Patent Publication Number: US-2013244534-A1

Title: Wing mechanism for a doll

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to a winged toy and, more particularly, to a mechanism for flapping a pair of wings for a doll/figure that are hinged to flap in unison. 
     (2) Description of Related Art 
     Winged figurines and toys have long been known in the art. For example, one can imagine a doll with wings to cause the doll to appear as a fairy. Alternatively, a toy Pegasus includes wings. Such toys allow a child to role and fantasy play by pretending that the toy can fly. Traditionally, such wings are affixed with the doll or toy such that they remain stable and do not flap or, if they do flap; they are each individually attached with the doll such that they do not flap in unison. 
     Thus, a continuing need exists for a winged toy that includes a pair of wings that are hinged to flap in unison. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to winged toy. The winged toy includes a wing mechanism and a doll. The wing mechanism includes a first wing arm with a wing and a second wing arm with a wing. Each of the two wing arms are connected with one another via first and second gears to allow the wings to flap in unison. The first and second gears include teeth that are engaged with one another such that rotation of the first gear causes the second gear to rotate at an equal rate and in a direction opposite to that of the first gear, thereby causing the wings to flap in unison. Additionally, the wing mechanism further includes a plug protruding therefrom, the plug having a distinct pattern. Further, the doll has a rear side with a receptacle formed therein. The receptacle is formed in a distinct pattern that matches the distinct pattern of the plug, thereby allowing a user to selectively plug the wing mechanism into the doll. 
     Finally, as can be appreciated by one in the art, the present invention also comprises a method for forming and using the invention described herein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed descriptions of the various aspects of the invention in conjunction with reference to the following drawings, where: 
         FIG. 1  is a side-view illustration of a doll having a wing mechanism according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2A  is a front-view illustration of the wing mechanism according to the present invention, depicting the wing mechanism with wings attached thereto; 
         FIG. 2B  is a side-view illustration of the wing mechanism according to the present invention, depicting the wing mechanism with wings attached thereto; 
         FIG. 2C  is a rear-view illustration of the wing mechanism according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3A  is a front-view illustration of the wing mechanism according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3B  is a side-view illustration of the wing mechanism according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3C  is a rear-view illustration of the wing mechanism according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4A  is a top-view illustration of the wing mechanism according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4B  is a top, interior-view illustration of the wing mechanism, depicting interior gears in a first position; 
         FIG. 4C  is a top, interior-view illustration of the wing mechanism, depicting interior gears in a second position; 
         FIG. 4D  is a top, interior-view illustration of the wing mechanism, depicting interior gears in a third position; 
         FIG. 5A  is a front-view illustration of the wing mechanism according to the present invention, depicting a plug pattern on the wing mechanism; 
         FIG. 5B  is a rear-view illustration of a doll according to the present invention, depicting a receptacle pattern for receiving the plug of the wing mechanism; 
         FIG. 6A  is a rear-view illustration of a doll according to the present invention, depicting the wing mechanism attached with the doll, with the wings in a collapsed position; and 
         FIG. 6B  is a rear-view illustration of a doll according to the present invention, depicting the wing mechanism attached with the doll, with the wings in an expanded position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
     The present invention relates to a winged toy and, more particularly, to a mechanism for flapping a pair of wings for a doll/figure that are hinged to flap in unison. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and to incorporate it in the context of particular applications. Various modifications, as well as a variety of uses in different applications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to a wide range of embodiments. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments presented, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. 
     In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without necessarily being limited to these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring the present invention. 
     The reader&#39;s attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with this specification and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference. All the features disclosed in this specification, (including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is only one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features. 
     Furthermore, any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Section 112, Paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” or “act of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, Paragraph 6. 
     Please note, if used, the labels left, right, front, back, top, bottom, forward, reverse, clockwise and counter clockwise have been used for convenience purposes only and are not intended to imply any particular fixed direction. 
     Instead, they are used to reflect relative locations and/or directions between various portions of an object. 
     (1) Description 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the present invention is directed to a doll  100  with a wing mechanism  102  for flapping a pair of wings  104  that are hinged to flap in unison.  FIG. 1  is a side-view illustration of the doll  100 , showing the wing mechanism  102  attached thereto. It should be understood that the term doll  100  is used herein to refer to any winged toy item, non-limiting examples of which include a traditional doll (as depicted), a figurine, a monster, a fairy, a creature, an animal, etc. For example, while depicted as a doll or fairy, the doll  100  can be any winged toy, such as a Pegasus horse or other flying toy item. Regardless of the doll&#39;s  100  form, the present invention improves upon the prior art in that the wing mechanism  102  can be selectively attached with the doll  100 , with the wing mechanism  102  allowing the wings  104  to flap in unison. These aspects are described in further detail below. 
       FIGS. 2A ,  2 B, and  2 C are front, side, and rear-view illustrations, respectively, of the wing mechanism  102  without the doll, showing the wings  104  in a collapsed state. As shown in  FIG. 2B , the wings  104  are attached with the wing mechanism  102  via wing arms  200 . As described in further detail below with respect to  FIGS. 4A through 4C , the wing arms  200  are attached with a gear mechanism that allows the wings  104  to flap in unison, between the collapsed position (as shown in  FIGS. 2A through 2C ) and expanded position (as shown in  FIG. 6B ). The wings  104  can be fixedly attached (e.g., glued, molded, affixed, etc.) with the wing arms  200  or detachably attachable with the wing arms  200 . As a non-limiting example, the wings  104  can include an attachment mechanism, such as a slot, that slides over the wing arm  200 . 
     It should be noted that the wing mechanism  102  can be selectively attached/detached from the doll using any suitable attachment mechanism or device. As a non-limiting example, the attachment mechanism is a plug  202  with a distinct pattern that is formed to slide into a recess (on the doll) with a corresponding pattern.  FIG. 2B  clearly shows the plug  202  protruding from the wing mechanism  102 . As shown in  FIG. 2A , the plug  202  is formed in a distinct pattern that allows for it to plug into the corresponding recess on the doll. As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, other attachment mechanisms may be employed to affix the wing mechanism  102  with the doll, such as magnets, clips, snaps, etc. In another aspect, the wing mechanism  102  is fixedly attached with the doll, such as being integrally formed or permanently adhered to the doll. However, as noted above, the wing mechanism  102  is desirably detachably attachable with the doll. 
     For further understanding of the wing mechanism  102 ,  FIGS. 3A through 3C  illustrate the wing mechanism  102  without the wings. More specifically,  FIGS. 3A ,  3 B, and  3 C illustrate front, side, and rear-view illustrations, respectively, of the wing mechanism  102 . The plug  202  with its distinct pattern can be seen in  FIG. 3A . The side-view of  FIG. 3B  also shows the plug  202  and wing arm  200 . Finally, with the wings removed, the wing arms  200  are also visible in  FIG. 3C . As shown in  FIG. 3C , the wing mechanism  102  includes two wing arms  200  (one for each wing). As described in further detail below, the wing arms  200  are connected with one another to allow the wings to flap in unison. 
     For example and as a reference point,  FIG. 4A  provides a top-view illustration of the wing mechanism  102 , showing a first wing arm  200 A and a second wing arm  200 B. Alternatively,  FIGS. 4B through 4C  provide interior-views that depict gears in operation to illustrate the flapping motion of the wing mechanism  102 . As shown in  FIG. 4B , the first and second wing arms  200 A and  200 B are pivotally connected with one another to allow the rotational motion in one wing arm to be almost exactly opposite to the rotational motion in the other wing arm. For example, the first wing arm  200 A is attached with a first gear  400 A. Alternatively, the second wing arm  200 B is attached with a second gear  400 B. The first and second gears  400 A and  400 B each include teeth that are engages with one another. Further, the first and second gears  400 A and  400 B are rotationally attached with the wing mechanism  102  such that as the first wing arm  200 A is turned, it causes the first gear  400 A to rotate. Because the teeth of the first gear  400 A are engaged with the teeth of the second gear  400 B, the second gear  400 B begins to rotate at an equal rate and in a direction opposite to that of the first gear  400 A. In doing so, the second gear  400 B rotates the second wing arm  200 B (and its attached wing). The motion of the first and second gears  400 A and  400 B and its effect on the first and second wing arms  200 A and  200 B is depicted through  FIGS. 4B ,  4 C, and  4 D, which show the wing arms  200 A and  200 B rotating further apart. Thus,  FIG. 4B  shows the gears  400 A and  400 B in a first position, which results in an attached wing being in collapsed position.  FIG. 4C  shows the gears  400 A and  400 B in a second position, which results in the attached wings being in an intermediate position. Finally,  FIG. 4D  shows the gears  400 A and  400 B in a third position, which results in the attached wings being in an expanded position. 
     As noted above and depicted in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , the wing mechanism  102  includes a plug  202  that is formed in a distinct pattern that allows for it to plug into a corresponding receptacle  500  on the doll  100 . Thus, while any suitable connection mechanism can be used to allow a user to selectively attach and detach the wing mechanism  102 , desirably, the connection mechanism is a plug  202  that includes a pattern that corresponds to a receptacle  500  pattern on the doll  100 . In this aspect, the user can simply plug and unplug the wing mechanism  102  and its corresponding wings  104 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , the wing mechanism  102  can be affixed with the doll  100 , thereby allowing user to move (i.e., flap) the wings  104  between the collapsed position (as shown in  FIG. 6A ) and the expanded position (as shown in  FIG. 6B ).