US3581432A

US3581432A - Doll mount and case

Info

Publication number: US3581432A
Application number: US846361A
Authority: US
Inventors: Sidney Bass; Anthony D Miller
Original assignee: Mattel Inc
Current assignee: Mattel Inc
Priority date: 1969-07-31
Filing date: 1969-07-31
Publication date: 1971-06-01
Anticipated expiration: 1988-06-01
Also published as: CA918926A

Abstract

A mount for holding doll apparatus of the type which includes a figure, a support arm extending rearwardly from the figure, and a wheel mounted on the arm so as to enable a child to roll the figure along a table top. The mount includes a wide aperture for receiving the figure, a narrow slot extending rearwardly from the rear of the aperture for receiving the support arm and holding it in place, and an empty space beneath the slot for receiving the wheel of the doll apparatus when the doll is in the mount. The mount is in the form of an airplane, with the figure-receiving aperture formed in the fuselage near the trailing edge of the wings so that figure arms on the doll figure can rest on the wings. The wings can be folded upwardly to hold the doll in a carrying case.

Description

United States Patent [72] inventors Sidney Bass Los Angeles; Anthony D. Miller, Torrance, Calif. [21] Appl. No. 846,361 {22] Filed July 31,1969 [45] Patented June 1, 1971 [73] Assignee Mattel, Inc.

Hawthorne, Calif.

[54] DOLL MOUNT AND CASE 8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 46/106, 46/32 [51] Int. Cl A63h 11/10 [50] Field of Search ..46/10 T, 11, 106, 116, 32

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 833,157 10/1906 Dorsey 46/10T l' 13,ss1,432

1,690,063 lO/l928 Hall 2,628,452 2/1953 Gladstein ABSTRACT: A mount for holding doll apparatus of the type which includes a figure, a support arm extending rearwardly from the figure, and a wheel mounted on the arm so as to enable a child to roll the figure along a table top. The mount includes a wide aperture for receiving the figure, a narrow slot extending rearwardly from the rear of the aperture for receiving the support arm and holding it in place, and an empty space beneath the slot for receiving the wheel of the doll apparatus when the doll is in the mount. The mount is in the form of an airplane, with the figure-receiving aperture formed in the fuselage near the trailing edge of the wings so that figure arms on the doll figure can rest on the wings. The wings can be folded upwardly to hold the doll in a carrying case.

DOLL MOUNT AND CASE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to toy apparatus for holding dolls.

2. Description of the Prior Art An entertaining doll apparatus is provided by a doll figure with a support arm extending from its back, and a wheel mounted on the rear end of the support arm. Such apparatus allows a child to roll the doll along a table top by moving the wheel along the table so the doll moves a small distance above the table surface. The wheel can drive a simple figure-oscillating mechanism so that the figure pivots from side to side while its legs take walking steps, as the wheel rolls along the table. One type of toy accessory is a doll mount for holding a doll in a lifelike setting. An ordinary mount with a simple aperture for receiving a doll figure cannot be used with the foregoing doll apparatus, since the support arm and wheel thereon cannot be easily accommodated in a simple aperture.

Various doll figures have been utilized in the doll apparatus described above. One currently popular comic strip character which can be embodied in a doll figure, represents a dog who has visions of flying an early model airplane. A doll mount representing such an airplane, which could receive the figure in a manner that largely conceals the wheeled arm support and enables mounting of the figure so that it appears to be flying the early model airplane, would be especially entertaining. It would be desirable if the airplane mount could be easily folded for storage and could be easily carried in a case to prevent damage to it, particularly the laterally extending wings.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is to provide a doll mount which can receive doll apparatus of the type which includes a figure held on a wheeled support arm, in a manner to largely conceal the supporting arm mechanism.

Another object is to provide an entertaining and easily stored doll mount apparatus.

In accordance with the present invention, a mount is provided for holding a doll ofa type which includes a figure with a support arm extending in a generally rearward direction therefrom with a wheel at the rearward end. The mount in cludes an aperture with a wide forward part for receiving the figure and a narrow slot extending rearwardly from the forward part for receiving the support arm. The area beneath the rearwardly extending slot is empty to accommodate the wheeling apparatus. In one embodiment of the invention, the mount is in the form of an airplane, and the doll-receiving aperture is formed in the fuselage just behind the wing to support the figure so its upper part extends above the fuselage and the arms of the figure can rest on the wings. The wings are hingedly supported on the fuselage so they can be folded up to a vertical position for storage. A case is provided for holding the airplane mount, the case and bottom of the airplane mount having snap couplings so that the mount can be snapped to hold it securely in place in the case.

The novel features of the invention are set forth with par ticularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mount constructed in accordance with the invention, showing a doll apparatus received therein;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mount of FIG. 1 in a folded configuration, showing it held in a case constructed in accordance with the invention, part of the case being broken away;

FIG. 3 is 11 plan view of the mount of FIG. I; and

HG. 4 is at side elevation view ol'the mount ofFIG. I.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIG. I and the phantom lines of FIG. 4, doll apparatus 10 of the type designed to be held by the mount of the invention comprises a doll figure I2 with a support arm 14 extending in a generally rearward and downward direction from the back of the doll, and a truck [6 mounted at the rearward end of the support arm. The truck 16 includes a guide portion 17 which can be pressed down against a table top and urged forward by a child's finger, and a wheel 18 which rolls along the table so that the doll skims along the table surface. A crankshaft coupled to the wheel 18 moves a flexible wire that passes through the arm 14 to the figure 12 to move the figure in an entertaining manner as the apparatus rolls along a table top. Typically, the legs 20 of the figure are made to pivot back and forth to simulate walking and the figure is made to oscillate so it faces from side to side. The particular figure shown in the drawings represents a dog with an aviator cap and scarf.

The mount 22 for receiving the doll apparatus is in the form of an airplane with a doll'holding portion in the form of a fuselage 24 and decorative members. in the form of a wing structure 26. The wing structure of the biplane type representing early model airplanes, and includes

upper wing members

28, 30 and

lower wing members

32, 34 extending laterally from each side of the fuselage. The fuselage has a receiving aperture 36 formed therein which includes a wide forward portion 38 that 40 extending rearwardly from the wide for ward part, for receiving the support arm 14 of the doll apparatus. The space within the fuselage which lies immediately beneath and behind the slot 40 is empty, to receive the truck 16 of the doll apparatus. The fuselage and wing members are of a multiply construction, including a cardboard inner layer 41 and a pair of thin vinyl outer layers 43, 45 that are heat sealed together around the edges of the members.

The doll apparatus 10 can be positioned in the mount by first inserting the truck 16 through the forward aperture portion 38 and then sliding the arm 14 through the slot 40 while lowering the doll figure 12 into the aperture. The bottom of the fuselage 24 is uncovered so that the doll apparatus would fall through it and under the plane if the doll were not supported in place. In order to support the rear of the doll apparatus, the walls of the fuselage 24 are laterally spaced by less than the width of the truck 16. In addition, the cardboard inner layers of the mount construction make the walls of the fuselage 24 somewhat flexible so they tend to hold the truck 16 in place, to secure it at the position to which it has been inserted. The walls of slot 40 are also narrower than support arm 14 and are biased toward each other, so they tend to hold the arm in place.

The doll figure 12 includes a pair of figure arms 42, 44 that can be pivoted to a variety of positions. In order to hold the figure in place, the arms 42, 44 are positioned so that they lie on top of the

upper wings

28, 30 of the airplane. This is made possible because the figure aperture 38 is located near the trailing edges, or rear, of the wings. With the figure arms resting on the wings, the upper half of the figure protrudes above the figure-receiving aperture 36 while: the lower position lies within the fuselage, so that the doll figure appears to be seated in the fuselage and to be flying the airplane. The engagement of the figure arms, 42, 44 with the upper wing surfaces enables the forward part of the doll apparatus to be held in place in the aperture. Thus, the flexible walls of the fuselage support the rearward portion of the doll apparatus, while the arms 42, 44 of the doll figure that rest on the wing surfaces support the forward part of the doll apparatus, so that the doll apparatus is held in place in the mount.

The mount is designed for compaction to the storage position shown in FIG. 2. To enable such compaction, all four wing members are hinged to the fuselage so they can be pivoted to a substantially vertical orientation. Pieces of cloth material without cardboard or other stiffening structure form the hinges at 46 and 48 for the upper wings and at 50, 52 for the lower wings. The mount can be opened up by allowing the wing structure to fall to a horizontal position. In order to prevent the upper wings from falling lower than a substantially horizontal position, the

hinges

46, 48 at which they are joined to the fuselage, are positioned inwardly from the

sides

54, 56 of the fuselage. When these upper wing members fall to the horizontal position, they are supported by the portions of the upper surface of the fuselage which lie between the

hinges

46, 48 and the laterally outer edges of the fuselage. The

lower wing members

32,34 are prevented from falling below the horizontal by

wing bracing members

58, 60, which join the upper and lower wing members on each side of the fuselage, and by supports 86 which extend outward from each side of a wheel bracket 82. The bracing

members

58, 60 are each pivotally joined at one end to the bottom of an upper wing member and at the other end to a bottom wing member. This allows the bracing structure to pivot to allow the wings to fold up to the position of FIG. 2, while supporting the lower wing members in a horizontal configuration when the mount is opened up.

A carrying case 62, shown in FIG. 2, is provided to facilitate storage and carrying of the folded up mount. The case includes a base 64, sidewalls 66, 68 hingedly joined to the base, and a top wall 70 hinged to one sidewall and having a flap 72 for latching to the other sidewall 68 of the case. A carrying handle 74 is provided on the top wall, and a latch-receiving hole 76 is provided on the flap which receives a turn type latch member 77 pivotally mounted on the upper end of the sidewall 68 to provide for easy latching. The case does not have end walls, and in order to hold the mount 22 in place, couplings are provided on the mount and base. The mount has a bracket 82 extending downwardly from the front of the fuselage, for holding airplane wheels 84, and a snap coupling 80 is mounted on a downwardly facing surface of the bracket. A tab 90 is hingedly joined to the base of the case 64, and a snap coupling 78 is mounted on the tab. The snap coupling 80 can engage the coupling 78 to snap the mount in place and hold it securely to the case.

Thus, the invention provides a mount for receiving doll apparatus of the type that includes a figure with a rearwardly extending support arm which is supported on a truck for rolling it along the ground. The mount holds the doll in place so that the truck and part of the arm are hidden from view while the upper portion of the figure can be viewed. The doll apparatus can be easily inserted into the mount and removed therefrom, yet can be held securely in place therein using a mount of simple construction. The mount can be easily folded into a compact configuration and secured in a case.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art, and consequently, it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents.

We claim:

1. A mount for holding doll apparatus that includes a figure with a support arm extending in a generally rearward and downward direction from said figure and a truck mounted on the end of said support arm opposite said figure to enable said figure to be rolled above a table top,

a receiving member for holding said figure having walls forming an aperture with a wide forward part for receiving said figure and a narrow slot extending rearwardly from said forward part for receiving said support arm.

2. The mount described in claim 1 wherein:

said receiving member has walls below said slot which form a region for receiving said truck, said walls biased toward each other to a separation less than the width of said truck to engage said truck and hold it in place.

3. The mount described in claim 1 wherein:

the portion of said walls forming said narrow slot are biased toward each other to a separation less than the width of said support arm to engage said arm and hold it in place.

4. The mount described in claim 1 wherein: said doll figure includes figure arms extending from an upper portion thereof; and

said receiving member is in the form of an airplane with a fuselage and wings, said doll-receiving aperture being formed in said fuselage immediately behind said wings and said slot extending rearwardly along said fuselage from said aperture, to enable the figure arms of said doll to rest on said wings.

5. The mount described in claim 4 wherein:

said receiving member includes upper and lower wings on each side of said fuselage, each wing being hingedly joined to said fuselage, means for supporting said upper wings to prevent movement below a substantially horizontal position, and a wing-bracing member pivotally joined to the upper and lower wings on each side of said fuselage.

6. A mount for holding doll apparatus that includes a figure, a support arm extending in a generally rearwardly and downwardly direction from said figure, and a truck mounted at the end of said support arm opposite said figure for enabling said figure to be rolled along a table top,

a fuselage and wings extending from either side thereof, said fuselage having an aperture for receiving said figure, and a slot extending rearwardly from said aperture for receiving said support arm, said fuselage being substantially hollow at a region beneath said slot to enable said doll apparatus to be mounted by inserting said truck through said aperture and moving it rearwardly under said slot.

7. The mount described in claim 6 wherein:

said figure has movable figure arms extending from an upper portion thereof; and

said aperture for receiving said figure lies near the rear of said wings, to enable the arms of said doll to rest upon said wings.

8. The mount described in claim 6 wherein:

said wings comprise a pair of vertically spaced wing members extending from both sides of said fuselage, the lower wing member of each pair hingedly joined to said fuselage at the side thereof to enable it to pivot upwardly to a largely vertical position and the upper wing member of each pair hingedly joined to said fuselage at a position spaced inwardly from the side of said fuselage to prevent said member from pivoting down further than a substantially horizontal position, and bracing members pivotally joining the outer end portions of each pair of wings.

Claims

1. A mount for holding doll apparatus that includes a figure with a support arm extending in a generally rearward and downward direction from said figure and a truck mounted on the end of said support arm opposite said figure to enable said figure to be rolled above a table top, a receiving member for holding said figure having walls forming an aperture with a wide forward part for receiving said figure and a narrow slot extending rearwardly from said forward part for receiving said support arm.

2. The mount described in claim 1 wherein: said receiving member has walls below said slot which form a region for receiving said truck, said walls biased toward each other to a separation less than the width of said truck to engage said truck and hold it in place.

3. The mount described in claim 1 wherein: the portion of said walls forming said narrow slot are biased toward each other to a separation less than the width of said support arm to engage said arm and hold it in place.

4. The mount described in claim 1 wherein: said doll figure includes figure arms extending from an upper portion thereof; and said receiving member is in the form of an airplane with a fuselage and wings, said doll-receiving aperture being formed in said fuselage immediately behind said wings and said slot extending rearwardly along said fuselage from said aperture, to enable the figure arms of said doll to rest on said wings.

5. The mount described in claim 4 wherein: said receiving member includes upper and lower wings on each side of said fuselage, each wing being hingedly joined to said fuselage, means for supporting said upper wings to prevent movement below a substantially horizontal position, and a wing-bracing member pivotally joined to the upper and lower wings on each side of said fuselage.

6. A mount for holding doll apparatus that includes a figure, a support arm extending in a generally rearwardly and downwardly direction from said figure, and a truck mounted at the end of said support arm opposite said figure for enabling said figure to be rolled along a table top, a fuselage and wings extending from either side thereof, said fuselage having an aperture for receiving said figure, and a slot extending rearwardly from said aperture for receiving said support arm, said fuselage being substantially hollow at a region beneath said slot to enable said doll apparatus to be mounted by inserting said truck through said aperture and moving it rearwardly under said slot.

7. The mount described in claim 6 wherein: said figure has movable figure arms extending from an upper portion thereof; and said aperture for receiving said figure lies near the rear of said wings, to enable the arms of said doll to rest upon said wings.

8. The mount described in claim 6 wherein: said wings comprise a pair of vertically spaced wing members extending from both sides of said fuselage, the lower wing member of each pair hingedly joined to said fuselage at the side thereof to enable it to pivot upwardly to a largely vertical position and the upper wing member of each pair hingedly joined to said fuselage at a position spaced inwardly from the side of said fuselage to prevent said member from pivoting down further than a substantially horizontal position, and bracing members pivotally joining the outer end portions of each pair of wings.