GB2030462A - Toys and toy blanks - Google Patents

Abstract

A free standing model toy is made of felt stiffened to a predetermined degree so that a toy of attractive colour and touch is formed. The felt may be stiffened by a thermosetting or thermoplastic material, preferably cross-linked by an agent which gives the felt a defined hot stiffness. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Toys & toy blanks The invention relates to toys and toy blanks, in particular to those formed of a felt. As used herein the term toy is intended to cover a model, plaything, ornament or the like, of three dimensional shape.

It is well known that blanks can be made of cardboard or the like to be cut out and folded to form a toy of plaything; one only has to look at the back panel of a breakfast cereal packet for an example.

Blanks made of cardboard do have some disadvantages. For instance, a child can find it awkward to cut out the blank from the panel because of the stiffness of the cardboard. The cardboard can only be printed with certain colours and often these are not the most attractive. When the blank is folded there is a tendency for the surface finish to be cracked or spalled and this can expose the underlying unattractive greyish or brownish colour. Cardboard can be cold to touch.

It is also well known to use felt as a component of a soft toy. For example the feet or beak of a soft toy duck are often made of precut shapes of felt. Such shapes are then stitched on or glued to the body of the soft toy. Felt is not inherently stiff and perhaps forthis reason only small components oftoys have been made of this material. It is however known to make relatively stiff felt hats but these are factory made and are not subjected to any further shaping once they have been factory made.

This invention is based on the realisation that a felt which is soft and pleasant to touch and can be made in many attractive colours, can be used as a blank for a three dimensional toy if the felt is stiffened to the extent that when folded the toy is self supporting i.e.

it will not tend to collapse or sag.

According to the invention there is provided a blank adapted to be folded into a three dimensional object of a toy nature, comprising a flat piece of felt cut to a predetermined shape and stiffened so that the folded object may be self supporting.

While usually the felt will have sufficient rigidity forthefolded-up blank two retain its three dimensional shape, it is preferred to enhance this by positively securing one portion of the blankto another, for example by an adhesive applied at one edge portion of the blank to be adhered to a second edge portion overlying the first when the blank is in the folded condition.

According to a much preferred feature of the invention the felt is stiffened by incorporating therein a thermosetting or thermoplastic material; an example is polyvinyl acetate. The polymer is most preferably cross-linked, and a variety of agents may be used for the purpose, the end properties of the stiffened felt being dependant to an extent on the nature of the thermosetting or thermoplastic material and the cross-linking agent. One suitable crosslinking agent is urea formaldehyde and another is polystyrene. Starch and gelatine may also be used.

Certain cross-linking agents have a tendency to give the stiffened felt a so-called hot stiffness i.e. a stiffness which will be substantially unaffected by temperature. An example of such an agent is a dextrin which may be used in a ratio of 10:90 to 90:10, preferably 50:50 by weight, relative to poly vinyl acetate. An advantage of dextrin is that it is non-toxic, and cross-linking agents having this char acteristic are much preferred.

The extent of the area of the blank which is stiffened depends on the end use to which the toy is to be put. Where the toy is to be handled, such as a toy animal, all the felt may be stiffened; where the toy is to be rested on a support, such as an ornamental toy, only sifficient of the blank need be stiffened to form a base or back.

The degree of stiffness also depends on the end use to which the toy is to be put. Stiffness may be measured in an apparatus of the type used to assess the stiffness of textiles. This apparatus can comprise a pillar having at one side a hinged platform. When a catch is released the hinged platform falls from a horizontal position to a vertical position abutting a side of the pillar. A back wall is marked with a scale showing the angle subtended by the platform. In a test a sample of felt is placed on the platform when the latter is horizontal, the platform is allowed to drop and the angle of droop of the felt is noted after 30 seconds and 90 seconds. For very stiff felts a weight may be placed on the sample of felt.In practice an angle of about 5 degrees to about 30 degrees, preferably 10 degrees to 20 degrees denotes a felt of an appropriate stiffness for the purposes of this invention. This corresponds to a polyvinyl acetate content to felt on a dry weight basis of 10% to 210%, preferably 20% to 30%.

The felt is preferably formed of a natural or synthetic material and may be wool, fur, hair, cotton, flax, rayon, nylon, or acrylonitrile. Preferably the felt is a lightweight felt but felts of higher density may be used.

The blank may be cut to a required shape by die cutting, preferably by stamping, but for domestic or child use ordinary scissors may be used.

Where an adhesive is used, this may be applied by hand or by printing.

The toy may be of any shape. Examples include free standing three dimensional objects adhered to a support such as a pattern of circles or other geometric shapes mounted on a felt backing and framed in the manner of a picture. In either case the toy is pleasant to sight and touch and is hard wearing.

In order that the invention may be better understood it will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure lisa plan view of a blank of a toy crab Figure 2 is a plan view of the folded blank of Figure Figure 3 is a front view of the folded blank of Figure 2, and Figures 4to 7 show views of stages in shaping blanks of a set into a three dimensional representation of a television character.

The toy of Figures 1 to 3 comprises an essentially one piece felt blank to be folded into the shape of a crab. The felt was a lightweight felt having a density of 0.18 gm/cc, and was stiffened by adding 30% polyvinyl acetate on a dry weight basis. The polymer was crosslinked by a small proportion of dextrin or urea melamine formaldehyde, the former being preferred because of the hot stiffness of the formed toy. The poymerwas cured by passing the felt through a hot oven or tenter. The stiffened flet was then stamped into the shape of a blank having a central body portion A and a shell portion B which is integral with the body portion and is to overlie the body portion. Two eye portions C were stamped in the body portion A and two slits were stamped in the shell portion B. Eye pupils E were glued on the eye portions C.The blank was then folded by a child to cause the portion B to overlie the body portion A, and the eye portions C to protrude through the slits Din the shell portion and stand upright. The formed crab was a delightful toy of multicoloured appearance, soft to touch and very hardwaering. For enhanced strength and to prevent parts separating adhesive may be applied to the facing edge portions F1 and F2. A toy made in this way and using dextrin as the cross-linking agent was sat on a hot surface for a period and the toy kept its shape without any tendency to collapse or sag.

The embodiment of Figures 4 to 7 comprises a free standing model of a fictional detective character.

The toy is made up of a series of shapes of felt which has been stiffened, each being die cut and as described above. The pieces are of differenr colours.

The pieces are bent or folded or rolled, and glued and fitted together as required.

Figure 4 shows the method of forming the head portion of the toy. A flesh coloured blank of rectan gularform 10 is rolled into a cylinder and the facing edges are glued together. Aflesh coloured nose part 11 having tabs 12 is folded until the tabs can fit into slits 13 in the centre of the cylinder. The tabs are glued to the inside of the cylinder. Pre-cut round eyes 14 are glued on the cylinder followed by eye pupils 15 and a moustache (black) 16. The lower rear of the cylinder has slits 17 which are cut to define tabs 18. The head portion is put to one side.

The black rectangular blank 20 of Figure 5 is rolled into a cylinder and the facing edges are glued together, to form a lower body portion. There are two leg portions 21, each having adjacent the upper edge side slits 22. The slits are cut, and the central portion is rolled into a cylinder 23 which is glued.

The upperflap 24 of each leg is then glued to the inside of the lower body portion, and this subassembly is put to one side.

The black curved element 30 of Figure 6 is folded into a generally conical shape and the edges glued together at the front at 31. This is located about the head portion from Figure 4, and the tabs 18 of the latter are glued to the inside rear of the element 30. A yellow collar lement 32 shown in Figure 6 is slit at its lower end to form tabs 33 which are glued to the rear middle of the element 30 to position the upstanding collar to the rear of the head. The yellow annular element 34 of Figure 6 is folded about the exposed part of element 30 below the collar 32; the free edges of the element 34 are glued together at the front to form a coat. There are two black arm elements 35, 36 and each has a shoulder part 37 and a white wrist or cuff portion. The arm element 35 has a central D shaped cut-out 38 and the arm 36 has side slits 39.

Each arm is folded longitudinally and the facing edges are glued together. Each arm is then folded about its cut-out or slit respectively and then the shoulder portion is glued to the coat. Each hand 40 has flap 41 which is rolled into a tube which is fitted in each tubular arm. The lower body sub-assembly of Figure 5 is then fitted from below into the assembly of head and coat and the parts adjusted to get the best balance of inclination and the parts are then glued together. Accessories such as hats, belts, a magnifying glass may be made and added to the model which is shown in Figure 7. In this way a self supporting free standing model has been made easily - even by a child - and the model is soft and pleasant to touch and of attractive and varied colours.

Claims (24)

1. A blank adapted to be folded into a three dimensional object of a toy nature, comprising a flat piece of felt cut to a predetermined shape and stiffened so that the folded object may be self supporting.

2. A blank according to Claim 1, in which one portion of the blank is arranged to overlie another portion thereof, and an adhesive is applied to one or both of the opposite faces of the portions to overlie each other.

3. A blank according to Claim 1 or 2, in which the felt has a stiffness corresponding to an angle of droop (as herein defined) of from 5 degrees to 30 degrees.

4. A blank according to Claim 3, in which the felt stiffness corresponds to an angle of droop of from 10 degrees to 20 degrees.

5. A blank according to any preceding Claim, in which the felt has been stiffened by the presence therein of a thermosetting or thermoplastic polymeric material.

6. A blank according to Claim 5, in which the polymeric material is polyvinyl acetate.

7. A blank according to Claim 5 or 6 in which the polymeric material is cross-linked by a cross-linking agent therefor.

8. A blank according to Claim 7, in which the cross-linking agent is a urea formaldehyde, polystryene, starch or gelatine.

9. A blank according to Claim 7, in which the cross-linking agent is selected to make the felt stiffness substantially unaffected by temperature.

10. A blank according to Claim 9, in which the cross-linking agent is a dextrin.

11. A blank according to Claim 10 in which the dextrin is present in a weight ratio of 10:90 to 90:10 relative to the polymeric material.

12. A blank according to Claim 11, in which the dextrin is present in a 50:50 weight ratio to the polymeric material.

13. A blank according to any preceding Claim, in which the content of polymeric material is from 10% to 210% of the felt on a dry weight basis.

14. A blank according to Claim 13, in which the polymeric material content is from 20% to 30%.

15. A blank according to any preceding Claim, in which the felt is a lightweight felt.

16. A method of making a blank according to any one of Claims 1 to 15 comprising cutting a piece of felt to a predetermined foldable shape and stiffening the blank either before or afterthe cutting.

17. A method according to Claim 16, in which the felt is cut by die cutting.

18. A blank when made by a method of Claim 16 or 17.

19. A method of making a toy, comprising folding a blank according to any of Claims 1 to 15 or 18 into a predetermined three dimensional shape.

20. A method according to Claim 19, in which the toy comprises a number of blanks each of which is folded and the folded blanks are then secured together.

21. A method according to Claim 20, in which blanks are of different colours so as to form a multi-coloured toy.

22. A toy when made by the method of Claim 19 20or21.

23. A blank or toy, substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 or 4 to 6.

24. A method of making a blankfoldable into a toy or folding the blank into a toy substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 or Figures 4to 6.