GB2076667A - Dolls - Google Patents

Abstract

A doll has a tongue which extends and withdraws when a part of the doll is pressed and released. The doll comprises a press-up member 52 upwardly slidably disposed within the body part of the doll, and an operating rod 8, with a rear inclined part 81 connected to the press-up member. When the belly part is pressed to extend the press-up member and the operating rod upward, the rear inclined part of the operating rod is pressed. The member 13 restricts the movement of the tongue body to the horizontal. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to dolls Tbe present invention relates to a doll which extends and withdraws its tongue when a part is pressed and released. More particulariy, the present invention relates to a doll having a slidable press-up member and an operating rod, with a rear inclined part, connected to the pressup member, wherein a belly part of the doll is pressed to slide upward the press-up member and the operating rod, the rear inclined part of the operating rod is pressed and a member restricts the movement of a tongue body to the horizontal, so that the doll is capable of extending and withdrawing a tongue.

Many kinds of dolls which imitate the movements of people and which are powered by batteries, spiral springs and so on have been proposed. For example, dolls which move their heads, arms, or legs and dolls which walk have been proposed. However, with these dolls, only the heads, arms, or legs move, and they have been defective in that they fail to provide variety and interest.

Unlike dolls which move only their heads, arms, and legs or dolls which walk, other dolls which provide detailed movements of the faces, arms, and legs have also been proposed. However, they have been defective in that they become mechanically complex for accomplishing such complex motion, so that they are subject to breakage and are expensive to purchase.

Thus the present invention enables the provision of a doll which can extend and withdraw its tongue to imitate the movements of an infant who extends and withdraws his or her tongue, as well as a novel doll which does not have the defects described above or at least mitigates the same and which is capable of attracting the attention of infants, and a doll which can be simple in construction, easy to manufacture, durable and inexpensive to purchase.

Thus, the present invention enables the provision of a doll which extends and withdraws its tongue when its belly part is pressed and released. The doll comprises a press-up member which is disposed inside the body part of the doll and the upper end of which is upwardly slidable when the belly part is pressed, an operating rod which is disposed at the upper end of the press-up member through a hinge and which has a rear inclined part, a tongue body having a hole formed through the rear inclined part of the operating rod, and a pressing member for restricting the movement of the tongue body to the horizontal.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how the same may be put inio effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 shows a cross-sectional side view of a doll in accordance with the present invention; and FIGURE 2 shows an enlarged perspective view of the doll of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a doll main body 1 which comprises a head part 2 of a soft or hard synthetic resin, and a body part 3 moulded from a soft synthetic resin. The head part 2 and the body part 3 of the doll are formed hollow. A hollow cylindrical body 4 connects the head part 2 and the body part 3 of the doll. Threestepped parts 41 are formed to protrude at the lower part of the outer circumference of the cylindrical body 4. These stepped parts 41 define two grooves 42. The rim 21 of the head part 2 of the doll fits in the upper groove 42, and the rim 31 of the upper end of the body part 3 of the doll fits in the lower groove 42, so that the head part 2 and the body part 3 of the doll are connected together.

A press-up member 5 is disposed inside the body part 3 of the doll. The shape and structure of the press-up member 5 will be described. A support plate 6 extends downward from the lower back edge of the cylindrical body 4, and a mounting plate 51 is screwed to one side of the support plate 6. To a hinge part 5a at the lower end of the mounting plate 51 are connected two vertically disposed pressing parts 52 of trapezoidal cross section. A hinge part 5b is formed at the centre of these pressing parts. A spring 7 is disposed between the upper pressing part 52 and the mounting plate 51. Numeral 8 denotes an operating rod connected to the upper end of the upper pressing part 52 of the press-up member 5 through a hinge part 5c.The operating rod 8 is formed in substantially an L-shape and has a rear inclined part 81. A lower extending part 82 of the operating rod 8 contacts a rail 9 in the rear wall of the cylindrical body 4, and an L-shaped bottom part 83 of the operating rod 8 contacts a limiting plate 10 protruding from the opposite wall of the rail 9. A sliding hole 4a is horizontally formed at the center of the upper wall of the cylindrical body 4 so that the operating rod 8 is free to slide in and out of the cylindrical body 4. When the belly part is pressed and the press-up member 5 is slid upward, the operating rod 8 slides a predetermined distance inside the cylindrical body 4 through the rail 9, the limiting plate 10, and the sliding hole 4a to slide in and out of the cylindrical body 4.

Numeral 11 denotes a tongue body disposed perpendicularly to the cylindrical body 4. A hole 11 a, through which extends the rear inclined part 81 of the operating rod 8, is formed at the rear side of the tongue body 11. The front end of the tongue body 11 slightly protrudes from a mouth 12 of the doll. Numeral 1 3 denotes a member for restricting the movement of the tongue body 11 to the horizontal. The pressing member 1 3 comprises two pressing plates 13a, of inverted L-shaped cross-section which are horizontally in opposition to each other at the centre of the upper wall of the cylindrical body 4.The rear inclined part 81 of the operating rod 8 extends or withdraws through a notch part 1 3b defined by these two pressing plates 1 3a and the tongue body ii is slidable in a groove 1 3c defined by the two pressing plates 13a.

Urethane resin 14 fills the body part 3 of the doll so as to surround the press-up member 5.

Although not shown in the drawings, the body part 3 of the doll is covered with a cloth, and the arms and legs are sewn to the body part 3.

Although the body part 3 of the doll for encasing the press-up member 5 was made of a synthetic resin in this embodiment, a cloth may directly cover the urethane resin 14 surrounding the press-up member 5, and arms and legs may be sewn to it.

The operation of the doll shown in Figure 1, will now be described. In order to extend the tongue body 11 from the mouth 12 of the doll, the part of the press-up member 5 where the upper and lower pressing parts 52 are located or where the hinge part 5b is located, that is, the surface of the belly part of the doll, is pressed against the biasing force of the spring 7; then, the hinge parts 5a, 5b and Sc bend, and the press-up member is extended to the position shown by the dashed line of Figure 1. The operating rod 8 connected to the press-up member 5 then contacts the rail 9 and slides upward to the position shown by the dashed line in the figure.The rear inclined part 81 protrudes from the cylindrical body 4, sliding to the left inside the sliding hole 4a of the cylindrical body 4 and the notch part 1 3b of the pressing member 13. Since the rear inclined part 81 extends through the hole 11 a of the tongue body 11, it presses and slides the tongue body 11 to the left. Due to the presence of the pressing member 13, the movement of the tongue body 11 is restricted to the horizontal. The tongue part 11 slides within the groove 13c of the pressing member 13, and its front end extends from the mouth 12 of the doll.

When the pressing force on the belly of the doll is released, the press-up member 5 returns, under the recovering force of the spring 7, from the extended condition to the bent condition and moves downward. The operating rod 8 also moves downward until its lower part 83 contacts the limiting plate 10 so that the tongue body 11 is withdrawn into the mouth 12 of the doll.

In summary, since the extending and withdrawing operation of the tongue is effected by pressing the belly of the doll and releasing this pressing force, a piece of candy or the like may be gripped in a hand of the doll for synchronous movement with the extending and withdrawing of the tongue, or a whistle may be interposed between the press-up member 5 and the support plate 6 to produce a sound imitating the extending and withdrawing sound of a tongue, so that a more interesting doll may be provided.

According to the present invention, a hovel doll is provided which is capable of a cheerful movement imitating the extending and withdrawing of the tongue of an infant, which may attract the attention of infants and which has been heretofore unavailable.

Claims (11)

1. A doll provided with a tongue that can be extended and withdrawn when a part is pressed and released, which doll comprises a member which is disposed inside the body of the doll and at least a part of which is upwardly slidable when the part is pressed, and means for translating upward movement of the member into movement, in a direction inclined to or normal to the movement, of the tongue.

2. A doll according to Claim 1, wherein a connecting means of the head and the body of the doll comprises a cylindrical body having a mounting part.

3. A doll according to Claim 2, wherein the said member is mounted to a vertical support plate extending from the said cylindrical body and comprises upper and lower pressing parts, which are vertically disposed and of trapezoidal side section.

4. A doll according to Claim 3, wherein a spring is interposed between the said upper pressing part of the said member and the said support plate through a mounting plate.

5. A doll according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the said tongue is slidable in a horizontal groove.

6. A doll according to Claims 2 and 5, wherein the said horizontal groove is defined by two pressing plates of inverted L-shape cross-section standing upright in horizontal opposition at the centre of the top wall of the said cylindrical body.

7. A doll according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the said means comprises an operating rod which is vertically disposed at the upper end of the said member, and connected thereto through a hinge and has a rear inclined part, the said tongue body having a hole receiving the said rear inclined part.

8. A doll according to Claim 7, wherein the said operating rod is formed in substantially an L-shape.

9. A doll according to any one of the preceding claims wherein urethane resin fills the body of the doll so as to surround the said member

10. A doll, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

11. Any novel feature or combination of features described herein.