U.S. patent application number 10/968365 was filed with the patent office on 2005-05-26 for oscillating figure.
This patent application is currently assigned to Team Beans, LLC. Invention is credited to Malcolm, Richard J..
Application Number | 20050112992 10/968365 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34594772 |
Filed Date | 2005-05-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050112992 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Malcolm, Richard J. |
May 26, 2005 |
Oscillating figure
Abstract
An oscillating body, and a method of manufacturing an
oscillating body using a mold having a mold cavity with a curved
surface. The method involves inserting a predetermined amount of a
hardenable mixture in the mold cavity and allowing the hardenable
mixture to harden to produce a body that is a negative of at least
a portion of the mold cavity, including a curved surface that is a
negative of the curved surface of the mold. A ballast is connected
to the body portion such that the ballast remains stationary
relative to the body portion. An oscillating body is made in part
or in whole from the body portion with the ballast, wherein the
oscillating body is adapted to roll on the curved surface in an
oscillating manner after being subjected to a displacement.
Inventors: |
Malcolm, Richard J.;
(Somerville, NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FOLEY AND LARDNER
SUITE 500
3000 K STREET NW
WASHINGTON
DC
20007
US
|
Assignee: |
Team Beans, LLC
|
Family ID: |
34594772 |
Appl. No.: |
10/968365 |
Filed: |
October 20, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60512768 |
Oct 21, 2003 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
446/325 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H 13/18 20130101;
A63H 15/06 20130101; A63H 9/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
446/325 |
International
Class: |
A63H 013/18; A63H
015/06 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A method of manufacturing an oscillating body utilizing a mold
having a mold cavity, the mold cavity having a curved surface, the
method comprising: inserting a predetermined amount of a hardenable
mixture in the flexible mold cavity and allowing the hardenable
mixture to harden to produce a body that conforms to at least a
portion of the mold cavity, wherein the body has a curved surface
that is a negative of the curved surface of the mold; connecting a
ballast to the interior of the body such that the ballast remains
stationary relative to the body; and forming an oscillating body
made in part or in whole from the body with the ballast, wherein
the oscillating body is adapted to roll on the curved surface in an
oscillating manner after being subjected to a displacement.
2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising fabricating a
template piece having a curved surface and forming the mold cavity
based at least on the curved surface, wherein at least a portion of
the mold cavity is a substantial negative of at least a portion of
the template piece.
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the template piece has
the likeness of a human face.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the mold is a flexible
mold.
5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the hardenable mixture
comprises a resin.
6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the hardenable mixture is
a mixture of polystyrene and CaCO.sub.3.
7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a
coefficient of oscillation of the oscillating body, making the mold
in accordance with the coefficient of oscillation, and making the
oscillating body so that it has the coefficient of oscillation.
8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the coefficient of
oscillation is greater than about 0.05 and less than about 1.
9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the coefficient of
oscillation is greater than about 0.2 and less than about 0.8.
10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the coefficient of
oscillation is about 0.15.
11. A method according to claim 8, wherein the coefficient of
oscillation is about 0.10.
12. A method according to claim 8, wherein the frequency of
oscillation of the body is about 0.5 hertz to about 3 hertz.
13. A method according to claim 9, wherein the frequency of
oscillation of the body is about 0.5 hertz to about 3 hertz.
14. A method according to claim 8, wherein the coefficient of
oscillation of the body is about 0.10 to about 0.25, and the
frequency of oscillation of the body is about 0.5 hertz to about 3
hertz.
15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of
oscillation of the body is about 0.7 hertz.
16. An oscillating body, comprising: a body including a curved
surface adapted to enable the oscillating body to be in rolling
contact with a support surface; wherein the oscillating body has a
center of mass located substantially directly below the center of
curvature of the curved surface when the oscillating body is in an
at rest position on the support surface and free to roll; wherein
the curved surface has a curve of contact extending at least about
10 degrees in at least one direction away from a point at which the
curved surface contacts the support surface in the at rest
position; wherein the curvature of the curved surface, when
evaluated along the curve of contact within about 10 degrees from
the point at which the curved surface contacts the support surface
at the at rest position, results in stable center of mass travel;
and wherein the coefficient of oscillation of the body is greater
than about 0.05 and less than about 1.
17. An oscillating body according to claim 16, wherein the curved
surface has a portion that extends over at least a hemisphere.
18. An oscillating body according to claim 17, wherein the portion
that extends over at least a hemisphere is selected from the group
consisting of an elliptical surface and a spherical surface.
19. An oscillating body according to claim 16, wherein the curved
surface is substantially spherical.
20. An oscillating body according to claim 16, wherein the
coefficient of oscillation is greater than about 0.2 and less than
about 0.8.
21. An oscillating body according to claim 16, wherein the
coefficient of oscillation is about 0.15.
22. An oscillating body according to claim 16, wherein the
coefficient of oscillation is about 0.10.
23. An oscillating body according to claim 16, wherein the
frequency of oscillation of the body is about 0.5 hertz to about 3
hertz.
24. An oscillating body according to claim 20, wherein the
frequency of oscillation is about 0.5 hertz to about 3 hertz.
25. An oscillating body according to claim 16, wherein the
coefficient of oscillation is about 0.10 to about 0.25 and the
frequency of oscillation is about 0.5 hertz to about 3 hertz.
26. An oscillating body according to claim 16, wherein the
frequency of oscillation is about 0.7 hertz.
27. An oscillating body according to claim 16, wherein the curve of
contact of the curved surface extends at least about 45 degrees in
at least two directions away from each other and away from the
point at which the curved surface contacts the support surface at
the at rest position.
28. An oscillating body according to claim 27, wherein the curve of
contact of the curved surface extends uninterrupted at least about
45 degrees in at least two directions away from each other and away
from the point at which the curved surface contacts the support
surface at the at rest position.
29. An oscillating body according to claim 27, wherein the
curvature of the curved surface, when evaluated along the curve of
contact in the two directions within about 40 degrees from the
point at which the curved surface contacts the support surface at
the at rest position, results in stable center of mass travel.
30. An oscillating body according to claim 27, wherein a second
curve of contact of the curved surface extends uninterrupted at
least about 45 degrees in at least two additional directions away
from each other and away from the point at which the curved surface
contacts the support surface at the at rest position, and wherein
the two additional directions are substantially orthogonal to the
two directions.
31. An oscillating body according to claim 30, wherein the
curvature of the curved surface, when evaluated along the curve of
contact in the two additional directions within about 40 degrees
from the point at which the curved surface contacts the support
surface at the at rest position, results in stable center of mass
travel.
32. An oscillating body according to claim 16, wherein the curved
surface is a substantially cylindrical surface.
33. An oscillating body according to claim 32, wherein the
cylindrical surface is selected from the group consisting of an
elliptical surface and a spherical surface.
34. An oscillating body according to claim 16, further comprising
protrusions extending past the curved surface.
35. An oscillating body according to claim 16, wherein the
oscillating body comprises at least two portions having
substantially different densities.
36. An oscillating body according to claim 35, wherein the portion
having a higher density is located substantially at the bottom of
the oscillating body.
37. An oscillating body according to claim 16, wherein the
oscillating body comprises a solid mixture of polystyrene and
CaCO.sub.3.
38. An oscillating body according to claim 16, wherein a shell of
the oscillating body comprises a solid mixture of polystyrene and
CaCO.sub.3, and an interior portion of the oscillating body
comprises at least one of CaCO.sub.3 and a mixture of polystyrene
and CaCO.sub.3.
39. An oscillating body according to claim 16, wherein the
oscillating body comprises a shell and a ballast, and wherein the
ballast located at the bottom of the shell and fixed to the
shell.
40. An oscillating body according to claim 39, wherein the ballast
comprises CaCO.sub.3.
41. An oscillating body, comprising: a body including a curved
surface adapted to enable the oscillating body to be in rolling
contact with a support surface, the body being adapted to have a
frequency of oscillation for an initial angular displacement having
a value selected between the range of about 1 degree to about 20
degrees given by the equation: 4 freq = 0.5 meters 1 2 seconds c o
( r ) ( I M ) + r 2 + c o 2 r 2 - 2 r 2 c o where I=a moment of
inertia of the body, M=a mass of the body, r=a radius of curvature
of the curved surface that contacts the flat support surface during
the angular displacement, and c.sub.o=a coefficient of oscillation
of the body; wherein the coefficient of oscillation is greater than
about 0.05 and less than about 1.
42. An oscillating body according to claim 41, wherein the
coefficient of oscillation is greater than about 0.2 and less than
about 0.8.
43. An oscillating body according to claim 41, wherein the
frequency of oscillation is about 0.5 hertz to about 3 hertz.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional
application No. 60/512,768, filed Oct. 21, 2003, which is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Oscillating toys and oscillating figures are well known in
the art, and have been used both to amuse and to attract attention.
For example, roly-poly devices have been provided to children (and
adults) for amusement and visual stimulation, as well as to develop
the sensory nervous system (such as, for example, sight and/or
hearing). However, the prior art oscillating toys/figures are
typically crudely made and their movements are not well understood.
Indeed, a survey of the art suggests that the movements of the
produced toys/figures is unpredictable and sometimes even
irritating. There is a need to provide superior oscillating figures
that will be more esthetically pleasing and desirable to the users.
Still further there is a need to improve the various methods of
manufacture of these oscillating figures over current manufacturing
methods.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] One aspect of the invention concerns a method of
manufacturing an oscillating body utilizing a mold having a mold
cavity with a curved surface. The method comprises inserting a
predetermined amount of a hardenable mixture in the mold cavity and
allowing the hardenable mixture to harden to produce a body that
conforms to at least a portion of the mold cavity, the body having
a curved surface that is a negative of the curved surface of the
mold. A ballast is connected to the interior of the body such that
the ballast remains stationary relative to the body. The
oscillating body is made in part or in whole from the body with the
ballast, wherein the oscillating body is adapted to roll on the
curved surface in an oscillating manner after being subjected to a
displacement.
[0004] The mold can be a flexible mold, and the hardenable mixture
can be a resin, or a mixture of polystyrene and CaCO.sub.3.
[0005] The method preferably involves determining a coefficient of
oscillation of the oscillating body, making the mold in accordance
with the coefficient of oscillation, and making the oscillating
body so that it has substantially that coefficient of
oscillation.
[0006] The coefficient of oscillation preferably is greater than
about 0.05 and less than about 1. The frequency of oscillation of
the body preferably is about 0.5 hertz to about 3 hertz.
[0007] Another aspect of the invention concerns an oscillating body
comprising a body including a curved surface adapted to enable the
oscillating body to be in rolling contact with a support surface,
the body having a center of mass located substantially directly
below the center of curvature of the curved surface when the
oscillating body is in an at rest position on the support surface
and free to roll. The curved surface has a curve of contact
extending at least about 10 degrees in at least one direction away
from a point at which the curved surface contacts the support
surface in the at rest position. The curvature of the curved
surface, when evaluated along the curve of contact within about 10
degrees from the point at which the curved surface contacts the
support surface at the at rest position, results in stable center
of mass travel. The coefficient of oscillation of the body is
greater than about 0.05 and less than about 1.
[0008] The curved surface of the oscillating body may have a
portion that extends over at least a hemisphere, and may be
elliptical, cylindrical or spherical.
[0009] The frequency of oscillation of the oscillating body
preferably is about 0.5 hertz to about 3 hertz.
[0010] The curve of contact of the curved surface of the
oscillating body preferably extends at least about 45
degrees--preferably uninterrupted--in at least two directions away
from each other and away from the point at which the curved surface
contacts the support surface at the at rest position.
[0011] A second curve of contact of the curved surface may extend
uninterrupted at least about 45 degrees in at least two additional
directions away from each other and away from the point at which
the curved surface contacts the support surface at the at rest
position, the two additional directions being substantially
orthogonal to the two directions.
[0012] The oscillating body may have protrusions extending past the
curved surface.
[0013] The oscillating body may have at least two portions of
substantially different densities. The portion having a higher
density preferably is located substantially at the bottom of the
oscillating body.
[0014] The oscillating body may comprise a solid mixture of
polystyrene and CaCO.sub.3. The shell of the oscillating body may
comprise a solid mixture of polystyrene and CaCO.sub.3, and an
interior portion of the oscillating body may comprise CaCO.sub.3
and/or a mixture of polystyrene and CaCO.sub.3.
[0015] The oscillating body preferably has a shell and a ballast,
the ballast being located at the bottom of the shell and fixed to
the shell. The ballast may comprise CaCO.sub.3.
[0016] Yet another aspect of the invention concerns an oscillating
body comprising a body including a curved surface adapted to enable
the oscillating body to be in rolling contact with a support
surface, the body being adapted to have a frequency of oscillation
for an initial angular displacement having a value selected between
the range of about 1 degree to about 20 degrees given by a
particular equation set forth herein; and the coefficient of
oscillation of the body is greater than about 0.05 and less than
1.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] Embodiments that incorporate the best mode for carrying out
the invention are described in detail below, purely by way of
example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of an oscillating body
according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of an oscillating body
according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of an oscillating body
according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an oscillating body
according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an body according to a
fifth embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of an oscillating body
according to a FIG. 5.
[0024] FIG. 7 schematically illustrates a contact curve of the
first embodiment of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of an oscillating body
according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view of an oscillating body
according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.
[0027] FIG. 10 schematically illustrates a method of making an
oscillating body.
[0028] FIG. 11 schematically illustrates another method of making
an oscillating body.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0029] In the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown
in FIG. 1, there is an oscillating body 10 having a curved surface
15 configured to support the body 10 on a base portion 20 that is
connected to head portion 30. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1,
the base portion 20 of the oscillating body 10 is made of a thin
walled material having a thickness T.sub.20. The head portion 30 of
the oscillating body 10 is likewise made from a material having a
thickness T.sub.30, which in the first embodiment, is about the
same thickness as the thickness T.sub.20 of the base portion 20.
Collectively, these portions form a shell 11 of the body 10. The
shell 11 may be made via a swirl molding technique utilizing
resins, as will be discussed in greater detail below. The
oscillating body 10 further has a ballast 40 located at the bottom
of the oscillating body 10 in the base portion 20 of the
oscillating body 10. Still further, the oscillating body 10 has a
center of mass 100 located in the base 20 (although in other
embodiments the center of mass 100 may be located in the head
portion 30). In the first embodiment of the present invention, the
center of mass 100 is located with respect to the other elements of
the oscillating body 10 such that it has a tendency to remain
substantially upright in an at rest position when only acted upon
by gravity and to return to the upright position if displaced. The
particular features of the oscillating body 10 will now be
described in greater detail.
[0030] As can be seen from FIG. 1, the oscillating body 10 has a
curved surface 15 at its base. This curved surface 15 enables
oscillation of the oscillating body 10 by permitting the body 10 to
"roll" back and forth (also referred to as "rotate" and/or "angular
displacements" herein). This curved surface 15 permits the
oscillating body 10 to roll, by way of example, on a flat surface
1000 (see, e.g., FIG. 3) such as a table top, when it is displaced
and as it oscillates back and forth as a result of the
displacement. In this embodiment of the invention, this curved
surface 15 takes the form of a substantially complete hemisphere.
As such, the curved surface 15 at the base of the base 20 may be
round and has a substantially uniform radius of curvature r along
its outside surface. Thus, the center of curvature 200 remains at a
substantially fixed point relative to the oscillating body 10. It
is noted that in some embodiments of the present invention, instead
of a spherical or substantially spherical base 20, the base 20 may
be formed of a hemisphere at, for example, its bottom, as shown in
FIG. 3, above which the oscillating body 10 may not be curved
and/or may have a different radius of curvature r. Still further,
other embodiments of the present invention may utilize a truncated
hemisphere (that is, a hemisphere that is cut off at a location
below the "equator" and parallel to the equator). In yet other
embodiments of the present invention, any surface 15 having a
surface that would follow a surface of a portion of a sphere can be
utilized to practice the invention.
[0031] At this point, it is noted that while the embodiments shown
in some of the figures display an oscillating body 10 that does not
extend past hypothetical boundaries extending vertically and
located at the ends of the curved surface 15, other embodiments of
the present invention may be practiced with components that do
extend past the curved surface 15, such as that shown in FIG. 4.
Still further, it is noted that while in some embodiments of the
present invention, the oscillating body 10 may have a base portion
20 and a head portion 30 which are discrete sections of the body
10, other embodiments of the present invention may be practiced
with more or fewer sections and/or without discrete sections.
Indeed, some embodiments of the present invention may be practiced
with a body 10 made only of a substantially perfect sphere (on the
outside surface) as long as the center of mass 100 is located
appropriately, as will be discussed in greater detail below. Thus,
the exterior geometry of the oscillating body 10 is not a
limitation of the present invention unless otherwise specified
(such as, by way of example, a shape limitation).
[0032] In a first embodiment of the invention, the center of mass
100 is located relative to the body 10 such that it maintains a
substantially upright orientation at its at rest position (e.g.,
where the center of mass 100 is at its lowest location as compared
to the various positions of the oscillating body 10 as it
oscillates). Thus, as it can be seen from FIG. 1, the center of
mass 100 is located below the center of curvature 200 of the curved
surface 15 as determined from the point at which the body 10
contacts the support 1000, as shown in FIG. 3. In the first
embodiment of the invention, the center of curvature 200, as
determined along the curved surface 15 (see FIG. 3) remains
substantially at the same location relative to the oscillating body
10 because the curved surface 15 substantially conforms to a
surface of a sphere. (It is noted, of course, that when referring
to the curved surface 15, it is referred to as the surface on which
the oscillating body 10 "rolls" as it oscillates.) However, in
other embodiments of the present invention, the center of curvature
200 may vary along the curved surface 15 because the radius of
curvature of discrete portions of the curved surface 15 on which
the oscillating body 10 rolls varies. By way of example and not by
way of limitation, the curved surface 15 may be an elliptical
surface, such as is shown in FIG. 5. Thus, because the radius of
curvature changes at various locations on the elliptical curved
surface 15, the center of curvature 200 will likewise change along
the curved surface 15. It is noted at this time that any surface
that will permit the oscillating body 10 to oscillate according to
the present invention may be utilized.
[0033] FIGS. 5 and 6 represent a view of an oscillating body 10
according to the present invention at a given instant. FIG. 5
further shows a displacement vector that represents the direction
that the oscillating body 10 is initially displaced to begin the
oscillations.
[0034] A horizontal location(s) of the center of mass 100 according
to the present invention may be described based on a hypothetical
line 500 that is normal to a plane that is tangent to the point 12
on the surface 15 that contacts the support surface 1000 as shown,
for example, in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6. That is, as the oscillating body
10 "rolls" away from its at rest position, the center of mass 100
may be located on a side of this hypothetical line 500 that is
opposite to the side that the body 10 rolls towards, as is shown in
FIG. 5. Conversely, as the oscillating body 10 rolls towards its at
rest position, the center of mass 100 may be located on the same
side of the hypothetical line 500 that the oscillating body 10
rolls towards, as is shown in FIG. 6. This will be referred to
herein as stable center of mass travel. That is, the horizontal
location of the center of mass 100 with respect to the surface 15,
in some embodiments, may be as follows: as the oscillating body 10
rolls in a direction away from its "at rest position," the
horizontal position 500 of the center of curvature 200 should be
located between the horizontal position of the center of mass 100
and a point 18 on the curved surface 15 immediately adjacent to the
point 12 that contacts the surface 1000 that will next come into
contact with the curved surface 1000, as shown in FIG. 5.
Conversely, when the oscillating body 10 is rolling in a direction
towards its at rest position, the point 18 at which the surface 15
will next contact the support surface 1000 should be in-between the
horizontal position of the center of curvature 200 and the
horizontal position of the center of mass 100 as shown in FIG.
6.
[0035] In some embodiments of the present invention, as noted
above, the center of mass 100 may be located substantially directly
below the center of curvature when the oscillating body 10 is at
rest. It is further, as is shown in FIG. 1. Explained in other
terms, the center of mass 100 will be located between the center of
curvature and the point at which the body 10 contacts the surface
1000 when the body 10 is at is at rest position.
[0036] Stable center of mass travel may be described in yet other
terms. For example, if the oscillating body 10 of FIG. 5 is rolling
towards the left of the Figure (i.e., counterclockwise), and thus
away from its at rest position, the center of mass 100 will be to
the right of the horizontal position of the center of curvature 200
and thus to the right of the horizontal position of the
hypothetical line 500. Conversely, if the oscillating body 10 shown
in FIG. 6 is rolling towards the right (i.e., in a clockwise
direction), the location of the center of mass 100 will be located
to the right of the horizontal position of the center of curvature
and thus to the right of the hypothetical line 500.
[0037] In some embodiments of the invention, locating the center of
mass 100 with respect to the center of curvature 200 and/or the
hypothetical line 500 as described above will enable the
oscillating body 10 to be substantially stable. That is, a
displacement in one direction or another direction may result in
the oscillating body 10 oscillating back and forth until friction
forces completely dampen the oscillation, thus substantially
returning the body 10 to its at rest position. The oscillating mass
10 of some embodiments of the present invention may be configured
such that the stability exists along only a portion of the curved
surface 15. That is, some embodiments of the present invention may
be practiced with a complex surface 15 that has a varying radius of
curvature r such that at some given displacement, the oscillating
body 10 could be unbalanced, become unstable and thus "fall" on its
side and remain there (unless it bounces back or is again acted on
by an additional force.) Thus, in such an embodiment, only limited
displacements may result in harmonic oscillation of the oscillating
body 10. Still, in yet other embodiments of the present invention,
the configuration of the oscillating body 10 may be such that the
oscillating body 10 will always return to its upright at rest
position regardless of how much displacement is applied to the body
10. By way of example and not by way of limitation, the oscillating
body shown in FIG. 1 may be such a configuration, such that
regardless of the orientation of the body 10 (except, perhaps for a
perfectly balanced upside down oscillating body 10 of FIG. 1), the
body 10 will return to its at rest position after frictional forces
dampen the oscillations.
[0038] It is noted that the movements and geometry of the
oscillating body 10 are being described herein in terms of two
dimensions, as will be readily apparent from most of the figures,
such as FIG. 1. Thus, the terms of oscillation will be described in
terms of oscillation with respect to a plane that passes through
the displacement vector and or the plane in which the body 10 is
angularly displaced. That is, for the purposes of describing the
embodiments shown in the figures, oscillation is described in terms
of two dimensional oscillation. Thus, by way of example, for a
perfectly balanced body 10, having a perfectly spherical curved
surface 15, the plane will lie on the displacement vector of the
force imparted onto the body 10 to initiate oscillation as well as
the point 12 on the surface 15 that contacts the support surface
1000, and therefore, the contact points between the curved surface
15 and the support surface 1000 will fall on this plane as the body
rolls, thus resulting in a curve of contact 600 along curved
surface 15 as shown in FIG. 7. It is noted that this curve of
contact 600 may be present in embodiments that are not perfectly
balanced and/or do not have a perfectly spherical curved surface
15. For example, an elliptical curved surface 15 may also have a
curve of contact 600. Thus, the curve of contact 600 represents the
points on the curved surface 15 that come into contact with the
support surface 1000 as the oscillating body 10 rolls back and
forth. In the case of an oscillating body that has a cylindrical
curved surface 15 (i.e., contact of the curved surface 15 results
in line contact (as opposed to point contact) with the support
surface 1000), the curve of contact 600 may be utilized to
represent contact between the curved surface 15 and the support
surface 1000 as well. This leads to yet another point: while some
embodiments of the present invention may be practiced with curved
surfaces 15 that are sphere like (e.g., they result in point
contact with the support surface 1000), other embodiments of the
invention may be practiced with cylinder like surfaces 15 that
result in line contact with the support surface 1000. In yet other
embodiments, a plurality of curved surfaces 15 may be utilized. In
such embodiments, the plurality of surfaces may be aligned and/or
substantially identical to result in a substantially uniform
oscillation of the oscillating body 1000.
[0039] Still, it is noted that the present invention may be
practiced with embodiments that oscillate in three-dimensions
(which, in actuality, is how the oscillating body 10 will
oscillate, albeit that the oscillations in the third dimension may
be minor), because the body 10 will never be perfectly balanced
and/or a torque may be imparted to the body by the initial
displacement, etc. Thus, the present invention is not limited to an
oscillating body 10 that oscillates only in two dimensions unless
otherwise specified. However, such embodiments may be described
and/or analyzed in terms of two dimensional oscillation.
[0040] It is noted that in some embodiments in the present
invention, the oscillating body 10 may have a substantially
symmetrical surface geometry about its longitudinal (i.e.
lengthwise) axis, for example, as shown in FIG. 1. However, it is
noted that in other embodiments of the present invention, the body
10 may have an asymmetrical surface geometry. That is, the body may
be lopsided, as shown in FIG. 8, which represents an asymmetrical
oscillating body 10 at the at rest position. It is noted that in
such a configuration, the center of gravity 100 may still be
horizontally aligned with the center of curvature 200, as shown in
FIG. 8, when the body 10 is at the at rest position. Thus,
according to the embodiment of FIG. 8, when at the at rest
position, a portion of the body 10 will appear to be leaning
backwards (or forwards or to the side depending on the viewer's
frame of reference). When the body of FIG. 8 is oscillated, it may,
for example, appear to oscillate to an upright position and then to
a position where the body leans very far backwards, and then
continue oscillating until frictional forces reduce the
oscillations to zero, at which point the body 10 will be at rest
and the body will again be seen as leaning to the left.
[0041] FIG. 8 also shows that some embodiments of the present
invention may utilize an oscillation stop 50. The oscillation stop
50, which may be a protrusion or other physical structure, may be
configured so that it will stop or otherwise interrupt the
oscillating body 10 as it rolls on the curved surface 15. By way of
example, when the oscillating body 10 shown in FIG. 8 rolls in a
counterclockwise fashion (that is, rolls to the left), at some
point, the stop 50 may hit the support surface 1000, at which point
the oscillating body 10 may reverse direction or bounce a bit or
maybe tip over or maybe tip around point 55, and/or then reverse
direction of rolling towards the right. That is, the stop 50 may
result in an interruption and/or change in the oscillations. It is
noted that the present invention may be practiced with any
configuration that may result in an interruption in the
oscillations and/or cause an abnormal oscillation of the body 10.
It is further noted that in the embodiment of FIG. 8, for small
displacements initiating the oscillation of the body 10, the stop
50 may not come into contact with surface 1000. In such a scenario,
the body 10 may oscillate as if the stop 50 was not present.
[0042] In some embodiments of the present invention, the stop 50
may enable the body 10 to spin or jump or hop or otherwise have an
abnormal movement, as may be desirable and pleasing to a user. It
is noted that while the embodiment of FIG. 8 shows a stop only on
the right side, other embodiments of the present invention may
utilize more stops or the stops may be located at any location. It
is further noted that while the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 has just
been described in terms of rolling to the left and thus hitting the
stop, but if a displacement is imparted on the body 10 in the
forward or backward direction (as viewed from the orientation shown
in FIG. 7), the stop 50 may not come into contact with the surface
1000 for even large displacements because the curve of contact 600
on the surface 15 with the support surface 1000 does not pass by
and/or pass through and/or is not aligned stop surface 50. That is,
the plane that passes through the curve of contact 600 does not
pass through the stop 50. For example, a stop surface 50 that
extends approximately over a 10 degree arc around a circumference
of the body 10 may leave 350 degrees of rolling direction that may
avoid contact with the stop 50. Conversely, if the stop 50 extends
all around the circumference (a full 360 degrees) every direction
of rolling may result in contact with the stop 50 by the surface
1000 if the displacement is large enough.
[0043] As noted above, when the oscillating body 10 is at the at
rest position, the center of mass 100 may be substantially
horizontally aligned with the horizontal location of the center of
curvature 200 of the curved surface 15, as evaluated from the point
that the curved surface 15 contacts the support surface 1000. The
horizontal distance from the center of curvature 200 and the center
of mass 100 at the at rest position will be referred to as the
setoff distance. As noted above, the radius of curvature r of the
body 10 may be substantially constant for a surface 15 that is
indicative of a surface of a perfect sphere or substantially
indicative of a surface on a perfect sphere, and thus the distance
between the center of curvature 200 and the center of mass 100 does
not change when measured along the curvature of contact of the
surface 15. Thus, a coefficient of oscillation, c.sub.0, may be
formulated, which is equal to the set off distance divided by the
radius of curvature r at the point of contact 12 that the curved
surface 15 contacts the support surface 1000 at the at rest
position, and may be used to determine the frequency of oscillation
of the body 10, as will be discussed in greater detail below.
However, in other embodiments of the present invention that have a
non-spherical surface 15 (e.g., an elliptical surface), the
distance between the center of mass 100 and the center of curvature
200 may vary, as evaluated along the curve of contact 600, because
the center of curvature 200 may change because the radius of
curvature r changes along the surface 15. Thus, for non-spherical
type surfaces 15, the coefficient of oscillation c.sub.0 may be
utilized for very small displacement angles of the body 10. That
is, displacement angles that result in substantially only contact
of the surface 15 with the support surface 1000 at a portion of the
curved surface 15 that continuously has a radius of curvature r
that is the same as or substantially the same as the radius of
curvature r at the point 12 on which the oscillating body 10
contacts the support surface 1000 at the at rest position.
[0044] It is noted that in other embodiments of the present
invention, a variable coefficient of oscillation may be used to
determine the frequency of oscillation. This variable coefficient
of oscillation may be determined based on a ratio of the vertical
distance between the center of curvature 200 and the center of mass
100 and the radius of curvature r as evaluated at finite
displacement angles where the surface 15 contacts the support
surface 1000. Thus, for non-spherical type surfaces 15, the
variable coefficient of oscillation may be considered in terms of
c.sub.o.theta., where .theta. is the angle measured from an
arbitrary reference line and/or a horizontal line passing through
the center of mass 100 at the at rest position (however, in this
latter case, the angle may include negative angles to account for
oscillation to the left and to the right). Still further, for
evaluating oscillations in three dimensions, the variable
coefficient of oscillation may be considered in terms of
c.sub.o.theta..beta. where .theta. is the angle measured from an
arbitrary reference plane which may lie on a horizontal line
passing through the center of mass 100 at the at rest position and
.psi. is the angle measured from an arbitrary reference plane which
may lie on a horizontal line passing through the center of mass 100
at the at rest position and is orthogonal to the plane on which
.theta. is measured. Still further, coefficients of oscillations
may be defined in terms of spherical coordinates and/or polar
coordinates and/or Cartesian coordinates as may be applicable. It
is noted that variable coefficients of oscillations may be used for
spherical surfaces 15 as well. Thus, the variable coefficients may
be determined over the total range of angular displacements
expected for the oscillating body 10 and recorded, thus, as will be
described below, "instantaneous" frequencies may calculated which
may be utilized to characterize the overall frequency at which the
body 10 oscillates.
[0045] In some embodiments of the present invention, it may be
desirable to make an oscillating body 10 that has a predetermined
or pre-estimated frequency of oscillation. That is, it may be
desirable to determine, before making the oscillating body 10, how
long it will take for the oscillating body 10 to complete one
oscillation (e.g., roll back and forth). More particularly, when
manufacturing the oscillating body 10, it may be desirable to
manufacture the body so that it will have a predetermined
oscillation frequency. An equation has been formulated that
provides a way to do this utilizing the coefficient of oscillation
co. As shown below, a frequency equation (1) may be used to
determine the frequency and thus provides a way to estimate and/or
to determine the dimensions and mass of the oscillating body 10
that may result in the desired frequency of oscillation: 1 freq =
0.5 meters 1 2 seconds c o ( r ) ( I M ) + r 2 + c o 2 r 2 - 2 r 2
c o ( 1 )
[0046] where,
[0047] I=Moment of Inertia of the body 10,
[0048] M=mass of the body,
[0049] r=the radius of curvature, and
[0050] c.sub.o=the coefficient of oscillation.
[0051] By solving equation (1), the frequency at which the body 10
may oscillate based on the coefficient of oscillation co and the
radius of curvature r of the surface 15 at the point 12 where the
surface 15 contacts the support surface 1000 may be determined if
the moment of inertia and the mass of the body is known and/or
estimated. The following equations may be useful in determining the
moment of inertia of the body 10:
I.sub.x=.intg.(y.sup.2+z.sup.2)dm (2)
I.sub.y=.intg.(x.sup.2+z.sup.2)dm (3)
I.sub.z=.intg.(x.sup.2+y.sup.2)dm (4).
[0052] It is noted that the constant 0.5 meters.sup.1/2/second
represents a derived rounded acceleration constant which is
utilized with the coefficient of oscillation c.sub.0. It is further
noted that a more accurate value of the derived acceleration
constant may be determined by taking the square root of the
gravitational acceleration value at sea level at the equator of the
Earth and dividing by 2 pi.
[0053] The above frequency equation (1) may be utilized to estimate
or otherwise determine the frequency of oscillation of the
oscillating body 10 for a small angular oscillation about the at
rest position. That is, the frequency equation (1) yields a value
that most closely comports with the actual frequency of the
oscillating body (10) for small angular oscillations of the body
10. However, it is noted that this value may vary slightly. For
larger angular oscillations about the at rest position of the body
10, the actual frequency of oscillation of the body 10 and the
calculated frequency from equation (1) may vary slightly or more
than slightly. It is further noted that the frequency equation may
be utilized to calculate the natural frequency of the body 10 by
multiplying equation (1) by 2 pie.
[0054] Still further, it is noted that equation (1) may be written
in terms of a variable coefficient of oscillation as shown below, 2
freqf ( ) = 0.5 meters 1 2 seconds c o ( r ) ( I M ) + r 2 + c o 2
r 2 - 2 r 2 c o + freqf ( prior ) ( 5 )
[0055] where c.sub.o.theta. is the coefficient of oscillation
measured at a present displacement angle .theta. and freqf(prior
.theta.) is a modifying frequency based on the frequency at which
the oscillating body 10 oscillated at the displacement angle
.theta. immediately before the oscillation at the previous
displacement angle .theta.. Equation (5) might be solved utilizing
a numerical method, which may include summing various frequencies,
etc, and/or a computer, and thus, the overall frequency of
oscillation might be determined on a per oscillation basis, as the
overall frequency of oscillation for each oscillation may differ
because portions of the surface 15 that previously contacted the
support surface 1000 no longer come into contact with the support
surface 1000 as friction forces dampen the oscillations.
[0056] However, once the concept of oscillations in two dimensions
is applied to the body 10 of the present invention, three
dimensional oscillation may be evaluated utilizing similar
concepts. Thus, the frequency equation may be written in terms of a
variable coefficient of oscillation in three dimensions, as shown
below: 3 freqf ( , ) = 0.5 meters 1 2 seconds c o ( r ) ( I M ) + r
2 + c o 2 r 2 - 2 r 2 c o + freqf ( prior , ) ( 5 )
[0057] where c.sub.o.theta..beta. is the coefficient of oscillation
measured at a present displacement angle .theta., .beta. and
freqf(prior .theta., .beta.) is a modifying frequency based on the
frequency at which the oscillating body 10 oscillated at the
displacement angle .theta., .beta. immediately before the
oscillation at the previous displacement angle .theta., .beta..
Equation (6) might be solved utilizing a numerical method, which
may include summing various frequencies, etc, and/or a computer,
and thus, the overall frequency of oscillation might be determined
on a per oscillation basis, as the overall frequency of oscillation
for each oscillation may differ because portions of the surface 15
that previously contacted the support surface 1000 no longer come
into contact with the support surface 1000 as friction forces
dampen the oscillations. It is further noted that the above
equations might be solved utilizing an iterative technique.
[0058] It should be noted that other embodiments of the present
invention may use other equations utilizing the coefficient of
oscillation to determine the frequency at which the oscillating
body 10 according to the present invention oscillates, and thus the
above equations may represent just one embodiment of the present
invention.
[0059] In the first embodiment of the present invention, the
oscillating body 10 may be made from a hardenable mixture such as a
resin which includes calcium carbonate (CaCO.sub.3) and
polystyrene. In the first embodiment of the invention, the resin is
about a 50-50 mix, by weight and/or by volume of the just mentioned
materials. However, in other embodiments of the present invention,
it is about a 60-40 mix (60% polystyrene, 40% CaCO.sub.3), while in
yet other embodiments, it is about a 70-30 mix, while in other
embodiments, it is about a 40-60 mix (40% polystyrene and 60%
CaCO.sub.3), and in other embodiments it is about a 30-70 mix (30%
polystyrene, 70% CaCO.sub.3). It is noted that in yet other
embodiments, the combination of the polystyrene and CaCO.sub.3 may
be in any percentage that will permit the oscillating body 10 to be
practiced according to the present invention. In yet other
embodiments of the invention, other materials may be included in
the resin make-up as well. It is further noted that other
embodiments of the present invention may utilize any mixture of
polystyrene and calcium carbonate CaCO.sub.3 that may be used to
form a body that will be sufficiently strong enough to practice the
various aspects of the present invention. In some embodiments of
the invention, the body 10 may be strong enough to withstand minor
impacts such as those resulting from the body being dropped on a
hardwood floor and/or onto a concrete floor or other hard surface
from a height. In yet other embodiments of the invention, the shell
11 and/or the entire body 10 may be made from PVC.
[0060] In some embodiments of the present invention, the material
used to manufacture the shell 11 of the body 10 is conducive to the
adherence of paints, coloring inks and/or other coloring substances
to the shell 11.
[0061] In some embodiments of the present invention, the entire
body 10 is made of the resin. However in other embodiments of the
present invention, the body 10 includes other materials. By way of
example and not by way of limitation, the ballast 40 may include
iron or lead or other materials. In such an embodiment, the shell
11 of the body 10 may be made from the resin and the ballast 40
might be made from other materials, such as by way of example,
again, iron, lead, etc.
[0062] In one embodiment of the present invention, the shell 11
making up portions 20 and 30 of the body 10 may be made entirely
from the resin described above. Thus, in one embodiment, the resin
is a 50-50 mixture by weight and/or by volume of polystyrene and
calcium carbonate. The ballast portion 40 may be likewise made from
the same resin formulation as well. In some embodiments of the
present invention, the ballast 40 is made from CaCO.sub.3
rocks/pellets/particles, which in some embodiments, are pure
CaCO.sub.3. The resin material may be utilized to hold the calcium
carbonate rocks/pellets/particles in place.
[0063] An implementation of this embodiment shall now be described
with reference to FIG. 9. In one embodiment of the invention the
shell 11 of the body 10 is formed in a mold so that the shell (this
will be described in greater detail below) is hollow. One or more
holes 750 in the shell are then drilled or otherwise bored through
the shell (or perhaps formed during the molding process) so that
the CaCO.sub.3 rocks/pellets/particles 770 may be inserted into the
interior of the shell 11 through the holes, as shown in FIG. 9. In
some embodiments, these rocks are of pellet form while in other
embodiments these rocks are a powder or in substantially powder
form and thus may be poured into the interior of the shell 11. It
is noted that in other embodiments of the invention, iron or lead
pellets or other materials may be inserted into the shell instead
of or in addition to the CaCO.sub.3. That is, any material of
sufficient density that will result in a center of mass 100
location of the body 10 to be positioned so that the present
invention may be practiced can be utilized to practice the
invention. Then, a resin and/or other form of binder is poured
through the holes and allowed to cure such that the inserted rocks
form ballast 40. As noted above, the resin could be the same resin
formulation that is utilized to formulate the shell 11 and could be
a different formulation as well. Any formulation that will bind the
ballast 40 to the shell 11 may be used to practice the
invention.
[0064] In other embodiments of the present invention, the ballast
40 is pre-formed prior to insertion into the shell of the body 10,
as shown in FIG. 10. By way of example and not by way of
limitation, the shell of the body 10 may be formed in two parts
utilizing a flexible mold (as will be discussed in greater detail
below) utilizing two different molds. A top part of the body might
include, for example, the upper hemisphere 20' of the base portion
20 and the upper body 30. The bottom part might include a
hemisphere of the base 20". The ballast 40 may be formed in another
mold and then may then be inserted into one of the shell parts (for
example the lower hemisphere shell 20" of the base 20), after which
the lower hemisphere of the base 20 may be connected to the upper
hemisphere of the lower base 20, and welded or otherwise joined
together, thus sealing the shell 11 of the body 10 and sealing the
ballast 40 inside the body 10. In some embodiments of the present
invention, the pre-formed ballast 40 is formed to substantially
contour to the inside surface of a portion of the shell of the
body. In some embodiments of the present invention, the ballast 40
could be friction fit into the shell 11 and/or otherwise positively
retain inside the shell by interfering components. In yet other
embodiments of the present invention, the ballast 40 could
connected by utilizing a resin etc.
[0065] A specific method of manufacturing the shell 11 of the body
10 according to the present invention will now be discussed. In the
first embodiment of the invention, a clay template is made that
represents the geometry of the production configuration of the body
10. In a first embodiment, the clay template may have the likeness
of a well-known person and/or a well-known structure or article of
manufacture, etc. By way of example and not by way of limitation,
the clay template might have a spherical base portion to which is
connected a head of a professional athlete, etc. Further by way of
example, the clay template may have feet and/or hands and/or
clothing as well. This clay template may then be placed in a
flexible mold solution, the solution allowed to cure, thus forming
a flexible mold around the clay template. However, in other
embodiments of the invention, a rigid mold may be formed around the
clay template. The clay template removed by cutting a hole or slit
into the flexible mold so that the clay template may be removed. In
the case of rigid molds, the mold may be split into two or more
sections and separated so that the template may be removed. A
predetermined amount of pre-cured resin may then be placed into the
cavity of the flexible mold (or the cavity of the mold parts when
the mold is placed together). The resin is then deposited on the
interior surfaces of the mold cavity via a swirl or rotational
molding method and permitted to harden.
[0066] In other embodiments of the invention, an injection molding
technique may be used by injecting resin into a sectional mold to
make the shell or a portion of the shell.
[0067] In the first embodiment of the invention, the thickness of
the resin deposited onto the surface of the cavity is substantially
constant, although in other embodiments of the present invention,
swirl molding may be practiced so that the thicknesses are variable
as with the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, where wall portions 25 are
thicker than the other wall portions 22 of the shell 11. Once the
resin has hardened sufficiently, the shell of the body 11 may then
removed. In some embodiments of the present invention, this may
result in a hollow shell that is completely closed, as is shown in
FIG. 11. As noted above, however, in other embodiments of the
present invention, the shell 11 of the body 10 is made of two or
more parts. Thus, this process would be repeated two or more times
for each part with respective molds. In such an embodiment (2 or
more parts) there may be openings. Thus, in a first embodiment, the
manufactured shell 11 (and thus the oscillating mass 10) may have
the likeness of a well-known person and/or a well-known structure
or article of manufacture, etc. By way of example and not by way of
limitation, the shell 11 might have a spherical base portion to
which is connected a head of a professional athlete, etc. Further
by way of example, the shell 11 may have feet and/or hands and/or
clothing. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention, the
oscillating body 10 may have a rendition of a head of a person
connected to a spherical body such that when displaced, the body
will roll along its surface 15 and thus the head will
oscillate.
[0068] Some embodiments of the body 10 may be practiced with
portions extending outward past the curved surface 15 and/or
extending inward past the curved surface 15. By way of example,
some embodiments of the invention may have arms and/or legs and/or
feet extending past the curved surface 15. Thus, embodiments of the
present invention may be practiced with a variety of modeled human
appendages and/or other body parts extending from the body 10. It
is further noted that embodiments of the present invention may be
practiced with oscillating bodies 10 of various sizes. By way of
example, oscillating bodies 10 may be about 0.5 inches in height or
smaller, about 1 inch in height, about 1.5 inches in height, about
2 inches in height, about 2.5 inches in height, about 3 inches in
height, about 3.5 inches in height, about 4 inches in height, about
4.5 inches in height, about 5 inches in height, about 5.5 inches in
height, about 6 inches in height, about 6.5 inches in height, about
7 inches in height, about 7.5 inches in height, about 8 inches in
height, or about 8.5 inches in height or larger. Thus, bodies 10
according to the present invention may be practiced having heights
anywhere in the range from about 0.25 inches to about 12 inches in
increments of about 0.1 inches. Indeed, smaller and larger bodies
10 may be practiced as well. Thus, some embodiments of the
invention may have life size heights of, by way of example, about
2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 feet. Still further, oscillating bodies 10
having a radius of curvature r anywhere in the range of about 0.1
inches to about 15 inches in increments of about 0.01 inches may be
used to practice the present invention. By way of example, bodies
10 having a radius of curvature of about 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25,
1.5, 1.75, 2, 2.25, 2.5, 2.75, 3 and/or 3.25 inches may be used to
practice the present invention. Still further, some embodiments of
the present invention may be practiced having masses of about 0.05
kg or less, about 0.1 kg, about 0.15, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.35, 0.4,
0.45, 0.5, 0.55, 0.6, 0.65, 0.7, 0.75, 0.8, 0.85, 0.9, 0.95, 1.0
kgs, and/or about 1.05 kgs or more. Indeed, some embodiments may be
practiced with any appropriate mass in the range from about 0.05 kg
to about 3 kg in about 0.005 kg increments. Likewise, some
embodiments of the invention may be practiced with a coefficient of
oscillation of about 0.1 or less, about 0.15, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.35,
0.4, 0.45, 0.5, 0.55, 0.6, 0.65, 0.7, 0.75, 0.8, 0.85, 0.9, 0.95 or
more and in any range therebetween in increments of about 0.01.
Still further, the oscillating body according to the present
invention may be configured to oscillate at about 0.1 hertz, about
0.2 hertz, about 0.3 hertz, 0.4 hertz, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9,
1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2,
2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, and/or about 3.1 hertz or
more. Some embodiments may oscillate at a frequency anywhere within
the range of about 0.1 hertz to about 5 hertz in increments of 0.05
hertz.
[0069] It will be understood that any method of molding that will
result in a shell 11 for a body 10 according to the present
invention and/or a completed body 10 according to the present
invention may be utilized to practice the present invention.
[0070] In some embodiments of the invention, the oscillating body
10 may be displaced to a given angular displacement and held at
that angle for a period of time, after which it is released to
being oscillating. In some embodiments of the invention, the
oscillating body 10 may be formed to have a surface 15 configured
to first slide across the support surface 1000 and then begin to
oscillate, while in other embodiments the present invention, the
body 10 may be configured to slide while oscillating. In other
embodiments, the oscillating body 10 may not slide and/or not
substantially slide during and/or before oscillation.
[0071] Given the disclosure of the present invention, one versed in
the art would appreciate that there may be other embodiments and
modifications within the scope and spirit of the present invention.
Accordingly, all modifications attainable by one versed in the art
from the present disclosure are within the scope and spirit of the
present invention are to be included as further embodiments of the
present invention.
* * * * *