Stuffed figure toy useable as a book cover

• US 4,832,648 A
• Filed: 12/09/1987
• Issued: 05/23/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Those Characters from Cleveland Incorporated (American Greetings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Those Characters from Cleveland Incorporated (American Greetings Corporation)
• Inventors: Thayer, Judity, Theobald, J. Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Mickey
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/130,410
• Time in Patent Office: 531 Days
• Field of Search: 446/71, 446/72, 446/73, 446/369, 446/370, 446/371, 446/373, 446/375, 446/380, 446/147, 446/148, 446/327, 281/29, 281/34, 283/64, D19/26, D19/28, D19/29, D19/30
• US Class Current: 446/72
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/003 specially adapted for a particular function not connected with dolls as electric lighting devices A63H3/006

Abstract

An aminated toy figurine which may be used as a cover for a book having a head and a body including a trunk and at least a pair of protruding appendages such as a pair of arms. Extending between the head and the trunk is a pivot member. One end of the pivot member is attached to the stuffing material inside the head. The other end of the pivot member is attached to the inside of the fabric forming the trunk. Extending and attached along the inside of the arms is a length of elastic. The length and elasticity of the elastic is such that when the arms are pulled together about a vertical surface, the elastic is tensioned forcing the fabric of the trunk and the pivot member to fulcrum against the vertical surface raising the head of the figurine. Alternatively, when the arms are moved apart, the tension on the elastic is reduced allowing gravitational forces to act on the head permitting the pivot member to pivot away from the vertical surface and thus lower the head of the figurine.

Claims

1. A book jacket for attachment to a book having a pair of covers and a spine interconnecting such covers which allows such cover to assume a multitude of partially and fully open and closed positions, said jacket comprising a fanciful figurine having a head and body including a trunk and at least a pair of appendages, said appendages including attachment means to facilitate the attachment of said appendages to such covers of such book, a rigid pivot member connected at one end to said head and connected at the other end to said trunk, and a length of elastic, said elastic being attached along the length of one of said appendages, said elastic having appropriate length and elasticity to produce a biasing force which pivots said pivot member against such spine of such book and raises said head with respect to such book as such covers are moved together towards a closed position and reduces said biasing force allowing gravitational forces to act on said head and permit said pivot member to pivot away from such spine of such book and thus lower said head with respect to such book as such covers are moved apart towards an open position.

2. A book jacket as set forth in claim 1 wherein said appendages form the arms of said figurine.

3. A book jacket as set forth in claim 1 wherein said elastic is attached on the inside of one of said appendages.

4. A book jacket as set forth in claim 3 further including a second length of elastic attached to another of said appendages such that said pivot member is disposed between said first length of elastic and said second length of elastic.

5. A book jacket as set forth in claim 4 wherein said body and said head include an outer covering of fabric formed from multiple pieces of fabric sewn together along portions of their outer perimeters.

6. A book jacket as set forth in claim 5 wherein said trunk comprises an inner section of fabric and an outer section of fabric and said pivot member is disposed between said inner and outer sections of fabric.

7. A book jacket as set forth in claim 6 wherein said inner section of fabric of said trunk is located between said pivot member and such spine of such book.

8. A book jacket as set forth in claim 7 wherein said pivot member comprises a rectangular-shaped rod.

9. A book jacket as set forth in claim 8 wherein said appendages further include a pair of legs.

10. A book jacket as set forth in claim 9 wherein said attachment means comprises pockets formed at the distal ends of said legs and said arms which are adapted to receive the corners of such book.

11. A book jacket as set forth in claim 10 wherein said lengths of elastic extend respectively from about the proximity of the pivot member to about the distal end of said arms.

12. A book jacket as set forth in claim 11 wherein said head includes a fill material which is stuffed within and contained within said outer covering of said head.

13. An animated toy figurine for use by a user in conjunction with a vertically extending surface, said figurine comprising a body having a trunk and at least a pair of appendages, a head including a rigid pivot member connected to said head and attached to said trunk of said body, and a length of elastic, said elastic being attached along the length of one of said appendages, said elastic having appropriate length and elasticity to produce a biasing force which pivots said piovt member against such vertically extending surface and causes the major axis of said pivot member to lie substantially in a vertical plane as said appendages are brought closer to one another about such vertically extending surface by such user, and releases said biasing force which pivots said pivot member away from such surface and causes the major axis of said pivot member to lie in substantially a horizontal plane as said appendages are moved apart with respect to one another by such user.

15. An animated toy figurine as set forth in claim 13 wherein said truck comprises an inner piece of fabric and an outer piece of fabric, and said pivot member is disposed between said inner and said outer pieces of fabric.

16. An animated toy figurine as set forth in claim 15 wherein said pivot member comprises a rectangular-shaped rod.

14. An animated toy figurine comprising a body consisting essentially of at least one piece of fabric which form a trunk and a pair of appendages connected to said trunk, a head connected to said trunk, a pivot member connected at one end to said head and connected at the other end to said fabric which forms said trunk, and a length of elastic, said elastic being attached along the length of one of said appendages, said elastic serving to produce a biasing force, whereby the pivoting member, when used with a supporting surface, pivots against such supporting surface when the elastic is tensioned, thereby animating said head.

17. An animated toy figurine as set forth in claim 14 wherein said trunk comprises an inner section of fabric and an outer section of fabric, and said pivot member is disposed between said inner and said outer sections of fabric.

18. An animated toy figurine as set forth in claim 17 wherein said pivot member comprises a rectangular-shaped rod.