Improvements in Automatic Toy Savings-banks.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 25th Mar., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Toy Savings-banks.
I, DAVID RICKETTS REYNOLDS, of 1604 Federal Street in the City of
Philadelphia, County of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, United States
of America, Gentleman, 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 relates to improvements in automatic toys; and it consists in
providing a figure-such as an elephant-with a flexible arm, as a trunk, by which
it is caused to engage and carry coins to its mouth or other receptacle, the same
being described in detail hereinafter, and the novel features thereof being
particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
In the drawings,
Figure is a central longitudinal sectional view of a toy in the shape of an
elephant embodying my invention.
Figure 2 is a detail view of the trunk and suction-cut at the extremity
thereof.
A represents the body portion of the toy, the hollow interior of which is divided
by a horizontal partition B to form at the bottom the receiving-compartment C.
This receiving-compartment is entered by means of a swinging door-or-leaf. D
which is arranged opposite the mouth E of the figure, said door being arranged in
an inclined position when closed, as shown in Fig. 1, whereby it is normally in its
closed position to prevent inclosed coins from being extracted therethrough.
F represents a flexible arın or trunk, which is attached to the head of the figure
at its larger end and is provided at its smaller end with an integral suction-cup G,
consisting of the cavity g, surrounded by the rim y'. The arm or trunk is
preferably of rubber or soft gum and is hollow, and through the bore or opening
in the same extends the spring H whose normal shape is coiled or bent, as shown
in full lines in Fig. 1, whereby the arm or trunk is held in the coiled or bent
position shown with the smaller end or terminal thereof in proximity to the mouth.
The upper end of this spring is secured permanently to the body portion of the
figure, as shown at h.
Krepresents a lever which forms the tail of the figure and is connected by
means of a connecting-rod L to an intermediate lever M, the lower end of which is
fulcrumed to the body portion of the figure and the upper end of which is attached
to a sliding arm or core N, which is adapted by the movement of the operating-
lever K to slide into the bore or opening of the flexible arm or trunk and straighten
the same.
This sliding arm is provided at its front end with a sleeve O, which
receives and is adapted to slide upon the spring, whereby as the free end of the
operating-lever is elevated, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the sliding arm is
moved forward and by sliding upon the spring straightens the same and causes the
parts to assume the positions indicated.
It will be understood that if the material of the arm or trunk is sufficiently
elastic and resilient to resume its curved or curled shape after being straightened
the spring may be omitted, the operation however, being the same and the results
accomplished being identical.
The suction-cup, as above described, is integral with the arm or trunk, and being
of flexible material when a coin is pressed thereagainst until a portion or all of the
inclosed air has been expelled the coin will adhere to the arm, as indicated in
Fig. 1. Upon the release of the operating-lever the trunk will be allowed to bend or
curl, as shown in full lines, thereby causing the coin to strike the edge of the lip Q

page_text: adjacent to the mouth above mentioned, thus detaching it and allowing it to fall
into the mouth, and thence into the receptacle.
The shape of the figure forming the body portion of my improved toy is
immaterial, as this may be varied according to taste, and, furthermore, the
arrangement and construction of other parts of the toy are subject to various
changes, which may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is
1. In a toy, the combination with a body portion having a mouth or receiving
opening, of an arm or trunk provided with a terminal suction-cup and means to
operate the arm or trunk, substantially as specified.
2. In a toy, the combination with a body portion having a receptacle and a mouth
or receiving opening, of an elastic arm or trunk provided with a terminal suction-
cup, which is held close to said mouth or receiving opening when the arm or trunk
is in its normal position, substantially as specified.
3. In a toy, the combination with a body portion having a mouth-opening, of a
hollow flexible arm or trunk having a terminal suction-cup, which is normally held
in proximity to said mouth-opening, a sliding arm adapted to slide into the hollow
of said flexible arm or trunk, and means to operate said sliding arm, substantially
as specified.
4. In a toy, the combination with a body portion having a mouth-opening, of a
hollow flexible arm or trunk having a terminal suction-cup, which is normally held
in proximity to said mouth-opening, a normally curled or bent spring arranged
in said arm or trunk, a sliding arm provided with a sleeve to slide upon said
spring and straighten it, and means to operate the sliding arm, substantially as
specified.
5. In a toy, the combination with a body portion having a coin-receptacle and
provided at one end with a mouth or receiving opening, of a flexible arm or trunk
having a terminal suction-cup, a bent or curled spring arranged axially in said arm
or trunk to normally hold it in a bent position with its extremity adjacent to the
mouth or receiving opening of the receptacle, the sliding arm adapted to slide
upon said spring to straighten it, means to operate said sliding arm, and a lip
in proximty to the mouth or receiving opening to trip and disengage the coin,
substantially as specified.
6. In a toy, the combination with a body portion having a receiving compartment
and a mouth or opening of the flexible spring-actuated arm or trunk provided with
a suction-cup, the sliding arm adapted to enter and straighten said arm or trunk,
an operating-lever, an intermediate lever connected to said sliding arm and a
connecting-rod between the operating and the intermediate levers, substantially as
specified.
Dated this 13th day of January 1893.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.