BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of this invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional deformable toy;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing protrusion of a deformed section from an open mouth of the conventional deformable toy shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the preferred embodiment of a deformable toy;
FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the deformable toy at a non-operated state;
FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the deformable toy at an operated state;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment, in which a pen is connected to a deformable surrounding wall;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment, in which a pencil-sharpener is connected to the deformable surrounding wall; and
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment, in which a stamp is connected to the deformable surrounding wall.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, the preferred embodiment of a deformable toy 2 according to the present invention is shown to include a deformable surrounding wall 21 defining an enclosed space 22 therein and having a foldable portion 212 and an invertable portion 213 extending from the foldable portion 212 and surrounded by the foldable portion 212, and a decorative piece 23 connected to the invertable portion 213. The deformable surrounding wall 21 is made of a flexible plastic material and is designed to have a pattern (e.g., an animal). The enclosed space 22 is filled with a fluid 30, such as water or gas. During manufacturing, the fluid 30 is filled into the enclosed space 22 through a hole 216 in the deformable surrounding wall 21. The hole 216 is then sealed using, for example, high frequency sealing process.
The foldable portion 212 is foldable from a non-folded state (see FIG. 4) to a folded state (see FIG. 5). The invertable portion 213 is invertable from a non-inverted state (see FIG. 4) to an inverted state (see FIG. 5). The invertable portion 213 is disposed at the non-inverted state when the foldable portion 212 is disposed at the non-folded state (see FIG. 4), and is disposed at the inverted state when the foldable portion is disposed at the folded state (see FIG. 5).
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the invertable portion 213 is concave relative to the foldable portion 212 so as to cooperate with the foldable portion 212 to define a first recess 214 to receive the decorative piece 23 when the foldable portion 212 is disposed at the non-folded state and the invertable portion 213 is disposed at the non-inverted state. As shown in FIG. 5, when the deformable surrounding wall 21 is subjected to a squeezing force, the fluid 30 in the enclosed space 22 presses the foldable portion 212 and the invertable portion 213. Then, the foldable portion 212 is folded to the folded state so as to form a second recess 215, and the invertable portion 213 is inverted so as to be convex relative to the foldable portion 212 to protrude outwardly of the second recess 215 from the foldable portion 212 (i.e., at the inverted state). As a consequence, the decorative piece 23 (e.g., eyes of an animal in this embodiment) is disposed outwardly of the second recess 215. When the squeezing force is released, the foldable portion 212 is unfolded to the non-folded state, and the invertable portion 213 is automatically restored back to the non-inverted state. In this embodiment, each of the foldable portion 212 and the invertable portion 213 has a thickness thinner than the remainder of the deformable surrounding wall 21 so that deformation of the foldable portion 212 and the invertable portion 213 are easier than that of the remainder.
Preferably, the deformable toy 2 further includes a retaining recess 217 provided on the deformable surrounding wall 21. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the deformable toy 2 further includes an object, such as a pen/pencil 3, a pencil-sharpener 4, a stamp 5, etc., which is inserted into the retaining recess 217.
In this invention, the deformable toy 2 further includes a key-ring 24 provided on the deformable surrounding wall 21.
According to the present invention, the deformable toy 2 can be automatically restored back to the original state so as to provide added convenience and amusing effect.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation and equivalent arrangements.
Patent Application
20080038988
