U.S. patent application number 10/439537 was filed with the patent office on 2004-01-08 for toy.
Invention is credited to Buckley, Mark.
Application Number | 20040005838 10/439537 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 9936993 |
Filed Date | 2004-01-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040005838 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Buckley, Mark |
January 8, 2004 |
Toy
Abstract
A toy is provided comprising a number of portions including a
head, body and leg portions. The portions are detachably attached
to each other via complementary engagement means such that, when
engaged, the portions form the toy. The engagement means of each
portion include magnetic material and the magnetic attraction
allows, at least in part, engagement of the portions to each
other.
Inventors: |
Buckley, Mark; (London,
GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Woodard, Emhardt, Moriarty, McNett & Henry LLP
Bank One Center/Tower
Suite 3700
111 Monument Circle
Indianapolis
IN
46204-5137
US
|
Family ID: |
9936993 |
Appl. No.: |
10/439537 |
Filed: |
May 16, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
446/99 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H 3/16 20130101; A63H
33/26 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
446/99 |
International
Class: |
A63H 003/16 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 18, 2002 |
GB |
0211507.9 |
Claims
1 A toy, said toy including two or mote portions, adjacent portions
being detachably attached to each other via complementary
engagement means and, when engaged, said portions forming the toy
and characterised in that the complementary engagement means
include a magnet in one of the portions and a magnetically
attractive material in the other portion and the magnetic
attraction between the same allows, at least in part, engagement of
the adjacent portions to each other.
2 A toy according to claim 1 characterised in that the
complementary engagement means include a protrusion member on one
of said portions which engages in a recess on the other of said
portions.
3 A toy according to claim 2 characterised in that the protrusion
member is only partially enclosed by said recess when engaged
therewith.
4 A toy according to claim 2 characterised in that the protrusion
member is full enclosed by said recess when engaged therewith.
5 A toy according to claim 2 characterised in that the protrusion
member and recess ate in the form of a ball and socket joint.
6 A toy according to claim 1 characterised in that for each
engagement means between portions a magnet is provided in, on or
adjacent the engagement means.
7 A toy according to claim 1 characterised in that the toy is
formed from three portions, a portion defining a human head, a
second portion defining a human torso, and a third portion defining
human legs and feet and at least two of the portions are
selectively engaged via the engagement means of claim 1.
8. A toy according to claim 1 characterised in that the
magnetically attractive material is a metal.
9 A toy according to claim 1 characterised in that the magnetically
attractive material is a magnet.
10 A toy according to claim 1 characterised in that one or more of
the portions are formed from substantially flexible material.
11 A toy according to claim 1 characterised in that the toy is in
the form of a character and the portions represent any or any
combination of body parts, one or more garments, hair, accessories,
or one or more articles attached to said character.
12 A toy according to claim 1 characterised in that a number of
sets of portions are provided of different appearance and different
portions from said sets can be detachably attached to each other to
change the appearance of the toy.
13 A toy according to claim 12 characterised in that portions
within each set, when engaged, form the toy.
14 A toy according to claim 13 characterised in that each set of
portions are provided with movement means to allow movement of a
portion of one set relative to a portion of another set.
15 A toy according to claim 14 characterised in that when two
portions ate moved within a predetermined distance of each other
via said movement means, said portions engage with each other due
to the magnetic attraction of the engagement means.
16 A toy according to claim 15 characterised in that movement of
said movement means is mechanically or electrically driven by a
user.
17 A toy according to claim 15 characterised in that the movement
means is in the form of a rotatable carousel and the portions are
detachably attached to said rotatable carousel.
18 A toy according to claim 17 characterised in that the rotatable
carousel is provided with two or more carousel members, each
carousel member rotatable relative to an adjacent carousel
member.
19 A toy according to claim 15 characterised in that the movement
means is in the form of two or more plate members, each plate
member movable relative to an adjacent plate member.
20 A toy according to claim 19 characterised in that the plate
members are slidable relative to an adjacent plate member.
21 A toy according to claim 20 characterised in that the plate
members are rotatable relative to an adjacent plate member.
22 A toy according to claim 1 characterised in that the engagement
means allows selective positioning of the two or more portions with
respect to at least two axes.
23 A toy according to claim 1 characterised in that the toy is
provided for selective positioning with respect to a playbase
and/or walls including magnetic or magnetically attractive material
to interact with a magnet or magnetically attractive material in
said toy.
24 A toy according to claim 23 characterised in that in addition to
the selective positioning of the toy on the playbase, one or more
other articles can be selectively magnetically engaged to said
playbase and/or walls.
25 A toy kit, said toy kit including a number of sets of toy
portions, said toy portions being detachably attached to each other
via complementary engagement means and characterized in that the
complementary engagement means of each portion includes a magnet
and magnetically attractive material and the magnetic attraction of
the magnetic material in each portion allows, at least in part,
engagement of adjacent toy portions together.
26 A toy kit according to claim 25 characterised in that a playbase
and/or walls are included onto which a toy can be selectively
positioned.
27 A toy kit according to claim 25 characterised in that the sets
of portions are provided with movement means to allow movement of a
portion of one set relative to a portion of another set.
28 A toy, said toy including two or more portions, said portions
being detachably attached to each other via complementary
engagement means and, when engaged, said portions forming the toy
and characterised in that the engagement means, when engaged, allow
selective positioning of the said two or more portions with respect
to at least two axes.
29 A toy according to claim 28 characterised in that the engagement
means include male and female engagement members and sufficient
friction is provided between said members to ensure that, when the
portions are moved to a selected position, the male and female
members are retained in position until manually manipulated.
30 A toy according to claim 29 characterized in that the male and
female engagement means ate a ball and socket arrangement.
Description
[0001] The invention which is the subject of this application
relates to a toy which can be positioned with respect to a playbase
and, in addition to the combination of these features, the
invention relates to improvements of the toy and playbase
separately.
[0002] The provision of toys which can be located with and slidably
movable across a miniaturised playbase are known, and the applicant
has granted patents relating to specific features of the same where
the toy, typically depicting a human character, is capable of being
moved across the playbase surface by manipulation of associated
control means by a user.
[0003] While the known toys have been commercially successful,
there is a need to increase or maintain the interest of a child in
the playbase and/or the toy over a longer period of time. One known
way is to provide "clothes" which can be interchangeable with
respect to the toy to allow the child to change the appearance of
the toy. It is also known to be able to separate parts of the toy
and replace them with other parts but said parts are typically
either fixed when in position or, at best, allow rotational
movement about one axis only and therefore there is no "realism" to
the character depicted by the toy. Furthermore, the articles of
this type tend to be only used for "standing" in one position or
alternatively, if they are provided to be attached to a playbase
via protrusions, the toy is typically formed from the connection of
a series of building blocks and again has very little
"realism".
[0004] The aim of the present invention is to provide a toy which
has added realism in comparison to known toys of this type and
which allows a user/child to adapt the toy and/or the playbase
selectively to alter the appearance of the same and thereby
increase the attractiveness and entertainment obtained from the toy
or toy/playbase combination.
[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention there
is provided a toy, said toy including two or more portions,
adjacent portions being detachably attached to each other via
complementary engagement means and, when engaged, said portions
forming the toy and characterised in that the complementary
engagement means include a magnet in one of the portions and a
magnetically attractive material in the other portion and the
magnetic attraction between the same allows, at least in part,
engagement of the adjacent portions to each other.
[0006] The provision of the magnetic material in or adjacent the
engagement means allows secure engagement between the portions
whilst allowing increased articulation of the portions. Once the
portions have been moved to a required position by a user, the
magnetic attraction between the portions maintains the portions
relative to each other in said position until a user further
manipulates the portions.
[0007] Preferably the complementary engagement means further
include a protrusion member on one of said portions which engages
with a recess on an adjacent portion.
[0008] The protrusion member of one portion can be fully enclosed
in the recess of an adjacent portion or can be partially enclosed,
thereby typically providing greater articulation. The provision of
the magnetic material allows either embodiment to function.
[0009] In one embodiment the complementary engagement means are in
the form of a ball and socket joint. In an alternative embodiment
the complementary engagement means includes a concave portion and a
hemispherical or rounded portion.
[0010] The magnetic material, typically in the form of one or more
magnets, can be provided in, on or adjacent the engagement means on
the first portion and a magnetically attractive material such as a
suitable metal provided on the engagement means of the second
portion. The provision of a metal and a magnet means that the
magnetic attraction is sufficiently strong to retain the portions
in the desired engaged position but not so strong, as can be the
case if magnets were used in both portions as to always move the
portions to a straight, in line configuration. However for certain
uses the magnetically attractive material can be replaced by a
magnet if required.
[0011] Preferably one or more of the toy portions are formed from
substantially flexible material, such as a rubberised material, one
suitable material known by the registered trademark KRATON. This
allows the portions of the toy to be manipulated to required
positions, thereby increasing the realism of the toy to a user.
[0012] Preferably the toy is in the form of a scale model of a
human or animal and the portions represent any or any combination
of body parts, such as a head, torso, arms, legs, hands and feet
and if a human character, one or more garments to be worn by the
character, such as a trousers, skirt, jumper and/or the like, hair,
accessories, such as a handbag, hat, shoes and/or the like or one
or more articles attached to the character, such as a dog and/or
the like. Typically the toy is formed from three portions, a head
portion, torso portion and legs and feet portion.
[0013] In one embodiment a number of sets of portions can be
provided to be interchangeable to allow adjustment of the
appearance of the toy. Corresponding portions within each set can
differ in appearance and different portions from each set can be
detachably attached together to form the toy. The portions within
each set typically form a complete toy. For example, each set can
comprise a head portion, a torso portion, arm portions and leg
portions which differ in appearance. The head portion from one set
can be interchanged for engagement with a body portion of a
different set. Typically the corresponding portion in each set of
portions has a generally similar shape but is of a different
appearance in terms of, for example, colour, shape, texture and/or
pose.
[0014] In a preferred embodiment the portions of each set are
provided with movement means to allow movement of a portion of one
set relative to a portion of another set. Once portions are moved
within a pre-determined distance of each other, the magnetic
attraction between the portions allows engagement of said
complementary engagement means. Mechanical means can be provided to
allow the portions to be moved within said predetermined
distance.
[0015] Preferably movement of the movement means is mechanically or
electrically driven. For example, a motor can be provided to drive
the movement of one portion relative to another portion.
Alternatively, a user can cause one portion to pivot, rotate or
slide relative to another portion.
[0016] Preferably the movement means are in the form of a carousel
arrangement and the toy portions are provided thereon. The carousel
is rotatably movable to allow a portion of one set to be moved
relative to a portion of another set. The toy portions are
typically detachably attached to the carousel arrangement to allow
the toy to be assembled. Alternatively, the toy can be assembled on
the carousel if required.
[0017] The carousel preferably includes two or more carousel
members, each carousel member rotatable relative to an adjacent
carousel member.
[0018] In an alternative embodiment the movement means are in the
form of two or tore movable plate members, each plate member
movable relative to an adjacent plate member. The plate members can
rotate or undergo linear movement, such as sliding movement
relative to an adjacent plate member.
[0019] In either embodiment corresponding portions of the toy are
provided on a particular plate or carousel member. For example, the
head portions of each set can be provided on an upper carousel
portion, the torso portions of each set can be provided on a middle
carousel portion and the leg portions of each set can be provided
on a lower carousel portion.
[0020] Preferably the engagement means allow selective positioning
of the two or more portions with respect to at least two axes. In
one embodiment the movement in at least two axes includes rotation
about vertical and horizontal axes. Preferably adjustment is
possible in a plurality of axes intermediate the two given axes.
Preferably the movement can be to tilt the portions with respect to
each other about the central axis of the engagement means The
movement allows the attitude of the respective portions to be
adjusted and hence the realism of the toy to be increased.
[0021] Preferably the toy is provided for selective positioning on
a playbase or walls of a play area by magnetic attraction between
the toy and the playbase or walls. In addition further objects such
as inanimate articles, can be provided for selective location on
said playbase.
[0022] According to a second aspect of the present invention there
is provided a toy kit, said toy kit including a number of sets of
toy portions, said toy portions being detachably attached to each
other via complementary engagement means and characterised in that
the engagement means of each portion includes magnet or
magnetically attractive material and the magnetic attraction
allows, at least in part, engagement of adjacent toy portions
together.
[0023] Preferably the toy kit also includes a playbase or walls of
a play area onto which a toy can be selectively attached.
[0024] The toy kit of the present invention can include any or any
combination of features described hereinbefore.
[0025] In a further aspect of the present invention there is
provided a toy, said toy including two or more portions, said
portions being detachably attached to each other via complementary
engagement means and, when engaged, said portions forming the toy,
characterised in that the engagement means, when engaged, allow
selective positioning of the said two or more portions with respect
to at least two axes.
[0026] Preferably the engagement means include male and female
engagement members and a sufficient friction fit is provided
between said members to ensure that, when the portions are moved to
a selected position, the male and female members are retained in
position until manually manipulated.
[0027] In one embodiment the movement in at least two axes includes
rotation about vertical and horizontal axes. Preferably adjustment
is possible in a plurality of axes intermediate the two given
axes.
[0028] Preferably the portions that are adjustable are any of the
head, torso, arms, legs and/or the like.
[0029] In one embodiment, the engagement means may be substituted
with a different form of engagement means to allow the article to
perform different functions, such as a standing function or sitting
function.
[0030] In a yet further aspect of the invention there is provided a
playbase for the location and retention of at least one toy
thereon, said playbase having a surface with a plurality of spaced
protrusions formed thereon, said protrusions spaced in a uniform
array and characterised in that the array is formed from a repeated
hexagonal pattern of protrusions, said protrusions forming the six
apexes of the hexagon.
[0031] Specific embodiments of the invention are now described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates the portions which, when combined, can
form a toy in accordance with the present invention;
[0033] FIG. 2a illustrates a series of toys formed in accordance
with the present invention in various embodiments and FIG. 2b
illustrates the portions of one of the toys of FIG. 2a when
separated;
[0034] FIG. 3a illustrates different toys with accessories and FIG.
3b illustrates the toy portions and accessories when separated;
[0035] FIG. 4 illustrates a carousel arrangement in accordance with
one embodiment of the present invention;
[0036] FIG. 5 illustrates a slidable plate arrangement in
accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present
invention;
[0037] FIGS. 6a and 6b illustrate alternative engagement means
according to the present invention; and
[0038] FIGS. 7a-7c illustrate further examples of toys in both
assembled and separated conditions in accordance with the present
invention,
[0039] Referring firstly to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a series
of portions, 2, 4, 6 which, when joined together, form a toy 8 in
accordance with the invention (assembled toys 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d are
shown in FIG. 2a). In this example, portion 2 depicts a head of the
toy, portion 4 depicts a torso and arms of the toy, and portion 6
depicts legs of the toy,
[0040] The portions of the toy are assembled by engaging adjacent
portions together via matching engagement means which, in this
example are in the form, of a ball and socket joint arrangement.
Thus, head portion 2 is provided to engage with the top of torso
portion 4 via the male and female parts of the ball and socket
joint arrangement 10, and the bottom of body portion 4 is provided
to engage with leg portion 6 via ball and socket joint arrangement
12. When joined together, the engagement means are such as to allow
relative axial movement between the portions in at least two axes,
14, 16, as illustrated, and more typically, around a plurality of
further axes so as to allow the attitude of the respective portions
to be selected by the child playing with the toy. This provides an
articulated toy which has added realism compared to that of
conventional toys of this type.
[0041] In accordance with the present invention, and with further
reference to FIGS. 6a and 6b, the engagement means can be in the
form of a ball and socket joint as described above wherein the ball
or protruding part 102 is substantially enclosed within the socket
or recess part 104, as shown in FIG. 6a. In this arrangement, the
friction between the ball and socket joint components is such so as
to allow the same to he retained in a required position until
further manual manipulation by a child. However if required the
magnetically enhanced engagement means can be incorporated in this
embodiment in the same manner as will now be described with the
second embodiment.
[0042] Alternatively, in the second embodiment of the invention,
the engagement means comprise a protrusion part in the form of a
hemispherical protruding member 106 which is located only partially
within concave recess part 108, as shown in FIG. 6b. This
arrangement allows greater articulation between toy portions. In
this embodiment, magnet 110 is located in member 106 and a
magnetically attractive material such as steel or another suitable
material is positioned adjacent recess part 108 respectively. The
magnetic attraction ensures engagement between member 106 and
recess part 108.
[0043] It will be appreciated that the provision of the magnetic
attraction in the engagement means of the portions can be provided
in the ball and socket arrangement in FIG. 6a and/or in any other
embodiment described herein. Protruding member 106 can be formed,
at least in part from magnet material if required,
[0044] In addition to the ability to alter the attitude of the
relative portions, the ability to selectively detach the portions
allows the same to be replaced with other portions which, although
they may all depict the same design of head, body or legs, have a
different appearance in terms of colour, texture or the like,
thereby allowing the child to alter the visual appearance of the
toy in accordance with the invention.
[0045] FIG. 2a illustrates several toys, 8a to 8d, each of which
are formed by the joining together of portions 2, 4, 6, with each
of the portions typically selected by the child from a set of said
portions provided as part of a toy kit. In the examples of toys in
FIG. 2a, the type of engagement means, for example, the ball joint
arrangement, is selected so as to allow the toy to stand when
assembled. However, different engagement means can be provided with
the toy to allow the toy to be moved to a sitting position or
similar. For example, engagement means 9 for toy 8c in FIG. 2a has
an arm member on one portion on which the other portion is
pivotally attached, thereby providing increased movement of the
portion about a particular axis. In addition, particular toy
portions, such as the leg portion, can be provided with additional
articulation means, such as, for example, to form a movable "knee"
portion.
[0046] In accordance with the invention, a series of sets of toy
portions can be provided for engagement to form a toy, the toy of
each set differing in appearance, such as with respect to a
particular pose or aesthetic appearance. FIG. 2b illustrates the
portions forming one set in one example. FIGS. 7a-7c illustrate
portions forming three further sets in another example. FIGS. 3a
and 3b illustrate other sets of toys, each having further
accessories for attachment therewith to further increase the
realism and interest of the toy to a child. For example, hand bags
16, scarves 18 and clothing 20 are provided for selective
attachment with the toys to further alter the appearance of the toy
as selected by the child. The portions and accessories of each toy
set in FIG. 3a can be interchanged with corresponding portions from
other sets when separated, as shown in FIG. 3b, to provide a large
number of possible permutations of the appearance of the toys.
[0047] The accessories can be attached to the toy by placing an
accessory in a required position on a portion of the toy, whereupon
the bringing together of the engagement means on adjacent portions
traps the accessory in position on the toy until the engagement
means are released. In addition or alternatively, the attachment
can be via further magnetic engagement means.
[0048] In order to increase the ease with which a child can change
the appearance of a toy, the sets of toy portions can be provided
in a wardrobe type of arrangement. In FIG. 4, there is illustrated
a carousel arrangement including three carousel members 114, 116,
118. Corresponding toy portions of each toy set are detachably
attached to a carousel member. Thus, head portions 120, 122, 124
are attached to upper carousel member 114, torso and arm portions
126, 128, 130 are attached to middle carousel 116 and leg portions
132, 134, 136 are attached to lower carousel portion 118.
[0049] Each carousel, member 114, 116, 118 is independently
rotatable about axis 138, as shown by arrow 140. Carousel members
114, 116, 118 are rotatably connected in this example to axis 138
via support arms 140 (only support arms for upper carousel member
114 are shown for the purposes of clarity). A user typically
rotates the members until the required appearance of each toy set
is provided by alignment of the required portions. The resulting
toy comprising the chosen set portions is then assembled by
releasing the portions from the carousel members. This can be done
manually by disengaging each portion individually within a
particular alignment and re-engaging the portions together to form
the toy via engagement means 144. Alternatively the aligned
portions can be moved together by mechanical or electrical means.
Once the portions are a predetermined distance apart, the magnetic
attraction between the engagement means causes adjacent portions to
snap fit or magnetically engage together.
[0050] Each plate member is typically formed from a series of
windows or sections 146 to which the toy portions are detachably
attached. This can be via clips, magnetic attraction and/or the
like. Alignment of toy portions from each set can be random or
controlled.
[0051] Referring to FIG. 5, there is illustrated a further wardrobe
type of arrangement including a frame 148 in which plate members
150, 152, 154 are independently slidably located, as shown by
arrows 156. In a similar manner to the carousel arrangement in FIG.
4, corresponding portions of each set are attached to a particular
plate member and the plate members are slidably moved until the
portions are aligned to form a toy with a required appearance. The
portions of each aligned toy can then be manually fitted together
or can be moved together for engagement as described above. In this
embodiment, each section 158 of each plate member can be
independently slidably movable if required. Thus, section 158' can
be slid from the right side 160 of frame 148 and reinserted into
the left side 162 of frame 148. Section 158" can then be slid along
the frame to the right side 160 for alignment with section 158'" in
plate member 152. The portions of the toys in either of the
embodiments shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 ate three dimensional.
[0052] In one embodiment, the toys can be self standing on any
surface so that the same may be used as a collectable range or the
like and mounted for viewing. Alternatively, and in an embodiment
now described, the toys can be provided to be used in conjunction
with a playbase and/or walls of a play area on which the toys can
be selectively positioned and, when the position is selected,
retained in that position on the playbase in a manner that will be
described hereonin by magnetic attraction between the playbase and
or side walls which include magnets or magnetically attractive
material therein and the toy which includes a magnet or
magnetically attractive material.
[0053] Thus, the present invention provides a toy having
interchangeable portions which can be engaged together in such a
manner so as to allow articulation of the toy, thereby providing
increased realism and a greater interest level to the child.
* * * * *