FR2782016A1 - METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A FIGURE FOR A BABY-FOOT TABLE GAME, A FIGURE THUS OBTAINED AND A TABLE GAME PROVIDED WITH SUCH A FIGURE - Google Patents

Abstract

Method of manufacturing a figurine for a table game of the foosball type, characterized in that it consists in: - molding two half-bodies (A, B) flat, each provided with a housing (6A, 6B) partial reception of a support rod (10) of said figurine; - arrange said half-bodies on either side of said rod (10) so that said rod is received in the housings (6A, 6B) opposite said half-body (A, B) and- lock (F) said half-body together by trapping said rod (10) in said housings (6A, 6B). The figurine is characterized in that it comprises two half-bodies -bodies (A, B) locked together around the support rod (10), these half-bodies defining between them a housing (6) for receiving and imprisoning the rod.

Description

i The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a figurine for a

  table game of the table football type, with a figurine thus obtained and table game of the table football type comprising

such a figurine.

  Usually, table games of the table football type include a horizontal plate, most often supported by feet, forming the playing field. This plate is bordered by enclosure walls on which are mounted, with free pivoting. , bars supporting figurines representing

  players from two soccer teams.

  It is known to produce these figurines by molding a blank whose dimensions are practically identical to those of the final figurine. This blank can be molded either directly around the rod which will support the figurine, or in a separate mold. Then, on each blank, a plastic layer is overmolded so as to materialize the clothes, the skin and / or the hair of each player. This overmolding operation is carried out in recovery, figurine by figurine. The overmolding step on the blank is delicate and must be carried out with great care, so that the appearance of the figurines formed is in line with customer expectations. This induces a relatively high manufacturing cost, while the quality of the product obtained is not always optimal. The blank has a relatively large volume which corresponds approximately to the final volume of the figurine, so that it constitutes a massive piece and that its cooling time, before a subsequent manufacturing step, is relatively long. This cooling time limits the reduction in the manufacturing cycle time of a series of figurines, which creates a prohibitive barrier to increasing production rates. In addition, in the case of blanks molded directly on the maneuvering bar, when a manufacturing defect linked to the overmolding operation is observed at the level of only one of the figurines of a bar, all of the figurines on this bar is discarded. When the figurines are molded independently of the support rods, there is provided, in each figurine, an orifice for the passage of these rods. The assembly of a game is relatively complex insofar as each rod must be put in place through a first wall of the game, then cross the player or players that it must support, before being introduced into a corresponding orifice of the opposite wall. This mounting method is not natural and can confuse an occasional user,

especially a consumer.

  It is to these drawbacks that the invention more particularly intends to remedy by proposing a method of manufacturing a figurine which makes it possible to obtain, with an attractive cost,

  figurines of satisfactory quality.

  In this spirit, the invention relates to a method of

  manufacture of a figurine for table games and baby-type

  foot, characterized in that it consists in: - flat molding two half-bodies each provided with a housing for partial reception of a support rod for the figurine; - placing said half-bodies on either side of said rod, so that said rod is received in the housings facing said half-bodies and

  - locking said half-bodies together, by printing

  ringing said rod in said housings.

  Thanks to the invention each figurine can be molded independently of the support rod, so that a possible defect in one of the figurines does not lead to the scrapping of several of them. The assembly of the half-bodies together

  can be carried out, as desired, by the manufacturer or by the user

  sator of the game, this second hypothesis allowing to involve the consumer who takes pleasure in assembling the game while

  the manufacturing costs of such a game are reduced accordingly.

  The half-bodies can be molded in a single operation because, in at least some configurations, they can be provided monochrome. It is also possible to plan to mold the bodies in a basic color with decorations formed by a process called "in mold decoration" ("decoration in the mold") or IMD. According to another approach, a decoration by pad printing can be implemented. In all cases, any returns or overflows of colored material on the faces of the half-bodies intended to come into abutment against each other are not annoying, insofar as these possible returns or overflows are concealed after mounting of the figurine. According to a first aspect of the invention, the method consists in molding these half-bodies so that they form

  an articulated structure capable of being closed around the rod.

  Thanks to this aspect of the invention, a clamp is formed which

  even an inexperienced user, such as a child, can easily

  put in place around a support rod.

  According to another advantageous aspect of the invention, the method consists in locking said half-bodies together in a removable manner. According to a first embodiment, the locking is achieved by screwing or clipping. According to another embodiment, the locking is carried out in

  having at least one locking ring around the half-bodies.

  Other locking modes, removable or not, may

also be considered.

  The invention also relates to a figurine which can be manufactured according to the method as previously described and, more specifically, a figurine which comprises two half-bodies

  locked together around a support rod, these half

  body defining between them a receiving housing and

rod imprisonment.

  Such a figurine is economical and easy to set up.

square.

  According to a first advantageous aspect of the invention, the half-bodies are joined by an articulation arranged in a direction generally parallel to the rod in the assembled position of the figurine, said half-bodies forming a clamp structure

  able to be closed around the rod.

  According to another advantageous aspect of the invention, the figurine comprises means for locking the bodies by screwing, clipping or positioning at least one ring around the bodies. In the case of positioning a ring, this ring advantageously represents the jersey or the feet of the figurine. The invention finally relates to a table football type game comprising figurines as previously described. We can foresee that the rings representing the jerseys of the players of two teams of the game are of different colors, this

  which allows you to recognize them at first glance.

  The invention will be better understood and other advantages thereof will appear more clearly in the light of the

  description which follows of two embodiments of a

  figurine conforming to its principle given solely by way of example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: - Figure 1 is a perspective view of two half-bodies of a figurine conforming to a first embodiment of the invention, after molding; - Figure 2 is a schematic representation of principle, of a first step of assembling the figurine of Figure 1;

  - Figure 3 is a perspective view through the rear

  the figure of Figure 1 during a second assembly step; - Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 for a figurine according to a second embodiment of the invention; - Figure 5 is a schematic representation of the principle of a first step of assembling the figurine of Figure 4; - Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 during a second assembly step and Figure 7 is a side view of the figurine of

Figures 4 to 6 mounted.

  In FIG. 1, two molded half-bodies A and B are attached by a hinge film 1 produced by continuity of material between the half-bodies A and B. The half-bodies A and B thus form a

  articulated clamp 2 in one piece.

  The half bodies A and B are respectively configured to represent the rear part and the front part of the body of a football player. To do this, they each include a

  first section 3A or 3B representing the legs of a footbal-

  their, a second section 4A or 4B representing its bust and

  a third section 5A or 5B representing its head.

  The sections 4A and 4B are each provided with an elongated housing 6A or 6B. These housings are designed to come opposite one another when the sections 5A and 5B intended to form the player's head are brought closer to each other in the direction of the arrows F in FIG. 2. The housings 6a and 6b define between them an elongated volume 6 for receiving and imprisoning a rod 10 for supporting the figurine,

  visible in Figures 2 and 3 and intended to be pivotally mounted

  free on the sides or surrounding walls of a type game

baby foot.

  The cross section of the housings 6a and 6b is adapted to that of the rod 10 to avoid pivoting of the figurine around the rod. In the example shown, the rod is of hexagonal section, while the receiving volume 6 of the rod defined by the housings 6a and 6b is also of hexagonal section.

  The assembly of the figurine is done by arranging the half

  body A and B on either side of the rod 10 and bringing sections 5A and 5B together, as shown by the arrows F in FIG. 2, so that the rod 10 is received jointly in the housings 6a and 6b. This approximation is possible because the hinge film 1 extends in a direction XX 'generally parallel to the housings 6A and 6B, that is to say to the rod 10 in

mounted position.

  Then, and as appears more clearly with the arrow F 'in FIG. 3, a screw 11 is inserted through an orifice 12A of section 4A of the half-body A as far as in a tapping 12B of section 4B of the body B, so that the half-bodies A and B are firmly held in position,

  that is to say locked, around the rod 10.

  It follows from the foregoing explanations that the assembly and installation of a figurine in accordance with this first embodiment is particularly easy and can be carried out by the manufacturer or by the end user of the game. Given the sequence of operations described above, it is understood that the placement of the figurines on the corresponding support rods can be carried out while the rods are already pivotally mounted in the sides of the game. This approach is most natural for a person who realized

  occasionally mounting, in particular for consumption

  tor. The locking of the half-bodies A and B by screwing has the advantage of being removable, since the screw 11 can be unscrewed to separate the half-bodies A and B, for example when it is necessary to carry out a maintenance operation on the game

  or in order to change its configuration.

  In the second embodiment of the invention represented

  In Figures 4 to 6, elements similar to those of the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3 bear identical references increased by 50. In this embodiment, two half-bodies A and B are molded flat independently. They include sections 53A and 53B forming the legs, sections 54A and 54B forming the bust and sections 55A and 55B forming the head of a player they represent. The sections 54A and 54B are respectively provided with an elongated housing 56A and 56B. These housings are provided to together form an elongated volume 56 for receiving a rod 60 visible to

Figures 5 to 7.

  The assembly of the figurine of this second embodiment

  tion takes place by bringing the half-bodies A and B in the direction of the arrows F in FIG. 5, that is to say generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rod 60. The volume 56 of reception is thus formed of the rod between the half-bodies A and B. When the planar facing surfaces of the half-bodies A and B are pressed against each other, as shown in FIG. 6, it is possible, as shown by the arrow F ', to have around the parts 54A and 54B a ring 63, shown in section and representing the jersey of a football player, this ring having internal dimensions adapted to the external dimensions of the sections 54A and 54B, so that, when placed as shown in Figure 7, it prevents any relative movement between the bodies A and B

  which are thus locked around the rod 60.

  In the same way, a second ring 64, represented in section in FIG. 6 and representing the feet of the player, is intended to be arranged around the end parts of the sections 53A

  and 53B of bodies A and B, as represented by the arrow F ".

  Each of sections 53A and 53B is terminated by a flange 65A or 65B undercut. When the ring 64 is arranged around the ends 53A and 53B, the flanges 65A and 65B cooperate with internal surfaces 64A and 64B of the ring

  64 to firmly immobilize this ring with respect to the half

  body A and B. The fixing of the ring 64 on the half-bodies A and B is removable, since it is possible for the user to access the edges 65A and 65B, since the central opening 64C of the ring 64 is through. In the same way, the jersey 63 of the figurine can be removed by moving it away from the rod 60. The

  locking of the half-bodies A and B is therefore removable.

  The half-bodies A and B can be made of a uniform and homogeneous plastic for all the figurines of a set, while the rings 63 can be molded in two different colors corresponding to the respective colors of the teams

represented on a game.

  It is possible to provide the rings 63 in several sets of different colors, the final choice of the color of the two teams present on the field being left to the initiative of the user, according to his favorite colors for cultural reasons. , local or national. This choice is not final since the mounting of the ring 63 on each figurine is removable. In particular,

  rings 63 can be produced in different colors

  your national football teams.

  The ring 64 is the part of each figurine which comes into contact with the ball and it can be made of a harder plastic than the bodies A and B, or even of metal, so that the impact of a figurine on the ball as close as possible to an elastic shock. In addition, if the material used to make the ring 64 is denser than that used to make the bodies A and B, the ring 64 has the effect of ballasting the figurine so as to bring it back in a

natural playing position.

  In the two embodiments considered, the bodies A and B can be polychrome, the decoration being carried out by an IMD process, by a multi-color injection press with rotary mold or not, by pad printing or by another technique. In all cases, particular care can be taken in the production of the external surfaces of the bodies A and B, that is to say of the visible surfaces once these have been assembled. On the other hand, any burrs or overflows on the flat faces in which the housings 6A, 6B, 56A or 56B are provided are not such as to cause the parts to be scrapped insofar as these possible appearance defects are hidden once the figurines are mounted. In the second embodiment, the bodies A and B can be monochrome, and therefore molded in a single operation, insofar as the color of the rings 63 makes it possible to differentiate the

teams.

  According to an alternative embodiment not shown of the invention, the half-bodies A and B may be hollow, in the sense that their faces intended to come opposite may not be planar but concave. In this case, the half-bodies are lightened and the material necessary for their manufacture is less

  important, which further reduces their cost price.

Claims (11)

  1. Method for manufacturing a figurine for table games of the table football type, characterized in that it consists in: - flat molding two half-bodies (A, B) each provided with a housing (6A, 6B; 56A, 56B) for partial reception of a rod (10; 60) for supporting said figurine; - arranging said half-bodies on either side of said rod, so that said rod is received in the housings facing said half-bodies and locking (F, F ', F ") said half-bodies together   by trapping said rod in said housings.   2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it consists in molding said half-bodies (A, B) so that they form an articulated structure (2) capable of being closed around said rod.   3. Method according to one of claims 1 or 2, character-   laughed at in that it consists in locking said half-bodies (A, B) removably together.   4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that it consists in locking said half-bodies (A, B) by screwing or clipping.   5. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that it consists in locking said half-bodies (A, B) by placing around them at least one locking ring (63, 64).   6. Figurine for table football type game, character-   laughed at in that it comprises two locked half-bodies (A, B)   together around a support rod (10; 60), said half   body defining between them a housing (6; 56) for receiving and imprisonment of said rod.   7. Figurine according to claim 6, characterized in that said half-bodies are joined by an articulation (1) disposed in a direction (XX ') generally parallel to said rod (10) in the assembled position of the figurine, said half body forming a clamp structure (2) capable of being closed around said rod.   8. Figurine according to one of claims 6 or 7,   characterized in that it comprises means (11, 12; 63, 64; 65A, 65B) for locking said bodies by screwing, clipping or positioning at least one ring (63, 64) around said bodies. 9. Figurine according to claim 8, characterized in that said ring (63, 64) represents the jersey or the feet of the figurine.   10. Table football game including a board,   enclosure walls bordering this plate and, pivotally mounted   bars, bars (10; 60) supporting figurines, characterized in that the figurines conform to one of the claims 6 to 9.   11. Table game according to claims 9 and 10,   characterized in that the rings (63) representing the jerseys   players from two teams are of different colors.