U.S. patent application number 12/382478 was filed with the patent office on 2009-09-17 for transformable toy, and accommodating case for accommodating the transformable toy.
This patent application is currently assigned to TOMY COMPANY, LTD. Invention is credited to Takio Ejima.
Application Number | 20090233519 12/382478 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40765776 |
Filed Date | 2009-09-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090233519 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ejima; Takio |
September 17, 2009 |
Transformable toy, and accommodating case for accommodating the
transformable toy
Abstract
A transformable toy which can be instantly transformed by merely
reversibly changing its state between a horizontal state and a
vertical state, without operating the toy with an intention to
carry out transformation, and surprises and excites users; and an
accommodating case for accommodating the transformable toy. The
transformable toy includes weight members swingably disposed
therein and is reversibly transformed between first and second
configurations by using a movement of the center of gravity of the
weight members. The transformable toy assumes the first
configuration in the horizontal state and the second configuration
in the vertical state. The accommodating case includes a fixing
device, for fixing a bottom surface of the transformable toy to a
bottom plate of the accommodating case when the transformable toy
is in the first configuration, and an abutment portion, which abuts
with a rear portion of the transformable toy.
Inventors: |
Ejima; Takio; (Tokyo,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STAAS & HALSEY LLP
SUITE 700, 1201 NEW YORK AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON
DC
20005
US
|
Assignee: |
TOMY COMPANY, LTD
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
40765776 |
Appl. No.: |
12/382478 |
Filed: |
March 17, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
446/376 ;
206/315.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H 33/003 20130101;
A63H 15/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
446/376 ;
206/315.1 |
International
Class: |
A63H 3/46 20060101
A63H003/46; B65D 85/00 20060101 B65D085/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 17, 2008 |
JP |
2008-68563 |
Claims
1. A transformable toy reversibly transformed between a first
configuration and a second configuration, comprising: a toy body;
and a weight member swingably disposed inside the toy body, wherein
the transformable toy is transformed by using a movement of a
center of gravity of the weight member and assumes a first
configuration in a horizontal state and a second configuration in a
vertical state.
2. The transformable toy according to claim 1, wherein the second
configuration of the transformable toy is a robot
configuration.
3. The transformable toy according to claim 1, further comprising:
a frame; a plurality of pivoting members pivotably provided on the
frame, the pivoting members being constructed to show appearances
differing before and after pivoting, the pivoting members showing
the first configuration before pivoting and the second
configuration after pivoting; and a pivoting mechanism disposed on
the frame, the pivoting mechanism pivoting the pivoting members,
wherein the weight member is disposed at a rear portion of the
frame in a forwardly and backwardly swingable manner; a movement of
the center of gravity of the weight member occurs during swinging;
and the pivoting mechanism operates by using the movement of the
center of gravity of the weight member as a driving force.
4. The transformable toy according to claim 2, further comprising:
a frame; a plurality of pivoting members pivotably provided on the
frame, the pivoting members being constructed to show appearances
differing before and after pivoting, the pivoting members showing
the first configuration before pivoting and the second
configuration after pivoting; and a pivoting mechanism disposed on
the frame, the pivoting mechanism pivoting the pivoting members,
wherein the weight member is disposed at a rear portion of the
frame in a forwardly and backwardly swingable manner; a movement of
the center of gravity of the weight member occurs during swinging;
and the pivoting mechanism operates by using the movement of the
center of gravity of the weight member as a driving force.
5. The transformable toy according to claim 1, further comprising:
a lock device for preventing swinging of the weight member, the
lock device having a lock releasing member, the lock releasing
member being partly protruded backwardly from a rear portion of the
transformable toy when the transformable toy is in at least one of
the first configuration and the second configuration, wherein
prevention of the swinging of the weight member is released by
pressing of the lock releasing member.
6. The transformable toy according to claim 2, further comprising:
a lock device for preventing swinging of the weight member, the
lock device having a lock releasing member, the lock releasing
member being partly protruded backwardly from a rear portion of the
transformable toy when the transformable toy is in at least one of
the first configuration and the second configuration, wherein
prevention of the swinging of the weight member is released by
pressing of the lock releasing member.
7. The transformable toy according to claim 3, further comprising:
a lock device for preventing swinging of the weight member, the
lock device having a lock releasing member, the lock releasing
member being partly protruded backwardly from a rear portion of the
transformable toy when the transformable toy is in at least one of
the first configuration and the second configuration, wherein
prevention of the swinging of the weight member is released by
pressing of the lock releasing member.
8. The transformable toy according to claim 4, further comprising:
a lock device for preventing swinging of the weight member, the
lock device having a lock releasing member, the lock releasing
member being partly protruded backwardly from a rear portion of the
transformable toy when the transformable toy is in at least one of
the first configuration and the second configuration, wherein
prevention of the swinging of the weight member is released by
pressing of the lock releasing member.
9. An accommodating case for accommodating a transformable toy
according to claim 1, the accommodating case comprising: a fixing
device for fixing a bottom surface of the transformable toy to a
bottom surface of the accommodating case when the transformable toy
is in the first configuration; and an abutment portion abutting
with a rear portion of the transformable toy, wherein the
accommodating case permits swinging of the weight member, and
allows the transformable toy to be reversibly transformed from the
first configuration to the second configuration while being
accommodated in the accommodating case.
10. An accommodating case for accommodating a transformable toy
according to claim 2, the accommodating case comprising: a fixing
device for fixing a bottom surface of the transformable toy to a
bottom surface of the accommodating case when the transformable toy
is in the first configuration; and an abutment portion abutting
with a rear portion of the transformable toy, wherein the
accommodating case permits swinging of the weight member, and
allows the transformable toy to be reversibly transformed from the
first configuration to the second configuration while being
accommodated in the accommodating case.
11. An accommodating case for accommodating a transformable toy
according to claim 3, the accommodating case comprising: a fixing
device for fixing a bottom surface of the transformable toy to a
bottom surface of the accommodating case when the transformable toy
is in the first configuration; and an abutment portion abutting
with a rear portion of the transformable toy, wherein the
accommodating case permits swinging of the weight member, and
allows the transformable toy to be reversibly transformed from the
first configuration to the second configuration while being
accommodated in the accommodating case.
12. An accommodating case for accommodating a transformable toy
according to claim 5, the accommodating case comprising: a fixing
device for fixing a bottom surface of the transformable toy to a
bottom surface of the accommodating case when the transformable toy
is in the first configuration; and an abutment portion abutting
with a rear portion of the transformable toy, wherein the
accommodating case permits swinging of the weight member, and
allows the transformable toy to be reversibly transformed from the
first configuration to the second configuration while being
accommodated in the accommodating case.
13. A toy transformable between first and second configurations,
comprising: a toy body having at least two members movable relative
to each other; and a weight member movably disposed inside the toy
body, wherein the toy is transformed by a change in a center of
gravity of the weight member, when the weight member moves, between
the first configuration of the at least two movable members and a
second configuration of the at least two movable members.
14. The transformable toy according to claim 13, wherein the second
configuration of the transformable toy is a robot
configuration.
15. The transformable toy according to claim 13, further
comprising: a frame; the at least two movable members are pivotably
provided on the frame; and a pivoting mechanism disposed on the
frame, the pivoting mechanism pivoting the at least two movable
members, wherein the weight member is disposed on the frame in a
swingable manner; a movement of the center of gravity of the weight
member occurs during swinging; and the pivoting mechanism operates
by using the movement of the center of gravity of the weight member
as a driving force.
16. The transformable toy according to claim 13, further
comprising: a lock device for preventing movement of the weight
member, the lock device having a lock releasing member partly
protruding from the toy, wherein prevention of the movement of the
weight member is released by pressing of the lock releasing
member.
17. An accommodating case for accommodating a transformable toy
according to claim 13, the accommodating case comprising: a fixing
device for fixing a surface of the transformable toy to a surface
of the accommodating case when the transformable toy is in the
first configuration; and an abutment portion abutting a portion of
the transformable toy, wherein the accommodating case permits
movement of the weight member, and allows the toy to move between
the first and second configurations while accommodated in the
accommodating case.
18. A toy, comprising: a toy body; and a weight member movably
disposed inside the toy body, wherein the toy is transformed by a
change in a center of gravity of the weight member, when the weight
member moves, between a first configuration and a second
configuration; a frame; a plurality of pivoting members pivotably
provided on the frame; a pivoting mechanism disposed on the frame,
the pivoting mechanism pivoting the pivoting members, wherein the
weight member is disposed on the frame in a swingable manner; a
movement of the center of gravity of the weight member occurs
during swinging; and the pivoting mechanism operates by using the
movement of the center of gravity of the weight member as a driving
force; and a lock device for preventing swinging of the weight
member, the lock device having a lock releasing member partly
protruding from the toy, wherein prevention of the swinging of the
weight member is released by pressing of the lock releasing
member.
19. The toy according to claim 18, further comprising: an
accommodating case for accommodating the toy: a fixing device for
fixing a surface of the toy to a surface of the accommodating case;
and an abutment portion abutting a portion of the toy, wherein the
accommodating case permits swinging of the weight member, and
allows the toy to be transformed between the first configuration
and the second configurations while accommodated in the
accommodating case.
20. The toy according to claim 18, wherein the first configuration
is a running toy.
21. The toy according to claim 18, wherein the second configuration
is a robot.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a transformable toy which
is reversibly transformed between two configurations, from a first
configuration such as a vehicle or an animal to a second
configuration such as a robot, or vice versa, and more particularly
to a transformable toy which is reversibly transformed between a
first configuration and a second configuration by means of a
movement of the center of gravity of a weight member disposed
inside the toy body, and an accommodating case for accommodating
such a transformable toy.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Conventionally, when a transformable toy is transformed
during play, it has been required that each constituent part be
manually operated and operating procedures have been complicated.
Therefore, a transformable toy which can be transformed by a simple
operation has been proposed (see, for example, Japanese Patent
Application Laid-Open Publication No. 9-10442). In this
transformable toy, a first configuration is a vehicle
configuration, a second configuration is a robot configuration, and
a rear member is provided with a sliding member in a forwardly and
backwardly slidable manner, the sliding member being formed with a
rack, being partly exposed above the rear member, and having an
operating element mounted thereon. When the sliding member is slid
forwardly by operation of the operating element, the rack formed on
the sliding member slides forwardly. A gear formed at an end
portion of one of connecting links is in mesh with the rack, and
therefore the connecting links are folded, pivoting about a
pivoting shaft. A front member is pivotably connected to the other
of the connecting links, and since the front member is foldably
connected to the rear member, the front member is folded with
respect to the rear member, and the front member and the rear
member constitute a trunk portion in the robot configuration, the
trunk portion being part of a second configuration.
[0005] Although even young children can enjoy the above-described
transformable toy in that the toy can be transformed by a simple
operation, namely, by operating a sliding member, the toy cannot
surprise or excite users because they operate the sliding member
with an intention to carry out the transformation.
[0006] Moreover, in selling transformable toys, it has been
required that sellers prepare a large number of samples which can
be directly touched and operated by buyers according to the types
of transformable toys, in addition to articles for sale stored in
accommodating cases for sale, so that buyers can buy transformable
toys after checking their transformation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention has been made in order to solve the
above problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a
transformable toy, based on a new idea, which can be instantly
transformed by merely reversibly changing its state between a
horizontal state and a vertical state, without operating the toy
with an intention to carry out transformation, and give users a
surprise and excitement.
[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide an
accommodating case for a transformable toy which allows the
transformation of such a transformable toy to be checked while the
toy is accommodated in the accommodating case, without the toy
being taken out of the case and directly touched.
[0009] In order to solve the foregoing problems, according to the
present invention, there is provided a transformable toy reversibly
transformed between a first configuration and a second
configuration. The transformable toy includes a toy body, and a
weight member swingably disposed inside the toy body. The
transformable toy is transformed by using a movement of a center of
gravity of the weight member and assumes a first configuration in a
horizontal state and a second configuration in a vertical
state.
[0010] Preferably, the second configuration of the transformable
toy is a robot configuration.
[0011] Further, preferably, the transformable toy includes a frame;
a plurality of pivoting members pivotably provided on the frame,
the pivoting members being constructed to show appearances
differing before and after pivoting, the pivoting members showing
the first configuration before pivoting and the second
configuration after pivoting; and a pivoting mechanism disposed on
the frame, the pivoting mechanism pivoting the pivoting members;
and the weight member is disposed at a rear portion of the frame in
a forwardly and backwardly swingable manner; a movement of the
center of gravity of the weight member occurs during swinging; and
the pivoting mechanism operates by using the movement of the center
of gravity of the weight member as a driving force.
[0012] Moreover, desirably, the transformable toy includes a lock
device for preventing swinging of the weight member, the lock
device having a lock releasing member, the lock releasing member
being partly protruded backwardly from a rear portion of the
transformable toy when the transformable toy is in at least one of
the first configuration and the second configuration; and
prevention of the swinging of the weight member is released by
pressing of the lock releasing member.
[0013] Moreover, an accommodating case for accommodating the
transformable toy according to the present invention includes a
fixing device for fixing a bottom surface of the transformable toy
to a bottom surface of the accommodating case when the
transformable toy is in the first configuration, and an abutment
portion abutting with a rear portion of the transformable toy. The
accommodating case permits swinging of the weight member, and
allows the transformable toy to be reversibly transformed from the
first configuration to the second configuration while being
accommodated in the accommodating case.
[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is
possible to achieve a transformable toy, based on a new idea, which
allows its configuration before and after transformation to be
easily checked, without a special operation or replacement of
constituent parts which is required for transformation of
conventional transformable toys being carried out, because the
transformable toy can be reversibly transformed between a first
configuration and a second configuration by merely changing the
state of the transformable toy from a horizontal state to a
vertical state, or from a vertical state to a horizontal state.
[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, since
the second configuration is a robot configuration, and a first
configuration such as a running toy is reversibly transformed into
a robot configuration, users can play with a first configuration
such as a running toy and with a robot configuration.
[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the
transformable toy can be instantly transformed, without its
pivoting mechanism being operated from outside, by reversibly
changing the state of the transformable toy between a horizontal
state and a vertical state because a movement of the center of
gravity of the weight member occurs and the pivoting mechanism for
pivoting the pivoting members is operated by using the movement of
the center of gravity as a driving force.
[0017] According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is
possible to achieve a transformable toy, based on a new idea, which
gives users an impression that the transformable toy is transformed
by magic in that transformation does not occur when its state is
merely changed into a vertical state or a horizontal state, but the
transformable toy can be transformed when a rear portion thereof is
brought into abutment with a placement surface, because a lock
device is provided to prevent swinging of the weight members so
that a movement of the center of gravity does not occur
spontaneously.
[0018] According to another aspect of the present invention, it is
possible to provide a transformable toy which is very advantageous
for both buyers and sellers in that buyers can easily check its
transformation and sellers only need to prepare articles for sale,
without needing to prepare samples, because buyers can check the
transformation of transformable toys for sale displayed in stores
without directly touching them and sellers need not provide
transformable toy samples and can put various types of
transformable toys in their stores, owing to the fact that the
transformable toy is transformed, while being accommodated in an
accommodating case, when the accommodating case is merely laid flat
or erected.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a running object, which
is one example of a first configuration of a transformable toy
according to the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state of the
transformable toy which has been transformed into a robot, which is
a second configuration;
[0021] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an internal
structure of the transformable toy;
[0022] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a lock
device;
[0023] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the transformable toy,
in a vertical state, simulating the running object, which is the
first configuration;
[0024] FIGS. 6A and 6B are operation explanatory diagrams showing
the transformable toy, in a vertical state and in abutment with a
placement surface, as viewed from a front side;
[0025] FIGS. 7A and 7B are operation explanatory diagrams showing
the transformable toy, in a vertical state and in abutment with a
placement surface, as viewed from a lateral side;
[0026] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of
transformation of the transformable toy into a robot;.
[0027] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an accommodating case
for accommodating the transformable toy; and
[0028] FIGS. 10A and 10B are perspective views showing the
accommodating case, in a horizontal state and in a vertical state,
accommodating the transformable toy.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0029] FIG. 1 shows one example of a first configuration of the
transformable toy A according to the present invention. In this
example, the first configuration simulates a running object, and
the transformable toy A can be transformed into a robot
configuration, as shown in FIG. 2, when transformation into a
second configuration is carried out.
[0030] The transformable toy A has a plurality of pivoting members
2 provided on a frame 1 and is adapted to be reversibly transformed
between a first configuration and a second configuration by
pivoting of the pivoting members 2. The pivoting members 2 include
a front cover 3 simulating a hood of a running object in the first
configuration, an upper cover 5 simulating a roof thereof, and a
head portion 42 of a robot in the second configuration, which will
be described later. The front cover 3 includes two members: a right
front cover member 3a simulating a right-side hood portion and a
left front cover member 3b simulating a left-side hood portion. The
rear cover 4 is fixed to the frame 1 and covers a pivoting
mechanism B, which will be described later.
[0031] The rear cover 4 has simulated leg portions 4a formed at an
upper surface thereof in the shape of semi-cylinders, simulating
leg portions of the robot, the simulated leg portions 4a being
covered by a sub-cover 5a mounted in a vertically pivotable manner
at a rear end of the upper cover 5.
[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, the pivoting mechanism B pivots the
right front cover member 3a, the left front cover member 3b, the
upper cover 5, and the head portion 42 by using a movement of the
center of gravity of weight members 10 as a power. The pivoting
mechanism B is disposed on the frame 1 in a longitudinal direction.
The pivoting mechanism B includes a driving shaft 18 having a crown
gear 15, a driving gear 16, and a bevel gear 17; and a sector gear
20 for rotating the driving shaft 18 in response to forward and
backward movements of the weight members 10, a rotation of the
sector gear 20 being transmitted to the crown gear 15 through an
intermediate gear 21.
[0033] The weight members 10 are fixed at both ends of a shaft 22
rotating by being journaled in a bearing (not shown), the shaft 22
having the sector gear 20 fixed at a substantially middle thereof.
The weight members 10 are adapted to swing in forward and backward
directions of the frame 1. When the weight members 10 swing, since
the sector gear 20 coaxial with the weight members 10 also rotates
forwardly and backwardly, the intermediate gear 21 meshing with the
sector gear 20 rotates. Since the crown gear 15 fixed at a rear end
of the driving shaft 18 is in mesh with the intermediate gear 21,
the crown gear 15 is rotated, and the driving shaft 18 is
rotated.
[0034] The weight members 10 are locked by a lock device C so that
the weight members 10 do not pivot and movement of the center of
gravity of the weight members does not occur when the state of the
transformable toy A is merely changed from a horizontal state to a
vertical state. As shown in FIG. 4, the lock device C includes a
sliding member 23, which slides transversely by having protruding
edges 23a formed in a transverse direction on upper and lower
surfaces thereof guided by guide grooves (not shown), and a lock
releasing member 24, which slides longitudinally by having
protruding edges 24a formed in a longitudinal direction on upper
and lower surfaces thereof guided by guide grooves (not shown). The
sliding member 23 has an engaging claw 25, formed at a side surface
thereof for engaging with and disengaging from an engaging recess
10a formed in one of the weight members 10, and an engaging
protrusion 26, formed at a rear surface thereof for engaging with
the lock releasing member 24. An end 26a of the engaging protrusion
26 and an end 24b of the lock releasing member 24 have inclined
surfaces, and the inclined surfaces are adapted to slide along each
other. The sliding member 23 is adapted so that the engaging claw
25 disengages from the engaging recess 10a of the weight member 10
when the lock releasing member 24 is pressed. When the
transformable toy A is in a horizontal state and wheels are in
contact with a placement surface, the weight members 10 are in a
locked state. When the transformable toy A is in a vertical state
and a back surface of the rear cover 4 is brought into abutment
with a placement surface, the lock releasing member 24 is pressed
by the placement surface into the rear cover 4, and the engaging
claw 25 of the sliding member 23 disengages from the engaging
recess 10a, whereby the lock is released. Thus, transformation does
not occur when the transformable toy A is merely changed into a
vertical state, and occurs only when a back surface of the rear
cover 4 is brought into abutment with a placement surface.
[0035] Moreover, two crown gears 30 and 31 are in mesh with the
driving gear 16 fixed at a substantially middle of the driving
shaft 18 so as to sandwich the driving gear 16. The crown gears 30
and 31 have gears 32 and 33 integrally formed therewith,
respectively, and arm members 34 and 35 for pivoting a right front
cover member 3a and a left front cover member 3b are linked with
the gears 32 and 33, respectively.
[0036] The arm members 34 and 35 include two arm elements 34a and
34b, and arm elements 35a and 35b, respectively, the arm elements
being bent outwardly in a shape of a dog leg. The arm members 34
and 35 each have one end pivotably journaled on the frame 1 and the
other end pivotably journaled on the right front cover member 3a
and the left front cover member 3b, respectively. When the arm
members 34 and 35 pivot outwardly, the right front cover member 3a
and the left front cover member 3b pivot outwardly in parallel to
the frame 1.
[0037] The arm element 34a and the arm element 35a have racks 36
and 37 formed in a shape of a sector at one end thereof,
respectively, the racks 36 and 37 being in mesh with the gears 32
and 33, which are integral with the crown gears 30 and 31,
respectively.
[0038] Moreover, a bevel gear 40 is in mesh with the bevel gear 17
fixed at a front portion of the driving shaft 18. The bevel gear 40
has a shaft 41 protruding through the rear cover 4 and having the
upper cover 5 fixed at an end thereof.
[0039] Further, the driving shaft 18 has a head portion 42 of a
robot, which is one of the pivoting members, mounted at an end
thereof, the head portion 42 being adapted to be re-oriented from
backward to forward when the driving shaft 18 rotates by 180
degrees.
[0040] Next, a manner of operation of the transformable toy A
having the above construction will be described. First, the
transformable toy is brought into a vertical state, as shown in
FIG. 5. In this state, since the rear cover 4 is off the placement
surface a, as shown in FIG. 6A, the lock releasing member 24
protrudes from the rear cover 4. Accordingly, the sliding member 23
cannot be slid, the engaging claw 25 of the sliding member 23 is
still engaged with the engaging recess 10a of the one of the weight
members 10, and therefore the weight members 10 cannot pivot
downwardly. Thus, the pivoting mechanism B does not operate (see
FIG. 7A). Accordingly, the right front cover member 3a, the left
front cover member 3b, the head portion 42, and the upper cover 5
do not pivot, and the transformable toy A maintains the same
configuration as when it was in a horizontal state.
[0041] Next, when the transformable toy A is erected on a placement
surface a in a vertical state, as shown in FIG. 6B, since the lock
releasing member 24 is pressed into the rear cover 4, the sliding
member 23 is slid leftward, and the engaging claw 25 disengages
from the engaging recess 10a. Therefore, the locking of the weight
members 10 by the engaging claw 25 is released, and, as shown in
FIG. 7B, the weight members 10, whose center of gravity g was
located laterally, pivot downwardly as the center of gravity g
lowers. When the weight members 10 pivot downwardly, since the
sector gear 20 fixed to the shaft 22 of the weight members 10
rotates downwardly, the intermediate gear 21 in mesh with the
sector gear 20 rotates, the crown gear 15 rotates, and the driving
shaft 18 rotates.
[0042] When the driving shaft 18 rotates, since the driving gear 16
fixed to the driving shaft 18 also rotates, the crown gears 30 and
31 in mesh with the driving gear 16 rotate. Since the rack 36 of
the arm element 34a of the arm member 34 is in mesh with the gear
32 integral with the crown gear 30, and the rack 37 of the arm
element 35a of the arm member 35 is in mesh with the gear 33
integral with the crown gear 31, the arm members 34 and 35 pivot
outwardly, and the right front cover member 3a and the left front
cover member 3b begin to move away from the frame 1 (see FIG.
8).
[0043] Meanwhile, since the bevel gear 17 fixed to the driving
shaft 18 also rotates, the bevel gear 40 in mesh with the bevel
gear 17 also rotates, and the upper cover 5 fixed to the shaft 41
of the bevel gear 40 also begins to rotate. Moreover, the head
portion 42 fixed at an end of the driving shaft 18 also begins to
rotate.
[0044] When the center of gravity g of the weight members 10 has
moved to a position directly under the shaft 22, the rotation of
the sector gear 20 stops, and the pivoting mechanism B also stops.
In this state, as shown in FIG. 2, the right front cover member 3a
and the left front cover member 3b have moved to the outside,
constituting arms of the robot, the head portion 42 is exposed,
with its face oriented forwardly, the upper cover 5 has been
vertically inverted, the simulated leg portions 4a formed on the
rear cover 4 are exposed and showing legs of the robot, and the
sub-cover 5a, which was hiding the simulated leg portions 4a in the
running-object configuration, has flipped down forwardly under its
own weight and is no longer hiding the head portion 42. Thus, the
transformable toy can be instantly transformed from a
running-object configuration to a robot configuration.
[0045] Meanwhile, when the transformable toy in the robot
configuration is restored to its horizontal state, since the center
of gravity g of the weight members 10 moves forwardly, the driving
shaft 18 rotates in the opposite direction. The driving gear 16 and
the bevel gear 17 mounted on the driving shaft 18 rotate in the
opposite direction, and the right front cover member 3a, the left
front cover member 3b, the upper cover 5, and the head portion 42
are restored to their original states. Thus, the transformable toy
can be instantly restored from the robot configuration to the
running-object configuration.
[0046] Moreover, the lock device C may be disposed at a rear
portion (back side) in the robot configuration, and an end of the
releasing member 24 may be protruded from the back side (this
construction is not shown). By being constructed in this manner,
the transformable toy is not restored to the first configuration
when it is merely restored to its horizontal state but can be
restored to the running-object configuration, which is the first
configuration, when a back of the robot is brought into abutment
with a placement surface.
[0047] Next, an accommodating case P for accommodating the
above-described transformable toy A will be described. The
accommodating case P is a rectangular parallelepiped box formed of
a transparent material and has an opening at a front portion
thereof for taking out and putting in the transformable toy A, the
opening being formed so as to be closable by a flap lid. The
accommodating case P is adapted so that the transformable toy A is
accommodated therein when the transformable toy A is in the state
of a running object, which is the first configuration, as shown in
FIG. 9. The accommodating case P is provided, at a bottom plate 50
thereof, with a base 51 for lifting the transformable toy A so as
not to stick to the bottom plate 50, the base 51 having a
through-hole 53 at a center thereof for inserting a screw 52, which
is a fixing device; and a supporting plate 55 for supporting the
transformable toy A so as not to stick to a rear wall 54. The rear
wall 54 of the accommodating case P is provided with an abutment
portion 56, which abuts with the lock releasing member 24
protruding backwardly from a rear portion of the transformable toy
A and presses in the lock releasing member 24. When the
transformable toy A is accommodated in the accommodating case P and
the lock releasing member 24 is pressed against the abutment
portion 56, the screw 52 is screwed into a screw hole 57 formed at
a bottom portion of the transformable toy A from a back side of the
accommodating case P, and the transformable toy A is fixed in the
accommodating case P, as shown in FIG. 10A.
[0048] In this state, when the accommodating case P is erected,
since the lock releasing member 24 has already been pressed in by
the abutment member, the engaging claw 25 of the sliding member 23
has disengaged from the engaging recess 10a of the one of the
weight members 10, and the locking of the weight members 10 has
been released, a movement of the center of gravity of the weight
members 10 occurs, and the pivoting mechanism B operates. Thus, the
transformable toy A is instantly transformed from a running-object
configuration to a robot configuration (see FIG. 10B).
[0049] As described above, it is possible to provide a
transformable toy which is advantageous for both buyers and sellers
in that buyers can easily check its transformation and sellers only
need to prepare articles for sale, without needing to prepare
samples, because buyers can check the transformation of
transformable toys for sale displayed in stores without directly
touching them and sellers need not provide a transformable toy
sample, for any of the various types of transformable toys which
sellers may put in their stores, owing to the fact that the
transformable toy A is transformed when the accommodating case P
accommodating the transformable toy A is merely changed from a
horizontal state to a vertical state.
* * * * *