WO2006100419A1

WO2006100419A1 - An invertible toy or figure

Info

Publication number: WO2006100419A1
Application number: PCT/GB2005/050041
Authority: WO
Inventors: Geoff House
Original assignee: Geoff House
Priority date: 2005-03-22
Filing date: 2005-03-22
Publication date: 2006-09-28

Abstract

There have been previous proposals to make an invertible toy from soft moulded plastic and which can be turned inside out so as to reveal different features on the surface which, for the time being, is on the outside. A problem is that the need for flexibility sufficiently high to permit inversion of the moulding precludes the formation of a deeply contoured surface. The invention avoids the problem by forming the toy with a double wall, allowing relative movement between inner and outer wall parts. This allows greater flexibility to be achieved even with a high degree of contouring on both parts.

Description

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AN INVERTIBLE TOY OR HGURE

This invention relates to an invertible toy or figure.

There have been previous proposals to make invertible toys from soft moulded plastic which can be turned inside out to reveal different features, depending on the surface that, for the time being, is exposed on the outside. Examples are described in patent specification GB2215226, GB2267443 and GB2337945.

Each of these previous proposals has one surface which is un-contoured so as to present a completely smooth egg-shaped appearance in one state of inversion of the object. The need for different contouring on both the inside and outside prejudices against the use of inexpensive manufacturing processes, such as spin- moulding, and, unless the profiling were very superficial on both inside and '" outside, the resulting thickness of the moulded wall would make it difficult to invert the object.

According to the invention the aforementioned surfaces are defined by respective moulded parts designed to fit one inside the other to form a double wall. Thus, by employing the invention, it is possible to make a toy or figure which initially appears to be a representation of one character but which, on inversion, transforms into an entirely different character.

The production of an experimental prototype in accordance with the invention showed that the part that, for the time being, was located on the inside would deform or fold slightly so as to fit comfortably internally of the other part. This greatly enhanced the ease with which even a highly profiled moulding could be turned inside out The addition of a lubricant between the two parts further enhanced this beneficial effect. The lubricant can be a liquid or gel or a particulate solid. It should preferably be of a substance known to be harmless e.g. talc or vaseline.

The two moulded parts can be entirely separate mouldings connected together e.g. with adhesive around peripheral edges. However, an alternative method of construction would be for the aforementioned "parts" to be opposite ends of a single moulded item, each such end being formed on its outer surface with contours depicting the respective different character. After moulding, one of these ends is pushed inside the other so that its outer surface becomes the inner surface.

A toy or figure constructed in any of the forms described so far can be manufactured very easily and inexpensively. In a more complex option, an electronic unit may be included. This electronic unit is designed to behave in one of two different ways appropriate to the respective characters of the moulded toy and can be controlled so as to simulate the appropriate character depending on the output of a mercury or similar switch which detects the state of reversal of the article. The electronic unit could simulate the voice of the characters or be programmed to respond in some appropriate way when in the proximity of another similar unit depending on their respective states of reversal.

Three ways of performing the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: -

Fig 1 is a vertical cross section through a moulded toy constructed in ' accordance with the invention from two separate moulded units; '^■

Fig 2 is a view, similar to that of Fig 1, of a more sophisticated construction containing electronics: and

Fig 3 is a front view of another toy constructed in accordance with the invention using an alternative method of construction.

Referring firstly to Fig 1, the illustrated toy figure is made from two parts 1 and 2 each separately moulded from a soft flexible rubber-like synthetic plastics - A -

material. In this particular embodiment a spin-moulding process is used but many other moulding methods are possible. Part 2 is turned inside-out, inserted into the cavity defined by part 1, and the two parts are secured together using adhesive at perimeter portions IA and 2A. These perimeter portions IA, IB are left smooth or are formed with complementary grooves to allow them to be securely sealed together.

The contours of the outer surface IB of part 1 define raised and depressed parts depicting a well known character when the article is in the state as illustrated in Fig 1. However, the flexibility of the material is such that the whole figure can be turned inside-out by pushing it through the opening 3 thus revealing the different raised and depressed parts defined by contours of surface 2B of part 2 depicting a different character.

If one looks carefully at the thickness of the cross- sections of the moulded parts it is apparent that surfaces IB and 2B (the outermost surfaces during the moulding process) are more heavily and sharply contoured and shaped than the opposite surfaces 1C and 2C, which are the inside surfaces during the moulding process. This is clearly seen at points ID and 2D where projections forming features of the moulded characters are not so sharply defined on the inner surfaces of parts 1 and 2. In this way, the facing interior surfaces 1C, 2C of the figure are able more easily to slide relative to each other so as to facilitate the inversion process. The space between the parts is filled with a lubricant 4, which in this particular embodiment is a non-toxic gel, to further facilitate inversion.

Another notable feature of this design is that the moulded part that is on the inside is able to deform or fold slightly, this feature adding to the ease by which the article can be inverted.

Fig 2 shows a modified design incorporating an annular housing 5 which forms a base for the figure and which contains an electronically controlled device 5A including a mercury switch 5B or similar device which senses when the base is turned upside down, as occurs when the figure is turned inside out. Depending on the state of the switch, and therefore the figure currently depicted, the electronics causes the toy to behave in a way appropriate to the figure currently depicted. This could be by way of a simulated voice, movement or any other characteristic conventional in toys. In a more advanced system, one character could me made to recognise and interrelate with respect to another in a way which depended on the current states of inversion of each.

Fig 3 shows, very schematically, an alternative method of construction where the two moulded parts 6 and 7 are defined by opposite ends of a single hollow moulded piece 8. As in the previous examples, these parts have a relatively smooth interior surface and outer surfaces which are differently contoured to depict different characters. The moulded piece 8 needs to be formed with a hole at one end as part of the spin moulding process. Lubricant is then injected through this hole before it is sealed. Finally, one half is pushed inside the other to form a fold at F and to reveal the contours of the selected character on the outside surface. The article will then have a cross-section similar to that shown in Fig 1 but with the fold F substituted for the adhesive connection between parts I A and 2A. The whole article can then be repeatedly inverted and re-inverted exactly as described with reference to Figs 1 and 2.

It is believed that figures constructed by one of the aforementioned methods, and suitably painted on their two surfaces with features of the relevant characters will attract considerable demand as toys and novelty items whilst being inexpensive to manufacture in quantity.

Claims

1. A hollow toy or figure formed from moulded flexible material and designed so that it can be turned inside-out to reveal a selected one of two visually different surfaces; characterised in that the aforementioned surfaces are defined by respective moulded parts designed to fit one inside the other to form a double wall.

2. A toy or figure according to claim 1 further characterised in that each of the different surfaces is contoured so as to define raised and depressed areas depicting shapes of respective different characters, scenes, shapes or objects.

3. A toy or figure according to claim 1 or 2 characterised in that the parts are separate moulded pieces each having an opening allowing it to be turned inside-out, the separate pieces being connected together in a vicinity around their openings.

4. A toy or figure according to claim 1 or 2 characterised in that the parts are different ends of a single moulded piece, each such end being formed on its outer surface with contours depicting the respective different character, scene, shape or objects, one of these ends being pushed inside the other so that its outer surface becomes the inner surface of the toy.

5. A toy or figure according to any preceding claim characterised in that that part which currently is inside the other is temporarily deformed.

6. A toy or figure according to any preceding claim characterised in that the adjacent inner surfaces of the parts are relatively smooth compared with their aforementioned contoured surfaces.

7. A toy or figure according to any preceding claim characterised by a lubricant between adjacent inner surfaces.

8. A toy or figure according to any preceding claim comprising an electronic circuit designed to behave in two modes of operation associated with the respective surfaces, and a switch arranged to cause the electronic circuit to switch between' the aforementioned modes of operation on inversion of the toy or figure.

9. A toy or figure substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.