US2526786A - Hobbyhorse - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 24, 1950 w Y 2,526,786

HQBBYHORSE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 21, 1949 I INVENTOR. MINNA JFK- HITNEY flTTORNEY Patented Oct. 24, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOBBYHORSE Minna R. Whitney, Upperville, Va.

Application June 21, 1949, Serial No. 100,503

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to hobby-horses for children and, particularly, to a type that may be applied to thigh and knee portions of the leg of a person, when in a sitting position, and juggled up and down by that person to simulate horse-back riding especially while a child is seated on the hobby-horse.

While a great variety of hobby-horseshave been previously proposed, so far as applicant is aware, none has been provided for very small children, of an age capable of only sitting, and it has long been the practice of adults to bounce them on their knee, while perhaps reciting nursery rhymes, such as Banbury Cross, etc, to simulate horse-back ridingall this without the stimulus and excitement that is provided by a physical form representing a horse or other animal.

It is the broad object of the present invention to supply such stimulus and excitement for the child (and perhaps the adult) by the provision of a dummy comprising the head, neck and shoulder portions of an animal, the shoulder portion being rearwardly extended to provide a seat or straddle upon which the child may sit astride and having a longitudinal cavity at its underside to receive the knee and thigh of a seated person.

A further object of this invention is to provide a dummy of the character mentioned which is fashioned of a mass of soft yieldable material devoid of any rigid or hard elements in any portion of the figure (other than stirrups which may be of rubber and may be removable or which may be omitted), the body portion being rearwardly extended a sufficient distance beyond the withers of the dummy to provide a seat or straddle portion upon which a child may sit astride and the body portion having a longitudinal cavity on its underside and of sufiicient depth to receive the knee and thigh of a seated person with the sides of said cushion mass embracing the sides of the knee and thigh of the person on which the dummy is placed, the sides extending deeply downwardly and being flexible so that when a child is seated on the dummy properly supported, the knees of the child will naturally press the said downwardl extending sides against the support and thus make a gripping engagement of the dummy against the support and prevent inadvertent or accidental slipping of the dummy on the support.

Other objects and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawings, in

which latter like characters of reference refer to similar and like parts through the several views. In the drawings, which illustrate the invention as it is now devised:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the improved hobby-horse of the present invention as it may be applied in one position on the thigh and knee portion of a seated person and upon which a child may sit or ride;

Figure 2 is a rear end view of the hobby-horse shown in Fig. 1, but not applied to the leg of a person;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail view showing one manner of securing a tail to the rear of the toy and which may provide a handle to steady the toy and insure its being held in place on the knee;

Figure 5 illustrates a modification in the construction at the breast of the to animal; and

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate different manners in which the hobby-horse of the invention may be used.

The form of the animal illustrated in the drawing has the characteristics of a horse, but it is within the purview and contemplation of this invention that the form of the dummy may be that of other animals; and the term hobby-horse is used merely as a convenience of expression for the dummy employed and not as a limiting term.

More specifically described, the invention employs an animal dummy, and comprising at least the head, neck and shoulder portions H, N and S, respectively, of the animal simulated, constructed of light-weight material, such as textile cloth, molded plastic material, sheet plastic or sheet rubber just to mention a fe as examples. When made of air pervious sheet material a, which provides the outer contour surfaces, the dummy is stuffed with a suitable stuffing material s so as to give the dummy form and the necessary rigidity; but when the outer surface of the dummy is of an air-impervious material a, such as plastic or rubber sheeting, the dummy may be given form and rigidity by inflating it with air, a suitable air-valve 1) (Fig. 6) being provided for this purpose. However, in allcases, the head H and neck N are to have suflicient rigidity with adjacent parts of the shoulder portion S as to be selfsustaining when in use, as shown, while the lower neck or breast portion 7) and the shoulder portion in the seat area are yieldably flexible, as will be pointed out. Of course, it is understood also that the dummy may be molded or otherwise fashioned into form or shape by the use of very light material now on the market, such as sponge or foam rubber and certain types of plastics, as examples.

In any event, the neck portion end of the dummy should include the upper portion of the breast b and the shoulder portion S is extended rearwardly of the neck portion N for a distance, as seen in the drawing, to complete the contour of the simulated animal so as to provide a seat IQ for the child to the rear of the head and neck portion. This seat I!) may take the form of a saddle H and interposed between the saddle and the material a or a may be the representation of a saddle cloth or pad I2. It is preferred that stirrups l3 hang from the seat or saddle in proper location. To this end, a stirrup strap [4 is interposed between the seat and saddle cloth, and has its ends hanging from each side of the dummy with its end portions looped through the stirrups l3 and may be adjustable through means of a buckle IS. The head of the dummy may be bridled, as at 16, with suitable reins ll extending from the bit of the bridle to the seat portion l0.

As shown in Figure 2, the shoulder and neck portions are hollowed to form a deep cavity l8 on the underside of the dummy. -This:cavity extends longitudinally through the dummy-from the rear of the seat ID forwardly to the breastportion b, and is open at the underside andrear end of the dummy so that it may be conveniently placed over and about the knee and forward-thigh portion of a person, when inseatedposition, as shown in Fig. 1. When soapplied, as shown in Fig. l, the breast portion b. extends over and about the knee of the person, thewvalls of .the

. breast portion acting as a stop and the. sidesof the shoulder-portions and breastportion extending downwardly for a distance to envelope-or embrace the knee and sides of the thigh (onother similar support as-shown in Fig. .7) so that-when in use, the knees of a child sitting on the dummy will normally press said-sides .of-theshou-lder and breast portion against the object on which the dummy is supported and cause the dummy to grip the support from oppositesides andprevent inadvertent or accidental slipping of the dummy on the support.

The breast portion may be divided vertically,.as particularly shownin Figs. 1,. 2 and 3, bya slit I9 having its edges held in substantiallyclosed position by an elastic means .20 which has its ends secured to opposite sides of the slit. The resiliency or elasticity of the elasticmeans 20 func tions forthe purpose of allowingthe breastportion I) to expand and tightly grip about the knee of the person upon which'the dummy is applied.

In Fig. is illustrated a modification of the resilient or elastic means 2-9, whereinit is made of two elastic strips-a andZGb connected by disconnectible and adjustable means 2 i (such as abutton and button-holes) ,thus enabli-ng-theuser to adjust the breastportion b tomore suitabl fit the size of his or her knee or, when disconnected, to permit the dummy to be usedin the'position shown in Fig. 6 so that the childmay facelthe person who is playing hobby-horse with him.

' This may be particularly desirable inzthe case of 'fit against the knee and be retained in that position.

While this hobby-horse is particularly designed to insure the gripping of the knee or other object on which the dummy will be used, the walls of the cavity [8 may be provided with a layer 24 of sponge rubber or other roughenedsur-facematerial such-as velvet'or the like.

within the scope of the appended claims.

That which is claimed as new is:

1. An animal dummy comprising a mass of material fashioned to simulate the head, neck and shoulder part of an animal, said mass consisting entirely of soft material, the headand neck portions at least being sulficiently rigid to be self-sustaining, the shoulder portion extending uninterruptedly for a distance rearwardly of the neck portion and forming a seat on its upper surface, the shoulder portion and the lower portion of the neck portion of said mass of softmaterial having a relatively deep longitudinal cavity on their underside, said cavity being open atlits rear end and closed at its forward end and formin deeply downwardly extending yieldable front end and side portions extending the length of said dummy and adapted to fit over and around the thigh and knee ofa person in sitting position or other similar support.

2. A dummy, as set forth in .claim 1, wherein there is an opening extending upwardly fromthe lower edge of said neck at its front and a strip of resilient material connected to the material on opposite sides of the opening, whereby, when the masses of the material on. opposite sides ,of the opening are spread apart as when the dummy is placed on the said support, said resilient material resiliently pulls and holds the material extending downwardly at the opposite sides of the neck portion into gripping and holding engagement against said support.

3. An animal dummy of v the character described having head, neck, breast and shoulder portions having their surfaces merging and joined together and together simulating the head, neck, breast, opposite shoulders, opposite sides and back of an animal, such as a horse; the breast portion being a downward extension of the front of the neck portion and being bifurcated, the opposite shoulder portions joining and merging along the back of the dummy and extending rearwardly from the opposite sides of the neck and breast portions and being spaced apart, and a resilient tie joined to and pulling the bifurcated parts of the breast portion, and thereby the side portions, togetherand against oppositesides of an appropriate support straddled by said side portions,

whereby the dummy is self-gripped to the support against sidewise rotational slipping thereon.

4. An animal dummy, as set forth in claim 3 composed entirely of a mass of soft flexible material self-sustaining in its shape.

MINNA; R. WHITNEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record. in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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