WO2004089489A1 - Dispositifs de divertissement ou didactique - Google Patents

Dispositifs de divertissement ou didactique Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2004089489A1
WO2004089489A1 PCT/GB2004/001403 GB2004001403W WO2004089489A1 WO 2004089489 A1 WO2004089489 A1 WO 2004089489A1 GB 2004001403 W GB2004001403 W GB 2004001403W WO 2004089489 A1 WO2004089489 A1 WO 2004089489A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
screen
turbine
mass flow
images
windows
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/GB2004/001403
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Nigel Earl Wicks
Allen John Pearson
Christopher Paul Searis
Original Assignee
Nigel Earl Wicks
Allen John Pearson
Christopher Paul Searis
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Nigel Earl Wicks, Allen John Pearson, Christopher Paul Searis filed Critical Nigel Earl Wicks
Priority to GB0520122A priority Critical patent/GB2414686A/en
Publication of WO2004089489A1 publication Critical patent/WO2004089489A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H29/00—Drive mechanisms for toys in general
    • A63H29/10—Driving mechanisms actuated by flowing media
    • A63H29/12—Driving mechanisms actuated by flowing media by a sand stream
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H13/00—Toy figures with self-moving parts, with or without movement of the toy as a whole
    • A63H13/005—Toy figures with self-moving parts, with or without movement of the toy as a whole with self-moving head or facial features
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H23/00—Toy boats; Floating toys; Other aquatic toy devices
    • A63H23/10—Other water toys, floating toys, or like buoyant toys
    • A63H23/16—Aquatic toy installations; Harbour arrangements
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H29/00—Drive mechanisms for toys in general
    • A63H29/10—Driving mechanisms actuated by flowing media
    • A63H29/14—Driving mechanisms actuated by flowing media by a water stream
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H29/00—Drive mechanisms for toys in general
    • A63H29/10—Driving mechanisms actuated by flowing media
    • A63H29/16—Driving mechanisms actuated by flowing media by steam or compressed air
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H3/00—Dolls
    • A63H3/24—Drinking dolls; Dolls producing tears; Wetting dolls
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H3/00—Dolls
    • A63H3/36—Details; Accessories
    • A63H3/365—Details; Accessories allowing a choice of facial features, e.g. to change the facial expression
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H3/00—Dolls
    • A63H3/36—Details; Accessories
    • A63H3/38—Dolls' eyes
    • A63H3/40—Dolls' eyes movable

Definitions

  • the invention relates to an amusement or educational device, particularly but not exclusively a water toy.
  • US 1,570,996 discloses a mechanical toy in which fluid flow from a tank drives an overshot wheel which in turn drives a crank arm connected to a reciprocating bar decorated to look like a piece of timber.
  • the front of the toy is decorated as a saw mill and has a transparent medium through which a portion of the bar can be seen moving back and forth.
  • US 3,577,675 discloses a child's bathing toy comprising a pump and a turbine wheel comprising equidistantly-spaced turbine buckets.
  • the water jet from the pump nozzle is directed as to strike the turbine buckets at the top of the wheel and cause the turbine wheel to rotate.
  • the wheel is connected to the axle of a plastic disc having an animatable design such as multihued spirals. According to US 3,577,675, a child will be amused not only by the pump which maintains a sustained flow after release of the handle but also by the spinning turbine wheel and disc.
  • the present invention has as an objective an amusement or educational device that provides a greater degree of amusement and/or education than the aforementioned prior art devices.
  • an amusement or educational device comprises a member bearing a plurality of discrete images, means for converting the momentum of a mass flow into motion of said member, and a screen having a window through which only a subset of said plurality of images is visible at any one position of the member.
  • Such a device can demonstrate in an entertaining yet educational fashion the fundamental physical relationship between the momentum of a mass flow (for example a water jet from a water pistol) and motion as evidenced by the movement of the member. Furthermore, as the member moves past the window in the screen, a succession of different, discrete images can be viewed (each discrete image representing a subset of all the images on the member) . In addition to be entertaining per se, the nature of these images can provide a further entertaining or educational aspect, for example a cartoon character or a letter of the alphabet .
  • the motion of said member is rotary motion about an axis.
  • the member may bear images on a face lying normal to said axis and/or on a face parallel to the axis. Given such rotary motion, the face lying normal to said axis is advantageously circular.
  • the means for converting the momentum of a mass flow advantageously comprises a turbine which may in turn be configured to be driven by mass flow in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the turbine.
  • the motion of the turbine may be transmitted to said member via motion transmitting means, which may advantageously comprise gearing, and which may also allow one member to be interchanged with another member bearing different images .
  • the turbine and the member can be integral.
  • the screen of the device has multiple windows through which multiple subsets of said plurality of images are respectively visible.
  • the multiple windows may be configured such that they cannot be viewed from the same direction. This lends an element of surprise to the operation of the device.
  • the member bears images on faces lying both normal and parallel to the rotation axis of the turbine, respective windows may also be located mutually perpendicular to one another.
  • one of the windows may be formed in the structure supporting the screen.
  • Such structure may be in the form of a housing which, in addition to protecting the device internals, may also support a bearing on which the turbine rotates.
  • the screen is substantially planar and more than one of said multiple windows is formed in the screen.
  • the screen may be of substantially circular shape and have two windows located substantially diametrically opposite one another relative to said circular shape. The resulting configuration is that of a face, the two windows corresponding to the eye sockets of the face.
  • the screen also has decoration, said decoration and said respective images being complementary, i.e. related to a common concept.
  • the images can be arranged to look like eyes.
  • the aperture through which flow is directed may be arranged in the screen in a position corresponding to the mouth of a face.
  • the device may also include the means for generating the mass flow such as a pump, e.g. a bellows pump, which may be located substantially at the centre of a circular housing so as correspond to the nose of a face.
  • the means may be electrically-actuated, facilitating remote operation.
  • the device may incorporate a stroboscopic mechanism which, in co-operation with said decorative member, generates an animated image visible through the window.
  • a stroboscopic mechanism which, in co-operation with said decorative member, generates an animated image visible through the window.
  • This may be coupled with sound generating means, the sound recording being incorporated in the decorative member itself so as to permit co-ordinated sound and images.
  • Brake means to allow the member to be stopped on demand may also feature in the present invention.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of the invention
  • Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the device of figure 1 taken parallel to the rotational axis of the turbine;
  • Figures 3 and 4 are external and internal perspective views respectively of a second embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 5 is a partial cut-away view in the direction of the turbine axis of another embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of the internal workings of the embodiment of figure 4;
  • FIG. 1 there is shown a toy 1 comprising a screen 2 having two windows 3,3' through which images 4 on a disc 5 can be seen.
  • the images 4 visible through the windows 3,3' can be changed by the action of a water jet
  • turbine 8 comprises blades 30 arranged around the perimeter of a turbine disc 32 carrying at its centre a bush 34 which is mounted for rotation about a pin 36 attached to the base 38 of the device.
  • Bush 34 also carries gear teeth 40 for transmitting the rotary motion of the turbine via an intermediate gear wheel 42 to gear teeth 44 arranged on the decorative disc 5.
  • base 38 may also be equipped with suction pads to allow the device to be mounted to a smooth surface such as the side of a bath and/or with keyhole-shaped slots to allow the device to be removably attached to a wall by means of screws. Both these means of attachment are well-known in the art .
  • decorative disc 5 can be removed and replaced with another disc bearing a different decoration.
  • Figures 3 and 4 are external and internal perspective views respectively of an alternative arrangement perhaps more suited to use in a child's bath and in which the jet is generated by means included in the toy itself.
  • One such means is a bellows pump 11 which sucks water from the bath 10 via tube 12 and pumps it via tube 13 to nozzle 14 where it exits as a jet (indicated by arrow 15) in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the turbine. Consistent with the face shape of the screen, the pump is mounted at the centre so as to correspond to a nose.
  • Alternative embodiments may use an electrically-powered pump or a gravity feed from a reservoir regulated by an electrically-controlled valve. Such electrically-actuated arrangements are amenable to remote operation, e.g. by infra-red link.
  • means for converting mass flow momentum may also involve circumferential rather than axial flow (e.g a Pelton wheel) or only partial rotational movement (e.g. a simple paddle pivoted at one end) .
  • the mass flow is relative to the device and may include arrangements where the device moves through a stationary medium such as air.
  • Such an arrangement (not shown) , suitable for mounting on a bicycle as a safety device, may comprise a combined turbine and decorative disc having reflective strips, say of red, amber and green, arranged so as to correspond with windows arranged in the cover.
  • Figure 5 is a view in the direction of the turbine axis of another embodiment of the invention intended to be driven by air flow, particularly that generated by a child blowing on the device.
  • Turbine 8 comprises blades 30 arranged around the periphery of a disc (partially shown in dashed lines at 60) which also doubles as the decorative member, the decoration being shown at 74 in the form of letters .
  • Turbine 8 is rotatably mounted by means of bearing 62 in a housing 64 and is covered by a screen 2 having at least one window 3 and an aperture 7. Air flow into the aperture 7 (and out of a corresponding aperture formed in the back of the housing) causes the turbine to spin and various portions of the decoration to be visible through window 3.
  • Turbine blades 30 may also be joined at their peripheries by an annular ring 66: not only does this strengthen the turbine assembly as a whole, it may also give rise to a whizzing sound to accompany the spinning images in window 3.
  • Ring 66 may itself be provided with decoration which may be viewed through a further window in the housing as indicated at 68, thereby providing a further dimension of interest for the user of the toy.
  • the device of figure 5 also includes a brake, for example a simple sprung button 70, which engages the annular ring, allowing the disc to be stopped and a corresponding image viewed through windows 3 and 68.
  • a lid 72 may also be hinged to the housing 64 to cover the screen and turbine when not in use .
  • Figure 6 is an external view of the embodiment of figures 3 and 4 incorporating an interchangeable disc 5 decorated with multiple images as already described with reference to figure IB. As shown at 17 and 17' the images on the disc 5 are arranged relative to windows 3,3' so as to be complementary both relative to one another and, as shown in figure 1, to the housing 2.
  • Insertion of such an interchangeable disc 5 into the toy can be via a hole 18 formed at the top of the housing and closeable by means of a lid 19 pivoted on the side of the housing 21.
  • Holes 20 in the 'ears' of the housing can provide an outlet for excess water.
  • the device may also employ multiple discs.
  • An alternative embodiment may employ a stroboscopic mechanism such as a shutter, advantageously the turbine blades themselves, in combination with a sequence of illustrations on the disc to generate an animated image in a window.
  • the respective animated images may be complementary, e.g. the image of a dog running in a first window and the image of a man chasing that dog in a second window.
  • the device may include sound generating means together with a recording medium such as perforations or raised dimples formed on the disc or turbine. In this manner, co-ordinated sound and moving images may be achieved.

Landscapes

  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (AREA)
  • Toys (AREA)
  • Adornments (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un dispositif de divertissement ou didactique comprenant un élément (5) portant une pluralité d'images distinctes (4), des moyens (8) de conversion du moment d'un écoulement de masse (6) en un mouvement dudit élément et un écran (2) ayant une fenêtre (3) à travers laquelle seul un sous-ensemble desdites images (4) est visible dans une position quelconque de l'élément (5).
PCT/GB2004/001403 2003-04-05 2004-03-26 Dispositifs de divertissement ou didactique WO2004089489A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0520122A GB2414686A (en) 2003-04-05 2004-03-26 Amusement or educational device

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0307953A GB0307953D0 (en) 2003-04-05 2003-04-05 Amusement or educational device
GB0307953.0 2003-04-05

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2004089489A1 true WO2004089489A1 (fr) 2004-10-21

Family

ID=9956302

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/GB2004/001403 WO2004089489A1 (fr) 2003-04-05 2004-03-26 Dispositifs de divertissement ou didactique

Country Status (2)

Country Link
GB (2) GB0307953D0 (fr)
WO (1) WO2004089489A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP3630323A4 (fr) * 2017-05-30 2021-03-17 Whatsitsface, LLC Jouet à multiples expressions faciales
WO2022134506A1 (fr) * 2020-12-21 2022-06-30 深圳市前海手绘科技文化有限公司 Procédé et dispositif d'optimisation de la fabrication de caractères dynamiques

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE394037C (de) * 1924-04-12 Paul Kuster Sandmuehle
DE1162739B (de) * 1959-08-29 1964-02-06 Bromo Mint Company Inc Spielzeug in Form einer kippbaren Sanduhr
DE8801404U1 (de) * 1988-02-05 1988-08-18 Maaßen, Egon, 2000 Hamburg Kinematisch visuelle Unterhaltungsvorrichtung
US6012960A (en) * 1998-08-13 2000-01-11 Mattel, Inc. Sprinkler toy handle pump
US20010024924A1 (en) * 2000-02-08 2001-09-27 Tomohisa Ueno Figure toy

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE394037C (de) * 1924-04-12 Paul Kuster Sandmuehle
DE1162739B (de) * 1959-08-29 1964-02-06 Bromo Mint Company Inc Spielzeug in Form einer kippbaren Sanduhr
DE8801404U1 (de) * 1988-02-05 1988-08-18 Maaßen, Egon, 2000 Hamburg Kinematisch visuelle Unterhaltungsvorrichtung
US6012960A (en) * 1998-08-13 2000-01-11 Mattel, Inc. Sprinkler toy handle pump
US20010024924A1 (en) * 2000-02-08 2001-09-27 Tomohisa Ueno Figure toy

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP3630323A4 (fr) * 2017-05-30 2021-03-17 Whatsitsface, LLC Jouet à multiples expressions faciales
US11071923B2 (en) 2017-05-30 2021-07-27 Whatsitsface, Llc Toy with multiple face expressions
WO2022134506A1 (fr) * 2020-12-21 2022-06-30 深圳市前海手绘科技文化有限公司 Procédé et dispositif d'optimisation de la fabrication de caractères dynamiques

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2414686A (en) 2005-12-07
GB0307953D0 (en) 2003-05-14
GB0520122D0 (en) 2005-11-09

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