US2466278A

US2466278A - Plastic doll's eye and method of making same

Info

Publication number: US2466278A
Application number: US736784A
Authority: US
Inventors: Rupert Richard
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-03-24
Filing date: 1947-03-24
Publication date: 1949-04-05
Anticipated expiration: 1966-04-05

Description

PLASTIC DOLLS EYE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed March 24, 1947 x 2/- 9 /Z 151% L 2- 24 Ihwcutor 2f fiw/mra Rape/'1.

- GftorneJS Patented Apr. 5, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PLASTIC DOLLS EYE AND METHOD or" AKING SAME Richard Rupert, Independence, Mo. Application March 24, 1947, Serial No. 736,784 2 Claims. (01. 46-165) This invention relates to dolls eyes and method of making same,, and more particularly to a device shaped to form the eyes for dolls, toy animals and the like. Artificial eyes for dolls,

toy animals, and for use in fur pieces and the like are usually made of glass or glass and metal pieces assembled on a pin for insertion in the body of the doll or the like. The eyes for the dolls receive rough usage, and children tend to pick at the eyes, and in dropping or otherwise playing with the doll the eyes are sometimes struck, causing breakage of the portion forming the eyeball, and quite often the glass and metal portions become separated showing the eye.

The objects of the present invention are, therefore, to provide a plastic eye of a plurality of colored pieces for dolls and the like; to provide a plastic head for a pin and the like .to form an eye for use in dolls and toys; to provide a plastic head for a pin having a plurality of colored pieces assembled and formed into an integral structure; to provide a method of forming plastic parts of a dolls eye, applying same to the head of a common pin, assembling the .parts, and shaping said assembly into an integral pinhead; to provide the method of forming a plastic eye whereby the cornea portion is of different color than the plastic forming the eyeball; and to provide a plastic dolls eye that is easily formed and. which is characterized by its simple, unbreakable construction, economy of manufacture and attractive appearance.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the present invention, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dolls eye embodying the features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the eye with the pin inserted in the doll or other structure.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the plastic portions of the dolls eye, said portion being shown in disassembled relation.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the ball portion of the eye showing the concentric recesses for receiving the cornea .portion of said eye.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through the dolls eye illustrating the assembly of the parts thereof before the final forming operation.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view through a d-olls eye in a mold for reshaping the eye for retaining the cornea portion in place.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates a plastic dolls eye consisting of an eyeball portion 2 having concentric therewith a cornea portion 3, preferably of contrasting color with the eyeball 2. The eye also includes a pin 4 for insertion into the head 5 of a doll, toy animal and the like.

The eyeball portion is molded of a suitable plastic, for example, cellulose acetate butyrate, which may be reshaped by suitable application of pressure after the ball is molded. The dolls eye preferably is constructed of a plurality of plastic members of different color, for example, the ball portion may be amber and the cornea portion black. The eyeball 2 is preferably molded of cellulose acetate butyrate, and in the illustrated form-preferably has a flat face 6 terminating in a bevelled edge 1, the outer face 8 thereof being of substantially spherical contour. Located in the outer face and concentric therewith is a recess 9 of substantially half the depth of the eyeball, the peripheral edges I0 and H of said recess converging or sloping toward the axis of the eyeball from the greatest diameter l2 of the recess which is spaced inwardly from the outer edge I3 thereof. A bore I4 concentric with the eyeball and recess 9 extends through the eyeball and is of such diameter as to receive the shank l5 0f the pin 4. The bottom face It of the recess 9 is provided with a counterbore ll, of suitable diameter to receive the head N3 of the pin 4, the depth of the counterbore I! being substantially the same as the thickness of the head [8.

The cornea of the eye is molded separately and may be of any suitable material and is preferably of cellulose acetate butyrate and of a different color than the eyeball. The cornea 3 preferably has opposite faces l9 and 20 of substantially spherical contour, substantially of the same radius as the face '8 of the eyeball, the peripheral edge 2| being of a diameter substantially the same as the diameter l2 of the recess 9 and provided with

bevelled faces

22 and 23 converging toward the axis of the cornea member, the bevel of the

faces

22 and 23 being substantially the same as the faces l0 and II respectively of the recess 9. It is to be noted that the faces l9 and 20 and the

bevels

22 and 23 are substantially the same, whereby the cornea is reversible, and the spacing between the faces I9 and 20 is such that when the bevel 23 is seated on the bevel ll of the recess 9, the face [9 will conform substantially to the contour of the face 8 of the eyeball portion.

The

members

2 and 3 are molded separately and of the desired color of plastic. Then the eyeball member 2 is seated in a recess 24 of a mold 25. The pin 4 may then be inserted in the member 2 in such a manner that the shank l5 extends through the aperture l4 into a suitable aperture 26 of said mold, the head ii! of the pin seating in the recess I! of the eyeball member 2. The cornea is then placed on the edges l3 of the recess 9, for example the bevelled face 23 resting on the edge It, and pressure applied to the face IQ of the cornea member to snap same into the recess 9, pressure being required to place the cornea in said recess due to the relative sizes of the cornea member and the diameter of the recess at the edge 13, When the cornea is snapped' into the recess 9 and the face 23 resting on the face H, a plunger 21 having a recess 28 therein of the contour of the finished eye is moved down. wardly into engagement with the eyeball 2 and cornea 3 and pressure applied thereto to shape the eye l3 and force the bevelled face H! of the member 2 into engagement with the edge "22 'of the cornea 3, in such a manner that the face '8 and face [9 appear to be substantially continuous. After the shaping of the

members

2 and 3, the plunger 21 is retracted and the eye member removed from the mold, the eye member then being ready for use in dolls, toy animals and the like.

It is believed obvious that I have provided an improved eye for dolls and the like that is substantially unbreakable, and provided with a sequence of method steps for forming same from a plurality of pieces of contrasting colors, yet present a smooth, integral appearance.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

1. A dolls eye consisting of the combination of an oblate member of semitransparent plastic material to simulate the eyeball, said member having a concentric recess in the front face thereof, said recess terminating in. an inwardly sloping seat portion, a plastic cornea member of different color seated in said recess, said cornea having bevelled peripheral edges and curved opposite faces corresponding in curvature to the front face of the oblate member, one of said bevelled edges seating on the seat portion of the recess, the outer edges of said recess extending over and engaging the other bevelled edge of the cornea member to retain same in said recess, a pin having its head mounted in the oblate member, and a shank extending rearwardly thereof for securing the eye in a doll.

2. A dolls eye consisting of the combination of an oblate member of semitransparent plastic material to represent the eyeball, said member having a central bore therethrough and a plurality of counterbores therein forming recesses, the counterbore adjacent the front face of said eye being the larger and having an inwardly sloping frusto-conical seat portion at the inner end thereof, a pin having the head thereof in the counterbore remote from the front face and the shank extending through the bore of the eyeball member, and a plastic cornea memberof different color seated in the larger counterbore, said cornea member having opposite faces of substantially spherical contour cor-responding to the curvature of the oblate member, said faces terminating in 'frusto-conical peripheral edges one of which seats on the seat portion of the counterbore, the outer edge of the counterbo're engaging the other frust-o-ccnical peripheral edge of the cornea member to hold same in place with the curvatm'e of the face of the cornea member forming a continuation of the curvature 'of the oblate member.

' RICHARD RUPERT.

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