US3193968A - Tear duct device for sleeping doll eye - Google Patents

Description

July 13, 1965 H. BRUDNEY 3,193,963

TEAR DUCT DEVICE FOR SLEEPING DOLL EYE Filed April 4, 1962 E il BY ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,193,968 TEAR DUCT DEVICE FOR SLEEPENG DOLL EYE Harry Brudney, New York, N.Y., assignor, by inesne assignments, to Jacoby-Bender, Inc, Woodside, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 4, 1962, Ser. No. 185,15? Claims. (Cl. 46-135) This invention relates to doll eyes and more particularly to sleeping eyes having provision for effecting water passage to simulate weeping or tearing.

The problem of effecting tearing in doll eyes has existed for some time and has been solved in various ways. For example, the prior art contains many patents which disclose passageways around movable eyeballs comprising grooves or clearances in the eye shell which forms a housing for a unitary integrally assembled doll eye. Other patents show holes through the doll head adjacent the eyes to which water tubes are connected. Various other expedients are known in the prior art. However, such prior art devices have respective drawbacks. For example, where water is introduced into the eye to circumvent the eyeball around all or part of its Periphery, it is dimcult to control the quantity of water passing through, and there is danger of excess flow from the eye. In constructions where holes are molded or drilled through doll heads adjacent the eyes, there are molding difliculties, or extra operational steps required, and in any event such usage is generally restricted to hard material heads.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above drawbacks, and more particularly to provide a tearing eye usable with a so-called soft vinyl head, such tearing eye being of the integrally assembled unit type that is merely pushed into a molded eye cavity in the head.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the description that follows.

Briefly, the invention contemplates the molding of a small bore in the front eye shell for connection to a water conducting tube that passes longitudinally through the assembly emerging through a bore in the rear shell for connection to suitable flexible water tubing from a reservoir. The molding of the water passage bore in the plastic front shell can be readily accomplished and effects an economy to doll manufacturers in that no special molds or change in molds need be made in conjunction with the molding of doll heads which they procure or manufacture. Thus, any vinyl doll head can be utilized for purposes of manufacturing a tearing doll.

Further, by molding such a bore in the front shell on each side of the eye, it is possible to provide selectivity as to source of tearing for each eye. Thus, the tube may be connected to either of the apertures so that tearing can be achieved either adjacent the doll nose or adjacent the far corner of the eye.

Referring now to the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of a doll eye incorporating the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial section through 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing only one tearing tube;

FIG. 3 is a section through 33 of FIG. 2, the complete front shell being shown at its rear and the locking rim and rear cover being removed, and

FIG. 4 is a front view of FIG. 1, with the back cover removed.

Referring to all of the figures of the drawing, the doll eye of the invention comprises a front shell of molded plastic having an eye aperture 12 in which an aperture or bore 14 is provided in the course of the molding process on each side of the eyeball 18. The plastic material is somewhat thicker at 15 than normal at the side of the shell in order to provide material for full enclosure of Patented July 13, 1965 the bore 14. Directly below the bore and substantially co-planar therewith is the usual slot 22 for reception of respective trunnions 25. Either of the bores 14 can slidably accept a fairly rigid metal or plastic tube 28 which may be force fitted therein for secure holding. Thus, tube 28 can be connected in the usual manner to any water source within the doll, and conduct water through bore 14 to the exterior of the shell 10 to simulate weeping or tearing. It will be noted that the bore 14- is provided with a constriction 32 followed by a somewhat widened front opening 36 of generally elliptical shape. The construction serves as a flow control and the widened front opening permits formation of a large tear or rather the gathering of sufiicient liquid to form a large water drop before it rolls down the cheek.

The tube 28 passes outwardly to the rear of the eye unit through the plastic or metallic rear shell 40 which is recessed at 43 on each side, the recess effecting a flat surface 47, apertured at 51, through which aperture the tube 28 passes and has support therein.

The remaining assembly is fairly conventional in that a weight 59 on an integrally molded tail 53 of the eyeball 18 effects the usual sleeping function and a retainer ring 57 is fitted within front shell 10 to retain trunnions 25 in place in respective slots 22, in the usual manner.

Having thus described the invention, I am aware that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and accordingly do not seek to be limited to the precise illustration herein given, except as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a tearing doll eye, a front shell having an aperture and having a pair of bores therethrough, said bores being disposed on respective opposite sides of said shell and adjacent said aperture, a doll eye within said shell and visible through said aperture, a rear casing secured to said shell enclosing the rear thereof to form a unitary assembled doll eye, said rear casing having respective apertures aligned with said bores for support of a liquid conducting tube extending through either aperture and connecting with the respective bore.

2. A tearing doll eye comprising a front shell having an eye aperture and a bore longitudinally extending through said shell at the side of said eye aperture, and closely adjacent thereto, said bore having a widened opening at the exterior surface of said shell and having a restricted passageway through which liquid must pass before emerging from said opening, whereby passage of liquid is con trolled to slowly form a drop of increasing size at said opening whereby the increased opening of said bore effects an area for forming a large tear drop while being fed liquid through said bore.

3. A tearing doll eye comprising a unitary assembly having a front shell and a rear housing secured thereto, and a doll eye within said housing, said front shell having an aperture through which said doll eye is visible and having a pair of bores on opposite sides of said apertom and closely adjacent to the edge thereof, and being symmetrically disposed With respect to the optical axis of said eye, means for connecting either of said bores with a liquid source, said front shell having diametrically aligned trunnion sockets on an axis parallel to the plane of said bores.

4. A tearing doll eye comprising a unitary assembly having a molded plastic front shell with a liquid conducting bore disposed longitudinally therethrough, and having an aperture through which a doll eye is visible, said bore having a front opening closely adjacent the edge of said aperture, a doll eye rotatively supported within said front shell, a rear casing secured to said front shell and having a recessed portion effecting a generally flat plateau,

r 3 r V 4 an aperture through said plateau, a tube extending through References Cited by the Examiner said aperture and haying bearing snpport therein and 7' UNITED STATES PATENTS being connected to said bore 1n sald front eye shell for V v conducting liquid thereto. o f v V l V l 7 2,748,530 6/56 SteCkeIF-4 46-135 5. In 5 doll ey e as set forth in claim 4, said front open- 7 5 2,819,560 71/58 C 46135 ing of said bore being widenedto permit formation of a V I large teardrop and said bore having a restriction therein RICHARD K nmary Examiner to control liquidfeed at a slow rate to said front opening. DELBERT B. LOWE, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. 2. A TEARING DOLL EYE COMPRISING A FRONT SHELL HAVING AN EYE APERTURE AND A BORE LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SHELL AT THE SIDE OF SAID EYE APERTURE, AND CLOSELY ADJACENT THERETO, SAID BORE HAVING A WIDENED OPENING AT THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID SHELL AND HAVING A RESTRICTED PASSAGEWAY THROUGH WHICH LIQUID MUST PASS BEFORE EMERGING FROM SAID OPENING, WHEREBY PASSAGE OF LIQUID IS CONTROLLED TO SLOWLY FORM A DROP OF INCREASING SIZE AT SAID OPENING WHEREBY THE INCREASED OPENING OF SAID BORE EFFECTS AN AREA FOR FORMING A LARGE TEAR DROP WHILE BEING FED LIQUID THROUGH SAID BORE.

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