Abstract:
Apparatus having at least three members joined by couplings to form a closed loop, each coupling being twistable and bendable such as to allow bending through an angle of substantially 360° in substantially all directions, whereby the loop can be made to take on a variety of configurations.

Description:
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 144,947, filed Jan. 19, 1988, now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to elements formed into loop structures and, in particular, to elements formed into loop structures which are reconfigurable. 
     In the art of games and novelty toys, a number of reconfigurable loop structures have been proposed for the amusement of a user. U.S. Pat. No. 1,853,436 discloses a puzzle type loop structure which comprises a number of interconnected flat strips. These strips are joined at their ends by pins which allow the strips to rotate through angles of 360° in a single direction. An improved version of the latter puzzle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,683 wherein, the strips are made flexible to allow for deformation arcurately along the length and thickness of the strips. 
     Another somewhat different type of reconfigurable loop structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,473. In this structure the reconfigurable loop comprises interconnected tubular elements. These elements are in the form of L-shaped bends and T-shaped sections which are interconnected so that adjacent members are axially rotatable relative to one another. In one case, this axial rotation is achieved by disposing an elastic cord internally through all the sections to also form a closed loop. In another embodiment, the ends of the sections are configured so as to interlock in a manner which permits the desired axial rotation. Thus by appropriate axial rotation of these sections, the device of the &#39;473 patent allows the user to form a variety of shapes for the loop. 
     While the above prior art reconfigurable loop structures are useable for their intended purposes, their construction limits the types of configurations and effects which can be realized with the loops. Thus, for example, the loops are not readily adaptable for other activities such as dance where a free forming reconfigurable loop could be used in creating a variety dance effects. 
     It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a reconfigurable loop structure having a construction which allows for greater variation in configuration. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a reconfigurable loop structure having a construction which allows for greater applications and uses for the loop. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the above and other objectives are realized in an apparatus comprising at least three elongated members which are interconnected by couplings to form a loop structure. Each coupling joins the ends of two adjacent members and is twistable and bendable such that the coupling can be bent through an angle of substantially 360° in substantially all directions. Due to the aforesaid characteristics of the couplings, the resultant loop structure is able to have significant variation in configuration and effect. 
     In the embodiment of the invention to be disclosed hereinafter, the couplings are tubular in form and receive the respective ends of the members which they connect. In this embodiment, the tubular couplings comprise a rubber-like material and the members are thin rods which are four in number. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above and other features and aspects of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 shows an apparatus in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 shows in enlarged form a coupling used with the apparatus of FIG. 1; and 
     FIGS. 3 and 4 show the apparatus of FIG. 1 formed into different configurations. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In FIG. 1, apparatus 1 in accordance with the principles of the present invention is illustrated. The apparatus comprises four members, show as slender or thin rods 2, which are interconnected by couplings 3. 
     In accord with the invention, each of the couplings 3 is formed so as to be twistable and bendable such as to allow bending through an angle of substantially 360° in substantially all directions. In the particular case of FIG. 1, each coupling is a tubular piece of rubber-like material, the characteristics of the rubber being such that the aforesaid bending characteristics are achievable. A useable rubber-like tubing is latex- rubber tubing having an inner diameter of 5/16 inch. 
     In FIG. 1, each tubular rubber-like coupling 3 connects the ends of two adjacent rods 2. As shown in greater detail in FIG. 2, the respective ends 2a, 2b of adjacent rods 2 are inserted into the opposite tube ends 3a, 3b of a coupling 3. A collapsed central portion 3c of the tube 3 results and this section undergoes the desired twisting and bending during reconfiguration of the apparatus 1 into its various shapes. 
     While the couplings 3 are illustrated herein as comprising rubber-like tubing, the invention is intended to extend to other couplings which exhibit the desired twisting and bending characteristics. Thus, for example couplings comprised of soft tempered aluminum might also be used. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the ends 3a, 3b of the couplings 3 are prevented from separating from the rods 2 by a suitable securing or fastening means. In the present illustrative case, tape 4 is used to bridge the junction between each end of the tubular coupling 3 and respective rod end and provides the necessary fastening between tube and rod. 
     The rods 2 can be made from a variety of materials. One material might be ordinary Plexiglas of diameter of about 1/2 inch 
     FIGS. 3 and 4 show two configurations which can be realized with the apparatus 1. In FIG. 3, the top and right hand rods shown in FIG. 1 have been brought to the left hand rod and bottom rod respectively so that the loop is collapsed. In this configuration, pairs of straight rods lie adjacent one another and form a straight line. In FIG. 4, the rods on the right and rods on the left in the collapsed loop of FIG. 3 are bent upward so that a V-configuration is formed. As can be appreciated, by further movement of the rods 2 in conjunction with the couplings 3 other configurations for the apparatus 1 can be realized. 
     The apparatus 1 has application as a playing apparatus for children who can enjoy the apparatus by forming in into its various configurations. It also may be used in dance productions to be held by a dancer who can move with the apparatus during the dance to achieve various free form and free flowing effects. 
     The size of the apparatus is determined by the lengths of the rods 2 and can be as desired depending upon the particular application. For dance productions, the size may be made sufficiently large so that a dancer may move through the loop in the performance of the dance. 
     In all cases, it is understood that the above-identified arrangements are merely illustrative of the many possible specific embodiments which represent applications of the present invention. Numerous and varied other arrangements can readily be devised in accordance with the principles of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.