AU2003244575B2 - Upstanding Figure - Google Patents

Description

"Upstanding Figure" Field of the Invention The present invention relates to soft, upstanding figures that may be used as dolls, mascots, trophies, and the like.

In the context of the present specification, the term "soft" in relation to a figure is intended to identify a figure which comprises a substantially limp membrane which is filled by some type of filling to give the membrane shape. Typically the membrane comprises some type of cloth such as woven cotton, synthetic fur, or the like and which is cut to a predetermined shape, sewn or otherwise joined to form a container which is stuffed with a resiliently deformable padding through an opening. Finally the opening is sealed. The shape of the figures depends primarily upon the shape of the various portions of the membrane. Such figures have for long been beloved by children and many adults.

Background to the Invention While such figures are well known, they have been limited in their application as a trophy or mascot because they have been unable to stand upright on their own.

For such use, it is very important for the presentation of the figure that it is upstanding. While attempts have been made to make such figures upstanding, these have not been completely successful. In particular, it has been found difficult to provide an upstanding soft figure which can be manufactured in a simple and repetitive process wherein the padding provides a smooth appearance after prolonged use, particularly around the lower body portion.

Frequently the padding is displaced, particularly in the legs in a way such that it cannot readily return to its original position. This is important because, in ordinary soft figures, the filling in the leg portions is often displaced sufficiently to result in an uneven or lumpy appearance. The problem is exacerbated by the presence of the frame members within the leg portions as it is very difficult to insert the filling evenly around the support frame members and it is therefore more likely to be dislodged. As a result, the body of the figure develops a "lumpy" appearance and thus looses its aesthetic appeal.

Disclosure of the Invention Accordingly the invention resides in a soft upstanding figure having an upper end and a lower end, the figure comprising a containment membrane, a base and a support frame, the support frame being provided with a soft covering and adapted to be received within the membrane to at least partially fill the membrane and to extend for at least a portion of the length of the figure from the lower end btwards the upper end, the lower end of the support frame being supported from the base to extend upwardly from the base and to support the figure from the base.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the support frame comprises two leg members and a body member, the leg members being adapted to engage the base and occupy the legs of the figure According to a preferred feature of the invention, the support frame is adapted to be receivable through a closable opening formed in the membrane.

According to a preferred embodiment, the soft covering comprises a synthetic fibre-fill polyester material.

According to a preferred embodiment, the soft covering comprises a resilientlycompressible polymeric foam material.

According to a preferred embodiment, the support frame is rigid. According to a preferred embodiment, the support frame is deformable.

The invention will be more fully understood in light of the following description of several specific embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings The description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1A is a front elevation of a completed figure according to the first embodiment; Figure 1B is an isometric view of the figure according to the first embodiment showing the support frame in dotted lines Figure 2 is an outline of the containment membrane according to the first embodiment; Figure 3A is an isometric view of the base according to the first embodiment; Figure 3B is a plan view of the base according to the first embodiment; Figure 4A is an isometric view of the support frame according to the first embodiment; Figure 4B is a front elevation of the support frame of Figure 4A; Figure 4C is a side elevation of the support frame of Figure 4A; Figure 4D is a plan view of the support frame of Figure 4A; Figure 5A is an upper perspective view of the covered support frame according to the first embodiment; Figure 5B is a front elevation of a support frame of Figure Figure 5C is a side elevation of a covered support frame of Figure Figure 5D is a plan view of the covered support frame according to the embodiment.

Figure 6 is an isometric view of the figure according to another embodiment; Figure 7 is an exploded isometric view of the frame, ball and base of Figure 6; Figure 8 is a partially exploded isometric view of the frame, ball and base of Figure 6.

Figure 9 is an exploded isometric view of the frame, ball and base according to a further embodiment.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiment The embodiment of the invention is directed to an upstanding figure for use as a trophy or a mascot.

The embodiment is described with reference to Figures 1A to 5. As shown in Figure 1A, the completed embodiment is of an upstanding figure 11 of a bear of soft construction supported from a base 21. The figure 11 is of the type that is able to be resiliently deformed at almost any point yet is able to be self supporting in an upright position upon a base 21. As shown in Figure 1B, the figure 11 is supported by a support frame 31 within the figure engaged with the base 21.

The base 21 is adapted be placed on a horizontal surface, and is intended to have sufficient weight to support the figure 11 in a stable manner. As shown in the Figures 3A and 3B, the base 21 comprises a piece dcf finished timber of substantially cuboid construction having a front face 26, two side faces and a rear face. The upper edges 23, 24 and 25 of one side face, the front face and the other side face are chamfered. The oblique, front face 26 is intended to accommodate a plaque 27 adapted to be suitably engraved to identify the trophy receiver. The upper surface 28 of the base is indented by two apertures 29 extending partially into the base.

The figure further comprises a containment membrane 13 adapted to be filled by a filling to provide a figure. As shown in Figure 2, the membrane 13 comprises a main body portion 14, two leg portions 15 and a head portion 16. The membrane includes a front and rear panels joined together by sewing. The visible portions of the membrane are produced from fur-like material while that portion that will subsequently be covered by clothing is of plainer material such as woven cotton or equivalent. Prior to assembly, the membrane 13 is constructed with an opening 17 in the region of at least one of the shoulder portions 18 to enable insertion of a support frame.

As shown in Figure 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D, the support frame 31 comprises a rigid frame having two substantially parallel leg members 33 linked by a cross member 34 with a central body member 35 extending from the cross member 34 in the direction opposite to that of the leg members 33. The support frame 31 may be made of wood or plastics or other suitable material. The free ends 36 of the leg members 33 are adapted to be inserted into the apertures 29 in the base 21. The lower ends 18 of the leg portions 15 of the figure 11 are provided with apertures adapted to permit the leg members 33 of the support frame 31 to penetrate the membrane 13 for insertion into the base 21. In the embodiment, the members of the support frame are substantially square in cross-section. The leg members 33 are suitably spaced apart in proportion to the distance required to provide proper appearance to the figure.

In an adaptation of the embodiment, the free ends 36 of the leg members 33 are machined to a circular cross-section, thereby enabling the apertures 29 in the base 21 to be simply drilled. In an alternative adaptation, at least the leg members 33 are of circular cross-section, again enabling the apertures 29 in the base 21 to be simply drilled.

As shown in Figure 5, the support frame is covered by a synthetic fibre-fill of polyester material 41. This material 41 is available as a long strip which is adapted to be wound around the leg members of the frame to provide the physique of the figure around the leg members. The thickness of the filling on the member can be varied by varying the number of windings of filling on the frame according to the desired physique of the figure. In 1his way a covered frame can be built up which will completely fill at least the leg portions of the figure without the need to add additional filling. The use of fibre fill polyester has been found to be particularly advantageous as it can be wrapped around the support frame in a manner which is economical and durable, and provides the body with the required shape, the softness and the deformability required. In addition, the resulting shape is stable.

The covered support frame is inserted into the shoulder opening 17 in the containment membrane with the leg portions of the support frame passing into the leg portions 15 of the containment membrane 13. Conventionally, the upper part of the leg portions are considerably wider than the ankle regions so insertion of the covered frame is not a significant problem.

Thereafter the figure can be filled with either more synthetic fibre filled polyester or with an alternative filling material of a type such is well known to those skilled in the art. After insertion of the covered support frame, the shoulder opening is sewn closed and separately prepared arms are applied to the figure. Clothing for the bodied portion may then be applied, as may also be accessories such as a ball as shown.

By means of this novel method of construction of an upstanding figure, it can be seen that the lower portion of the figure may be completely filled by the covering of the support frame. As a result there is no need to provide additional filling and thereby the bumpy appearance that often results is avoided. By use of the rigid frame within the figure, the figure is positively supported throughout its length yet because the support frame is fully covered by filling material, the figure itself remains soft and the presence of the support frame is virtually undetectable.

In another embodiment, the support frame is covered by a resilientlycompressible polymeric foam material moulded into the required shape of the upstanding figure. Suitable foam materials still provide a soft feel although the feel is not considered to be quite as comforting as the synthetic fibre-fill polyester, but the foam material is more suited to high-volume mass production and is considered quite satisfactory for many applications.

In yet a further embodiment, the support frame 31 is constructed from metallic wire which can be bent a certain degree to enable the figure to be given slightly different postures. For instance, the arm may be raised to some extent.

In adaptations of the design, as shown n Figures 6 to 9, the design of the figure 11 may be varied considerably. In the Figure 6, it will be seen that the figure 11 is positioned with its foot on the ball. In one adaptation of this arrangement as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the respective leg member 52 can be seen to pass through an aperture 53 in the ball member 51 for insertion into the base 21. In an alternative adaptation as shown in Figure 9, the ball member 51 is made of sufficiently rigid material so that the respective leg member 61 is fixedly engaged with the ball member 51 and supported by the ball member while the ball member itself has a stub member 62 adapted to be inserted within the respective aperture within the base. In this adaptation, the ball member 51 may be considered as a portion of the leg member 61. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many other configurations of the figure are possible while still embracing the principles of the invention disclosed.

It should be appreciated that the scope of the invention need not be limited to the particular scope of the embodiments described above. In addition it should be recognised that bases of many other shapes and materials other than those described in relation to the embodiment would be quite suitable in meeting the needs of the invention.

Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

Claims (9)

1. A soft upstanding figure having an upper end and a lower end, the figure comprising a containment membrane, a base and a support frame, the support frame being provided with a soft covering and adapted to be received within the membrane to at least partially fill the membrane and to extend for at least a portion of the length of the figure from the lower end towards the upper end, the lower end of the support frame being supported from the base to extend upwardly from the base and to support the figure from the base.

2. A soft upstanding figure as claimed at claim 1 wherein the support frame comprises two leg members and a body members, the leg members being adapted to engage the base and occupy the legs of the figure.

3. A soft upstanding figure as claimed at clam 1 or claim 2 wherein the support frame is adapted to be receivable through a closable opening formed in the membrane.

4. A soft upstanding figure at any one of the previous claims wherein the soft covering comprises a synthetic fibre-fill polyester material.

A soft upstanding figure at any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the soft covering comprises a resiliently-compressible polymeric foam material.

6. A soft upstanding figure as claimed at any one of the previous claims wherein the support frame is rigid.

7. A soft upstanding figure as claimed at any one of the previous claims wherein the support frame is deformable.

8. A soft upstanding figure substantially as herein described.

9. A soft upstanding figure substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this Eighth day of September 2003. Rowland Scott Neale Applicant Wray Associates Perth, Western Australia Patent Attorneys for the Applicant(s)