Abstract:
An improved posable figure having extended life and resistance to failure, and being repeatedly posable in a realistic fashion. The posable figure has an inner skeleton including one or more primary members constructed of a bendable material such as metal wire, and an outer molded body covering constructed of a flexible substance such as an elastomer material. The inner skeleton also may include one or more secondary members molded over portions of the primary members, to limit flexion of the primary members and/or to connect the primary members to form an articulated structure.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/448,943, filed on May 30, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,800,016, which in turn claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/384,884, filed May 31, 2002. Both applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present disclosure relates generally to flexible doll toys and posable action figure toys. More particularly, it includes dolls and action figures with an outer surface constructed from a soft, flesh-like material, and a bendable inner skeleton. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Many different varieties of flexible dolls and action figures have been developed over the years, mainly for the purposes of entertainment and display. Creation of a flexible or posable figure generally requires creation of a movable articulated body and limbs, ideally configured to retain whatever pose the figure is placed into. Furthermore, it is desirable that the figure be posable a large number of times without failure of the structure. 
   One class of posable figures includes an inner armature or skeleton, possibly including joints to recreate the articulation of a human skeleton, and a molded outer covering or body constructed of a flexible material that surrounds and is bonded or otherwise anchored to the inner skeleton. Examples of such toys are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 280,986, 1,189,585, 1,551,250, 1,590,898, 2,017,023, 2,073,723, 2,109,422, 2,392,024, 2,601,740, 2,684,503, 3,325,939, 3,284,947, 3,395,484, 3,624,691, 3,955,309, 4,123,872, 4,136,484, 4,233,775, 4,932,919, 4,954,118, 4,964,836, 5,516,314, 5,630,745, 5,762,531, 5,800,242, 6,155,904, and 6,217,406, and in publications JP49-18954, JP49-18955, JP60-97067, JP61-94090, JP61-94091, JP61-94092, JP62-53686, JP62-164092, JP63-103685, JP11-212369, WO0067869, and WO0010665. Other examples of flexible doll toys and action figure toys are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,277,601, 3,716,942, 4,470,784, 4,932,919, 5,017,173, and 6,074,270, and in publication WO0108776. The disclosures of all of these patents and publications are incorporated herein by reference. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An improved posable figure is provided, having extended life and resistance to failure, and being repeatedly posable in a realistic fashion. The posable figure has an inner skeleton including one or more primary members constructed of a bendable material such as metal wire, and an outer molded body covering constructed of a flexible substance such as an elastomer material. The inner skeleton also may include one or more secondary members molded over portions of the primary members, to limit flexion of the primary members and/or to connect the primary members to form an articulated structure. 
   The advantages of the posable figure provided will be understood more readily after a consideration of the Drawings and the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an inner skeleton for a posable figure, according to an embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of several primary members of the inner skeleton of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a front elevational view of the inner skeleton of  FIG. 1 , showing primary members disposed within the skeleton. 
       FIG. 4  is a magnified view of a portion of an inner skeleton for a posable figure, showing locating pins and related structure. 
       FIG. 5  is a front elevational view of a partially formed posable figure according to an embodiment of the invention, showing an inner skeleton disposed within the figure. 
       FIG. 6  is a front elevational view of the posable figure of  FIG. 5 , after an additional body molding step. 
       FIG. 7  is a partial front sectional view of a portion of an alternative embodiment of a posable figure. 
       FIG. 8  is a partial front sectional view of a portion of another alternative embodiment of a posable figure. 
       FIG. 9  is a partial front sectional view of a portion of another alternative embodiment of a posable figure. 
       FIG. 10  is a partial front sectional view of a portion of another alternative embodiment of a posable figure. 
       FIG. 11  is a partial front sectional view of a portion of another alternative embodiment of a posable figure. 
       FIG. 12  is a partial front sectional view of a portion of another alternative embodiment of a posable figure. 
       FIG. 13  is a partial front sectional view of a portion of another alternative embodiment of a posable figure. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , an inner skeleton for a posable figure is shown and generally indicated at  10 . Although it is anticipated that inner skeleton  10  will eventually be enclosed by and bonded to an outer covering, such as an injection-molded body of a posable figure,  FIG. 1  shows the inner skeleton in isolation for clarity. Skeleton  10  includes one or more flexible primary members that may be coated and/or joined together to form an articulated structure. The primary members may be joined in an insert molding process, referred to hereinafter as a skeleton-forming process, that molds one or more secondary members over portions of the primary members, as described below. 
     FIG. 2  shows several primary members of the skeleton of  FIG. 1 , before the skeleton-forming process. In this embodiment, skeleton  10  includes a primary upper member  12 , extending from a first hand portion  14  to a second hand portion  16  of the skeleton and defining arm portions  18  and  20 . The skeleton also includes a primary torso member  22  defining a waist portion  24  and a chest portion  26 , and two primary leg members  28  and  30  extending from foot portions  32  and  34  to a hip portion  36  and defining leg portions  38  and  40 . 
   The primary members may be constructed from any flexible, resilient material, such as strands of metal wire. In the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 2 , each wire of the primary members has the same diameter and is constructed from the same material. In particular, the primary members depicted in  FIG. 2  are constructed from stainless steel wires, each with a diameter of approximately 1.4 millimeters. However, it will be appreciated that wires of other diameters and/or constructed from other materials may be equally suitable or more suitable for various skeleton designs, depending on the overall size of the posable figure and its intended use. For instance, two or three strands of twisted wire could be used to define some or all of the primary members. 
   As seen in  FIG. 2 , primary upper member  12  includes a single wire extending from one hand portion to the other, so that a single wire is found in a cross-section of each arm portion  18  and  20 . The wire of primary upper member  12  is bent or doubled over in a neck portion  42 , so that two wires are found in a cross-section of the neck portion. Primary leg members  28  and  30  each include a single wire extending from one of the foot portions to hip portion  36 , so that a single wire is found in a cross-section of each leg portion. Primary torso member  22  includes two wires extending through waist portion  24 , and both are doubled over so that four wires are found in a cross-section of the waist portion. 
   Each primary member has two ends, with at least one intermediate bend between the two ends. The intermediate bends are provided to retain secondary members that will be molded to partially surround the primary members, as described in more detail below. Specifically, primary upper member  12  has a first end  44  disposed in hand portion  14 , and a second end  46  disposed in hand portion  16 . An intermediate bend  48  is disposed near first end  44 , three other intermediate bends  50 ,  52 , and  54  are disposed in neck portion  42 , and yet another intermediate bend  56  is disposed near second end  46  of the primary upper member. 
   Primary torso member  22  has a first end  58  and a second end  60 , and includes a first intermediate bend  62  disposed near first end  58 , another intermediate bend  64  disposed in hip portion  36 , and another intermediate bend  66  disposed near second end  60 . Primary leg member  28  has a first end  68  and a second end  70 , with an intermediate bend  72  disposed near first end  68  and another intermediate bend  74  disposed near second end  70 . Similarly, primary leg member  30  has first and second ends  76  and  78 , with intermediate bends  80  and  82  disposed near the first and second ends, respectively. 
   Referring back to  FIGS. 1-2  in conjunction with each other, the wires forming the primary members are held within a mold (not shown) shaped to define the finished skeleton, and bonded into an integral structure in a skeleton-forming process. During the skeleton-forming process, portions of the wires forming the primary members are coated with a layer of polymer resin material, generally indicated at  84 . Coating the wires in this manner may decrease the likelihood of a wire fraying and/or poking through an outer covering surrounding the skeleton, thus increasing the safety and durability of the posable figure. Also during the skeleton-forming process, various secondary members, also covering portions of the primary members, are formed from substantially thicker layers of resin. 
     FIG. 3  shows a front plan view of inner skeleton  10  after the skeleton-forming process has molded polymer resin around portions of the primary members. The resin material, which may be polypropylene, is flexible enough to allow bending in portions where it covers the primary members in a relatively thin layer. By varying the thickness of resin material surrounding the various portions of wire, different amounts of flexibility may be imparted to different portions of the skeleton, even though only a single layer of resin is injected around the wires in the first injection or insert molding step. In particular, polypropylene is flexible enough to allow bending of the wires in portions where the polypropylene is molded to be less than about 2 millimeters (2-mm) thick, and preferably to be about 1-mm thick. 
   In the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 3 , waist portion  24 , arm portions  18  and  20 , leg portions  38  and  40 , and neck portion  42  are all covered with a layer of polypropylene, approximately 1-mm thick, during the skeleton-forming process, so that these portions of the skeleton remain bendable. During the same process, various secondary members are formed from substantially thicker layers of resin. The secondary members cover portions of the primary members and couple the primary members together to form an integral structure. 
   As shown in  FIG. 3 , the secondary members may include a secondary hip member  86 , a secondary chest member  88 , secondary hand members  90  and  92 , and secondary foot members  94  and  96 . Due to their thickness, the secondary members limit flexion of various portions of the skeleton. In particular, flexion of the skeleton is limited in portions of the skeleton where the primary members are covered by the secondary members, and also in portions of the skeleton occupied by the secondary members but not by the primary members. 
   As described previously and as best seen in  FIG. 2 , the primary members of the skeleton each include at least one intermediate bend. Each intermediate bend of the primary members is designed to securely retain one of the secondary members at a predefined location on the primary member, when the secondary members are molded over the primary members. Secure retention of the secondary members is accomplished, for example, due to increased surface area provided by each bend of the primary members, and also due to the curvature of each bend providing resistance to tensional forces that might be exerted on the skeleton to pull it apart. 
   For example, as seen in  FIG. 3 , intermediate bends  64 ,  74 , and  82  retain secondary hip member  86 . Similarly, intermediate bends  50 ,  54 ,  62 , and  66  retain secondary chest member  88 . Intermediate bends  48  and  56  retain secondary hand members  90  and  92 , respectively, and intermediate bends  72  and  80  retain secondary foot members  94  and  96 , respectively. A retaining clip  98  for a head of the toy may be molded during the same skeleton-forming process that forms the secondary members, from the same material. Intermediate bend  52  in primary upper member  12  retains clip  98  in a manner analogous to retention of the secondary members by the other intermediate bends. 
   Still referring to  FIG. 3 , various support members also may be molded during the skeleton-forming process. These support members may include various locating pegs  100 ,  102 ,  104 ,  106 , and  107 , and locating sprues  108 , among others. The support members may extend outward from the primary and/or secondary members, adding structure and stability to inner skeleton  10 . As described in more detail below, the support members may also be configured to allow inner skeleton  10  to be located accurately and conveniently in a mold in preparation for another injection molding step. 
     FIG. 4  shows a close-up view of an arm portion of the posable figure of  FIG. 1 , showing in detail one of locating pegs  100  used to center the armature within a subsequent mold. It will be noted in  FIG. 4  that small portions  109  of the wire of primary upper member  12  remain exposed after the skeleton-forming process, until the skeleton is covered with resilient material in one or more subsequent molding processes. Portions  109  of exposed wire are the result of intrusions into the mold used in the skeleton-forming process, the intrusions (not shown) holding the wire in place as skeleton-forming resin is injected around the primary members. 
   The support members are formed during the same skeleton-forming process that forms the secondary members, and are therefore constructed from the same material as the secondary members, typically a polymer resin material such as polypropylene or polyethylene. The support member material may also be a thermoplastic elastomer material such as polyvinylchloride (PVC), or a styrene-based elastomer such as a Kraton material manufactured by Kraton Polymers of Houston, Tex., among others. In some embodiments, this material may be chosen to bond and/or be otherwise compatible with a material used for the outer covering of the toy figure. 
   As is best seen in  FIG. 1 , the locating pegs each may extend substantially radially outward from the primary members, and may be configured to assist in positioning inner skeleton  10  in a desired location within a mold prior to a subsequent injection molding step. For example, a particular locating peg may be configured to substantially span a radius of the mold, thereby holding a portion of the inner skeleton spaced away from the walls of the mold. This may allow material to be injected into the mold to form a continuous molded body, encasing and bonded to the inner skeleton, with the inner skeleton spaced away from the surface of the body. 
   In particular, in the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , locating pegs  100  extend radially away from the primary upper member and the primary leg members in the plane of skeleton  10 . When skeleton  10  is placed into a mold, pegs  100  may abut the walls of the mold to securely hold the skeleton in place. When an outer covering (or body) material is placed in the mold, it will surround the skeleton by filling in the empty portions of the mold, so that the locating pegs extend to an outer surface of the finished figure. Thus, pegs  100  may define a width of the arms and lower legs of the finished posable figure in the plane of the skeleton. 
   Locating pegs  102  are similar to pegs  100 , but extend further from the primary leg members and may define a width of the upper legs of the finished figure in the plane of the skeleton. Locating pegs  104  extend radially away from the primary members in directions orthogonal to the plane of the skeleton, and may define widths of the arms and legs in those directions. Similarly, locating pegs  106  of the secondary chest member extend above the secondary chest member, and locating pegs  107  of the secondary chest member extend laterally from the secondary chest member. These pegs may help to securely locate the secondary chest member within a mold and to define the dimensions of the finished figure. 
   It will be appreciated that although one convenient configuration of locating pegs is depicted in  FIG. 1 , alternative placements of locating pegs relative to the primary and secondary members of the skeleton are possible. In addition, although the locating pegs are depicted in  FIG. 1  as substantially cylindrical, they may have any other suitable shape. For example, the locating pegs may be substantially conical or frustoconical, and they may also have rounded ends to conform to the curvature of an inner surface of a mold. 
   Sprues  108  may be substantially cylindrical or toroidal, and may serve to further locate inner skeleton  10  in a mold during further subsequent body molding steps. For example, the sprues may be placed in corresponding depressions or recesses in a mold, to hold the inner skeleton in position while a surrounding body or a portion thereof is injection molded around the inner skeleton. As is best seen in  FIG. 1 , sprues  108  may be variously disposed near secondary hand members  90  and  92 , secondary hip member  86 , and secondary foot members  94  and  96 . 
   As described previously, inner skeleton  10  is located in a mold in order to form a resilient, flexible body covering around the inner skeleton. In some embodiments, the body covering is molded in a two-step body molding process, and is formed from two different materials which differ in their elastic properties. In other embodiments, the body covering may be molded in a single body molding step, and therefore may be formed from a single elastic material. Various embodiments are described below and depicted in the Drawings. 
   In cases where the body covering is molded from two different materials, it may be desirable to mold some portions of the body covering from a relatively soft material, and to mold other portions of the body covering from a relatively hard material. For example, the Shore hardness of the soft material may be approximately 14, and the Shore hardness of the hard material may be approximately 40. More specifically, the first material (Shore hardness 14) may be obtained from the Riken Corporation of Tokyo, Japan, under the identifier Leostemer LFR9904N, and the second material (Shore hardness 40) may also be obtained from Riken, under the identifier Leostemer LFR9810N. 
     FIG. 5  depicts inner skeleton  10  of  FIG. 1  with a first resilient, flexible body material, generally indicated at  110 , molded around various portions of the skeleton in a first body molding step. The first body material defines finished lower legs  112  and  114 , finished arms  116  and  118 , a finished upper chest  120 , and a finished neck  122 . In addition, the first body material has been molded around upper portions  124  and  126  of the primary leg members and around a middle portion  128  of the primary torso member, to form an unfinished surface extending only partially towards the outer surface of the finished figure. The first body material thickens portions  124 ,  126 , and  128  around the primary members, limiting flexion of the figure in those portions. 
   In  FIG. 5 , the first body material is shown molded around upper portions  124  and  126  of the primary leg members and around middle portion  128  of the primary torso member to a diameter of approximately 2-mm. Thus, in this embodiment these portions are each covered first with approximately 1-mm of a resin material during the skeleton-forming process, and then with approximately 2-mm of the first body material during the first body molding step. As described below, a second body material will be molded around the first body material to form the finished body in portions  124 ,  126 , and  128 . 
     FIG. 5  also shows how the first body material is molded into a frustoconical shape, or a taper  130 , at the proximal end of each finished lower leg. Such a taper may improve the outer appearance, bending properties, and durability of the posable figure at a juncture of the two body materials in the legs. Similarly, the particular juncture structure  131  shown in the chest region of the toy improves the outer appearance, bending properties, and durability of the toy. 
     FIG. 6  depicts the posable figure of  FIG. 5  after a second body molding step in which a second resilient, flexible body material, generally indicated at  132 , has been molded around portions  124 ,  126 , and  128  to form a finished body. As described previously, the second body material is typically an elastomer similar to the first body material, but with a different Shore hardness. As seen in  FIGS. 5-6 , sprues  108  protrude from the finished body, and are typically removed during final manufacturing steps. Other final manufacturing steps may include adding a head, clothing, paint, and/or other accessories (not shown) to the posable figure. 
     FIG. 7  depicts a partial sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a posable figure formed in a multi-step molding process. The figure depicted in  FIG. 7  includes an inner skeleton  210  similar to inner skeleton  10  of  FIG. 1 , including a primary torso member  212 , and primary leg members  214  and  216 . The primary members of this embodiment are joined together in a skeleton-forming process as previously described, except that the primary members are not coated with a thin layer of resin during the initial skeleton-forming molding process. Furthermore, in this embodiment, primary torso member  212  of the skeleton includes only a single wire. After the skeleton-forming process, the embodiment of  FIG. 7  is then molded with first and second surrounding body materials  110  and  132 . Body materials  110  and  132  may be applied to skeleton  210  in a two-step process, as described previously and as shown in the embodiment of  FIGS. 5-6 . 
   Another alternative embodiment of a posable figure is depicted in  FIG. 8 . The inner skeleton of the depicted embodiment is substantially identical to skeleton  10 , which is shown in  FIG. 1  and which has been described previously. First resilient, flexible body material  110  is molded over arm portions  18  and  20 , and leg portions  38  and  40  of the skeleton. However, first body material  110  is not applied to the neck or upper chest portions of the skeleton as in the previous embodiments, nor is it used to thicken the remaining exposed primary members. Second body material  132  is then molded over waist portion  24  of skeleton  10 , and also over the leg, neck and upper chest portions that were left exposed when the first body material was molded. 
   Still another alternative embodiment of a posable figure is depicted in  FIG. 9 . The embodiment of  FIG. 9  includes inner skeleton  10 , and is similar to the embodiment described above and depicted in  FIG. 8 . However, first body material  110  is molded around waist portion  24  and leg portions  38  and  40  of the skeleton during the first body molding process, to limit flexion of the skeleton in those portions. Second body material  132  is then molded over waist portion  24  of the skeleton, and also over the leg, neck and upper chest portions that were left exposed when the first body material was molded. 
   Another alternative embodiment of a posable figure is depicted in  FIG. 10 . The embodiment of  FIG. 10  is similar to the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 9 , including inner skeleton  10 . However, in  FIG. 9 , first resilient flexible body material  110  is also molded over neck portion  42  of primary upper member  12  during the first body molding step, to limit flexion of the neck portion. 
   Another alternative embodiment of a posable figure is depicted in  FIG. 11 . The embodiment of  FIG. 11  includes inner skeleton  10  as depicted in  FIG. 1 , but second body material  132  is molded only over an inner part of leg portions  38  and  40 , and waist portion  24  of the skeleton. In this embodiment, second body material  132  is molded over the skeleton before first body material  110  is molded, since the first body material encloses the second body material. 
   Still another alternative embodiment of a posable figure is depicted in  FIG. 12 . The embodiment of  FIG. 12  includes inner skeleton  10  as depicted in  FIG. 1 , with a thickening layer of first body material  110  over all of the primary members of the skeleton. Then, an outer layer of second body material  132  is molded over the skeleton, to form the outer surface of the posable figure. 
   Yet another alternative embodiment of a posable figure is depicted in  FIG. 13 , which includes inner skeleton  10  as depicted in  FIG. 1 , with a single resilient, flexible body material  300  molded around the inner skeleton to form a finished body. Body material  300  may be similar to one of materials  110  or  132 , or it may have any other desired elasticity. 
   Various other alternative embodiments of the toy may include one or more of the bare wire, taper in the legs, over-molded upper leg and waist portions of the skeleton, second-material neck, and inner-portion only of the upper legs or waist, as depicted in  FIGS. 7-13 . Similarly, other materials may be used to form the inner skeleton and as the first and second resilient, flexible body materials. These other alternative embodiments have not been depicted separately in the drawings. 
   While the present description has been provided with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that many variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope defined in the following claims. The description should be understood to include all novel and non-obvious combinations of elements described herein, and claims may be presented in this or a later application to any novel and non-obvious combination of these elements. The foregoing embodiments are illustrative, and no single feature or element is essential to all possible combinations that may be claimed in this or a later application. Where the claims recite “a” or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof, such claims should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring, nor excluding, two or more such elements.