US3534495A

US3534495A - Activatable doll

Info

Publication number: US3534495A
Application number: US758895A
Authority: US
Inventors: Aron Goldman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1968-09-10
Filing date: 1968-09-10
Publication date: 1970-10-20
Anticipated expiration: 1987-10-20

Description

Oct. 20, 1970 A. GOLDMAN 3,534,495

ACTIVATABLE DOLL Filed Sept. 10, 1968 INVEN TOR. APOIV GOLD/441V United States Patent 3,534,495 ACTIVATABLE DOLL Aron Goldman, New York, N.Y. (102-51 63rd Ave., Forest Hills, NY. 11375) Filed Sept. 10, 1968, Ser. No. 758,895 Int. Cl. A63h 5/00 US. Cl. 46-117 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A doll or like figurine capable of performinig acts by means of a stream of air under pressure discharged therefrom; the compression of the air being elfected by means of compressing a hollow, wholly closed compressible limb of the figurine; said limb formed with an outlet connected by an air conduit to the exterior of the figurine; said air conduit including a one-way air valve; the limb having an air inlet opening formed in its wall capable of being closed by a finger of an operator. In a special form of the figurine, the air conduit is connected intermediate its air valve and the exterior of the figurine to an elastic air reservoir for accomulating therein air under pressure when the said exterior air outlet is shut.

The present invention relates a doll; particularly to a doll of the type capable of simulating certain human actions. More specifically, the invention relates to a doll of the type capable of simulating such human actions as are performed by the expulsion of breath. Such activities include the blowing up of balloons; the straighening of curled party favors; the actuating of sound producing devices within and without the dolls body, and the like.

Dolls capable of performances similar to the above have heretofore been known. However, such dolls of the prior art have either required a soft and resilient walled torso or else, required the installation of special, relatively complicated and costly mechanism readily subject to going out of order; or both. Further, the activation of the prior art dolls to expel air was an obvious procedure, taking away from the interest in playing with such doll.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide dolls of the character described which may have, if desired, a torso that is rigid-walled and may be suitably attired and manipulated for air expulsion without disturbing the shape of the torso or its attire.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide dolls of the character described that do not require any additions, extraneous mechanism that must be actuated to create an air stream for expulsion, even when their torso is rigid.

It is also an Object of the present invention to provide dolls of the character described that are of simple and sturdy construction, utilizing a minimum of parts that are relatively durable and are simple and easy to assemble with the doll.

It is a further object of the invention to provide dolls of the character described whose activation for air expulsion is unobvious to observers and adds an air of mystery to the procedure, thereby enhancing the interest and pleasure obtained from playing with the dolls.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide dolls of the character described capable of having a reservoir of compressed air created therein which may be released for performance even after the doll has been laid down and is untouched, to thereby attain effects not heretofore possible with dolls of the prior art.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the dolls of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawing and from the description following. It is to be understood, however, that such embodiment is shown by way of illustration only, to make the principles and practice of the invention more readily comprehensible, and Without any intent of limiting the invention to the specific details therein shown.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, more or less schematic, vertical, sectional and partly elevational view of one embodiment of a doll of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, elevational and partly sectional view of the activating mechanism of the doll of the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, more or less schematic, sectional and partly elevational view of a modified embodiment of a doll of the invention.

Referring now in greater detail to the doll of the invention illustrated in the drawings, and with particular reference to the doll illustrated more or less schematically in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the same is shown to comprise a hollow torso, 10, having the neck portion, 12, on which is mounted the hollow head, 14, whose interior connects with the interior of the torso 10 and which is provided with the mouth opening, 16. Both or either of head and torso may be rigid-Walled or resiliently flexiblewalled, as may be desired.

The torso 10 is provided, at its upper end, with the conventional arm-receiving openings, 18, into which there may be inserted the upper ends of arms, at least one of which, as 20, may be hollow and resiliently flexibly softwalled. Arm 20 has its upper end closed, as by closure, 22, at least a portion of which, 22a may be, preferably, thickened, and have formed therein an opening, 24, into which may by tightly set, as by friction fit, or like manner, one end of air-conduit means connecting the interior of arm 20 with the mouth opening 16. Such conduit means may include the tube, 26, and the one-way air valve, 28. Preferably, the air valve 28 may be interposed between the tube 26 and the arm opening 24, with one of its tubular ends, 30, set into the opening 24 and its other tubular end connected to one end of tube 26, whose other end is connected with the mouth opening, 16, preferably by means of the eyelet, 32, set into the mouth opening, over which the end of tube 26 fits. It will be understood, however, that air valve 28 may be disposed at any desired point between arm opening 24 and mouth opening 16. Also, if desired, an air-activated sound-producing device may be interposed in the conduit tube 26 between opening 24 and mouth opening 16, as more or less schematically indicated at 36.

Arm 20 is provided in its wall with an air inlet opening, 38, for admitting air thereinto, of a size capable of being closed by the finger of a child playing with the doll. It will be apparent that, if a child closes the opening 38 with its finger and, at the same time, presses arm 20, air will be expelled from the arm, through valve 28 and tube 26 through mouth 16, causing any soundproducing device, such as 36, to sound, and to pass through mouth 16 into any device connected to the mouth on the exterior of the doll, to inflate it or oherwise activate it by air pressure, as by the balloon, 40, connected to eyelet 32 by coupling tube, 41.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, a tubular T-joint, 42, is connected by two of its ends into tube 26, its third end being connected to a reservoir ballon, 44, disposed within torso 10. In this embodiment, should the mouth opening 16 be closed, as by the nipple, 46, of bottle, 48, so that air cannot escape through the mouth when the arm is compressed, compressed air from the arm 20 will pass into the balloon and inflate it and be kept therein in reserve, while mouth opening 16 remains closed, until bottle 48 is removed from the mouth opening 16. By this arrangement, the doll may be caused to simulate crying, through sound producing device 36', by first creating an air reserve in balloon 44, by shutting mouth opening 16 with the bottle nipple 46, and then removing the nipple from the mouth opening, to permit air to pass through sound device 36 and mouth opening 16. The crying may be stopped by reinserting nipple 46 into the mouth opening. Such action simulates the crying of a baby for a bottle and its pacification by giving it the bottle. The latter procedure, namely, the removal and replacement of bottle 48, may be accomplished while the doll has been put down and not held by the child playing with it.

It may here be stated that the term doll, as used in the specification and claims herein, is used in a broad sense, and is intended to include and cover any figurine of a construction that is comparable to that of the embodiment illustrated; namely, one having a wholly enclosed compressible limb connectable by an opening, through a hollow body section with an opening in the body wall and capable of serving to create a stream of compressed air.

It will be apparent that the doll of the invention is of relatively simplified construction and economical to manufacture and assemble; that it is capable of supplying a unidirected stream of air under pressure to an exterior opening for use for substantially any purpose that air under pressure may be used; that the doll may be unostentatiously activated to create the stream of air under pressure; and that the doll may be caused to operate with a reserve supply of air under pressure, in a mystifying manner, even after it is laid down and released.

It will also be apparent that numerous modifications and variations may be made in the doll of the invention, in accordance with the principles of the invention, hereinabove set forth, and without the exercise of any inventive ingenuity. I desired therefore, to be protected for any and all such variations and modifications that may be made within the principles of the invention and the scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. In a doll having a body including a torso formed with a limb-receiving opening; a hollow, flexibly-resilient walled limb held by one end in said opening, said end having a limb closure; an air outlet opening famed in the wall of said body and an air outlet opening formed in said limb closure; an air conduit connecting said air outlets, said conduit including a one-way air valve; and an air inlet opening formed in the wall of said limb adapted to be closed by the finger of a person holding said limb.

2. The doll of claim 1, wherein said closure includes a portion of relatively thicker cross-section, said air outlet opening formed in said thicker portion.

3. The doll of claim 2, wherein said air valve is set, by one end, in said air outlet opening.

4. The doll of claim 1, wherein said torso is hollow and said body includes a hollow head having a mouth opening and said air conduit is connected by one end to said mouth opening.

5. The doll of claim 4, wherein said air conduit comprises a tube, said tube having one end connected to said mouth opening and its other end to said one-way air valve, said air valve connected within said air outlet opening of said limb.

6. The doll of claim 4, wherein said conduit includes a tube and wherein an eyelet is set into said mouth opening, one end of said tube fitted over said eyelet.

7. The doll of claim 1, wherein said torso is hollow and said conduit is connected at a point between its said air valve and said body air outlet opening to an elastic, expansible air reservoir disposed within said torso.

8. The doll of claim 7, wherein said body includes a hollow head having a mouth opening and said air conduit is connected by one end with said mouth opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,163,368 12/1915 Rosofsky 46-117 1,547,354 7/1925 Baum 461l7 2,689,430 9/1954 Freeland 46l 17 3,154,881 11/1964 Elwell 46-1l7 X FOREIGN PATENTS 817,728 6/1961 Great Britain.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner