Spinner toy

• US 5,171,181 A
• Filed: 02/06/1992
• Issued: 12/15/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Beejay, LLC
• Original Assignee: Stanley W. Freeman
• Inventors: Freeman, Stanley W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Mickey
• Application Number:
  US07/831,904
• Time in Patent Office: 313 Days
• Field of Search: 446/241, 446/236, 446/246, 446/245, 446/244, 446/243, 446/217, 446/218
• US Class Current: 446/241
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 1/06 with integral winding devices

Abstract

A spinner toy comprised of an elongated wire element looped back upon itself at its center and twisted to form a straight helical member, one end of which is the center loop and the other end of which is bent back upon itself and disposed in a plane passing through the member, with a first element slideably disposed on the straight member in abutment with the looped end. A spinner, formed by a pair of polyester film strips is disposed on the member angularly displaced apart from each other, each strip having first and second ends and being doubled back at a single intermediate orificed apex to bring its ends together with their orifices in register and secured together by an eyelet through which, and through the apex orifices, the member is passed, with a sleeve interposed and extending part way between the eyelet and the apex orifices, and a square plate between the eyelet and the sleeve. A second element is slideably disposed on the member between the orificed apexes and the second end of the helical member. When the first element is pushed rapidly against the eyelet along the helical member from the first end of the member toward its second end, the spinner rotates to assume a global configuration of decreasing axial length until it equals the length of the sleeve.

Claims

1. A toy comprising:

an elongated wire element looped back upon itself at its center and twisted together to form a straight helical member of a predetermined finite length, said member having first and second ends, the twisting being substantially regular and in the order of 101/2 twists per two inches of length of the member, the first end of the member being the looped back end and the second end of the member being bent back upon itself and disposed in a plane passing through said member;

a first element slideably disposed on the straight member in abutment with the loop of the first end, said first element being of sufficient size to be grippable by the fingers of a person;

a spinner, said spinner being formed by a pair of thin polyester film strips, each having first and second orificed ends and being doubled back at a single intermediate orificed apex to bring its ends together with the orifices in the ends in register and secured together by an eyelet, and the two strips being disposed on the member which is passed through the eyelet and the apex orifices of both strips, the strips being angularly spaced apart from each other;

a sleeve slideably disposed on said member between the eyelet and the intermediate apexes and extending part way therebetween; and

a small centrally and rectangularly orificed square plate helically disposed on said member between the eyelet and the sleeve;

a second element slideably disposed on the helical member between the intermediate apexes and the second end of the helical member;

whereby, when the first element is pushed rapidly against the eyelet up along the helical member from its first end towards its second end, the spinner is caused rapidly to rotate and to assume a global configuration of decreasing axial length until it equals the length of the sleeve.

2. The toy as described in claim 1 wherein the second end of the member is provided with a covering disk-like element, said element lying in the same plane as that of the loop of the first end of the member.

3. The toy as described in claim 1 wherein a flexible plastic sheath is provided to be slipped over at least one end of the member and over the spinner to protect the spinner from damage during packing, carrying and other periods of nonuse.

4. The toy as described in claim 1 wherein a third and bead-like element is slideably disposed on the member between the square plate and the adjacent end of the sleeve.

5. The toy as described in claim 1 wherein the slideable plate-like member is slightly arched centrally along one of its axis.

6. A toy comprising:

an elongated helical member having first and second ends,

a spinner disposed on said member, said spinner being formed of at least one thin polyester film strip looped back to bring its ends together, said ends being orificed and secured together by an eyelet, and said strip having an orifice intermediate its ends, said member being passed through said eyelet and said intermediate orifice, said eyelet being in proximity to the first end of the member;

a sleeve slideably disposed on said member between the eyelet and said intermediate orifice and extending part way therebetween;

a small centrally and rectangularly orificed square plate disposed on said member between the eyelet and the sleeve;

a first gripping element slideably disposed on the member adjacent its first end between the latter and the eyelet;

a second element slideably disposed on the member between the intermediate orifice and the second end of the member;

whereby, when the first gripping element is pushed against the eyelet rapidly up along the helical member from its first end toward its second end, the spinner is caused rapidly to rotate and to assume a global configuration of decreasing axial length until it equals the length of the sleeve.

7. The toy as described in claim 6 wherein the spinner is formed of at least two thin metallic strips with the ends of both strips being secured together by a single eyelet.

8. The toy as described in claim 7 wherein the spinner is formed of a first polyester film strip and a second looped back thin polyester film strip axially displaced and looped interlocking with the first strip, but oppositely mounted on the member so that its eyelet is closer to the second end of the member than to the first end of the member.