Improvements in or relating to Toys or Toy Figures.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 10th Dec., 1896
Improvements in or relating to Toys or Toy Figures.
A communication by ARTHUR H. KELLER, of Durango, in the County of
La Plata and State of Colorado, United States of America, Gentleman.
1, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster; 118, New Street, Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, and 31, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, 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 :-
The invention relates to toy figures and particularly to mechanism for imitating
the flight of birds and other winged creatures and it has for its object to increase
the life-likeness of said class of toys without unduly increasing complexity of
construction and cost of manufacture; and it consists in the construction hereinafter
described and particularly pointed out.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a plan, parts being broken away;
Figure 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 of Figure 1 ; and
Figures 3 and 4 are views of details.
Numeral 1 denotes an outer shell or body enclosing and supporting mechanism
for moving wings and simultaneously advancing the figure.
2 denotes a frame having its outer parts in practically the same plane as the
sides of the body 1 of a bird or other winged creature and constituting if desired
an integral part thereof. 4 are partitions fixed in said body which provide
bearings for the shaft 5. Upon this shaft is loosely supported a differential pulley
comprising the unequal sheaves 6 and 6¹.
7 denotes a ratchet wheel made fast on shaft 5 and adapted together with said
shaft to be driven in one direction by the pawl 8 attached to the pulley. The
engagement with the ratchet wheel of the pawl is maintained by a spring 9 which
however yields and permits the pulley to be rotated independently in a backward
direction when desired.
10 are crank arms by the medium of which the wing supporting frames are
moved. These consist each of an arrangement of jointed arms or levers resembling
a pantagraph. Each arm 11 is attached to and operated by a crank. It has its
fulcrum in a universal joint at 12 such as represented in Figure 3.
At 13 is pivotally supported by a similar joint a short arm 14. The arms 11
and 14 are each pivoted to a third arm or bar 15 which at its outer extremity is
also pivoted to a long bar 16. The outer end of bar 11 is also loosely connected
to bar 16 preferably at some point intermediate its ends by a pivoted bar 17.
These arms and bars support and move wings comprising in the present instance.
two parts 18 and 19 pivotally connected to the bars 16 and 15.
The wing covers may be made of fan like form and composed of several parts..
The parallelogram formed by the parts 11, 15, 16 and 17 continuously changes its
angles in operation which causes the opening and folding of the wing surfaces. In
the present illustration the covers or wing surfaces consist each of two parts 18
and 19. The part 18 is attached to bars 15 and 11 only at their junction.
and part 19 to bars 16 and 17 only at their junction whereby free movement
of the parts is provided for. More than two covers or wing surfaces 18 and 19

page_text: may be provided in each wing if desired. The wing covers as well as the
whell or body can be made of leather, paper, metal or other material. Feathers
would be suitable for the wings.
20 denotes a cord attached to and adapted to be wound on the larger member 6¹
of the pulley and 21 is a cord simultaneously attached to the smaller member 6.
These extend out through holes one in the upper part and the other in the lower
rear portion of the body as shown.
The device is prepared for operation by first winding cord 20 upon sheave 61 of
the pulley. The cord 21 then being held by the hand or attached to some fixed
object such as a hook or screw in a wall or ceiling, preferably overhead, the
cord 20 can then be pulled to unwind it and the shaft will be rigidly rotated by
means of the driving pawl and ratchet. The rotation of the shaft and its crank
arms will cause each part of the lever or arm 11 to describe a cone the two cones
having their apices in the fulcrum of the lever in the universal joint. The short
arm 14 will also describe a similar figure. These arms 11 and 14 keep the bar 15
parallel with the axis of the body. The effect of thus rotating these arms will be
to similarly rotate the whole system or arms and the superposed cover imparting to
the whole the appearance of wings in motion.
At the same time that cord 20 is unwound cord 21 is wound with the effect to
cause the progression of the figure, so that it advances simultaneously with the
fluttering movement of a bird. When the tension on cord 20 ceases, the gravity
of the figure will cause the cord 21 to unwind from sheave 6. The bird settles
downwardly with wings at rest and winds cord 20. Obviously a spring 22 (see
Figure 4) could be substituted for gravity and a motive power in the retreating
movement in which case the flight of the bird need not be upward.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, 1 declare that what I claim is:
1. In a figure for imitating the flight of a winged creature, a body, a crank
shaft supported within said body, a differential pulley and suitable pulley cords, in
combination with a rotatable moving arm 11 loosely connected to a crank shaft
and having a universal-joint connection to the body and supporting a part
representing a wing surface or the like, substantially as set forth.
2. In a figure for imitating the flight of a winged creature, a body, a crank
supported within said body, in combination with arms 11 and 14 each having a
universal-joint connection to the body and the former connected to the shaft by
arms and said arms 11 and 14 supporting and rotatably moving one or more
parts such as 18 and 19, substantially as set forth.
3. In a figure for imitating the flight of a winged creature, a body, a crank
shaft supported within said body, a differential pulley and. suitable pulley cords,
in combination with arms 11 and 14 having a universal-joint connection to the
body, said arms having pivoted parts such as 18 and 19, the arms being connected
by pivoted bars 15, 16 and. 17 forming a changeable parallelogram, substantially
as set forth.
4. In a figure for imitating the flight of a winged creature, the body 1, the
partitions 4, the crank shaft having bearings in said partitions and devices for
rotating the shaft in combination with arms 11 loosely connected by arms 10 to
the crank shaft and supported by a universal-joint in the body wall, parts
representing wings or the like outside of said body, and loose connections
intermediate said parts and said arms 11, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 9th day of Decembar 1905
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.