KR20050020968A - Flexible toy figure with wire armature - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an improved poseable figure that is prolonged in life, has fault tolerance, and is capable of repeatedly posing in a realistic form. The poseable figure includes an internal reinforcement 10 composed of a plurality of strands of wire, and an outer molded body covering composed of a flexible material, such as a thermoplastic material, generally a soft polyvinylchloride material. The reinforcement includes a number of junctions 28, 30 that may be spot welded to connect to the strands of the wire to form a multi-joint structure.

Description

Flexible toy figure with wire armature}

The present application generally relates to flexible doll toys and moving figure toys. More specifically, this includes figurines and working figures in which the outer surface of the toy is a soft, textured material and the inner skeleton comprises a bendable reinforcement.

Numerous and varied flexible dolls and moving figures are being developed recently, mainly for entertainment and exhibition purposes. Creation of a flexible or poseable figure generally requires the creation of a movable articulated body and limb that is ideally configured to maintain any pose in which the figure is placed. In addition, it is preferable that the figure is a pose capable of a plurality of times without structural problems.

One class of poseable figures includes a molded outer covering or body composed of an internal reinforcement or skeleton comprising a joint that reproduces the joints of the human skeleton, and a flexible material surrounding and bonded to or otherwise secured to the internal reinforcement. Include. Examples of such toys are U.S. Pat.Nos. 5,516,314, 5,630,745, 5,762,531, 5,800,242, 6,155,904, and 6,217,406, and Gazettes JP49-18954, JP49-18955, JP60-97067, JP61-94090, JP61-94091, JP61-94092, JP62-53686, JP62-164036, , JP11-221369, WO0067869, and WO0010665. Other examples of flexible stuffed toys and moving figure toys are found in US Pat. Nos. 3,277,601, 3,716,942, 4,470,784, 4,932,919, 5,017,173, and 6,074,270, and publication WO0108776. The disclosures of all these patents and publications are incorporated herein by reference.

1 is an overall front view of a reinforcing material for a poseable person image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the reinforcement of FIG. 1 and shows details of the twisted wire structure of the reinforcement.

3 is a front view of the head of the reinforcing material for the poseable person image according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4 (a) is a front view of the partially formed poseable figure after one step of insert molding.

4 (b) is a rear front view of the partially formed poseable figure of FIG. 4 (a).

5 (a) is a partially enlarged view of the partially formed poseable figure of FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), showing details of the upper arm positioning nail.

FIG. 5 (b) is a partially enlarged view of the partially formed poseable figure of FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), showing details of the upper leg positioning nail.

Fig. 5 (c) is a partially enlarged view of the partially formed poseable figure of Figs. 4 (a) and 4 (b), showing details of the lower leg positioning nail.

Fig. 6A is a front view of the poseable figure after two stages of insert molding according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 (b) is a rear front view of the poseable figure of FIG. 6 (a).

Fig. 7 is a front view of the translucent all of the poseable figures of Figs. 6 (a) and 6 (b) and shows a reinforcement and a molded body surrounding the reinforcement.

FIG. 8 is a translucent side front view of the poseable personage of FIG. 7. FIG.

An improved poseable portrait is provided which is extended in life, fault tolerant and repeatedly poseable in a realistic form. Poseable figures include internal reinforcements composed of bendable materials, such as multiple strands of wire, and externally molded body coverings composed of flexible materials such as elastomeric materials, generally thermoplastic elastomers such as soft polyvinylchloride materials. do. The reinforcement includes a number of junctions that may be spot welded between strands of wire to connect the strands of the wire to form a multi-joint structure.

The advantages of the poseable figures provided will be more readily understood after considering the drawings and detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

In FIG. 1, a reinforcement 10 for a poseable figure is shown. The stiffener 10 is expected to be surrounded and glued by an external covering such as an injection-molded body on a poseable figure, but FIG. 1 shows the inner core of the stiffener separately for clarity. The reinforcement 10 may comprise a number of twisted strands of the wire 12 best shown in FIG. 2, or may be joined together to form a multi-joint structure. Other suitable numbers of wires and / or materials may be used to construct the internal reinforcement of the present invention, but as shown in FIG. 2, the strand 12 may be comprised of three flexible metal wires twisted together.

As shown in FIG. 1, the stiffener 10 may include a lower strand 14, a central strand 16, and an upper strand 18. The lower strand 14 may extend from the first foot 20a to the second foot 20b, and the central strand 16 may extend from the first hand 22a to the second hand 22b. The upper strand 18 may extend from the top 24 of the lower strand to the head 26.

Strands of wires in the reinforcement may be connected at junctions 28 and 30 to form a unitary structure. As shown in the figure, the junction point 28 connects the lower strand 14 to the upper strand at a point at or near the lower end of the upper strand so that the upper strand does not extend significantly below its intersection with the lower strand at the junction 28. 18). Junction 30 may connect the central strand to the upper strand at a point between junction 28 and head 26. Junctions 28 and 30 may be formed, for example, by spot welding, but other forms of attachment, such as adhesive bonding, crimping, and the like, may also be suitable for forming connections between strands of wire.

As shown in FIG. 1, the reinforcement 10 includes lower leg portions 32a and 32b, upper leg portions 34a and 34b, lower arm portions 36a and 36b, upper arm portions 38a and 38b, and a neck ( It may be formed into an articulating structure including 40). For simplicity, in particular, portions of symmetrical pairs such as legs and arms may be cited below with a single reference numeral. Thus, "lower leg 32" will be understood to mean lower leg 32a, 32b, and the like.

The strands of wire may be selected to have any diameter that allows for the desired amount of flexibility in various areas of the reinforcement. For example, the lower strand 14 and the upper strand 18 may be formed of twisted wire of approximately 0.030 inches in diameter, and the central strand 16 may be formed of twisted wire of approximately 0.025 inches in diameter. However, it can be seen that wires of different diameters may or may be more suitable for a variety of designs, depending on the overall size of the poseable figure and its intended use.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the centrifugal end of the upper strand 18 forms the head 26 in the shape of a substantially circular loop 42 which is spot welded to the neck 40 at the upper junction 44. . However, it will be appreciated that the head may be formed in a variety of other ways as appropriate. For example, FIG. 3 shows an embodiment in which the head 126 is formed in the shape of a curved hook or half loop 46.

1-3, the various wire strands 14, 16, 18 included in the reinforcement 10 are shown before any injection molding steps relating to toy figures are performed. Such injection molding may generally be carried out in a two step process. In the first injection molding step, a plurality of structures may be injection molded around the inner wire to form a more rigid and robust inner skeleton. In the second injection molding step, a textured outer covering may be molded around the skeleton to form a surrounding body that may enclose both the inner wire reinforcement and the portion of the rigid structure added in the first step. These two injection molding steps are described in more detail below.

4 (a) and 4 (b) respectively show a front or rear front view of the partially formed poseable figure 110 after the first injection molding step has been carried out. After the first injection molding step, the partially formed figure 110 may comprise a plurality of support members as well as a wire reinforcement 10 as described above. These support members may include, for example, peripheral members 48, 50, 52, end caps 54, 56, and sprues 58, 60, 62. The support member may extend outward from the strand of wire to add structure and stability to the reinforcement 10. As described below, some of the support members may also accurately and conveniently position the partially formed figures 110 in the mold before the second injection molding step.

The support member may be composed of any suitable material, such as a resin material, which may be conveniently molded around the wire reinforcement 10 in a molten form. The support member material may be, for example, a relatively flexible polymer material such as polypropylene or a more rigid polymer such as polyethylene. The support member material may also be, for example, a thermoplastic elastomer material such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or a styrenic elastomer such as a Kraton material made by Kraton Polymers of Houston, Texas. In some embodiments, this material may be selected to adhere to and / or otherwise be suitable for the material used for the outer covering on the toy figure.

Each of the peripheral members 48, 50, 52 may be configured to surround a portion of the wire of the stiffener 10, and each may include a plurality of positioning nails extending substantially radially outward from the wire. For example, the peripheral member 48 may include upper arm nails 64, 66, the peripheral member 50 may include upper leg nails 68, 70, and the peripheral member 52 may include It may also include lower leg nails 72, 74, 76. The positioning nails may be substantially cylindrical as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, or they may have any other suitable shape. For example, the positioning nail may be substantially conical or truncated. The positioning nail may also have a rounded end.

5 shows details of the structure of the peripheral members 48, 50, 52 and their associated positioning nails. The positioning nail may be configured to assist in positioning the partially formed figure 110 in the mold, in preparation for the second injection molding step. As shown, the upper arm nail 64, the upper leg nail 68, and the lower leg nail 72 may extend forwardly spaced apart from the reinforcement, and the upper arm nail 66 and the upper leg nail 70. May extend laterally spaced apart from the reinforcement, lower leg nail 74 may extend away from the reinforcement along the side, and lower leg nail 76 may extend away from the reinforcement inwardly.

Providing a positioning nail of the type just described may help to position the partially formed figure 110 in the desired position in the mold. For example, certain positioning nails may be configured to substantially span the radius of the mold, thereby keeping the wire strands of the stiffener spaced away from the walls of the mold. This injects the material into the mold to form a continuous molded body in which the wires of the reinforcement surround and adhere to the reinforcement with spaces spaced from the body's surface.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the end caps 54, 56 may be positioned to cover the free ends of the lower strand 14 and / or the central strand 16. That is, the end cap may be positioned to cover the foot 20 and / or the hand 22 of the inner wire reinforcement. End caps 54 and 56 may restrain the loose ends of the wires from one another and reduce the chance that one end of the wire will break through the body of the toy.

The sprues 58, 60, 62, which may be substantially cylindrical, may serve to further position the partially formed figure 110 in the mold during the second injection molding step. For example, the sprue may be located in a depression or concave of a corresponding cylindrical shape in the mold to hold the reinforcement in a predetermined position when the surrounding body is injection molded around the partially formed figure 110.

As shown in Figures 4 (a) and 4 (b), the sprues 58, 60 are located near the end cap 54 and may be attached to the end cap by the connecting shaft 78. In addition, the sprues 60 may be attached to the peripheral member 80 by the shaft 82, and the peripheral members 80 may be attached to each other by the connecting shaft 84. As such, the sprues 58, 60, the connecting shafts 82, 84, and the peripheral member 80 all substantially position and support the partially formed figures in the mold during the second injection molding step. To form a continuous structure. Similarly, as shown, the sprues 62 may be connected to the end cap 56 by a connecting shaft 86, and the end caps 56 may be connected to each other by a connecting shaft 88.

In addition to the above structure, the molded head 90 may also be added during the first injection molding step. Molded head 90 may include a back portion 92 that protrudes slightly from the remainder of the molded head. The back portion 92 may include a substantially rectangular hole 94, and two smaller circular holes 96. The holes 94 and / or 96 may be used for additional reliable positioning of the figure 110 partially formed in the second mold, for example using shafts, pins, etc. that extend from the mold to the holes.

Chest 98 may also be added during the first injection molding step. In addition, some of the inner wire may be covered with a relatively thin coating of material, generally indicated at 100. Additional structures of the chest 98 and the wire coating 100 may be acted to selectively increase the stiffness of some of the toy figures before the second injection molding step, and to provide higher stability on the partially formed figures. .

6-8 show toy figures, generally designated 210 after two stages of injection molding. As best shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, toy figure 210 may include a partially formed figure 110 (including reinforcement 10) and also an enclosed and continuous molded body 212. . Body 212 may be comprised of any elastic, flexible material, for example, a highly elastic thermoplastic material, such as a soft polyvinylchloride (PVC) material having a Shore hardness of approximately 65. Although the body material may be colored to match the desired color of the poseable persona image, in FIGS. 7-8 the body material is shown transparent, so that the partially formed persona 110 disposed therein may be seen.

In general, any suitable material may be used to construct the body of the toy figure, and in some embodiments the body material may be selected to adhere to and / or otherwise be compatible with the material used for the support member of the reinforcement on the toy figure. have. For example, both the body material and the support member material may be composed of styrenic elastomers such as Kraton materials having similar or similar Shore hardness. Such similar elastomers may be easy to securely adhere to one another, especially during injection molding of the body around the reinforcement.

6 (a) and 6 (b) show the front and back views of the toy figure 210, respectively, after the second stage of injection molding, but before the final finish of the toy figure is completed. The sprues 58, 60, 62 may still be apparently attached to the personage 210 after the second molding step. Similarly, some of the connecting shafts 78, 82, 86, and / or 88 may be kept outside of the body 212 after the second molding step. If present, the resulting sprue and / or shaft of the toy figure 210 may be cut or removed as part of the final finishing step.

7 is a front view of the toy figure 210 after some final finishing step, and the reinforcement 10 may be visible in the figure with the material of the molded body 212 shown transparent. As shown in FIG. 7, the positioning nails 74, 76 may extend to the side 214 and the medial side 216 of the body, respectively. Also as shown in FIG. 7, various finishing steps may be applied on the toy figure after the second injection molding step. For example, sprues and / or connecting shafts remaining external to the shaping body 212 may be removed, possibly leaving portions of the shaft 82 extending to the surface of the body. The face shape, indicated generally at 218, may be added, for example, by etching and / or painting. Hair 220 may be attached to a person, for example, by heat sealing or adhesive attachment. In some embodiments, clothing and / or other accessories may be added to the person.

FIG. 8 is a right side view of the toy figure 210 and the material of the shaping body 212 is shown transparent as in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 8, the positioning nails 64, 68, 72 may extend to the front surface 222 of the body, and the positioning nails 66, 70 may extend to the rear surface 224 of the body. have. The ends of the various positioning nails extending to the surface of the body are sanded or otherwise smoothed as desired depending on the final finishing stage.

While the specification is provided in connection with the above embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope defined in the following claims. It is to be understood that the specification includes all novel and non-obvious combinations of the elements described herein, and claims may be given in this or subsequent applications for any new and non-obvious combinations of these elements. The above embodiments are described and a single shape or element is not essential to every possible combination that may be claimed in this or a later application. The claims enumerate "a" or "a first" elements or their equivalents, the claims comprising combinations of one or more such elements and do not require or exclude two or more such elements. It should be understood that it does not.

(Cross reference to related application)

This application is directed by inventor Noorolah Nader Beidokhti, entitled U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial Nos. 60/385, 255 (2002, 5, 31), entitled "Flexible Toy Figure With Wire Armature" and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. _ (2003, 5 , 29) claim priority.

Claims (29)

A plurality of twisted strands of wire including a lower strand extending from the first foot to the second foot, a central strand extending from the first hand to the second hand, and an upper strand extending from the top of the lower strand to the head; And Multiple junctions interconnecting selected ones of said strands of wire to form a multi-joint structure Reinforcement for use on a poseable portrait including a. The reinforcement of claim 1, wherein the lower strand and the central strand are connected to the upper strand. The reinforcement of claim 1, wherein the lower strand and the central strand are connected to the upper strand by spot welding. 4. The reinforcement of claim 3, wherein each strand comprises exactly three twisted wires. 3. The reinforcement of claim 2, wherein each strand comprises exactly three twisted wires. 3. The reinforcement of claim 2, wherein the upper strand is substantially circularly curved to form a head. 3. The reinforcement of claim 2, wherein the upper strand is substantially hooked to form a head. 3. The reinforcement of Claim 2, further comprising a plurality of support members extending outwardly from selected ones of said strands of wire. 9. The reinforcement of claim 8, wherein the support member comprises a plurality of positioning nails extending substantially radially outward from a selected one of the strands of wire. 10. The reinforcement of claim 9, wherein the positioning nail comprises an upper arm nail, an upper leg nail, and a lower leg nail. The reinforcement of claim 10, wherein each of the upper arm nail and the upper leg nail includes a nail extending toward the front side of the reinforcement and a nail extending toward the rear side of the reinforcement. 12. The reinforcement of claim 11, wherein the lower leg nails include nails extending toward the front side of the reinforcement, nails extending toward the side of the reinforcement, and nails extending toward the inner side of the reinforcement. 10. The reinforcement of claim 9, wherein the support member comprises a plurality of end caps covering the free ends of selected ones of the strands of wires, and a plurality of positioning sprues attached to the end caps by a shaft. . The reinforcement of claim 13, wherein the end cap covers a free end corresponding to the hand and leg portion. 3. The reinforcement of claim 2, wherein the support member comprises a plurality of end caps covering the free ends of selected ones of the strands of wires. A poseable figure comprising a reinforcement formed to receive an outer covering and a continuous molded body surrounding the reinforcement, The reinforcement is formed of a lower strand of wire extending from the first foot to the second foot, a central strand of wire extending from the first hand to the second hand, of the wire intersecting with the central wire and extending from the top of the lower strand to the head. A poseable figure comprising a top strand and a plurality of spot welded junctions interconnecting selected ones of the strands of the wire to form a multi-joint structure. 17. The poseable figure of claim 16, wherein said body is formed from a highly elastic thermoplastic material. 18. The poseable figure of claim 17, wherein said body is formed of a polyvinylchloride material. 18. The poseable figure of claim 17, wherein said reinforcement further comprises a plurality of support members extending outwardly from selected ones of said strands of wires. 20. The poseable figure of claim 19, wherein the support member comprises a plurality of positioning nails extending substantially radially outward from a selected one of the strands of wire relative to an exterior surface of the body. 21. The poseable portrait of claim 20, wherein the positioning nail includes an upper arm nail, an upper leg nail, and a lower leg nail. 22. The poseable portrait of claim 21, wherein each of the upper arm nail and the upper leg nail includes a nail extending to the front of the body and a nail extending to the back of the body. 23. The poseable portrait of claim 22, wherein the lower leg nail includes nails extending to the front of the body, nails extending to the side of the body, and nails extending to the medial side of the body. The poseable figure of claim 23, wherein the support member comprises a plurality of end caps covering the free end of the lower strand and the free end of the central strand. 25. The poseable figure of Claim 24, wherein the support member comprises a plurality of positioning sprues attached to the end cap by a shaft. Insert molding a plurality of support members extending outwardly from the flexible wire reinforcement; And A method of making a poseable figure comprising the step of insert molding a continuous body surrounding a reinforcement, The stiffener comprises a plurality of strands of wire; The support member is: A plurality of positioning nails extending substantially radially outward from a selected one of said strands of wires; A plurality of end caps covering the free ends of selected ones of said strands of wires; And And a plurality of cylindrical positioning sprues attached to the end cap by a shaft. 27. The method of claim 26, further comprising supporting the reinforcement with a support member at a location spaced from the inner wall of the mold. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the positioning nail extends to an exterior surface of the body. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the end cap covers free ends corresponding to the hands and feet of the reinforcement.