Posable Toy and Method of Interconnection
A toy with a frame assembly having a plurality of frame members each having a gear and centering aperture. Each gear has a plurality of rounded tetrahedral teeth. A flexible fastener connects the first and second frame members together with their gears in alignment with one another. The flexible fastener applies a force to the first and second gears to releasably engage said first and second gears with one another.
The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 13/078,904 filed by the present inventors on Apr. 1, 2011.
The aforementioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNone.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to toys, and more particularly, to toy animals or other figures.
2. Brief Description Of The Related Art
Applicable to plush, plastic, rubber and other toys, and extendable to connection of any two similar objects, this method of interconnection utilizes aesthetic features of the toy itself to alloy interconnection in a safe and secure way, without the use of snaps and pins that can cause a safety hazard to young children. The proposed method also allows for interconnection of multiple toys to create a toy chain as well as an adapter that allows for toys that embody this feature to be connected to clothing, back packs, shoes as an accessory. By extension of this basic interconnection method, any two or more objects can be connected this same way.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn a preferred embodiment, the present invention is a soft toy with an interior frame that may be releasably held in a plurality of different positions or poses. The toys may be made of multiple colors of fake fur, felt, wire (or other methods of posing plush toys known in the art), buttons, plastic eyes, thread, cotton or poly fill & similar materials. The toys may be poseable in any position from a ball to fully open with, for example, a pom pom tail in either position out the back. When closed, the toys may be, for example, a furry, round ball with two eyes and a tail with a furry pom-pom at the end of the tail. When opening, the ball is transformed to a creature with ears, legs, arms, body “with pouch” and captivatingly friendly face. What was the furry ball closed, becomes the colorful furry back of a body with eyes in the back of its head.
Toys in accordance with the present invention can be linked together, or interconnected, forming a chain of toys (
Toys can be connected or linked to almost anything with the connector accessory (
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is a toy having a frame assembly for posing, opening and closing the toy. The toy frame assembly comprises a plurality of frame portions of a suitable material, geometry and configuration to support outer materials and assembly of outer materials to the frame portion for the toy, each of the frame portions having alignment aperture and a gear feature comprising a plurality of gear teeth configured radially outward from the alignment aperture, wherein two or more the frame portions are placed adjacent one another with their respective alignment apertures aligned and gear portions overlapping. A flexible fastener is placed thru the alignment apertures to join the two or more the frame portions together, wherein the flexible fastener applies pressure to the overlapping gears. Each gear may comprise a plurality of teeth designed in a rounded edge tetrahedral configuration such that a mating gear of an opposing frame portion, also of a rounded edge tetrahedral configuration, allows for a controlled gear engagement and disengagement. The rounded edge, radial tetrahedral gears define a number of discrete positions for posing the toy. The rounded edge, radial tetrahedral gear teeth are reduced to a textured surface to almost smooth providing near-continuous positioning of the toy. The plurality of fame portions are formed from polycarbonate materials in the preferred embodiment, however a broad range of materials can be used.
In another preferred embodiment, the present invention is a posable toy having a frame assembly. The frame assembly comprises a first frame member having first and second ends, the first and second ends each having a gear, a second frame member having first and second ends, the first and second ends each having a gear, a third frame member having first and second ends, the first and second ends each having a gear, wherein the first end of the third frame member is connected to the first end of the first frame member in an overlapping fashion such that mating gears mesh, and held in place by use of a flexible fastener, and the second end of the third frame member is connected to the first end of the second frame member in an over lapping fashion such that gears mesh, and held in place by use of a flexible fastener, and a fourth frame member having first and second ends, the first and second ends each having a gear, wherein the first end of the fourth frame member is connected to the second end of the first frame member in an overlapping fashion such that mating gears mesh, and held in place by use of a flexible fastener, and the second end of the fourth frame member is connected to the second end of the second frame member in an overlapping fashion such that mating gears mesh, and held in place by use of an overlapping fastener. Each of the gears of the third and fourth frame members opposes a gear of one of the first and second frame members. The first and second frame members are movable toward and away from one another and the gears engage and then disengage, by the travel allowance and constant tension applied by a flexible fastener, the first and second frame members in a plurality of different positions. By design of components of the frame assembly, for the preferred embodiment, the mating gears require a force of 2-3 pounds to disengage and move through each posing position, appropriate for a young child.
In yet another preferred embodiment, the toy frame assemble comprises a first frame member having a first gear and a centering aperture, the first gear comprising a plurality of rounded tetrahedral teeth, a second frame member having a second gear and a centering aperture, the second gear comprising a plurality of rounded tetrahedral teeth, and a flexible fastener for connecting the first and second frame members together with the first gear and the second gear in alignment with one another, wherein the flexible fastener applies a force to the first and second gears to releasably engage the first and second gears with one another. The second frame member has two gears having rounded tetrahedral teeth and two centering apertures. The frame assembly further has a third frame member having a third gear and a centering aperture, the third gear comprising a plurality of rounded tetrahedral teeth and a second flexible fastener for connecting the second and third frame members together with the third gear in alignment with one of the two gears of the second frame member, wherein the flexible fastener applies a force to the aligned gears to releasably engage the gears with one another.
Still other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description, simply by illustrating a preferable embodiments and implementations. The present invention is also capable of other and different embodiments and its several details can be modified in various obvious respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive. Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring to
With two toys 100, 102 constructed in accordance with the present invention, the second toy 102 can have an extension placed into the pocket 120 of the first toy 100. The extension of the second toy can be a tail with, or without a pom-pom or a straight tail, a tail tailored or tapered to a narrower end or wider end, or one that can be partially rolled up to form a ball or pom-pom shape, or be formed in a similar shape like a tear drop or beaver tail. As shown in
The first toy or object 100 has within its body 110 a frame assembly 200 such that the first toy will close over the tailored extension of toy 102 holding the tailored extension in the pocket 120 and fold over the pocket 150 to make a firm connection. The frame assembly 200 has polycarbonate frame upper and lower portions 210 and a polycarbonate connector extension 220 on each side. While the upper and lower portions 210 are shown to be equal in length in
The flexible fastener 230 is designed not only to hold the frame portions together, but also to apply an appropriate force to the frame portions to allow for the gears with rounded tetrahedral teeth to engage and disengage (or lock and unlock) such that the frame members may be controllable moved and positioned. An exemplary fastener is shown in
To increase the strength of the connection between a plurality of toys, the first toy can incorporate features, such as foldable ears 160, arms 130 and legs 140 or other protrusions that also fold in over the second toy pom-pom 152 and or tail when being closed to hold the pom-pom and or tail of the second toy in place. Alternatively, the pom-pom, tear drop shape or beaver tail widening, or balled up end of a straight or narrowing portion of tail such that the end of a tailored extension can be slightly larger than the pouch or pocket opening when fully relaxed. It must also be made of a compressible material that, when compressed, is smaller than the pocket or pouch opening such the insertion is simple and easy for a young child to accomplish. Once released, the pom-pom or similar shape will extend to a size slightly larger than the pocket opening, forming the first connection of the two toys. In this alternate case, foldable extensions (in this case; ears, arms or legs) are not necessary to form a good first connection. The pocket must be large enough to allow the tail end (
The force required to pull the pom-pom 152, tail or similar extension of toy 102 or similar out of the pocket 120 is increased by folding the tailored extension of toy 102 over the pocket of toy 100 and in a direction to go back over the tailored extension in the pocket of toy 100 as it exits toy 100, then closing toy 100 over the exiting tailored extension of toy 102, by means of an internal mechanism or frame, holds this folded position, essentially putting connected toy 102 “on belay” with toy 100 (a technique used in mountain climbing to greatly reduce the forces on a climbing line from the climber to the belay person). In this case, the pocket and closing of the pocketed toy over the extension from the connected toy, by means of an internal mechanism or frame, essentially form a new type of belay device. Here, no clips, snaps or pins are used to make the connection more secure. Just proper sizing, shaping or tailoring and placement of soft safe toy materials to within another toys pouch or pocket, using materials and new safer internal mechanisms or any other posing mechanisms proven in the prior state of the art for toy making.
The frame assembly 200 shows a safer and more reliable alternative to posing methods, and or opening and closing methods of the prior art. One example of the prior art is metal wire that is bendable or poseable, however, metal wire has very limited life in posing applications and therefore unreliable as wire fatigues without many bends or changes in pose and, when a metal wire fatigues it becomes brittle, then breaks or separates typically leaving sharp edges at the break sections of metal that can punch to the exterior of the toy or posable object and possibly injure the person posing/bending the wire, becoming a safety hazard to the user. The frame assembly 200 can be made of a variety of materials, uses a gear mechanism and/or friction between the frame ends 700 and overlapping frame ends 700 or extension hinge ends 702 that are assembled together with a flexible fastener 230, to determine the number of positions, from continuous to multi-positional, and force necessary to open and close the frame assembly. While the preferred embodiment is described herein includes connector extensions 220, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that the upper and lower frame portions could be connected directly to one another or a plurality of varying frame portions could be connected to one another. The opening and closing force of the frame assembly is dependent on the material choices, friction on the surface of frame ends 700 and overlapping frame ends 700 or connector extension ends 702, when smooth, or the friction, geometry and dimensions of the gear teeth 720 and mating gear teeth of another frame end, 720, or gear teeth of connector extension ends, 702, combined with the fit and flexibility of and type of fastener 230 used to make the frame assembly 200. The opening and closing force of the frame assembly allows for additional control of the strength of the connection of the toy to another object and for the strength of interconnection between a plurality of toys or objects as shown in
An example of another type of toy or object embodying a tailored extension that can be used to connect to another toy is shown in
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto, and their equivalents. The entirety of each of the aforementioned documents is incorporated by reference herein.
Claims
1. A toy comprising:
- a frame assembly for posing, opening and closing said toy said frame, said frame assembly comprising:
- a plurality of frame portions of a suitable material, geometry and configuration to support outer materials and assembly of outer materials to said frame portion for said toy, each of said frame portions having alignment aperture and a gear feature comprising a plurality of gear teeth configured radially outward from said alignment aperture, wherein two or more said frame portions are placed adjacent one another with their respective alignment apertures aligned and gear portions overlapping; and
- a flexible fastener thru said alignment apertures to join the two or more said frame portions together, wherein said flexible fastener applies pressure to said overlapping gears.
2. A toy according to claim 1, wherein each said gear comprises a plurality of teeth designed in a rounded edge tetrahedral configuration such that a mating gear of an opposing frame portion, also of a rounded edge tetrahedral configuration, allows for a controlled gear engagement and disengagement.
3. A toy according to claim 1 wherein said rounded edge, radial tetrahedral gear define a number of discrete positions for posing said toy.
4. A toy according to claim 1, wherein said rounded edge, radial tetrahedral gear teeth are reduced to a textured surface to almost smooth providing near-continuous of said toy.
5. A toy according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of fame portions are formed from polycarbonate materials.
6. A toy comprising:
- a frame comprising: a first frame member having first and second ends, said first and second ends each having a gear; a second frame member having first and second ends, said first and second ends each having a gear; a third frame member having first and second ends, said first and second ends each having a gear, wherein said first end of said third frame member is connected to said first end of said first frame member in an overlapping fashion such that mating gears mesh, held in place by use of a flexible fastener, and said second end of said third frame member is connected to said first end of said second frame member in an over lapping fashion such that gears mesh, held in place by use of a flexible fastener; and a fourth frame member having first and second ends, said first and second ends each having a gear, wherein said first end of said fourth frame member is connected to said second end of said first frame member in an overlapping fashion such that mating gears mesh, held in place by use of a flexible fastener, and said second end of said fourth frame member is connected to said second end of said second frame member in an overlapping fashion such that mating gears mesh, held in place by use of an overlapping fastener; wherein each of said gears of said third and fourth frame members opposes a gear of one of said first and second frame members; wherein said first and second frame members are movable toward and away from one another and said gears engage and then disengage, by the travel allowance and constant tension applied by a flexible fastener, said first and second frame members in a plurality of different positions.
7. A toy according to claim 6 wherein said mating gears require a force of 2-3 pounds to disengage.
8. A toy comprising:
- a frame assembly comprising: a first frame member having a first gear and an aperture, said first gear comprising a plurality of rounded tetrahedral teeth; a second frame member having a second gear and an aperture, said second gear comprising a plurality of rounded tetrahedral teeth; and a flexible fastener for connecting said first and second frame members together with said first gear and said second gear in alignment with one another, wherein said fastener applies a force to said first and second gears to releasably engage said first and second gears with one another.
9. A toy according to claim 8 wherein said second frame members has two gears having rounded tetrahedral teeth and two apertures and said toy further comprises:
- a third frame member having a third gear and an aperture, said third gear comprising a plurality of rounded tetrahedral teeth; and
- a second flexible fastener for connecting said second and third frame members together with said third gear in alignment with one of said two gears of said second frame member, wherein said flexible fastener applies a force to said aligned gears to releasably engage said gears with one another.
Type: Application
Filed: May 24, 2013
Publication Date: Oct 3, 2013
Inventors: Lisa McCue Karsten (Annapolis, MD), Kenneth Stephen Karsten, JR. (Annapolis, MD)
Application Number: 13/902,552