US1770455A - Mechanically-operated figure toy - Google Patents

Description

y 0- s. I. BERGER I MECHANICALLY OPERATED FIGURE TOY 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed April 18, 1927 amounted I TWMZBeIye/ ammo/5p @h jiw J /LAJ July 15,:

S.- l. BERGER .MEGHANICALLY OPERATED FIGURE TOY Filed April 18. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gvwentoz e drummer. 7

player is preferablysecured rigidly to the Patented July 15, 1930 marine stares SAMUEL I. BERGER, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY MECHANICALLY-O'PERATED- FIGURE TOY Application filed April 13,

My present invention relates to mechanical toys, and has a specific application to a toy representing a jazz band.

It is an object of the invention to provide 5 a mechanical toy of the above type of simple construction readily manufactured, in quantity production at small expense, and which in operation will realistically simulate the action which it represents.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of the various'embodiments of the several features of the invention, Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of the toy, Fig. 2 is a rear elevation with the rear plate removed, Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are views in longi tudinal section on the respective lines of Fig.

2, and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the inverted device with the bottom removed.

In the drawings 1 have shown an elongated sheet metal casing 10 representinga front wall including a benchior seat 11, end walls "12, a rear wall 13, a bottom wall or floor 14, and a top-wall 15. Upon the bench I have shown. seated illustratively five musicians, the legs and bodies 16 of themusicians being embossed outward from the casing by the forming die operation and being unitarytherewith. The heads 18 of the figures preferably extend through corresponding oval openingsl'? near the upper end of the casing. Each of. said heads is formed unitary with a support yoke 19, which has a pintle or pin 20 transversely therethrough' carried by corresponding instruck tongues21 stamped from the front of the casing. 7

Each of thefigures also is provided with at least one movable arm, the two figures at 7 the extreme right illustratively having both of their arms movable. Each of the arms is pivoted on a pin 22 in front of the casing about which it'moves in operation.

Illustratively the five figures represent respectively, from left to right, a violinist, a saxophonist, a banjoist, a'cornetist, and a The violin 25 of the left hand body by soldering or otherwise, and to the right arm 26 of the performer. The bow 27 of the violinist is formed as a rigid part of 50 the right arm. The violin 25 is preferably 1927. Serial No. 184,570.

slit longitudinally at the string forming part to form a bridge 28 under which the bow 27 extends and by which it is retained in position, substantially as in my prior Patent No. 1,607,231 ofNovember 16, 1926.

The saxophonist includes a saxophone forming part 29, the mouth end of which extends loosely through a corresponding opening 30 in the mouth of the figure and is enlarged at its'inner end at 31 to prevent sep aration. The right arm 32 of the saxophonist preferably grasps the shank of the instrument andis clasped thereto as at 33, while the end of the left arm 84thas a tongue 35 extending through a'corresponding hole in the instrument.

The banjo has a pair of slots, the upper or shorter one accommodating a tongue 37 on the left arm 38 of the corresponding player figure, the right arm having a reversely bent tongue extending in a corresponding slot. The left arm of the 'cornetist similarly has a pivoted connect-ion 44 at the lower part of the comet and the right arm has a similar pivot connection 45 at the upper part of the comet. The mouth piece of the Cornet is related to the head in the same manner as in the case of the saxophone. The arms of the drummer are formed as integral .stampings with the drum sticks 46. i V

The figures described are caused to operate by the mechanismnowto be described, so as to simulate the playing of a' jazz band. This mechanism'includes a spring motor of any suitable, more or less conventional construction; f i

The motor is preferably secured between the end wall 12 and a cross brace attached to the front and rear walls and serving to stiffenthe casing. Themotor comprises a drum ,51 having the usual. ratchet wheel 52 at one endthereof restrained by pawl 52' and to which is anchored one end of accoil spring 53 the other end of'which is anchored to a driving gear 54 near thecross brace 50. Theratchet wheel is rigid with the mounting axle 55 conformed as awinding key 56 at the outer end. i v

Parallel to the drum of the spring motor is an-operating shaft 57 extending preferably ated with the driving gear 54 and comprises a pinion with an associated gear 61 meshing with the pinion 62 on a countershaft'63 mounted in the cross brace. The pinion 62 has a gear 64 meshing with the pinion 65 on the shaft 57 which in turn has a gear 66 meshing with the pinion 67 on the countershaft. 7

The shaft 57 which is preferably at substantially the level of and in front of the spring drum, has a plurality of tappet arms 68: rigidly afiixed thereto and aligned with therespeetive operating figures. These arms serve to move or oscillate the heads 18 of the figuresfor which purpose each of those players who have hand rather than mouth instruments are provided with rigid metal strips or arms-.70 extending downward therefrom and normally resting on the hubs 71 of the respective tap in arms.

The arms: 0 'the various figures are operahed from a: second shaft 73 preferably direotly above the motor drum, said shaft having hearings in the end walls and also in an upstanding fin 740i the cross brace. To operate the arms of the figures, links 75 are provided each having an eye encircling a correspomliing eccentric or crank 7 6 on the shaft aznd'hoesked at its opposite end into a correspending. opening 76 in the rearwardly ex tending portion 77 ofthe arm. The shaft 73 driven by means of a pinion 78 meshing with the driving gear, 54.

Preferably the outer end of shaft 57 has a thumb iece 79 by which it is held against rotation during winding. When the windin'g notibn is completed and the thumb :piece is et go; the expansion of the sprin 53 causes rotation ofi the'driving gear,retar ed by the vei aor gears 60to 67. The shafts 57 and 4 are caused to rotate by their meshingrel'a tibit with tihe driving gear 54. Shaft 57 in its rotationcauses each of its tappet arms intemiitbently to engage and push rearward the corresponding strip thereby causing an the" head of the corresponding figure to nod if to forward. As the tappet arm moves past the strip 70 thelatter wil'l return by gravity against the shaft causing the corresponding head to return to its original position. In ordertoihsure such return, each of the strips has "a fiorwardbendflotherein so that thecenhe of gravity of the pivoted mass of the head at! its pendent strip is so disposed as to eotfipel such gravity return. In a similar mamiee'the shaft 74 in its rotation causes the link's175 tooseillate the arms of each of the figllres thereby effecting the characteristic moyements of the respective musicians. Thehead's ofthe saxophonist and the cometistiare devoidof any special tappet movement since by the movement of the corresponding arms the movement of the associated musical instrument will cause the head to be drawn forward and rearward therewith, but yet permit relative movements by virtue of the looseness between said parts.

The tappet arms 68 and the crank arms 76 are in such phase relation with respect to each other as to simulate the movement of the players. Thus the head of the violinist is preferably caused to bob backward prior to the advance stroke of the bow and to return prior to the return stroke of the bow. The head of the banjoist is caused to advance prior to the plucking stroke on the instrument and the drummer is caused to move his sticks prior to the forward bobbing of the head. The various tappets and eccentrics are so correlated to each other that the head and arm movements of the various players do not occur in phase with each other. As a consequence, the effect of the toy is a realistic simulation of a jazz band.

While the toy has its preferred application for showing a jazz band it will be un derstood that the mechanism and principle are applicable in other relations for simulating other actions.

It will thus be seen that there is herein described apparatus in which the several features of this invention are embodied, and which apparatus in its action attains the various objects of the invention and is well suited to meet the requirements of practical use. I

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. j 1

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent'is-r Y i 1. A mechanical toy comprising a casing having openings therein, a shaft longitudinally of" said casing, a spring motor for drivingsaid shaft,a plurality of figures, the body portions at which are rigidly mounted on the exterior at the casing and the heads of which are pivotally mounted in openings in said casing, said shaft having offsets and connections therefrom to-said heads to cause them to oscillate duringthe rotation of the shaft.

2. A mechanical toy com rising a casing, a

spring motor shaftlongituc inally of said casing, toy figures including body portions rigidly mounted on the exterior of the casing and head portions pivotally connected to said casingin side by side relation, tappetarms on Sillfil shaft and strips secured to the heads of said figures and intermittently displaced by said arms during the rotation of the shaft to cause the heads of said figures to oscillate.

3. A mechanical toy comprising a casing having openings therein, a shaft extending longitudinally thereof, a spring motor for revolving the shaft, a plurality of figureheads extending through said openings in the casing and mounted for oscillating movement, metal strips rigid with the oscillating heads and tappets on the shaft to intermittently engage the strips and causing said heads to oscillate, the exterior of the casing having toy bodies displayed thereon in operative relationship to the movable heads.

at. A mechanical toy comprising a casing, a shaft longitudinally therethrough, a spring motor, the front wall of said casing having.

inturned ears, figures of heads each having a pintle pivoted in the corresponding ears, strips rigid with the lower parts of said heads, said shaft having tappet arms intermittently engaging said strips to cause said heads to nod during the rotation of said shaft.

5. A mechanical toy comprising the combination of a casing, a shaft longitudinally therethrough, a spring motor for driving said shaft, a plurality of figures the body portions of which are fixed to the front wall of said casing, each of said figures having pivoted head element, said shaft having offsets and links connecting'said offset-s to said pivoted head elementsvto cause the latter to oscillate during the rotation of said shaft.

6. A mechanical toy comprising a casing, a spring motor therein, a pair of shafts longitudinally ofsaid casing, both driven from said spring motor, a plurality of toy figures exposed from the front of said casing, each of said toy figures having a movable head and another movable part, transmission means betweenone of said shafts, and said heads, and transmission means between said other shaft and said other movable parts, said transmissionmeans-being out of phase rela tion with each other. I I

7. A mechanical toy comprising the combi nation of a casing, a series of figures of musicians exposed from the front of said casing, each having'a moving head and each having a a moving arm, a spring motor within said casing, a shaft longitudinally of said casing operated from said motor, transmissions be tween said shaft and said heads causin the latter to be intermittentlymoved thereby, a second shaft driven from said motor and transmissionsfrom said second shaft to said arms to cause the latter to move out of phase relationship with said heads.

I 8. A mechanicaltoy comprising a casing, a-

group of figures of musicians exposed from the front of said'casing, each offsaid figures having a pivoted head, each of said figures also having a pivoted arm carrying a'musical instrument, a shaft driven from said motor and having ofi'-sets,and parts connectlng said heads with said ofi'sets for causing the heads tomove intermittently in the rotation of the shaft, a second shaft driven from said motor and mechanical connection betweensaid sec- 0nd shaft and said arms to cause the latter to oscillate.

' 9. A mechanical toy comprising an elongated casing, a group of figures of musicians exposed from the front of said casing, each of said figures including a pivoted head, and. a pivoted arm carrying a musical instrument, aispring motor within said casing, a shaft near the front of said casing and longitudinally thereof driven from said motor, each ofsaid heads having a metal strip, said shaft having tappetarms aligned with said strips so, as to intermittently displace said strips in the rotation of the shaft to cause said heads to nod, a second shaft longitudinally of said casing above the motor and above said first shaft, said shaft having offsets substantially instruments, others mouth instruments, a

spring motor withinsaidcasing, transmissions from said motor, to each of said figures, each of those figures with hand operf ated instruments, having two separate and distinct trans1nissions,-one toicause'the arm and the other to cause the head of said figures to move, said transmissions being out of phase relation with each other.

11. A mechanical toy comprising incombination, a casing, a plurality of figures of musicians exposed from the front of said cas ing, each of said figures including a pivoted head anda pivotedarnnsome of said figures including musical instruments connectedto said heads, a spring motor in saidcasing, a

pair of shafts longitudinally of said casing,

both driven from said motor, each ofsaid shafts havingoffsets,transmissions between aid offsets and the respective arms to cause latter to o l t l i the p ration'or" 1* said motor and'simultaneously therewith to cause the heads of those figures, the musical instruments ofwhich are connected to the headsfto oscillate therewith, and a transmis sion from the second shaft to the heads of the remaining figures to cause the latter to oscillate out of phase relationship with the arms thereof. r

12. A mechanical toy comprising the combination of a casing, a plurality of musician figures having their bodies rigid with the casing, each of said figures having a pivoted head exposed through a corresponding opening in the casing, each of said figures having a pair ofpivoted arms exposed through the front wall of said casing and extending rearwardltlierethrough, each of said arms having a-musical instrument element secured there- 5 to, some of said figures having the corresponding musical instruments loosely extending throughithe mouth of the corresponding head, some ofsaid musical instruments having a lboso connection to the arms of the figures, m andi'a spring motor Within said casing having transmissions to saidfigures to cause the Mento simulate the operation of a musical bmndl 7 13. A mechanicaltoy comprising the com- 15 bination of a casing, a plurality of musician figures having their bodies rigid With the cas- Lag, said figures having pivoted heads exthrough corresponding openings in the casing, each of said figures having a pair of pivoted arms exposed through the front wall of said casing and extending rearward therethrough, each of said arms having a musical instrument element secured thereto, some of said figures having the corresponding musical 95 instruments loosely extending through the moutli ofthe corresponding head, some of said musical instruments having a loose connection to the arms of the figures, a spring motor within said casing, a pair of shafts longitudinally of said casing operated from stii motor, eccentrics on said shafts, connections from said heads to the eccentrics of one of mid shafts and other connections from said arms to the eccentric parts of the other of said shafts, said parts being arranged in phase relations such as to simulate the movemeats-"of musicians.

, 14. A figure of a musical toy comprising a body, a head having a mouth opening and pivoted theret0,an arm independently pivoted thereto, a mouth instrument loosely extending through the mouth opening of the hemd,and a means loosely pivotally connecting the arm to another part of said instrumeiifland means for actuating the arm, eonnoetedto the instrument.

d at Newark inthe county of Essex and tate of New Jersey this 15th day of April A. D. 1927.

" SAMUEL I. BERGER.

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