U.S. patent application number 17/326061 was filed with the patent office on 2021-12-09 for transformable toy.
The applicant listed for this patent is GLORY INNOVATIONS INC.. Invention is credited to Kuo-Ching LIU.
Application Number | 20210379505 17/326061 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005650998 |
Filed Date | 2021-12-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210379505 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LIU; Kuo-Ching |
December 9, 2021 |
TRANSFORMABLE TOY
Abstract
A transformable toy includes a transformable assembly, a bottom
locking member, a top locking member and a resilient set. The
transformable assembly includes a bottom plate and a top plate. The
bottom locking member is disposed on the bottom plate and includes
a bottom hook. The top locking member is disposed on the top plate
and includes a top hook. The top locking member is able to be
driven by a downward force to engage the top hook with the bottom
hook. The bottom hook is able to be driven by an upward force
opposite to the downward force to be disengaged from the top
hook.
Inventors: |
LIU; Kuo-Ching; (New Taipei
City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
GLORY INNOVATIONS INC. |
New Taipei City |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005650998 |
Appl. No.: |
17/326061 |
Filed: |
May 20, 2021 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H 37/005
20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63H 37/00 20060101
A63H037/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 9, 2020 |
TW |
109119316 |
Claims
1. A transformable toy comprising: a transformable assembly
including a bottom plate, and a top plate that is spaced apart from
said bottom plate in an up-down direction, said transformable
assembly being operable to be stretched and compressed in the
up-down direction; a bottom locking member disposed on said bottom
plate, and including a bottom hook; a top locking member disposed
on said top plate, and including a top hook that is able to
removably engage said bottom hook; and a resilient set disposed in
said transformable assembly and resiliently biasing said top plate
away from said bottom plate; wherein said top locking member is
able to be driven by a downward force to engage said top hook with
said bottom hook, and said bottom hook is able to be driven by an
upward force opposite to the downward force to be disengaged from
said top hook.
2. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom
hook of said bottom locking member has an upward-facing inclined
surface, and said top hock of said top locking member has a
downward-facing inclined surface, said downward-facing inclined
surface being able to be in slidable contact with said
upward-facing inclined surface so as to resiliently bend said
bottom hook, so that said bottom hook is able to engage said top
hook.
3. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom
hook of said bottom locking member has a cantilever arm and an
engaging arm, said engaging arm being integrally connected to a
free end of said cantilever arm and being for engaging said top
hook of said top locking member, a bottom end of said engaging arm
being for receiving the upward force so as to resiliently bend said
cantilever arm, so that said engaging arm is driven to be
disengaged from said top hook.
4. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 3, wherein said
engaging arm of said bottom hook of said bottom locking member has
an engaging arm section and a force-receiving section, said
engaging arm section being integrally connected to said free end of
said cantilever arm of said bottom hook, protruding from a top
surface of said cantilever arm, and being for engaging said top
hook of said top locking member, said force-receiving section being
formed at a bottom end of said engaging arm section, protruding
from a bottom surface of said cantilever arm, and being for
receiving the upward force.
5. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 4, wherein a length of
said engaging arm section of said engaging arm in the up-down
direction is greater than a length of said force-receiving section
of said engaging arm in the up-down direction.
6. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 4, wherein said
force-receiving section of said engaging arm of said bottom hook
has a sharpened end part, said sharpened end part being located at
a bottom end of said force-receiving section and being for
receiving the upward force.
7. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 4, wherein said
engaging arm section of said engaging arm of said bottom hook has a
bottom hook part, said bottom hook part being adjacent to a top end
of said engaging arm section and having an upward-facing inclined
surface, said top hook of said top locking member having a top hook
part, said top hook part being adjacent to a bottom end of said top
hook and having a downward-facing inclined surface, said
downward-facing inclined surface being able to be in slidable
contact with said upward-facing inclined surface so as to
resiliently bend said engaging arm, so that said bottom hook part
is able to engage said top hook part.
8. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bottom
locking member includes two of said bottom hooks, said bottom hooks
being spaced apart from each other in a horizontal direction that
is substantially perpendicular to the up-down direction and being
in mirror symmetry with respect to a plane that passes through a
central axis of said bottom locking member which extends in the
up-down direction, said top locking member including two of said
top hooks, said top hooks being spaced apart from each other in the
horizontal direction and being in mirror symmetry with respect to a
plane that passes through a central axis of said top locking member
which extends in the up-down direction, said top hooks being for
respectively engaging said bottom hooks.
9. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 8, wherein said bottom
locking member further includes a blocking board that is spaced
apart from and disposed between said bottom hooks, said blocking
board being for preventing misalignment between said top hooks and
said bottom hooks, each of said top hooks being for entering a
space between said blocking board and the respective one of said
bottom hooks.
10. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 8, wherein said
bottom locking member includes a bottom plate body and a bottom
connecting body, said bottom plate body having a base board, and a
plurality of bottom fastening hooks that extend from a top surface
of said base board and that extend through said bottom plate of
said transformable assembly, said base board abutting against a
bottom surface of said bottom plate and being formed with two base
openings, said bottom connecting body having a bottom connecting
annular board that abuts against a top surface of said bottom plate
and that is engaged with said bottom fastening hooks, and said
bottom hooks that are connected to said bottom connecting annular
board, said bottom hooks respectively extending through said base
openings so as to partly protrude from a bottom surface of said
base board.
11. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 8, wherein said top
locking member includes a top plate body and a top connecting body,
said top plate body having a top board and two top fastening hooks
that extend from a bottom surface of said top board, said top board
abutting against a top surface of said top plate of said
transformable assembly, said top connecting body having a column
and said top hooks that extend from a bottom end of said column,
said column abutting against a bottom surface of said top plate,
said top fastening hooks engaging the bottom end of said
column.
12. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
resilient set includes a first resilient member that is disposed in
said transformable assembly and that resiliently biases said
transformable assembly, said first resilient member being
stretchable and compressible in the up-down direction.
13. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
transformable assembly includes a lower transformable body, an
upper transformable body, and a connecting unit, said lower
transformable body having said bottom plate and a lower plate that
is located above said bottom plate, said upper transformable body
having an upper plate that is disposed on a top end of said lower
plate and said top plate that is located above said upper plate,
said connecting unit interconnecting said lower plate and said
upper plate and cooperating with said lower plate and said upper
plate to define a channel, said channel being for said bottom hook
and said top hook to extend through, said resilient set including a
first resilient member that is disposed in said lower transformable
body, two opposite ends of said first resilient member respectively
abutting against said bottom locking member and said connecting
unit, said first resilient member being stretchable and
compressible in the up-down direction.
14. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 13, wherein said
bottom locking member is formed with a bottom positioning groove,
said connecting unit of said transformable assembly being formed
with a lower positioning groove, said first resilient member having
a first bottom end part that engages said bottom positioning
groove, and a first top end part that engages said lower
positioning groove.
15. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 13, wherein said
resilient set further includes a second resilient member that is
disposed in said upper transformable body of said transformable
assembly, two opposite ends of said second resilient member
respectively abutting against said top plate of said upper
transformable body and said connecting unit of said transformable
assembly, said second resilient member being stretchable and
compressible in the up-down direction.
16. The transformable toy as claimed in claim 15, wherein said
connecting unit of said transformable assembly is formed with an
upper positioning groove, said top locking member being formed with
a top positioning groove, said second resilient member having a
second bottom end part that engages said upper positioning groove,
and a second top end part that engages said top positioning groove.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to Taiwanese Invention
Patent Application No. 109119316, filed on Jun. 9, 2020.
FIELD
[0002] The disclosure relates to a toy, and more particularly to a
transformable toy.
BACKGROUND
[0003] A conventional transformable toy includes an outer shell
that is operable to switch between a compressed state and a
stretched state, a resilient member that resiliently biases the
outer shell for switching the outer shell into the stretched state,
and a latch member that separably interconnects two end portions of
the outer shell so that the outer shell remains in the compressed
state.
[0004] However, the latch member needs to be manually separated
from either of the end portions of the outer shell so as to
disconnect the end portions from each other. Moreover, the
direction in which the outer shell stretches may differ from the
direction in which the resilient member stretches. As such, the
outer shell may not be smoothly stretched by the resilient member
to be switched into the stretched state.
SUMMARY
[0005] Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a
transformable toy that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks
of the prior art.
[0006] According to the disclosure, the transformable toy includes
a transformable assembly, a bottom locking member, a top locking
member, and a resilient set. The transformable assembly includes a
bottom plate, and a top plate that is spaced apart from the bottom
plate in an up-down direction. The transformable assembly is
operable to be stretched and compressed in the up-down direction.
The bottom locking member is disposed on the bottom plate and
includes a bottom hook. The top locking member is disposed on the
top plate and includes a top hook that is able to removably engage
the bottom hook. The resilient set is disposed in the transformable
assembly, and resiliently biases the top plate away from the bottom
plate. The top locking member is able to be driven by a downward
force to engage the top hook with the bottom hook, and the bottom
hook is able to be driven by an upward force opposite to the
downward force to be disengaged from the top hook.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become
apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment
with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a
transformable toy according to the disclosure in a stretched
state;
[0009] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the
embodiment;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line in FIG. 1;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a bottom view illustrating a first resilient
member and a lower connecting member of the embodiment that engage
each other;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a top view illustrating a second resilient member
and an upper connecting member of the embodiment that engage each
other;
[0013] FIG. 6 is a top view illustrating the first resilient member
and a bottom connecting body of the embodiment that engage each
other;
[0014] FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, sectional view illustrating the
second resilient member and a top locking member of the embodiment
that engage each other;
[0015] FIG. 8 is a sectional view illustrating the embodiment
subjected to a downward force;
[0016] FIG. 9 is a sectional view illustrating the embodiment in a
compressed state; and
[0017] FIG. 10 is a sectional view illustrating the embodiment
subjected to two upward forces.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] Before the disclosure is described in greater detail, it
should be noted that where considered appropriate, reference
numerals or terminal portions of reference numerals have been
repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous
elements, which may optionally have similar characteristics.
[0019] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, an embodiment of a transformable
toy 100 according to the disclosure includes a transformable
assembly 1, a bottom locking member 2, a top locking member 3, and
a resilient set 4.
[0020] The transformable assembly 1 includes a lower transformable
body 11, an upper transformable body 12, and a connecting unit 13.
The lower transformable body 11 includes a bottom member 110, a
lower member 111, and a plurality of lower connecting films 112.
The bottom member 110 includes a bottom plate 113, and a plurality
of bottom connecting plates 114 that surround the bottom plate 113.
The bottom plate 113 is formed with a bottom opening 115 that is at
the center thereof, and a plurality of bottom holes 116 that are
spaced apart from and surround the bottom opening 115. Each of the
bottom connecting plates 114 is foldably connected to a periphery
of the bottom plate 113 at an inner edge thereof, and has an outer
edge that is opposite to the inner edge. The lower member 111 is
located above the bottom member 110 in an up-down direction (Z),
and has a structure similar to that of the bottom member 110. The
lower member 111 includes a lower plate 117 that is located above
the bottom plate 113 in the up-down direction (Z), and a plurality
of lower connecting plates 118 that surround the lower plate 117.
The lower plate 117 is formed with a lower opening 119 that is at
the center thereof. Each of the lower connecting plates 118 is
foldably connected to a periphery of the lower plate 117 at an
inner edge thereof, and has an outer edge that is opposite to the
inner edge and that abuts against the outer edge of a respective
one of the bottom connecting plates 114. Each of the lower
connecting films 112 (which may be configured as adhesive tapes)
attaches the outer edge of a respective one of the lower connecting
plates 118 to the outer edge of the corresponding one of the bottom
connecting plates 114 so that a distance between the inner edges of
each of the lower connecting plates 118 and the corresponding one
of the bottom connecting plates 114 is adjustable (i.e., a distance
between the lower plate 117 and the bottom plate 113 is
adjustable).
[0021] The upper transformable body 12 of the transformable
assembly 1 has a structure that is similar to that of the lower
transformable body 11 of the transformable assembly 1, but a size
of the upper transformable body 12 is substantially smaller than
that of the lower transformable body 11. The upper transformable
body 12 is located above the lower transformable body 11 in the
up-down direction (Z), and includes an upper member 120, a top
member 121, and a plurality of upper connecting films 122. The
upper member 120 includes an upper plate 123, and a plurality of
upper connecting plates 124 that surround the upper plate 123. Each
of the upper connecting plates 124 is foldably connected to a
periphery of the upper plate 123 at an inner edge thereof, and has
an outer edge that is opposite to the inner edge. The upper plate
123 is disposed on a top end of the lower plate 117 of the lower
member 111 of the lower transformable body 11, and is formed with
an upper opening 125 that is at the center thereof. The upper
opening 125 is connected to a top end of the lower opening 119 of
the lower plate 117 so that the upper opening 125 communicates with
the lower opening 119. The top member 121 is located above the
upper member 120 in the up-down direction (Z), and has a structure
similar to that of the upper member 120. The top member 121
includes a top plate 126 that is located above the upper plate 123
in the up-down direction (Z) and that is spaced apart from the
bottom plate 113 of the bottom member 110 of the lower
transformable body 11 in the up-down direction (Z), and a plurality
of top connecting plates 127 that surround the top plate 126. The
top plate 126 is formed with two top holes 128 that are spaced
apart from each other in a first transverse direction (X) (e.g., a
front-rear direction) substantially perpendicular to the up-down
direction (Z). Each of the top connecting plates 127 is foldably
connected to a periphery of the top plate 126 at an inner edge
thereof, and has an outer edge that is opposite to the inner edge
and that abuts against the outer edge of a respective one of the
upper connecting plates 124. Each of the upper connecting films 122
(which may be configured as adhesive tapes) attaches the outer edge
of a respective one of the top connecting plates 127 to the outer
edge of the corresponding one of the upper connecting plates 124 so
that a distance between the inner edges of each of the top
connecting plates 127 and the corresponding one of the upper
connecting plates 124 is adjustable (i.e., a distance between the
top plate 126 and the upper plate 123 is adjustable).
[0022] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the bottom
member 110 and the lower member 111 of the lower transformable body
11, and the upper member 120 and the top member 121 of the upper
transformable body 12 of the transformable assembly 1 are all made
of paperboard (i.e., paper-based material). However, in one or more
other embodiments, the bottom member 110, the lower member 111, the
upper member 120, and the top member 121 may be made of a plastic
material. Furthermore, the bottom plate 113 and the lower plate 117
of the lower transformable body 11, and the upper plate 123 and the
top plate 126 of the upper transformable body 12 are each
exemplarily illustrated as a polygon with six sides in this
embodiment. In other embodiments, each of the bottom plate 113, the
lower plate 117, the upper plate 123 and the top plate 126 can be a
polygon with more or less than six sides according to actual
requirements.
[0023] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the connecting unit 13 of the
transformable assembly 1 includes a lower connecting member 130 and
an upper connecting member 131. The lower connecting member 130 has
a lower connecting annular board 132, a plurality of lower
fastening hooks 133, and a lower positioning protrusion 134. The
lower connecting annular board 132 abuts against a bottom surface
of the lower plate 117 of the lower transformable body 11, and is
formed with a lower connecting opening 135 at the center thereof.
The lower connecting opening 135 is connected to a bottom end of
the lower opening 119 of the lower plate 117 so that the lower
connecting opening 135 communicates with the lower opening 119. The
lower fastening hooks 133 extend from a top surface of the lower
connecting annular board 132, surround the lower connecting opening
135, and are equiangularly spaced apart from each other about the
lower connecting opening 135. The lower positioning protrusion 134
extends from a bottom surface of the lower connecting annular board
132, and is formed with a lower positioning groove 136.
[0024] Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, the upper connecting member
131 has an upper connecting annular board 137 and an upper
positioning protrusion 138. The upper connecting annular board 137
abuts against a top surface of the upper plate 123 of the upper
transformable body 12, and is formed with an upper connecting
opening 139 at the center thereof. The upper connecting opening 139
is connected to a top end of the upper opening 125 of the upper
plate 123 so that the upper connecting opening 139 communicates
with the upper opening 125. The upper positioning protrusion 138
extends from a top surface of the upper connecting annular board
137, and is formed with an upper positioning groove 140. With the
lower connecting opening 135 of the lower connecting annular board
132 of the lower connecting member 130 being connected to the
bottom end of the lower opening 119 of the lower plate 117 of the
lower member 111, with the upper opening 125 being connected to the
top end of the lower opening 119, and with the upper connecting
opening 139 being connected to the top end of the upper opening
125, the connecting unit 13 of the transformable assembly 1
cooperates with the lower plate 117 and the upper plate 123 to
define a channel 14 that communicates the lower transformable body
11 and the upper transformable body 12. The lower fastening hooks
133 of the lower connecting member 130 extend through the lower
opening 119, the upper opening 125 and the upper connecting opening
139 to engage the top surface of the upper connecting annular board
137 so as to allow the connecting unit 13 to interconnect the lower
plate 117 and the upper plate 123 fixedly.
[0025] Therefore, since the lower connecting annular board 132 of
the lower connecting member 130 and the upper connecting annular
board 137 of the upper connecting member 131 of the connecting unit
13 cooperatively clamp the lower plate 117 of the lower member 111
of the lower transformable body 11 and the upper plate 123 of the
upper member 120 of the upper transformable body 12, and since the
lower fastening hooks 133 of the lower connecting member 130 of the
connecting unit 13 engage the top surface of the upper connecting
annular board 137, the transformable assembly 1 can remain stable
while being operated to stretch and compress in the up-down
direction (Z).
[0026] Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, the bottom locking member 2
includes a bottom plate body 21 and a bottom connecting body 22.
The bottom plate body 21 has a base board 210, a blocking board
211, and a plurality of bottom fastening hooks 212 that extend from
a top surface of the base board 210. The base board 210 abuts
against a bottom surface of the bottom plate 113 of the bottom
member 110, and is formed with two base openings 213. The base
openings 213 are spaced apart from each other in a second
transverse direction (Y) (e.g., a left-right direction)
substantially perpendicular to the up-down direction (Z) and to the
first transverse direction (X). The blocking board 211 extends from
the center of the top surface of the base board 210, and is spaced
apart from and disposed between the base openings 213. The bottom
fastening hooks 212 are equiangularly spaced apart from each other
about a central axis of the base board 210, and each of the bottom
fastening hooks 212 extends through and engages a respective one of
the bottom holes 116 of the bottom plate 113.
[0027] The bottom connecting body 22 has a bottom connecting
annular board 220, two bottom hooks 221, and a bottom positioning
protrusion 222. The bottom connecting annular board 220 abuts
against a top surface of the bottom plate 113 of the bottom member
110, and is formed with a bottom connecting opening 223, and a
plurality of bottom fastening openings 224. The bottom connecting
opening 223 is connected to atop end of the bottom opening 115 of
the bottom plate 113 so that the bottom connecting opening 223
communicates with the bottom opening 115, and is for being extended
through by the blocking board 211 of the bottom plate body 21 of
the bottom locking member 2. The bottom fastening openings 224 are
spaced apart from and surround the bottom connecting opening 223,
and are equiangularly spaced apart from each other. Each of the
bottom fastening openings 224 allows a respective one of the bottom
fastening hooks 212 of the bottom plate body 21 to extend
therethrough and engage therewith so that the bottom connecting
annular board 220 is engaged with the bottom fastening hooks
212.
[0028] The bottom hooks 221 of the bottom connecting body of the
bottom locking member 2 are integrally connected to the bottom
connecting annular board 220 of the bottom connecting body 22, and
are spaced apart from each other in the second transverse direction
(Y) and are in mirror symmetry (i.e., the bottom hooks 221 are
mirror images of each other) with respect to a plane passing
through a central axis of the bottom connecting annular board 220
which extends in the up-down direction (Z). In addition, the bottom
hooks 221 are located at two opposite sides of the bottom
connecting opening 223 of the bottom connecting annular board 220
and the blocking board 211 of the bottom plate body 21 of the
bottom locking member 2 is spaced apart from and disposed between
the bottom hooks 221. Each of the bottom hooks 221 has a cantilever
arm 225 and an engaging arm 226. The cantilever arm 225 of each of
the bottom hooks 221 extends in the second transverse direction
(Y), and has an end that is integrally connected to the bottom
connecting annular board 220 and that cooperates with the bottom
connecting annular board 220 to define two gaps 227 (see FIG. 6)
spaced apart from each other in the first transverse direction (X).
The engaging arm 226 of each of the bottom hooks 221 has an
engaging arm section 228 and a force-receiving section 229. The
engaging arm section 228 of the engaging arm 226 of each of the
bottom hooks 221 is integrally connected to a free end of the
cantilever arm 225 of the bottom hook 221 that is distal from the
bottom connecting annular board 220, and protrudes from a top
surface of the cantilever arm 225 of the bottom hook 221.
Furthermore, the engaging arm section 228 of each of the bottom
hooks 221 has a bottom hook part 230. The bottom hook part 230 of
each of the bottom hooks 221 is adjacent to a top end of the
engaging arm section 228 of the bottom hook 221, and has an
upward-facing inclined surface 231 with a bottom end that is more
protruding laterally than a top end thereof. The force-receiving
section 229 of each of the bottom hooks 221 is formed at a bottom
end of the engaging arm section 228 of the bottom hook 221, and
protrudes from a bottom surface of the cantilever arm 225 of the
bottom hook 221. In addition, the force-receiving section 229 of
each of the bottom hooks 221 extends through a respective one of
the base openings 213 so as to partly protrude from a bottom
surface of the base board 210. The force-receiving section 229 of
each of the bottom hooks 221 has a sharpened end part 232. The
sharpened end part 232 of each of the bottom hooks 221 is located
at a bottom end of the force-receiving section 229 of the bottom
hook 221, protrudes from the bottom surface of the base board 210,
and is for receiving an upward force (P) (see FIG. 10) so as to
resiliently bend the cantilever arm 225 and the engaging arm
section 228 of the bottom hook 221. In this embodiment, a length
(L1, see FIG. 3) of the engaging arm section 228 of each of the
bottom hooks 221 in the up-down direction (Z) is greater than a
length (L2, see FIG. 3) of the force-receiving section 229 of the
bottom hook 221 in the up-down direction (Z). The bottom
positioning protrusion 222 of the bottom connecting body 22
protrudes from a top surface of the bottom connecting annular board
220 and is formed with a bottom positioning groove 233.
[0029] The bottom plate body 21 and the bottom connecting body 22
of the bottom locking member 2 are prevented from rotating relative
to each other by virtue of each of the bottom fastening hooks 212
of the bottom plate body 21 extending through and engaging the
corresponding one of the bottom fastening openings 224, and are
prevented from being separated by virtue of the bottom fastening
hooks 212 engaging the bottom connecting annular board 220 of the
bottom connecting body 22. Furthermore, since the base board 210 of
the bottom plate body 21 and the bottom connecting annular board
220 of the bottom connecting body 22 cooperatively clamp the bottom
plate 113 of the bottom member 110 of the lower transformable body
11, and since each of the abovementioned bottom fastening hooks 212
extends through and engages the corresponding one of the bottom
holes 116 of the bottom plate 113, the bottom locking member 2 is
able to be fixedly disposed on the bottom plate 113.
[0030] Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 7, the top locking member 3
includes a top plate body 31 and a top connecting body 32. The top
plate body 31 has a top board 310, and two top fastening hooks 311,
312 that extend from a bottom surface of the top board 310. The top
board 310 abuts against a top surface of the top plate 126 of the
top member 121 of the upper transformable body 12. The top
fastening hooks 311, 312 are spaced apart from each other in the
first transverse direction (X). One of the top fastening hooks 311
extends through and engages one of the top holes 128 of the top
plate 126. The other one of the top fastening hooks 312 extends
through and engages the other one of the top holes 128. It should
be noted that in this embodiment, the other one of the top
fastening hooks 312 is formed with a hook gap 313 that is
substantially in the middle of the other one of the top fastening
hooks 312, and that extends from the bottom surface of the top
board 310 to a free end of the other one of the top fastening hooks
312 in the up-down direction (Z).
[0031] The top connecting body 32 of the top locking member 3 has a
column 320, and two top hooks 321 that extend from a bottom end of
the column 320. The column 320 abuts against a bottom surface of
the top plate 126 of the top member 121 of the upper transformable
body 12, allows the top fastening hooks 311, 312 to engage with the
bottom end of the column 320, and has a top positioning groove 322
that is formed in a top surface of the column 320. The top
positioning groove 322 extends from an outer surrounding surface of
the column 320 radially and inwardly. The top hooks 321 are for
respectively engaging the bottom hooks 221 of the bottom connecting
body 22 of the bottom locking member 2, and are spaced apart from
each other in the second transverse direction (Y) and are in mirror
symmetry with respect to a plane passing through a central axis of
the column 320 which extends in the up-down direction (Z). In
addition, each of the top hooks 321 has a top hook part 323 that is
adjacent to a bottom end thereof. The top hook part 323 of each of
the top hooks 321 is able to removably engage the bottom hook part
230 of the engaging arm 226 of the respective one of the bottom
hooks 221 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). Furthermore, the top hook part 323
of each of the top hooks 321 has a downward-facing inclined surface
324 with a top end that is more protruding laterally than a bottom
end thereof. The downward-facing inclined surface 324 of each of
the top hooks 321 is able to be in slidable contact with the
upward-facing inclined surface 231 of the respective one of the
bottom hooks 221 so as to resiliently bend the engaging arm 226 of
the respective one of the bottom hooks 221, so that the bottom hook
part 230 of the respective one of the bottom hooks 221 is able to
engage the top hook part 323.
[0032] The top plate body 31 and the top connecting body 32 of the
top locking member 3 are prevented from rotating relative to each
other by virtue of the top hooks 321 of the top connecting body 32
respectively abutting against two opposite lateral ends of each of
the top fastening hooks 311, 312 of the top plate body 31 to
restrain rotation of the top fastening hooks 311, 312. In addition,
the top plate body 31 and the top connecting body 32 are prevented
from being separated from each other by virtue of the top fastening
hooks 311, 312 engaging the bottom end of the column 320 of the top
connecting body 32. Furthermore, since the top board 310 of the top
plate body 31 and the column 320 cooperatively clamp the top plate
126 of the top member 121 of the upper transformable body 12, and
since the top fastening hooks 311, 312 respectively extend through
and engage the top holes 128 of the top plate 126 of the top member
121, and also engage the bottom end of the column 320, the top
locking member 3 is able to be fixedly disposed on the top plate
126.
[0033] Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 6, the resilient set 4
includes a first resilient member 41 and a second resilient member
42 that are both stretchable and compressible in the up-down
direction (Z). In this embodiment, a compression spring that is
stretchable and compressible in the up-down direction (Z) is used
as an example for illustrating the first resilient member 41, and a
conical spring that is stretchable and compressible in the up-down
direction (Z) is used as an example for illustrating the second
resilient member 42. The first resilient member 41 is disposed in
the lower transformable body 11 of the transformable assembly 1,
and surrounds the engaging arm sections 228 of the bottom hooks 221
of the bottom connecting body 22. The first resilient member 41 has
a first bottom end part 411, and a first top end part 412 opposite
to the first bottom end part 411. The first bottom end part 411 and
the first top end part 412 respectively abut against the top
surface of the bottom connecting annular board 220 of the bottom
locking member 2 and the bottom surface of the lower connecting
annular board 132 of the connecting unit 13. In addition, the first
bottom end part 411 engages the bottom positioning groove 233 of
the bottom positioning protrusion 222 of the bottom connecting body
22, and the first top end part 412 engages the lower positioning
groove 136 of the lower positioning protrusion 134 of the lower
connecting member 130. Therefore, the first resilient member 41 is
able to be fixedly disposed between the bottom connecting body 22
and the lower connecting member 130 (i.e., in the lower
transformable body 11), and is able to resiliently bias the lower
connecting member 130 away from the bottom connecting body 22 so
that the lower transformable body 11 is resiliently biased.
[0034] Further referring to FIGS. 2, 3, 5 and 7, the second
resilient member 42 of the resilient set 4 is disposed in the upper
transformable body 12 of the transformable assembly 1, and
surrounds the top connecting body 32 of the top locking member 3.
The second resilient member 42 has a second bottom end part 421,
and a second top end part 422 opposite to the second bottom end
part 421. The second bottom end part 421 and the second top end
part 422 respectively abut against the top surface of the upper
connecting annular board 137 of the upper connecting member 131 of
the connecting unit 13 and the bottom surface of the top plate 126
of the top member 121 of the upper transformable body 12. In
addition, the second bottom end part 421 engages the upper
positioning groove 140 of the upper positioning protrusion 138 of
the upper connecting member 131, and the second top end part 422
engages the top positioning groove 322 of the column 320 of the top
connecting body 32 and the hook gap 313 of the top plate body 31.
Therefore, the second resilient member 42 is able to be fixedly
disposed between the upper connecting member 131 and the top board
310 of the top plate body 31 (i.e., in the upper transformable body
12), and is able to resiliently bias the top locking member 3 away
from the upper connecting member 131 so that the upper
transformable body 12 is resiliently biased.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 3 again, with the first resilient member
41 and the second resilient member 42 respectively and resiliently
biasing the lower transformable body 11 and the upper transformable
body 12 of the transformable assembly 1, the inner edge of each of
the lower connecting plates 118 of the lower member 111 of the
lower transformable body 11 is urged away from the inner edge of
the corresponding one of the bottom connecting plates 114 of the
bottom member 110 of the lower transformable body 11, and the inner
edge of each of the top connecting plates 127 of the top member 121
of the upper transformable body 12 is urged away from the inner
edge of the corresponding one of the upper connecting plates 124 of
the upper member 120 of the upper transformable body 12. Therefore,
the transformable toy 100 is in a stretched state where the
resilient set 4 resiliently biases the top plate 126 of the top
member 121 away from the bottom plate 113 of the bottom member
110.
[0036] Referring to FIGS. 3, 8 and 9, the transformable toy 100 is
able to be switched from the stretched state (see FIG. 3) into a
compressed state (see FIG. 9) by a downward force (F) exerted on a
top surface of the top board 310 of the top plate body 31 of the
top locking member 3 by a user. When the downward force (F) is
exerted on the top surface of the top board 310, the top locking
member 3 is driven to move downward so that the top board 310 that
abuts against the top surface of the top plate 126 of the top
member 121 of the upper transformable body 12 is able to drive the
upper transformable body 12 to move downward, and to urge the inner
edge of each of the top connecting plates 127 of the top member 121
to approach the inner edge of the corresponding one of the upper
connecting plates 124 of the upper member 120 of the upper
transformable body 12. Therefore, the upper transformable body 12
is compressed. At the same time, the upper transformable body 12
drives the connecting unit 13 to move downward to compress the
lower transformable body 11 (i.e., the inner edge of each of the
lower connecting plates 118 of the lower member 111 of the lower
transformable body is urged to approach the inner edge of the
corresponding one of the bottom connecting plates 114 of the bottom
member 110 of the lower transformable body 11). In addition, the
second resilient member 42 is compressed by the top plate 126
driven by the top board 310 and accumulates elastic potential
energy, and the first resilient member 41 is compressed by the
connecting unit 13 driven by the upper transformable body 12 and
the second resilient member 42 and accumulates elastic potential
energy.
[0037] Next, the engaging arm sections 228 of the engaging arms 226
of the bottom hooks 221 and the top hooks 321 of the top connecting
body 32 of the top locking member extends into or through the
channel 14 of the transformable assembly 1. After passing through
the channel 14, each of the top hooks 321 enters a space between
the blocking board 211 of the bottom plate body 21 and the
respective one of the bottom hooks 221. It should be noted that the
blocking board 211 is for preventing the top hooks 321 and the
bottom hooks 221 from being misaligned. Specifically, if there is
an unexpected shift in position with any one of the top hooks 321,
making the one of the top hooks 321 become aligned with the
blocking board 211 in the up-down direction (Z), as the top hooks
321 move downward, the one of the top hooks 321 that shifts will be
blocked by a top end of the blocking board 211, so as to prevent
the top locking member 3 from moving further downward. Therefore,
the top hooks 321 and the bottom hooks 221 are prevented from being
misaligned, and the top hooks 321 are ensured to respectively
engage the bottom hooks 221.
[0038] When each of the top hooks 321 enters the space between the
blocking board 211 and the respective one of the bottom hooks 221,
the downward-facing inclined surface 324 of the top hook part 323
of the top hook 321 is in slidable contact with the upward-facing
inclined surface 231 of the bottom hook part 230 of the respective
one of the bottom hooks 221 so as to resiliently bend the
cantilever arm 225 and the engaging arm 226 of the respective one
of the bottom hooks 221. Therefore, the engaging arms 226 of the
bottom hooks 221 are respectively and resiliently bent by the top
hooks 321, and respectively move in a first bending direction (R1)
and a second bending direction (R2) opposite to the first bending
direction (R1) (see FIG. 8).
[0039] Then, referring to FIG. 9, when the top hooks 321 are driven
to continuously move downward by the downward force (F) (see FIG.
8), the downward-facing inclined surface 324 of the top hook part
323 of each of the top hooks 321 is separated from the
upward-facing inclined surface 231 of the bottom hook part 230 of
the respective one of the bottom hooks 221 such that the top hooks
321 cease to respectively and resiliently bend the bottom hooks
221. Therefore, the engaging arms 226 respectively move in the
second bending direction (R2) and the first bending direction (R1)
back to their initial positions, so that the bottom hook part 230
of each of the bottom hooks 221 is able to engage the top hook part
323 of the respective one of the top hooks 321. Consequently, the
transformable toy 100 is transformed into the compressed state.
[0040] In this embodiment, when the transformable toy 100 is in the
compressed state, with the bottom hooks 221 of the bottom locking
member 2 respectively engaging the top hooks 321 of the top locking
member 3, the bottom locking member 2 is able to restrain upward
movement of the top hooks 321, and movement in the second
transverse direction (Y) of the top hooks 321.
[0041] Therefore, the bottom hooks 221 and the top hooks 321 are
prevented from being separated even when an external force in the
up-down direction (Z) or in the second transverse direction (Y) is
exerted on any one of the transformable assembly 1 and the top
locking member 3 of the transformable toy 100. The transformable
toy 100 is relatively stable in the compressed state.
[0042] Referring to FIGS. 3, 9 and 10, the user can switch the
transformable toy 100 from the compressed state (see FIG. 9) into
the stretched state (see FIG. 3) in two manners.
[0043] In the first manner, the transformable toy 100 is thrown
downward to a ground surface 5 with the bottom locking member 2 of
the transformable toy 100 facing downward and the bottom hooks 221
of the bottom locking member 2 being substantially perpendicular to
the ground 5. When the sharpened end part 232 of the
force-receiving section 229 of the engaging arm 226 of each of the
bottom hooks 221 is in contact with the ground surface 5, the
upward force (P, see FIG. 10) is exerted on the sharpened end part
232 of the bottom hook 221 by the ground surface 5. Then, the
sharpened end part 232 of each of the bottom hooks 221 receives the
upward force (P) and resiliently bends the cantilever arm 225 and
the engaging arm 226 of the bottom hook 221. Thus, the engaging
arms 226 of the bottom hooks 221 are driven by the upward forces
(P) to respectively move in the first bending direction (R1) and
the second bending direction (R2) (see FIG. 10) so that the bottom
hook part 230 of the engaging arm 226 of each of the bottom hooks
221 is able to be disengaged from the top hook part 323 of the
respective one of the top hooks 321.
[0044] When the top hooks 321 of the top locking member 3 are
respectively disengaged from the bottom hooks 221 of the bottom
locking member 2, the inner edge of each of the lower connecting
plates 118 of the lower member 111 of the lower transformable body
11 is urged away from the inner edge of the corresponding one of
the bottom connecting plates 114 of the bottom member 110 of the
lower transformable body 11 by the elastic potential energy of the
first resilient member 41, and the inner edge of each of the top
connecting plates 127 of the top member 121 of the upper
transformable body 12 is urged away from the inner edge of the
corresponding one of the upper connecting plates 124 of the upper
member 120 of the upper transformable body 12 by the elastic
potential energy of the second resilient member 42. As a result,
the transformable toy 100 is able to bounce on the ground surface
5, and swiftly and smoothly switch from the compressed state into
the stretched state.
[0045] In the second manner, the transformable toy 100 receives a
force directly from the user. For example, the upward force (P) can
be manually exerted on the sharpened end part 232 of each of the
bottom hooks 221 by the user instead of the ground surface 5. When
the sharpened end part 232 of each of the bottom hooks 221 receives
the upward force (P), the transformable toy 100 is able to rapidly
and smoothly switch from the compressed state into the stretched
state following the abovementioned description. In this embodiment,
the user can apply two opposite forces (not shown) respectively on
the force-receiving sections 229 that drive the engaging arms 226
to respectively move in the first bending direction (R1) and the
second bending direction (R2) (see FIG. 8) such that the
force-receiving sections 229 approach each other in the second
transverse direction (Y) and distal ends of the engaging arm
sections 228 move away from each other.
[0046] As a result, the bottom hooks 221 are respectively
disengaged from the top hooks 321, and the transformable toy 100
smoothly transitions from the compressed state to the stretched
state.
[0047] The abovementioned ways for switching the states of the
transformable toy 100 may bring more enjoyment to the user,
especially the first manner, which does not require a direct manual
operation that a conventional transformable toy needs and would
most likely make this embodiment more enjoyable during use. In
addition, even if direct manual operation is still necessary in the
second manner, the user only has to apply forces in a single
direction (e.g., the opposite forces in the second transverse
direction (Y), or the upward forces (P)) on the transformable toy
100 to make the bottom hooks 221 of the bottom locking member 2
respectively disengage from the top hooks 321 of the top locking
member 3. Therefore, the operations to switch the transformable toy
100 between the two states are simple and require little time.
[0048] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the bottom hook part 230 of
the engaging arm 226 of each of the bottom hooks 221 is able to be
rapidly disengaged from the top hook part 323 of the respective one
of the top hooks 321 when the engaging arm section 228 of the
bottom hook 221 is rotated by a relatively small angle by the
upward force (P) exerted on the sharpened end part 232 of the
force-receiving section 229 of the bottom hook 221, or by one of
the abovementioned opposite forces exerted on the force-receiving
section 229, because the length (L1) of the engaging arm section
228 is greater than the length (L2) of the force-receiving section
229. The sharpened end part 232 of each of the bottom hooks 221
also has a function of ensuring that the upward force (P) is
transmitted upward so as to certainly and resiliently bend the
cantilever arm 225 and the engaging arm 226 of the bottom hook 221.
Thus, the transformable toy 100 is ensured to smoothly and swiftly
stretch so as to switch from the compressed state into the
stretched state.
[0049] It should be noted that according to practical requirements,
in other embodiments, the bottom locking member 2 and the top
locking member 3 may only include one bottom hook 221 and one top
hook 321 respectively. In some variations, the resilient set 4 may
only include the first resilient member 41. Moreover, the
transformable assembly 1 may include only one transformable body,
or include three transformable bodies in other embodiments. For
example, in embodiments that the transformable assembly 1 includes
only one transformable body, the connecting unit 13 is omitted from
the transformable assembly 1 and the resilient set 4 includes only
one resilient member. However, as for embodiments that the
transformable assembly 1 includes three transformable bodies, the
transformable assembly 1 needs two connecting units 13 therein and
the resilient set 4 needs three resilient members.
[0050] In summary, by the virtue of the bottom hooks 221 of the
bottom connecting body 22 of the bottom locking member 2 and the
top hooks 321 of the top connecting body 32 of the top locking
member 3, the transformable toy 100 can be smoothly compressed so
as to be switched into the compressed state when the downward force
(F) is exerted on the top locking member 3. In addition, the
transformable toy 100 is able to be rapidly switched from the
compressed state into the stretched state in the abovementioned
first or second manner. That is to say, the bottom hooks 221 are
able to be respectively disengaged from the top hooks 321 when the
upward force (P) is exerted on the sharpened end part 232 of the
force-receiving section 229 of each of the bottom hooks 221, or
when the abovementioned opposite forces are respectively exerted on
the force-receiving sections 229. Hence, the transformable toy 100
is configured to facilitate relatively simple and convenient
operations for switching the states thereof. Moreover, the first
resilient member 41 and the second resilient member 42 of the
resilient set 4 are respectively disposed between the connecting
unit 13 of the transformable assembly 1 and the bottom locking
member 2, and between the connecting unit 13 and the top locking
member 3, and each of the first resilient member 41 and the second
resilient member 42 is able to be compressed and to stretch in the
up-down direction (Z) that is the same as the direction in which
the transformable assembly is compressed and stretched. Therefore,
the transformable toy 100 is able to be smoothly stretched by the
resilient set 4 to be rapidly switched from the compressed state
into the stretched state. The purpose of the disclosure is
therefore fulfilled.
[0051] In the description above, for the purposes of explanation,
numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a
thorough understanding of the embodiment. It will be apparent,
however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other
embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific
details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout
this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," an
embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth
means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may
be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further
appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes
grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description
thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding
in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or
more features or specific details from one embodiment may be
practiced together with one or more features or specific details
from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the
disclosure.
[0052] While the disclosure has been described in connection with
what is considered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that
this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is
intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit
and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all
such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
* * * * *