US2633667A

US2633667A - Winking sounding doll

Info

Publication number: US2633667A
Application number: US27338A
Authority: US
Inventors: Brown Ethan Allen; Chester W Johnson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1948-05-15
Filing date: 1948-05-15
Publication date: 1953-04-07
Anticipated expiration: 1970-04-07

Description

April 7 953 E. BROWN ETAL 2,633,667

WINKING SOUNDING DOLL Filed May 15, 1948 2 Sl-lEETS-Sl-IEET 1 I 71/716 21/50 2 6 Ethan CHZZHYZ Brawn, 0716s 23m W Johnson pril 7, 53 E. A. BROWN ETAL 2,633,667

WINKING SOUNDING DOLL Filed May 15, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 v l I I I I I I I I I I In Int/871 50 2': .EZhan (HZZenBro wn CheaterWJaFvnson.

b yhw, Wu-.4004 d M Patented Apr. 7, 1953 WINKING SOUNDING DOLL Ethan Allen Brown, Boston, and Chester W.

Johnson, Bridgewater, Mass.

Application May 15, 1948, Serial No. 27,338

8 Claims.

portion of the torso broken away to show the operating mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the head of the doll showing the removable portion to which a portion of the operating mechanism may be applied;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the head of the doll showing the operating mechanism therein;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the head of the doll; V

Fig. 6 is a front elevation showing the two small electric light bulbs by which the eye-winking simulation is created;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the said two electric-light bulbs;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the mechanism for controlling the lighting of said bulbs and for producing the inarticulate sounds, and including functioning arms which are shown as positioned at the beginning of their five-minute period;

Fig. 9 is a view generally similar to Fig. 8, but showing the functioning arms of the controlling mechanism in a dififerent position, namely, at the position they occupy at the termination of the five-minute period;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the-spring motor and'of the sound producing arm and the two light controlling arms;

Fig. 11 is a side elevation similar to the upper portion of Fig. 10, but with the arms in a different position;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of the two lightcontrolling arms and of the conducting disk whereon they travel;

Fig. 13 is an inside view of the detachable portion of the head of the doll and representing the electric batteries secured to said detachable portion;

Fig. 14 is a side view partly in vertical section of the construction shown in Fig. 13; and v Fig. 15 is a diagrammatic viewof the wiring circuitwherein said two electric light bulbs and the batteries are included.

While the specific embodiment of the invention herein illustrated is a doll having electrically controlled means for creating the simulation of winking eyes and for producing sound, preferably inarticulate, the invention may be and desirably is adapted to other uses in toys or like devices, and wherein there is provided a source of electrical current, a circuit extending therefrom, a motor, which is preferably a spring motor, a disk-like member having a controlling or functioning track thereon, an arm in said circuit to engage and travel along the track of said member, operating connections from said motor to cause relative traveling functioning movement of said disk-like member and of said arm, an electric-light bulb and means to cause very frequent interruptions of said electric light so as to convey a series of signals. Instead of employing said arm to cause light signals, we may provide a sound wave producer and means controlled by the arm to cause very frequent interruptions of the sound waves, thereby to create a series of sound signals. We may and preferably do provide at least two arms, one of which controls the illumination of the electric light by interrupting the same at very frequent intervals, so as to convey a series of signals, and another arm is connected with the sound Wave reproducer tocreate a series of sounds, and we may and preferably do, when producing light signals and sound signals, provide means to synchronize the light flashes and the sound waves. Q

The construction just set forth is actually fully embodied in the mechanism of the doll shown in the drawings, as will be subsequently explained, but the mechanism above described may be used, for example, in a toy electric railroad for flashing on and off signal lights and for starting and stopping the trains; or the mechanism may be used for a telegraph buzzer in a toy boat to send audible Morse code signals as the boat sails around; or the mechanism may be used for. a Morse ticker kit with various cut and spaced disks to give audible buzz of the letters A to Z or" the Morse coda-so that a beginner may easily learn the code by accompanying the device with a hand-operated key, or the hand key may be incorporated as part of the device. Such apparatus would be something more than a toy because of its educational value. :Thus itwill be seen that the herein disclosed invention may be embodied in many different apparatus for controlling signal lights or for controlling audiblesounds or signals or for synchroacsaee'r nizing both light signals and sound signals, when both are employed.

Referring now to the single illustration or embodiment of the invention, a doll, to which the invention is herein shown as applied, is indicated at I in Figs. 1 and 2, the arms and the legs being broken away to save space. The head of the doll is indicated at 2 in Figs. 1 to 5. The doll is made of any suitable material and may be made in dif-* ferent sizes, as, for example, alarge size of twenty-eight to thirty inches, or a smaller size of twenty inches, or some other suitable size. large doll is used, there may be batteries only. in the torso thereof. size doll, use two batteries in the headand twoin the torso, connected in series, or we'm'ay in suitable sized dolls use a battery, or batteries only in the head thereof. In any case'the motor is in the torso, and it is herein indicated generally at 3 in Fig. 2. It is mounted in any suitable manner. Themotor is preferably. a spring motor and iswound' by a key ii A'tthe front'of the torso there is'a plate or member 5, shown in Fig. 1;,

and which is secured to the body of the' doll by any suitable fastening means,.as at four points indicated at 6. In Fig. 2 the parts are'n'ot sufiiciently broken away. to show the actual mounting ofthe springmotor 3'upon the plate or member 5. Referringv next to the. structure of the head,

there is provided at the back thereof a replaceably" removablepiece [shown in inside view and in" section in Figs. 13 and 14.

Desirably the removable section 7 is provided with one or more edge pins or'proje'ctions'8- to be fitted intothe main portion of the head in such manner as to hold'the removable section" 1 in place, there being employed, if desired, aisecuring' shown in Fig. '7, and also'in position in' 'Fig. 4. Be-

tween-the said two small electric -light bulbs l5, IB is provided a transversely extending partiticn I! that is opaque so that the light rays are separately conveyed to the upper-portions:andto the lower portionsof the two eyes. it, Hi. That is-to say, .thelight rays from the upper electric light bulb- I5 are conveyed only toithe upper half or portionof both of the said: two: eyes and the light rays irom the-lower electric light bulb. 16' are-conveyed only to the lower-portion of both of the-two eyes. For convenience of construction, thetwo light bulbs l5' and 16 are carried on a flat platelike member Ha,- which is received under cleats [1b at opposite edges of the partition ll, so that the two bulbs l5, 16,.with their attached member, Ila, slide inand out on the partition ll when it is desired to remove or replace-the-said bulbs. 80 long as the operating mechanism is running, the lower electric-light bulb I6 is constantly illuminated, so that continuous light rays issue through the lower portions of both of the two eyes. The illumination oftheupper bulb l5 which transmits its rays only through the upper portionsof bothofthe two eyes is, however, constantly. interrupted'for short,-preferably regular intervals, as, for example, every. one or two see- We may, in using'a' medium In order to create the" simulation of onds so long as the mechanism is in operation. This creates a very effective simulation of winking, the illusion being produced by interrupting the light rays through the upper portions of both eyes.

As will be explained in detail, we provide means including a disk record, shown in detail in Figs. 8 and 9, for causing the constant illumination of thedmvei' bulb It; and the very frequent interruptions in the'illumination-of the upperv bulb l5, and we provide means for producing sounds to issue from the doll and apparently through the mouth-thereof, which sounds are desirably inarticul'ate, as, for example, a sort of cooing, gurgling or other low sound, and preferably, as will be described," we" provide means for synchronizing the soundsandthe winking, so that the sounds are produced when the eyes seem to wink, and when the eyes: seem to be both closed and unwinking, the sound ceases.

In order toproduce and control the eye-winking and the sounds,,there is provided upon'the upper portion of the spring. motor, viewingFig:

10, a plate or flat member 18, upon which is se-' cured a record disk icof the usual material of which sound records are formed and which; as shown in Figs. 8 vand ihflis provided with grooves or formations 2tto create the sounds? and inter-- vening spaces 2i at whichno' sound waves are created. The driven shaft" 22 of the" motor "has secured upon the upper end thereof, viewing Figs. 10 and 11, or the inner end thereof, viewing Fig. 2, an arm 23 having a sound reproducer. 24 provided with a'needle 25 to engage the'soun'dtrackifl, 2|. The arm 23 constituting a pick up" member has the necessary up-and-down vibration, being, pivoted for that purpose, as indicated at it, and provided with a spring 2lto keep the needle 25 in contact with the sound track 20,'2l. arm-Bis provided with a hollow tube 28 by which the sound waves are carried to a small horn- 29 from which the sound issues as through the mouth-of the doll.

Also secured upon the said motor shaft 22 are two

metallic arms

38, 3| having upon"their'lower is. represented in Figs. 8 and 9 by a series of holes or. openings. 33" with intervening unbroken surfaces 34. So. long as the arm tfl'travels along itstrack 33, Be, the light rays from the electriclight bulb l5 are very frequently interrupted,

namely, at the. holes or openings 33 but notat theinterveningspaces 34.

The act of winking in a human being is'caused by the closing. down or theupper' eye lids and the quick lifting of them. The simulation of winking (that is, the" apparent closing down of the upper eye lids of the doll and the apparent quick lifting of'the dolls upper eye lids) is accomplished by each of the holes 33" for as the projectionor pin on the lower side of the arm 3flIentersany hole the light rays cease from the upper bulb I5, thu's'simulating theshutting of the dollseyelids, and when. that pin emerges from that hole 33, the. light raysagain issue'from the upper'bulb l5, thus giving'the'effect of the opening of the upper eyelids. This completes one act ofwinking, and such complete act of winking occurs every. time the pin on the lower side. of the arm as enters and withdraws from any. hole-3'3. The holes 33 may be all of the same length, or as shown they. may be of varying.

The said length, and the spacing between themmay differ as at the two sides of the disk 32, and if the spaces between the openings 33difier, the spaces 2| between the sound formations 20 also vary or differ.

The shorter arm 3| travels upon an unbroken portion of the surface 32, as indicated by the dotted circular line 35.. Thus the light rays from the lower bulb it are continuously transmitted while the light rays transmitted from the upper electric-light bulb [5 are almostconstantly interrupted, thus creating the simulation of a winking eye, as already explained...

It will be observed that the sound waves and the intermittent flashing of the light rays from the upper electric-light bulb l5 are synchronized. That is to say, the intermittently occurring periods of emanation of light rays from the upper, bulb [5 occur while thecooing or gurglingor other sounds are being produced and while both eyes seem to be open, but when those sounds cease, the light rays cease from the upper bulb !5, but continue from the lower bulb l6, and, of course, they issue at alltimes from the lower bulb it until the motor runs down. When the light rays issue from the upper bulb l5 and the lower bulb Hi, the eyes are apparently open, and itis then that the cooing or gurgling sounds are produced. 7

In Figs. 8 and 9 is represented at 36 a relatively large space or opening into which the two light controlling

arms

30 and 3! enter at the end of the five-minute period, or whatever may be the time limit of the spring motor 3. l In Figs. 8 and 9, the spaces 33 are shown as longer at the right hand or running-down side of the disk 32 as the spring motor is or may be then running slower, but the openings 33 may be of the same length and equally spaced throughout.

The circuit for controlling the foregoing operations is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 15. The bulbs are therein indicated at l5, l6, and two batteries are indicated at 36, 31. They may supply about one and a half volts. The metallic plate 32 is indicated. and the wiring extending therefrom to include the electric-light bulbs and the batteries is indicated at 31, 38 and 39.

' Just preceding the detailed description of the single illustrated embodiment of theinvention, we herein above referredto several different apparatus for controlling signal lights or for controlling audible sounds in' which our invention may be embodied. In addition to those there 'referred to, we state that we may employ the sound effect means herein disclosed in a part of a fire alarm system, as in a building wherein there are provided two main signal-conveying cables and each room of the building, or each room of a group'of rooms thereof, would have suitably connected to said cables its own sound disk on the general order of that disclosed at l9 and having thereon the

sound effect formations

20, 2|, and for each room the sound effect to be produced would be that of a number pertaining only to such room, as, for example, room 1, or 2, which number would be constantly repeated as the arm travels along the formations of the disk. When a fire occurs in any one of these rooms therewould be produced and transmitted to headquarters in that building, or at an engine house, a sound upon the disk only of that room, and thus the number assigned to that room, as, for example, No. 1 or No. 2, would be instantly conveyed to headquarters by such cables, and such number would be many times repeated. The result is, therefore, to indicate at headquarters the exact spot of the fire.

Instead of constructing the sound disk L! as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 and instead of constructing the flash or light-controlling metal plate 32 as therein illustrated, which construction does not permit any alterations in the disks themselves, but requires the substitution of other sound disks and flash plates to get other sound and flash effects, we may provide the following construction.

The flash plate 32 may be provided with two concentric rows of a great number of small holes near the outer edge thereof equally and very close- 1y spaced, and we may employ avery fine conducting wire to be laced up and down through any two adjacent holes where it is desired to make an electrical contact or to produce a flash, and at the other holes where the wire is not laced up to the upper side of the plate 32, no contact is made and no flash effect is produced. Such lacing may obviously be changed on such a plate, in

accordance with the efiect that it is desired to produce, and thus a single plate may be used to get quite different flashes or light effects by lacing the wire through different openings, and hence presenting the wire only at those areas of the upper face of the plate where it is; desired to produce the flash effect. Similarly the sound disk may be provided at or near itsouter edge with one or two annular rows of closely and uniformly spaced holes and a similar small wire may be laced through the desired holes to get the desired effect by controlling the action of the pin 26 upon the arm 23 or other or equivalent arm.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of the invention, it'is to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

What we claim is:

1. A doll having a light-transmitting simulation of two eyes and having means for producing the simulation of the winking of at least one of said eyes, such means including a source of electrical current, and including two small electric light bulbs in circuit with said source of electrical current, and located close behind said simulation of two eyes and vertically spaced, and also including means whereby intermittently light from the upper one of said bulbs may be flashed on and off from the upper portion of at least one of said eyes, the said doll having within it a record from the creation of sound waves and a pick-up member in said doll and co-operating with said record for the production of sound waves intermittently the construction and arrangement of the said means for producing the eye-winking simulation andof the record for the creation of sound waves and of the said pick-up member being such that the simulation of eye winking occurs when sounds emanate from said record.

2. A doll having a light-transmitting simulation of two eyes and having within the structure thereof a source of electrical current, two small vertically spaced electric light bulbs in circuit with said source of electrical current and located close behind said eye simulations, a partition between said light bulbs so located that light rays from one of said bulbs are transmitted only through the upper portions of said two eye simulations above said partition and light rays from the otherrofrsaid-bulbs are transmittedonlythrough thelower portionsof said two eye simulationsbee low said partition, and means to interrupt at veryifrequentintervalsthe passage of light rays through said upper bulb and hence through said upper portions of saideyes on1y,thereby to produce the simulation of winking, a springmotor mounted in the torso of thedoll, a sound disk and a fiasher timing disk mounted insaid torso, and recording arms for said sound disk and said flasher timing disk, said arms and said disks being relatively operated in synchronism by said spring motor so as thereby to-producethe simulationof eye-winking at the times when sounds are producedby the sound disk, andthe said flasher timing disk'controlling thefunctioning of said electric'light bulbs and with-the recording arm therefor constituting the said means" to interrupt at very frequent intervals the passage of light rays through said upper bulb.

3. A doll having a light-transmitting*simuiation of two eyes and having within the structure thereof -a source of electrical current, twosmall vertically spaced electriclight bulbs circuit with said source of electrical current and located closebehind said eye simulations, a partition between said lightbulbs so located that lightrays from one of said bulbs are transmitted *only through the upper portions'of said two-eye simulations above said partition and light rays from I the other of said bulbs are transmitted only through the lower portions of said two eyesimulations below said partition, andmeans to interrupt at very frequent intervals the passage of light raysthrough said upper bulb and hence through said upper portions of-said eyes'only, thereby to produce thesimulation of winking, a spring motor mounted in the torso of the doll, a sound disk and a'flasher timing disk supported in the said torso, and a plurality of arms mounted to be rotated by said spring motor along the surfaces of said disks, thereby tocontrol thesound waves and also the function of saidtwo electric light bulbs the construction and arrangement of said plurality of arms being such'andtheir relation respectively to the sound disk and the flasher timingdisk beingsuch that the simulation of winking occurs when sounds emanate fromsaid sound disk, the said flasher timing disk and the recording arm therefor constituting the said means to interrupt at'very frequent intervals the passage of light rays through said upper bulb.

4.:A doll having a light-transmittingsimulation of two eyes and having within thestructure thereof sasource of electrical: current, two small vertically spaced electric light bulbs in circuit withi'said. source of electrical current and located close behindsaid eye simulations, a partition between saidlight bulbs so'located that light rays from one of said bulbs are transmitted only through. the upper portions of said two eye simulations abovesaidpartition and light rays from the other of-said bulbs are transmitted only through the lower portions of said two eye simulations below said partition, and means to interrupt at very frequent .intervals the passage of light rays through-saidupper bulbxand hence through said upper portions of said. eyes only, thereby to produce the simulation of winking, a spring-motor mounted in thetorso of the doll, members having sound tracks and flash-controlling-tracks "fixedly mounted in the torso of the doll, and means cooperating with ,the said soundtracks and flashcontrolling' tracks to transmit said waves, and to control the functioningofzsaidtwo'aelectriclights insynchronism'; so:that :the simulation-of winking occurs when sounds emanate from-the sound tracks :the ;member having flash-controlling tracks .andlthe said means co-operating withithe flash-controlling tracks to control the functioning ofthe said two electric lights constituting-the said means to interrupt at very frequent intervals the. passage of light rays through said upper bulb.

:5VA doll'having a light-transmitting simulation;of two eyes and having within the structure thereof asource 'of electrical current, two small verticallyspaced electric light bulbs in circuit with said source of electrical current and located close behindsaid eye simulations, a partition between said light bulbsso located that light rays from one .of said bulbs are transmitted only through the upper portions of said two eye simulations above said partition and light rays from the'other .of :said'bulbs are transmitted only through the lower portions of said two eye simulations below said partition, and means to interrupt at very frequent intervals the passage of light rays through said upper bulb and hence through said upper-portions of said eyes only, thereby-to producethe simulation of winking, a spring motor mounted in the torso of the doll, members having soundtracks and flash-controlling traeks fixedly mountedin the torso of the doll, and means cooperating with said sound tracks and flash-controlling tracks to transmit said waves, and to maintain 'the'lower of said light bulbs lighted and to effect the rapidly repeated interruptionof the upper light bulb in synchronism with the creation of the sound waves so that the simulationof winking occurs when sounds emanatefromthe sound tracks the members having flash-controlling tracks and the said means co-operating with the flash controlling tracks to control the functioning of the said two 1 electric lights constituting the said means to efdoll, two small-vertically spaced electric light bulbs within the doll'back of the eyes and insaid circuit, means whereby. light maybe transmitted from the upper one ofv said bulbs only, to the upperportions of ,said eyes, and whereby light is transmittedQfrom the .lower :one of said bulbs, only to the lower portions of said eyes, and means in circuit with said source of electrical current to interrupt atvery frequent intervals thetransmission of light rays through ,the upper bulband hence through the upper portion only of said eyes. thereby creating the simulation of winking, in combination with asound record in said doll, an arm cooperating'with said sound record, motor means to cause said arm "to travel along said sound record to create sound waves intermittently and'meanstogcause the eye-winking simulation to occur substantially simultaneouslywith the production of sound waves by'the said sound record.

7. A doll having light-transmitting simulation of two'eyes; a source of electrical current in said doll, two small vertically spaced electriclight bulbs withinthe doll back of the eyes and in the said circuit, a-substantially opaque transverse partition between said light bulb whereby lightrays therefrom are transmitted respectively only: through the upper and the lower portions 'of both-of said-eyesand' means in circuit with said source of electricalcurrent to interrupt at very frequent intervalsthe transmission of light rays through the upper bulb and hence through the upper portion only of said eyes, thereby creating the simulation of winking, in combination with a sound record in said doll, an arm cooperating with said sound record, and motor means to cause said arm to travel along said sound record to create sound waves intermittently, and means to synchronize said sound Waves and said eyewinking simulation.

8. For use in a toy or like device, a source of electrical current, a circuit extending therefrom, a motor, a member having at least two controlling tracks thereon, at least two pick-up arms to engage and travel along two tracks of said member respectively, operating connections from said motor to cause relative traveling and functioning movement of said member and said two pick-up arms, an electric-light bulb in said circuit, means controlled by one of said arms to cause very frequent interruptions of said electric light so as to convey a series of signals, a sound reproducer controlled by the other 01 said arms to cause very frequent interruptions of the sound waves, thereby to create a series of sound signals, and means to synchronize said series of light signals and said series of sound signals.

ETHAN ALLEN BROWN. CHESTER W. JOHNSON.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS