FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to figure toys, and more particularly poseable figure toys. The present invention is also directed to toys having suction cups as components.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Children have enjoyed playing with figure toys, i.e., toys representing the figures of people or animals, throughout history. Such figure toys include baby dolls, military figures, farm animals, jungle animals, etc. Figure toys with joints allowing the movement of limbs provide further play possibilities, such as poseability and animation of the figure.
Another category of popular toy is toys having suction cups allowing them to be temporarily attached to smooth surfaces. Some such toys incorporate suction cups in their poseability.
The present invention relates to both figure toys and toys having suction cups, and provides new modes of posing and play beyond those provided by the prior art.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a poseable figure toy which incorporates suction cups in its functionality, particularly its poseability.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a figure toy providing a wide variety of pose options.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a poseable figure toy with suction cups which can be attached to and posed in a wide variety of poses on smooth surfaces, including smooth vertical and/or horizontal surfaces and smooth somewhat rounded surfaces.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a poseable figure toy with suction cups which can be attached to objects such as tools or other playthings.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a poseable figure toy with suction cups made of a material having a balance between flexibility and rigidity which allows it to be attached to and posed in a wide variety of poses, particularly including poses where the figure toy is attached to smooth vertical, horizontal and/or somewhat rounded surfaces.
Furthermore, it is another object of the present invention to provide poseable figure toys with suction cups which can be attached to and posed in a wide variety of poses with each other, including while attached to smooth surfaces.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a poseable figure toy which is hygienic and easily thoroughly cleaned.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a poseable figure toy which incorporates suction cups of different sizes and/or strengths in its functionality.
More particularly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a poseable figure toy with suction cups of a plurality of sizes with the object of the various sizes of suction cups producing different pitches upon forced, sudden detachment of the suction cups from surfaces.
Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a poseable figure toy with suction cups of a plurality of sizes with the object of the various sizes of suction cups producing attachments to smooth surfaces of varying durations.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a poseable figure toy with suction cups which will attach to smooth surfaces when thrown against them.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a poseable figure toy with a plurality of co-planar suction cups, some cups being on short limbs and some being on longer limbs, where at least one of the longer limbs are long enough and the material is flexible enough that, when thrown, the positions and/or orientations of the suction cups changes and/or varies over a sufficient range or sufficient ranges that when the toy impacts a smooth, planar surface it will tend to attach to the planar surface.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent from the description or may be learned from the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
The accompanying figures, which are incorporated in and form a part of the present specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description given above and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
FIG. 1A shows a front view of a preferred embodiment of the poseable figure toy with suction cups of the present invention where the figure roughly represents a human figure.
FIG. 1B shows a rear view of the poseable figure toy with suction cups of FIG. 1A.
FIG. 1C shows a perspective view of the poseable figure toy with suction cups of FIG. 1A.
FIG. 1D shows a top view of the poseable figure toy with suction cups of FIG. 1A.
FIG. 1E shows a bottom view of the poseable figure toy with suction cups of FIG. 1A.
FIG. 1F shows a perspective view of the poseable figure toy with suction cups of FIG. 1A with the parting lines produced by a two-part mold.
FIG. 2A shows the figure toy of FIGS. 1A-1E in an upright pose on a horizontal surface with the hand suction cups and the feet suction cups attached to the horizontal surface.
FIG. 2B shows the figure toy of FIGS. 1A-1E in an inclined pose on a horizontal surface with one leg raised and both hand suction cups and one foot suction cup attached to the horizontal surface.
FIG. 2C shows the figure toy of FIGS. 1A-1E in a vertical pose on a horizontal surface with the feet suction cups attached to the horizontal surface and the hand suction cups at knee level and attached to each other.
FIG. 2D shows the figure toy of FIGS. 1A-1E in a vertical pose on a horizontal surface with the feet suction cups attached to the horizontal surface and the hand suction cups raised above the head and attached to each other.
FIG. 2E shows the figure toy of FIGS. 1A-1E in a vertical pose on a horizontal surface with the feet suction cups and one hand suction cup attached to the horizontal surface and the other hand suction cup attached to the face suction cup.
FIG. 2F shows two figure toys of FIGS. 1A-1E, both in a vertical pose on a horizontal surface with the feet suction cups and one hand suction cup attached to the horizontal surface and a hand suction cup of one figure toy attached to a hand suction cup of the other figure toy.
FIG. 2G shows two figure toys of FIGS. 1A-1E, both in a vertical pose on a horizontal surface with the feet suction cups attached to the horizontal surface and the hand suction cups of one figure toy attached to the hand suction cups of the other figure toy.
FIG. 2H shows the figure toy of FIGS. 1A-1E on a vertical surface with the hand suction cups and the feet suction cups attached to the vertical surface and the torso offset from the vertical surface.
FIG. 2I shows the figure toy of FIGS. 1A-1E on a vertical surface with the feet suction cups and one hand suction cup attached to the vertical surface, the torso offset from the vertical surface, and one arm dangling downward.
FIG. 2J shows the figure toy of FIG. 2I with the dangling hand suction cup attached to a hand suction cup of a second such figure toy to effect suspension of the second figure toy.
FIG. 2K shows a figure toy posed as in FIG. 2I with the dangling hand suction cup attached to a hand suction cup of a second such figure toy to assist with suspension of the second figure toy, the one hand suction cup of the second figure toy attached to the vertical wall.
FIG. 2L shows three figure toys as per FIGS. 1A-1E with the top figure toy attached to and hanging from a downward-facing horizontal surface, the middle figure toy attached to and hanging from the top figure toy, and the bottom figure toy attached to and hanging from the middle figure toy.
FIG. 2M shows a figure toy in a free-fall trajectory towards a wall and under the influence of centripetal forces due to rotation about an axis perpendicular to the page and through the center of mass of the toy.
FIG. 2N shows the figure toy of FIG. 2M as it impacts the wall.
FIG. 3A shows a bottom view of another preferred embodiment of the poseable figure toy with suction cups of the present invention where the figure roughly represents a caterpillar and the suction cups represent feet and have a variety of sizes.
FIG. 3B shows a side view of the poseable figure toy with suction cups of FIG. 3A.
FIG. 4A is a side view of another preferred embodiment of the poseable figure toy with suction cups of the present invention where the figure roughly represents an octopus and the tentacles have suction cups at their ends.
FIG. 4B shows a bottom view of the poseable figure toy with suction cups of FIG. 4A.
FIG. 5A is a side view of another preferred embodiment of the poseable figure toy with suction cups of the present invention where the figure roughly represents an elephant, the feet of the elephant are represented by suctions cups and the trunk has a suction cup at its end.
FIG. 5B shows a bottom view of the poseable figure toy with suction cups of FIG. 5A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D and 1E show a preferred embodiment of a poseable figure toy (100) of the present invention where the figure roughly represents a human figure. (The phrase “roughly represents” in this context is meant to imply that it is not an exact representation of something, but rather a schematic representation of that something where there is an immediate visual association with that something or with things in the family of that something. For instance, the figure toy (100) of FIG. 1A is instantly recognizable as a human figure or something in the family of the human figure such as a monkey or a humanoid alien.) The figure toy (100) has a suction cup (110) at the top, which represents the face or head of the human figure. The face suction cup (110) is connected via a neck (115) to a torso (120). Extending from the top of the torso (120) are left and right upper limbs (130), representing arms, which terminate at suction cups (135) representing hands. Extending from the bottom of the torso (120) are left and right lower limbs (140), representing legs, which terminate at suction cups (145) representing feet. The feet suction cups (145) are larger than the hand suction cups (135), and the head suction cup (110) is larger than the feet suction cups (145). When unstressed (i.e., when the toy (100) is not subject to outside forces), the upper limbs (130) and lower limbs (140) extend horizontally from the torso (120) and arc to terminate with a vertical orientation, and the faces of the hand and feet suction cups (135) and (145) lie on the same plane.
According to the preferred embodiment, the entire toy (100) (i.e., the head suction cup (110), neck (115), torso (120), upper limbs (130), lower limbs (140), hand suction cups (135), and feet suction cups (145)) is integrally formed of a material which is flexible but also has some rigidity. The material is flexible enough to provide well-functioning suction cups (110), (135) and (145) on flat surfaces and somewhat rounded surfaces (more particularly, surfaces rounded with a radius of curvature somewhat larger than a diameter of the suction cups (110), (135) and/or (145)). Furthermore, the material is flexible enough that the figure can be posed in a wide variety of poses, yet rigid enough that the poses are maintained for a reasonable duration relative to the attention span of a child. More particularly, the material has a compromise of rigidity and flexibility such that poses are maintained for at least one minute, more preferably at least two minutes, still more preferably at least three minutes, still more preferably at least five minutes, and still more preferably at least ten minutes. Furthermore, the material has a compromise of flexibility and rigidity which allows a wide variety of poses to be maintained on horizontal, vertical and somewhat rounded surfaces. Furthermore, the arms (130) and legs (140) are long enough and the material is flexible enough that, when thrown, the positions and orientations of the suction cups (100), (135) and (145) varies over sufficient ranges that when the thrown toy (100) impacts a smooth, planar surface it will tend to attach to the planar surface. Because the toy (100) is integrally formed and, according to the preferred embodiment, there are no seams or small, difficult-to-access gaps or crevices on the exterior surface, the entire exterior is easily accessible and the toy (100) can be easily cleaned. This makes the toy (100) well-suited for infants and young children for pool or bath tub use, for instance, where frequent exposure to moisture might result in the growth of mold or germs which otherwise could not be easily removed. Being formed of a single material also provides the advantage of being more ecologically sound when the material is recyclable.
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the figure toy (100) is molded in such a way as to optimize the performance of the toy and minimize the cost of the toy through an elegance and simplicity of molding design with a minimum of molding parts. Although there are many ways of molding the figure toy (100) of the present invention and the invention should not be considered limited to the molding methods taught herein, in particular according to the preferred embodiment the figure toy (100) is molded with a two-part mold with top and bottom sliders. FIG. IF shows the parting lines (197), (198) and (199) produced by molding the toy (100) of FIGS. 1A-1E using the two-part mold. To produce suction cups (110), (135) and (145) that function well, the parting lines produced by the molding of the toy (100) must not cross the faces (111), (136) and (146) of the suction cups (110), (135) and (145), respectively. According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the faces (136) and (146) of the hand and feet suction cups (135) and (145) are oriented downwards (and lie essentially on the same plane). The figure toy (100) is produced using a two-part mold with the top slider generating the face (111) of the face suction cup (110), the bottom sliders generating the faces (136) and (146) of the hands and feet suction cups (135) and (145), respectively, a first part of the mold generating the frontwards-facing surfaces of the toy (100), and a second part that generates the rearwards-facing surfaces of the toy (100). The frontwards-facing surfaces meet the rearwards-facing surfaces at the side parting line (199), which is where the first part of the mold meets the second part of the mold. The frontwards- and rearwards-facing surfaces meet the face (111) of the head suction cup (110) at the top parting line (198), which is where the first and second parts of the mold meet the top slider. And the frontwards- and rearwards-facing surfaces meet the faces (136) and (146) of the hands and feet suction cups (135) and (145) at the bottom parting lines (197), which is where the first and second parts of the mold meet the bottom sliders.
Preferably, the toy (100) is integrally formed from silicone rubber. Silicone rubber has the advantages of being safe and durable, and is resistant to high temperatures so the toy (100) could be cleaned in a dishwasher. Alternatively, the toy could be made of a thermoplastic elastomer or natural rubber or latex. The material from which the toy (100) is formed has a degree of rigidity which, for instance, allows it to be posed on horizontal surfaces such that it substantially extends vertically from the horizontal surface. A horizontal surface height-to-base aspect ratio α is defined according to the present specification and claims to be the ratio of the height to a width of the points of contact on the horizontal surface. More particularly, the material from which the toy (100) is formed has sufficient rigidity that it is possible to pose the toy (100) on a horizontal surface such that a height-to-base aspect ratio α has a value of at least 0.5, more preferably 0.75, still more preferably 1.0, still more preferably 1.25, still more preferably 1.5, and still more preferably 2.0. A vertical surface horizontal-offset-to-base aspect ratio β is defined according to the present specification and claims to be the ratio of the maximum displacement of the toy from the vertical surface to a width of the points of contact on the vertical surface. The material from which the toy (100) is formed has sufficient rigidity that it is possible to pose the toy (100) on a vertical surface such that a horizontal-offset-to-base aspect ratio β has a value of at least 0.5, more preferably 0.75, still more preferably 1.0, still more preferably 1.25, still more preferably 1.5, and still more preferably 2.0.
FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D and 2E show five poses of the toy (100) on a horizontal surface (200). In FIG. 2A the toy (100) is posed with both feet suction cups (145) and both hand suction cups (135) attached to the horizontal surface (200), and the height-to-base aspect ratio α is greater than unity. In FIG. 2B the toy (100) is posed with both hand suction cups (135) and one foot suction cup (145) attached to the horizontal surface (200) and one leg (140) raised. The material of the toy (100) has sufficient rigidity that the foot suction cup (145) remains elevated above the horizontal surface (200) for a reasonable duration relative to the attention span of a child. More particularly, the material has a compromise of rigidity and flexibility such that the foot suction cup (145) remains elevated for at least one minute, more preferably at least two minutes, still more preferably at least three minutes, still more preferably at least five minutes, and still more preferably at least ten minutes. FIGS. 2C, 2D and 2E illustrate that a hand suction cup (135) may be attached to another suction cup (135) or (110). In FIG. 2C the toy (100) is posed with both feet suction cups (145) attached to the horizontal surface (200) and the hand suction cups (135) are attached to each other and at knee level. In FIG. 2D the toy (100) is posed with both feet suction cups (145) attached to the horizontal surface (200) and the hand suction cups (135) are attached to each other with the arms (130) raised above the face (110). In FIG. 2E the toy (100) is posed with both feet suction cups (145) and one hand suction cup (135) attached to the horizontal surface (200) and the other hand suction cup (135) is attached to the face suction cup (110).
As illustrated by FIGS. 2F and 2G, two (or more) toys (100) of the present invention may be posed on a horizontal surface (200) and attached to each other in various ways. In FIG. 2F, a first toy (100) is posed with both feet suction cups (145) and one hand suction cup (135) attached to the horizontal surface (200), a second toy (100′) is posed with both feet suction cups (145′) and one hand suction cup (135′) attached to the horizontal surface (200), and a hand suction cup (135) of the first toy (100) is attached to a hand suction cup (135′) of the second toy (100′). In FIG. 2G, a first toy (100) is posed with both feet suction cups (145) attached to the horizontal surface (200), a second toy (100′) is posed with both feet suction cups (145′) attached to the horizontal surface (200), and the hand suction cups (135) of the first toy (100) are attached to the hand suction cups (135′) of the second toy (100′).
FIGS. 2H, 2I, 2J, and 2K show four poses of one or more toys (100)/(100′) of the present invention on a vertical surface (250). In FIG. 2H the toy (100) is posed with both feet suction cups (145) and both hand suction cups (135) attached to the vertical surface (250), and the horizontal-offset-to-base aspect ratio β is roughly unity. In this case the horizontal offset is the distance from the vertical surface (250) to the point on the face suction cup (100) farthest from the vertical surface (250). In FIG. 2I the toy (100) is posed with both feet suction cups (145) and one hand suction cup (135) attached to the vertical surface (250) and one arm (130) hanging and the horizontal-offset-to-base aspect ratio β is again roughly unity. FIG. 2J shows the toy (100) in the pose of FIG. 2I with the dangling hand suction cup (135) attached to the hand suction cup (135′) of a second toy (100′) to hold it (100′) aloft. According to the preferred embodiment, a suction cup (110), (135) or (145) to suction cup (110), (135) or (145) attachment has enough strength to hold preferably at least one, more preferably at least two, and still more preferably at least three, still more preferably at least five, and still more preferably at least eight toys (100′) aloft. FIG. 2K shows the toy (100) in the pose of FIG. 2I with the dangling hand suction cup (135) attached to the hand suction cup (135′) of a second toy (100′), and the other hand suction cup (135′) of the second toy (100′) is attached to the vertical surface (250). The upwards forces provided by the attachments of the two hand suction cups (135′) holds the second toy (100′) aloft.
FIG. 2L shows three toys (100), (100′) and (100″), each as per FIGS. 1A-1F, with the top toy (100) attached to and suspended from a horizontal, downwards-facing surface (270), the middle toy (100′) attached to and suspended from the top toy (100), and the bottom toy (100″) attached to and suspended from the middle toy (100′). It should be noted that in such a configuration of three toys (100), (100′) and (100″), the attachment of the top toy (100) to the downwards-facing, horizontal surface (270) bears the greatest strain and will therefore generally require the attachment of larger suctions cups since the attachment force provided by a suction cup increases with the diameter of the suction cup, and/or a greater number of suction cup-to-surface attachments. In particular, the face suction cup (110) and both hand suction cups (135) of the top toy (100) are attached to the horizontal surface (270), the feet suction cups (145) of the top toy (100) are attached to the feet suction cups (145′) of the middle toy (100′), and one hand suction cup (135′) of the middle toy (100′) is attached to a foot suction cup (145″) of the bottom toy (100″).
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, when thrown against a smooth surface the toy (100) will tend to attach to the surface. FIG. 2M shows an exemplary snapshot of the toy (100) on a thrown (i.e., free-fall), rightwards trajectory towards a smooth vertical surface, i.e., a smooth wall (250). The toy (100) is rotating clockwise, as is indicated by the large arced arrows, about its center of mass (CM) during its trajectory and the arms (130a) and (130b) extend more directly (i.e., radially) outwards due to the centripetal force than when the toy (100) is not subject to outside forces. Furthermore, the hand suction cups (135a) and (135b), because they are on longer, thinner limbs (130a) and (130b), flop/wriggle/wiggle as the toy (100) travels. In contrast, because the legs (140a) and (140b) are thicker and shorter than the arms (130a) and (130b), the orientations of the legs (140a) and (140b) are less perturbed by centripetal forces, and the feet suction cups (145a) and (145b) maintain their positions and orientations to a greater extent than the hand suction cups (135a) and (135b). FIG. 2N shows the toy (100) an instant later than the moment shown in FIG. 2M where the toy (100) is just impacting the wall (250). Because, due to the centripetal force, the upper hand suction cup (135a) is not in the same plane as the feet suction cups (145a) and (145b), and instead the arm (130a) extends out more orthogonally from the body (120) than when not under the influence of outside forces, the upper hand suction cup (135a) is in a position that allows its attachment to the wall (250) at the instant of contact, thereby facilitating the attachment of the toy (100) to the wall (250) when thrown. More generally, to facilitate attachment of the thrown toy (100) against a smooth surface such as a smooth wall (250), the present invention provides a plurality of suction cups (135a), (135b), (145a) and (145b) with co-planar faces on a suction cup plane (299) when no outside forces are applied to the toy (100), where at least one suction cup (i.e., first suction cup (145a) or (145b)) is on a short limb (140a) or (140b) extending from the longitudinal side of the body (120) near the suction cup plane (299) (i.e., the side of the body (120) with the legs (140a) and (140b)), and at least one suction cup (i.e., second suction cup (135a) or (135b)) is on a long and flexible limb (130a) or (130b) extending from the longitudinal side of the body (120) distant the suction cup plane (299) (i.e., the side of the body (120) with the head suction cup (110)), so that rotation about the center of mass (CM) produces a centripetal force which moves second suction cup (135a) or (135b) away from the suction cup plane (299). And more preferably, the present invention provides a plurality of suction cups (135a), (135b), (145a) and (145b) with co-planar faces on a suction cup plane (299) when no outside forces are applied to the toy (100), where at least one suction cup (i.e., first suction cup (145a) or (145b)) is on a short limb (140a) or (140b) extending from the longitudinal side of the body near the suction cup plane (299) (i.e., the side with the legs (140a) and (140b)), and two suction cups (i.e., second and third suction cups (135a) and (135b)) are on long and flexible limbs (130a) and (130b) extending from the longitudinal side of the body distant the suction cup plane (299) (i.e., the side with the head suction cup (110)), and the second and third suction cups (135a) and (135b) are on opposite azimuthal sides of the body (120) (i.e., the second suction cup (135a) is on the left side and the third suction cup (135b) is on the right side), so that rotation about the center of mass (CM) produces a centripetal force which moves the second and third suction cups (135a) and (135b) away from the suction cup plane (299), and preferably facing in opposite directions.
FIGS. 3A and 3B shows an alternate embodiment of the present invention where the poseable figure toy (300) roughly represents a caterpillar. The caterpillar figure toy (300) has a bulb (312) at a front end which represents a head of the caterpillar. The head (312) is connected via a neck (315) to a body (320). Extending from the bottom of the body (320) are legs (330a) through (330h) (referred to generically or collectively with reference numeral 330) which terminate at feet suction cups (335a) through (335h) (referred to generically or collectively with reference numeral 335) representing feet. The feet suction cups (335) decrease monotonically in size from the front to the back of the caterpillar. The varying sizes of the feet suction cups (335) will result in suction attachments of varying durations. Furthermore, forced detachment of the varying sizes of the feet suction cups (335) will result in varying pitches. In a preferred embodiment, the sizes of the feet suction cups (335) are tuned so that upon forced detachment a scale or a tune is produced.
FIGS. 4A and 4B shows an alternate embodiment of the present invention where the poseable figure toy (400) roughly represents an octopus. The octopus figure toy (400) has a bulb (412) at the top which represents the head. The head (412) is connected via a neck (411) to a body (420) and extending from the body (420) are legs (430) which terminate at suction cups (435).
FIGS. 5A and 5B shows an alternate embodiment of the present invention where the poseable figure toy (500) roughly represents an elephant. The elephant figure toy (500) has a head (512) at the front from which extends a trunk (555) which terminates at a trunk suction cup (550). The head (512) is connected via a neck (511) to a body (520) and extending from the body (520) are legs (540) which terminate at suction cups (545) representing the feet.
Thus, it will be seen that the improvements presented herein are consistent with the objects of the invention described above. While the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of preferred embodiments thereof. Many other variations are also within the scope of the present invention. For example: the face suction cup may represent the head rather than the face; the form of the toy may roughly represent any insect, biped or quadriped, such as a cat, millipede, praying mantis, etc.; the toy may have an integrally-formed exterior formed around an internal wire frame which contributes to the rigidity; the figure may be more detailed and may include, for instance, a cranium, knees, elbows, etc.; etc. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of the invention is determined not by the embodiments illustrated or the physical analyses motivating the illustrated embodiments, but rather by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
Patent Application
20150031266
