FR2828413A1 - Dog type animal toy having socket section/wheels and upper section rotating from low/high positions and position changed when attached lead predetermined direction pulled. - Google Patents

Abstract

The toy has a socket section (10) and a pair of rotating wheels (12). There is an upper body (20) which can rotate around an axis, taking up a low or high position. A lead (27) is connected to the upper body part. Pulling the lead in a predetermined position, moves the upper body from one position to another.

Description

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ANIMAL TOY
The present invention relates to an animal in the form of a toy such as a toy dog.

1, L-rri une laisse entourée autour de son cou, de sorte que les loues avant et arrière peuvent être mises en rotation en tirant la laisse, pour déplacer l'animal. Usually, a toy animal such as a toy dog is known which has right and left front wheels and right and left rear wheels and

1, L-rri a leash wrapped around its neck, so that the front and rear hilt can be rotated by pulling the leash, to move the animal.

 The shape of such a usual toy animal is not changed at rest or during movement, except the rotation of the wheels. There is also a toy dog with a voice production mechanism to produce a bark. However, the barking of such a toy dog does not change at rest or during movement, while the current is supplied.

 As described above, the usual toy animals have the problem of having a low diversity and little charm and are likely to lose their popularity immediately.

 The present invention has been developed in view of the problems indicated above.

 An object of the present invention is to provide an animal toy which has charm and the shape of which can be modified, for example, at rest and during movement.

 According to one aspect of the present invention, the animal toy comprises: a base (a base), at least a first pair of rotating wheels which is connected to the base, an upper body which can be rotated back and forth around a first axis which is arranged in the base approximately horizontally, to take a downward position and an upward position, and a leash connected to the upper body of the toy animal, the upper body being ordinarily in one of the down position and

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 position up, and can rotate to the other by pulling the leash in a predetermined direction.

 In accordance with the toy animal having such a construction, it is possible to change the position of the toy animal such as a toy dog, that is to say the position down or the position up, by changing the pulling direction of the leash. Therefore, it is possible to provide a toy animal such as a toy dog which has charm and whose shape can be modified.

 Preferably, the toy animal further comprises a braking mechanism which is actuated for at least one wheel from the first pair of rotating wheels when the upper body is in the down position, and which releases the at least one wheel. of the first pair when the upper body is changed from the down position to the up position.

 The upper body can ordinarily be in the down position and can rotate to the up position by pulling the leash in an approximately horizontal direction.

 According to the toy animal having such a construction, when pulling the leash in an oblique upward direction, because the upper body of the toy animal such as a toy dog is in the position down, and that the brake is applied on at least one wheel of the first pair of rotating wheels to stop, it looks like an animal such as a dog no longer wanting to go forward. Therefore, it is possible to provide an extremely cute toy dog or the like.

 On the other hand, when pulling the leash in an approximately horizontal direction, the position of the upper body of the toy dog or the like varies from the down position to the up position, while the brake is released to release the first pair of rotating wheels. As a result, it looks like a toy dog or the like taking on a favorite appearance.

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 The upper body can also be ordinarily in the up position and can rotate to the down position by pulling the leash in an oblique upward direction.

 The toy animal may also include a second pair of wheels rotating around its second axis which is arranged approximately horizontally in the base.

 The second axis of the second pair of wheels can be offset.

In accordance with the toy animal having such a construction, it is possible to provide a toy animal such as a toy dog which can move by moving the tail up and down when the second pair of wheels moves while rolling.

 The upper body can ordinarily assume the downward position due to its own weight.

 The braking mechanism may comprise: a rotary element which allows the at least one wheel of the first pair of rotary wheels to receive a braking force, by stopping the rotation thereof, and a lever which is engaged with the 'rotary element to stop the rotation thereof or is released from the rotary element to release the stop, in accordance with the back-and-forth rotation of the upper body about the first axis.

 Preferably, the rotary member has a plurality of teeth and the lever has a claw which either engages or is released from one of the teeth of the rotary member so that the rotary member can rotate only one way.

 The rotary element may include: a first rotary plate to which is connected at least one wheel of the first pair of rotary wheels, and a second rotary plate having the plurality of teeth on the periphery, which can engage the claw of the lever, the first rotary plate and the

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 second rotary plate forming a clutch which allows the facing surfaces of the first rotary plate and the second rotary plate to engage with one another or to release from each other.

 Preferably, the toy animal further includes a voice production mechanism for producing a sound analogous to an animal voice in the down position or in the up position, the sound analogous to an animal voice in the down position being different from that in the up position.

 According to the toy animal having such a construction, it is possible to produce a toy animal which has charm and whose animal voice can be modified, for example, at rest and during movement.

 The voice production mechanism may include: two switches for detecting the down position or the up position, a control circuit, an amplifier, and a speaker.

 Preferably, the toy animal is a toy dog.

 The present invention will be better understood on reading the detailed description given below and in view of the appended drawings which are given by way of example only, and which are not intended to define the limits of the present invention, and on which: - Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a toy dog according to an embodiment of the present invention, - Figures 2A and 2B are side views showing different states of the toy dog shown in Figure 1, - Figures 3A and 3B are views representing different states of the interior of the front paw part of the toy dog shown in FIG. 1,

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 - Figure 4 is a side view showing part of an embodiment of the toy dog braking mechanism shown in Figure 1, - Figures 5A and 5B are views explaining an embodiment of the voice production mechanism of the toy dog shown in Figure 1, and - Figure 6 is a block diagram of the electric circuit of the toy dog shown in Figure 1.

 Hereinafter, an embodiment of a toy animal such as a toy dog, according to the present invention, will be explained with reference to the drawings as follows.

 Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a toy dog which is an embodiment of the toy animal according to the present invention. The toy dog 100 has, although it is not limited to this, a base 10 (a base) having a shape similar to a box and an upper body 20.

 On the right and left side surfaces of the base 10, right and left front leg portions 11 and 11 are arranged in forward positions, respectively. On each of the right and left front leg portions 11 and 11, is fixed a front wheel 12. On the peripheral surface of each front wheel 12, is fixed a rubber ring in the shape of a caterpillar 13. The base 10 has a chamber containing a battery, formed inside thereof, having a cover (not shown), for inserting or exchanging batteries by opening the cover. On the right and left side surfaces of the base 10, right and left rear wheels 14 and 14 which are rotatable on the same shaft 15 (although not limited to this) are arranged in rearward positions, respectively , as shown in Figures 2A and 2B. The right and left rear wheels 14 and 14 are arranged on the shaft 15 eccentrically.

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 As a result, when the right and left rear wheels 14 and 14 move in rotation, the toy dog 100 comes to walk by moving its tail up and down.

 The upper body 20 is provided to cover the base 10, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The upper body 20 can be tilted by being centered on a horizontal shaft 21. That is to say that the upper body 20 can be rotated back and forth by being centered on the horizontal shaft 21 which is at a position of connection of each front leg part 11, so that the toy dog can assume a downward position, as shown in FIG. 2A, and an upward position, as shown in FIG. 2B. At the down position shown in Figure 2A, the upper body 20 is brought into contact with the shaft 15 from the upper side. On the other hand, at the down position shown in FIG. 2B, the armpit part 20a of the upper body 20 is brought into contact with an abutment part 11a which is arranged at a location situated on the interior side of the front leg part 11, from the upper side, as shown in FIG. 1. Ordinarily, the upper body 20 takes a downward position by its own weight (force recalled), as shown in FIG. 2A .

 At each of the right and left side positions of the head portion 22, an ear portion 23 is arranged to tilt, that is to say to rotate back and forth backwards and forwards. 'before being centered on a shaft 24, as shown in Figures 2A and 2B. A collar 26 is arranged around the neck portion 25 of the upper body 20. A leash 27 is connected to the collar 26. The toy dog 100 has a construction such that when the leash 27 is pulled in an oblique direction towards the top, as shown in FIG. 2A, the toy dog 100 takes the down position and when the

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 leaves 27 approximately in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 2B, the toy dog 100 takes up position. On the chest portion 28, a sound evacuation element 29 is arranged. At a position close to the discharge element 29, in the upper body 20, a speaker SP is installed, which will be explained later.

 The braking mechanism 30 has a rod 31, a lever 32 and a rotary body 33, as shown in Figures 3A and 3B. The rod 31 extends up and down in order to be able to move up and down.

The lever 32 has a first arm 32a and a second arm 32b and can tilt like a swing centered on a shaft 34 which is arranged between the first and second arms 32a and 32b. The free end of the second arm 32b is in engagement with the lower end of the rod 31. Under the second arm 32b, a thrust spring 35 is arranged to push the lower surface of the second arm 32b upwards and consequently recall the rod 31 also upwards. On the free end of the first arm 32a, a claw 36 is arranged to be able to come into engagement with the rotary body 33, as shown in FIG. 3A. The rotary body 33 comprises two rotary plates 33a and 33b, as shown in FIG. 4.

 The first plate 33a of the two rotary plates and a shaft 40 on which a front wheel 12 is fixed are formed in the form of a whole. On the surface of the rotary plate 33a, which is opposite the rotary plate 33b, two projections 37 are formed along its periphery. The shaft 40 has a large diameter part 40a and a small diameter part 40b. The other plate 33b of the two rotary plates has a ring shape and the large diameter portion 40a of the shaft 40 is inserted into the inner hole of the ring-shaped rotary plate 33b. On the surface of the rotary plate 33b, which is facing the rotary plate 33a, are formed a plurality of teeth which

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 can come into engagement with the projections 37 of the rotary plate 33a. The rotary plate 33b is pushed in an ordinary manner against the rotary plate 33a by a pushing spring 39. Consequently, the rotary plates 33a and 33b form a face-to-face clutch. In the periphery of the rotary plate 33b, four teeth 41 are formed which can be engaged with the claw 36, as shown in Figures 3A and 3B. When the claw 36 engages with one of the four teeth 41 of the rotary plate 33b, the rotary plate 33b can rotate only in one direction. The small diameter part 40b of the shaft 40 projects in the direction of the outside of the front dropout part 11. On the upper end of each small diameter part 40b, the front wheel 12 is fixed, using a screw.

 The voice production mechanism 50 of the toy dog 100 has a control circuit 51, for example a printed circuit or the like, an amplifier 52, a loudspeaker SP, and two switches SW1 and SW2, for example blade switches, as shown in FIG. 6. The two switches SW1 and SW2 are used to detect the positions of the toy dog 100, that is to say the position down or the position up. The switch SW1 is turned on when the toy dog 100 is in the down position, as shown in Figure 5B, and the switch SW2 is turned on when the toy dog 100 is in the up position, as shown in figure SA. When the switch SW1 or SW2 is turned on, a predetermined type of voice is produced for a predetermined time depending on the switch which is turned on.

 The toy dog 100 having the construction described above maintains the down position by the own weight of the upper body 20 in a state where the leash 27 is not pulled. When pulling the leash 27 in an oblique upward direction from this state, as shown in Figure 2A,

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 the toy dog 100 does not move forward. That is to say that because the armpit part 20a of the upper body 20 is spaced from the rod 31, the second arm 32b of the lever 32 is pushed upwards by the pushing spring 35 and consequently the claw 36 of the first arm 32a is engaged with one of the teeth 41 of the rotary plate 33b, as shown in FIG. 3A. As a result, the mechanism acts as a brake for the front wheel 12 and the toy dog 100 cannot move forward. In this case, the toy dog 100 may groan, for example.

 When the leash 27 is pulled in an approximately horizontal direction, as shown in Figure 2B, the toy dog 100 moves forward. That is to say that because the armpit part 20a of the upper body 20 pushes the rod 31 downward, the second arm 32b of the lever 32 is pushed down against the restoring force thrust spring 35 and therefore the claw 36 of the first arm 32a is released from the teeth 41 of the rotary plate 33b, as shown in Figure 3B. As a result, the brake of the front wheel 12 is released and then the toy dog 100 can move forward. In this case, the toy dog 100 can bark happily, for example.

When one begins to pull the leash 27 in an approximately horizontal direction, the upper body 20 can be easily rotated around the shaft 21 because the brake of the front wheel 12 is actuated.

 Although the present invention has been explained in accordance with the embodiment described above, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment since various changes and modifications to what has been described above above can be done without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

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 For example, in the embodiment described above, the shaft 21 which is the rotation shaft of the upper body 20 is arranged on the front side of the toy dog 100, and the toy dog 100 has a structure taking ordinary position down. However, the toy dog 100 also has another construction in which the shaft 21 which is the rotation shaft of the upper body 20 is arranged on the rear side of the toy dog 100, and the toy dog 100 has a structure taking ordinarily the upward position, so that the toy dog 100 takes the downward position when the leash 27 is pulled in an oblique upward direction.

 In addition, in the embodiment described above, although the toy dog 100 takes the down position due to the own weight of the upper body 20, it is also possible that the upper body 20 takes the position towards the down or up position using a spring return force or the like.

 Although only a toy dog is explained as a toy animal in the embodiment described above, the present invention can be applied to another toy animal, for example a toy horse, a toy lion , a toy duck, a toy otter or the like.

 The complete description of the Japanese Patent Application Tokugan 2001-240 767 filed August 8, 2001 including the description, the claims, the drawings and the abstract is incorporated herein by reference without its entirety.

Claims (13)

 CLAIMS 1. Toy animal (100) comprising: 'a base (10),' at least a first pair of rotating wheels (12) which is connected to the base (10), 'an upper body (20) which can to be rotated back and forth around a first axis (21) which is arranged in the base (10) approximately horizontally, to assume a downward position and an upward position, and '' a leash (27) connected to the upper body (20) of the toy animal (100), characterized in that the upper body (20) is ordinarily in one of the down position and the position upward, and can rotate to the other by pulling the leash (27) in a predetermined direction. 2. Toy animal (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a braking mechanism (30) which is actuated for at least one wheel from among the first pair of rotating wheels (12) when the body upper (20) is in the down position, and which releases the at least one wheel from the first pair when the upper body (20) is changed from the down position to the up position. 3. Toy animal (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the upper body (20) can be ordinarily in the down position and can rotate to the up position by pulling the leaves (27) in an approximately horizontal direction. <Desc / Clms Page number 12>  4. Toy animal (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the upper body (20) can also be ordinarily in the up position and can rotate to the down position by pulling the leash (27) in an oblique upward direction. 5. Toy animal (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it further comprises a second pair of rotating wheels (14) around a second axis which is arranged approximately horizontally in the basement. 6. Toy animal (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that the second axis of the second pair of wheels (14) is eccentric. 7. Toy animal (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that the upper body (20) can ordinarily assume the downward position due to its own weight. 8. Toy animal (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that the braking mechanism (30) may comprise: a rotary element (33) which allows the at least one wheel of the first pair of rotary wheels (12 ) to receive a braking force, by stopping the rotation thereof, and a lever (32) which is engaged with the rotary element (33) to stop the rotation thereof or is released from the element rotary (33) to release the stop, in accordance with the back-and-forth rotation of the upper body (20) around the first axis (21). 9. Toy animal (100) according to claim 8, characterized in that the rotary element (33) comprises a plurality of teeth (41) and the lever (32) comprises a claw (36) which is engaged with the one of the teeth (41) of the rotary element (33) or is released therefrom so that the rotary element (33) can rotate only in one direction. <Desc / Clms Page number 13> 10. Toy animal (100) according to claim 8, characterized in that the rotary element (33) may comprise: a first rotary plate (33a) to which is connected at least one wheel of the first pair of rotary wheels ( 12), and a second rotary plate (33b) having the plurality of teeth (41) on the periphery, which can engage the claw (36) of the lever (32), the first rotary plate (33a) and the second rotary plate (33b) forming a clutch which allows the facing surfaces of the first rotary plate (33a) and the second rotary plate (33b) to engage with one another or to be released one from the other. 11. Toy animal (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises a voice production mechanism (50) for producing a sound analogous to an animal voice in the position towards the down or in the up position, the sound analogous to an animal voice in the down position being different from that of the up position. 12. Toy animal (100) according to claim 11, characterized in that the voice production mechanism can comprise: two switches (SW1, SW2) for detecting the position down or the position up, a control circuit (51), an amplifier (52), and a speaker (SP). 13. Toy animal (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the animal is a dog.