Toy figure having movable limb members

• US 4,274,224 A
• Filed: 11/17/1978
• Issued: 06/23/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kenner Parker Toys, Inc. (Hasbro Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CPG Products Corporation
• Inventors: Langton, Hubert A., Pugh, William A. G., Mansell, Peter B., Brechin, Robert, Edmunds, Robert I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancene, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foycik, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US05/961,450
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 46/161, 46/173, 46/115-120, 46/151, 46/162, 46/163
• US Class Current: 446/375
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/16 made of parts that can be put together facial parts only A63H3/365
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/46 Connections for limbs

Abstract

An articulated toy figure or doll having a torso with limb members attached to it which are readily movable. A skeletal structure is provided for one or more of the limb members, which enables the limb member to be connected to the torso or another limb member, for movement relative thereto. The leg members of the toy figure are connected to the torso by a hip joint in such a manner that such leg members are swingably movable relative to each other, as well as relative to the torso.

Claims

1. An articulated toy figure having a torso and at least one limb member connected to said torso for movement relative thereto, a skeletal structure for said limb member, said skeletal structure comprising first and second elements, said first element including an elongate tubular member having first and second ends, a first jointing portion formed at a first end thereof, said first jointing portion including a slot whose general plane is parallel to the length of said first element, for the rotatable reception of another jointing portion in the form of a tongue, said first jointing portion being substantially ball-shaped with a diametric slot, said second element including an elongate member a first end of which is insertable into the second end of the tubular member, said elongate member being axially rotatable relative to said tubular member, means for preventing said second element from being withdrawable relative to said tubular member, and a second jointing portion being formed at the second end of said second element, said second jointing portion on said second element being a tongue whose general plane is parallel to the length of the element, for rotatable reception in a slot of another jointing portion, said tongue being disc-shaped and having a pair of oppositely extending axial pivot pins for rotatable reception in complementary apertures in the opposite walls of said slot.

7. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first element is formed with internal abutment means for engagement with said second element so as to prevent withdrawal of the latter.

8. A structure as claimed in claim 7, wherein said abutment means comprises an internal shoulder, and the second element is formed with a mating external shoulder on a resiliently laterally depressible portion thereof, which is depressed to insert the second element into the first element and then automatically snaps into engagement with the shoulder on said first element once it has passed the latter.

9. A structure as claimed in claim 8, wherein said internal shoulder of said first element is annular, and a pair of diametrically opposed mating shoulders are formed on the second element.

10. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the skeletal structure is encased in an outer tubular shell formed to the desired outward shape of the limb member.

11. A limb member as claimed in claim 10, wherein said shell is frictionally connected to the torso or another limb member.

12. A toy figure as claimed in claim 1, which is a human figure and in which each upper arm, each forearm, and each lower leg are formed by such limb members.

2. An articulated toy figure having a torso and at least one limb member connected to said torso for movement relative thereto, a skeletal structure for said limb member, said skeletal structure comprising first and second elements, said first element including an elongate tubular member having first and second ends, a first jointing portion formed at a first end thereof, said second element including an elongate member a first end of which is insertable into the second end of the tubular member, said elongate member being axially rotatable relative to said tubular member, means for preventing said second element from being withdrawable relative to said tubular member, a second jointing portion being formed at the second end of said second element, at least one upper leg member and means for connecting said leg member to the bottom portion of the torso for swinging movement relative thereto, said leg member provided with a hollow part-spherical top end portion formed with an elongate slot in its wall, said connecting means including a Y-shaped leg mounting member having a pair of elongate connecting arms, a mounting element carried by each connecting arm, one of said arms extending through the elongated slot and being movable along said slot to permit swinging movement of the leg member relative to the torso, said mounting element having a part-spherical surface and being positioned within the part-spherical end portion of the leg member whereby said part-spherical surface makes a rotary sliding fit inside said end portion of the leg member, and means for mounting said Y-shaped leg mounting member within the lower portion of the torso.

6. A toy figure as claimed in claim 2, wherein said Y-shaped leg mounting member comprises a unitary spider for mounting a pair of legs of the toy figure, a trunk portion, means for positioning the lower portion of the torso within said trunk portion, and means for positioning the upper leg member in said trunk portion.

13. A toy figure as claimed in claim 2, wherein said top end portion of the upper leg member comprises a terminal hemispherical portion formed with said slot, said portion being rotatably mounted on the leg member for rotation about the longitudinal axis of the latter.

14. A toy figure as claimed in claim 13, wherein said slot extends in a plane containing said longitudinal axis.

15. A toy figure as claimed in claim 2, wherein said slot extends over an arc of about 90°

downwardly from the top end of the leg member.

16. A toy figure as claimed in claim 2, wherein said mounting element is substantially disc-shaped with a part-spherical edge surface.

3. An articulated toy figure having a torso and at least one limb member connected to said torso for movement relative thereto, a skeletal structure for said limb member, said skeletal structure comprising first and second elements, said first element including an elongate tubular member having first and second ends, a first jointing portion formed at a first end thereof, said second element including an elongate member a first end of which is insertable into the second end of the tubular member, said elongate member being axially rotatable relative to said tubular member, means for preventing said second element from being withdrawable relative to said tubular member, a second jointing portion being formed at the second end of said second element, a trunk portion, means for positioning a lower portion of the torso within said trunk portion, at least one leg member and means for connecting said leg member to said trunk portion for movement relative thereto, said connecting means including a leg mounting member having at least one elongate connecting arm, means for mounting said leg mounting member within the lower portion of the torso, said elongate connecting arm provided with means for engaging the upper portion of said leg member whereby said leg member is swingably connected to said torso.

4. A hip joint for a toy figure having a torso comprising an upper leg member and means for connecting said leg member to said torso for swinging movement relative thereto, said leg member provided with a hollow part-spherical top end portion formed with an elongate slot in its wall, said top end portion of said upper leg member comprising a terminal hemispherical portion formed with said slot, said portion being rotatably mounted on the leg member for rotation about the longitudinal axis of the latter, said slot extending in a plane containing said longitudinal axis, and said slot extending over an arc of about 90°

downwardly from the top end of said leg member, said connecting means including a Y-shaped spider having a pair of elongate connecting arms, a mounting element carried by each connecting arm, one of said arms extending through the elongated slot and being movable along said slot to permit swinging movement of the leg member relative to the torso, said mounting element being substantially disc-shaped with a part-spherical edge surface and being positioned within the part-spherical end portion whereby said part-spherical edge surface makes a rotary sliding fit inside said end portion of the leg member, and means for mounting said Y-shaped spider within the lower portion of the torso.

5. A hip joint for a toy figure having a torso comprising an upper leg member and means for connecting said leg member to said torso for swinging movement relative thereto, said leg member provided with a hollow part-spherical top end portion formed with an elongate slot in its wall, said connecting means including a Y-shaped spider having a pair of elongate connecting arms, a mounting element carried by each connecting arm, one of said arms extending through the elongated slot and being movable along said slot to permit swinging movement of the leg member relative to the torso, said mounting element having a part-spherical surface and being positioned within the part-spherical end portion whereby said part-spherical surface makes a rotary sliding fit inside said end portion of the leg member, a substantially cylindrical shell, means for rotatably mounting said cylindrical shell in the torso, and means for mounting said Y-shaped spider within the lower portion of the cylindrical shell.