US2925683A - Articulated foot construction and mounting for a doll or the like - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 23, 196@ co ARTICULATED FOOT CONSTRUCTION AND MOUNTING FOR A DOLL OR THE LIKE Filed Aug. 30, 1.956

2 Sheets-Sheet l F/GJ INVENTOR DAVID COHN ATTORNEYS Feb. 23, 19% D. COHN 2325,63 v ARTICULATED FOOT CONSTRUCTION AND MOUNTING FOR A DOLL OR THE LIKE Filed Aug. 50, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTO DAVID COHN wa I RNEYS of the leg. 'balland socket-like elements into cooperating engagement, and thus urging the laterally extending member within the socket into a selected one of the seat por- ARTICULATED FGUT CONSTRUCTIQN AND MOUNTFNG FOR A DQLL QR THE LiKE David (John, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignor to Model Plastic Corporation, White Plains, Njifl, a corporation of New York Application August 30, 1956, Serial No. 607,196

3 Claims. (Cl. iii-473) The present invention relates to a novel construction for an ankle joint in a doll, and to an articulated foot construction useable therewith.

Dolls, and. particularly those manufactured on a quantity basis for use by children, are usually made with rigid ankle joints and with rigid feet. The advantages attendant upon making the ankle joint articulate, as are the shoulder and hip joints of conventional dolls, are obvious. Such articulation would materially increase the enjoyment afforded to the youthful user of the doll by permitting the doll to simulate more closely the actions and attitudes of humans. Nevertheless, ankle articulation has not been commercially adopted, largely because it was not thought possible to produce an ankle joint which would be articulate in a manner comparable to that of the human ankle and which at the same time could be readily manufactured and would retain the foot in desired position relative to the leg until such time as that position is to be changed.

I have developed, and here disclose and claim, an ankle joint construction for a doll or the like which satisfies the above requirements. It may be manufactured cheaply and on a quantity scale, such additional parts as it requires are inexpensive, sturdy, and need not be manufactured to any particular degree of precision, and it is very readily assembled.

The joint construction in question may be said to simulate a ball and socket joint. Ball and socket joints are common in doll constructions, but in their pure form they suffer from the drawback, for this particular purpose, of universal movement as between two connected parts. In addition, ball and socket joints, even when the joint elements are resiliently urged toward one another, offer only a limited degree of resistance to relative movement of the connected parts. This too is not particularly satisfactory for an ankle joint, since the foot must support the weight of the doll and may be subjected to appreciable force, particularly if an attempt should be made to cause the doll to walk. Accordingly a conventional type of ball and socket joint was unsuitable for an ankle joint.

In accordance with the present invention the ball-like of the foot, and the ball-like portion carried by the leg is received therein. However, the ball and socket eu- ;gagernent does not extend over the complete area of the ball-like element or socket-like element.

Instead the socket-like element carries a laterally extending member fixed to the foot and adapted to be engaged in a selected one of the seat portions carried by the lower surface Resilient means are provided for urging'the tats Patent tions carried by the ball. Since the seat portions are spaced from one another from the front to the rear of the leg, movement of the laterally extending member from one seat portion to another will cause a change in the orientation of the foot relative to the leg. Since the seat portions extend laterally across the lower surface of the leg, movement of the'foot relative to the leg is permitted relatively only in a single plane, thus substantially corresponding to the actual eliective articulation of the human foot relative to the human leg.

The foot and leg are connected by means of a securing member received within the leg, resiliently urged upwardly and having a lower end engageable with the laterally extending member carried by the foot. The securing member is movable downwardly against the action of the resilient element through a slot formed in the lower surface of the leg and intersecting the seat portions. In order to facilitate assembly of the structure, the interior of the leg is provided with a partition against which the upper end of the securing member is urged by the resilient element when that member is disconnected from the foot, the securing member then being held in such a position that access to its lower end is facilitated when the foot is to be connected thereto.

It may be desired, particularly in conjunction with a foot articulately mounted relative to the doll leg, to provide for articulation of the foot itself as between the instep portion and the toe portion thereof so as to provide for better support of the doll when the foot is pointed down and so as to further simulate the action of the human foot. Accordingly an embodiment of the present invention is here illustrated, the structure permitting such foot articulation being combined and coordinated with the ankle joint structure in an effective manner particularly from the point of view of inexpensiveness of construction.

To the accomplishment of the above, and to such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to the construction of an articulated doll ankle joint and an articulated foot useable therewith, as defined in the appended claims and as described in this specification, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a doll in which the present invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale of the lower portion of a doll leg and of a doll foot constructed according to the present invention, the foot being shown in normal flat position relative to the leg;

Fig. 3'is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the foot in slightly pointed position relative to the leg, simulating the foot position when high-heeled shoes are worn;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the foot in extreme pointed position relative to the leg, simulating a toe-dancing posture;

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 5-5 ofFig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the leg alone and illustrating the stand-by position of the securing member when it is not attached to a j foot;

"lately connected thereto.

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are similar respectively to Figs. 2, 3 and 4 except that they disclose a foot in which the instep portion and toe portion are articulately connected, the relative positions of these foot portions corresponding to the positions of the feet with respect to the legs; and

Fig. 10 is a cross sectional view of the articulated foot, taken along the line 1ill0 of Fig. 7.

The construction of the present invention is designed for use in a doll such as that shown in Fig. 1, that doll comprising a body 2 having arms 4 and legs 6 articu- In accordance with the present Patented Feb. 231, 1960 invention the legs are provided with feet 8 articulately connected thereto.

The legs 6 and 8 are, as is conventional, molded to shape from some suitable plastic material. closed, the leg 6 is provided with a hollow interior 10, as is customary, and terminates in a lower end 12 having a lower surface generally designated 14. A series of grooves 16, here shown as three in number and designated 16a, 16b and 16a respectively, are formed on that lower surface 14, the grooves 16 extending laterally across the lower leg surface 14 from side to side of the leg 6 and being spaced from one another from the front to the rear of the leg 6, the groove 16a being closest to the front of the leg, the groove 16c being closest to the rear of the leg, and the groove 16!; being located between the grooves 16a and 160. For purposes of rigiditication and wear-resistance, it is preferred that the grooves 16 be formed in a metal insert 13 around which the leg 6 is molded, that metal insert 18 being exposed through an opening 29 at the lower end of the leg 6. An elongated slot 25 is provided in the lower leg surface 14 extending from front to rear of the leg 6, intersecting the grooves 16, and communicating with the hollow leg interior 10.

Mounted within the leg is a securing member 22 in the form of an elongated rod or the like having a hooked bottom end 23 and having an enlarged upper head 24. A compression spring 26 encircles the body of the securing member 22, engages the undersurface of its head 24, and is maintained in compression within the hollow leg interior so as to urge the securing member 22 upwardly. The width of at least the lower portion of the securing member 22, including the hook 23, is such that it can pass freely through the slot 25'. In order to facilitate the support of the securing member 22 within the hollow leg interior it) and to guide its movement therein, a partition 28 may be formed across the hollow leg interior 10 somewhat above the lower leg surface 14, that partition 28 being provided with an opening 30, preferably somewhat elongated from front to rear 'of the leg 6, through which the appropriate portions of the securing member 22 are freely passable. of the compression spring 26 may bear against the partition 28, and a washer 32 may be interposed between the lower end of the spring 26 and the partition 28.

The foot 8 is provided with a recess 34 at its upper surface into which the lower end 12 of the leg 6 is adapted to be received, the recess 34 thus acting as a socket or receptacle for the leg end 12. However, the depth of the recess 34 is considerably greater than that required to receive the leg end 12, so that it is only the upper peripheral portions 36 of the foot 8 at the opening of the recess 34 which actually cooperate with the leg end 12. This cooperation may be actual physical contact, but it is entirely feasible to provide for a slight clearance therebetween either in some or all of the relative positions of the foot 8 and leg 6, since the actual operative connection between the foot and leg is otherwise provided.

Extending laterally across the recess 34 is an element 38 in the form of a pin fixed to the foot 8. This' pin isof asize such as to be receivable within any one of the-grooves 16 formed in the lower leg surface 14, those grooves 16 therefore constituting seat portions for .the pin 38. The pin 38 is also of a size such as to be engageable by the hooked lower end 23 of the securing member 22. When the securing member 22 and the pin 38 are thus engaged the spring 26, in moving the securing member.22 upwardly, will cause the foot 8 to move upwardly until the leg end 12 is received within the recess 34 of the'foot 8 and the pin 38 carried by the foot 8 is received within-av selected one of the grooves 16.

In Fig. l the pin 38 is shown. received in the groove 16a. In thislposition the foot 8 is oriented substantially at rightrangles .to the. leg 6, thus simulating the normal As here dis- The lower end 4 position of the foot. It will be noted that the securing member 22 may tilt rearwardly somewhat when the foot is in this position. The force of the spring 26 in retaining the pin 33 within the seat portion or groove 16a will cause the foot 8 to tend to remain in the position disclosed in Fig. 1 despite the application of moderate dislocative forces thereto, and the side to side orientation of the groove 16a will prevent the foot 8 from twisting from one side to another relative to the foot 8.

When it is desired to move the foot 3 to a more pointed position simulating tip-toe walking or the wearing of high-heeled shoes, which position is illustrated in Fig. 3, it is merely necessary to exert sufficient force on the foot 8 to cause the pin 38 to slide out from the groove or seat portion 16a and move into groove or seat portion 16b. Once again the spring 26 will tend to retain the foot 8 in the position to which it has been adjusted. It will be noted that in this position the securing member 22 may tend to assume a substantially vertical position within the hollow leg interior 16'.

If it is desired that the foot 8 should assume an even more pointed position, simulating toe dancing, for example, which position is illustrated in Fig. 4, it is merely necessary to apply sufficient force to the foot 8 to cause the pin 38- to move out from the groove or seat portion 16b and snap into the groove or seat portion 160. It will be noted that in this position the securing member 22 may tend to assume a somewhat forwardly inclined orientation relative to the leg 6.

In all positions of the foot 8 relative to the leg 6 the spring 26 is substantially equally stressed, so that uniformity of action of the doll is assured no matter in which position the foot 8 may be.

In order to facilitate assembly of the leg 6 independently of the foot 8 and to permit ready assembly of the leg 6 and foot 8 when that is desired, a second partition 40 is provided in the hollow leg interior 10, positioned above the partition 28 by a distance less than the length of the securing member 22 by an amount equal to a fraction, for example, three-quarters, of the distance between the partition 28 and the lower leg surface 14. Hence, as may clearly be seen from Fig. 6, when the lower hooked end 23 of the securing member 22 is not engaged with the pin 38 on a foot 8, the spring 26 will expand and cause the head 24 of the securing member 22 to engage with the underside of the partition 40. In that position the lower hooked end 23 of the securing member '22 will be moved upwardly through the slot 25 in the lower surface 14 so as to be received in the space within the leg 6 between the partition 28 and lower leg surface 14. When it is desired to attach the leg 6 to a foot 8 it is merely necessary to insert a tool through the slot 25 to engage the securing member end 23 and pull it out through the slot 25 in the lower leg surface 14.

With the mticulated ankle joint construction here disclosed it becomes feasible, both mechanically and economically, to employ a foot 8 having articulately connected instep portions 8a and toe portions 812. This modification is illustrated in Figs. 7-10. The instep portion 811 carries the recess 34 and the pin 38. It also has an opening 42 at its front end, where the toe portion 8b is to :be connected thereto, that opening 42 communicating with passage 44 which leads into the recess 34. The toe portion 812 is provided with a rearward extension 46 adapted to fit within the opening 42 so as to define therewith a ball and socket joint which will permit relative movement of the toe portion 812 with respect to the instep portion 8a in a vertical plane. Because of the laterally elongated nature of the opening 42 and of the toe portion 8b, substantially no twisting of the toe portion 8b about a substantially horizontal axis is permitted. The rearwardly projecting part of the toe portion 811 extends into the passage 44 and is provided with anciement 48 engaged by one end of tension spring 50, that spring. 50 extending through the passage 44 into the recess limits, to assume a natural orientation relative to the instep portion 8a.

It will be noted from an examination of Figs. 2-4 and 79 that no matter in which position the foot 8 may be relative to the leg 6, the upper peripheral portions 36 of the foot 8 encompass the lower end 12 of the leg 6 to such an extent that neither the metal insert 18 nor the slot 25 nor any of the grooves 16 are ever exposed to view. Thus the functional nature and structure of the ankle joint is constantly hidden, and the joint retains its necessary attractive smooth appearance.

It will be appreciated from the above that the construction here disclosed is particularly well adapted to quantity production of dolls for amusement purposes, adds but little to their production cost, and gives rise to a doll which may be efiectively used for amusement purposes in ways not feasible with dolls having rigid ankle joints.

It will be apparent that many variations may be made in the specific details of the construction here disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. An articulated ankle joint for a doll comprising a leg having a hollow lower end terminating in a lower surface, said lower surface having a slot therethrough elongated from the front to the rear of said leg and communicating with the hollow interior of said leg, a securing member in said leg passing through said slot and having a lower end extendible downwardly below said lower leg end, a resilient element engaging said securing member and biasing said securing member upwardly, and a foot having a recess at its upper end into which the lower end of said leg is movably received, and a laterally extending member in said recess, engageable with said lower surface of said leg and operatively connected to said lower end of said securing member, said resilient element thus urging said foot upwardly toward said leg and said laterally extending member into engagement with said lower surface of said leg, the slotted portion of said lower surface of said leg being substan tially completely received within said foot recess in all operative relative positions of said foot and said leg, a partition across said hollow interior of said leg above said slot and having an opening in registration with said slot, said securing member passing through said opening and extending thereabove, said resilient element being positioned above said partition, and a second partition in said leg above said first mentioned partition by a distance equal to the length of said securing member minus a fraction of the distance between said first partition and the lower surface of said leg, whereby, when the lower end of said securing member is released from said laterally extending member, said resilient member will move said securing member upwardly against said second partition and the lower end of said securing member will be received in the space between said lower leg surface and said first partition.

2. An articulated ankle joint for a doll comprising a leg having a hollow lower end terminating in a lower surface having a series of seat portions extending la-terally thereacross and spaced from one another from the front to the rear of said leg, said lower surface having a slot therethrough intersecting said seat portions and communicating witht he hollow interior of said leg, a partition across said hollow interior of said leg above said slot and having an opening in registration with said slot, a securing member passing through said slot and opening, extending above said opening, and having a lower end extendible downwardly below said lower leg end and movable through said slot, a resilient element positioned above said partition, engaging said securing mem her and biasing said securing member upwardly, and a foot having a recess at its upper end into which the lower end of said leg is movably received, and a laterally extending member in said socket, receivable in a selected one of said seat portions, and operatively connected to said lower end of said securing member, said resilient element thus urging said foot upwardly toward said leg and said laterally extending member into said selected one of said seat portions, the slotted portion of said lower end of said leg being substantially completely received within said foot recess no matter which of said seat portions receives said laterally extending element, and a second partition in said leg above said first mentioned partiton by a distance equal to the length of said securing member minus a fraction of the distance between said first partition and the lower surface of said leg, whereby, when the lower end of said securing member is released from said laterally extending member, said resilient member will move said securing member upwardly against said second partition and the lower end of said seeming member will be received in the space between said lower leg surface and said first partition.

3. The ankle joint of claim 2, in which said laterally extending element comprises a pin and said lower end of said securing member comprises a hook engageable around said pin.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,654,933 Heyman Jan. 3, 1928 2,687,594 Cleaver Aug. 31, 1954 2,780,030 Beebe -1. Feb. 5, 1957 2,783,587 Gardel et a1. Mar. 5, 1957

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