Ornamental motion toy with a book-shaped housing

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6244922
  • Patent Number
    6,244,922
  • Date Filed
    Wednesday, February 9, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, June 12, 2001
    23 years ago
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)
Number Name Date Kind
1723910 Aramburu Aug 1929
2544105 Quick Mar 1951
2926487 Stone Mar 1960
5142925 Fauvel Sep 1992
5988684 Blaustein et al. Nov 1999