Toy with changing facial expression

• US 5,902,169 A
• Filed: 12/17/1997
• Issued: 05/11/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dah Yang Toy Industrial Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Dah Yang Toy Industrial Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamakawa, Kazumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fernstrom, Kurt
• Application Number:
  US08/992,160
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: 446/337, 446/338, 446/321, 446/340
• US Class Current: 446/338
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/365 allowing a choice of facial features, e.g. to change the facial expression change of expression through animation A63H3/48, self-moving A63H13/005; movable eyes A63H3/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/48 Mounting of parts within dolls, e.g. automatic eyes or parts for animation self-moving A63H13/00

Abstract

A toy has a changing facial expression and includes a hollow toy body with a torso section and a head section on the torso section. The head section has a front side formed with a face opening. The torso section is provided with a pair of forwardly extending arms that are mounted pivotally on two sides thereof. The arms have distal ends that hold a shielding member therebetween, and are pivotable on the torso section between a lowered position, where the shielding member uncovers the face opening, and a raised position, where the shielding member extends across the face opening to cover the face opening. A face member is disposed rotatably in the head section of the toy body and is formed with at least two face sections. The face member can be rotated to move a previous one of the face sections from alignment with the face opening and register another one of the face sections with the face opening when the arms are in the raised position.

Claims

1. A toy with changing facial expression, comprising:

a hollow toy body having a torso section and a head section on said torso section, said head section having a front side formed with a face opening, said torso section being provided with a pair of forwardly extending arms that are mounted pivotally on two sides of said torso section, said arms having distal ends that hold a shielding member therebetween, and being pivotable on said torso section between a lowered position, where said shielding member uncovers said face opening, and a raised position, where said shielding member extends across said face opening to cover said face opening;

means, provided in said torso section and coupled to said arms, for moving said arms from said lowered position to said raised position, and from said raised position back to said lowered position;

a face member disposed rotatably in said head section of said toy body and formed with at least two face sections; and

means, provided in said toy body and connected to said face member, for rotating said face member to move a previous one of said face sections from alignment with said face opening and register another one of said face sections with said face opening only when said arms are in said raised position.

2. The toy as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for locking said face member in said toy body to prevent rotation of said face member relative to said toy body when said arms are in said lowered position.

3. The toy as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for automatically activating said means for moving said arms and rotating said face member.

4. The toy as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means, provided in said toy body and connected to said face member, for retracting said face member inwardly from said face opening prior to rotating said face member, and for moving said face member outwardly toward said face opening subsequent to rotating said face member so that said face section protrudes from said face opening.

5. The toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for rotating said face member registers said face sections with said face opening in a random order.

6. The toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said face member has three face sections.

7. A toy with changing facial expression, comprising:

a hollow toy body having a torso section and a head section on said torso section, said head section having a front side formed with a face opening, said torso section being provided with a pair of forwardly extending arms that are mounted pivotally on two sides of said torso section, said arms having distal ends that hold a shielding member therebetween, and being pivotable on said torso section between a lowered position, where said shielding member uncovers said face opening, and a raised position, where said shielding member extends across said face opening to cover said face opening;

an inner casing disposed in said toy body and having top and bottom portions;

a circuit unit including a control circuit and a motor mounted on said bottom portion of said inner casing and connected electrically to said control circuit;

a drive mechanism including

a main shaft disposed horizontally in said inner casing and mounted rotatably to said inner casing, said main shaft being coupled to said motor for axial rotation of said main shaft when said motor is activated by said control circuit, said main shaft having an arm control cam member and a face changing control cam member mounted thereon,

a horizontal arm pivoting shaft mounted rotatably on said inner casing below said main shaft, said arm pivoting shaft having opposite ends that extend out of said inner casing and that have said arms of said toy body connected respectively thereto,

an elongate control plate mounted securely on said arm pivoting shaft for co-rotation therewith, said control plate having upper and lower ends, and

an arm control spring interconnecting said lower end of said control plate and said inner casing for biasing said control plate to rotate said arm pivoting shaft and pivot said arms from said lowered position to said raised position,

said arm control cam member pressing against said upper end of said control plate during rotation of said main shaft to rotate said control plate and pivot said arms from said raised position to said lowered position against action of said arm control spring, and disengaging said upper end of said control plate to pivot said arms from said lowered position to said raised position due to the action of said arm control spring;

a hollow face member sleeved rotatably on said top portion of said inner casing and disposed in said head section of said toy body, said face member being formed with at least two face sections; and

a face changing mechanism including

an upright rotary shaft mounted rotatably on said inner casing and having an upper end which extends through said inner casing and which is connected to said face member for rotating said face member therewith, said rotary shaft further having a lower end provided with a transmission gear, and

a clutch unit mounted on said inner casing and operable in an engaging mode, where said clutch unit couples said motor and said transmission gear such that rotation of said motor results in corresponding rotation of said rotary shaft, and a disengaging mode, where said clutch unit disengages said transmission gear from said motor to prevent said motor from driving rotatably said rotary shaft,

said face changing control cam member operating said clutch unit in said engaging mode during rotation of said main shaft to rotate said face member so as to move a previous one of said face sections from alignment with said face opening and register another one of said face sections with said face opening while said arms are in said raised position, and in said disengaging mode to stop rotation of said face member by said motor when said arms are in said lowered position so that said another one of said face sections is visible from said face opening.

8. The toy as claimed in claim 7, wherein:

said main shaft further has a locking control cam member mounted thereon;

said rotary shaft being formed with at least two angularly spaced locking grooves that correspond respectively to said face sections on said face member;

said face changing mechanism further including

a locking plate retained pivotally in said inner casing on one side of said rotary shaft, said locking plate being provided with a locking projection for engaging one of said locking grooves to arrest rotation of said face member relative to said inner casing when said arms are in said lowered position,

a locking control spring having one end connected to said locking plate and an opposite end connected to said inner casing to bias said locking plate toward said rotary shaft for secure engagement between said locking projection and said rotary shaft, and

a control arm mounted pivotally on said inner casing and having an upper end connected pivotally to said locking plate, and a lower end,

said locking control cam member abutting against said lower end of said control arm during rotation of said main shaft to pivot said control arm and move said locking plate away from said rotary shaft against action of said locking control spring to permit rotation of said rotary shaft when said arms are moved to said raised position, and disengaging said lower end of said control arm to permit movement of said locking plate toward said rotary shaft due to the action of said locking control spring when said arms are moved to said lowered position.

9. The toy as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

said rotary shaft is formed with at least two radial projections that correspond to said face sections, that are spaced apart in an axial direction of said rotary shaft, and that are angularly spaced apart on said rotary shaft;

said locking plate having at least two sound select contacts corresponding to said radial projections provided thereon and connected electrically to said control circuit, one of said sound select contacts being contacted by a corresponding one of said radial projections when said locking projection engages one of said locking grooves;

said circuit unit further including a speaker mounted to said bottom portion of said inner casing and connected electrically to and controlled by said control circuit so as to generate an audible sound output corresponding to the contacted one of said sound select contacts.

10. The toy as claimed in claim 8, wherein said rotary shaft further has at least two guide plates, each of which projects radially from said rotary shaft and is disposed between a corresponding adjacent pair of said locking grooves to guide engagement between said locking projection and said rotary shaft.

11. The toy as claimed in claim 7, wherein said bottom portion of said inner casing is mounted pivotally in said torso section of said toy body for forward and rearward pivoting movement relative thereto, said toy further comprising a casing control spring which interconnects said inner casing and said toy body to bias said inner casing to pivot forwardly and enable said face sections of said face member to protrude out of said face opening when registered with said face opening, said torso section being further provided with a wedge therein, said main shaft further having a casing control cam member mounted thereon, said casing control cam member abutting against said wedge during rotation of said main shaft to pivot said inner casing rearwardly in said toy body and retract said face sections inwardly of said face opening against action of said casing control spring in order to minimize friction between said face member and said toy body when said face member rotates, and disengaging said wedge to permit forward pivoting movement of said inner casing due to the action of said casing control spring when said arms are moved to said lowered position.

12. The toy as claimed in claim 7, wherein said circuit unit further includes a light sensing unit mounted on said toy body and connected electrically to said control circuit to permit activation of said motor by said control circuit upon detection of a change in light intensity.

13. The toy as claimed in claim 12, wherein said circuit unit further includes a circuit contact set mounted on said inner casing and connected electrically to said control circuit to permit deactivation of said motor by said control circuit when said circuit contact set is depressed, said main shaft further having a cycle control cam member mounted thereon for depressing said circuit contact set upon completion by said main shaft of one cycle of rotation.