KR102133993B1 - Assembly with object in housing and mechanism to open housing - Google Patents

Abstract

In one aspect, a toy assembly is provided, which includes a housing, an internal object, and at least one sensor and controller. An inner object is located inside the housing and is operable to break the housing to expose the inner object. At least one sensor detects interaction with the user. The controller is configured to determine whether the selected condition is met based on at least one interaction with the user, and to activate a crushing mechanism for crushing the housing to expose the internal object if the condition is met. It is configured to. Optionally, the condition is met when having a selected number of interactions with the user.

Description

ASSEMBLY WITH OBJECT IN HOUSING AND MECHANISM TO OPEN HOUSING}

The present specification relates generally to assemblies with internal objects in the housings, and more specifically to a toy character in an egg-shaped housing.

There is a continuing need to provide toys that interact with the user and toys that reward the user based on the interaction. For example, some robotic pets will show simulated affection when their owners stroke their heads a few times. While these robotic pets are favored by their owners, there is a continuing need for new and innovative forms of toys (especially toy characters) that interact with their owners.

In one aspect, a toy assembly is provided, which includes a housing, an internal object (which may be a toy character in some embodiments), at least one sensor and a controller. The inner object is located inside the housing and includes a breakout mechanism operable to break the housing to expose the inner object. At least one sensor detects interaction with the user. The controller is configured to determine, based on at least one interaction with the user, whether the selected condition has been met, and to operate a crushing mechanism for crushing the housing to expose the internal object if the condition is met. do. Optionally, the condition is met based on having a selected number of interactions with the user.

Optionally, the crushing mechanism includes a hammer and a crushing mechanism power source. The internal object is post-in which the crushing mechanism power supply is operatively disconnected from the hammer from a pre-breakout position operatively connected to the hammer to drive the hammer to crush the housing. And at least one release member that can be moved to a post-breakout position. The at least one release member is in the pre-crushing position prior to the crushing of the housing to expose the inner object.

As another option, the crushing mechanism includes a hammer, an actuation lever movable between a retracted position where the hammer is spaced from the housing and an extended position where the hammer is driven to break the housing, and The crushing mechanism may include a cam. The actuation lever is biased by an actuation lever biasing member directed towards driving the hammer to the extended position, wherein the crushing mechanism cam periodically causes contraction of the actuation lever from the hammer and then It is rotatable by a motor so that the release of the actuation lever is driven by a hammer by an actuation lever biasing member. The actuation lever biasing member and the motor together constitute a shredding mechanism power supply. Optionally, the actuation lever biasing member is a helical coil tension spring.

Optionally, when in the pre-crush position, the at least one release member releasably connects the first end of the spring to one of the housing and a pivotable actuation lever to engage the hammer. The spring has a second end connected to the other of the actuation lever and the housing. When in the post-crushing position, at least one release member disconnects the first end of the spring from the one of the actuation lever and the housing.

As another option, when in the pre-crush position, the at least one release member releasably connects the first end of the spring with one of the pivoting actuation lever and housing to engage the hammer. Here the spring has a second end which is connected to the other of the actuation lever and the housing. When in the post-crushing position, at least one release member disconnects the first end of the spring from the one of the actuation lever and the housing.

As another option, the inner object further includes at least one rim and a rim power supply. When the internal object is in the pre-shred position, the rim power supply is operatively disconnected from at least one rim. The rim power supply is operatively connected to at least one rim when the internal object is in the post-crush position.

As another option, when the internal object is in the pre-crush position, at least one rim is maintained in a non-functional position, where the rim power supply does not drive the movement of the at least one rim. . The rim power supply drives the movement of at least one rim when the internal object is in the post-crush position.

According to another aspect, a method for managing interaction between a user and a toy assembly is provided, wherein the toy assembly includes a housing and a toy character in the housing. The method is:

a) receiving registration of the toy assembly from the user;

b) after step a) receiving a first progressive scan of the toy assembly from the user;

c) displaying the first output image of the toy character in the first stage of virtual development;

d) receiving a second sequential scan of the toy assembly from the user after step c); And

e) in a second stage of virtual growth, displaying a second output image of the inner object, different from the first output image;

It includes.

In another aspect, a toy assembly is provided. The toy assembly includes a housing, an internal object inside the housing (which may be a toy character in some embodiments), a crushing mechanism associated with the housing and operable to crush the housing to expose the internal object . The crushing mechanism is powered by a crushing mechanism power source associated with the housing. Optionally, the crushing mechanism is inside the housing. As a further option, the shredding mechanism may be operable from outside the housing. Optionally, the crushing mechanism includes a hammer positioned in association with an internal object, wherein the crushing mechanism power source is operatively connected to the hammer to drive the hammer to crush the housing. Optionally, the crushing mechanism power source is operatively connected to the hammer to reciprocate the hammer to crush the housing.

Optionally, the crushing mechanism includes a base member, a plunger member, and a biasing element that exerts a separating force urging the plunger member and the base member to be spaced apart. .

As a further option, the crushing mechanism further comprises a release element that can be positioned in a blocking position, wherein the release element prevents the biasing element from moving the plunger member and the base member apart. And the biasing element is removable from the blocking position to allow the plunger member and the base member to be driven apart.

Optionally, the motor draws power from the battery and the shredding mechanism further includes a magnetic switch that controls power from the battery to the motor, which can be activated by the presence of a magnet adjacent the housing.

In another aspect, a toy assembly is provided, which includes a housing and an internal object within the housing (which may be a toy character in some embodiments), wherein the housing comprises a plurality of irregular rupture paths ( Because it has irregular fracture paths, it can be configured to break along at least one of the fracture paths when the housing is subjected to sufficient force.

In another aspect, a toy assembly is provided, which includes a housing and an internal object within the housing (which may be a toy character in some embodiments) in a pre-crush position. The inner object contains a set of mechanism of action. The inner object is removable from the housing and is positionable in a post-crush position. When the inner object is in the pre-crush position, the set of action mechanisms is operable to perform the first set of movements. When the internal object is in the post-crush position, the set of action mechanisms is operable to perform a second set of movements different from the first set of movements. In one example, the inner object further comprises a crushing mechanism, a crushing mechanism power source, at least one rim and a rim power source, all of which together form part of a set of working mechanisms. When the internal object is in the pre-crush position, the rim power supply is operable to be disconnected from the at least one rim, so that the movement of the rim power supply does not drive the movement of the at least one rim. However, in the pre-crushing position, the crushing mechanism power supply can drive the movement of the crushing mechanism to crush the housing and expose internal objects. The rim power supply is operatively connected to the at least one rim when the internal object is in the post-crushing position and can drive the movement of the rim, but the crushing mechanism is not driven by the crushing mechanism power supply.

In another aspect, a polymer composition is provided, the polymer composition comprising about 15-25% by weight of a base polymer; About 1-5% by weight of an organic acid metal salt; And about 75-85% by weight of inorganic/particulate filler.

In another aspect, an article of manufacture is provided, the article of manufacture comprising about 15-25% by weight of a base polymer; About 1-5% by weight of an organic acid metal salt; And about 75-85% by weight of an inorganic/particulate filler.

In another aspect, a toy assembly is provided, which includes a housing and an internal object inside the housing (which may be a toy character in some embodiments), wherein the internal object crushes the housing to expose the internal object It includes a crushing mechanism operable to do so, and the housing includes a plurality of rupture elements provided on their inner side to facilitate rupture upon impact from the crushing mechanism.

In another aspect, a housing breaking mechanism is provided, which includes a first frame member, a second frame member rotatably coupled with the first frame member, an aperture in which a broken housing is located, and the first frame member And at least one cutting element that is pivotally coupled to, and wherein the at least one cutting element is positioned in the opening when the at least one cutting element is positioned in the first position and the opening adjacent the housing. At least one cutting element is slidably coupled to a second member pivoted between a second position that intersects the housing.

In another aspect, a toy assembly is provided, which includes a housing, an internal object inside the housing, and a crushing mechanism associated with the housing, the crushing mechanism being operable to crush the housing to expose the internal object, The crushing mechanism exhibits additional behavior when returned to the housing.

For a better understanding of the various embodiments described herein and to more clearly show how they can be effectively performed, reference to the accompanying drawings is made here only in an exemplary manner.
1A and 1B are transparent side views of a toy assembly according to a non-limiting embodiment.
2 is a transparent perspective view of a housing that is part of the toy assembly shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
3 is a perspective view of a toy character that is part of the toy assembly shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.
4 is a cross-sectional side view of the toy character shown in FIG. 2 in a pre-crush position prior to the involvement of a hammer that is part of the crushing mechanism.
FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the toy character shown in FIG. 2 in the pre-crush position after the involvement of the hammer, which is part of the crushing mechanism.
6 is a perspective view of a portion of a toy character causing rotation of the toy character inside the housing.
6A is a side sectional view of a portion of the toy character shown in FIG. 6.
7 is a cross-sectional side view of the toy character shown in FIG. 2 in a post-crush position, showing the extended hammer.
8 is a side cross-sectional view of the toy character shown in FIG. 2 in a post-crush position, showing the contracted hammer.
9 is a perspective view of a portion of the toy assembly shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B showing sensors that are parts of the toy assembly.
10A is a front front view of a portion of the toy assembly, showing the rim of the toy character in a non-functional pre-crush position positioned when inside the housing.
10B is a rear perspective view of a portion of the toy assembly further showing the rim of the toy character in a non-functional pre-crush position positioned when inside the housing.
10C is an enlarged front front view of a joint between a character frame and a rim of a toy character.
10D is a perspective view of a portion of a toy assembly showing the rim of the toy character in an operative post-crush position that can be positioned when outside the housing.
11 is a perspective view of an electronic device and toy assembly used to scan a toy assembly.
12 is a schematic diagram showing uploading of a scan of a toy assembly to a server.
13A is a schematic diagram illustrating sending an output image from a server to be displayed electronically showing a first virtual stage of growth for a toy character.
13B is a schematic diagram illustrating sending an output image from a server to be displayed electronically showing a second virtual stage of growth for a toy character.
14 is a flowchart for a method of depicting a toy character based on the steps shown in FIGS. 11 and 13 and receiving a scan from an electronic device.
15 is a schematic side view of a housing expressed in the form of an oval shell having continuous and discontinuous breaking paths formed.
16 is a perspective view of a housing expressed in the form of an egg shell with a plurality of successive breaking paths arranged in a random pattern.
17A is a schematic side view of a housing expressed in the form of an egg shell with a plurality of successive breaking paths arranged in a geometric pattern.
17B is a perspective view of the housing of FIG. 17A, showing a more detailed geometric pattern of fracture paths.
18 is a perspective view of a housing expressed in the form of an egg shell with a plurality of discontinuous fracture paths arranged in a random pattern.
19A is a schematic perspective view of a housing represented in the form of an egg shell with a plurality of breaking units arranged in a random pattern.
19B is a perspective view of the housing represented in the form of an egg shell having a plurality of breaking units arranged in a regular repeating pattern.
20 is a cross-sectional side view of a shaping mechanism forming portion of a toy assembly according to another non-limiting embodiment prior to operation through release of the tab.
21 is a side exploded view of the crushing mechanism of FIG. 20.
22 is another side cross-sectional view of the crushing mechanism of FIG. 20 after operation through release of the tab.
23 is a cross-sectional side view of a housing according to another non-limiting embodiment expressed in the form of an egg shell having a plurality of successive breaking paths formed.
24 is an exploded view of multiple components of another crushing mechanism forming portion of a toy assembly according to a further non-limiting embodiment.
25 is a cross-sectional side view of the crushing mechanism of FIG. 24 inside the housing prior to the activity of the crushing mechanism.
26 is a cross-sectional side view of the crushing mechanism of FIG. 25 protruding through the housing after action.
27 is a plan view of a housing breaking mechanism according to another non-limiting embodiment.
28 is a top sectional view of the housing breaking mechanism according to a further non-limiting embodiment.
FIG. 29 is a top sectional view of the housing breaking mechanism of FIG. 28 showing the broken housing.
30 is a side cross-sectional view of the housing breaking mechanism of FIG. 29;
31A is a top view of a housing breaking mechanism according to another non-limiting embodiment with two pivoted connecting members.
31B is a top view of the housing breaking mechanism of FIG. 31A, where the two members pivot relative to each other to limit the opening defined by the two members.
32A is a front view of a crushing mechanism according to another embodiment in an extended state.
32B is a front view of the companion mechanism for placement in a housing with the crushing mechanism of FIG. 32A.
FIG. 33 shows the companion mechanism of FIG. 32B and the fracture mechanism of FIG. 32A in a stacked compacted state.
FIG. 34 is a cross-sectional view of an egg-shaped housing with two toy characters each employing a crushing mechanism similar to that of FIG. 32A and a companion mechanism similar to that of FIG. 32B.
FIG. 35 is a front cross-sectional view of a companion mechanism smaller than the companion mechanism of FIG. 32B for placement in a housing having a fracture mechanism such as that of FIG. 32A.
36 is a partial front cross-sectional view of two of the companion mechanisms of FIG. 35 in a stacked compact state and a crushing mechanism similar to the crushing mechanism of FIG. 32A.
FIG. 37 is a cross-sectional view of an egg-shaped housing with three toy characters each employing two companion mechanisms shown in FIG. 36 and a similar crushing mechanism of FIG. 32A.
38 is a partial cross-sectional view of a housing, an adapter disc, and a crushing mechanism according to another embodiment.
39 is a plan perspective view of the lower end of the housing of FIG. 38;
40A is a plan perspective view of the adapter disk of FIG. 38;
40B is a bottom perspective view of the adapter disk of FIG. 38.

Reference is made to FIGS. 1A and 1B, which illustrate a toy assembly 10 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The toy assembly 10 includes a housing 12 and a toy character 14 positioned in the housing 12. To show the toy character 14 inside the housing 12, portions of the housing 12 are shown transparently in FIGS. 1A and 1B, but the housing 120 is, in physical assembly, under typical ambient lighting conditions. It may also be opaque in view of the fact that the toy character 14 will not be visible to the user through the housing 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 12 is in the form of an egg shell and the toy character 14 in the housing 12 is in the form of a bird. However, the housing 12 and toy character 14 may have any other suitable shapes. For manufacturing purposes, the housing 12 may be formed from a plurality of housing members, as shown individually in the first housing member 12a, the second housing member 12b, and the third housing member 12c. And these can be combined to be fixed to each other to substantially enclose the toy character 14. In some embodiments, the housing 12 may alternatively only enclose the toy character 14 so that the toy character can be made visible from certain angles even when in the housing 12. .

The toy character 14 is configured to crush the housing 12 from within the housing 12 to expose the toy character 14. In embodiments in which the housing 12 is in the form of an egg, the shredding action of the housing 12 may include, for example, some other animals (eg turtles, lizards, dinosaurs, or the like) in which the toy character 14 hatches from a bird or normally an egg. In embodiments in the form of some other animal), the toy character 14 will be shown to the user as if it were hatched from an egg.

Referring to the transparency in FIG. 2, the housing 12 may include a plurality of irregular breaking paths formed therein. As a result, when the toy character 14 shreds the housing 14, it is shown to the user that the housing 12 is shredded randomly by the toy character 14, so that the realism of the process for shredding the housing can be conveyed. . Irregular rupture paths 16 may have any suitable shape. For example, the rupture paths 16 may be generally arcuate, indicating the presence of sharp corners in the housing 12 while the housing 12 is broken by the toy character 14. Irregular rupture paths 16 may be formed in any suitable manner. For example, the breaking paths 16 may be molded directly into one or more of the housing members 12a-12c. In the illustrated example, a rupture path 16 is provided on the inner surface of the housing 12 (shown as 18), so it may not be visible to the user before the housing 12 is broken. As a result of the breaking paths 16, the housing 12 is configured to break along at least one of the breaking paths 16 when sufficient force is applied.

Housing 10 may be formed of any suitable natural or synthetic polymer composition, depending on the desired performance (eg, shredding) properties. As shown for the example in FIG. 1A, when expressed in the form of an egg shell, a polymer composition may be selected to exhibit realistic breaking behavior upon impact from the crushing mechanism 22 of the toy character 14. In general, suitable materials for simulated shredded egg shells can exhibit one or more of low elasticity, low plasticity, low ductility, and low tensile force. Upon operation by the crushing mechanism 22, the material may break without significantly absorbing the impact force. In other words, upon impact by the crushing mechanism 22, the material should not stretch significantly, but rather should break according to one or more of the defined breaking elements. Additionally, the polymer composition can be selected to show breakage without forming sharp edges. During the breakage event, the selected polymer composition allows crushed and loose pieces to be neatly separated and detached from the housing while minimizing unrealistic hanging due to stretching or bending at non-separated points. .

It was determined that polymer compositions with a high filler content compared to the base polymer exhibited the performance properties required to show breaking the egg shell. Exemplary compositions with high filler content include about 15-25% by weight of base polymer; About 1-5% by weight of an organic acid metal salt; And about 75-85% by weight of inorganic/particulate filler. It will be understood that various base polymers, organic acid metal salts and fillers may be selected to achieve the required performance properties. In one exemplary embodiment suitable for use in forming the housing 12, the composition comprises 15-25 wt% ethylene-vinyl acetate, 1-5 wt% zinc stearate, and 75-85 wt% calcium carbonate It consists of.

It will be appreciated that for the example using ethylene-vinyl acetate, various base polymers can be used depending on the required performance attributes. Alternatives to the base polymer can include selected thermoplastics, thermosets and elastomers. For example, in some embodiments, the base polymer may be polyolefin (ie, polypropylene, polyethylene). It will further be understood that the base polymer can be selected from a variety of natural polymers used to produce bioplastics. Exemplary natural polymers may include, but are not limited to, starch, cellulose, and aliphatic polyesters.

It will be appreciated that for the example using calcium carbonate, alternative particulate fillers may be used as appropriate. Exemplary alternatives may include, but are not limited to, talc, mica, kaolin, wollastonite, feldspar, and aluminum hydroxide.

With reference to FIG. 2 in which the housing 12 is provided in the form of an egg shell, structural regions on the parts of the housing 12 surrounding the breaking elements (shown as breaking paths 16 in FIG. 2) The wall thickness in (17) may range from 0.5 to 1.0 mm. The selected wall thickness can take into account a number of factors, including the convenience of molding (ie injection molding), particularly with respect to melt flow performance through a mold tool for the selected polymer composition. Structural regions (17) for the exemplary polymer composition noted above, which is a composition consisting of 15-25 wt% ethylene-vinyl acetate, 1-5 wt% zinc stearate, and 75-85 wt% calcium carbonate Wall thicknesses of 0.7 to 0.8 mm) may be selected to achieve good molding performance. Through this composition, a thickness of 0.7 to 0.8 for the structural area 17 also provides sufficient strength to maintain the integrity of the housing 12 during transport and handling, especially when operated by children. It was found to provide.

The arrangement of the plurality of fracture paths 16 formed on the inner face 18 of the housing 12 serves to facilitate the process of crushing the housing 12 by the crushing mechanism 22. In the housing 12 provided in the form of a crushable egg shell, the breaking paths 16 are generally provided in the zone 19 of the first housing member 12a. However, it will be understood that the broken area 19 may be provided in one or more of the various housing members 12a, 12b, 12c. The rupture paths 16 may be formed in a random or regular (ie, geometric) pattern, depending on the desired breaking behavior. 15-19B, a number of exemplary rupture elements that can be formed into the housing 12 are shown.

15 shows an embodiment in which the breaking elements are presented as breaking paths 16 in the breakage area 19, where the breaking paths 16 are formed continuously on the inner face 18 of the housing 12. (I.e., interconnected) and non-consecutive (i.e., blocked ends) channels 21. To facilitate breakage, the channels 21 are positioned to provide a generally centrally located break path (shown in dashed line C) through the breakage zone 19. The rupture paths 16 define an area of reduced wall thickness that is generally 40 to 60% thinner compared to the wall thickness of the structural areas 17. In some embodiments, the breakage paths 16 are dimensioned to suggest a wall thickness that is 50% thinner than the wall thickness of the peripheral structural region 17. Thus, if a housing 12 having a wall thickness of 0.8 mm in the structural area 17 is provided, the breakage paths 16 will generally exhibit a wall thickness of 0.4 mm. As shown, the width of the channels 21 is variable between 0.5 and 1.5 mm along their length, and the channels 21 are generally reduced towards their end (i.e. clogged ends) regions. It includes several channels indicating the thickness of the film.

16 shows an embodiment in which the breaking elements are represented as breaking paths 16 in the broken area 19, the breaking paths 16 being randomly located and forming the breaking paths 16 The channels 21 are continuous across them (ie, interconnected). Similar to the embodiment of FIG. 15, the rupture paths 16 in FIG. 16 define an area of reduced wall thickness and are generally 40-60% thinner compared to the wall thickness of structural areas 17. In some embodiments, the rupture paths 16 are dimensioned to represent a wall thickness that is 50% thinner than the wall thickness of the peripheral structural region 17. Thus, when the housing 12 having a wall thickness of 0.8 mm in the structural region 17 is provided, the break paths 16 generally exhibit a wall thickness of 0.4 mm. In particular, although the widths of the channels 21 can be varied in regions where two or more channels intersect each other, the channels are generally formed to have a width in the range of 0.8 to 1.2 mm.

17A shows an embodiment in which the breaking elements are represented as breaking paths 16 in the breakage area 19, wherein the breaking paths 16 are arranged in a geometric pattern, where the breaking path 16 The channels 21 forming a are continuous (ie, interconnected) across them. As shown, the geometric pattern comprises a plurality of hexagons arranged in a grid, where the perimeter (ie, faces) of the hexagons define a breaking path 16. Each hexagon further has a central breaking path 16a that bisects the hexagon over opposite vertices or opposite faces. Similar to the embodiment of FIG. 15, the fracture paths 16/16a in FIG. 17A define an area of reduced wall thickness, which is typically 40-60% compared to the wall thickness of structural areas 17. thin. In some embodiments, it is dimensioned to present a wall thickness that is 50% thinner than the wall thickness of the structural region 17 around the break paths 16/16a. Thus, if a housing 12 having a wall thickness of 0.8 mm in the structural area 17 is provided, the breakage paths 16/16a will generally exhibit a wall thickness of 0.4 mm. Within each geometry, an area delimited by surrounding rupture paths 16 can be formed with a uniform wall thickness. In an alternative arrangement, the region 25 delimited by surrounding rupture paths 16 may be tapered as shown in FIG. 17B. As shown, each region 25 faces a central ridge 27 and adjacent fracture paths 16 having a first thickness (ie greater than or similar to the thickness of the structural region 17). And a plurality of tapered walls 29 extending from the central ridge 27 in the direction. Compared to the embodiments of Figures 15 and 16, the width of the channels 21 is more uniform than if the breaking paths 16 are arranged in a geometric pattern. Although the width of the channels can be varied, the channels in some embodiments can be formed to have a width of approximately 0.8 mm.

18 shows an embodiment in which the broken area 19 comprises a series of very related but discontinuous and randomly located rupture elements (shown as rupture units 23). Each rupture unit 23 is generally represented in the form of a T or Y type channel having a thickness of 0.5 to 1.5 mm. The rupture unit 23 defines an area of reduced wall thickness, typically 40 to 60% compared to the wall thickness of the structural areas 17. In some embodiments, the breaking units 23 are dimensioned to represent a wall thickness that is 50% thinner than the wall thickness of the surrounding structural area 17. Thus, if a housing 12 having a wall thickness of 0.8 mm in the structural area 17 is provided, the breaking units 23 will generally exhibit a wall thickness of 0.04 mm.

19A and 19B, additional alternative embodiments are shown in which a discontinuous array of rupture elements is provided for setting the breakage region 19. 19A and 19B present a plurality of breaking elements (shown as breaking units 23) in the form of circular and/or elliptical depressions formed in the housing 12. Circular and/or elliptical rupture units 23 can generally be provided in a variety of sizes and orientations to achieve random failure behavior. Additionally, the breaking units 23 may be arranged in a generally random pattern as shown in FIG. 19A or may be arranged in a regular repeating pattern as shown in FIG. 19B. The rupture units 23 in FIGS. 19A and 19B define an area of reduced wall thickness, typically 40-60% compared to the wall thickness of the structural areas 17. In some embodiments, the breaking units 23 are dimensioned to represent a wall thickness that is 50% thinner than the wall thickness of the surrounding structural area 17. Thus, if a housing 12 having a wall thickness of 0.8 mm in the structural area 17 is provided, the breaking units 23 will generally exhibit a wall thickness of 0.4 mm.

Breaking elements (breaking paths 16/breaking units 23) may occupy 20-80% of the area within the broken area 19. In some embodiments where the housing needs to break at high impact forces, the breakage paths/units can occupy 20-30% of the area within the breakage area 19. Conversely, if the housing 12 needs to be broken at a low impact force, the breaking elements can occupy 70-80% of the area within the broken area 19. In the embodiments shown in Figures 15-19B, the rupture elements occupy approximately 40-60% of the area within the damaged area. Choosing a proportion of rupture elements with respect to the structural area of the housing 12 will take into account a number of factors, which may include the materials used, the force required to break the housing, as well as the shape of the housing. It is not limited to these. For example, in embodiments where the polymer composition comprises a base polymer having high strength properties compared to ethylene-vinyl acetate, the housing has a high percentage of breaking elements (i.e., to achieve housing breaking under the same impact conditions). , 70-80%). It will be appreciated that other embodiments may include a proportion of rupture elements that may be less than 20%, depending on the application forces and the impact forces used to achieve housing rupture.

While the housing 12 is illustrated in the form of an egg shell, it will be understood that the materials and molding features discussed above may be applied to other manufactured articles, including, but not limited to, consumer packaging as well as other housing configurations. will be. For example, if the toy character is provided in the form of an action figure, the housing may be provided in the form of a building, which includes an action figure configured to impact the housing from inside when activated. It will be understood that multiple toy/housing combinations may be possible.

The toy character 14 is shown mounted only on the housing member 12c in FIG. 3. 4 and 5, the toy character 14 includes a toy character frame 20, a shredding mechanism 22, a shredding mechanism power source 24, and a control unit 28. The crushing mechanism 22 is operable to crush the housing 12 (eg, to break the housing along at least one of the rupture paths 16) to expose the toy character 14. The crushing mechanism 22 includes a hammer 30, an actuation lever 32 and a crushing mechanism cam 34. The hammer 30 moves between a retracted position (FIG. 4) where the hammer 30 is spaced from the housing 12 and an advanced position (FIG. 5) where the hammer 30 is positioned to crush the housing 12. It is possible.

The actuation lever 32 is pivotably mounted through a pin joint 40 with the toy character frame 20 and the actuation lever 32 allows the hammer 30 to move to the retracted position. The hammer retracted position (FIG. 4) positioned to do so and the actuation lever 32 are movable between the hammer driven position (FIG. 5) driving the hammer 30. The actuation lever 32 is biased toward the hammer drive position by the actuation lever biasing member 38. In other words, the actuation lever 32 is biased by the biasing member 38 towards driving the hammer 30 to the extended position. The actuation lever 32 has a first end 42 with a cam fastening surface 44 thereon and a second end 46 with a hammer fastening surface 48 thereon, which It will be further described below.

The crushing mechanism cam 34 may be placed directly on the output shaft (shown as 49) of the motor 36 and is thus rotatable by the motor 36. The crushing mechanism cam 34 has a cam surface 50 that engages a cam engagement surface 44 on the first end 42 of the actuation lever 32. When the crushing mechanism cam 34 is rotated by the motor 36 (clockwise in the figures shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. 5), the cam The stepped area, shown as 51 on the surface 50, causes the biasing member 38 to accelerate the actuation lever 32 to impact at a relatively high speed through the hammer 30. By allowing, the cam surface 50 causes the hammer 30 to suddenly disengage from the actuation lever 32, thereby driving the hammer 30 to advance (outwardly) from the frame 20 at a relatively high speed, , This provides a high impact energy when the hammer hits the housing 12, thereby facilitating the crushing of the housing 12. In some embodiments, this would represent the appearance of a bird hatching and hatching an egg.

As the crushing mechanism cam 34 continues to rotate, the cam surface 50 pulls the actuation lever 32 to the retracted position shown in FIG. 4. The hammer fastening surface 48 of the actuation lever 32 has a first magnet 52a that is attracted to the second magnet 52b in the hammer 30. As a result, while the actuation lever 32 is being pulled, the actuation lever 32 retracts the hammer 30 to the retracted position shown in FIG. 4.

The crushing mechanism cam 34 is rotatable by a motor 36, cyclically causing the contraction of the actuation lever 32 from the hammer 30, and then the actuation lever 32 is released to actuate the lever. It can be directed to the hammer 30 by the biasing member 38. Accordingly, the motor 36 and the actuation lever biasing member 38 may together form the crushing mechanism power source 24.

The crushing mechanism biasing member 38 may be a two-wire coil tension spring shown in the figures or alternatively it may be any other suitable type of biasing member.

Additionally, the toy character 14 includes a rotation mechanism shown as 53 in FIG. 6. The rotation mechanism 53 is configured to rotate the toy character 14 in the housing 12. The controller 28 is configured to operate the rotating mechanism 53 to crush the housing 12 in a plurality of positions when operating the crushing mechanism.

The rotation mechanism 53 may be any suitable rotation mechanism. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the rotation mechanism 53 comprises a gear 54 fixedly mounted to the lower housing member 12c. The output shaft 49 of the motor 36 is a dual output shaft extending from both sides of the motor 36 and drives the first and second wheels 56a and 56b. For one of the wheels (in the example shown for the first wheel 56a), there is a drive tooth 58. When the motor 36 rotates the output shaft 49, the drive gear 58 on the first wheel 56a engages the gear 54 once per rotation of the output shaft 49, and the housing 12 The toy character 14 is driven to rotate about. The bushing 60 supports the toy character 14 for rotation about the axis of the gear 54 (shown as Ag). In the illustrated example, the bushing 60 is slidable, and can be rotatably engaged with the shaft 62 of the gear 54, and as shown in FIG. 6A, the lower housing member 12c It is axially supported on the support surface 64 of. The toy character 14 can be releasably received in the bushing 60 through projections 66 on the bushing 60 that engage the openings 68 on the toy character frame 20. . If the toy character 14 needs to be removed from the bushing 60, the user may pull the toy character 14 out of the protrusions 66. The bushing 60 also supports the wheels 56a and 56b in the housing 12. As a result, while the toy character 14 is in the housing 12, the toy character (by sliding the bushing 60 on the lower housing member 12c without fastening the wheels 56a and 56b on the housing member 12c) The rotational indexing of 14) occurs.

As can be seen from the above description, once per rotation of the output shaft 49, the rotation mechanism 53 is the selected angular amount (i.e., the rotation mechanism 53 cyclically indexes the toy character 14) As much as the toy character 14 is rotated, and the actuation lever 32 is pulled from the contracted position and then released, the hammer 30 can be driven forward to engage the housing 12 and crush it. Thus, the continued rotation of the motor 36 causes the toy character 14 to ultimately crush over the entire circumference of the housing.

When the toy character 14 penetrates the housing 12 and breaks it, the user can help free the toy character 14 from the housing 12. It will be noted that the housing member 12c may be left to function as a base for the toy character 14 if desired in some embodiments. When the toy character 14 is freed from the housing 12 and the hammer 30 no longer needs to break through the housing 12 and shred, the user can at least one release member from the pre-crush position and the post-crush position You can also move In the example shown in FIG. 5, there are two release members (ie, the first release member 70a and the second release member 70b). Prior to crushing the housing 12 to expose the toy character 14, the release members 70a and 70b are in the pre-crushing position. When in the pre-crush position, the first release member 70a connects the first end of the actuation lever biasing member 38 (also shown 72) to the toy character frame 20. The second end of the biasing member 38 (shown as 74) is connected to the actuation lever 32, whereby the biasing member 38 is configured to crush the housing 12 (actuation lever 32 ) Is connected to drive the hammer 30 forward. In the illustrated example, the movement of the release member 70a to the post-crushing position entails the removal of the release member 70a, as shown in FIG. 7, the biasing member 38 is the actuation lever 32 And driving the hammer 30 accordingly may be disabled. As a result, when the motor 36 rotates, this causes the crushing mechanism cam 34 to rotate, and the passage of the stepped area 51 of the cam surface 50 causes the actuation lever 32 to hammer 30. ).

Referring to FIG. 4, when the second release member 70b is in the pre-crushing position, the hammer biasing structure is held in the non-used position by holding the locking lever 78 in the locked position. Hold (80). In the non-use position, the hammer biasing structure 80 is held to be fixed to the actuation lever 32 and acts as one with the actuation lever 32. 7 and 8, when the second release member 70b is moved from the pre-crushing position to the post-crushing position, the locking lever 78 releases the hammer biasing structure 80. The hammer biasing structure 80 includes a pivot arm 82 pivotably connected to the actuation lever 32 (eg, via a pin joint 84), and Compression spring operating between pivot arm 82 and actuation lever 32 to direct pivot arm 82 to hammer 30 to urge hammer 30 to point to the extended position shown in 7 Or any other suitable type of spring, which can be a pivot arm biasing member 86. As a result, the hammer 30 can be integrated into the appearance of the toy character. In the illustrated embodiment, the toy character 14 is in the form of a bird, and the hammer 30 is the bird's beak. As the hammer 30 is directed outward by the biasing member 86 and is not locked in the extended position, as shown in FIG. 8, the biasing member (e.g., by the user) by external force ( The hammer may be pushed against the biasing force of 86), which may reduce the possibility of poking injuries to children playing with the toy character 14.

Any suitable technique may be used to initiate shredding of the housing 12 of the toy character 14. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, at least one sensor may be provided in the toy assembly 10, which detects interaction with the user while the toy character 14 is in the housing 12. . For example, the capacitive sensor 90 may be provided at the bottom of the housing member 12c to detect holding by the user. The microphone 92 may be provided on the toy character frame 20 to detect a user's audio input. A pushbutton 94 may be provided on the front of the toy character 14. A tilt sensor 96 can be provided on the toy character 14 to detect that the user is tilting the toy character 14. The controller 28 can count the number of interactions the user has had with the toy assembly 10 and activates the shredding mechanism 22 to shred the housing 12 if the selected condition is met and the toy character ( 14) can be exposed. For example, the condition may be a selected number of interactions with the user, such as 120 interactions. Interaction with the toy character 14 using the microphone 92 may involve the user being recognized by the controller 28 speaking a command, or alternatively this may be any kind of user interaction, such as clapping or tapping. And generating noise, which will be received by microphone 92. The interaction may involve the user holding or touching the housing 12 at locations, and the capacitive sensor at those locations will receive it. As another example, the interaction may involve the user pushing the pushbutton 94 of the toy character 14 by the user pressing the correct spot on the housing 120, which pushbutton 94 It may be sufficiently flexible and elastic to transmit the pressing force through. The push button 94 may control the operation of the LED 95 inside the toy character 14, and the LED 95 is bright enough to be visible through the housing 12. The LED 95 may also be illuminated with different colors (controlled by the controller 28) to display the'mood' of the toy character 14 to the user, which is the toy character 14 and the user It can be based on factors including interactions that have occurred between them. Other sensors can be used to detect user interaction. For example, the thermal sensor can have a toy character 14 (eg, mounted on the frame 20) or associated with the housing 12 (eg, in contact with the inner surface of the housing 12) It may be provided. The thermal sensor may detect when a selected portion of the housing 12 or a selected portion of the character 14 reaches a selected temperature, thereby holding the housing or adjacent the toy assembly 10 to a heat source. ) To indicate that the user has interacted with the toy assembly 10. Other sensors that can be used to detect interaction with the user include, for example, an optical sensor that detects light of a selected wavelength and/or intensity, which is selected wavelength and/or intensity at a location to be detected by the optical sensor. It will indicate that the user has placed a light source with. Other sensors that can be used to detect user interaction include wireless signal receivers, such as, for example, Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) receivers, which are devices that can transmit signals of a selected type (e.g., smart Phone) to receive wireless signals transmitted by the user.

When the toy character 14 is outside the housing 12, the toy character 14 may perform different movements than those performed inside the housing 12. For example, the toy character 14 may have at least one limb 96. In the illustrated example, two rims 96 are provided and these are shown as wings, but they may be of any suitable type of rim. When inside the housing, as shown in FIGS. 10A, 10B and 10C, the wing portions 96 are located in their non-functional pre-crushing position, and when outside of the housing, shown in FIG. 10D As they are placed in the functional post-crush position. 10D, the wing portions 96 are pivotally mounted from one end to the associated wing portion 96 and pivotally mounted from the other end to the character frame 20. It is connected to the character frame 20 through a connector link (100). For each wing 96, the wing drive arm 104 is pivotally connected to the associated wing 96 at one end and has a wing drive arm wheel 106 at the other end. . The wing drive arm wheels 106 rest on the toy character's main wheels 56a and 56b when the toy character 14 is in a post-crush position. The main wheels 56a and 56b of the toy characters are provided with at least one lobe 108 on each wheel (as shown in FIG. 6 where two lobes 108 are provided on each wheel). They have a cam profile for them. The lobes 18 serve two purposes. First, when the motor 36 rotates, the wheels 56a and 56b drive the toy character 14 along the ground, and the lobes 108 give a wobble to the toy character 14, thereby When rolling along the ground, it can provide a more realistic appearance. Second, when the wheels 56a and 56b rotate, the presence of the lobes 108 causes the wheels 56a and 56b to act as wing drive cams, which causes the wing drive arm wheels 106 to The wing drive arms 104 are driven up and down as follows the cam profiles of the main wheels 56a and 56b. The up/down movement of the wing drive arms 104 alternately drives the wing portions 96 to pivot up and down, and flaps their wing portions to the toy character 140 as it moves along the ground. This gives the appearance. Preferably, the lobes 108 on the first wheel 56a are cyclically offset relative to the lobes 108 on the second wheel 56b, such that the toy character 14 is the toy character You can have a wobble from left to right as if rolling to improve the realistic appearance of movement.

For each wing connector link 100, the wing connector link biasing member 102 (FIG. 10C) biases the associated wing connector link 100 so that the associated wing 96 moves downward. As shown in FIG. 10, when the character is in the post-crush position, it is intended to maintain contact between the main wheels 56a and 56b and the driving arm wheels 106.

In the illustrated example where the rim 96 is wing portions, drive arms 104 are referred to as wing drive arms, drive arm wheels 106 are called wing drive arm wheels 106, and wheels 56a And 56b) are referred to as wing drive cams. However, if the wing portions 96 were any other suitable type of rims, the drive arms 105 and drive arm wheels 106 are more broadly referred to as rim drive arms 104 and rim drive arm wheels 106 respectively And wheels 56a and 56b may be referred to as rim drive cams.

Motor 36 drives rims 96 by driving wheels 56a and 56b in the illustrated example. Thus, when the rims 96 are in the post-crush position, the motor 36 is connected to and operable with the rims 96.

The motor 36 is thus a rim power source. However, the motor 36 is only one example of a suitable rim power source and alternatively any other suitable type of rim power source can be used to drive the rims 96 and the rims 96.

When the wing portions 96 are in the pre-crushing position (FIGS. 10A-10C), the links 10 can be hinged with respect to the character frame 20, if necessary, so that the range of the housing 12 Wings can be fitted in the field. In the illustrated example, the wing connector links 100 are hinged upwards against the biasing force of the biasing members 102. When in the housing 10, the wing portions 96 thus remain in their non-acting position, where the wing drive arms 104 are held so that the wing drive arm wheels 106 are toy characters. Can be disengaged from the main wheels 56a and 56b. Thus, the motor 36 (ie, the rim power source) is operably disconnected from the rims 96 when the rims 96 are in the pre-crush position. As a result, the rotation of the main wheels 56a and 56b when the toy character 14 is in the housing 12 and when the motor 36 rotates (eg, to cause movement of the shredding mechanism 22). Does not cause the movement of the wing portions 96. As a result, wing portions 96 do not cause damage to housing 12 during operation of motor 36 when character 14 is in housing 12.

The motor 36 shown in the figures includes an energy source, which may be one or more batteries.

Referring to FIG. 11, FIG. 11 shows how the toy assembly 10 and the user can play before crushing the toy character 14 of the housing 120. The lower housing member 12b is shown transparently in FIG. 11 to represent the toy character 14 therein. At a particular first point in time, the user can scan the toy assembly 10 by any suitable means (eg, the camera 150 on the smart phone 152) such that the first progress of the toy assembly 10 is ) Scan 153 (ie, it may be an image of the toy assembly 10 obtained from the smartphone camera 150 ). The user may then upload the scan 153 to the server 154 as part of or after registering the toy assembly 10 via a network, such as the Internet, as shown at 156. In response to the uploaded scan, the server 156 generates an output image 158a representing the first virtual stage of growth of the toy character 14 in the housing 12, so that the toy character 14 is housed by the user. It can convey the impression that it is a living entity that grows within (12). The output image 158a may be displayed electronically (eg, on the smartphone 152). The user may acquire a second sequential scan 153 of the toy assembly 10 at a particular second time point and upload it to the server 154, in which case the server 154 is within the housing 12 It will generate a second output image 158b (shown in FIG. 13B) representing a second virtual stage for the growth of the toy character 14. The second virtual stage of growth of the toy character 14 can be seen to be further grown compared to the first virtual stage of growth.

14 is a flow diagram of a method 200 for managing interactions between a toy assembly 10 and a user according to the activities shown in FIGS. 11-13. The method 200 begins at 201 and includes a step 202 of receiving a registration of the toy assembly 14 from the user. This may be generated by receiving information regarding the serial number or model number of the toy assembly 140 from the user. As shown in FIG. 12, step 204 includes receiving a first sequential scan of the toy assembly from the user after step 202. Step 206 includes displaying an image of the toy character 14 in the first stage of virtual growth, as shown in FIG. 13A. Step 208 includes receiving a second sequential scan of the toy assembly 10 from the user after step 206, as shown again in FIG. Step 210 displays the second output image 158b for the toy character 14 in the second stage of virtual growth different from the first output image 158a representing the first stage of growth, as shown in FIG. 13B. It includes the steps.

Although described for a toy assembly 10 that includes a controller and sensor and includes a crushing mechanism in the toy character 14, many other configurations are possible. For example, the toy assembly 10 can be provided without a controller or any sensors. Instead, the toy character 14 may be powered by an electric motor controlled via a power switch operable from outside the housing 12 (eg, the switch moves the housing 12 out of the housing 12). It may be operated by a lever extending through).

It has been shown that a crushing mechanism 22 is provided within the toy character 14. It will be understood that this location is an example of a location relative to the housing 12 in which the crushing mechanism 22 can be positioned. In other examples, the crushing mechanism can be located outside the housing 12 while remaining associated with the housing 12. For example, in embodiments where the housing 12 is oval-shaped, a'nest' may be provided, which can accommodate the egg. The nest may have a crushing mechanism installed therein operable to crush eggs to reveal the toy character 14 therein. Thus, in one aspect, a toy assembly can be provided, which includes a housing, such as a housing 12, a toy character within the housing, the toy character being similar to a toy character 14, wherein the crushing mechanism, crushing It is provided in association with the housing depending on whether the mechanism is in or out of the housing or partially located inside the housing or partially outside the housing, and acts to crush the housing 12 to expose the toy character 14 It is possible. The crushing mechanism is powered by a crushing mechanism power source (eg, spring or motor) associated with the housing 12. In some embodiments (eg, as shown in FIG. 3 ), the crushing mechanism includes a hammer (such as hammer 30 ), and the crushing mechanism power source is operatively connected to the hammer, such that the housing 12 ) The hammer can be driven to crush. In some embodiments (eg, as shown in FIG. 4 ), a crushing mechanism power source is operatively connected to the hammer to reciprocate the hammer to crush the housing 12.

Another aspect of the invention relates to the movement of the toy character 14 when in the pre-crush position and when in the post-crush position. More specifically, the toy character 14 includes a set of action mechanisms that include all of the moving elements of the toy character 14, for example, it includes rims 96, main wheels 56, and rim connector links. 100 and associated biasing members 102, rim drive arms 104, drive arm wheels 106, hammer 30, actuation lever 32, crushing mechanism cam 34, motor 36 And an actuation lever biasing member 38. The toy character 14 is removable from the housing 12 and can be positioned in a post-crush position. When the toy character 14 is in the pre-shred position, the action mechanism set is operable to perform the first set of movements. In the illustrated example, the rim power source (i.e., motor 36) is operably disconnected from the rims, so that the movement of the rim power source 36 does not drive the movement of the rims 96. Thus, in the pre-crushing position, the crushing mechanism power source drives the movement of the crushing mechanism 22 (by reciprocating the hammer 30 and indexing the toy character 14 around the housing 12), thereby causing the housing ( 12) and the toy character 14 is exposed. When the toy character 14 is in the post-shred position, the set of action mechanisms is operable to perform a second set of movements different from the first set of movements. For example, if the toy character 14 is in the post-crushing position, the rim power source 36 is operatively connected to the rim 96 and can drive the movement of the rims 96, but the crushing mechanism ( 22) is not driven by the crushing mechanism power source.

Some optional aspects of the play pattern of the toy assembly are described below. When the toy character 14 is in the housing 12 (if the toy character 14 is still in the pre-crush stage of growth), the user can interact with the toy character in a number of ways. For example, the user can knock on the housing 12. The knock can be obtained by a microphone on the toy character 14. The controller 28 can interpret the input to the microphone, and when it is determined that the input is caused by tapping, the controller 28 can output a sound that is a tapping sound from the speaker, so that the toy character 14 is provided to the user It may seem to be knocking again. Alternatively, or additionally, as described above, the controller 28 can initiate movement of the hammer 30 depending on whether the controller 28 is capable of controlling the speed of the hammer 30, so that the housing ( The hammer 30 can be knocked against the inner wall of 12), which can be detected to some extent by the user sufficiently, but can be difficult to break the housing 12. The controller 28 can be programmed (or otherwise configured) to emit a sound indicating annoyance, in accordance with some other criteria or in the case of a user tapping a very large number of times within a certain time. Optionally, when the user flips the toy assembly 10 once, the controller 28 detects that the user is holding the housing 12 through capacitive sensors, and the controller 28 is the toy character 14 It can be programmed to emit a heartbeat sound from. Optionally, the controller 28 can be configured to indicate cold using any suitable criteria and can be programmed to stop the cold indication when the controller detects that the user is holding or rubbing the housing 12. have. Optionally, the controller is programmed to emit a sound indicating that the toy character 14 is hiccuping and is programmed to stop this indication when receiving a sufficient number of taps from the user. The controller 28 may be programmed to express to the user that the toy character 14 is bored and wants to play, and may be programmed to stop this expression when the user interacts with the toy assembly 10.

Optionally, if the controller 28 determines that the criteria have been met to escape the pre-crushing stage of crushing and growth of the housing 12, the controller 28 may cause the LED to emit the selected sequence. For example, an LED can be caused to emit a rainbow sequence (red->orange->yellow->green->blue->purple). Thereafter, the toy character 14 may start hitting the housing 12 a selected number of times, and then the toy character 14 may stop this and the user may start hitting the housing 12 again a selected number of times. You can wait to interact with this additionally.

Optionally, after the toy character 14 first shreds the housing 12, the controller 28 may be programmed to operate in the first stage of growth after'hatching', emitting baby sounds and For example, you can make your baby move in a way that behaves like a spin in a circle. During the first stage, the controller 28 can be programmed to require the user to interact with the toy character 14 in selected ways, the selected manners stroking the toy character 14, the toy character 14 Feeding ), trimming the toy character 14, comforting the toy character 14, caring for the toy character 14 when emitting an output expressing that the toy character is sick, sleeping To lay down the toy character 14 and emit an output indicating that the toy character 14 is boring, it is possible to symbolize playing with the toy character 14. In this first stage, the toy character 14 may emit an output indicating fear due to the sound beyond the selected loudness. At these stages, the toy character can emit a baby sound, typically a groaning sound if the user wants to verbally attempt a conversation.

Optionally, after some conditions are met during the first stage (e.g., a sufficient amount of time has elapsed or a sufficient number of interactions (e.g., 120 interactions)) between the user and the toy character 14 If so), the controller 28 may be programmed to change its mode of operation to the second stage after'hatching' (ie, after the toy character 14 is released from the housing 12). Optionally, the LED will emit a rainbow sequence again to indicate that the criteria have been met and that the toy character is changing its growth stage.

In the second stage of growth, the toy character 14 can move in a straight line as well as moving in a circle. Additionally, the sound emitted from the toy character 14 may produce a more mature sound. For the first time in the second stage of growth after hatching, the controller 28 can be programmed to drive the toy character 14 to move in a straight line, but not smoothly, the motor 38 is a step-by-step baby appearance learning to walk. It can also be started and stopped in a random way to give. Over time, the motor 38 is driven to stop less to give the toy character 14 a more mature'walking' appearance. In the second stage of this growth, the toy character 14 may emit sound with the accent used by the user when speaking to the toy character 14. Also, in the second stage of this growth, games involving interaction with the toy character 14 may be unlocked and played by the user.

20 shows a crushing mechanism 300 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The crushing mechanism 300 generally includes a cup-shaped base member 304, which is a plunger locking recess 308 at its sidewall and a slot 312 at the base wall. It has the characteristics of. The plunger member 316 has a tubular body 320 and a rounded cap 324. The outer circumference of the tubular body 320 of the plunger member 316 is dimensioned to be smaller than the inner circumference of the sidewall of the base member 304, such that the tubular body 320 is laterally lateral if necessary within the base member 316. Allow to shift. The protrusion 328 at the proximal end of the body 320 (ie, the opposite end from the round cap 324), along the outer surface of the tubular body 320, is characterized by a plunger locking recess of the base member 304 ( 308).

In particular, a biasing element such as a spring 332 fits inside the tubular body 320 of the plunger member 316 and exerts a biasing force between the plunger member 316 and the base member 304. Collar 336 is mounted (eg, via thermal bonding, adhesive, or any other suitable means) around tubular body 320 of plunger member 316 and is proximal to collar 336. The plunger member 316 is prevented from being completely separated from the base member 304 through the abutment of the protrusion 328. When the plunger member 316 is in the retracted position, the spring 332 is in a compressed state between the round cap 324 of the plunger member 316 and the base wall of the base member 304, where the plunger member 316 ) Is in the base member 304 as shown in FIG. 25.

The release element, i.e., wedge 340, is inserted into the slot 312 when the plunger member 316 is fully inserted into the base member 304, such that the plunger member is on the first side inside the base member 304. The tubular body 320 of 316 can be held and a protrusion 328 is positioned in the plunger locking recess 308. The ridge 344 according to the wedge 340 limits the insertion of the wedge 340 into the slot 312.

21 shows the crushing mechanism 300 in a compact state, where the plunger member 316 is in a retracted position within the base member 304 with the spring 332 in a compressed state. The wedge 340 is inserted into the slot 312 and is biased against the tubular body 320 by the inner projection 346 within the slot, such that the plunger member 316 is on one side inside the base member 304. ) To the tubular body 320 and to direct the projections 328 to the recesses 308 to suppress biasing of the plunger member 316 by the spring 332.

The release element can limit the extension of the spring or other biasing element in some alternative embodiments.

22 shows the crushing mechanism in the expanded state. The removal of the wedge 340 allows the tubular body 320 of the plunger member 316 to be shifted within the base member 304 and the protrusion 328 to leave the plunger locking recess 308. Then, the plunger member 316 is released to be moved outward from the base member 304 by the separation force of the spring 332.

The shredding mechanism 300 may form part of a toy character similar to the toy character 14. For example, the plunger member 316 and the base member 304 may be included together in the toy character's housing. Accordingly, the plunger member 316 and the base member 304 may be configured as needed to contribute to the appearance of baby birds, reptiles, and the like. Additionally, the crushing mechanism 300 can be positioned within an egg-like housing, which can be broken through the biasing force of the spring 332 so that it extends relative to the base member 304 (FIG. 22) direction As a result, the plunger member 316 may be directed outward. The housing has an opening that allows the wedge 340 to be removed from the shredding mechanism 300. The spring 332 can apply a sufficiently strong biasing force to separate the plunger member 316 and the base member 304 and can break the housing in which the crushing mechanism 300 is located.

23 is a cross-sectional view of the housing, where the crushing mechanism 300 of FIG. 21 can be employed. The housing in this example is in the form of a simulated egg shell 360 having a series of rupture paths 364 formed along the inside, and the rupture paths 364 are attached to surrounding portions of the egg shell 360. With reduced peel thickness. The wedge access opening 368 in the egg shell 360 allows passage of one end of the wedge 340, allowing the user to grip the wedge 340 and removing it to activate the shredding mechanism 300 Is allowed.

24 shows a crushing mechanism 400 according to another embodiment. The crushing mechanism 400 includes a base member 404 formed of two base member parts 404a, 404b, and a plunger member 408 formed of two plunger member parts 408a, 408b. The base member 404 generally has an oval sidewall 412 having a hollow interior, where a plunger member 408 is received, and an interior lip on top of the sidewall 412 416 is provided. The plunger member 408 has a tubular sidewall 420 and an outer ridge 424 along the bottom of the sidewall 420, which bases to prevent complete departure of the plunger member 408 of the base member 404. Co-operates with the inner rim 416 of the member 404. The plunger member 408 also has a set of inner walls 428 that define the channel. The screw drive 432 is secured to the interior of the base member 404, and threaded shaft (via a suitable mechanical drive that can be easily configured by those skilled in the art based on the packaging requirements of the particular application). motor 436 for rotating the shaft 440, and a battery 444 for supplying power to the motor 436. A traveler 448 having an internally threaded portion receives threaded shaft 440. The traveler 448 is generally tubular and has a rectangular outer profile digitized to prevent rotation in the channel defined by the inner walls 428 of the plunger member 408. The rim 450 on the outside of the traveler 338 limits insertion into the channel defined by the inner walls 428 because it is adjacent to the lower edge of the inner walls 428. The biasing element 452 (which is shown as a two-wire compression spring and may be referred to as a spring 452 for convenience) fits within the end of the traveler 448 opposite the threaded shaft 440. A magnetic switch 453 is provided in the shredding mechanism 400 and controls the power from the battery 444 to the motor 436. The magnetic switch 453 is operable (ie closed) by the presence of a magnet 454 adjacent the housing, as shown in FIG. 24, thereby powering the screw drive 432.

25 shows the crushing mechanism 400 in a compact position located within the housing. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing is an egg shell 460. The egg shell 460 includes a fracturable shell portion 464 secured to the annular shell portion 468. The annular shell portion 468 is snap-fit to the base shell portion 472. The traveler 448 is located in the channel formed by the inner walls 428 of the plunger member 408 and is located at the lower end of the threaded shaft 440. The spring 452 is compressed between the shoulder of the interior of the traveler 448 and the end surface of the channel. The motor 436 can be used to operate the screw drive 432 to drive progressively increasing the flexure of the spring 452, thereby increasing the biasing force exerted by the spring 452. And allows the plunger member 408 to face outward from the base member 404.

26 shows the crushing mechanism 400 in an expanded state after the action of the screw drive 432 by placing a magnet close to the egg shell 460 adjacent the motor 436. The screw drive 432 is operable to exert a separation force that causes the plunger member 408 and the base member 432 to move away from each other. Upon sufficient breaking of the egg shell 460, the spring 452 expands from the compressed state to suddenly push the battered egg shell 460 to increase the reality of the hatching operation.

27 shows a toy character 500 that includes a crushing mechanism similar to the crushing mechanism 400 shown in FIGS. 24 to 26. The crushing mechanism shown in FIG. 27 has a plunger member 508 and a base member 504 shown in the expanded state. The toy character 500 includes a swiveling wheel assembly 512, which is selectively driven by the same motor that operates to space the base member 504 and the plunger member 508 apart. It has a pair of wheels 516 driven. A pair of non-rotating ring wheels 520 are attached to the base member 504. The swivel wheel assembly may be connected to the motor in such a way that the wheel assembly is intermittently rotated by the motor at the same angle. Such irregular movements can convey a character's realism while the character is moving.

Again, the shredding mechanisms described and illustrated herein have a decorative cover to show the appearance of any suitable character.

28-30 illustrate a housing breaking mechanism 600 according to one embodiment. The housing breaking mechanism 600 has a base frame member 604, which includes an outer bowl 608 secured to an inner bowl 612. The outer bowl 608 has an inner rim 616 relative to its top circumference. The upper frame member 620 is rotatably coupled to the base frame member 604 around the upper circumference of the outer bowl 608. The inner edge portion 624 of the upper frame member 620 tightly accommodates the inner edge portion 616 of the outer bowl 608. The three cutting elements 628 are pivotally coupled to their first end through a fastener, such as a partially threaded screw 632, to the base frame member 604. The second end 636 of the cutting elements 628 is slidable to the upper frame member 620 through their projections through openings 640 in the sidewall of the upper frame member 620 Combined. The cutting elements 628 have a predetermined arcuate shape and define an opening 644 in which the housing 648 to be broken can be located.

As will be appreciated, rotation of the top frame member 620 counterclockwise relative to the base frame member 604 causes the cutting elements 628 to pivot and opens an opening 644 such as an analog camera aperture. Causing crossing/shrinking. The sharp protrusions 652 along the cutting elements 628 protrude toward the opening 644 and operate to drill and/or crack the housing 648. In this way, the housing 648 disposed in the housing breaking mechanism 600 can be broken.

As will be appreciated, the cutting elements can be slidably connected to the upper frame member through a number of ways, which can include, for example, such as an inner channel in which the binding to the upper frame member is fixed. Additionally, the cutting elements can be pivotally connected to the upper frame member and slidably connected to the base frame member.

One or more cutting elements can be employed and they can operate to compress the housing to break against a portion of the frames or against other cutting elements.

31A and 31B show a housing breaking mechanism 700 according to another embodiment. The housing rupture mechanism 700 includes a pair of cutting elements 704, which are pivotally coupled through a fastener 708, such as a bolt or rivet. One or both of the cutting elements 704 have recesses 712 at their cutting edges. The broken housing can be disposed in one or more recesses 712 and can be crushed through the pivoting action of the cutting elements 704 as shown in FIG. 31B, thereby making the toy character provided in the housing Allows access.

Toy characters employing the shredding mechanisms described above, particularly shown in FIGS. 20-23 and 24-27, are provided with companion toy characters that may or may not be located within the housing with the toy characters. Can be used together.

FIG. 32A shows a shredding mechanism 800 for a toy character similar to the toy character of FIG. 27 in an extended state. The crushing mechanism 800 is urged to move away from the plunger member 808 through a screw drive having a motor in the expanded state with the base member 804 fitted into the plunger member 808 in a compressed state. . The movement of the toy character on the surface is provided by wheels 812, which have a cam profile for them with at least one lobe for each wheel, which is shown in FIG. similar. The wheels 812 are driven by a motor.

32B shows the companion mechanism 820 for the companion toy character disposed in a housing with a toy character (which employs the shredding mechanism 800 in FIG. 32A). The companion mechanism 820 has a main body 824 and a wheel base 828 that can be fitted to the main body 824, but as shown in the expanded state, the buyer is directed outward through the inner two-wire metal coil spring It becomes. The wheel base 828 has a set of wheels 832 that allow movement of the companion mechanism 820 along the surface with minimal pressing.

FIG. 33 shows the companion mechanism 820 in FIG. 32B and the crushing mechanism 800 in FIG. 32A in a stacked compact state. In the compact state, the screw drive of the shredding mechanism 800 did not act to drive the plunger member 808 away from the base member 804. The companion mechanism 820 is also in a compressed state with the wheel base 828 maintained in a compressed state within the main body portion 824 against the force of the two-wire metal coil spring. The companion mechanism 820 is atop the plunger member 808 of the crushing mechanism 800.

34 is a cross-sectional view of the housing in the form of an egg shell 840 with two toy characters located therein. The main toy character 844 employs the shredding mechanism 800 in a compact state. The auxiliary toy character 848 also employs a companion crushing mechanism 820 in a compact state. Upon operation of the motor and the attached screw drive of the crushing mechanism 800 within the main toy character 844, such as through a magnet pulling the two contacts together to close the circuit, the screw drive is a plunger member ( 808) urges away from the base member 804, causing the crushing mechanism 800 to expand and push the auxiliary toy character 848 to break the egg shell 840 so that the tooth passes through the egg shell 840. Cause At the same time, the wheels 812 start rotating and their lobes help push the inside of the egg shell 840 to break the egg shell.

Upon breakage of this, the companion mechanism 820 in the toy character 848 is no longer maintained in a compressed state and the wheel base 828 is urged to move away from the main body 824 by a two-wire metal coil spring.

Once the main toy character 844 is freed from the egg shell 840, the wheels 812 cause the main toy character 844 to cross the surface on which the main toy character 844 is placed.

The crushing mechanism 800 and the companion mechanism 820 may include electronic components that operate upon expansion. In the case of the crushing mechanism 800, the electronic components can be located on the same circuit as the motor and can be operated upon closing of the circuit. For the companion mechanism 820, once its electronic components can be activated upon circuit breakage, the main body 824 and the wheel base 828 are urged away by a two-wire metal coil spring.

The electronic components can enable the main toy character 844 and the auxiliary toy character 848 to make audible noises such as bird sounds, display light, and the like. Additionally, the primary toy character 844 and the secondary toy character 848 can "interact" through sensing other things. For example, the main toy character 844 may have an audio speaker to generate bird noise noise, and the secondary toy character 848 may distinguish bird noise noise from an audio sensor (ie microphone), other audio signals. It may be provided with a processor, and an audio speaker that outputs a corresponding higher pitched bird sound. Both the main toy character 844 and the auxiliary toy character 848 are sensors, processors, and audio speakers, light emitting diodes (LED), network radios, etc., such as microphones, light detectors, network antennas, and the like. The same output devices can be provided. In this way, the primary toy character 844 and the secondary toy character 848 can interact through one triggering the other.

In one embodiment, audio and/or optical signals output by the auxiliary toy character may be received and used by the main toy character to locate and move to the auxiliary toy character.

35 shows another companion mechanism 900 for a smaller auxiliary toy character similar to the companion mechanism 820 of FIG. 32B according to another embodiment. The companion mechanism 900 has a main body 904 and a wheel base 908 that fits within the main body 904, which is biased outwardly through an inner two-wire metal coil spring in an expanded state as shown. . The wheel base 908 has a set of wheels 912 that allow the companion mechanism 900 to move along the surface with minimal pushing action.

FIG. 36 shows two of the companion mechanisms 900 of FIG. 35 in a stacked compact state and a crushing mechanism 920 similar to the crushing mechanism of FIG. 32A. The crushing mechanism 920 has a base member 924 fitted within the plunger member 928 in a compact state as shown, which is urged to move away from the plunger member 928 in an extended state through a screw drive. The movement of the crushing mechanism 920 on the surface is provided by wheels 932, which have a cam profile for them with at least one lobe on each wheel, as shown in FIG. similar.

Each of the two companion mechanisms 900 has its own wheel base 908 that is held under compression in the main body 904 against the force of the two-wire metal coil spring. One of the companion mechanisms 900 is located on top of the other companion mechanism 900, which in turn is located on top of the plunger member 928 of the fracturing mechanism 920.

37 is a cross-sectional view of the housing in the form of an egg shell 940 with three toy characters positioned therein. The main toy character 944 employs a shredding mechanism 920 in a compact state. Each of the two auxiliary toy characters 948 also employs a companion mechanism 900 in a compact state. Upon operation of the screw drive of the crushing mechanism 920 within the main toy character 944, such as through a magnet that pulls the two contacts together to break the circuit, the screw drive has a plunger member 928, a base member 924 ), causing the crushing mechanism 920 of the main toy character 944 to expand and push the toy characters 948 located at the top, causing them to pass through the egg shell 940 to pass through the egg shell ( 940). During this breaking action, the companion mechanism 900 within each of the auxiliary toy characters 948 is no longer in a compressed state and the wheel base 908 is urged to move away from the main body 904 by a two-wire metal coil spring. do.

Primary toy character 944 and secondary toy character 948 include electronic components to provide additional functionality as described above with respect to primary toy character 844 and secondary toy character 848.

The crushing mechanism may consist of one or more additional actions when the crushing mechanism is placed back into the housing. For example, the shredding mechanism may move, emit audible noises, emit light, or the like.

38 shows an exemplary shredding mechanism 1000 comprised of additional actions when disposed in a housing. The housing is an egg shell 1004 with a raised inner ring 1008. The small magnet 1012 magnetizes the metal rod 1016 protruding from the center of the bottom inside the surface of the egg shell 1004. The adapter disk 1020 is located on top of the raised inner ring 1008 of the egg shell 1004. The adapter disk 1020 snaps into the crushing mechanism 100 and allows movement of the crushing mechanism 100 relative to the egg shell 1004 as part of an additional action. A frustoconical metal disk 1024 is fixed to the bottom of the shredding mechanism 100 to guide the placement of the metal rod 1016 to the Hall sensor 1028 inside the shredding mechanism 1000. have. The hall sensor 1028 detects the magnetism of the metal rod 1016 to detect the time when the crushing mechanism 1000 is located inside the egg shell 1004.

39 shows the bottom portion of an egg shell 1004 with an elevated inner ring 1008 along the inner surface of the egg shell 1004. The crenelated ring 1032 protrudes from the inner surface of the lower end of the egg shell 1004 within the raised inner ring 1008. The post anchor 1036 inside the gun pattern ring 1032 has an opening in which the metal rod 1016 is fixed.

40A and 40B show an adapter disk 1020 having an annular plate 1040 with a circumferential rim 1044 extending downward. The pair of wheel recesses 1048a and 1048b are dimensioned to accommodate the wheels of the shredding mechanism 1000. One of the wheel recesses 1048a is deeper than required to receive the wheel of the crushing mechanism 1000. The disk grip 1052 protrudes from the bottom surface of the annular plate 1040. Together, the wheel recesses 1052 and the disc grip 1052 allow a person to pull the adapter disk 1020 from the shredding mechanism 1000 and the adapter disk 1020 snap into the shredding mechanism 1000 The wheels of the crushing mechanism 1000 can thus be exposed and used to mobilize the crushing mechanism 1000 on the surface. The central gear disc 1056 is rotatably coupled to the annular plate 1040 and has a number of gear teeth on its upper surface. The two arcuate walls 1060 extend from the lower surface of the central gear disc 1056. The arched walls 1060 have a thick vertical edge 1064. The through-hole 1068 allows the metal rod 1016 to pass through the adapter disk 1020. The pair of fixed pillars 1072 may extend from the upper surface of the annular plate 1040 to releasably engage corresponding holes in the lower surface of the crushing mechanism 1000.

The crushing mechanism 1000 is configured so that detecting the magnetism of the metal rod 1016 does not trigger the motor of the crushing mechanism 1000 before triggering it to break the egg shell 1004. In order to trigger further actions of the crushing mechanism 1000 thereafter, the adapter disk 1020 is fixed to the lower end of the crushing mechanism 1000 through fixing pillars 1072, and the combined crushing mechanism 1000 and adapter The disk 1020 is located in the lower part of the egg shell 1004. The arched walls 1060 of the adapter disk 1020 fit within the oval ring 1032 of the egg shell 1004, and the thick vertical edge 1064 of the central gear disk 1056 relative to the egg shell 1004. In order to prohibit rotation, it is engaged with the gun eye pattern ring 1032.

During the placement of the crushing mechanism 1000 and the adapter disk 1020, a metal rod 1016 is inserted into the crushing mechanism 1000 guided by a truncated metal disk 1024, so that the metal bar 1016 is a hall sensor 1028. ). The magnetism of the metal rod 1016 is sensed by the Hall sensor 1028 and triggered by triggering the motor of the crushing mechanism 1000 to start.

The crushing mechanism 1000 includes an angled piston arm coupled to the motor, protruding from the bottom surface. The motor drives angular piston arm cycles between extending angularly under the bottom surface of the shredding mechanism 1000 and being re-shrinked by out-of-center attachment to a rotating disk driven by the motor. On the downward stroke to this, the angled piston arm engages with the gear teeth on the upper surface of the central gear disc 1056, thereby crushing the mechanism 1000 against the central gear disc 1056 and the annular plate 1040 fixed thereto. Rotate. On the upward stroke of the angled piston arm, the crushing mechanism 1000 and the annular plate 1040 secured thereto are kept fixed relative to the egg shell 1004. As will be appreciated, the continued operation of the motor of the shredding mechanism 1000 causes it to rotate intermittently within the egg shell 1004.

The motor of the crushing mechanism 1000 may also drive other mechanisms, such as rotation of the elongated wing members, so that the crushing mechanism 1000 may create an illusion that flaps its wings.

Additionally, the hall sensor 1028 can trigger other elements of the shredding mechanism 1000. For example, the crushing mechanism 1000 may include one or more of light emitters that can be triggered by the hall sensor 1028, audio speakers that emit bird sounds, and the like.

Other types of sensors and mechanisms can be used instead of the hall sensor to trigger additional actions. For example, a metal rod can complete an electrical circuit that drives the motor when inserted into the shredding mechanism. In a further example, the rod may urge two metal contacts to contact to complete the circuit that drives the motor when inserted into the crushing mechanism.

The movement of the crushing mechanism relative to the housing can be achieved in different ways. For example, a circular track inside the housing may enable rotation of one wheel to rotate the crushing mechanism relative to the housing.

The dimensions and shape of the materials and recesses of the cutting elements can be variable to accommodate the housing shapes, materials and dimensions.

The crushing mechanism and the companion mechanism can be equipped with one or more switches to change their behavior. The switches may take the form of buttons, physical switches, etc., and may include audio sensors, optical/motion sensors, magnetic sensors, electrical sensors, thermal sensors, and the like.

In the drawings, the toy character is shown provided within the housing. However, it will be noted that the toy character is only one example of the internal objects provided within the housing. In some embodiments described herein, the inner object is alive and can include a crushing mechanism. In some embodiments, the internal object may be lifeless. In some embodiments, the inner object is alive but may not itself contain a crushing mechanism. In some embodiments, the internal object may be a toy character. In some embodiments, the internal object may not be a character, given that it may not be configured to be viewed as a perceptual entity.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that there are more possible variations and alternative implementations, and that the examples are simple examples of one or more implementations. Accordingly, the scope of rights is limited only by the claims appended here.

Claims (18)

As a toy assembly,
Housing;
An internal object inside the housing; And
A breakout mechanism associated with the housing and operable to break the housing to expose the internal object;
It includes,
The crushing mechanism is powered by a crushing mechanism power source associated with the housing,
The crushing mechanism includes a hammer positioned in association with the internal object, and the crushing mechanism power source is operatively connected to the hammer to drive the hammer to crush the housing
Toy assembly. According to claim 1,
The housing, in the form of an egg,
Toy assembly. According to claim 2,
The internal object is in a new form,
Toy assembly. As a toy assembly,
An inner object inside the housing in a housing and a pre-breakout position;
It includes,
The inner object includes a functional mechanism set and is initially inside the housing in a pre-crush position, the inner object is removable from the housing and can be positioned in a post-crush position, the The set of action mechanisms is operable to perform a first set of movements when the inner object is in the pre-crush position, and the set of action mechanisms is set to the first set when the inner object is in the post-crush position. Operable to perform a second set of movements different from the movements,
Toy assembly. As a toy assembly,
Housing; And
An auxiliary toy character and a primary toy character inside the housing;
Including,
The main toy character includes a crushing mechanism operable to crush the housing to expose the auxiliary toy character and the main toy character,
The crushing mechanism is extended to push the auxiliary toy character through the housing,
Toy assembly. The method of claim 5,
The housing, in the form of an egg,
Toy assembly. The method of claim 6,
Each of the main toy character and the auxiliary toy character is a new form,
Toy assembly. The method of claim 5,
Each of the main toy character and the auxiliary toy character,
Including a microphone and a speaker,
The main toy character and the auxiliary toy character interact with each other,
Toy assembly. The method of claim 8,
The primary toy character is configured to output audio signals through the speaker, and the secondary toy character is configured to capture the audio signals through the microphone,
Toy assembly. The method of claim 5,
The main toy character pushes the auxiliary toy character through the housing through a screw drive,
Toy assembly. The method of claim 8,
At least one of the audio signals or optical signals output by the auxiliary toy character is received and used by the main toy character to move to the position of the auxiliary toy character,
Toy assembly. The method of claim 5,
The crushing mechanism
A plunger member having a plunger tubular side wall,
A base member having a base tubular side wall having a cavity-like interior in which the plunger member is received, and
A motor that moves the base member and the plunger member away from each other to crush the housing,
Containing,
Toy assembly. The method of claim 5,
The crushing mechanism
A plunger member having a plunger tubular sidewall,
A base member having a base tubular sidewall received in a plunger tubular sidewall, and
A motor that moves the base member and the plunger member away from each other to crush the housing,
Containing,
Toy assembly. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 13,
The auxiliary toy character includes a companion mechanism that is compressed in the housing, and the companion mechanism is expanded when the housing is crushed.
Toy assembly. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 13,
The auxiliary toy character includes a spring that moves the wheel base of the auxiliary toy character away from the body of the auxiliary toy character,
Toy assembly. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 13,
The auxiliary toy character is one of two auxiliary toy characters,
Toy assembly. The method of claim 14,
The crushing mechanism and the companion mechanism each include an electronic component that is activated upon expansion of the companion mechanism and the crushing mechanism,
Toy assembly. delete

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