HEAD WITH LIPS MOVABLE BY RODS ECCENTRICALLY MOUNTED TO A WHEEL

• US 3,828,469 A
• Filed: 01/26/1973
• Issued: 08/13/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Germain Giroud
• Original Assignee: Germain Giroud
• Inventors: Giroud, Germain
• Primary Examiner(s): Shay, F. Barry
• Application Number:
  US05/326,838
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 46/135R,135A,141,118,232,245
• US Class Current: 446/337
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 13/005 with self-moving head or facial features with a choice of features A63H3/365; movable eyes A63H3/40

Abstract

A head for a doll or figurine, having a mouth including two lips each coupled to an operating rod. A wheel with eccentric studs mounts and drives each rod to impart a reciprocating displacement to the lips, such displacements being staggered, to simulate lip movement as in talking. An electric motor drives the wheel. A circuit breaker may be positioned in the head near an opening at the mouth so that an object inserted therein will turn off the electric motor.

Claims

1. A doll or similar toy figurine, comprising a hollow head of elastically deformable material shaped to reproduce a face including a mouth formed by two superimposed lips disposed below a nose, a casing fixedly mounted within the hollow head, a drive mechanism for moving said lips mounted within said casing, said drive mechanism including a wheel journaled in said casing, cylindrical studs eccentrically mounted on opposed lateral surfaces of said wheel;

operating rods for the lips, respectively, each rod having one end attached to its related lip and the other end having an annular head rotatably mounted on a related one of said studs, said drive mechanism including means for driving said wheel;

whereby as the wheel is rotated each said rod will be displaced in a direction generally along its longitudinal axis to impart to the lips, respectively, a generally reciprocating motion which displaces the corresponding lips in a direction generally perpendicular to the vertical plane of the doll'"'"''"'"'s face.

2. A doll according to claim 1, wherein the wheel of the drive mechanism imparts a movement of lesser amplitude to the operating rod associated with the upper lip than to the one associated with the lower lip.

3. A doll according to claim 1, wherein the points of maximum eccentricity of the two eccentric studs are radially spaced by an angle of approximately 90* whereby the movements of the two lips will be relatively staggered.

4. A doll according to claim 1, wherein the eccentric stud associated with the rod for operating the upper lip is situated at a radius of eccentricity smaller than that of the eccentric stud associated with the rod for operating the lower lip.

5. A doll according to claim 1, wherein each rod is made of a semi-rigid synthetic material.

6. A doll as set forth in claim 1, wherein said wheel is toothed;

said driving means including a motor mounted in said casing having a shaft disposed adjacent the periphery of the wheel; and

a worm fixed on said shaft meshing with said toothed wheel.

7. A doll as set forth in claim 1, said casing having a frontal extension firmly contacting the head adjacent to the nose.

8. In combination with a doll as set forth in claim 6, said motor being electric;

an electric circuit including said motor;

a circuit breaker controlled by an object to be introduced through the mouth and including a pair of spaced metallic strips secured to said casing and having their outer ends spaced from the operating rods, the outer ends terminating adjacent the doll'"'"''"'"'s mouth and being outwardly flared, said strips being connected in the said electric circuit, and said strips carrying normally closed electric contacts adapted to separate whenever said flared ends of the strips are moved sufficiently apart by such object to open the electric circuit.