Ambulatory doll

• US 5,224,896 A
• Filed: 01/24/1992
• Issued: 07/06/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Breslow Morrison Terzian & Associates Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Breslow Morrison Terzian & Associates Incorporated
• Inventors: Terzian, Rouben T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RIMELL, SAMUEL G
• Application Number:
  US07/825,153
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 446/268, 446/297, 446/298, 446/300, 446/303, 446/324, 446/330, 446/333, 446/334, 446/335, 446/352, 446/353, 446/354, 446/355, 446/356, 446/376, 446/377, 446/384, 446/390 , 446/391, 446/489, 40/418, 40/420
• US Class Current: 446/355
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 11/18 Figure toys which perform a realistic walking motion

Abstract

A motorized, self supporting ambulatory doll having pivoting foot or ankle, knee and hip joints with internal hidden parallelogram linkages driving the legs in a realistic articulation as the doll walks or jogs. In addition, the doll'"'"'s torso, head and arms pivot in cooperation and synchronization with the movement of the legs to enhance the realism of the movement of the doll. Two speed operation of the doll provides for selective walking or jogging operation and electronic speech is coordinated with the selected speed.

Claims

1. An ambulatory doll comprising in combination:

a torso having an upper neck and shoulder end and a lower pelvic and hip end;

a head carried by the torso adjacent the upper neck and shoulder end;

a pair of arms carried by the torso adjacent the upper neck and shoulder end;

a pair of legs carried by the torso adjacent the lower pelvic and hip end;

each of the legs being carried for pivotal movement relative to the torso and for alternating pivotal, generally one hundred eighty degrees out of phase, movement relative to other of the pair of legs;

a motor carried by the torso;

the motor having a rotary output;

means for transmitting the rotary output of the motor into the alternating pivotal movement of each of the pair of legs;

each of the legs having an upper thigh portion, an intermediate calf portion and a lower shoe portion;

each of the upper thigh portions and intermediate calf portions being substantially hollow;

the upper thigh portion and the intermediate calf portion of each of the legs being connected for relative pivotal movement with respect to each other;

a shoe portion carried adjacent an end of the calf portion opposite the pivotal connection to the thigh portion;

a parallelogram linkage, including a first elongated member and a second elongated member, for each of the pair of legs;

each elongated member having an upper end and a lower end;

the upper end of each of the first elongated member being mounted for pivotal movement about a respective first axis;

the upper end of each of the second elongated members in the parallelogram linkage being mounted for pivotal movement about a respective second spaced apart axis;

the lower end of each of the first elongated members being connected to a respective shoe portion for pivotal movement about respective third axis;

the lower end of each of the second elongated members being connected to a respective shoe portion about a respective fourth axis;

means for transferring pivotal movement of one of the first or second elongated members to the respective pivotal movement of the leg about the first or second axis; and

the parallelogram linkage for each leg being carried within the substantially hollow upper thigh portion and intermediate calf portion without preventing the relative pivotal movement of the calf portion with respect to the thigh portion.

2. The ambulatory doll of claim 1 in which at least a portion of one of the first or second elongated members of a parallelogram linkage is received for movement within the other of the first or second elongated members.

3. The ambulatory doll of claim 2 in which:

the one of the first or second elongated members of a parallelogram linkage into which the other of the elongated members is received includes a generally "Z" shaped channel;

the other of the elongated members includes a "Z" shaped portion that is received in the "Z" shaped channel;

the "Z" shaped channel includes a pair of spaced apart, generally parallel channels connected by an intersecting intermediate channel;

the "Z" shaped portion includes a pair of spaced apart generally parallel portions connected by an intersecting intermediate portion; and

the intermediate portion of the channel is wider than the intermediate portion of the other elongated member that is received in the "Z" shaped channel.

4. The ambulatory doll of claim 1 in which each of the first and second elongated members is generally "Z" shaped.

5. The ambulatory doll of claim 4 in which the generally "Z" shaped member includes a pair or spaced apart, generally parallel portions connected by an intersecting intermediate portion.

6. The ambulatory doll of claim 1 including means mounting the head for side to side pivotal movement with respect to the torso.

7. The ambulatory doll of claim 6 including means mounting each of the arms for pivotal movement relative to the torso generally about an axis extending from one side of the torso to the other.

8. The ambulatory doll of claim 7 including means for driving the pivotal movement of each of the arms in coordination with the pivotal movement of the legs.

9. The ambulatory doll of claim 8 in which the means for driving the pivotal movement of the arm is drivingly connected to the movement of the head.

10. The ambulatory doll of claim 1 including means for operating the motor at different selected speeds.

11. The ambulatory doll of claim 1 including means for electronic speech.

12. The ambulatory doll of claim 11 including:

means for operating the motor at different selected speeds; and

means for coordinating the means for electronic speech with the selected speed.