US2978833A - Drinking, wetting, and crying doll - Google Patents

Description

April 11, 1961 c. c; TANCREDI DRINKING, WETTING AND CRYING DOLL Filed Aug. 5, 1958 INVENTOR. CA /44 4.65 fiwcyao/ W 'HW United Sttes Patent DRINKING, WETTING, AND CRYING DOLL Charles C. Tancredi, Brooklyn N.Y. Happy Doll Co., Inc., 465-469 West Broadway, New York '12, NY.)

. Filed Aug. '5, 1958, Ser. No. 753,353

4 Claims. (Cl. 46135) This invention relates to a drinking, wetting and crying doll.

As is the case with other characteristics of dolls such as eyes, hair, limb movement and the like, the criterion for a successful wetting, drinking and crying doll is realism. It, therefore, is not sufficient that the doll be capable of merely performing these functions, but in addition they must be related to one another and to the other activities of the doll in a life-like manner. Moreover, the provision of structure to accomplish these functions should not detract from the life-like characteristics of the doll.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a drinking, wetting and crying means for a doll whereby these functions are present in an extremely life-like manner.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a doll which drinks, wets and cries in a very life-like manner.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a means of the character described which enables a doll to defer wetting immediately after drinking, to commence wetting and crying means will be described in the position it occupies when the doll is erect as shown in Fig. 2. The reservoir has a special shape, and desirably is molded as a single piece in a rotation mold. It includes a pair of spaced frontwardly projecting eye stems 22 atthe bottom of the reservoir at the front thereof adapted to receive a pair of rearwardly projecting tearing tubes 24 at the back of the eye sockets. The stems 22 project forwardly from the reservoir and each has a forwardly facing socket the inner diameter of which is slightly less than the outer diameter of the associated tearing tube. The sockets of the eye stems have back walls 26 in each of which there is a tiny crying hole 28 on the order of a few thousandths of an inch. Preferably, said holes are from 0.010 to 0.020 inch in diameter, the size of the holes within this range being a function of the size of the dolls eyes. The tearing tubes project rearwardly from the eye shells 30 of the doll eyes and open into the eyes behind the eye balls (not shown) thereof.

The bottom wall 34 of the reservoir has roughlythe shape of an inverted V the apex 36 of which slopes rearwardly and upwardly as best is seen in Figs. 2, 4

and 5. Said apex 36 is higher at all points than the crying holes 28. A wetting hole 38 is provided in said bottom wall along the apex thereof, said hole being slightly .larger than the holes 28, e.g., about 0.030 inch; the

. front wall 44 thereof in which the tube is adhesively sewetting before crying, and to cry for a considerable time The invention accordingly consists in the features of.

construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinfater described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which are shown various possible embodiments of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a partially broken away side view of the head of a doll, said head being shown in feeding, i.e., reclining, position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the doll head and body in erect position;

Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged sectional views taken substantially along the lines 3-3 and 4-4, respectively, of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the drinking, wetting and crying means shown alone.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 denotes a doll having a body 12 on which mounting means for the reservoir.

cured. The intake opening is located near the top wall 46 of the reservoir so that it is a substantial distance above the wetting hole. Also, the rear end of the feeding tube projects a substantial distance into the reservoir for a reason which will become apparent hereinafter. A small vent hole 48 is provided in said top wall 46.

As may best be seen in Fig. 2, the connection of the front end of the feeding tube to the mouth 40 of the doll and of the eye stems to the tearing tubes constitute the The tearing tubes are made of thin sheet metal, and they are tightly fitted into the elastic eye stem. The outer diameter of the feeding tube is slightly larger than the diameter of the mouth opening 40 into which the front endof said tube 1 is tightly fitted, and the intake opening 42. for the rear tubes are aided by cement.

feeding tube may be secured in the opening in the front wall of the reservoir by cementing besides being frica soft head 14 is rotatably mounted. Inside the head end of the tube 20 is likewise slightly smaller than the outer diameter of said tube. Desirably, though not necessarily,the securements of the front end of the feeding tube to the mouth 40 and of the eye stems to the tearing tionally wedged therein.

The location and arrangement of the drinking, wetting and crying mechanism in the doll head and the size and location of the various openings in the reservoir are of critical importance. As is apparent from Fig. 2, the bulk of the reservoir is above the eye level of the doll and extends towards the rear of the head. When the head is in reclining position as shown in Fig. 1, the feeding tube leads rearwardly and downwardly into the reservoir whereas when the doll is erect as shown in Fig. 2, said tube leads frontwardly and downwardly into the mouth. Thus, the doll is fed, as from a toy bottle 50, when the head is in reclining position, this being the normal position for feeding an infant. Because the rear end of the feeding tube enters the reservoir high up on the front wall thereof, and because the vent prevents the reservoir from filling completely, water cannot come out of the mouth when the doll is erected regardless of how much water the doll imbibes. Indeed, unless the Also, the rear end of the reservoir is quite full, water will not come out of the mouth even when the doll is turned on its face because the rear end of the feeding tube then will project above the front wall of the reservoir, said last-mentioned wall acting as the bottom of the reservoir in the face-down position of the doll. Thus, there is no likelihood of water escaping from the dolls mouth after feeding unless the doll is grossly overfed.

The location of the eye stem holes at the front bottom of the reservoir in the erect position of the doll results in these openings being at the highest point in the reservoir when the head is reclined. Thus, no matter how much water is fed to the doll, it will not cry in feeding position. Indeed, water will run out of the vent hole before it will enter the eye stem holes. On the other hand, the doll will cry if it is erected no matter how little water has been fed it.

The wetting hole 38 is located directly above the neck opening 52 of the doll head and is considerably above the crying holes 28. As a result of the location of the hole 38 with respect to opening 52, water dripping through said hole will fall into the body through the neck opening. Because the wetting hole is located a substantial distance from the back wall of the reservoir, when the doll is being fed, water will not drip through the wetting hole which will be above the water level until the reservoir is quite full. Even if an excess of water is fed the doll, the Water which then drips out of the wetting hole in the reclining position will not leave the head because it will simply fall to the back of it. Thus, the doll cannot wet while it is being fed. Moreover, the capacity of the reservoir below the level of the wetting hole when the doll is reclining is greater than the capacity of a conventional dolls bottle. The water that drips through the wetting hole while the doll is erect passes through the neck opening and collects at the base of the body 12. A

wetting opening 56 is provided near the bottom of the body in the crotch 58, and when ample water collects, it drips out of this opening.

Since the wetting hole is considerably above the eye stem holes in the erect position of the doll, the doll will continue to cry long after the wetting has stopped. However, because the wetting hole is slightly larger than the eye stem holes, the doll will wet before it cries unless, of course, so little water is put into the reservoir that the level of the wetting hole is not reached. The latter structure is one in which the doll cries without wetting, another realistic feature.

It will be observed that in the above-described stmcture no tube connection is provided between the wetting hole 38 and the wetting opening 56. A tube connecting the openings 38 and 56 can be provided if desired; in such case, in the reclining position of the head there would still be no wetting even if the reservoir were overfilled, the reason being that the top end of such a tube will not be higher than the lower end thereof until the doll was erected. This is caused by the particular location of the Wetting hole in the reservoir and the location of the reservoir itself towards the rear of the head.

A doll equipped with the drinking, wetting and crying means described above performs these functions in a very life-like manner. As is usual with infants, the doll does not cry while being fed. Also, it wets before it cries and cries while wetting, and after the wetting has ceased. Moreover, it can even cry without wetting. Still further, the doll drinks in the usual position, i.e., reclining. All

of the foregoing life-like characteristics are achieved bythe instant means in a very simple manner and without sacrifice of any other features of the doll. Moreover, the means is easy and inexpensive to manufacture and install and is rugged and durable so that it will not break even if the doll be subjected to rugged usage.

It thus will be seen that there is provided a device which achieves the several objects of the invention and is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein described, or shown in the accompanying drawings, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described the invention, there is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a drinking, wetting and crying doll comprising a body and a hollow head having a mouth opening, a

pair of eye sockets, a pair of tearing tubes extending rearwardly from said sockets, and a feeding tube extending rearwardly from said mouth opening: a one-piece,

liquid reservoir of plastic material located in said head, said reservoir including top, front, back, bottom and side walls, the bottom wall including a raised portion between the side walls and extending from the front wall to the back wall, the interior of said reservoir being unobstructed except for said raised portion of the bottom Wall,,means providing an unblocked intake opening,

on'the front wall above the level of the mouth opening, near the top wall and connected to the mouth opening by the feeding tube, means providing a pair of unblocked crying holes on the front wall at the level of the eye socket, adjacent the bottom wall and each connected to a different eye socket by a crying tube, said crying holes being located on opposite sides of said raised portion of the bottom wall, means providing an unblocked vent opening in the top wall near the front wall rearwardly of the eye sockets, and means providing an unblocked wetting hole .in the raised portion of the bottom wall rearwardly of the front wall and a substantial distance forwardly of the back wall.

2. A reservoir as set forth in claim 1 wherein the raised portion of the bottom wall slopes rearwardly and upwardly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,157,763 Konikoif et al May '9, 1939 2,196,912 Gilbraith Apr. 9, 1940 2,907,139 Rekcettye Oct. 6, 1959

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