US2804720A - Mechanical toy figure - Google Patents

Description

c. w. OLSON 2,804,720

MECHANICAL TOY FIGURE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 3, 1957 Filed Sept. 20, L954 Sept. 3, 1957 c. w. OLSON 2,804,720

MECHANICAL TOY FIGURE Filed Sept. 20, 1954 Z-Sheets-Sheet 2 MECHANICAL TOY FIGURE Clare W. Olson, Wheaten, Ill. Application September 20, 1954, Serial No. 456,913

2 Claims. (Cl. 46-120) This invention relates to a mechanical toy figure and more particularly to an animated doll having a clockwork motor associated with the limbs thereof. Toy figures of this type have been known for years, but so far as I am aware, the clockwork motor employed in these figures was wound by turning a key projecting from the body of the figure. Such devices have been found to be difficult for very small children to operate. Furthermore, projecting stems and keys may cause in jury to a small child who is likely to fall on the doll or in some other way strike the projection.

It is the primary object of my invention to provide a toy figure having the winding means completely cormned within the body thereof.

It is a further object to provide a concealed reciprocative winding mechanism which tightens the clockworks spring merely by squeezing the flexible body of the toy figure adjacent said winding means.

It is a further object to provide a doll of the type indicated which has a smooth, soft, resilient body.

These and other objects will become apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side View of a baby doll which illustrates the invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section taken along the line 2-2 showing the internal works of the motor and the method of connecting the motor to the limbs of the doll;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 4-'-4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

The doll illustrated in its entirety in Figure 1 has a head, a body 10, and arms 12, and legs 14, which are fixed to the end of shafts 18 and 20, respectively, com prising part of the mechanical means for oscillating the limbs. The novel winding means consists of a button 22 adjacent the inner wall of the body fixed to the end of a reciprocating shaft or rack 24, which cooperates with a pinion on the winding shaft. The motor 16 may be wound merely by depressing the abdomen of the doll and the underlying button 22 against the force of the spring 26, releasing it, and repeating the operation until the motor spring is completely wound. The motor may be designed so that the winding button 22 is located at any convenient place within the figure.

The body 10 and limbs 12, 14 preferably are made from a suitable soft, yielding material 30, capable of retaining its shape. Molded rubber or a molded rubber-like plastic, such as plasticized polyvinyl chloride, will serve very well for this purpose. A harder material, such as papier-mache, may be used except in the area adjacent the winding button 22, where, of course, the body must be resilient. The body may be molded or otherwise shaped in two longitudinal halves which are later assembled by adhering them together along the 2,884,728 Patented Sept. 3, 1957 7 skived splice 17 with a suitable adhesive after the works has been inserted. The splice is best shown in Figure 2. Suitable sockets are provided inthe body for receiving the ball-like ends of the limbs 12 and 14. The upper and lower ends of the body have bosses 15 on the inner surface thereof which contain recesses 15a in which the motor is mounted. Bosses 15 are preferably molded integrally with the body halves. The body wall may be externally coated with a suitable material 32, such as rubber latex, which may be colored if desired to provide a smooth skin having a life-like appearance.

The clockworks motor 16 is of conventional construction and need not be described in great detail for an understanding of the invention. It comprises longitudinal side plates or frame members 40, 42 spaced by cross members 44, 46, which constitute a rigid structure for carrying the moving parts of the motor. As best shown in Figure 3, top and bottom panel members 48 and 50 cover the frame to enclose the-works, the panels joining each other in horizontal projections 52 and 54, which are adapted to fit snugly into recesses 15a for supporting the motor within the body 10. The two front shafts 18 for the arms 12 and rear shafts 20 for the legs 14 are journalled in the side plates 40, 42 and in brackets 21, 23 spaced inwardly from the side plates and fixed to the cross members 44 and 46. Fastened securely to the outer end of each shaft is an arcuate shell 56, approximately hemispherical in shape, adapted to receive the ball-like ends of the limbs 12 and 14. All four shells are of identical construction. The limbs may be secured to the shells in any suitable manner, as for example by means of an adhesive, or mechanically by means of rivets or the like.

To oscillate the shafts 18 and 20 and thus move the limbs, yokes 58 are secured to the inner ends of the shafts 18 and 20. The yokes, best shown in Figure 3, fit over circular discs 60 eccentrically mounted on shafts 62, 63 journalled in frame members 40, 42. As the eccentrically mounted discs revolve, the yokes 58 are caused to oscillate up and down, thus moving the shafts 18 and 20 to which the limbs are secured. The extremities of oscillation of the yokes 58 and the discs 68 may be seen by comparing the relative positions of yokes for the arm and leg'nearest the observer in Figure 3, with those for the limbs in the rear. It will be noted that the rotation of the two front shafts 18 is 180 out of phase, and likewise the rotation of the rear shafts 20 is 180 out of phase so that the arms and legs do not move in the same direction simultaneously. By

changing the size and eccentricity of the discs, the angle through which the limbs oscillate may be adjusted.

The shafts 62 and 63 are driven through gears 64 fixed thereto which mesh with a common gear 66 mounted on a stub shaft 68 secured to the frame member 40 and driven by the clockworks through a gear train. The clockwork mechanism for driving the gear 66 comprises. a gear 70 fixed to one end of a shaft 72 journalled in upright 74 secured to the bottom of the main frame. The gear 70 meshes with a pinion 71 fixed to the end of shaft 68 outside the gear 66. The pinion 78, fixed to the shaft 72 and spaced therefrom by sleeve 73, meshes with the main driving gear mounted on shaft 84, which is journalled in the frame 42 and upright 86 secured to the bottom of the frame. Gear 80 is fixed to the barrel 82 housing a clock spring 81, as best shown in Figure 4, the inner end of which is attached to shaft 84 and the outer end of which is attached to the barrel.

To wind the spring by rotating the shaft 84, I have provided a pawl and ratchet arrangement cooperating with reciprocating rack or shaft 24 and pinion 88, as best shown in Figures 4 and 5. The shaft or rack 24 is journalled in top and bottom frame members 48 and 50 and 92; The'spring bearslagainst the; underside of. button,-

and. normally biases the: shaft24. upwardly; A; ring;

secured in grooves in'the lower end oftheshaft prevents the. shaft-frommovingupwardly throughdhe opening 51; in-the lower frame member 50..

A ratchetiwheel 94, rotatably; mounted.- onshaft 8.4;. isfixedtodhe pinion 88 -so. that it-willirotate; in either direc tionin accordancewith' the;vertical movementlof therack 24, which meshes with the. pinion; 88:. spring-biased pawl. 97 is. mounted ona second-ratchet wheel.9,6-,fixe.d' to shaft 84. Consequently, when-the. rack 24;-is moved.

vertically downward; in theadireetion of the arrovwgthe pinion. 8%. andthe ratchetv wheels 9.4 and. 96, rotate'together; in aclockwise djrectiomthe wheel.96,.-turning. the shaft'84, thuswinding. the spring 81 fastened theretor A: second spring-biased pawl'98, mounted on thezmain. gear 80,, cooperates with ratchet wheel 96. and. permits. the. shaft. 84 to rotate in. a counterclockwise direction only when.the' main gear is rotating, thus driving the entire gear trainas the spring unwinds. Whenthe pressure @on the rack is released, spring. 26 returns the racleto: its normally elevated position, causing the: pinion 88 and ratchet 94 to rotate on shaft 84- in a counterclockwise.

direction. I

A suitable speed limiting-governor of any suitable-com struction or an escapement (not shown). may be. pro.- vided if required to prevent the spring from unwinding too rapidly.

The operation of the various. parts has already. been described, and it will be obvious. that by application of pressure to the soft, yielding, abdomen of.the;dol1 the:

spring motor can be wound up to cause oscillationofrthe. limbs closely resembling a live human baby. The; position of the abdomen whenthe. rack is depressed is: shown in dottedlines in Figure 3.

It will be obviousthat any tiny child is .capableof. op erating this toy without any danger whatsoever. tohim.- self. All mechanical parts. arecompletely confined within the body, which is soft and smooth externally and serves to pad the button 22.

. It will be apparent that the; invention may. be'..utilized.

inall sorts oftoys and. is notlimited to do1ls.. For example, the invention may be incorporated in toy animals.

which are designedto walk, andewhichare powered bya clockwork motor. of the type-described. The invention 7 may. also be utilized in toy vehicles by providingaflex-- ible'area, as for examplein the bottom thereof, disposed adjacent the end of the reciprocative winding means. for the motor. It will be apparent, also, that the motor need not be constructed in the manner illustrated but may be of any suitable construction, provided, however, it is adapted to be wound by a reciprocating shaft which has an outer end in contact with or adjacent to a flexible bellows or resilient surface which is easily depressible. If desired, a bellows type voice box may be associated with the winding means to. create. sounds appropriate to the particular toy in. which the motor is mounted. Other variations in the construction of the toy and the motor will be-obvious to those skilled in the. art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a toy figure of the class described, in combination, a flexible elongated body, .a rigid frame. axially. disposed within said body and spacedfrom the sides thereof,

limbs articulated to'said body. by means'of shaftsrotah ablyrnounted: on said frame. and extending. through the; body. wall,,arms fixed to the portion of. said shafts. disposed-withinthe bodydefining means for oscillating said shafts and the limbs connected tl1ereto.,.a springmoton ofv the. clockworks: typemounted in said; frame for actuating said arms, a springebiased reciprocative' winding shaft. for winding. said spring. motor mounted on said frame transversely of'the body. and completely'concealed therein,.said winding shaft having one end normally adjacent' the body wall. and being. operative. to move inwardly upon application of forceto the. portion of the body adjacent said end and to return. to. normal; position upon release of said force, thereby winding said motorwithoutiany externally-projecting winding means to cause; oscillation of said limbs.

; 2. The toy figure. of claim 1 inwhich said' one-end of the winding shaft has a buttonfixed thereto for increasing the contact. areawith said flexible body and said body is made. fromelasticmaterial.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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