Amusement devices: toys – Resilient toy or actuator
Patent
1993-08-16
1995-07-18
Hafer, Robert A.
Amusement devices: toys
Resilient toy or actuator
446487, A63H 3300
Patent
active
054336473
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention is concerned with convertible objects, made of foam or resilient and flexible materials or composites.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The methods of working such materials (molding, cutting, thermoforming . . . ) are well-known and the invention is directed to the topologic structure of the shape of the manufactured products, which gives said products a remarkable transformability by means of an extremely easy manipulation.
GB-A-2 215 226 discloses a bag-like toy adapted to be reversed thereby to exhibit one or the other of its faces outside. Each face can have a desired shape.
The educational and play interest of such an object is limited to the arbitrary shapes of the bag-faces, because reversal of a bag is not amazing per se.
Moreover, GB-A-2 214 093 discloses a game made of cubes articulated to each other along coplanar axes, thereby to be rendered unloosable. This game has no particular effect with respect to volume variation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of this invention is to provide a game allowing surprising changes of shape by mere manipulations.
According to the invention the object is transformable by manipulation between at least two intrinsically stable configurations in each of which a shape defines the outside of the object and a shape is inside the object. The transformation consists in completely reversing the object thereby to move inside the object at least part of the shape initially defining the outside and to move outside the object at least part of the other shape, by deformation of the material constituting the object, wherein the outer and inner shapes define blocks connected between them by non-coplanar narrower portions, and/or connected into a closed loop by narrower portions.
Thus, the stable configurations can be very different from each other, in a manner which is durably funny and surprising. The invention has an undeniable educational interest, it gives rise to inquisitiveness towards geometry and develops creativity in the field of plastic arts and sciences.
The structure can be made more complicated by associating a plurality of couples of shapes along different axes of reversal of the volume of the so defined object, whereby there are provided objects capable of being differently transformed depending upon the axis of the manipulation which has been performed.
This invention is intended to industrially make objects considered individually or associated as games, and the structure of which, depending upon its complexity, may combine several geometrical or figurative shapes, functional or not, and being remarkably particular, independently of the fact that the transformation is used for aesthetic, play, educational, occupational therapy, technical or advertising purposes:
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows an object according to the invention: the product, made of molded foam, is defined in a first configuration 1A by its outer shape (A) and its inner shape (B). After reversal, the configuration 1B is obtained, wherein the initially inner face (B) becomes the new outer face (B) defining the new shape of the object and the initially visible face (A) is inverted into a new inner face (A) inside the reversed volume.
FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 show three objects according to the invention being cut out from a foam plate. In a first configuration 2A, 3A and 4A, respectively, they are defined by their outer profile (A) and their inner profile (B). After a reversal step, a second configuration 2B, 3B and 4B respectively is obtained, wherein the innerly cut profile (B) defines the new outer profile (B) of the object and the initially outer profile (A) is inverted into an inner profile cutting (A).
FIG. 5 shows an object according to the invention combining the three possibilities shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 along three different reversal axes. The object is defined by its outer shape (A) and the inner profiles (Bx), (By), (Bz) as respectively seen along different axes of the volume shape of the object. After reversal follow
REFERENCES:
patent: 2007421 (1935-07-01), Coughlin
patent: 3302321 (1967-02-01), Walker
patent: 3790175 (1974-02-01), Ragnow
patent: 3811682 (1974-05-01), Neale et al.
patent: 3894352 (1975-07-01), Hooker
patent: 3916559 (1975-11-01), Flowerday
patent: 3962816 (1976-06-01), Sarid
patent: 4083563 (1978-04-01), Drohomirecky et al.
patent: 4654019 (1987-03-01), Waggener
patent: 4993989 (1991-02-01), Gidwani
patent: 5046988 (1991-09-01), Bennett
patent: 5090938 (1992-02-01), Reynolds
patent: 5115528 (1992-05-01), Lamle
Recreational Mathematics, vol. 2, No. 1, Jan. 1969 pp. 35-40, "Hybrid Flexahedrons."
Silly Sid, X-Potential, Inc. advertisement .COPYRGT.1973.
"Soft Fun-Foam Geo-Metric Shapes", Playthings, Mar. 1981, p. 115.
Carlson Jeffrey D.
Hafer Robert A.
LandOfFree
Invertible foam objects capable of several stable configurations does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Invertible foam objects capable of several stable configurations, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Invertible foam objects capable of several stable configurations will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2417320