Abstract:
This invention provides a stuffed bladder insert used to substantially fill a cloth doll head. The stuffed bladder insert provides facial expressions and/or contours for the outer fabric skin of the doll head. The use of a stuffed bladder insert in the manufacture of cloth doll heads results in less expensive tooling, fewer manufacturing steps, lower production costs, and provides enhanced flexibility in changing the shape or contour of the outer skin. This invention also provides a method for making a doll head which has the softness of a stuffed cloth doll head but which also has the contour and facial expressions of a molded doll head.

Description:
[0001]    The present invention relates generally to stuffed dolls and methods of making the same, and, more particularly, to a stuffed bladder insert used to fill a doll head to provide facial expressions and/or contour for the outer bladder fabric skin of the doll.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The art of doll making dates back to ancient Egypt, where the first dolls were made from linen cloth stuffed with papyrus. Such cloth, or rag, dolls became popular in Europe and America during the  17   th  and  18   th  centuries, and were made of linen or cotton, stuffed with sawdust, bran or other similar substance. Typically, facial features were painted directly onto the relatively flat cloth heads of these rag dolls. While easy to produce, dolls made in this manner lacked realistic facial expressions and facial contours.  
           [0003]    Doll making proliferated during the Victorian period, when a variety of materials were used to fashion more realistic doll heads, which were then sewn onto a stuffed doll body. In particular, dolls heads were fashioned from china, sheet metal and even papier-mache. Such doll heads were more realistic, but lacked the texture and softness of the doll&#39;s stuffed cloth body.  
           [0004]    Attempts have been made to fashion a soft, stuffed doll head that provided both facial contour and facial expressions. These have typically involved laborious and costly manufacturing steps. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,583,408 describes a head for a rag doll in which individual wads of fibrous material, simulating a forehead, cheeks, nose, lips and chin, are sewn onto a foundation pad formed by stuffing a small piece of cloth with additional fibrous material. The foundation pad, with the individually attached fibrous wads, is covered by a piece of flesh colored cloth, and additional stitches are added to the outer cloth to simulate the nose, eyes and mouth. The head is then re-stuffed in the cheek region to accentuate the swelling of the cheeks under the eye stitches. As will be appreciated, this process involves several time-consuming and labor intensive steps, including stitching each individual wad of fiber onto the foundation pad, taking care to secure each wad while hiding the stitching, adding additional external stitches to simulate the eyes, nose and mouth, and then re-stuffing the head with additional fibrous material to create the proper cheek contour, all while maintaining the desired arrangement of the fibrous wads on the foundation pad within the confines of the doll&#39;s head.  
           [0005]    More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,844 described a method of producing a stuffed doll in which pads are inserted into a stuffed doll&#39;s head to simulate the chin and forehead. Two pieces of cloth are first sewn together to form a head base, with a slit cut into the center of one of the pieces. Stuffing material is added to fill the head base, then a forehead pad and/or a chin pad is inserted into the head and filled with stuffing to act as shaping members. The stuffing material plus pads is adjusted to produce the desired facial structure, and the slit is sewn shut. If desired, each pad can be secured within cloth head by inserting a threaded needle through the backside of the doll head, catching a bit of the pad member, then passing the thread back out through the backside of the head base, such that the pad member is caught by the thread and pulled toward the backside of the head. As will be appreciated, this technique requires individual manipulation and stuffing of the pad members within the confines of a stuffed doll head to ensure proper shape and placement, with additional stitching steps through the back of the stuffed head to catch and secure the pads to the doll head.  
           [0006]    What is needed, therefore, is an improved process for producing a stuffed doll head that involves fewer manufacturing steps and requires fewer parts, thereby lowering manufacturing costs, while producing a smoother, more refined contour and more realistic facial expressions.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The present invention is embodied in an improved doll head and in an improved method for making a doll head using two bladders or sack-like members.  
           [0008]    The outer bladder of the doll head is formed from an elastic material, such as jersey knit. The outer bladder may include facial features such as eyes, lips, etc., applied to the elastic material by painting, printing, embroidery or other methods. Simulated hair may also be attached to the outer bladder.  
           [0009]    The inner bladder is also made from an elastic material, which may be the same material as used in the outer bladder. The inner bladder contains one or more sets of contouring stitches, such as darts, which provide the inner bladder with a predetermined shape. For example, a set of darts may provide a rounded contour in the inner bladder that simulates a forehead, jaw or chin. The inner bladder is stuffed and, optionally, stitches are made through the stuffed bladder to connect and secure two portions of the front of the inner bladder to the back of the inner bladder, creating a pair of depressions in the front of the stuffed inner bladder that simulate eye sockets. Optionally, one or small bladders may be stuffed and secured to the inner bladder to provide additional shapes or contours, such as a small bladder in the shape of a nose.  
           [0010]    The stuffed inner bladder is inserted into the outer bladder, substantially filling the outer bladder and causing the outer bladder to assume the shape and contour of the stuffed inner bladder.  
           [0011]    An important feature of the present invention is that all of the shaping and contouring of the inner bladder is done before the inner bladder is inserted into the outer bladder. This is a significant improvement over the prior art, in which many of the shaping and contouring steps take place within the limited space of the doll head. Because the inner bladder substantially fills the outer bladder of the doll head, the elastic material of the outer bladder conforms to the shape and contour of the inner bladder without the need to add additional stuffing or pads to provide the desired shape.  
           [0012]    As a result, the doll head of the instant invention requires fewer manufacturing steps while producing a smoother, more refined contour.  
           [0013]    other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 shows an upper part, a lower part, and a back part of a bladder insert for a stuffed doll head.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a front view of a bladder insert for a stuffed doll head, assembled from the parts shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is a back view of a bladder insert for a stuffed doll head, assembled from the parts shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 is a front view and a side view of a nose member for a stuffed doll head.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is a side view of a stuffed bladder insert for a doll head, showing the placement of the nose member onto the bladder insert.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6 is a front view of a stuffed bladder insert with a nose member for a stuffed doll head.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 7 is a side view of a stuffed bladder insert, showing the location of stitching used to create depressions in the bladder insert to simulate eye sockets.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 8 is a front view of an outer bladder for a stuffed doll head.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 9 is a back view of an outer bladder for a stuffed doll head, showing an open seam through which the stuffed bladder insert is inserted.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 10 shows a pair of ear members for a stuffed doll head.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 11 shows a front view of an outer bladder for a stuffed doll head with ear members and simulated hair attached to the outer bladder.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 12 shows a side view of a stuffed body portion of a stuffed doll.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 13 shows a side view of a stuffed doll, illustrating how the outer bladder of the doll head is attached to the stuffed body portion.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 14 shows a front view of a stuffed doll, with the outer bladder of the doll head attached to the stuffed body portion, prior to inserting the stuffed bladder insert of the doll head.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 15 shows a side view of a stuffed doll, illustrating how the stuffed bladder insert is inserted into the outer bladder of the doll head.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 16 shows a rear view of a stuffed doll, showing the seam at the back of the outer bladder used to secure the stuffed bladder insert within.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 17 shows a front and side view of the finished stuffed doll, with the location of the stuffed bladder insert within the outer bladder indicated by dashed lines.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0031]    As shown in the exemplary drawings, the present invention is embodied in a bladder insert for use in creating contours and facial expressions in stuffed doll heads while maintaining the softness and pliability of cloth. Generally, the stuffed bladder insert comprises a sack or pad filled with a stuffing material that has been stitched prior to filling the bladder to provide the desired shape and contour of the doll head. The stuffed bladder insert is then covered by an outer bladder or “skin” of fabric to complete the doll head. Optionally, additional smaller stuffed bladders or pads are attached to the stuffed bladder insert to provide additional contouring prior to adding the fabric skin of the outer bladder. As will be appreciated, the bladder insert substantially fills the doll head. Thus, no additional stuffing is required after the bladder insert is inserted into the outer bladder to complete the doll head.  
         [0032]    The bladder insert is made of a stretch cloth or other knit or elastic fabric. Examples of suitable fabrics include, but are not limited to, LYCRA®, spandex, knit jersey, gaberdine, rib stitch or interlock stitch cotton, wool, polyester, nylon, acrylic, blends thereof, or the like. Preferably, the bladder insert is made from a knit jersey fabric.  
         [0033]    As shown in FIG. 1, three parts are used to construct the bladder insert: an upper part  10 , a lower part  12 , and a back part  14 . The upper and lower parts preferably include stitched darts, or tapered folds, which create different shapes and contours of the doll head. Stitched darts are well known in the cloth and garment business, and are generally formed by folding a piece of fabric and sewing a line of stitches extending from the fold-line to the edge of the fabric. Typically, the line of stitches is formed at a diagonal to the fold, creating the tapered fold or dart, with the size of the dart depending on the angle of the line of stitches relative to the fold-line. As will be appreciated, the larger the angle of the line of stitches relative to the fold-line, the larger the dart and the greater the shaping or contouring effect of the dart.  
         [0034]    It should be noted that the present invention contemplates shapes or contours formed in the bladder insert by sets of contouring stitches other than in the form of darts. For example, a line of stitches parallel to a fold or sewn in a curve relative to the fold may be used to form distinctive shapes or contours.  
         [0035]    In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the upper part  10  of the bladder insert includes four darts,  16 ,  18 ,  20 , and  22 . Darts  16 ,  18 , and  20  produce a rounded contour in the bladder insert that defines the forehead in the doll head. Dart  22  produces a contour that defines the bridge of the nose and the area between the eyes of the doll head. Darts  16 ,  18 ,  20 , and  22  are all sewn in the upper part  10  such that the tapered folds of the darts are on one side of the upper part. The side of the upper part with the tapered folds is the inner surface, while the opposite side is the outer surface. In FIG. 1, the outer surface  38  of the upper part is shown.  
         [0036]    Similarly, the lower part  12  of the bladder insert includes seven darts,  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32 ,  34 , and  36 . Darts  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30  and  32  produce a rounded contour in the bladder insert that defines the shape of the jaw in the doll head, while darts  34  and  36  define the shape of the chin. Darts  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32 ,  34 , and  36  are all sewn in the lower part  12  such that the tapered folds of the darts are on one side of the lower part. The side of the lower part with the tapered folds is the inner surface, while the opposite side is the outer surface. In FIG. 1, the outer surface  40  of the lower part is shown.  
         [0037]    As will be appreciated, the position, length and number of contouring stitches, in the form of darts or otherwise, used in the upper and lower parts will determine the shape and contour of the bladder insert. FIG. 1 shows an arrangement of darts suitable for producing a bladder insert that will simulate a human face when incorporated into a doll head. However, other arrangements of stitches and/or darts are also contemplated and can be used to produce bladder inserts that will simulate a wide variety of faces, including faces of other species, such as bears, cats, dogs and the like, for use in other stuffed toys.  
         [0038]    After adding the desired stitches or darts to the upper and lower parts, the bladder insert is assembled by sewing the three pieces of the bladder insert together. First, the upper and lower parts are placed together with outer surfaces  38  and  40  facing each other and edges  42  and  44  aligned. A line of stitches, or seam,  46 , sewn through the two parts  10  and  12  and along aligned edges  42  and  44 , joins the two parts  10  and  12  to form a front part.  
         [0039]    Next, the joined upper and lower parts are unfolded along seam  46 , and are placed together with the back part  14 , with the outer surfaces  38  and  40  facing outer surface  48  of the back part. The back part, which typically is the same size or slightly smaller than the joined upper and lower parts, is centered on the joined upper and lower parts with the top  50  and the bottom  52  of the back part positioned at or near the top  54  of the upper part and the bottom  56  of the lower part, respectively. The back part  14  is joined to the upper and lower parts by a seam  58 , sewn around the back part near its edge, leaving a gap  60 .  
         [0040]    The assembled bladder insert is then turned inside out through gap  60 , such that all darts, seams and other stitches are located inside the bladder insert and the outer surfaces  38 ,  40  and  48  are all located on the outside of the bladder insert. A front view of the assembled bladder insert is shown in FIG. 2, and a back view is shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0041]    Also shown in FIG. 3 are four marks,  62 ,  64 ,  66 , and  68 . Optionally, marks  62  and  64  are placed on the outer surface  48  of the back part  14  of the bladder insert so as to be positioned in the back of the doll head directly opposite the left eye socket of the doll head. Similarly, marks  66  and  68  are placed on the back part of the bladder insert so as to be positioned in the back of the doll head directly opposite the right eye socket. These marks may be applied to the back part of the bladder insert before or after the back part is attached to the upper and lower parts.  
         [0042]    The bladder insert is stuffed to fill out the contours created in the bladder insert by the placement of darts and other stitches, to thereby provide the desired final shape of the doll head. Materials suitable for stuffing the bladder insert include cotton, wool, kapok, polyester fiber or foam, or other fibrous or spongy material. After the bladder insert is stuffed to substantially provide the desired shape of the doll head, the gap  60  in the bladder insert is sewn shut.  
         [0043]    Optionally, additional smaller stuffed bladders or pads may be attached to the stuffed bladder insert to provide additional contours and shapes. For example, FIG. 4 shows two views, front and side, of a small nose bladder  70  that is used to create a more pronounced nose on the doll head. The nose bladder  70  consists of a small piece of fabric  72  that is filled with stuffing then sewn shut with stitches  74  to enclose and secure the stuffing. The fabric and stuffing used to produce the nose may be the same as that used to produce the bladder insert.  
         [0044]    In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a small round nose bladder is formed from a circular piece of fabric filled with stuffing to produce a small ball. As will be appreciated, a wide variety of other shapes may be formed by varying the shape and size of the fabric piece, the amount of stuffing, and the placement of stitching used to enclose the stuffing.  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 5 shows a left side view of a stuffed bladder insert  76 . Also shown in FIG. 5 is the placement of a small nose bladder on the stuffed bladder insert. The nose bladder  70  is placed against the stuffed bladder insert  76  at the desired attachment point, and is secured to the bladder by a series of stitches.  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 6 shows a front view of a stuffed bladder insert  76 . As shown in FIG. 6, darts  16 ,  18 , and  20  produce a rounded contour to form the forehead of the doll head. Likewise, darts  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30  and  32  produce a rounded contour to form the jaw of the doll head. In this embodiment, a small nose bladder  70  is attached to the stuffed bladder insert  76  just below the dart  22  forming the bridge of the nose.  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 7 shows a left side view of a stuffed bladder insert  76  after stitches have been added to create eye sockets. To create the left eye socket, a needle and thread is inserted into the back part  14  of the bladder insert  76  at mark  62  and is pulled through the front of the bladder insert at a point  78  located near the desired location of the left eye, leaving a portion of the thread trailing from insertion point  62 . The needle and thread is then inserted back into the bladder insert at a point  80 , located near point  78 , and drawn through the bladder insert, exiting the bladder at mark  64 . The thread is then pulled back and secured, typically by tying it off with the thread trailing from insertion point  62 , thereby pulling a portion of the bladder insert between points  78  and  80  back toward the back part  14 , creating the left eye socket. The right eye socket is made in the same way, using marks  66  and  68 , shown in FIG. 3. The shape and contour of the eye sockets can be varied, depending on the depth and position of the stitches used to catch and secure the front of the bladder insert to the back part.  
         [0048]    The stuffed bladder insert shown in FIG. 7 is substantially in the form of the doll head, with contours defining the shape of the forehead, nose bridge, chin, jaw and eye sockets, and, optionally, a nose bladder defining the shape of the nose. In order to give the doll head a more life-like appearance, and to conceal the stitching and/or additional bladders used to create the shape of the head, an outer bladder with a fabric “skin” is used to cover the stuffed bladder insert.  
         [0049]    The outer bladder is generally formed by sewing two or more pieces of fabric together to form the bladder in a size and shape suitable for containing the stuffed bladder insert. Darts or other stitches may be used to give the outer bladder a suitable rounded shape. Fabrics suitable for use in forming the fabric skin of the outer bladder include LYCRA®, spandex, knit jersey, gaberdine, rib stitch or interlock stitch cotton, wool, polyester, nylon, acrylic, blends thereof, or the like. Preferably, the outer bladder is made from a flesh-colored knit jersey fabric. Other fabric colors may be used depending on the desired final appearance of the doll head. Similarly, the outer bladder may be formed in shapes other than rounded, depending on the shape of the stuffed bladder insert and the desired final appearance of the doll head.  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 8 shows a front view of a die cut front piece  82  of the outer bladder. Although this embodiment is shown with simulated hair  84  attached to the outer bladder  86 , the addition of “hair” is optional. Yarn is preferably used to simulate hair, although other materials, including strands of cotton or wool fabric, synthetic fibers, and the like may be used. Preferably, the simulated hair is sewn to the outer bladder, but may also be attached by glue or other adhesive. If desired, facial features such as a mouth, eyebrows and eyes, may be printed, painted, embroidered, heat transferred or otherwise applied to the fabric skin on the front piece of the outer bladder.  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 9 shows a back view of a die cut back piece  88  of the outer bladder. As with the front piece of the outer bladder, simulated hair  84  may be sewn or glued onto the back piece  88 . An opening  90  extends down the middle of the back piece  88  from a point near the top  92  of the back piece to the open neck hole  94 .  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 10 shows a pair of ears  96 , which may optionally be attached to the doll head. Each ear is formed from two substantially circular pieces of fabric  98 , which are placed on top of each other and sewn together with a line of stitches  100  placed around the edge of the circular piece, leaving a gap  102  in the stitching. The ear is turned inside out, thereby concealing the seam formed from the stitching  100  inside the ear. As will be appreciated, the shape of the ears may be varied by changing the size and shape of the pieces of fabric used to make the ears. In addition, the ears may be filled with a stuffing.  
         [0053]    The outer bladder is assembled by placing the front piece  82  and the back piece  88  together with the outer surfaces together, and sewing the two pieces together along the outer edges, leaving the opening  90  and the neck hole  94  open. The outer bladder is then turned inside out to conceal the seam within the outer bladder. A front view of an assembled outer bladder  104  is shown in FIG. 11, with ears  96  sewn onto the outer bladder at either side.  
         [0054]    [0054]FIG. 12 shows a headless stuffed doll body  106 . The outer bladder  104  is placed on the doll body  106 , and sewn to the doll body along the neck hole  94  as shown in FIG. 13. The assembled doll  108  is shown in FIG. 14, before the bladder insert is inserted.  
         [0055]    To provide the shape and facial contour of the doll head in the assembled doll  108 , the stuffed bladder insert  76  is inserted into the outer bladder  104  through the opening  90 , as shown in FIG. 15. As will be appreciated, because the bladder insert is already shaped according to the desired contour and shape of the doll head, and further because the bladder insert substantially fills the outer bladder, the insertion step is very simple and straightforward, with little or no need to manipulate the bladder insert, or portions thereof, within the confines of the outer bladder after insertion.  
         [0056]    After insertion, the opening  90  in the back of the outer bladder  104  is sewn shut, to thereby secure the bladder insert within the outer bladder. A back view of the finished doll  110 , with is shown in FIG. 16.  
         [0057]    A side and a front view of the finished doll  110  is shown in FIG. 17. In the side view, the bladder insert  76  is shown with dashed lines inside the outer bladder  104  of the doll head. Both views show the shape and facial contours produced by the bladder insert, including the nose  112 , forehead  114 , jaw  116 , and chin  118 .  
         [0058]    It should be appreciated that these previously illustrated embodiments are only exemplary and therefore other embodiments are not excluded.  
         [0059]    It should be appreciated that the bladder insert can be constructed from fewer or more than three pieces of fabric. It should be further appreciated that the placement of darts and other stitches shown in the drawings are exemplary, and that one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the placement of such stitches can be modified to produce different shapes and contours of the stuffed head.  
         [0060]    It should be further appreciated that additional small stuffed bladders may be optionally added to the bladder insert before it is inserted into the outer bladder to thereby produce additional shapes and contours. As shown in the drawings, a small stuffed bladder may be used to produce a nose in the stuffed doll head. Similarly, small stuffed bladders of various shapes can be attached to the bladder insert to emphasize the chin, cheeks, forehead, lips and the like.  
         [0061]    Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to only a few preferred embodiments, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it should be understood that the bladder insert of the present invention can be modified to produce a wide range of shapes and contours to thereby produce a variety of soft doll heads, including heads suitable for use with stuffed animals and the like.  
         [0062]    With such possibilities in mind, the invention is defined with reference to the following claims.