GB2063691A - Drummer doll - Google Patents

Abstract

A doll or toy animal having a drum and means for causing the doll or toy animal to beat the drum, to move its head rhythmically and to sway its body. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Drummer doll or toy The present invention relates to a doll or a toy animal arranged to beat a drum rhythmically while swinging its head and its body to the left and to the right in a manner similar to that of a real drummer.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a doll or a toy animal arranged to beat a drum which is interesting and attractive for children to play with.

There are many dolls or toy animals arranged to beat a drum, but there is none like the doll orthe toy animal hereinafter described which can be madeto beat a drum rhythmically while swinging its head and its body to left and right.

According to the present invention there is provided a doll or toy animal having a drum and means for causing the doll or toy animal to beat the drum, to move its head rhythmically and to sway its body.

Very preferably the doll or toy animal is as follows and comprises a head, a body with a pair of hands and a leg member as main parts, and bears a drum.

The leg member comprises integratedly a pair of legs and a pair of feet standing on a pedestal. The head is mounted on the body and is joined with the upper portion of the body at a neck portion of the head by a pivotal shaft so as to swing said head left and right. The body is hollow and connects with the legs at the middle of the root of them by another pivotal shaft so as to swing the body left and right.

The drum is fixedly hung on the front and the body by a connection means. A means beating the drum and a means swinging the head and the body are housed inside the body. The means are actuated by an electric motor and electric cells which are housed inside the body. A mechanism frame has a rotatable shaft journaled laterally at both sides of it. Said rotating shaft may be moved by the motor through a reduction gearing. Two claw cams are fixed to the rotatable shaft at respective ends thereof. Said claw cams beat respectively a plurality of ratchet-type claws. A pair of core wires are respectively journaled in the mechanism frame by their roots, and extend out through both sides of the body and curve to the front of the body. Said core wires are respectively covered with dressed arms.Two movable pieces are respectively fixed into the core wires and under the bias of coil springs their fore ends contact the circumferences of the claw cams. The hands grasp securely a pair of drumsticks which are arranged above the drum. A coil spring is hooked between the body and the neck so as to bias the head to a normal condition. A reciprocable plate is located vertically and parallel at one side of the mechanism frame and contacts one side end of the bottom of the neck from below by a rectangularly bent piece which consti tutus the upper end portion of said reciprocable plate. Another coil spring is hooked between a pin on the reciprocable plate and groin of one leg so as to bias the body to the normal condition.A slot is laterally formed in an upper portion of the reciprocable plate and is engaged with a connecting pin which projects at an eccentric position on the outer face of one claw cam so as to reciprocate the reciprocable plate by up and down rotation of said claw cam. When the motor is started, by closing a switch, the rotatable shaft is rotated through the reduction gearing. Accordingly, the two claw cams also rotate together with said rotatable shaft. The two movable pieces respectively move while contacting said rotatable claw cams under the bias of the coil springs, therefore they are made to pivot about the axis of the core wires by contact with the protrusions and depressions of the claw cams. Accordingly, the two core wires are made to turn alternately up and down, so the hands reciprocate up and down and the two drumsticks beat the drum which is located thereunder.In the meantime, since the connecting pin is inserted in the lateral slot bored on the reciprocable plate, said claw cam reciprocates the reciprocable plate up and down by rotation of the rotatable shaft. When the reciprocable plate is raised, the bent piece of the reciprocable plate extends upwardly from the body and pushes up the one side of the neck so as to incline the head toward the other side. And the upper and lower two coil springs are stretched, and the upper coiled spring urges the other side of the neck against the bent piece of the lower coil spring pulls the one side of the body to the leg member about the axis of the lower pivotal shaft.

Therefore, the body is inclined toward the side opposite to the inclined side of the head. Namely, the head and the body are contrarily inclined. When the reciprocable plate descends, the bent piece withdraws into the body and the upper and lower two coil springs are compressed, but the upper coil spring is adapted still to apply the biassing force and the lower coil spring exhibits an expansion force.

Therefore, the head is inclined towards the bent piece and the body is inclined toward the side opposite to that of the bent piece. As described above, swings of the head and the body are performed in opposite directions. These beating and swinging movements of the doll or the toy animal may be rhythmically and simultaneously performed by producing the cams with suitable intervals between the protrusions of the cams.

An embodiment of the invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig 1 is a front elevational view of the whole of a doll of the present invention; Fig 2 is a sectional front elevational view of the body shell of the doll of Fig 1 and showing the mechanism thereof; Fig 3 is a sectional side elevational view of the body shell of Fig 2; Fig 4 isan explanatory view showing a movement between the head and the body shell of the doll of Fig 1 & 3; and Fig 5 is an explanatory view of two core wires connecting with a pair of drumsticks thereof.

Referring to the drawings, a boy doll is constructed with a head 1, a body 2 having a pair of arms 3 and 4 and a leg member as main parts and bears a drum Bat the front of the body 2. Said arms 3 and 4 grasp securely respective drumsticks 9 and 10.

The head 1 is mounted on the body 2 and is joined to the upper portion ofthe body 2 at a neck 11 by a pivotal shaft 12 so as to be capable of swinging to left and right The leg member comprises integ ratedly a pair of legs 5, 5 and a pair of feet 6, 6 standing fixedly on a pedestal 7. The body 2 is hol low and is connected to the leg member at the mid dle of a root 13 of the leg member by a pivotal shaft 14 so as to be capable of swinging to left and right. A drum 8 is fixed to the front of the body 2 by fixing a connecting piece 15 extending from the back of said drum 8 to a fixing piece 16 extending from the front of the body 2. A mechanism frame 17 is installed inside the body 2 and has a rotatable shaft 18 later allyjournaled therein.Two claw cams 19,20, which have respectively a plurality of ratchet-type claws, are fixed one to each end of the rotatable shaft 18. A gear 21 is fixed onto the rotatable shaft 18 at the middle inside the mechanism frame 17 and is actuable by a pinion 23 of a spindle of an electric motor 22 through a reduction gearing. Core wires 24,25 are respectively journaled in the mechanism frame 17 at their roots, and respectively extend out from the body 2 and curve to the front of the body 2. Said core wires 24,25 are respectively covered with "clothed" arms 3,4.Movable pieces 25,27 are respectively fixed into the core wires 24,25 at the roots of said core wires 24,25 and their fore ends are biased into contact with the circumferences of the claw cams 19, 20 by coil springs 28, 29. The hands of the arms 3,4 are made to grasp securely drumsticks 9, 10 which are arranged immediately above the drum 8. A coil spring 30 is hooked to the inside of the body shell 2 at the lower end of the spring 30 and to one side of the neck 11 at the upper end of the spring 30 so as to bias the head 1 to a normal position.A reciprocable plate 31 is located vertically and parallel to to one side of the mechanism frame 17 and is arranged to contact to one side of the bottom of the neck 11 from below by a rectangularly bent piece 32 which consti tutus the upper end portion of said reciprocable plate 31.A coil spring 34 is hooked by its upper end upon a pin 33 secured on the outward-facing side of the lower portion of the reciprocable plate 31 and on a shaft 37 in the root 13 of the leg 5 by its lower end so that the body 2 may be mounted upright on the leg member. A slot 35 is formed above the pin 33 in the upper portion of the reciprocable plate 31 and is engaged with a connecting pin 36 which projects eccentrically from the outer face of the claw cam 19 so asto reciprocate said plate 31 when said claw cam 19 rotates.The rotatable shaft 18 of the gear 21 is rotated the pinion 23 of the motor 22 through the reduction gearing. The claw cams 19,20 mounted on the rotatable shaft 18 may rotate together with said shaft 18. The movable pieces 26,27 may respectively pivot about the axes of the core wires 24,25 when contacting the rotating claw cams 19,20 because of the biassing of the coil springs 28, 29. Therefore, the core wires 26 and 25 will respectively pivot together with said movable pieces 26 and 27, being journaled in the mechanism frame 17. Accordingly, the arms 3 and 4 will respectively ascend and descend and the drumsticks 9 and 10 will beat the drum 8.In the meanwhile, since the connecting pin 36 located eccentrically on the outer face of the claw cam 19 is inserted in the slot 35 formed in the reciprocable plate 31, said claw cam 19 causes the reciprocable plate 31 to reciprocate upon rotation of the rotatable shaft 18. When the reciprocable plate 31 is raised, the bent piece 32 extends from the body 2 and pushes up one side of the bottom of the neck 11 so as to incline the head 1 towards a side opposite to that of the reciprocable plate 31. In this case, the upper coil spring 30 is stretched by inclination of the head 1, so the neck 11 is held in contact with extending bent piece 32 by said spring 30, but said neck 11 is prevented from returning to its normal condition by said bent piece 32.Furthermore, the lower coil spring 34 is also stretched, so the body 2 is pulled by said spring 34 so as to incline it towards the side at which the reciprocable plate 31 is located. Accordingly, the head 1 and the body 2 are contrarily inclined, When the reciprocable plate 31 decends, the upper bent piece 32 withdraws into the body 2 and the upper and lower coil springs 30 and 34 are respectively compressed. The upper coil spring 30 still has a biassing action, so the head 1 inclines to the side of the bent piece 32. But the lower coiled spring 34 exhibits an expansion force. Therefore, the head 1 inclines to the bent piece 32 and the body 2 inclines toward the side opposite to that at which the reciprocable plate 31 is located. In this case too, the head 1 and the body 2 are contrarily inclined.

As described above, the doll or the toy animal of the present invention may beatthe drum by the drumsticks while it swings contrarily its head and body, so it is an amusing toy which may attract children's interest.

While a particular embodiment of the present doll or toy animal has been illustrated and described, it is obvious that many modifications and variations are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practised otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims (4)

1. Adoll ortoy animal having a drum and means for causing the doll ortoy animal to beat the drum, to move its head rhythmically and to sway its body.

2. A doll or a toy animal according to claim 1 and characterized in that it beats a drum while swinging its head and body wherein the doll or the toy animal comprises a head, a body and a leg member as main parts and bears a drum, said head being mounted on the body and a neck portion of the head being joined with the upper portion of the head by a pivotal shaft so as to swing the head left and right, said body being hollow and connecting with the leg member at the middle of a root of said leg member by another pivotal shaft so as to swing the body left and right, said leg member comprising integrally a pair of legs and a pair of feet standing on a pedestal, said drum being fixedly hung on the front of the body by a connection means, a means for beating the drum and a means for swinging the head and the body being housed inside the body and being actuable by an electric motor for operation by electric cells, said beating means being constituted by a pair of core wires, a pair of claw cams and a pair of movable pieces, said claw cams having respectively a plural ity of ratchet-type claws and being respectively fixed to the ends of a rotatable shaft which is laterally journaled at both sides of a mechanism frame and which is arranged to be rotated by the motor through a reduction gearing, said core wires being respectively journaled in the mechanism frame by their roots, extending out through both sides of the body, curving to the front of the body, and being respectively covered with clothed arms and hands, said movable pieces being respectively fixed into the core wires at the roots of said core wires and respectively contacting the circumferences of the claw cams by their fore ends which are biassed by coil springs, said hands grasping securely a pair of drumsticks which are arranged above the drum, the arrangement being such that, in use said claw cams rotate with the rotatable shaft and said movable pieces in response to movement of the claws of the claws cams pivot about the axes of the roots of the core wires so that the arms swing up and down and the hands beat the drum with the drumsticks, said pivoting means being constituted by a reciprocable plate, by one of the claw cams, and by upper lower coil springs, said reciprocating plate being located vertically and parallel to one side of the mechanism frame and arranged to contact one side end of the bottom of the neck from below by a rectangularly bent end constituting the upper end portion of the reciprocable plate, said upper coil spring being hooked between the neck and the body so as to keep said neck in contact with said bent end, said lower coil spring being hooked between a pin on the reciprocable plate and a shaft in the root of one leg, said one claw cam having a connecting pin projecting eccentrically of an outer side face thereof, said reciprocable plate having a lateral slot formed in an upper portion thereof and being adapted to reciprocate up and down by engagement of the slot and the connecting pin and by rotation of the claw cam, such that, upon a rise of said reciprocable plate, the head inclines toward the side opposite to that of the reciprocable plate by protrusion of the bent end of said reciprocable plate and the body inclines towards the side of the reciprocable plate by pull of the lower coil springs, and that, upon a fall of said reciprocable plate, the head inclines toward the side of the reciprocable plate and the body inclines toward the side opposite to that of the reciprocable plate by expansion of the lower coil spring so that the head and the body mutuaily and contrarily swing left and right.

3. A doll or a toy animal substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

4. The features hereinbefore disclosed, or their equivalents, in any novel selection.