Reconfigurable toy assembly

• US 4,580,993 A
• Filed: 08/17/1983
• Issued: 04/08/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Takara Co., Ltd. (TOMY Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Takara Co., Ltd. (TOMY Company Limited)
• Inventors: Ohno, Kouzin
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Mickey
• Application Number:
  US06/524,289
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• Field of Search: 446/95, 446/93, 446/94, 446/96, 446/97, 446/99, 446/269, 446/268, 446/320, 446/321, 446/376, 446/431, 446/465, 446/470, 446/487, D21/128, D21/150, D21/166
• US Class Current: 446/376
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/003 Convertible toys, e.g. robots convertible into rockets or vehicles convertible into planes

Abstract

A reconfigurable toy assembly is disclosed which is adapted to be reversibly transformed to provide two kinds of configurations entirely different from each other between a first position and a second position by only swinging operation. Typically, the reconfigurable toy assembly is constructed in such a manner to provide a vehicle form by folding the toy assembly and a robotic humanoid form by unfolding.

Claims

1. A reconfigurable toy assembly comprising:

a chassis member;

means for assisting translation of the toy assembly across a support surface, is operatively connected to the chassis member;

a housing member, providing in a first position a simulated vehicle body configuration, is pivotally connected to the chassis member, the housing member is divided into component parts that are movably interconnected, at least one component housing part supports a simulated humanoid robot head member, reconfiguration of the housing member component parts from the vehicle body configuration of the first position provides a second position simulating a robotic humanoid, the component housing parts forming at least a trunk member of a humanoid robot with the head member being positioned above the trunk member in the second position, and the chassis member forms the leg appendages of the humanoid robot in the second position.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the housing member includes a pair of side vehicle panel components that form arm appendages of the humanoid robot in the second position.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein the housing member components further include a cab member and a hood member pivotally connected to the cab member, the hood member and the cab member forming the front surface of the trunk of the humanoid robot in the second position.

4. A reconfigurable toy assembly capable of being formed into a robot toy or a vehicle toy comprising:

a frame means for a vehicle configuration;

a pair of first movable elements pivotally connected to the both sides of said frame means so as to be shiftable between a first position and a second position;

a second movable element swingably mounted on said frame means so as to be shiftable between a first position and a second position;

a pair of third movable elements swingably connected at one end thereof to said frame means so as to be shiftable between a first position and a second position; and

a pair of fourth movable element each swingably attached to the other end of each of said third elements so as to be shiftable between a first position and a second position, wherein said toy assembly forms a first toy vehicle configuration when said first, second, third and fourth elements are in the first position and said toy assembly forms a second robotic humanoid toy configuration when said first to fourth elements are in the second position, said frame means constitute a robotic trunk section in the second position, while said first elements constitute a pair of arm sections, said second element constitutes a robotic head section, said third elements constitute a pair of leg sections and said fourth elements constitute a pair of feet sections.

5. A reconfigurable toy assembly as defined in claim 4, said leg sections being connected to the lower end portion of said trunk section.

6. A reconfigurable toy assembly having a vehicle configuration in a first position and a robotic humanoid configuration in a second position, comprising:

a first element configured to simulate the front portion of a vehicle in a first position and a robotic humanoid trunk in a second position;

a second element swingably mounted on the upper portion of said first element, said second element being configured to simulate a robotic humanoid head in a second position and received in said first element in a first position;

a pair of third elements pivotally connected to the both sides of said first element, said third elements being configured to simulate the lower side portion in a first position and to provide a pair of robotic humanoid arms in a second position;

a pair of fourth elements pivotally connected to the lower portion of said first element, said fourth elements being configured to simulate a pair of robotic humanoid legs in a second position and received in said first element in a first position; and

a pair of fifth elements each pivotally connected to the lower portion of the corresponding fourth element and being configurated to represent a pair of robotic humanoid feet.