COMPOSITE TOYS
A composite toy comprising two or more toy sections. In some embodiments, the composite toy has a first toy section and a second toy section configured to selectively couple to the first toy section at a first interface. In some embodiments, the composite toy includes one or more alterable features. In some embodiments, at least one of the alterable features includes a thermochromic material.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/733,592 entitled “Hair Styling Composite Dolls,” filed Nov. 4, 2005, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUNDChildren and young adults are often interested in imitating adults with regard to personal appearance. For example, girls play dress-up with dolls and their own appearances. To practice applying cosmetics and styling hair, styling heads may be used that include portions of manikins to practice creating various looks. Toys including alterable features also provide additional play options for users than toys without.
Examples of toys having alterable features are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,165,476, 2,381,663, 2,919,502, 2,968,104, 3,048,941, 3,808,736, 4,070,790, 4,361,981, 4,403,962, 4,559,021, 4,626,225, 4,810,196, 4,874,345, 4,874,676, 4,979,924, 4,993,988, 5,129,853, 5,299,968, 6,120,340, 6,527,618, 6,629,872, 6,638,133, 6,736,692, and U.S. Design Pat. Nos. 216,996 and 357,701 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0106991, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety and for all purposes.
Examples of doll hair are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,765,123, 5,083,967, 5,180,325, 5,205,776, 5,234,370, 5,607,338, 5,677,059, 5,895,718, 6,156,842, 6,749,642, and 6,770,364, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety and for all purposes.
SUMMARYThe present disclosure relates generally to composite toys. More specifically, it relates to composite toys that allow a user to alter one or more features of the toys.
The advantages of the disclosed composite toys may be understood more readily after a consideration of the drawings and the Detailed Description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In some versions of the toy, the toy includes a first section and a second section, such as shown for toy 10 in
The toy sections may be integrally formed from common materials in a particular configuration or may be formed separately. Separately formed toy sections may be permanently or removably coupled together in any suitable manner. In such a configuration, the toy may include one or more interfaces 18 at which the toy sections may be coupled. In some versions, the toy sections are configured to be coupled via nesting, interlocking, interfitment, or other matching geometry, such as by one toy section nesting within the other toy section. In the examples shown in
The toy sections may interface via any suitable interface materials 20, such as tapes, glues, hook-or-loop materials, snaps, magnets, and the like to join the toy sections. As illustrated in
The sections of the composite toy may be interchangeable with sections of other composite toys. For example, users may trade pets with one another, with the pets being configured to couple with a variety of doll sections. In some versions, the toy sections may be configured to couple with several toy sections. For example, the doll section may be configured to link arms with other doll sections, hold more than one pet, or any other combination suitable for the form of the toy sections.
The toy sections may include movably or fixedly coupled components. For example, as shown in
The composite toy may include alterable features 32 that a user may manipulate to alter the appearance of the sections. For example, one or more of the sections may include features that change color and/or position, surfaces configured to temporarily or permanently receive colored materials, components configured to couple with accessories, and the like. In configurations such as those shown in
One example of an alterable feature is hair 34, which may include stylable hair suitable for the section. For example, the doll section shown in
As shown in
As depicted in
Alterable features 32 may be made of washable materials. For example, the hair may be washable to remove any cosmetics that were accidentally spread into the hair or any temporary hair dyes that were applied to the hair. The facial sculpt may be washable so that the user may practice a variety of cosmetic applications.
Alterable features 32 may include color changing features. For example, one or more of the features of the toy sections may include thermochromic materials. Thermochromic materials are materials that change color in response to predetermined temperature changes. The thermochromic materials may be applied to or included in the desired regions of the composite toy in a number of suitable manners. For example, the plastics, resins, or other materials that make up the desired regions of the composite toy may be blended with thermochromic materials. A thermochromic material may be painted on the desired portions of the toy, such as on the lips and/or eyelids. When the facial features include thermochromic materials, the color of the surface of the face may change in response to temperature. The colors, quantity, and location of the thermochromic materials may be selected to provide the desired color change affect depending on the feature or region being affected.
Thermochromic materials applied to the lips of the facial sculpt may be adapted to resemble natural lips at one temperature and lips coated with lipstick at a second temperature. The user may pretend to apply the lipstick using an applicator dipped in water or other fluid of a suitable temperature. Other methods may be used to change the temperature of the desired facial feature, such as using a heated fan or blow dryer, the body heat of the user, or other heating methods. Similar to the described example of changing the color of the dolls lips, other facial features may include thermochromic materials. For example, the eyelids, the cheeks, the nose, or other facial features to which makeup is commonly applied may include thermochromic materials. For example, as shown in
The color patterns of the pet may be affected by thermochromic materials. A user may be able to change the color of one or more parts of the body of the dog by changing the temperature of the dog. For example, the dog may change between a tan dog and a black dog. Similarly, limited portions of the dog's body may include thermochromic materials such that changing the temperature causes the dog's body to change from resembling a short-haired dog to a long-haired dog. Additionally or alternatively, the thermochromic materials may be adapted to cause the dog's hair to appear messy and unkept at one temperature and clean and brushed at another temperature. Such use of thermochromic materials may provide additional ways for the user to interact and recreate with the composite toy.
The colors of the thermochromic material and inks may be selected so that the color of the color-changing features matches that of the surrounding area before the temperature change and is different from that of the surrounding area after the temperature is changed. Any desirable combination of colors may be used for the inks, paint or other coloration systems used to color the various features of the composite toy. For example, a thermochromic material applied to the eyelids may change the eyelids from a flesh-toned color to a blue color. Similarly, the thermochromic material applied to the lips may change from a natural lip color to a red color. The thermochromic material may change between two colors, with one color adapted to match or blend with the surrounding area. The thermochromic material may change between clear or transparent to a desired color responsive to the temperature change, such that the underlying color shows through until the user changes the temperature to effect the color change.
Any suitable thermochromic material may be used, such as the thermochromic materials disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,028,118, 4,421,560, and 4,720,301, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. The thermochromic material may be mixed with a film forming resin, an appropriate solvent, and a stabilizer when required.
The accessories may be used to alter the appearance of various features 32. As shown in
The accessories may include jewelry and other aesthetic components, such as shown in
The toy sections may be mounted to each other or to a base 76. As shown in
The composite toy may include compartments to store cosmetics and/or accessories. For example, the toy may include one or more drawers, shelves, and the like, as is suitable for the particular configuration of toy 10. In the exemplary toy of
The composite toy may be fabricated from any suitable material, or combination of materials, such as plastic, foamed plastic, wood, cardboard, pressed paper, metal, or the like. A suitable material may be selected to provide a desirable combination of weight, strength, durability, cost, manufacturability, appearance, safety, and the like. Suitable plastics may include high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), or the like. Suitable foamed plastics may include expanded or extruded polystyrene, expanded or extruded polypropylene, EVA foam, or the like.
Although the present invention has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing operational principles and preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances. The subject matter of the present invention includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed herein. Inventions embodied in various combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements, and/or properties may be claimed through presentation of claims in a subsequent application.
Claims
1. A composite toy comprising:
- a first toy section including one or more alterable features; and
- a second toy section configured to selectively couple to the first toy section at a first interface, and including one or more alterable features,
- wherein at least one of the alterable features includes a thermochromic material.
2. The toy of claim 1, wherein at least one of the alterable features includes a washable material.
3. The toy of claim 1, wherein the interface includes an interface material adapted to removably couple the first and second toy sections.
4. The toy of claim 1, further comprising a third toy section configured to be coupled to at least one of the first and second toy sections at a second interface.
5. The toy of claim 1, wherein the second toy section is configured to couple to the first toy section at a plurality of predetermined interfaces.
6. The toy of claim 1, wherein the first toy section is configured to represent at least a portion of a human and the second toy section is configured to represent at least a portion of an animal.
7. The toy of claim 6, wherein the first toy section includes an arm configured to support the second toy section.
8. The toy of claim 1, wherein the first toy section is configured to represent at least a portion of a human having a particular occupation and the second toy section is configured to represent an item associated with the occupation.
9. A stylable composite toy comprising:
- a first toy section configured to represent at least a head of a human and including at least one alterable feature; and
- a second toy section removably coupled to the first toy section at an interface, the second toy section configured to represent at least a head of an animal and including at least one alterable feature.
10. The toy of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first and second toy sections includes an interface material adapted to selectively couple the first and second toy sections.
11. The toy of claim 9, wherein one or more of the alterable features includes a thermochromic material.
12. The toy of claim 9, wherein one or more of the alterable features includes a washable material.
13. The toy of claim 9, wherein the first and second toy sections are configured to couple at a plurality of predetermined interfaces.
14. The toy of claim 9, further comprising one or more accessories configured to change the appearance of one or more of the alterable features.
15. The toy of claim 14, wherein one or more of the alterable features includes a thermochromic material and at least one of the one or more accessories is adapted to activate the thermochromic material.
16. A beauty preparation composite toy comprising:
- a first toy section configured to represent at least a head of a female human and including at least one thermochromically alterable feature;
- a second toy section configured to be removably coupled to the first toy section and further configured to represent an animal; and
- one or more accessories configured to removably couple with the first and second toy sections.
17. The toy of claim 16, wherein the at least one thermochromically alterable feature is configured to represent hair.
18. The toy of claim 16, further comprising cosmetics adapted to change the appearance of the first toy section.
19. The toy of claim 16, wherein at least one of the first and second toy sections includes an interface material adapted to selectively couple the first and second toy sections.
20. The toy of claim 16, further comprising interface material adapted to be coupled to at least one of the first and second toy sections.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 2, 2006
Publication Date: Jul 5, 2007
Inventors: Nicolae Patean (Alta Loma, CA), Jani Seward (El Segundo, CA), Patricia Chan (Chino Hills, CA), Emily Kelly (Torrance, CA)
Application Number: 11/555,821
International Classification: A63H 3/36 (20060101);