Patents Examined by Urszula M. Cegielnik
  • Patent number: 9301607
    Abstract: A combination toy chest and play station includes a toy chest defining an interior space, a lid hingedly connected to toy chest for enclosing the interior space, and a table hingedly connected to the toy chest. The table is pivotable about the toy chest between a vertical orientation and a horizontal orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Inventor: Joyce McLaurin
  • Patent number: 9302193
    Abstract: A corner booster for accelerating toy vehicles includes an entrance to which a toy vehicle enters the booster, and an exit from which the toy vehicle exits the booster. The entrance and exit are orientated so that the toy vehicle turns when traveling from the entrance to the exit. The corner booster further includes a booster member for applying a force to the toy vehicle. The force applied by the booster member increases the speed of the toy vehicle as the toy vehicle travels from the entrance to the exit. The corner booster includes a cocking mechanism that cocks the booster member with preloaded mechanical energy. The preloaded mechanical energy is used to move the booster member to apply the boosting force to the toy vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Mattel, Inc.
    Inventors: Kin Fai Chang, Louis Luk Kwok Yau
  • Patent number: 9233312
    Abstract: A doll is provided which performs dance motions and may be used as an instructional aide. In a novel instructional method, a dancer is instructed to perform dance motions by observing and repeating the sequence of motions performed by the doll. Dance motions, such as the pliƩ, are performed by the doll in a fluent, life-like manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Inventors: Mary Dressendofer, Catherine Vigliotti
  • Patent number: 9227147
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of toys, and more specifically, to a magnet-mounted part for mounting a magnet and a magnet toy. Particularly, the present invention provides a magnet-mounted part comprising: a magnet mounting unit on which a magnet is mounted, and which has a saw-toothed wheel engaged with the magnet-mounted part on which an external magnet is mounted, an accommodation unit which accommodates the magnet-mounted unit therein, and has an opening portion such that the saw-toothed wheel of the magnet-mounted unit can be exposed; and a One rotation angle-adjusting unit which is provided to rotate in engagement with the magnet-mounted unit and the accommodation unit, and is formed such that the unit rotation intervals thereof are smaller than the toothed intervals of the saw-toothed wheel of the magnet-mounted unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignees: Synthia Japan Co., Ltd., Kajin Group Pte. Ltd.
    Inventor: Sang Hoon Kim
  • Patent number: 9227145
    Abstract: A planar-part-based toy assembly set includes planar parts that have different shapes and are made by stamping a planar material board. The planar parts include a body piece and a limb piece. The body piece has a slotted ring for coupling with the limb piece. The slotted ring has a cutting slot, a narrow section and, a wide section. The limb piece has a closed ring, or a slotted ring as stated above. The closed ring of the limb piece can pass through the cutting slot of the slotted ring of the body piece and be mounted around the narrow or wide section of the slotted ring. When the closed ring is around the narrow section, the limb piece can freely swing, and when the closed ring is around the wide section, the limb piece is fixed at a specific angle, which can be later adjusted by the player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Inventors: Chun-Yeh Chang, Chia-Wen Hung
  • Patent number: 9205344
    Abstract: A toy figure assembly can be interconnected to construct a toy figure. The mating parts of the toy figure assembly are structured for friction fit attachment and include an upper body part including a neck portion and a trunk portion; a lower body part including a rod portion, a stud portion, a legs portion, and a feet portion; and arm parts having a hand portion, a forearm portion, an elbow portion, an upper arm portion, and a shoulder portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Hasbro, Inc.
    Inventors: Harry Alexander Botterill, Brian E. Fontaine, Salvatore F. Lama
  • Patent number: 9186591
    Abstract: A toy spinning top with a displaceable platform 11 on which an object can be placed, such as a figure, and wherein the spinning top comprises means for displacing the platform 11 relative to the spinning top and at such rate that the object is ejected off the platform 11. The platform 11 is arranged to be movable in the body part by means of a forcible guide 14, 15 which, at least on a stretch of the forcible guide 14, 15, is configured such that the platform 11 can be caused to rotate only about the axis of rotation 4 relative to the spinning top simultaneously with it moving upwards or downwards along the axis of rotation 4 seen relative to the use situation in which the spinning top rotates about its essentially vertical axis of rotation 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: LEGO A/S
    Inventor: Klaus Elias Nielsen
  • Patent number: 9186594
    Abstract: In respect of a balloon (10) having an illumination device (20), including a light emitting member, which is mounted onto the wall inside the balloon cavity, at least one sheet (22, 24) of flexible material is connected to the illumination device inside the balloon cavity to serve as a parachute for the illumination device (20) in the event of rupture of the wall of the balloon when in an inflated condition. In embodiments where the illumination device is provided with a projection (12) and is mounted to the wall of the balloon by an attachment element, such as elastic band (18), engaging said projection from outside the balloon, the or each sheet of flexible material (22, 24) serving as the parachute may be connected to the illumination device (20) and to the balloon wall by location over the projection (12) and engagement by the same attachment member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: SEATRIEVER INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LIMITED
    Inventors: James Halliburton, Tony Rhoades, Sean Tisdall, James Bishop
  • Patent number: 9180379
    Abstract: A top which can facilitate the coupling of a winder is provided. The toy top comprises: a blade; a shaft of which one end is fixed to a lower portion of the blade; a pinion to be inserted and coupled to the middle of the shaft; and a shaft holder capable of accommodating the pinion-coupled shaft in a rotating manner, wherein the shaft holder comprises winder connectors (for rotating the pinion. Particularly, the winder connectors comprise: a cut portion for contacting a part of a first portion of a winder on a lateral side; and a guide groove for allowing a second portion extended from the first portion of the winder to be stopped at stepped protrusions inside the cut portion so as to prevent the second portion from being separated from the lateral side when a part of the first portion of the winder is contacted to a lateral side and then the winder is moved to the lateral side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Inventor: Shin-Kyu Choi
  • Patent number: 9168462
    Abstract: Interactive and reconfigurable toy dolls are disclosed. The toy dolls have one or more associated movable components that may be actuated through user manipulation so as to transform a doll's dress into wings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Mattel, Inc.
    Inventor: Simon Jung
  • Patent number: 9155296
    Abstract: A striker for game calling including a body portion, a releasable locking device located at one end of the body portion, and a peg extending from the body portion and held to the body portion by the releasable locking device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: EVERGREEN HUNTING LLC
    Inventor: James P. Moss
  • Patent number: 9155974
    Abstract: A play mat is formed from a cushion material enclosed by fabric. A flexible rod-like element with a substantially continuous outer surface may be fixedly coupled to a portion of the mat. A slidable member is slidingly coupled with the rod-like element. In some cases, at least one article is coupled to the slidable member. The article includes a first item coupled to a second item by a length of material. The first item may be resilient so that the article is coupled to the slidable member when the first item is compressed and passed through an opening of the slidable member so that at least a portion of the length of material is positioned within the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: The Boppy Company, LLC
    Inventors: Paul Fair, Kristin A. Tidwell, Catherine P. McNeil, Clarice Bonzer
  • Patent number: 9120025
    Abstract: A rotatable core is described. The core includes a cylindrically-shaped housing having an indentation area. The indentation area is formed to guide a user where to place their finger for launching, such that by pressing down on the indentation area, the core is forced against a ground surface, which causes it to spin away from the user. Additionally, the core includes a housing with a cavity therein for receiving the object. A release mechanism is attached with the housing. The release mechanism includes a connector for connecting with a corresponding connector on the object and an expelling mechanism for expelling the object. Upon activation of the release mechanism, the connector releases the object and the expelling mechanism forces the object from the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: JAKKS Pacific, Inc.
    Inventors: Jon Hudson, Dominic Laurienzo, Jared Wolfson, Jeremy Padawer, Jim McCafferty, Greg Leong, Steven Douglas DeLacy, Dennis Lee Chi Wai, Timmy Tsui Ka Tim
  • Patent number: 9101845
    Abstract: A separable combined toy spinning top, comprising a main spinning top and an auxiliary spinning top, wherein the main spinning top comprises a spinning top cover (1), a main spinning top piece (2), a spinning top shaft sleeve (3) and a spinning tip (4); the auxiliary spinning top comprises an auxiliary spinning top piece (5), a shaft sleeve body (6) and the spinning tip (4). The upper part of the auxiliary spinning top is provided with an elastic mechanism, and the main spinning top, flexibly connected onto the top of the auxiliary spinning top, is capable of disconnecting from the auxiliary spinning top and ejecting away via the elastic mechanism when hindered during rotation so that the main spinning top and the auxiliary spinning top rotate independently of each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignees: Guangdong Alpha Animation & Culture Co., Ltd., Guangdong Auldey Animation & Toy Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Alpha Culture Communications Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Dongqing Cai
  • Patent number: 9061217
    Abstract: A toy includes a magazine and a movable arm having a launching end. A plurality of disks are configured to be stacked face to face in the magazine, where each disk has a recess in its face and an engagement element near an edge of the disk. The launching end of the arm includes a retractable extension that is insertable into the recess in the disk, such that the arm is capable of receiving the disk. A protrusion on the magazine engages the engagement element in the disk, causing the disk to rotate around the retractable extension as the arm removes the disk from the magazine. A mechanism in the arm causes the retractable extension to protrude when the arm is adjacent to the magazine, and to retract to release the disk when the arm is moved away from the magazine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: Mattel, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael L. Strauss
  • Patent number: 9004978
    Abstract: A swinging bob toy having three bobs constrained on a string, the middle bob being slideably constrained between the two end bobs, and at least one of the bobs being reversibly separable into two partial bobs. A wide variety of new tricks and maneuvers are made possible by the separability of the bobs. The two partial bobs have roughly the same weight thereby providing balanced orbits. Each of the two partial bobs slides less easily along the string than a non-separated bob. The two partial bobs have roughly the same diameter along at least one axis thereby allowing visual illusions to be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Inventor: Laurence J. Shaw
  • Patent number: 8998672
    Abstract: A facial expression control device is provided. The facial expression control device of the present invention provides multiple structures and links, wherein the links are connected to the linking assembly; therefore varies facial expressions are expressed according to the combination of the structures and links. In this way, the facial expression is changed by means of the least actuators under the condition of maintaining the number of facial expression and imitation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: National Taiwan University of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Chyi-Yeu Lin, Chun-Chia Huang
  • Patent number: 8920209
    Abstract: A toy apparatus having a lower base, an upper base and a doll cover for the upper base where the lower base and the upper base attach and detach with an easy twisting motion. The lower base encloses a flywheel on a shaft, and a passageway for a rack and includes a cover with an outside screw thread. The upper base is either empty or encloses three switches, a sound generator, a light source, a controller printed circuit board, and a battery chamber and includes a cover with an inside screw thread that mates with the screw thread of the lower base. The toy apparatus has two primary play modes, a first mode where the lower base, the upper base and the cover are connected and a user uses the rack to spin the flywheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Hasbro, Inc.
    Inventors: Meredith Brooks, Dean Carley, Sean Carmine Isabella
  • Patent number: 8888551
    Abstract: An aerobat toy comprising propellers (30), a fuselage (50) and an undercarriage (70), wherein the propellers (30) comprise a first propeller (310) and a second propeller (320); the first propeller (310) is provided at a top part of the fuselage (50), and the second propeller (320) is provided between the fuselage (50) and the undercarriage (70) thereunder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Inventor: Yuehuang Xu
  • Patent number: 8882557
    Abstract: A child play gym system includes a canopy that may be formed by a number of rods. A canopy track may be fixedly coupled to a particular rod, and a canopy clip may be slidingly coupled with the canopy track. A base may be coupled to the canopy so that the canopy arches over the base. A base track may be fixedly coupled to the base, and a base clip may be slidingly coupled with the base track. An item may include a body and a coupling member and may be coupled to the body by a tether. The coupling member may be resilient so that the item may be coupled to the canopy clip or the pad clip when the coupling member is compressed and inserted within an opening of the one of the clips so that the tether extends at least partially through the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: The Boppy Company, LLC
    Inventors: Paul Fair, Kristin A. Tidwell, Catherine P. McNeil, Clarice Bonzer, Haley Gibbons