Amusement devices: toys – Infant's toy and means for retaining – attaching – or...
Patent
1998-11-12
2000-07-18
Nguyen, Kien T.
Amusement devices: toys
Infant's toy and means for retaining, attaching, or...
446124, A63H 3300, A63H 3308
Patent
active
060899441
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toy or plaything that includes at least one component which has a central part and a peripheral part which surrounds said central part and which has a small thickness in comparison with the thickness of said central part.
2. Description of the Related Art
Toys or playthings of this kind, for instance in the form of a bell that includes an integrated skirt-like part of comparatively small wall thickness, are known to the art. Two or more such bells may be included as components in a toy for babies or infants, where each of the bells is connected to a bite-friendly ring for instance by means of a band to form a rattle or a so-called roof in the form, e.g., of a disc whose thickness decreases towards the disc periphery and from which the bells hang when the disc is, in turn, hung from a cord or line stretched between the sides of the hood of a baby carriage, or perambulator, or from the sides of a cot. Toys and playthings of this kind are advantageous, inter alia, for training the vision and gripping ability of babies, or infants, and are very popular both with parents of babies and older people, especially when the toys are made of wood. However, certain load tests carried out on such toys and playthings have shown that they could break into pieces that are small enough to be swallowed by a baby, therewith causing injury to the child or causing the child to choke.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide novel and improved toys of the aforesaid kind with which the abovementioned problems are avoided.
To this end, it is proposed in accordance with the invention that the aforementioned parts of a toy or plaything of the kind defined in the introduction include a separate central part and a separate peripheral part which surrounds the central part and is connected thereto and which is comprised of a tougher material than the separate central part. This arrangement enables the requirement of high mechanical strength to be readily satisfied while enabling the traditional and popular basic configuration of such playthings to be essentially maintained.
According to the invention, the peripheral part may conveniently be constructed to exert an inwardly acting force against the central part, so as to support said part and exert an integrating or binding force thereon. The central part and the peripheral part of the toy may conveniently be interlocked mechanically in the axial direction, for instance by means of an all-round groove in one part that receives a ridge or projection on the other part.
The central part may typically be made of wood, so as to give traditional expression to the toy or plaything, while the outer, surrounding part may conveniently be made of a tough plastic material, and both parts may be made in harmonizing and attractive colors. The central part of the toy may be lacquered or glazed in a manner to show or set off the grains in the wood. The central part of the toy is preferably rotationally symmetrical about a center axis that extends generally parallel with the grain of the wood. This shape can be easily achieved in a wood lathe, and splintering of the wood is effectively prevented by virtue of the central part being held together by the forces exerted thereon by the peripheral part at right angles to the grain of the wood.
The peripheral part conveniently includes an axially angled collar which embraces the outermost radial region of the central part while exerting a radially inwardly acting pressure thereon. This protects the central part in a favorable manner. In order to impart favorable firmness or stability to the peripheral part of the toy and also to hide the collar, which is beneficial from the aspect of appearance, the collar may conveniently extend downwards in relation to the peripheral part of the toy.
In the manufacture of a bell-like toy or plaything, it is suitable to ensure that the central part has a paraboloidal shape and is terminated at its bott
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patent: 2397061 (1946-03-01), Toalson
patent: 3521883 (1970-07-01), Hamilton
patent: 4893809 (1990-01-01), Blankenzee
patent: 5045011 (1991-09-01), Lovik
patent: 5050877 (1991-09-01), Wales
patent: 5395107 (1995-03-01), De Pippo
Baby Bjorn AB
Fossum Laura
Nguyen Kien T.
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