CA1130966A - Molded squeeze toy including whistle - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure A squeeze toy of air-filled elastomer material including a whistle, and a method and apparatus for forming the same. A
small cavity or depression is molded into the body of the toy to form the whistle site. A small cap, which may comprise a flat or slightly rounded disk, or a small hollow cylinder, closes the small cavity or depression forming the whistle site. A pair of small openings are formed in centered, aligned relation in the cap and in the bottom of the cavity, completing the whistle. The body of the toy is preferably formed by blow molding techniques, using the opening in the bottom of the cavity corresponding to the whistle hole to blow air in during the molding process, and to blow the finished part out of the mold. The whistle cap may either be made simultaneously with the body, by blow molding, or by separate injection molding techniques.

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Description

A~ PO Taluba-P. A. 2aluba 1-1 ~3~66 Thie relate~ in general to ai~-filled ~queeza toya o~
elastomer material which include ~hi~tle~ 7 and the methods a~d .
apparatua for making the aame.
~evlce~ o~ rubber, ~ynthetic rubber or plaatic, equipped with whi~tle~ which make a noi~e when the de~ice is ~queezed or n exsd, have long been u~ed aa toy~ ~or children and animala. In many prior art typea, the whiatle i~ made o~ one or more metal piece~ which are ~langed or cr~mpea together to ~orm the re~onant chamber; the metal part~ be~ng crimped or clamped.to the edge~ o~
an open~K ~n the toy body, Cn~ldren and animal~ ha~e been known to dislodge ~nd ~wallow auch whiatle paxta with di~a~troua ~ul~
The~e metal whi3tle part~ o~ten have ~harp edgea which cau~e i~Ju-riea e~en i~ not ~wallowedO In other ca~ea, whi~tle part~ Pormed 0~ ~onmetal may ~e~erthele~ be di~lodged a~d ~wallowed.
~ urthermore, whe~ the ~hi~tles are mado a~ ~epar~to pa:rt39 the ta~ o~ ~eparately apply~ng the ~h~tles to the bodie~ o~ th~
toys i~ time con~umi~g arld expen~iveO

Accord~g:Ly, the g;eneral ob~e¢t o~ the pre~ent ~entls3 i~ to deYi~e improved method~ and ~pparatu~ ~or îor~ g orhlstle~
in in~egral relatlon Nith toys oi ela3~cmer mat9risl. A more par-tlcular ob~ect o* the ~vention 1~ to pro~ide a squeeze toy ha~inB
a~ irLteg~ly Ior~ned ~rhi~tle which iEI sub~t~tially impos~ibl~ *or ohildren and anlmal~ to ai~lodgs aIld 3walloN~, Anothar ob~ect of the i~ve~io~ i~ to pr~Yide a more ~lcie~t, l~e e~pens~e way o~ ma~in~ squ~eze to~s ~hl~h inclu~e whi~tles.
The~ a~d other obJect~ a~ realized in accordanc~ with the prese~t i~ve~tlo~ in ~n a~r-~illed ~ueeze toy ~ormed of ~la~tomsr ~ateri~ hich ~ncludes a whi~tle ~ite com~ri9~ng a ~mall cavlty or depre~ion ~ntegr~lly ~ormed with th~ body of the toy, which C~Yit~ i9 clo~ed by a di~k ~hap~d or cyll~drical cap. The -- 1 ~

1:~3~9~

A. P. Taluba-P. A. Taluba 1-1 cap and the cavity have axially aligned central openings which serve as air ~ents.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of ~orm~ng a whistle in a hollow air-filled squeeze toy which comprises the steps o:E blow molding the hollow body of said squeeze toy to include a small whistle cavity adjacent a wall of said body, disposing a closure on said whistle cavity to form therewith a resonant chamber for sounds of a preselected frequency, and froming a pair of axially aligned openings in said whistle cavity and in sai.d closure, wherein both o:E said openings act as venturi constrictlons for a stream of air passing therethrough when said toy is squeezed, and at least one said opening also functions as a blow hole for passage of a blast of air during said blow molding process.
There is also provi.ded a method of forming, by blow molding in a blow molding machine, a hollow air-filled squeeze body including a whistle which comprises the steps of:
providing a mass of molten thermoplastic rubber;
extruding rubber from saia molten mass to form a parison which passes between a pair of mold-halves shaped to form between them said squeeze body, said mold-halves including means for forming an annular whistle cavity site adjacent to or in a wall of said body and including a blow pin opening centered in said site;
interposing a blow pin of substantially uniform cross-section into said parison;
closing said mold-halves to clamp said parison so that said blow pi.n is enclosed in said blow pin opening;
causing a first ~last of gas to blow through said blow pin for shaping said parison against the interior of said mold-,b~ ~ 2 3.~3~

halves including said means for formin~ an annular whistle :~
ca~;ty; ..
opening said mold-halvesi retracting said hlow pin through said blow pin opening in said hollow squeeze body;
sub.sequently removing said hollow squeeze body from said blow machine by a second blast of gas;
forming and securing a closure on said whistle cavity to form therewith a resonant chamber for sounds of a preselected I0 frequency, said closure having an opening which is axially aligned with said blow pin opening, wherein both of said open-ings act as venturi constrictions fro a stream of air passing therethrough when said hollow body is squeezed.
The body of the toy is preferably blow molded, the whistle cavity being formed by the use of specially designed inserts incorporated into the primary mold, which inserts include a blow hole corresponding to the hole to be formed in the whistle site. During the molding process, the body of the toy is in-flated by a blast of air which passes through the blow hole in the insert, and when the molding process is completed, the body is blown out of the mold by a second blast of air passing out through the same blow hole.
The cap may either be formed simultaneously with the toy body in an extension of the insert; or, alternatively, it may be formed separately, preferably by injection molding techniques.
The toys to which the present invention applies may com-prise a body formed essentially of any flexible or elastomer material such as thermoplastic rubber made by the Shell Chemical Company under the trademark "KRATON". The caps, which may be of a similar material, may assume any one of a number of dif-ferent forms, such.as a flat disk, a xounded button or a small -2a-~3~

cylinder, which are fitted into and bonded into place in thecylIndrical whistle site. In those embodiments in which the caps are formed separately from the body of the toy, they are snapped into and bonded in place in the cavi.ty by a bonding agent which is preferably formed o the elastomer material of the toy body, dissolved in an air-drying solvent.
Particular features of the process of the present inven-tion are that it provides a more efficient and economical way, than available in the prior art, in which to mold the toy body and whistle site in a single operation, wherein the blow hole in the mold functions to form one of the holes in the whistle site.
In one embodiment, the cap is also made in the same blow molding -2b-- ~ ~ 3~ 9 ~ A. P~ Ta~lu~a~P A. ~aluba l-l o~er~tion. Tlme consumi~g ~nd e~pensi~e handling operations are minimlzed. In ~nother e~bodi~ent, the c~ps may be ~ade by separate inJec~ion roldi~g technlques.
The fi~al product of this process is a squeeze to~ in-cluding a ~histlep ~hich can be ~afel~ &i~en to chi~ d.en and ~r~imals without fear that the ~histle will be dislodged and swallowed.
These a~d other ob~ects, features and advantages will be ~pparent to those skilled in the art fro~ a study o~ the attached dra~ings ~ith reference to the speci~ication hereinafter.
Brief 3escri~tlon of the ~rawin~
.
~ IG. 1 ~howst in side elevation, a typical air-filled elastomer squee~e to~ cont~ining a whistle for~ed in accorda~ce with the present lnvention;
~IG. 2~ iB an enlarged ~ragmentary section through the plane 2~-2~ of ~I~. 1, showlng one embodiment o~ the whistle asse~bly in accordance with the present invention, in ~hich the clo~ure is provided by a cylindrical cap;
~ IG. 23 shows the whistle 2ssembly of ~IG~ 24 in end ele~ation;
~IGS . 31~ and 3B re~pectiY ely sho~ in ssction, the ~histl~ :
slte and th~ c~p of ~IG. 2A in sp2ced apart relat~on;
~IG. 4A shows, in section, a modilied form of whistle as~e~bly ~ which a flat dlsk replaces the cap of ~IG. 3B;
~IG. 4B shows the whistle asse~Dly o~ _IG. 4A in end elevation;
~IGS. 5A and 5~ 3how, in section and end ele~ation;
respsctively, a ~odificatlon of the e bodi~Gnt o~ ~IGS. 4A j4~ 1 -*hich the closure dis~ is sll~htly rPcessed;
~0 ~IGS. 6~ znd DB sho~, in section ~nd end elev~tion, respectlvsly, Pnother ~odlfic2tion o~ tke ~nistle a3ss~bl~ o~ t~e previou3 ~i~ures in which ~he c~'lndrical C?p i9 3eatsd on an ~L3L3a~C36G A~ PO ~\aluba-P. ~. Taluba, 1-1 ~ular ,ecs~a ln the whi~tle ca~it~, ao that the cap i~ Ilu~h with the ou~er ~ ca;
~ IG~. 7A, 7i3 and 7C ~how, in ~ectio~, in psr~pective and in end ele~ration" re~pectiYely~ a Iuxther modificatio~ of the 5 whi~tle oY the pre~ent invention in ~/hich t;he outer ~ ace o~ the clo~ure co3prises a rounded button;
~ IG. 8A ~howa, in pl~ ~iew, one o~ the halvef~ OI the urlmod~ ied ~lo~ mold for the toy body in emp~y and filled condition;
~ IG. 8B i~ ~n er~larged perspective ~ho~ing o~ the twu hal~e~ o~ the in~ert ~or moldi~g the whistle 8ite CBV~ty integrally with the toy body;
~ IG. 8C ~ a ~ragmentary 5howlng Or the mold hal~ o~
PIG. 8A, e~pty and filledD modl~ied to include the i~ert o~
~I~. 8B~
~IG. 8~ ~how0, in per~pective, a ~urther modl~lcatio~ o~
the in~ert o~ ~IG. 8B, ~or blow mold~ the cap ~mNltaneou~ly with the whi~tle body; ~ ~
FIG. 8~ i~ a ~ragm~tary 6ho~ingD in longitudiual ~e6tlo~r o~ the "hot dog" produ¢t, i~cludi~g the whi~tle ~ite aad cap in inte~ral relatio~, as deri~d ~rom the mo ~ ~led mol~ o~ , 8~;
PIGS, 9A and 9B re~pectively sho~, i~ plan v1~9 the t~o hal~e~ o~ the mold for formin~ cap~ ~y l~jectlo~ moldlng tech~ique~;
a~d ) ~ IG~. lOA and 10~ re~pectlYely ~how, ~ opo~ and clo~ed po~it1o~, ~n ~che~atic longi~ud~nal ~e~tio~, the ~n~ection ~old ~nd m~chanla~ ~or formi~g ths cap~.
Det--lle~ Je ~crl~-lo~
~ he pres~ ve~tian i~ ap~l1cable to any squ~ez~ tog or ob~ec~ o~ ~n elastomer ma~rial ~illed with air~ ~orm~d by any typ~
~0 o~ ~ell-~o~n mold ~ proce~ in -~hich it is d~red ~o ~orm a uhi~tle ~tegral ~th the ob~ect, wh~ch whi~tl~ ~he~ ~he toy i9 ~u~e~ed~ ~hich will ~ot come loo~a or readily be di~lodged9 ana A. P~ ~aluba-P. A. Taluba 1-1 which wi].l not be -to~ic or o therwise harm~ to a child or ~1 usi~ the tolrO
J~lthough an~7 E3ultabl~ rubber, ~ynthetic rubb~r or ela~-tomex material ma~r be u~ed :~or the product o~ tha present inven-5 tion, a material which is particularly adapted for thi~ purpo~e i~ :a thermopla~tlc ~ubber manu:~actured by the Shell Chemical Comp~
u~der the trademark "KRATOI~T" . This i~ a thermoplas tic block co-polymer c~ ~3tyrene and butadiene whlch combirle~ the re~iliellce ana elasticity of vulcanized rubber with thermopla~tic proce~lng tech-~iques, achieved without vulca~i~ation. The compo~ltion~ charac~teristlc~ and metho~ o~ ma~ing thi~ material are more particularly described i~ U. ~. Patent ~o. 3,265~765, i~ued ~ugu~t 9, 1966 to Geo~rey Hold~n and ~alph Milkovlch, a~8ignor9 to ~h~ll 011 Co~pa~y.
It will be under~tood that any other pla~i¢ or ~ynthetio rubber material can be employed for the purpo~e o~ the pr~ent ln~entlo~, pro~ided lt cure~ to a bod~ havlng the de~ired ~le~i-b~llty. For u~e ln toy~, the ~ateria~ must also be nonto~ic.
Re~erring to ~G. 1, there 18 ~ho~n, ~ ~id~ ~le~ation an ob~ect 1, whlch $a a~ air-~illed ~queeze toy ln the ~orm o~ a 20 hot do~ o~ ~y~theti¢ rubb~r or pla~tlc material, ~uch a~ the thermQ-p~aetl¢ mat~rial k:rlo~n ~r the tradem~rk "ER~TO~n9 or a~y eim~lar ~:nthe~lc x~ubber or pla3tic materi~l. Re~erence ch~racter :~ re~er3 to a ~histle located at one end" which i~ indicated i~ e~r~ed ~r~e~tar~ se~tion ~ ~IG. ~A~ and in end ele~ratio~ PIG, 2B.
~ B a 0eparate showine o~ the ca~r 4 o:~ P~ " 2A, from whlch the cap, ~eparat~31y ~o~ ~ FIG. ~B, has ~een remo~edO
The c~ 4? ~hlch 1~ centered ~D~ the end of hot dog body 1, 1~
about 0.14~ deep. Cavlt~ 4 ha8 R wall thlck~e~ of 35 mil~, . ~ about 0.5Q ~ch i~ inner diam~terg and ha~ a ce~tral op~ni~ 59 ~ay~ 0~1l0 ~h ln diamster. ~he ~ottom of cavitg 4 ha~ a ~ htreces~ 4a, ~or~l~g an annular shoulder about 25 mi~B wide, and ha~i~g an ln~ard taper.

~L~L3q3~36~i A~ P. ~alu~Ja-. A. Taluba 1-:1 ~It3. 3,~3 ~hows ~he c,yliIldrical cap ~, say t~picall,y, about O i~ch in outer diameter, 0..220 i~ch ~n hei,~h~ and havin~ a w~l thlcknes~ OI 27 ~1~. It hQs a central ope~ g S, say, 0.110 lnoh in diameter, and a sli~ht outwardly directed ~ ;a ~a which ~:5t~
5 into recess 4a in cav~ty 4. ~he opening 6 ha~ an inwardly directed tapex.
Although the cap 3 ia desi,~ed to be ~ap--fi~t~d into cavity 4t in preferred ~orm it i~ ~ecursly bonded there~. In the pre~ent e:~:ample" the bonding materi~ may compr~ a paste made ~rom pellets o~ a thermopla~tic materi~ uch a~ "ERAT0~", di~ol~
ved in toluol.
FI~. 4A ~ows, ~ ~ectio~ a~d end elevatio~, ~1 alternæ-ti~e ~orm o~ the ~nvention compri~ a to~ of a di~fere~t ~hape, but o* the same materials a~ set ~orth in the pre~iau~ embodlment8 15 .in which a di~k 7 tln~tead of a cap) i~ ~eated ~n a recess 9a o~
the c~vity 9. In thi~ embod~me~t, the di~k may be~ ~ag, 40 mil~
thic~ and about 0.570 i~ch in diamater, and ma~ ha~e a central opening 8, 0.110 inch in diameter, whlch is ~lightly lnwardly taper-ed. Cavity 9 h~s an ov~rall depth oi, ~ay, 0.18~ lnch, the a~ular rece~ 9a forming an lnn~r ~lange, ~Y? 40 mil~ d~op fro~ the e~d sur~ac~, having a ~houlder 40 mll8 wids. Thi~ proride~ a ~pacs 0.143 inch betwe~ the bottom of di~k 7 and the bottom oP cavity 9, which h~s a ce~tral opening 10 PI~. 4~ 18 an end ~le~ational view.of ~he toy ~ PI~. 4 ~IG8~ 5A and 5B ~ho~, i~ ~e¢tlon and ~nd e~evation, anothe~ ~lternati~e i~ ~hich the ca~tty 1~ 19 o~ 8~1ar i~er dl~-meter ~o t~at o~ ~IG. 4~ ha~ an overall depth oi 0~225 ~nch : a~d ha~ ~ an~lar r6cs~s 13b, about 0.0~2 lnch below ths ~nd ~ur-- ~ace, ~hi~h i8 0.04 inch wide and 0.04 inch deepf A~ the en~ ~ux~
fac~, caYity 13 hQ~ an an~ular lip 13a, a~out 30 mll3 w~d~ and 42 mll~ deep~ for holdi~g di~ 11 ln plac~. ~hi~ ha~ centra~ vpenl~g~

~ 66 Ao P. Ta~uba-P. ~ l'aluba 1-1 12 in t`n~ di~, .qnd 14 ln the ca~ity~ which are ~u~3tantially the ai~ oI the openin~3 Dreviouglv de~cribed. ~nd ~re Axi~ll~ ~n~, ~ IG3. 6~ ~nd 6~, in ~ection and end elevation, show ~
~urther alternative to the whistle~ previou~ly de~cr~bed, ha~ing a cavit,y 17 which i~ 0.18~ inch deep~ This ha~ a~ a~nular recee~ 17a about 0.0915 inch in from the out~ide e~d, and about 40 mil~ wide.
T~i~ i9 adapted for accom~odating cap 15, with its closed end out and with it~ face ~lush with the end sur~ace 17b. The cap haY a central opening 16, an~ the cavity ha~ a ce~tral op~lng 187 both lQ of a 8~m~1ar s~ze to tho3~ prevlou~ly de~crlbed~ and axially ali~ned~
FIGu 7A i~ ~ub~tantially ~im~lax to FI~o 4A (ths ~r~med ~umber~ i~dicating lden~ical element~3, except that it includea a~
externa~ member 19, havi~g an extended perlpheral ~lange, with a~
oYerall diameter o~ 0.645 lnch. An averaee thlckne~a of about ~0 mll~ ha~ been added. ~he ~langed member 19 ha~ a ~light out~ard curvature and con~or~ to the ~u~roundi~ ~urfa~s at lt~ perlphery~
~IG~ 7B 1~ an s~d elevatio~ o~ ~IG. 7A.
It Nill be appre d ated that any o~ the embodlments pre~
viou~ly described ca~ be mad~ to includ~ a rounded ~ or button, such a3 19. ~urth~r7 any o~ th~ cap~ de~r1bed with re~ere~a to ~IGS. 4A, 5~, 6A and 7~ iB pre~erably bondea i~ placH i~ it~ co~res~
po~ding ca~ity by a bo~d~n~ ag~t ~hleh ~ay ~ak~ the ~rm o~ a th~rmoplasti~, BUCh a~ '~KRA~O~n, di~olved ~ toluol, or an~ pla~tic correspo~ding ~o the b~y oi the toy, dis~ol~e~ in a ~onto~ic air-d~ying c~rr~er~
I~aa~uch a~ the pre~rred me~hod o~ ~orming the prlmary to~ bod~ o include the c~vlty 4 at the de~Lred ~hi~tle ~ite~ L~
by blo~ ~oldi~g~ thi~ method will be de~cribedO Re~erring to ~IG, ~0 8A~ th~r~ ~3 aho~n o~e hal~ oi the primary molds 21a ~or the "hot dog", haYing c~itie~ ~2a922b. Th~ molde 21s,21b are :Ln the ~orm o~ water~cooled alu~num or beryllium alloy bloc~s; ~a~, t~o lnche~

3~
A. P~ Taluba-P. A, ~aluba 1-l by ~our i~ches by ~ lnche~, w~ich bav~ been ~oundry cast ln a ;, conve~tlonal manr.er from a rubber patter~, and the~ machined to the desired pattern, ~ncluding p~ch-of~.
FIG. 8B ~ho~g the shape o~ the ~n3ert halve~ 23a,23b which together ar~ deEigned to impose a ~hiatle site ca~ltg~ ~uch as 4 ~f FIG. 3A~ on the pri~ry toy body. These ln~ert ~al~es ~re respectively formed with matchlng cavitie~ 25a and 25b and the ~emicircular outlines 26a and 26b o~ the blow hole. Screw hole~
24a and 24b permlt the in~srt to be scre~ed into place in the end of the mold.
~ IG. 8C ohowe, in fragnent, one hal~ o~ the blow ~old 22a ~ith the in~ert hal~ 23a in place at one end of the pr~mary cavity 22Q. Insert hal~es 2~a, 2~b are ~achined to speci~lcation~ fro~
type o~ steel which is characteri~ed by minimal ~hrinkage~ The ln~ert halvee ~hown in ~`Ia. ~ are each hollow ~em~cylinder~, about 0.684 lnch in outer diameter and 14 inches alon~ the a~is, belng ~haped 1nternally~ ~o~etn~r theg ~orm at the1r upper end~ a di~k normal to the axis, and a cyl~ndrical ca~ity 25a,25b between ~ ch and ll6 lnch deep, and, say, 0.5 inch in dl~meter, corre~po~dlng to cavlty 4 in YIGS. 2A et seq. ~lsk halves 25a,25b together form a ce~tral a~ial openl~g 26a,26b, whlch ls, ~ay, O.llO lnch in dia-L~eter, through whlch i~ lnterpo~ed a blow pin, which ~ a a~all eteel tube 27 (Se~ Fig. 8C) about four inches long and just large enough in diameter to be accommodated by the hole in the inserts.
The blow moldlng operation 16 carried out in any of the machines well-known i~ the art ior thls type o~ operation, ~h~ch may be of the general ~o~ deacr~bed on page 8, ~IG. 1.8 oi Pl~st~cs ~old En~ineerin~, ReYised Editlon~ edited by J. H. DUBO~B and W.
2r~bble9 Reinhold Publiehing Corporation, ~e~ York, 19~5.
Pellets of ~ultable sy~theti~ rubber of any o~ the t~pe~
de~cribed abo~, ~uch a~ the thermo~lastic rubber ~ld under the trademark ~R~T~ are poured ~nto ~he hopper o~ the conventional 3~ 6 ~. P. T&lu~ r. ~. Taluba 1-1 blow ~oldin~ machin~ of the type deecribed~ and heated to a tem-perature o~ between ~20 snd 3Z5 ~ahrenheit. g tube o~ molten pl~stic, called a "parlson", 1B e~truded vertlcally dow~ fro~ a tube dle. The molten pari80n iB clamped between the palr o~ die halve~ 22a ~nd it~ counterpart 2~b. A small tube, blow pin 27, about ~our ir,che~ long and ~u~t les6 than 1 lnch in dla~cter, i8 interposed a~ially throu~h a~ ingert at the lo~er end of th~ mold~
Compre~sed air i~ then ~orced into the mold through a ~eciprocating blo~ pin 27, which i co~ected through a 8y6tem 0~ ho6e~ in the blow moldi~g machine. The air pas6es ln at a pre~sure of betwee~
~0 and 70 pounde per equare lnch, shaplng the pari~on to the die.
~B the blow pin i6 r~tracted, it pull 8 the product ou-t with it throug~h the lower end o~ the die. A ~econd bla~t of air fro~ th~
blow pln 27 blows the blow molded product of$ of the blow pln ~nd into a colle¢tin~ bin.
~ partioular feature of the method of the present lr.~o~-tion iB that the hole 26a,26b, ~ormed by ths in~ert~ o~ FI&. 8~, ~erve~ a plurality of purpose~. It 6er~e~ a~ a hole through which the blow pin 27 ~asses to ~low air into the mold 22a,22b ~n the initial step of shQpin~ the parieon. Further, re~erri~
again to FIB. ~A, lt can be ~een thst the internal 6hape of ~naert cor~ination 25a,25b forms the whistle cavity 4 (eee Fig. 2A) in the blow molded product so that the blow hole 5 in the cavity of the product functions as part of the whistle, when the latter is fully assembled.
Once the toy body 1, including whi~le oit~ cav1t~ 47 hPs been ~orme~ ~t ie necea~ary to ~orm and in~tall the cap ~ as ahown in FIG~ 3B o~ the drawingsO
I~ accorda~ce ~ith one method~ the cap 3 may b~ for~ed i~tegrally ~lth the formation oi the pri~ary bod~ and ca~ity 4t as ~hown in ~IG~ 8D.
Xeierr~ng to ~IG~ 83; there i~ shown a ~urther mod~ica tion o~ the ~neert~ ~hown ~n FIG~ 8B. ~ the l~t~hand ~sert 23~', . 9 ~m ~3~3~6 A~, P. Taluba-P,. A. Taluba 1-1 the concave end 20a ha~ a matching counterpart 20b on the ri~ht-h~d sideO ~ogether the tlro ~al~eE~ form the cent~ o~ hol~
opening 26a'~26b', br~.ch iEs les~ than about 1 i~ch ~ dlameter~ Be-neath this barrier 20a, which is concave on the inside and convex on the outer end, is formed a cavity comprising 25a'and its counter-p~rt 25b' l~ot 8hown)~ ha~ng a circular perip~ery Qnd bo~e~ out on lt~ lower e~ternsl ~urface. ~he lo~er ~urf~c~ of cavity 25a~ D
25b' al~o include~ a blow hole, represented on the one side b~ 29a, w~lch i~ ~xi~lly al~gned with the upper blo~ hole hal~ ~6a7. When the in~crts 23a',23b~ are i~ place in the primary mold of the form ehown ln ~IGS. 8A,8B, the hollollr steel blow pin 27' move~ w~th reclproc~ting motlon through the a~cially aliened blo~ hole~. Ae pin 27l aseumes it~ ma~imum vertical e~cur~ion, compre~sed air pa~e~ up through the pin, part of which sir pa6se~ out through the openlng 28, which is located at a~out the ce~ter of cavity 25~'~25b'. Thus, the latter cavity i8 in~lated a~ well as the pri~ary toy body, for~ing an additional clo~ed cavit~ 50 on the nose of the "hot dog~ as ~hown ln FIG. 8E. '~hen tbe product i~
blown from the mold, it contains all o~ the part~ necessary to ~or~
~o ~ complete whi~tle. In additlo~ to the cavity 509 the whiatle $nclude~ the alig~led openings 51 and 52 which are of the order oi 1 i~ch i~ diameter or ~lightly less, th~ dla~eter o~ the cavity b~ing, for e~ample, about 2 inch. ~he annulær i~dentatior~ 53 b~twee~ the cavity 50 ~nd the pri~ary body7 i8 pre~rably ~illed i~
~lth bondlng material 53, wh~ch ~ay9 ~or e~a~ple, com~ri~e a pa~te of the thernoplastic material of the pri~ary body ~l~ed with to7uol.
Thia ~nd the other bonding operatlons previoualy described ~ay be perfor~ed by a wick on a tick, with the ViSCOUB liquid con8tantly dripplng onto the ~tick, or by a ~all gun ~lth a felt tip ~hl~h ehoot~ the liquid ~to the ca~lty, or b~ any otber con~entio~al Lethod of spplyin~ glue or bonding material. Th~ bonding ~a~t3 ~ h a con~lstency thst lt drie~ i~ air, ~orm~ng a rl6id bo~
..,~
-- 10 ~

3~6~; .
! `
A4 P~ Taluba-P~ A, ~aluba 1~1 In accorda~ce wlth a~o~her embodlmert o~ the inve~t~ Q~, the cap 33 hr.d other gimilar capg, ~ay be i~ection molded i~ cou-ventional injection ~old~ng equipment o~ the type de~cribed i~
Chapter3 1 and 9 o~ the book entitled Plast.h~ gl~ 5~
~evi~ed Edition, ~upra. (See, for example9 ~I~. 1.5 on page 6.) It ~ill be understood that any other co~ve~tional type oi ln~ection ~olding equlpment can be uaed for the puxpoae~ of the pre.6ent ln-vention.
The upper and lower h~lves of sultable injection molde are shor~n ~1 plan vie~ in ~I~S. 9A and 9B, which ~how the injectio~
side 30 and the knockout ~ide 31, re~pectively. Lach o~ the~e comprises a block of, ~2~, 6tainless steel whlch has been cast and then ~achined to the de~ired ~hapes.
~he ~prue 32 i8 the central chunnel along which the ~olten plastic tra~elB from the Bource; ~8 l~ the sprue well ~here the excess collects; 3~a,33b and 3~c,33d ~or~ the rune ~rhich connect th~ sprue to the ~old cavitiee 35a and 35b at opposite eIId~3 of the illjection side o~ the mold. The core~ 34a and 34b arc for~ed in the J~nockout side to mate coa~ially with chvit1es 35a~
20 35b to ~orm the wal1~ of the cape, under control o~ knockout pinB
39. The central pins 36a, 36b form the central holes in the caps.
FIG. 10A iB a ~che~atic show1ng in lon~;itudinal sect$o~
of the two h&lve~ of the mo1d in open pt)6ition, ~lth a conventio~1 p1ungex-type injection press being inalcated schemat~ca11y. FIG., 25 10B show6 the ln~ect~ on pre~s operated w1th the mold 11l clo~ed pos1tion. When, the mold iB clo~ed ~ the ~o1ten p1astic material 1E~
forced ~nto the mold b~ a hydraulically driven pi~ton 41, after the ~upply ~ater1a1 compr~ing pellets of "~RATO~" tber-oplastic or the llke haYe been placed in hopper 44, and heated up to a 30 mo~.ten ma~ ln c~vity 45. The ~olten materlal then ,pa~es thro~3 h the run~ Por~ed ~y 3~a~33~ and ~3b,3~d~ Si~ultaneou~y7 the core6 34a ar~d 34b are forced into the cavitie~ o tkat the ~olten 1~3~3~6~ ~., P. T ~ PO ~5.. ',a;u.'Ga 1-~

pl~s~ic pao~e~ from the run~,-throu~,h ~ubmari~e gat~s ~7a,~7b, fillin~ i.n the .~ce ~t.~en ~hP Core ~nd the inn~ n~ .h o~ the cavitie~ Pin~ ~a and 36b are di~posed to close a~ially ~ainst e~ch o~ the cores 34aJ 34b to -~o~m th~ centr~1 openings i~
tha caps.
It wi11 be under~tood that cap~ o:~ any o~ the type~ .
sho~n in PiGS. 3B, 5~ 6B or 7Bt or variations thereo~9 ca~ be formed by the conventiona1 in~ection proce~ just de~cribed.
Althou~h the in~ention has bee~ de~cribed with refer~ca to ~pecific e~am~le~ by ~ay o* illu~tration, it wlll be l~d~r~tood that the in~en~ion i~ not 1imited ~o any of the spe~1~i¢ ~o~m3 or materia1~ ~hown and de~cribed, but on1y by the scope o~ tha appended claim~.

~ 12

Claims (10)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. The method of forming a whistle in a hollow air-filled squeeze toy which comprises the steps of blow molding the hollow body of said squeeze toy to include a small whistle cavity adjacent a wall of said body, - disposing a closure on said whistle cavity to form there-with a resonant chamber for sounds of a preselected frequency, and forming a pair of axially aligned openings in said whistle cavity and in said closure, wherein both of said openings act as venturi constrictions for a stream of air passing therethrough when said toy is squeezed, and at least one said opening also functions as a blow hole for passage of a blast of air during said blow molding process.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said whistle cavity is formed by an insert which includes a blow hole opening which serves both for the passage of a blast of air through said mold during the molding process, and to provide a whistle opening in said whistle cavity.

3. The method in accordance with claim 2 wherein said closure for forming a whistle with said whistle cavity is injection molded.

4. The method in accordance with claim 2 wherein the closure for forming a whistle with said whistle cavity is blow molded simultaneously with said whistle cavity.

5. The method in accordance with claim 4 wherein the insert for providing a blow hole is constructed and arranged to form a cavity immediately external to the surface of said toy, and wherein the blow pin for passing air into said hollow body during the molding process has an opening midway along its length which coincides with the position corresponding to said cavity when said blow pin is in position to blow air into said body, so that at least a portion of said air is blown into said cavity.

6. The method in accordance with claim 2 wherein the insert for providing said blow hole opening is constructed and arranged to form a cavity comprising a depression in the surface of said squeeze body, wherein said depression is constructed to serve as said whistle cavity, said blow hole opening serving to accommodate the reciprocal movements of a blow pin during said molding operation.

7. The method of forming, by blow molding in a blow molding machine, a hollow air-filled squeeze body including a whistle which comprises the steps of:
providing a mass or molten thermoplastic rubber;
extruding rubber from said molten mass to form a parison which passes between a pair of mold-halves shaped to form between them said squeeze body, said mold-halves including means for forming an annular whistle cavity site adjacent to or in a wall of said body and including a blow pin opening centered in said site;
interposing a blow pin of substantially uniform cross-section into said parison;
closing said mold-halves to clamp said parison so that said blow pin is enclosed in said blow pin opening;
causing a first blast of gas to blow through said blow pin for shaping said parison against the interior of said mold-halves including said means for forming an annular whistle cavity;
opening said mold-halves;
retracting said blow pin through said blow pin opening in said hollow squeeze body;
subsequently removing said hollow squeeze body from said blow machine by a second blast of gas;
forming and securing a closure on said whistle cavity to form therewith a resonant chamber for sounds of a preselected frequency, said closure having an opening which is axially aligned with said blow pin opening, wherein both of said open-ings act as venturi constrictions for a stream of air passing therethrough when said hollow body is squeezed.

8. The method in accordance with Claim 7 wherein said means for forming an annular whistle cavity site comprises one or more inserts which are attached to said mold-halves to form said whistle cavity to include a blow hole opening which serves both for the passage of a blow pin of substantially uniform cross-section into said mold during the molding process, and to provide a whistle opening in said whistle cavity.

9. The method in accordance with Claim 7 wherein said blow-pin opening is precisely formed by the excursions of said blow-pin to provide an opening having a uniform reproduci-ble cross-sectional diameter not exceeding about 1/8 inch.

10. The method in accordance with Claim 9 wherein said means for forming an annular whistle cavity site comprises one or more inserts which are attached to said mold-halves to form said whistle cavity to include a blow hole opening which serves both for the passage of a blow pin of substantially uniform cross-section into said mold during the molding process, and to provide a whistle opening in said whistle cavity.