EP0182866B1

EP0182866B1 - Method for producing a doll

Info

Publication number: EP0182866B1
Application number: EP19850902789
Authority: EP
Inventors: Janet Mary Cahill
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-05-16
Filing date: 1985-05-14
Publication date: 1991-08-07
Also published as: DE3583729D1; EP0182866A4; WO1985005323A1; AU4405985A; EP0182866A1

Abstract

The doll is formed by outlining a desired feature with an adhesive such as either a meltable, fuser thread or a sheet of fuser material with cut-outs in the shape of the desired feature between a stretchable front and a non-stretchable rear piece of fabric. Soft material is inserted between the two sheets within the feature such as through the top of the U-shaped nose opening and through a slit in the rear piece of fabric behind the mounth. The mouth can also be formed by satin-like stitches. The lips can also be formed by running stitches forming an outline, which is then filled. Satin-like stitches then cover the protruding lips. Small heat fusible adhesive disks create the eyes. Inset eyes may be formed by placing a length of thick, elongated material, such as a cord, around the attached region and sewing the ends of the cord together. The area between the outline of the thick, elongated fabric is inset from the raised outline of the thick, elongated material. Stitching the front and rear sheet together next to the nose may also create eyes. The space between the two sheets at the forehead, cheeks and chin is then filled with more soft material, or a batting module with a central opening may surround the features between the sheets. The front and rear sheets of material are sewn together, the face portion is attached to a back head portion, and the cavity between them is filled with soft material. Th eye locations are stitched with long stitches extending through the back piece and pulled tightly to indent the eyes.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention: The present invention relates to a method for producing three dimensional facial features on a soft cloth doll. The method also has applicability for making three dimensional features in cloth other than dolls.
2. The Prior Art: Soft cloth dolls have been made for centuries. Many methods have been developed to produce facial features. All construct the basic head by filling a spherical, ellipsoidal or other similar shaped head cavity made of cloth with a soft substance such as down or fabric. The methods fall within three categories.

(a) Applique and Embedment: Both methods rely on stitching or adhering objects such as buttons, felt scraps, small stuffed and stitched bags, etc. directly on top of (in the case of applique) or embeding them under (in the case of embedment) a seamless facial covering cloth. For example, some cloth dolls apply a button to the front surface. It is ornamental but artificial. This method has limited results because of the unnatural shape of the embeded or adhered object. Schwartz, U.S. Patent No. 1,916,811 (1933) is an example of applique.
A variation uses pieces of polyester fiberfill and batting glued to a sheet of non-stretch muslin to form gross features (e.g. a forehead, nose, mouth and cheeks). The muslin and the soft material are covered by a sheet of stretch polyester, and the fiberfill and batting creates gross features. Long stitches can also be pulled completely through the head to provide indentations for the eyes. Use of stitches extending through the head is disclosed in Sanders, U.S. Patent No. 2,483,325 (1949) and Beach, U.S. Patent No. 1,442,761 (1923). The faces are interesting, but the features are not sharp and life-like because the materials used to form the features cannot be properly confined. Therefore, when the head cover is tightened, the features flatten.
(b) Needle Modeling: The head is also formed by filling with a soft material an approximately spherical or ellipsoidal enclosure of shear material. The cloth is stitched and tucked into the filling material in such a way as to form three dimensional features. This method is discussed in Foster, Foster Children Soft Sculpture Dolls, (1982). The effects can be life-like, but the stitches are visible to the unaided eye and are aesthetic distractions. If the material is shear, the head and face has little mechanical durability and can easily be damaged by rough handling. The features formed are less clearly defined if thicker materials are used.
(c) Trapunto: A feature such as an ear is formed by stitching an outline in front and rear cloth pieces, which also holds the cloth together. Material is stuffed within the outline between the front and rear pieces to form a protruding feature. The method is usually unsatisfactory because the stitches are visible.
(d) Seamed Heads and Faces: This method uses two or more pieces of pattern material, joined together by stitches to form the head cavity. In the center seamed face, a popular example of this method, a flat pattern is used for cutting two identical side profiles of the head. Each profile has a nose, chin, etc. The profiles are then stitched together with a seam running through the center of the face to create a head cavity, which is then filled with soft material. The seams, which appear directly on the surface of the face, are the main drawback in this system.

Each of the described methods can be used alone or in combination, but they all suffer from an inability to form clear, life-like facial features without distracting stitches on the facial surface. Experts in the field have lamented these drawbacks.
There are some other methods which do not appear to have gained lasting acceptance and are not strictly soft cloth dolls. Walker, U.S. Patent No. 144,373 (1873) produced facial features pressed from cloth saturated with glue. Wellington, U.S. Patent No. 285,448 (1883) uses a wire frame inside of the head. Johnson, U.S. Patent No. 366,730 (1887) used waxed cloth as the base material. Other materials such as tar, paint, pressed felt and cardboard have also been used either to stiffen the material to form a harder mask or to create a mechanical foundation over which cloth is stretched. None are soft to the touch, and most are mechanically weak and require technical capabilities often not found in the home.
It is especially difficult to obtain a desirable doll face or head in a production setting. The hobbiest may not want her doll to look exactly like another hobbiest's doll, but manufacturing quality control requires repeatable results.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relies on a new method for creating well defined cavities into which material can be added to create facial features. As in earlier methods, the face is formed with two pieces of cloth, one of stretch fabric and the other which does not stretch, and the rest of the head is formed of a third piece of cloth such that the two face pieces and the rear piece form a spherical or ellipsoidal head that is filled with soft material. The method form features without showing stitching on the doll face.
According to the present invention, there is provided a method as set out in the attached claims.
In an exemplary method of the present invention, improved eyes which simplify assembly of the head and enhance the mechanical stability of the face can be achieved by using heat fusible material such as polyamide in the shape of a disk. Such disks are placed on a rear piece of non-stretchable fabric in a position corresponding to the location of the eye. A front sheet of stretchable fabric then covers the heat fusible disk, and the disk is melted by heating the fabric with an iron. When the disk cools and sets, the front and rear pieces of fabric are held together at the eye region. To form an inset feature, one then encircles each of the eyes between the rear sheet and the front sat of fabric, with a relatively thick piece or cord of cotton, synthetic or other material. The ends of the cord are sewn together, and the area that the disk holds together traps the cord. The cord causes the front piece of fabric, which can stretch, to bulge, but the disk recesses the area inside the outline of the cord. The protrusion corresponds to the boney structure around the eye socket, and the inset structure corresponds to the eye itself.
Rather than employing unformed, soft stuffing material to fill the remaining spaces between the two face pieces, a batting module may be provided with a central cut-out having space for the eyes: nose and any other features.
The fusible disks may form of a sheet of polyamide material of the approximate size of the front and rear piece of fabric. The sheet of polyamide or other fuser material has cut-outs where soft stuffing can be added. For example, a sheet of polyamide could have cut-outs for the eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks, eyebrows, chin and any other part where there is to be filling added. With proper techniques, the sheet polyamide can be cut with very fine patterns so that mouth details, for example, could be shown. The sheet polyamide is laid on the rear piece of material, the front piece of material is then laid over the sheet polyamide and the material is fused. After fusing areas where there is no polyamide are filled with soft material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1: is an exploded view of the front and rear pieces of fabric with fuser threads used to form outlines of the mouth and nose and the structures forming inset eyes in this invention.
Figure 2: is a front view of the doll face of Figure 1 and shows the face with the parts to make the inset feature.
Figure 3: is a cross-sectional view of the doll face of Figure 2 is taken through plane 3-3 in Figure 2.
Figure 4: is a front view showing the detail of the structure that forms the inset feature, which is placed around the fused area.
Figure 5: is a sectional view of the face of the present invention incorporated into a doll's head.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present method uses two pieces of fabric for forming the face of the doll. The first, front piece 10, and the second, rear piece 12, may be of any type of cloth depending on the color and texture objectives of the maker. As will be explained below, features protrude more if the front piece 10, which will be the outside, visible piece is stretch fabric while the rear or inner cloth 12 does not stetch. Additionally, the facial structure is more mechanically stable if the inner cloth is non-stretch. Both sheets 10 and 12 are elliptical or oval.
In the embodiment of Figures 1 through 5, the nose and mouth are formed in a similar fashion. The construction of the nose is discussed first. The two sheets of fabric 10 and 12, which are approximately the same size, are placed over each other. A desired outline shape for the nose is chosen, and a short piece of fuser thread 15 is made to conform to the desired outline and placed between sheets 10 and 12 at a desired location for the nose, generally near the center of the sheets (Figure 2). Fuser thread 15 is formed of a polyamide or similar substance, which can be made to conform to any desired shape when it is placed on rear sheet 12. When front piece is placed over the rear sheet and fuser thread, the thread can be heated using a clothing iron or other similar device. After several seconds, the fuser thread melts and flows into and around the cloth fibers to create a fine fused seam 17 (Figures 3 and 5). Likewise, another piece of fuser thread 19 can form the outline of the mouth (Figure 2), and it can then form hidden, fine fused seams 21 (Figures 3 and 5) after it is melted in a similar fashion.
A fuser thread is used because it is easily controlled for adjusting the shape of the features. Only when the feature is in the exact desired shape is heat applied and the final attaching finished. Adhesives that are not set by heating can also be used. Care should be taken so that they are strong and water resistant.
Fuser thread 15, which forms the nose, is placed in a pattern with an opening at the top (Figures 1 and 2). The cavity 24 (Figure 3) formed between the front and rear pieces as outlined by the fuser thread 15 is filled with soft material through the opening at the top of the nose. This makes the nose natural in that cavity 24 flows into forehead space 30 (Figure 5), which is also between pieces 10 and 12 and which can also be filled with material to make the forehead. Cheeks (not shown) can be formed to the sides of the nose in a similar fashion.
Instead of filling the nose through the top opening as shown in Figure 2, a small horizontal (Figures 2 and 3) or vertical slit 23 can be cut into rear piece 12 within the outline of the nose feature formed by fuser thread 15. Once slit 23 is formed, pocket or cavity 24, which is formed within the outline of seam 17 is filled with soft material such as down 26. As shown in Figures 3 and 5, filled cavity 24 becomes the nose 28. For nose 28 to protrude properly, front piece 10 should be of a stretch material, but it is best if rear piece 12 does not stretch so it exerts proper force on filling 26.
In this exemplary embodiment, mouth 32 is formed similarly in that soft filling material 34 (Figure 3) is inserted through slit 38 into cavity 36 between seams 21 made by fuser thread 19.
Using a single outline for the mouth as shown in the exemplary embodiment does not yield separate lips. Painting the central portion of the mouth to create an illusion of separate lips, however, may be acceptable. If not, an additional piece of fuser thread (not shown) can be placed horizontally extending to or near both corners of the mouth. Two cavities are then formed, one for each lip, and are filled using the same techniques.
The eyes can be formed as follows. A disk 64 of fuser material such as polyamide or similar substance is placed in the desired location on rear sheet 12 (Figure 2). Next, the top sheet of stretchable material 10 is placed over fabric 12 and disk 64. When heat is applied to the back of sheet of fabric 12 or to the top of sheet 10 (e.g. with an iron), the fusing material melts, and when it cools, it holds region 68 together (Figure 3).
To form the inset features, a piece of thick, elongated fabric is made to surround the feature, the eyes in this case. Referring particularly to Figures 3 and 4 once area 64 of an adhesive is fused (as in Figures 3 and 4) holding region 68 between sheets 10 and 12 together, a thick, elongated piece of material 60 is placed in a desired pattern around region 68. Ring 66 is one such pattern. The thick, elongated material may be a rope or cord and may be of cotton, hemp or synthetic material. The ends of member 60 are sewn together at 62 to form ring 66. The ring causes top sheet 10 of stretch fabric to bulge above disk 64. The rear sheet 12, which does not stretch, supports the ring so that the bulge extends primarily from the front sheet. As Figures 3 and 5 show, ring 66 protrudes outward making it appear as if it were the skeletal structure surrounding an eye. The inset portion 68 corresponds to the way in which the eye is inset from the protruding skeletal structure of the face.
Alternatively, one could use a ring-like member that would be similar to member 60 in its sewn-together ring shape 66 of Figures 3 and 4. The fuser disk would be placed in the ring between the two sheets 10 and 12. Fusing would next take place, but in this modification, fusing is made more difficult.
When the face is formed (see Figure 5), the outside peripheries of the lower half of the face pieces 10 and 12 are stitched together forming a pocket. Soft material, such as down or fiberfill, fills this large pocket so that a chin, cheeks and forehead naturally appear (Figure 5). The eyes add mechanical strength to the upper portion of the face and trap the filling that forms the forehead and cheeks. When the face is integrated into the head, the back head piece 48 (Figure 5) is attached to the completed face. First, the bottom periphery of back head piece 48 is attached to the previously sewn-together front and rear pieces 10 and 12 so that a head cavity 54 is formed. In prior art dolls, there is a tendency for the facial features to "drift" relative to each other when the head is stuffed. The features, which are anchored to non-stretch rear fabric 12 in this invention, have no such tendency.
The back head piece 48 (Figure 5) is made of a single piece of material cut into an oval or elliptical shape. Normally, back head piece 48 will be slightly smaller than front and rear pieces 10 and 12 for a smooth chin formation. An elliptically shaped piece of embroidery canvas 52 or other rigid yet flexible material is placed in cavity 50 for internal mechanical support for the face which counters the tendency of such faces to flatten and to lose their life-like and highly contoured appearance. Cavity 50 is then filled with soft material 54 such as down, cotton or synthetic fiberfill until head cavity 50 is filled to the desired firmness. Lastly, head cavity 50 is closed by finishing the stitching along the top portion of the periphery of the back head piece 48 and the front and rear pieces 10 and 12 (Figure 5 ). Much of the stitching of the back piece 48 to the front and rear face pieces 10 and 12 takes place with head cavity 50 inside-out so that the stiches and the seam allowances are hidden within the dolls head.
After the doll head is completed as described, it can be decorated by further painting eye lashes and eyebrows. A wig or a hat normally is added to the head. The wig covers the seams that attach back head piece to front and rear pieces. The head is then attached to the rest of the doll body.

Claims

A method of forming features in fabric comprising:
a. attaching together at least one region of top and bottom sheets of material with a disk-shaped adhesive of heat fusible material, heating at least one of the sheets over the disk to cause the heat fusible material to melt, whereby upon cooling, the heat fusible material causes the region of the two sheets of material to be attached to each other;

b. stuffing at least a part of the remaining area between the top and bottom sheets with a soft material;

c. closing the periphery of the top and bottom sheets together; and

d. encircling the attached region between the top and bottom sheets with a length of thick, elongated material before the step of closing the periphery to form a closed outline around the attached region, whereby the top sheet bulges from the thick, elongated material, and the area between the outline of the thick, elongated material is inset from the raised outline of the thick, elongated material.
The method of claim 1, wherein the step of placing the thick, elongated material in a closed pattern further comprises the step of attaching the ends of the elongated material together.