Abstract:
A stackable humanoid toy for children&#39;s play is comprised of a single molded plastic humanoid body with four fixed limbs. A pair of arms extend from a torso and are positioned in a raised upright position with the hands formed as spherical balls. A pair of flexed legs extend beneath the torso and terminate into spherical shaped feet having socket openings on their bottom surface. The foot sockets are dimensioned to frictionally mate with the spherical hands. The pair of hands and pair of feet are further horizontally equally spaced from each other. Thus one humanoid toy may be stackably linked to another by putting a hand into a foot, or a pair of hands into a pair of feet. The ball/socket joints allow for limited rotation so that one humanoid can be rotated relative to its coupling partner.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This non-provisional patent application claims a priority benefit to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/623,337 entitled “Stackable Humanoid Toy” filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Apr. 12, 2012 by a common Inventor to this instant application, Paul Leonhardt. Further the above named Provisional Application in its entirety is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       REFERENCE TO APPENDIX 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    This invention relates to toy figurines for children&#39;s play. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The invention is a molded plastic humanoid figure having arms and legs in a predetermined configuration so that a first humanoid figure may be stackably linked on top of a second humanoid figure. Each of the two arms of the humanoid figure terminate into a spherical ball hand. Each of the two legs of the humanoid figure terminate into a foot with a ball socket. Each foot socket is configured to frictionally receive and capture a spherical ball hand of another humanoid figure. The humanoid figures may be stacked one on top of another in the series, or they may be offset as will be described in further detail below. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    Toy figurines have been a favorite object of desire for many children for many generations. They are usually made from plastic or other easily moldable substances so that they may be mass-produced. Children normally acquire many of these figurines and play with them in various imaginary scenarios. An important feature of any figurine is that it can stand on its own and maintain a specific pose or position which is set by the child. A further enhancement to any toy or figurine is the ability for the figurines to interact with each other in some meaningful manner. Physical interaction such as mechanical linking and or stacking is an important concept that allows children to create repetitious and symmetrical shapes and patterns. 
       OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES 
       [0007]    The primary purpose of this invention is to promote child&#39;s play and the teaching basic mechanical principles thereof, and of patterning behavior and shapes.” 
         [0008]    Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention are:
       (a) to provide a simple, inexpensive, toy that demonstrates and teaches a few basic mechanical principles,   (b) to provide a toy that can be mechanically connected in series one to another and then another;   (c) to provide a toy with a center of mass located in a stable position so the toy can stand erect on its own;   (d) to provide a toy that can be easily decorated so as to identify any well-known personality or character; and   (e) to provide a toy which will stimulate and capture the imaginations of children everywhere.       
 
         [0014]    Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of the invention in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a left side elevation view of the invention in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a right side elevation view of the invention in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is a top view of the invention in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is a bottom view of the invention in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  is a photograph of the humanoid toy laying on its back; 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  is a photograph of the same humanoid toy as in  FIG. 7  laying on its back; 
           [0023]      FIG. 9  is a bottom view photograph of the same humanoid toy as in  FIG. 7 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 10  is a side elevation view photograph of the same humanoid toy as in  FIG. 7 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 11  is a front elevation view photograph of the same humanoid toy as in  FIG. 7 ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 12  is a bottom view photograph of the same humanoid toy as in  FIG. 7 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 13  is a side elevation view photograph of two humanoid toys stacked directly one on top of the other; 
           [0028]      FIG. 14  is another side elevation view photograph of two humanoid toys stacked directly one on top of the other; 
           [0029]      FIG. 15  is a further side elevation view photograph of two humanoid toys stacked directly one on top of the other; 
           [0030]      FIG. 16  is a top side view photograph of two humanoid toys stacked in a staggered manner one on top of the other; 
           [0031]      FIG. 17  is a top side view photograph of two humanoid toys rotateably stacked in a staggered manner one on top of the other; 
           [0032]      FIG. 18  is series of four elevation views showing a right side, front, left side, and back views with preferred dimensions; 
           [0033]      FIG. 19  is series of four elevation views showing a right side, front, left side, and back views of the Skull aesthetic design; 
           [0034]      FIG. 20  is series of four elevation views showing a right side, front, left side, and back views of the Yeti aesthetic design; 
           [0035]      FIG. 21  is series of four elevation views showing a right side, front, left side, and back views of the Robot aesthetic design; 
           [0036]      FIG. 22  is series of four elevation views showing a right side, front, left side, and back views of the Ninja aesthetic design; 
           [0037]      FIG. 23  is series of four elevation views showing a right side, front, left side, and back views of the Lucha:A aesthetic design; 
           [0038]      FIG. 24  is series of four elevation views showing a right side, front, left side, and back views of the Toon aesthetic design; 
           [0039]      FIG. 25  is series of four elevation views showing a right side, front, left side, and back views of the Monkey aesthetic design; 
           [0040]      FIG. 26  is series of four elevation views showing a right side, front, left side, and back views of the Spiderman aesthetic design; 
           [0041]      FIG. 27  is series of four elevation views showing a right side, front, left side, and back views of The Hulk aesthetic design; 
           [0042]      FIG. 28  is series of four elevation views showing a right side, front, left side, and back views of the Lucha:B aesthetic design; 
           [0043]      FIG. 29  is a front elevation view of multiple humanoids shown in a stackable configuration; 
           [0044]      FIG. 30  is a side elevation view of two humanoids shown in a stackable configuration; 
           [0045]      FIG. 31  is a side elevation view of two humanoids shown in a stackable configuration; and 
           [0046]      FIG. 32  is a front elevation view of multiple humanoids shown in a stackable configuration. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       [0047]    Now referring to  FIG. 1  a first embodiment of the humanoid toy  10  is shown. The toy  10  is comprised of a torso  14  having two upright arms  20  and two semi-flexed legs  30 . Each of the arms  20  terminates into a spherical ball hand  28 . Each of the legs  30  terminates into a spherically shaped foot  32 . Each foot  32  is flat on the bottom so that the humanoid  10  may stand in an up right position. In the bottom of each foot  32  is a socket  40  (not seen in this figure) for receiving a spherical hand  28 . 
         [0048]    Referring now to  FIG. 2  a front elevation view of the humanoid toy  10  is shown. The torso  14  comprises an upper body portion  12  and a lower body portion  16 . The torso  14  is further defined by a top surface  11  and a bottom surface  17 . Extending from the midsection of the torso  14  on opposite sides are two arms  20 . Each arm  20  extends in an upright manner and is comprised of a lower arm  22 , an elbow  24 , and a forearm  26 . Each arm  20  then terminates in a spherical ball hand  28 . The arms  20  are rigidly fixed to the torso  14 . 
         [0049]    Extending from the lower body portion  16  on opposite sides are two legs  30 . Each leg  30  extends from the torso  14  in a flexed manner and is comprised of a thigh  38 , a knee  36 , and an ankle  34 . Each leg  30  then terminates in a spherically shaped foot  32 . The legs  30  are rigidly fixed to the torso  14 . 
         [0050]    The humanoid toy  10  is symmetrically shaped in this view about a vertical line  50  drawn through the middle of the torso  14 . 
         [0051]    Referring now to  FIG. 3  a left side elevation view of the humanoid toy  10  is shown. In this view it can be seen that the torso  14  has a front-side  13  and a backside  15 . Further it should be noted that the torso  14  is slightly curved so that the upper body  12  is bending slightly forward over the lower body  16 . The feet  32  have a perfectly flat surface on their bottom so that the humanoid toy  10  may stand on its own. Also note for stability purposes that the center of mass of the humanoid toy  10  is located directly over the flat surface of the foot  32 . 
         [0052]    Referring now to  FIG. 4  a right side elevation view of the humanoid toy  10  is shown. This view is a mirror image of  FIG. 3 . 
         [0053]    Referring now to  FIG. 5  a top view of the humanoid toy  10  is shown. In this view it can be seen that each of the spherical hands  28  are centered directly over each of the feet  32 . Thus it can be seen that a first humanoid toy  10  may be stacked on top of a second humanoid toy  10  because the horizontal lateral distance between the hands  28  is the same horizontal lateral distance as between the feet  32 . 
         [0054]    Referring now to  FIG. 6  a bottom view of the humanoid toy  10  is shown. In this view it can be seen that each socket  40  contained in a foot  32  is centered directly over a spherical hand  28 . Also the lateral front  13  to back  15  center of mass of the torso  14  is located on a imaginary line (not shown) from the center of one foot  32  to the other foot  32 . 
         [0055]    Referring now to  FIG. 7  a three-quarter top photograph view of the humanoid toy  10  is shown. The toy  10  is laying on its back and the curvature of the torso  14  is such that the upper body  12  is leaning forward as if to view the feet  32 . The sockets  40  are contained in the feet  32  and dimensioned to receive the spherical ball hands  28  of another humanoid toy  10 . In this series of  FIGS. 11-17 , the right foot  32  is missing a portion of its spherical shell and view creates a cross-sectional view of the socket  40 . The interior shape and dimensions of the socket  40  are designed to frictionally capture the spherical ball hand  28 . 
         [0056]      FIG. 8  is another three-quarter top view photograph of the humanoid toy  10  showing all of the same features as in  FIG. 7  and includes a ruler for illustrating dimensions of the preferred embodiment. 
         [0057]      FIG. 9  is a bottom view photograph of the humanoid toy  10  showing the feet  32  and sockets  40 , and includes a ruler for illustrating dimensions of the preferred embodiment. 
         [0058]      FIG. 10  is a three-quarter top view photograph of the humanoid toy  10  showing a close-up view of the spherical ball hand  28 . 
         [0059]      FIG. 11  is a front view photograph of the humanoid toy  10  showing all of the same features as in  FIGS. 7 &amp; 8  and includes a ruler for illustrating dimensions of the preferred embodiment. 
         [0060]      FIG. 12  is a bottom view photograph of the humanoid toy  10  showing the feet  32  and sockets  40 , and includes a ruler for illustrating dimensions of the preferred embodiment. 
         [0061]      FIG. 13  is a side elevation view photograph of a pair of humanoid toys  60  &amp;  70  shown in a direct stackable configuration. A ‘direct stack’ occurs when a first humanoid toy  60  stands directly on top of a second humanoid toy  70 , such that each of the sockets  40  in the feet  32  of the first humanoid toy  60  frictionally capture the spherical ball hands  28  of the human toy  70  below. 
         [0062]      FIG. 14  is a side elevation view photograph of a pair of humanoid toys  60  &amp;  70  shown in a direct stackable configuration. It should be noted that the ball  28  and socket  40  joint allows for some limited movement.  FIG. 14  clearly shows the upper toy  60  has rotated forward from the vertical torso  14  plane of the lower toy  70 . Note that both toys  60  &amp;  70  are facing in the same direction, i.e., they are both facing to the left. 
         [0063]      FIG. 15  is a side elevation view photograph of a pair of humanoid toys  60  &amp;  70  shown in a direct stackable configuration. Note in this photograph that the upper toy  60  is now facing to the right while the lower toy  70  is still facing to the left. The toys  60  &amp;  70  maybe be stacked facing in either direction without any consideration for the facing direction of a toy below or above. Many, many toys  10  may be stacked in this manner theoretically to infinity. 
         [0064]      FIG. 16  is a side perspective view photograph of a pair of humanoid toys  60  &amp;  70  shown in a staggered stackable configuration. A ‘staggered stack’ occurs when a first humanoid toy  60  stands on top of a second humanoid toy  70  in an offset manner, such that only one of the sockets  40  in the feet  32  of the first humanoid toy  60  frictionally capture one of the spherical ball hands  28  of the human toy  70  below. 
         [0065]      FIG. 17  is a side perspective view photograph of a pair of humanoid toys  60  &amp;  70  shown in a staggered stackable configuration. The upper toy  60  has been rotated 90° from the torso  14  plane of the lower toy  70 . This view demonstrates the rotational degree of freedom about a vertical axis of the spherical ball hand  28  in this staggered configuration. 
         [0066]      FIG. 18  shows a series of four elevation views (right side, front, left side, and back) with preferred dimensions of the humanoid toy. The color scheme ‘PMS’ notated on the figures is from the Pantone® Matching System Color Chart. 
         [0067]    Now referring to  FIGS. 19 through 28 , a series of aesthetic designs and color schemes is shown. Each of the figures shown is identical to the views in  FIG. 18 . 
         [0068]      FIG. 19  shows the design and color scheme for the humanoid toy known as Skull. 
         [0069]      FIG. 20  shows the design and color scheme for the humanoid toy known as Yeti. 
         [0070]      FIG. 21  shows the design and color scheme for the humanoid toy known as Robot. 
         [0071]      FIG. 22  shows the design and color scheme for the humanoid toy known as Ninja. 
         [0072]      FIG. 23  shows the design and color scheme for the humanoid toy known as Luch:A. 
         [0073]      FIG. 24  shows the design and color scheme for the humanoid toy known as Toon. 
         [0074]      FIG. 25  shows the design and color scheme for the humanoid toy known as Monkey. 
         [0075]      FIG. 26  shows the design and color scheme for the humanoid toy known as Spiderman. 
         [0076]      FIG. 27  shows the design and color scheme for the humanoid toy known as The Hulk. 
         [0077]      FIG. 28  shows the design and color scheme for the humanoid toy known as Luch:B. 
         [0078]    The humanoid toys  10  may also be modified in various ways to achieve attachment functions. For example a magnet may be molded into the torso body  14  for adhering to ferrous metals. Various hooks, clips, nails, and or screws may also be molded into the body. Velcro may be adhesively applied to the torso, as can double-sided tape. 
         [0079]    A lighting system comprising one or more LEDs and an electrical source such as a small alkaline battery may be integrated into the humanoid toy  10  during manufacture. The LEDs may be activated by various means, including a switch, a motion sensor, or a light sensor. The batteries may optionally be rechargeable. 
         [0080]    Another embodiment of the humanoid toy  10  includes articulable limbs. The limbs may be rotated around a joint that connects the limb to the torso  14 . 
         [0081]    A further embodiment of the humanoid toy  10  comprises a two piece torso that mates or separates after a  90 ° relative twist between the upper portion torso portion and the lower torso portion. An interior compartment may optionally be formed between the mating torso halves. The compartment can be used for storage and messaging to the amusement of children. 
         [0082]    While the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, various modifications will be apparent to and might readily be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the scope of the claims appended hereto be limited to the description as set forth herein, but, rather, that the claims be broadly construed.