Patent Publication Number: US-6666745-B1

Title: Hop along doll

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Dolls have always been the mainstay as a toy for young children. There have been numerous varieties of dolls from no interaction to fully interactive dolls. There exist dolls that speak, cry, sing and laugh in response to a child touching or squeezing various parts of the doll, as well as dolls that walk and crawl. However, there are always a continual need for improvements and new and novel features. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     There is herein described and illustrated a unique animated doll that is hinged at the hips or waist. The hinged hips permit the doll to bend at the waist and spring back to an upright position causing the doll sit hop along the surface. Preferably, various items such as a pogo stick or a stick horse are used with the doll to help keep the doll upright during the hopping movement. 
    
    
     Numerous other advantages and features of the invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A fuller understanding of the foregoing may be had by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of a doll in a moving illustration hopping from a first position to a second position; 
     FIG. 2 a  is a side view of the doll from FIG. 1 illustrating the foot switch and the interconnection between the foot and the pogo; 
     FIG. 2 b  is a front view of the doll from FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of the doll from FIG. 1 in another moving illustration hopping along a surface while riding a stick animal and FIG. 3 a  is an enlarged view of the hand switch, pin and handle assembly; 
     FIG. 4 a  is a front view of the respective components of the doll to accomplish the movements described hereinbelow; and 
     FIG. 4 b  is a side view of FIG. 4 a;   
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     While the invention is susceptible to embodiments in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will be described herein, in detail, the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the spirit or scope of the invention and/or claims of the embodiments illustrated. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, a doll  10  in accordance with the present invention is illustrated hopping from one point to another point, along a surface. In FIG. 1, the doll  10  is placed on a pogo stick  50 , while in FIG. 3 the doll  10  is shown hopping from one point to another point on an stick animal  60  or more commonly referred to as a stick horse, the stick animal is defined as having an animal shaped head attached to the end of an elongated rod. The movements are further discussed in the detailed discussion of the operation of the doll  10 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 4 a  and  4   b  the components to achieve the movements described above are illustrated. The doll  10  includes an upper half  12  or torso hingedly attached at a mid section  14  to a gearbox  26  that is further attached to a lower half  16  or legs. The upper and lower halves may also represent the upper half of the doll body and lower half of the doll body. A pair of springs  18  are attached to the doll  10  in a manner that causes the two halves  12  and  16  to naturally oppose each other and remain in a substantially straight configuration, such as exhibited in a standing up position. A motor mechanism  20  in communication with the gear box  26  acts to move the two halves  12  and  16  against the force of the springs  18 , bringing the two halves  12  and  16  together. The motor  20  is powered by a power supply  22  and controlled through a circuit board  24 . 
     The doll  10  is also capable of determining its current position through ball switches  28 , which is in communication with the circuit board  24 . The circuit board  24  receiving a signal from the ball switches  28  can then determine the current position of the doll  10 . The circuit board may then select or determine another position and operate and control the motor mechanism  20  in order to move the doll  10  to the other position. The doll  10  also includes a foot switch  30 , which is activated, when the doll  10  is placed on the pogo stick  50  (illustrated in FIG. 2 a ), by a pin  52  positioned on the pogo stick  50 . 
     The specific type of movements are controlled by the circuit board  24  operating the motor mechanism at various times, rates and speeds, as well as using the opposing spring force to return the doll  10  in a substantially straight or planar position. 
     When the doll  10  is placed on the pogo stick  50 , the pin  52  depresses the foot switch  30 . The circuit board  24  receiving an indication from the foot switch  30  determines that the doll  10  is placed on the pogo stick  50 . In response thereto, the circuit board  24  may emit through the speaker  53  various responses such as “I love to hop on my pogo stick.” The doll  10  will then begin to hop, bounce, or move with the pogo stick  50 . Balance is maintained on the pogo stick  50  because the pogo stick includes a platform  56  that the doll  10  stands on that is above a larger base platform  58 , which supports the doll  10  and the pogo stick  50  on a surface. In addition, the pogo stick  50  may include straps  54  or other fastening means that secure the doll&#39;s  10  feet to the secondary platform  56 . The pogo stick  50  further includes handle bars  55  for the doll&#39;s  10  hands  48  (FIG. 2 b ). The handle bars  55  are attached to the secondary platform  56  by a vertical bar  57  that extends through the secondary platform  56  to the larger base platform  58 . 
     In yet other embodiments, the doll  10  when placed on the pogo stick  50  will indicate to the circuit board that the doll  10  is on the pogo stick  50  but will still wait activation by the user. To activate the user would press a switch located on the doll  10 . 
     The doll  10  can either move forward, backwards or spin around in a circle, while on the pogo stick  50 , the movement is further explained below. The movement is essentially created by the circuit board&#39;s  24  control of the motor mechanism  20  in accordance to a set of preprogrammed instructions. The motor mechanism  20  is controlled such that the gear box  26  will move the two halves  12  and  16  towards or away from each other. Different pre-programmed instructions are stored on the circuit board  24  such that the doll  10  will cycle through various movements. For example, the doll  10  may hop forwards three or four times, backwards four or five times and then spin, at which point the doll  10  may stop, ending the routine. To restart the doll  10  or to cause the doll  10  to being another set of instructions, the user would press a switch located on the doll  10 . This restart/start switch may be located in a hand, arm, leg, foot or even the torso. 
     In one set of pre-programmed instructions, the motor mechanism  20  slowly moves the torso  12  of the doll  10  forward to an angle of approximately twenty-five degrees from the upright position and jolts the torso  12  back toward the upright position for pre-determined amount of time. This movement cause the doll  10  to slide the larger base platform across the surface and hence the doll  10  itself will move forwards. As readily apparent when this is repeated the doll  10  itself will move forwards. In accordance with another set of pre-programmed instructions, when the motor mechanism  20  moves the torso  12  of the doll  10  forward approximately ten degrees from the upright position and moves the torso  12  back but continues to push against the torso  12  for approximately 0.15 seconds after the torso  12  is in the upright position, the doll  10  will spin. This is caused because the momentum of the doll  10  and the extra operation of the motor mechanism  20  together causes the doll  10  to lean backwards on the edge of the larger base platform  58 , further causing the doll  10  and the pogo stick  50  to spin on the edge of the platform  58 , without tipping over. It should further be noted that the order of replay of the sets of pre-programmed instructions may be random or set, such that the movement of the doll  10  exhibits a cycle. 
     When the doll  10  is placed on the stick animal  60  (FIG. 3) the user presses an activation switch  61  in one of the hands  48 . The circuit board  24  in communication with the hand switch may emit an appropriate response through the speaker, such as “Yehaw . . . giddy up horsy!” In further response to the hand switch being activated, the motor mechanism  20  will drive and pause for precise amounts of time in accordance with a set of pre-programmed instructions in the circuit board  24 . The pre-programmed instructions cause the doll  10  and the stick animal  60  to move forward. Different strides and speeds are achieved by varying the speed and movements of the motor mechanism  20 . The actual movement is accomplished by the motor mechanism  20  initially moving the torso  12  forward towards the legs  16 , approximately thirty-five degrees, and then reversing the movement for approximately twenty degrees. This causes the doll  10  to move forwards slowly. Since the motor mechanism  20  did not return the doll  10  to the upright position, the springs  18  carry the top half back to an upright position. A faster ride on the stick animal  60  is achieved by leaning the doll  10  to approximately twenty degrees forward and jolting back approximately fifteen degrees. In such an embodiment the circuit board may recognize that the doll  10  is attached to the stick animal because the foot switch was not activated by the pogo stick  50 . 
     In another embodiment, FIGS. 3 and 3 a , the doll  10  includes a recessed switch  62  on the hand  48  with a corresponding pin  63  in the handle bars  64  on the stick animal. When placed on the stick animal, the switch in the hand is activated sending a signal to the circuit board. Upon receiving the signal the circuit board may run a set of pre-programmed instructions directed to the doll  10  being on the stick animal. 
     From the foregoing and as mentioned above, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concept of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific methods and/or apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.