Dancing hula doll

• US 4,545,775 A
• Filed: 09/17/1984
• Issued: 10/08/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Omni Enterprises, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Douglas S.T. Kim
• Inventors: Kim, Douglas S. T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MUIR, DAVID N
• Application Number:
  US06/651,514
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• Field of Search: 446/190, 446/297, 446/298, 446/302, 446/303, 446/322, 446/330, 446/352, 446/353, 446/354, 446/358, 446/265, 446/299, 446/300, 84/94, 84/94 C, 84/95, 84/95 C
• US Class Current: 446/299
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 11/00 Self-movable toy figures
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/28 Arrangements of sound-producing means in dolls; Means in dolls for producing sounds

Abstract

A dancing hula doll which alternatively moves its hips left and right to give it a lifelikeness that compares with a real hula dancer. The doll includes an upper portion, a lower portion, and a base portion. The upper portion resembles and head through waist of a human; the lower portion resembles the waist through hip portion of a human. The upper portion is pivotally connected to the lower portion by a hinge pin. An activator pin is connected to the inner surface of the lower portion. The base portion supports the upper portion and the lower portion by a support rod, one end of which is secured to the base portion and the other end of which is placed in a cavity within the head of the upper portion. The base portion includes a housing with a turning plate secured to its bottom portion, a stationary base with feet spaced below the turning plate, a switch, a battery, a motor, an I.C. Electronic Melody Circuit, a speaker, a drive gear, a cam, a lever arm, a pivot at the middle portion of the lever arm, and gearing which will transmit the motion of the motor to the cam and will cause the turning plate to rotate slowly. When the switch is turned on, the motor turns the cam that in turn activates the lever arm that in turn moves the activator pin that in turn alternately moves the hips of the doll left and right, while the doll slowly turns counterclockwise and a Hawaiian melody is heard.

Claims

1. A dancing hula doll comprising:

an upper portion, a lower portion, and a base portion;

the upper portion resembling the head through waist of a human;

the lower portion resembling the waist through hip portion of a human;

a pin pivotably connecting the upper portion to the lower portion;

a support rod supporting the upper portion and the lower portion above the base portion, one end of said support rod secured to the base portion and the other end of said support rod located in a cavity defined by the upper portion;

means to reciprocate the lower portion transverse to said support rod including a motor, a drive gear, a cam, a lever arm, and an activator pin, said drive gear being connected to the shaft of the motor, said cam being operatively connected to the drive gear, one end portion of the lever arm being operatively connected to the cam, the middle portion of the lever arm being connected to a pivot secured to the base portion, a slot defined by the other end portion of the lever arm engaging said activator pin, and the activator pin being connected to the inner surface of the lower portion;

said base portion including a turning plate, a stationary base with feet, gears for turning the turning plate when the motor is running, a switch, circuit means for playing an electronic melody, a speaker, and a battery;

the turning plate is spaced a predetermined distance from the stationary base;

a shaft, one end of the shaft being secured to the central portion of the stationary base and the other end of the shaft being secured to the base portion;

a central opening defined by the turning plate, said shaft passing through said central opening;

said gears being operatively connected to the shaft and to the drive gear;

said switch being connected to said battery;

said circuit means being connected to said battery;

said motor being connected to said battery; and

said battery being secured to the turning plate.

2. The dancing hula doll of claim 1, wherein the base portion includes a truncated conical housing with a slot defined by its top and the turning plate is secured within the truncated conical housing adjacent its bottom portion;

and speaker holes are located on the outer surface of the housing adjacent the speaker.

3. The dancing hula doll of claim 1, wherein the lower portion is spaced a predetermined distance from the top of the base portion and clothes cover the doll.

4. The dancing hula doll of claim 1, wherein the lower portion is spaced a predetermined distance from the top of the base portion.

5. The dancing hula doll of claim 1, wherein clothes cover the doll.

6. A dancing hula doll comprising:

an upper portion being hollow and resembling the head through waist of a human;

a lower portion being hollow and resembling the waist through hip portion of a human;

a base portion;

pivot means for pivotably connecting the upper portion to the lower portion;

support means for supporting the upper portion and lower portion above the base portion;

one end of said support means being secured to the base portion and the other end of said support means being secured within the upper portion;

means for reciprocating the lower portion transverse to said support means, said means including drive means located within said base portion, a lever arm extending between said base portion and said lower portion, and activating means located in said lower portion;

one end of the lever arm being operatively connected to the drive means;

the other end of the lever arm engaging said activator means;

a stationary base, said base portion being mounted on said stationary base, and

said drive means, when activated, rotating said base portion above said stationary base and simultaneously moving the lever arm to engage said activator means and reciprocate the lower portion transverse to the support means.