Patent Abstract:
A posable doll has a generally tubular body arranged in a circular shape with a center opening. A pair of legs extend radially outward from the tubular body and each of the legs has a length. A pair of arms extend radially outward from the tubular body and each of the arms has a length. A filler material is stuffed in the tubular body, the arms, and the legs. A wire skeleton extends around the circular shape within the tubular body and extends over a substantial portion of the length through each of the arms and the legs. The wire skeleton is capable of being bent to various positions and of retaining each of the various positions as desired.

Full Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA  
       [0001]    The present patent is related to co-pending U.S. Provisional patent application Serial No. 60/329,418, which was filed on Oct. 15, 2001. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The invention is generally related to dolls, and more particularly to a soft posable doll with a circular body.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Dolls and other toy objects have been known for thousands of years and can take on many different forms, configurations, and constructions. Many of these objects, such as stuffed dolls and toys including teddy bears, are intended essentially for children and are known to have a soft feel and structure. These types of dolls are stuffed with a resilient filler material or stuffing and are sewn to a particular shape. Dolls and toys often include limbs extending from a body. In some instances, the limbs simply hang freely or limp from the body. In other instances, the limbs are sewn in a fixed position extending from the body. When the limbs or the body are manually moved or reoriented, they will return to their original shape and position upon release.  
           [0004]    Posable toy action figures are also known. One type of posable figure has a rubber or plastic exterior material layer with a posable internal skeleton structure embedded within the exterior layer. When the body or a limb of the figure is moved to an alternate position or shape, the position or shape is retained by the skeleton structure until further manual reorientation. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]    Exemplary dolls in accordance with the teachings of the present invention are described and explained in greater detail below with the aid of the drawing figures in which:  
         [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one example of a posable doll constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 2 is a front view of the posable doll substantially similar to the doll shown in FIG. 1, but having various stylistic differences.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIGS. 3 and 4 are front views of posable dolls substantially similar to the doll shown in FIG. 1, but having alternative stylistic differences and having arms positioned in different physical orientations.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 5 is a front view of a posable doll substantially similar to the doll shown in FIG. 1, but having alternative stylistic differences and having the legs positioned in a different orientation and showing a wire skeleton structure in phantom view.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 6 is a cross section of a posable doll substantially similar to that shown in FIG. 5 and taken along line VI-VI shown therein.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 7 is a full side view of the posable doll shown in FIG. 6.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIGS. 8 and 9 are front views of a portion of the doll shown in FIG. 1 and illustrating other alternative posable hair styles. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0013]    Referring now to the drawings, FIGS.  1 - 9  illustrate various examples of a soft, posable doll  20  constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the doll  20  generally has a body  22  arranged in a circular shape resembling a doughnut or a bagel. The body  22  thus has a center opening  24  that can define a mouth opening of the doll  20 , as shown in each of the illustrated examples. The center opening  24  in the present example also defines a center axis of the body  22 .  
         [0014]    A pair of legs  26  extend radially outward from the body  22  and are positioned generally next to one another on the body. A pair of arms  28  extend radially outward from the body  22 , one each generally near a respective one of the legs. The region of the body  22  extending between the arms  28  and opposite the legs  26  defines a head region  30  of the doll. The region in which the legs  26  are attached is a bottom region  32  of the doll. The body  22  also has a front side  34  and a back side  36 .  
         [0015]    In one example, the front side  34  has a pair of stylized eyes  38  provided on a single piece of plastic  40  that is adhered in any suitable manner to the body  22 . The eyes  38  can alternatively be provided having a variety of different constructions and configurations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In another example, a two dimensional representation of the eyes  38  can be drawn or sewn onto the front side  34  of the body  22 , if desired.  
         [0016]    The doll can also have a pair of hands  42 , one each disposed at the distal end of a respective one of the arms  28 . The hands  42  are connected to the arms at corresponding wrist regions  44 . The doll can further have a pair of feet  46 , one each disposed at a distal end of a respective one of the legs  26 . The feet  46  are connected to the legs  26  at corresponding ankle regions  48 .  
         [0017]    The doll  20  can also have a nose  50  attached to a front side  34  of the body  22 . In this example, the nose  50  is a ball which can be constructed in the same manner as the body  22  described below, or can be of many different alternative constructions. In another example, a two-dimensional representative nose can simply be drawn or sewn to the body  22 . The doll  20  also has a plurality of strands of hair  52  extending from the head region  30  of the body  22 . The hair  52  is described in greater detail below.  
         [0018]    As shown in FIGS.  5 - 7 , the body  22  has an exterior layer of soft, pliable material  60 . In one example, the exterior layer  60  is a fabric. A resilient filler material or stuffing  62  is encased within the exterior layer  60 . In one example, the stuffing can be packed loose fibers or strands of material, such as cotton wadding or padding. The exterior layer  60  and stuffing  62 , in combination, provide a soft or plush feel for the doll  20 . However, the stuffing  62  within the exterior layer  60  of the body  22 , legs  26 , and arms  28  is packed densely enough to generally retain the three dimensional shapes of the doll  20 .  
         [0019]    [0019]FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a skeleton structure  70  embedded in the stuffing  62  within parts of the body  22 , arms  28 , and legs  26 . The skeleton structure can take on various forms and configurations from that disclosed herein and yet fall within the scope of the invention. In the disclosed example, the skeleton structure  70  has a primary segment  72  and a pair of arm segments  74 . The primary segment  72  is bent to follow the contour of the body  22  from a leg position in the bottom region  32 , around the body  22  through the head region  30 , and to the other leg position at the bottom region. The distal ends of the primary segment  72  each terminate near a respective one of the feet  46 . A U-shaped loop  76  is provided in the distal ends of the primary segment  72  adjacent each foot to prevent contact of the sharp end of the wire with the bottom of the foot. Each arm segment  74  has a proximal end coupled to the primary segment  72  via a U-shaped loop  78  at a corresponding arm position within the body  22 . The distal ends of the arm segments  74  terminate near each hand  42 .  
         [0020]    The skeleton structure  70  is comprised of a bendable wire  80  that has a flexible plastic coating  82 . The wire  80  can be bent and can retain the selected position. As shown in FIGS.  2 - 5 , the arms and legs can be repositioned and the selected positions will be retained by the skeleton structure  70 . Though not shown, the body  22  can also be reconfigured to change the mouth opening or body shape and the primary segment  72  will retain the selected body orientation. The plastic coating  82  protects the wire from corrosion and assists in preventing injury to those using the doll. The plastic coating  82  also assists in increasing surface friction of the skeleton structure  70  so that the skeleton does not easily slide and reposition within the body  22 .  
         [0021]    In one example, the loops  76  or the distal ends of the primary segment terminate slightly into each foot  46  beyond the ankle regions  48 . In this way, the feet can be repositioned relative to the legs at the ankle region  48 , if desired. Similarly, the distal ends of the arm segments  74  each terminate slightly into the hands  42  beyond the wrist regions  44 . In this way, the hands can be repositioned relative to the arms at the wrist regions  44 .  
         [0022]    As shown in each of the various FIGS.  1 - 9 , the hair  50  is posable. It can be repositioned or manipulated into any one of many different styles. The hair is fabricated so that it can retain the selected style. Thus, the look of the doll  20  can be varied as desired by a doll user. To render the hair  50  posable, the strands are fabricated from a material that is flexible and yet substantially holds a selected position. The strands can be captured and sewn between front and back layers of the exterior fabric layer  60 . The strands can alternatively be spread over an area of the head region  30  and attached by means of looping an elongate strand through the fabric to form two hair strands.  
         [0023]    Also as shown in the various FIGS.  1 - 9 , the style and look of the doll can vary considerably and yet fall within the scope of the present invention. The fabric materials of the body  22 , arms  28 , and legs  26  can be selected, combined, and sewn so as to make the doll appear to be wearing clothing. For example, the doll in FIG. 1 appears to have sleeves and the doll in FIGS. 4 and 5 is wearing a hat. The dolls can also be provided in a variety of colors. Additionally, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the front side  34  of the body  22  can include various markings or features so as to give the appearance of a beard  84 , a mustache  86 , freckles  88 , and the like. The hands can be fabricated in a variety of hand positions or gestures. The feet can be fabricated to appear to be wearing shoes as shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 6, the feet can also be fabricated to include a relatively rigid pad  90  of plastic or the like to define a foot bottom. Such a foot bottom can assist the doll in standing on a surface, if desired.  
         [0024]    Although certain dolls have been disclosed and described herein in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all embodiments of the teachings of the invention fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims, either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0