US3704543A

US3704543A - Walking dolls

Info

Publication number: US3704543A
Application number: US166407A
Authority: US
Inventors: Germain Giroud
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-08-05
Filing date: 1971-07-27
Publication date: 1972-12-05
Anticipated expiration: 1989-12-05
Also published as: FR2102612A5; GB1289080A; DE2138757A1; ES171300Y; ES171300U

Abstract

A walking doll of the kind in which the upper part of the body receives an alternate lateral rocking movement in relation to the lower part bearing the legs, characterized in that said lower part is connected to arms which are mounted pivotally on the upper part, in such manner that said arms receive an alternate angular displacement in synchronism with the pivoting of the legs.

Description

United States Patent Giroud [151 3,704,543 [451 Dec. 5, 1972 [54] WALKING DOLLS [72] Inventor: Germain Giroud, Moingt-par- Montbrison, Loire, France [22] Filed: July 27, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 166,407

[30] Foreign Application Priority Date Aug. 5, 1970 France ..7029608 [52] U.S. Cl ..46/150 [51] Int. Cl. ..A63h 11/14 [58] Field of Search ..46/ 149, 150, 245, 247 l63 [S6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 921 92.... 19! 1. .1. .mgl dii fl 3 23.111"?1""31123"11 192,

3,611,625 10/1971 Sloop et al ..46/247 1,992,477 2/1935 Domowitch et al.

Primary Examiner--Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-D. L. Weinhold Attorney--Arthur E. Dowel], Jr. et al.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A walking doll of the kind in which the upper part of the body receives an alternate lateral rocking movement in relation to the lower part bearing the legs, characterized in that said lower part is connected to arms which are mounted pivotally on the upper part, in such manner that said arms receive an alternate angular displacement in synchronism with the pivoting of the legs;

' 4 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTED BEE 5 I97? 3, 704, 543

INVENTOR BY AQMW ATTORNB PATENTEDDEC 5 I972 3, 543

'

sum

2 or 2 WALKING DOLLS This invention relates to walking dolls wherein alternate pivoting of the legs, which are interconnected by an articulated rocking lever, is produced by periodically shifting the center of gravity of the body in relation to the central vertical axis of the legs.

The invention is applicable more particularly, but not exclusively, to walking doll systems of the kind described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,543,435 granted on Dec.

' l, 1970 to same applicant.

in dolls of this kind, of course, the actual body of the doll is formed by the articulated assembly of two superposed parts and contains a mechanism adapted to impart an alternate lateral rocking movement to the top part or trunk bearing the arms. The legs are mounted pivotally on the bottom part or pelvis, and they are interconnected by a rocking lever so devised as to produce angular displacement of the leg which is raised when the weight of the assembly rests on the opposite leg in consequence of the lateral inclination of the said trunk.

The object of the improvements according to the present invention is to improve the walking of a doll of this kind to make it more lifelike in comparison with the way in which a very young child walks.

According to the invention, there is provided a walking doll of the kind in which the upper part of the body receives an alternate lateral rocking movement inrelation to the lower part bearing the legs, wherein said lower part is connected to arms which are mounted pivotally on the upper part, in such manner that said arms receive an alternate angular displacement in synchronism with the pivoting of the legs. 7

I According to a preferred embodiment of the above system, the connecting members provided between the bottom part of the body and the arms are formed by metal rods or wires associated with springs adapted to amplify the angular movement of the said arms.

The invention will be more readily understood from an embodiment thereof, which is given by way of example, and described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: I

FIG. 1 is a partial elevation, the elementwhich forms the back of the doll having been removed in order to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic vertical section on the line llll (FIG. 1).

The walking doll illustrated is of the type described in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,543,435 indicated hereinbefore. The body comprises a lower part or pelvis l laterally drilled for the pivotal engagement of the horizontal extension 2a of each of the two legs 2 of the doll. The open bottom edge of the top part 4 or trunk forming the support for the head A is pivotally secured at 3 and 3a to the pelvis 1, and said trunk is formed by an assembly of two elements corresponding to the back and front of the doll. The trunk 4 contains an electric motor 5 fed by a battery (not shown), a worm 6 being secured to the output shaft of the motor and co-operating with a worm wheel 7 keyed on a shaft end 8 bearing an eccentric crank pin 9. The latter engages in a slot 10a formed in the top end of a rod 10 extending substantially verticallyythe bottom of the rod 10 is connected to the pelvis 1 so that when the latter bears on the ground through the agency of the legs 2; rotation of the crank pin 9 transmits to the trunk 1 a periodic rocking movement about the

pivot points

3 and 3a.

As in the above mentioned patent the extensions 2a of the legs 2 are interconnected by a rocking lever which is articulated at its center point on a vertical projection of the pelvis 1 so that the reaction from the ground of whichever of the legs is bearing the weight of the doll, allowing for the inclination of the trunk 4, causes angular movement of the opposite leg.

According to the present invention, the periodic rocking movement of the trunk 4 about the

axes

3 and 3a is utilized to control the pivoting of the dolls arms 11 alternately.

For this purpose, the ends of two wires 12 are secured to a horizontal cross member 1a (FIG. 2) of the pelvis l. The wires 12 extend substantially vertically and their top ends are attachedto springs 13, the opposite ends of which are secured to a projection or crank pin 14. Each of the latter is borne eccentrically by a cylindrical plate 15 extending freely through the aperture formed in the trunk 4 for the articulation of the corresponding arm 11, said plate being'provided with a central hub 15a mounted pivotally on the projecting end of a spindle 16 held in a horizontal cross member 4a of the trunk 4. Each of the arms 11 has an extension 11a of smaller diameter which is retained angularly and axially inside the open outer surface of the corresponding plate 15 which is provided with an inner annular projection 15b for this purpose. The outer wall of each plate 15 has two teeth or projections 15c adapted to co-operate with a fixed stop 4b of the trunk 4 as will be seen hereinafter.

It will be apparent that during normal operation of the walking doll the 'cross member 1a forms a fixed,

point for the two wires 12 and the alternate rocking movement of the trunk 4 in relation to the pelvis 1 imparts a tractive effect to whichever of the wires 12 (the one on the left in FIG. 1) is turned to the opposite side to that to which the trunk is inclined, so that the projection 14 of the corresponding arm descends and causes the pivoting movement of said arm. On the rocking movement towards the opposite side (shown in broken linesin FIG. 1) the other arm 11 will be moved so that the two arms 11 of the doll receive an alternate pivoting movement in synchronism with the angular movement of the legs 2.

If the connecting members formed by the wires 12 I were rigid, the pivoting angle of each arm would be greatly limited; the interposition of the springs 13, which introduce a resilient inertia effect into the system, causes this angle to reach a very much greater value. It will also be apparent that the springs 13 allow the arms 11 a certain angular freedom which obviously would not be the cause if they were rigidly secured to the pelvis 1. The angular offset of the arms 11 in relation to the dolls body can be adjusted by turning the extensions 11a in the plates 15 with some force; all that needs to be done is for one or other of the teeth 15c to be brought against the fixed stop 4b in order angularly to block the plate 15 in question, and the arm 11 to be rotated so that the extension 11a is pivoted inside the projection 15b.

Of course the invention is applicable to other walking doll systems; all that is required is that the top part bearing the arms should receive an alternate rocking movement in relation to the part connected to the legs.

lclaim:

l. A walking doll of the kind in which the upper part of the body receives an alternate lateral rocking movement in relation to the lower part bearing the legs, wherein said lower part is connected to arms which are mounted pivotally on the upper part, in such manner that said arms receive an alternate angular displacement in synchronism with the pivoting of the legs; wherein the connected members provided between the lower part and the arms are formed by wires or rods associated with resilient means in order to amplify the pivoting angle of said arms.

2. A doll according to claim 1, wherein the resilient means associated with each wire or rod are formed by a spring, one end of which is attached to the said wire while the opposite end is attached to an eccentric crank pin connected to the corresponding arm.

3. A doll according to claim 2, wherein the crank pin is formed by a projection connected to a rotating plate which is a force-fit on the end of the arm, said plate having a central hub mounted loosely on a fixed spindie.

4. A doll according to claim 3, wherein each plate has two teeth adapted to come into contact with-a fixed stop in order to lock said plate angularly and in order to allow pivoting of the corresponding arm with force for angular adjustment of said arm in relation to the body.

Claims

1. A walking doll of the kind in which the upper part of the body receives an alternate lateral rocking movement in relation to the lower part bearing the legs, wherein said lower part is connected to arms which are mounted pivotally on the upper part, in such manner that saId arms receive an alternate angular displacement in synchronism with the pivoting of the legs; wherein the connected members provided between the lower part and the arms are formed by wires or rods associated with resilient means in order to amplify the pivoting angle of said arms.

3. A doll according to claim 2, wherein the crank pin is formed by a projection connected to a rotating plate which is a force-fit on the end of the arm, said plate having a central hub mounted loosely on a fixed spindle.

4. A doll according to claim 3, wherein each plate has two teeth adapted to come into contact with a fixed stop in order to lock said plate angularly and in order to allow pivoting of the corresponding arm with force for angular adjustment of said arm in relation to the body.