Patent Publication Number: US-6699099-B1

Title: Novelty article having an elongated member rollable upon itself and releasable from itself with a drag-generating controlled unrolling action

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to a novelty articles, such as toys and the like, and, more particularly, is concerned with a novelty article having an elongated member being rollable upon itself into a rolled-up compact condition and releasable from itself with a drag-generating controlled progressive unrolling action into an unrolled extended condition. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     A large portion of human endeavors are devoted to entertaining other humans, especially children. This is evident from the enormous efforts expended by the toy industry to produce novelty devices that provide fun for children. 
     Many novelty devices have active parts that move up and down, uncoil and recoil, or extend and retract for achieving various design purposes and also to attract and hold the attention of children. Examples of these devices are the ones disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,824,409 to Brodrib, U.S. Pat. No. 2,851,270 to Ball, U.S. Pat. No. 3,360,261 to Smolensky, U.S. Pat. No. 3,410,023 to Anello, U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,548 to London, U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,433 to McKay et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,106 to Lidert, Jr. 
     These prior art novelty devices appear to achieve the specific purposes for which they were designed. However, the inventor herein has perceived a need for a novelty article which can be employed as an action component in toys, such as plush animal toys, which heretofore, for the most part, have not utilized such action components. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a novelty article designed to satisfy the aforementioned need. The novelty article of the present invention has an elongated member being manually rollable upon itself into a rolled-up compact condition and releasable from itself with a drag-generating controlled progressive unrolling action into an unrolled extended condition. The elongated member can provide an action component for any of a wide variety of toys and other novelty items, such as plush animal toys, which may otherwise be passive in nature. 
     Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a novelty article which comprises: (a) a base member; (b) an elongated member made of resiliently flexible material tending to assume an unrolled extended condition when unrestrained by application of any outside force thereto, the elongated member having a pair of opposite ends and opposite portions extending between the opposite ends, the elongated member being mounted at one of the opposite ends to the base member and being manually rollable upon itself so as to bring the opposite portions thereof into contact with one another as the elongated member is rolled upon itself from the unrolled extended condition in which the opposite ends thereof are spaced remote from one another to a rolled-up compact condition in which the opposite ends thereof are spaced adjacent to one another; (c) means for detachably attaching together the opposite portions of the elongated member when brought into contact with one another as the elongated member is rolled upon itself to the rolled-up compact condition such that upon release of the elongated member from the rolled-up compact condition the detachably attaching means permits the opposite portions of the elongated member to detach from one another and the elongated member to return to the unrolled extending condition as the detachably attaching means concurrently generate a drag effect on the detaching of the opposite portions of the elongated member from one another which limits the elongated member to undergoing a controlled progressive unrolling action that begins at the one end and ends at the opposite end of the elongated member as the elongated member returns to the unrolled extended condition; and (d) a latch member connected to the base member and detachably secured to the elongated member so as to restrain the elongated member in the rolled-up compact condition until the attachment member is pulled away and detached from the elongated member by a user such that the elongated member is released to undergo the controlled progressive unrolling action from the rolled-up compact condition to the unrolled extended condition. 
    
    
     These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described an illustrative embodiment of the invention. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the following detailed description, reference will be made to the attached drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a novelty article of the present invention employed in conjunction with a body of a plush-type toy, the article shown having an elongated member disposed in an unrolled extended condition and a detachably attachable element secured on one longitudinal side of the elongated member. 
     FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the novelty article of FIG. 1 also showing the elongated member of the novelty article in the unrolled extended condition and having another detachably attachable element on the opposite longitudinal side of the elongated member. 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the novelty article as seen along line  3 — 3  of FIG. 1 showing the elongated member mounted on a base member of the novelty article which is attached on the front shoulders of the body of the plush-type toy. 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the novelty article similar to that of FIG. 3 but now showing the elongated member removed from the base member of the novelty article. 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the novelty article similar to that of FIG. 3 but now showing the elongated member disposed in a rolled-up compact condition and the direction in which an attachment element of the novelty article is pulled to cause release of the elongated member from its rolled-up compact condition. 
     FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the novelty article as seen along line  6 — 6  of FIG.  5 . 
     FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the novelty article showing the elongated member thereof undergoing, the drag-generating controlled unrolling action from the rolled-up compact condition of FIG. 4 to the unrolled extended condition of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the elongated member and the detachably attachable elements of the novelty article taken along line  8 — 8  of FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of a tongue and groove type of mateable connector elements between the base member and a lower end of the elongated member of the novelty article taken along line  9 — 9  of FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an alternative form of the detachably attachable elements on the elongated member of the novelty article. 
     FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of a box for housing the novelty article being shown in a closed condition. 
     FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of the box shown in an opened condition. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1-6, there is illustrated a novelty article of the present invention, generally designated  10 . Basically, the novelty article  10  includes a base member  12 , an elongated member  14 , means  16  for detachably attaching the elongated member  14  to itself, and a latch member  18 . By way of an example, the novelty article  10  is shown attached by the base member  12  thereof on front shoulders S of the body B of a stuffed plush-type toy T. 
     The elongated member  14  of the novelty article  10  has opposite lower and upper ends  14 A,  14 B and a pair of opposite side portions  14 C,  14 D extending longitudinally or lengthwise of the elongated member  14  between the opposite lower and upper ends  14 A,  14 B thereof. The elongated member  14  is mounted at its lower end  14 A to the base member  12 . In one exemplary arrangement shown in FIGS. 3,  4  and  9 , the base member  12  and the lower end  14 A of the elongated member  14  have respective mateable mounting elements thereon in the form of a rigid plate  20  adhered to the bottom of the lower end  14 A and a recess  22  defined in a top of the base member  12 . The plate  20  has a pair of opposite side flanges  20 A which slidably fit into a pair of grooves  22 A defined at the corresponding opposite sides of the recess  22 . The side flanges  20 A of the plate  20  are insertable and engageable within the respective grooves  22 A of the recess  22  or disengageable therefrom for correspondingly mounting the elongated member  14  on the base member  12  or dismounting the elongated member  14  therefrom. If desired, once the plate  20  is inserted into the recess  20  and thereby the elongated member  14  mounted to the base member  12 , it can be permanently adhered to the base member  12  by use of a suitable adhesive or the like to affix the flanges  20 A in the grooves  22 A so that the plate  20  cannot be removed from the recess  22 . 
     The elongated member  14  of the novelty article  10  is made of a sufficiently resilient flexible material such that the elongated member  14  tends to assume an unrolled extended condition, as seen in FIGS. 1-4, when unrestrained by an outside force, but so as to be manually rollable upon itself to bring opposite the side portions  14 C,  14 D of the elongated member  14  into contact with one another as it is rolled upon itself to a rolled-up compact condition, as seen in FIGS. 5 and 6. In the unrolled extended condition of the elongated member  14 , the opposite lower and upper ends  14 A,  14 B thereof are spaced remote from one another, whereas in the rolled-up compact condition the opposite lower and upper ends  14 A,  14 B thereof are spaced adjacent to one another. Preferably, the elongated member  14  includes a strip  24  of flexible spongy material, such as foam rubber, whose natural state is to assume the unrolled straight or extended condition. The strip  24  of flexible spongy material has a generally rectangular cross-sectional configuration, such as seen in FIG. 8, and a plurality of side surfaces  24 A which extend lengthwise thereof and are disposed in angularly-displaced relationship to one another. The strip  24  also has a multiplicity of small pores  26  formed therein such that some of the pores  26  are exposed at the side surfaces  24 A, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. 
     The elongated member  14  of the novelty article  10  further preferably includes a strip  28  of resiliently flexible paper or plastic sheet material secured on one of the opposite surfaces  24 A of the strip  24  of flexible spongy material and extending between the opposite ends  14 A,  14 B of the elongated member  14 . The strip  28  of resiliently flexible sheet material is adapted to assist in supporting the strip  24  of flexible spongy material to assume the unrolled straight or extended condition when unrestrained by the application by any outside force thereto. The strip  28  of resiliently flexible sheet material preferably can take the form of a strip of conventional reinforced tape. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1,  2  and  5 - 8 , the detachably attaching means  16  of the novelty article  10  is adapted for detachably attaching together the pair of opposite side portions  14 C,  14 D of the elongated member  14  when brought into contact with one another. The detaching attaching means  16  is such that upon release of the elongated member  14  from the rolled-up compact condition the detachably attaching means  16  will permit the opposite portions  14 A,  14 B of the elongated member  14  to detach from one another and the elongated member  14  to return to the unrolled extending condition. However, concurrently, the detachably attaching means  16  generates a drag effect on the detaching of the opposite portions  14 A,  14 B of the elongated member  14  from one another which limits the elongated member  14  to undergoing a controlled progressive unrolling action that begins at the one of the opposite ends  14 A and terminates at the other of the opposite ends  14 B of the elongated member  14  as the latter returns to the unrolled extended condition, as shown in FIGS. 5-7. The presence of the detachably attaching means  16  thus ensures that the elongated member  14  unrolls slower than it would in the absence thereof in which case the elongated member  14  would expand to the unrolled extended condition rather than unrolling in the above-described progressive manner. 
     Preferably, the detachably attaching means  16  includes a strip  30  of flexible mesh material, such as conventional screen cloth, being fixedly secured or adhered on one of opposite portions  14 C of the elongated member  14  and extending between the opposite lower and upper ends  14 A,  14 B thereof, and a first strip  32  of flexible fastening material having hook elements  34  thereon. The first strip  32  of flexible fastening material is narrower than the strip  30  of flexible mesh material and the strip  28  of resiliently flexible sheet material. The first strip  32  of flexible fastening material is secured or adhered on the strip  28  of resiliently flexible sheet material along the centerline thereof such that the hook elements  34  detachably attach to the fine netting or mesh elements  30 A of the strip  30  of flexible mesh material upon rolling the elongated member  14  upon itself so as to bring the first strip  32  of flexible fastening material and the strip  30  of flexible mesh material into contact with one another, as seen in FIGS. 5-7. 
     Referring to FIGS.  1  and  3 - 7 , the latch member  18  of the novelty article  10  is fixedly connected to the base member  12  and detachably secured to the elongated member  14  so as to restrain the elongated member  14  in the rolled-up compact condition, as seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, until the latch member  18  is pulled away and detached from the elongated member  14 , as seen in FIG. 7, by a user such that the elongated member  14  is released to undergo the controlled progressive unrolling action from the rolled-up compact condition to the unrolled extended condition. The latch member  18  includes a second strip  36  of flexible fastening material connected at one end  36 A to the base member  12  and having loop elements  38  thereon that are attachable to the hook elements  34  of the first strip  32  of flexible fastening material and detachable therefrom upon pulling of the second strip  36  away from the first strip  32 . The latch member  18  further includes a pull string  40  attached to a free end  36 B of the second strip  36  for use in the pulling thereof. 
     Referring to FIG. 10, in an alternative embodiment the detachably attaching means  16  includes the first strip  32  of flexible fastening material having the hook elements  34  thereon. However, now the first strip  32  is secured on the one side portion  14 C of the elongated member  14 , such being the one of the surfaces  24 A of the strip  24  of flexible spongy material, such that the hook elements  34  of the first strip  32  directly detachably attach to the strip  24  of flexible spongy material via the pores  26  in another surface  24 A of the strip  24  opposite to the one surface thereof upon rolling the strip  24  of flexible spongy material upon itself so as to bring the first strip  32  of flexible fastening material and the other opposite surface  24 A of the strip  24  of flexible spongy material into contact with one another. The first strip  32  of flexible fastening material alteratively can be secured on the strip  28  of resiliently flexible sheet material. 
     Referring again to FIGS. 1-6, the novelty article  10  may also includes the body B adapted to support the base member  12  and the elongated member  14  mounted on the base member  12  and disposed in the rolled-up compact condition and in an erect self-standing position once the elongated member  14  has begun to undergo the controlled progressive unrolling action toward the unrolled elongated condition. Further, as seen in FIGS. 1-6, the elongated member  14  has one or more appendages  42  attached thereto and extending outwardly therefrom when the elongated member  14  is at both rolled-up compact and unrolled extended conditions. The appendages  42  can take any of a variety of forms, some examples of which are the pair of horns as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, or a plurality of arms or wings, or strands of hair attached to the elongated member  14 . The body B can take any of a variety of suitable forms which will provide balance to the novelty article  10  as the elongated member  14  is unrolled. The base member  12  could be a ring type structure allowing the novelty article  10  to be mounted on a finger of a user. 
     Referring finally to FIGS. 11 and 12, the novelty article  10  also can be provided in conjunction with a box  44  in a manner similar to a Jack-In-The-Box toy. The box  44  has a bottom portion  44 A mounting the base member  12 , and an interior chamber  46  for storing the elongated member  14  in the rolled-up compact condition as seen in FIG.  11 . The box  44  also has an open top  44 B and a top cover  48  hinged on a top edge of the box  44  and being movable from a closed position, as seen in FIG. 11, in which the top cover  48  overlying the open top  44 B and covers the elongated member  14  in the rolled-up compact condition in the interior chamber  46  of the box  44 , to an opened condition, as seen in FIG. 12, in response to the elongated member  14  being released, by pulling on the latch member  18 , and unrolling in the controlled progressive manner to the unrolled elongated condition. 
     It is thought that the present invention and its advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely preferred or exemplary embodiment thereof.