Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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ALTERING MECHANISM FOR STATE ALTERING TOY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a state altering mechanism
for a state altering (reconfigurable) toy and more particularly
relates to a reconfigurable toy which can be reconfigured from a
dinosaur form into a robotic humanoid form and vice versa.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
State altering toys have been proposed hitherto in
which one state is altered to another state, for example, a
foldable house toy with which a house state is altered to
present the interiors of the rooms~ or a toy which can be
altered from an automobile state to a robot state. Such toys
are constructed to be altered from one concrete state to another
concrete state.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a
new state altering mechanism for a reconfigurable toy, which is
capable of performing a eeconfiguration easily, readily,
securely and exactly.
It is another object of the present invention to
provide a state altering mechanism for the reconfigurable toy,
which is capable of performing the reconfiguration with a very
fantastic and unexpected image change.
A further object of the present invention is to provide
an improved altering mechanism for a state altering toy which
facilitates the change between states without requiring
disconnection between the parts during the change.
In accordance with the present invention there is
provided an altering mechanism for a state altering toy
comprising:
at least a first, a second and a third member journaled
to each other through respective hinges;
said first member having a first hinge and a second
hinge and being journaled to a toy body at the first hinge, said
second member being journaled to the first member through the
second hinge, said third member being journaled to the second
member through a third hinge in such a manner that the second
member is provided outside the first member and the third member
is provided outside the second member and the second member is
able to cover the first member.
Preferably, said state altering toy in a dinosaur state
has a front body, having a head and front legs, a rear body, and
a tail, the tail being journaled to a base of the front body
through links
said rear body has said first member, said second
member and said third member, as well as a fourth member
journaled to the third member, the first member being formed in
a shaft shape, and being journaled to the front body at the
first hinge, and the second member providing a profile of the
rear body and having the second and third hinges at respective
ends.
The foregoing object and other objects as well as the
characteristic features of the invention will become more fully
apparent and more readily understandable by the following
description and the appended claims when read in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of a state
altering toy, constructed according to the present invention and
showing it in one of its states;
Fig. 2 is an exploded view of a member constituting an
altering mechanism for the toy;
Fig. 3 is a side view of the toy illustrating the
manner in which its state is altered by operation of the state
altering mechanism; and
Figs. 4(a) and 4(b) illustrate to an enlarged scale
mechanical features of the toy body and a first member.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMEMTS
A state altering toy which is a specific embodiment of
the present invention will now be described in detail with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
In Fig. 1, reference character A designates generally
the state altering toy, which can be reconfigured from a
dinosaur state to a humanoid robot state, and vice versa. The
toy is shown in Fig. 1 in the dinosaur state and consists of a
front body 1, a rear body 2, and a tail 3, the tail 3 being
journaled to a base la of the Eront body through pivotally
connected links 4 and 5. The front body 1 has a head 16, front
legs 15, and a pair of right and left rib cage members lb
constituting a dinosaur abdomen portion, which are pivotally
mounted to the back portion of the front body 1 so as to open
outwardly to the right and the left sides.
The rear body 2 consists of an internal first member 6,
two external second members 7 and two external third members 8,
one on each side of the second member, a respective fourth
member 9 being journaled to each third member 8. The first
internal member 6 has the form of a cylindrical shaft, and is
journalled by first hinge 10 ( Fig. 4b) to the base la. The
external second members 7 provide the overall side profile of
the rear body 2, and are journalled to the first member about
second hinges lla and llb, and while the external third members
8 are journalled by third hinges 12a and 12b to the respective
second member 7.
When the toy is in the dinosaur state shown in Fig. 1
the first member 6 is entirely within an internal enclosure
formed by the second members 7 and is not externally exposed.
Each third member 8 has the profile of the thigh part of the
respective dinosaur rear leg and has the respective fourth
member 9 journalled thereto by a respective fourth hinge 13a and
13b. Each fourth member 9 has the profile of a dinosaur rear
shank and foot~ The tail 3 is journalled to the base la of the
front body 2 through the pivotally connected links ~ and 5 which
extend between the right and left second members 7.
The dinosaur form of the toy of Fig. 1 is reconfigured
into the robotic humanoid Eorm, as shown in Fig. 3, as follows:
Firstly, the rib cage members lb are pivoted outwardly
(not illustrated), and then the rear body second members 7 are
rotated on the shafts lla and llb on which they are journalled,
allowing the tail 3 to be moved upwards while second members 7
are pivoted downwards through 180 degrees relative to the first
members 6, as indicated by arrow A of Fig. 3.
In this embodiment the member 6 is incapable of pivotal
movement because it abuts against the front body portion la,
however, in other embodiments it may be pivoted.
Each third member 8 remains in the same relation to the
respective second member 7, while the respective fourth member 9
is rotated about the respective fourth hinge 13a or 13b as a
center in the direction shown by arrow B in Figure 3, and is
partly inserted into the respective third member 8. The tail 3
is moved to the rear of the ront body 1 as illustrated in
Figure 3 by means of the links 4 and 5. Then the entire toy is
rotated through 90 so that the front body 1 is disposed
uppermost with its underside facing forward and the lower body
is disposed down to constitute the feet of the robotic
humanoid. A face 14 of the robot which previously faced
downward and was concealed is now presented to the front of the
ront body 1, and can be seen; the dinosaur's front legs 15
become the arms of the robot, the base la of the front body 1
becomes the waist, the irst member 6 becomes the thigh of the
robot, the second members 7 become the shanks of the robot legs,
each third member 8 and fourth member 9 become respective parts
of the shank, and the tail 3 becomes part of the back of the
robot, so that the toy is entirely altered to a robot state toy.
When in this robot configuration the toy can be made to
walk by the child by rotating the first member 6 longitudinally
around the first hinge 10 as a center. The third member 8
itself need not rotate, but it has altered to become a point
symmetry to the previous dinosaur state by rotating on the
second member 6. Further, the fourth member 9 has also been
pivoted to be folded toward the third member 8, thereby altering
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the dinosaur foot entirely into the robotic humanoid form with
an unexpected image change. However, the third member 8 may be
pivoted, as occasion demands~ and in such a case, the relative
position of the third member 8 relative to the second member 7
alters, with the result of a further interesting alteration of
the toy. Furtherl the toy may be entirely altered to a
different image by rotating the fourth member 9, and it is a
matter of choice whether or not to rotate it.
Since the toy has the first to fourth members 6, 7, 8,
9 interlocked via the hinges as described above, the relative
position of the first to fourth members 6, 7, 8, 9 may be
entirely altered by rotating these members 6, 7, 8, 9 via the
hinges, thereby providing considerable alteration of the toy
between before the rotating and after the rotating.
Particularly, the first member 6 which was previosusly concealed
is revealed and presented as the leg of the robot in the state
in Fig. 3, and is therefore remarkably altered to give a
fantastic and interesting configuration of the toy.
As described above, the members interlocked via the
hinges at least partly constitute different features before the
alteration and after the alteration. In the embodiment
described above, even if the third member 8 is not rotated, a
different appearance can be given in the states before and after
the alteration by rotating the fourth member 9 interlocked to
the third member 8. For this reason, it is preferred in
construction that three members are rotatably interlocked via
the hinges.
In the embodiment described above, in the dinosaur
state of Fig. 1 the second members 7 of the rear body 2 are
immediately juxtaposed or opposed to the front body member 1. A
recess 16 is formed in each member 7, as shown in Figs. 4(a) and
4(b), and the first member 6 and the second members 7 are held
in the superposed state of Figure 1 by engaging the recess 16
with the protruding first hinge 10 of the first member 6, the
hinge lO thereby also provides a retaining function for the
second members 7. A tapered part lOa is formed on the outer
surface of the hinge lQ and the recess 16 makes contact with the
taperered surface lOa of the hinge 10 when rotating the second
member 7 in the reverse direction of the arrow A (Fig. 3) during
the configuring from the robotic humanoid form into the dinosaur
form, and the second members 7 are moved in the direction of
arrow D ( Fig. 4d) by applying the necessary amount of force
thereto. In this manner, the engagement of the recess 16 of the
member 7 with the hinge lO is conducted, and the member 7 may be
smoothly rotated. It is noted that the taper lOa may be formed
on the entire periphery of the hinge lO.
In the altering mechanism for the state altering toy oE
the present invention as described above, the first member is
journaled to the toy body, the second member is journaled to the
first member, and the third member is journaled to the second
member through respective hinges. Therefore, the members can
operate together in a massive way or separately in a linear form
by varying the pivoting way of the members, or are disposed at a
predetermined angular relationship. For example, the other
members are rotated merely by rotating only one member to which
they are connected. Accordingly, the relative positions of the
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respective members can be largely altered by once rotating only
one of the members through a predetermined angle. Moreover,
since the second members 7 are provided outside the first member
6 and the third members 8 are provided respectively outside the
second members 7, the members disposed outside can cover the
members disposed inside, and the members disposed inside are
alternatively exposed or concealed, thereby altering the
effective profiles of the members in various profiles of the
entire toy. The two second members 7 may be replaced by a
single second member having slots therein for the passage of the
first member 6 and the links 4 and 5.
