Amusement devices: toys – Figure toy or accessory therefor – Having movably joined body parts
Patent
1995-10-18
1996-12-03
Hafer, Robert A.
Amusement devices: toys
Figure toy or accessory therefor
Having movably joined body parts
446376, 446390, A63H 346
Patent
active
055802958
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a toy figure having a body and two opposed shoulders on the body and having two arms which are rotatably mounted with a common axis of rotation in their respective shoulders, wherein each arm protrudes from the body in the direction of the axis of rotation and defines respective outer points and moreover protrudes asymmetrically transversely to the axis of rotation, and wherein the figure has a height transversely to the axis of rotation which is greater than the distance between the outer points of the arms measured in the direction of the axis of rotation.
Such toy figures are known and are used in particular by minor children. It is desired by manufacturers as well as users that the same toy series includes figures in various sizes which simulate adults and children, respectively, and these are frequently manufactured also in small dimensions so that even quite small children can handle the figures.
For reasons of safety some national regulations fix a lower limit of the dimensions of all toys which are contemplated for use by small children, e.g. below 3 years. Such safety regulations e.g. lay down that such toys--including the present toy figures--must not be capable of being passed through a circular, cylindrical hole having a specified diameter and length. The purpose of this is to ensure that the children cannot swallow the toy and thereby be injured.
Of course, such safety regulations can be observed by generally giving the figure suitably large dimensions. However, this solution is undesirable, because it must be possible to manufacture small figures which simulate children and which dimensionally match larger figures which simulate adults, while maintaining a suitable difference in size so that the users clearly regard the figures as children and adults, respectively.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A critical dimension of said safety test of toy figures is the transverse dimension, since this dimension is frequently smaller than the height of the figures. It is possible to allow the arms to protrude sufficiently from the body for the figure to observe the safety regulations. However, it is also desired that the hands on the arms of the figures should be arranged at a specific mutual distance, so that large as well as small figures can fit into an already determined and established toy program, in which e.g. the gripping distance of the hands is the same for large and small figures in the same series.
On toy figures of the type mentioned here the arms can perform a rotary movement in the shoulder joints, and for a lifelike function and thereby great play value for the children to be achieved, it is desirable that the arms can rotate independently of each other. As will appear from FIG. 1, small figures, which generally have expedient proportions, but whose arms can rotate freely with respect to each other, can pass through the hole in the shown test tool when the arms are e.g. arranged in the shown position in which one arm points upwardly and the other arm points downwardly. This problem can be solved by mounting the arms fixedly and in co-parallel on a common, rigid shaft, so that both arms always point the same way. This is shown in FIG. 2. Such a toy figure having rigidly connected arms does not have a sufficiently lifelike function--and thus not a sufficiently high play value for the users either.
In other words, it is desirable to have small toy figures of the present type in which the arms have a certain mutual movability, and which also observe all national and international safety regulations. The object of the invention is to provide such a toy figure.
This object is achieved by a toy figure of the present type in which the arms are rotationaly coupled to each other so that they have a predetermined and limited mutual rotatability.
In such a toy figure the arms have a lifelike movability in the shoulder joints, which gives the desired, high play value for the children. The limited mutual rotatability ensures that the arms cannot be arrang
REFERENCES:
patent: 973485 (1910-10-01), Dorsey
patent: 2925944 (1960-02-01), Inserillo
patent: 3477171 (1969-11-01), Bonanno
patent: 3995395 (1976-12-01), Rahmstorf
patent: 5380233 (1995-01-01), Numoto
Landling Bent
Ruzskai Frank
Vatakar Synn.o slashed.ve
Carlson Jeffrey D.
Hafer Robert A.
INTERLEGO AG
LandOfFree
Arms for a toy figure does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Arms for a toy figure, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Arms for a toy figure will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-781539