HK1032551B - Doll display facilitating doll action demonstration - Google Patents

Description

Doll display package favorable for doll action display

The present application discloses apparatus described in and claimed in a related patent application filed in the name of Armen Danielian and entitled "toy with jumping action", assigned to the assignee of the present application and incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates generally to doll and similar toy product packaging, and more particularly to packaging for providing a product display function or "try-me" feature.

The rapid and virtually unconstrained development of toy products in the marketplace is dependent to some extent on the similar surprising rates of development of product packaging and product packaging technologies. Thus, as toy products become more interesting, vivid, colorful and complex and varied in ends, the packaging for the toy products should also provide a far more interesting, vivid and attractive package. In addition to providing a protective and easily transportable toy product package and serving as a product stacking container, the practitioners of toy packaging technology have also made great efforts to make toy product packages colorful, interesting, attractive, and entertaining. One of the obvious improvements made by practitioners of toy packaging technology is the package, which often has a characteristic called "try-and-play". This type of package is so named because it is capable of displaying and supporting the product in a manner that allows and encourages those potential purchasers to try and play with the product with limited awareness and without removing the product from the package. The purpose of a "try-on" type package is therefore to provide an environment in which a product can be tried or displayed to some extent without affecting the integrity of the product packaging protection.

For example, U.S. patent 5,172,806 entitled "Movable toy in Package" issued to Mickelberg and U.S. patent 5,289,916, still entitled "Movable toy in Package" issued to Mickelberg and incorporated as part of U.S. patent 5,172,806, both describe a package for containing a movable toy with articulating moving parts. An opening in the package allows a person to operate a switch that activates the toy. When the toy is activated, the moving hinge member can be visible through an opening in the package or otherwise through a transparent portion of the package. Alternatively, a light bulb may be illuminated and flashed and a sound generator may be used that emits a sound so that a person can see the toy and hear the sound while the movable toy is still in the package.

U.S. patent 4,925,025 entitled "receptacle for merchandise display" to Anten et al describes a receptacle for a packaged toy with a temporary, inexpensive battery power source that can be replaced with a conventional battery power source for long-term use. The receptacle of the merchandise display enables movement of the toy while also retaining the toy within the package. Two circuits may be installed in parallel so that the battery powered toy can operate under battery power or be disconnected from the battery when a permanent power source is placed in the toy.

U.S. patent 5,411,138 entitled "toy Package" issued to Klawiter provides a package container having two or more transparent sides with windows and generally in the shape of a rectangular box. In the box, toy products such as toy cars are secured by flaps formed on the bottom surface of the package.

U.S. patent 3,576,085 entitled "packaged toy" issued to Nelson sets forth a toy that functions as a package and that includes a structure having a central recess for receiving a playset and surrounding sidewalls as a play item to provide physical attributes to a human or animal body.

U.S. patent 3,406,816 entitled "display Container" issued to Green et al provides a container having a generally rectangular base in which a toy, such as a doll, is supported. A four-sided housing is mounted on the base and includes three transparent sides and one opaque side. An opaque cover is fitted over the top of the four-sided enclosure.

U.S. patent 4,234,079 entitled "packaging for toy articles and the like" issued to Otake et al provides a packaging for holding and displaying a toy that includes a packaging component having a housing in which the toy articles are contained. A portion of the wrapper component is transparent to allow the toy item to be viewed. The display member carries a plurality of images or designs representing toy items and is operatively mounted on the wrapper member.

While the above-described toy product packaging devices have provided some degree of improvement in toy packaging technology and, in some instances, commercial success, there remains a need for continued improvements in technology to provide more advanced, interesting and entertaining toy packages.

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved package for a doll or similar product. It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide such an improved package for a doll or similar product which facilitates the demonstration of the motion characteristics of the doll or similar toy product.

According to the present invention there is provided a doll display package with jumping action, the package comprising: a housing having a back, a front, a pair of side portions extending therebetween, and a bottom, the front and side portions being lower than the back; a diving board is hinged on the bottom and extends forwards and upwards from the bottom, a folding board is hinged on the back and is positioned above the diving board, a neck hoop is fixed on the hinged folding board and is used for surrounding and bounding the neck of the doll, a pair of foot hoops are fixed on the diving board and are used for surrounding and bounding the foot of the doll to abut against the diving board, the diving board and the hinged folding board can respond to the jumping movement of the doll to rotate around a pivot, the foot of the doll is fixed on the diving board, and the neck is fixed on the hinged folding board.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a doll display package made in accordance with the present invention;

fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of the doll display package of fig. 1 with an exemplary doll supported therein.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a display package, generally designated by the numeral 10, made in accordance with the present invention. While different materials may be used in making display package 10, suitable rigid paperboard or foil sheets are used in the preferred embodiment. However, in some packaging environments it may be desirable to use other flat sheet materials, such as plastics or composite materials, as desired. An essential feature of the material used to make the display package 10 is that the material provides rigid panel members that can form the package as shown. Thus, the display package comprises a generally vertical back 11, the back 11 extending upwardly from a flat bottom 14. A pair of side surfaces 12 and 13 form respective angled edges 40 and 41. The side surfaces 12 and 13 are also connected to the front portion 15. The combination of back 11, bottom 14, side surfaces 12 and 13, and front 15 forms a complete, free-standing, rigid structure having sufficient strength to enable items to be placed therein as shown in fig. 2. In accordance with the present invention, the display package 10 further includes a generally planar base 16, the base 16 extending rearwardly from the front 15 to meet the back 11. The base 16 is formed with a large aperture 17, the base 16 preferably being generally parallel to the bottom 14, as shown in figure 2.

In accordance with the present invention, the display package 10 includes a bottom panel 19 overlying the base 14, the bottom panel 19 having an elongated slot 18 therein. In the manner described hereinafter, and shown in greater detail in figure 2, a ramp 20, which is comprised of a flat plate member extending through slot 18 and disposed to slope upwardly toward base 16, is hingedly supported between bottom 14 and bottom 19. The diving board 20 has a pair of holes 21 and 22, and the foot band 23 passes through the holes 21 and 22. A second pair of apertures 24 and 25 are also formed in the diving board 20, the apertures 24 and 25 receiving and supporting a second foot strap 26.

According to the invention, the back 11 is formed by a pair of superposed laminae 55 and 56. A slot 30 is formed in the laminate 55 and a hinged flap 31 is mounted in the slot 30. The construction of the hinged flap 31 is shown in more detail in fig. 2. It is noted here, however, that the hinged flap 31 includes an upper layer 35 and a lower layer 36 which extend through the slit 30 and meet at the bend 33. A gap 34 exists between the upper layer 35 and the lower layer 36, and a neck band 32 passes through the gap 34.

The neck strap 32 and foot straps 23 and 26 may be made from a wide variety of elongated strapping materials, such as plastic-wrapped wires or bands, elastic loops or elastic long straps, or may be elongated sections of material such as flexible cords or strings as desired. The basic function of the neck strap 32 and foot straps 23 and 26 is to provide a suitable surround material that secures the proximate portion of the toy doll to the diving board or to the hinged flaps, as shown in fig. 2.

In operation, display package 10 houses a doll in the manner shown in fig. 2, with the doll's feet secured to ramp 20 by foot hoops 23 and 26, thereby enabling the doll to stand upright from the foot hoops. In addition, display package 10 secures the doll in place by surrounding the doll's neck with a neck band 32 in the manner shown in FIG. 2. As mentioned, in the preferred embodiment, the neck strap 32 and foot straps 23, 26 are formed from flexible wire bands comprising wire wrapped or covered with a suitable flexible plastic material. The resulting strap is convenient to tie so that it is easy to tie the neck and foot straps to properly restrain the doll in the package 10. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other types of dolls besides the animal image shown in fig. 2 may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, for example, a human-shaped doll or action figure may be placed in display package 10 and restrained by neck strap 32 and foot straps 23 and 26. A particular advantage and object of the display package 10 is to provide a packaging container in which the resilient movement of the diving board 20 and the pivotal movement of the hinged flap 31, to be described hereinafter, cooperate to facilitate the display of a doll or toy figure that performs a vertical jumping motion or a continuous motion.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the display package 10 taken along line 2-2 in fig. 1. For purposes of illustration, FIG. 2 also shows a toy figure, generally designated by the numeral 60, secured in the display package 10 in the manner discussed above. As described above, a variety of different toy figures may be secured in the display package 10 and benefit from the novel features of the display package. It has been found particularly advantageous to employ a doll capable of a bouncing or jumping action such as described above, which is set forth in the related patents incorporated by reference into this application. Thus, for purposes of illustration, toy figure 60 provides a doll with a familiar and fantasy-imparting animal figure, such as a tiger. Thus, toy figure 60 includes a torso 61, torso 61 supporting a pair of arms 59 and 62 and a pair of legs 64 and 68. Legs 64 and 68 of toy figure 60 have feet 65 and 69, respectively, at the ends thereof. A tail 63 extends rearwardly and downwardly from torso 61. The head 66 is connected to the torso 61 by a neck 67.

In accordance with the present invention, a toy figure 60 is mounted in a display pack 10, the display pack 10 including a back portion 11 formed of stacked laminate sheets 55 and 56, a bottom portion 14 having a stacked bottom web 19, and a front portion 15. The package 10 also includes side surfaces 12 and 13 (side surface 12 can be seen in fig. 1). As described above, the display package 10 further includes a base 16, the base 16 being formed with an aperture 17 extending between the back 11 and the front 15. The diving board 20, which is made of a rigid paper or sheet material similar to the material used to form the remainder of the display package 10, includes an upper layer 43 and a lower layer 44, with the upper and lower layers 43, 44 being folded to form a diving board that extends through the slot 18. The upper layer 43 extends across the seam 18 and forms a flap 46, which flap 46 is secured to the base 14 and the bottom web 19 by adhesive or similar attachment means. Similarly, the lower layer 44 extends through the slit 18 and forms a forwardly extending flap 45, which flap 45 is also sandwiched between the bottom 14 and the bottom web 19. The flap 45 may also be secured by conventional adhesive means. In addition, the flaps 45 and 46 may be sufficiently tightly sandwiched between the bottom liner 19 and the bottom 14 without the need for adhesive bonding. The upper layer 43 and the lower layer 44 are folded through the slit 18 to form a hinge 42, and the ramp 20 is elastically rotatable about the hinge 42. In this way, the diving board 20 can pivot about the hinge 42 as indicated by arrows 51 and 52.

The display package 10 further includes a hinged flap 31 comprising an upper layer 35 and a lower layer 36, the upper layer 35 and the lower layer 36 defining a fold 33 for receiving the neck band 32. The upper 35 and lower 36 layers of the hinged flap 31 extend between the panels 55 and 56 through the slit 30 of the panel 55, with the end of the upper layer 35 extending upwardly between the panels 55 and 56 and the end of the lower layer 36 extending downwardly between the panels 55 and 56. As a result, the upper layer 35 and the lower layer 36 constitute a hinge 37 folded within the slit 30. The hinge 37 allows the hinged flap 31 to pivot in the directions indicated by arrows 53 and 54.

In operation, toy figure 60 is secured within display package 10 by placing toy figure 60 between side surfaces 12 and 13 (side surface 12 is visible in fig. 1) and passing legs 64 and 68 downward through hole 17 until feet 65 and 69 rest on diving board 20. Thereafter, foot hoops 26 and 23 are secured to feet 65 and 69, thereby securing the feet of toy figure 60 to diving board 20. The securing of the toy figure 60 is accomplished by wrapping the neck 67 of the toy figure 60 with the neck band 32 such that the neck 67 is secured to the fold 33 of the flap 31. At this point, toy figure 60 is completely restrained within display package 10.

As described in the above-mentioned related patent applications, the preferred form of toy figure 60 is capable of a bouncing or jumping action in which legs 64 and 68 are repeatedly retracted upwardly into torso 61 against a resilient bias and released to allow legs 64 and 68 to resiliently spread toy figure 60 downwardly. In accordance with an important aspect of the present invention, toy figure 60 is capable of exhibiting such bouncing action while remaining constrained within the display package.

Thus, when toy figure 60 is restrained within package 10, by opening/closing switch 70 of that user-operable toy figure 60, the user can activate open/close switch 70 and actuate toy figure 60 to cause it to perform a jumping action. During this jumping action, the upward movement of the legs 64 and 68 relative to the torso 61 and the rapid downward urging that creates the bouncing action are absorbed by the resilient pivoting movement of the diving board 20 and hinged flap 31. Thus, as toy figure 60 is repeatedly moved in a vertical direction as indicated by arrow 50, diving board 20 pivots in the directions indicated by arrows 51 and 52, and hinged flap 31 pivots in the directions indicated by arrows 53 and 54. The result is that the pop-up and jumping action of the toy figure 60 may be seen while the toy figure remains constrained within the package 10. At any one time, the user may terminate the presentation of toy figure 60 simply by touching switch 70 and moving the switch to the closed position. When the toy figure 60 is in the inoperative condition, the resilient movement of the diving board 20 and hinged flap 31 about their respective hinges 42 and 37 will return the toy figure 60 to the position shown in fig. 2.

A doll display package is shown which facilitates the display of doll motion capable of jumping or bouncing movements while maintaining the doll within the unitary package. The display package shown can be readily made from existing paperboard, cardboard or particle board and similar existing packaging materials.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, which includes more aspects. Therefore, it is the object of the appended claims to cover all such variations and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (7)

1. A doll display package for carrying and displaying a doll having a jumping action, the package comprising:

a housing having a back portion, a front portion, a pair of side portions extending between the back portion and the front portion, and a bottom portion, said front portion and said side portions being lower than said back portion;

a diving board hingedly secured to said base and extending forwardly and upwardly therefrom;

a hinged flap hingedly secured to said back and positioned above said diving board;

a neck band secured to said hinged flap for encircling and restraining the doll neck; and

a pair of foot hoops fixed to the diving board for encircling and restraining the doll's feet against the diving board;

the diving board and the hinged flap pivot with the jumping action of the doll, the feet of the doll are fixed on the diving board, and the neck is fixed on the hinged flap.

2. The doll display package of claim 1, wherein the bottom is a generally planar bottom surface and a stacking substrate having a slot therein, and the diving board extends through the slot.

3. The doll display package of claim 2, wherein the diving board comprises:

an upper layer and a lower layer joined at a fold;

a first flap extending from said upper layer and through said slit between said generally planar bottom surface and said base web;

a second flap extending from said lower layer and through said slit between said generally planar bottom surface and said bottom web.

4. The doll display package of claim 3, further comprising a generally planar base extending between the sides and the front and back and positioned above the bottom liner and defining an aperture exposing a portion of the diving board.

5. The doll display package of claim 4, wherein the upper and lower layers of the diving board are each formed with a plurality of apertures and the pair of foot hoops comprise first and second flexible elongate strips that pass through selected apertures in the upper and lower layers to form a foot loop.

6. The doll display package of claim 5, wherein the neck band includes a third flexible elongate strip forming a neck loop and connected to the hinge flap.

7. The doll display package of claim 6, wherein the side surfaces slope angularly downwardly from the back portion to the front portion.