SELF-STANDING DISPLAY FIGURE

Abstract

In accordance with one embodiment, a self-standing toy skeleton display includes a skeleton body that has a human form and is made of a plurality of connectable body parts that are each formed of bone structures. The connectable body parts at least includes a torso part that extends from a pelvic bone to a bottom end of a femur bone and a lower body part that extends from a top end of a tibia bone to foot bones. The skeleton toy display also includes an inner frame for supporting the skeleton in a standing manner. The inner frame passes through the femur bone and the tibia bone and is formed of separate upper and lower frame members that interlockingly mate with one another at an interface between the femur bones and the tibia bones. The lower frame member includes a pair of ground contacting portions that are mounted to an underside of the feet of the skeleton body with at least a portion of the ground contacting portion being located behind a heel portion of the foot to allow the assembled body parts of the skeleton to stand upright in a self-supporting manner, while permitting lower extremities thereof to move and be adjusted.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to toy decorations and in particular, to a self-standing figure, such as a skeleton, that can include animated features and be configured to hold a tray that supports items, such as candy.

BACKGROUND

There are a number of holidays in the United States as well as other countries that involve the use of decorative displays and costumes. For example, Halloween and Christmas are two Holidays that typically are associated with prominently displaying various decorations in different locations within an exterior and interior of a house.

Halloween is a holiday that is celebrated each year on October 31. While Halloween has Celtic origin, it is now largely a secular celebration. The day is associated with the colors orange and black and is strongly associated different symbols, such as a jack-o-lantern, a black cat, a witch on a broom stick, etc. On this day, a number of different activities are undertaken and enjoyed by many including the activities of trick-or-treating, wearing costumes, ghost tours, costume parties, carving jack-o-lanterns, reading scary stories, and watching horror stories.

The term Halloween is shortened from All Hallows' Eve as it is the eve of All Hallows' Day, which is known today as All Saints' Day. The symbol of a skeleton on Halloween has its origin back to Celtic times when the ancient Celts would place a skeleton on their window sill to represent the departed. Halloween costumes are traditionally those of monsters such as ghosts, skeletons, witches, and devils. Costumes are also based on themes other than traditional horror, such as those of characters from television shows and movies.

Trick-or-treating is a custom for children on Halloween. The custom involves children proceeding in custom from house to house asking for treats, such as candy. After ringing the door or otherwise gaining the attention of the homeowner, the question “Trick or treat?” is uttered. The “trick” is an idle threat to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if not treat is given. Over the years, the manner of decorating one's yard has been increasingly more colorful and complex with large animated displays being used in some yards.

Over the years, Halloween has become a very large commercial activity and event. Billions of dollars are spent each year in costumes, candy and other displays.

Similarly, Christmas is the largest of commercial holidays and is associated with the display of a Christmas tree with decorative ornaments. Christmas is likewise associated with Santa Claus and other colorful characters, such as snowmen, etc. As with Halloween, large decorative figures, such as Santa Claus, are often displayed both inside and outside the home.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one embodiment, a self-standing toy skeleton display includes a skeleton body that has a human form and is made of a plurality of connectable body parts that are each formed of bone structures. The connectable body parts at least includes a torso part that extends from a pelvic bone to a bottom end of a femur bone and a lower body part that extends from a top end of a tibia bone to foot bones. The skeleton toy display also includes an inner frame for supporting the skeleton in a standing manner. The inner frame passes through the femur bone and the tibia bone and is formed of separate upper and lower frame members that interlockingly mate with one another at an interface between the femur bones and the tibia bones. The lower frame member includes a pair of ground contacting portions that are mounted to an underside of the feet of the skeleton body with at least a portion of the ground contacting portion being located behind a heel portion of the foot to allow the assembled body parts of the skeleton to stand upright in a self-supporting manner, while permitting lower extremities thereof to move and be adjusted.

It will be appreciated that the self-standing toy that is discussed herein is not limited to being a skeleton figure and other characters, such as Santa Claus, a Snowman, etc., can be made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

These and other aspects, features and advantages shall be apparent from the accompanying Drawings and description of certain embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a standing skeleton according to one embodiment of the present invention without the inner frame showing a first assembly step;

FIG. 2 is front view of a standing skeleton of FIG. 1 without the inner frame and in a fully assembled condition;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a standing skeleton if FIG. 1 without the inner frame showing a tray being supported by the skeleton;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of a skull of the skeleton of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front view of a skeleton showing a bone structure that is common to the standing skeleton of FIG. 1 showing the support frame of the standing skeleton of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a lower extremity of the skeleton showing a portion of the support frame including ground contacting supports;

FIG. 7 is a front view of a pelvic region of the skeleton showing a portion of the support frame;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the pelvic region of the skeleton showing the portion of the support frame;

FIG. 9 is a close-up of a ground contacting portion of an inner frame of the skeleton;

FIG. 10 is a front view of a standing skeleton according to another embodiment of the present invention without the inner frame showing a first assembly step;

FIG. 11 is a front view of a display figure according to yet another embodiment of the present invention without the inner frame showing a first assembly step; and

FIG. 12 is a front view of a standing skeleton according to one embodiment of the present invention showing the inner frame.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, a standing skeleton 100 is illustrated in FIGS. 1-9. It will be appreciated that for simplicity FIGS. 1-4 illustrate the standing skeleton 100 without its inner frame 500 that is responsible for maintaining the skeleton 100 in an upright position, while permitting movement thereof. The standing skeleton 100 includes 4 major components, namely, a skull 110, an upper body part 120, a torso part 150 and a lower body part 170.

The skull 110 includes synthetic hair 112 and can wear a cap 114 that conceals a compartment 116 that stores an energy source, such as batteries 118. The compartment 116 can include a removable cover that covers the batteries 118 or the compartment can only be covered by the cap 114 which in this case includes a section 119 that can be lifted to reveal and permit access to the batteries 118. A control switch 115 is also provided for selecting a mode of operation as described below.

The skull 110 includes a coupling post 117 which has the appearance and is located where the neck vertebra are located.

The upper body part 120 is formed of a number of different bones and generally extends from the collar bone 122 to the lower vertebra 124 of the spine. More specifically, the upper body part 120 includes the rib cage 126 and the upper extremities of the body including the left and right humerus 127, ulna 128, radius 129, wrist 130 and fingers 132. The vertebra 124 acts as a coupling member and pivot axis that permits the upper body part 120 to be attached to the torso part 150. In other words, the vertebra 124 is in the form of a post-like structure that can be received within a complementary opening for coupling the upper body part 120 to another component, in this case the torso part 150.

At the top of the upper body part 120, a lower neck vertebra 121 is provided and includes an opening or hole for receiving the coupling post 117 of the skull for securely attaching the skull 110 to the upper body part 120. It will be appreciated that this type of attachment permits pivotal movement of the skull 110 relative to the upper body part 120.

The torso body part 150 generally extends from the pelvis area 152 to the knee cap 154 (bottom of the femur). The torso body part 150 includes the bones that make up the pelvis 152 and the left and right femur 156.

The lower body part 170 generally extends from below the knee cap to the foot bones 172. In particular, the lower body part 170 includes the left and right tibia 174, fibula 175, ankle 176 and foot bones 172.

As will be appreciated from FIGS. 1-4 and from the below discussion, the skeleton can be decorated with clothing and other accessories.

In accordance with the present invention, the standing skeleton 100 includes an inner frame 500 that permits the skeleton 100 to be self-standing, while permitting adjustment of the skeleton 100. FIGS. 5-9 show one exemplary inner frame 500 for supporting the skeleton 100. The inner frame 500 extends from the lower body part 170 to the torso part 150 and is configured to support the skeleton 100. The inner frame 500 is generally in the form of a number of shaped, hollow support members (tube members) that interconnect with another for coupling the different parts of the skeleton 100. It will be appreciated that sections of the inner frame 500 pass through hollow portions of the bones.

The inner frame 500 includes a ground contacting portion 510 in the form of a ground contacting plate that is attached to one foot 172 (best shown in FIG. 9). More specifically, the ground contacting portion 510 includes a first plate 512 that extends below the foot 172 and extends from a heel portion thereof to or proximate to the ends of the toes. The first plate 512 can have a rectangular shape and is attached (mounted) to an underside of the foot using conventional means including but not limited to using fasteners (e.g., screws, rivets, etc.). The ground contact portion 510 also includes a second plate 514 that is attached to the end of the first plate 512 that is near the heel portion of the foot. The second plate 514 extends outwardly from one side edge of the first plate 512. FIG. 9 shows the first and second plates 512, 514 with reference character “C” being a connection point between the plates 512, 514 using a fastener or the like. Reference character “B” represents the location of the foot bones beyond a front edge of the first section 512 and reference character “A” represents the location of where the heel of the foot rests when the assembled plates 512, 514 are mounted to the foot.

The first and second plates 512, 514 are attached to one another and in the assembled condition, assume an L-shape with the second plate 514 having a shorter length. In other words, the second plate 514 can be mounted generally perpendicular to the first plate 512. The first and second plates 512, 514 can be formed of a number of different materials and preferably are formed of metal.

The inner frame 500 also includes a first vertical support 520 that is attached at one end of the first plate 512. For example, the first vertical support 520 can be attached to the heel portion of the first plate 512. The first vertical support 520 can be in the form of a tubular member. As shown in FIG. 1, the first vertical support 520 terminates in a free end 522 that extends above the tibia bone. As described below, the free end 522 includes a releasable locking mechanism that permits the lower body part 170 to be coupled to the torso part 150.

The first vertical support 520 passes through the hollow interior of the tibia bone and therefore is not visible along most of the length of the tibia bone. The first vertical support 520 can be a metal tube. The attachment between the tubular member and the first plate 512 can be accomplished using conventional techniques, including welding.

The inner frame 500 also includes a second vertical support 530 that terminates in a free end 532. The second vertical support 530 has a first section 535 that extends within the hollow interior of the femur bone and exits the top of the femur bone. A second section 536 is a curved section that passes behind and along the rear of the pelvic (hip) girdle (pelvis) toward the vertebra. The second section 536 is attached to the vertebra above the sacrum. FIGS. 7 and 8 show the curved second section 536. The second section 536 thus mounts the upper femur to the vertebra. When the skeleton 100 is assembled, the curved second section 536 is located generally above the rear part (second section 514) of the ground contact portion 510. The second section 536 can thus be thought of as a cross bar for the frame assembly. This arrangement provides increased stability and support to the skeleton 100.

The second section 536 and the first section 535 can be part of the same tubular or rod-like structure. In other words, the sections 535, 536 are part of a preformed, shaped metal structure.

As described below, the free end 532 includes a releasable locking mechanism that mates with the free end 522. For example, as shown in the exploded partial view of FIG. 1, the free end 522 includes a male component (pin) 540 that mates with a female component (slot) 550 of the free end 532. More specifically, the pin 540 extends outwardly from the side of the free end 522 and the slot 550 is formed in the free end 532 and is open along a bottom edge thereof. The slot 550 includes a locking channel 552 that is open along the bottom edge thereof and is in communication with a locking opening 554 at a closed end of the locking channel 552. The locking opening 554 can be a curved slot.

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a method of assembling the standing skeleton. To couple the lower body part 170 to the torso part 150, the free ends 522 are inserted into the open free ends 532 with the locking pins 540 being aligned with the locking channels 552. As the tubes 520, 535 are mated together, the pins 540 slide upwardly along the respective locking channels 552 until the pins 540 can communicate with the slots 550. The lower body part 170 is then rotated (twisted) relative to the torso part 150 in order to engage the locking pins 540 which also places the feet in their correct position. When disassembling the skeleton 100, the above procedure is reversed.

Next, the upper body part 120 is mounted to the torso 150 by inserting the post (vertebra 124) into a complementary opening of the torso 150 for coupling the upper body part 120 to the torso part 150. The animated skull 110 is mounted to the upper body part 120 by inserting the neck vertebra into the opening of the vertebra. The left to right “turning” of the head can be adjusted by manually turning the head to the desired position.

FIG. 2 shows the fully assembled skeleton 100. FIG. 2 also shows a tray support bracket 590 that is located on the front of the spin of the skeleton 100. The backside of a tray 700 is placed on the bracket 590. The tray 700 is thus designed to be attached to the bracket 590. For example, an underside of the tray 700 can include an opening or slot that received the bracket 590. Once the tray 700 is attached to the bracket 590, a strap 710 is attached around the neck of the skeleton 100. The strap holding the tray 700 can easily be adjusted by shortening or lengthening the strap 710. It will be appreciated that other means can be used to hold the tray 700 instead of a strap. For example, a pot, as shown in FIG. 10, can be secured to an arm of the figure.

FIG. 3 shows the tray 700 and strap 710 in place. The tray assembly and inner frame 500 are configured to hold up to 30 pounds of candy or the like. Once again, other type of container structures can be used.

Once the skeleton 100 is fully assembled, the arms and hands, which have “ball joints,” and the forearms, which have an “adjustable self-locking joint,” can be positioned for effect.

It will be appreciated that unlike traditional skeletons which are either hung or staked in the ground, the skeleton 100 of the present invention is a self-standing structure that can support weight. The inner frame 500 is conveniently formed of a number of interlockable support members that join the major parts together. In addition, the “bent” second section 536 creates a rear mounting location and distributes weight to allow the skeleton 100 to be self-standing. The inner frame 500 is pivotable enough so that it has a degree of movement that allows movement of the legs and other body parts.

While the inner frame 500 is typically made of metal to add weight and support to the skeleton 100, the bones of the skeleton are formed of suitable synthetic materials, such as plastics and the like and are hollow to allow passage of the inner frame 500. The inner frame 500 also properly balances the skeleton 100 to allow the skeleton to stand upright.

It will also be appreciated that while, the illustrated drawings show a skeleton 100 that is suitable for Halloween, the inner frame 500 can be used in other toy displays that are used for other holidays. For example, the inner frame 500 can be used with Santa displays or other displays bodies, such as a snowman or the like. In other words, the inner frame 500 can be incorporated into any number of different bodies that have different appearances, with the illustrated skeleton being merely one exemplary type of body in which the inner frame 500 is incorporated.

FIG. 10 discloses a standing skeleton 600 that is similar to skeleton 100 and includes inner frame 500 (FIG. 5). As with the skeleton 100, the skeleton 600 includes 4 major components, namely, a skull 110, an upper body part 120, a torso part 150 and a lower body part 170. The outfit of the skeleton 600 is different from the skeleton 100, which has a vendor outfit, and in particular, the skeleton 600 has a chef outfit. The chef's outfit includes a chef hat and an apron. The skeleton 600 holds a spoon 610 in one hand and a pot 620 in the other hand. The pot 620 can contain items, such as candy. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the spoon 610 and pot 620 has glow-in-the-dark properties. The skeleton 600 includes illuminated eyeballs 630. The eyeballs 630 can likewise have glow-in-the-dark properties.

FIG. 11 discloses another self-standing figure in a form other than a skeleton. More specifically, FIG. 11 discloses a FIG. 650 in the form of Santa Claus. It will be appreciated that FIG. 11 illustrates that the inner frame 500 (FIG. 5) shown in the earlier figures can be used in other non-skeleton displays where bones are not shown. The inner frame 500 can be incorporated into the legs of the Santa Claus display figure. As with the skeleton, the Santa Claus FIG. 650 has moving parts, including a moving head and the arms can be posed. The upper body of the FIG. 650 can move side-to-side from the waist up. However, the inner frame 500 serves the same purpose as in the skeleton 100 in that it provides the proper weighting and balancing to permit the FIG. 100 to be self-standing.

FIG. 12 discloses a skeleton 800 that is similar to skeleton 100 and includes the inner frame 500 as previously described for supporting the skeleton 800. The skeleton 800 also includes additional features, such as one or more bones 810 that glow-in-the-dark. For example, the skull 110, femur 820, tibia 822, humerus 824, and ulna 826 bones can glow due to the material characteristics of these bones. In other words, specific bones can be formed of glow-in-the-dark material and other surrounding bones are formed of different material that does not have glow-in-the-dark properties. In addition, an illuminating source, such as a strobe light 830, can be provided within the ribcage 850 of the skeleton. The strobe light 830 can be mounted along the spine 860 or to one or more ribs and includes an accessible switch to allow the strobe light 830 to be turned on and off.

The skeleton 800 can further include eyeballs 870 that can be illuminated, animated eyeballs disposed within the eye sockets. In particular, the eyeballs 870 are in communication with a light source and can move so as to create an effect.

In yet another embodiment, specific bones can have a color changing glow in that different regions of the same bone can glow in different colors. For example, one bone can glow in at least two different colors (e.g., three different colors). For example, the center of the bone can glow one color (red, green or blue) and the edges of the bone can glow another color (red, green or blue). The strobe light 830 can be a multi-color strobe light that is located within the ribcage to provide multi-color illumination of the skeleton.

It will be appreciated that the present invention is directed to a self-standing figure that incorporates an inner frame member 500 that is carefully designed to allow the figure to stand by itself in a balanced manner The inner frame 500 is incorporated into the figure so that it is obscured by other parts of the figure and thus provides a pleasing appearance.

While the invention has been described in connection with certain embodiments thereof, the invention is capable of being practiced in other forms and using other materials and structures. Accordingly, the invention is defined by the recitations in the claims appended hereto and equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A self-standing toy skeleton display comprising:

a human skeleton body made of a plurality of connectable body parts that are each formed of bone structures; and

an inner frame that includes a pair of ground contacting portions that are mounted to an underside of the feet of the skeleton body, the inner frame having first sections that pass through lower extremities of the skeleton body, the first sections being mounted to the ground contacting portions to allow the assembled body parts of the skeleton to stand upright in a self-supporting manner.

2. The skeleton display of claim 1, wherein the connectable body parts include a skull, an upper body part that includes ribs and upper extremities; a torso part including pelvic bones and femur bones and a lower body part including lower extremities including the feet and tibia bones, wherein the inner frame includes exposed components at ends of the femur bones and ends of the tibia bones, the exposed components permitting detachable coupling between the torso and lower body parts.

3. The skeleton display of claim 2, wherein the bone structures are formed of a plastic material and the inner frame is formed of a metal.

4. The skeleton display of claim 2, wherein the inner frame includes one section that is part of the torso part and another section including the first sections and ground contacting portions that are part of the lower body part.

5. The skeleton display of claim 1, wherein the inner frame passes through the femur bones and the tibia bones and is formed of separate frame components that interlockingly mate with one another at an interface between the femur bones and the tibia bones.

6. The skeleton display of claim 5, wherein the first section include a pin that is received within a locking channel that is formed in a protrusion that extends beyond the femur, the locking channel having a locking slot such that when the pin is received within the locking channel aligned with the locking slot, rotation of the lower body part causes the pin to be lockingly received within the locking slot, thereby coupling the torso part to the lower body part and causing the feet to be properly positioned in an anatomically correct position.

7. The skeleton display of claim 1, wherein the inner frame comprises metal tubes that at least partially extend through hollow bones.

8. The skeleton display of claim 4, wherein the one section includes a curved support member that extends outwardly from a top of the femur bone and is bent to extend along a rear of the pelvic bone to spine vertebrae in which the curved support member is fixedly attached.

9. The skeleton display of claim 1, wherein the ground contacting portion comprises an L-shaped member that has a first section that lies underneath the foot bones and a second section that protrudes outwardly from an edge of the first section and is located behind a heel portion of the foot.

10. A self-standing toy skeleton display comprising:

a human skeleton body made of a plurality of connectable body parts that are each formed of bone structures, the connectable body parts at least including a torso part that extends from a pelvic bone to a bottom end of a femur bone and a lower body part that extends from a top end of a tibia bone to foot bones; and

an inner frame for supporting the skeleton in a standing manner, the inner frame passing through the femur bone and the tibia bone and is formed of separate upper and lower frame members that interlockingly mate with one another at an interface between the femur bones and the tibia bones, the lower frame member including a pair of ground contacting portions that are mounted to an underside of the feet of the skeleton body with at least a portion of the ground contacting portion being located behind a heel portion of the foot to allow the assembled body parts of the skeleton to stand upright in a self-supporting manner, while permitting lower extremities thereof to move and be adjusted.

11. The skeleton display of claim 10, wherein the ground contacting portion comprises an L-shaped support member with a first section extending underneath the foot which is attached thereto and a second section extending outwardly from one end of the first section, the second section being the portion that is located behind the heel portion of the foot.

12. The skeleton display of claim 10, wherein the upper frame member extends continuously within the femur and exits at a top end of the femur bone and has a curved section that extends outwardly from the top of the femur bone and is bent to extend along a rear of the pelvic bone to spine vertebrae in which the upper frame member is fixedly attached.

13. The skeleton display of claim 10, wherein at least some of the bone structures have glow-in-the-dark properties.

14. The skeleton display of claim 10, further including an illumination source that is disposed within a ribcage of the skeleton for illumination the bone structures.

15. A self-standing toy figure comprising:

a human body made of a plurality of connectable body parts at least including a head, an upper body part including upper extremities, a torso part that extends from a pelvic bone to a bottom end of a femur bone and a lower body part that extends from a top end of a tibia bone to foot bones; and

an inner frame for supporting the figure in a standing manner, the inner frame including a pair of ground contacting portions that are disposed at least partially beneath feet of the figure and a pair of vertical support members that are integral to the ground contacting portions and are at least partially passed through interior locations of the lower body part and the torso part, wherein at least a portion of each ground contacting portion is located behind a heel portion of the foot to allow the assembled body parts of the figure to stand upright in a self-supporting manner, while permitting lower extremities thereof to move and be adjusted.

16. The figure of claim 15, wherein the body has an appearance selected from the group consisting of Santa Claus, a skeleton, and a snowman.

17. The figure of claim 15, wherein the inner frame passes through a femur bone and a tibia bone and is formed of separate upper and lower frame members that interlockingly mate with one another at an interface between the femur bones and the tibia bones, the upper and lower frame members being part of the vertical support members with the lower frame member being integrally coupled to the respective ground contacting portion.