EP0711584B1

EP0711584B1 - Doll's head

Info

Publication number: EP0711584B1
Application number: EP95500130A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Pedro Lavilla Heras
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-11-08
Filing date: 1995-09-26
Publication date: 1998-05-13
Anticipated expiration: 2015-09-26
Also published as: ATE165994T1; EP0711584A1; DE69502465D1; GR3027589T3; DE69502465T2

Abstract

A receptacle made of a flexible and waterproof material, for instance a ball (1), that is stuffed with powdered and non-poisonous matter (2), say flour. The flexible receptacle is sealed tightly at the mouth by certain means (3) to yield a shapeless body, malleable upon hand manipulation. The invention is useful for making doll's heads that allow their configuration to be changed in shape by hand manipulation to model different heads. <IMAGE>

Description

The subject-matter of the present Patent is a doll's head which affords a number of advantages to the function for which it has been designed, as discussed hereinafter, and others that are inherent in its arrangement and construction.

Toys modeled in the figure of a boy, girl or human being and designated dolls have been known from time immemorial. Dolls were handcrafted in the old days and are now industrially produced at purposely built toy factories where dolls are made in bulk.

Primitive dolls used to be generally wooden. They were later made to have rag bodies stuffed with sawdust and cardboard or porcelain heads; nowadays, modern dolls are typically made of papier mâché, rubber, plastic, wood pulp, celluloid and other appropriate materials.

It is also known for dolls' heads to largely prevail over the rest of the body because the facial expression and shape of the head are normally what catches a child's attention most.

There are currently many and varied prior art doll head designs ranging from the most realistic to clearly cartoonist tendencies and yet in all instances the heads comprise a rigid or semi-rigid structure that defines unchanging forms and features. No doll head is currently known to have structural characteristics that may allow sufficient stable configurational changes to be made so as to appreciably alter the shape and features of the face, to the extent that different doll heads may be had and that the changes in shape be manually attainable by a child on its own to match its creative imagination, thus rendering the toy all the more appealing.

The holder of this Patent application has devised a doll's head with certain characteristics and constituent materials of a suitable nature so that changes in shape may be made to substantially alter its configuration. Such changes in shape are achieved by manipulating the body making up the head, which is deformable by pressure, an assortment of shapes being attainable resulting in different heads. Consequently, the doll's head subject of the invention is manually malleable by a child on its own and the toys therefore have a new appeal.

Broadly speaking, the doll's head subject of the invention comprises a receptacle made of a flexible or waterproof material, namely a rubber or plastic sack or ball stuffed with powdered and non-poisonous matter, say flour. The flexible receptacle comprised by the sack or ball is sealed tightly at the mouth to yield a shapeless body, malleable upon hand manipulation to fashion a large variety of shapes representing the same number of heads and faces, in conjunction with certain added complements that provide the hair, nose, eyes and mouth.

The outer surface of the receptacle can be suitably decorated and the facial elements aforesaid, namely ears, eyes and hair of the purported head can be simply marked on the outer surface of the doll's face, preferably by screen printing.

The doll's head can also carry a more or less grotesque imitation cap: as a clown, cook, etc., depending upon the type of doll's head to be imitated.

The present Patent provides the advantages described above in addition to others that will follow easily from the embodiment of a doll's head, described hereinafter in detail for an easy understanding of the features set out above, contemporaneously giving a number of details and attaching to the present specification, to such end, some drawings showing a practical example of the object of the present invention that is meant to illustrate and not to limit its scope.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation sectional view of the doll's head.

Figure 2 is a perspective front view of the doll's head shown in the previous figure.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of a vertical plane of a doll's head in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4 is an outer view of the same head as in figure 3, in accordance with this same embodiment.

With reference to the figures, the embodiment therein shows a new doll's head comprising a flexible receptacle that is generally designated -1-, which may be a rubber sack or ball stuffed with powdered and non-poisonous matter -2-, preferably flour. The mouth of the receptacle -1- is kept tightly sealed by means of an elastic ring -3- or like means which concurrently retains the ends -4a- of a variable number of rope yarns -4- to form a bunch that simulates hair.

At least a projection -1a- with a stuffing -2a- of powdered matter pinched by a ring -7- emerges from the side surface of the receptacle -1- to simulate a grotesque nose on the face.

This arrangement allows a large variety of shapes to be obtained of both the head as such and projections such as -1a- emerging therefrom, for such elements are easily modeled by hand due to the nature of the receptacle or container and its stuffing or contents.

The outer surface of the receptacle -1- can be suitably decorated and adhesive members -5- and -6- can also be used to simulate the eyes and mouth on the face.

The elements defining the head and skull of the new head can also be defined by simply marking the outer surface of part -1-. Marking can be effected by screen printing, engraving, manual painting or otherwise howsoever using graphic arts.

Figure 4 thus shows the doll's head with eyes -8-, nose -9-, mouth -10-, ears -11- and hair -12- marked and appropriately coloured by one of the above processes.

A cap, hat, helmet or the like -13- may also be typically fitted on the top of the body -1- depending upon the characteristics of the doll's face so formed. This imitation headgear will be arranged to conceal the seal of member -1- with its edges -14- lying on the area surrounding the seal proper. The headgear will be fixed by any suitable means.

Claims

A doll's head, characterised by comprising a receptacle (1) consisting of a sack or ball made of a waterproof elastic material and stuffed with non-poisonous matter (2), its mouth being sealed tightly by an adjustable ring (3) which concurrently catches the ends (4a) of a number of rope yarns (4) whose opposite ends are free, thereby to simulate grotesque hair.
A doll's head, as in claim 1, characterised by at least a suitably stuffed projection (1a) emerging from the side surface of the receptacle, pinched by a further adjustable ring (7).
A doll's head, as in claims 1 and 2, characterised by the surface of the receptacle being fitted with adhesive members (5, 6) representing the eyes and mouth of the face.
A doll's head, as in claim 1, characterised by the face elements, ears and hair being graphically marked and preferably screen printed at the relevant locations.
A doll's head, as in claim 1, characterised by the top of the head, where the receptacle is sealed, being fitted with an inseparably attached imitation cap (13) that conceals the tight seal.