Growing Doll Fingernails

Abstract

This invention is directed to a toy doll structure which has simulated fingernails. The fingernails appear at the end of the doll's fingers in a fashion very similar to real, growing human fingernails. When desired, the fingernail can be pulled out a length and cut off to simulate the growth of the fingernail. Furthermore, if a new polish area is desired, the fingernail material can be pulled out in an entire fingernail length, cut off and repainted with fingernail polish.

Parent Case Text

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a substitute of the abandoned U.S. patent application by Daniel D. Kersten entitled, "Growing Doll Fingernails," filed Apr. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 545,096.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Children's dolls are well known in the toy children's These children dolls are available in many sorts and sizes, and capable of many simulated human characteristics. For example, there are walking dolls and there are talking dolls. There are dolls on which the hair can be treated, fashioned, combed and brushed. There are many dolls of suitable size and shapes for dressing. There are crying dolls and wetting dolls. However, there are no dolls which will "grow" so that the child playing with the doll has an opportunity to cut fingernails or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus it is an object and advantage of this invention to provide a doll which has structure which simulates the growing of fingernails. It is also an object and an advantage of this invention to provide such a simulated doll fingernail structure which is capable of being treated similarly to human fingernails, such as being painted with fingernail polish and/or trimmed to length.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following portions of this specification including the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a doll having fingernails in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of one of the doll's hands showing the fingernail structure;

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged section taken generally along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a further enlarged sectional detail of the FIG. 2 structure; and

FIG. 5 is a section taken along 5--5 of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A doll have a structure of this invention having "growing" nails is shown in FIG. 1 and is generally indicated as 10. The doll 10 has pseudo-human appearance, and may be of any desired doll configuration. In order to resemble the human appearance the doll 10 is provided with arms 12 and 14 and legs 16 and 18. The arms 12 and 14 terminate in hands 20 and 22, while the legs terminate in feet 24 and 26. The hands 20 and 22, as well as the feet 24 and 26 terminate in digits, each of which can have a fingernail structure in accordance with this invention. It may be preferred that only the digits of the hands 20 and 22 have the fingernail structure of this invention, but such may also be applied to the digits of the feet 24 and 26.

Referring principally to FIG. 2, the hand 20 is shown in top plan. The hand 20 is provided with the usual five digits including thumb 28, and the usual four fingers 30, 32, 34 and 36. As is seen in FIGS. 2 through 5, the thumb 28, fingers 30 through 36 and hand 20 are hollow. They have an adjoining interior space 38. Each of the digits of which 28 is the detailed example shown in FIG. 3 through 5, has a subsurface 40 upon which the nail 42 rests. As is best seen in FIG. 5, the subsurface 40 extends underneath the sides of the finger adjacent the fingernail area 44 to form guide channels 46 and 48. The guide channels 46 and 48 determine the width of nail 42. An opening of substantially uniform width, corresponding to the distance between the interior of the guide channel 46 and 48, and preferably curved to the configuration of the subsurface 40, extends through opening 50 into the interior 38.

The nail 42 is a relatively flexible piece of material of such width that fits within guide channels 46 and 48 and pass through opening 50. The fingernail area 44 has a suitably curved cuticle-like termination, so that the portion of the nail 42 extending out of the opening 50 and visible in the fingernail area 44 is shaped conventionally like a normal fingernail. The material of the fingernail 42 is relatively long when new, so that it extends from the extremity of the digit through the opening 50 and well into the hollow interior 38. If desired, it can be coiled in the interior. However, in those cases where the doll's wrist is not flexible, the nail 42 can extend all the way up the forearm if desired. Thus, a large supply of fingernail material 42 is available. The material of the nail 42 is preferably substantially opaque and is colored like the normal fingernail.

As a convenience for children playing with the doll, so they do not pull the nails too far out, the nail can be optionally provided with stops. As is seen in FIG. 3, the nail 42 has a stop 54 which is in the form of a barb bent down from the main portion of the nail. The barb is sufficiently resilient that it can be inserted through opening 50, but not withdrawn. The nail 42 can also be alternatively provided with resilient stops 56. The stops 56 are simply curved bumps formed in the otherwise uniform cross section of the nail. The stops 56 are sufficiently resilient so that they can be forced either way through opening 50, but provide a manual "feel" of periodic increase in resistance. The stops 56 are spaced about one "nail length" apart so a child does not pull out too much of nail 42 at one time.

In playing with the doll 10 the nail 42 may be pulled out slightly and trimmed with ordinary nail clippers. Thus preferably the material of the fingernail 42 is of such character as to cut like a normal human fingernail clipper. Furthermore, in playing with the doll 10 the fingernails in the fingernail area 44 can be colored with ordinary nail polish material. Thus, the material of the nail 42 should be such as to accept that type of coloring material. In order to maintain cleanliness, it is desirable that the material of the digits adjacent the fingernail area 44 be of such material that they do not accept coloration by ordinary nail polish material. Furthermore, it may be desirable to provide a special type of fingernail coloring material which is washable. In this case, the nail material and the finger material are preferably suitable to respectively accept and reject the washable coloring material. Various known, conventional polymer composition materials are suitable for these purposes.

After nail polish has been applied, as is indicated at 52 in FIGS. 4 and 5, if the child desires to recolor the nails, the fingernails can be pulled out the full length of the fingernail area 44, trimmed to shape and repainted with nail polish. The procedure of trimming, together with painting with nail polish if desired, can continue until the supply of fingernail material 42 is exhausted.

The fingernail material 42 can be replenished by engaging a new piece of fingernail material 42 in the guide channels 46 and 48 and thrusting it through opening 50 into the hollow interior 38. After it has been inserted in so that it only slightly extends beyond the fingernail area 44, it can be trimmed to shape and the nail material is then ready for the use.

It is clear that each of the digits on the hands, and optionally the feet, can be supplied with the fingernail structure of this invention. Furthermore, the sizes of the fingernail structures of each of the digits can be arranged to be of such size to be appropriate for the particular digit.

While a hollow interior 38 is shown, it is clear that in some cases it may be desirable to have a separate channel interior of the hand or foot for each of the fingernails 42 within the extremities. Each individual space in communication with the opening 50 would then serve as an individual guide channel extending all the way into the extremity for individual guidance. In most cases such would not be necessary or desirable, for an additional amount of material would be necessary to make the extremity in that fashion.

This invention having been described in this preferred embodiment, it is clear that it is susceptible to numerous modifications and embodiments within the scope of this invention and without the exercise of the inventive faculty. Accordingly the scope of this invention is defined by the scope of the following claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A toy doll having extremities with digits on said extremities, at least one of said digits having a fingernail structure, said fingernail structure comprising:

an interior channel within the extremity having said fingernail structure, said interior channel leading to the exterior of said extremity, and

a nail-like structure located so as to extend through said opening into said channel, part of said nail-like structure being located on the exterior of said extremity so as to appear like a nail part of said extremity,

said nail-like structure being movable with respect to said extremity so that different portions of said nail-like structure from within said channel can be located on the exterior of said extremity.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein:

said nail-like structure extends for a greater distance interiorly of said digit than exteriorly of said digit when positioned to appear as a nail on a digit.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein:

a stop is provided on said nail-like structure to limit movement of the nail-like structure with respect to said digit.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein:

said stop is formed on said nail-like structure, and

is positioned to prevent removal of said nail-like structure from said digit,

said nail-like structure extends for a greater distance interiorly of said digit than exteriorly of said digit when positioned to appear as a nail on a digit.