WO2018051351A1

WO2018051351A1 - Developmental toy

Info

Publication number: WO2018051351A1
Application number: PCT/IL2017/051047
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giora Shachal; Frederik Meir Aboukrat
Original assignee: Tiny Love Ltd.
Priority date: 2016-09-13
Filing date: 2017-09-13
Publication date: 2018-03-22

Abstract

A toy is provided, comprising a body having one or more amusement articles attached thereto. The body has an outer shape substantially conforming to a regularly- shaped envelope. The body comprises first and second bases disposed substantially opposite one another, and a single helical member spanning therebetween. The helical member constitutes a structural member configured, by itself, to maintain the shape of the body.

Description

DEVELOPMENTAL TOY

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is concerned with a toy and more particularly with a dynamic developmental toy.

BACKGROUND

Balls and other generally rounded objects are often provided as children's toys. Their ease of motion is one aspect which provides amusement to young children. In addition, balls and other similar playthings are often provided with accessories thereon to provide further amusement and/or stimulation to a young child.

SUMMARY

A toy according to the present disclosure comprises body configured of at least one helical member extending between a bottom base and a top base with a longitudinal axis extending therebetween, defining a space within the body, and wherein one or more amusement articles can be associated with at least one of the helical member, and the bottom base, and the top base, and the space.

Any one or more of the following features, designs and configurations can be applied in a toy according to the present disclosure, separately or in various combinations thereof:

• According to one embodiment of the disclosure the solid body is spherical; according to another embodiment the body can be an ellipsoid; the spherical/ellipsoid body can roll over a surface.

• According to another embodiment of the solid body is conical. The body can assume a right cone shape or an oblique cone shape.

• The helical member can be configured with a flat cross section.

• The cross section of the helical member can extend substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the body.

• An amusement article can be introduced and removed from the space of the body through space between coils of the helical member, though the size of an amusement article is greater than the distance between neighboring coils of the helical member.

• One or more amusement articles can be integral with the helical member, i.e. not removable therefrom.

• One or more amusement articles can be fixedly attached to the body of the toy.

• The space with the body can accommodate an amusement article, loosely disposed within the space, or the amusement article can be disposed within the space though be articulated to the body.

• The one or more amusement articles can be detachably attachable to the respective helical member, and the bottom base, and the top base.

• The one or more amusement articles can be slidingly disposed over the helical member.

• The body can be substantially rigid or it can assume elastic properties and be springy to an extent at least along the longitudinal axis thereof.

• The toy body can be made of solid, uniform material, or it can be made of several segments articulated to one another.

• Portions of the helical member can be made of transparent or translucent material.

• Portions of the helical member can be made hollow, said hollow portions can accommodate items displaceable within the hollow space.

• The body can be made of plastic material.

• By way of example, the one or more amusement articles can be, or comprise, a rattle, a rain stick, an image reflecting surface, a teether, a ball or spherical member, whereby the toy can be configured as a tumbler toy, a support member whereby the toy can be placed over a surface and prevented from rolling, e.g. with the longitudinal axis extending vertically, a figurine or part of a figurine, a light/ sound emitting element, a fabric texturized, patterned, colored (for developing and exciting different senses), etc..

• The amusement article can be a modular element, comprising one or more amusement features, and articulated to the body. The modular element can extend within the space of the body. The modular element can be replaceable. • The helical member can be configured with a path for an article to follow there along, owing to gravity forces. Said path can extend at an inside portion of the helical member, i.e. within the space, or said path can extend along an external surface of the helical member, or the path can extend within a hollow portion of the helical member.

• Some of the coils of the helical member can at least partially overlap one another along a longitudinal axis of the body.

According to one aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, there is provided a toy comprising a body having one or more amusement articles attached thereto, the body having an outer shape substantially conforming to a regularly- shaped envelope, the body comprising first and second bases disposed substantially opposite one another, and a single helical member spanning therebetween, wherein:

• the helical member constitutes a structural member configured, by itself, to maintain the shape of the body;

• the bases are smoothly formed with the helical member;

• the helical member and the bases define a hollow interior space; and

• the amusement articles are characterized by one or more selected from the group including being attached to a base, spanning between the bases, and being mounted on the helical member.

The shape of the envelope may be selected from the group including a spheroid, an ovoid, and a regular polyhedron. The spheroid may be selected from the group including a sphere, an oblate spheroid, and a prolate spheroid.

The cross-section of the helical member may extend substantially along the direction of the envelope.

Adjacent portions of outer surfaces of each base and the helical member may be unitarily formed.

The bases may be configured for cooperation with an amusement article for attachment thereto. Each of the bases may comprise an aperture for receipt therein of at least a portion of the amusement article to facilitate the attachment. The attachment may be a pressure fit. The amusement article and each of the apertures may be co-configured such that one comprises a circumferential groove configured to receive therein the other. At least one of the amusement articles may be configured to rotate within its respective base when received therein. The toy may comprise a free amusement article received within the interior space. The free amusement article may be larger than the largest gap defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical member, the helical member being characterized by sufficient flexibility to allow passage of the free amusement article therethrough and return to its shape. The free amusement article may be larger than the largest gap defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical member, and be elastically deformable so as to pass through the gap and return to its shape.

The base may have spring characteristics at least along an axis passing through the bases.

An amusement article mounted on the helical member may be slidingly mounted thereon and/or fixedly mounted thereon.

A gap defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical member may be, along a majority of its length, wider than the helical member.

The toy may be made of a plastic material.

According to another aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, there is provided a toy comprising a body having one or more amusement articles attached thereto, the body having an outer shape substantially conforming to a regularly- shaped envelope, the body comprising first and second bases disposed substantially opposite one another, and two helical members spanning therebetween, wherein the two helical members constitute a structural arrangement configured, by itself, to maintain the shape of the body.

The bases may be smoothly formed with the two helical members.

The two helical members and the bases may define a hollow interior space.

The amusement articles may be characterized by one or more selected from the group including being attached to a base, spanning between the bases, and being mounted at least one of the two helical members.

The cross-section of each of the helical members may extend substantially along the direction of the envelope.

Adjacent portions of outer surfaces of each base and the helical members may be unitarily formed. The bases may be configured for cooperation with an amusement article for attachment thereto. Each of the bases may comprise an aperture for receipt therein of at least a portion of the amusement article to facilitate the attachment. The attachment may be a pressure fit. The amusement article and each of the apertures may be co-configured such that one comprises a circumferential groove configured to receive therein the other. At least one of the amusement articles may be configured to rotate within its respective base when received therein.

The toy may comprise a free amusement article received within the interior space. The free amusement article may be larger than the largest gap defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical members, the helical members being characterized by sufficient flexibility to allow passage of the free amusement article therethrough and return to its shape. The free amusement article may be larger than the largest gap defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical members, and be elastically deformable so as to pass through the gap and return to its shape.

An amusement article mounted on at least one of the helical members may be slidingly mounted thereon and/or fixedly mounted thereon.

A gap defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical members may be, along a majority of its length, wider than the helical member.

The toy may be made of a plastic material.

According to a further aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, there is provided a toy comprising a body having one or more amusement articles attached thereto, the body having an outer shape substantially conforming to a regularly- shaped envelope, the body comprising first and second bases disposed substantially opposite one another, and a single helical member spanning therebetween, wherein the helical member constitutes a structural member configured, by itself, to maintain the shape of the body.

The bases may be smoothly formed with the helical member.

The helical member and the bases may define a hollow interior space; and

The amusement articles may be characterized by one or more selected from the group including being attached to a base, spanning between the bases, and being mounted on the helical member. The shape of the envelope may be selected from the group including a spheroid, an ovoid, and a regular polyhedron. The spheroid may be selected from the group including a sphere, an oblate spheroid, and a prolate spheroid.

The bases may be configured for cooperation with an amusement article for attachment thereto. Each of the bases may comprise an aperture for receipt therein of at least a portion of the amusement article to facilitate the attachment. The attachment may be a pressure fit. The amusement article and each of the apertures may be co-configured such that one comprises a circumferential groove configured to receive therein the other. At least one of the amusement articles may be configured to rotate within its respective base when received therein.

The toy may comprise a free amusement article received within the interior space. The free amusement article may be larger than the largest gap defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical member, the helical member being characterized by sufficient flexibility to allow passage of the free amusement article therethrough and return to its shape. The free amusement article may be larger than the largest gap defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical member, and be elastically deformable so as to pass through the gap and return to its shape.

The toy may be made of a plastic material.

According to a still further aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, there is provided a base for a toy as disclosed above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to better understand the subject matter that is disclosed herein and to exemplify how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1A is a perspective view of an example of a toy according to the presently disclosed subject matter;

Fig. IB is a section taken along line I-I in Fig. 1A;

Figs. 1C through IE illustrate different examples of amusement articles configured for use with the toy illustrated in Fig. 1 A;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of a body of the toy illustrated in Fig. 1A;

Fig. 3A is a perspective view of another example of a toy according to the presently disclosed subject matter;

Figs. 3B to 3E illustrate different examples of amusement articles configured for use with the toy illustrated in Figs. 1A and 3A;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a further example of a toy according to the presently disclosed subject matter; and

Figs. 5A through 5D are perspective views of still further examples of a toy according to the presently disclosed subject matter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As illustrated in Fig. 1A, there is provided a toy, which is generally designated 10. The toy 10 comprises a body 12 having an outer surface defining a substantially spherical shape, i.e., substantially conforming to a spherical envelope. The body 12 comprises a helical member 18 spanning between and supporting a bottom base 20 and a top base 22. The bases 20, 22 may be arranged such that a longitudinal axis X extends therebetween. A hollow space S is defined within the body 12.

The body 12 may be made of any suitable material, such as a plastic or other polymer. The geometry and materials of the body 12, and in particular of the helical member 18, may impart spring characteristics thereto, for example along the axis X. In addition, it may be of any color or colors, and/or be provided with a pattern thereon.

It will be appreciated that while the example of the body 12 described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings is formed so as to conform to a spherical envelope, it will be appreciated that it may be formed confirming to an envelope of any desired shape, e.g., regular three-dimensional shape, such as an oblate or prolate spheroid, an ovoid, a regular polyhedron, a cone, a frustum, etc., without departing from the scope of the presently disclosed subject matter, mutatis 5 mutandis.

According to some examples, the helical member 18 and/or one or both of the bases 20, 22 is configured to facilitate attachment of an amusement article to the body 12, fixedly and/or detachably, as will be explained herein below. It will that herein the specification and appended claims, terms such as attached, mounted, and other related 10 terms are to be understood in their broadest sense, i.e., including both moveably (e.g., slidably) and fixedly.

As seen in Fig. IB, the helical member 18 may be formed having substantially elongate (i.e., thin) cross-section, extending substantially along the direction of the envelope to which the body 12 conforms. Adjacent revolutions of the helical member 15 18 are axially spaced from one another, defining a gap G therebetween.

The helical member 18 may be smoothly formed with the bases 20, 22 (i.e., the outer surface thereof constitute a single surface substantially free of a defined edge and/or a sharp bend forming a boundary therebetween).

In addition, the helical member 18 may constitute a structural member of the 20 body 12. Accordingly, it may be configured by itself to support both bases 20, 22 and maintain the shape of the body 12, i.e., even when another such member is provided (for example spanning between the two bases), the helical member 18 would be capable of maintaining the shape of the body were the other member to be removed or damaged.

The bases 20, 22 may each be formed with an aperture 48, for example coaxial 25 with axis X, configured for facilitating attachment thereto of an amusement article (not illustrated in Figs. 1A and IB). For example, they may be configured to cooperate with an amusement article for snapping engagement therewith.

As noted above, the helical member 18 may be configured to facilitate attachment of one or more amusement articles to the body 12. For example, as 30 illustrated in Figs. 1C, one or more teethers 30 may be provided, comprising a sleeve 30 with an opening 32 having a cross-section corresponding with that of the helical member 18, and a teething element 34 projecting therefrom such that when mounted over the helical member 18, the teething element projects outwardly from the body 12. The sleeve 30 may be arched with a curvature matching that of the helical member 18, contributing towards its slidability thereover. As illustrated in Fig. ID, one or more rings 40, configured for being slidably mounted on the helical member 18, may be provided. As illustrated in Fig. IE, a toy 42 having a fabric sleeve portion 44 configured for being slidably mounted over the helical member 18, with one or more fabric loops 46 for sense stimulation of a child projecting outwardly therefrom, may be provided.

It will be appreciated that the teether 30, rings 40, and amusement article 42 described above with reference to and illustrated in Figs. 1C through IE are non- limiting examples of amusement articles which may be attached to the body 12, facilitated by the helical member, and that an amusement or other article may be similarly provided without departing from the scope of the presently disclosed subject matter, mutatis mutandis.

As illustrated in Fig. 2, the body 12 may be assembled from a first helical segment 54 and a second helical segment 56, configured for attaching to one another through coupler portions 58 and 60, respectively. The coupler portions 58, 60 may be of any suitable type to provide stiff attachment of the helical segments to one another, e.g., by sliding engagement, snap coupling, etc. This arrangement facilitate easy mounting of amusement articles of the type configured for slidably mounting over the helical member, such as disclosed hereinabove with reference to and illustrated in Figs. 1C through IE.

As illustrated in Fig. 3A, the bases 20, 22 may each be fitted with an amusement article 70, which may be a plain base-cap (e.g., which may conform to the spherical envelope of the base 12), or a decorative base-cap as illustrated. Examples of amusement articles 70 configured for attachment to the bases 20, 22 are illustrated in Figs. 3B through 3E.

The amusement articles may be configured to cooperate with the aperture 48 of the bases 20, 22 for attachment thereto. For example, each may be formed with a circumferential groove for snapingly engaging with the one of the bases 20, 22 and/or the bases may be formed with groove for engaging with an amusement article. However, it is appreciated that other forms of coupling an amusement article to the respective ends could be utilized, e.g. screw articulation, bayonet coupling, pressure fit, etc. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the toy 10 may comprise a ball 120 or other similar object, constituting a free (i.e., not connected to the base 12) amusement article, received within the hollow space S defined by the body. The ball may be larger than the gap G defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical member 18 (e.g., to facilitate maintaining it therewithin). According to some examples, the ball 120 is sufficiently elastically deformable such that is may be reduced in size so as to pass through the gap into the interior space S of the body 12. According to other examples, the ball 120 is solid, and the helical member 18 is sufficiently flexible such that the gap G may be opened so as to allow passage therethrough of the ball and to subsequently return to its original shape.

It will be appreciated that while the free amusement article as described above with reference to and illustrated in Fig. 4 is a ball, any suitable free amusement article may be provided without departing from the scope of the presently disclosed subject matter, mutatis mutandis.

As illustrated in Figs. 5A through 5D, the toy 10 may be provided with amusement articles 130 which are attached to, and span between, the bases 20, 22. According to some examples, the amusement articles are configured at each end to cooperate with the aperture 48 of the bases 20, 22 for attachment thereto, similar to those described above with reference to and illustrated in Figs. 3A through 3E

Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will readily appreciate that numerous changes, variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention mutatis mutandis.

Claims

CLAIMS:

Once the following framework has been approved, I will add the following variations of the agree -upon claims:

- A set claims similar to those below, but directed only to the body, i.e., just the base and the helical member, without the amusement articles. (I may add this only in the summary, which will allow us to add the claims at a later stage, and keep the application shorter.) 1. A toy comprising a body having one or more amusement articles attached thereto, the body having an outer shape substantially conforming to a regularly- shaped envelope, the body comprising first and second bases disposed substantially opposite one another, and a single helical member spanning therebetween, wherein:

• said helical member constitutes a structural member configured, by itself, to maintain the shape of the body;

• said bases are smoothly formed with said helical member;

• said helical member and said bases define a hollow interior space; and

• said amusement articles are characterized by one or more selected from the group including being attached to a base, spanning between the bases, and being mounted on said helical member.

2. The toy according to claim 1, wherein the shape of said envelope is selected from the group including a spheroid, an ovoid, and a regular polyhedron.

3. The toy according to claim 2, wherein said spheroid is selected from the group including a sphere, an oblate spheroid, and a prolate spheroid.

4. The toy according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cross-section of the helical member extends substantially along the direction of said envelope.

5. The toy according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein adjacent portions of outer surfaces of each base and the helical member are unitarily formed.

6. The toy according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said bases are configured for cooperation with an amusement article for attachment thereto.

7. The toy according to claim 6, wherein each of said bases comprises an aperture for receipt therein of at least a portion of the amusement article to facilitate the attachment.

8. The toy according to claim 7, wherein said attachment is a pressure fit.

5 9. The toy according to any one of claims 7 and 8, wherein said amusement article and each of said apertures are co-configured such that one comprises a circumferential groove configured to receive therein the other.

10. The toy according to any one of claims 6 through 9, wherein at least one of said amusement articles is configured to rotate within its respective base when received

10 therein.

11. The toy according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a free amusement article received within the interior space.

12. The toy according to claim 11 , said free amusement article being larger than the largest gap defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical member, said helical

15 member being characterized by sufficient flexibility to allow passage of the free amusement article therethrough and return to its shape.

13. The toy according to any one of claims 11 and 12, said free amusement article being larger than the largest gap defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical member, and being elastically deformable so as to pass through said gap and return to

20 its shape.

14. The toy according to any one of the preceding claims, said base having spring characteristics at least along an axis passing through said bases.

15. The toy according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein an amusement article mounted on said helical member is slidingly mounted thereon.

25 16. The toy according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein an amusement article mounted on said helical member is fixedly mounted thereon.

17. The toy according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a gap defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical member is, along a majority of its length, wider than the helical member.

30 18. The toy according to any one of the preceding claims, being made of a plastic material.

19. A toy comprising a body having one or more amusement articles attached thereto, the body having an outer shape substantially conforming to a regularly- shaped envelope, the body comprising first and second bases disposed substantially opposite one another, and two helical members spanning therebetween, wherein said two helical members constitute a structural arrangement configured, by itself, to maintain the shape of the body.

5 20. The toy according to claim 19, wherein said bases are smoothly formed with said two helical members.

21. The toy according to any one of claims 19 and 20, wherein said two helical members and said bases define a hollow interior space.

22. The toy according to any one of claims 19 through 21, wherein said amusement 10 articles are characterized by one or more selected from the group including being attached to a base, spanning between the bases, and being mounted at least one of said two helical members.

23. The toy according to any one of claims 19 through 22, wherein the shape of said envelope is selected from the group including a spheroid, an ovoid, and a regular

15 polyhedron.

24. The toy according to claim 23, wherein said spheroid is selected from the group including a sphere, an oblate spheroid, and a prolate spheroid.

25. The toy according to any one of claims 19 through 24, wherein the cross-section of each of the helical members extends substantially along the direction of said

20 envelope.

26. The toy according to any one of claims 19 through 25, wherein adjacent portions of outer surfaces of each base and the helical members are unitarily formed.

27. The toy according to any one of claims 19 through 26, wherein said bases are configured for cooperation with an amusement article for attachment thereto.

25 28. The toy according to claim 27, wherein each of said bases comprises an aperture for receipt therein of at least a portion of the amusement article to facilitate the attachment.

29. The toy according to claim 28, wherein said attachment is a pressure fit.

30. The toy according to any one of claims 28 and 29, wherein said amusement 30 article and each of said apertures are co-configured such that one comprises a circumferential groove configured to receive therein the other.

31. The toy according to any one of claims 27 through 30, wherein at least one of said amusement articles is configured to rotate within its respective base when received therein.

32. The toy according to any one of claims 19 through 31, comprising a free 5 amusement article received within the interior space.

33. The toy according to claim 32, said free amusement article being larger than the largest gap defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical members, said helical members being characterized by sufficient flexibility to allow passage of the free amusement article therethrough and return to its shape.

10 34. The toy according to any one of claims 32 and 33, said free amusement article being larger than the largest gap defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical members, and being elastically deformable so as to pass through said gap and return to its shape.

35. The toy according to any one of claims 19 through 34, said base having spring 15 characteristics at least along an axis passing through said bases.

36. The toy according to any one of claims 19 through 35, wherein an amusement article mounted on at least one of said helical members is slidingly mounted thereon.

37. The toy according to any one of claims 19 through 36, wherein an amusement article mounted on at least one of said helical members is fixedly mounted thereon.

20 38. The toy according to any one of claims 19 through 37, wherein a gap defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical members is, along a majority of its length, wider than the helical member.

39. The toy according to any one of claims 19 through 38, being made of a plastic material.

25 40. A toy comprising a body having one or more amusement articles attached thereto, the body having an outer shape substantially conforming to a regularly- shaped envelope, the body comprising first and second bases disposed substantially opposite one another, and a single helical member spanning therebetween, wherein said helical member constitutes a structural member configured, by itself, to maintain the shape of

30 the body.

41. The toy according to claim 40, wherein said bases are smoothly formed with said helical member.

42. The toy according to any one of claims 40 and 41, wherein said helical member and said bases define a hollow interior space.

43. The toy according to any one of claims 40 through 42, wherein said amusement articles are characterized by one or more selected from the group including being

5 attached to a base, spanning between the bases, and being mounted on said helical member.

44. The toy according to any one of claims 40 through 43, wherein the shape of said envelope is selected from the group including a spheroid, an ovoid, and a regular polyhedron.

10 45. The toy according to claim 44, wherein said spheroid is selected from the group including a sphere, an oblate spheroid, and a prolate spheroid.

46. The toy according to any one of claims 40 through 45, wherein the cross-section of the helical member extends substantially along the direction of said envelope.

47. The toy according to any one of claims 40 through 46, wherein adjacent portions 15 of outer surfaces of each base and the helical member are unitarily formed.

48. The toy according to any one of claims 40 through 47, wherein said bases are configured for cooperation with an amusement article for attachment thereto.

49. The toy according to claim 48, wherein each of said bases comprises an aperture for receipt therein of at least a portion of the amusement article to facilitate the

20 attachment.

50. The toy according to claim 49, wherein said attachment is a pressure fit.

51. The toy according to any one of claims 49 and 50, wherein said amusement article and each of said apertures are co-configured such that one comprises a circumferential groove configured to receive therein the other.

25 52. The toy according to any one of claims 48 through 51, wherein at least one of said amusement articles is configured to rotate within its respective base when received therein.

53. The toy according to any one of claims 40 through 52, comprising a free amusement article received within the interior space.

30 54. The toy according to claim 53, said free amusement article being larger than the largest gap defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical member, said helical member being characterized by sufficient flexibility to allow passage of the free amusement article therethrough and return to its shape.

55. The toy according to any one of claims 53 and 54, said free amusement article being larger than the largest gap defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical member, and being elastically deformable so as to pass through said gap and return to its shape.

56. The toy according to any one of claims 40 through 55, said base having spring characteristics at least along an axis passing through said bases.

57. The toy according to any one of claims 40 through 56, wherein an amusement article mounted on said helical member is slidingly mounted thereon.

58. The toy according to any one of claims 40 through 57, wherein an amusement article mounted on said helical member is fixedly mounted thereon.

59. The toy according to any one of claims 40 through 58, wherein a gap defined between adjacent revolutions of the helical member is, along a majority of its length, wider than the helical member.

60. The toy according to any one of claims 40 through 59, being made of a plastic material.

61. A base for a toy according to any one of the preceding claims.