Plush animal figure having moving ears and nose

• US 6,371,826 B1
• Filed: 08/04/2000
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Pestonji, Danny
• Primary Examiner(s): Ackun, Jr., Jacob K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Francis, Faye
• Application Number:
  US09/633,028
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 446/297, 446/298, 446/300, 446/301, 446/330, 446/337, 446/339, 446/340, 446/352, 446/353, 446/369, 446/370, 446/371, 446/372
• US Class Current: 446/337
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 13/005 with self-moving head or facial features with a choice of features A63H3/365; 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 plush toy animal figure defines a shape corresponding to a fanciful four-legged animal having a pair of elongated ears and a large head and nose. A movement mechanism supported within the plush animal figure includes a battery-powered motor drive and gear apparatus which is operatively coupled to a pair of elongated rigid ear paddles within each of the figures ears. A third paddle is supported within the head and nose of the figure and is operatively coupled to the gear drive. A pair of cams are moved by the drive mechanism and are used to actuate a pair of reversing switches. The reversing switches produce a reversal of drive motor direction each time they are actuated. The cams are positioned such that they alternate the actuation of their respective reversing switches. As a result, the motor is reversed when the ears and nose of the figure reach their upper and lower points of pivotal movement.

Claims

1. A plush toy comprising:

a plush animal body having a head, a pair of ears, a nose, a torso and a plurality of legs;

a pair of elongated ear paddles within said ears, each of said ear paddle having an interior ear paddle end;

an elongated nose paddle extending through said head and into said nose, said nose paddle defining a nose paddle interior end;

a pair of ear paddle supports coupled to said interior ear paddle ends pivotably supporting said pair of ears for movement between raised and lowered ear positons;

a nose paddle support coupled to said nose paddle interior end pivotably supporting said nose paddle between a raised position and a lowered position;

a housing supported within said torso supporting said pair of ear paddle supports and said nose paddle support;

a battery supply and reversible motor supported within said housing and a gear drive operatively coupling said reversible motor to said nose paddle support and said pair of ear paddle supports moving said ear paddles and said nose paddle between said respective raised and lowered ear positions and said raised and lowered nose position;

a pair of reversing switches supported within said housing operative in response to movement of said pair of ear supports to reverse said motor at said raised and lowered ear positions; and

a switch within said plush animal body actuated in response pressure to energize said motor.

2. The plush animal toy set forth in claim 1 wherein said housing includes a sound circuit and audio transducer providing audible sound in response to actuation of said switch.

3. The plush animal toy set forth in claim 2 wherein said pair of ear paddle supports each include a rotatable gear joined to one of said ear paddles and a pair of drive gears each including a cam for said actuation of one of said reversing switches and each coupled to said rotatable gears.

4. The plush animal toy set forth in claim 3 wherein said nose paddle support includes a sector gear coupled to said gear drive and a sector gear shaft joined to and rotatably supporting said sector gear having opposed ends joined to said drive gears.