TRANSFORMABLE TOY

Abstract

A transformable toy includes a transformable assembly, a bottom locking member, a top locking member and a resilient set. The transformable assembly includes a bottom plate and a top plate. The bottom locking member is disposed on the bottom plate and includes a bottom hook. The top locking member is disposed on the top plate and includes a top hook. The top locking member is able to be driven by a downward force to engage the top hook with the bottom hook. The bottom hook is able to be driven by an upward force opposite to the downward force to be disengaged from the top hook.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Taiwanese Invention Patent Application No. 109119316, filed on Jun. 9, 2020.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a toy, and more particularly to a transformable toy.

BACKGROUND

A conventional transformable toy includes an outer shell that is operable to switch between a compressed state and a stretched state, a resilient member that resiliently biases the outer shell for switching the outer shell into the stretched state, and a latch member that separably interconnects two end portions of the outer shell so that the outer shell remains in the compressed state.

However, the latch member needs to be manually separated from either of the end portions of the outer shell so as to disconnect the end portions from each other. Moreover, the direction in which the outer shell stretches may differ from the direction in which the resilient member stretches. As such, the outer shell may not be smoothly stretched by the resilient member to be switched into the stretched state.

SUMMARY

Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a transformable toy that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.

According to the disclosure, the transformable toy includes a transformable assembly, a bottom locking member, a top locking member, and a resilient set. The transformable assembly includes a bottom plate, and a top plate that is spaced apart from the bottom plate in an up-down direction. The transformable assembly is operable to be stretched and compressed in the up-down direction. The bottom locking member is disposed on the bottom plate and includes a bottom hook. The top locking member is disposed on the top plate and includes a top hook that is able to removably engage the bottom hook. The resilient set is disposed in the transformable assembly, and resiliently biases the top plate away from the bottom plate. The top locking member is able to be driven by a downward force to engage the top hook with the bottom hook, and the bottom hook is able to be driven by an upward force opposite to the downward force to be disengaged from the top hook.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a transformable toy according to the disclosure in a stretched state;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view illustrating a first resilient member and a lower connecting member of the embodiment that engage each other;

FIG. 5 is a top view illustrating a second resilient member and an upper connecting member of the embodiment that engage each other;

FIG. 6 is a top view illustrating the first resilient member and a bottom connecting body of the embodiment that engage each other;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, sectional view illustrating the second resilient member and a top locking member of the embodiment that engage each other;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view illustrating the embodiment subjected to a downward force;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view illustrating the embodiment in a compressed state; and

FIG. 10 is a sectional view illustrating the embodiment subjected to two upward forces.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the disclosure is described in greater detail, it should be noted that where considered appropriate, reference numerals or terminal portions of reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements, which may optionally have similar characteristics.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, an embodiment of a transformable toy 100 according to the disclosure includes a transformable assembly 1, a bottom locking member 2, a top locking member 3, and a resilient set 4.

The transformable assembly 1 includes a lower transformable body 11, an upper transformable body 12, and a connecting unit 13. The lower transformable body 11 includes a bottom member 110, a lower member 111, and a plurality of lower connecting films 112. The bottom member 110 includes a bottom plate 113, and a plurality of bottom connecting plates 114 that surround the bottom plate 113. The bottom plate 113 is formed with a bottom opening 115 that is at the center thereof, and a plurality of bottom holes 116 that are spaced apart from and surround the bottom opening 115. Each of the bottom connecting plates 114 is foldably connected to a periphery of the bottom plate 113 at an inner edge thereof, and has an outer edge that is opposite to the inner edge. The lower member 111 is located above the bottom member 110 in an up-down direction (Z), and has a structure similar to that of the bottom member 110. The lower member 111 includes a lower plate 117 that is located above the bottom plate 113 in the up-down direction (Z), and a plurality of lower connecting plates 118 that surround the lower plate 117. The lower plate 117 is formed with a lower opening 119 that is at the center thereof. Each of the lower connecting plates 118 is foldably connected to a periphery of the lower plate 117 at an inner edge thereof, and has an outer edge that is opposite to the inner edge and that abuts against the outer edge of a respective one of the bottom connecting plates 114. Each of the lower connecting films 112 (which may be configured as adhesive tapes) attaches the outer edge of a respective one of the lower connecting plates 118 to the outer edge of the corresponding one of the bottom connecting plates 114 so that a distance between the inner edges of each of the lower connecting plates 118 and the corresponding one of the bottom connecting plates 114 is adjustable (i.e., a distance between the lower plate 117 and the bottom plate 113 is adjustable).

The upper transformable body 12 of the transformable assembly 1 has a structure that is similar to that of the lower transformable body 11 of the transformable assembly 1, but a size of the upper transformable body 12 is substantially smaller than that of the lower transformable body 11. The upper transformable body 12 is located above the lower transformable body 11 in the up-down direction (Z), and includes an upper member 120, a top member 121, and a plurality of upper connecting films 122. The upper member 120 includes an upper plate 123, and a plurality of upper connecting plates 124 that surround the upper plate 123. Each of the upper connecting plates 124 is foldably connected to a periphery of the upper plate 123 at an inner edge thereof, and has an outer edge that is opposite to the inner edge. The upper plate 123 is disposed on a top end of the lower plate 117 of the lower member 111 of the lower transformable body 11, and is formed with an upper opening 125 that is at the center thereof. The upper opening 125 is connected to a top end of the lower opening 119 of the lower plate 117 so that the upper opening 125 communicates with the lower opening 119. The top member 121 is located above the upper member 120 in the up-down direction (Z), and has a structure similar to that of the upper member 120. The top member 121 includes a top plate 126 that is located above the upper plate 123 in the up-down direction (Z) and that is spaced apart from the bottom plate 113 of the bottom member 110 of the lower transformable body 11 in the up-down direction (Z), and a plurality of top connecting plates 127 that surround the top plate 126. The top plate 126 is formed with two top holes 128 that are spaced apart from each other in a first transverse direction (X) (e.g., a front-rear direction) substantially perpendicular to the up-down direction (Z). Each of the top connecting plates 127 is foldably connected to a periphery of the top plate 126 at an inner edge thereof, and has an outer edge that is opposite to the inner edge and that abuts against the outer edge of a respective one of the upper connecting plates 124. Each of the upper connecting films 122 (which may be configured as adhesive tapes) attaches the outer edge of a respective one of the top connecting plates 127 to the outer edge of the corresponding one of the upper connecting plates 124 so that a distance between the inner edges of each of the top connecting plates 127 and the corresponding one of the upper connecting plates 124 is adjustable (i.e., a distance between the top plate 126 and the upper plate 123 is adjustable).

It should be noted that in this embodiment, the bottom member 110 and the lower member 111 of the lower transformable body 11, and the upper member 120 and the top member 121 of the upper transformable body 12 of the transformable assembly 1 are all made of paperboard (i.e., paper-based material). However, in one or more other embodiments, the bottom member 110, the lower member 111, the upper member 120, and the top member 121 may be made of a plastic material. Furthermore, the bottom plate 113 and the lower plate 117 of the lower transformable body 11, and the upper plate 123 and the top plate 126 of the upper transformable body 12 are each exemplarily illustrated as a polygon with six sides in this embodiment. In other embodiments, each of the bottom plate 113, the lower plate 117, the upper plate 123 and the top plate 126 can be a polygon with more or less than six sides according to actual requirements.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the connecting unit 13 of the transformable assembly 1 includes a lower connecting member 130 and an upper connecting member 131. The lower connecting member 130 has a lower connecting annular board 132, a plurality of lower fastening hooks 133, and a lower positioning protrusion 134. The lower connecting annular board 132 abuts against a bottom surface of the lower plate 117 of the lower transformable body 11, and is formed with a lower connecting opening 135 at the center thereof. The lower connecting opening 135 is connected to a bottom end of the lower opening 119 of the lower plate 117 so that the lower connecting opening 135 communicates with the lower opening 119. The lower fastening hooks 133 extend from a top surface of the lower connecting annular board 132, surround the lower connecting opening 135, and are equiangularly spaced apart from each other about the lower connecting opening 135. The lower positioning protrusion 134 extends from a bottom surface of the lower connecting annular board 132, and is formed with a lower positioning groove 136.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, the upper connecting member 131 has an upper connecting annular board 137 and an upper positioning protrusion 138. The upper connecting annular board 137 abuts against a top surface of the upper plate 123 of the upper transformable body 12, and is formed with an upper connecting opening 139 at the center thereof. The upper connecting opening 139 is connected to a top end of the upper opening 125 of the upper plate 123 so that the upper connecting opening 139 communicates with the upper opening 125. The upper positioning protrusion 138 extends from a top surface of the upper connecting annular board 137, and is formed with an upper positioning groove 140. With the lower connecting opening 135 of the lower connecting annular board 132 of the lower connecting member 130 being connected to the bottom end of the lower opening 119 of the lower plate 117 of the lower member 111, with the upper opening 125 being connected to the top end of the lower opening 119, and with the upper connecting opening 139 being connected to the top end of the upper opening 125, the connecting unit 13 of the transformable assembly 1 cooperates with the lower plate 117 and the upper plate 123 to define a channel 14 that communicates the lower transformable body 11 and the upper transformable body 12. The lower fastening hooks 133 of the lower connecting member 130 extend through the lower opening 119, the upper opening 125 and the upper connecting opening 139 to engage the top surface of the upper connecting annular board 137 so as to allow the connecting unit 13 to interconnect the lower plate 117 and the upper plate 123 fixedly.

Therefore, since the lower connecting annular board 132 of the lower connecting member 130 and the upper connecting annular board 137 of the upper connecting member 131 of the connecting unit 13 cooperatively clamp the lower plate 117 of the lower member 111 of the lower transformable body 11 and the upper plate 123 of the upper member 120 of the upper transformable body 12, and since the lower fastening hooks 133 of the lower connecting member 130 of the connecting unit 13 engage the top surface of the upper connecting annular board 137, the transformable assembly 1 can remain stable while being operated to stretch and compress in the up-down direction (Z).

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, the bottom locking member 2 includes a bottom plate body 21 and a bottom connecting body 22. The bottom plate body 21 has a base board 210, a blocking board 211, and a plurality of bottom fastening hooks 212 that extend from a top surface of the base board 210. The base board 210 abuts against a bottom surface of the bottom plate 113 of the bottom member 110, and is formed with two base openings 213. The base openings 213 are spaced apart from each other in a second transverse direction (Y) (e.g., a left-right direction) substantially perpendicular to the up-down direction (Z) and to the first transverse direction (X). The blocking board 211 extends from the center of the top surface of the base board 210, and is spaced apart from and disposed between the base openings 213. The bottom fastening hooks 212 are equiangularly spaced apart from each other about a central axis of the base board 210, and each of the bottom fastening hooks 212 extends through and engages a respective one of the bottom holes 116 of the bottom plate 113.

The bottom connecting body 22 has a bottom connecting annular board 220, two bottom hooks 221, and a bottom positioning protrusion 222. The bottom connecting annular board 220 abuts against a top surface of the bottom plate 113 of the bottom member 110, and is formed with a bottom connecting opening 223, and a plurality of bottom fastening openings 224. The bottom connecting opening 223 is connected to atop end of the bottom opening 115 of the bottom plate 113 so that the bottom connecting opening 223 communicates with the bottom opening 115, and is for being extended through by the blocking board 211 of the bottom plate body 21 of the bottom locking member 2. The bottom fastening openings 224 are spaced apart from and surround the bottom connecting opening 223, and are equiangularly spaced apart from each other. Each of the bottom fastening openings 224 allows a respective one of the bottom fastening hooks 212 of the bottom plate body 21 to extend therethrough and engage therewith so that the bottom connecting annular board 220 is engaged with the bottom fastening hooks 212.

The bottom hooks 221 of the bottom connecting body of the bottom locking member 2 are integrally connected to the bottom connecting annular board 220 of the bottom connecting body 22, and are spaced apart from each other in the second transverse direction (Y) and are in mirror symmetry (i.e., the bottom hooks 221 are mirror images of each other) with respect to a plane passing through a central axis of the bottom connecting annular board 220 which extends in the up-down direction (Z). In addition, the bottom hooks 221 are located at two opposite sides of the bottom connecting opening 223 of the bottom connecting annular board 220 and the blocking board 211 of the bottom plate body 21 of the bottom locking member 2 is spaced apart from and disposed between the bottom hooks 221. Each of the bottom hooks 221 has a cantilever arm 225 and an engaging arm 226. The cantilever arm 225 of each of the bottom hooks 221 extends in the second transverse direction (Y), and has an end that is integrally connected to the bottom connecting annular board 220 and that cooperates with the bottom connecting annular board 220 to define two gaps 227 (see FIG. 6) spaced apart from each other in the first transverse direction (X). The engaging arm 226 of each of the bottom hooks 221 has an engaging arm section 228 and a force-receiving section 229. The engaging arm section 228 of the engaging arm 226 of each of the bottom hooks 221 is integrally connected to a free end of the cantilever arm 225 of the bottom hook 221 that is distal from the bottom connecting annular board 220, and protrudes from a top surface of the cantilever arm 225 of the bottom hook 221. Furthermore, the engaging arm section 228 of each of the bottom hooks 221 has a bottom hook part 230. The bottom hook part 230 of each of the bottom hooks 221 is adjacent to a top end of the engaging arm section 228 of the bottom hook 221, and has an upward-facing inclined surface 231 with a bottom end that is more protruding laterally than a top end thereof. The force-receiving section 229 of each of the bottom hooks 221 is formed at a bottom end of the engaging arm section 228 of the bottom hook 221, and protrudes from a bottom surface of the cantilever arm 225 of the bottom hook 221. In addition, the force-receiving section 229 of each of the bottom hooks 221 extends through a respective one of the base openings 213 so as to partly protrude from a bottom surface of the base board 210. The force-receiving section 229 of each of the bottom hooks 221 has a sharpened end part 232. The sharpened end part 232 of each of the bottom hooks 221 is located at a bottom end of the force-receiving section 229 of the bottom hook 221, protrudes from the bottom surface of the base board 210, and is for receiving an upward force (P) (see FIG. 10) so as to resiliently bend the cantilever arm 225 and the engaging arm section 228 of the bottom hook 221. In this embodiment, a length (L1, see FIG. 3) of the engaging arm section 228 of each of the bottom hooks 221 in the up-down direction (Z) is greater than a length (L2, see FIG. 3) of the force-receiving section 229 of the bottom hook 221 in the up-down direction (Z). The bottom positioning protrusion 222 of the bottom connecting body 22 protrudes from a top surface of the bottom connecting annular board 220 and is formed with a bottom positioning groove 233.

The bottom plate body 21 and the bottom connecting body 22 of the bottom locking member 2 are prevented from rotating relative to each other by virtue of each of the bottom fastening hooks 212 of the bottom plate body 21 extending through and engaging the corresponding one of the bottom fastening openings 224, and are prevented from being separated by virtue of the bottom fastening hooks 212 engaging the bottom connecting annular board 220 of the bottom connecting body 22. Furthermore, since the base board 210 of the bottom plate body 21 and the bottom connecting annular board 220 of the bottom connecting body 22 cooperatively clamp the bottom plate 113 of the bottom member 110 of the lower transformable body 11, and since each of the abovementioned bottom fastening hooks 212 extends through and engages the corresponding one of the bottom holes 116 of the bottom plate 113, the bottom locking member 2 is able to be fixedly disposed on the bottom plate 113.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 7, the top locking member 3 includes a top plate body 31 and a top connecting body 32. The top plate body 31 has a top board 310, and two top fastening hooks 311, 312 that extend from a bottom surface of the top board 310. The top board 310 abuts against a top surface of the top plate 126 of the top member 121 of the upper transformable body 12. The top fastening hooks 311, 312 are spaced apart from each other in the first transverse direction (X). One of the top fastening hooks 311 extends through and engages one of the top holes 128 of the top plate 126. The other one of the top fastening hooks 312 extends through and engages the other one of the top holes 128. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the other one of the top fastening hooks 312 is formed with a hook gap 313 that is substantially in the middle of the other one of the top fastening hooks 312, and that extends from the bottom surface of the top board 310 to a free end of the other one of the top fastening hooks 312 in the up-down direction (Z).

The top connecting body 32 of the top locking member 3 has a column 320, and two top hooks 321 that extend from a bottom end of the column 320. The column 320 abuts against a bottom surface of the top plate 126 of the top member 121 of the upper transformable body 12, allows the top fastening hooks 311, 312 to engage with the bottom end of the column 320, and has a top positioning groove 322 that is formed in a top surface of the column 320. The top positioning groove 322 extends from an outer surrounding surface of the column 320 radially and inwardly. The top hooks 321 are for respectively engaging the bottom hooks 221 of the bottom connecting body 22 of the bottom locking member 2, and are spaced apart from each other in the second transverse direction (Y) and are in mirror symmetry with respect to a plane passing through a central axis of the column 320 which extends in the up-down direction (Z). In addition, each of the top hooks 321 has a top hook part 323 that is adjacent to a bottom end thereof. The top hook part 323 of each of the top hooks 321 is able to removably engage the bottom hook part 230 of the engaging arm 226 of the respective one of the bottom hooks 221 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). Furthermore, the top hook part 323 of each of the top hooks 321 has a downward-facing inclined surface 324 with a top end that is more protruding laterally than a bottom end thereof. The downward-facing inclined surface 324 of each of the top hooks 321 is able to be in slidable contact with the upward-facing inclined surface 231 of the respective one of the bottom hooks 221 so as to resiliently bend the engaging arm 226 of the respective one of the bottom hooks 221, so that the bottom hook part 230 of the respective one of the bottom hooks 221 is able to engage the top hook part 323.

The top plate body 31 and the top connecting body 32 of the top locking member 3 are prevented from rotating relative to each other by virtue of the top hooks 321 of the top connecting body 32 respectively abutting against two opposite lateral ends of each of the top fastening hooks 311, 312 of the top plate body 31 to restrain rotation of the top fastening hooks 311, 312. In addition, the top plate body 31 and the top connecting body 32 are prevented from being separated from each other by virtue of the top fastening hooks 311, 312 engaging the bottom end of the column 320 of the top connecting body 32. Furthermore, since the top board 310 of the top plate body 31 and the column 320 cooperatively clamp the top plate 126 of the top member 121 of the upper transformable body 12, and since the top fastening hooks 311, 312 respectively extend through and engage the top holes 128 of the top plate 126 of the top member 121, and also engage the bottom end of the column 320, the top locking member 3 is able to be fixedly disposed on the top plate 126.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 6, the resilient set 4 includes a first resilient member 41 and a second resilient member 42 that are both stretchable and compressible in the up-down direction (Z). In this embodiment, a compression spring that is stretchable and compressible in the up-down direction (Z) is used as an example for illustrating the first resilient member 41, and a conical spring that is stretchable and compressible in the up-down direction (Z) is used as an example for illustrating the second resilient member 42. The first resilient member 41 is disposed in the lower transformable body 11 of the transformable assembly 1, and surrounds the engaging arm sections 228 of the bottom hooks 221 of the bottom connecting body 22. The first resilient member 41 has a first bottom end part 411, and a first top end part 412 opposite to the first bottom end part 411. The first bottom end part 411 and the first top end part 412 respectively abut against the top surface of the bottom connecting annular board 220 of the bottom locking member 2 and the bottom surface of the lower connecting annular board 132 of the connecting unit 13. In addition, the first bottom end part 411 engages the bottom positioning groove 233 of the bottom positioning protrusion 222 of the bottom connecting body 22, and the first top end part 412 engages the lower positioning groove 136 of the lower positioning protrusion 134 of the lower connecting member 130. Therefore, the first resilient member 41 is able to be fixedly disposed between the bottom connecting body 22 and the lower connecting member 130 (i.e., in the lower transformable body 11), and is able to resiliently bias the lower connecting member 130 away from the bottom connecting body 22 so that the lower transformable body 11 is resiliently biased.

Further referring to FIGS. 2, 3, 5 and 7, the second resilient member 42 of the resilient set 4 is disposed in the upper transformable body 12 of the transformable assembly 1, and surrounds the top connecting body 32 of the top locking member 3. The second resilient member 42 has a second bottom end part 421, and a second top end part 422 opposite to the second bottom end part 421. The second bottom end part 421 and the second top end part 422 respectively abut against the top surface of the upper connecting annular board 137 of the upper connecting member 131 of the connecting unit 13 and the bottom surface of the top plate 126 of the top member 121 of the upper transformable body 12. In addition, the second bottom end part 421 engages the upper positioning groove 140 of the upper positioning protrusion 138 of the upper connecting member 131, and the second top end part 422 engages the top positioning groove 322 of the column 320 of the top connecting body 32 and the hook gap 313 of the top plate body 31. Therefore, the second resilient member 42 is able to be fixedly disposed between the upper connecting member 131 and the top board 310 of the top plate body 31 (i.e., in the upper transformable body 12), and is able to resiliently bias the top locking member 3 away from the upper connecting member 131 so that the upper transformable body 12 is resiliently biased.

Referring to FIG. 3 again, with the first resilient member 41 and the second resilient member 42 respectively and resiliently biasing the lower transformable body 11 and the upper transformable body 12 of the transformable assembly 1, the inner edge of each of the lower connecting plates 118 of the lower member 111 of the lower transformable body 11 is urged away from the inner edge of the corresponding one of the bottom connecting plates 114 of the bottom member 110 of the lower transformable body 11, and the inner edge of each of the top connecting plates 127 of the top member 121 of the upper transformable body 12 is urged away from the inner edge of the corresponding one of the upper connecting plates 124 of the upper member 120 of the upper transformable body 12. Therefore, the transformable toy 100 is in a stretched state where the resilient set 4 resiliently biases the top plate 126 of the top member 121 away from the bottom plate 113 of the bottom member 110.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 8 and 9, the transformable toy 100 is able to be switched from the stretched state (see FIG. 3) into a compressed state (see FIG. 9) by a downward force (F) exerted on a top surface of the top board 310 of the top plate body 31 of the top locking member 3 by a user. When the downward force (F) is exerted on the top surface of the top board 310, the top locking member 3 is driven to move downward so that the top board 310 that abuts against the top surface of the top plate 126 of the top member 121 of the upper transformable body 12 is able to drive the upper transformable body 12 to move downward, and to urge the inner edge of each of the top connecting plates 127 of the top member 121 to approach the inner edge of the corresponding one of the upper connecting plates 124 of the upper member 120 of the upper transformable body 12. Therefore, the upper transformable body 12 is compressed. At the same time, the upper transformable body 12 drives the connecting unit 13 to move downward to compress the lower transformable body 11 (i.e., the inner edge of each of the lower connecting plates 118 of the lower member 111 of the lower transformable body is urged to approach the inner edge of the corresponding one of the bottom connecting plates 114 of the bottom member 110 of the lower transformable body 11). In addition, the second resilient member 42 is compressed by the top plate 126 driven by the top board 310 and accumulates elastic potential energy, and the first resilient member 41 is compressed by the connecting unit 13 driven by the upper transformable body 12 and the second resilient member 42 and accumulates elastic potential energy.

Next, the engaging arm sections 228 of the engaging arms 226 of the bottom hooks 221 and the top hooks 321 of the top connecting body 32 of the top locking member extends into or through the channel 14 of the transformable assembly 1. After passing through the channel 14, each of the top hooks 321 enters a space between the blocking board 211 of the bottom plate body 21 and the respective one of the bottom hooks 221. It should be noted that the blocking board 211 is for preventing the top hooks 321 and the bottom hooks 221 from being misaligned. Specifically, if there is an unexpected shift in position with any one of the top hooks 321, making the one of the top hooks 321 become aligned with the blocking board 211 in the up-down direction (Z), as the top hooks 321 move downward, the one of the top hooks 321 that shifts will be blocked by a top end of the blocking board 211, so as to prevent the top locking member 3 from moving further downward. Therefore, the top hooks 321 and the bottom hooks 221 are prevented from being misaligned, and the top hooks 321 are ensured to respectively engage the bottom hooks 221.

When each of the top hooks 321 enters the space between the blocking board 211 and the respective one of the bottom hooks 221, the downward-facing inclined surface 324 of the top hook part 323 of the top hook 321 is in slidable contact with the upward-facing inclined surface 231 of the bottom hook part 230 of the respective one of the bottom hooks 221 so as to resiliently bend the cantilever arm 225 and the engaging arm 226 of the respective one of the bottom hooks 221. Therefore, the engaging arms 226 of the bottom hooks 221 are respectively and resiliently bent by the top hooks 321, and respectively move in a first bending direction (R1) and a second bending direction (R2) opposite to the first bending direction (R1) (see FIG. 8).

Then, referring to FIG. 9, when the top hooks 321 are driven to continuously move downward by the downward force (F) (see FIG. 8), the downward-facing inclined surface 324 of the top hook part 323 of each of the top hooks 321 is separated from the upward-facing inclined surface 231 of the bottom hook part 230 of the respective one of the bottom hooks 221 such that the top hooks 321 cease to respectively and resiliently bend the bottom hooks 221. Therefore, the engaging arms 226 respectively move in the second bending direction (R2) and the first bending direction (R1) back to their initial positions, so that the bottom hook part 230 of each of the bottom hooks 221 is able to engage the top hook part 323 of the respective one of the top hooks 321. Consequently, the transformable toy 100 is transformed into the compressed state.

In this embodiment, when the transformable toy 100 is in the compressed state, with the bottom hooks 221 of the bottom locking member 2 respectively engaging the top hooks 321 of the top locking member 3, the bottom locking member 2 is able to restrain upward movement of the top hooks 321, and movement in the second transverse direction (Y) of the top hooks 321.

Therefore, the bottom hooks 221 and the top hooks 321 are prevented from being separated even when an external force in the up-down direction (Z) or in the second transverse direction (Y) is exerted on any one of the transformable assembly 1 and the top locking member 3 of the transformable toy 100. The transformable toy 100 is relatively stable in the compressed state.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 9 and 10, the user can switch the transformable toy 100 from the compressed state (see FIG. 9) into the stretched state (see FIG. 3) in two manners.

In the first manner, the transformable toy 100 is thrown downward to a ground surface 5 with the bottom locking member 2 of the transformable toy 100 facing downward and the bottom hooks 221 of the bottom locking member 2 being substantially perpendicular to the ground 5. When the sharpened end part 232 of the force-receiving section 229 of the engaging arm 226 of each of the bottom hooks 221 is in contact with the ground surface 5, the upward force (P, see FIG. 10) is exerted on the sharpened end part 232 of the bottom hook 221 by the ground surface 5. Then, the sharpened end part 232 of each of the bottom hooks 221 receives the upward force (P) and resiliently bends the cantilever arm 225 and the engaging arm 226 of the bottom hook 221. Thus, the engaging arms 226 of the bottom hooks 221 are driven by the upward forces (P) to respectively move in the first bending direction (R1) and the second bending direction (R2) (see FIG. 10) so that the bottom hook part 230 of the engaging arm 226 of each of the bottom hooks 221 is able to be disengaged from the top hook part 323 of the respective one of the top hooks 321.

When the top hooks 321 of the top locking member 3 are respectively disengaged from the bottom hooks 221 of the bottom locking member 2, the inner edge of each of the lower connecting plates 118 of the lower member 111 of the lower transformable body 11 is urged away from the inner edge of the corresponding one of the bottom connecting plates 114 of the bottom member 110 of the lower transformable body 11 by the elastic potential energy of the first resilient member 41, and the inner edge of each of the top connecting plates 127 of the top member 121 of the upper transformable body 12 is urged away from the inner edge of the corresponding one of the upper connecting plates 124 of the upper member 120 of the upper transformable body 12 by the elastic potential energy of the second resilient member 42. As a result, the transformable toy 100 is able to bounce on the ground surface 5, and swiftly and smoothly switch from the compressed state into the stretched state.

In the second manner, the transformable toy 100 receives a force directly from the user. For example, the upward force (P) can be manually exerted on the sharpened end part 232 of each of the bottom hooks 221 by the user instead of the ground surface 5. When the sharpened end part 232 of each of the bottom hooks 221 receives the upward force (P), the transformable toy 100 is able to rapidly and smoothly switch from the compressed state into the stretched state following the abovementioned description. In this embodiment, the user can apply two opposite forces (not shown) respectively on the force-receiving sections 229 that drive the engaging arms 226 to respectively move in the first bending direction (R1) and the second bending direction (R2) (see FIG. 8) such that the force-receiving sections 229 approach each other in the second transverse direction (Y) and distal ends of the engaging arm sections 228 move away from each other.

As a result, the bottom hooks 221 are respectively disengaged from the top hooks 321, and the transformable toy 100 smoothly transitions from the compressed state to the stretched state.

The abovementioned ways for switching the states of the transformable toy 100 may bring more enjoyment to the user, especially the first manner, which does not require a direct manual operation that a conventional transformable toy needs and would most likely make this embodiment more enjoyable during use. In addition, even if direct manual operation is still necessary in the second manner, the user only has to apply forces in a single direction (e.g., the opposite forces in the second transverse direction (Y), or the upward forces (P)) on the transformable toy 100 to make the bottom hooks 221 of the bottom locking member 2 respectively disengage from the top hooks 321 of the top locking member 3. Therefore, the operations to switch the transformable toy 100 between the two states are simple and require little time.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the bottom hook part 230 of the engaging arm 226 of each of the bottom hooks 221 is able to be rapidly disengaged from the top hook part 323 of the respective one of the top hooks 321 when the engaging arm section 228 of the bottom hook 221 is rotated by a relatively small angle by the upward force (P) exerted on the sharpened end part 232 of the force-receiving section 229 of the bottom hook 221, or by one of the abovementioned opposite forces exerted on the force-receiving section 229, because the length (L1) of the engaging arm section 228 is greater than the length (L2) of the force-receiving section 229. The sharpened end part 232 of each of the bottom hooks 221 also has a function of ensuring that the upward force (P) is transmitted upward so as to certainly and resiliently bend the cantilever arm 225 and the engaging arm 226 of the bottom hook 221. Thus, the transformable toy 100 is ensured to smoothly and swiftly stretch so as to switch from the compressed state into the stretched state.

It should be noted that according to practical requirements, in other embodiments, the bottom locking member 2 and the top locking member 3 may only include one bottom hook 221 and one top hook 321 respectively. In some variations, the resilient set 4 may only include the first resilient member 41. Moreover, the transformable assembly 1 may include only one transformable body, or include three transformable bodies in other embodiments. For example, in embodiments that the transformable assembly 1 includes only one transformable body, the connecting unit 13 is omitted from the transformable assembly 1 and the resilient set 4 includes only one resilient member. However, as for embodiments that the transformable assembly 1 includes three transformable bodies, the transformable assembly 1 needs two connecting units 13 therein and the resilient set 4 needs three resilient members.

In summary, by the virtue of the bottom hooks 221 of the bottom connecting body 22 of the bottom locking member 2 and the top hooks 321 of the top connecting body 32 of the top locking member 3, the transformable toy 100 can be smoothly compressed so as to be switched into the compressed state when the downward force (F) is exerted on the top locking member 3. In addition, the transformable toy 100 is able to be rapidly switched from the compressed state into the stretched state in the abovementioned first or second manner. That is to say, the bottom hooks 221 are able to be respectively disengaged from the top hooks 321 when the upward force (P) is exerted on the sharpened end part 232 of the force-receiving section 229 of each of the bottom hooks 221, or when the abovementioned opposite forces are respectively exerted on the force-receiving sections 229. Hence, the transformable toy 100 is configured to facilitate relatively simple and convenient operations for switching the states thereof. Moreover, the first resilient member 41 and the second resilient member 42 of the resilient set 4 are respectively disposed between the connecting unit 13 of the transformable assembly 1 and the bottom locking member 2, and between the connecting unit 13 and the top locking member 3, and each of the first resilient member 41 and the second resilient member 42 is able to be compressed and to stretch in the up-down direction (Z) that is the same as the direction in which the transformable assembly is compressed and stretched. Therefore, the transformable toy 100 is able to be smoothly stretched by the resilient set 4 to be rapidly switched from the compressed state into the stretched state. The purpose of the disclosure is therefore fulfilled.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

Claims

1. A transformable toy comprising:

a transformable assembly including a bottom plate, and a top plate that is spaced apart from said bottom plate in an up-down direction, said transformable assembly being operable to be stretched and compressed in the up-down direction;

a bottom locking member disposed on said bottom plate, and including a bottom hook;

a top locking member disposed on said top plate, and including a top hook that is able to removably engage said bottom hook; and

a resilient set disposed in said transformable assembly and resiliently biasing said top plate away from said bottom plate;

wherein said top locking member is able to be driven by a downward force to engage said top hook with said bottom hook, and said bottom hook is able to be driven by an upward force opposite to the downward force to be disengaged from said top hook.

2. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom hook of said bottom locking member has an upward-facing inclined surface, and said top hock of said top locking member has a downward-facing inclined surface, said downward-facing inclined surface being able to be in slidable contact with said upward-facing inclined surface so as to resiliently bend said bottom hook, so that said bottom hook is able to engage said top hook.

3. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom hook of said bottom locking member has a cantilever arm and an engaging arm, said engaging arm being integrally connected to a free end of said cantilever arm and being for engaging said top hook of said top locking member, a bottom end of said engaging arm being for receiving the upward force so as to resiliently bend said cantilever arm, so that said engaging arm is driven to be disengaged from said top hook.

4. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 3, wherein said engaging arm of said bottom hook of said bottom locking member has an engaging arm section and a force-receiving section,

said engaging arm section being integrally connected to said free end of said cantilever arm of said bottom hook, protruding from a top surface of said cantilever arm, and being for engaging said top hook of said top locking member,

said force-receiving section being formed at a bottom end of said engaging arm section, protruding from a bottom surface of said cantilever arm, and being for receiving the upward force.

5. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 4, wherein a length of said engaging arm section of said engaging arm in the up-down direction is greater than a length of said force-receiving section of said engaging arm in the up-down direction.

6. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 4, wherein said force-receiving section of said engaging arm of said bottom hook has a sharpened end part, said sharpened end part being located at a bottom end of said force-receiving section and being for receiving the upward force.

7. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 4, wherein said engaging arm section of said engaging arm of said bottom hook has a bottom hook part, said bottom hook part being adjacent to a top end of said engaging arm section and having an upward-facing inclined surface,

said top hook of said top locking member having a top hook part, said top hook part being adjacent to a bottom end of said top hook and having a downward-facing inclined surface,

said downward-facing inclined surface being able to be in slidable contact with said upward-facing inclined surface so as to resiliently bend said engaging arm, so that said bottom hook part is able to engage said top hook part.

8. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom locking member includes two of said bottom hooks, said bottom hooks being spaced apart from each other in a horizontal direction that is substantially perpendicular to the up-down direction and being in mirror symmetry with respect to a plane that passes through a central axis of said bottom locking member which extends in the up-down direction,

said top locking member including two of said top hooks, said top hooks being spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction and being in mirror symmetry with respect to a plane that passes through a central axis of said top locking member which extends in the up-down direction, said top hooks being for respectively engaging said bottom hooks.

9. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 8, wherein said bottom locking member further includes a blocking board that is spaced apart from and disposed between said bottom hooks, said blocking board being for preventing misalignment between said top hooks and said bottom hooks, each of said top hooks being for entering a space between said blocking board and the respective one of said bottom hooks.

10. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 8, wherein said bottom locking member includes a bottom plate body and a bottom connecting body, said bottom plate body having a base board, and a plurality of bottom fastening hooks that extend from a top surface of said base board and that extend through said bottom plate of said transformable assembly, said base board abutting against a bottom surface of said bottom plate and being formed with two base openings,

said bottom connecting body having a bottom connecting annular board that abuts against a top surface of said bottom plate and that is engaged with said bottom fastening hooks, and said bottom hooks that are connected to said bottom connecting annular board, said bottom hooks respectively extending through said base openings so as to partly protrude from a bottom surface of said base board.

11. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 8, wherein said top locking member includes a top plate body and a top connecting body, said top plate body having a top board and two top fastening hooks that extend from a bottom surface of said top board, said top board abutting against a top surface of said top plate of said transformable assembly,

said top connecting body having a column and said top hooks that extend from a bottom end of said column, said column abutting against a bottom surface of said top plate, said top fastening hooks engaging the bottom end of said column.

12. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said resilient set includes a first resilient member that is disposed in said transformable assembly and that resiliently biases said transformable assembly, said first resilient member being stretchable and compressible in the up-down direction.

13. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transformable assembly includes a lower transformable body, an upper transformable body, and a connecting unit, said lower transformable body having said bottom plate and a lower plate that is located above said bottom plate, said upper transformable body having an upper plate that is disposed on a top end of said lower plate and said top plate that is located above said upper plate, said connecting unit interconnecting said lower plate and said upper plate and cooperating with said lower plate and said upper plate to define a channel, said channel being for said bottom hook and said top hook to extend through, said resilient set including a first resilient member that is disposed in said lower transformable body, two opposite ends of said first resilient member respectively abutting against said bottom locking member and said connecting unit, said first resilient member being stretchable and compressible in the up-down direction.

14. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 13, wherein said bottom locking member is formed with a bottom positioning groove, said connecting unit of said transformable assembly being formed with a lower positioning groove, said first resilient member having a first bottom end part that engages said bottom positioning groove, and a first top end part that engages said lower positioning groove.

15. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 13, wherein said resilient set further includes a second resilient member that is disposed in said upper transformable body of said transformable assembly, two opposite ends of said second resilient member respectively abutting against said top plate of said upper transformable body and said connecting unit of said transformable assembly, said second resilient member being stretchable and compressible in the up-down direction.

16. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 15, wherein said connecting unit of said transformable assembly is formed with an upper positioning groove, said top locking member being formed with a top positioning groove, said second resilient member having a second bottom end part that engages said upper positioning groove, and a second top end part that engages said top positioning groove.