GB2024634A - Operating model figures - Google Patents

Abstract

A model figure of an animal can be caused to perform a forward running or hopping movement by application of manual forces to the figure. The model comprises a first part which includes the head 1, shoulders and front walking limbs 2 and a second part which includes the body 3 hind quarters and rear walking limbs 4, the two parts having a pivotal connection 5 substantially at the shoulder of the figure. The figure is provided with a location 6 for the application of manual forces. Alternate forward and backward movements of the operator's finger will cause alternate rotational movements of the two parts of the figure about pivot 5 and, provided the extremities of the walking limbs have a good frictional engagement with the supporting surface, the figure will progress forward. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to model figures The invention relates to model figures of animals.

Whereas the invention will primarily be applicable to representations of realistic or grotesque four legged animals walking on two front and two rear legs it can also be applied to figures where only one front or one rear limb is used for walking, the other, for example, being in a raised position or in a grotesque or fantasy figure the other limb may be missing altogether. Moreover, the model may have a visual resemblance to human or ape-like figures and in this embodiment both arms, one arm or a walking aid such as a crutch could be used as the front walking limb.

It is an object of the invention to provide a model figure having a visual resemblance to any realistic or grotesque animal which can be manually operated to progress along a surface in a running or hopping movement where the operator has direct control of speed and direction. It is a further object of the invention to provide a model animal figure which can be manually operated to progress along a surface in the manner of a charging bull and be capable of performing tossing movements with the head.

Another object of the invention is to provide a model figure of an animal which can be ridden to progress along a surface by a separate and suitably designed manually operated rider. A separate rider can be realistically used on models of rodeo animals such as a bull or bucking horse in which case the rider might have a visual resemblance to a cowboy, but in further embodiments the rider might not be human and could, for example, take the form of an ape, gorilla or some fantasy figure.

The invention consists of a model figure having a visual resemblance to a riderless animal which has at least three walking limbs wherein a first part of the figure is pivotally connected to a second part of the figure, wherein said first part comprises at least the head, shoulders and front walking limbs while said second part comprises at least body, hind quarters and rearwalking limbs, wherein the pivotal connection between said first and said second part is situated substantially at the shou Ider of the figure, and wherein said first part incorporates a location for manual operation positioned to the rear of a projected straight line passing through the pivot and the lowest load transmitting extremity of the rear walking limbs.

The figure is constructed so that it will stand on a surface with the extremities of the front and rear walking limbs in contact with the supporting surface.

If the operator's finger placed on the said location for manual operation is pushed in a forward direction, said first part of the figure will rock forward onto the front walking limbs and said second part will rotate about the said pivotal connections so that the rear limbs will approach the front limbs. If the manual force is now reversed to a backward direction and provided the rear limbs remain stationary on the surface, the said first part of the figure will rotate about the said pivotal connection so that the front limbs move forward away from the rear limbs. This action can be repeated to produce a continuous forward movement of the figure.

Each rearward movement of the operator's finger will rotate the front limbs and head of the figure about the said pivotal connection to provide a forward movement of the limbs and a tossing movement of the head. If, for example, the model figure has a visual resemblance to a bull, the head and horns could be formed in the lowered position as would be adopted by an animal when charging and, in this configuration, any loose object obstructing the tossing movement of the head would be propelled forward by the horns of the bull.

The limit of rotational movement of the said first part of the figure about the said pivotal connection is controlled by built-in stops. It will be understood that forward rotational movement will cease abruptly during each backward movement of the operator's finger and, when this happens, any component part of the model figure such as a leg, head, upper or lower jaw, which has a free pivotal connection to the said first part of the figure will continue to move, rotating about its independent pivot. Further built-in stops can control the limits of movement of these component parts and they will return to their rest position under normal gravitational forces.

The said location for manual operation can be designed to enable a figure in accordance with the invention to be ridden by a suitable manually operated model rider. If the base of the rider engages the said location on the animal progress along a surface can be effected by forward and backward movements of the operator's finger when placed on the head of the rider.

In one embodiment a forward movement of the model rider's head will cause the seat of the rider to move forward until it engages the rear face of the said location and the rider will then be forced to rotate about this point until the rider's heels make contact with the neck of the animal. Furtherforward manual forces of the rider's head will cause the animal to rockforward onto its front walking limbs. If the manual force on the rider's head is now reversed to a backward direction the rider will transmit the vertical component of this force to the said location causing the said first part of the figure to rotate about said pivotal connection so that the front limbs move forward away from the rear limbs.Excessive rearward movement of the rider wiz cause the base of the rider to leave the said location and, rotating backwards, it will make contact with said second part of the figure. If the vertical component of the manual operating force is transmitted through the rider to said second part of the figure the two parts of the model animal will jack-knife causing control to be lost and the rider to fall.

It has been found that the best method of manual operation for small scale models is with the tip of a finger, but it will be understood that larger models may require a larger'area of the hand to be used. In either case the said location for manual operation will preferably have a serrated or similar rough finish so as to prevent slipping.

For successful manual operation it is important that the extremities of the walking limbs make a good frictional grip with the supporting surface.

Accordingly the figure will preferably have the extremities of the walking limbs finished with rubber or an alternative high frictional material.

Examples of model figures in accordance with the invention are shown in Figures 1-8 of the accompanying drawings which will now be described.

In the drawings: Figure 1 shows two sectional views of a figure having a visual resemblance to a bull, Figure 2 shows two sectional views of a figure having a visual resemblance to a horse, Figure 3 illustrates the method of manual operation, Figure 4 shows an embodiment in the form of a bull wherein the head of the bull has a separate pivotal attachment to the main figure, Figure 5shows a similar embodiment in the form of a pre-historic monster wherein the upper jaw of the model has a separate pivotal attachment at the jaw of the figure, Figure 6 illustrates the method of manual operation of the embodiment shown in Figure 4, Figure 7 shows two sectional views of a figure in the form of a bull mounted buy a model rider and Figure 8 shows enlarged views of the rider and details one method of engagement with the model animal.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 1 the animal has a visual resemblance to a bull with its head lowered as when charging and Figure 2 shows a figure having a visual resemblance to a horse with its head lowered as when bucking.

The first part of the figure is constituted by the head 1, shoulders and front walking limbs 2, while the second part is constituted by the body 3, hind quarters and the rear walking limbs 4. A pivotal connection 5 is located substantially at the shoulder position of the figure. For manual operation a location 6 is situated behind a project straight line 7 drawn through the pivot 5 and the lowest load transmitting extremity of the rearwalking limbs 4.

The area between the shoulders of the said first part of the figure is hollow and houses a portion of the body section 3 which is dimensioned to allow free rotational movement about pivot 5. The limits of movement of said first part relative to said second part are dependent on the free movement of body 3 within the hollow first part of the figure and, accordingly, the distance between the model's front and rear walking limbs will be greatest when face 8 contacts stop 9, and the walking limbs will be at their closest together when the front face 10 of body 3 contacts the rearface 11 of the hollow section between the figures shoulders.

It is to be understood that the limits of movement of the model figure are not critical and a figure in accordance with the invention can be designed to have a larger or smaller degree of movement that any of the model figures illustrated in Figures 1-7 and this will, in effect, increase or decrease the maximum stride of the animal.

When the figure represents a horse as in Figure 2 the location 6 can be situated on a saddle 12.

Figures 3 shows how a model figure can be manually operated to progress along a surface. The first iilustration is of the figure at rest with the extremities of the front and rear walking limbs in contact with a surface. By pushing forward with the finger the finger will rock forwards onto the front limbs and the said second part of the figure will rotate about the pivot so that the rear limbs approach the front limbs, as shown in the second illustration. Further backwards movement of the operator's finger will cause the figure to rock backwards on the rear limbs and, at the same time, the said first part of the figure will rotate about the pivot so that the front limbs move forward away from the rear limbs. It will be seen that in so doing the figure has progressed relative to point X.

Figure 4 shows the limits of movement of a figure where the head 1 is connected at pivot 13 to neck 14.

The top limit of movement of head 1 is reached when face 15 comes in contact with stop 16.

Figure 5 shows the limits of movement of a figure having a resemblance to a pre-historic monster wherein the top jaw 17 is connected at jaw pivot 18 to the said first part of the figure. The mouth of the figure is fully open when stop 19 contacts face 20.

Figure 6 shows the same sequence of manual operation as Figure 3 with an additional drawing to illustrate how the head of the figure continues to rotate after the limit of movement of the said first part of the figure has been reached. The head will return to rest under normal gravitational forces.

Figure 7 shows a model figure representing a bull mounted by a rodeo rider and Figure 8 shows large scale details of the rider and mounting.

It will be understood that a rodeo rider holds a rope attached to the bull with a hand 21 placed between his legs 22 and the other arm 23 is held out to maintain balance. A model rider could, in this embodiment, be made to have a close visual resemblance to this riding position. When forward pressure is applied to the head of the rider the leading edge of the rider's seat 24 makes contact with the rear edge of the said location 6 which is preferably but not necessarily undercut, and the heels 25 of the rider's feet make contact with the neck of the model animal. Further forward movement of the rider's head will cause forward movement of location 6. Backward pressure on the rider's head causes seat 24 to make contact with shoulders section 26. If the rider's hand 21 makes contact with the top surface of location 6 during the rearward movement of the rider, the force transmitted through hand 21 to location 6 causes the said first part of the figure to rotate about pivot 5 relative to said second part. If the rider's head is pulled backwards too far hand 21 will lose contact with the top face of location 6 and the sudden loss of friction will almost invariably cause control to be lost and the rider will fall.

It is felt that figures in accordance with the invention would best be manufactured in a suitable rigid moulded synthetic resin material. The pivotal connection 5 could be made with a steel pin, or, as an alternative, the said first part of the figure could be manufactured in two substantially equal halves where at least one half incorporates a spigot situated at the pivot position which, when assembled will be housed in a hole of suitable diameter provided in body 3.

Claims (10)

1. A model figure having a visual resemblance to a riderless animal which has at least three walking limbs wherein a first part of the figure is pivotally connected to a second part of the figure, wherein said first part comprises at least the head, shoulders and front walking limbs while said second part comprises at least body, hind quarters and rear walking limbs, wherein the pivotal connection between said first and second part is situated substantially at the shoulder of the figure, and wherein said first part incorporates a location for manual operation positioned to the rear of a projected straight line passing through the pivot and the lowest load transmitting extremity of the rear walking limbs.

2. A model figure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the extremities of the walking limbs are finished with a high friction material.

3. A model figure as claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein said location for manual operation has a serrated or similar rough finish.

4. A model figure as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a component part of the said first part of the figure is pivotally attached to the said first part of the figure.

5. A model figure as claimed in claim 4 wherein the said component part comprises the head of the figure.

6. A model figure as claimed in Claim 4wherein the said component part comprises the upper jaw of the figure.

7. A model figure as claimed in any preceding Claim wherein the said location for manual operation has its rear vertical face undercut.

8. A model figure as claimed in any preceding Claim wherein the front walking limbs have a visual resemblance to a pair of legs.

9. A model figure as claimed in any preceding Claim where the model figure has a visual resemblance to a bull.

10. A model figure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any of the embodiments which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.