U.S. patent application number 11/917426 was filed with the patent office on 2010-08-26 for toy assembly unit and transformable toy.
This patent application is currently assigned to KONAMI DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Noboru Kasahara, Akio Nakajima, Motokazu Shibasaki.
Application Number | 20100216367 11/917426 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37532356 |
Filed Date | 2010-08-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100216367 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kasahara; Noboru ; et
al. |
August 26, 2010 |
TOY ASSEMBLY UNIT AND TRANSFORMABLE TOY
Abstract
An assembly unit for a toy capable of preventing a pair of side
walls thereof surrounding a recessed part for engagement from
cracking. A plurality of part units are connected to each other
through a projected part (109) for engagement and the recessed part
(111) for engagement. The projected part (109) for engagement
comprises a base (113), a plate-like part (115) extending in a
direction apart from the base, and an engagement part side
extension part (117) formed at the tip of the plate-like part. The
recessed part (111) for engagement comprises the pair of side walls
(121) with flexibility integrally having, at its tip part, engaged
part side extension parts (119) for stopping the extraction of the
engagement part side extension part (117) and a bottom wall (123)
connecting the base parts of these pair of side walls to each
other. A through hole (129) extending along a gap (127) formed
between the pair of engaged part side extension parts (119) formed
on the pair of side walls (121) and passed through the bottom wall
(123) in a direction facing the gap is formed in the bottom wall
(123) forming the recessed part (111) for engagement.
Inventors: |
Kasahara; Noboru; (Tokyo,
JP) ; Shibasaki; Motokazu; (Tokyo, JP) ;
Nakajima; Akio; (Kanagawa, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
RANKIN, HILL & CLARK LLP
38210 GLENN AVENUE
WILLOUGHBY
OH
44094-7808
US
|
Assignee: |
KONAMI DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT CO.,
LTD.
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
37532356 |
Appl. No.: |
11/917426 |
Filed: |
June 15, 2006 |
PCT Filed: |
June 15, 2006 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP2006/312022 |
371 Date: |
December 13, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
446/97 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H 3/16 20130101; A63H
33/065 20130101; A63H 3/46 20130101; A63H 33/003 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
446/97 |
International
Class: |
A63H 3/16 20060101
A63H003/16 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 16, 2005 |
JP |
2005-176818 |
Claims
1. A toy assembly unit comprising a first component unit including
an engaging portion and a second component unit including an
engaged portion into which the engaging portion is detachably
engaged, the engaging portion being constituted by one of an
engagement raised portion and an engagement depressed portion; and
the engaged portion being constituted by the other of the
engagement raised portion and the engagement depressed portion, the
engagement raised portion including a base, a plate-like portion
integrally formed with the base and extending away therefrom, and
an expanded portion integrally formed with the plate-like portion
in such a manner that the expanded portion is disposed along an end
portion of the plate-like portion, the engagement depressed portion
being formed by being surrounded by a pair of side walls which have
flexibility and are disposed at a given interval to sandwich the
plate-like portion and the expanded portion therebetween; and a
bottom wall connecting base portions of the pair of side walls,
each of the side walls having a projecting portion formed
integrally therewith at an end portion thereof for preventing the
expanded portion from coming off, the bottom wall having one or
more through-holes which extend along a gap formed between the pair
of projecting portions respectively formed with the pair of side
walls, and pass through the bottom wall toward the gap.
2. The toy assembly unit according to claim 1, wherein the length
of the projecting portion in a direction along the gap is smaller
than that of the pair of side walls in the direction along the gap,
and the projecting portions do not exist at both ends, in the
direction along the gap, of the end portions of the pair of the
side walls.
3. The toy assembly unit according to claim 2, wherein the pair of
side walls and the bottom wall are integrally formed with a
synthetic resin material.
4. The toy assembly unit according to claim 1, wherein a plurality
of the through-holes are formed side by side along the gap.
5. The toy assembly unit according to claim 1, wherein the pair of
side walls and the bottom wall are integrally formed with a
synthetic resin material.
6. A transformable toy comprising a plurality of component units
and one or more connecting mechanisms respectively including an
engaging portion and an engaged portion to be engaged with the
engaging portion to connect the component units to each other, the
transformable toy being transformed from one figure into another
figure by changing a combination of the plurality of component
units connected to each other, or replacing some of the component
units with a prepared separate component unit using the connecting
mechanism, or adding a prepared separate component unit to the
plurality of component units using the connecting mechanism, the
engaging portion being constituted by one of an engagement raised
portion and an engagement depressed portion; and the engaged
portion being constituted by the other of the engagement raised
portion and the engagement depressed portion, the engagement raised
portion including a base, a plate-like portion integrally formed
with the base and extending away therefrom, and an expanded portion
integrally formed with the plate-like portion in such a manner that
the expanded portion is disposed along an end portion of the
plate-like portion, the engagement depressed portion being formed
by being surrounded by a pair of side walls which have flexibility
and are disposed at a given interval to sandwich the plate-like
portion and the expanded portion therebetween; and a bottom wall
connecting base portions of the pair of side walls, each of the
side walls having a projecting portion formed integrally therewith
at an end portion thereof for preventing the expanded portion from
coming off, the bottom wall having one or more through-holes which
extend along a gap formed between the pair of projecting portions
respectively formed with the pair of side walls, and pass through
the bottom wall toward the gap.
7. The transformable toy according to claim 6, wherein the length
of the projecting portion in a direction along the gap is smaller
than that of the pair of side walls in the direction along the gap,
and the projecting portions do not exist at both ends, in the
direction along the gap, of the end portions of the pair of side
walls.
8. The transformable toy according to claim 7, wherein the pair of
side walls and the bottom wall are integrally formed with a
synthetic resin material.
9. The transformable toy according to claim 6, wherein a plurality
of the through-holes are formed side by side along the gap.
10. The transformable toy according to claim 6, wherein the pair of
side walls and the bottom wall are integrally formed with a
synthetic resin material.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a toy assembly unit
including a first component unit and a second component unit that
are connected via a connecting mechanism, and also relates to a
transformable toy using the same.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] A toy assembly unit of this kind and a transformable toy
using the same have been proposed by the applicant in Japanese
Patent Application No. 2003-423874. In the toy field, there are no
prior patent applications which have proposed the configuration of
a connecting mechanism employed in the toy assembly unit and the
transformable toy proposed in Japanese Patent Application No.
2003-423874.
[0003] As shown in FIG. 8, the toy assembly unit comprises a first
component unit 1 and a pair of second component units 5. The first
component unit 1 includes two engaging portions 3 that are disposed
separately from each other. The pair of second component units 5
each include an engaged portion 7 into which the engaging portion 3
is detachably engaged.
[0004] The engaging portion 3 is constituted by one of an
engagement raised portion 9 and an engagement depressed portion 11
into which the engagement raised portion 9 is detachably engaged.
The engaged portion 7 is constituted by the other of the engagement
raised portion 9 and the engagement depressed portion 11. In FIG.
8, the engaging portion 3 is constituted by the engagement raised
portion 9, and the engaged portion 7 is constituted by the
engagement depressed portion 11.
[0005] The engagement raised portion 9 includes a plate-like base
13, a plate-like portion 15 integrally formed with the base 13 and
orthogonally extending away therefrom in a plate-like shape, and a
cylindrical expanded portion 17 integrally formed with the
plate-like portion 15 in such a manner that the expanded portion 15
is disposed along an end portion of the plate-like portion 15. The
engagement depressed portion 11 is formed, being surrounded by a
pair of side walls 21, 21 which have flexibility and are disposed
at a given interval to sandwich the plate-like portion 15 and the
expanded portion therebetween, and a bottom wall 23 connecting base
portions of the pair of side walls 21, 21, each of the side walls
21, 21 having a projecting portion 19 formed integrally therewith
at an end portion thereof for preventing the expanded portion 17
from coming off.
[0006] The engagement raised portion 9 and the engagement depressed
portion 11 are formed with a synthetic resin material. When
engaging the engagement raised portion 9 with the engagement
depressed portion 11, the expanded portion 17 of the engagement
raised portion 9 is pushed into between the projecting portions 19,
19 respectively located on either side of the interval. Then the
expanded portion 17 is inserted between the projecting portions
19,19 by bending outwardly the end portions of the pair of side
walls 21, 21 by means of the inserted expanded portion 17. In this
manner, the plate-like portion 15 of the engagement raised portion
9 is sandwiched between the projecting portions 19, 19 respectively
located on the either side, thereby preventing the expanded portion
17 from coming off. Thus, the engaging portion gets into engagement
with the engaged portion.
[0007] [Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-423874
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0008] In the conventional engagement depressed portion 11, the
pair of side walls 21, 21, or the bottom wall 23 may be cracked if
the expanded portion 17 of the engagement raised portion 9 is
repeatedly pushed into and pulled out from between the projecting
portions 19, 19 of the engagement depressed portion 11, namely, if
engagement/disengagement is repeated.
[0009] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a toy assembly unit in which a bottom wall or base portions
of a pair of side walls of an engagement depressed portion can be
prevented from being cracked even if engagement/disengagement is
repeated.
[0010] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
toy assembly unit in which an expanded portion of an engagement
raised portion can easily be inserted into between projecting
portions of an engagement depressed portion respectively located on
the either side at a longitudinal end thereof.
[0011] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
toy assembly unit in which end portions of a pair of side walls of
an engagement depressed portion can easily be bent outwardly, and
mechanical strength of a bottom wall can be improved.
[0012] It is still another object of the present invention to
provide a toy assembly unit in which a pair of side walls of an
engagement depressed portion can easily be bent.
[0013] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide
a transformable toy in which a bottom wall or base portions of a
pair of side walls of an engagement depressed portion in a
connecting mechanism can be prevented from being cracked.
Means of Solving the Problem
[0014] A toy assembly unit according to an embodiment of the
present invention comprises a first component unit including an
engaging portion and a second component unit including an engaged
portion into which the engaging portion is detachably engaged. The
engaging portion is constituted by one of an engagement raised
portion and an engagement depressed portion. The engaged portion is
constituted by the other of the engagement raised portion and the
engagement depressed portion. The engagement raised portion
includes a base, a plate-like portion integrally formed with the
base and extending away therefrom, and an expanded portion
integrally formed with the plate-like portion in such a manner that
the expanded portion is disposed along an end portion of the
plate-like portion. The engagement depressed portion is formed,
being surrounded by a pair of side walls and a bottom wall. The
pair of side walls have flexibility and are disposed at a given
interval to sandwich the plate-like portion and the expanded
portion therebetween. The bottom wall connects base portions of the
pair of side walls, each of the side walls having a projecting
portion formed integrally therewith at an end portion thereof for
preventing the expanded portion from coming off. In particular, the
bottom wall has one or more through-holes which extend along a gap
formed between the pair of projecting portions respectively formed
with the pair of side walls, and pass through the bottom wall
toward the gap.
[0015] When one or more through holes are provided in the bottom
wall constituting the engagement depressed portion, portions of the
bottom wall in the periphery of the through holes may easily be
curved convexly toward the above-mentioned gap so as to narrow the
interval or gap in a width direction, thereby bending end portions
of the pair of side walls outwardly. As a result, the pair of side
walls can be bent more easily than ever, thereby preventing the
bottom wall and the pair of side walls of the engagement depressed
portion from being cracked when pushing or puling out the expanded
portion of the engagement raised portion into or from between the
projecting portions of the engagement depressed portion
respectively located on either side of the interval or gap.
Therefore, according to the present invention, the life of the
engagement depressed portion can be extended and reliability can be
increased.
[0016] Preferably, the length of the projecting portion in a
direction along the gap is smaller than that of the pair of side
walls in the direction along the gap, and the projecting portions
do not exist at both ends, in the direction along the gap, of the
end portions of the side walls. With such configuration, once one
end of the expanded portion of the engagement raised portion has
got into a space which exists on both sides of the end portions of
the side walls in the direction along the gap, where the projecting
portions do not exist, the engagement raised portion can smoothly
be inserted into between the pair of projecting portions. In this
manner, the engagement raised portion can be engaged with or
inserted into the engagement depressed portion with no difficulty
even if both portions are not exactly opposed to each other.
[0017] Preferably, a plurality of through holes are formed side by
side along the gap. With such arrangement, namely, due to the
existence of the through holes in the bottom wall, the end portions
of the pair of side walls of the engagement depressed portion can
readily be bent outwardly.
[0018] Preferably, the pair of side walls and the bottom wall are
integrally formed with a synthetic resin material. In the
above-mentioned configuration, flexibility of the synthetic resin
material can be utilized most, thereby readily bending outwardly
the pair of side walls partially surrounding the engagement
depressed portion.
[0019] The present invention is, of course, applicable to a
transformable toy comprising a plurality of component units and one
or more connecting mechanisms respectively including an engaging
portion and an engaged portion to be engaged with the engaging
portion for connecting the component units to each other. The
transformable toy is transformed from one figure into another
figure by changing a combination of the plurality of component
units connected to each other, or replacing some of the component
units with a prepared separate component unit using the connecting
mechanism, or adding a prepared separate component unit to the
plurality of component units using the connecting mechanism.
[0020] In a transformable toy according to an embodiment of the
present invention, the engaging portion is constituted by one of an
engagement raised portion and an engagement depressed portion; and
the engaged portion is constituted by the other of the engagement
raised portion and the engagement depressed portion. The engagement
raised portion includes a base, a plate-like portion integrally
formed with the base and extending away therefrom, and an expanded
portion integrally formed with the plate-like portion in such a
manner that the expanded portion is disposed along an end portion
of the plate-like portion. The engagement depressed portion is
formed, being surrounded by a pair of side walls which have
flexibility and are disposed at a given interval to sandwich the
plate-like portion and the expanded portion therebetween; and a
bottom wall connecting base portions of the pair of side walls,
each of the side walls having a projecting portion formed
integrally therewith at an end portion thereof for preventing the
expanded portion from coming off. The bottom wall has one or more
through-holes which extend along a gap formed between the pair of
projecting portions respectively formed with the pair of side
walls, and pass through the bottom wall toward the gap.
[0021] Preferably, in the transformable toy according to the
present invention, the length of the projecting portion in a
direction along the gap is smaller than that of the pair of side
walls in the direction along the gap, and the projecting portions
do not exist at both ends, in the direction along the gap, of the
end portions of the pair of side walls. Preferably, a plurality of
the through-holes are formed side by side along the gap.
Preferably, the pair of side walls and the bottom wall are
integrally formed with a synthetic resin material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a configuration of an
engaging portion and an engaged portion used for a toy assembly
unit according to an embodiment in the best mode for carrying out
the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a reversed perspective view
of FIG. 1A.
[0023] FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, and 2F are a front view, a plan
view, a bottom view, a left side view, a right side view, and a
cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 2B of the engaged
portion used in the present embodiment.
[0024] FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D are explanatory views showing how
the engaging portion is inserted into the engaged portion in the
present embodiment.
[0025] FIGS. 4A and 4B are explanatory views showing how the
engaging portion is inserted into one end, in a longitudinal
direction, of the engaged portion.
[0026] FIG. 5 is a front view of a core robot toy.
[0027] FIGS. 6A and 6B are a front view and a cross-sectional view
taken along line B-B of a large robot toy that does not incorporate
the core robot toy therein.
[0028] FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a
principal configuration of the large robot toy incorporating the
core robot toy therein.
[0029] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a principal
configuration of a conventional toy assembly unit.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0030] The best mode for carrying out the invention will be
described in detail hereinafter with reference to the drawings.
[0031] FIGS. 1A and 1B to FIGS. 4A and 4B show one embodiment in
the best mode for carrying out the present invention. FIG. 1A is a
perspective view showing a configuration of an engaging portion and
an engaged portion used for a toy assembly unit of the present
embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a reversed perspective view of FIG. 1A.
FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E and 2F are a front view, a plan view, a
bottom view, a left side view, a right side view, and a
cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 2B of the engaged
portion used in the present embodiment. FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D are
explanatory views showing how the engaging portion is inserted into
the engaged portion used in the present embodiment. FIGS. 4A and 4B
are explanatory views showing how the engaging portion is inserted
into one end, in the longitudinal direction, of the engaged portion
in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, components
and portions similar to those of the conventional art as shown in
FIG. 8 have their reference numerals calculated by adding a number
of 100 to the corresponding reference numerals shown in FIG. 8.
[0032] In the present embodiment, an engagement raised portion 109
constitutes the engaging portion provided in a first component
unit, not shown, and an engagement depressed portion 111
constitutes the engaged portion provided in a second component
unit, not shown.
[0033] The engagement raised portion 109 is integrally formed with
a synthetic resin material. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the
engagement raised portion 109 includes a plate-like base 113, a
plate-like portion 115 integrally formed with the base 113 and
extending orthogonally away therefrom, and a cylindrical expanded
portion 117 integrally formed with the plate-like portion 115 in
such a manner that the expanded portion 117 is disposed along an
end portion of the plate-like portion 115.
[0034] The engagement depressed portion 111 is formed, being
surrounded by a pair of side walls 121,121 which have flexibility
and a bottom wall 123, as shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and FIGS. 2A, 2B,
2C, 2D, 2E, and 2F. The pair of side walls 121,121 are opposed to
each other at a given interval or gap 125. The pair of side walls
121,121 sandwich the plate-like portion 115 and the expanded
portion 117 of the engagement raised portion 109 therebetween. Each
of the side walls 121, 121 has a projecting portion 119 formed
integrally therewith at an end portion thereof for preventing the
expanded portion 117 from coming off. The bottom wall 123 connects
base portions of the pair of side walls 121,121. The
above-mentioned interval or gap 125 is defined so that the expanded
portion 117 may be received between the pair of side walls
121,121.
[0035] The bottom wall 123 constituting the engagement depressed
portion 111 has a through hole 129 of a rectangular shape. The
through hole 129 extends along a gap 127 formed between the pair of
projecting portions 119 respectively formed with the pair of side
walls 121,121, and passes through the bottom wall 123 toward the
gap 127.
[0036] The length of the projecting portion 119 in a direction
along the gap 127 is smaller than that of the pair of side walls
121, 121 in the direction along the gap 125. As a result, the
projecting portions 119 do not exist at both ends, in the direction
along the gap 125, of the end portions of the side walls 121, 121.
Thus, spaces (slits) 131, 131 are formed.
[0037] The pair of side walls 121,121 and the bottom wall 123, as
thus constituted, are integrally formed with a synthetic resin
material. The engagement raised portion 109 is also integrally
formed with the synthetic resin material. A typical example of the
synthetic resin materials that form the engagement raised portion
109 and engagement depressed portion 111 is polyacetal (POM).
[0038] As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the expanded portion 117 of the
engagement raised portion 109 is pushed into between the projecting
portions 119,119 of the engagement depressed portion 111,
respectively located on either side of the interval or gap. Then,
as shown in FIG. 3C, the expanded portion 117 is inserted between
the projecting portions 119,119 when the end portions of the pair
of side walls 121, 121 are bent outwardly by the expanded portion
117. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3D, the plate-like portion 115
of the engagement raised portion 109 is located between the
projecting portions 119,119 respectively located on the either
side. The expanded portion 117 is received in the interval or gap
125 between the pair of side walls 121,121, and the expanded
portion 117 is prevented from coming off due to the existence of
the projecting portions 119,119. In this manner, the engagement of
engagement raised portion 109 and the engagement depressed portion
111 is completed.
[0039] In the toy assembly unit thus configured, since the bottom
wall 123 partially surrounding the engagement depressed portion 111
has one through-hole 129 which extends along the gap 127 formed
between the pair of projecting portions 119, 119, and passes
through the bottom wall 123 toward the gap 127, the bottom wall 123
curves convexly toward the gap 127 when the end portions of the
pair of side walls 121,121 are bent outwardly. As a result, the
pair of side walls 121,121 are easily bent outwardly, thus
preventing the bottom wall 123 and the base portions of the pair of
side walls 121,121 of the engagement depressed portion 111 from
being cracked when the expanded portion 117 of the engagement
raised portion 109 is inserted between the projecting portions
119,119 of the engagement depressed portion 111 respectively
located on the either side. Consequently, the life of the
engagement depressed portion 111 is extended and reliability is
increased.
[0040] Once one end of the expanded portion 117 of the engagement
raised portion 109 has got into one of spaces 131, 131 respectively
formed on either side of the end portions of the pair of side walls
121, 121 in the direction along the interval or gap 125, where the
projecting portions do not exist, the engagement raised portion 109
is smoothly inserted between the pair of projecting portions 119,
119. In this manner, the engagement raised portion 109 can readily
be engaged with or inserted into the engagement depressed portion
111 with no difficulty even if both portions are not exactly
opposed to each other.
[0041] Preferably, a plurality of through holes 129 may be formed
side by side in the bottom wall 123 at a given interval along the
gap 127. In this manner, flexibility of the bottom wall 123 is
adjustable by defining the number of the plurality of through hole
129. Since portions between the adjoining through holes 129 formed
in the bottom wall 123 are connected to each other in a width
direction thereof, mechanical strength of the bottom wall 123 is
also adjustable by appropriately determining the number of the
through holes.
[0042] FIGS. 5 to 7 illustrate how the connecting mechanism, which
is constituted by the above-mentioned engagement raised portion 109
and engagement depressed portion 111, is applied to a transformable
toy in order to connect a core robot toy and a large robot toy.
FIG. 5 is a front view of the core robot toy, and FIGS. 6A and 6B
are a front view and a cross-sectional side view taken along line
B-B of the large robot toy that does not incorporate the core robot
toy therein. FIG. 7 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view
showing the principal configuration of the large robot toy
incorporating the core robot toy therein.
[0043] In the present embodiment, the transformable toy is
transformed into the large robot toy shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B by
mounting a plurality of divided components, which have been
obtained by dividing another robot toy, onto the core robot toy
shown in FIG. 5, which works as the core of the large robot
toy.
[0044] As shown in FIG. 5, the core robot toy 133 is a humanoid
robot toy including a head section 135, a body section 137 holding
the head section 135 thereon, a pair of arm sections 139
respectively mounted on the right/left sides of the body section
137 via a joint portion, and a pair of leg sections 141
respectively mounted on the lower portions of the arm sections 139
via another joint portion. Although not shown, the head section 135
is configured to go downward when it is pushed down, and to fall
backward to be located behind the body section 137 by means of a
moving/turning mechanism supporting a neck section disposed below
the head section 135. A light-emitting display portion 138 is
mounted on the front side of the body section 137. The inside of
the body section 137 is hollow, and an opening is provided in the
upper portion of the body section 137. The opening is covered by a
component of the moving/turning mechanism. A switch and a feeder
circuit are disposed inside the opening. The switch is set to ON
when the head section 135 is pushed down. The feeder circuit
supplies electric power to the light-emitting display portion 138
from a battery when the switch is activated. When the head section
135 falls backward, the component of the moving/turning mechanism
is also moved so that the upper portion of the body section 137 is
opened to expose the switch. Each leg section 141 includes a thigh
section 141a, a shin section 141b, and a foot section 141c. The
thigh section 141a is connected to the body section 137 via a joint
portion 141d, and the thigh section 141a and the shin section 141b
are mutually connected via a joint portion 141e. The engagement
depressed portion 111 is disposed in the front side of the thigh
section 141a in such a manner that the gap 127 extends in a
vertical direction of the illustration, as shown in FIG. 5. Each
leg section 141 can be bent so as to be disposed on the back side
of the body section 137 as described later.
[0045] The large robot toy 143 is constituted by mounting a
plurality of divided components 145,147, which have been obtained
by dividing another robot toy into components, onto the core robot
toy 133 used as a core, as shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and FIG. 7.
Namely, as shown in FIG. 7, the core robot toy is compactly folded,
and the divided component 145 is removably connected to an upper
portion of the folded core robot toy 133 via a male-and-female
connecting mechanism, and the divided component 147 is removably
connected to a lower portion of the folded core robot toy 133 via a
connecting mechanism that is constituted by the engagement
depressed portion 111 disposed in the core robot toy 133 and the
engagement raised portion 109 disposed in the divided component
147.
[0046] The divided component 145 includes a box-shaped assembly
component 145a that works as a chest section, another box-shaped
assembly component 145b disposed on the front side of the assembly
component 145a, an assembly component 145c disposed on an upper
portion of the assembly component 145a to work as a head section,
and assembly components 145e that are attached to both sides of the
assembly component 145a via joint portions 145d to work as arm
sections. The lower portion of the box-shaped assembly component
145a is removably connected to the upper portion of the folded core
robot toy 133 via the male-and-female connecting mechanism, not
shown.
[0047] The divided component 147 is constituted by a box-shaped
assembly component 147a that works as a waist and a pair of
assembly components 147b connected to lower portions of both sides
of the assembly component 147a.
[0048] The core robot toy 133 is folded and incorporated in the
large robot toy 143, with the light-emitting display portion 138
being exposed from between the assembly component 145a and the
assembly component 147a, or being exposed through a window portion,
not shown, provided in the assembly component 145a.
[0049] The divided component 145 is configured to allow the switch
disposed in the core robot toy 133 to be operated by operating an
operation portion 149 of the divided component 145 when the core
robot toy 133 is mounted with the divided components 145, 147 to
form the large robot toy 143. The divided component 145 including
the operation portion 149 incorporates an operation mechanism 151
that allows direct operation of the switch when the divided
component 145 is mounted on the core robot toy 133. The operation
mechanism 151 is divided into three operation mechanism portions
151a, 151b, and 151c which are included in the assembly components
145a and 145b. The operation mechanism portion 151a is included in
the assembly component 145a and is configured to move up and down
longitudinally so as to press a keytop of the switch. The operation
mechanism portion 151b is included in the assembly component 145a
and is configured to move laterally in a direction orthogonal to an
extending direction of the operation mechanism portion 151a so that
the operation mechanism 151b is pushed to slide, which in turn
pushes down the operation mechanism portion 151a. The operation
mechanism portion 151c is included in the assembly component 145b
and is aligned with a base end of the operation mechanism portion
151b so that pressing the operation mechanism portion 151c may move
backward the operation mechanism 151b.
[0050] The assembly component 145b, which is disposed in the front
side of the divided component 145 that constitutes the chest
section, is configured in the shape of a lion head.
[0051] In the present embodiment, when the inside of a widely
opened mouth of the lion head is lighted by emission of the
light-emitting display portion 138 disposed in the core robot toy
133, the large robot toy 143 is in a light-emitting display
state.
[0052] The engagement raised portion 109 and the engagement
depressed portion 111 may be disposed interchangeably.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0053] According to the present invention, since one or more
through holes are formed in the bottom wall that constitutes the
engagement depressed portion, portions of the bottom wall in the
periphery of the through holes may easily be curved convexly toward
the gap, and the gap is accordingly narrowed. Namely, the pair of
side walls may be bent more easily than ever. This prevents the
bottom wall and the pair of side walls of the engagement depressed
portion from being cracked when pushing or pulling out the expanded
portion of the engagement raised portion into or from between the
projecting portions of the engagement depressed portion
respectively located on either side of the gap. According to the
present invention, the life of the engagement depressed portion is
extended and reliability is increased.
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