Patent Publication Number: US-7914359-B2

Title: Bubble generating assembly

Description:
RELATED CASES 
     This is a continuation-in-part of co-pending Ser. No. 10/655,842, entitled “Bubble Generating Assembly”, filed Sep. 5, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,182,665 which is a continuation of Ser. No. 10/247,994, filed Sep. 20, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,616,498, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 10/195,816, entitled “Bubble Generating Assembly”, filed Jul. 15, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,016, which is in turn a continuation-in-part of co-pending Ser. No. 10/133,195, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Delivering Bubble Solution to a Dipping Container”, filed Apr. 26, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,831, which is in turn a continuation-in-part of co-pending Ser. No. 10/099,431, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Delivering Bubble Solution to a Dipping Container”, filed Mar. 15, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,834, whose disclosures are incorporated by this reference as though fully set forth herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to bubble toys, and in particular, to a bubble generating assembly which automatically forms a bubble film over a bubble ring without the need to dip the bubble ring into a container or a dish of bubble solution. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Bubble producing toys are very popular among children who enjoy producing bubbles of different shapes and sizes. Many bubble producing toys have previously been provided. Perhaps the simplest example has a stick with a circular opening or ring at one end, resembling a wand. A bubble solution film is produced when the ring is dipped into a dish that holds bubble solution or bubble producing fluid (such as soap) and then removed therefrom. Bubbles are then formed by blowing carefully against the film. Such a toy requires dipping every time a bubble is to created, and the bubble solution must accompany the wand from one location to another. 
     Recently, the market has provided a number of different bubble generating assemblies that are capable of producing a plurality of bubbles. Examples of such assemblies are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,486 (Thai), U.S. Pat. No. 6,331,130 (Thai) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,200,184 (Rich et al.). The bubble rings in the bubble generating assemblies in U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,486 (Thai), U.S. Pat. No. 6,331,130 (Thai) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,200,184 (Rich et al.) need to be dipped into a dish that holds bubble solution to produce films of bubble solution across the rings. The motors in these assemblies are then actuated to generate air against the films to produce bubbles. 
     All of these aforementioned bubble generating assemblies require that one or more bubble rings be dipped into a dish of bubble solution. In particular, the child must initially pour bubble solution into the dish, then replenish the solution in the dish as the solution is being used up. After play has been completed, the child must then pour the remaining solution from the dish back into the original bubble solution container. Unfortunately, this continuous pouring and re-pouring of bubble solution from the bottle to the dish, and from the dish back to the bottle, often results in unintended spillage, which can be messy, dirty, and a waste of bubble solution. 
     Thus, there remains a need to provide an apparatus and method for forming a film of bubble solution across a bubble ring without the need to dip the bubble ring into a dish of bubble solution. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for effectively forming a film of bubble solution across a bubble ring. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for effectively forming a film of bubble solution across a bubble ring in a manner which minimizes spillage of the bubble solution. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus having a simple construction that effectively forms a film of bubble solution across a bubble ring. 
     The objectives of the present invention are accomplished by providing a bubble generating assembly that has a housing shaped as an animal and defining a mouth, with a stationary element secured to a permanent location extending across a portion of the mouth. The assembly includes a reservoir provided inside the housing and retaining bubble solution, a trigger mechanism, a bubble generating ring positioned adjacent the mouth, a tubing that couples the interior of the reservoir with the ring, and a link assembly that couples the trigger mechanism and the ring in a manner in which actuation of the trigger mechanism causes the ring to be moved from a first position to a second position across the stationary element. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an animal-shaped bubble generating assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention shown with the mouth closed. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the assembly of  FIG. 1  shown with the mouth open. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of some of the internal components of the assembly of  FIG. 1  shown with the trigger in the normal position. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of some of the internal components of the assembly of  FIG. 1  shown with the trigger being actuated. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the internal components of the assembly of  FIG. 1  shown with the trigger in the normal position. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the internal components of the assembly of  FIG. 1  shown with the trigger being actuated. 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of the actuation system of the assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the fan housing of the assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the actuator of the assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 10 and 11  illustrate how the pump pusher actuates the pump of the assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles of embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. In certain instances, detailed descriptions of well-known devices and mechanisms are omitted so as to not obscure the description of the present invention with unnecessary detail. 
       FIGS. 1-7  illustrate one embodiment of a bubble generating assembly  20  according to the present invention. The assembly  20  has a housing  22  that is shaped like an animal. For example, the housing  22  in  FIGS. 1-7  is shaped like a pony. The housing  22  includes a handle section  24  and a body section  26 . The handle section  24  can be the tail of the animal. The housing  22  can be provided in the form of two symmetrical outer shells that are connected together by, for example, screws or welding or glue. These outer shells together define a hollow interior for housing the internal components of the assembly  20 , as described below. The handle section  24  has an opening  28  through which a user can extend his or her fingers to grip the handle section  24  and to press (i.e., actuate) a trigger  45 . The body section  26  has an opening  30  which defines a window for receiving a portion of a reservoir  32 . The reservoir  32  is adapted to hold bubble solution, and can be made of a transparent material (e.g., plastic) so that the user can see the fill-level of the bubble solution in the reservoir  32  via the window or opening  30 . 
     The upper part of the body section  26  has a jaw section  34  that forms the lower jaw of the animal. A head section  36  is pivotally connected to the jaw section  34  via a hinged screw  38  at the rear of the sections  34 ,  36 , with a bubble generating space  40  defined between the head section  36  and the jaw section  34 . The jaw section  34  and the head section  36  are together configured to resemble the head of the desired animal, and can include eyes and ears. However, the mouth of the animal is defined by the space created when the head section  36  is pivoted upwardly from the jaw section  34  (which is stationary).  FIG. 1  illustrates the mouth closed, with the head section  36  seated on top of the jaw section  34 , while  FIG. 2  illustrates the mouth opened with the head section  36  pivoted upwardly from the jaw section  34 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , the body section  26  houses a power source  42  which can include at least one conventional battery. A motor  44  is electrically coupled to the power source  42  via a first wire  50 . A second wire  54  couples the motor  44  to a first contact plate  56 . A third wire  58  couples a second contact plate  60  to the power source  42 . The contact plates  56  and  60  are adapted to releasably contact each other to form a closed electrical circuit. The motor  44  is received in a receiving space  48  of a fan housing  46 . See  FIG. 8 . The fan housing  46  can include two separate housing shells that are attached together to define an internal space that houses a fan blade  47 . The upper portion of the fan housing  46  also defines a curved air channel  49  that leads to an opening  51  at the top. The motor  44  has a shaft  53  that extends through an opening  55  in the fan housing  46  to be coupled to a bore  57  in the fan blade  47 . A pump system  70  (described in greater detail below) is operatively coupled to the motor  44  and an actuator  35 . 
     Referring also to  FIG. 9 , the actuator  35  includes the trigger  45 , a hooked extension  85  and a pump pusher  76 , which can either be provided in one piece, or in separate pieces and then connected together. The trigger  45  has a generally L-shaped trigger piece  74  that is pivotally connected to the handle section  24  via a pivot pin  72  that extends through a hole  71 . The trigger  45  is normally positioned in a normal, non-actuated, position shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5 , but when the user presses the trigger  45 , the trigger  45  is pushed to the actuated position shown in  FIGS. 4 and 6 . Referring also to  FIGS. 3-6 , a pivot member  78  is pivotally connected to the jaw section  34  via the hinged screw  38 . The pivot member  78  has a rear flange  79 . The pivot member  78  has two arms  80 ,  82  that define a space  84  therebetween. A leg  86  of a tubular link  88  is positioned in the space  84 . The leg  86  is attached to the rear end of the link  88 , and a bubble generating ring  90  is attached to the front end of the link  88 . The hooked extension  85  extends upwardly from the top of the trigger piece  74 , and is adapted to releasably engage or push the flange  79  on the pivot member  78 . In particular, the hooked extension  85  has two arms  87 ,  89  that define a space  91  therebetween, with the flange  79  of the pivot member  78  positioned in the space  91 . The L-shaped pump pusher  76  extends downwardly to releasably contact the pump system  70 , as shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 . The pump pusher  76  has a planar bottom piece  77 . 
     A resilient member  92  (such as a spring) has one end that is coupled to an end of the trigger piece  74 , and another end that is coupled to a hooked section on the pivot member  78 . The resilient member  92  normally biases the pivot member  78  downwardly in a clockwise direction (as seen in the orientation of  FIGS. 5 and 6 ), and normally biases the trigger  45  in the forward direction (see arrow FF in  FIG. 5 ) into the opening  28 . Since this biasing action essentially pulls the bottom of the trigger  45  in a counterclockwise direction (as seen in the orientation of  FIGS. 5 ,  6  and  9 ), the entire actuator  35  is pivoted in the same counterclockwise direction, thereby causing the pump pusher  76  to be raised. 
     When a user presses the trigger  45 , the pressing force overcomes the natural bias of the resilient member  92  and pushes the trigger  45  in the rearward direction (see arrow RR in  FIG. 6 ) until the bottom of the piece  74  pushes the contact plate  56  against the contact plate  60  (see  FIG. 6 ), closing the electrical circuit and actuating the motor  44 . Rearward motion of the trigger  45  also simultaneously causes the arm  87  of the hooked extension  85  to contact and push the flange  79  downwardly (i.e., counterclockwise), and the pump pusher  76  to move downwardly. Downward motion of the flange  79  causes the pivot member  78  to pivot in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed from the orientation of  FIGS. 5 and 6 ), which simultaneously causes: (i) the head section  36  to be pivoted upwardly (because the hinged screw  38  secures the head section  36  to the pivot member  78 ) and (ii) the arm  82  to pivot the leg  86  upwardly (see  FIG. 4 ). Upward pivoting of the leg  86  causes the link  88  to rotate, thereby causing the ring  90  be rotated and raised. 
     When the user releases his or her grip on the trigger  45 , the bias of the resilient member  92  will bias the trigger  45  in the forward direction FF to cause the contact plates  56 ,  60  to disengage, thereby opening the electrical circuit so that the motor  44  is not powered by the power source  42  under normal (non-operation) circumstances. As the trigger  45  moves forward, the pump pusher  76  is raised, and the arm  89  of the hooked extension  85  pivots the flange  79  upwardly (i.e., clockwise), thereby allowing the bias of the resilient member  92  to pivot the pivot member  78  downwardly in a clockwise direction (as seen in the orientation of  FIGS. 5 and 6 ), which simultaneously causes (i) the head section  36  to be pivoted downwardly and (ii) the arm  80  to pivot the leg  86  downwardly. Downward pivoting of the leg  86  causes the link  88  to rotate in the opposite direction, thereby causing the ring  90  to be rotated and lowered. 
     Even though  FIGS. 1-7  only illustrate one hinged screw  38  and one resilient member  92 , there is another hinged screw and resilient member positioned on the other side of the housing  22 , and coupled to the opposing side of the pivot member  78  and the trigger piece  74 . 
     As best seen in  FIGS. 1 and 7 , the link  88  is supported on a platform  94  that has a sloped portion  96  and a receiving portion  98 . Referring also to  FIGS. 5 and 6  (where the platform  94  is shown in phantom), the link  88  extends through an opening in the sloped portion  96 , and the curved upper portion of the fan housing  46  extends through another opening  95  in the sloped portion  96 . The receiving portion  98  has a curved wall  100  extending along the front edge of the jaw section  34 , and transitions to a curved raised wall  102  adjacent the sloped portion  96 . The raised wall  102  surrounds an opening (not shown) in the platform  94 . A stationary wiping member  104  extends vertically from about the center of the receiving portion  98 . The ring  90  is normally positioned directly behind the wiping member  104 , and brushes against the rear surface of the wiping member  104  when the ring  90  is pivoted upwardly or downwardly. The wall  100  functions to define a collection space that can collect and receive droplets of bubble solution that have dripped from the bubble ring  90 , and deliver these droplets of bubble solution back into the interior of the reservoir  32  via the opening defined by the raised wall  102 . 
     A tube  106  extends downwardly from the opening in the platform  94  surrounded by the raised wall  100 . The tube  106  extends through and into the body section  26 , and terminates at the reservoir  32 . Thus, a user can add bubble solution to the reservoir  32  by pouring bubble solution into the space defined by the raised wall  100 , and the bubble solution will flow through the tube  106  into the reservoir  32 . The user can check on the level of the bubble solution by viewing the window  30 . 
     The construction of the bubble ring  90  can be the same as that illustrated in FIG. 15 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,616,498. The ring  90  has an annular base piece that has a cylindrical wall extending therein to define an annular chamber therein. An opening is provided in the base piece. The ring  90  also has an annular cover piece that fits into the annular chamber of the base piece. A plurality of outlets can be provided along the inner annular surface, and/or the front surface, of the cover piece. The front end of the link  88  is attached to the annular base piece in a manner such that the hollow bore of the link  88  is aligned with an opening in the annular base piece. A tubing  110  (see  FIG. 7 ) extends through the hollow bore of the link  88  to deliver bubble solution from the reservoir  32  via the tubing  110  into the chamber of the ring  90 . The bubble solution from the chamber can then leak out of the outlets onto the front surface of the ring  90 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 5-7  and  10 - 11 , the assembly  20  includes a pump system that functions to pump the bubble solution from the reservoir  32  to the bubble ring  90 . The pump system includes the motor  44 , the tubing  110 , a guide wall  112 , and a gear system that functions to draw bubble solution through the tubing  110 . The gear system includes a motor gear  114  that is rotatably coupled to a shaft  116  of the motor  44 , a first gear  118 , a second gear  120 , a gear housing plate  122 , a resilient element  124  (such as a spring), and two pressure rollers  126  and  128  that are secured to the bottom surface of the second gear  120 . Gear shafts  130  and  132  extend from the gear housing plate  122  through bores in the gears  118  and  120 , respectively, and into receiving bores  134  and  136 , respectively, provided on a base plate  138 , to rotatably connect the gears  118  and  120  to the plates  122  and  138 . Connecting shafts  140  extend from the gear housing plate  122  into receiving bores  142  and  144  provided on a base plate  138  to secure the gear housing plate  122  to the base plate  138 . 
     The motor gear  114  has teeth that are engaged with the teeth of the first gear  118 . See  FIGS. 5 and 6 . The first gear  118  has teeth that are engaged with the teeth of the second gear  120 . Referring also to  FIGS. 10 and 11 , the second gear  120  rotates about an axis defined by the shaft  132 , and the resilient element  124  is carried on the shaft  132  between the second gear  120  and a raised support  146  extending from the base plate  138 . The pressure rollers  126 ,  128  are spaced apart along the outer periphery of the second gear  120 . Each pressure roller  126 ,  128  has a truncated cone configuration which has a largest diameter at a base section where the roller  126 ,  128  is connected to the second gear  120 , with the diameter decreasing to a smallest diameter at an end at its furthest distance from the second gear  120 . The tubing  110  is received inside the guide wall  112  with portions of the tubing  110  lying on opposite sides of the raised support  146 . 
     The pump system operates in the following manner. When the trigger  45  is pressed in the direction of the arrows RR, (i) the pump pusher  76  will move downwardly and press the plate  122  downwardly (compare  FIGS. 10 and 11 , and  FIGS. 5 and 6 ), and (ii) the closure of the electrical circuit will cause the motor  44  to be actuated. When the plate  122  is pressed down, the rollers  126 ,  128  will compress the tubing  110 , as best shown in  FIG. 11 . When the motor  44  is actuated, the motor gear  114  will rotate, thereby causing the first and second gears  118  and  120  to rotate as well. As the second gear  120  rotates, the rollers  126 ,  128  will also rotate because they are carried by the second gear  120 . As the rollers  126 ,  128  rotate, they will apply selected pressure on different parts of the tubing  110  in the manner described below to draw bubble solution from the reservoir  32  to the bubble ring  90 . At the same time, actuation of the motor  44  will rotate the fan blade  47  to cause air to be generated and expelled from the opening  51 . 
     The assembly  20  operates in the following manner. In the normal (non-operational) position, which is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  3 ,  5  and  10 , the bubble ring  90  is positioned behind the wiping member  104  inside the platform  94 . In this normal position, the resilient member  92  normally biases the pivot member  78  in the clockwise direction (as viewed from the orientation of  FIGS. 5 and 6 ), and normally biases the trigger  45  into the opening  28  in the direction of the arrow FF. 
     The assembly  20  is actuated merely by pressing the trigger  45  in the direction of the arrow RR (see  FIG. 6 ) to overcome the natural bias of the resilient member  92 , which causes four sequences of events occur at about the same time. 
     First, rearward motion of the trigger  45  simultaneously causes (i) the arm  87  of the hooked extension  85  to push the flange  79  downwardly (i.e., in a counterclockwise direction), and (ii) the pump pusher  76  to move downwardly. 
     Second, bubble solution is pumped to the bubble ring  90 . In this regard, the rearward movement of the trigger  45  causes the electrical contacts  56  and  60  to engage, thereby forming a closed electrical circuit that will deliver power from the power source  42  to the motor  44 . The motor  44  will turn on, thereby causing the motor gear  114  to drive and rotate the first and second gears  118  and  120 . As the rollers  126 ,  128  on the second gear  120  rotate, they will apply selected pressure on different parts of the tubing  110 .  FIGS. 10 and 11  illustrate this in greater detail.  FIG. 10  illustrates the relationship between the pressure rollers  126 ,  128  and the tubing  110  when the assembly  20  is in the normal non-operational condition, and  FIG. 11  illustrates the relationship between the pressure rollers  126 ,  128  and the tubing  110  when the assembly  20  is in the actuated (i.e., bubble-generating) position. As shown in  FIG. 10 , the tubing  110  is normally fitted between the guide wall  112  and the raised support  146 , with the smaller-diameter end of the pressure rollers  126 ,  128  barely impinging on the tubing  110 . The resilient element  124  normally biases the second gear  120  upwardly away from the tubing  110 . When the trigger  45  is pressed, the pump pusher  76  moves downwardly, overcoming the normal bias of the resilient element  124  and causing the second gear  120  and its rollers  126 ,  128  to be pushed into the tubing  110  so that the tubing  110  is now positioned between the guide wall  112  and the larger-diameter portions of the pressure rollers  126 ,  128 , thereby compressing the tubing  110  as shown in  FIG. 11 . Thus, rotation of the pressure rollers  126 ,  128  will compress different portions of the tubing  110 , thereby creating air pressure to draw the bubble solution from the interior of the reservoir  32  through the tubing  110  into the chamber of the bubble ring  90 , where the bubble solution will bleed out through the outlets on to the front surface of the bubble ring  90 . 
     This arrangement and structure of the pressure rollers  126 ,  128  is effective in prolonging the useful life of the tubing  110  and the pump system. In particular, the rollers  126 ,  128  only apply pressure against the tubing  110  when the trigger  45  is pressed (i.e., the larger-diameter portion of the rollers only compresses the tubing  110  when the trigger  45  is pressed), so that the tubing  110  only experiences minimal pressure when the trigger  45  is not pressed (i.e., the smaller-diameter end of the rollers  126 ,  128  is positioned adjacent to, but does not compress, the tubing  110  when the trigger  45  is not pressed). This is to be contrasted with conventional pump systems used for pumping bubble solution to a bubble producing device, where pressure is always applied to the tubing regardless of whether the trigger is actuated. Over a long period of time, this constant pressure will deform the tubing, making it difficult for bubble solution to be drawn through the tubing. 
     Third, the bubble ring  90  will be moved from the position shown in  FIG. 5  to a position at about the center of the platform  94 , as shown in  FIG. 6 , in the manner described above. As the link  88  pivots the ring  90 , the ring  90  will travel in a curved path as the front surface of the ring  90  wipes across the stationary wiping member  104 . At this point, the bubble ring  90  will be positioned adjacent the opening  51  of the fan housing  46 . The wiping motion of the wiping member  104  along the front surface of the ring  90  will generate a film of bubble solution (from the bubble droplets emitted from the outlets) that extends across the opening of the ring  90 . 
     Fourth, the fan blade  47  that is secured to the motor  44  is actuated when the motor  44  is turned on. In this regard, the rearward movement of the trigger  45  causes the electrical contacts  56  and  60  to engage each other, thereby forming a closed electrical circuit that will deliver power from the power source  42  to the motor  44  to rotate the fan blade  47 . The fan blade  47  blows a stream of air along the air channel  49  and out of the opening  51  towards the bubble ring  90 . This stream of air will then travel through the film of bubble solution that has been formed over the bubble ring  90 , thereby creating bubbles. 
     Thus, pressing the trigger  45  will create a film of bubble solution across the bubble ring  90  by (i) pumping bubble solution from the reservoir  32  to the bubble ring  90 , and (ii) and causing the bubble ring  90  to be moved across the wiping member  104  to the opening  51  so that bubbles can be created. Pressing the trigger  45  will also actuate the fan blade  47  to blow streams of air at the bubble ring  90  to create bubbles. 
     When the user releases his or her pressing grip on the trigger  45 , the resilient member  92  will normally bias the trigger  45  back in the direction FF into the opening  28 , causing three events to occur. 
     First, this will cause the electrical contacts  56  and  60  to disengage so that the electrical circuit is opened, thereby cutting power to the motor  44 . As a result, the fan blade  47  will stop producing streams of air. This is the first event. 
     The second event is that the pump system will stop drawing bubble solution from the reservoir  32  to the bubble ring  90 . This occurs because power to the motor  44  has been cut so that the gears  114 ,  118  and  120  stop rotating, and because the bias of the trigger  45  back in the direction FF into the opening  28  will raise the pump pusher  76  from its downward pressure on the plate  122 , so that the normal bias of the resilient member  124  will push the second gear  120  and its rollers  126 ,  128  upwardly away from the tubing  110 , so that the tubing  110  will again be positioned between the guide wall  112  and the smaller-diameter end of the rollers  126 ,  128 , thereby releasing the pressure applied by the rollers  126 ,  128  on the tubing  110  as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
     In the third event, the normal bias of the resilient member  92  and the rearward motion of the trigger  45  causes the arm  80  to pivot the leg  86  downwardly. Downward pivoting of the leg  86  causes the link  88  to rotate in the opposite direction, thereby causing the ring  90  to travel in a curved path as the front surface of the ring  90  wipes across the stationary wiping member  104 , back to the normal (non-operation) position shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  3  and  5 . 
     While the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.