Compact motion mechanism for an animated doll

• US 6,793,553 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2002
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Willett, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Banks, Derris H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABDELWAHED, ALI F
• Application Number:
  US10/075,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20020111112A1
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 446/300, 446/301, 446/268, 446/337, 446/338, 446/342, 446/343, 446/344, 446/345, 446/346, 446/384, 446/391, 446/392, 446/395, 446/330
• US Class Current: 446/330
• 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 3/40 movable

Abstract

A tiny articulation eye and mouth (facial-expression structures) opening and closing structure installable in the hollow interior of a doll head, and utilizing a single, upright-axis motor, and a rotary, co-axial, stepped-diameter drive drum which is rotated by the motor. Circumferential drive tracks formed on the outside of the drum drive followers and actuation which directly impart opening and closing motions in the doll head'"'"'s eyes and mouth.

Claims

1. An animated toy doll comprising:

a hollow doll head component,

a first, changeable-position, movable facial-expression structure movably mounted on said head component,

a second, changeable-position, movable facial-expression structure movably mounted on said head component, and

a single, shared, rotary drive device rotatably disposed within said head component and operatively drivably connected to said facial-expression structures, whereby rotation of this device produces defined, coordinated, related, respective position-changing motions in said structures;

wherein said-drive device includes a plurality of cylindrical elements, operatively connected and configured in a co-axial relationship, said first changeable-position, movable facial-expression structure operatively drivably connected to one of said cylindrical elements, and said second changeable-position, movable facial-expression structure operatively drivably connected to a second cylindrical element.

2. The doll of claim 1, wherein said facial-expression structures are mounted an said head component for bidirectional reciprocation.

3. The doll of claim 1, wherein said cylindrical elements form axially-spaced portions of a unitary drum.

4. The doll of claim 1, wherein said facial-expression structures are generally vertically reciprocable, and said drive device is supported for rotation about an upright axis.

5. The doll of claim 4 which further includes a single, selectively power-operated drive motor disposed within said head component and drivingly connected to said drive device, operable to rotate the device.

6. The doll of claim 1 which further includes a single, selectively power-operated drive motor disposed within said head component and drivingly connected to said drive device, operable to rotate the device.

7. An animated toy doll comprising a hollow doll head component, generally vertically reciprocable, openable and closable eye and mouth structures movably mounted on said head component, a single, shared, rotary drive device rotatably disposed within said head component and operatively, drivably connected to said eye and mouth structures, whereby rotation of this device produces defined, coordinated, related, respective opening and closing motions in the eye and mouth structures, and a single, selectively power-operated drive motor disposed within said head component and drivingly connected to said drive device, operable to rotate said device;

wherein said drive device includes a substantially elongate, upright-axis, cylindrical body having upper and lower cylindrical ends, which body has an axial length and is mounted within the head component for rotation about its upright long axis, and a pair of elongate, motion-promoting, substantially circumferential drive tracks formed, one each, on an outside of a different one of said ends, with each track being an associated track operatively associated with a different one of said eye and mouth structures.

8. The doll of claim 7, wherein each track, progressing therealong circumferentially about its associated cylindrical body end, is at least partially defined by adjacent track regions that are characterized by having different longitudinal positions relative to the axial length of said body.

9. The doll of claim 8, wherein said tracks are circumferentially continuous, and closed-loop in character.

10. The doll of claim 9 which further includes two pivoted actuators, one operatively connected to and for each of said eye and mouth structures, and the actuator for each associated eye or mouth structure provides, at least in part, operative driving connection between that associated structure and the associated track in said rotary drive device.

11. The doll of claim 10, wherein the actuator associated with each of said eye and mouth structures includes a track follower which is drivingly engaged with the associated track.

12. An animated toy doll comprising a hollow doll head component, generally vertically reciprocable, openable and closable eye and mouth structures movably mounted on said head component, and a single, shared, rotary drive device rotatably disposed within said head component and operatively, drivably connected to said eye and mouth structures, whereby rotation of this device produces defined, coordinated, related, respective opening and closing motions in the eye and mouth structures;

wherein said drive device includes a substantially elongate, upright-axis, cylindrical body having upper and lower cylindrical ends, each end having an outside, which body has an axial length and is mounted within the head component for rotation about its upright long axis, and a pair of elongate, motion-promoting, substantially circumferential drive tracks formed, one each, on the outside of a different one of said ends, with each track being an associated track operatively associated with a different one of said eye and mouth structures.

13. The doll of claim 12, wherein each track, progressing therealong circumferentially about its associated cylindrical body end, is at least partially defined by adjacent track regions that are characterized by having different longitudinal positions relative to the axial length of said body.

14. The doll of claim 13, wherein said tracks are circumferentially continuous, and closed-loop in character.

15. The doll of claim A which further includes two pivoted actuators, one operatively connected to and for each of said eye and mouth structures, and the actuator for each associated eye or mouth structure provides, at least in part, an operative driving connection between that associated structure and the associated track in said rotary drive device.

16. The doll of claim 15, wherein the actuator associated with each of said eye and mouth structures includes a track follower which is drivingly engaged with the associated track.

17. An animated toy doll comprising:

a hollow doll head component,

generally vertically reciprocable, openable and closable eye and mouth structures

movably mounted on said head component, and

a single, shared, rotary drive device rotatably disposed within said head component and operatively, drivably connected to said eve and mouth structures, whereby rotation of this device produces defined, coordinated, related, respective opening and closing motions in the eye and mouth structures;

wherein said drive device is configured to produce, with its rotation, a pattern of related eye and mouth openings and closings in plural, successive, cyclic phases, including both (a) phases in which one only of the eye or mouth structures is shifting in some manner between open and closed conditions, while the other structure retains a non-changing condition, and (b) phases in which both eye and mouth structures retain non-changing conditions.

18. The doll of claim 17, wherein said drive device is specifically configured, whereby a motion in either direction between an open and a closed condition is permitted for only one of said eye and mouth structures at a time.

19. The doll of claim 17, wherein said drive device is specifically configured, whereby each phase that involves any motion of one of said eye and mouth structures in some manner between open and closed conditions is followed by a next-successive phase which involves no such motion in either of these structures, and vice-versa.