Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~Z~14~7
- 1 - 4839~1184
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to doll heads and, in particular,
to a doll's head having a shaped or molded textile fabric surface
and to a method of making such a doll's head.
Background Art
Rag dolls are traditionally made from textile fabric
sewn to form an outer casing which is filled with stuffing
material. In this form of construction, the texture of the fabric
and the softness of the stuffing are desirable attributes and
acceptable definition for body parts such as hands and feet can be
obtained by cutting and sewing the outer casing. However, it is
difficult to make the head and face of such a doll on a mass
production basis with sufficient definition to be life-like in
appearance.
Rag dolls, such as the currently popular dolls sold in
association with the trade mark "Cabbage Patch", overcome this
difficulty in that the doll head is of molded plastic material
such as polyvinyl chloride. However, the use of this form of
plastic entails a number of disadvantages. In the first place,
it is necessary to forego the pleasant texture and the soft feel
of a stuffed textile fabric encased doll's head. The cost of
manufacturing and fitting these plastic heads is also appreciable
and, because these molded plastic heads are quite heavy, relatively
complicated means must be provided for pivotally mounting the
heads in the stuffed, textile fabric encased body portions of the
dolls so as to prevent the head from pivoting under its own ~eight.
Finally, in
841~7
-- 2
,.
know~ manufacture of texti]e fabric or molded plastic
heads of rag dolls, it is necessary to apply face
markings after formation of the doll s head, normally by
means of the application of several stencils and
painting. This is a la~orous and cos~ly process.
In the research to improve upon soft bodied dolls, such
as rag dolls, it was discovered that a procsss of
shaping textile fabric material in the unrelated art
concerned with the formation of women's brassiere cups
could be adopted to make doll heads. In this brassiere
making process, two sheets of two,way stretch fabric are
attached or bonded to opposite sides of a sheet of
foamed or expanded plastic material and these laminates
are then formed into cup-shaped members of less than
hemispherical extent by a pressing and heat-se~ting
molding operation. However, this process was by itself
incapable of forming cup-shaped members with
sufficiently detailed portions to represent facial
configuration features of a doll's head, such as eyes
and nose; or with neck portions for attaching the doll's
head to the remainder of the doll and the process did
not form cup-shaped members which could be conveniently
joined to form a substantially spherical doll's head
with said neck portions.
Disclosure of the Invention
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a
method of forminq a molded textile fabric surface which
can be used to overcome the difficulties encountered in
the formation of known doll's heads.
3 It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a
method of forming a doll's head having a molded textile
fabric surfàce with a texture which is soft and pleasant
to the touch and, on the outside, an outer casing which
is filled with stuffing so that the doll's head is soft
. ~ .
i
3 ~2~ 2~7
and easily deformed. Such a head can possess all the
detail of a molded plastic part and yet still be sewn to
the remainder of a rag doll.
S It is another object to provide a mcre ecoromic way of
producing a doll's head which is less costly to produce,
less costly and more convenient to mark; and less costly
and difficult to attach to a doll'c ~ody.
Finally, it is an object to provide a method of forming
a doll's head having a ~,olded textile fabric surface in
which marXings on the textile fabric forming the surface
a~e ap~lied to the fabric while the fabric is in its
planar form, prior to molding.
The invention therefore provides a method of foxming a
doll's head, in which face and reck pcrtions have molded
textile fabric surfaces, comprising the steps of
attaching a first sheet of te'xtile fabric to one side of
; a first sheet cf foamed plastic to form a first
laminate; pressing the first laminate between male and
female diec of a first pressure mcld with the textile
fabric adjacent the female die, and heating at least one
of the dies to form said face portion of a doll's head
and a~ ir~tegral neck extension having twc ends; forming
a crc~Tn porticn for the doll's head from pliable sheet
material; attaching the crown portion tc the face
portion and to the integral neck extensior., to form part
of an outer casing; connecting the two ends of the neck
extension to form said neck portion and complete said
outer casing; ar.d filling the outer casing with
st~ffing.
.,
The ir~-ention also provides a dcll's heOc h2~irg face
and neck portions with molded textile fa~ric surfaces,
in which a flrst laminate com~rises a first sheet of
textile fakric adhesively attached to a sheet cf fcamed
plastic; the first laminate is molded to form said face
- 4- ~2'7~3~;27
portion and an integral neck extension having two ends;
a crown portion for the doll's head is formed of pliable
sheet material; the crown portion is attached to the
face portion and to the integral nec~ extension to form
S part of an outer casing; and the two ends of the necX
extension are connected to form said neck portion and
complete said outer casing; and the outer casing is
filled with stuffing.
One method of construction of such a doll head involves
the use of a first pressure mold in which the molding
cavity formed in the female die is generally
hemispherical in shape and in which the parting line
between the male and female dies is inclined to the axis
~ 15 of relative move~lent between the male and female dies.
:; With this form of construction, embassing cavities in
` the female die may be formed in the bottom portion of
the molding cavity formed in the female die which bottom
portion extends generally perpendicular to the axis of
; 20 relative movement to thereby obtain maximum definitionof facial configuration features on the doll's head.
In this case, the forehead component of the face portion
is formed on one side of the bottom portion of the
female die and the integral neck extension is formed the
other side of the bottom portion of the female die in a
portion of the female die in which the depth of the
female die is greatest.
The embossing cavities and the corresponding projections
in the male die may have a depth which is greater than
3 the height of the corresponding protrusions on the face
~ortion of the doll's head to allow for partial
contraction of the laminate from its fully molded shape
in the mold due to the inherent elasticity and
resilience of the laminate.
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Two doll s heads embodying the present invention and
their method of manufacture are hereinafter describedl
by way of example, with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
srief Description of the Drawinqs
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a first,
partially-completed doll s head constructed in
accordance with the present invention and showing a
crown portion attached to combined face and neck
portions;
Figure 2 is a flow diagram sche,matically illustrating
the steps in the process of producing a doll having a
doll s head as shown in Figure l;
Fi.gures 3 and 4 are schematic part-sectional side
elevations of a first pressure mold and a first laminate
with the male and female dies of the first mold shown in
open and closed configuration;
Figure 5 is a schematic part-sectional side elevation of
- 20 a second mold, illustrating the formation of a crown
portion of the doll s head;
Figure 6 shows a face portion and an integral neck strip
obtained by trimming a first laminate which has been
molded in the first pressure mold as shown in Figures 3
and 4;
Figures 7 and 8 are side and rear elevations of combined
face and neck portions obtained by joining the ends of
the neck extension of the molded laminate shown in
Figure 5, prior to attachment of the crown portion; and
3 Figure 9 ~is a side elevation of a second
partly-completed doll s head, in accordance with the
- 6 _ ~2~2~
invention, having a different eye construction.
Best Modes for Carryinq Out the Invention
As shown in Figure 1, a first head constructed in
accordance with the present invention comprises two
parts formed respectively from first and second 12m~
thick laminates 3 and 18. The first laminate 3
comprises a first sheet 3A of weft-knitted polyester
fabric and a first lining 3B of polyester Tricot mesh
fabric are attached to opposite sides of a first sheet
3C of foamed polyurethane/polyester by means of an
acrylic resin adhesive and is molded to form a face
portion 1 having protrusions 14, such as the nose and
chin protrusions shown in Figure 1, and convex eye
surfaces 31. The face portion 1 has an integral neck
extension 8 with two ends 9 and 10 which are sewn
together with a thread 23 by means of a cylinder bed toe
stitchiny machine to form a tubular neck portion 2. The
- second laminate comprises a second sheet 18A and a
second lining 18B, both of stretchable textile fabric,
attached to opposite sides of a second sheet 18C of
foamed plastic 18 and is heat ar.d pressure moulded to
form a crown portion 11 which is machine sewn to the
face and neck portions 2 by means of a thread 24 to form
an outer casing which is filled with polyester fiber
; 25 stuffing 12.
The crown portion 11 is substantially hemispherical in
shape and reinforces the remainder of the doll s head.
As shown, the junction of the face and neck portions
and 2 with the crown portion 11 follows the hair line so
that simulated hair 15 rooted in the crown portion 11
through apertures 25 cover up this junction. The
junction is further obscured by rooting additional
simulated hair 15 through apertures 26 in the upper
edges of the ~face and neck portions 1 and 2.
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As illustrated in Figure 2, the first step 101 in the
formation of a rag doll having a doll s head as shown in
Figure 1 is to sculpt a complete head in wax with all
; the parting lines for the re~uired seams defined in the
wax. For a 22 inch tall doll of about half life-size~
the head is about 6 inches high, about 4 inches wide and
about 5 inches deep from front to back.
Next, in step 102, a metal rotocast mold is made from
the sculpted wax body. A hollow, polyvinyl chloride
head is then formed in the rotocast mold and split into
a first part comprising the face and neck portions and a
second part comprising the crown portion, in step 103.
These first and second parts of the rotocast PVC head
are then used to form cast aluminium male and female
dies of a first pressure mold in step 114, and aluminlum
male and female dies of a second pressure mold~ in step
124
In step 10~, first and second sheets of two-way stretch
polyester fabric and first and second linings of
polyester tricot mesh fabric are attached to opposite
sides of first and second 12mm thick sheets of
polyurethane/polyester foam having a density of 30 Kg
per cubic meter by means of an acrylic resin adhesive to
form first and second laminates.
Skin tones and facial and registration markLngs are then
applied to the first and second laminates by means of a
four color sublimation printing process in step 105. In
this process, minute dots of sublimation ink are
transferred from transfer papers which are held against
3 the first and second sheets forming parts of the first
and secon~ laminates.
. ,
In step 106, a first laminate is fed to the first mold
and a second laminate is fed to the second mold.
8- 127842'7
As described more fully with reference to Figures 3 and
4, the first laminate is then formed into a first part
of the required doll's head in step 116 and, as
described more fully with reference to Figure 4~ the
second laminate is formed into a second part of the
required doll's head on step 126.
In step 116, the first lamlnate is then removed from the
first mold and trimmed to form the first part of the
doll's head comprising the face and neck portions, as
shown in Figure 6. Similarly, in step 126, the second
laminate is removed from the second mold and trimmed to
form the second part of the doll's head comprising the
crown portion.
In step 107, the first part of the doll's head is folded
as shown in Fiyures 7 and 8 and the second part of the
doll's head, comprising the crown portion is sewn to the
face and neck portions constituting the first part by
means of a cylinder bed toe stitch sewing machine. This
machine is then used to sew the two ends of the neck
extension together to form a hollow outer casing.
Simulated hair is then rooted in the marginal edges of
the face and neck portions 1 and 2 and in the crown
portion, and the outer casing is filled with polyester
fiber in step 108.
Finally, in step 109, the doll's head is sewn on to the
torso of a rag doll by means of a cylinder head toe
stitch sewing machine.
As shown in Figure 3, a piece of first laminate 3
incorporating a first sheet 3A, bearing skin tones,
3 facial markings and registration markings is placed
between the~ male and female dies 6 and 7 of a first
pressure mold with the first sheet 3A adjacent the
female die and held in place by registratiOn pins 27
_ 9 _ ~Z7~7
(only two of which are shown~ with which the
registration marklngs have been aligned which penetrate
part way through the laminate 3. Prior to molding, when
the laminate 3 is gripped between the male and female
S dies 6 and 7, the laminate 3 is released from the pins
27 so as to allow the laminate to be drawn into the
mold. As shown in Figure 2, the parting line between
the male and female dies 6 and 7 is inclined to the axis
of relative movement between the male and female dies 6
and 7 and the bottom portion of the female die 7 which
extends generally perpendicular to the axis of relative
movement between the male and female dies 6 and 7 is
shaped so as to form the detailed facial configuration
features of the face portion 1. As shown, ~his bottom
portion of the female die is formed with embossing
cavities 13 and these cavities 13 (and the correspondi~g
protrusions on the male die 6) have depths which are
greater than the heights of the corresponding
protrusions 14 on the face portion 1. As a result, the
male die 6 presses the first laminate 3 into the female
die 7. The foamed polyurethane/polyester is also
compressed between the male and female dies 5 and 7 so
~ as to reduce the thickness of the first laminate 3 from
: 12mm to 3mm and, at the same time, the first sheet 3 of
: 25 weft knitted polyester fabric and the first lining 5 of
polyester Tricot mesh fabric stretch in order to
accommodate this shaping of the first laminate 3. This
shaping and compression of the first laminate 3 is made
permanent by heating the male and female dies 6 and 7 to
3 195 C for 90 to 100 seconds by means of heating means 28
shown, schematically, in Figures 3 and 4 as an
electrical heating element 5 embedded in supports 32 for
the male and female dies 6 and 7.
: 35 The second laminate 18 is formed, for convenience, from
the same materials as the first laminate 3 and comprises
a second sheet 18A of weft-knitted polyester fabric and
a second polyester Tricot mesh fabric lining 18B
: attached to opposite sides of a second sheet 18C of
polyurethane/polyester by means of acrylic resin
adhesive and a piece of ~he second laminate 18 is formed
o ~ 7~34;~7
into a crown portion 11 in a second pressure mold havi~g
i.làle ana female dies 21 and 22, as shown in Figure 3.
A marked pi~ce of second laminate 18 is posltioned
between the male and female dies 21 and 22 of the second
S pressure mold on registration pins 29 (only two of which
are shown) with the second sheet 18A adjacent the female
die 22 and attached to the female mold 22. The male die
is then moved from its open position, shown in dotted
outline, and presses the second laminate 18 into the
female mold 22 and compresses it from a thickness of
12mm to a thickness of 3mm to form a crown portion 11
from the second laminate 18 as shown. The male and
female dies 21 and 22 are then heated by heating means
30 shown, schematically, in Figure 3 as electric heating
elements embedded in supports 33 for the male and female
dies 21 and 22 so that the second laminate is raised in
temperature to 195C for 90 to 100 seconds so as to
ensure that the crown portion 11 will re~ain its shape
and compressed state.
The ma].e and female dies 6 and 7 of the first mold and
the male and female dies 21 and 22 of the second mold
are shaped to form the mating edges of the face, neck
and crown portions 1, 2 and 11 with lap joints 34 which
fit flush when these edges are sewn together.
The molded first laminate 3 is removed from the first
pressure mold and the unwanted edges are removed by
trimming to provide a face portion 1 with an integral
neck strip 8, as shown in Figure 4. A crown portion 11
obtain by trimming the unwanted edges from the molded
3 second laminate 18 removed from the second pressure
mold, is then maching sewn with a thread 24 to the upper
edges of the ace and neck portions 1 and 2. The ends 9
and 10 of ~the neck strip 8 are then machine sewn
together by means of thread 23 to form a tubular neck
~27~L2~
portion 2 integral with the face portion 1 to complete
the outer casing shown in Figure 1. Simulated hair 15
LS then attached to the marginal edges of the face and
neck portions 1 and 2 and to the crown portlon 11, as
described with reference to Figure 1 and the outer
casing is filled with resilient polyester fibre sutffing
12.
The provision of first and second linings 3B and 18B
facilitates the sewing of seams with threads 23 and 24
lQ respectively between the ends and 10 of the neck
extension 8 and between the first part comprising the
face and neck portions and the second part comprising
the crown portion.
In the embodiment described with reference to Figures 1
: 15 ~o 7, convex surfaces 31 are provided to represent eyes
on the doll's head and coloring for the eyes is effected
; ln the four-color sublimation printing process to which
the first sheet of weft-knitted polyester fabric is
subjected, prior to being incorporated into the first
laminate 3.
In an alternative constructlon illustrated in Figure 8,
eye recesses 35 are formed in the face portion 1 and
plastic eye pieces 36 are inserted in these recesses 35.
The plastic eye pieces 36 can be provided with some or
all of the coloring required for the eyes and, except
for the case where all the coloring for the eyes is
provlded by these plastic eye pieces 36, at least part
of the eye coloring is provided in the sublimation
printing process to which the sheet 3 of weft-knitted
polyester Eabric is initially subjected.
4839-1184
The first sheet 3A o~ textile fabric is preferably of a
weft-knitted 100% spun polyester capable of stretchin~ between
25% and 40% in two perpendicular directions. Textile fabric
such as this is capable oE withstanding the high temperature of
the forming process and capable of stretching sufficiently to
provide the definition required for the facial configuration
features on the doll head. In a preferred embodiment of the
invention, the polyester fabric weighS 258 gm per square meter,
comprises 48 Fil, 1.3 Denier per Filament, 42 Count yarn and is
heat set for sublimation transfer printing at approximately 200C.
However, similar synthetic two-way stretch fabric which is capable
of heat settin~ at about 200-250C can also be used.
The foamed plastic sheet 3C is preferably expanded
polyurethane/polyester ha~ing a density of 30 Kg per cubic meter.
The chemical content of this material is as follows:-
1. Nias Polyol 16-56 approximately 97%
2. Toluene Di-Isocyanate 80-20 1% of (1)
3. Silicone Surfactant 1.5% of (1)
4. Amine Catalyst 0.1% of (1)
5. F.ll (Freon*ll) 0.1% of (1)
6. Stannous Octoate 0.15% of (1)
This material has been found to mold satisfactorily
when a 12 mm thick first laminate 3 is pressurised and heated to
195C for 90 to 100 seconds to form a 3mm thick molded laminate.
This gives adeq~ate rigidity for support while retaining softness
to the touch.
*Freon is a trade ma~k Q~ E,I. DuPont De Nemours and Company for
fluorocarbon solvents.
- 12 -
3 -
Heat setting may be effected at temperatures ranging
from 180C to 230C for periods of from 60 to 120
seconds.
The crown portion 11 of the doll s head may also be
formed of foamed plastic and, in practice, it is
convenient to form the crown portion from a second
laminate 18 similar to the first laminate 3. Moreover,
as it is convenient to attach the crown portion 11 to
the face and neck portions 1 and 2 by sewing, it is
tO desirable to provide linlngs 3B and 18B of textile of
fabric on the inside of the face portion 1 and the
integral neck extension 8 and on the inside of the crown
portion 11. This provides a better anchorage for the
stitching. These linings 3B and 18B are preferably of
polyester textile fabric and, in practice, two-way
stretch Tricot mesh is quite satisfactory although o~her
similar two-way stretch heat-setting synthetic fabric
materials such as nylon mesh can also be used. It is
therefore convenient to form the face and neck portions
1 and 2 from a first laminate 3 which is identical with
the second laminate 18 from which the crown portion 11
is formed in that both flrst and second laminate 3 and
18 comprise a sheet of two-way stretch weft-knitted
polyester stretch fabric on one side and a lining of
two-way stretch 100% polyes~er tricot mesh fabric on the
other side. The three layers of these laminates 3 and
18 are attached to each other by means of acrylic resin
adhesive.
Foamed plastic sheets 3C and 18C of different density
; 30 and thickness may also be used and successful results
have been achieved with sheets from 5mm to 13mm thick.
The initial thickness depends, of course on the orginal
density of, the foamed plastic and the degree of
compression to which it is subjected during the molding
process. The primary criterion is that the compressed
- 1 4 - ~L278~7
laminate in the formed doll's head should be
sufficlently rigid to retain its shape and yet
sufficiently soft to the touch to simulate a living
person's head.
The first and second sheets 3A and 18A of te~tile fabric
providing the "skin" ~or the doll's head is preferably
0.3mm thick, but sheets having thickness of O.lmm to
O.5mm provide a suitably s~in-like feel and texture.
Similarly, the first and second linlngs 3~ and 18B of
the first and second laminates 3 and 18 should
preferably have a thickness of at least O.lmm to provide
an anchorage for stitching used to connect parts of the
doll's head, but thicknesses of up to 0.2mm are
acceptable.
In practice, both the outer sheet and inner lining of
each laminate 3 and 1~ become embedded in the ~oamed
plastic during the shaping and compressing process.
~, .
Formation of the doll s head in two connectable parts
has three main advantages. In the first place, by
2 forming the head in two parts, one part can be formed
with the required definition to reproduce the required
facial configuration features and with two edges which
have to be joined. Secondly, the crown portion can be
relatively deep drawn to provide a substantially
hemispherical portion which, when attached to the first
part, provides rigidity and strength. Finally, it is
possible to form the two parts of the doll's head so
that the joints between these two parts lie just inside
the hair line provided on the doll's head. That is to
say, simulated hair may be attached to the crown portion
and to marginal edges of the face and neck portions so
as to hide the joint between the two parts of the doll's
head. Finally, the two edges of the first part which
have to be joined after attachmenk of the crown portion
- 1 s - ~L2~ 2~7
are opposi-te ends of the neck portion and so can be
joined as a single seam at the back of the neck portion
which can be easily hidden.
The marking of facial features on the doll s head can be
S effected, a~ter formation of the head, by known
stencilling techniques. ~owever, this i9 a relatively
costly and time consuming process and the two-part form
of construction hereinbefore described lends itself to
the coloring of the face and neck portions of the dall s
head by a process in which the coloring of facial
features and/or skin tones can be applied to the first
sheet of textile fabric of each first laminate prior to
the shaping of this laminate in the first pressure mold
because of the precise molding effected in this mold.
The crown portion can also be colored in our analagous
manner. This provides a much superior appearance to
that obtained by known marking techniques such as the
use of stencilling.
In a preferred embodiment, the first sheet of the first
laminate is colored by a sublimation printing process
after being adhesively attached to the first sheet of
foamed plastic. Realistlc skin tones and feature
colouring can be obtained by means of a four-color
sublimation printing process.
In this process, the required coloring on the face and
neck portions of the doll s head are applied to a
transfer paper in the form of minute dots of red,
yellow, blue and black sublimation ink which are varied
in their proportions to reproduce a wide variety of
colors. The transfer paper is held against the first
sheet of textile fabric and heated. As a result, the
sublimation ink is transformed into a gaseous medium, in
a sublimatio~ process, and diffuses into the first sheet
of textile fabric to provide a permanent coloring
without changing the surface feel or appearance of the
- 16 - ~2 ~ a~ 7
textile fabric. Clearly, the marking applied to the
first sheet of textile fabric will differ from that
required on the shaped face and neck portions of th~
doll's head to take account of the stretching and
distortion of sald first sheet during the molding of
these face and neck portions.
To obtain distorted artwork to be applied to the first
sheet of textile fabric forming part of the first
lamlnate, a grid is marked on a blank first sheet and
the laminate ~earing this grid marking is shaped in the
first pressure mold. It is then possible to see where
the facial configuration features lie in xelation to the
grid and so the coloring associated with these features
can be applied to another flat sheet in positions
corresponding to the appropriate grid intersections on
the shaped laminate. Transfer paper for the sublimation
process can then be printed with sublimation ink to
reproduce this distorted work.
In summary, the invention provides a way of utilizing
the diverse techniques of brassiere cup formation,
pressure mold construction, heat-set molding and
sublimation printing of textile fabric in a novel and
effective method of forming a completely new form of
doll's head which has the shape and definition of a
molded plastic doll's head, the softness and surface
texture of a rag doll, and realistic coloring.
The outer casing of the doll's head is formed of two
parts which are shaped so that, when ~oined, connecting
edges are easily concealed. The first part,
3 incorporating the face and neck portions, is shaped so
as to be capable of formation in a specially shaped
pressure mold whlch converts a flat laminate into a
roughly hèmispherical shape in which facial
- - 17 _
configuration features are clearly defined in a portion
fo the hemispherically shaped laminate which is offset
from the center of this hemispherical shape. The
hemispherical shape is such that after trimming and
S folding, the first part of the outer casing mates with a
substantially hemispherically-shaped second part of the
outer casing, comprising the crown portion of the doll s
head, so that the intersection of these parts follows
the hair line on the doll's head and so that the
substantially hemispherically-shaped second part
rigidifies the whole outer casing.
30th first and second parts are formed by compressing,
molding and heat setting laminates in which textile
fabric is attached to opposite sides of a sheet of
foamed plastic. This provides shaped laminates which
are sufficiently rigid to retain their shape when
incorporated into the finished doll's head and yet soft
and yielding like the body portion of a rag doll.
This laminate construction lends itself to the coloring
and marking of the doll's head by a sublimation printing
process in that suitably distorted artwork printed in
sublimation ink on transfer paper can be transferred
from this paper on to the textile fabric on one side of
the laminate before this laminate is compressed, molded
and heat set so as to provide superior coloring and
' marking of the compressed, molded and heat set laminate.
