Patents Assigned to LCD International, L.L.C.
  • Patent number: 6022263
    Abstract: A toy figure includes a lower torso, an upper torso rotatably attached to the lower torso, and a head and two arms each rotatably attached to the upper torso. A spring connected with the lower torso and the upper torso rotates the upper torso from a second to a first position with respect to the lower torso. A friction clutch retards rotation of the upper torso about the lower torso. A drive gear is connected with the lower torso. Two driven gears are engaged with the drive gear and mounted to a separate arm shaft of the arms. The driven gears roll around the drive gear and rotate the arms in opposite directions when the upper torso rotates about the lower torso. Upper and lower arm sections can be fixed together or hinged. Where hinged, a linkage between the lower arm and upper torso rotates each lower arm section about an upper arm section as the arm rotates about the upper torso.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2000
    Assignee: LCD International, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Dexter C. T. Liu, Douglas Melville, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5924910
    Abstract: A toy vehicle includes a chassis and a pair of shell halves rotatably attached to the chassis, which in a first position form a vehicle body that bounds an interior space. A four-bar linkage is attached to the chassis and is disposed at least partially within the interior space. A pair of external finger tabs is pivotally attached to the chassis and connected with the linkage by means of pinion gears and a rack. Movement of the finger tabs together drives the linkage to raise and project a simulated weapon on the linkage and releases the shell halves to separate. Reverse movement of the tabs reverses the operation. A second toy vehicle includes a chassis and a pair of rotatable body panels and a different four-bar mechanism attached to the chassis beneath the body panels in a first position. A pair of external finger tabs is pivotally attached to the chassis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1999
    Assignee: LCD International L.L.C.
    Inventor: Dexter C. T. Liu
  • Patent number: 5672090
    Abstract: A toy includes an equine-shaped hollow figure with hooves that are transparent or translucent. A light-emitting source is mounted inside each of the figure's legs so as to internally illuminate the hoof when the light-emitting source is illuminated. A battery power source is located within the hollow figure with a wiring circuit within the figure that electrically connects the battery power source and the light-emitting source. A motion switch is interposed in the wiring circuit between the battery power source and the light-emitting source and oriented to effect opening and closing of the switch as the figure is rocked in forward and rearward directions. One motion switch embodiment includes a rolling ball and is oriented in the hollow figure such that the rolling ball has a travel direction within the switch generally parallel to a front-to-rear longitudinal axis of the hollow figure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1997
    Assignee: LCD International L.L.C.
    Inventor: Dexter Chih-Teh Liu
  • Patent number: 5662244
    Abstract: A toy weapon for firing a charge of water includes a housing, water reservoir and a reciprocating piston mounted within a tube in the housing. The tube has a spring-biased, hinge mounted flap valve located at one end of the tube to effectively close the tube end. This valve also creates a sufficiently air-tight seal to allow the water charge to be suctioned from the reservoir into the tube. The tube holds the water charge, which is drawn into the tube on a back stroke of the piston, through a one-way valve in a conduit that connects the reservoir with the tube. The weapon is fired on a forward piston stroke, the water charge being pressurized in the tube and released as a single slug or burst of large droplets when the flap valve opens under increasing pressure of the water charge. A nozzle is provided downstream from the flap valve to help keep the water charge together and increase the velocity of the water as it is discharged from the weapon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 2, 1997
    Assignee: LCD International, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Dexter Chih-Teh Liu, Douglas F. Melville, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5643036
    Abstract: A toy vehicle has a drive wheel and a flywheel that are coupled together by a slip clutch which includes a flexible pawl extended from the drive wheel to the surface of the flywheel so that the drive wheel may be grasped and brought to an immediate stop without injury. The toy vehicle cooperates with the energizer-launcher so that the toy vehicle is spring catapulted therefrom upon release thereof. The energizer-launcher has a pistol grip handle with trigger for one-handed aiming and launching of the vehicle and a pull cord for accelerating the flywheel and drive wheel while the launcher is being held by the pistol grip handle. A tachometer may be provided on the energizer-launcher. The toy vehicle further may have a spark generator on the drive wheel which is activated by the rotation of the drive wheel after the vehicle is launched.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 1, 1997
    Assignee: LCD International, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Dexter Chih-Teh Liu, Douglas Melville, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5622159
    Abstract: A toy weapon firing a shapeless solid charge includes a reciprocating air pump and an extruder including a reservoir of the shapeless flowable solid material. A tubular nozzle member is mounted on the outlet end of the air pump and includes a transversely extending nipple providing a fluid coupling with the outlet of the extruder. A portion of the housing is configured to form a hand grip while a separate hand grip is coupled with the air pump piston to permit reciprocation of the air pump piston by reciprocating the hand grip portions towards one another and away from one another. The extruder may be operated separately from the air pump or linked with the air pump for simultaneous operation to feed a charge of the shapeless, flowable solid material into the nozzle member before or while the air pump is reciprocated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 22, 1997
    Assignee: LCD International, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Dexter C. T. Liu, Douglas Melville, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5598950
    Abstract: A water toy that ejects a stream of water under pressure and in one embodiment is particularly suited to serve as a water-sword toy and in another embodiment to serve as a pump-action water gun toy is disclosed. In both embodiments, the water toy includes a wide mouth reservoir that accepts ordinarily available ice cubes which cooperate with water so that chilled water is emitted, under pressure, which may have some soothing benefits, especially during hot summer conditions. The water-sword toy not only emits water upon contact of its tip by an object, but also has provisions for emitting water out of its tip without contacting any object. The pump-action water gun toy has provisions to provide for a straight or spread water trajectory so as to simulate a rifle-water toy or a shotgun-water toy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1997
    Assignee: LCD International, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Dexter C.-T. Liu, David Weindel, Peter Cooper
  • Patent number: 5538456
    Abstract: A water toy has the shape of an aerial bomb or rocket with generally bulbous, resiliently flexible body and a removable tail member with fins, The water toy includes a resilient shell having a mouth and an internal pointed member facing the mouth. A balloon has a mouth with a lip that fits around and engages the mouth of the shell with the balloon body in the shell. The two mouths are sufficiently large to receive ice cubes. A cover member is fitted over and releasably engages the mouth of the shell sufficiently snugly to seal the mouth of the balloon on the mouth of the shell. The cover member has a recess with a one-way check valve to permit the balloon, which is sealed between the cover member and shell, to be filled with water. The tail member is received in the recess and releasably engages the cover member. Dispersion passageways extend from the inner through the outer surfaces of the shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 23, 1996
    Assignee: LCD International, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Dexter C.-T. Liu, David Weindel
  • Patent number: 5522552
    Abstract: A water play toy includes a base and a platform pivotally secured over the base so as to be stepped on and pivoted. Several pairs of valves and nozzles are provided around the outer periphery of the toy between the platform and base with each valve positioned to be contacted by and depressed by the platform as the platform pivots onto such valve. Four spaced apart pivot members define eight primary axes over which the platform will pivot to open one, two or three of the adjoining valves at the same time. When the platform is stepped on within an area surrounded by the pivot members and with sufficient force, the platform is depressed vertically and all four valves are depressed and open. A simultaneous depression of all valves can be prevented by supporting the platform directly on the pivot members before activation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 4, 1996
    Assignee: LCD International, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Dexter C. Liu, Douglas Melville, Paul Santarsiero