U.S. patent number 3,859,748 [Application Number 05/398,481] was granted by the patent office on 1975-01-14 for rotatable toy.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Herbethon Toy Corporation. Invention is credited to Walter L. Blue.
United States Patent |
3,859,748 |
Blue |
January 14, 1975 |
ROTATABLE TOY
Abstract
A thin, rigid sheet member shaped as a disk has a volute
inscribed thereon. An aperture sized to accommodate a human finger
therethrough is located at the origin of the volute. In an
alternate embodiment, the sheet member is shaped as a volute.
Inventors: |
Blue; Walter L. (Mesa, AZ) |
Assignee: |
Herbethon Toy Corporation
(Mesa, AZ)
|
Family
ID: |
23575539 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/398,481 |
Filed: |
September 18, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
446/236;
D21/443 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H
33/22 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63H
33/22 (20060101); A63h 001/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;46/47,49,51 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Mancene; Louis G.
Assistant Examiner: Cutting; Robert F.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Drummond; William H. Nelson;
Gregory J. Flickinger; Don J.
Claims
Having fully described and disclosed the invention and the
preferred embodiments thereof in such clear and concise terms as to
enable those skilled in the art to understand and practice the
same, the invention claimed is:
1. A rotatable toy having an unbalanced axis of rotation adapted to
be manipulated by movement of the finger for developing manual
dexterity and creating optical illusions, said toy comprising:
a. a substantially thin rigid sheet member;
b. means defining an aperture within said sheet member, said
aperture being sized to accommodate a human finger therethrough to
provide an axis of rotation for said sheet member; and
c. indicia defining a volute upon the face of said sheet
member,
said aperture being concurrent with the origin of said volute,
and
said sheet member having an outer edge defined by said volute.
2. The toy of claim 1, wherein said volute portion of said sheet
member has a corrugated cross-section.
3. A rotatable toy having an unbalanced axis of rotation adapted to
be manipulated by movement of the finger for developing manual
dexterity and creating optical illusions, said toy comprising:
a. a substantially thin rigid planar volute; and
b. means defining an aperture within said sheet member at the
origin of said volute, and sized to accommodate a human finger
therethrough to provide an axis of rotation for said volute.
4. The toy of claim 3, wherein said volute has a corrugated
cross-section.
Description
This invention relates to toys.
More particularly, the invention relates to rotatable toys which
create optical illusions.
In a further aspect, the invention concerns a toy which is
rotatable about a human finger for amusement and development of
manual dexterity.
Toys which spin and have designs thereon to create optical
illusions during rotation are well known. A typical toy of this
type has a wheel which is fixed at the center thereof to a shaft.
The shaft is rotated by a gear mechanism receiving power input from
either a hand crank or a gear rack. Colorful designs upon the wheel
create a profusion of color or optical illusions as the wheel spins
to enhance the amusement quality of the toy. In a more
sophisticated version, the toy is provided with a flint for
producing sparks which appear to radiate from the spinning
wheel.
Such toys, being mechanically driven, are exceedingly simple to
manipulate and the user can develop maximum proficiency almost
immediately. However, since neither the imagination nor the
manipulative skill of the user is challenged, the toy generally
does not sustain the interest of the user.
It would be highly desirable, therefore, to provide a rotatable toy
which would sustain the interest of the user.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to
provide a rotatable toy which would require continued development
of manual dexterity for increased proficiency of operation.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a
rotatable toy which will afford increased amusement by challenging
the imagination and creativity of the user.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a
toy which is rotatable about the finger of the user and is caused
to rotate by the finger.
Yet still another object of the invention is the provision of a
rotatable toy having an unbalanced axis of rotation.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a toy
of the above type which creates an optical illusion during rotation
and will create an alternate optical illusion when the direction of
rotation is reversed.
Yet a further object of the invention is the provision of a toy of
the above type which is durably constructed, yet is relatively
simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
Briefly, to achieve the desired objectives of the present invention
in accordance with a preferred embodiment thereof, first provided
is a substantially thin, rigid disk. Means defining an aperture
within the disk are spaced from the center thereof and sized to
accommodate a human finger. Indicia upon the face of the disk
defines a volute having the origin concurrent with the aperture. In
an alternate embodiment thereof, a substantially thin, rigid sheet
member is shaped as a volute and has means defining an aperture at
the origin of the volute. The volute may be modified to have a
corrugated cross-section.
The toy is caused to rotate by an undulatory movement of the finger
that the user has inserted through the aperture. With the
development of dexterity, the user can control the speed and
direction of rotation. As the toy spins, the volute gives the
illusion of expanding or contracting, depending on the direction of
rotation, while the rate of expansion or contraction is in relation
to the speed of rotation. By employing ambidextrous skills, the
user can rotate one toy with each hand, either in the same or
different directions to create interesting displays.
When the finger is held in the vertical direction, the toy has a
tendency to rise in response to increasing speed. This phenomena
suggests games that may be played by one or more players. For
example, a single player may impart sufficient speed to the toy to
cause it to rise from his finger and subsequently catch the toy
upon his finger as the speed decreases, while maintaining the
rotation of the toy. In a similar manner, the toy may be passed
from one player to another.
The foregoing and further and more specific objects and advantages
of the present invention will become readily apparent to those
skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the
drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rotatable toy constructed in
accordance with the teachings of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a vertical section view taken along the line 2--2 of FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the toy of the
present invention; and
FIG. 4 is a plan view of another alternate embodiment of the toy of
the present invention.
Turning now to the drawings, in which the same reference numerals
indicate corresponding elements throughout the several views,
attention is first directed to FIG. 1, which shows a rotatable toy
of the present invention constructed from a substantially thin,
rigid sheet member 10. A volute 11 is embossed upon the sheet
member 10, leaving a flat inner portion 12 between the coils of the
volute. An aperture 13 at the origin of the volute is sized to
accommodate a human finger therethrough.
As best seen in FIG. 2, the volute 11 is corrugated in
cross-section to enhance the rigidity of the toy and the aesthetics
thereof. An integral bead 16 forms a rim around the toy for further
rigidity and also to protect the user against the edge of the
relatively thin sheet material. A similar bead 17, having the same
function as the bead 16, encircles the aperture 13.
FIG. 3 shows an alternate embodiment of the toy in which the sheet
member 30 is shaped as a volute. An aperture 33, sized to
accommodate a human finger therethrough, is located at the origin
of the volute. Although not specifically herein shown, the volute
may have a bead extending around the perimeter thereof, while
another bead circumscribes the aperture 33.
In another embodiment of the toy, as specifically seen in FIG. 4,
the sheet member 40 is a flat circular disk having indicia such as
dye or paint, which defines a volute 41 thereon. An aperture 43 is
located at the origin of the volute 41.
Due to the geometric configuration, a volute is not symmetrical or
balanced about the origin. Therefore, as is apparent in the
drawings, the aperture is spaced from the center of gravity of the
sheet member. Although the toy could be constructed with the
aperture in the center thereof, the preferred unbalanced axis of
rotation about the finger permits increased speed in response to
proper undulatory movements of the finger. It is within the scope
of the present invention that the toy may be rotated about objects
other than the human finger. The user may challenge his imagination
and dexterity by employing any shaft member to which he can impart
the proper motion.
While no exact method or material of fabrication is specifically
described in connection with the detailed description of the
preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be appreciated by
those skilled in the art that various materials and methods
consistent with the manufacture of toys are available. A preferred
material is a plastic, such as polyethylene, which has been
injection molded. To create an attractive visual display, the sheet
member is preferably a neutral color, such as white or yellow,
while the volute is contrasted in one of the so-called "hot"
colors, such as green, pink or orange.
Various other modifications and variations of the embodiments
herein chosen for purposes of illustration will readily occur to
those skilled in the art. The outer shape or perimeter of the toy
may be altered to resemble other planed geometric figures,
including ovals, triangles and squares. The use of two or more
concurrently wound volutes will provide a faster spiral for
increased speed of expansion or contraction as the toy rotates.
Similarly, the aperture may be provided with a separate hub
rotatable with the toy or, alternately, about which the toy
rotates.
* * * * *