US2637940A - Animated amusement figure - Google Patents

Description

May 12, 1953 u n- 2,637,940

ANIMATED AMUSEMENT FIGURE Filed June 27, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. FAY T. FUGITT BY W Mf- W ATTO R N EYS May 12, 1953 J. 'r. FUGlTT 2,637,940

ANIMATED AMUSEMENT FIGURE Filed June 27, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m 5/ :z 5 JNVENTOR.

A ZI'AY T. F-UGITT g 1 w o By C) I "x fmuzm ATTORNEYS Patented May 12, 1953 .ANIMATED AMUSEMENT FIGURE Jay T. Fugitt, Renton, Wash.

Application June 27, 1950, Serial No. 170,615

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel amusement device in the nature of an animated dancing doll or miniature cut-out dancing girl figure which is manipulated to execute in artful fashion the principal swaying motions of the well known hula-hula or similar dances.

Objects of the invention include the provision of a novel animated cut-out figure which can be manufactured very inexpensively, requires relatively few and simple parts of flat sheet material such as cardboard or plastic, and is easily operated.

Another object of the invention is to provide an amusement device of the type indicated which is unusually intriguing as a toy or as a memento from tropical pleasure resorts or the like, being capable of an exceptionally accurate imitation of a hula-hula dancer in motion.

In accordance with the invention, the leg or limb elements of the figure are pivotally connected to the body portion thereof at laterally spaced locations thereon and, in downwardly divergent relationship, are pivotally connected at their feet to a base element. Overlapping in front of the upper region of said body portion, the head portion of the figure is pivotally connected thereto at a central location in the lower region of said head portion. A link, remaining hidden behind the body portion, is pivotally connected by its lower end to one of the leg elements at a location thereon offset laterally from one side of the pivotal connection of such leg element to the body portion. The upper end of said link is pivotally connected to the head portion at a loca tion thereon offset laterally, on the same side as above, from its pivotal connection with the body portion. Conjoint swinging of the leg elements produce opposite swaying of the body portion relative to such leg elements and simulates the hip movement of the hula-hula. Pivoting on said body portion, the head portion of the figure is main.- tained substantially erect as a result of the com; pensating action of the link interconnecting said head portion with one of the leg elements as described. By maintaining the line of the shoulders horizontal in this manner the swaying figure provides the appearance of the bending torso also characteristic of the hula-hula dance.

Preferably one or both of the leg elements extends downward behind the base member substantially beyond its pivotal connection thereto and constitutes an operating lever by which the figure is put through its motions. A frictional coating applied to the operating lever enables manipulating the device by pressure of a finger hidden behind the base member and moved inconspicuously to swing such lever from side to side when it is grasped with the base member between the thumb and operating finger of the hand.

These and other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be more fully evident from the following description thereof based upon the illustrative forms shown in the accompanying drawings. v

Figure 1 is a front view of the animated figure in one extreme position of its movement relative to the base member.

Figure 2 is a similar view of the figure in its opposite extreme position.

Figure 3 is a back view of the animated figure in its position shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a back view of the fiigure in its substantially erect or intermediate position.

Figure 5 is a back view of the same in its extreme position shown in Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an edge view of a portion of the figure as indicated by the line 66 in Figure 4.

Figure '7 is a front view of a modification, with the lower leg portions and base broken away.

Figure 8 is a similar view of the modified form shown in a different position.

With reference to Figures 1 and 4, for instance, the animated figure comprises a body portion l0, leg elements l2 and I4 pivotally connected, as by rivets or grommets l6 and I8, respectively, to the lower part of said body portion, and a base member 20 to which the feet of the leg elements are pivotally connected with such elements disposed in downwardly divergent relationship as shown. The pivotal connections I6 and I8 are spaced apart laterally of the body portion and are located preferably near the upper inner corners of the leg elements, which corners 22 and 24 preferably are specially rounded for maintaining approximately edge-to-edge contact between such corners as the leg elements are swung in relation to each other. The figure further comprises a head portion 28 which laps over the upper front part of the body portion I0 and is pivotally connected thereto by a rivet or grommet 30 located in the lower central region of said head portion.

The head portion, which swings in relation to the body portion, preferably includes the head, shoulders, arms, and upper torso or breast area of the figure, as shown. By means of a crank element 32, fixed upon the back side of the head. portion and interconnected by a link 34 to one of the leg elements in a manner now to be described, the head portion is maintained upright or in an erect position, steadily during side-toside swaying movement imparted to the leg elements and body portion by manipulation of the figure. In effect the crank element constitutes an integral part of the head portion.

The link 34 is of such a shape and is so located in relation to the body portion of the figure that such link remains hidden behind the figure in all positions of movement thereof. Preferably this link is arcuately curved or generally elbowed as shown, and its lower end pivotally connected by a rivet or grommet 36 to the leg element M at a location thereon spaced laterally outward from and preferably somewhat above (Figure 4) the pivot element it by which such leg is connected to the body portion. The crank member 32 extends downwardly from its rigid fastening to the head portion proper 28 into overlapping relationship with the back side of the body portion E0 as shown, When the crank member is made of cardboard or other similar lightweight material, as may be the other parts of the figure, it will be simply bent outward or kinked to provide offset as shown in Figure 6, to accommodate the upper part of the body portion Hi between such member 32 and the head portion 28. 'Ihedepending lower end of crank member 32 is pivotally connected by a rivet or grommet 38 to the upper end of the link 34 at a location offset laterally from the pivot 39 on the same side thereof as the direction of offset of pivot 36 from pivot i8. Preferably the pivot 38 is located also somewhat above the pivot 36 (Figure 4), as Well as being offset laterally therefrom.

In effect, the four pivots 30, 33, 36 and it ccnstitute the four corners of a parallelogram linkage comprising the elements 34, M and H3, and the member 28 rigidly joined to crank member 32, as a fourth element.

One of the leg elements, such as the element 2, has a, foot portion which extends. downwardly behind the base member I 0 well below the pivotal connection of such leg element with the base member, to constitute an operating lever 4B. Frictional material 42, such as sand, is adhesively bonded to the surface of the operating lever to form a friction pad engageable. by the finger of the hand for oscillating the leg member i2 about its pivot on base member 20. .For operating the animated figure in this manner the base member and operating lever 3% are grasped between the thumb and operating finger of thehand, or in some equivalent manner, and the desired movement of the parts relative to the base member effected inconspicuously by sliding the operating lever back and'forth against the back side of the base member. When this is done all pivotally interconnected parts of the figure move.

The swaying movements of the animated figure bear a remarkable lifelike resemblance to the principal movements in the hula-hula dance. As the leg elements l2 and i4 swing conjointly, although at'somewhat different rates, from, side to side by operation of the lever the body portion It swings by an exaggerated amount and in the opposite sense, the combined effect closely resembling the hip movement of the historic dance. Furthermore, the efiect of sidewise bending of the torso accompanying swaying of the hips is obtained by the linkage connection which maintains the head portion of the figure substantially erect, viz. with the line of the shoulders and the breast line remaining approximately parallel to the base member 20. In obtaining this effect it is important, of course, that the breast area constituting the lower part of the head portion overlap in front of the upper body portion.

As will be evident, various features of dress or costume and various realistic or caricature representations may be printed or drawn on the front sides of the various elements of the figure to obtain different effects. A cloth fringe or other cover, simulating a grass skirt, for example, may be pasted or otherwise secured over the lower part of the body portion to cover the joints with the leg elements.

In Figures 7 and 8, the modification resides primarily in the shape of the head portion and lower part of the body portion, which in this case depict a dancing figure as viewed from the back side and with its face peering back over its shoulder toward the onlooker. In this instance, as it might also be in the preceding case, the lower part of the body portion is extended and cut into the edge configuration of a skirt. In this modified form the lower edge of the head portion represents the lower border of a long shock of hair instead of the breast line as in the preceding form.

As the figure is manipulated to move in simulated dancing fashion, as described above, it will be evident that the corners or projections 22 and 24 of the leg elements 12 and M, respectively, serve as stops. Thus, as shown in Figure 3, the projection 22 of leg [2 engages positively the inner side of leg element (4 at its upper end to limit further tilting of the body element it to the right as seen in that figure. Conversely, as the parts move in the opposite direction from their positions of Figure 4, the corner or projection 24 engages the inner edge of leg element 2 at its upper end in the manner shown in Figure 5 to limit tilting of the body portion It to the left as seen in that figure. The shape of these stop corners and the portions of the le elements which they engage can be designed so as to stop the swaying movement of the body between any desired limits, which'enables manipulation of the figure in proper simulated dancing fashion to be controlled more readily.

It will be evident that the closer the pivots 65 and [8 are located to each other compared to the spacing of the pivots connecting the leg elements 12 and M to the base element 2d, the greater will be the angle through which the body portion i0 is tilted relative to the elements for a given degree of conjoint tilting of the leg elements relative to the base element. If pivots it and i8 were spaced apart the same distance as the pivots connecting the le r elements and the base element, no tilting of the body relative to the base element would occur as the leg elements are tilted conjointly. Consequently the length of the legs, the spacing of the pivots connccting them and the'base element, the spacing of the pivots Hi and i8 connecting the leg elements and the body element iii, the amount of projection of corners 22 and 2 3, and the shape of the inner edges of the leg elements engaged by these stop corners can be selected to obtain the desired degree of sway of the body relative to the base and to the legs for a given movement of. the legs, and the sway in each direction can be limited as desired.

I claim as my invention:

1. An animated amusement cut-out figure or the like, comprising a head portion having a front and back, a body portion lapping behind and pivotally connected to said head portion at a location in the lowercentral region of said head portion, a pair of depending limb elements lapping behind, and pivotally connected to, the lower region of said body portion at laterally spaced locations thereon, to swing said body portion from side to side about its pivotal connections to said limb elements accompanying 0p posite conjoint swinging of the latter from side to side, link means located behind said body portion and pivotally connected at its lower end to one of said limb elements at a location on such limb element ofiset laterally from one side of the pivotal connection of such limb element to said body portion, said link means being pivotally connected at its upper end to said head portion at a location on such head portion offset laterally from the pivotal connection of such head portion to said body portion, such latter ofiset being from the same side of the pivotal connection between said head portion and said body portion as the offset of the pivotal connection between said pivotally connected limb element and link means from the pivotal connection between such limb element and said body portion, a base member, and means pivotally connecting said base member to the feet portions of said limb elements at respective spaced apart locations on said base member.

2. The animated amusement figure defined in claim 1, wherein the foot portion of at least one of the limb elements extends downwardly beyond its pivotal connection to the base member suiticiently far to be grasped as an operating lever for swinging of such limb element relative to the base member.

3. The animated amusement figure defined in claim 2, and further comprising a frictional pad on the exposed face of the operating lever and engageable by a finger to swing such lever from side to side when it is grasped with the base member between the thumb and such finger of the hand.

JAY T. FUGITT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,210,266 Bickelhaupt Dec. 26, 1916 1,323,153 Calkins Nov. 25, 1919 1,606,070 Gibson Nov. 9, 1926 1,950,698 Sharran Mar. 13, 1934 2,158,432 Schulenberg May 16, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 11,136 Great Britain 1899 550,928 Great Britain Feb. 1, 1943

Images