KR20180122989A - Assembly with object in housing and mechanism to open housing - Google Patents

Abstract

In an aspect, a toy assembly is provided. The toy assembly includes a housing, an inner object, at least one sensor, and a controller. The inner body is located inside the housing and is operable to fracture the housing to expose the inner body. The at least one sensor detects an interaction with a user. The controller is configured to determine whether a selected condition is satisfied based on at least one interaction with the user and to operate a fracturing mechanism to fracture the housing to expose the inner object if the condition is satisfied. Optionally, the condition is satisfied in case of a selected number of interactions with the user. Accordingly, the present invention can reduce an injury due to poking.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an assembly having an object in a housing and a mechanism for opening the housing.

The present disclosure relates generally to assemblies with internal objects within housings, and more particularly to toy characters in an egg-shaped housing.

There is a continuing need to provide toys that interact with the user and toys that provide rewards to the user based on the interaction. For example, some robot pets will show simulated affection when their owners pet their heads several times. While these robot 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 interior object (which may be a toy character in some embodiments), at least one sensor and a controller. The inner object is located within 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 whether the selected condition is met based on at least one interaction with the user and to configure the shredding mechanism to break the housing to expose an internal object if the condition is met do. Optionally, the condition is satisfied based on having a selected number of interactions with the user.

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

As another option, the crushing mechanism may include a hammer movable between a retracted position in which the hammer is spaced from the housing and an extended position in which the hammer is driven to crush the housing, an actuation lever, And may include a crush mechanism cam. The actuation lever is biased by an actuation lever biasing member which is directed to drive the hammer to the extended position, wherein the crush mechanism cam periodically causes contraction of the actuation lever from the hammer, And is rotatable by the motor so that the release of the actuation lever is driven by the hammer by the actuation lever biasing member. The actuation lever biasing member and the motor together constitute a crush camming power supply unit. Optionally, the actuation lever biasing member is a helical coil tension spring.

Optionally, when in the pre-crushing position, at least one release member releasably connects the first end of the spring to one of the housing and the 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-crushing position, at least one release member releasably connects the first end of the spring to one of the housing and the pivotable actuation lever to be fastened to the hammer. Wherein the spring has a second end connected to the other of the actuator 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 comprises at least one limb and rim power supply. When the inner object is in the pre-rupture position, the rim power source is operatively disconnected from at least one rim. When the inner object is in the post-crushing position, the rim power source is operably connected to at least one rim.

As another option, when the inner object is in the pre-crushing position, at least one rim is maintained in a non-functional position, wherein the rim power source does not drive movement of at least one rim . When the inner object is in the post-crushing position, the rim power source drives the motion of at least one rim.

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

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

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

c) displaying a first output image of the toy character in a 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;

.

In another aspect, a toy assembly is provided. The toy assembly includes a housing, an inner body within 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 an inner body . The shredding mechanism is powered by a shredding mechanism power source associated with the housing. Optionally, the disruption 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 inner object, wherein the crushing mechanism power source is operatively connected to the hammer to drive the hammer to break the housing. Optionally, the crushing mechanism power supply is operatively connected to the hammer to reciprocate the hammer to break the housing.

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

As a further option, the disruption 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 away And the biasing element is removable from the blocking position to permit driving the plunger member and base member to be spaced apart.

Optionally, the motor further comprises a magnetic switch for drawing power from the battery and a shredding mechanism for controlling power from the battery to the motor, the magnetic switch being operable by the presence of a magnet adjacent the housing.

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

In another aspect, a toy assembly is provided, which includes a housing and an inner body within the housing (which may be a toy character in some embodiments) in a pre-crushing position. The inner object includes a set of action mechanisms. The inner body is removable from the housing and is positionable in the post-crushing position. When the inner object is in the pre-fractured position, the action mechanism set is operable to perform the first set of movements. When the inner object is in the post-fracture position, the action mechanism set is operable to perform a second set of movements different from the first set of movements. In one example, the inner body further comprises a crushing mechanism, a crushing mechanism power supply, at least one rim and a rim power supply, all of which together form a portion of the mechanism of action. When the inner object is in the pre-crushing position, the rim power source is operable to be disconnected from at least one rim, such that movement of the rim power source does not drive movement of at least one rim. However, in the pre-crushing position, the crushing mechanism power supply can drive the motion of the crushing mechanism to crush the housing and expose the internal object. When the inner object is in the post-crushing position, the rim power source is operatively connected to at least one rim 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, wherein the polymer composition comprises about 15-25% by weight of a base polymer; About 1-5% by weight of an organic acid metal salt; And about 75-85 wt% inorganic / particulate filler.

In another aspect, an article of manufacture is provided 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 wt% inorganic / particulate filler.

In another aspect, a toy assembly is provided, which includes a housing and an inner body (which may be a toy character in some embodiments) within the housing, wherein the inner body is fractured to expose the inner body And the housing includes a plurality of rupture elements provided on their inner surface to facilitate rupture during impact from the rupture mechanism.

In another aspect, a housing breaking mechanism is provided comprising a first frame member, a second frame member rotatably coupled to the first frame member, an aperture in which the breakable housing is located, Wherein the at least one cutting element is positioned such that at least one cutting element when positioned in the opening is located at a first position and an opening adjacent the housing, At least one cutting element is slidably coupled to a second member pivoted between a second position intersecting the housing.

In yet another aspect, a toy assembly is provided that includes a housing, an inner object within the housing, and a crushing mechanism associated with the housing, the crushing mechanism being operable to crush the housing to expose an inner object, The shredding mechanism exhibits additional behavior when returning to the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of the various embodiments described herein and to show more clearly how they may be carried into effect, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings in an exemplary fashion.
1A and 1B are transparent side views of a toy assembly according to a non-limiting embodiment.
Figure 2 is a transparent perspective view of a housing that is part of the toy assembly shown in Figures 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.
Fig. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the toy character shown in Fig. 2 at the pre-crushing position prior to engagement of the hammer, which is part of the crush mechanism;
Fig. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the toy character shown in Fig. 2 at the pre-crushing position after engagement of the hammer, which is part of the crush mechanism;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the toy character causing rotation of the toy character within the housing.
6A is a side sectional view of a part of the toy character shown in Fig.
7 is a side cross-sectional view of the toy character shown in Fig. 2, in a post-crushing position, showing an extended hammer;
Fig. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of the toy character shown in Fig. 2, in a post-crushing position, showing a contracted hammer.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of the toy assembly shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B showing sensors that are portions of the toy assembly. FIG.
10A is a front elevation view of a portion of a toy assembly, showing the rim of the toy character in a non-operational pre-fractured position being located within the housing.
Figure 10B is a rear perspective view of a portion of the toy assembly further illustrating the rim of the toy character at the non-action pre-break position being located if it is inside the housing.
10C is an enlarged front elevation view of the joint between the character character frame of the toy character and the rim.
10D is a perspective view of a portion of the toy assembly showing the rim of the toy character in an operative post-fracture position that may be located if it is external to 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 illustrating uploading a scan of a toy assembly to a server.
13A is a schematic diagram illustrating transmitting an output image from a server to be displayed electronically showing a first virtual stage of growth for a toy character;
FIG. 13B is a schematic diagram illustrating transmitting an output image from a server to be displayed electronically showing a second virtual stage of growth for the toy character; FIG.
14 is a flowchart of 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 represented in the form of an oval shell with continuous and non-continuous break paths formed;
16 is a perspective view of a housing represented in the form of an egg shell having a plurality of successive break paths arranged in a random pattern.
17A is a schematic side view of a housing represented in the form of an egg shell having a plurality of successive break paths arranged in a geometric pattern.
FIG. 17B is a perspective view of the housing of FIG. 17A showing a more detailed geometric pattern of fracture paths. FIG.
Figure 18 is a perspective view of a housing in the form of an egg shell having a plurality of discrete break paths arranged in a random pattern.
19A is a schematic perspective view of a housing represented in the form of an egg shell having a plurality of breakaway units arranged in a random pattern.
FIG. 19B is a perspective view of a housing represented in the form of an egg shell having a plurality of breakaway units arranged in a regular repeating pattern. FIG.
Figure 20 is a side cross-sectional view of a fracture mechanism forming portion of a toy assembly according to another non-limiting embodiment prior to actuation via release of the tab.
Figure 21 is a side exploded view of the fracture mechanism of Figure 20;
Fig. 22 is another cross-sectional view of the fracture mechanism of Fig. 20 after operation through release of the tab.
23 is a side cross-sectional view of a housing according to another non-limiting embodiment represented in the form of an egg shell having a plurality of successive break paths formed;
24 is an exploded view of a number of components of another disruption mechanism forming portion of a toy assembly in accordance with a further non-limiting embodiment.
Figure 25 is a side cross-sectional view of the fracture mechanism of Figure 24 inside the housing prior to actuation of the fracture mechanism.
26 is a side cross-sectional view of the fracture mechanism of Fig. 25 protruding through the housing after activation;
Figure 27 is a top view of a housing rupture mechanism in accordance with another non-limiting embodiment.
Figure 28 is a top sectional view of a housing rupture mechanism in accordance with a further non-limiting embodiment.
29 is a top sectional view of the housing break mechanism of Fig. 28 showing the housing being broken.
30 is a side cross-sectional view of the housing breaking mechanism of Fig. 29;
31A is a top view of a housing failure mechanism in accordance with another non-limiting embodiment having two pivoting connection members.
31B is a plan view of the housing breaking mechanism of Fig. 31A, wherein the two members are pivoted relative to each other to limit the opening defined by the two members.
32A is a front view of a fracture mechanism according to another embodiment in an expanded state.
32B is a front view of a companion mechanism for placement in the housing having the disruption mechanism of FIG. 32A.
Fig. 33 shows the companion mechanism of Fig. 32b and the disintegration mechanism of Fig. 32a in a compacted compacted state.
34 is a cross-sectional view of an egg-shaped housing having two toy characters each employing a collapsible mechanism similar to that of Fig. 32A and a companion mechanism similar to the companion mechanism of Fig. 32b, respectively.
Figure 35 is a front cross-sectional view of a companion mechanism that is smaller than the companion mechanism of Figure 32B for placement in a housing having a crushing mechanism such as that of Figure 32A;
36 is a partial front cross-sectional view of two of the companion mechanisms of Fig. 35 in a laminated compacted state and of a disruption mechanism similar to the disintegration mechanism of Fig. 32a.
37 is a cross-sectional view of an egg-shaped housing with three toy characters employing two companion mechanisms shown in Fig. 36 and a similar disruption mechanism of the disruption mechanism of Fig. 32a, respectively.
38 is a partial cross-sectional view of a housing, adapter disk, and disruption mechanism in accordance with yet another embodiment.
Fig. 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.
40B is a bottom perspective view of the adapter disk of FIG.

Reference is made to Figs. 1A and 1B, which illustrate a toy assembly 10 in accordance with 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 illustrate the toy character 14 inside the housing 12, portions of the housing 12 are shown in Figures 1A and 1B in a transparent fashion, but the housing 120 is shown in physical assembly under typical ambient lighting conditions The toy character 14 may be opaque in the sense that it 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 bird form. However, the housing 12 and toy character 14 may have any other suitable shapes. The housing 12 may be formed from a plurality of housing members as shown separately in the first housing member 12a, the second housing member 12b and the third housing member 12c And they may be combined to be fixed to each other to substantially enclose the toy character 14. In some embodiments, the housing 12 may alternatively only partially enclose the toy character 14 such that the toy character may be visible from certain angles, even when in the housing 12 .

The toy character 14 is configured to break 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 crushing action of the housing 12 is particularly effective in some other animals (e. G., Turtles, lizards, dinosaurs or other animals where the toy character 14 is bird- Some other animal), the toy character 14 will be shown to the user as if it were incubated in an egg.

Referring to the transparency in FIG. 2, the housing 12 may include a plurality of irregular break paths formed therein. As a result, when the toy character 14 breaks the housing 14, the user is shown to the user that the housing 12 has been randomly crushed by the toy character 14, so that the realism of the process for the crushing of the housing can be conveyed . The irregular rupture paths 16 may have any suitable shape. For example, the rupture paths 16 can be generally arcuate, which can indicate the presence of sharp corners in the housing 12 while the housing 12 is being broken by the toy character 14. The irregular rupture paths 16 may be formed in any suitable manner. For example, the rupture paths 16 may be directly molded into one or more of the housing members 12a-12c. In the illustrated example, the rupture path 16 is provided on the inner surface 18 of the housing 12 and may not be visible to the user prior to the breaking of the housing 12. As a result of the rupture paths 16, the housing 12 is configured to break along at least one of the rupture paths 16 when sufficient force is applied.

The housing 10 may be formed of any suitable natural or synthetic polymer composition, depending on the required performance (e.g., shredding) properties. As shown for the example in FIG. 1A, when expressed in the form of an egg shell, the polymer composition may be selected to exhibit a realistic breakage behavior upon impact from the crushing mechanism 22 of the toy character 14. In general, suitable materials for simulated crushed egg shells may exhibit one or more of low elasticity, low plasticity, low ductility, and low tensile strength. In operation by the crushing mechanism 22, the material can be broken without significantly absorbing the impact force. In other words, upon impact by the crushing mechanism 22, the material should not significantly expand or contract, but rather it must break in accordance with one or more of the defined fracture elements. Additionally, the polymer composition may be selected to show that it is broken without forming sharp edges. During the breakage event, the selected polymer composition allows the crushed and loosened pieces to be detached and dropped neatly from the housing, with minimal unrealistic hanging due to stretching or bending at the non-separated points .

It has been determined that polymer compositions having a higher filler content than the base polymer exhibit the performance attributes required to demonstrate shredding of the eggshell. An exemplary composition having a high filler content comprises about 15-25% by weight of a base polymer; About 1-5% by weight of an organic acid metal salt; And about 75-85 wt% inorganic / particulate filler. It will be appreciated that a variety of base polymers, organic acid metal salts, and fillers may be selected to achieve the required performance attributes. 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 .

For the example using ethylene-vinyl acetate, it will be appreciated that a variety of base polymers can be used according to the required performance attributes. Alternatives to the base polymer may include selected thermoplastic, thermoset and elastomeric polymers. For example, in some embodiments, the base polymer may be a polyolefin (i.e., polypropylene, polyethylene). It will be further understood that the base polymer may be selected from a variety of natural polymers used to produce bioplastics. Exemplary natural polymers may include, but are not limited to, starches, celluloses, and aliphatic polyesters.

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

With reference to Figure 2, in which the housing 12 is provided in the form of an egg shell, structural regions (not shown) on portions of the housing 12 that surround the rupture elements (shown as rupture paths 16 in Figure 2) And the wall thickness in the wall 17 may range from 0.5 to 1.0 mm. The selected wall thickness can take into account a number of factors, including ease of molding (i.e., injection molding), particularly with respect to melt flow performance through a mold tool for the selected polymer composition. For the exemplary polymeric 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, structural areas 17 ) Can be selected to achieve good molding performance. Through this composition, the thickness of 0.7 to 0.8 for the structural region 17 can also provide sufficient strength to maintain the integrity of the housing 12, especially when manipulated by the idle during transportation and handling. Lt; / RTI >

The arrangement of the plurality of rupture paths 16 formed on the inner surface 18 of the housing 12 serves to facilitate the process of crushing the housing 12 by the rupture mechanism 22. In the housing 12 provided in the form of a shredable egg shell, the rupture paths 16 are generally provided in the break zone 19 of the first housing member 12a. However, it will be appreciated that the breakage zone 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 (i. E., Geometric) pattern, depending on the desired failure behavior. Turning now to Figs. 15-19B, a number of exemplary fracture elements that may be formed in the housing 12 are shown.

15 illustrates one embodiment in which the rupture elements are presented as rupture paths 16 in the rupture area 19 wherein the rupture paths 16 are continuous (not shown) formed on the inner surface 18 of the housing 12 (I. E., Interconnected) and non-continuous (i. E., Clogged) channels 21. < / RTI > To facilitate breakage, the channels 21 are positioned to provide a generally centrally located break path (shown in dashed line C) through the breakdown area 19. [ The rupture paths 16 define a region of reduced wall thickness that is generally 40 to 60% thinner compared to the wall thickness of the structural regions 17. [ In some embodiments, the rupture paths 16 have a numerical value to provide a wall thickness that is 50% thinner than the wall thickness of the peripheral structural region 17. [ Thus, when the housing 12 with a wall thickness of 0.8 mm is provided in the structural region 17, the rupture paths 16 will generally exhibit a wall thickness of 0.4 mm. As shown, the widths of the channels 21 are variable between 0.5 and 1.5 mm along their length, and the channels 21 are generally reduced (i.e., closed) toward their ends Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > thickness. ≪ / RTI >

Figure 16 shows an embodiment in which the rupture elements are represented as rupture paths 16 in the rupture area 19, the rupture paths 16 being randomly located and forming rupture paths 16 Channels 21 are continuous (i.e., interconnected) therebetween. Similar to the embodiment of Fig. 15, the rupture paths 16 in Fig. 16 define a region of reduced wall thickness, generally 40 to 60% thinner than the wall thickness of the structural regions 17. In some embodiments, the rupture paths 16 have dimensions 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 is provided in the structural region 17, the rupture paths 16 generally represent a wall thickness of 0.4 mm. In particular, although the widths of the channels 21 in the regions where two or more channels intersect each other can be varied, 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 rupture elements are represented as rupture paths 16 in the rupture area 19, wherein the rupture paths 16 are arranged in a geometric pattern, (I.e., interconnected) across them. As shown, the geometric pattern includes a plurality of hexagons arranged in a grid, wherein the perimeters (i.e., faces) of the hexagons define the rupture path 16. [ Each hexagonal shape further comprises a mid-rupture path 16a bisecting the hexagons across opposing vertices or opposite faces. Similar to the embodiment of Figure 15, the rupture paths 16 / 16a in Figure 17a define a region of reduced wall thickness, which is generally 40-60% of the wall thickness of the structural regions 17, thin. In some embodiments, it has dimensions for presenting a wall thickness that is 50% thinner than the wall thickness of the structural area 17 around the rupture paths 16 / 16a. Thus, when the housing 12 with a wall thickness of 0.8 mm in the structural region 17 is provided, the rupture paths 16 / 16a will generally exhibit a wall thickness of 0.4 mm. Within each geometric shape, the region delimited by the circumferential rupture paths 16 can be formed with a uniform wall thickness. In an alternative arrangement, the region 25 delimited by the circumferential rupture paths 16 may be tapered as shown in Fig. 17B. As shown, each zone 25 has a central ridge 27 with a first thickness (i.e., greater than or similar to the thickness of the structural zone 17) And a plurality of tapered walls (29) extending from the center ridge (27) in the direction of the center ridge (27). Compared with the embodiments of Figures 15 and 16, the width of the channels 21 is more uniform than when the fracture paths 16 are arranged in a geometric pattern. Although the widths of the channels may vary, the channels in some embodiments may be formed with a width of approximately 0.8 mm.

Figure 18 shows an embodiment in which the breakage zone 19 comprises a series of highly related but discontinuous randomly positioned breakdown elements (shown as breakage units 23). Each breakage unit 23 is generally represented in the form of a T or Y-shaped channel having a thickness of 0.5 to 1.5 mm. The rupture unit 23 defines an area of reduced wall thickness in the region of generally 40 to 60% relative to the wall thickness of the structural regions 17. In some embodiments, the rupture units 23 have dimensions to represent a wall thickness that is 50% thinner than the wall thickness of the surrounding structural area 17. [ Thus, when a housing 12 having a wall thickness of 0.8 mm in the structural region 17 is provided, the rupture units 23 will generally exhibit a wall thickness of 0.04 mm.

With regard to Figures 19a and 19b, further alternative embodiments are shown in which a discrete array of broken elements is provided to set up the breakage area 19. [ Figures 19a and 19b illustrate a plurality of rupture elements (shown as rupture units 23) in the form of circular and / or elliptical depressions formed in the housing 12. The circular and / or elliptical fracture units 23 can be provided in various sizes and orientations to achieve a generally random failure behavior. In addition, the breakaway units 23 may be arranged in a generally random pattern, as shown in Fig. 19A, or may be arranged in a regular repeat pattern, as shown in Fig. 19B. The rupture units 23 in Figs. 19A and 19B define a region of reduced wall thickness, generally 40 to 60%, compared to the wall thickness of the structural regions 17. In some embodiments, the rupture units 23 have dimensions to represent a wall thickness that is 50% thinner than the wall thickness of the surrounding structural area 17. [ Thus, when a housing 12 having a wall thickness of 0.8 mm in the structural region 17 is provided, the rupture units 23 will generally exhibit a wall thickness of 0.4 mm.

The fracture elements (fracture paths 16 / fracture units 23) can occupy 20 to 80% of the area within the fracture zone 19. In some embodiments where the housing needs to be broken at a high impact force, the fracture paths / units may occupy 20 to 30% of the area within the fracture zone 19. Conversely, if the housing 12 needs to be broken at a low impact force, the fracture elements can account for 70-80% of the area within the breakage area 19. [ In the embodiments shown in Figures 15-19B, the fracture elements occupy roughly 40-60% of the area within the fracture zone. Choosing the ratio of the 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 But are not limited thereto. For example, in an embodiment where the polymer composition comprises a base polymer with high strength properties as compared to ethylene-vinyl acetate, the housing may be subjected to a high rate of breaking elements (e. , 70 to 80%). It will be appreciated that other embodiments may include ratios of fracture elements that may be less than 20%, depending on the impact forces used to achieve the housing fracture and the intended application.

Although 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 articles of manufacture, and that they are 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 that is configured to impact the housing from the inside when actuated. It will be appreciated that multiple toy / housing combinations may be possible.

The toy character 14 is shown mounted only on the housing member 12c in Fig. 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 shredding mechanism 22 is operable to fracture the housing 12 to expose the toy character 14 (e.g., to fracture the housing along at least one of the rupture paths 16). The crushing mechanism 22 includes a hammer 30, an actuation lever 32, and a crushing mechanism cam 34. The hammer 30 is moved between a retracted position (Figure 4) where the hammer 30 is spaced from the housing 12 and an advanced position (Figure 5) where the hammer 30 is positioned to crush the housing 12 It is possible.

The actuation lever 32 is pivotally mounted to the toy character frame 20 via a pin joint 40 and the actuation lever 32 is configured to allow the hammer 30 to move to the retracted position (FIG. 4) and the actuation lever 32 are movable between a hammer drive position (FIG. 5) where the hammer 30 is driven. 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 second end 46 having a first end 42 with a cam engagement surface 44 thereon and a hammer engagement surface 48 thereon, Will be further described below.

The crushing mechanism cam 34 may be placed directly on the output shaft 49 of the motor 36 and is thereby rotatable by the motor 36. [ The disruption mechanism cam 34 has a cam surface 50 that engages the 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 (from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 5 in the clockwise direction in the figures shown in Figs. 4 and 5) The stepped area shown as 51 on the surface 50 allows the biasing member 38 to accelerate the actuation lever 32 in order to impact the hammer 30 at a relatively high speed. The hammer 30 can be driven to move away from the frame 20 at a relatively high speed so as to cause the cam surface 50 to be released suddenly from the actuation lever 32 , Which provides high impact energy when the hammer strikes the housing 12, thereby facilitating the crushing of the housing 12. In some embodiments, this would represent the appearance of birds that hatch eggs.

When the disruption mechanism cam 34 continues to rotate, the cam surface 50 pulls the actuation lever 32 to the retracted position shown in Fig. The hammer engagement surface 48 of the actuation lever 32 has a first magnet 52a which is pulled by 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.

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

The crushing mechanism biasing member 38 may be an alternate coil tension spring as shown in the drawings, or alternatively it may be any other suitable type of biasing member.

Additionally, the toy character 14 includes a rotation mechanism, shown at 53 in FIG. 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 break the housing 12 at a plurality of positions when operating the shredding mechanism.

The rotation mechanism 53 may be any suitable rotation mechanism. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the rotating mechanism 53 includes 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, there is a drive tooth 58 (in the example shown for first wheel 56a). When the motor 36 drives the output shaft 49 the drive teeth 58 on the first wheel 56a engage the gear 54 once per revolution of the output shaft 49 and engage with the housing 12 And drives the toy character 14 to rotate about the toy character. A 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 the lower housing member 12c, as shown in Figure 6a, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 64 < / RTI > The toy character 14 can be releasably received in the bushing 60 through projections 66 on the bushing 60 engaging openings 68 on the toy character frame 20 . If the toy character 14 needs to be removed from the bushing 60, the user may withdraw the toy character 14 from 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 bushing 60 is slid on the bottom housing member 12c without engaging the wheels 56a and 56b on the housing member 12c, 14 is generated.

As can be seen from the above description, one rotation per rotation of the output shaft 49, the rotation mechanism 53, causes the selected angular momentum (i.e., the rotation mechanism 53 to circularly index the toy character 14) And the actuation lever 32 is pulled out of the retracted position and released so that the hammer 30 can be driven forward to engage the housing 12 and break it. Thus, the continuous rotation of the motor 36 causes the toy character 14 to eventually crumble over the entire circumference of the housing.

When the toy character 14 breaks through the housing 12, 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. If the toy character 14 is free from the housing 12 and the hammer 30 is no longer required to pierce the housing 12, the user can move from the pre-crush and post- . In the example shown in Fig. 5, there are two releasing members (i.e., the first releasing member 70a and the second releasing member 70b). Prior to crushing the housing 12 to expose the toy character 14, the releasing members 70a and 70b are in the pre-crushing position. The first releasing member 70a connects the first end 72 of the actuation lever biasing member 38 to the toy character frame 20 as shown in FIG. The biasing member 38 is connected to the actuation lever 32 so that the biasing member 38 is biased to engage the actuation lever 32 ) To drive the hammer 30 forward. Movement of the release member 70a from the illustrated example to the post-crushing position involves removal of the release member 70a such that the biasing member 38 engages the actuation lever 32, And thus driving the hammer 30, may be disabled. As a result, when the motor 36 rotates, it causes the rotation of the crush mechanism cam 34 and the passage of the stepped area 51 of the cam surface 50 causes the actuation lever 32 to move along the hammer 30 ). ≪ / RTI >

4, the second release member 70b holds the lock lever 78 in the locking position, when in the pre-crushing position, to engage the hammer biasing structure 70 in the non- (80). In the non-use position, the hammer biasing structure 80 is held to be fixed to the actuation lever 32 and operates as one with the actuation lever 32. 7 and 8, when the second releasing 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 pivotally connected to the actuation lever 32 (e.g., via a pin joint 84) Which acts between the pivot arm 82 and the actuation lever 32 to direct the pivot arm 82 to the hammer 30 to urge the hammer 30 to point to an extended position as shown at 7, Or pivot arm biasing member 86, which may be any other suitable type of spring. 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 bird, and the hammer 30 is the bird's beak. Since the hammer 30 is directed outwardly by the biasing member 86 and is not locked in the extended position, the biasing member 86 is biased by an external force (e.g., by a user) The hammer may be pushed against the biasing force of the toy character 86, which may reduce the likelihood of a poking injury to children playing with the toy character 14.

Any suitable technique may be used to initiate the fracture of the housing 12 of the toy character 14. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, at least one sensor may be included in the toy assembly 10, which detects interaction with a user while the toy character 14 is in the housing 12 . For example, the capacitive sensor 90 may be provided at the lower end of the housing member 12c to detect the holding by the user. The microphone 92 may be provided on the toy character frame 20 to detect the audio input of the user. A pushbutton 94 may be provided on the front surface of the toy character 14. [ A tilt sensor 96 may be provided on the toy character 14 to detect that the user is tilting the toy character 14. [ The controller 28 may count the number of interactions the user has had with the toy assembly 10 and may operate the shredding mechanism 22 to break the housing 12 if the selected condition is met and to dispense with the toy character 14 can be exposed. For example, the condition may be a selected number of interactions with a user, such as 120 interactions. The interaction with the toy character 14 using the microphone 92 may involve the user being recognized by the controller 28 to say a command or alternatively it may be that the user is in any kind of Which may include generating noise, which will be received by the microphone 92. The interaction may involve the user holding or touching the housing 12 at locations, where the capacitive sensor will receive it. The interaction may involve the user pushing the push button 94 of the toy character 14 by pushing the correct spot of the housing 120, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > elastic < / RTI > The push button 94 may control the operation of the LED 95 within the toy character 14 and the LED 95 is bright enough to be seen through the housing 12. [ The LEDs 95 may be emitted with different hues (controlled by the controller 28) to display the mood of the toy character 14 to the user, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > interactions < / RTI > Other sensors may be used to detect interaction with the user. For example, a thermal sensor may include a toy character 14 (e.g., mounted to a frame 20) or may be associated with a housing 12 (e.g., in contact with an interior surface of the housing 12) . 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 so that by holding the housing or proximate to the heat source the toy assembly 10 ) To indicate that the user has interacted with the toy assembly 10. Other sensors that may be used to detect interaction with a user include, for example, an optical sensor that detects light of a selected wavelength and / or intensity, which may include a selected wavelength and / or intensity Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > a < / RTI > Other sensors that may be used to detect interaction with a user include a wireless signal receiver such as, for example, a Bluetooth or BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) receiver, which may be a device capable of transmitting a selected type of signal Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > user) < / RTI >

When the toy character 14 is outside the housing 12, the toy character 14 may perform different motions than those performed within 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 they are shown as wings, but they may be any suitable type of rim. 10A, 10B, and 10C, the wings 96 are positioned in a non-actuated pre-fracture position, and when they are external to the housing, as shown in FIG. 10D They are placed in the operative post-fracture position. 10D, the wings 96 are pivotally mounted at one end to the associated wing 96 and at the other end are pivotally mounted to the character frame 20, And is connected to the character frame 20 through a connector link 100. For each wing portion 96, the wing drive arm 104 is pivotally connected at one end to the associated wing 96 and at the other end has a wing drive arm wheel 106 . The wing drive arm wheels 106 are placed on the toy character's main wheels 56a and 56b when the toy character 14 is in the post-crash position. The main wheels 56a and 56b of the toy characters have at least one lobe 108 on each wheel (as shown in Figure 6 with two lobes 108 on each wheel) And has 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 the toy character 14 a wobble, Rolling along the ground can provide a more lifelike 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 Drives the wing drive arms 104 up / down as follows the cam profiles of the primary wheels 56a and 56b. The upward / downward movement of the wing drive arms 104 alternately drives the wings 96 to pivot up and down and causes the toy character 140 to flap its wings as it moves along the ground This provides an appearance. Preferably, the lobes 108 on the first wheel 56a are circularly offset relative to the lobes 108 on the second wheel 56b such that the toy character 14 is positioned such that the toy character Right wobble as if rolling to improve the actual appearance of the motion.

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 faces down To maintain contact between the main wheels 56a and 56b and the drive arm wheels 106 when the character is in the post-crushing position as shown in FIG.

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

The motor 36 drives the rims 96 by driving the wheels 56a and 56b in the example shown. Thus, when the rim 96 is in the post-crushing position, the motor 36 is operatively connected to the rim 96.

The motor 36 thus becomes a rim power source. However, the motor 36 is merely an example of a suitable rim power source and, alternatively, any other suitable type of rim power source may be used to drive the rim 96 rims 96.

10A-10C), the links 10 can be hinged with respect to the character frame 20 as needed, so that the range of the housing 12 The wings can be fitted in the holes. In the illustrated example, the wing connector links 100 are hinged upward against the biasing force of the biasing members 102. When in the housing 10, the wing portions 96 thus remain in their non-actuated position, where the wing drive arms 104 are held so that the wing drive arm wheels 106 are in contact with the toy character Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 56a < / RTI > Thus, the motor 36 (i.e., the rim drive source) is operably disconnected from the rim 96 when the rim 96 is in the pre-rupture position. As a result, when the toy character 14 is in the housing 12 and when the motor 36 rotates (e.g., to cause movement of the shredding mechanism 22), rotation of the main wheels 56a and 56b Does not cause the wing portions 96 to move. As a result, the wings 96 do not cause damage to the housing 12 during operation of the motor 36 when the character 14 is in the 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 the toy character 14 of the housing 120 is broken. The lower housing member 12b is shown transparently in Fig. 11 to show the toy character 14 therein. At a certain first point in time, the user may be able to scan the toy assembly 10 by any suitable means (e.g., camera 150 on the smartphone 152), so that the first sequential progress of the toy assembly 10 ) Scan 153 (i. E., It may be the 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 registering or registering the toy assembly 10 via a network such as the Internet, as shown at 156. The server 156 generates an output image 158a representing the first virtual stage of growth of the toy character 14 in the housing 12 in response to the uploaded scan, It is possible to convey the impression of a living entity growing in the space 12. The output image 158a may be electronically displayed (e.g., on the smartphone 152). The user may obtain the second sequential scan 153 of the toy assembly 10 at a specific second time point and upload it to the server 154, Will produce a second output image 158b (shown in Figure 13b) that represents a second virtual stage for the growth of the toy character 14. The second virtual stage of the growth of the toy character 14 may be seen to be further grown relative to the first virtual stage of growth.

14 is a flowchart of a method 200 for managing interaction between a toy assembly 10 and a user in accordance with the activities shown in FIGS. The method 200 begins at 201 and includes a step 202 of receiving a registration of the toy assembly 14 from a user. This may be generated by receiving information about 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 Figure 13A. Step 208 includes receiving a second sequential scan of the toy assembly 10 from the user after step 206, again as shown 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 Figure 13b .

Although described with respect to a toy assembly 10 that includes a controller and sensor and includes a shredding mechanism within the toy character 14, many other configurations are possible. For example, the toy assembly 10 may be provided without a controller or any sensors. Instead, the toy character 14 may be powered by an electric motor controlled through a power switch that is operable from outside the housing 12 (e.g., the switch may place the housing 12 out of the housing 12) Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > and / or < / RTI >

A shredding mechanism 22 is shown provided within the toy character 14. It will be appreciated that this location is an example of a location associated with the housing 12 in which the disruption mechanism 22 can be located. In other examples, the grinding mechanism may be located outside the housing 12, while being retained in association with the housing 12. For example, in embodiments where the housing 12 is an oval shape, a 'nest' may be provided, which may receive an egg. The nest may have an internally mounted crushing mechanism operable to crush the eggs to expose the toy character 14 therein. Thus, in one aspect, a toy assembly may be provided, which includes a housing, such as housing 12, a toy character within the housing, the toy character being similar to toy character 14, Is provided in association with the housing in accordance with whether the mechanism is located within or outside the housing, partially within the housing, or partially located outside the housing, and to move the housing 12 to fracture the housing 12 to expose the toy character 14 It is possible. The shredding mechanism is powered by a shredding mechanism power source (e.g., a spring or motor) associated with the housing 12. In some embodiments (e.g., as shown in FIG. 3), the shredding mechanism includes a hammer (such as hammer 30) to which a crushing mechanism power source is connected and operable to move the housing 12 Can be driven to break the hammer. In some embodiments (e.g., as shown in FIG. 4), the crushing mechanism power source is operatively connected to the hammer to reciprocate the hammer to crush the housing 12.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to the movement of the toy character 14 when in the pre-crushing position and in the post-crushing position. More specifically, the toy character 14 includes a set of action mechanisms including all of the moving elements of the toy character 14, including, for example, rims 96, main wheels 56, The hammer 30, the actuation lever 32, the crushing mechanism cam 34, the motor 36, and the bimetal member 100 and the associated biasing members 102, rim drive arms 104, drive arm wheels 106, hammer 30, , And an actuation lever biasing member (38). The toy character 14 can be removed from the housing 12 and positioned at the post-crushing 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 movement of the rim power source 36 does not drive movement of the rim 96. Thus, in the pre-crushing position, the crushing mechanism power source drives the motion of the crushing mechanism 22 (by reciprocating the hammer 30 and indexing the toy character 14 around the housing 12) 12 and exposes the toy character 14. When the toy character 14 is in the post-fracture position, the action mechanism set is operable to perform a second set of movements different from the first set of movements. For example, when the toy character 14 is in the post-crushing position, the rim drive 36 is operatively connected to the rim 96 and can drive the movement of the rim 96, 22 are not driven by the crushing mechanism power source.

Some optional aspects of the play pattern of the toy assembly are described below. If the toy character 14 is in the housing 12 (when the toy character 14 is still in a pre-shredding stage of growth), the user can interact with the toy character in various ways. For example, the user can tap the housing 12. Both headings can be obtained by the microphone on the toy character 14. The controller 28 can interpret the input to the microphone and if it is determined that the input is due to tapping, the controller 28 can output a sound, which is a tapping sound, from the speaker so that the toy character 14 It can be seen to be knocking again. Alternatively or additionally the controller 28 can initiate movement of the hammer 30 according to whether the controller 28 is able to control the speed of the hammer 30 as described above, The hammer 30 can be knocked against the inner wall of the housing 12, which can be sensed by the user somewhat, but it can be difficult to crush the housing 12. The controller 28 may be programmed (or otherwise configured) to emit a sound indicative of annoyance, in accordance with some other criteria or in the event of a user knocking a very large number of times within a certain time. The controller 28 detects that the user is holding the housing 12 through the capacitive sensors and the controller 28 detects that the toy character 14 is being held by the toy character 14, To emit a heartbeat sound. Alternatively, the controller 28 may be configured to indicate that it is cold using any suitable criteria and may be programmed to stop the cold display when the controller detects that the user is holding or rubbing the housing 12 have. Optionally, the controller is programmed to emit sound indicative of the toy character 14 making a hiccup and is programmed to stop this indication when it receives a sufficient number of beats from the user. The controller 28 may be programmed to indicate to the user that the toy character 14 is tired and want to play and may be programmed to stop this representation when the user interacts with the toy assembly 10. [

Optionally, the controller 28 may cause the LED to cause the selected sequence to emit, if the controller 28 determines that the criteria has been met so that it is out of the pre-crushing stage of the crushing and growing of the housing 12. For example, an LED can be caused to emit a rainbow sequence (red -> orange -> yellow -> green -> blue -> purple). The toy character 14 may then begin to hit the housing 12 a selected number of times and then the toy character 14 may stop playing it and before the user begins to hit the housing 12 again a selected number of times, In addition, you can wait to interact.

Alternatively, after the toy character 14 first crushes the housing 12, the controller 28 may be programmed to operate in the first stage of growth after 'hatching' For example, you can make it move in baby behavior just like a spin in a circle. During the first stage, the controller 28 may be programmed to require the user to interact with the toy character 14 in the selected ways, such as stroking the toy character 14, playing the toy character 14 Feeding the toy character 14, trimming the toy character 14, raising the toy character 14, caring for the toy character 14 when releasing an output expressing that the toy character is sick, It may symbolize playing with the toy character 14 when laying down the toy character 14 and emitting an output indicating that the toy character 14 is tired. In this first stage, the toy character 14 may emit an output indicating that it is afraid of sound beyond the selected loudness. At this stage, the toy character may emit a generally baby sound, such as a creeping sound, if the user attempts to speak orally.

Alternatively, after a few conditions have been met during the first stage (e.g., a sufficient amount of time has elapsed or a sufficient number of interactions (e.g., 120 interactions) have occurred between the user and the toy character 14 The controller 28 may be programmed to change its operating mode to the second stage after 'hatching' (i.e., after the toy character 14 is released from the housing 12). Optionally, the LED will emit a rainbow sequence to indicate that the criterion has been met and to indicate 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 incubation, the controller 28 may be programmed to drive the toy character 14 to move in a straight line, but not smoothly, the motor 38 may be rotated in a step- Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > and / or < / RTI > Over time, the motor 38 is driven to pause less to give the toy character 14 a more mature 'walk' ability appearance. In the second stage of this growth, the toy character 14 may emit sound into the accent that the user used 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.

FIG. 20 illustrates a disruption mechanism 300 in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. The shredding mechanism 300 generally includes a cup-shaped base member 304 having a plunger locking recess 308 at its side wall and a slot 312 at the base wall. . The plunger member 316 has a tubular body 320 and a rounded cap 324. The outer perimeter of the tubular body 320 of the plunger member 316 is dimensioned to be smaller than the inner perimeter of the sidewall of the base member 304 such that the tubular body 320, To be shifted. The protrusion 328 at the proximal end of the body 320 (i.e., the opposite end from the rounded cap 324) and the feature along the outer surface of the tubular body 320 are such that the plunger lock recess 308). ≪ / RTI >

A biasing element such as a spring 332 is fitted into the tubular body 320 of the plunger member 316 and exerts a biasing force between the plunger member 316 and the base member 304. A collar 336 is mounted around the tubular body 320 of the plunger member 316 (e.g., via thermal bonding, adhesive, or any other suitable means) Preventing the plunger member 316 from completely disengaging from the base member 304 through the abutment of the protrusion 328. [ The spring 332 is in a compressed state between the rounded cap 324 of the plunger member 316 and the base wall of the base member 304 when the plunger member 316 is in the retracted position wherein the plunger member 316 Is in the base member 304 as shown in Fig.

The release element or wedge 340 is inserted into the slot 312 when the plunger member 316 is fully inserted into the base member 304 so that the plunger member 316 is inserted into the first side of the interior of the base member 304, To hold the tubular body 320 of the plunger 316 and to place the protrusion 328 in the plunger locking recess 308. A ridge 344 along the wedge 340 restricts the insertion of the wedge 340 into the slot 312.

Fig. 21 shows the disintegration mechanism 300 in a compacted state wherein the plunger member 316 is in its 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 protrusion 346 in the slot so that the plunger member 316 The projection 328 is directed toward the recess 308 to direct the tubular body 320 of the plunger member 316 and to prevent biasing of the plunger member 316 by the spring 332.

The release element may limit the expansion of the spring or other biasing element in some alternative embodiments.

Figure 22 shows the fracture mechanism in the expanded state. Removal of the wedge 340 allows the tubular body 320 of the plunger member 316 to shift within the base member 304 and allows the protrusion 328 to allow the plunger locking recess 308 to disengage And releases the plunger member 316 to move outwardly 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 housing of the toy character. Thus, the plunger member 316 and the base member 304 may be configured as needed to contribute to the appearance of the baby bird, reptile, and the like. In addition, the disruption mechanism 300 can be positioned in a housing, such as an egg, which can be parasitized through the biasing force of the spring 332 to provide an extended position relative to the base member 304 So that the plunger member 316 faces outwardly. The housing has an opening that allows the wedge 340 to be removed from the shredding mechanism 300. The spring 332 can apply a biasing force that is strong enough to separate the plunger member 316 and the base member 304 and can paralyze the housing in which the fracture mechanism 300 is located.

Figure 23 is a cross-sectional view of the housing, wherein the break mechanism 300 of Figure 21 may be employed. The housing in this example is in the form of a simulated egg shell 360 having a series of break paths 364 formed along its interior and the break paths 364 are formed in the peripheral portions of the egg shell 360 Have a reduced shell thickness. The wedge access opening 368 in the egg shell 360 allows passage of one end of the wedge 340 to allow the user to grasp the wedge 340 and remove it to activate the wedge mechanism 300. [ .

24 illustrates a fracture mechanism 400 in accordance with another embodiment. The disruption mechanism 400 includes a base member 404 formed of two base member portions 404a and 404b and a plunger member 408 formed of two plunger member portions 408a and 408b. The base member 404 generally has an elliptical sidewall 412 with a hollow interior in which the plunger member 408 is received and an interior lip is provided at the top of the sidewall 412. [ (416). The plunger member 408 has a tubular sidewall 420 and has an outer ridge 424 along the lower end of the sidewall 420 to prevent the plunger member 408 of the base member 404 And cooperates with the inner rim portion 416 of the member 404. The plunger member 408 also has a set of inner walls 428 defining a channel. The screw drive 432 is secured within the base member 404 and is threaded (through suitable mechanical drives that may be readily configured by those skilled in the art based on packaging requirements of a particular application) shaft 440 and includes a battery 444 for supplying power to the motor 436. [ A traveler 448 having an internally threaded portion receives the threaded shaft 440. The traveler 448 is generally tubular and has a rectangular outer profile quantified to prevent rotation in the channel defined by the inner walls 428 of the plunger member 408. The rim portion 450 on the exterior of the traveler 338 limits the insertion into the channel defined by the inner walls 428 because the teeth are adjacent the lower edge of the inner walls 428. [ The biasing element 452 (which is shown as an alternate compression spring and may be referred to as a spring 452 for convenience) is fitted 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 power from the battery 444 to the motor 436. The magnetic switch 453 is operable (i.e., closed) by the presence of a magnet 454 adjacent to the housing, as shown in FIG. 24, thereby supplying power to the screw drive 432.

Fig. 25 illustrates a fracture mechanism 400 in a compacted condition 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 inside the traveler 448 and the end surface of the channel. The motor 436 is used to actuate the screw drive 432 to drive progressively increasing the flexure of the spring 452 so as to increase the biasing force exerted by the spring 452 And the plunger member 408 may be directed outwardly from the base member 404.

Figure 26 shows the disintegration mechanism 400 in an expanded state after the action of the screw drive 432 by placing the magnets close to the egg shell 460 adjacent to the motor 436. [ The screw drive 432 is operable to impart a separating force that causes the plunger member 408 and the base member 432 to move away from each other. Upon sufficient fracture of the egg shell 460, the spring 452 expands from the compressed state to abruptly push the buzzer syringe shell 460 to increase the realization of the incubation operation.

Fig. 27 shows a toy character 500 including a shredding mechanism similar to the shredding mechanism 400 shown in Figs. 24-26. 27 has a plunger member 508 and a base member 504 shown in an expanded state. The toy character 500 includes a swiveling wheel assembly 512 that is selectively movable by the same motor that operates to separate the base member 504 and the plunger member 508 And a pair of wheels 516 driven. A pair of non-rotating annular wheels 520 is 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 at the same angle by the motor. Such irregular movements can convey the reality of the character while the character is moving.

Again, the disruption mechanisms described and illustrated herein have a decorative cover for showing the appearance of any suitable character.

28-30 illustrate a housing rupture mechanism 600 in accordance with one embodiment. The housing breaking mechanism 600 has a base frame member 604 and the base frame member 604 includes an outer bowl 608 secured to an inner bowl 612. The outer bowl 608 has an inner rim portion 616 about its top periphery. The upper frame member 620 is rotatably coupled to the base frame member 604 around the upper periphery of the outer bowl 608. [ The inner rim portion 624 of the upper frame member 620 firmly receives the inner rim portion 616 of the outer bowl 608. [ The three cutting elements 628 are pivotally coupled to the base frame member 604 via a fastener, such as a partially threaded screw 632, at their first ends. The second end 636 of the cutting elements 628 is slidably received in the upper frame member 620 through the protrusions passing through the openings 640 in the side walls of the upper frame member 620 . 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, the rotation of the upper frame member 620 in the counterclockwise direction relative to the base frame member 604 causes the cutting elements 628 to pivot and an opening 644, such as an analog camera diaphragm, Causing it to traverse / contract. Sharp protrusions 652 along the cutting elements 628 protrude toward the opening 644 and act to puncture and / or crack the housing 648. In this manner, the housing 648 disposed in the housing break mechanism 600 can be broken.

As will be appreciated, the cutting elements may be slidably coupled to the upper frame member in a number of ways, such as, for example, an inner channel to which a fastener attached to the upper frame member is secured. Additionally, the cutting elements can be pivotably connected to the upper frame member and slidably connected to the base frame member.

One or more cutting elements may be employed and they may be operable to compress the housing to be fractured relative to a portion of the frames or other cutting elements.

Figures 31A and 31B illustrate a housing rupture mechanism 700 in accordance with another embodiment. The housing rupture mechanism 700 includes a pair of cutting elements 704 which are pivotally coupled through a coupling portion 708 such as a bolt or rivet. One or both of the cutting elements 704 have a recess 712 at their cutting edge. The breakable housing can be disposed in one or more recesses 712 and can be broken through pivoting movement of the cutting elements 704 as shown in Figure 31b, .

Particularly, the toy characters employing the above described disintegration mechanisms, shown in Figs. 20-23 and 24-27, may include companion toy characters, which may or may not be located within the housing with toy characters Can be used together.

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

Figure 32B illustrates a companion mechanism 820 for a companion toy character disposed in a housing having a toy character (employing the shredding mechanism 800 in Figure 32A). The passenger mechanism 820 has a main body 824 and a wheel base 828 that can be fitted to the main body 824, It is. The wheel base 828 has a set of wheels 832 that allow movement of the companion mechanism 820 along the surface with minimal pushing.

Figure 33 shows the companion mechanism 820 in Figure 32b and the fracture mechanism 800 in Figure 32a in the stacked compact state. In the compacted 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 compression with the wheel base 828 held in compression in the main body portion 824 against the force of the alternating metal coil spring. The companion mechanism 820 is atop the plunger member 808 of the disruption mechanism 800.

34 is a cross-sectional view of a housing in the form of an egg shell 840 having two toy characters positioned therein. The main toy character 844 employs a crushing mechanism 800 in a compact state. The assistant toy character 848 also employs a passenger compaction mechanism 820 in a compact state. Upon operation of the attached screw drive and motor of the crushing mechanism 800 within the main toy character 844, such as through a magnet that pulls the two contacts together to close the circuit, 808 are urged away from the base member 804 to cause the breakage mechanism 800 to expand the auxiliary toy character 848 to break the egg shell 840 and push the eggs through the egg shell 840 It causes. At the same time, the wheels 812 begin to rotate and their lobes help push the inside of the egg shell 840 to break the eggshell.

Upon breakage thereof, the companion mechanism 820 within the toy character 848 is no longer held in compression and the wheel base 828 is urged away from the main body 824 by an alternating metal coil spring.

Once the main toy character 844 is free 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 shredding mechanism 800 and the companion mechanism 820 may include electronic components that operate upon expansion. In the case of the shredding mechanism 800, the electronic components can be located on the same circuit as the motor and can be operated upon closing of the circuit. With respect to the companion mechanism 820, one of its electronic components may be actuated upon disconnection of the circuit, and the main body 824 and the wheel base 828 are urged to be disengaged by an alternating metal coil spring.

The electronic components may enable the main toy character 844 and the auxiliary toy character 848 to output audible noises such as birds, display light, and the like. Additionally, primary toy character 844 and secondary toy character 848 may " interact " through sensing another. For example, the main toy character 844 may include an audio speaker to generate a sweep noise, and the auxiliary toy character 848 may include an audio sensor (i.e., a microphone) A processor, and an audio speaker outputting a corresponding higher pitch sound. Both the main toy character 844 and the auxiliary toy character 848 are connected to sensors, processors, and audio speakers such as microphones, photodetectors, network antennas, etc., light emitting diodes (LEDs) And may have the same output devices. In this manner, primary toy character 844 and secondary toy character 848 may interact through one causing one to be the other.

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

Figure 35 illustrates another companion mechanism 900 for a smaller auxiliary toy character similar to the companion mechanism 820 of Figure 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 metal coil spring in an expanded state as shown . The wheelbase 908 has a set of wheels 912 that allow the companion mechanism 900 to move along the surface through minimal pushing motion.

Figure 36 shows two of the companion mechanisms 900 of Figure 35 and a disruption mechanism 920 similar to the disintegration mechanism of Figure 32a in the stacked compact state. The disruption mechanism 920 has a base member 924 that fits within the plunger member 928 in a compacted state as shown and is urged to move away from the plunger member 928 in an expanded state through a screw drive. The movement of the crushing mechanism 920 on the surface is provided by the wheels 932 and the wheels 932 have a cam profile for them with at least one lobe on each wheel, 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 alternating metal coil spring. One of the companion mechanisms 900 is located atop the other companion mechanism 900 and is located atop the plunger member 928 of the successive disruption mechanism 920.

37 is a cross-sectional view of the housing in the form of an egg shell 940 having 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. During operation of the screw drive of the break mechanism 920 within the main toy character 944, such as through a magnet that pulls the two contacts together to close the circuit, the screw drive causes the plunger member 928 to move relative to the base member 924 To cause the crushing mechanism 920 of the main toy character 944 to expand and push the toy characters 948 located at the top so that they pass through the egg shell 940 and into the egg shell 940). The companion mechanism 900 within each of the assistant toy characters 948 is no longer in a compressed state and the wheel base 908 is urged to be away from the main body 904 by an alternating metal coil spring do.

The primary toy character 944 and secondary toy character 948 include electronic components for providing additional functionality as described above with respect to the primary toy character 844 and the secondary toy character 848. [

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

38 shows an exemplary shredding mechanism 1000 that is comprised of additional actions when placed in a housing. The housing is an egg shell 1004 with an elevated inner ring 1008. The small magnet 1012 magnetizes the metal rod 1016 protruding from the center of the inner bottom surface of the egg shell 1004. An adapter disk 1020 is positioned atop the raised inner ring 1008 of the egg shell 1004. The adapter disk 1020 snaps into the disruption mechanism 100 and enables movement of the disruption mechanism 100 relative to the eggshell 1004 as part of an additional act. A frustoconical metal disk 1024 is secured to the bottom of the fracture mechanism 100 to guide the placement of the metal rod 1016 into the Hall sensor 1028 inside the fracture mechanism 1000 have. The hall sensor 1028 senses the magnetism of the metal rod 1016 to detect when the crushing mechanism 1000 is located inside the egg shell 1004.

39 shows the lower 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. A post anchor 1036 inside the top ring 1032 has an opening through which the metal rod 1016 is fixed.

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

The shredding mechanism 1000 is configured so that detecting the magnetism of the metal rod 1016 does not trigger the motor of the shredding mechanism 1000 before triggering it to break the egg shell 1004. The adapter disk 1020 is then secured to the lower end of the disruption mechanism 1000 via fixed posts 1072 and the combined disruption mechanism 1000 and adapter The disc 1020 is positioned at the lower end of the egg shell 1004. The arcuate walls 1060 of the adapter disc 1020 are aligned within the top ring 1032 of the egg shell 1004 and the thick vertical edge 1064 is aligned with the center of the central gear disk 1056 relative to the egg shell 1004 And is fastened to the top ring 1032 to inhibit rotation.

During placement of the shredding mechanism 1000 and the adapter disk 1020 a metal rod 1016 is inserted into a fracture mechanism 1000 that is guided by a disk of a frustum 1024 so that a metal rod 1016 is inserted into the hole sensor 1028 As shown in Fig. The magnetism of the metal rod 1016 is sensed by the hall sensor 1028 and is triggered by triggering the motor of the shredding mechanism 1000.

The crushing mechanism 1000 includes an angled piston arm that is coupled to the motor, which protrudes from the lower end surface. The motor drives the angled piston arm cycles between being angled below the lower end surface of the shredding mechanism 1000 and being contracted again by an off-center attachment to the rotating disk driven by the motor. On this downward stroke, the angled piston arm is engaged with the gear teeth on the upper surface of the central gear disk 1056, and a crushing mechanism 1000 and an annular plate 1040 secured thereto . On the upward stroke of the angled piston arm, the crushing mechanism 1000 and the annular plate 1040 secured thereto are held stationary with respect to the egg shell 1004. As will be appreciated, continued operation of the motor of the shredding mechanism 1000 causes it to rotate intermittently within the egg shell 1004.

The motor of the shredding mechanism 1000 can also drive other mechanisms, such as the rotation of the wing members, thereby causing an illusion that the shredding mechanism 1000 flaps its wings.

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

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

The movement of the disruption mechanism relative to the housing can be achieved in other ways. For example, a circular track inside the housing may enable rotation of one wheel to rotate the shredding mechanism with respect to the housing.

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

The shredding mechanism and the companion mechanism may have 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, a toy character is shown to be provided in a housing. It will be noted, however, that the toy character is just one example of the inner objects provided within the housing. In some embodiments described herein, the inner object is animated and can include a shredding mechanism. In some embodiments, the inner object may be inanimate. In some embodiments, the inner object may be animated, but may not itself include a fracture mechanism. In some embodiments, the inner object may be a toy character. In some embodiments, the inner object may not be a character, considering that the dice may not be configured to be viewed as a perceptual entity.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that there are further variations and alternative implementations, and that the examples are merely illustrative of one or more implementations. Accordingly, the scope of the rights is limited only by the claims appended hereto.

Claims (9)

As a toy assembly,
A housing;
An inner object inside the housing; And
A breakout mechanism operatively associated with the housing and operable to break the housing to expose the internal object;
Wherein the crushing mechanism is powered by a crushing mechanism power source associated with the housing,
The housing is formed of a polymer composition,
The above-
15-25% elastomeric polymer;
1-5% by weight of an organic acid metal salt; And
75-85 wt% inorganic / particulate filler;
/ RTI >
Toy assembly. The method according to claim 1,
The elastomeric polymer may comprise,
Ethylene-vinyl acetate,
Toy assembly. The method according to claim 1,
The organic acid metal salt,
Zinc stearate,
Toy assembly. The method according to claim 1,
The inorganic /
As a mineral filler,
Toy assembly. 5. The method of claim 4,
The mineral filler,
Calcium carbonate,
Toy assembly. The method according to claim 1,
The elastomeric polymer may comprise,
Ethylene-vinyl acetate,
The organic acid metal salt,
Zinc stearate,
The inorganic /
Calcium carbonate,
Toy assembly. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the housing comprises a plurality of rupture elements provided on an inner surface thereof to enable fracture upon impact from the rupture mechanism,
Toy assembly. As a toy assembly,
housing; And
A toy character within the housing, the toy character comprising a shredding mechanism operable to shred the housing to expose the toy character;
/ RTI >
Wherein the housing comprises a plurality of rupture elements provided on an inner surface thereof to enable fracture upon impact from the rupture mechanism,
Toy assembly. As a toy assembly,
An inner body within the housing with a housing and a pre-fractured position;
/ RTI >
Wherein the inner object comprises a functional mechanism set and is initially in the housing with the pre-crushing position, the inner object is removable from the housing, and is positioned in the post-crushing position Wherein the set of action mechanisms is operable to perform a first set of movements when the inner object is in the pre-fractured position, and wherein when the inner object is in a post-fracture position, And to perform a second set of movements different from the first set of movements,
Toy assembly.

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