US1221970A - Walking doll. - Google Patents

Description

Hl-H. COLEMAN".-

WALKING DOLL. APucAnoN man ms. 20, 1911.

'ZSHEETS-SHEETI 1.

l I in a Patented Apn-IO, 1917.

H. H. COLEMAN-.4

WALKING DOLL.

AFPLICATIQN FILED FEB. 20, 19!?- LQQLWUW Patented Apr. 10,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

HARRY H. COLEMAN, on NEW YORK, n. it.

WALKING DOLL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

and operation, whereby a child can. take the doll by the hand and-cause it to automatically walk along by the childs side in a. natural manner, without requiring clockwork wind up mechanism, or other mechan ical appliance. By dispensing with mechanical actuating means such as have been commonly employed heretofore in figure toys, and providing a novel leg joint construction, the present walking doll can be made very strong and durable and yet so attractive and natural in appearance that it will appeal to children.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to dolls as the improvements embodied in the legs and their joints may be applied to other figure toys such as birds, animals, and the like.

The novel leg or joint construction causes the doll to advance one leg after the other by the child merely grasping the doll and imparting a slight lateral sway to the doll such as willbe suflicient to cause the rearwardly positioned leg of the doll to clear the ground so that it may move forwardly.

In connection with the leg joints, 1 provide resilient means which are placed under tension at different times. Any elastic or resilient stretchable device, or any resilient device of any nature whatsoever adapted to carry out the purpose of the invention may be employed and by the use of the word resilient in the claims, I intend to include elastic bands, cords, or springs, of any char acter designed to fulfil this function.

The doll is so constructed that it will not only walk, but may kneel, or sit down and may be danced with.

The embodiment of the invention hereinafter set forth is to be considered as illustrative, rather than restrictive, of the scope thereof.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the Patented Apr. '10, 191 8.

Application filed February 20, 1917. Serial No. 149,903.

doll in standing position, the skeleton or frame work of the body being shown;

Fig. 9. a similar view showing the doll in walking position; I

Fig. 3 a similar view showing it in kneeling position; s

Fig. i a similar view showing the doll in sitting position;

Fig. 5 a cross section taken in the direction'ofthe arrow on line 55 Fig.

Fig. 6 an enlarged detail vertical section of the hip joint, illustrating the lateral swing thereof; and a Fig. 7 an enlarged vertical section of the hip joint taken on line 7-7 Fig.

The body 1 may be constructed and covered in any desired manner and represent a doll, bird, animal or the like. The arms 2 maybe jointed or fixed, at the shoulder. The fore arms 3 may be jointed or fixed. The legs comprise upper sections 4', the lower sections 5 and joints 6 connecting the sections. The joints 6 maybe of any type, ordinary hinge joints being shown'which are being provided with a stop 7 to limit the swing of the leg in one direction so that when standing vertically the sections 4 and 5 will be in alineinent as shown in Fig. 1. Connecting the sections i and 5 of each le is a resilient device 8 which is illustrated as a piece of elastic or rubber. The tension of the connection 8 is such as to tend to throw the sections t and 5 into alinement as shown in Fig. 1. The upper leg sections 4 are mounted on a transverse rod 9 which braces the body and serves as a hinge for said legs at the hips. As shownin Fig. 6, the section a has an opening 10 by which the section is loosely mounted on the rod 9 so that it can swing laterally or outwardly in relation to the body as illustrated in Fig. 6. The upper end of the leg section 4: lies in an openingll of suiiicient lateral width to permit this swinging action. As shown in Fig. 7, the rearward swing of the leg section 4 is limited by its upper end abutting the shoulder 12 sothat the leg can only pass slightly to the rear of a vertical position as shown in Fig. 2. A resilient device 13 which is connected to the body at 14 and to a fastening or eye 15 on the upper end 16 of the section 4, serves the double function of retracting the leg section 4 both laterally as shown in Fig. 6 and toward the right of Fig. 7. In Fig. 7 the leg is shown in its rearward position.

Fig. 2, is arrested at the hip by I knee joint of that leg as shown in Fig. 2.

The leg B which is in advance is also bent at the knee and the resilient device 8 is under tension. If the operator now moves the body toward himself to an extent suflicient for the leg A to clear the floor C, the resilient device 13 of the leg A will immediately pull the entire leg A forwardly, and the resilient device 8 assists the leg A in clearing the floor C. The action of both resilient devices 8 and 13 of the leg A is simultaneous. The lateral play at the hip as shown in Fig. 6 is provided so that as the body of the doll is swayed laterally to effect walking, there will be no binding at the hip joint to interfere with free forward swing of the leg from rearward to forward position.

The leg B having now assumed a rearward position corresponding to the position formerly assumed by the leg A, if the body is rocked laterally away from the operator, the leg- 13 will advance, as did the leg A.

The doll may be made to kneel as shown in Fig. 3, or, sit as shown in Fig. 4, or, it

' may be seated'with the legs stretched out straight in front.

Having thus described my invention, what I I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A walking figure toy having a body, legs having hip and knee joints, resilient means adapted to cause the legs to normally move forwardly, and resilientmeans for the knee joints adapted to cause-the sections of the legs to straighten out? 2. A walking fignretoy having a body, legs having universal hip joints, resilient means cooperating with the universal hip joints adapted to cause the legs to normally move forwardly and also to move outwardly at the hip joints. I

3. A walking figure toy having a body, legs having universal'hip joints and also provided with knee joints, resilient means cooperating with the universal hip joints adapted to cause the legs to normally move forwardly and also to move outwardly at the hip joints, and resilient means for the knee joints adapted to cause the sections of the legs to straighten out.

-l. A walking figure toy having a body, legs, pins or the like connecting the legs to the body, said legs being provided with enlarged openings through which said pins loosely pass to thereby articulate the legs for universal movement at the hips, and elastic devices cooperating with the legs and tending normally to move the legs forwardly and outwardly.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

HARRY H. COLEMAN.

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