The specification relates generally to assemblies with inner objects that break out of housings.
There is a market desire for toys wherein there is some element of surprise in terms of what toy a user will end up with upon purchase. An example of such a toy is the Hatchimals line of products made and sold by Spin Master Ltd. There is also a desire for toys that at least appear to release themselves from the housings in which they reside, which in some instances lends an air of reality to the toy, whether or not the user knows which toy they are getting.
In an aspect, a toy assembly is provided and includes a housing having a main housing portion, and a first set of at least one removable housing portion that is at least partially removable from the main housing portion; a first series of eyelets mounted to the first set of at least one removable housing portion; an inner object inside the housing; a motor that is connected to drive at least one drum; a first anchor having a first anchor slot having a first exit and a second exit; a first tether having a free end which has an engagement member that is unable to pass through the first exit of the first anchor slot but can pass through the second exit of the first anchor slot, wherein the first tether passes sequentially through each of the series of eyelets between the at least one drum and the first anchor; wherein, in an initial state the engagement member is positioned in the first anchor slot at the first exit of the first anchor slot, wherein, for each eyelet in succession in the first series of eyelets, a first segment of the first tether is angled relative to the eyelet and a final segment of the first tether is angled relative to the first anchor slot such that rotation of the motor to wind the first tether on the at least one drum pulls the free end of the first tether towards the first exit of the first anchor slot, and applies a first removal force on each eyelet in succession, wherein the first removal force is sufficiently strong to remove a portion of the first set of at least one removable housing portion from the main housing portion, and wherein after applying the first removal force to a final eyelet from the first series of eyelets, the first tether is angled such that rotation of the motor to wind the first tether on the at least one drum pulls the free end of the first tether towards and through the second exit of the first anchor slot, so as to remove the first tether from the first anchor.
In another aspect, a toy assembly is provided and includes: a housing; an inner object inside the housing; an opening member that is positioned in the housing and is positioned to open the housing to expose the inner object; a motor that is connected to drive the opening member to open the housing, wherein the inner object is removable from the housing and wherein the motor is inside the inner object, and wherein the housing includes a housing input member thereon, and a housing electrical terminal in the housing is in electrical communication with an inner object electrical terminal that is part of the inner object, so as to communicate actuation of the housing input member to a controller in the inner object, wherein the controller is connected to the motor to control operation of the motor based on actuation of the housing input member, wherein the motor drives an inner object output shaft that is inside the inner object, and wherein the opening member is at least partially outside of the inner object, wherein the housing includes a housing input shaft that is operatively connected to the opening member, wherein the housing input shaft removably extends into the inner object to engage the inner object output shaft such that rotation of the motor drives the housing input shaft, which in turn drives the opening member to open the housing.
In yet another aspect, a toy assembly is provided, and includes: a housing having a main housing portion, and a first tear strip that is at least partially removable from the main housing portion; an inner object inside the housing; a motor that drives at least one drum; a first tether positioned to apply a first removal force to the first tear strip, wherein the housing has a first side, a second side, and a third side, wherein the second side and the third side are each adjacent the first side, wherein, for each side of the first, second and third sides, the housing further includes a side corner connecting said each side with any of the first, second, and third sides that are adjacent to said each side, and wherein the housing includes a top, wherein the first tear strip is a second-side tear strip extending along the second side between the first side and an opposing end of the second side, wherein the third side has a third-side tear strip extending between the first side and an opposing end of the third side, wherein the toy assembly further comprises a second tether positioned to apply a second removal force to the third-side tear strip, wherein, rotation of the motor to wind the first tether on the at least one drum and to wind the second tether on the at least one drum drives the first tether to apply the first removal force to the first tear strip and drives the second tether to apply the second removal force to the second tear strip, so as to at least partially remove the first and second tear strips from the main housing portion, wherein each of the second-side tear strip and the third-side tear strip is defined by a first tear line and a second tear line, wherein the first and second tear lines do not extend across any of the side corners.
In yet another aspect, a method of opening a toy assembly is provided, wherein the toy assembly includes a housing having a main housing portion, and a first set of at least one removable housing portion that is at least partially removable from the main housing portion, a first series of eyelets mounted to the first set of at least one removable housing portion, an inner object inside the housing, a motor that drives at least one drum, a first anchor having a first anchor slot having a first exit and a second exit, a first tether having a free end which has an engagement member that is unable to pass through the first exit of the first anchor slot but can pass through the second exit of the first anchor slot, wherein the first tether passes sequentially through each of the series of eyelets between the at least one drum and the first anchor, wherein, in an initial state the engagement member is positioned in the first anchor slot at the first exit of the first anchor slot, wherein the method comprises:
driving the motor to wind the first tether on the at least one drum and to wind the second tether on the at least one drum, wherein, during said driving, for each eyelet in succession in the first series of eyelets, a first segment of the first tether is angled relative to the eyelet and a final segment of the first tether is angled relative to the first anchor slot such that the first tether pulls the free end of the first tether towards the first exit of the first anchor slot, and applies a first removal force on each eyelet in succession in the first series of eyelets, wherein the first removal force is sufficiently strong to remove a portion of the first set of at least one removable housing portion from the main housing portion; and
after applying the first removal force to a final eyelet from the first series of eyelets, driving the motor to wind the first tether on the at least one drum with the first tether angled so as to pull the free end of the first tether towards and through the second exit of the first anchor slot, so as to remove the first tether from the first anchor.
In yet another aspect, a method of opening a toy assembly is provided, wherein the toy assembly includes a housing having a main housing portion, and a first tear strip that is at least partially removable from the main housing portion, an inner object inside the housing, a motor that drives at least one drum, a first tether positioned to apply a first removal force to the first tear strip, wherein the housing has a first side, a second side, and a third side, wherein the second side and the third side are each adjacent the first side, wherein, for each side of the first, second and third sides, the housing further includes a side corner connecting said each side with any of the first, second, and third sides that are adjacent to said each side, and wherein the housing includes a top, wherein the first tear strip is a second-side tear strip extending along the second side between the first side and an opposing end of the second side, wherein the third side has a third-side tear strip extending between the first side and an opposing end of the third side, wherein the toy assembly further comprises a second tether positioned to apply a second removal force to the third-side tear strip, the method comprising:
rotating the motor to wind the first tether on the at least one drum and to wind the second tether on the at least one drum, so as to drive the first tether to apply the first removal force to the first tear strip and drives the second tether to apply the second removal force to the second tear strip, so as to at least partially remove the first and second tear strips from the main housing portion,
wherein each of the second-side tear strip and the third-side tear strip is defined by a first tear line and a second tear line, wherein the first and second tear lines do not extend across any of the side corners.
In yet another aspect, a toy assembly is provided, and includes: a housing that is positionable on a support surface; an inner object inside the housing and is removable from the housing; an opening member that is positioned in the housing and is positioned to open the housing to expose the inner object; a motor that is connected to drive the opening member to open the housing; an impactor member that is separate from the opening member and that is connected to the motor to be driven by the motor between an impact position in which the impactor member impacts at least one of the housing and the support surface to cause the housing to move on the support surface and a non-impact position in which the impactor member is spaced from the at least one of the housing and the support surface.
In yet another aspect, a toy assembly is provided, and includes: a housing having a main housing portion, and a first tear strip that is at least partially removable from the main housing portion; an inner object inside the housing; a motor that drives at least one drum; a first tether positioned to apply a first removal force to the first tear strip, wherein the housing has a first side, a second side, and a third side, wherein the second side and the third side are each adjacent the first side, wherein, for each side of the first, second and third sides, the housing further includes a side corner connecting said each side with any of the first, second, and third sides that are adjacent to said each side, and wherein the housing includes a top, wherein the first tear strip is a second-side tear strip extending along the second side between the first side and an opposing end of the second side, wherein the third side has a third-side tear strip extending between the first side and an opposing end of the third side, wherein the toy assembly further comprises a second tether positioned to apply a second removal force to the third-side tear strip, wherein, rotation of the motor to wind the first tether on the at least one drum and to wind the second tether on the at least one drum drives the first tether to apply the first removal force to the first tear strip and drives the second tether to apply the second removal force to the second tear strip, so as to at least partially remove the first and second tear strips from the main housing portion, wherein each of the second-side tear strip and the third-side tear strip is defined by a first tear line and a second tear line, wherein each of the first and second tear lines includes a plurality of cut segments that extend at least partially through a thickness of the housing, and which are separated from one another by a plurality of bridges, wherein each of the first and second tear lines includes at least one tear line corner, and wherein every one of the at least one tear line corner is defined in the plurality of cut segments and not in any of the bridges.
In yet another aspect, a toy assembly is provided, and includes: a housing; an inner object inside the housing; a fastener that extends into a receiving aperture and that is visible from outside the housing; a fastener driver that urges the fastener towards discharge from the receiving aperture; a fastener locking member that is movable between a fastener locking position in which the fastener locking member holds the fastener in the receiving aperture, and a fastener release position in which the fastener locking member permits the fastener driver to drive the fastener towards discharge from the receiving aperture; a locking member driver that moves angularly about a locking member driver axis between a first locking member driver position, in which the locking member driver causes the fastener locking member to move to the fastener release position and a second locking member driver position, in which the locking member driver causes the fastener locking member to move to the fastener locking position; a motor that is rotatable to drive movement of the locking member driver between the first and second locking member driver positions.
In yet another aspect, a toy assembly is provided, and includes: a housing; an inner object inside the housing; an opening member that is positioned in the housing and is positioned to open the housing to expose the inner object; a motor that is connected to drive the opening member to open the housing, wherein the motor is inside the inner object, wherein the motor is also connected to an inner object travel mechanism in the inner object, wherein, when the inner object is in a storage position in the housing and the housing is closed, rotation of the motor drives the opening member to open the housing, and wherein after the housing is open, rotation of the motor drives the inner object travel mechanism to cause the inner object to travel in the housing away from the storage position.
In yet another aspect, a toy assembly is provided, and includes: a housing having a main housing portion, and a first set of at least one removable housing portion that is at least partially removable from the main housing portion; a first series of eyelets mounted to the first set of at least one removable housing portion; an inner object inside the housing; a motor that is connected to drive at least one drum; a first anchor; a first tether having a free end which is connected to the first anchor, wherein the first tether passes sequentially through each of the series of eyelets between the at least one drum and the first anchor; wherein the housing defines a main chamber in which the inner object is positioned, and a drum chamber containing the at least one drum, wherein the drum chamber is separated from the main chamber and communicates with the main chamber via a tether pass-through aperture, through which the first tether passes, wherein, for each eyelet in succession in the first series of eyelets, a first segment of the first tether is angled relative to the eyelet and a final segment of the first tether is angled relative to the first anchor such that rotation of the motor to wind the first tether on the at least one drum applies a first removal force on each eyelet in succession, wherein the first removal force is sufficiently strong to remove a portion of the first set of at least one removable housing portion from the main housing portion, and wherein after applying the first removal force to a final eyelet from the first series of eyelets, the first tether is angled such that rotation of the motor to wind the first tether on the at least one drum pulls the tether through the tether pass-through aperture until the tether is no longer present in the main chamber.
For a better understanding of the various embodiments described herein and to show more clearly how they may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings in which:
Reference is made to
The housing 12 may have the form of a box, a crate or any other suitable form, and may have any suitable shape. In the present example, the housing 12 has first, second, third and fourth sides 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d, and has a top 12e and a bottom 12f. For each side 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d a side corner 15 connects that side 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d with any of the other of the first, second, third and fourth sides 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d that are adjacent to that side 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d. In the present example, the fourth side 12d is opposite the first side 12a, and the second side 12b is adjacent one end of the first side 12a and (in this example) connects the first and fourth sides 12a and 12d, and the third side 12c is opposite the second side 12b, is adjacent an opposing end of the first side, and also (in this example) connects the first and fourth sides 12a and 12d. The housing 12 need not have four sides, however. For example, the housing 12 could alternatively have only three sides (e.g. the form of a triangular prism). In such a case, the housing 12 would have a first side, a second side and a third side, and it would remain true that the second and third sides are adjacent respective ends of the first side, but they wouldn't connect between the first side and a fourth side—they would instead connect between the first side and each other. Alternatively, a box may have five or more sides, wherein it remains true that the box has first, second and third sides in which the second and third sides are adjacent first and second ends of the first side, and may be considered opposite one another.
The housing has a main housing portion 16 and a set of at least one removable housing portion 18 that is at least partially removable from the housing 12. An opening mechanism 19 is provided for at least partially removing the set of at least one removable housing portion 18, which is described further below. In the embodiment shown in
A first series of eyelets 22 is mounted to the set of at least one removable housing portion 18. In the embodiment shown in
The toy assembly 10 includes a motor 24 (
It will be understood that the drum chamber 28 need not be positioned below the main chamber 30. It is alternatively possible, for example, to provide the drum chamber 28 against one side wall of the housing 12 and to be separated from the main chamber by a vertical divider, for example.
The at least one drum 26 in the present example includes a single drum 26. The single drum 26 will be referred to as the drum 26 for readability, however it will be understood that it could be one or more drums 26 as appropriate.
The drum 26 in the present example is a generally square shaft that is used to wind a tether thereon (described later on). The drum 26 alternatively can have any other suitable shape. For example, the drum 26 could be in the form of a plastic bobbin.
A first anchor 32, which is part of the opening mechanism 19, is provided on the main housing portion 16. The first anchor 32 is shown in more detail in
In an initial state, as shown in
For each eyelet in succession in the first series of eyelets 22, a first segment 40a of the first tether 40 is angled relative to the eyelet 22 and a final segment 40b of the first tether is angled relative to the first anchor slot 34 such that rotation of the motor 24 to wind the first tether 40 on the drum 26 pulls the free end 42 of the first tether 40 towards the first exit 35 of the first anchor slot 34, and applies a first removal force F1 on each eyelet 22 in succession. The first removal force F1 is sufficiently strong to remove a portion of the set of at least one removable housing portion 18 from the housing 12. The removable housing panel 20 that is shown in
An example of a portion of one of the at least one tear line 47 is shown in
The cut segments 49a may have any suitable length relative to the bridges 49b. For example, it has been found that, for some materials, a ratio of a length Lc of each cut segment 49a to a length Li of each subsequent bridge next 49b along the tear line 47 is at least about 7:2.
It will be observed that, in some embodiments, the tear line 47 includes some tear line corners, shown at 53. In some embodiments, there are no bridges 49b that bridge the corners 53. In other words, every one of the tear line corners 53 is defined in the plurality of cut segments 49a and not in any of the bridges 49b.
Once an eyelet 22 is pulled and has brought a portion of the set of at least one removable housing portion 18 with it, the tether 40 realigns to extend towards the next eyelet 22 in succession. Thus, once the eyelet 22a is pulled, the tether 40 realigns at a new angle towards the eyelet 22b. The toy assembly 10 is configured such that the new angle is suitable for ensuring that a sufficient first removal force F1 is applied to the subsequent eyelet 22b. It will be noted that, for a tether to be able to successfully apply a suitable removal force F1 to an eyelet 22, the tether 40 needs to be angled properly relative to the eyelet 22. For example, if the tether 40 were oriented in a direction where it extended through an eyelet 22 and did not touch the eyelet 22 or was substantially parallel to the axis of the eyelet 22, then the tether 40 will generate relatively little or no removal force on the eyelet 22. However, if the tether 40 is angled as shown in
After applying the first removal force F1 to the final eyelet 22b from the first series of eyelets 22, the first tether 40 is angled such that rotation of the motor 24 to wind the first tether 40 on the at least one drum 26 pulls the free end 42 of the first tether 40 towards and through the second exit 36 of the first anchor slot 34, so as to remove the first tether 40 from the first anchor 32 (
Continued rotation of the motor 24 after the first tether 40 passes through the second exit 36 of the anchor slot 34, winds the first tether 40 on the drum 26 until the free end 42 of the first tether 40 passes through the eyelets 22 and leaves the main chamber 30 through the first tether pass-through aperture 31. As a result, the tether 40 itself is hidden from view by the user after it has been used to at least partially remove the set of at least one removable housing portion 18.
The tethers 40 may be more broadly referred to as opening members that are positioned in the housing 12 and are positioned to open the housing 12 to expose the inner object 14. In the examples shown, this is done by winding the tethers 40 on one or more drums 26.
As can be seen in
The first set of at least one removable housing portion 18a has a first series of eyelets mounted to it. In the present example the first series of eyelets 22 includes eyelets 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d and 22e. The second set 18b has a second series of eyelets mounted to it including eyelets 22a, 22b and 22c.
The eyelets 22 may be mounted in any suitable way to the first set of at least one removable housing portion 18a. For example, in
The toy assembly 10 shown in
The tethers 40 wind onto at least one drum 26 (not shown in
As with the arrangement shown in
Once an eyelet 22 is pulled and has brought a portion of the first set of at least one removable housing portion 18a with it (i.e. a portion of the first tear strip 48), the tether 40 realigns to extend towards the next eyelet 22 in succession. Thus, once the eyelet 22a is pulled, the tether 40 realigns at a new angle towards the eyelet 22b. The toy assembly 10 is configured such that the new angle is suitable for ensuring that a sufficient first removal force F1 is applied to the subsequent eyelet 22b.
The second tether 40 and the second series of eyelets 22 may operate the same as the first tether 40 and the first series of eyelets 22, wherein the second tether 40 applies a second removal force F2 to the eyelets 22 in succession from the second series.
After applying the first removal force F1 to a final eyelet (eyelet 22e) from the first series of eyelets 22 and the second removal force F2 to a final eyelet (eyelet 22c) from the second series of eyelets 22, the first and second tethers 40 are angled as in
The eyelets 22 may alternatively be joined in any other suitable way to the housing 12 (i.e. to the first set 18a). For example, the use of adhesive may be difficult to apply reliably and is relatively labour intensive. Reference is made to
It will be noted that in the embodiment shown in
Once the second-side and third-side tear strips 48 and 50 have been at least partially removed from the housing 12, the first side 12a may be bent away from the main chamber 30 so as to expose the inner object 14 (
In the example shown in
While
Additionally, it can be seen in
Another structure that adds to the realism of the toy assembly 10 is shown in
The position for the foot 66 may be referred to as the actuated position and is shown in dashed lines at 66a in
In some embodiments, it is possible for the bottom side 12f to not have an aperture in it to permit the foot 66 to pass therethrough—it is possible that the foot 66 engages an interior face of the bottom 12f and pushes the bottom face 12f downward past the plane that was defined by the bottom 12f when the foot 66 was in the home position, so as to still cause the housing 12 to jump. As a result, rotation of the motor 24 and the drum shaft 64 repeatedly causes the rollers 72 to drive the foot 66 downwards to the actuated position to cause the housing 12 to jump, in a seemingly non-uniform (and therefore lifelike) way, and the foot 66 continues to be urged back towards its home position. If the toy assembly 10 is provided with a controller and a variable speed motor 24 then varying the speed of the motor 24 can further add to the variation in the jumping.
The foot 66 constitutes an impactor member that is separate from the opening members (i.e. the tethers 40) and that is connected to the motor 24 to be driven by the motor 24 between an impact position (i.e. the actuated position 66a described above) in which the impactor member 66 impacts at least one of the housing 12 and the support surface on which the housing 12 is positioned to cause the housing 12 to move on the support surface and a non-impact position (referred to above as the home position) in which the impactor member 66 is spaced from the at least one of the housing 12 and the support surface.
Another way of adding variation to the operation of the tethers 40 may be by the amount of slack that is present in the tether 40. As a result of the amount of slack, the motor 24 can drive the tether 40 for some period of time until the slack is consumed at which point the removal force is generated by the tether. By varying how much slack is present in different tethers 40 (e.g. if a first tether 40 has less slack than a second tether 40), the first tether 40 can be caused to actuate at a different time than (e.g. before) the second tether 40.
Referring to
Methods of opening a toy assembly such as the toy assembly 10 are described below. In one example, the toy assembly includes a housing having a main housing portion, and a first set of at least one removable housing portion that is at least partially removable from the housing, a first series of eyelets mounted to the first set of at least one removable housing portion, an inner object inside the housing, a motor that drives at least one drum, a first anchor on the main housing portion, wherein the first anchor has a first anchor slot having a first exit and a second exit, a first tether having a free end which has an engagement member that is unable to pass through the first exit of the first anchor slot but can pass through the second exit of the first anchor slot, wherein the first tether passes sequentially through each of the series of eyelets between the at least one drum and the first anchor, wherein, in an initial state the engagement member is positioned in the first anchor slot at the first exit of the first anchor slot. The method comprises:
driving the motor to wind the first tether on the at least one drum and to wind the second tether on the at least one drum, wherein, during said driving, for each eyelet in succession in the first series of eyelets, a first segment of the first tether is angled relative to the eyelet and a final segment of the first tether is angled relative to the first anchor slot such that the first tether pulls the free end of the first tether towards the first exit of the first anchor slot, and applies a first removal force on each eyelet in succession in the first series of eyelets, wherein the first removal force is sufficiently strong to remove a portion of the first set of at least one removable housing portion from the housing; and
after applying the first removal force to a final eyelet from the first series of eyelets, driving the motor to wind the first tether on the at least one drum with the first tether angled so as to pull the free end of the first tether towards and through the second exit of the first anchor slot, so as to remove the first tether from the first anchor.
In another example, the toy assembly includes a housing having a main housing portion, and a first tear strip that is at least partially removable from the housing, an inner object inside the housing, a motor that drives at least one drum, a first tether positioned to apply a first removal force to the first tear strip, wherein the housing has a first side, a second side, and a third side, wherein the second side and the third side are each adjacent the first side, wherein, for each side of the first, second and third sides, the housing further includes a side corner connecting said each side with any of the first, second, and third sides that are adjacent to said each side, and wherein the housing includes a top, wherein the first tear strip is a second-side tear strip extending along the second side between the first side and an opposing end of the second side, wherein the third side has a third-side tear strip extending between the first side and an opposing end of the third side, wherein the toy assembly further comprises a second tether positioned to apply a second removal force to the third-side tear strip. The method comprises:
rotating the motor to wind the first tether on the at least one drum and to wind the second tether on the at least one drum, so as to drive the first tether to apply the first removal force to the first tear strip and drives the second tether to apply the second removal force to the second tear strip, so as to at least partially remove the first and second tear strips from the housing; and
driving the first side to bend away from the main chamber so as to expose the inner object once the second-side and third-side tear strips have been at least partially removed from the housing. The tear strips (e.g. the tear strips 48 and 50) are defined by tear lines in the sides, wherein the tear lines do not extend across any of the corners
In the present example, the inner object output shaft 76 is directly mounted to the output shaft of the motor 24. In order to ensure that rotation of the inner object output shaft 76 does not result in counter rotation of the motor's stator and the inner object 14 to which the stator is mounted, the inner object 14 may be braced when in the housing 12 when driving the drum shaft 64. For example, two bracing posts 84 may be provided, which may sit immediately on either side of the inner object's front legs. One of the front legs of the inner object is shown at 86 in
As a result of providing the motor 24 in the inner object 14, the motor 24 can be used to drive movable elements (e.g. the rear leg of the dog represented by the inner object 14, shown at 82) of the inner object 14 after the inner object 14 is removed from the housing 12, thereby enhancing the play value of the inner object 14. Furthermore, the housing 12 may then be discarded after it has been opened to reveal the inner object 14, with little wastage having been generated, since the housing sides may be made from cardboard or the like, and the drum shaft 64, pulleys 54 if provided may be made from plastic, and the structural components can be made from plastic. Glue and/or small screws may be used where appropriate to connect parts together. As a result, most or all of the housing 12 may be recyclable and may be relatively inexpensive, so that the cost of the toy assembly 10 is largely present in the inner object 14 itself, which continues to have play value after the opening operation has been carried out.
A housing electrical terminal 106 in the housing 12 is in electrical communication with the inner object electrical terminal 102, so as to communicate actuation of the housing input member 73 to the controller 75 in the inner object 14. The controller 75 is connected to the motor 24 to control operation of the motor 24 based on actuation of the housing input member 73. In the embodiment shown in
As a result of the above-described structure, the user can initiate opening of the housing 12 by the opening mechanism 19, by actuating the housing input member 73, which sends a signal to the controller 75 to operate the motor 24 accordingly.
In other embodiments, the housing input member 73 may be electrically connected to the controller 75 in any other suitable way, such as, for example, by means of conductive pads on the platform 31 on which the inner object 14 sits, with conductive pads on the inner object 14 itself.
Instead of providing the drum 26 in a drum chamber 28 that is part of the housing 12, the drum 26 and the drum shaft 64 could be provided directly in the inner object 14. In such an embodiment, the tethers 40 would pass into the inner object 14 through one or more apertures in the inner object 14. As a result, there would be no need transfer rotary power from the motor out of the inner object and into a housing input shaft 78 in the housing 12. Accordingly, it will be understood that such elements as the housing input shaft 78, and the right-angle gear arrangement 79 and other related elements could be eliminated. It will also be understood that it may still be possible in such an embodiment for the tethers 40 to pass underneath the platform 31 on which the inner object 14 sits through advantageously positioned apertures so that the angles of each tether 40 is arranged as needed for its operation. The tethers 40 could then pass up through one or more final apertures in the platform 31 proximate to the inner object 14 before passing into the inner object 14 for winding on the drum 26 that is contained therein in such an embodiment.
The anchors 32 have been shown to be provided on the main housing portion 16 in the embodiments shown in the figures. However, the anchors 32 could alternatively be provided on the inner object 14 itself, particularly in embodiments in which the drum 26 is provided in the inner object 14.
Reference is made to
In the embodiment shown in
Such a selected resistive torque may occur when the vehicle 109 is moving over an obstacle, such as one of the hills shown at 135a and 135b in
Limit members 136 are provided on the wheel shell 124 to limit the range of relative movement between the projection frame 130 and the wheel shell 124 so as to keep the projection frame 130 in a range of movement that permits the wheel projections 132 to pass through the wheel shell apertures 128.
Once the resistive torque drops back below the selected torque, the at least one wheel projection 132 retracts as the wheel shell 124 and the projection frame 130 return to their home position relative to one another, as shown in
Optionally, the at least one drive wheel 122 includes a lock (not shown) to hold the projection frame 130 and the wheel projections 132 in the extended position. Such a lock may simply be provided by a pin in the wheel shell 124 that aligns with a hole in the projection frame 130. The user can manually turn the wheel shell 124 while pressing the pin in the wheel shell 124 until the wheel shell 124 is rotated sufficiently that the pin finds the hole in the projection frame 130. At this point the wheel projections 132 remain in the extended position.
While the vehicle 109 is in a storage position (as shown in
The toy assembly 10 shown in
The operation of the opening mechanism 19 with respect to the first fastener 166 will be described first. Initially, when the housing 12 is closed, the fastener 166 extends into a receiving aperture 170, and is held by a fastener locking member 172 in the receiving aperture 170. The fastener 166 is visible from outside the housing 12 and its removal from the receiving aperture 170 can form part of the play pattern for the toy assembly 10. A fastener driver 178 urges the fastener 166 towards discharge from the receiving aperture 170. The fastener driver 178 may be any suitable type of biasing member, such as a compression spring, which is shown schematically in the view shown in
The fastener locking member 172 has a locking projection 174 thereon, and a fastener blocking projection 175 thereon. When the fastener locking member 172 is in a fastener locking position (
In order to move the fastener locking member 172 back and forth between the fastener locking position and the fastener release position, the final gear 154 has a drive pin 186 thereon, that engages a locking member driver 188 during rotation of the final gear 154 though a selected angular range. The locking member driver 188 moves angularly about a locking member driver axis Almd between a first locking member driver position (
Initially, as shown in
Continued rotation of the final gear 154 through several revolutions by the motor 24 through the drive arrangement 152 eventually releases the fastener 166 as described above, such that the fastener driver 178 drives the fastener from the housing 12, optionally with sufficient force to drive the fastener 166 into the air outside of the housing 12. The fastener 166 may be used to hold one of the sides of the housing with the top of the housing 12. For example, in the embodiment shown, the fastener 166 holds the third side 12c to the top 12e of the housing 12. To achieve this, the third side 12c includes a wall 192 and a top flap 194, whereas the top 12e may simply be a wall. The fastener 166, when the housing 12 is closed, passes through fastener apertures in the top 12e and the top flap 194 to hold the third side 12c to the top 12e. The apertures in the top 12e and the top flap 194 together make up the receiving aperture 170. Similarly, the fastener 168 passes through fastener apertures in the top 12e and the top flap 194 of the second side 12b, so as to hold the second side 12b to the top 12e.
Referring to
The operation of the opening mechanism 19 with respect to the first and second latches 158 and 160 will now be described. The latch cam 156 employs a ratchet mechanism 202 (
The latch cam drive arm 208 contains a drive slot 212. A latch cam drive pin 214 may be provided on the first locking member driver 188, and extends in the drive slot 212. Each time the first locking member driver 188 is pivoted to the first locking member driver position, it drives rotation of the latch cam 156 by a selected amount. Then, when the first locking member driver 188 pivots back to the second locking member driver position, the latch cam 156 remains at its new position due to the lack of power transfer through the ratchet mechanism 202. After a selected number of rotations of the final gear (the number of rotations being sufficient to have already caused ejection of the first and second fasteners 166 and 168 from the housing 12), the latch cam 156 pivots sufficiently to disengage both the first and second latches 158 and 160 from the first and second housing locking elements 162 and 164 on the top 12e of the housing 12, thereby permitting the housing 12 to open, and move to the position shown in
The opening mechanism 19 shown in
Referring to
A second impactor member is shown at 226 and is driven by the motor 24 via the housing input shaft 78 in the same way as the impactor member 218.
Any of the gears that are driven directly or indirectly by the housing input shaft 78 may include a ratchet mechanism that is similar to the ratchet mechanism 202 for one or more purposes.
While the inner object is shown as a vehicle 109, it will be understood that the inner object 14 could alternatively be any other suitable configuration that employs one or more drive wheels 122. For example, the inner object could be in the form of an animal such as a dog, with a drive wheel 122 at the end of each leg, in place of its feet.
While the final gear 154 has been described as a gear, this is just an example of a suitable rotary member that it could be. It could alternatively be any other type of rotary member such as a friction wheel that frictionally engages other friction wheels instead of gears, or a pulley that engages other pulleys via one or more belts, or any other suitable type of rotary member.
As noted above, the tethers 40 may be more broadly referred to as opening members that are positioned in the housing 12 and are positioned to open the housing 12 to expose the inner object 14. However, in alternative embodiments, the opening mechanism 19 need not incorporate tethers, and could instead be a completely different type of opening mechanism, such as for example any of the opening mechanisms shown in U.S. Pat. No. 9,950,267, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In U.S. Pat. No. 9,950,267 the opening mechanisms are referred to as breakout mechanisms, because they open the housing described therein by breaking the housing. Regardless of how the housing is opened, (e.g. whether by tearing as described herein, or whether by breakage as described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,950,267), the mechanism by which the housing is opened may be referred to as an opening mechanism. Similarly, the member that causes the opening to occur may be referred to as the opening member. In U.S. Pat. No. 9,950,267, the opening member may be the element referred to as the hammer (shown at 30 in that patent), or the plunger member (shown at 316 in that patent), for example.
In such an embodiment, the housing would preferably be made from a material such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,950,267 instead of a cardboard material. It will be understood that several aspects of the toy assembly 10 shown and described are advantageous regardless of whether they employ the opening mechanism shown in the figures, or whether they employ a different opening mechanism such as any of the breakout mechanisms described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,950,267. For example, it is advantageous to provide toy assembly 10 with any of the opening mechanisms and opening members described either directly herein, or in U.S. Pat. No. 9,950,267, in which there is provided any of the impactor members described herein, which are separate from the opening member of the opening mechanism, and which cause movement of the housing 12 on a support surface, without breaking of the housing 12. In another example, it is advantageous to provide the toy assembly 10, wherein, initially the inner object 14 is in a storage position in the housing 12 and the housing 12 is closed, and rotation of the motor 24 drives the opening members (i.e. any one or more of the tethers 40) to open the housing 12, and form the departure path 142 out of the housing 12 for the inner object 14, and wherein after the housing 12 is open, rotation of the motor 24 drives the inner object travel mechanism 110 and the one or more drive wheels 122 to move the inner object 14 away from the storage position and along the departure path 142 out of the housing.
Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that there are yet more alternative implementations and modifications possible, and that the above examples are only illustrations of one or more implementations. The scope, therefore, is only to be limited by the claims appended hereto.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/948,920 filed Oct. 6, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/739,840 filed Jan. 10, 2020 which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/791,744 filed Jan. 12, 2019, and of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/909,790 filed Oct. 3, 2019, the contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20220161147 A1 | May 2022 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62909790 | Oct 2019 | US | |
62791744 | Jan 2019 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16948920 | Oct 2020 | US |
Child | 17457494 | US | |
Parent | 16739840 | Jan 2020 | US |
Child | 16948920 | US |