop means to play a melody between stops, said stage platform having display means thereon indicative of the subject matter of the melody played by said sounding means.

5. The musical toy as defined in claim 4 wherein said musical sounding means includes a musical comb and a belt driven by said drive means and having means thereon for plucking engagement with the teeth of said comb, and wherein said tripping means comprises a protuberance on said belt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 745,217 Mensing Nov. 24, 1903 1,596,921 Childs Aug. 24, 1926 1,646,706 Polland Oct. 25, 1927 1,663,379 Marx Mar. 20, 1928 1,740,172 Hagemo Dec. 17, 1929 1,842,615 Barrer Jan. 26, 1932 2,487,307 Cassidy Nov. 8, 1949 2,606,664 Messick Aug. 12, 1952

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