Amusement devices: toys – Figure toy or accessory therefor – Having mechanism or manipulatable means to move figure or...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-04
2001-08-28
Ricci, John A. (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices: toys
Figure toy or accessory therefor
Having mechanism or manipulatable means to move figure or...
C446S333000, C446S336000, C446S352000, C124S004000, C124S079000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06280285
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of toys and more specifically it relates to an action toy which may have the form of a human figure in which movement of a first member about a first joint is coordinated with movement of a second member about a second joint. This coordinated movement permits the toy to simulate more realistically the movements that a person makes when launching various projectiles, such as in shooting a basketball or kicking a football.
2. The Prior Art
Many action toys known in the prior art have stiff limbs that are rotatably mounted to the torso. There are no joints at the elbows, wrists, knees, or ankles. Accordingly, when the limbs are moved, the motion appears to be unrealistic and clumsy. In contrast, in the present invention these members not only move, but are capable of coordinated movements to simulate the actions of athletes.
The animated toy described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,906,661 issued Sep. 23, 1975 to Weiser is typical of the older prior art. That patent shows a doll having a one-piece arm rotatably connected to a shoulder for rotation in a forward direction. The toy doll also has a stiff leg connected at the hip of the figure for rotation in a forward direction.
A more sophisticated action figure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,657 issued Jun. 28, 1977 to Crosman et al. Here, the arm of the figure pivots at the shoulder and at the elbow, and the movement of the forearm with respect to the upper arm is determined by a connecting rod which causes the forearm to extend as the upper arm is raised. The use of a connecting rod requires that the axis about which the forearm moves must be parallel to the axis about which the upper arm moves. This limitation is overcome in the present invention, in which the axes of rotation may be skewed. An arm action similar to that of Crosman et al. is said to be produced by the mechanism described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,987 issued Sep. 10, 1991 to Djordjevic.
So far as can be determined, no prior art shows a wrist motion for action toys representing human athletic motions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,419 of Barnes et al. is typical in its showing of a table top golfing figure in which the upper body is driven by a spring to rotate with respect to the lower body; but the wrists remain rigid.
The motion of the hand about the wrist (or the motion of the lower leg about the knee) is paramount in shooting, throwing or swinging (or kicking). This wrist motion is not constant throughout the athlete's motion while shooting, throwing or swinging. The speed of the wrist rotation is maximum at or near the point of release or the point of impact and is zero minimal in the initial portion of a throw or swing. Such motion has eluded the prior art, but the present invention provides a solution.
The present invention provides a mechanism for simulating with greater reality the coordinated movements used by athletes engaged in various activities.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanism for coordinating the motion of several articulated members so that the motion of one member is related to the motion of a second member. As used herein, the word “member” includes without limitation various body parts to the extent they are included in the action toy, and also includes various parts of animals or of inanimate objects depending on what the action toy represents.
Another objective is to provide a mechanism that permits the designer to preprogram the velocity and acceleration of the members as the action progresses, so as to simulate more accurately the movements of the human body.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a mechanism for coordinating the movement of the members about axes that are skewed.
For the present invention to be applicable, the action toy must have at least three members serially connected, as for example, an upper arm, a forearm, and a hand; or, a lower torso, a thigh, and a calf. In the present invention, the members are usually connected by hinges, notwithstanding that certain joints in the human body are recognized to be capable of a greater variety of motions.
In the present invention a first member is connected to a base for rotation about a first axis, and a second member is connected to the first member for rotation about a second axis. For example, in an action toy representing a football kicker, a thigh is hinged to a stationary torso at a hip, and a calf is hinged to the thigh at a knee. In general, the first axis does not have to be parallel to the second axis.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, one end of a cable is attached to the base at a point spaced from the first axis, and the other end of the cable is attached to the second member at a point spaced from the second axis. In this preferred embodiment the cable is also slidably engaged by a portion of the first member. For example, the cable may pass through an eye, a groove, or a passage on or in the first member. As the first member is rotated by an operator or mechanism with respect to the base, the second member is forced to rotate with respect to the first member due to the inextensibility of the cable. It has been found that the mechanism of this embodiment gives the designer considerable flexibility in achieving realistic movements.
The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which several embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2249670 (1941-07-01), Sidle
patent: 2506190 (1950-05-01), Barnes
patent: 3503613 (1970-03-01), Caya
patent: 3911616 (1975-10-01), Pelfrey
patent: 4031657 (1977-06-01), Crosman et al.
patent: 5046987 (1991-09-01), Djordjevic
patent: 5449171 (1995-09-01), Makhoulian
patent: 86399 (1919-07-01), None
McKown Daniel C.
Ricci John A.
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