AU664048B2 - A jointed plaything, for example in the form of a small animal or doll - Google Patents

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

664048 Int. Class Class Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority Related Art:

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0 O O Name of Applicant: Soremartec S.A.

Actual Inventor(s): Pietro Ferrero Address for Service: PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 367 Collins Street Melbourne 3000 AUSTRALIA Invention Title: A JOINTED PLAYTHING, FOR EXAMPLE IN THE FORM OF A SMALL ANIMAL OR DOLL Our Ref 308289 POF Code: 1250/174411

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The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to applicant(s): 1 6006

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DESCRIPTION

4 0000 00 00 0 00 00 0 0000 00 00 00 00 d 0000 0 00 0 00 00 00 The present invention relates to playthings and has been developed with particular regard to its possible use for the manufacture of toys in the form of small animals or dolls which can, for example, be associated with food products as gifts or "surprises" inserted in hollow food products such as chocolate eggs.

In this fie]d there is a need to give the presents or surprises an ever more marked play component: here one is dealing with a requirement which is rather difficult to satisfy with conventional playthings formed in a single piece. For this reason a solution already used in the past' for example for surprises in chocolate eggs, has been to provide toys or playthings in several parts: in this way the consumer (typically a child) takes the toy from the egg (usually inserted in a protective container) and must then assemble it, thereby following a play activity.

The object of the present invention is to provide a plaything which is improved from this point of vi-w particularly with regard to the possibility of providing a small animal or doll which can assume various selected L §J Ib 4,4 1B poses at the pleasure of the user.

According to the present invention, there is provided a plaything, including: a main body having an outer surface, opposed portions of which are at least partly spherical, two auxiliary bodies mounted on said main body so as to be orientable relative thereto over said at least partly spherical surface portions, each said auxiliary body having a joint coupling means extending into said main body, the joint coupling means of the two auxiliary bodies releasably engaging each other to form a joint, the joint being substantially coincident with the centres of the at least partly spherical surfaces.

XL I I IL Ic I 2 According to the present in ion, this object is achieved by mea J -of a plaything having the charac stics claimed specifically in the claims which follow. The invention will now be described, purely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended dr w drawings, in which: S"o: Figures 1 and 2 are general perspective views of a plaything according to the invention illustrated in two oo.different positions of use, and Figure 3 is a sectional view of the plaything of J Figures 1 and 2, intended to illustrate its internal structure.

In the drawings a plaything is generally indicated 1 and, in the embodiment illustrated, is in the form of a small animal such as, for example, a cow or buffalo. Naturally this choice of characterisation is entirely open and may t extend in general for example to various personages of an \anthropomorphic and/or zoomorphic character. Furthermore the invention lends itself readily to the realisation of entirely different playthings (for example vehicles, etc).

:t 3 In the embodiment illustrated, the toy 1 is composed essentially of three parts, that is to say: a central spherical body 2 with a diametral throughhole 3, S- a front body 4 which generally can be seen to have an outer surface 5 which defines anthropomorphic and/or zoomorphic features and an inner surface 6 of spherical cup shape, and a rear body 7 which, like the front body 4, can be seen to have an outer surface 8 which reproduces ;anthropomorphic and/or zoomorphic features as well as an inner surface 9 of spherical cup shape.

Naturally, the attributions "front" and "rear" applied to the bodies 4 and 7 refer to the portions of the personage reproduced by the toy: it should be said that this connotation is entirely indictive and of open interpretation and hence does not have any limiting character.

In the assembled device, the auxiliary bodies 4 and 7 are Sfitted to the spherical body 2 so as to bring the cupshaped surfaces 6 and 9 into contact with the spherical body 2, in particular with the two polar zones thereof into which the ends of the through-hole 3 open.

Couplinigs are thus formed between each auxiliary body 4, .I

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4 7 and the main body 2 which enable their relative orientation along a spherical surface identified, in the embodiment illustrated, by the outer surface of the body 2 to which the two cup shapes 6 and 9 conform.

The auxiliary bodies 4 and 7 also have complementary formations 10 and 11 together arranged to define a ball joint with a joint centre, indicated P, practically coincident with the centre of the spherical surface of *the body 2.

4 4 In the embodiment illustrated, the joint part 10 is constituted by a shaft 12 which projects radially from the inner cup surface 6 of the body 4 in a direction radially thereof and carries a ball head or core 13 at its free end.

The complementary joint part 11 is also constituted by a shaft 14 which projects radially from the inner cup surface 9 of the body and carries a cup formation 15 at its free end defining a cup or seat for receiving the ball 13.

Preferably the parts 10 and 11 and also the bodies 2, 4 and 7 are moulded entirely from plastics material.

Consequently the cup 15 is able to yield radially to a certain extent (increased by any notches present in the mouth portion) which allows its snap engagement with the ball head 13.

Naturally, the joint combination illustrated here is purely exemplary and may be replaced by a functionally equivalent joint configuration.

In order to optimise the invention however it is important that the joint point P be coincident, or at S-least substantially coincident, with the centre of the 0 0 0surface of the spherical body 2.

0 o o It should however be appreciated that it is not necessary for this body to have a spherical structure over its entire development (although this solution appears o .preferable for many reasons and for constructional simplicity): it in fact suffices for those parts intended 0000 to cooperate with the cups defined by the inner surfaces 6 and 9 of the auxiliary bodies 4 and 7 to have a :spherical conformation.

It should also be noted that it is not necessary for the toy to include two auxiliary bodies: for the purposes of carrying out the invention it in fact suffices for there to be only one of these bodies. Again it is important to note that it is not essential for the surfaces 6 and 9 to have a spherical development complementary to that of the I ll np.,d rrtr r r r Ir r I i II r r body 2 in order for the auxiliary bodies 4, 7 to bear against a spherical surface of the main body. For this purpose, the spherical cup surfaces (even though they are a preferred solution) could be replaced by non-spherical cups intended to remain spaced from the surface of the body 2 except around their peripheral circular regions.

Again at least some of the advantages of the invention could be retained if the coupling between the main body 2 and the auxiliary bodies 4, 7 instead of being obtained by means of a spherical surface were limited (also having regard to the arrangement of the joint 10, 11) dimensionally so as to be formed along a circular surface (that is, more correctly, a path), for example by means of cylindrical coupling surfaces.

Coupling by means of spherical surfaces is obviously a preferred solution; coupling along a circular path should, however, also be considered as falling within the scope of the invention.

From the above it will be apparent that the structure of the plaything described lends itself ideally to the formation of toys in the form of small animals or dolls which can take up different poses easily, such as those illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 by way of example, simply as a result of the different orientations of the auxiliary bodies 4 and 7 relative to the main body 2, and hence the different relative orientations of the bodies rr ;;i

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For example, Figure 1 illustrates a pose in which the animal represented by the toy 1 is essentially straight while the pose illustrated in Figure 2 is of the same animal turned entirely to one side. Clearly the same structure enables the personage represented by the device to be turned into positions in which it is lying down or erect etc., at the choice of the user.

As already stated, the application to the realisation of personages such as dolls or animals, although preferred, 2 is not binding with regard to the use of the jointed toy of the invention which can also be used for different purposes.

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Claims (9)

1. A plaything, including: a main body having an outer surface, opposed portions of which are at least partly spherical, two auxiliary bodies mounted on said main body so as to be orientable relative thereto over said at least partly spherical surface portions, each said auxiliary body having a joint coupling means extending into said main body, the joint coupling means of the two auxiliary bodies releasably engaging each other to form a joint, the joint being substantially coincident with the centres of the at least partly spherical surfaces.

2. A plaything according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary bodies are orientable relative to the main body along a circular path over said at least partly spherical surface portions.

3. A plaything according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the main body is substantially spherical.

4. A plaything according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the joint is of the ball and socket type and the joint coupling means of one of the auxiliary bodies includes a ball and the joint coupling means of the other auxiliary body includes a socket, the ball being received in the socket.

5. A plaything according to claim 4, wherein each auxiliary body has an inner surface which abuts against the main body and an outer surface which faces away from the main body, and wherein the inner surface is Ct complementary to the main body surface portions over which they pass.

6. A plaything according to claim 5, wherein the auxiliary bodies ii.. S, 25 have outer surfaces which reproduce anthropomorphic and/or zoomorphic 4t parts.

7. A plaything according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the socket is made of resilient material such that it is capable of yielding outwardly to receive the ball therein by means of a snap fitting engagement.

A plaything according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the joint coupling means of each auxiliary body, further includes a member L 9 projecting away from the inner surface of the auxiliary body, with the ball or socket being positioned at the free end of the member.

9. A plaything substantially as herein described and illustrated. DATED: 24 August 1995 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Attorneys for: SOREMARTEC S.A. .,1dt 27226 II *i g 96, .4 ABSTRACT The plaything, which lends itself to the formation of small animals or dolls, comprises essentially a main body of spherical shape and two auxiliary bodies 7) which reproduce anthropomorphic and/or zoomorphic parts and which have respective internal cup surfaces 9) slidingly coupled with the main body The two auxiliary bodies 7) carry complementary elements to 15) together defining a ball joint whose ball centre is substantially coincident with the centre of the spherical surface of the main body (Figure 3) i