US2836926A

US2836926A - Multi-ring bubble-producing toy

Info

Publication number: US2836926A
Application number: US547473A
Authority: US
Inventors: Tseng Hung-Tu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1955-11-17
Filing date: 1955-11-17
Publication date: 1958-06-03
Anticipated expiration: 1975-06-03

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 17; 1955 INVENTOR. Hung tu Tye/2y.

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- Army/var June 3, 1958 u TSENG 2,836,926

MULTI-RING BUBBLE-PRODUCING TOY Filed Nov. 17, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 uvmvrox United States Patent Qfifice MULTI-RING BUBBLE-PRODUCING TOY Hung-tn Tseng, New York, N. Y. Application November 17,1955, Serial N0.'547,473

' 9 Claims. (Cl. 46-6) This invention relates to toys and, more particularly, has reference to a toy adapted to produce a multiplicity of bubbles, through the provision of a plurality of pivotally connected members each provided with a ring at one end thereof, with said rings being spread apart in one position of the members, so that, on waving of the toy in the air, bubbles are produced by the several rings simultaneously.'

It has heretofore been proposed to provide means for producing bubbles, generally in the form of a single wandlike member, having one or more rings rigidly connected thereto,and thepresent invention aims to provide a novel improvement in devices of this type, through the provision of a scissors-like article having a plurality of pivotally connected arms, with said arms being shiftable into longitudinal alignment to register the rings thereof with one another, when the device is inserted into a quantity of a soapy liquid or other liquid that will produce bubbles, opening of the scissors-like article being adapted to laterally space the several rings so that they define an arcuate series of rings, thus to produce a substantial number of bubbles when the device is waved in the air.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a device as stated which can be manufactured at relatively low cost, considering the advantageous features thereof,

and which Will be so designed as to reduce to a minimum the complexity of structure and of function, thereby to permit the device to be used by small children without difficulty.

Yet another object is to provide a device of the nature referred to which will 'be rugged, so as to be capable of use over a long period of time, and will be so designed as to permit manufacture thereof with any number of ringequipped components.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure: V

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a bubble producing device formed according to the present invention, in open position. i

Fig. 2 is an edge elevational view of said device as seen from the right of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a view of the device as it appears when in use, the device being closed to permit insertion of the several rings in a vessel holding a quantity of a bubble forming liquid.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view on line 44 of Fig. 1. A

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the device of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1. showing a modified form.

Considering first the device illustrated in Figs. 1-5, this includes five pivotally connected

members

10, 12, 14, 16,

18, respectively. The members are formed from fiat metal 'stampings, and are disposed in face-to-face contact as shown in Fig. 2. Member 10 includes an approximately elliptically-shaped, apertured handle 20 integral at its inner end with a flat body 22, which in turn is integral at its end remote from handle 20, with a straight stem 24- merging into a ring 26. All parts of the member 16, and for that matter all parts of the remaining members, are disposed in a common plane.

As'will be noted, the handle 2% extends at an obtuse angle to the length of the stem 24, and body 22 is asymmetrically formed, with the greatest part of the area of the body 22 being projected laterally of the stem 24, in a direction opposite that in which the handle 2% extends in respect to said stem 24. Formed in the laterally projected, rounded portion of the body 22, is an arcuate 'slot 28, and adjacent the juncture of body 22 to the handle 2%) there is formed a circular opening 30 (Fig. 5).

Member 12 includes a body 32. shaped substantially similarly to the body 22, and formed integrally at one end with a stem 34 merging into a ring 36. An arcuate slot 38 is formed in the body 32, and is.eccentric to an opening 40 registering with the opening 30. Slot 28 is also eccentric to the opening 30, but the eccentricity of slot 38 is slightly greater than that of the slot 28, fora purpose to be made presently apparent.

Member 14 may be appropriately termed a middle or body 42 symmetrically disposed in respect to a stem 44' having at its outer end a ring 46. A slot 48 of member 42 is disposed in longitudinal alignment with the longitudinal center line of stem 44, and is also aligned with an opgning 50, which is adapted to register with

apertures

30, 4

Member 16 is formed identically to the 'member 12, except for being oppositely disposed in respect to the length of its stem 54. In manufacture of the device, the

members

12, 16 can be formed identically, with member 16 then being reversed in joining the assembly, in the position shown in Fig. 5. Member 16 includes a body 52 asymmetrically formed, and integral with a stem 54 carrying at its outer end a ring 56. Body 52 has a slot 58 extending in a direction opposite to the direction of the slot 38, and there is an opening 60 formed in the body 52 registering with

openings

30, 40, 5t

Member 18 is adapted to be formed indentically to the member 10, except for being oppositely disposed in the assembly of the device, and includes a body 62 integral with a stem 64 merging into a ring 66. An arcuate slot es formed in the body 62 is disposed above an opening 70, and integrally formed on and projecting laterally from the body 62, is a handle 72. In the assembly of the device, the several component parts are positioned as shown in Fig. 5, with slots 28, 38 extending to one side of the registered

openings

30, 40, 50, 60, 70, the slot 48 being in alignment with said openings, and the slots 58, 68 being extended in an opposite direction, laterally of the row of openings. Then, washers 74 are positioned against the outer faces of

bodies

22, 62, and a rivet 76 is extended through the washers and through the several registering, circular openings and its end upset. A rivet 78 is extended through the several slots and upset, and this com- 7 pletes assembly of the device.

In use of the device, it is grasped in the manner shown in Fig. 3, and the handles20, 72 are spread. The device may now be inserted in a vessel such as a jar 80 containing a soapy solution or one of the commercial bubble forming liquids 82, and as will be noted, when the handles 29, 72 are spread apart, the several stems moveinto longitudinal alignment, thus causing the rings thereof 'to be perfectly registered. The pin 78 at this location of the Patented June 3, 1958 3 parts is disposed at the ends of the slots remote from the pivot pin 76.

When the device is removed from the vessel 80, the

handles

20, 72 are shifted toward one another, to their Fig. 1 position, disposing pin 78 at the inner ends of the several slots. This spreads the stems and rings, the rings now extending in an arcuate series as shown in Fig. 1. As will be noted, when the

members

10, 18 are spread apart to the position shown in Fig. 1, the

members

12, 16 will be spread apart to a lesser extent, due to the more pronounced eccentricity of their slots relative to the pivot axis.

The movement of the pin 78 to the inner ends of the slots is caused, of course, by the eccentric disposition of the slots of the

outer members

10, 18, and when the pin moves in the direction of the pivot pin 76 due to the mentioned eccentricity of cam slots 28, 68 of the outer members, it exerts a cam action against the walls of the slots of

members

12, 16, spreading said members apart to positions in which the stems thereof will be disposed midway between the center stem and stems of the outer members.

With the soapy solution extending as a thin web across the openings defined by the several rings, the device, held in the Fig. 1 position, is gently waved in the air, and this causes bubbles to be thrown off from the several rings, with all the rings simultaneously producing bubbles. A highly enjoyable effect is thus achieved, promoting a high degree of interest in the toy.

In Fig. 6 there is shown a modified construction which is substantially similar to that of the first form, with the exception that only three members are used instead of five. In this form, the outer members have been designated at 10 18 and include handles 20*, 72 integrally formed on the bodies 22 62 Stems 24 64, extend from said bodies, and merge into rings 26 66 The center member is identical to that used in the first form in every respect, and further, the pivot pin 76 and cam pin 78 are also as in the first form of the invention.

The outer members 10*, 3 differ from those of the first form only to the extent that the handles 20*, 72 are disposed at a more pronounced obtuse angle relative to their associated stems, and further, the slots 28*, 68 are disposed at a greater eccentricity to the pivot axis 76, than is true of the slots 28, 68. As a result, when the handles are brought together, the rings 26*, 66 are spaced closely from the ring 46 atopposite sides thereof.

In all forms of the invention, the device can be stamped from sheet metal material or the like, with the several component parts being readily assembled for use, and it will be seen that although the device opens to provide a multiplicity of rings, said rings are swiftly brought into registering relationship so as to permit immersion of the same in a solution contained in a. relatively small diameter vessel, such as a conventional water glass or small jar containing a bubble-forming liquid.

Further, the construction has the desirable attribute that it is simply constituted, facilitating use by small children, it being necessary only that the handles be spread and brought together during the use of the device, thus eliminating complex constructions that are subject to breakage by small children, or alternatively, are usable by small children only with considerable difiiculty.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent 1. A bubble producing toy comprising a plurality of pivotally connected members each including a stem and a ring at one end of the stem, said members being swingable between a first position in which said rings are registered for immersion in a bubble-forming liquid, and a second position in which the rings are spaced laterally of one another, said members including at least one intermediate member and two outer members disposed at opposite sides of the intermediate member, the several members being formed with slots, the slots of the outer members being eccentric to the axis of the pivotal connection between the members and being extended in opposite directions, the slot of the intermediate member extending radially of said axis, said toy further including a cam pin extending through the several slots for biasing the stems toward and away from one another responsive to pivotal movement of the outer members in opposite directions.

2. A bubble producing toy comprising a plurality of pivotally connected members each including a stem and a ring at one end of the stem, said members being swingable between a first position in which said rings are registered for immersion in a bubble-forming liquid, and a second position in which the rings are spaced laterally of one another, said members including at least one intermediate member and two outer members disposed at opposite sides of the intermediate member, the several members being formed with slots, the slots of the outer members being eccentric to the axis of the pivotal connection between the members and being extended in opposite directions, the slot of the intermediate member extending radially of said axis, said toy further including a cam pin extending through the several slots for biasing the stems toward and away from one another responsive to pivotal movement of the outer members in opposite directions, said outer members including oppositely extending handles for effecting pivotal movement of the same in opposite directions.

3. A bubble producing toy comprising a plurality of pivotally connected members each including a stem and a ring at one end of the stem, said members being swingable between a first position in which said rings are registered for immersion in a bubble-forming liquid, and a second position in which the rings are spaced laterally of one another, said members including at least one intermediate member and two outer members disposed at opposite sides of the intermediate member, the several members being formed with slots, the slots of the outer members being eccentric to the axis of the pivotal connection between the members and being extended in opposite directions, the slot of the intermediate member extending radially of said axis, said toy further including a cam pin extending through the several slots for biasing the stems toward and away from one another responsive to pivotal movement of the outer members in opposite directions, said outer members including oppositely extending handles for effecting pivotal movement of the same in opposite directions, said handles being extended at obtuse angles to a line drawn between the pivot axis of the members and the rings of the respective outer members.

4. A bubble producing toy comprising a plurality of pivotally connected members each including a stem and a ring at one end of the stem, said members being swingable between a first position in which said rings are registered for immersion in a bubble-forming liquid, and a second position in which the rings are spaced laterally of one another, said members including at least one intermediate member and two outer members disposed at opposite sides of the intermediate member, the several members being formed with slots, the slots of the outer members being eccentric to the axis or" the pivotal connection between the members and being extended in opposite directions, the slot of the intermediate member extending radially of said axis, said toy further including a cam pin extending through the several slots for biasing the stems toward and away from one another responsive to pivotal movement of the outer members in opposite directions, said outer members including oppositely extending handles for effecting pivotal movement of the same in opposite directions, said handles being extended at obtuse angles to a line drawn between the pivot axis of the members and the rings of the respective outer members, each of said members including a relatively wide body and a stem extending between and integrally connected to the body and ring of the member, said cam slots being formed in the bodies of the respective members.

5. A bubble producing toy comprising a plurality of pivotally connected members each including a stem and a ring at one end of the stem, said members being swingable between a first position in which said rings are regis-.

tered for immersion in a bubble-forming liquid, and a second position in which the rings are spaced laterally of one another, said members including at least one intermediate member and two outer members disposed at opposite sides of the intermediate member, the several members being formed with slots, the slots of the outer members being eccentric to the axis of the pivotal connection between the members and being extended in opposite directions, the slot of the intermediate member extending radially of said axis, said toy further including a cam pin extending through the several slots for biasing the stems toward and away from one another responsive to pivotal movement of the outer members in opposite directions, said outer members including oppositely extending handles for effecting pivotal movement of the same in opposite directions, said handles being extended at obtuse angles to a line drawn between the pivot axis of the members and the rings of the respective outer members, each of said members including a relatively wide body and a stem extending between and integrally connected to the body and ring of the member, said cam slots being formed in the bodies of the respective members, the bodies of the outer members being asymmetrically formed in relation to the lengths of said stems, and projecting laterally of their associated stems in one direction, the slots of the outer members being formed in the laterally projecting portions of said bodies.

6. A bubble producing toy comprising a plurality of pivotally connected members each including a stern and a ring at one end of the stem, said members being swingable between a first position in which said rings are registered for immersion in a bubble-forming liquid, and a second position in which the rings are spaced laterally of one another, said members including at least one intermediate member and two outer members disposed at opposite sides of the intermediate member, the several members being formed with slots, the slots of the outer members being eccentric to the axis of the pivotal connection between the members and being extended in opposite directions, the slot of the intermediate member extending radially of said axis, said toy further including a cam pin extending through the several slots for biasing the stems toward and away from one another responsive to pivotal movement of the outer members in opposite directions, said outer members including oppositely extending handles for efiecting pivotal movement of the same in opposite directions, said handles being extended at obtuse angles to a line drawn between the pivot axis of the members and the rings of the respective outer members, each of said members including a relatively wide body and a stem extending between and integrally connected to the body and ring of the member, said cam slots being formed in the bodies of the respective members, the bodies of the outer members being asymmetrically formed in relation to the lengths of said stems, and projecting laterally of their associated stems in one direction, the slots of the outer members being formed in the laterally projecting portions of said bodies, the body of the 7. A bubble producing toy comprising a plurality of pivotally connected members each including a stem and a ring at one end of the stem, said members being swingable between a first position in which said rings are registered for immersion in a bubble-forming liquid, and a second position in which the rings are spaced laterally of one another, said toy comprising at least five ofv said members, said members including a pair of outermost members, a middle member, and members disposed be tween the middle member and the respective outer members, the several members being formed with relatively flat wide bodies, and stems extending from said bodies to connect the same to the rings, the outer members having handles projecting in opposite directions relative to the length of the middle member, the handles of the outer members being disposed at obtuse angles to the lengths of their associated stems, and also being at obtuse angles to the lengths of the members disposed between the middle and outer members, in both the first and second positions of the members.

8. A bubble producing toy comprising a plurality of pivotally connected members each including a stem and a ring at one end of the stem, said members being swingable between a first position in which said rings are registered for immersion in a bubble-forming liquid, and a second position in which the rings are spaced laterally of one another, said toy comprising at least five of said members, said members including a pair of outermost members, a middle member, and members disposed between the middle member and the respective outer members, the several members being formed with relatively flat wide bodies, and stems extending from said bodies to connect the same to the rings, the outer members having handles projecting in opposite directions relative to the 7 length of the middle member, the handles of the outer members being disposed at obtuse angles to the lengths of their associated stems, and also being at obtuse angles to the lengths of the members disposed between the middle and outer members, in both the first and second positions of the members, the several members being formed with cam slots, said toy including a cam pin extending through the several cam slots, the cam slots of the outer members and the members disposed between the outer and middle members being eccentrically disposed in relation to the pivot axis of the several members, with the eccentricity of the slots of the outer members being less than that of the slots of the members interposed between the middle and outer members.

9. A multi-ring bubble-producing toy comprising at least two pivotally connected members having fiat bodies connected for relative swinging movement about a common axis between a first position in which said members are in registration and a second position in which they are spaced laterally of one another, said members having cam slots at one end and being formed at their other ends with flat bubble-producing rings disposed in the same plane as the flat bodies, a cam pin extending through said slots, the slots extending along diiferent pathsto space the rings apart in said second position, and means for swinging said members in opposite directions about the pivot axes thereof, said members having integral handles adapted to receive diflerent fingers of the hand of a user, for swinging the members between the respective positions thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,412,732 Holman Dec. 17, 1946 2,559,739 Sherman July 10, 1951 2,582,585 Cesaris Jan. 15, 1952 2,606,395 Fulton Aug. 12, 1952