US1396873A

US1396873A - Doll

Info

Publication number: US1396873A
Application number: US355484A
Authority: US
Inventors: George H Parsons
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1920-01-31
Filing date: 1920-01-31
Publication date: 1921-11-15
Anticipated expiration: 1938-11-15

Description

G. H. PARSONS.

oou.. APPLICATION FILED MN. 31, 1929- RENEWED SEPT. 30' I921- v PatentedN0v.15,1921

UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

esonen H. ransom, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

DOLL.

Specification of Lettersratent.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

Application filed January 81, 1920, Serial No. 355,484. Renewed September 30, 1921. Serial No. 504,495.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,- Gnonen H. PARsoNs,

a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dolls, of which the following is a specification. i

This invention relates generally to dolls, with more particular reference to what are commonly known as sleeping dolls, the eye-balls of which include portions made to resemble eyelids, said eye-balls being pivoted within the head in proper positions and so weighted that when the doll is in an upright position but when the doll is tipped rearwardly to reclining positionthe weights operate to rotate said eye-balls to simulate closing of the eyes, as in sleep. I

In the common and well-knowntype of sleeping doll, characterized as above briefly outlined, obviously, the eyes will close as the doll is brought to a recumbent The well-known 1 or horizontal position. propensity of childhood for more nearly perfect simulation creates a desire for a dollwhich will not immediately close its eyes upon being tipped to reclining position, but the eyes of which will close gradually if while in such reclining position the doll is rocked, after the manner of the rocking of a sleepy infant.

The trouble with most attempts to provide a sleeping doll in which the eyes-close gradually when the seem to have been the necessity vision of a mechanism or other apparatus within the head of the dollof such a complicated character as to make the cost of production prohibitive, so far as the average purchasing public is concerned. The principal object of the present inventlon, therefore, is the provision of gradually operating eye-closing mechanism of such simple con struction and operation mize the cost of manufacture of the doll head butto bring the pricel of the finished product within the reach of purchasers with limited means.

Incidental to the above, I have in view mechanism, which, while it will effect gradual closing of theeyes when the doll is tipped to reclining position and gently rocked, will eflfect immediate opening of the v invention,

the eyes thereof are open,

doll is rocked would for. the pro- 7 as not only to. mini- 1 eyes when the doll is returned to upright position, thus further enhancing the simulat1on.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, taken substantially on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2, of the head of a doll equipped with eye opening and closing meohanlsm embodying my thedoll being supposed to be in reclining or recumbent position;

Fig. 2 's a face view thereof, partly in section, and

Fi 3 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to drawings in detail, nu-

meral 5 designates a dolls head, which may be made in the usual manner from any one of a number of materials commonly em ployed for this article. This head 5 generally includes a neck portion 6 to whih the body portion of the doll, generally consisting of suitably stuffed fabric, is secured, the crown of the head being initially left open for the insertion and mounting of the eyeoperating mechanism, the opening being subsequently covered by the wig.

The interior side walls of the head are provided with sockete d lugs 7 and S, the sockets beingadapted to receive and rotatively contain the ball-like protuberances 9 and 10 at the ends of what may be termed a U-shaped bar 11, which ball-like protuberances are also formed and finished to simulate eyes and lids. The head 5 is provided with the usual orifices in the face thereof, and all of these parts are so relatively positioned that said ball-like protuberances roject into or slightly through said openlngs, and upon rocking of said bar 11 in the sockets cause rotation of said protuberances to simulate the opening and closing of the U-bar 11 and rotate the protuberances 9 and 10 to effect the simulative eye-closing movement.

To this point, I have described nothing more than what may be termed a common and well-known expedient. ways of connecting the eye-balls, and other Ways of pivoting the eye-ball frame in the head. The construction, mounting and operation of the parts described is immaterial T so faras the present invention is concerned.

7 is the looped 7 slightly To the rim 14 of the opening in the head 5, I clamp a pair of disks or

plates

15 and 16 between which and the interior shoulder provided where the nose merges into the forehead I mount a circular rod 17 Freely slidable on this red is a collar 18, from which" projects a 7 plate 19 which I have shown in the form of a disk. These parts are all so positioned and adjusted that when the eyes of the doll are open the plate 19 is in contact with the side of-the bottom of the U-bar 11, whereby, if the collar 18 is checked against the sliding movement along the rod 17, rotation of said U-bar in its sockets will be checked and the doll may be tipped to recumbent position with the eyes remaining open.

Also slidably mounted on the rod 17, between the collar 18 and the

plates

15 and 16, end of a bent or curved lever 20, at the free end of which is mounted a weight 21. The loop 22 of said lever is of greater interior diameter than the diameter of the rod 17. By turning Fig. 1 to cause the head shown therein to assume an upright position, it will be apparent that whatever may have been the position of the loop 22 on the rod 17, the forces of gravity generated by the weight 21 will be so directed by the bent or curved lever 20 to the loop 22 as to cause the latter to slip freely down the rod 17 to the position indicated in this figure. If, now,.the doll is turned or tipped I 5 of. rest, saidU-bar to recumbent position, as shown in the natural position of-Fig. 1, it will be apparent that the weight 13 will at once generate forces tending to-rock the U-bar 11, as and for the purpose set forth. However, due to the curvature of the lever 20 and the offcenter sus ension of the wei ht 21 the loo 22 will be inclined with reference to the rod 17 and frictionally engage the same with suiiicient force to overcome the forces transmitted from the weighty-13, which, as will be.

apparent, tend to slide the collar 18 along the rod 17 through pressure of'the U-bar against the plate 19. Therefore, if the doll after having been turned'to recumbent po-r siti'on/is permitted to remainin a condition will be checked against rotation and the eyes will not close.

' It will be seen that the lever 20 constitutes the rod of a pendulum .'ofwhichthe weight 21 is the bob, and is adapted to oscillate lat- There are other .of a child, the lever 20 will be oscillated after the manner of a pendulum by the weight 21. The consequent lateral oscillation of the loop 22 on the rod 17 intermittently relieves the frictional forces which check sliding movement of said loop on said rod to a degree at which they are overcome by the forces transmitted from the weight 13, whereby, upon oscillation of the lever 20, the loop 22 will be forced step-by-step along said rod 17, permitting movement therewith of the collar 18, movement of which, in turn, permits a corresponding step-by-step rotation of the U-bar 11 and the consequent gradual closing of the eyes.

It will be seen that when the doll is returned from a recumbent to an upright position, the U-bar is free to be returned under action of the weight 13 to the position indicated in Fig. 1, wherefore the eyes will immediately .open. Furthermore, as has been explained, when the doll is returned to upright position, the curvature of the lever 20 which results in off-set suspension of the weight 21 and which so directs the forces generated by said weight as to effect the frictional engagement between the loop 22 and the rod 17, now so directs the forces of said weight as to permit return of said lever and said loop to the positions indicated in F 1 without rocking and without interruption of movement.

With the checking plate 19 of suitable size and contour, it would probably ma kc little if any difference, mechanically, whether or not the collar 18 were rotatable as well as slidable on the rod 17. However, it is doubtless preferable that said collar be held against rotation and said plate, therefore, against oscillation. For this purpose, I have shown a relatively small guide-rod 23, mounted parallel to the rod 17 and passing through the collar 18 which is also slidable on the same. In this and in other wellknown ways said collar may be held against rotation and yet be freely slidable on the rod 17. I have also shown a lug 24 which provides a stop against which the weight 13 is adapted to impinge, thus checkin rotation of the U-bar when the eyes are in open position.

Many modifications and minor details of my improved doll will doubtless readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which it appertains, and I therefore do not desire to limit myself to the specific construction herein shown and described.

I claim:

1. In a dollshead, the combination, with means for automatically turning the eyeballs thereof when said head is tipped reara and momentarily release wardly from an upright to a substantially horizontal position, to simulate the closing of the eyes, said means operating to return said eye-balls to and yieldingly retain the same in their initial positions when said head is returned to upright position, of means for checking operations of said turning means, and means operated by the lateral rocking of said head while in substantially horizontal position to intermittently said checking means.

2. In a dolls head, the combination, with means for automatically turning the eyeballs thereof when said head is tipped rearwardly from an upright to a substantially horizontal position, to simulate the closing of the eyes, said means operating to return said eye-balls to and yieldingly retain the same in their initial positions when said head is returned to upright position, of means frictionally operable to check operation of said turning means when said head is at rest in said substantially horizontal position, and means operated by the lateral rocking of said head in such position to intermittently relieve at momentary intervals the frictional resistance of said checking means.

3. In a dolls head, the combination, with means for automatically turning the eyeballs thereof when said head is tipped rearwardly from an upright to a substantially horizontal position, to simulate closing of the eyes, said means operating to return said eye-balls to and yieldingly retain the same in their initial positions when said head is returned to upright position, of a movable and yieldingly held stop for checking operation of said turning means, and means operated bythe lateral rocking of said head while in said substantially horizontal position to intermittently and momentarily release said stop.

4. In a dolls head, the combination, with means for automatically turning the eyeballs thereof when said head is tipped rearwardly from an upright to a substantially horizontal position, to simulate closing of the eyes, said means operating to return said eye-balls to and yieldingly retain the same in their initial positions when said head is returned to upright position, of a movable and frictionally held stop for checking operation of said turning means, and means operated by the lateral rocking of said head while in said substantially horizontal position to intermittently relieve at momentary intervals the frictional resistance of movement of said stop.

5. In a dolls head, the combination, with means for automatically turning the eyeballs thereof when said head is tipped rearwardly from an upright to a substantially horizontal position, to simulate closing of the eyes, said. means operating to return said eyeballs to and yieldingly retain the same in their initial positions when said head is returned to upright position, of a guiderod, a stop slidably mounted on said rod and in initial position checking operation of said turning means, means yieldingly checking said stop against sliding movement on said rod, and means operated by the lateral rocking of said head While in substantially horizontal position to intermittently and momentarily release said stop-checking means.

6. In a dolls head, the combination, with means for automatically turning the eyeballs thereof when said head is tipped rearwardly from an upright to a substantially horizontal position, to simulate the closing of the eyes, said means operating to return said eye-balls to and yieldingly retain the same in their initial positions when said head is returned to upright position, of a guide-rod, a stop slidably mounted on said rod and in initial position checking operation of said turning means, means also slidable on said rod for frictionally checking said stop against sliding movement, and means operated by the lateral rocking of said head while in substantially horizontal position to intermittently relieve at momentary intervals the frictional resistance of said stop-checking means.

7. In a dolls head, the combination, with means for automatically turning the eye-V balls thereof when said head is tipped rearwardly from an upright to a substantially horizontal position, to simulate closing of the eyes, said means operating to return said eye-balls to and yieldingly retain the same in their initial positions when said head is returnedto upright position, of a guide-rod, a stop slidably mounted on said rod and in initial position checking operation of said turning means, a lever loosely pivoted on said rod whereby said lever has both sliding and oscillatory movements thereon, and a weight at the free end of said lever, the latter being bent for offcenter suspension of said weight.

In testimony of the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE H. PARSONS.

Witnesses AARON Gmssnnc, HOWARD CAMPBELL.