US3252243A - Paper doll construction having clothing with tabs releasably held between margins offront and back pieces comprising the doll's body - Google Patents

Description

y 1966 w. v. DOYLE ETAL 3,252,243

UCTION HAVING CLOTHING WITH TAB PAPER DOLL CONSTR RELEASABLY HELD BETWEEN MARGINS OF FRONT AND BACK PIECES COMPRISING THE DOLLS BODY 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 14, 1965 Lmm INVENTORS WILLIAM v. DOYLE MARGARET D. DOYLE BYE/mm, Em

ATTORNEYS (D If) y 1966 w. v. DOYLE ETAL 3,

PAPER DOLL CONSTRUCTION HAVING CLOTHING WITH TABS RELEASABLY HELD BETWEEN MARGINS OF FRONT AND BACK PIECES COMPRISING THE DOLLS BODY Filed Jan 14, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS W\LLIAM V. DOYLE MARGARET D. DOYLE Z/am,% w,

mm M

ATTORNEYS y 1966 w. v. DOYLE ETAL 3,252,243

STRUCTION HAVING CLOTHING WITH TAB PAPER DOLL CON RELEASABLY HELD BETWEEN MARGINS OF FRONT AND BACK PIECES COMPRISING THE DOLL'S BODY 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 nmm Filed Jan. 14, 1963 w D MT/X r vr wm N L G ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,252,243 PAPER DGLL CONSTRUCTION HAVING CLOTH- 1N G WITH TABS RELEASABLY HELD BETWEEN MARGINS 0F FRONT AND BACK PIECES COM- PRISING THE DOLLS BODY William V. Doyle and Margaret D. Doyle, both of 1455 W. Shryer, Roseville 13, Minn. Filed Jan. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 251,240 6 Claims. (Cl. 46-157) This application is a continuation-in-part of our copending application Serial No. 755,689, filed August 18, 1958 now US. Patent 3,073,059, issued January 15, 1963, and relates, in general, to paper dolls and, in particular, to a new and improved paper doll body construction for use with paper doll clothing and the like having bendable tabs thereon and adapted to overlie the paper doll body and to be supported thereon.

With the presently prevailing types of construction, a doll is usually made of cardboard, with one surface printed to resemble a human figure dressed in underclothes and/or other garments. Additional clothes for the doll are printed on paper to be cut out and fastened to the doll by the child who plays with' the doll and its clothes. The usual method of afiixing paper clothes to the cardboard doll is by means of paper tabs protruding from the edges of each article of paper clothing, these tabs being a part of the same piece of paper as the article of clothing and cut out by the child in the samecutting operation. These paper tabs are designed to be folded backward around the edges of the cardboard doll to hold the article of clothing in place on the doll by means of the hook-efiect of the folded tabs around the edges of the doll. For convenience hereinafter this type of structure will be referred to as the usua paper doll.

In practice, this method of afiixing an article of clothing to a cardboard doll causes considerable difiiculty for the child when playing with the dolls and clothes. The difficulty arises from the fact that the tabs, as now used, dont hold the article of clothing securely in place on the doll. The hook-effect of a paper tab is relatively weak. That is true first because a paper tab does not remain in the form of a hook which is sutliciently tight and strong. However firmly the tab may be bent or creased, it has a natural resilience which causes it to tend to return to the original plane of the sheet from which it was bent. Secondly, since the resilience of a tab causes it-to move away from the back of the doll, it protrudes. As a result it may be hit by the users fingers or other objects, thereby tending either to further unfold the tab or even to dislodge the entire article of clothing, depending on where and how the tab is contacted. As a result, the article of clothing tends to fall off easily, particularly when the doll is moved. This is annoying and frustrating when the child, while playing with the dolls, attempts to move them about in play to simulate human activity. amount of play that is practical in using paper dolls and paper clothes as now constructed is seriously limited.

Various attempts have been made to overcome this d ifficulty, one such type of construction making use of magnets instead of tabs, with the magnets being placed in or on the dolls and plates of ferrous metals placed in corresponding positions on the article of paper clothing. This method of construction is effective, but has disadvantages among which are the following:

(a) It is substantially more expensive than the usual paper doll previously described.

(b) The ferrous metal plates must be affixed to the articles of paper clothing. This is commonly accomplished by means of sections of gummed paper designed to overlap the edges of the metal plates and be glued in these overlapping areas to the article of paper clothing. In practice, the metal plates become rather easily detached from the articles of clothing, requiring their being refastened to the articles of clothing from time to time. Furthermore, the metal plates, being relatively small, are easily lost.

(c) The article of paper clothing is usually afiixed to the doll by means of only one small area of contact where the magnet in the doll'attracts and holds the metal plate afiixed to the article of clothing. This area of contact is usually located near the center of the doll, which is obviously the most desirable location for effectively holding the entire article of clothing on the doll. However, the edges of the article of clothing are not held directly in any way, and so are loose and tend to floparound in an unrealistic and undesirable manner when the doll is moved. Also, the article of clothing readily pivots about the area of contact and then looks peculair and unrealistic.

This diificulty just described can be overcome only by providing a plurality of magnets and a plurality of metal plates on the respective doll and articles of clothing. This, of course, will add to the already high cost of manufacturing such items.

Thus the Still another type of construction is in making use of special cardboard and paper materials which set up static electricity when the paper article of clothing is rubbed against the doll, such static electricity tending to hold the article of clothing to the doll after the rubbing process.

This method of construction is somewhat effective, but has the following disadvantages:

(a) This method too is relatively expensive, not quite as expensive as the magnetic method, but substantially more expensive than the usual paper doll described above.

(b) Electrostatic attraction of the doll for the article of clothing that has been placed against it tends to weaken after the article of clothing has remained on the doll for a while. As a result, the article of clothing tends to fall from the doll when the doll is moved, or even when the doll is not moved. Also it is essential that the doll be kept free of dust or dirt.

(c) The ability of the matenials to produce static electricity tends to weaken in time.

Another form of doll makes use of paper clothes which are laced through holes in the clothes and in the body of the doll. The lacing is made a part of the clothing design in order to give realism to the clothing, but since there are not many clothing styles which employ lacing, the types of clothes are limited. Also the holes in the dolls body render the doll unreal in appearance.

Another type of doll makes use of the flannelboard type of paper having clothes made of cloth. The clothing clings to the flannel-like surface of the doll. But the surfaces of the doll and of the clothing cannot have a fine printed surface like paper. Furthermore, these latter two constructions are expensive.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of our invention to provide a new and improved doll construction which improves the conventional prior art type paper dolls and accomplishes the following objectives:

(a) Articles of cloth-ing may be held firmly thereto without any of the disadvantages of the methods of construction and use above described.

(b) Is substantially lower in cost than other doll constructions of the type described where attempts were made to improve the usual paper doll and paper doll clothing.

(0) Does not in any way, or to any extent whatever, lose any of its ability to function over a period of time unless it or the clothing become damaged when handled, which likelihood of damage is no greater than (and in many instances is less than) on other dolls constructed in accordance with the prior'art.

(d) Is particularly adapted to hold an article of clothing in position by means of a plurality of areas of contact around the edges of the doll, leaving-no areas of the article of clothing free to flop around when the doll is moved.

(e) Permits the article of clothing to remain firmly on the doll for as long as period of time as may be desired without falling off, becoming loose, or losing any of its firm connection with the doll.

(-f) Makes use of conventional tabs on articles of clothing as now manufactured, but causes them to hold the articles of clothing firmly in position. Furthermore, fewer tabs are needed than in the case of the usual paper doll.

(g) Makes it possible for a childto fasten the article of clothing to the doll and to unfasten and remove the article'from the doll very easily.

(h) Permits the articles of clothing to be fastened to the doll over other articles of clothing, and permits small articles of clothing and accessories to be securely fastened in appropriate positions on the doll. In this connection, accessories employing a single tab may be firmly secured.

(i) The tabs are substantially entirely concealed, thereby giving a more realistic appearance. This makes it possible to make a doll appear realistic from the back as well as the front, and permits the wearing of clothes on its back as well as its front.

(j) By concealing the tabs, keeps them from being contacted in use thereby preventing accidental displacement of the tab or the entire article of clothing.

(k) Permits the child to change the personality, appearance and character represented by the doll, thus making it possible to have one doll represent any number of additional personalities or individuals.

Briefly, we accomplish the above general and specific objects of our invention by the provision of a doll having imprinted thereon, where necessary or desirable, the facsimile of a human person (or animal or other being), which doll is made of cardboard or other similarly functioning material and constitutes a front or body portion to which is operatively connected a back portion made of cardboard, or other similarly functioning material. The back portion is cut either in substantially the same size, shape, and contour as the doll body portion itself or slightly larger, or smaller. It may also be formed as a partial back piece covering only a part of the back of the doll. The back piece is affixed to the back of the body portion of the doll in such a manner that the marginal portions of the back portion is free of the body portion along the length of at least one and preferably two sides of the doll periphery for retaining reception of the tabs of paper doll clothing which are folded and inserted in said free marginal space between the back and body portions which comprise the doll. These portions are secured together as described in any one of several arrangements.

In our above-mentioned copending application Serial No. 755,689, new U.S. Patent No. 3,073,059, filed August 18, 1958, of which this application is continuationin-part, several arrangements for assembling the back portion with the front or body portion of a paper doll to accomplishthis result are disclosed and claimed generically. In accordance with the invention as herein shown, described and more specifically claimed, the two portions are joined by spaced connecting tabs, adhesive or adhesived connecting pieces as will be hereinafter more completely described and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

As already suggested, articles of clothing are formed of paper and provided with tabs at their periphery. These are fastened to the doll by inserting the tabs thereof between the body portion and the back portion of the doll; the edges of the back portion, or the edges of the doll,

insertion of the tabs.

With the tabs so disposed between the body portion of the doll and the back piece, the tabs are not exposed and cannot be contacted accidentally and dislodged. Also, being held between the body portion and back piece, the tabs cause the clothing to stay in place until the child desires to remove it.

The act of inserting the tabs between the edges of the back portion and the edges of the body portion of the doll can be made easier, if desired, by making the contour of the back portion slightly larger than the contour of the front portion so that the back portion serves as a guide for insertion of the tabs.

In one form of the invention, the connector pieces space the back portion from the front portion a relatively short distance which makes easier the insertion of the tabs.

In another form of the invention, the connector pieces are so arranged as to provide a structure permitting limited relative movement between the entire front portion and back portion. In this form of the invention the connecting pieces may be integral or partially cut from one portion and adhesively or otherwise attached to the other port-ion. One of the connecting pieces may also comprise a stand, or part thereof, for the paper doll.

In those forms of our invention where a connector piece, or pieces, is employed between the front and back portions to make it easier to insert the tabs between them,

the article of clothing still stays firmly in position because the natural resilience in the folded tabs causes them to bear resiliently against a surface such as the inner surface of the back portion. That is, the tabs are not loosely disposed in the space between the back piece and doll.

Our paper doll constructions also are provided with one of several new and improved stands which permit the paper dolls to stand upright or to be laid down in a very realistic manner, and as will be understood from the more detailed description hereinafter, this stand may form a part of the means to connect the back piece to the front piece. Too, we have found a high degree of realism obtained from many of our stands since the feet of the subject doll will be near the supporting surface and in some embodiments of our stands the doll may be laid down simulating sleeping, without detachment of any of the parts thereof.

Accordingly, still further objects and advantages of our invention are realized as will be apparent from the above brief description. These are (l) the utilization of stands for the dolls which form a part of the means for afiixing the back portion to the front or body portion of the doll; (2) utilization of stands which have a high degree of realism and permit the children to simulate human activities such as standing or sleping without unfastening any or all of the parts of the doll; (3) permits the utilization of articles of clothing, both on the front and on the back of the doll, where desirable; (4) adds realism to the dolls by providing a means for both a front form as well as a front and back form, for which clothing and the like may be utilized; (5) provides a doll which is sturdy and strong and which can be assembled with or without guidance,

.either providing a fixed relationship or a resilient relationship between the front and back pieces to permit ready insertion of clothing tabs.

Now, in order to acquaint those skilled in the art with the present invention and the manner of making and using the same, I shall described, in connection with the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of one embodiment of a paper doll constructed in accordance with the teachings of our invention, and illustrating to advantage how articles of clothing and accessories may be worn by the doll;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the doll illustrated in FIG- URE 1, illustrating the back-to-back relationship of the back portion with the front portion, held together by tabs which have been cut at spaced intervals from the back portion, folded back to comprise spacers and adhesively secured to the rear side of the front or body portion of the doll;

.FIGURE 3 is a back view of the paper doll illustrated in FIGURES 1 and -2, showing to advantage the contour of the back portion, smaller than the front portion, with the respective tabs on the articles of clothing, held therebetween;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view showing the doll of FIGURE 3 with one hand and its related arm spaced from the side of the doll;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view generally similar to FIGURE 4, showing a modified arrangement for attaching a hand and related arm of the front and back portion of the doll;

FIGURE 6 is a back view of still another embodiment of our invention with the back portion held by resiliently arranged connecting pieces and which utilizes another form of stand;

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view 0 fthe embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 6 taken along lines 7-7 therein;

FIGURE 8 is a front view of another embodiment of the invention and illustrating the connecting pieces as interengaging slot and tongue formations secured to the inner or adjacent sides of the front and back portions comprising a paper doll;

FIGURE 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 99 of FIGURE 8 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIGURE 10 is a front view of still another embodiment of our invention illustrating to advantage another form of connecting means and stand and showing an accessory (hat) folded and held on the doll;

FIGURE 11 is a side view of the embodiment shown in FIGURE 10, and illustrating the clothing tabs for clothes for the back and front of the doll and inserted in the space between the front portion and back portion as provided by the spacing means;

FIGURE 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 1212 of FIGURE 10 and looking in the direction of the arrows to illustrate the stand of FIGURE 10;

FIGURE 13 is a partial plan view of still another embodiment of our invention illustrated in connection with a conventional stand;

FIGURE 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 1414 of FIGURE 13 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 15 is a partial view of the back of the doll illustrated in FIGURE 13 enlarged to illustrate to advantage the partial type back piece for the doll;

FIGURE 16 is a top view partially in section taken along line 1616 of FIGURE 15;

FIGURE 17 is a front view of still another embodiment of the invention wherein the front and back portions comprising a paper doll are connected by means of tabs which are integral with one portion and detachably engage with an appropriate part of the other portion;

FIGURE 18 is a side view of the doll illustrated in FIGURE 17;

FIGURE 19 is a back view thereof;

FIGURE 20 is a fragmentary view showing the arrange-- ment for detachably interengaging the free hand of the two portions which comprise the front and back of the doll;

FIGURE 21 is a partial back view of still another embodiment of our invention and illustrating to advantage another means of holding and locking the back piece to the front piece of the doll;

FIGURE 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 22-22 of FIGURE 21 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIGURE 23 is a top sectional view taken along line 2323 of FIGURE 21 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

6 Turning now to the drawings and in particular to FIG- URES l, 2 and 3 thereof, it can be seen that we have illustra-ted one embodiment of our paper doll invention, illustrated in its entirety as 10, and comprising a front portion 11 of paperboard, having a miniature human form 12 depicted thereon. At 13 is a paperboard back portion 14 (FIG. 3) which is of the same general shape and contour of the front portion and formed separately therefrom. Said back portion may be of the same dimensions as the front portion. It also may be slightly smaller (illustrated in FIG. 3) to expose a peripheral margin of the front portion constituting a flange equal to the difference between the periphery of the back portion 14 and the front portion 11. As illustrated in these figures, paper clothes or garments 17 have tabs 16 which are folded in a conventional manner and inserted between the back portion and the front portion, as illustrated in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3.

As previously mentioned, one important feature of our invention is the means of holding the clothing tabs, such as 16, on the doll itself. By inserting the tabs between the front portion 11 and the back portion 14 of the doll, it is not likely for these tabs to come out or to be detached during normal usage since the back portion and the front portion together grip or hold the tabs therebetween. As previously mentioned, another important feature of our invention is the fact that additional articles of clothing,

such as the scarf illustrated at 18 and having tabs 20, may be placed over the garment 17, with the tabs 20 also being inserted between the front portion and back portion to hold such an article in place. Too, other accessories, such as the handbag 21, withits tab 22, may be held firmly in place on the arm of the doll. This type of function was not heretofore available in prior art dolls since small articles with single tabs could not be firmly held on the doll, such prior art dolls lacking the gripping function accomplished by having a back portion and a front portion.

In this embodiment, the back portion 14, which comprises the tab retaining means, itself has a plurality of rectangular shaped tabs or connecting pieces indicated at 43, 44 and 45 which are cut out of the material of said portion 14 along three sides and folded back along their fourth side which is left integral and is secured by adhesive or other appropriate means to the rear side of the front or body portion of the doll. In addition to securing the two portions of the doll, connecting pieces 43, 44 and 45 also serve as spacers which make easier the insertion of the doll clothing tabs 16 in the spaces left free between the two portions along their peripheral margins. Usefully the upwardly-extended arm 36 of the back portion is provided with a tab 26 folded back so as to lie between the two portions 36, 36' and which is similarly secured as by adhesive to the rear side of the corresponding arm of the front portion 11.

The carrying or wearing of small articles or accessories by single tabs is also possible when the doll 10 has one hand and its related arm spaced from the body of the doll, as shown in FIGURE 4. There front portion 11 and back portion 14 are shown having their respective arm portions 36a and 36a extending downwardly free of the. rest of the doll body and secured together at their outer ends, as by adhesive. In this example, intervening tab 26 has been omitted and a pair of lateral creases 37, 37 provided in the general area of the upper hand or wrist area of the back piece 14 which makes it easier to separate the front and back arm portions 36 and 36a, respectively, for the insertion of any tabs, since the pair of creases provides a resilient hinge-like elfect for movement of hand 38.

An alternative arrangement is illustrated in FIGURE 5 wherein spacing means are provided in the form of a tab or connecting piece 57 between the hand portion 38 of the front and back pieces 11 and 14, respectively, may be used. It serves not only as a spacer to make easier the insertion of tabs between the arm portions of the front and back pieces but also as a support for accessories or articles of clothing. As shown, the tab 57 may be formed main on the doll.

integrally with one hand portion and then folded along a line such as 58 into the space between the front and back hand portion 38. The tab may be additionally scored along lines parallel to line 58 if the resilience of the tab is to be varied. However, spacing means in the area of the hand portions can be supplied by separate pieces and could be secured to one or the other, or both, of the hand portions.

As illustrated in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, the front piece 11 flares outwardly near the base to provide a stand, indicated in its entirety as 23, flat at the bottom and adapted to be placed on the floor or other supporting surface. Stand 23 comprises a front part 24, formed integral with the front piece 11, and a back part 25 formed integral with the back piece 14. To function as a stand, back portion 25 is scored vertically in two places, as at 27 and 28'. This forms three sections 29, 30 and 31, two of which are folded backwards, viz., away from the front piece, as illustrated in the drawing (see particularly FIG. 2) to form the legs of a three-dimensional stand. Usefully, section 29 has a V-notch-32 on its upper side adjacent its outer end and section 31 has a V-notch 33 on its under side adjacent its outer end which may be hooked together when the two sections are folded back along vertical scoring lines 27 and 28, thus forming a stable mounting stand. In this embodiment, the stand 23 has the advantage that creases 27 and 28 are only semi-permanent so that if a child desires to lay the doll down to simulate sleeping, sections 29, 31 may be unhooked. The stand may be then conveniently. flattened or unfolded to its original unfolded position.

From the above described construction, we have found that the priamry objectives of making it possible for the clothes to stay firmly on the doll and to permit the doll to wear or carry small accessories, are very well accomplished at a minimum cost. Furthermore, the doll is sturdy and strong and easy to assembly. At the same time the back piece facilitates putting clothes and other accessories on the doll or taking them off, as the case may be, and their retention on the doll by the location of the doll clothes tabs in the space which exists between the two portions. Furthermore, the stand construction allows for standing the doll upright and, as can be seen, great realism is accomplished.

In addition to these features, we have found that realism is enhanced by the fact that the tabs themselves are substantially concealed from the front of the doll by reason of the back piece 14. It can also be appreciated that the tabs thus disposed are not easily knocked loose during play. The connecting pieces, contrary to expected results, do not lessen the ability of the tabs of the clothes to re- This result we attribute to the natural resilience in the folded tabs which cause them to bear resiliently against a surface, either the inner surface of the back portion or the inner surface of the front portion, as the case may be, and in that manner they are not loosely disposed in the space between the front and back portions which comprise the doll. Furthermore, the spacing means permits the easy insertion of the tabs of the clothing, which act of inserting the tabs between the front and back portions may be accomplished with or without the two portions being spread or flexed.

Turning now to FIGURES 6 and 7, there is illustrated therein a doll 250 having a front portion 251 and a back portion 252 in spaced relationship as illustrated in FIGURE 7. Doll 25!]- is again made of two separate pieces, unattached at the respective extreme top and bottom. Similarly to the embodiment illustrated in FIG- URES 1-3, the back portion 252 is provided with one U-shaped slot 253 at the top of the figure midway of the shoulders and a second U-shaped slot 254 near the lower part of the body to form a tab 255 and 256 respectively in each of the slots. Tabs 255 and 256' are each scored, as at 257 and 258, to divide each of the tabs into two parts, one of which is affixed to the back of the front portion by any suitable manner such as adhesive. However, as distinguished from the doll of FIGURES 1-3, the part of tab 255 aifixed to the front portion 251 is the lower part of the tab whereas the fixed part in the tab 256 is in the upper part thereof (see FIG. 7) so that the two tabs actually work against each other to tend to resiliently hold the front portion 251 and the back portion 252 together. This means of atfixing the front and back portions of the doll aids these pieces in accomplishing the function of the previously described front and back portions to hold the tabs of paper doll clothing between the free margins of the two portions which comprise the doll. It will be appreciated further that in this embodiment and also in the case .of the previously described embodiment, the tabs may be aflixed in the manner shown and described in the factory. They may also be affixed by the child or mother following simple instructions, with or without the adhesive being actually afiixed to the back of the front portion.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, we have conveniently shown still another form of stand. This stand, illustrated in its entirety as 26%), comprises two triangular leg pieces 261 and 262 cut from the back portion 252 and scored as at 263 and 224 so that the tabs triangulate a three-dimensional stand capable of supporting the device in an upright position. This stand can be refolded to its original position to permit the doll to lie down realistically.

Turning now to the embodiment illustrated in FIG- URES 8 and 9, it can be seen that we have illustrated therein a doll illustrated in its entirety at 289, having a front portion 281 and a back portion 282 of identical configuration and provided with connecting means therebetween, indicated in its entirety at 283. In the embodiment illustrated, this means includes a tongue 284 substantially longitudinally inserted therebetween and which by reason of its location between the front and back portions 281 and 282 also serves as a spacing strip. Said spacing strip or tongue 283 preferably is located midway between the edges of the doll so that there is adequate space on either side of it for insertion of clothing tabs between the margins of the two doll portions. Strip 283 serves to hold the front and back portions together but in a detachable relationship which it accomplishes in the following manner. Strip 284 is suitably affixed to the back of the front portion throughout most of the length of the strip and conveniently scored and bent or folded so as to be received in a slot forming means 2%. Slot forming means 286 in this embodiment is located at the breast portion of the doll and is formed of a relatively small rectangular piece of paperboard, secured at each end to the front of the back portion in any suitable manner, as by adhesive, such ends being spaced to receive the strip 284 therebetween.

At the lower end of the doll, the back of the front portion 281 is provided with a T-shaped insert having a top or tongue portion 287 and a base 233. The base 288 is suitably affixed as by adhesive to the base of the doll with its bottom edge in alignment with the bottom edge of the doll and the tongue 287 is free of the back portion, to be inserted in a slot forming means 290 affixed to the front of the back portion. Slot means 290 is substantially identical with the slot forming means 286 and is adapted to receive the tongue 287 in a manner similar to the free portion of the spacer means 284. Thus, with the use of the two spacing means 284 and 287,. the front portion 281 and the back portion 282 are locked together and the .spacing means perform the function heretofore described in connection with the connecting pieces 23, 24 and 25 of FIGURES 1-3. However, from this description it can be appreciated that this embodiment-is particularly characterized by being readily detachable since the removal of the front portion and the back portion from each other is accomplished by merely sliding one relative to the other longitudinally (upward and downward in the drawings) so that the respective spacing means will be received in or removed from the slot forming means described.

The stand, indicated in its entirety as 291, for the doll, as illustrated in FIGURES 8 and 9, is formed as an integral portion of the doll and comprises a front part 292 flared and with a flat bottom adapted to be set on a supporting structure. It also is suitably scored vertically as at 293 and 294 to divide the stand into three parts, 295, 296 and 297. Parts 296 and 297 are folded about the scorings 293 and 294 and placed forwardly as illustrated in the partial cross-sectional view in FIGURE 9. The back portion 282 is similarly provided with a congruent portion 298 having similar vertical scorings to define parts, corresponding to the front parts 295 to 297, which are folded backward or in a direction opposite to the front parts to provide a three-dimensional stand as can be appreciated.

Turning now to FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, where we have illustrated still another embodiment of our invention, illustrated in its entirety as 130 and comprising a front portion 131 and a back portion 132, which may be formed separately or be integrally formed with the front piece 131 by scoring and folding, as at 133. In this embodiment we have provided still another type of spacer or connecting pieces. These comprise a pair of circular paperboard pieces 134 and 135 respectively affixed to the front and back portions 131 and 132, substantially at the breast of the model illustrated and in back-toback relationship, by adhesive or in any suitable manner. There is also provided still another pair of rectangular spacing means 136 and 137, centrally located on the stand 138 in back-to-back relationship and aflixed to the front and back portions in any suitable manner as by adhesive. With this arrangement, clothes 140 with integral front portions 141 and back portions 142 and with front tabs 143 and back tabs 144, may be placed on the doll over the front portion and the back portion or over the front or the back, separately. This embodiment, too, is a front and-back type doll where the back piece 132 may have depicted thereon a back of the human form which adds realism to the paper doll structure. As can be seen in FIGURE 11, the tabs 143, 144 are held between the front and back pieces in a manner substantially identical with the clothes and tabs as described in connection with the figures previously described.

With this embodiment, however, we have also shown an accessory which may be utilized in connection with our invention, as a result of the improvement accomplished by the provision of a means for holding the tabs as previously explained. This accessory comprises a hat, indicated in its entirety as 145, formed with a front piece 146 and a back piece 147, and may be scored and folded as at 148 and provided with tabs 150, to be folded and inserted between the front pieces and the back pieces 131 and 132. It is important to note in connection with this accessory that it is held in place in a manner similar to the previously described articles of clothing, and may be placed on the doll directly over the front and back pieces of the doll itself, or may be placed over a previously placed article of clothing.

The stand 138 in this embodiment is made integral with the body of the doll and comprises a front part 152 which flares outwardly, is provided with a flat bottom to be supported on a supporting structure and is scored horizontally as at 153 so that a lower part 154 may be folded at the scoring outwardly from an upper portion 155 as illustrated in FIGURE 11. The back portion 132 of the doll is also provided with a congruent portion on part 156, a scoring 157 and a lower part 158 which is folded backwardly with respect to the back portion 132 whereby the front lower part 154 and the back lower part 158 thereof are angularly disposed as in inverted V to accomplish a three-dimensional stand.

At the scorings 153 and 157 we have also respectivelyprovided pairs of slots (two 160, 162 shown in scoring 153 only) which are spaced apart to receive front tabs 163 and back tabs 164 forming a part of the feet 165 of the doll clothes. With this arrangement of slots and tabs, the lower portion of the clothing is conveniently held to prevent movement and tearing of the clothing, as can be appreciated. Tabs 163, 164 may be also folded to coincide with the folds of the scorings 153 and 154 if felt necessary or desirable.

The stand 138 is also provided with a new slot and hook means not heretofore described, as a means of affixing the back portion 131 and the front portion 132- together. As can be seen, front part 155 is cut as at 166 to form a tab 167 which is inserted in a slot 168 in back part 156. Similarly, back part 156 is cut to define a tab 170 which is inserted through a slot 171 formed in the front part 155 and, for convenience, both tabs 167 and 170 are creased and folded to conform as near as possible to the front and back of the doll.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 13 through 16 comprises a doll 180 having a front piece 181 and a back piece 182 (see FIGURES 15 and 16). Back piece 182, however, in this embodiment, comprises only a partial back piece which as illustrated, conforms only in part to the shoulder contour of the front piece and is aflixed to the front piece in any suitable manner as by an adhesive. The adhesive is applied in one or more locations (two being shown in FIGURE 15) substantially centrally of the back piece 182 so that the right and left ends thereof may be separated slightly as illustrated in FIGURE 16 to receive the tabs 183 of the clothing 184 in a manner similar to the previously described embodiments. As is obvious, this partial back piece, while forming a front only type doll in many respects performs the same functions as the previously described dolls in that the back piece 132 will grasp and hold the tabs of the clothes, and any number of such back pieces could be placed throughout the back of'the doll as for example at the knees, for additional tabs for the clothes if thought necessary or desirable. This em bodiment illustrates how the principle of our invention may be utilized simply and with a minimum of cost.

As to the stand for the embodiment shown in FIG- URES 13 through 16, such stand comprises a slotted piece 185 scored midway thereof as at 186 and folded to form a V (as illustrated in the drawing), the legs of which are received in slots (not shown) in the front piece 181. This makes a three-dimensional stand which is detachable whenever necessary. This stand, however, is conventional and forms no part of the present invention except insofar as it may form a part of the combination of the doll illustrated in connection with FIGURES 13 through 16.

FIGURES 17, 18, 19 and 20 illustrate another embodiment of our invention, indicated in its entirety as 110, and comprising a front portion 111 and a back portion 112. Back portion 112 is usefully formed to have a contour slightly smaller than the contour of front portion 111 to form a flange 113 provided by the difference between said front and back portions of the doll, the purpose of which is the same as the flange 15 of the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1-3. In this embodiment the two portions 111, 112 of the doll are detachably joined by spaced tab-like connector pieces formed integrally with one of said two portions and which have ends which interlock in slits provided in the other portion. Thus as seen best in FIGURE 19, the head part 114 of the retainer means or back portion 112 is provided with a pair of vertically extending spaced slits 115 located inwardly of the adjacent peripheral margins of said portion 112. Said 1 1 fold line 118 so as to overlie the outer side of portion 112 with parts 119 of head 116 fitted beneath slits 115. Parts 119 therefore also serve to space head 11d of the back portion 112 from the rear side of body portion 111 of the doll 110.

At the bottom of said doll 110, both the front and back portions flare outwardly (part 124- of portion 111 and part 125 of portion 112) to provide a stand flat at the bottom and adapted-to be placed on the floor or other surface. Said stand constituting parts 124 and 125 are congruent in shape and part 125 is scored vertically at 126 and 127 to form three sections 228, 229 and 230, sections 228 and 229 being foldable rearwardly on said score lines away from the stand part 124 of the front portion 111 to form the legs of a three-dimensional stand by means of which the doll 111) may be stood erect. Sections 22% and 229 may also be folded fiat against stand part 125 when it is desired to lay the doll in a sleepsimulating position. 112 is also provided with a tab 232 which is cut out of section 230 to a quadrant shape as illustrated in FIG- URE l9 and notched as at 233. Tab 232 is folded about its fold line 232 and is received in a complementary notch or slit 235 provided in stand part 125 of the front portion so that it cooperates with tab 117 and slits 115 to hold the two portions of the doll in assembled relation while leaving a space therebetween along the length of their periphery to receive the tabs 16 of doll clothing as aforedescribed in connection with the other embodiment illus- .trating the invention. Usefully the free hand 136' of the rear portion 111 has a tab 137 provided with a notch 138 and is folded along fold line 139 so that its notch 13% may be caught with notch 140 in the corresponding hand part 141 of the rear portion 236 to complete the assembly of the doll portions and which also adapts the doll to carry scarves and the like extended between the hand parts 136' and 141 and over the loop which tab 137 thus connected comprises.

FIGURES 21, .22 and 23 illustrate a modification of this further embodiment of our invention wherein we have provided the back portion 112 with a centrally-disposed key shaped slot 194 near the shoulder blade of the model in which is received a flanged elongated tab 195 corresponding to tab 117; also formed as an integral part .of the front portion 111 scored and folded as at 196 over the back portion 112 and interlocked within the slot 194 to hold the upper portions of the doll together. In assem- :bly, with the two portions separate, the tab 195 may be inserted in the slot 194 and locked in the slot by the flanges or edges 197 on the head of the tab as illustrated. In this embodiment, any of the stands previously described may be utilized to lock the back portion and the front portion together at the base so that the two pieces may perform the function of gripping the clothing tabs as previously described. One important feature of the present embodiment is that the two separable portions 111 and 1 12 have the benefits of integral pieces and the head of the tab 195 performs still another function of spacing the front piece and back piece apart to obtan the function of spacing means such as previously described. As more clearly illustrated in FIGURE 23, tab 195 is actually between the front portion and the back portion and While we have illustrated this attaching means in connection with a flanged doll, the flange is obviously not necessary to the function of this embodiment.

Thus from the above description of the preferred embodiments of our invention, it can be appreciated that we have accomplished the general and specific objects of our invention and while we have disclosed the dolls depictng human figures, obviously, the principle of our invention can be utilized on animal forms, for example, a saddle or harness may be firmly held on a horse. Furthermore,

use of the wording paper doll, cardboard doll and paper doll clothing or paperboar is solely for convenience and is not intended to limit the doll and doll Stand part 124 of the back portion clothing structures to paper, paperboard, or cardboard. The doll and clothing could be made of other suitable materials such, for example, as a doll made of plastic, wood, metal, in substantially sheet form, and clothing made of cloth, metalfoil, plastic and the like. Accordingly, unless the context clearly requires the contrary, use of the terms paper doll and paper doll clothing is to be construed to include alternate materials which are suitable for the purpose.

Where herein the various parts of our invention have been referred to as located in a right or left or an upper or lower or an inward or outward position, it will be understood that this is done solely for the purpose of facilitating description and that such references relate only to the relative positions of the parts as shown in the drawings.

Also, it is to be understood that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention and the invention is defined and comprehended solely by the appendedclaims which should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.

We claim:

1. A doll including means defining a paperboard front portions, means defining a paperboard back portion and arranged with the marginal portion thereof free of the front portion along the length of at least one side of the periphery of the doll, means defining paper doll clothing having at least one tab folded over said side of the front portion and inserted between the front portion and the back portion, said tab being retained therebetween against unfolding so as to hold the clothing in operative position on said doll, and spaced connector pieces disposed between and joining said back portion with said front portion, said spacer connector pieces spacing the front and back portions of the doll from each other.

2. A doll including means defining a paperboard front portion, means defining a papenboard back portion and arranged with the marginal portion thereof free of the front portion along the length of at least one side of the periphery of the doll, means defining paper doll clothes having at least one tab folded over said side of the front portion and inserted between the front portion and the back portion, said tab being retained therebetween against unfolding so as to hold the clothing in operative position on said doll, and spaced, connector pieces disposed between and joining said back portion with said front portion, said connector pieces comprising tabs integrally formed with one of said portions and having their ends interlocking with cut outs formed in the other portion and with a portion of said last mentioned tabs lying between the two portions.

3. A paper doll comprising a body portion, paper doll clothing which is adapted to overlie said body portion and to be supported thereon by bendable tabs on the periphery of the doll clothing, said tabs being folded about the edge of said body portion, a retaining portion on the rear side of said body portion holding the bendable tabs in clothes-supporting position with respect to said body portion when folded, said retaining portion including integral connector tabs cut on three sides from the central area of said retaining portion and adhesively joined to the rear side of the body portion, said retaining portion comprising a back piece having its marginal portions overlying and free of the body portion along the length of at least one side of the periphery of the doll for covering and retaining reception of the tabs of the doll clothing folded about the edge of the body portion.

4. A paper doll comprising a body portion, paper doll clothing which is adapted to overlie said body portion and to be supported thereon by bendable tabs on the periphery of the doll clothing, said tabs being folded about the edge of said body portion, a retaining portion on the rear side of said body portion for holding the bendable tabs in clothes-supporting position with respect to said body portion when so folded, said retaining portion including integral connector tabs cut on three sides from the central area of the retaining portion at spaced locations, said integral connector tabs being folded back so as to space the two portions and being adhesively secured to the body portion, and said retaining portion comprising a back piece having its marginal portions overlying and free of the body portion along the length of at least one side of the periphery of the doll for covering and retaining reception of the tabs of the doll clothing folded about the edge of the body portion.

5. A doll including means defining a paper-board body portion, means defining a paperboard back piece having its central area only adhesively secured to the rear side of the body portion, the marginal portion of said back piece being free of the body portion along the length of at least one side of the periphery of the doll, doll clothing having spaced peripherally disposed tabs inserted into the free space between the body portion and the back piece so as to frictionally hold clothing in operative position on said doll, said body portion having joined thereto at least one arm portion and related hand portion, which arm and related hand portion are spaced from said body portion, said back piece having joined thereto similar arm and hand portions disposed behind said first arm and hand portions and having cr ase means including a pair of generally lateral creases generally in the hand area, and adhesive being disposed between and connecting the hand portions, with said crease means assisting in separation of said arm portions.

6. A paper doll comprising a body portion, removable paper doll clothing which is adapted to overlie said body portion and to be supported thereon by bendable tabs 14 on the periphery of the doll clothing, said tabs being folded about the edge of the said body portion, a retaining portion on the rear side of said body portion removably holding the bendable tabs in clothes-supporting position with respect to said body portion when so folded, one of said portions including integral connector tabs, the other portion including slits, said integral connector tabs of the one portion having ends which interengage in said slits provided in the other portion so as to be joined to said other portion, and said retaining portion comprising a back piece having its marginal portions overlying and free of the body portion along the length 1 of at least one side of the periphery of the doll, said marginal portions of the back piece being releasably engaged by the tabs of the doll clothing, folded about the edge of the body portion to cover and retain reception of said tabs in said folded relation.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,176,637 3/1916 Anderson 46-l57 1,662,100 3/1928 Blum 46-21 X 2,027,352 1/1936 Wessberg 46-157 2,099,015 11/ 1937 Horr.

2,3 43,741 3/ 1944 Blechta.

2,384,330 9/1945 Muggy et al. 46--157 X 2,642,697 6/1953 Haskell 46--22 2,942,271 6/1960 Franken feld 46-157 3,102,360 9/1963 Doyle et al. 46-157 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

F. B. SHAY, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A DOLL INCLUDING MEANS DEFINING A PAPERBOARD FRONT PORTIONS, MEANS DEFINING A PAPERBOARD BACK PORTION AND ARRANGED WITH THE MARGINAL PORTION THEREOF FREE OF THE FRONT PORTION ALONG THE LENGTH OF AT LEAST ONE SIDE OF THE PERIPHERY OF THE DOLL, MEANS DEFINING PAPER ROLL CLOTHING HAVING AT LEAST ONE TAB FODED OVER SAID SIDE OF THE PORTION AND INSERTED BETWEEN THE FRONT PORTION AND THE BACK PORTION, SAID TAB BEING RETAINED THEREBETWEEN AGAINST UNFOLDING SO AS TO HOLD THE CLOTHING IN OPERATIVE POSITION ON SAID DOLL, AND SPACED CONNECTOR PIECES DISPOSED BETWEEN AND JOINING SAID BACK PORTION WITH SAID FRONT POR-

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