Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6244922
-
Patent Number
6,244,922
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, February 9, 200024 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, June 12, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Ackun, Jr.; Jacob K.
- Carlson; Jeffrey D.
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 446 147
- 446 149
- 446 330
- 446 332
- 446 352
- 446 358
- 446 359
- 040 421
- 040 423
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
An ornamental motion toy includes a book-shaped housing having a front design and a plurality of windows in the front design, a plurality of ornaments suspended in the windows, a driving unit, a transmission unit driven by the driving unit to move the ornaments in the windows along different paths, light and sound producing means installed in the housing and controlled to produce light and sound effects.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention to an ornamental motion toy, and more particularly to such an ornamental motion toy, which comprises a book-shaped housing having a plurality of windows, and a plurality of movable ornaments suspended in the windows, a driving unit, and a transmission unit driven by the driving unit to move the movable ornaments in the windows
Regular commercially available book-shaped toys are commonly made for use as cabinet means for keeping accessories or small toy items. Because these book-shaped toys are immovable, they are less attractive.
FIGS. 9 and 10
show an ornamental motion toy according to the prior art. This structure of ornamental motion toy comprises a bottom shell A, the bottom shell A comprising a plurality of gear housings A
1
and a plurality of through holes A
2
, a top cover shell B covered on the bottom shell A, the top cover shell B comprising a plurality of axle holes B
1
and a plurality of bottom screw holes B
2
, a plurality of screws respectively inserted through the through holes A
2
on the bottoms hell A and threaded into the bottom screw holes B
2
on the top cover shell B to fix the top cover shell B and the bottom shell A together, a transmission mechanism C installed in the space between the bottom shell A and the top cover shell B, the transmission mechanism C comprising a drive gear C
1
, a plurality of transmission gears C
2
respectively meshed with the drive gear C
1
, and a plurality of output gears C
3
respectively meshed with the transmission gears C
2
, the output gears C
3
each having a gear shaft C
4
respectively extended out of the top cover shell B through the axle holes B
1
, a plurality of spindles CS, the spindles CS each having a bottom end C
51
respectively fixedly connected to the gear shafts C
4
of the output gears C
3
and a top end fixedly mounted with a driven gear C
52
, and a plurality of ornaments D respectively installed in the axle holes B
1
and suspended above the top cover shell B, the ornaments D each having a bottom gear D
1
meshed with the driven gear C
52
at one spindle C
5
. Further, a reversible motor (not shown) is controlled to turn the drive gear C
1
clockwise and counter-clockwise alternatively, causing the ornaments D to be rotated clockwise and counter-clockwise alternatively above the top cover shell B. This ornamental motion toy is complicated and bulky. Further, the ornaments D can only be driven to make a rotary motion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one object ob the present invention to provide an ornamental motion toy, which drives different ornaments to move back and forth in different directions along different paths. It is another object of the present invention to provide an ornamental motion toy, which produces sound and light effects. According to one aspect of the present invention, the ornamental motion toy comprises a housing formed of a front cover shell and a back cover shell, the front cover shell having a design and a plurality of windows in the design, a driving unit installed in the housing near a back side, the driving unit comprising a motor, a plurality of transmission gears, and a plurality of output gears respectively coupled to the motor through the transmission gears, the output gears each comprising an eccentric rod; a transmission unit installed in the housing in front of the driving unit, the transmission unit comprising a partition frame, the partition frame comprising a plurality of circular through holes, which receive the driving rod of each output gear of the driving unit for enabling the driving rod to be moved along the periphery of the corresponding circular through hole during operation of the driving unit, and a plurality of fixed guide blocks respectively disposed below the circular through holes, a plurality of transmission plates respectively coupled to the driving rods of the output gears of the driving unit and moved alternatively up and down during operation of the driving unit, the transmission plates each comprising a transverse sliding slot coupled to the driving rod of one output gear of the driving unit, a longitudinal sliding slot coupled to one fixed guide block at the partition frame, and a coupling hole in one corner thereof, and a plurality of holder frames formed integral with one another and disposed between the windows and the transmission plates, the holder frames each comprising a sliding slot; and a plurality of movable ornaments respectively coupled to the holder frames by a slip joint and driven to move in the windows by the driving unit, the movable ornaments each comprising a driving rod inserted through the sliding slot on the corresponding holder frame and coupled to the coupling hole on one transmission plate for enabling the respective movable ornamental to be moved along the first sliding slot on the corresponding holder frame during operation of the driving unit. According to another aspect of the present invention, sound producing means and light producing means are respectively installed in the housing, and controlled to produce light and sound respectively.
BIREF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of an ornamental motion toy according to the present invention.
FIG. 2
is an exploded view of a part of the ornamental motion toy shown in FIG.
1
.
FIG. 3
is a front plain view of the driving unit for the ornamental motion toy shown in FIG.
1
.
FIG. 4
is a front plain view of the transmission unit for the ornamental motion toy shown in FIG.
1
.
FIG. 5
is a front plain view of the ornamental motion toy shown in FIG.
1
.
FIG. 6
illustrates the driving unit operated according to the present invention.
FIG. 7
illustrates the transmission unit operated according to the present invention.
FIG. 8
illustrates the movable ornaments moved in the windows in the housing according to the present invention.
FIG. 9
is an exploded view of a motion toy according to the prior art.
FIG. 10
is an exploded view of a part of the motion toy shown in FIG.
9
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIGS. from
1
through
3
, an ornamental motion toy in accordance with the present invention is generally comprised of a housing
1
, a transmission unit
2
, and a driving unit
3
.
The housing
1
is shaped like a book comprising a front cover shell
11
and a back cover shell
12
. The front cover shell
11
has a design
111
, a plurality of through holes
13
outside the design
111
, and a plurality of windows
112
in the design
111
. Further, dolls
113
are respectively moved in the windows
112
.
The transmission unit
2
comprises a plurality of holder frames
21
respectively aimed at the windows
112
in the design
111
at the front cover shell
11
, the holder frames
21
each having two sliding slots
211
disposed at different elevations and a cover strip
212
covered on one side opening thereof, a plurality of transmission plates
22
respectively disposed behind the holder frames
21
, the transmission plates
22
each having a coupling hole
221
in a left bottom corner, a longitudinal slot
222
, and a transverse slot
223
, and a partition frame
23
disposed behind the transmission plates
22
in front of the driving unit
3
, the partition frame
23
having a plurality of circular through holes
232
and a plurality of fixed guide blocks
231
respectively inserted into the longitudinal slot
222
on each transmission plate
22
.
The driving unit
3
is mounted in between the back cover shell
12
and the partition frame
23
, comprising a power adapter
31
, a motor
33
connected to the power adapter
31
by conductors
32
, a belt transmission mechanism
34
coupled to the motor
33
, a plurality of output gears
36
, and a plurality of transmission gears
35
respectively coupled between the belt transmission mechanism
34
and the output gears
36
, and a plurality of driving rods
361
respectively eccentrically extended from the output gears
36
and inserted through the through holes
232
on the partition frame
23
and the transverse slot
223
on each transmission plate
22
.
Referring to FIGS. from
2
through
5
, the dolls
113
are respectively received in the holder frames
21
and facing the windows
112
in the front cover shell
11
of the housing
1
, each having a back rod
4
inserted through the upper sliding slot
211
on the corresponding holder frame
21
and coupled to the coupling hole
221
on one transmission plate
22
and a back screw hole
1131
coupled to the lower sliding slot
211
on the corresponding holder frame
21
by a screw. After installation of the transmission unit
2
and the driving unit
3
in the housing
1
, the front cover shell
11
and the back cover shell
12
are fastened together by fastening elements, for example, screws
5
.
Referring to
FIGS. 7 and 8
, when the power adapter
3
is switched on, the motor
33
is started to turn the belt transmission mechanism
34
, the transmission gears
35
, and the driving gears
36
, causing the driving rod
361
to be turned along the periphery of the corresponding circular through hole
232
, and therefore the transmission plates
22
are respectively alternatively moved up and down. When the transmission plates
22
are alternatively moved up and down, the dolls
113
are respectively driven by the transmission plates
22
to move along the respective sliding slots
211
on the respective holder frames
21
. The sliding slots
211
have different shapes, enabling the dolls
113
to be moved back and forth along different paths. Further, sound-producing means may be installed inside the housing
1
corresponding to the through holes
13
, and driven to produce a sound effect. The housing
1
may be decorated with lighting means for producing a lightening effect.
While only one embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be understood that various modifications and changes could be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention disclosed.
Claims
- 1. An ornamental motion toy comprising:a housing, said housing comprising a plurality of windows; a driving unit installed in said housing near a back side, said driving unit comprising a motor, a plurality of transmission gears, and a plurality of output gears respectively coupled to said motor through said transmission gears, said output gears each comprising an eccentric rod; a transmission unit installed in said housing in front of said driving unit, said transmission unit comprising a partition frame, said partition frame comprising a plurality of circular through holes, which receive the driving rod of each output gear of said driving unit for enabling the driving rod to be moved along the periphery of the corresponding circular through hole during operation of said driving unit, and a plurality of fixed guide blocks respectively disposed below said circular through holes, a plurality of transmission plates respectively coupled to the driving rods of the output gears of said driving unit and moved alternatively up and down during operation of said driving unit, said transmission plates each comprising a transverse sliding slot coupled to the driving rod of one output gear of said driving unit, a longitudinal sliding slot coupled to one fixed guide block at said partition frame, and a coupling hole in one corner thereof, and a plurality of holder frames formed integral with one another and disposed between said windows and said transmission plates, said holder frames each comprising a sliding slot; and a plurality of movable ornaments respectively coupled to said holder frames by a slip joint and driven to move in said windows by said driving unit, said movable ornaments each comprising a driving rod inserted through the sliding slot on the corresponding holder frame and coupled to the coupling hole on one transmission plate for enabling the respective movable ornamental to be moved along the first sliding slot on the corresponding holder frame during operation of said driving unit.
- 2. The ornamental motion toy of claim 1 wherein said housing is comprised of a front cover shell and a back cover shell fastened together, said front cover shell having a design in which said windows is disposed.
- 3. The ornamental motion toy of claim 1 wherein said holder frames each have a side opening and a cover strip covered on said side opening.
- 4. The ornamental motion toy of claim 1 wherein said driving unit further comprising power supply means connected to said motor by conductors and controlled to provide electricity to said motor, and a transmission belt coupled between said motor and said transmission gears.
US Referenced Citations (5)