Toy with thermochromic material

• US 5,503,583 A
• Filed: 04/14/1995
• Issued: 04/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Hippely, Keith, Barad, Jill E., Papavasiliou, Prodromos, Wood, Larry R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rimell, Sam
• Assistant Examiner(s): MUIR, DAVID N
• Application Number:
  US08/422,632
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• Field of Search: 446/14, 446/100, 446/321, 446/337, 446/390, 446/391, 446/392, 446/395, 446/369, 446/372, 434/98, 434/99, 434/100, 106/21
• US Class Current: 446/14
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/1031 using colour indicators
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 17/26 Details; Accessories drive mechanisms A63H29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/22 Optical, colour, or shadow toys puzzles with optical elements A63F9/0613; kaleidoscopes G02B27/08

Abstract

A toy painted with paint containing thermochromic material which changes color as the temperature of the toy varies. Selected portions of the toy may be painted with the thermochromic material to provide a variety of patterns, designs, numbers, letters or other indicia which change color in response to temperature variations. In addition, different portions of the toy may be painted with different paints containing different colored thermochromic materials.

Claims

1. A toy car comprising a toy car having at least one portion of said toy car body coated with thermochromic paint including thermochromic material coated to said toy car body capable of changing color due to temperature variation of said toy car body, said thermochromic paint having an initial color, said toy car body having at least another portion thereof colored with a non-thermochromic material having a particular color which combines with said initial color of said thermochromic paint to present an initial appearance for said toy car body, said thermochromic paint for changing said initial appearance to a substantially different appearance by changing said initial color in response to said temperature variation of said toy car body and for combining with said particular color to provide said substantially different appearance.

2. The toy car of claim 1 wherein said thermochromic paint is capable of changing color from said initial color at a first temperature to a second color at a second temperature so that said second color substantially matches said particular color of said non-thermochromic material at said second temperature.

3. The toy car of claim 1 wherein said thermochromic paint is capable of changing color from said initial color at a first temperature to a second color at a second temperature so that said second color is different than said particular color of said non-thermochromic material at said second temperature.

4. The toy car of claim 1 wherein said non-thermochromic material is screen printing ink.

5. The toy car of claim 1 wherein said car body has an additional portion thereof colored with another non-thermochromic material having another particular color, said thermochromic paint capable of changing color from said initial color at a first temperature to a second color at a second temperature so that said second color substantially matches said particular color of said non-thermochromic material at said second temperature and is different than said another particular color of said another non-thermochromic material at said second temperature.

6. A toy doll having an initial appearance comprising at least one nonfabric doll part having an initial appearance resulting from different outside surface portions of said doll part being coated with thermochromic paint means having an initial color, said thermochromic paint means for changing said initial appearance of said doll without the need to move said doll part by changing said initial appearance of said doll part and said initial color in response to temperature variation of said doll part in order to cause said outside surface portions to change color and to provide simulated doll features and enhancement areas on said doll part, said thermochromic paint means including thermochromic material coated to said outside surface portions capable of changing color due to said temperature variation.

7. The toy doll of claim 6 wherein said part is made out of plastic.

8. The toy doll of claim 6 wherein said portions of said part coated with said thermochromic paint means form a design.

9. The toy doll of claim 6 wherein said portions of said part coated with said thermochromic paint means form letters.

10. The toy doll of claim 6 wherein said portions of said part coated with said thermochromic paint means form numbers.

11. The toy doll of claim 6 wherein said doll has fingernails, said portions of said part coated with said thermochromic paint means being said fingernails.

12. The toy doll of claim 6 wherein said part is a head of said doll, said head having eyes, cheeks, and lips, said portions of said head coated with said thermochromic paint means including said lips, areas at said cheeks, areas above said eyes, and an area on said head representing a beauty mark.

13. The toy doll of claim 6 wherein said part is a head of a doll, said head having eyes, eyebrows and eyelashes, said portions of said head coated with said thermochromic paint means including said eyebrows, eyelashes and eyes.

14. The toy doll of claim 6 wherein said thermochromic material is capable of changing color from a colored opaque material to a transparent material and of changing color from a transparent material to a colored opaque material.

15. A toy doll having an initial appearance comprising at least one nonfabric doll part having an initial appearance resulting from a first outside surface portion thereof being coated with a first thermochromic paint means including a first thermochromic material coated to said first outside surface portion and a second outside surface portion thereof being coated with second thermochromic paint means including a second thermochromic material different from said first thermochromic material coated to said second outside surface portion, said first and second thermochromic materials being capable of changing color from a first color at a first temperature to a second color at a second temperature, said first and second thermochromic paint means for changing said initial appearance of said doll without the need to move said doll part by changing said initial appearance of said doll part and said first color of said first and second thermochromic materials to said second color in response to temperature variation of said doll part in order to cause said first and second outside surface portions to change color and to provide simulated doll features and enhancement areas on said doll part.

16. The toy doll of claim 15 wherein said first and second thermochromic materials have different first colors.

17. The toy doll of claim 16 wherein said first and second thermochromic materials change color to different second colors at about the same second temperature.

18. The toy doll of claim 16 wherein said first and second thermochromic materials change color to different second colors at different second temperatures.

19. The toy doll of claim 15 wherein said first and second thermochromic materials are capable of changing color from colored opaque materials to transparent materials and of changing color from transparent materials to colored opaque materials.

20. The toy doll of claim 15 wherein said first and second thermochromic materials have the same first color.

21. The toy doll of claim 20 wherein said first and second thermochromic materials change color to different second colors at about the same second temperature.

22. The toy doll of claim 20 wherein said first and second thermochromic materials change color to different second colors at different second temperatures.

23. A toy doll having an initial appearance comprising at least one nonfabric doll part having an initial appearance resulting from different outside surface portions of said doll part being coated with thermochromic paint means having an initial color, said thermochromic paint means for changing said initial appearance of said doll without the need to move said doll part by changing said initial appearance of said doll part and said initial color in response to temperature variation of said doll part in order to cause said outside surface portions to change color and to provide simulated doll features and enhancement areas on said doll part, said thermochromic paint means including thermochromic material coated to said outside surface portions capable of changing color due to said temperature variation, and said doll having lips and fingernails coated with said thermochromic paint.

24. A toy doll having an initial appearance comprising at least one nonfabric doll part having an initial appearance resulting from a first outside surface portion thereof being coated with a first thermochromic paint means including a first thermochromic material coated to said first outside surface portion and a second outside surface portion thereof being coated with second thermochromic paint means including a second thermochromic material different from said first thermochromic material coated to said second outside surface portion, said first and second thermochromic materials being capable of changing color from a first color at a first temperature to a second color at a second temperature, said first and second thermochromic paint means for changing said initial appearance of said doll without the need to move said doll part by changing said initial appearance of said doll part and said first color of said first and second thermochromic materials to said second color in response to temperature variation of said doll part in order to cause said first and second outside surface portions to change color and to provide simulated doll features and enhancement areas on said doll part, and said first and second thermochromic materials changing colors at different temperature.