Toy with skin coupled to movable part

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6544094
  • Patent Number
    6,544,094
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, August 2, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 8, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
A toy includes a body that has a fixed part, a movable part secured to the fixed part, and a flexible elastomer skin. The flexible elastomer skin covers at least a portion of the fixed part and couples to the movable part. The flexible skin moves in response to movement of the movable part.
Description




TECHNICAL FIELD




This invention relates to interactive toys.




BACKGROUND




Toys have been developed that can talk and have moving body parts. One goal in developing these toys is to provide a plaything that simulates lifelike actions and speech.




SUMMARY




A toy is provided with a realistic skin that flexes, wrinkles, and functions in response to an economical mechanism that draws a low amount of current and provides an acceptable toy battery life. The skin may be coupled, for example, to facial features of the toy, such that movement of the facial features provides corresponding movement of the skin, which results in lifelike animation. By contrast, many prior art toys provide less lifelike animation. For example, some prior art toys employ eyelids made of hard plastic that disappear inside the head when the eyes of the toy are open. As another example, other prior art toys employ lips made of hard plastic that move apart and into the head when the mouth opens.




An unrealistic and thick skin for toys may be produced by rotomolding polyvinyl chloride (PVC). However, skin made of PVC remains rigid and unable to move, flex, or wrinkle like real skin. Accordingly, in order to achieve a minimal realistic animation using this material, a high cost motor, which draws high current, is needed to move the thick skin. Because of this, battery life of the toy is reduced, making such design prohibitive. Traditionally, users would sacrifice realistic toy animation in exchange for cheapness and convenience.




In one aspect, a toy includes a body that has a fixed part, a movable part secured to the fixed part, and a flexible elastomer skin. The flexible elastomer skin covers at least a portion of the fixed part and couples to the movable part. The flexible elastomer skin moves in response to movement of the movable part.




Embodiments may include one or more of the following features. For example, the flexible elastomer skin may have a hardness in a range of about 10 to about 15 durometer on a shore A scale. The flexible elastomer skin may be a thermoplastic. The flexible elastomer skin may have a thickness of from about 0.8 mm to about 1.2 mm. The flexible elastomer skin may have a specific gravity of from about 0.9 to about 1.05.




The toy may include an attachment piece that couples the flexible elastomer skin to the movable part. In this case, the flexible elastomer skin is insert molded to the attachment piece and the attachment piece is connected to the movable part.




The flexible elastomer skin may be made of styrene butadiene styrene or of styrene ethylene-butylene styrene. Alternatively, the flexible elastomer skin may be made from a combination of styrene butadiene styrene and styrene ethylene-butylene styrene.




The toy may further include sensors that detect sensory inputs and generate signals. The sensors may include motion, auditory, and light sensors. The sensors may include sensors that detect pressure applied to the toy. The sensors may include sensors that detect a tilting of the toy.




The toy may include an electro-mechanical system that drives the movable part, and a controller that detects the generated signals from the sensors. In response to the generated signals, the controller activates the electro-mechanical system to move the movable part.




The fixed part may be shaped like a head. The movable part may be shaped like an eye, an ear, or a mouth.




The flexible elastomer skin that covers at least the portion of the fixed part may be molded to the portion of the fixed part. Alternatively, the flexible elastomer skin that covers at least the portion of the fixed part may be removable from the portion of the fixed part.




In another general aspect, a toy includes a body including a fixed part, a movable part secured to the fixed part, and a front facial area. The front facial area covers at least a portion of the fixed part. The front facial area includes a rigid piece that attaches the front facial area to the portion of the fixed part, and a flexible elastomer skin molded to the rigid piece and coupled to the movable part. The flexible elastomer skin coupled to the movable part moves in response to movement of the movable part.




Implementations may include one or more of the following features. For example, the front facial area may also include an attachment piece that couples the flexible elastomer skin to the movable part. In this case, the flexible elastomer skin may be molded to the attachment piece.




In another aspect, a method of making an interactive toy includes constructing a body that includes a fixed part, and securing a movable part to the fixed part. A prepared elastomer is injected into a mold and cured to form a flexible elastomer skin. The mold is removed from the flexible elastomer skin. The flexible elastomer skin is applied to at least a portion of the fixed part, and coupled to the movable part such that the flexible elastomer skin moves in a realistic manner when the underlying movable part moves.




In another aspect, a method of making an interactive toy includes constructing a body that includes a fixed part, and securing a movable part to the fixed part. A prepared elastomer and a rigid piece are loaded into a mold cavity formed by first and second mold pieces. The elastomer is cured to form a flexible elastomer skin, at least a portion of which is formed on the rigid piece. The first and second mold pieces are removed from the flexible elastomer skin. Then, the rigid piece is attached to at least a portion of the fixed part. The flexible elastomer skin is coupled to the movable part such that the flexible elastomer skin moves in a realistic manner when the underlying movable part moves.




The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages will be apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.











DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a front view of a toy that includes a realistic skin that covers one or more movable body parts.





FIG. 2

is a block diagram of operating components of the toy of FIG.


1


.





FIG. 3

is a perspective view of the toy of

FIG. 1

showing a front facial area and a removed skin.





FIG. 4

is a flow chart of a process for preparing and attaching the skin to the toy of FIG.


1


.





FIGS. 5-7

are cross sectional views illustrating steps in the process of FIG.


4


.





FIG. 8

shows a front cross sectional view of a clip in-molded into the skin during preparation of the skin that covers the front facial area of the toy of FIG.


1


.





FIG. 9

shows a side cross sectional view of the clip in-molded into the skin during preparation of the skin that covers the front facial area of the toy of FIG.


1


.





FIG. 10

is a perspective view of a toy that includes a realistic skin that covers one or more movable body parts.





FIG. 11

is a perspective view of a front facial area removed from the toy of FIG.


10


.





FIG. 12

is a flow chart of a process for preparing and attaching the skin to the toy of FIG.


10


.





FIGS. 13 and 14

are cross sectional views illustrating steps in the process of FIG.


12


.




Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION




Referring to

FIG. 1

, a realistic toy


100


includes a body


101


with a head


110


having movable body parts in the form of a mouth


102


, eyes


104


, and ears


106


. The body


101


has a design including respective housing halves of plastic material that are attached together in alignment about a longitudinal axis


111


of the body


101


. The size and weight of the body


101


is determined by components housed within the body


101


, and the level of sophistication designed into the toy


100


. In general, the toy


100


is designed to achieve a highly lifelike appearance while maintaining a compact size and a low cost. One implementation of the toy


100


has a dimension between an upper and lower end along the longitudinal axis


111


of approximately 7½ inches, and a preferred dimension at its widest portion laterally transverse to the axis


111


of approximately 3 ½ inches.




The body parts


102


,


104


,


106


, are controlled and coordinated in their movements in response to external sensed conditions. The control and coordination of the movements of the body parts provide a highly lifelike toy


100


to permit high levels of interaction with the user.




The realistic toy


100


includes a skin


108


that covers the head


110


such that parts of the skin are attached to portions of one or more movable body parts


102


,


104


,


106


. In one implementation, the skin


108


covers a portion of the mouth


102


, the eyes


104


, and the ears


106


, and is molded to resemble lips, eyelids, and ears.




The body parts


102


,


104


,


106


and the body


101


may be formed of hard polymers to permit efficient movement of the body parts. In contrast, the skin


108


is formed from a soft, durable, flexible thermoplastic elastomer. In this way, the skin moves in accordance with movement of the one or more covered body parts


102


,


104


,


106


to which it is attached to provide a more realistic toy


100


. The skin


108


will be described in greater detail below.




The toy body parts


102


,


104


,


106


are controlled and coordinated in response to sensory inputs detected by various sensors


112


,


114


,


116


,


118


provided at various positions within the body


101


of the toy


100


. The various sensors may include a light sensor


112


positioned at a front of the toy


100


, left and right hand sensors


114


,


116


, respectively, positioned in the hands of the toy


100


to detect direct applied pressure, and an internal sensor


118


that detects whether the toy


100


is tilted from a basic position. The sensors may detect any stimulus from the user, including stimuli from other electro-mechanical devices or toys.




Referring also to a block diagram


200


of

FIG. 2

, in response to the detected conditions, the sensors generate a signal that is input to a controller


202


that controls an electro-mechanical drive system


204


and a speaker


206


. The controller


202


receives power from a power source such as a battery


208


. The electro-mechanical drive system


204


is coupled directly to the body parts


102


,


104


,


106


to generate the desired coordinated movements.




The body


101


of the toy


100


houses the controller


202


, electro-mechanical system


204


, the speaker


206


, the battery


208


, and the sensors.




The electro-mechanical system


204


uses a single, low power (reversible) electric motor and an associated gearing system to control the body parts and provide lifelike movements while providing for an acceptable battery life. Such a gearing system is included in the well-known Furby™ toy available from Tiger Electronics.




The controller


202


receives input from the power source


208


and the sensors


112


,


114


,


116


,


118


. Based on this input, the controller


202


controls the speaker


206


and the electro-mechanical system


204


to make the toy


100


appear to talk in conjunction with movement of the body parts


102


,


104


,


106


. The controller


202


performs these tasks using additional information obtained from a processor


210


, memory


212


, a clock


214


, and a counter


216


. In this way, the toy


100


provides seemingly intelligent and lifelike interaction with the user. For example, the toy


100


exhibits different physical and emotional states that are associated with different coordinated positions of the body parts


102


,


104


,


106


and sounds, words and/or exclamations generated by the controller


202


.




Referring also to

FIG. 3

, the body parts include one or more eye assemblies


104


, a mouth assembly


102


, and one or more ear assemblies


106


. The skin


108


is shown detached from the ear assemblies


106


and the eye assemblies


104


to illustrate various features of the design and attachment of the skin


108


to the various body parts.




As shown in this figure, the skin


108


is secured to the head


110


at one or more body parts (for example, mouth assembly


102


, eye assemblies


104


, and ear assemblies


106


) to cover the head


110


.




The skin


108


includes one or more hard plastic inserts or clips


308


that are used to attach the skin


108


to the various body parts (for example, the eye assemblies


104


and the mouth assembly


102


), as will be discussed in greater detail below. The clips


308


that connect the skin


108


to the body parts fit into slots


310


formed in the body parts (for example, as shown in eye assemblies


104


) and snap into place with a snap fit connection. In one implementation, the clips


308


are made of a hard material such as plastic.




The skin


108


is prepared and attached to the head


110


according to a process


400


shown in FIG.


4


. Initially in the process


400


, a resin is prepared (step


402


). Preparation of the resin includes modifying, as necessary, a thermoplastic elastomer with various plastics, fillers, and additives to achieve the desired realistic and durable skin characteristics.




The thermoplastic elastomer is selected to have various properties that contribute to the realistic appearance of the skin. For example, in certain implementations, the thermoplastic elastomer has a hardness in a range of about 10 to about 15 durometer on a Shore A scale. This range of hardnesses provides a thermoplastic elastomer that is both elastic and durable. Other suitable materials include latex, polyvinyl chloride, polyurethanes, silicones, Kraton, and other soft, pliable materials.




The thermoplastic elastomer is selected to be easy to process into the shape and thickness desired for the skin. For example, the elastomer may be selected to be processed by conventional injection techniques, and to be durable and elastic with a width of about 1 millimeter (mm).




The thermoplastic elastomer is selected with a relatively lower density than compounds such as PVC. For example, in one implementation, the elastomer has a density of about 0.9 to about 1.05 grams (g) per milliliter (ml).




The thermoplastic elastomer is selected to have a soft rubber feel. Additionally, the thermoplastic elastomer is selected to provide some degree of ultraviolet (UV) protection from sunlight or fluorescent light. For example, the thermoplastic elastomer may include an additive that provides UV protection. The thermoplastic elastomer may include an additive that permits decorative features, such as hair and paint, to be added to the skin later in the process


400


.




The thermoplastic elastomer should be relatively inexpensive to buy, make, and/or process. This is important because the selected thermoplastic elastomer is to be used as a realistic skin on an affordable toy. A resin used in one implementation is a thermoplastic elastomer made by Suhhae Industrial Co., Ltd. and available from Trade Walker Limited of Hong Kong. This elastomer is sold under the trade name Suhhae Elastomer.




Referring also to

FIGS. 5-9

, after the resin is prepared (step


402


), one or more clips


308


are placed into grooves


500


of an inner mold


501


(step


404


). The inner mold


501


is shaped like the head


110


of the toy


100


so that after the resin has been cured and the skin is formed, the skin will fit snugly over the head


110


.




Furthermore, the grooves


500


are positioned at locations on the inner mold


501


that correspond to the locations of the slots


310


into which the clips


308


fit when the skin


108


is placed over the head


110


. The grooves


500


are shaped to be somewhat larger in size than the clips


308


. As discussed below, the clips


308


should peel away from the inner mold


501


after the skin


108


is prepared.




The inner mold


501


may be kept at a cooler temperature than the resin or ambient air temperature so that the resin will cool upon contact with the clips


308


placed in the inner mold


501


. In this way, the resin is prevented from flowing over the whole clip


308


during injection of the resin, which would render the clip


308


inoperable for its intended attachment purpose.




After the clips


308


have been placed into the inner mold


501


(step


404


), outer mold sections


502


are applied or mated together over the inner mold


501


(step


406


). As shown in

FIG. 5

, the outer mold sections


502


are shaped with the same contours as the contour of the inner mold


501


. The inner mold


501


and outer mold sections


502


may be made of any hard material such as a metal. In general, the resin will be treated or cured after it is injected into a seam


504


formed from the outer mold sections


502


applied to the inner mold


501


. Thus, the inner mold


501


and/or outer mold sections


502


may be made of materials that have particular thermal properties to cure the resin. For example, the curing process may require that the outer mold section


502


be heated to a minimum temperature by a heating element.




The seam


504


formed by the inner mold


501


and outer mold sections


502


has a width


505


that corresponds to a preferred thickness


506


of the skin


108


. As mentioned above, in one implementation, the thickness of the skin


108


is about 1 mm, but may range anywhere between about 0.9 mm and about 1.1 mm. If the thickness of the skin is 1 mm, then the seam width


505


should be about 1 mm.




After the outer mold sections


502


have been applied to the inner mold


501


(step


406


), the resin is injected into the seam


504


(step


408


) as indicated by arrow


508


in FIG.


5


. Once the resin is injected into the seam


504


, the resin is cured to form the skin


108


(step


410


).




As shown in

FIG. 6

, following curing (step


410


), the outer mold sections


502


are removed from the skin


108


(or cured resin) (step


412


). It may be necessary at this time to provide a release spray or oil to the outer mold sections


502


if the skin


108


tends to stick to the outer mold sections


502


. However, it is preferred that the material of the outer mold sections


502


is selected to prevent any sticking.




After the outer mold sections


502


are removed from the skin


108


(step


412


), the skin


108


is removed from the inner mold


501


(step


414


) as shown in FIG.


7


. Because the skin


108


is made from a flexible and durable thermoplastic elastomer, it may be removed from the inner mold


501


by pulling and stretching it beyond its natural shape.




The skin


108


may now be attached to the head


110


of the toy


100


(step


416


) as shown in FIG.


3


. To attach the skin


108


to the head


110


, the clips


308


are inserted into the slots


310


and the skin


108


is stretched over the head


110


.




Because the skin


108


is attached at one or more of the body parts


102


,


104


,


106


using the clips


308


and the slots


310


, the skin


108


moves when the underlying body part moves. For example, the skin


108


positioned above an eye assembly


104


will move in a fashion similar to an eyelid, thus producing a realistic animation and a realistic user interaction.




The resin may be prepared at any time before the resin is injected into the mold. Thus, the resin may be prepared after the clips are inserted into the inner mold or after the outer mold sections are applied over the inner mold.




Referring also to

FIG. 10

, in another implementation, a toy


1000


includes a body


1001


having a head


1010


. The head


1010


has a front facial area


1015


having one or more movable body parts such as, for example, a movable body part in the form of a mouth


1002


. The toy


1000


is designed to achieve a highly lifelike appearance while maintaining a compact size and a low cost.




Like the body parts


102


,


104


,


106


, the body part


1002


is controlled and coordinated by an electro-mechanical drive system connected to a controller such that the body part


1002


moves in response to external conditions sensed by the controller. Additionally, like body parts


102


,


104


,


106


, the body part


1002


may be formed of a hard polymer to permit efficient movement.




The toy


1000


also includes a skin


1008


that covers the front facial area


1015


such that parts of the skin


1008


are attached to portions of the body part


1002


. Like the skin


108


, the skin


1008


is formed from a soft, durable, flexible thermoplastic elastomer. In this way, the skin


1008


moves in accordance with movement of the body part


1002


to which it is attached to provide a more realistic toy


1000


.




Referring also to

FIG. 11

, the front facial area


1015


is shown detached from the head


1010


. The skin


1008


is molded onto a rigid piece


1100


and a clip


1108


. The clip


1108


is then inserted into the body part


1002


.




In one implementation, the skin is formed and attached to the head


1010


using a process


1200


such as is shown in FIG.


12


. Process


1200


is similar in many ways to process


400


in FIG.


4


and reference is made to process


400


for additional detail. In general, in process


1200


, the skin


1008


is prepared and molded to the rigid piece


1100


to form the front facial area


1015


, which is then attached to the head


1010


.




As an initial step in the process


1200


, a resin is prepared (step


1205


). Details of how the resin is prepared are discussed above with respect to FIG.


4


. Referring also to

FIGS. 13 and 14

, the rigid piece


1100


is placed onto a first mold piece


1315


and the clip


1108


is inserted into a groove


1317


formed in the first mold piece


1315


(step


1210


). The first mold piece


1315


performs a similar function as inner mold


501


as detailed above with respect to the process


400


. Then, a second mold piece


1320


is mated with the first mold piece


1315


to form a cavity


1325


(step


1215


). The rigid piece


1100


and first mold piece


1315


are shaped such that, after the resin is cured and the skin is formed, the skin molds to the rigid piece


1100


to form the front facial area


1015


. Additionally, the first mold piece


1315


is shaped to facilitate attachment of the front facial area


1015


to the head


1010


. Thus, for example, the first mold piece


1315


may include cavities (not shown) for receiving protrusions


1110


formed along an inner surface of the rigid piece


1100


.




Next, the resin is injected into the cavity


1325


formed by the first and second mold pieces


1315


,


1320


to flow throughout the cavity


1325


and around the clip


1108


and rigid piece


1100


(step


1220


). The resin is cured to form the skin (step


1225


). Next, after the resin has cooled, the first and second mold pieces


1315


,


1320


are separated (step


1230


) to form a seamless front facial area


1015


. The front facial area


1015


is then mounted to the head


1010


by attaching the protrusions


1110


to mating connectors (not shown) on the head


1010


and by inserting the clip


1108


into a slot associated with the body part


1002


much like the clips


308


are inserted into slots


310


(step


1235


).




Because the skin


1008


is molded to the rigid piece


1100


and the skin


1008


is attached to the body part


1002


using the clip


1108


, the skin


1008


covering the body part


1002


and not molded to the rigid piece


1100


moves when the body part


1002


moves. Such a design produces a realistic animation and a realistic user interaction. Moreover, the front facial area


1015


has a more consistent thickness because at least a portion of the skin


1008


is molded to the rigid piece


1100


. Such a design provides varied surface features, such as undercuts and complex contours.




A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, advantageous results still could be achieved if steps of the disclosed techniques were performed in a different order and/or if components in the disclosed systems were combined in a different manner and/or replaced or supplemented by other components. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.




For example, other techniques may be used to secure the skin to the mechanism. These techniques include, for example, gluing the skin to the mechanism, gluing the clips to the skin, attaching a tab molded into the skin to the mechanism, trapping the skin or clips between parts of the mechanism, and welding. In another approach, a housing/skeleton may be insert molded with the skin.




Other techniques may be used to form the skin such as, for example, rotational molding.




The skin may be formed with areas built in for flexibility and for material to accumulate. Thicker regions of the skin may be used to prevent undesired movement.



Claims
  • 1. A toy comprising:a body including a fixed part; a movable part secured to the fixed part and having an opening; a flexible elastomer skin that covers at least a portion of the fixed part and couples to the movable part; and an attachment piece that is attached to the flexible elastomer skin and is inserted into the opening of the movable part; wherein the attachment piece couples the flexible elastomer skin to the movable part; wherein the flexible elastomer skin moves in response to movement of the movable part.
  • 2. The toy of claim 1, wherein the flexible elastomer skin has a hardness in a range of 10 to 15 durometer on a shore A scale.
  • 3. The toy of claim 1, wherein the flexible elastomer skin is a thermoplastic.
  • 4. The toy of claim 1, wherein the flexible elastomer skin has a thickness of 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm.
  • 5. The toy of claim 1, wherein the flexible elastomer skin is made of styrene butadiene styrene.
  • 6. The toy of claim 1, wherein the flexible elastomer skin is made of styrene ethylene-butylene styrene.
  • 7. The toy of claim 1, wherein the flexible elastomer skin is made from a combination of styrene butadiene styrene and styrene ethylene-butylene styrene.
  • 8. The toy of claim 1, wherein the flexible elastomer skin has a specific gravity of 0.9 to 1.05.
  • 9. The toy of claim 1, further comprising sensors that detect sensory inputs and generate signals.
  • 10. The toy of claim 9, wherein the sensors include motion, auditory, and light sensors.
  • 11. The toy of claim 9, wherein the sensors include sensors that detect pressure applied to the toy.
  • 12. The toy of claim 9, wherein the sensors include sensors that detect a tilting of the toy.
  • 13. The toy of claim 9, further comprising:an electro-mechanical system that drives the movable part; and a controller that detects the generated signals from the sensors, and in response to the generated signals, activates the electro-mechanical system to move the movable part.
  • 14. The toy of claim 1, wherein the fixed part has a shape of a head.
  • 15. The toy of claim 1, wherein the movable part has a shape of an eye.
  • 16. The toy of claim 1, wherein the movable part has a shape of an ear.
  • 17. The toy of claim 1, wherein the movable part has a shape of a mouth.
  • 18. The toy of claim 1, wherein the flexible elastomer skin that covers at least the portion of the fixed part is molded to the portion of the fixed part.
  • 19. The toy of claim 1, wherein the flexible elastomer skin that covers at least the portion of the fixed part is removable from the portion of the fixed part.
  • 20. The toy of claim 1, wherein the opening includes a slot and the attachment piece is inserted into the slot using a snap fit connection.
  • 21. A toy comprising:a body including a fixed part; a movable part secured to the fixed part; a flexible elastomer skin that covers at least a portion of the fixed part and couples to the movable part; and an attachment piece that couples the flexible elastomer skin to the movable part, wherein the flexible elastomer skin is insert molded to the attachment piece and the attachment piece is connected to the movable part, wherein the flexible elastomer skin moves in response to movement of the movable part.
  • 22. A toy comprising:a body including a fixed part; a movable part secured to the fixed part; and a front facial area that covers at least a portion of the fixed part, the front facial area comprising: a rigid piece that attaches the front facial area to the portion of the fixed part, and a flexible elastomer skin molded to the rigid piece and coupled to the movable part; wherein the flexible elastomer skin coupled to the movable part moves in response to movement of the movable part.
  • 23. The toy of claim 22, in which the flexible elastomer skin is molded to the rigid piece using injection molding.
  • 24. The toy of claim 22, in which the front facial area further comprises an attachment piece that couples the flexible elastomer skin to the movable part, wherein the flexible elastomer skin is molded to the attachment piece.
  • 25. The toy of claim 24, in which the flexible elastomer skin is injection molded to the attachment piece.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims benefit to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/222,663, filed Aug. 3, 2000, which is incorporated by reference.

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Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
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