GB2254265A - Rattle - Google Patents

Abstract

A rattle includes a barrel casing portion 12 with a grip portion 13, and components of a sound generating mechanism A. The barrel casing portion 12 comprises a pair of casing halves 10, 11 adhered to each other each having a configuration obtained by dividing the barrel casing portion in two parts along an axis thereof. Separation of the barrel casing portion halves 10, 11 and resulting escape of the components of the sound generating mechanism 15 are thereby prevented more reliably when the rattle is swung around the grip. When the rattle is swung, a suspended hammer 1 strikes embedded piano wires 20 of differing lengths. <IMAGE>

Description

R-.TTLE The present invention relates to a rattle, of the type used as a to.

Conventionaly, there has been provided a rattle having, for example, a barrel and a sound generating mechanism installed thereof.. The barrel includes a sleeve, and upper and lower caps acnered to the upper and lower openings of the sleeve. The lower cap is provided with a grip extending along the axis of the barrel.

However, since the components, i.e. the grip, the lower cap, the sleeve and the upper cap are arranged in the axial direction and adhere to each other, a centrifugal force always acts on each component when the above rattle is swung with the grip heffid by a hand. Therefore, there is a possibility in longtime use such that for example the upper cap may be removed due to, for example, the deterioration of adhesive between the upper cap and the sleeve, resulting in that the components o; the sound generating mechanism may be dangerously thrown out from the barrel.

Further, since the upper and the lower caps are respective components separated from the sleeve, the conventional rattle has a disadvantage such that the components and hence assembling steps are large in number.

We seek to provide a new rattle, and preferably a rattle in which the safety is improved and the number of the components and the assembling steps are reduced respectively.

The present invention provides a rattle which comprises a barrel casing portion with a grip portion, and components of a sound generating mechanism installed in the barrel casing portion.

The barrel casing portion comprises a pair of casing parts fixed to each other, each having a configuration obtainable by dividing the barrel casing portion in two parts in an axial sense thereof. The respective casing parts preferably have substantially semicircular sections. They may be substantially identical or mirror-image halves.

Preferably, the grip portion comprises a pair of grip halves adhered to each other each having a configuration obtained by diiding the grip portion in two parts along the axis of the barrel casing portion. One casing half and one grip half are integrally formed as one piece, and the other casing half and the other grip half are also integrally formed as the other one piece.

The barrel casing portion and the grip portion may be arranged along a longitudinal axis of the barrel portion.

Alternatively, the barrel casing portion and the grip portion may be arranged laterally to each other.

In a preferred rattle as described herein, the barrel casing portion may be assembled merely by adhering the casing parts to each other. Therefore, the undesired separation of the barrel casing parts is prevented more reliably, an5 the components of the mechanism are less likely to be thrown out from the barrel casing portion even if the rattle is swung violently. Thus, the rattle can be made safe in use.

Since the barrel casing portion need be made only of a pair of the casing parts, the components of the rattle are sma : in number. Further, it is not necessary to connect separated upper cap and lower cap to the sleeve, and accordingly the assembling steps become small in number.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS This and other objects and features fcr the present invention will bezome apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the preferred embodiments thereof i;ith reverence to the accompanying drawings, in which:: Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 are a front elevational view, a top plan view, a bottom plan view and a side elevational view of a rattle according to a first embodiment of the present invention, respectively; Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along a line V-V of Fig. 4; Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are a front elevational view, a left-hand side elevational view, a top plan view, a bottom plan view and a right-hand side elevational view according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 1 is a sectional view taken along a line XI- XI of Fig. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Befcre the description of the present invention proceeds, it is to be noted that like parts are designated by like reference numerals throughout the accompanying drawings.

Ref erring first to Figs. 1-5, the rattle according to a first em3^ iment of the present invention comprises a pair of casing halves 10 and 11 each having the same configuration. Each casing half 10 and 11 includes a barrel half 12a and a grip half 13a which are formed integrally with each other as one piece by way of plastic molding. The casing halves 13 and 11 are adhered to each other at the end faces thereof to form a whole casing comprising a barrel casing portion 12 and a grip portion 13.

The components of a sound generating mechanism A are installed in the barrel casing portion 12 before the assembling of the pair of casing halves 10 and 11, as shown in Fig. 5.

That is, a support disk 15 is mounted on inner flanges 14 extending inwardly from the inner face of the upper portion of the barrel casing portion 12. A disk-like hummer 17 is suspended by means of a resilient wire 16 an upper end of which is swingably attached to the center of the support disk 15. A base disk 19 is mounted in a circular groove 16 between a pair of flanges 18a and 18b respectively extending inwardly from the inner face of the lower portion of the barrel casing portion 12. The lower ends of a plurality of piano wires 20 each having the different length are bedded in the base disk 19 around the axis of the barrel casing portion 12. The wires 20 have, respectively, different characteristic frequencies. Therefore, when the rattle is swung with the grip portion 13 held, the hammer 17 strikes the wires 20 t= produce enjoyable sound.

On the surf are of the grip portion 13 there are provided a plurality of small anti-slipping projections 24.

The lower end 25 of the grip portion 13 is of ring-like configuration.

The rattle cf this embodiment has such advantage that the components and hence the assembling steps are small in number since the casing is constituted by only two parts, i.e. a pair of halves 10 and 11.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention is described below by making reference to Figs. 6-11.

The rattle has the basically same construction as that of the first embodiment, but a grip portion 13 is formed laterally to the barrel casing portion 12, on the contrary to the first embodiment.

Also, in this embodiment the casing comprises a pair of halves 10 and 11 which are symmetrical with each other and the halves 10 and 11 are adhered to each other.

Therefore, similarly tc the first embodiment the components of the sound generating mechanism A accommodated in the barrel casing portion 2 of the casing are hardly thrown out therefrom even if the rattle is swung violently, thus the rattle is a good safety toy for an infant.

In the embodiments, it is seen that the layer of division between the two casing parts substantially extends in an axial sense corresponding to the line between the grip and the centre of the mechanism.

Although the present invention has been fully described by way of example with reference to the accompany ing drawings, it is Wo be noted here that various changes and modifications wil be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, nly the grip portion 13 may be formed separately from the barrel casing portion 12 and a pair of casing halves respectively exclusively consisting of the barrel halves may be connected with upper of the grip por tion.

Further, y winding a tape around the barrel casing portion 12 constItuted by the combined halves, the separation of the pair of casing halves may be prevented more reliably.

Claims (5)

1. A rattle comprising a barrel casing portion with a grip portion, and components of a sound generating mechanism installed in the barrel casing portion, characterized in that the barrel casing portion comprises a pair of casing halves adhered to each other, each having a configuration obtained by dividing the barrel casing portion in two parts along an axis thereof.

2. A rattle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grip portion comprises a pair of grip halves adhered to each other each having a configuration obtained by dividing the grip portion in two parts along the axis of the barrel casing portion, and one casing half and one grip half are integrally formed as one piece and the other casing half and the other grip half are also integrally formed as the other one piece.

3. A rattle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the barrel casing portion and the grip portion are arranged along the axis of the barrel casing portion.

4. A rattle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the barrel casing portion and the grip portion are arranged laterally to each other.

5. A rattle substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.