Simulated toy commode

• US 5,252,101 A
• Filed: 01/24/1992
• Issued: 10/12/1993
• 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: Kuralt, Richard B., Rosenwinkel, Donald A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Mickey
• Application Number:
  US07/825,149
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 446/130, 446/267, 446/479, 446/482, 446/481, 446/472, 446/296
• US Class Current: 446/130
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/52 Dolls' houses, furniture or other equipment simulating liquid flow A63H33/3022; Dolls' clothing or footwear

Abstract

An simulated toy commode or potty for dolls including a removeable vessel having clear spaced apart walls defining an annular space. Similar reservoirs are mounted above and below the annular and are in controlled fluid communication with the annular space. A predetermined volume of liquid wholly containable in any one of the annular space or either reservoir is sealed within the vessel. Similar valves control the flow of the liquid between each of the reservoirs and the annular space. The vessel is removeably positionable in a housing that includes a hinged seat carrying an actuator for the upper one of the reservoirs so that upon downward movement of the seat the upper reservoir is emptied into the annular space. A flushing lever carried by the housing is linked to an actuator for the valve of the lower one of the reservoirs so that upon operation of the flushing lever, the liquid is drained from the annular space into the lower one of the reservoirs. The vessel is removed and inverted for another cycle of play.

Claims

1. A simulated toy commode comprising in combination:

a vessel having spaced apart clear walls defining an annular space of a first predetermined volume;

the annular space having opposed ends;

a first annular reservoir mounted in fluid communication with one of the opposed ends of the annular space;

a second annular reservoir mounted in fluid communication with the other of the opposed ends of the annular space;

a first valve associated with the first reservoir for controlling fluid communication between the annular space and the first reservoir;

a second valve associated with the second reservoir for controlling fluid communication between the annular space and the second reservoir;

the first reservoir having a second predetermined volume equal to or greater than the first predetermined volume;

the second reservoir having a third predetermined volume equal to or greater than the first predetermined volume;

a volume of liquid less than or equal to the first predetermined volume contained in the vessel;

a housing removeably receiving the vessel with one of the first or second reservoirs in an upper position and the other of the first or second reservoirs in a lower position;

first means carried by the housing for selectively operating the one of the first or second valves associated with the reservoir in the upper position to effect fluid transfer of the liquid from the reservoir in the upper portion to the annular space;

means providing for closure of the one of the first or second valves associated with the reservoir in the lower position to prevent fluid transfer of the liquid from the annular space to the reservoir in the lower position; and

second means carried by the housing for selectively operating the other of the first or second valves associated with the reservoir in the lower position to effect fluid transfer of the liquid from the annular space to the reservoir in the lower position.

2. The simulated toy commode of claim 1 in which the means providing for closure of the one of the first or second valves associated with the reservoir in the lower portion biases the valve to a closed state.

3. The simulated toy commode of claim 1 in which:

the valves include a moveable magnetic material member; and

each of the first and second valve operating means include a respective magnet for moving the magnetic material member of each of the valves between one of an opened or closed state to the other state upon the magnets being positioned within a certain predetermined distance of the valves.

4. The simulated toy commode of claim 3 in which each of the first and second reservoirs includes a recess proximate the magnetic material member for positioning of either of the magnets.

5. The simulated toy commode of claim 4 in which the recesses cooperate with means carried by the housing for keying the vessel in a particular orientation with respect to the housing.

6. The simulated toy commode of claim 1 including means for keying the vessel in a particular orientation with respect to the housing.

7. The simulated toy commode of claim 1 including:

a seat carried by the housing for pivotal movement toward and away from the one of the first or second reservoirs in the upper position; and

the first means for actuating the valve in the upper one of the first or second reservoirs being carried by the seat.

8. The simulated toy commode of claim 7 in which the seat is biased away from the one of the reservoirs in the upper position.

9. The simulated toy commode of claim 1 including:

a simulated flushing lever carried by the housing;

means engageable with the one of the first or second valves associated with the reservoir in the lower position; and

means linking the flushing lever and the engageable means so that actuation of the flushing lever effects opening of the one valve to effect fluid transfer of the liquid from the annular space into reservoir in the lower position.

10. The simulated toy commode of claim 1 in which each of the first and second reservoirs are substantially opaque.

11. The simulated toy commode of claim 1 in which the second and third predetermined volumes are equal.