Abstract:
A toy figure in the form of a golf player with a body including a head, torso, arms and legs. A recess is provided in the body. The arms and the connected hands have a receptacle for the golf club. The golf club is swivelable through actuation of an operating handle or pin. In order to improve the function and the appearance of a toy figure, the recess defines a plane, which extends through the body downward and parallel to the operating handle or pin and the arms. A toothed disc is fixed in the recess and rotatably connected with the arms. The toothed disc is coupled with the operating handle or pin.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates to a toy figure in the form of a golf player, with a body comprising a head, torso, arms and legs, and having a recess provided. The arms and the hands are connected with a golf club. The golf club is horizontally swivelable through actuation of an operating pin or handle. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   A toy figure of the kind mentioned above is known from the document DE 198 07 334 A1, in which the operating pin is guided through a vertical bore passing through the head and which engages into a connecting part of the arms for swiveling of the arms with respect to the torso by means of a u-bent end. By actuating the pin, a swiveling movement of the arm corresponding to the hitting movement of a golf club is supposed to take place. 
   From the viewpoint of this construction, it is disadvantageous that the transformation of the pressing movement into the swiveling movement of the arms, and consequently of the golf club, requires special additional measures. Further, the appearance of the toy figure is impaired if there is a press pin penetrating through the head. 
   In the toy figure known from the document WO 92/14523, the downward movement of the press pin is translated into the swiveling movement of the golf club through engagement of a toothed section of the pin with a pinion fixed on the golf club. Disadvantageous in this toy figure is that, here too, the press pin penetrates through the head of the toy figure and that, above all, the golf club cannot meet the golf ball, but rather moves aimlessly since the golf ball is housed in a chamber adjacent the club and is flung immediately and in synchrony with the movement of the club outward from this chamber. The ball chamber is a component that is extraneous to the golf player and is therefore a unsightly accessory to the toy figure. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Therefore, the task posed by the present invention was to improve the function and the appearance of the abovementioned toy figure. According to the invention, the toy figure is so arranged that the body is subdivided into two parts connected with each other by a circular disk running cross-wise with respect to a center line, whereby a cross-section of the circular disk is inclined to a front side and downward, and includes an operating handle or pin and two arms guided parallel to the cross section, with the circular disk coupled to the arms, and a club receptacle for a shaft of a toy golf club to which the arms bend and extend parallel to the circular disk. As a result, the operating handle or pin can protrude rearwardly from the toy figure, and does not impair its appearance and can be operated freely. Through the orientation of the operating handle or pin, the arms, and further the circular disk, arms and the golf club are arranged parallel to a plane of the section between the lower and upper torso parts. The appearance of the toy figure is not impaired and a simple, direct and linear actuation of the arms is achieved with the golf club. The head of the toy figure does not participate in the operation of the golf club. If the operating handle or pin is uncoupled and is removed from the toy figure, the toy figure, if it is made from a heavy material, for instance, a metal, the toy figure can be used as a paperweight or in other ways, for instance, as a decorative toy figure or for advertising purposes. 
   Thus, it is an advantage, if a body-sided end of the arms have a toothed disc housed in a segment of the body between the upper and lower torso parts, which can be rotated with the segment. Further, it is useful, if the head and the upper part of the torso, form one piece which is firmly connected with a lower part of the torso by a spigot, which centrically penetrates the toothed disc. 
   It is possible that the operating handle or pin is firmly connected with the toothed disc. A lateral movement of the operating handle or pin results in direct rotation of the toothed disc, and hence to the hitting movement by the golf club connected to the arms, hitting the toy golf ball. On the other hand, it is especially advantageous, in the sense of simplified actuation, if the operating handle or pin is guided onto the section in a lengthwise displaceable manner, and the toothed disc can turn, driven by the longitudinal movement of the operating handle or pin with respect to a centerline of the toothed disc. This transformation of the longitudinal movement of the operating handle or pin into rotary movement of the toothed disc can be realized in several ways. A simple option is that there is a frictional connection between the operating handle or pin and a periphery of an axial disk appendage, for which purpose, the periphery of the appendage and/or the surface of the operating handle or pin are provided with a material with a high coefficient of friction. Another possible alternative is that the periphery of the axial disk appendage is toothed and is brought into contact with a toothed segment of the operating handle or pin. 
   Finally, the appendage can be a pinion which interengages with the toothed segment of the operating handle or pin. For a good guidance of the operating handle or pin, it is commendable if an elevation consisting of several studs arranged on the periphery of the section of the lower part with a spacing distance along the peripheral direction and projecting from this section in a direction of an upper part, is provided, on which the operating handle or pin is guided in a longitudinally movable fashion, and between which the appendage or the pinion is arranged. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the operating handle or pin can be guided in three different directions along the toothed disc, so as to enable rotation of the toothed disc in one or the other direction, and enabling the toy golf ball to be hit to the left or the right. The elevation consists of three studs arranged alternately at equal distances on the periphery of the section of the lower torso part, each one of which has the cross section of a circular segment, whereby a plane, inner circle segment area of each stud serves as a lateral guide for the operating handle or pin. If one of the studs is elevated from the rear segment of the section of the lower torso part, the operating handle or pin can be inserted laterally from the left or the right between the studs and the toothed disc, so that the lateral to and fro movements of the operating handle or pin can swing the arms accordingly. 
   For a toy figure that hits the toy golf ball in the manner described above, various designs have been attempted that prevent the ball from rolling freely, so that it remains within the limited field of the play and does not roll uncontrollably beyond its boundaries. That is the reason why tabletop soccer balls are given an angular geometric shape that brakes rolling of the balls into an open field. However, an angular ball is not compatible with real practice, which is hitting of only round balls. As a result, according to the invention, an improved toy golf ball, distinguishes itself by the fact that it is comprised of a hollow ball made of plastic, which is filled in part with a pourable mass, for example, sand. In any case, the mass should have a higher specific weight with respect to the plastic material of the ball and should preferably fill only about 70% of the hollow volume of the ball. The higher the specific weight of the pourable mass, the lower is a filling ratio of the ball. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the following, the invention is described in detail with the help of a demonstrative embodiment shown in the attached drawings. Shown in the drawings are: 
       FIG. 1 : A schematic side view of a toy figure provided with the features according to the invention in the form of a golf player with golf club and operating hand; 
       FIG. 2 : A front view of the golf player of  FIG. 1  with the toy golf ball; 
       FIG. 3 : A schematic enlarged top view of a cross section along the line A-A through the golf player in  FIG. 1 ; and 
       FIG. 4 : An axial section through the toy golf ball according to  FIG. 2 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   The toy  FIG. 1 , made from metal, wood or plastic, consists of a head  2 , torso  3 , arms  4  and  5  and the two legs  6 ,  7 . The connected hands of the arms  4 ,  5  lead into a box-shaped club receptacle  8  for the shaft  9  of the toy golf club indicated as a whole by  10 . The arms  4 ,  5  are u-bent outward at the elbows, as is typical in the game of golf, and the legs  6 ,  7  stand spread wide apart, on enlarged feet, for a steady stand on the ground. 
   The torso  3  is comprised of a large lower part  12 , and a smaller upper part  14 , connected with the head  2 , which can be looked at as a type of shoulder part. The lower part  12  is connected with the upper part  14  only by a spigot  16 , visible in part in  FIG. 3 . The head is anchored firmly in the upper part  14  and is screwed by means of a screw thread part into a corresponding internal screw thread in the lower part  12  in such a way that the upper part  14  is connected undisplaceably with the head  2  at the lower part  12  by the spigot  16 . A prespecified distance (segment) defining a recess remains between the upper part  14  and the lower part  12 . In particular, a distance is kept between the plane area of the upper part  14  pointing to the lower part  12  and the practically similar plane section  18  of the lower part  12 , which allows an essentially circular disk segment  20  to be freely rotatable about the spigot  16  that penetrates the disk segment  20  centrically and, in particular, the disk segment  20  is on and parallel to the plane section  18 . The plane section  18  lies crosswise with respect to the centerline of the torso  3  and is inclined toward the front and downward. 
   The body-sided ends of the arms  4 ,  5  are included in the disk segment  20  on sides of the disk segment  20 , lying practically opposite to each other, so that a rotation of the disk segment  20  brings about a swiveling movement of the arms  4 ,  5  about the spigot  16 . As  FIG. 1  shows, the arms  4 ,  5  extend parallel to the plane section  18 . The golf club receptacle  8  has a slide-in jack opening, into which the shaft  9  of the golf club  10  can be slipped so that the shaft  9  also extends parallel to the plane section  18 . Therefore, the disk segment  20 , the arms  4 ,  5  and the shaft  9  extend within a designed plane  25  or extend parallel to it. One can recognize that a twist of the disk segment  20  about the spigot  16  in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction brings about the corresponding clockwise and counter-clockwise hitting movement of the golf club  10 . 
   In an especially simple embodiment of the invention, not displayed here, the rotation of the disk segment  20  in one or the other aforementioned direction can be achieved simply by hand, in that at a rear peripheral segment of the disk segment  20 , an operating handle or pin is firmly built, which also extends in the designed plane  25  or parallel to the plane section  18 , upwards toward the rear with respect to the toy  FIG. 1 . A to and from movement of the operating handle parallel to the plane section  18  leads directly to the corresponding movement of the golf club  10 . 
   Considering the circumstance that the hitting movement of the golf club  10  must be executed as fast as possible in order to transport the hit toy golf ball  30  to a distance as far as possible, in the presented embodiment of the invention, a gear mechanism  24  is connected between the operating handle or pin  22  and the disk segment  20 , which causes a fast rotation of the disk segment  20  proportionate to a longitudinal movement of the operating handle or pin. In particular, in the displayed embodiment of the invention, a pinion or toothed disc  23  is arranged on a bottom side of the disk segment  20 , whose external teeth interengage with longitudinal teeth arranged on a bottom free end segment  21  of the operating handle or pin  22 . The pinion  23  has a bore at the center for penetration of the spigot  16 . With that, the translatory downward movement, longitudinal to the plane section  18  of the operating handle or pin  22 , is transformed into a rapid rotation of the pinion  23  and thus of the disk segment  20 , so that translatory movement of the operating handle or pin  22  is transformed into a rotating movement of the disk segment  20  with a higher speed. 
   In an alternative embodiment, the end segment  21  can also be provided with a coating with a higher coefficient of friction, and instead of the peripheral teeth, the pinion  23  can be equipped with a rubber lining, so that due to the frictional connection taking place between the end segment  21  and the periphery of the pinion  23 , the translatory movement of the operating handle or pin  22  is also transformed into a correspondingly transformed rotating movement of the disk segment  20 . 
   As  FIG. 3  in particular shows, three studs  26 ,  27 ,  28  project from the plane section  18  at its border, in the direction of the upper part  14  of the torso, whereby a cross section of each of these studs has the form of a circular segment. The studs  26 ,  27 ,  28  are arranged on the periphery of the plane section  18  with the same mutual distance and leave an opening  33 ,  35 ,  37  free between each of them, through which the end segment  21  of the operating handle or pin  22  can penetrate in three different directions parallel to the plane section  18  and designed plane  25 , into a space surrounding the studs  26 ,  27 ,  28 . Thereby the plane, inner surface of the respective studs serves the purpose as a lateral support for the end segment  21  of the operating handle or pin  22 , so that the end segment remains in a reliable grip with the pinion  23 . As can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the operating handle or pin  22  can be pulled out upwards or (in case of horizontally inserted operating handle or pin  22 ) laterally from the toy  FIG. 1 . The distance provided between the upper part  14  of the torso and the lower part  12  of the torso is selected such that the studs  26 ,  27 ,  28  of the disk segment  20  located between the parts  12 ,  14 , and the pinion  23  allows the end segment  21  to plunge into the gap between the studs. 
   If the operating handle or pin  22  as in  FIGS. 1 and 3  is pressed downward, the pinion  23 , and therefore the disk segment  20 , rotate counter-clockwise. Between the adjacent vertical studs  26  and  28  remains the opening  37 , through which the end segment  21  of the operating handle or pin  22 , adjusted accordingly, is inserted and can be brought into contact with the pinion  23 . Pressing the operating handle or pin  22  inward into a position corresponding to the end segment  21  leads to a clockwise revolution of the pinion  23 . Finally, end segment  21  of the operating handle or pin  22  can also be inserted horizontally through the opening  33  between the studs  26  and  27  and the opposite opening  37  between the studs  26  and  28  into the space bordering the three studs and brought into contact with the pinion  23 . The operating handle  22  is then moved to and fro in engagement with the gear mechanism  24  of the pinion  23 , which leads to a rotation movement of the pinion  23  in the corresponding direction of rotation. The height, with which the studs  26 ,  27 ,  28  project from the plane section  18 , is the same in each case and can be dimensioned in such a fashion that the disk segment  20  lies in easily rotatable fashion in the plane of the surfaces of the three studs and the pinion  23  is located within the space bordering the three studs. The bottom area of the upper part  14  thus retains against play of the disk segment  20 . 
   It is obvious, as  FIG. 2  shows, that the free bottom end of the end segment  21 , can protrude from the breast of the toy  FIG. 1  under the disk segment  20 , if the operating handle or pin  22  is pressed correspondingly farther downwards. The operating handle or pin  22  has a finger eyelet  19  on its end opposite to the toothed section of the end segment  21 , in which, for instance, the front part of the index finger can easily be inserted in order to push the operating handle or pin  22  not only inwards in a downward direction but also from a downside to outwardly, whereby the thumbs and fingers encircle and secure the torso  12  as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
   Finally,  FIG. 4  shows an axial cross section through the toy golf ball  30 , which can be hit sideways by the golf club  10 , if the operating handle  22  is actuated correspondingly. The toy golf ball  30  is comprised of a hollow ball made from plastic, which can, for example, be transparent, and is indicated by the reference symbol  32 . The hollow ball  30  is filled with a pourable mass  34 , which has a significantly higher specific weight compared to that of the material from which the cover of the hollow ball  30  is made. At any rate, this mass can be pourable sand or metal powder. The filling degree of the hollow ball  30  can, as it can be seen in  FIG. 4 , be up to about 70%, or as in case of balls with a lighter mass, even 50%. If the hollow ball  30  is filled with pourable dry sand, a filling degree of about 50% to 70% is recommended. Consequently, this toy golf ball  30  according to the invention has the feature that a free run out of the toy golf ball  30  is severely refrained, so that an uncontrolled excursion of the ball outside the field of play is forestalled.