Abstract:
A toy with a frame assembly having a plurality of frame members each having a gear and centering aperture. Each gear has a plurality of rounded tetrahedral teeth. A flexible fastener connects the first and second frame members together with their gears in alignment with one another. The flexible fastener applies a force to the first and second gears to releasably engage said first and second gears with one another.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 13/902,552 filed by the present inventors on May 24, 2013, which is continuation-in-part of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 13/078,904 filed by the present inventors on Apr. 1, 2011. 
         [0002]    The aforementioned patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0003]    None. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field Of The Invention 
         [0005]    The present invention relates to toys, and more particularly, to toy animals or other figures. 
         [0006]    2. Brief Description Of The Related Art 
         [0007]    Applicable to plush, plastic, rubber and other toys, and extendable to connection of any two similar objects, this method of interconnection utilizes aesthetic features of the toy itself to alloy interconnection in a safe and secure way, without the use of snaps and pins that can cause a safety hazard to young children. The proposed method also allows for interconnection of multiple toys to create a toy chain as well as an adapter that allows for toys that embody this feature to be connected to clothing, back packs, shoes as an accessory. By extension of this basic interconnection method, any two or more objects can be connected this same way. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is a soft toy with an interior frame that may be releasably held in a plurality of different positions or poses. The toys may be made of multiple colors of fake fur, felt, wire (or other methods of posing plush toys known in the art), buttons, plastic eyes, thread, cotton or poly fill &amp; similar materials. The toys may be poseable in any position from a ball to fully open with, for example, a pom pom tail in either position out the back. When closed, the toys may be, for example, a furry, round ball with two eyes and a tail with a furry pom-pom at the end of the tail. When opening, the ball is transformed to a creature with ears, legs, arms, body “with pouch” and captivatingly friendly face. What was the furry ball closed, becomes the colorful furry back of a body with eyes in the back of its head. 
         [0009]    Toys in accordance with the present invention can be linked together, or interconnected, forming a chain of toys ( FIG. 2 ). This is done by, first, insert and tuck the pom-pom tip of the tail of toy  102  into the pouch of toy  100 , then, fold in the ears, arms, legs and close toy  100  over the tail of toy  102 , now those two toys are linked together or interconnected. Further, insert and tuck the pom-pom tip of the tail of another toy  104  into the pouch of toy  102 , then close toy  102  over the tail of toy  104 , now all three toys are linked or interconnected, and so on. 
         [0010]    Toys can be connected or linked to almost anything with the connector accessory ( FIG. 3 ). The connector accessory is a Jibball tail with a pom-pom on one end and a loop string on the other, the loop string can be attached to a zipper (jacket, backpack) or a shoelace run through it, or looping back on itself around any opening (button hole, etc). Additionally, the tail can be wrapped around an object of suitable size, and then tucked back into its own pouch connecting the toy to other objects as well as other Jibballs, using the same linking or connecting method as described above. 
         [0011]    In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is a toy having a frame assembly for posing, opening and closing the toy. The toy frame assembly comprises a plurality of frame portions of a suitable material, geometry and configuration to support outer materials and assembly of outer materials to the frame portion for the toy, each of the frame portions having alignment aperture and a gear feature comprising a plurality of gear teeth configured radially outward from the alignment aperture, wherein two or more the frame portions are placed adjacent one another with their respective alignment apertures aligned and gear portions overlapping. A flexible fastener is placed thru the alignment apertures to join the two or more the frame portions together, wherein the flexible fastener applies pressure to the overlapping gears. Each gear may comprise a plurality of teeth designed in a rounded edge tetrahedral configuration such that a mating gear of an opposing frame portion, also of a rounded edge tetrahedral configuration, allows for a controlled gear engagement and disengagement. The rounded edge, radial tetrahedral gears define a number of discrete positions for posing the toy. The rounded edge, radial tetrahedral gear teeth are reduced to a textured surface to almost smooth providing near-continuous positioning of the toy. The plurality of fame portions are formed from polycarbonate materials in the preferred embodiment, however a broad range of materials can be used. 
         [0012]    In another preferred embodiment, the present invention is a posable toy having a frame assembly. The frame assembly comprises a first frame member having first and second ends, the first and second ends each having a gear, a second frame member having first and second ends, the first and second ends each having a gear, a third frame member having first and second ends, the first and second ends each having a gear, wherein the first end of the third frame member is connected to the first end of the first frame member in an overlapping fashion such that mating gears mesh, and held in place by use of a flexible fastener, and the second end of the third frame member is connected to the first end of the second frame member in an over lapping fashion such that gears mesh, and held in place by use of a flexible fastener, and a fourth frame member having first and second ends, the first and second ends each having a gear, wherein the first end of the fourth frame member is connected to the second end of the first frame member in an overlapping fashion such that mating gears mesh, and held in place by use of a flexible fastener, and the second end of the fourth frame member is connected to the second end of the second frame member in an overlapping fashion such that mating gears mesh, and held in place by use of an overlapping fastener. Each of the gears of the third and fourth frame members opposes a gear of one of the first and second frame members. The first and second frame members are movable toward and away from one another and the gears engage and then disengage, by the travel allowance and constant tension applied by a flexible fastener, the first and second frame members in a plurality of different positions. By design of components of the frame assembly, for the preferred embodiment, the mating gears require a force of 2-3 pounds to disengage and move through each posing position, appropriate for a young child. 
         [0013]    In yet another preferred embodiment, the toy frame assemble comprises a first frame member having a first gear and a centering aperture, the first gear comprising a plurality of rounded tetrahedral teeth, a second frame member having a second gear and a centering aperture, the second gear comprising a plurality of rounded tetrahedral teeth, and a flexible fastener for connecting the first and second frame members together with the first gear and the second gear in alignment with one another, wherein the flexible fastener applies a force to the first and second gears to releasably engage the first and second gears with one another. The second frame member has two gears having rounded tetrahedral teeth and two centering apertures. The frame assembly further has a third frame member having a third gear and a centering aperture, the third gear comprising a plurality of rounded tetrahedral teeth and a second flexible fastener for connecting the second and third frame members together with the third gear in alignment with one of the two gears of the second frame member, wherein the flexible fastener applies a force to the aligned gears to releasably engage the gears with one another. 
         [0014]    In another embodiment, the present invention is a toy having a frame body. The frame body has a plurality of structural body members, at least two of the structural body members each having an alignment aperture and a gear comprising a plurality of gear teeth configured radially outward from the alignment aperture, wherein each of the at least two structural body members is placed adjacent to another one of the at least two structural body members with their respective alignment apertures aligned and their respective gears overlapping. The frame body further has a flexible fastener extending thru the alignment apertures of a pair of adjacent structural body members to join the pair of structural body members together, wherein the flexible fastener applies pressure to the overlapping gears of the pair of structural body members. The plurality of structural body or frame members may be formed, for example, from polycarbonate materials. 
         [0015]    The toy further may have a plurality of appendages such as legs or arms, for example, with each appendage having a plurality of structural members, at least two of the structural members each having an alignment aperture and a gear comprising a plurality of gear teeth configured radially outward from the alignment aperture, wherein each of the at least two structural members is placed adjacent to another one of the at least two structural members with their respective alignment apertures aligned and their respective gears overlapping, and a flexible fastener extending thru the alignment apertures of a pair of adjacent structural members to join the pair of structural members together, wherein the flexible fastener applies pressure to the overlapping gears of the pair of structural members. The toy further may have a neck having a structural neck member having two alignment apertures and a gear comprising a plurality of gear teeth configured radially outward from each the alignment aperture, wherein one of the gears of the structural neck member is placed adjacent a gear of one of the structural body members with their respective alignment apertures aligned and their respective gears overlapping, and a flexible fastener extending thru the adjacent alignment apertures of the structural neck member and the structural body member to join the neck member and the body member together, wherein the flexible fastener applies pressure to the overlapping gears of the neck member and the body member. 
         [0016]    Each the gear feature may comprise a plurality of teeth designed in a rounded edge tetrahedral configuration such that a mating gear feature of an opposing frame portion, also of a rounded edge tetrahedral configuration, allows for a controlled gear engagement and disengagement. The rounded edge, radial tetrahedral gear may define a number of discrete positions for posing the toy. The rounded edge, radial tetrahedral gear teeth may be reduced to a textured surface to almost smooth providing near-continuous of the toy. 
         [0017]    In yet another embodiment, a toy of the present invention has a frame body comprised of a plurality of structural body members, each the structural body member having an alignment aperture and a gear comprising a plurality of gear teeth configured radially outward from the alignment aperture, wherein the gear of each structural body members is placed adjacent to a gear of another one of the structural body members with their respective alignment apertures aligned and their respective gear features overlapping. A flexible fastener extends thru the alignment apertures of each pair of adjacent structural body members to join the pair of structural body members together, wherein the flexible fastener applies pressure to the overlapping gears of the pair of structural body members. 
         [0018]    Still other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description, simply by illustrating a preferable embodiments and implementations. The present invention is also capable of other and different embodiments and its several details can be modified in various obvious respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive. Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    For a more complete understanding of the present invention and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a posable toy in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention in an “open” position. 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a plurality of toys in accordance with a preferred embodiment in a sequence of connection. This figure shows how the basic elements needed for connection are implemented, as well as how that connection is strengthened by second step or connection, the novel use of a new belay device that is formed when the tail of first toy is folded back over the outside of the pouch, and then the first toy is closed over the tail of the second. 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the accessory connection tail. This figure shows how the toy or object can be connected to any other toy, object, article of clothing, back packs etc, by connecting the toy to the accessory connection tail, then connecting the accessory connection tail to the other object, by a variety on known methods. 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a frame assembly of a posable toy in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 5A  is an end view of an upper or lower portion of a frame of a posable toy in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 5B  is a side view of a portion of an upper or lower portion of a frame of a posable toy in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0026]      FIG. 6A  is a side view of a connector extension hinge of a frame of a posable toy in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0027]      FIG. 6B  is a end view of a connector extension hinge of a frame of a posable toy in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0028]      FIG. 7A  is a diagram of a geared portion of an upper or lower portion of a connector extension hinge of a frame of a posable toy in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Geometry and dimensions of the gear teeth,  720 , along with the flexibility of the material and dimensions used for flexible fastener  230 , to assemble the frame,  210 , to the connector extension hinge,  220 , determine the opening and closing force for the frame assembly,  200 . 
           [0029]      FIG. 7B  is a detail end view of a geared portion of an upper or lower portion of a connector extension hinge of a frame of a posable toy in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0030]      FIG. 7C  is a detail end view of a geared portion of an upper or lower portion of a frame of a posable toy in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Geometry and dimensions of the rounded edge tetrahedral gear teeth,  FIG. 7D ,  720 , along with the flexibility of the material and dimensions used for fastener,  230 , to assemble the frame,  210 , to the connector extension hinge,  220 , determine the opening and closing force for the frame assembly,  200 , of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0031]      FIG. 7D  is a detail view of a rounded tetrahedral edge gear segment, or tooth of portion of an upper or lower portion of a frame of a posable toy in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0032]      FIG. 7E  is a side view of a flexible fastener of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0033]      FIGS. 8 and 9  are perspective views of exemplary complex arrangements of frame parts in accordance with the present invention to create a toy dinosaur and a toy horse. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0034]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-7 , a first toy  100  in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention has a body  110  having a pouch or pocket  120 . It further has a plurality of arms  130  legs  140  and an extension  150 , for example, in the form of a tail having a pom pom  152  at is distal end. 
         [0035]    With two toys  100 ,  102  constructed in accordance with the present invention, the second toy  102  can have an extension placed into the pocket  120  of the first toy  100 . The extension of the second toy can be a tail with, or without a pom-pom or a straight tail, a tail tailored or tapered to a narrower end or wider end, or one that can be partially rolled up to form a ball or pom-pom shape, or be formed in a similar shape like a tear drop or beaver tail. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the extension may be detachable, in which case is may have an elongated portion  160 , a pom pom  162  at one end of the elongated portion, and a clip or other attachment mechanism  164  at a second end of the elongated portion. The clip  164  may be attached to any part of a toy of the present invention or to other objects. Other types of conventional clips or attaching means may be used as alternatives to the clip  164  shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0036]    The first toy or object  100  has within its body  110  a frame assembly  200  such that the first toy will close over the tailored extension of toy  102  holding the tailored extension in the pocket  120  and fold over the pocket  150  to make a firm connection. The frame assembly  200  has polycarbonate frame upper and lower portions  210  and a polycarbonate connector extension  220  on each side. While the upper and lower portions  210  are shown to be equal in length in  FIG. 4 , other arrangements also are possible. Also, while the upper and lower portions are shown at the top and bottom in  FIG. 4 , the same arrangement may be rotated such that they are right and left portions or at any angle. The upper and lower portions are connected to the connector extension with a flexible fastener  230  placed through alignment apertures (holes)  730  and  732  in the connector extension and the frame upper and lower portions. The frame upper and lower portions  210  each have a gear  700  and each end to mate with gears  702  on the end of each connector extension  220 . Each gear  700 , shown in  FIGS. 7C and 7D , has a plurality of rounded tetrahedral teeth  720 , each of which has sides  722  and  724 . The gears  702 , shown in  FIGS. 7A and 7B , are the inverse of gears  700  and effectively are rounded tetrahedral indentations in the connector extensions  220 . The gears  702  alternatively could be designed in that same manner as gears  700  with teeth protruding from the extension connectors. The designed in force required to lock/then release the rounded edge tetrahedral gear portions is the force required to pose, open or close the toy(s). The hardness and coefficient of friction of the materials determine the level of improved reliability over the prior art. As the gear teeth wear down, the force required to lock or release becomes less as the wearing surfaces become smooth, providing a safety improvement in the wear out mechanisms over the prior art. The posing, opening or closing force is dependent on the material choices, use of the coefficient friction between the surfaces and shaping or texturing of the frame portions, geometry and dimensioning of the rounded edge tetrahedral gear teeth or indentations combined with the tension developed by the fit and flexibility of and type of flexible fastener used to join the frame assembly. 
         [0037]    The flexible fastener  230  is designed not only to hold the frame portions together, but also to apply an appropriate force to the frame portions to allow for the gears with rounded tetrahedral teeth to engage and disengage (or lock and unlock) such that the frame members may be controllable moved and positioned. An exemplary fastener is shown in  FIG. 7E . The flexible fastener  230  has a stem  232  a pair of prongs  234  at a distal end of the fastener  230  a head  236  at a proximal end of the fastener  230  and a pair of secondary prongs  238  on the head. When the fastener  230  is inserted into the alignment apertures during assembly, the prongs  234  are compressed as the travel through the alignment apertures. During insertion, the head  236  is pressed against the frame portions to flex prongs  238  and allow the prongs  234  to extend through to the far sides of the alignment apertures and snap into place. Once the prongs  234  snap into place, they hold the fastener in place. In that position, the prongs  238  place resistance on the frame portions to hold the gears  700 ,  702  together. Other spring loaded or similar types of fasteners can be used but need to be designed and optimized for the intended application. 
         [0038]    To increase the strength of the connection between a plurality of toys, the first toy can incorporate features, such as foldable ears  160 , arms  130  and legs  140  or other protrusions that also fold in over the second toy pom-pom  152  and or tail when being closed to hold the pom-pom and or tail of the second toy in place. Alternatively, the pom-pom, tear drop shape or beaver tail widening, or balled up end of a straight or narrowing portion of tail such that the end of a tailored extension can be slightly larger than the pouch or pocket opening when fully relaxed. It must also be made of a compressible material that, when compressed, is smaller than the pocket or pouch opening such the insertion is simple and easy for a young child to accomplish. Once released, the pom-pom or similar shape will extend to a size slightly larger than the pocket opening, forming the first connection of the two toys. In this alternate case, foldable extensions (in this case; ears, arms or legs) are not necessary to form a good first connection. The pocket must be large enough to allow the tail end ( FIGS. 1-3 ) expand to relaxed size. This feature also allows the toy to connect to any other object of suitable size (tail is long enough to encircle the object) by wrapping the tail around the object and tucking in back into the same toy&#39;s own pocket or pouch. 
         [0039]    The force required to pull the pom-pom  152 , tail or similar extension of toy  102  or similar out of the pocket  120  is increased by folding the tailored extension of toy  102  over the pocket of toy  100  and in a direction to go back over the tailored extension in the pocket of toy  100  as it exits toy  100 , then closing toy  100  over the exiting tailored extension of toy  102 , by means of an internal mechanism or frame, holds this folded position, essentially putting connected toy  102  “on belay” with toy  100  (a technique used in mountain climbing to greatly reduce the forces on a climbing line from the climber to the belay person). In this case, the pocket and closing of the pocketed toy over the extension from the connected toy, by means of an internal mechanism or frame, essentially form a new type of belay device. Here, no clips, snaps or pins are used to make the connection more secure. Just proper sizing, shaping or tailoring and placement of soft safe toy materials to within another toys pouch or pocket, using materials and new safer internal mechanisms or any other posing mechanisms proven in the prior state of the art for toy making. 
         [0040]    The frame assembly  200  shows a safer and more reliable alternative to posing methods, and or opening and closing methods of the prior art. One example of the prior art is metal wire that is bendable or poseable, however, metal wire has very limited life in posing applications and therefore unreliable as wire fatigues without many bends or changes in pose and, when a metal wire fatigues it becomes brittle, then breaks or separates typically leaving sharp edges at the break sections of metal that can punch to the exterior of the toy or posable object and possibly injure the person posing/bending the wire, becoming a safety hazard to the user. The frame assembly  200  can be made of a variety of materials, uses a gear mechanism and/or friction between the frame ends  700  and overlapping frame ends  700  or extension hinge ends  702  that are assembled together with a flexible fastener  230 , to determine the number of positions, from continuous to multi-positional, and force necessary to open and close the frame assembly. The opening and closing force of the frame assembly is dependent on the material choices, friction on the surface of frame ends  700  and overlapping frame ends  700  or connector extension ends  702 , when smooth, or the friction, geometry and dimensions of the gear teeth  720  and mating gear teeth of another frame end,  720 , or gear teeth of connector extension ends,  702 , combined with the fit and flexibility of and type of fastener  230  used to make the frame assembly  200 . The opening and closing force of the frame assembly allows for additional control of the strength of the connection of the toy to another object and for the strength of interconnection between a plurality of toys or objects as shown in  FIG. 1B . 
         [0041]    While the preferred embodiment is described herein includes connector extensions  220 , it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that the upper and lower frame portions could be connected directly to one another or a plurality of varying frame portions could be connected to one another. Examples of more complex arrangements of frame parts in accordance with the present invention are illustrated in  FIGS. 8 and 9 .  FIG. 8  illustrates a plurality of frame parts connected to one another for form a posable or adjustable frame or skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex  800 . A plurality of frame parts form a body  810 , a neck  820 , a head  830 , arms  840 , legs  850  and a tail  860 . The frame may be covered, for example, with an outer body made of plush material  870  to create a soft but posable toy. Materials other than plush materials also may be used to form the outer body  870  of the dinosaur depending upon the look and feel desired by the designer. The outer body  870  also could be made from more than one material or as a plurality of separate pieces. 
         [0042]      FIG. 9  illustrates a complex arrangement of frame parts in more detail. In  FIG. 9 , the frame parts are connected in the shape of a horse  900 . A curved frame part  912  forms the rear end of the horse body. A plurality of side parts  914 ,  914  and  918  and  913 ,  915  and  917  form opposite sides of the horse body. Curved frame part  910  forms the chest and provide for a connection to the neck of the horse. The neck is formed of a cured part  922  and a straight part  924  to give the next shape and flexibility to be raised and lowered. The upper head of the horse  900  is formed from frame part  932  and the snout or nose is formed form frame part  934 . A plurality of legs  940  are formed from frame parts  942 ,  944 ,  946  and  948 . The frame parts  942 ,  944 ,  946  and  948  may be different in shape or length, for example, to have part  948  small to form foot or hoof, or may be identical. Again, and outer body material  970  may be placed over the frame. 
         [0043]    The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto, and their equivalents. The entirety of each of the aforementioned documents is incorporated by reference herein.