US20050170746A1

US20050170746A1 - Doll assembly

Info

Publication number: US20050170746A1
Application number: US10/770,374
Authority: US
Inventors: Tit Wee
Original assignee: ALIMENTE AUTOMATION Pte Ltd
Current assignee: ALIMENTE AUTOMATION Pte Ltd
Priority date: 2004-02-02
Filing date: 2004-02-02
Publication date: 2005-08-04

Abstract

In a preferred embodiment, a doll assembly 1 comprising housing 2000 and a doll 1000 mounted on the housing 2000 is disclosed. The doll 1000 has two arms 1300,1400 having a spring member 1312,1412 so that the arms 1312,1412 are stretchable and compressible along its length. The doll assembly 1 further comprises a number of guiding members 5300,5400 projecting from the rear of the doll 1000 to connect to the two arms 1300,1400 to guide the arms 1300,1400 for movement thereby creating lively and coordinated movement of the arms 1300,1400.

Description

BACKGROUND AND FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a doll assembly comprising a doll which is capable of dancing in rhythm to music or melody being played.
Dolls and puppets have been adored by the young and old throughout the years and to make them more appealing, ways have been devised to make them move or dance whilst music is being played.
Patent document U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,764 discloses a dancing doll mounted on a twisting platform. The doll has means for alternately moving its hips left and right while the platform is rotated to alternately rotate the doll 180 degrees clockwise and counter-clockwise to a melody.
In patent document U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,806, another dancing doll is disclosed which also has the ability to alternately move its hips left and right. However, this doll has a wheel and axle assembly to enable the doll to make forward or turning motions while a Hawaiian melody is played to simulate a real hula dancer.
However, the movements of both dolls are limited and fail to create lifelike dancing movements resembling a real dancer.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a doll assembly which alleviates at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art and/or to provide the public with a useful choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a doll assembly comprising a doll including at least one stretchable and/or compressible limb, and a moving device operable to move the limb.
Having a stretchable and/or compressible limb allows more lively movements to be created that can enhance the movement of the doll, particularly, when the doll is adapted to dance in rhythm to music. Preferably, the at least one limb includes a resilient member which may be in the form of a spring.
Preferably, the doll has two limbs in the form of arms and the moving device is arranged to guide each arm for movement. A resilient joint may be formed at each arm's elbow. Typically, the resilient joint is formed using a spring member. Preferably, the moving device comprises first and second guiding members connected to the respective arms. The guiding members may be slidably connected to the arms. Each arm may have an elongate opening arranged to receive a part of the respective guiding members with each guiding member being slidable along the opening. Each guiding member may have a spherical member formed on the part received in the respective openings to guide the movement of each guiding member.
Preferably, the moving device comprises means for moving the first and second guiding members to move the arms in a continuous pattern. The moving device may also comprise means for moving the first and second guiding members to move the arms independently.
Typically, the doll has a torso and the moving device may include a third guiding member connected to the doll's torso. Preferably, the moving device comprises means for rotating the third guiding member to alternate the torso between two points. The moving device may further comprise means for moving at least two guiding members simultaneously.
Typically, the doll has a head, and a neck joint connecting the head movably to the torso. Preferably, the neck joint includes a resilient member arranged to bias is the head and the torso towards each other. The doll assembly may further include a support member connected to the head, the support member arranged to pivot the head at a point when the torso is being alternated. This creates a more life-like movement of the head in relation to the torso.
Preferably, the doll assembly comprises a housing to house part of the moving device. Typically, the housing has a base support and an elongate support connected to the base support to form a L-shaped housing. Preferably, the doll's legs are movably mounted on the base support of the housing.
Typically, the doll's legs have feet, each foot having a male member extending from underside of the foot, the male members being arranged to be received in respective holes formed on the base support.
Preferably, the elongate support of the housing is located behind the doll, the or each guiding member being arranged to project from the elongate support to be connected to respective parts of the doll. The doll assembly may further comprise a controller arranged to remotely control the moving device to selectively control respective guiding members to move the doll.
In a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a doll assembly comprising a doll having at least one arm, a guiding member connected externally to the at least one arm, and an electromechanical device arranged to control the guiding member to move the said arm.
Guiding the arm externally alleviates design constraints and allows the size of the doll to be adapted to a more appealing size or shape.
Preferably, the doll has two limbs in the form of arms connected to first and second guiding members. Typically, the doll has a head movably coupled to the doll's torso, and a support member may be connected to the head. A third guiding member may also be connected to the torso to alternate or reciprocate the torso between two points. In this way, the guiding members can be moved to create co-ordinated movements of the arms and torso of the doll thereby forming unique dance patterns.
In a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a doll assembly comprising a doll having at least one limb, a guiding member connected externally to the at least one limb, a driving mechanism arranged to control the guiding member to move the said arm, and a remote control operable by a user and being operatively coupled to the driving mechanism to selectively move the at least one limb remotely.
Providing the remote control allows the user to create different and unique movements or dance patterns with the doll according to his creativity.
In a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a doll assembly comprising a doll having a head, a torso, and a neck joint connecting the head to the torso; the neck joint including a resilient member arranged to bias the head and the torso towards each other. This allows the head to be movably mounted to the torso and still provides a steady posture similar to a human being.
Preferably, the resilient member includes a spring member. The doll assembly may further comprise a moving device operable to alternate the torso between two points. The doll assembly may also comprise a support member connected to the head, the support member arranged to pivot the head at a point when the torso is being alternated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which,
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a doll assembly comprising a housing and a doll mounted on the housing according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a front view of the doll of FIG. 1 which includes two stretchable and compressible upper limbs, and two lower limbs;
FIG. 3 a illustrates how head and torso of the doll is connected together;
FIG. 3 b shows how the head is being connected to a support member;
FIGS. 4 a and 4 b show how the torso of the doll is being connected to a guiding member;
FIG. 5 shows how the upper limbs are connected to the torso of the doll;
FIGS. 6 a and 6 b illustrate the detailed construction of one of the upper limbs;
FIGS. 7 a to 7 c illustrate how an upper limb is connected to a guiding member;
FIG. 8 shows how the lower limbs are connected to the torso of the doll;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the housing of FIG. 1 without the doll;
FIG. 10 illustrate a remote control operable by a user for controlling the movement of the doll of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 11 depicts a block diagram of the remote control for controlling the movement of the doll.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a doll assembly 1 according to preferred embodiment of the present invention. The doll assembly 1 comprises a human-looking doll 1000 (shown in an unclothe state), a “L” shaped housing 2000, a remote electronic controller 3000, a power supply adaptor 4000, and a moving device 6000 for moving the doll 1000. The moving device 6000 comprises a number of guiding members in the form of first and second rods 5300,5400, typically made of plastic or metal, and a driving mechanism 7000 housed within the housing 2000 for driving the rods 5300,5400.
FIG. 2 shows the construction of the doll 1000 in detail which is preferably formed from Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) plastic. The doll 1000 comprises a head 1100 with a lifelike human face 1102, preferably female and has a pleasant look; and a torso 1200 with its upper end movably connected to the head 1100. The torso 1200 has thoracic 1250, abdominal 1252 and pelvic portions 1254 shaped to look like a human body. The doll 1000 also comprises two upper limbs 1300,1400 coupled to respective sides of the torso similar to a human being. Each upper limb 1300,1400 is divided into three sections namely an upper arm 1302,1402, a lower arm 1304,1404 and hand 1306,1406 such that the lower arm 1304,1404 is stretchable and compressible in relation to the upper arm 1302,1402 along the limb's length direction. Further, the doll 1000 comprises two lower limbs 1500,1600 which extend from the pelvic area 1254 to resemble the legs of a human. Each lower limb 1500,1600 is also divided into three sections namely a thigh section 1502,1602, a shin section 1504,1604 and foot 1506,1606.
Each of these elements that make up the doll 1000 will now be described in further detail.
As shown in FIG. 3 a, a resilient connecting member 1202 to form a neck joint connects the head 1100 to the torso 1200. The connecting member 1202 has a tapered projection 1206 with a circular base 1208. The tapered projection 1206 facilitates the insertion of the base 1208 into an opening 1104 formed in the head 1100 with the size of the base 1208 slightly larger than the opening 1104 so that when the base 1208 is inserted into the opening 1104, the connecting member 1202 is movably connected to the head 1100. A first end of a spring 1207 is connected to the other end of the base 1208 and a second end of the spring 1207 is connected to a supporting pin 1204 disposed at the upper end of the torso 1200 shaped like a neck 1210. The pin 1204 is preferably moulded together with the torso 1200.
Preferably, the length of the spring 1207 is sufficiently short so that it is stretched when the head 1100 is assembled on the torso 1200. The biasing action of the spring 1207 thus urges the head 1100 and the 1207 torso towards each other and this enables the head to be held steady resembling a human pose. It would be apparent that with this arrangement, the head 1100 is adaptable to be positioned upright or tilted in different directions and is still stable. In this embodiment, the head 1100 is pivoted at a point by a support rod 5100 which has one end 5106 fixedly connected to the housing 2000 and the other end 5104 coupled to back of the head 1100. The end 5106 connected to the head 1100 has two stoppers 5104 spaced apart to allow the head 1100 to be movable along the rod 5100 between the two stoppers 5104. Preferably, the doll 1000 has artificial hair 1106 and this is used to cover the point of connection of the rod 5100 to the head 1100.
The rod 5100 functions to support the head 1100 in the upright position and at the same time restricting the head's movement between the two stoppers 5104 of the shaft 5100. Thus, when the torso 1200 is urged into motion, the flexible neck joint formed by the resilient connection member 1202 allows the head to move freely and in relation to the movement of the torso 1200.
The moving device 6000 also comprises a shaft 5200 which supports the torso 1200. The shaft 5200, preferably made of metal, protrudes outwards from the housing 2000 as shown in FIGS. 4 a and 4 b, and has three sections 5202, 5204, 5206 of different diameters. The first section 5202, which is cylindrical in shape and has the thickest diameter, is hidden from view in the housing 5202. The second section 5204, having a smaller diameter than the first section 5202 20 but is also cylindrical, extends outwards from the first section 5202. The third section 5206 extends from the second section 5204 and which is inserted into a cavity 1214 formed in the back of the torso 1200. The third section 5206, unlike the other two sections 5202,5204, is hemispheric in shape and is friction fit in the cavity 1214.
The driving mechanism 7000 in the housing 2000 has means for revolving the shaft 5200 clockwise and counter-clockwise about the centre axis of the shaft, and this motion translates to the third section 5206 of the shaft 5200 thereby reciprocating the torso 1200 in a left-right manner about the point where the shaft 5200 is connected to the torso 1200.
FIG. 5 illustrates how the two upper limbs are connected to the torso 1200 via respective joints 1308,1408. The torso 1200 is formed from two half portions and FIG. 5 shows a first half portion 1260. Each joint 1308,1408 has two spaced discs 1310,1410 arranged to sit between respective U-shaped projections 1216,1218 formed in the first half portion of the housing 1200. When the two half portions of the torso 1200 are snapped together, both upper limbs 1300,1400 are rotatable about the centre axis of the discs 1310,1410 as shown by direction arrows C and D in FIG. 5. The rotation motion mimics the rotation of the arm of a human being at the shoulder.
Since both upper limbs 1300,1400 are the same, only one of the limbs 1400 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 6 a and 6 b. Each of the upper and lower arms 1402,1404 comprises two arm halves 1402 a,1402 b,1404 a,1404 b held together in a conventional manner and which form cavities 1418,1420 in the upper and lower arms. The upper arm 1402 is connected to the lower arm 1404 via a resilient member and in this embodiment, this is in the form of a spring 1412. The spring's ends are located in respective cavities 1418,1420 so that when assembled, each arm 1402,1404 is resiliently stretchable and compressible with respect to each other thus changing the overall length of the upper limb 1402 to some extent. At the same time, the spring 1412 being flexible allows the lower arm 1404 to move freely when the lower arm 1404 is guided for movement. At the other end of the lower arm 1404, the hand 1406 is pivoted to the arm 1404 so that the hand is movable about the pivot 1414.
The use of a spring 1412 as a joint provides a high degree of freedom of movement of the upper limbs 1300,1400 when guided by the two rods 5300,5400 for movement as illustrated in FIGS. 7 a and 7 b.
FIG. 7 a shows the lower arm 1404 in the assembled state with the hand 1406 pivoted at the end. The lower arm 1404 has an elongate opening 1416 formed near the hand 1406 to receive one end of the first rod 5300. The other end of the rod 5300 is connected to the driving mechanism 7000 located in the ‘L’ shape housing 2000 similar to the other rod 5400. When driven, the rod 5300 guides the lower arm 1404 for movement which in turn moves the entire upper limb 1400. The rod 5300 has a spherical bead 5302 arranged to locate in the cavity 1420 formed between the two arm halves 1404 a,1404 b and along the elongate opening 1416 as shown in FIGS. 7 b and 7 c. Thus, the arm halves 1404 a,1404 b have to be unassembled for the bead 5302 to be placed in the cavity 1420 and then both halves 1404 a,1404 b are snapped in place. The bead 5302 is thus located within the elongate opening 1416 and is slidable along the opening 1416 (see FIG. 7 a). When the rod 5300 moves, the bead 5302 prevents the rod from slipping out of the opening 1416 and at the same time the sliding motion of the bead 5302 along the opening 1416 alleviates mechanical stress. In use, a combination of the sliding motion of the bead 5302 along the opening 1416 and the spring 1412 allows the upper limbs 1300,1400 to create unique and interesting movements, and dance patterns.
FIG. 8 illustrates how the lower limbs 1500,1600 are connected to the pelvic portion of the torso 1200 which is similar to that for the upper limbs 1300,1400. Circular discs 1508,1608 are formed at ends of the thigh portions 1502,1602 and are arranged to sit in respective U-shaped projections 1220,1222 formed on the first half portion 1260 of the torso 1200, thus forming flexible joints. Similar to the upper limbs 1300,1400, the joints allows the lower limbs 1500,1600 to be freely rotatable.
Knee joints 1503,1603 connect the other ends of the thigh portions 1502,1602 to respective ends of the shin portion 1504,1604. The joint connection is conventional which allows the thigh and shin portions to be pivotally movable with respect to each other. Ankle joints 1505,1605 connect the lower ends of the shin portions 1504,1604 to respective feet 1506,1606 and allows the feet 1506,1606 to be pivotally movable about the joints. The construction of the lower limb thus allows the doll to mimic the movement of the human limbs.
Further, a coupling pin 1510,1610 extends from each foot 1506,1606. The coupling pin 1510,1610 is made of resilient material and is fork shape to movably couple the respective foot to a circular apertures 2010,2012 (see FIG. 9) formed on a part of the ‘L’ shaped housing 2000. The resilient nature of the coupling pin 1510,1610 facilitates the pin to be inserted into the apertures 2010,2012 by squeezing the pins 1510,1610, inserting the pins 1510,1610 through corresponding apertures 2010,2012 and then allowing the pins 1510,1610 to return to their original size so that the feet are movably coupled to the housing 2000.
FIG. 9 shows the ‘L’ shaped housing 2000 also made of ABS plastic material and which houses the driving mechanism 7000. The housing 2000 has a base 2002 forming the shorter horizontal portion of the “L” shape and a vertical support 2004. There are two apertures 2010,2012 for receiving the fork shaped pins 1519,1610 so that the feet are movable mounted to the base 2002. When the torso 1200 is in motion, there will be a lifting or floating effect of the doll 1000 causing the feet 1506,1606 to ‘tap’ on the base 2002, while the pin 1510,1610 alleviates the lower limbs 1500,1600 from shifting out of position.
The housing 2000 should be strong enough to support the doll 1000 as well as to house the driving mechanism 7000. Further, it is envisaged that the housing 2000 may be decorated so that it looks like a performance stage.
On the vertical support 2004 there are two rectangular openings 2006,2008 located behind the doll 1000 when positioned as shown in FIG. 1. The two rods 5300,5400 project through these openings 2006,2008 and guide the two upper limbs 1300,1400 for movement.
The driving mechanism 7000 (not shown) to drive the rods 5300,5400 is a conventional gear-train assembly driven by a DC electric motor capable of moving the rods 5300,5400 freely so as to control the movement of the upper limbs 1300,1400 to simulate movement of an actual human arm. The shaft 5200 supporting the torso 1200 projects from the vertical support 2004 to be inserted into the torso 1200. Any suitable gear-train mechanism is used to rotate this rod (A10) in a reciprocal manner. In this embodiment, there are five gear-train assemblies to drive different parts of the doll 1000. Two gear-train assemblies are used to drive each rod 5300,5400 to move the respective arms horizontally and vertically and one gear-train assembly to drive the shaft 5200 for the torso 1200. Preferably, the motor speed and gear ratios are matched to obtain desired range of speed required to allow the doll 1000 to mimic dance movements. As an example, cycle times of 120 and 80 respectively for horizontal and vertical arm motions, and 120 for torso movement are found to match well with many disco songs.
An advantage of projecting the guiding members from behind the doll 1000 allows easier manipulation of the arms 1300,1400. Further, with the driving mechanism 7000 housed behind the doll 1000, instead of beneath the doll 1000, simplifies the engineering design of the driving mechanism 7000.
FIG. 10 shows a remote control 3000 connected to the driving mechanism 7000 via a wire so that a user can control the movement of the limbs using the remote control 3000. The remote control 3000 has a plastic casing 3004 in an ergonomically designed shape and which houses control circuitry to receive user instructions, process these instructions and send control signals to the driving mechanism 7000 to drive the rods 5300,5400 and the shaft 5200 to make the doll 1000 dance.
On the face of the remote control 3000 protrudes buttons 3006 and LEDs 3008,3010 which function as a user interface to send instructions to the doll 1000 and to illustrate status of the doll 1000. Allowing a user to select and control the movement of the doll 1000, preferably in time with music being played provides means for a person to make the doll 1000 dance according to his or her creativity. The music is preferably provided by the user and thus the user can play any type of music he/she fancies whilst controlling the doll 1000 to create different dance patterns.

The function of each button is listed in Table A below:



LABEL	FUNCTION

C1	Press once to turn on power; LED 3008 will light up. Press again
	to turn off power; LED 3008 will turn off.
C2	Press once to enter into Demo mode. In this mode the controller
	will execute a pre-programmed sequence of dance steps; LED
	3010 will light up in this mode. Press again to exit Demo mode;
	3010 will turn off.
C3	Press once to make the right arm 1400 reciprocate on a vertical
	axis only. Press again to stop.
C4	Press once to make the right arm 1400 reciprocate on a
	horizontal axis only. Press again to stop.
C5	Press once to initiate both vertical and horizontal reciprocal
	movement for the right arm 1400. Press again to stop.
C6	Has the same function as C3 but used for left arm.
C7	Has the same function as C4 but used for left arm 1300.
C8	Has the same function as C5 but used for left arm 1300.
C9	Press once to make the torso 1200 reciprocate in a left-right
	manner. Press again to stop.
C10	Press once to bring all current motions of the doll 1000 to Slow
	mode. In this mode, all motors move at a common preset low
	speed (speed changeable by buttons C19 and C20).
C11	Press once to bring all current motions to Jog mode. In this
	mode the motors are toggled between moving and
	stationary state at 0.2 second interval producing
	a special visual effect.
C12	Press and hold to pause all motions. Release button to allow
	motions to resume.
C13	Press once to increase the speed of vertical motion of the arms
	1300, 1400 to the next higher predefined value.
C14	Press once to decrease the speed of vertical motion of the arms
	1300, 1400 to the next lower predefined value.
C15	Press once to increase the speed of horizontal motion of the arms
	1300, 1400 to the next higher predefined value.
C16	Press once to decrease the speed of horizontal motion of the
	arms 1300, 1400 to the next lower predefined value.
C17	Press once to increase the speed of the torso motion to the next
	higher predefined value.
C18	Press once to decrease the speed of the hip motion to the next
	lower predefined value.
C19	Press once to increase the speed during Slow mode to the next
	higher predefined value.
C20	Press once to decrease the speed during Slow mode to the next
	lower predefined value.

As described above, a user can use the various buttons 3006 on the remote control 3000 to control and create different dance patterns. Further the buttons C6 to C8, and C3 to C5 allow the user to create continuous movements of the arms 1300,1400.
These control instructions are then passed to a processing module 3012 as shown in the block diagram of the remote control 3000 shown in FIG. 11.
The processing module 3012 comprises an electronic processor which is capable of decoding the control instructions according to pre-programmed logic and sends the decoded information as commands to the electrical circuitry module 3014. Here, the electrical circuitry module 3014 provides power to move the mechanism in the desired manner according to the commands received from the processing module 3012. The power source is provided by the power adaptor 4000 shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 shows the doll in the assembled state with the guiding rods 5300,5400 in place to guide the arms 1300,1400 of the doll 1000. In use, when power is switched on, the user manipulates the remote control 3000 to control the movement of the doll 1000 creating different dance patterns in accordance with the music being played. For example, the user can select to alternate the torso 1200 and simultaneously forming S-shaped patterns with the hands 1306,1406 (buttons C5 and C8). The movement of the torso also creates movement of head 1100 and the legs 1500,1600 such that the feet 1506,1606 is caused to float and a “tapping” action can be created. It will be apparent that using the different movements of the arms and torso 1200, a host of different dance permutations can be created. Further, the sequence of movement can also be controlled thus increasing the possibilities of creating different dance movements and at different speeds (Slow/Jog).
Alternatively, the user can use the “demo” button C2 which provides demonstration of the various coordinated movements of the arms 1300,1400 and the torso 1200 to create dance patterns. The “demo” button C2 sends pre-determined instructions to the electrical circuitry to drive the motor and the driving mechanism 7000 to set the doll in motion by moving the guiding rods 5300,5400 and the shaft 5200 according to pre-determined movements to create dance patterns.
The described embodiment should not be construed as limitative. For example, the housing 2000 can be in any suitable shape, not necessary L-shape. The doll 1000 shown mounted in FIG. 1 is unclothe but it is apparent that the doll 1000 can be nicely clothe and the housing 2000 decorated to appeal to its targeted buyers.
Further, in the described embodiment, the guiding members are not connected to the lower limbs 1500,1600 (i.e. the legs). However, it should be apparent that this is also possible to create controlled movements of the legs as well. Thus, the remote control 3000 may include means operable by the user for selecting a desired movement of the legs 1500,1600. In addition, the legs 1500,1600 may also be stretchable and compressible similar to the arms 1300,1400 thereby allowing the legs to create lively movements just like the arms.
The doll assembly 1 may further include a sound producing device which produces different melodies or music. This obviates a need to have an external source for producing music and the user can play with the doll 1 as and when he or she desires. Further, the remote control 3000 can be adapted to include means for selecting different music and melodies from the sound producing device.
In the preferred embodiment, a human-looking doll is used but the doll may be in the form of a toy bear, toy dinosaur, or some other suitable characters.
Having now fully described the invention, it should be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications can be made hereto without departing from the scope as claimed.

Claims

1: A doll assembly comprising

a doll including two stretchable and/or compressible arms having elbows, and

a moving device operable to guide movement of each of the two arms, wherein a resilient joint is formed at the elbow of each of the two arms.

2-5. (canceled)

6: A doll assembly according to claim 1, wherein the resilient joint is formed using a spring member.

7: A doll assembly according to claim 6, wherein the moving device comprises first and second guiding members connected to the respective arms.

8: A doll assembly according to claim 7, wherein the guiding members are slidably connected to the arms.

9: A doll assembly according to claim 8, herein each arm has an elongate opening arranged to receive a part of the respective guiding members, each guiding member being slidable along the opening.

10: A doll assembly according to claim 9, wherein each guiding member has a spherical member formed on the part receive in the respective openings to guide the movement of said guiding member.

11: A doll assembly according to claim 10, wherein the moving device comprises means for moving the first and second guiding members to move the arms in a continuous pattern.

12: A doll assembly according to claim 10, wherein the moving device comprises means for moving the first and second guiding member to move the arms independently.

13: A doll assembly according to claim 10, wherein the doll has a torso, the moving device comprising a third guiding member connected to the doll's torso.

14: A doll assembly according to claim 13, wherein the moving device comprises means for rotating the third guiding member to alternate the torso between two points.

15: A doll assembly according to claim 14, wherein the moving device comprises means for moving at least two guiding members simultaneously.

16: A doll assembly according to claim 15, wherein the doll has a head, and a neck joint connecting the head movable to the torso.

17: A doll assembly according to claim 16, wherein the neck joint includes a resilient member arranged to bias the head and torso towards each other.

18: A doll assembly according to claim 17, further including a support member connected to the head, the support member arranged to pivot the head at a point when the torso is being alternated.

19: A doll assembly according to claim 18, further comprising a housing to house part of the moving device.

20: A doll assembly according to claim 19, wherein the housing has a base support and an elongate support connected to the base support to form a L-shaped housing.

21: A doll assembly according to claim 20, wherein the doll has legs, the legs being movably mounted on the base support of the housing.

22: A doll assembly according to claim 21, wherein the legs have feet, each foot having a male member extending underside of the foot, the male members being arranged to be received in holes formed on the base support.

23: A doll assembly according to claim 22, wherein the elongate support of the housing is located behind the doll, the or each guiding member being arranged to project from the elongate support to be connected to respective parts of the doll.

24: A doll assembly according to claim 23, further comprising a controller arranged to remotely control the moving device to selectively control respective guiding members to move the doll.

25: A doll assembly comprising

a doll having at least one arm,

a guiding member connected externally to the at least one arm,

an electromechanical device arranged to control the guiding member to move the said wherein the at least one arm includes a resilient member.

26: A doll assembly according to claim 25, wherein the doll has two arms, each arm being stretchable and/or compressible.

27: A doll assembly according to claim 26, wherein each arm includes a resilient member.

28: A doll assembly according to claim 27, wherein the resilient member is in the form of a spring.

29: A doll assembly according to claim 25, further comprising two guiding members, each guiding member being slidably connected to each arm.

30: A doll assembly according to claim 29, wherein the doll has a torso, and the doll assembly further comprises a third guiding member connected to the doll's torso, the electromechanical device arranged to control said guiding member to alternate the doll's torso between two points.

31: A doll assembly according to claim 30, wherein the doll includes legs and feet, the feet movably coupled to a base support.

32: A doll assembly according to claim 30, further comprising a controller operable by a user and being arranged to control the electromechanical device to selectively move the arms and/or torso.

33: A doll assembly comprising

a doll having at least one limb,

a guiding member connected externally to the at least one limb,

a driving mechanism arranged to control the guiding member to move the said at least one limb, and

a remote control operable by a user and being operatively coupled to the driving mechanism to selectively move the at least one limb remotely, wherein the at least one limb is stretchable and/or compressible and includes a resilient joint.

34: A doll assembly according to claim 33, wherein the at least one limb is stretchable and compressible.

35: A doll assembly according to claim 34, wherein the doll has two limbs in the form of arms, both arms including a resilient joint.

36: A doll assembly according to claim 35, wherein the each of the arms includes an elbow and the resilient joint is located at each arm's elbow.

37: A doll assembly according to claim 36, wherein the doll has a torso, the doll assembly further comprising a guiding member connected to the doll's torso.

38: A doll assembly according to claim 37, wherein the driving mechanism is arranged to drive the guiding members to move the torso and the arms simultaneously.

39: A doll assembly according to claim 37, wherein the remote control comprises means for selecting a desired movement of the torso.

40: A doll assembly according to claim 37, wherein the remote control comprises means for selecting a desired movement of at least one of the arms.

41: A doll assembly according to claim 37, wherein the remote control comprises means for selectively moving at least one of the arms horizontally with respect to the height of the doll.

42: A doll assembly according to claim 37, wherein the remote control comprises means for selectively moving at least one of the arms vertically with respect to the height of the doll.

43: A doll assembly according to claim 37, wherein the remote control comprises means for controlling speed of movement of the arms and/or torso.

44: A doll assembly comprising

a doll having a head, a torso, and a neck joint connecting the head to the torso; the neck joint including a resilient member arranged to bias the head and the torso towards each other, and a moving device operable to alternate the torso between two points.

45: A doll assembly according to claim 44, wherein the resilient member includes a spring member.

46. (canceled)

47: A doll assembly according to claim 44, further comprising a support member connected to the head, the support member arranged to pivot the head at a point when the torso is being alternated.