Extensible Quick Configuration-changing Toy

Abstract

A figure which rapidly converts from one configuration to another by quickly receiving a part which previously extended therefrom or by quickly expelling a part, including a pair of pivotally joined housing parts which are urged to close by a rubber band but which can quickly open to receive or eject a device. In one toy, the housing parts represent a frog and the receivable device is in the form of a tongue that extends from the frog and carries an insect. The tongue has two elongated members, including an inner member pivotally joined to one housing part and an outer member pivotally joined to the inner one. A rubber band extends from the housing to the outer tongue member to urge the tongue device to fold into the housing. When a child briefly depresses a lever portion that opens the housing parts, the tongue is released to rapidly fold and enter the housing and the housing then closes again.

Description

This invention relates to toys, and to a novel toy that quickly changes configuration.

A highly amusing effect is provided by a device which performs a feat that is seemingly impossible, at least to young children. Such an effect can be obtained by a toy that ingests or disgorges a large object, or which otherwise undergoes a gross change in appearance. If such a movement can be accomplished very rapidly so that is is not apparent how the change occurred, then the effect can be very entertaining. A toy which can perform such actions should be constructed very simply in order that it may be produced and sold at low cost.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple toy which can rapidly undergo a gross change in configuration.

Another object is to provide a toy with a housing that can rapidly ingest or disgorge a large object.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a toy is provided which includes a housing that represents a frog and a receivable device in the form of a long tongue with an insect at the end. A simple hand motion causes the housing to open, the tongue and insect to quickly retract into the housing, and the housing to close. The housing is formed by a pair of shell-like housing members that are pivotally joined at one end and urged to close by a first rubber band. The tongue has an inner end pivotally joined to the lower housing member and has a pivot joint at its center. A second rubber band extends from the lower housing to the outer tongue portion to urge the tongue to fold into the housing. However, a stop on the tongue engages the upper housing portion to prevent such infolding until the housing is pivoted open.

When a child depresses a portion on the housing to open it, the tongue and insect thereon rapidly fold into the housing. If a child releases the housing, the first rubber band quickly closes it. A large insect can be received into the housing and, if a child just taps the housing open for an instant, the tongue and insect fly inwardly so fast that the motion cannot be followed by the human eye. The rapid gulping of a large insect provides a highly entertaining effect.

In another embodiment of the invention, a pop-up figure is provided which rapidly changes from a short configuration to a tall configuration. The figure includes a large head formed by a pair of head housing members which are pivotally joined at the top. A pair of body members representing the front half and rear half of the body, respectively, are pivotally joined to the different housing members. A leg member is pivotally joined to the two body members. The two body members and part of the leg member are received in the head when the figure is in a short configuration. A rubber band can quickly expel the body and leg members so that the figure quickly changes to a tall configuration. The rubber band is tied between the opposite head housing members so that after it opens to expel the body and leg members, it quickly closes to provide an attractive-appearing tall figure.

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side-elevation view of a gulping toy constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the toy of FIG. 1, shown in an intermediate position during the gulping of a device;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the gulping toy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the tongue member of the toy of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front view of a pop-up figure constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, shown in a short configuration;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the pop-up figure of FIG. 5 in a tall configuration;

FIG. 7 is a sectional side view of the pop-up figure of FIG. 5 in a short configuration;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the pop-up figure of FIG. 5 in a partially deployed configuration;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the pop-up figure of FIG. 5 in an almost completely deployed or tall configuration;

FIG. 10 is a sectional side view of a pop-up figure which has an external appearance similar to that shown in FIG. 5, but with a modified operating mechanism, shown in a short configuration; and

FIG. 11 is a sectional side view of the pop-up figure of FIG. 10 in a partially deployed configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a gulping toy comprising a housing 10 which is a fanciful representation of a frog, and a receivable device 12 in the form of a tongue 14 of the frog with an insect 16 at the end. The housing includes an upper housing member 18 and lower housing member 20 which have concave portions facing each other to form a hollow chamber. The housing members are pivotally joined at rearward end portions thereof so that the housing can open to the position shown in FIG. 2. A child can grasp a handle 22 at the rear of the lower housing member and quickly depress and release a rearward part 24 of the upper housing member. The receivable device 12 will rapidly retract into the housing, so that it will lie in the position 12A, and the housing will close over it. The retraction occurs so rapidly that it is difficult to follow it with the eye.

As also shown in the other Figures, the tongue 14 includes an inner elongated member 26 and an outer elongated member 28 that are pivotally joined together by a hinge at 30. The tongue is formed as s single molded part of a material such as polypropylene, with the hinge 30 formed by a region of reduced thickness. Such a hinge is generally referred to as a "living hinge." A pair of stops 32 are formed on the outer member 28 for engaging another pair of stops 34 on the inner tongue member 26, to prevent the outer member from folding clockwise into the inner member past a position wherein the tongue members are substantially parallel and in tandem, the outer member 28 is, however, free to fold in a counter-clockwise direction against the bottom of the inner member 26.

An inner end of the inner tongue member 26 has an axle 36 formed therein which is pivotally mounted on the lower housing member 20 to move from an outstretched to a retracted position. Spring means in the form of a rubber band 38 are provided which hold the receivable tongue device 12 in an outstretched position prior to opening of the housing, and which supplies the power for rapidly retracting the device into the housing when the housing is opened. The rubber band 38 extends between a hook 40 at the rear of the lower housing member 20 and a pair of hooks formed by slots 42 in the forward tongue member 28.

When the tongue is in its extended position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the rubber band 38 extends from the hook 40 through the housing, along the upper surface of the inner tongue member 26, through the slots 42 in the forward tongue member 28, and across the lower surface of the outer tongue member 28. The rubber band 38 urges the forward tongue member 28 to fold upwardly so that the stops 32, 34 of the tongue members are held against each other and the tongue extends in an almost straight-out direction. The force supplied by the rubber band tends to pivot the entire tongue receivable device 12 upwardly and retract it into the housing. However, a stop 44 formed on the inner tongue member abuts a lip portion 46 on the upper housing that prevents such retraction.

When a child depresses the rearward part 24 of the upper housing, the lip 46 of the upper housing moves up to disengage the stop 44 on the tongue. The rubber band 38 then pulls the entire tongue device so it tends to pivot upwardly towards a position of retraction within the housing. The inertia of the insect 16 on the forward tongue member resists rapid retraction and the tongue folds somewhat. After a fraction of a second, the receivable device 12 is in the position shown at 12B in FIG. 2, with the insect 16 hitting the upper housing member 18. The insect 16 bounces downwardly therefrom and the receivable device falls down to the position shown at 12A in FIG. 1. If a child releases the rearward part 24 of the upper housing, it will close and the frog will return to a closed position with the tongue and insect held in its housing. Rapid retraction of the tongue will occur even in the absence of the insect 16, the tongue then folding when the outer tongue member 28 hits the upper housing member 18. Although gravity could be used to close the housing, faster closing is achieved by the use of a second rubber band 48. As shown in FIG. 3, the second rubber band 48 has opposite ends extending over hooks 50, 52 formed in the upper housing, and it extends across and beneath the lower housing, to urge the housing closed.

The toy may be packaged for sale in a disassembled condition. To assemble the toy, a person first inserts the tongue axle 36 into brackets 54 on either side of the lower housing. The first rubber band 38 can then be assembled by placing it on the hook 40 and through the recesses 42 in the forward tongue member. The housing parts 18, 20 can be assembled by lowering the upper housing member 18 so that a bracket 58 thereof moves over a pair of trunions 59 formed in the lower housing 20. The second rubber band 48 can be installed by hooking its opposite ends over the hooks 50, 52 of the upper housing member while the band extends beneath the rear portion of the lower housing member.

The manner in which the parts fit together is obvious except, perhaps, for the manner in which the first rubber band 38 is installed. However, the toy can be packaged with the tongue 12 installed and in a retracted position and the first rubber band 38 in place. This is because when the tongue is retracted, the first rubber band 38 is not stretched, and therefore will not rapidly decay during storage. The other rubber band 48 is preferably not assembled during storage inasmuch as it is somewhat stretched after installation. The manner in which the parts are assembled tends to resist breakage when abused by a child. If the upper and lower housings are pulled apart, they readily come apart without breaking and can be easily assembled again. If the tongue is pulled out, it usually can flex enough to come out without breaking and it can be easily reinstalled. If the rubber bands break, they can be replaced by ordinary household rubber bands.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a pop-up toy constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, which can rapidly change from the configuration shown in FIG. 5 to the configuration shown in FIG. 6. FIGS. 7-9 illustrate the manner in which the toy is deployed from a short configuration to a long configuration. The figure has a head 60 formed by forward and rearward head members 62, 64 which are pivotally joined at 66. A pair of body members are provided which include a forward body member 68 pivotally joined to the bottom of the lower head portion at 69, and a rearward body member 70 pivotally joined at 72 to the lower end of the rearward head member 64. An end member 74 which lies opposite the head 60, and which represents the feet and lower body of the figure, is pivotally joined at 76 and 78 to the lower ends of the body members 66, 70. The lower member 74 has an upstanding part 80.

A rubber band 82 supplies the power for changing the configuration of the figure. The rubber band 82 has opposite ends 84, 86 which are coupled to hooks at the lower parts of the head members 62, 64. When the figure is in a short configuration as shown in FIG. 7, the rubber band extends over the upstanding part 80 of the lower or foot member 74 and bears against the body members 66, 70. Initially, the rubber band supplies little if any erecting force and the figure can remain indefinitely in the short configuration of FIG. 7. However, when the figure is subjected to a disturbing impulse which causes the head members to move apart slightly, the rubber band 82 supplies sufficient force to continue deployment of the figure. The rubber band expels the lower part 74 while the head members 62, 64 spring apart. The figure passes through the configuration shown in FIG. 8 and continues its deployment. After passing through the configuration of FIG. 9, the figure becomes fully deployed. The entire deployment can be performed in a fraction of a second so that the process cannot be readily followed by the eye. After deployment, the rubber band 82 maintains the head members together and therefore maintains the figure in a long or deployed position.

The entire pop-up figure can be formed in a single molding step, except for the rubber band 82. The hinges at 66, 69, 72, 76 and 78 are all living hinges which are formed by reduced-thickness sections of a material such as polypropylene. Thus, manufacture can be very economical. It may be noted that the figure has arms 88, 90 that extend sidewardly and which are received in recesses 92 of the head before deployment. When the figure is in its short configuration, as shown in FIG. 5, the arms extend upwardly with the back of the hands facing forwardly. When the figure is deployed, the arms extend with a downward inclined and with the front of the hands facing the front. This contributes to the degree of change and the entertainment of the toy.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a pop-up figure with an external appearance similar to that of FIGS. 5-9, but with a modified deploying mechanism. In the toy of FIGS. 10 and 11, the foot member 96 is hollow and the front and rear body members 98, 100 have brackets 102, 104 for holding a rubber band. The rubber band extends through a pair of apertures 106 in the foot member 96 and has its ends looped over the brackets 102, 104 of the body members. Otherwise, the toy of FIGS. 10-11 operates similarly to that of FIGS. 5-9.

Both the gulping and pop-up figures can be made to represent a variety of creatures. For example, a gulping dragon can be provided and a variety of creatures other than a man figure can be formed as a pop-up figure. The simplicity of the toys and the rapidity with which they change into different amusing configurations, makes them highly entertaining.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art and, consequently, it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A configuration-changing toy comprising: a pair of housing members, each having first and second end portions, said housing members pivotally coupled to each other at said first end portions thereof, and said housing members having concave surfaces facing each other to form a hollow housing which can be opened and closed when said housing members are pivoted apart and together, respectively; a receivable apparatus comprising at least two substantially rigid movable members pivotally coupled to each other, one of said movable members being pivotally coupled to one of said housing members adjacent the second end thereof and movable between a first position wherein said one movable member is within said hollow housing while it is closed and with said other movable member hinged to lie therealong and extend toward said second end portions of said housing, and a second position wherein said first movable member extends outwardly of said housing past said second end portions thereof with said other movable member extending outwardly in generally aligned relation to said one movable member with said housing closed; and spring means secured to two of said members for urging said apparatus to move from one said position, wherein said spring means is stressed, toward the other of said positions.

2. The toy described in claim 1 wherein: said spring means includes an elongated elastic member which, when said receivable apparatus is in said second position, extends tautly in a path that leads from one of said housing members past said one movable member and thence to said other movable member.

3. The toy described in claim 1 wherein: at least one of said movable members includes a stop to prevent folding of said movable members on one another in a predetermined direction; and said elastic means includes an elongated elastic member which, when said apparatus is in said second position, extends from one of said housing members along said first movable member and to said second movable member, in a path that applies tension to urge said members to fold in said predetermined direction and urges said first movable member to pivot to a position within said housing apparatus.

4. The toy described in claim 3 including: stop means mounted on said one movable member and one of said housing members to engage and disengage when said housing is closed and opened, respectively, for preventing said one movable member from pivoting into said housing apparatus when it is closed, and allowing it to pivot therein when said housing apparatus is opened.

5. The toy apparatus described in claim 1 wherein: said receivable apparatus includes a third movable member pivotally coupled to the second end portion of a second of said housing members and pivotally coupled to said one and other movable members.

6. A gulper toy comprising: a pair of housing members having first ends which are pivotally joined and second ends, said housing members having concave portions facing each other to form a hollow chamber; a receivable apparatus mounted for movement between a first position extending from said chamber and a second position substantially within said chamber; spring means for urging said receivable apparatus to move from said first position toward said second position and for urging said housing members to remain closed on each other; said receivable apparatus including first and second elongated members, said first elongated member pivotally joined at one end to a first of said housing members and said second elongated member pivotally joined to an end of said first elongated member opposite the end which is joined to said first housing member; and including first stop means mounted on at least one of said elongated members to resist relative pivoting thereof in a predetermined direction past a position wherein said elongated members are substantially parallel and in tandem; second stop means mounted on said second housing member for preventing pivoting of said first elongated member in a direction to enter said hollow chamber until said second housing member is pivoted away from said first housing member; and said spring means includes a member which extends between said first housing member and second elongated member and is oriented to urge said elongated members to initially pivot in said predetermined relative direction to hold them locked in said substantially parallel and tandem orientation, and to urge said first elongated member to pivot in a direction to enter said hollow chamber.

7. The toy described in claim 6 wherein: said spring means includes a member coupling said housing members to urge them to close.

8. A pop-up toy comprising: a pair of housing members having first ends which are pivotally joined and second ends, said housing members having concave portions facing each other to form a hollow chamber which can be opened and closed when said housing members are pivoted apart and together, respectively; receivable means for reception and expulsion from said hollow chamber including first and second substantially rigid receivable members, each having first ends pivotally joined to the second end of a different said housing member and second ends, and a third substantially rigid receivable member having a first end portion pivotally joined to said second ends of said first and second receivable members; and an elastic member secured to two of said members and extending between said second ends of said housing members, said elastic member extending over and biased against a portion of said receivable means near said first end portion of said third receivable member to tend to expel it from within said hollow chamber when said receivable means is within said hollow chamber to cause said first and second members to extend from said housing and said third member to extend outwardly from said first and second members in generally aligned relation thereto, when said receivable means is within said housing and said third member lies along at least one of said first and second members and extends toward said second ends of said housing.

9. The toy described in claim 8 wherein: said housing members have outer surfaces formed to represent the head of a figure; said first and second receivable members are formed to represent the body of the figure; and said third receivable member is formed to represent an end of said figure opposite the head, whereby to provide a figure whose body can appear to suddenly grow.

10. The toy described in claim 8 wherein: a majority of said members which form said hollow chamber and receivable means are integral with each other and are formed with regions of reduced thickness defining living hinges where the members are pivotally coupled to one another.

11. A pop-up toy comprising: a pair of housing members having first ends which are pivotally joined and second ends, said housing members having concave portions facing each other to form a hollow chamber which can be opened and closed when said housing members are pivoted apart and together, respectively; receivable means for reception and expulsion from said hollow chamber including first and second substantially rigid receivable members, each having a first end pivotally joined to the second end of a different said housing member and a second end; a third substantially rigid receivable member having a first end portion pivotally joined to said second ends of said first and second receivable members; and an elastic member secured to two of said members and extending between said first and second receivable members in a path that extends across said third receivable member and arranged to expel said receivable means from said housing to cause said first and second members to extend from said housing and said third member to extend outwardly from said first and second members in generally aligned relation thereto, when said receivable means is within said housing said third member lies along at least one of said first and second members and extends toward said second ends of said housing.

12. The toy described in claim 11 wherein: said third receivable member has a hollow portion; and said elastic member extends in a path that leads into and out of said hollow portion.