US2842894A

US2842894A - Bubble-blowing toys

Info

Publication number: US2842894A
Application number: US638842A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry W Walden
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-02-07
Filing date: 1957-02-07
Publication date: 1958-07-15
Anticipated expiration: 1975-07-15

Description

lUnited States Patent O ce 2,842,894 BUBBLE-BLOWING TOYS` Henry W. Walden, New York, N. Y.

Application February 7,1957, Serial No. 638,842

3 Claims. (Cl. 46-8) This invention relates to bubble-blowing toys, and has particular reference to a toy of this kind which will produce one or more bubbles in a stream, with the bubbles being of regulated size, in a manner to interest and amuse children.

lt is an object of the invention to provide a toy of this character by means of which a ring-shaped carrier for the bubble-producing fluid is immersed in a supply of such fluid contained in a reservoir; the carrier is thus charged with the uid by such immersion; is elevated out of the fluid to become by such elevating movement axially aligned with an Yair blast nozzle suitably connected to blast-creating means, by which the air'will be forced from the nozzle against the fluid-charged ring to cause bubbles to be thus formed and forced away from the ring in a stream.

it is an object of the invention to provide in a device of the character above described, means by which the air nozzle may be adjustably positioned with respect to the ring whereby the size of the bubbles ejected by the air blast will be regulated.

It is another object of the invention to provide a device of this character which can be removably fitted on top of a bottle, jar or similar container in which the bubble-producing material is contained, thereby permitting the bubble-forming means to be easily and conveniently applied to and used upon the container in which the bubble-producing fluid is purchased.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein illustrative embodiments of the invention are disclosed,

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a bubbleblowing toy constructed according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the a1- rows;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the main portion of the toy;

Fig. 4 is a face view of the carrier ring;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, 1 indicatesthe body of the toy. In the form shown, the same is generally of cylindrical tubular shape and it may be made in various ways to simulate exaggeratedly or otherwise, persons, animals or other objects. The upper end of the body or casing 1 is closed in any suitable manner, such as by the cap 2, and the body of the device may be made of any suitable material, such as plastic, wood, metal or pressed paper.

Located on the interior of the casing or body V1 are guide members indicated respectively at 3 and .4 and slidably and vertically guided therein is the stem 5 of the carrier or delivery device for the bubble-producing fluid. The carrier consists of a ring or annulus 6 formed in- 2,842,894 Patented .July 15, A1958 tegrally with, or otherwise attached to the stem 5. The stem 5 is of square or at least non-round cross-sectional shape so that while the ring 6 and its attached stern are movable up and down they are non-rotative.

At its lower end, the body or casing 1 is provided with a cap portion 22 which is internally threaded for reception on the threads 23 formed on the neck of a bottle or jar 24 containing the bubble-producing uid 25. This Afluid is a commercial product readily available in the open market.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that when the carrier or

ring member

5, 6 is moved downwardly, the ring 6 will enter the bottle 24 and become immersed in the bubble-producing fluid 25 and thus receive a charge of the fluid which, upon the elevating movement of the ring will be carried upwardly to the position shown in solid lines in Fig. l in the form of a film spread across the opening that extends through the ring.

The carrier is caused to descend by manual pressure imposed on a button or knob 12 secured at the end of apin 10 fixed to and extending laterally from the stem 5, the knob or button 12 being located on the outside of the body or casing 1. The pin 10 is guided in a lengthy slot 11 formed in the side wall of the body or casing 1. For the retraction or elevating movement of the

carrier

5, 6, a coil spring 7 is employed, the same havingone end attached to an eye 9 extending from the stem 5, and its other end secured to an eye 8 extending from the guide 3. This arrangement is such that when the carrier is moved down by manual pressure imposed on the knob 12 the loop 6 thereon will descend into the liquid 25 and become charged therewith. Upon release of manual pressure on the knob 12, the spring 7 will cause the rise of the carrier to the position shown in Fig. 1 and the loop or ring 6, carrying a film of the bubble-producing fluid across it, will then be located in registry with an outlet aperture 20 formed in the side Wall of the body or casing 1. Opposite the aperture 20 is a laterally-projecting sleeve 13 having a passage or bore 30, within which is located a slidable plug or piston 15, terminating at its forward end in a nozzle 16. Formed through the plug or piston 15 and through the nozzle is an air passage 17, which communicates with the axial passage extending through a tube 14 fixed to the rear end of the plug or piston 15. The tube 14 is attached to and communicates with the interior of a compressible air bulb 21.

From the foregoing, the operation of the described structure will be readily understood. With the parts of the device in the position shown in Fig. 1, the knob or button 12 is depressed, this action causing the carrier to move downwardly to have its loop 6 brought down and dipped into the bubble-producing liquid 25 to become immersed therein. Upon release of manual pressure on the knob or button 12, the spring 7 will cause the carrier to rise to bring its ring 6, now carrying a lm of the bubble-producing uid extending across its opening 18, into alignment with the nozzle 16 as well as in registration with the outlet aperture 20. The ring 6 is now halted at this position by pin 10 reaching the upper end 'of slot 11, and when the air bulb 21 is manually comtoward and away from the carrier 6 by the sliding movement of the tube 14 through the guide member 13, the diameter of the produced bubbles can be regulated. That is to say, the closer the nozzleis brought toward the ring-6, the larger will be the bubbles. Positioning the nozzle `farther away from `thecarrier will result in the ejection of smallerbubb'les'.

,Having therefore described a single embodiment of the invention,`it is obvious that the same is not to'be restricted thereto, but lis broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scopelo'f the annexed claims.

VWhat I claim is:

l. A bubble-blowing toy comprising, a container Vfor holding a bubble-producing liquid, the container being provided at the top with threads, a tubular body closed at one end and open at thefother end and threaded at its open end for application on the threaded end of the container to form a continuation thereof and to establish communication with the interior of the container, a ring located in the'body and provided with a stern slidable axially through the body to thereby move the ring into and-out of the fluid contents of the container, the wall of the .body having a slot, the stem having a lateral extension protruding through the slot and slidably guided up and down therein, said lateral extension provided with a finger-piece located on the outside of the body for manual depression of the ring and to cause it to be dipped into the liquid contents of the container, spring means for elevating the ring to raised position out of the liquid, the body having a bubble-outlet opening in its side wall with which the ring registers when the ring is in its raised position, the body having a laterally-extending sleeve on a side wall of the body opposite and in alignment with the bubble-outlet opening, an air-blast nozzle slidably adjustable through the sleeve to regulate its spacing from the ring, an air tube connected to said adjustable nozzle vand an-air bulb attached to the end of the tube on the outside of the body.

2. A bubble-blowing toy as provided for in claim l wherein the open end ofthe body in which the threads are formed is in the form of a closure cap for the container and is attached to the container in place of the conventional closure cap removed therefrom, the air blast nozzle being attached to a piston, the sleeve having an internal passage in which the piston is stify slidable to thereby enable the piston and the nozzle carried thereby to be positioned at selected distances from the ring.

3. A bubble-blowing toy comprising, a container for holding .a -bubble-producing liquid, said container having a threaded top, a cylindrical body having an internally-threaded skirt 'atone end threadably received on the threaded end of the container, the body forming an axial cyindrical extension of the container, a ring axially slidable through the body to enter the container and become charged with the liquid therein, an extension from the ring projecting rexternally of the body for finger engagement to force thering into the container, means for re- 'tracting the ring to a position outside of the container and to a position within the body, the body having an Vaperture in its side wall and vwith which the ring becomes lregistered when the ring is in lits retracted position within the body, a guide sleeve on the body aligned with the aperture therein, an air nozzle in said guide sleeve, and a manually-compressible 'air bulb attached to the nozzle on the outside 'of the body.

References Cited in the -fllc of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 534,277 Montgomery et al. Feb. 19, 1895 2,393,039 Gilchrist Ian. 15, 1946 2,560,582 Limbe'r July 17, 1951 2,587,536 Scott Feb. 26, 1952 2,599,888 Beezle'y et a1. June 10, 1952 2,700,845 Arlis's Feb. 1. 1955