Toys with driven characters

• US 20060148377A1
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fertig-Stubenfoll Design Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Fertig-Stubenfoll Design Group LLC
• Inventors: Stubenfoll, Leonard J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,264,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 446/376
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/006 Infant exercisers, e.g. for attachment to a crib

Abstract

Toys for infants in the form of soothers, mobiles, swings, and gyms are provided with a housing, at least one character carried by the housing for movement relative to the housing, the at least one character having a body and at least one appendage that is carried by the body for movement relative to the body, a drive assembly carried by the housing to simultaneously drive the body of the at least one character to move relative to the housing and drive the at least one appendage to move relative to the body.

Claims

1. A toy comprising:

a housing;

at least one character;

the at least one character being carried by the housing for movement relative to the housing;

the at least one character having a body and at least one appendage that is carried by the body for movement relative to the body;

a drive assembly carried by the housing to simultaneously drive the body of the at least one character to move relative to the housing and drive the at least one appendage to move relative to the body.

2. The toy of claim 1 in which, in addition to the at least one appendage:

the at least one character also has another appendage that is of a different type than the at least one appendage; and

the drive assembly also simultaneously drives the another appendage of the at least one character to move relative to the body.

3. The toy of claim 2 in which the another appendage is a head that is carried by the body for movement relative to the body.

4. The toy of claim 1 in which the drive assembly is partially within the housing and partially within the body of the at least one character.

5. The toy of claim 1 including:

at least two characters;

each of the at least two characters being mounted for movement with respect to the housing;

each of the at least two characters having a body and at least one appendage carried by the body for movement relative to the body;

the drive assembly simultaneously driving the body of each of the at least two characters to move relative to the housing and driving the at least one appendage of each of the at least two characters to move relative to the respective body of each of the at least two characters.

6. The toy of claim 5 in which the body of each of the at least two characters is driven to move relative to the housing in the same manner.

7. The toy of claim 5 in which the at least one appendage of each of the at least two characters is driven to move relative to the respective body in the same manner.

8. The toy of claim 5 in which the body of each of the at least two characters is driven to move relative to the housing in a different manner.

9. The toy of claim 5 in which the at least one appendage of each of the least two characters is driven to move relative to the respective body in a different manner from the at least one appendage of the other of the at least two characters is driven to move relative to its respective body.

10. The toy of claim 1 in which the drive assembly includes:

at least one disk that rotates relative to the housing; and

at least one shaft that is carried by the at least one disk for driven rotation relative to the disk.

11. The toy of claim 10 in which the at least one shaft drives the at least one appendage to move relative to the body.

12. The toy of claim 11 in which the drive assembly includes:

at least one pair of concentric shafts; and

one of the at least one pair of concentric shafts being driven independent of the other of the at least one pair of concentric shafts.

13. The toy of claim 1 in which the drive assembly includes:

at least one pair of concentric shafts; and

one of the at least one pair of concentric shafts being driven independent of the other of the at least one pair of concentric shafts.

14. The toy of claim 1 including:

at least one additional character in addition to the at least one character;

the at least one addition character being carried for movement relative to the housing and for movement relative to the at least one character.

15. The toy of claim 1 in which:

the housing has a generally centrally disposed axis; and

the at least one character being carried by the housing for movement relative to the housing rotates around the generally centrally disposed axis.

16. The toy of claim 15 in which the body of the at least one character is also driven for rotation around a second axis that is generally parallel to, but spaced from, the generally centrally disposed axis.

17. The toy of claim 16 including:

a generally circular channel having an outer wall;

the at least one character being driven for rotation around the channel;

the outer wall of the channel having at least one notch;

a pawl carried around the channel as the at least one character is driven for rotation around the channel; and

the pawl releasing the body for rotation around the second axis upon the pawl entering the at least one notch.

18. The toy of claim 1 in which:

the housing includes a generally horizontal axis; and

the at least one character being carried by the housing for movement relative to the housing swings back and forth about the generally horizontal axis.

19. The toy of claim 18 in which the drive assembly includes a rotating crown gear.

20. The toy of claim 18 in which the drive assembly includes a least an arcuate portion of a crown gear that is stationary relative to the housing.