Amusement devices: toys – Figure toy or accessory therefor
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-23
2001-05-08
Ackun, Jacob K. (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices: toys
Figure toy or accessory therefor
C446S376000, C002S243100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227930
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a doll's garment, a method for the manufacture thereof and to a set comprising a doll and at least one garment therefor.
Traditionally, doll's clothes are stitched from fabric, but this is impracticable for making clothes for dolls smaller than about 8 cm in height, due to the difficulty experienced in forming the stitches.
Various proposals have therefore been advanced for making articles simulating doll's clothing from alternative materials. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,774 describes fabricating such articles from plastics materials. The articles are said to be “semi-rigid or flexible” but in practice their degree of rigidity is such that they lack realism and appear bulky, cannot be fitted or removed in a life-like manner and are restricted to dolls of a particular shape. In addition, once the doll is clothed, its limbs cannot be moved so that the articles are unsuitable for dolls with articulated limbs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to overcome at least some of these disadvantages, from a first aspect, the present invention provides a removable doll's garment made from an elastomeric material or rubber.
The material may in particular be selected from ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) and any of the polymers sold under the registered trade mark “Kraton” by Shell Chemical Co (such as (optionally hydrogenated) styrene-butadiene-styrene, styrene-isoprene-styrene, styrene-diene, styrene-isoprene and styrene-butadiene block copolymers, styrene-ethylene-butylene block copolymer containing mineral oil, branched styrene copolymer, styrene-butadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene triblock rubber, styrene-isoprene-styrene linear block polymer, styrene-butadiene radial block copolymer, butadiene-styrene copolymer rubber, or synthetic rubber). Preferably, the average modulus of elasticity of the material is less than 1 MNm
−2
. More preferably, the 100% modulus of elasticity, measured at a standard test speed of 500 mm/min, is between 120 and 350 kNm
−2
, and still more preferably between 240 and 280 kNm
−2
. The 300% modulus of elasticity may lie between 440 and 490 kNm
−2
. Such values provide a material from which garments with sufficient realism can be molded, whilst avoiding increased difficulty in molding detail and in removal of the molded garments from the mold which the inventors have found to occur with highly elastic polymers.
Advantageously, the wall thickness of the garment is from 1 to 3 mm.
From a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a doll's garment, comprising molding an elastomeric material or rubber. Preferably, the garment is injection molded, but it may alternatively be dip molded. The material may in particular be selected from those listed above.
From a third aspect, the invention provides a play set comprising a doll having articulated limbs and at least one garment for the doll, the or each garment being made from an elastomeric material or rubber.
The doll is preferably articulated at the shoulders and hips and may additionally be articulated at the elbows and/or the knees. The doll may be less than 8 cm in height and in a particular embodiment, the doll is approximately 4 cm in height.
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Norman Casey William
Norman Torquil Patrick Alexander
Ackun Jacob K.
Carlson Jeffrey D.
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