A New and Improved Toy.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 20th June, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 12th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 2nd May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New and Improved Toy.
I WILLIAM RICHARD WYNNE 31 Saint Mary Abbot's Terrace Kensington,
London, W. Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
My invention consists in producing at a small cost a toy representing a figure
blowing bubbles smoking a pipe or cigar or engaged in other similar occupation.
The construction of one such toy may be briefly described as follows:-
I fix a figure with moveable head and arm upon framework attached to a suitable
bed plate on which bed plate I fix the shaft of a wheel with vanes.
On this shaft is a worm gearing into the teeth of a wheel upon a second shaft
carrying several cams to control levers one operating a bellows to supply air to a
pipe in the moveable arm another operating that arm a third operating another
bellows and a fourth operating the moveable head of the figure.
Rotation of the first mentioned wheel is produced by air driven upon its vanes.
The moveable arm is furnished with an imitation tobacco pipe its bowl dipping
into a vessel containing soap solution.
The cams are so arranged that when both bellows are inflated the head and arm
of the figure approach each other and one bellows ejects air through the hollow
arm and tobacco pipe forming a soap bubble and the other bellows through a
convenient opening detaches that bubble by blowing upon it.
The prime motion can be produced by other agency than compressed air e.g. a
heavy fly wheel set in motion by a band attached to a retractile spring, or by a.
handle.
Dated this 20th day of June 1895.
WILLIAM R. WYNNE.
I WILLIAM RICHARD WYNNE of 42 Palace Mansions Addison Bridge
London, W., Electrical Engineer, late of 31 St. Mary Abbots Terrace, Kensington,
London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention consists in producing at a small cost a toy representing a figure
blowing bubbles, smoking a pipe or cigar or engaged in other similar occupation.
The construction of one such toy may be briefly described as follows:-
I fix a figure with movable head and arm upon framework attached to a suitable
bedplate on which bed plate I fix the shaft of a wheel with vanes.
On this shaft is a worm gearing into the teeth of a wheel upon a second shaft
carrying several cams to control levers, one operating a bellows to supply air to a
pipe in the movable arm, another operating that arm, a third operating another
bellows and a fourth operating the movable head of the figure.
Rotation of the first mentioned wheel is produced by air driven upon its vanes.

page_text: Ine movable arm is furnished with an imitation tobacco pipe, its bowl dipping
into a vessel containing soap solution.
The cams are so arranged that when both bellows are inflated the head and arm
of the figure approach each other and one bellows ejects air through the hollow arm
and tobacco pipe forming a soap-bubble, and the other bellows through a convenient
opening detaches that bubble by blowing upon it.
The prime motion can be produced by other agency than compressed air, e.g. a
heavy flywheel set in motion by a band attached to a retractile spring, or by a
handle.
The accompanying drawings will enable the construction and working of my
invention to be easily understood.
Figures 1 & 2 are internal views & Figs. 3 & 4 external views of a complete toy
embodying my invention.
In Fig. 1 a hand-wheel H with an indicating pointer J is shewn attached to a
horizontal shaft HS upon which shaft suitably shaped cams C1 C2 C3 & C 4 are
fixed.
When shaft HS is revolved the cams rub against the cross-pins P1 P2 P3 & P4
of their respective levers L1 L2 L3 & L4 and move them in opposition to the
power of the springs S 1 S2 S3 & S 4 acting on their respective levers.
To cheapen the manufacture of this shaft cams & handwheel, I sometimes cast
the shaft, cams, hand wheel & pointer in one piece.
The cam C1, here shewn fixed to the shaft by a set screw, moves the vertical
lever L 1, which is pivotted at A 1 at its lower end, and at its upper end is connected
with the bellows B 1, inflating the bellows and compressing the spring S1 at the
back of the bellows.
When the cam C 1 moves round to such a position that the spring is able to act,
the bellows suddenly discharges its contents through the bent tube T 1 with its
mouth fixed on a level with the bowl of the tobacco-pipe at its highest position and
if a bubble has been formed upon the bowl of the tobacco pipe it is blown off
clear of the figure.
The cam 2 actuates the larger bellows B 2 in a similar manner, but the air
from this pair of bellows is discharged through the pipe T 2 past the controlling
valve CV, through the flexible connecting tube FT into the movable arm of the
figure and through the stem into the bowl of the tobacco-pipe TP in Fig. 2.
An inwardly opening valve V 2 in Fig. 1 is provided at one end of the bellows B 2
to prevent soap solution being drawn up through the tobacco-pipe into the bellows
during their inflation, and this valve I preferably make of thin sheet india-rubber
of the shape shewn at V 2.
The controlling valve CV serves to reduce the area of the air pipe T 2 and
prevents the sudden bursting of the newly formed bubble when the bellows B 2 is
being closed by the spring S 2. Instead of employing the controlling valve here
shewn, I sometimes use an equivalent mechanical obstruction such as a plug of
cotton-wool in the air-pipe, or I make the hole through the stem of the tobacco-pipe
of so small a size that it in itself prevents the air from the bellows flowing so
rapidly as to burst the newly formed bubble.
The cam C3 moves the head of the figure through the lever L 3, connecting
rod R3, and double ended lever Y 3; the spring S3 opposing the motions of the
lever L 3. The head is fixed upon the rocking shaft S 5 pivotted as shewn in
Fig. 2.
The cam C 4 produces the movements of the arm of the figure & the tobacco
pipe, by means of the lever L4 & spring S4 acting through the double ended
lever Y4 & the connecting-rod R 4.
The air-tube Q shewn in dotted lines following the shape of the arm in Fig. 3, is
bent at right angles to the arm & forms the shaft which transmits the movements
of the double ended lever Y 4 to the arm, and the flexible tube FT enables air
from the bellows B2 to be delivered to the tobacco pipe through the arm in any
position.

page_text: The construction of the toy tobacco-pipe which I have found advantageous in
practice is as follows:-I make in the piece of metal shaped to form the bowl of
the tobacco-pipe, two holes at right-angles to each other going through the bowl
completely. One end of one of these holes I enlarge conically to form the inside
of the bowi of the pipe, and one end of the other hole I tap internally with a small
screw thread. I form a corresponding screw on the stem of the pipe and solder
the bowl and the stem together. I force a current of air through the pipe during
the soldering operation to prevent the solder filling up the small apertures of the
bowl and stem. I then fill up the other ends of the two holes with a cement such
as shellac or bees-wax that is unaffected by the soap solution & it will be seen that
a pin or piece of wire may be passed right inside the bowl & stem of the pipe to
clean them of any hardened soap solution and the holes may again be stopped up
with cement.
The working of the toy is as follows:-By turning the indicating-pointer on the
handwheel in the direction of the arrow Fig. 4, toward the mark 2 on the side of
the case, the cam C1 inflates the bellows B 1.
The cam C2 inflates the bellows B 2.
The cam C 3 allows the head of the figure to be moved down into its lowest
position by the spring $ 3.
The cam C4 forces the arm of the figure downward until the bowl of the pipe
dips into the soap solution placed in the dish D and then allows the spring S4 to
lift it up until the stem of the tobacco-pipe comes in contact with the lips of the
figure.
When the pointer reaches the mark 2, the lever L1 is released by the cam C 1
and the bellows B 1 is closed by the spring S 1 behind it.
A bubble then forms on the bowl of the tobacco pipe, the size & colour of the
bubble being determined by the relative diameter of the pipe-bowl & the capacity
of the bellows B 1.
To obtain brilliantly coloured bubbles of small size it is necessary that the
pipe-bowl shall take up a very small quantity of the soap-solution, & this I attain
by forming one side of the vessel containing the soap solution parallel to the lip
of the bowl of the tobacco pipe when the pipe is in its lowest position.
As soon as the bubble has reached the desired size & brilliancy, the hand wheel
is turned round further until the pointer is over the mark 1.
This causes the
cam C1 to release the bellows B1 & a puff of air is discharged at the level of the
junction of the pipe-bowl & the bubble through the orifice O as shewn in
Figs. 2 & 3.
The sudden puff of air detaches the bubble & throws it off clear of the toy.
At the same moment the arm of the figure is lowered & the head is lifted up;
producing on an observer the impression that the figure is looking up to follow the
course of the bubble in the air.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A bubble blowing toy which detaches the bubbles when formed, constructed
as berein described, having a horizontal shaft with four cams upon it actuating four
levers, two of which control two pairs of bellows & the other two control the
movements of the arm and head of the toy figure respectively.
2. In combination with a toy figure for blowing bubbles, a pair of bellows having
an air discharging aperture so placed as to detach a bubble from the pipe-bowl by
a puff of air from the said bellows.
3. In a bubble blowing toy a valve or adjustable obstruction in the air-pipe to
regulate the flow of the air under pressure while the bubble is being formed.
4. In combination with a bubble blowing toy, an imitation or toy tobacco-pipe
constructed as herein described.

page_text: 5. In combination with a bubble blowing toy, a soap-solution containing-vessel
having one side parallel to the lip of the bowl of the tobacco-pipe when the pipe is
in its lowest position.
WILLIAM R. WYNNE.