Patent Publication Number: US-2007123142-A1

Title: Realistic coordinating of specific body part movements in mechanical toys

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/740,613, filed on Sep. 20, 2006 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to mechanical toys with movable body parts. More particularly, the invention relates to a realistic electromechanical toy that can replicate lifelike resting and active positions and movements of animals and other creatures while they are supported on a surface as well as when they are picked up by a user by coordinating the positioning and movement of specific body parts.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      The toy industry has seen an evolution of technology in recent years which has coincided with a consumer demand for more and more realistic toys and games. Several sectors of the toy industry have used technological advancements to make toys and games more realistic and lifelike. For example, video games are more realistic and lifelike than anyone could have imagined even ten years ago, baseballs can measure their own velocities when thrown, and dolls can now speak, walk, and even roller skate. As technology continues to improve, consumers want toys that have more capabilities or that are more realistic.  
      Consumer driven evolutions in the industry is found in toys embodied as creatures, animals, dolls and various other life forms real or imagined. To provide a more realistic and interactive doll or toy, a cost-technology trade off becomes important. As is known, new technologies cannot typically be implemented to meet customer demands because of other constraints played on the industry by consumers. One of the most important constraints is cost. Therefore, even though technologies may exist to meet consumer demands, those technologies cannot be applied to this industry until they have adapted in such a way as to be more cost effective. To this end, the toy industry has employed relatively inexpensive motors and linkage assemblies to provide realistic mechanical dolls and toys. However, although such dolls may provide some realistic movable body parts, the dolls do not exhibit realistic limb movements and postures in both active and resting positions, while the doll is supported on a surface as well as when the doll is picked up to be held by a user.  
      Recent attempts to increase the realism of a doll or toys&#39; appendage has focused on improved structures in the appendage system. One improved appendage system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,843,703 entitled “Electromechanical Toy” to Iaconis et al., issued Jan. 18, 2005, and assigned to Applicants&#39; Assignee. The &#39;703 patent incorporates an arm fixed to rotate in a circular path at one end and having a second unfixed end capable of movement in a non-circular path, providing an uncomplicated and low cost appendage system which provides realistic movement in response to sensed conditions.  
      In view of the foregoing, a need exists for a limb or appendage system to coordinate realistic limb movements and postures in both active and resting positions, while the doll or toy is supported on a surface as well as when the doll or toy is picked up to be held by a user, such that the doll or toy provides lifelike movements facilitating realistic interaction with a user.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Briefly summarized, an embodiment of the invention provides realistic mechanical toy operations that can replicate lifelike resting and active positions and movements of animals and other creatures while they are supported on a surface as well as when they are picked up by a user by coordinating the positioning and movement of specific body parts. An upper limb portion facilitates extension of an intermediate limb portion when the upper limb portion is in its extended position, and retracts the intermediate limb portion when the upper limb portion is in its resting position with a biased joint positioning the intermediate limb portion to its extended position when the body is elevated away from a supporting surface. Accordingly the limbs of the present invention provides for emulating this drop down or drooping leg positioning by overriding the retracting function of each limb portion when the body is elevated from a supporting surface providing a realistic drop down leg feature in each limb.  
      Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth below with reference to the drawings and the detailed description. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the examples provided in the description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out for a variety of applications and in various ways. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a toy of the present invention illustrating a front upper limb portion in a second extended position;  
       FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention illustrating a linkage assembly coupled to the front upper limb portion in the second extended position;  
       FIG. 1C  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention illustrating a gear sector linkage coupled to the front upper limb portion in the second extended position;  
       FIG. 2  illustrates the front upper limb portion of the toy in a first resting position;  
       FIG. 3  illustrates a rear limb of the toy; and  
       FIG. 4  illustrates a cam drive assembly of the toy. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
      A realistic electromechanical toy, generally shown in  FIG. 1A  as reference numeral  10 , providing limbs which emulate movements and positions of real live animals and other creatures both while they are being supported on a surface as well as when they are picked up to be played with by a user. To this end it is regarded that through observation of real live animals, the animals are seen to drop down or droop their legs when they are picked up off a supporting surface. Cats in particular can easily be shown to drop down or droop their legs in what looks like a relaxed and non-flexing position when they are picked up from a supporting surface. The toy  10  of the present invention provides for limbs which emulate this drop down or drooping leg positioning by overriding the retracting function of each limb portion when the toy  10  is elevated from a supporting surface providing a realistic drop down leg feature in each limb. The toy  10  may look like a variety of animals and creatures real or imagined with any number of movable limbs, and in an embodiment, the toy  10  takes on the shape of a cat and includes a pair of front limbs  12  and  14 , and a pair of rear or hind limbs  16  and  18  each attached to a torso having a spine, upper portion and lower portion etc., hereafter referred to as body  20 .  
      Front limb  12  mimics a cat&#39;s front limb and includes three limb portions namely an upper limb portion  22 , an intermediate limb portion  24  and a lower limb portion  26 . It is contemplated however, that a front limb of a different creature or animal embodied by the present invention may contain more or less than three limb portions. Upper limb portion  22  is pivotally attached to the body  20  allowing reciprocatory movement of the upper limb portion  22  between a first resting position as seen in  FIG. 2  and a second extended position as seen in FIGS.  1 A-C. A drive assembly generally referred to as reference numeral  28  and seen in  FIG. 4 , is coupled to the upper limb portion  22  and a motor (not shown) is included in the body  20  or coupled to the body  20  for driving movement of the upper limb portion  22 .  
      The intermediate limb portion  24  is pivotally attached to the upper limb portion  22  which extends the intermediate limb portion  24  when the upper limb portion  22  is in the second extended position as seen in  FIG. 1B , and retracts the intermediate limb portion  24  when the upper limb portion  22  is in the first resting position as seen in  FIG. 2 . A spring biased joint  30  is operative to bias the position of the intermediate limb portion  24  to the second extended position when the body  20  is elevated away from a supporting surface, such as when a user picks up the toy  10  to play with it. In an embodiment, the spring biased joint connects the intermediate limb portion  24  to the upper limb portion  22 , however, in another embodiment, the spring biased joint may connect an upper limb portion to the body, as can be seen in the rear or hind limbs  16  and  18  and further discussed below.  
      A lower limb portion  26  is pivotally attached to the intermediate limb portion  24  by a spring biased joint  32  as seen in  FIG. 1B . The spring biased joint is operative to bias the lower limb portion  26  to an extended position when the upper limb portion  22  is in the first resting position as seen in  FIG. 2 , as well as when the body  20  is elevated away from a supporting surface such as when the toy  10  is picked up by a user. Further, a stop assembly  34  is coupled to the lower limb portion  26  limiting the range of movement of the lower limb portion. In an embodiment, the stop assembly  34  comprises a fixed barrier portion  36  that contacts a protrusion  38  attached to or integral with the lower limb portion  26  preventing pivoting of the protrusion  38  beyond the fixed barrier portion  26 , however any standard stop assembly know in the art could also be utilized to limit the range of movement of the lower limb portion  26 .  
      Movement of the front limb portions is driven by the motor and directed by the drive assembly  28  which cooperates with a linkage assembly  40  and/or a gear sector linkage  100  coupled to limb portions  22  and  24 . The drive assembly  28  (discussed in detail below) includes a cam mechanism  56  and a linkage  58 , having two arms  58   a  and  58   b , coupled to upper limb portion  22  at arm  58   a  for directing the reciprocatory movement of limb portion  22 . Further, a stop assembly  31  is linked to the upper limb portion  22  for limiting the range of movement of limb portion  22 . The stop assembly  31 , as seen in FIGS.  1 A-C and  2 , comprises a fixed post, screw, or protrusion  33  attached to or integral with the body  20  extending through a slot  35  cut through front upper limb portion  22 . As is seen in FIGS.  1 A-C and  2  the range of reciprocatory movement of upper limb portion  22  extends to the length of the slot  35  as the post  33  stops movement of the limb portion  22  beyond the slot length. Likewise, alternative stop assemblies, known in the art, or a post located on either side of the width of the upper limb portion  22  rather than extending through the limb portion, can also be utilized in alternate embodiments of the present invention.  
      The linkage assembly  40  discussed herein includes two generally flat, elongated, and non-flexible links  40   a  and  40   b  which work together to extend and retract the intermediate limb portion  24  when the upper limb portion  22  is in the second extended position as seen in  FIG. 1B , and in the first resting position as seen in  FIG. 2 , respectively. Elongated link  40   a  includes ends  41  and  43  and end  41  of link  40   a  is pivotally attached, by a screw, or pin, or any other known means, to upper limb portion  22  at attachment point  42  toward a distal end  23  of upper limb portion  22 , as seen in  FIG. 1B . Link  40   a  further includes a generally oval opening  44  at end  43  opposite the attachment point  42  through which the fixed post, screw, or protrusion  33  attached to or integral with the body  20  extends. As seen in the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , post  33  is also part of stop assembly  31  extending through opening  44  and slot  35  in the upper limb portion  22 . Post  33  also includes a lip  46  which engages link  40   a  preventing link  40   a  from slipping off post  33  while post  33  is allowed to move within the perimeter of opening  44  as the upper limb portion  22  extends and retracts.  
      Similar to link  40   a , elongated link  40   b  includes ends  45  and  47 , however, end  45  is pivotally attached, by a screw, or pin, or any other known means, to intermediate limb portion  24  at an attachment point  48  toward a proximate end  25  of intermediate limb portion  24 , as seen in  FIG. 1B . Link  40   b  further includes a generally oval opening  50  toward end  47  opposite the attachment point  48  through which a fixed post, screw, or protrusion  52  attached to or integral with the upper limb portion  22  extends. Post  52  also includes a lip  54  which engages link  40   b  preventing link  40   b  from slipping off post  52  while post  52  is allowed to move within the perimeter of opening  50  as the upper limb portion  22  extends and retracts. As a result of the linkage assembly  40 , as described above, extension of the upper limb portion  22  simultaneously pivots both links  40   a  and  40   b  translating into the simultaneous extension of intermediate limb portion  24 . Likewise, retraction of the upper limb portion  22  simultaneously pivots both links  40   a  and  40   b  translating into the simultaneous retraction of the intermediate limb portion  24 .  
      Front limb  14  includes the same three limb portions, connections, and linkages as described for front limb  12  and moves and positions simultaneously and in the same manner as described for front limb  12 . As front limbs  22  and  24  are extended, links  40 A and  40 B are rigid and strong enough to hold the toy  10  in a cat-like sitting position, as seen in FIGS.  1 A-B. Additionally, as front limbs  22  and  24  are retracted, links  40 A and  40 B pivot to retract the front limb portions such that the toy appears as a cat resting in a laying position as partially seen in  FIG. 2 .  
      In a present described embodiment, movement of the front upper limb portions may be directed by the drive assembly  28  cooperating with the gear sector linkage  100  coupled to limb portions  22  and  24  and operative to extend the intermediate limb portion  24  when the upper limb portion  22  is in the second extended position as seen in  FIG. 1C , and retract the intermediate limb portion  24  when the upper limb portion  22  is in the first retracted position. The gear sector linkage  100  discussed herein includes a first gear sector link  102  coupled to the upper limb portion  22  and cooperating with a second gear sector link  104  (indicated by dashed line reference and inset illustration to  FIG. 1C ) at least partially contained within the spring biased joint  30  and coupled to the intermediate limb portion  24 , as seen in  FIG. 1C .  
      First gear sector link  102  is generally flat, elongated and coupled through a pivot point  106  fixed to the upper limb portion  22 . First gear sector link  102  has a first end  108  which includes a span of teeth that engage with teeth included in second gear sector link  104  extending and retracting the intermediate limb portion  24  as the first gear sector link  102  rotates around pivot point  106 . To this end, the drive assembly  28  provides the gear assembly of first and second sector gears  102 ,  104  coupling the upper limb portion to the intermediate limb portion for directing movement of the intermediate limb portion. First gear sector link  102  has a second end  110  which includes a captive elongated slot  112  through which post  33  extends, providing a stop assembly linked to the upper limb portion for limiting the range of movement of the upper limb portion similar to described stop assembly  31 .  
      As described above, post  33  is attached to or integral with the body  20  and moves within the perimeter of slot  112  rotating the first gear sector link  102  about pivot point  106  as the upper limb portion  22  is extended and retracted. Engagement of first gear link  102  with second gear link  104  as link  102  is rotated extends and retracts the intermediate limb portion  24  as the upper limb portion  22  is extended and retracted, respectively. As front limbs  22  and  24  are extended, links  102  and  104  are rigid and strong enough to hold the toy  10  in a cat-like sitting position, as seen in  FIG. 1C . Additionally, as front limbs  22  and  24  are retracted, links  102  and  104  pivot to retract the front limb portions such that the toy appears as a cat resting in a laying position.  
      In another embodiment, movement of the front upper limb portions may be directed by the drive assembly  28  cooperating with a gear assembly coupling the upper limb portion  22  to the body  20  for directing movement of the upper limb portion  22 . The gear assembly contemplated may include a stop assembly similar to stop assembly  31 , described above, for limiting the range of movement of the upper limb portion. As the drive assembly  28  extends and retracts the upper limb portion  22 , the coupled gear assembly simultaneously extends and retracts the intermediate limb portion  24 , respectively, and the spring biased joint coupling limb portions  22  and  24  together biases the limb portion  24  to an extended position.  
      The cam mechanism  56 , as seen in  FIG. 4 , includes a disc shaped cam member  60  with an attached or integral pin  62 , and an elongated follower  64  or actuator linkage thereof. Elongated follower  64  has a generally oval shaped slot  66  formed at an end  68 , defined by slot wall  70  and including surface  70   a  which, when actuated, engages pin  62  of cam  60 . Likewise, follower  64  has a generally oval shaped slot  72  at end  74 , opposite end  68 , defined by slot wall  76  and including surface  76   a  which, when actuated, engages linkage  58 . More specifically, as motor  20  rotates cam  60 , pin  62  rides along follower surface  70   a  at end  68 , translating into a back and forth reciprocatory movement of follower  64 . At the same time, arm  58   b  of linkage  58  engages follower surface  76   a  at end  74  transferring the reciprocatory movement of follower  64  to upper limb portion  22  which is attached to arm  58   a  of linkage  58 . As a result, the rotation of cam  60  by motor  20  is translated into the reciprocatiory movement of the upper limb portion  22 .  
      The cam mechanism  56 , as seen in  FIG. 4 , is also linked to the body  20  which separates into an upper body portion  78  and a lower body portion  80 , as seen in FIGS.  1 A-C. A body linkage  82 , as seen in  FIG. 4 , couples both body portions  78  and  80  to the cam mechanism  56  which is operable to move the body portions in opposite directions. Linkage  82  has generally a wide V shape with an end  84  coupled to lower body portion  80  and an end  86  coupled to upper body portion  78  and also coupled to linkage arm  58   b . As a result of the connections to linkage  82 , rotation of cam mechanism  56 , which translates into the reciprocatory movement of linkage  58  and thus upper limb portion  22 , as discussed above, translates into the simultaneous movement of body portions  78  and  80  away from each other when the upper limb portion  22  in the first resting position and movement of body portions  78  and  80  toward each other when the upper limb portion  22  is in the second extended position, as seen in FIGS.  1 A-C.  
      This separating and coming together of body portions  78  and  80  further coordinates the realistic positioning and movement of specific limb portions, and also serves to generate a kneading motion commonly seen in real cats while in a downward position with retracted front limbs. The kneading motion occurs with movement of the body portions  78  and  80  while the toy  10  is in a first resting position, as seen in  FIG. 2 . The body portions  78  and  80  are separated from each other in the first resting position and subtle movement of body portions  78  and  80  toward and away from each other make the front limbs appear to move back and forth and simulate a real cat&#39;s kneading motion.  
      Rear or hind limb  16  mimics a cat&#39;s rear or hind limb and includes three limb portions namely a rear upper limb portion  84 , a rear intermediate limb portion  86  and a rear lower limb portion  88 . It is contemplated however, that a rear limb of a different creature or animal embodied by the present invention may contain more or less than three limb portions. Rear upper limb portion  84  is pivotally attached to body  20 , and more particularly, to the lower body portion  80 , as seen in  FIG. 3 . The rear upper limb portion  84  is coupled to an axel linked to the motor for moving the limb portion  84  between retracted and extended positions. In an embodiment, the rear upper limb portion  84  is attached to the body by a spring biased joint  90  biasing the limb portion  84  to an extended position when the body  20  is elevated away from a supporting surface such as when the toy  10  is picked up by a user. This drop down limb feature overrides the retracting movement of the limb providing a realistic limb feature which emulates a live cat&#39;s hind limb which droops in what looks like a relaxed and non-flexing position when they are picked up off a supporting surface. Further linked to the rear upper limb portion  84  is a stop assembly  92  limiting the range of movement of the limb portion  84 . The stop assembly  92 , as seen in  FIG. 3 , is the same structure and acts in the same manner as seen with stop assembly  31 , discussed above, however, other embodiments of the invention may utilize alternative known stop assemblies.  
      A rear intermediate limb portion  86  is pivotally attached to the rear upper limb portion  84  and is retracted and extended as the rear upper limb portion  84  retracts and extends, respectively. A rear lower limb portion  88  is pivotally attached to the rear intermediate limb portion  86  by a spring biased joint  94 , as seen in  FIG. 3 . The spring biased joint is operative to bias the rear lower limb portion  88  to an extended position when the body  20  is elevated away from a supporting surface such as when the toy  10  is picked up by a user. Further, a stop assembly may be coupled to the rear lower limb portion  88  for limiting the range of movement of the lower limb portion. The stop assembly coupled to the rear lower limb portion  88  is the same structure and acts in the same manner as seen with stop assembly  34  discussed above, however, other embodiments of the invention may utilize alternative known stop assemblies.  
      Rear limb  18  includes the same three limb portions, connections, and linkages as described for rear limb  16  and moves and positions simultaneously and in the same manner as described for rear limb  16 .  
      It should be appreciated that a wide range of changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments of the inventions as described herein. It is intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting. While there have been illustrated and described particular embodiments of the inventions, it will be appreciated that numerous changes and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and it is intended in the appended claims to cover those changes and modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.