Floppy limbed water immersible figure toy

• US 4,526,553 A
• Filed: 04/11/1983
• Issued: 07/02/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Guerrero, Benjamin G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Mickey
• Application Number:
  US06/483,464
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 46/161, 46/173, 46/163, 46/151, 46/22, 46/92, 46/162, 446/369, 446/376, 446/379, 446/382, 446/383, 446/384, 446/385, 446/390, 446/391, 446/371, 446/380, 446/156, 446/153
• US Class Current: 446/380
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/46 Connections for limbs

Abstract

A waterproof figure toy (10) having arms (16) and legs (18) fixed to resilient connectors (20) formed on a torso (14) to provide a floppy limbed doll. The arms and legs are fixed to the connectors in any convenient manner, as by a waterproof sealant, and a head (12) is fixed to the torso (14) in a watertight manner by means of a torso neck plug (24) and a head neck plug (26) sealingly captured in the head and torso and connected together by a flexible elongated connector (28), which allows movement of the head (12) with respect to the torso (14).

Claims

1. In combination with a figure toy having a head, a torso, and a plurality of limbs, said figure toy being of the type which is immersible in water without water finding its way internally of said torso, said head, and said limbs, the improvement which comprises:

a plurality of unitary exterior limb connectors formed integrally with said torso during a molding operation using a water-impervious, elastic, polymeric material;

a plurality of limbs, each of said limbs being shaped to simulate the external appearance of a limb which is normally attached to the respective portion of said torso;

a cavity provided in each of said limbs, each of said cavities being shaped and sized to receive a respective limb connector with a relatively close fit, each of said cavities being formed integrally within said respective limb and having an open proximate end, an encompassing side wall and a closed distal end, the mass of each of said limbs being great compared to the size of said respective limb connector, whereby a limb and the connector to which it is attached will coact in the manner of a floppy limb on said figure toy;

means connecting each of said limbs to its respective connector;

said torso includes a neck opening at the upper end thereof, and wherein said head includes a neck opening at the lower end thereof, each of said neck openings including an annular flange having an upper edge and a lower edge, and wherein said figure toy includes;

a torso neck plug having an encompassing side wall, an open top and a closed bottom wall;

a first annular lip encompassing said open top on said torso neck plug;

a second annular lip encompassing said open top on said torso neck plug;

a first hollow, cylindrical boss provided in said bottom wall portion of said torso neck plug, said first boss having an upper edge and a lower edge;

a head neckplug having an encompassing side wall, an open bottom and a closed top wall;

a third annular lip encompassing said open bottom on said head neck plug;

a fourth annular lip encompassing said top wall on said head neck plug;

a second hollow, cylindrical boss provided in said top wall portion of said head neck plug, said second boss having an upper edge and a lower edge, said lower edge of said second boss being flush with said top wall portion of said head neck plug; and

an elongated connector for connecting said head neck plug to said torso neck plug in a manner such that water is prevented from entering said head through said second boss and said torso through said first boss, said first and second annular lips engaging said annular flange on said torso and said third and fourth annular lips engaging said annular flange on said head with a sufficiently tight fit that water will not enter said torso and said head between said neck plug and said annular flanges.

2. A combination as recited in claim 1 wherein each of said limb connectors has major and minor surfaces, said major surfaces are essentially parallel and distinctly greater in area than the area of said minor surfaces.

3. A combination as recited in claim 1, wherein said figure toy is a doll, wherein each of said limbs is an arm, and wherein each arm includes an upper end which comprises the shoulder portion of said arm.

4. A combination as recited in claim 1 wherein each of said limbs is a leg.

5. A combination as recited in claim 1 wherein there are four limb connectors, two of which have limbs in the shape of an arm connected thereto by means of a waterproof sealant, and the other two of which have limbs in the shape of a leg connected thereto by means of a waterproof sealant.