Abstract:
The toy described here is formed by two semi-cylindrical bodies connected together via bands. This toy is able to vary the represented images in a simple and surprising manner, thus increasing the playing possibilities and the fun of the child.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority from Italian patent application No. TO2014A000100 filed on Feb. 7, 2014, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a toy having the characteristics referred to in the claims that follow. 
         [0003]    In preferred embodiments, the toy in question forms a structure configured to define a toy scenic environment. Thanks to the characteristics that distinguish it, the toy described here allows the variation of the represented scenic design, in a simple and surprising manner, thus increasing the playing possibilities and the fun of the child. 
         [0004]    The claims form an integral part of the technical disclosure given here in relation to the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description that follows with reference to the accompanying drawings, provided purely by way of non-limiting example, wherein: 
           [0006]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  are perspective views that represent an embodiment of the toy described here in two different conditions; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  represents a constituent element of the toy described here; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  represents a schematic diagram of a mode of use of the toy described here; 
           [0009]      FIGS. 4 and 5  are perspective views that represent the toy of  FIG. 1  in two different conditions; 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is a rear view according to the arrow VI of the toy of  FIG. 5 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    In the following description, various specific details are illustrated aimed at a thorough understanding of the embodiments. The embodiments can be implemented without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, or materials etc. In other cases, known material structures or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring the various aspects of the embodiment. 
         [0012]    The references used herein are for convenience only and therefore do not define the field of protection or the scope of the embodiments. 
         [0013]    With reference to the figures, in general, the toy described herein, indicated as a whole with the numeric reference  100 , comprises:
       a first body  2  having a first surface  2 A of cylindrical geometry, with a semicircular profile or in any case with an arc-of-circle profile, and   a second body  4  having a second surface  4 A of cylindrical geometry, with a semicircular profile or in any case with an arc-of-circle profile.       
 
         [0016]    In various embodiments, as in the one shown in the figures, the first and the second body have two complementary half-shell structures, so as to form, when coupled together, a closed casing  10  that is essentially cylindrical, of which the aforesaid first and second surfaces together constitute the side wall of the casing. The bodies  2  and  4  have, in particular, respective pairs of opposite sides  2 B,  4 B (visible in  FIG. 6 ), suitable for delimiting the upper and lower cylindrical surface of the body; in the coupled condition of the two bodies, these sides together form the lower side and the upper side of the casing  10 . 
         [0017]    It is noted that the bodies  2  and  4  can also present other configurations. In particular, they do not necessarily have to be two half-shells, but can also be two filled bodies. They are preferably made of plastic material, but can also be made of other materials, such as paper or cardboard. 
         [0018]    The toy described here also comprises at least two bands, in the illustrated embodiment there are three, indicated with the references  61 ,  62 ,  63 , respectively, which bind together the two bodies in a manner that allows each of these to rotate around the other body. These bands are made of flexible sheet material, such as plastic, fabric, paper or cardboard, etc. 
         [0019]    In various embodiments, as in the one illustrated, the toy comprises, in particular, a first band  61  having a first free central portion  61 A, intended to be selectively wound around the first surface of the first body and around the second surface of the second body, and two end portions  61 B at opposite sides of the central portion, fixed respectively on a first edge of the first body, which transversely delimits the first surface, and on a first edge of the second body, which transversely delimits the second surface ( FIG. 6 ). The toy also includes a second band  62  having a second free central portion  62 A, intended to be selectively wound around the first surface of the first body and around the second surface of the second body, and two end portions  62 B at opposite sides of the central portion, fixed respectively on a second edge of the first body, which transversely delimits the first surface on a side opposite to the first edge, and on a second edge of the second body, which transversely delimits the second surface on an opposite side compared to the first edge ( FIG. 6 ). The central portions  61 A,  62 A extend from one of the end portions of the respective band to the other, and have a length essentially equal to the length of the transverse profiles of the surfaces  2 A,  4 A. Regarding this, it should be noted that the surfaces  2 A and  4 A preferably have transverse profiles of the same length. 
         [0020]    In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, an additional band  63  is provided, with a central portion  63 A and end portions  63 B, and is connected to the bodies  2  and  4  in the same manner described above with reference to the first band  61  ( FIG. 6 ). In this embodiment, the first band  61  and the third band  63  are arranged above and below the band  62 , according to a mutually symmetrical configuration with respect to the latter. It should be noted that in the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the aforesaid edges to which the end portions of the bands are fixed correspond to the longitudinal edges of the half shells formed by the bodies  2  and  4 . 
         [0021]    The free portions  61 A,  62 A and  63 A of the bands are connected at their respective end portions  61 B,  62 B and  63 B via folding lines  61 ′,  62 ′,  63 ′, which allow the mutual rotation between the different portions; as will be seen below, in the relative rotation of the bodies  2  and  4 , the folding lines of each band operate as alternative hinging axes of the two bodies. The end portions of the bands may be fixed to the bodies  2  and  4  in any known manner by the expert technician, for example by glue. 
         [0022]    As mentioned above, the configuration illustrated above allows each of the bodies  2  and  4  to rotate around the other body. 
         [0023]    With reference now to  FIG. 3 , it shows how, in the specific case illustrated, the body  2  is able to rotate all around the body  4  to complete a rotation about itself of 720°. In this figure, the initial step A illustrates the bodies  2  and  4  in the mutually coupled condition in which the housing  10  is formed. In step B, the body  2  is rotated with respect to the body  4  in a clockwise direction, around the first folding lines  61 ′,  62 ′,  63 ′ of the bands, which bind the two bodies  2  and  4  in rotation with each other. Once 180° is exceeded, (see step C), the body  2  starts to roll with its surface  2 A on the surface  4 A of the body  4 . As illustrated in steps D, E and F, during this movement, the band  62 , initially wound around the body  2 , gradually transfers onto the body  4 , and similarly the bands  61  and  63 , initially wound on the body  4 , gradually transfer onto the body  2 . Once 540° is exceeded (see step G), the body  2  once again rotates with respect to the body  4  around the folding lines  61 ′,  62 ′,  63 ′ of the bands, this time around the second folding lines opposite to the lines involved in step B. The rotation ends with the two bodies  2  and  4  being carried to their mutually coupled condition (step H). 
         [0024]    It should be noted that during the relative rolling of the surfaces  2 A and  4 A, illustrated in steps D, E, and F, the two bodies  2  and  4  continue to be held together by the bands  61 ,  62 , and  63 , which unwind from a surface and then wind around the other, thus allowing the rolling movement of the two bodies. 
         [0025]    As mentioned at the beginning, the toy described here can form a structure configured to represent a toy scenic environment. In this application, the operation illustrated above can be exploited to obtain the variation of the represented scenic environment, in a simple and surprising manner. For this purpose, it is sufficient to divide the two representative images of two different toy environments into suitable portions, respectively depicted on opposite faces of the bands and/or on the cylindrical surfaces of the first and second body, according to a criterion so that, in the condition in which the first and third bands are wound on the first body, and the second band is wound on the second body, the composite of the externally visible portions, depicted on the bands and the cylindrical surfaces, forms the first environment, while in the condition in which the first and the third bands are wound on the second body and the second band is wound on the first body, the composite of the externally visible portions forms the second environment. The transition from the first to the second environment therefore simply involves the operation illustrated in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0026]    Regarding this, the example illustrated in the figures immediately clarifies the application of this principle. Indeed,  FIG. 2  shows that the individual bands  61 ,  62 , and  63  represent, on the two opposite faces, a series of circles and a series of squares, respectively, each suitable for identifying two different types of scenic designs in a schematic way. Therefore,  FIG. 1A  illustrates the condition of the toy  100  in which the bands  61  and  63 , wound on the body  4 , and the band  62 , wound on the body  2 , depict the scenic design formed of only squares, while  FIG. 1B  illustrates the condition in which the bands  61  and  63 , this time wound on the body  2 , and the band  62  wound on the body  1 , depict the scenic design formed of only circles. Obviously, the portions of the surfaces  2 A and  4 A, each time externally visible in the two conditions of  FIGS. 1A and 1B , can also be used to define the two different scenic designs, together with the bands. 
         [0027]    As mentioned above, the transition from one condition to the other is obtained by the operation illustrated in  FIG. 3 ; regarding this, it should be noted that  FIG. 4  illustrates the toy in a condition essentially corresponding to that represented in step D of  FIG. 3 , while  FIG. 5  illustrates the toy in a condition essentially corresponding to that shown in step F of  FIG. 3 . 
         [0028]    The general principle described above can obviously be exploited for various toy applications and is not limited to the variation of images in a toy scenic element. 
         [0029]    Of course, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the details of construction and the embodiments may vary, even significantly, with respect to what is illustrated here purely by way of non-limiting example, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.