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Spring toy

  • US 4,114,306 A
  • Filed: 10/18/1976
  • Issued: 09/19/1978
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1976
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A spring toy comprising:

  • an elongated flexible band of rigid material having a generally rectangular cross section and a width substantially greater than its thickness;

    said band having first and second edge surfaces opposed to one another and generally parallel in the direction of the band thickness;

    said band disposed about a central axis to form a coil having a plurality of repetitive turns substantially equal in size and aligned with one another, wherein the first and second edge surfaces are parallel to the central axis, said first edge surface radially being located outward with respect to the second edge surface;

    said band includes first and second flat surfaces opposed to one another and perpendicular to the edge surfaces, said flat surfaces originating at the first edge surface and extending across a portion of the band width; and

    two outside surfaces, each outside surface extending from a flat surface to the second edge surface, at least one of said outside surfaces being angularly disposed with respect to its adjacent flat surface to define in the band a tapered portion converging to the second edge surface;

    said band bendable parallel to the central axis enabling contraction of the coil wherein adjacent turns are in surface contact with one another and the first edge surface defines a co-extensive outer surface of the coil and further bendable to enable expansion of the coil to an axial length greatly exceeding that of the contracted coil;

    said band bendable in directions perpendicular to the central axis such that turns are movable in said directions and rotatable about the cenral axis with respect to one another; and

    means on portions of the first edge surface of at least some of the turns to provide a normal visual configuration, said configuration being distorted with respect to its normal configuration by selectively bending the band.

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