Fluid actuated toy

A fluid actuated toy includes a housing with a fluid inlet and outlet and a fluid container pivotally mounted within the housing. A biased pop-up member is slidably mounted within the housing and includes an element for engaging an extension on the fluid container while the pop-up member is in a locked position. The toy further includes a biasing member urging the fluid container to a first position from which the container moves and releases the pop-up member upon accumulation of a predetermined amount of fluid. A platform is pivotally mounted on the housing to be engaged by the pop-up member and a figurine is removably mounted on the platform so as to be ejected upon the impact of the platform member by the pop-up member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to water toys and in particular to a new and 
improved fluid actuated toy. 
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
Younger children often enjoy being entertained while taking a bath, in a 
wading pool or the like. To meet these needs, many different types of 
floating toys and toys operated by water are available; however, most of 
these prior art toys lack sufficient action to maintain a young child's 
interest for a long period of time. 
A typical prior art toy is the type such as a boat that merely floats on 
the water. Other prior art toys are of the wind-up type that include feet 
or paddles that are rotated after being wound up and paddle the toy 
through the water providing some action. 
Although some action is involved in both of these toys, they do not require 
action on the part of the child to make them operate and thus do not 
provide a learning experience. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a 
floating action toy that can be operated by a child to provide both 
entertainment and a learning experience. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved 
floating toy. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved 
fluid actuated toy. 
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and 
improved floating toy that is fluid actuated upon operation by a small 
child or the like. 
The present invention is directed to a new and improved fluid actuated toy 
that is intended to eject an object such as a figurine from the toy and 
thereafter the figurine may be recovered and placed in a boat or the like. 
The toy includes a hollow housing with a fluid inlet and outlet. A fluid 
container is pivotally mounted within the housing and includes an inlet 
and outlet communication with the fluid inlet and outlet, respectively, of 
the housing. The fluid container is pivotally mounted within the housing 
and biased to a first position by a biasing member. The fluid container 
pivots to a second position upon accumulation of a predetermined amount of 
fluid. 
Upon pivoting to a second position, the fluid container releases a pop-up 
member that is slidably mounted within the housing and biased to a 
position extending outwardly of the housing by a spring. The pop-up member 
includes a member that engages an extension on the fluid container to lock 
the pop-up member in a first, down position. Upon pivoting of the fluid 
container to the second position, the extension and member are disengaged 
releasing the pop-up member to a second position (the release position) 
under the influence of the spring. Upon reaching this second position, the 
pop-up member engages a platform pivotally mounted to the housing of the 
toy pivoting it upwardly. An object such as the figurine is releasably 
secured to the platform and upon the platform being pivoted by the pop-up 
member, is propelled from the platform upwardly and away from the toy. 
In the preferred embodiment, the toy includes a removable annular float to 
allow the toy to float in a body of water. Also included is a boat such 
that the figurine, upon being propelled from the platform, lands in the 
body of water and the child operating the toy may then place the figurine 
in the boat. 
As can be understood, the toy of the present invention not only floats but 
also provides entertaining action for the child operating the toy. In 
addition, the toy of the present invention requires that the child fill 
the fluid container with a predetermined amount of fluid in order to 
commence the action of the toy thus providing a learning experience for 
the child.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Having reference now to the drawings and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, there 
is illustrated a fluid actuated toy generally designated by the reference 
numeral 10 constructed in accordance with the principles of the present 
invention. The fluid actuated toy 10 is intended to provide educational, 
entertaining action for a child operating the toy 10 and will float on a 
body of water. 
The toy 10 has four separable components. The first is the main toy housing 
12, on which is removably mounted a second component or figurine 14 that 
is removably attached to the housing 12 and intended to be ejected from 
the toy 10 into a surrounding body of water. The third component is an 
annular float 16 that may be of a hollow rectangular configuration which 
may be used around the housing 12 to allow it to float in a body of water. 
The fourth component is a boat 18 that may be stabilized on the housing 12 
by the engagement of a rib 20 defined on a circular bottom flange 22 on 
the housing 12 with a lip 24 defined on the back of a boat 18 as 
illustrated in FIG. 1. The boat 18 also may be removed from the housing 12 
and floated on the surface of the water. The boat 18 includes a central 
tubular pedestal 26 on which the figurine 14 may be positioned after being 
ejected or launched from the housing 12. 
The toy 10 is intended to operate in a manner similar to a jack-in-the-box. 
To obtain this action, the child operating the toy 10 may pour a 
predetermined amount of fluid, such as water, into the housing 12, 
whereupon the figurine 14 is ejected from the housing 12. The housing 12 
includes, at the top, a trough 28 into which fluid, such as water, is to 
be poured. The trough 28 includes a plurality of bottom apertures 30 
through which the water will escape. Pivotally mounted immediately below 
the fluid apertures 30 is a rectangular fluid container 32 that is open at 
the top and closed at the bottom 34 except for a single outlet aperture 
36. Accordingly, fluid poured into the trough 28 flows through the 
apertures 30 into the container 32. As can be understood, the volume of 
fluid passing through the plurality of apertures 30 is greater than that 
released through the aperture 36. Consequently, there is an accumulation 
of fluid within the container 32. 
As best seen in FIG. 3, the housing 12 is hollow being closed by a bottom 
wall 21 and an outwardly extending peripheral flange 22. The bottom wall 
21 includes a plurality of apertures 40 through which fluid from the 
container 22 drains. A flotation ring 16 will support the flange 22 and 
thus the housing 12. A pair of downwardly directed extensions 42 and 44 
extending from the bottom wall 21 locates the same within the ring 16. 
A cylindrical housing 46 is secured within the housing 12 to a top flange 
48 that defines a portion of the top of the housing 12. The fluid 
container 32 includes a clevis 50 that is pivotally secured to the housing 
46 by attachment to integral pegs or pivot pins 52 defined on the side of 
the housing 46. 
The container 32 also includes a bottom flange or abutment member 54 
defined on the bottom edge of the container 32. A biasing means 56 such as 
a rubberband is wrapped around a slot 58 defined in the flange 54 and 
extends through or is connected at the other end to the housing 12. The 
biasing means 56 is of a preselected dimension and configuration so as to 
bias the empty container 34 to a first position, as shown in FIG. 3, 
whereupon the abutment member 54 abuts the inner peripheral surface of the 
housing 12. 
The toy 10 is intended to be of a surprise or jack-in-the-box type, and to 
provide this action, the toy 10 includes a pop-up device, generally 
designated by the reference numeral 60. The device 60 includes a pop-up 
member 62 slidably mounted for vertical movement within the housing 46. 
The pop-up member 62 is of a tubular configuration and extends through an 
aperture 76 in the top flange 48. An interior flange 64 restricts the 
vertical travel by engagement with a flange 66 on the member 62. 
Accordingly, the pop-up member 62 may only be moved upwardly to the extent 
defined by the engagement of the flanges 64 and 66. 
The pop-up member 62 is biased to an upward position, illustrated in FIG. 
6, by a spring 68 between the flange 66 and the bottom of the housing 46. 
The spring 68 is held in position by a circular boss or spring retainer 70 
integrally defined at the bottom of the housing 46. In its uppermost 
position illustrated in FIG. 6, the pop-up member 62 extends through the 
top 48 of the housing 12 to engage a platform generally designated by the 
reference numeral 72. The platform 72 includes a first attachment member 
74 that is secured to the top 48 of the housing 12 and includes an 
aperture 77 through which the pop-up member 62 extends. The platform 72 
also includes a pivotal platform 78 which is pivotally mounted to the 
first member 74 by a pin 80 such that the second platform member 78 is 
pivoted about the pin 80 upon engagement by the pop-up member 62. 
The second platform member 78 includes an upstanding peg 82 on which may be 
positioned the figurine 14 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4. The peg 82 
extends into an aperture 84 defined in the bottom portion of the figurine 
14. Upon engagement of the pop-up member 62 with the second platform 
member 78, it is pivoted about the pin 80 and the energy imparted to the 
second platform member 78 is transferred to the figurine 14 propelling it 
off of the peg 84 and into the surrounding body of fluid. 
The pop-up member 62 is locked in a down or cocked spring compressed 
position (FIGS. 3 and 4) by the engagement of a first lateral extension 86 
on the fluid container 32 and a second partially circular extension 88 
defined on the lower end of the pop-up member 62. A second extension 88 
extends through a slot 90 defined in the side of the housing 46. The first 
extension 86 includes a transverse partially circular arm portion 92 that 
engages the partially circular extension 88 in the locked or down position 
of the pop-up member 62 as shown in FIG. 3. To set the toy, the pop-up 
member 62 is pushed down into the housing 46 compressing the spring 68. As 
this occurs, the circular portion of the arm 88 moves in the direction of 
the arrow 93 and engages the arm 92 (FIG. 7). This engagement provides a 
camming action moving the arm 92 in the direction of the arrow 94. Thus, 
the container 32 is moved against the bias of this spring 56 until the 
extension 88 moves past the arm 92. Thereafter, the spring 56 returns the 
container 32 to a position whereupon the abutment member 54 abuts the 
inner periphery of the wall 12 of the housing 12. Once this occurs, a 
lower planar surface 96 of the arm 92 moves over and engages an upper 
planar surface 98 of the extension 88 thereby locking the pop-up member 62 
in the first position. 
To operate the toy 10 once the pop-up member 62 is locked in the first 
position, the child pours water into the trough 28 filling the container 
32. Once the container 32 is filled with a predetermined amount of fluid, 
the weight of the accumulated water is sufficient to pivot the container 
32 about the pegs 52 against the force of the spring 56. The container 32 
then moves to a second stable position illustrated in FIG. 6. As this 
occurs, extension 92 and specifically the planar surface 96 is moved out 
of engagement with the planar surface 98 of the extension 88 thereby 
releasing the pop-up member 62. The pop-up member 62 then moves upwardly 
to its release position under the influence of the spring 68 engaging the 
second platform member 78 and pivoting it about the pin 80 to propel the 
figurine 14 off of the peg 84 and into the surrounding body of water. 
Thereafter, the child may place the figurine 14 on the peg 26 in the boat 
18. To again operate the toy 10, the child simply allows the container 32 
to drain whereupon the biasing means 56 returns the container 32 to its 
first position illustrated in FIG. 3. Thereafter, the pop-up member 62 may 
be pushed into the housing 46 until the arm 92 locks the extension 88 in 
position. Thereafter, the above described sequence can be repeated. 
Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in 
light of the above teachings. Thus, it is to be understood that within the 
scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than 
specifically described above.