Toy mirror with transmissive image mode

• US 5,999,317 A
• Filed: 01/13/1998
• Issued: 12/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Whitney, Leland R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Spyrou, Cassandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Juba, Jr., John
• Application Number:
  US09/006,326
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• Field of Search: 359/487, 359/500, 359/501, 359/839, 359/483, 359/485, 359/489, 359/493, 359/502, 359/900, 40/434, 40/900, 446/219, 446/485, 472/58, 472/63, 362/19, 362/135, 362/141, 351/49
• US Class Current: 359/489.12
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/22 Optical, colour, or shadow toys puzzles with optical elements A63F9/0613; kaleidoscopes G02B27/08
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/28 for polarising used in stereoscopes G02B30/25
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/281 used for attenuating light intensity, e.g. comprising rotatable polarising elements
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/16 involving the use of mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 359/90 Methods
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 40/90 Mirror that has changing effect

Abstract

Toy or novelty including a first polarizer and a second polarizer movable relative to the first polarizer. In a first mode, the first and second polarizers interact to be reflective, and in a second mode, the first and second polarizers is transmissive. The toy may further include an object or image located adjacent the second polarizer, wherein the object or image is viewable through the first and second polarizers in the second mode.

Claims

1. A toy comprising:

a first polarizer;

a second polarizer movable from a first orientation to a second orientation relative to the first polarizer; and

wherein said first polarizer and second polarizer collectively interact to provide a mirror when said first and second polarizer are in said first orientation, and when said first polarizer and said second polarizer are in said second orientation, said first polarizer and said second polarizers are transmissive, such that an object is viewable therethrough.

2. The toy of claim 1, wherein in said second orientation said first polarizer and second polarizer are transparent.

3. The toy of claim 1, further comprising a housing, wherein said first polarizer has a fixed position relative to said housing.

4. The toy of claim 1, wherein said second polarizer is rotatable relative to said first polarizer.

5. The toy of claim 4, wherein said second polarizer is rotatable through a range of at least about 90°

relative to said first polarizer.

6. The toy of claim 5, wherein said second polarizer is rotatable about 90°

relative to said first polarizer.

7. The toy of claim 1, wherein said object is at least one of an image in a translucent material, an image on a translucent material, or a combination thereof.

8. The toy of claim 7, wherein said translucent material is a transparent sheet.

9. The toy of claim 1, wherein said object is an article.

10. The toy of claim 1, wherein said object is fixed relative to said first polarizer.

11. A toy assembly changeable from a light transmissive mode to a reflective mode, the toy assembly comprising:

a first polarizer including a polarizing direction, and an optical axis generally perpendicular to said first polarizer; and

a second polarizer including a polarizing direction, wherein said second polarizer is moveable relative to said optical axis from a first orientation to a second orientation, such that said toy assembly is changeable from a transmissive mode when said first and second polarizers are in the first orientation to a reflective mode, which provides a mirror, in which said polarizers are in the second orientation, and wherein, in said reflective mode, said toy assembly is in optical alignment along said optical axis.

12. The toy of claim 11, further comprising a mechanism coupled to said second polarizer for moving said toy between said reflective mode and said transmissive mode.

13. The toy of claim 11, further wherein said first polarizer is adjacent to said second polarizer.

14. The toy of claim 11, further comprising a generally transparent sheet material including an image thereon.

15. The toy of claim 14, wherein said generally transparent sheet material is adjacent to said second polarizer.

16. The toy of claim 14, further comprising a light source located adjacent to said generally transparent sheet material.

17. The toy of claim 16, wherein said light source is natural light.

18. The toy of claim 16, wherein said generally transparent sheet material is in a fixed position relative to said first polarizer.

19. The toy of claim 11, wherein said first polarizer has a central axis extending therethrough, and wherein said second polarizer is movable relative to said optical axis by rotating said second polarizer about said central axis.

20. The toy of claim 19, wherein said second polarizer is rotatable through a range of at least approximately 90°

.

21. The toy of claim 11, wherein said first polarizer is a multi-layer optical film.

22. The toy of claim 21, wherein said multi-layer optical film is a birefringent film.

23. The toy of claim 21, wherein said multi-layer optical film is capable of being orientated in at least one in-plane direction by stretching said film.

24. A toy mirror having a transmissive mode for viewing an image, said toy mirror comprising:

a mirror frame;

a first polarizer including a polarizing direction, and having a fixed position relative to said frame;

a second polarizer including a polarizing direction, wherein said second polarizer is rotatable about a center axis relative to said first polarizer from a first orientation to a second orientation;

a generally transparent sheet material including an image thereon; and

wherein when said polarizers are in said first orientation, said toy operates as a mirror, such that said image is not viewable through said first and second polarizers, and when said toy mirror is in said transmissive mode, said polarizers are in said second orientation and said image is viewable through said first and second polarizers.

25. The toy mirror of claim 24, further comprising a mechanism coupled to said second polarizer for moving said second polarizer relative to said first polarizer.

26. The toy mirror of claim 24, further comprising a light source located adjacent to said generally transparent sheet material.

27. The toy mirror of claim 24, wherein when said toy mirror is in said reflective mode, said polarizing direction of said first polarizer is crossed relative to said polarizing direction of said second polarizer, and wherein when said toy mirror is in said transmissive mode, said polarizing direction of said first polarizer is in alignment with said polarizing direction of said second polarizer.

28. The toy mirror of claim 24, wherein at least one of said first polarizer or said second polarizer is a multi-layer birefringent film.

29. A method of selectively viewing an image through a toy mirror and viewing a reflection from the toy mirror, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a toy mirror frame;

providing a first polarizer including a polarizing direction, and having a fixed position relative to said frame;

providing a second polarizer located adjacent to said first polarizer, said second polarizer including a polarizing direction;

providing a generally transparent sheet material having a fixed position relative to said first polarizer, said generally transparent sheet material having an image located thereon; and

selectively moving said second polarizer relative to said first polarizer between a reflective mode in which said first polarizer and said second polarizer include a first orientation, and a transmissive image viewing mode in which said first polarizer and said second polarizer include a second orientation, wherein said reflective mode provides a mirror.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said step of moving said first polarizer relative to said second polarizer includes rotating said second polarizer through a range of at least about 90°

from said reflective mode to said transmissive image viewing mode.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein at least one of said first polarizer or said second polarizer is a multi-layer birefringent film.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of backlighting said toy mirror.

33. The method of claim 29, further comprising the steps of:

providing a support stand; and

coupling said toy mirror to said support stand.

34. A toy mirror having a transmissive mode for viewing an image, said toy mirror comprising:

a mirror frame;

a first polarizer including a polarizing direction, and having a fixed position relative to said frame;

a second polarizer including a polarizing direction, wherein said second polarizer is rotatable about a center axis relative to said first polarizer from a first orientation to a second orientation;

a generally transparent sheet material including an image thereon; and

wherein when said polarizers are in said first orientation, said toy operates as a mirror, such that said image is not viewable through said first and second polarizers, and when said toy mirror is in said transmissive mode, said polarizers are in said second orientation and said image is viewable through said first and second polarizers, wherein said first polarizer is located immediately adjacent to said second polarizer when said toy mirror operates as a mirror.