Abstract:
A device includes a body portion having a cavity therein. A reservoir is positioned within the body portion. A portion of the reservoir forms an abdominal region of the animal shaped body. An actuating mechanism is further coupled to the body. A motorized bubble making unit is disposed within the cavity to expel a stream of bubbles from the animal shaped body. The actuating mechanism activates the motorized bubble making unit to expel a stream of bubbles from the animal shaped body.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/473,942 filed on Jun. 23, 2006 entitled BUBBLE MAKER. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The embodiments relate to toys. In particular, the embodiments relates to motorized toys for forming and expelling streams of bubbles. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Many bubble forming toys are known. These include toys shaped like pistols and guns. These toys, however, have drawbacks. The drawbacks include wasting excess fluid (i.e., liquid soap fluid) and also how bubbles are formed and expelled from the toy. 
     SUMMARY 
     One embodiment is a device that includes a main body portion connected to a front body portion. The main body portion has a handle with a trigger. The front body portion has a through hole. A movable mouth portion is connected to the main body portion. The movable mouth portion includes a fixed wipe bar. A reservoir is located between the main body portion and the front body portion. The reservoir includes a clear front portion. The reservoir to hold liquid. A motorized bubble making unit is located between the main body portion and the front body portion. When the trigger is pulled the movable mouth portion is raised to expose a bubble forming ring and the motorized bubble making unit is activated to expel a stream of bubbles through the bubble forming ring. 
     Another embodiment includes a bubble making toy. The bubble making toy includes an animal shaped body portion having a handle with a trigger. The body portion has a through hole. A movable mouth portion is coupled to the body portion. A fixed wipe bar is coupled to an interior roof of the movable mouth portion. A reservoir is disposed in the body portion. The reservoir includes a clear front portion viewable through a through-hole in the body portion. The reservoir to hold bubble liquid. A motor is coupled to a blower and a pump that are both disposed within the body portion. The trigger activates the blower and pump to force a stream of bubbles through a bubble forming ring. 
     Yet another embodiment is a bubble toy including an animal shaped body portion having a handle with a trigger. The body portion has a through hole. A movable mouth portion is connected to the body portion. A fixed wipe bar is connected to a roof of an interior of the movable mouth portion. A belly shaped reservoir is disposed in the main body portion. The reservoir includes a clear front portion viewable through the through-hole in the body portion. The reservoir to hold bubble liquid. A motor is connected to a blower and a pump. The motor, the pump, and the blower are located within the body portion. The trigger activates the motor to force a stream of bubbles formed through a bubble forming ring. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a bubble making toy; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a top view of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a bottom view of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a front view of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1  with an upper mouth portion raised; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a side view of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1  with a front body portion separated from the main body portion; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a perspective view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG.  1  with a front body portion and upper mouth portion removed; 
         FIG. 7A  illustrates an inner view of the main body portion with the motor switch in the “off” position; 
         FIG. 7B  illustrates an inner view of the main body portion with the motor switch in the “on” position; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates the motor, blower and reservoir assembly. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a liquid transferring tube connecting to an opening of a mixing chamber; and 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a motor, pump and blower of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The embodiments discussed herein generally relate to motorized automatic bubble making toys. Referring to the figures, exemplary embodiments will now be described. The exemplary embodiments are provided to illustrate the embodiments and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a bubble making toy. Bubble making toy  100  includes movable mouth portion  110 , front body portion  120 , main body portion  150 , liquid reservoir  130 , couplers  140  (left and right), handle  160  and trigger  170 . Main body portion  150 , front body portion  120 , movable mouth portion  110  and reservoir  130  make up the body of bubble making toy  100 . The body has a form of an animal, such as a cow, a rhinoceros, a pig, a dog, a cat, etc. Reservoir  130  has a form of a belly (including a belly button). Reservoir  130  has a front portion that is see-through so a user of bubble making toy  100  can see bubble liquid in the reservoir. This helps a user know when reservoir  130  is becoming empty. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a top view of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 3  illustrates a bottom view of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Bubble making toy  100  includes battery compartment lid  310 . In one embodiment, battery compartment lid  310  is secured with a screw. In another embodiment, battery compartment lid  310  can be secured by other known means, such as friction fitting. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a front view of bubble making toy  100  having movable mouth portion  110  in an opened state. In this embodiment, when trigger  170  is pulled, movable mouth portion  110  is raised exposing bubble forming ring  420 . Fixed wipe bar  410  is fixed to a roof portion of the interior of movable mouth portion  110 . Wipe bar  410  wipes liquid off of bubble forming ring  420 . Bubble forming ring  420  is disposed in directional overflow housing  425  that is connected to mixing chamber  435 . Directional overflow housing  425  includes lower portion  430  that directs overflow liquid into reservoir  130 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a side view of an embodiment with front body portion  120  removed from main body portion  150 . In one embodiment, the body portions are made of a hard plastic material. Reservoir  130  has the see-through portion connected to a non-see-through portion. The two portions are sealed together to prevent leakage of liquid. Reservoir  130  has an upper opening to trap overflow liquid, a pouring opening used to add liquid to reservoir  130 , and a lower opening to deliver liquid to a pump (see  FIG. 8 ). 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a front view of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1  with front body portion  120  removed and movable mouth portion removed showing wipe bar  410  located in a position when movable mouth portion  110  is closed. As illustrated, liquid adding portion  515  has removable lid  510 . Overflow return  620  is funnel shaped. Reservoir  130  has return opening  610  and an opening at the lower back portion of reservoir  130  for entry of liquid from adding portion  515 . In  FIG. 6 , the tubing is not shown (see  FIG. 8 ). Gears  630  operate to squeeze a tube every rotation to form a pump. 
       FIG. 7A  illustrates an internal view of main body portion  150  with trigger  170  in a released state. Trigger  170  has a coupling portion  730  with an extension arm  735 . Sleeve  725  couples to movable mouth portion  110 . When trigger  170  is pulled coupling portion  730  moves in a downward direction. Sleeve  725  has an extension on its back that comes in contact with rib portion  736 . Rib portion  736  moves downward when trigger  170  is pulled. This in turn moves sleeve&#39;s  725  extension down which rotates sleeve  725  clockwise, which in turn raises movable mouth portion  110 . Switch  710  has lever  715 . When trigger  170  is pulled, extension arm  735  moves in a downward direction and pushes lever  715  downward. This closes switch  710  and activates a motor (see  FIG. 8 ). 
     Spring  720  is connected to a spring holding portion of sleeve  725  at one end, and by a fixing means on the other end connected to the interior of main body portion  150 . In one embodiment, the fixing means is a screw. Other embodiments can have alternative fixing means, such as a hook, a plastic securing pin, etc. When the trigger is released, the force from the spring returning to its unstretched state forces movable mouth to close. That is, trigger coupling portion  730  moves upward. Extension arm  735  also moves upward releasing lever  715 , which opens switch  710 . As illustrated, the upper wire is connected to a power source (e.g., AA batteries) and the lower wire is coupled to motor  816  (see  FIG. 8 ). 
       FIG. 7B  illustrates an internal view of main body portion  150  with trigger  170  in a “pulled” state. As illustrated, rib portion  736  forced sleeve extension  726  down, which causes sleeve  725  to rotate clockwise. Lever  715  is pushed downward closing switch  710 , which activates the motor  816 . As illustrated, spring  720  is in a stretched state. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates motorized bubble making unit  800 . As illustrated, bubble making unit  800  includes electric motor  816  with gear  840  and blower  870 . A pump is formed from tube  820  and gear  630 , which is turned by intermediate gear  830 . Gear  630  has a lower portion that includes a squeezing portion on a part of the lower portion. Every rotation of gear  630  causes the squeezing portion to press against tube  820  causing liquid from reservoir  130  to be drawn through tube  815  upward through tube  850 . Reservoir  130  has an opening  810  connected with tube  815  that connects to tube  820 . 
     Motor  816  has a rod or spindle connected to a gear  840 . Gear  840  turns when motor  816  is activated. Gear  840  turns intermediate gear  830 , which turns gear  630 . Connecting portion  880  is coupled with liquid adding portion  515 . Tube  860  connects reservoir  130  with an upper opening for return of overflow liquid. Motor  816  is a direct current (DC) motor that is powered by batteries. In one embodiment, an AC/DC adapter drives motor  816  for demonstration purposes. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates tube  850  that transports liquid to opening  920  into mixing chamber  435 . Upper airflow chamber  910  mixes or blows air through air chamber  930  into mixing chamber  435 , which blows a bubble liquid through bubble forming ring  420 . 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a view of motor  816 , blower  870  and a pump having tube  910  and gear  630 . Blower  870  includes an impeller or propeller that spins at a high rate when motor  816  is activated from pulling trigger  170 . The impeller or propeller draws air through an opening in the blower housing and forces air upward through air chamber  930 . 
     While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other modifications may occur to those ordinarily skilled in the art. 
     Reference in the specification to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” or “other embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least some embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments. The various appearances “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” or “some embodiments” are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments. If the specification states a component, feature, structure, or characteristic “may”, “might”, or “could” be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included. If the specification or claim refers to “a” or “an” element, that does not mean there is only one of the element. If the specification or claims refer to “an additional” element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element.