Walking animal toy with controlling tether

Details Walking animal toy with controlling tether Walking animal toy with controlling tether

2000-02-04

2001-08-14

Muir, D. Neal (Department: 3712)

Amusement devices: toys

Figure toy or accessory therefor

Having mechanism or manipulatable means to move figure or...

C446S377000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06273782

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to battery-powered walking toys and particularly to apparatus for controlling and operating such toys remotely.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Battery-powered toys and toy figures are a well known and extremely popular category of toy products. Basically such toys utilize a body or fuselage which supports a plurality of articulated members. A small battery-power source and one or more internal battery-powered motors are utilized for operating the articulated members and providing toy activity. A number of battery powered toys generally described as animal toys have been provided which participate in various activities typical of animals such as walking, jumping or making various sounds. Most such battery-powered toys initially utilized free running or uncontrolled apparatus which simply operated in a continuous manner without user manipulation or control. Later created toys, employed various controlling apparatus such as radio-frequency signal controllers or so-called “remote control”. Still others utilized sound or light energy to provide controlling inputs. A different type of remotely controlled animal toy or similar toys such as toy vehicles or airplanes is provided through the use of a connecting cable or tether between a hand-held controller of some type and the toy itself. The direct connection through a tether greatly reduces the cost of the toy and provides easier manipulation and control. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,176 issued to Flicker et al. sets forth a POSEABLE DOLL, MEANS FOR MOVABLY MOUNTING SAME AND TOY CAMERA having a base supporting a doll in a movable manner. The movement mechanism within the base is coupled to a toy camera by a by a control tether. The user operates the control members on the toy camera on a simulated photo shoot and moves the doll upon the base through the operative tether. U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,162 issued to Ishimoto entitled TOY CAR REMOTELY CONTROLABLE BY FIBER OPTIC MEANS and U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,626 issued to Robbins et al. entitled SOUND PRODUCING REMOTE CONTROL TOY VEHICLE each disclose various toy vehicles utilizing a controlling tether which is operatively coupled to a hand-held control unit.
A number of flying toys, as well as toy which simulate flight utilize various types of control tethers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,344 issued to Jancso, Jr. sets forth a LINE CONTROLLED ELECTRICALLY POWERED AIRCRAFT having a toy airplane driven by a propeller which in turn is rotated by a small electric motor. A battery-power source is held by the user and is operatively coupled to the electric motor through the control wires of the hand controlling mechanism for flying the toy.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,126 issued to Nguyen sets forth an AIRPLANE FLYING GAME while U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,702 issued to Keely et al sets forth an REMOTE CONTROLLED TETHERED TOY both of which vertically support one or more toy airplanes above the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,711 issued to Holt sets forth a TETHERED AIRPLANE ASSEMBLY having a center base supporting a vertically extending mast to which a plurality of toy airplanes are operatively connected by controlling tethers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,370 issued to Allen sets forth a SINGLE LINE CONTROL UNIT FOR MODEL AIRCRAFT having a hand controller operatively coupled to a flying toy through a flexible line supported in a similar fashion to a fishing pole and manipulatable as the user draws or releases the control tether from the fishing pole like device.
In a related art, U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,712 issued to Lo sets forth a REMOTE CONTROL FISHING TACLE having a float which controls a fishing line through a remotely controlled base member. The float is battery-powered and includes a plurality of electric motor driven propellers for moving the fish-line about in the water under the control of the base unit.
While the foregoing described prior art devices have to some extent improved the art and have in some instances enjoyed commercial success, there remains nonetheless a continuing need in the art for evermore entertaining, amusing and effective walking toy animals.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved walking animal toy. It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide an improved walking animal toy which combines aesthetic features with play features to integrate the play features and a controlling tether.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a walking animal toy comprising: a supporting frame having a toy animal body thereon, the body including a torso, a plurality of legs, a tail and a head including a mouth; a first operative means within the supporting frame for causing the animal toy to walk; second operative means for causing the head to move side-to-side; a collar supported on the body; a hand controller constructed to be held by a user and having a function select switch; a bi-directional motor operating the first operative means in one direction of rotation and the second operative means in the opposite direction of rotation; a control circuit for operating the motor; and a tether coupled between the hand controller and the collar and a plurality of connecting wires passing through the tether coupling the function select switch to the control circuit.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3392485 (1968-07-01), Asano
patent: 3473258 (1969-10-01), Stanzel
patent: 3548537 (1970-12-01), Robbins
patent: 3722136 (1973-03-01), Thorn et al.
patent: 3762702 (1973-10-01), Keele et al.
patent: 4135711 (1979-01-01), Holt
patent: 4141176 (1979-02-01), Flicker et al.
patent: 4224759 (1980-09-01), Saint-Pierre et al.
patent: 4398370 (1983-08-01), Allen
patent: 4545776 (1985-10-01), Law
patent: 4563162 (1986-01-01), Ishimoto
patent: 4614504 (1986-09-01), Yamasaki
patent: 4695266 (1987-09-01), Hui
patent: 4878870 (1989-11-01), Pastor
patent: 5024626 (1991-06-01), Robbins et al.
patent: 5102126 (1992-04-01), Nguyen
patent: 5104344 (1992-04-01), Jancso, Jr.
patent: 5293712 (1994-03-01), Lo
patent: 5713780 (1998-02-01), Gallagher

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