Patent Abstract:
An amusement toy including a head having at least a partial facial image, and an elastically deformable mouth associated with the head. The mouth has an undeformed dimension in the absence of a deforming force and is capable of deforming such that a deformed dimension of the mouth is at least 20% greater than the undeformed dimension of the mouth. The deformation of the mouth of the toy alters the facial image presented by the head, making a “scary face.” The removal of the force causes the mouth to return to substantially its undeformed dimension. A body of the amusement toy is preferably attached to the head such that the center of gravity of the toy is below the elastically deformable mouth. A method for providing amusement includes the steps of providing a head, applying a force to a mouth associated with the head to deform the mouth from an undeformed width to a deformed width that is at least 20% greater than the undeformed width, and subsequently removing the force from the mouth, such that the mouth returns to substantially the undeformed width. The deformation of the mouth alters the facial image of the amusement toy to make a “scary face.”

Full Description:
This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 08/361,590, filed Dec. 22, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,859, which is a Division of application Ser. No. 08/172,873, filed Dec. 23, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,040. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to amusement devices for children, and more particularly to dolls and other figurines used by children for amusement purposes. 
     Small children, e.g., children that are 2-3 years old, often find great enjoyment in simple amusements. For example, a child may enjoy making a “scary face” to provoke a mock fear reaction from his or her parents, other cooperative adults, and sophisticated children. One way that a child can make a scary faces is to place his two forefingers in the corners of his mouth, and then widen his mouth by pulling with his fingers. When performed in the audience of a cooperative adult, e.g., a parent or grandparent, or another child, this will hopefully provide the mock fear response in the viewer, to the hilarious amusement of the child performing the “scary face.” 
     While the making of “scary faces” can be an amusing pastime for the child, the adults involved often quickly tire of the game. It would therefore be desirable to provide a method and apparatus for extending the amusement aspects of this activity for both the child and the adult participants. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an amusement toy and a method for providing an amusement for small children. The device and method adds complexity to the game of “scary face”, thereby allowing the child&#39;s imagination to enrich the game and prolong his or her interest in the game. 
     Briefly, an amusement toy of the present invention includes a toy head and an elastically deformable mouth associated with the head. The head provides, at least in part, a facial image such as eyes and a nose. The mouth is capable of being deformed by the child at least 20%, preferably 50%, and most preferably at least a 100% more than the undeformed width of the mouth. The deformation of the mouth alters the facial image of the face, so as to provide a “scary face.” After the mouth is released by the child, the mouth elastically returns to its original, undeformed configuration. 
     A first embodiment of the present invention forms the head from an elastically deformable material. The mouth is an aperture provided through the deformable material of the head and, therefore, the mouth in this embodiment is one of the features comprising the “facial image” of the head. In the absence of a force, the mouth is preferably substantially round. As the mouth is widened by a pulling action of the forefingers of the child, the facial image is altered for the desired “scary face” result. Preferably, other features of the head, such as the eyes and eyebrows, are also altered to enhance the “scary face” effect. 
     A second embodiment of the present invention provides a head that is a substantially continuous, rigid support structure, where the mouth is a rubber band attached to the head. The rubber band can be stretched to elongate the mouth and thereby provide the “scary face” of the present invention. 
     A method for providing an amusement in accordance with the present invention includes the steps of providing a toy head displaying at least a partial facial image, applying a force to a mouth associated with the head to deform the mouth from an undeformed width to a deformed width that is at least 20% greater than the undeformed width to alter the facial image of the face to become a “scary face.” After the “scary face” is made, the force is removed from the mouth, and the mouth returns to substantially its undeformed width. Preferably, the force which deforms the mouth is applied by hand, e.g., by two fingers of the child pulling at the corners of the mouth of the toy. 
     An advantage of the present invention is that a doll or figurine is provided that can make a “scary face” to the delight of the child. The child can observe the results of his or her manipulation of the doll or figurine, and can observe the reactions of others. The amusement toy can also by used as a general-purpose plaything along with other dolls, figurines, and action toys of the child&#39;s toy collection. 
     These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed descriptions and studying the various figures of the drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an amusement toy in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the head of the amusement toy illustrated in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 a  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  3   a - 3   a  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 3 b  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  3   b - 3   b  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a view similar to the view of FIG. 2 with the mouth of the amusement toy being deformed; 
     FIG. 5 is a partial, front elevational view of an alternate embodiment for the head of the amusement toy illustrated in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines  6 — 6  of FIG. 5; and 
     FIG. 7 is a view similar to the view of FIG. 5 with the mouth of the amusement toy being deformed. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In FIG. 1, an amusement toy  10  in accordance with the present invention includes a toy head  12  and an elastically deformable toy mouth  14 . The amusement toy  10  can also include a toy body  16  including arms  18  and legs  20 . 
     The amusement toy  10  is preferably made from a sturdy, non-toxic material that can meet the rigors of use by a young child and which does not present any health hazards to the child should they, for example, partially ingest the toy. For example, the amusement  10  can be made from a natural or synthetic rubber material, or from a variety of plastic materials. In general, most stretchable materials are made from polymers. The amusement toy  10  can be made in a variety of sizes, but should not be made so small that it becomes potentially ingestible, and should not be made so large as to become cumbersome. For example, the maximum dimension ‘d’ of the head  12  might be in the range of 3-8 inches, while the maximum dimension ‘D’ of the entire amusement toy  10  might be in the range of 6-20 inches. Of course, these dimensions are only by way of example, and other dimensions may be suitable for particular applications. 
     The thickness of the amusement toy  10  depends upon the preferred construction of the toy. In the preferred embodiment described herein, the amusement toy  10  is substantially planar in configuration. Preferably, the thickness of the toy  10  is some fraction of an inch. For example, the material of the amusement toy  10  can be derived from a flat sheet of rubbery material that is about ⅛-¼ of an inch in thickness. Again, the thickness of the amusement toy is quite dependent upon the application, but is should be thick enough to be durable, not yet too thick as to make deformation of the mouth  14  difficult for a small child. 
     Alternately, amusement toy  10  can be a more rounded, three-dimensional type object where the head  12  and body  16  are roughly spherical in shape. The head  12  can be made smaller than the body  16 , or vice versa. The amusement toy  10  can also be made to more closely resemble a human figurine by providing appropriate proportions to the head, torso, and limbs. However, it is believed that the best mode for practicing for the present invention includes an oversized head which allows the greatest amount of deformation of facial images in proportion to the size of the amusement toy  10  as a whole. In some embodiments of the present invention, the body  16  can be eliminated entirely. 
     The head  12  of the amusement toy  10  is illustrated in greater detail in FIG.  2 . As previously described, the head  12  is substantially circular in configuration, although other embodiments of the present invention have heads of different shapes, e.g. oval, rectangular, triangular, etc. The head  12  provides a facial image  20  that, in this embodiment, includes “features” including a mouth  14 , eyes  22   a  and  22   b,  eyebrows  24   a  and  24   b,  and nose  26 . These features can be provided in a variety of manners, such as by embossing, painting, silk screening, or molding the features on the head  12 . The features are preferably located in their normal relative positions on head  12 , although they can also be rearranged or reoriented to increase the amusement effect. The features may or may not be exaggerated in size or shape. 
     In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the mouth  14  is preferably provided entirely through the head  12 , i.e. it is an aperture in head  12 . In other, more three-dimensional embodiments of the present invention, the mouth  14  may be provided in, but not entirely through the head  12 , i.e. the mouth is a recess in the head. An area of reduced thickness  28  (shown here in broken lines) is provided in the head  12  in proximity to the mouth  14  to increase the stretchability of the mouth, and for other purposes that will be discussed subsequently. This reduced thickness area  28  is preferably provided on the back-side of the head  12  so it is not visible from the side of the head  12  displaying the facial image. 
     The facial image  20  illustrated in FIG. 2 is undeformed by external forces. As such, the mouth  14  has an undeformed dimension or width w 1 . The eyes  22   a  and  22   b  are substantially horizontal and are aligned with a first axis  30 . Similarly, the eyebrows  24   a  and  24   b  are substantially horizontal and are aligned with a second axis  32 . 
     In FIG. 3 a,  a cross-sectional view taken along line  3   a — 3   a  of FIG. 2 helps illustrate the construction of the head  12 . As mentioned previously, the head  12  is preferably made from an elastically deformable material, such as natural or synthetic rubber, a highly deformable plastic material, a high stretch fabric material, etc. and is provided with a substantially circular aperture thereto which serves as mouth  14 . Again, such materials are normally polymers or materials including polymers. It should be noted that the toy head  12  of the present invention is not a living, biological head, but only a non-living representation or caricature of a living, biological head. The same is true for the toy body  16  and the other portions of the toy  10 . Preferably, the toy head and toy body represent or caricaturize a human head and body, but non-human (e.g. animal) or fanciful head and bodies can also be represented or charicaturized. 
     In FIG. 3 b,  a cross-sectional view taken along line  3   b — 3   b  of FIG. 2 is shown. A mouth  14  has a height hi which, since the mouth  14  is preferably substantially circular, is about the same as width w 1 . The reduced thickness area  28  preferably extends both above and below the mouth  14 , for example, ¼-¾ of an inch. 
     In FIG. 4, the head  12  of the amusement toy  10  is shown with the mouth  14  being elongated to a new width w 2  by a pair of fingers  34 . Therefore, in this preferred embodiment, a mouth  14  is deformed manually, i.e., by engaging two fingers (or “digits”) of one or both hands with the corners  36  of the mouth  14  and pulling on the corners  36  with the fingers  34 , resulting in the deformation of the mouth  14  to a width w 2  and a distorted facial image  20 ′. The mouth  14  should be sized to allow at least two fingers of at least one hand to engage the mouth. It should also be noted, in this preferred embodiment, that the fingers preferably engage the corners  36  of the mouth  14  from the opposite side of the head  12  that has the facial images  20 ′, i.e. from the back-side of the head  12 . This is so that the child can conveniently show the altered facial image  20 ′ to an adult or to another child to obtain the desired reaction from the adult or child. Alternatively, in the embodiments of the present invention where the head  12  is solid and more three-dimensional in shape, the corners  36  of the mouth can be engaged from front, i.e., from the side displaying the facial image  20 ′, which is more easily viewable by the child. 
     A deformed width w 2  of the mouth  14  is preferably at least 20% greater than the undeformed width w 1  of the mouth  14 . This is because substantial deformation of the mouth is desirable to produce the desired effect. More preferably, the width w 2  is at least 50% greater than the width w 1 , and most preferably the width w 2  is at least 100% greater then width w 1 . For example, if the width w 1  is about 1.5 inches, it is desirable to make the material of the head  12  sufficiently resilient to allow the mouth to be stretched to at least three inches. In the illustrated embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 4, the distortion (e.g. elongation of the mouth) as illustrated is about 175%. Upon the release of the mouth, i.e. in the absence of the deforming force exerted by the fingers, the mouth  14  returns to its original, undeformed shape. 
     It should also be noted that the width w 1  and w 2  are preferred examples of elastic deformation of the mouth  14 , but there are also other dimensions in which the mouth  14  can be elastically deformed. For example, the mouth  14  can be pulled in a vertical or in a diagonal direction. However, in this present embodiment, deformation in the horizontal direction is preferred since it is easier to pull the mouth  14  in that direction due to the reduced thickness area  28 , and the “scary face” effect seems to be better enhanced in the horizontal direction. 
     With continuing reference to FIG. 4, when the mouth  14  is deformed as illustrated, the reduced thickness area  28  stretches and thins. Since the reduced thickness area is thinner than the surrounding material of head  12 , it will stretch more easily and to a greater extent than the surrounding material. This will cause a pulling of the surrounding material in the direction of the reduced thickness area as indicated by the arrow ‘P’. This pulling of the material of head  12  can cause other features of the facial image  20 ′ to become altered, i.e., the eyes and eyebrows can be caused to slant menacingly as illustrated in FIG.  4 . More specifically, the eyes  22   a  and  22   b  are caused to slant along axes  38   a  and  38   b,  respectively, and the eyebrows  24   a  and  24   b  are caused to slant along the axes  40   a  and  40   b,  respectively. The degree of the slant of the eyes  22   a  and  22   b  and of the eyebrows  24   a  and  24   b  is exaggerated here for clarity. The angle A between axis  38   a  and  38   b  and the angle B between axis  40   a  and  40   b  are obtuse angles, not too much less than 180°. For example, angles A and B can be in the range of 160°-175°. Upon the release of the deforming force, i.e. when the child stops pulling on the mouth  14  with his or her fingers, the mouth returns to substantially its undeformed shape, as illustrated in FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 5 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a toy head  12 ′ in accordance with the present invention. This head  12 ′ can be attached to a body  16  as described previously. The head  12 ′ has a facial image  42  and includes eyeglasses  44 , a pair of eyes  46   a  and  46   b,  a pair of eyebrows  48   a  and  48   b,  a nose  50 , two teeth  52   a  and  52   b,  and a neck  54 . A toy mouth  56  is made from an elastically deformable band formed into a loop, and preferably comprises a sturdy, but conventional, rubber band. Alternatively, the band can be an elongated strip of rubber formed into a loop with its two ends attached together, to the head  12 ′, or to some other member. 
     The head  12 ′ of the amusement toy  10  is preferably of unitary structure and can be made from a non-deformable material such as plastic. The various features such as eyeglasses  44 , eyes  46   a  and  46   b,  eyebrows  48   a  and  48   b,  nose  50 , teeth  52   a  and  52   b,  and neck  54 , can be injection molded from plastic to provide the desired facial image  42 . In other words, the glasses  44  are not “glasses” in the real sense, but are flat, plastic members having eyes  46   a  and  46   b  molded, painted, or otherwise provided thereon. Again, it should be noted that the toy head  12 ′ and toy body  16  of the present invention are not living, biological heads and bodies, but only a non-living representations or caricatures of a living, biological heads and bodies. 
     The mouth  56  has an undeformed width of approximately w 1 . Preferably, the mouth  56  is attached both at its top and bottom to the head  12 . This keeps the mouth  56  from collapsing. Alternatively, the mouth  56  can be attached to the head  12 ′ at a single point, e.g. at the top of the loop or at the bottom of the loop. 
     A cross-sectional view of head  12 ′ taken along line  6 — 6  is illustrated in FIG.  6 . As illustrated in this figure, the head  12 ′ is preferably of unitary construction, such as a single piece of injection molded plastic. The mouth  56  is shown retained near the bottom of nose  50  by a first clip  58  and is shown retained near chin  54  by a second clip  60 . Preferably, the mouth  46  is a rubber band, and can be engaged and disengaged with the clips  58  and  60 . This permits new rubber bands to be attached to the head  12 ′ to replace broken rubber bands comprising mouth  56 . Any suitable clip or fastener can be used to retain the mouth  56 . The rubber band should be sized to allow at least two fingers of at least one hand to engage the mouth  46 . 
     FIG. 7 illustrates the head  12 ′ with a pair of fingers  62  engaging the corners  64  of the mouth  56 . The fingers  62  can be one hand (e.g. a thumb and forefinger) or may be on two hands (e.g. two forefingers). The mouth  56  has been elongated by the fingers to a deformed width w 2  which is preferably at least 20%, more preferably 50% , and most preferably at least 100% greater than the undeformed width w 1  of the mouth  56  as illustrated in FIG.  5 . Again, the mouth can be elongated in other dimensions other than the horizontal, and one side of the mouth can be deformed without substantially deforming the other side of the mouth. Upon the release of the mouth  56 , the mouth returns to its undeformed configuration as illustrated in FIG.  5 . Again, the mouth  56  can be engaged either from the rear or back-side of the head  12 ′, i.e., opposite to the facial image  42 ′ or from the front side of the head  12 ′. 
     It is preferred in the present invention to provide a toy body  16  as illustrated in FIG.  1 . This is because the mouth  14  becomes a fulcrum about which amusement toy  10  can pivot when engaged by a child&#39;s fingers. The body  16  provides a center of gravity which is below the mouth  14 , thereby maintaining the head  12  in an upright position. For example, in FIG. 1, the center of gravity may be at about point G below the mouth  14 . Preferably, the point G is not in the toy head at all. In alternate embodiments of the present invention, a head  12  or  12 ′ is provided without a body, where the toy head is stabilized, for example, by moving the mouth more towards the center of the facial image, by providing a weight at a chin area, or by any other reasonable stabilizing mechanism. 
     In the embodiments of the present invention that were described above, the mouth of the toy is deformed by hand. In other embodiments of the present invention, levers, actuators, or other implements can be used to cause the distortion. For example, in another embodiment of the present invention, a button can be depressed on the head which, via mechanical, fluid, or other linkages, causes a distortion of the mouth. 
     While this invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments, there are alterations, permutations, and equivalents which fall within the scope of this invention. It should also be noted that there are may alternative ways of implementing both the process and apparatus of the present invention. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations, permutations, and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0