US2622366A

US2622366A - Oscillating toy

Info

Publication number: US2622366A
Application number: US124558A
Authority: US
Inventors: Abplanalp Arthur
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1948-11-01
Filing date: 1949-10-31
Publication date: 1952-12-23
Anticipated expiration: 1969-12-23
Also published as: GB646906A

Description

Dec. 23, 1952 A, ABPLANALP 2,622,366

OSCILLATING TOY Filed Oct. 3l, 1949 /NVENTO/Q 1 lL-, ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 23, 1952 UNITED STATES Application October 31, 1949, Serial No. 124,558 In Great Britain November 1, 1948 4 Claims.

This invention relates to toys.

The object of the invent-ion is to provide an amusing and attractive toy which can be simply and cheaply produced.

With this object in view a toy made according to the invention comprises a resilient metal strip shaped to simulate a gure, means for fixedly anchoring said strip at one end, said means comprising a support and a looped member secured to said support, one end of said strip engaging freely so as to be detachably retained in said looped member, a magnet mounted on the other end of said metal strip, and means connected to said metal strip for oscillating said strip about its fixed anchorage, whereby said magnet can be -caused to pick up a metal object from a surface adjacent to the xed anchorage.

The resilient member may be shaped to simulate a figure, the end carrying the magnet being shaped to suit the figure.

The resilient member may .comprise a metal strip or a coil of wire, or it may be made partly of resilient material and partly of non-resilient or rigid material, but so that it is iiexible as a whole.

The resilient member may be made to simulate an animal, e. g. a bird, and the magnet may be made to simulate the animals mouth, e. g. a birds beak, or an extension thereof. Two magnets may be provided forming, respectively, the upper and lower parts of the open mouth or beak, or extensions thereof.

The metal objects to be picked up may also have the outline of animals, e. g. iishes, and may be spread out in a box or container simulating the natural habitat of such animals, e. g. in the case of shes the box or container may simulate a pond.

The accompanying drawing illustrates how the invention may be carried into eiect. Referring to the drawing a thin metal strip Tse in width is bent so as to form' a substantially horizontal end or base portion ||l1 and an upwardly extending arcuate body portion ||l2 which towards its other or top end is bent backwards into a loop I (i3, the free end then extending forwardly somewhat beyond the closed loop and being force-tted into a slit in the rear end of a piece of wood l I, which is shaped and painted to simulate the head of a bird, e. g., a duck, having an open beak l2. Two bar magnets I3, |13 are secured respectively to the top and bottom parts of the open beak and project in front thereof. The arcuate body portion |02 of the metal strip has attached thereto and on the outside thereof, a feather or the like I5, to cause this portion to simulate the feathered body of a bird.

A short metal strip l5 of similar width is riveted at one end to the main flexible strip adjacent to the base portion HG1 thereof over which it extends. This short strip I6 is bent upwards at an acute angle to the base portion and is referred to hereafter as the operating strip.

The device above described is detachably mounted on a base i7 to which issecured a metal plate I8, screwed at its four corners to the base. Opposite sides ci the metal plate are in contact with the base, but the central part of the plate is raised slightly above the surface of the base just sufficiently to allow the base portion |01 of the resilient member to be forcibly inserted between the metal plate i8 and base Il, the operating strip I6 then extending over the metal plate.

With the particular form of the device above described, the objects to be picked up by the magnet beak of the device are metal blanks 2E! having the outline for example, of fishes, which may be contained in a container simulating, for example, a pond, or which may be placed freely on a table or like surface.

In use, the container with the metal blanks therein, or the metal blanks when not in a container, is placed adjacent to the base plate l1 and so that when the head swings down it will enter the container, or will be disposed over the metal blanks on the table. The operating strip is then repeatedly depressed and produces an oscillation of the resilient strip about its anchorage to the base. After a few oscillations the magnet beak will approach, or impinge on the metal blanks, one or more of which will be attracted to and magnetically retained on the magnet beak. In the drawing the normal position of the toy is shown in full lines, and the two end positions of an oscillation are shown in broken lines.

The actual construction of the device may be modified in many ways. Thus, in one modification, the resilient member comprises a closely coiled wire with a suitably shaped rigid head piece. In another modiii-cation the resilient member comprises a lower part of metal strip, a rigid shaped body part, e. g. of plywood, a neck portion comprising a closely coiled wire, and a shaped rigid head piece.

Other forms of operating members may also be provided, or the oscillation may be set up by digital pressure on the back of the flexible member, no special operating member then being necessary.

Playing with the toy will teach children to apply the operating pressure in rhythm with the natural period of oscillation of the resilient member, and skill in the use of the game can be determined by the time taken to pick up all the metal objects.

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

1. An oscillating toy comprising a resilient metal strip shaped to simulate a ligure, means for xedly anchoring said strip at one end, said means comprising a support and a looped member secured to said support, one end of said strip engaging freely so as to be detachably retained in said looped member, magnet means mounted at the other end of said metal strip and operating means connected to said metal strip for oscillating said strip about its fixed anchorage, whereby said magnet means can be caused to pick up a metal object from a surface `adjacent to the iixed anchorage.

2. A toy as claimed in claim 1 further cornprising a head piece simulating the head of an animal and forming an extension of the end of said metal strip on which said magnet means are mounted, said magnet means being arranged to simulate the animals mouth or beak.

3. A toy as claimed in claim 1 in which said metal strip is shaped to simulate a birds body 4 and further comprising a head piece simulating the head of a bird and forming an extension of the end of said metal strip on which said magnet means are mounted, said magnet means comprising two magnets fixed in the headpiece so as to simulate the upper and lower parts of a birds beak.

4. A toy according to claim 1 in which said operating means comprises an operating strip xed at one end to the resilient metal strip adjacent the end thereof which engages in said looped member, the opposite end of said operating strip being depressible to oscillate the resilient metal strip about its fixed anchorage.

ARTHUR ABPLANALP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the i-lle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 278,461 Screven May 29, 1883 932,988 Larson Aug. 3l, 1909 1,422,075 Aronson July 11, 1922 1,833,421 Hose Nov. 24, 1931 2,277,672 Stone Mar. 31, 1942 2,484,343 Hawes Oct. 11, 1949