Toy with two bodies and an ejectable gear and retraction mechanism

Abstract

The present invention includes A toy with an extendable mechanism capable of transforming its original compact shape into a new entity without need to manipulate its parts or add new parts comprising: a hollow sphere (1) formed from two caps; an upper hinge (4) at a top of the hollow sphere (1) that connects two symmetrical caps; two protuberances (5) generally centrally located in each of the caps connected to a central internal spring; a circular hinge (6) connected to a spring and the hinges articulate two cylindrical arms (7) that converge in two circular hinges (8) contained within a central casing (9); and a body-shaped part (10) connected to the central casing (9), such that the body-shaped part (10) projects out from the lower part of the sphere (1), and upon being ejected, the caps close automatically with a spring at the upper hinge (4).

Claims

1. A toy comprising: a hollow sphere (1) comprising two symmetrical caps, having a circular opening on a lower part thereof (2) and a vertical cut (3) on a lateral diameter, wherein the two symmetrical caps can be separated at the vertical cut; an upper hinge (4) at a top of the hollow sphere (1) that connects the two symmetrical caps; a first and a second protuberance (5) centrally located in each of the two symmetrical caps connected to a first and a second spring, respectively; a first and a second circular hinge (6) located internally from the first and second protuberances (5), respectively, wherein each of the first and second hinges connects to the first and second springs, respectively, and each of the first and second hinges articulate a first and a second cylindrical arm (7), respectively, with oblique ascendant inclination, wherein each of the first and second cylindrical arms (7) connects to a first and a second central hinge (8) having a radial sequence of curved concave notches, wherein each of the first and second central hinges (8) are within a central casing (9); and a body-shaped part (10) connected to the central casing (9), wherein the body-shaped part (10) comprises: a neck, a central torso, one or more lateral arms with their respective hands, or one or more lower legs with their respective feet, wherein when the hollow sphere (1) receives a strike, the first and second springs of the first and second circular hinges are spring-loaded to (6) open the hollow sphere and eject the body-shaped part (10), and upon being ejected, an upper spring closes the symmetrical caps, wherein the body-shaped part (10) remains attached to the hollow sphere (1), and forms a head of the body-shaped part (10).

2. The toy of claim 1, wherein the body-shaped part is constituted by one single part.

3. The toy of claim 1, wherein the body-shaped part comprises hands and wherein the hands comprise a slot that allows each hand to grip other elements.

4. The toy of claim 1, wherein the body-shaped part comprises feet and wherein the feet are flat to provide the toy with vertical stability and wherein each of the feet further comprises a central sunken area (12) to stack elements.

5. The toy of claim 1, wherein the body-shaped part has the appearance of a human or animal that is male, female, asexual gender, a baby, a child, or an adult.

6. The toy claim 1, wherein the hollow sphere comprises an oval shape, different colors or textures, or different faces.

7. A toy consisting essentially of: a hollow sphere (1) comprising two symmetrical caps, having a circular opening on a lower part thereof (2) and a vertical cut (3) on a lateral diameter, wherein the two symmetrical caps can be separated at the vertical cut; an upper hinge (4) at a top of the hollow sphere (1) that connects the two symmetrical caps; a first and a second protuberance (5) centrally located in each of the two symmetrical caps connected to a first and a second spring; a first and a second circular hinge located internally from the first and second protuberances (5), respectively, wherein each of the first and second hinges connects to the first and second springs, respectively, and each of the first and second hinges are spring-loaded and articulate a first and a second cylindrical arm (7), respectively, with oblique ascendant inclination, wherein each of the first and second cylindrical arms (7) connects to a first and a second central hinge (8) having a radial sequence of curved concave notches, wherein each of the first and second central hinges (8) are within a central casing (9); and a body-shaped part (10) connected to the central casing (9), wherein the body-shaped part (10) comprises: a neck, a central torso, one or more lateral arms with their respective hands, or one or more lower legs with their respective feet, wherein when the hollow sphere (1) receives a strike, the first and second springs of the first and second circular hinges (6) are spring loaded to open the hollow sphere and eject the body-shaped part (10), and upon being ejected, an upper spring closes the symmetrical caps, wherein the body-shaped part (10) remains attached to the hollow sphere (1) and forms becomes a head for the body-shaped part (10).

8. A toy consisting of: a hollow sphere (1) comprising two symmetrical caps, having a circular opening on a lower part thereof (2) and a vertical cut (3) on a lateral diameter, wherein the two symmetrical caps can be separated at the vertical cut; an upper hinge (4) at a top of the hollow sphere (1) that connects the two symmetrical caps; a first and a second protuberance (5) centrally located in each of the two symmetrical caps connected to a first and a second spring; a first and a second circular hinge (6) located internally from the first and second protuberances (5), respectively, wherein each of the first and second hinges connects to the first and second springs, respectively, and each of the first and second hinges are spring-loaded and articulate a first and a second cylindrical arm (7), respectively, with oblique ascendant inclination, wherein each of the first and second cylindrical arms (7) connects to a first and a second central hinge (8) having a radial sequence of curved concave notches, wherein each of the first and second central hinges (8) are within a central casing (9); and a body-shaped part (10) connected to the central casing (9), wherein the body-shaped part (10) comprises: a neck, a central torso, one or more lateral arms with their respective hands, or one or more lower legs with their respective feet, wherein when the hollow sphere (1) receives a strike, the first and second springs of the first and second circular hinges (6) are spring loaded to open the hollow sphere and eject the body-shaped part (10), and upon being ejected, an upper swing closes the symmetrical caps, wherein the body-shaped part (10) remains attached to the hollow sphere (1) and forms a head for the body-shaped part (10).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) For a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention, reference is now made to the detailed description of the invention along with the accompanying figures and in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a cross-section view of the toy in a compact position.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a cross-section view of the toy in a semi-extended position.

(4) FIG. 3 shows a cross-section view of the toy in an extended position.

(5) FIG. 4 shows a cross-section view of the toy in an extended position, showing the internal mechanism that moves the internal body.

(6) FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the toy in an extended position.

(7) FIG. 6 shows a frontal elevation view of the toy in an extended position.

(8) FIG. 7 shows a rear elevation view of the toy in an extended position.

(9) FIG. 8 shows a right profile view of the toy in an extended position.

(10) FIG. 9 shows an upper level view of the toy in an extended position.

(11) FIG. 10 shows a lower level view of the toy in an extended position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(12) While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention.

(13) To facilitate the understanding of this invention, a number of terms are defined below. Terms defined herein have meanings as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the areas relevant to the present invention. Terms such as a, an and the are not intended to refer to only a singular entity, but include the general class of which a specific example may be used for illustration. The terminology herein is used to describe specific embodiments of the invention, but their usage does not limit the invention, except as outlined in the claims.

(14) The present invention is a toy with an extendable mechanism, wherein the toy is capable of transforming its original compact shape into a new entity, without the need to manipulate its parts or add new parts.

(15) As shown in FIGS. 1 to 10, the present invention is composed of a hollow sphere (1), provided with a circular opening in the lower part thereof (2) and a vertical cut (3) along a lateral diameter of the sphere (1), which divides the sphere (1) into two symmetrical caps of the sphere (1), and the spheres interior includes an upper hinge (4), composed of two protuberances attached to both caps and an internal central spring (not depicted), and from the front and rear parts two hollow convex protuberances (5) are projected, each with a circular swivel (6) inside, of which, the frontal swivel is surrounded by a spring, additionally, both swivels articulate two cylindrical arms (7) with an oblique ascendant inclination, the upper parts of the cylindrical arms (7) converging in two circular swivels (8)(e.g., see FIG. 4), provided with a radial sequence of curved concave notches, in turn, these circular swivels (8) are contained within a central casing (9) having a rectangular profile and round edges, and from the lower part thereof a body-shaped part (10) is projected, in this example provided with a neck, a central torso, two lateral arms with their respective hands and two lower legs with their respective feet, in such a way that, when the sphere (1) receives a strike, the spring of the frontal swivel (6) activates the movement of the central casing (9), moving it downwards, and the cylindrical arms (7) upon reaching medium height, push the caps of the sphere (1) outwards, creating an opening such that the body-shaped part (10) may be projected from the lower part of the sphere (1), and as soon as the body-shaped part (10) is out, the caps of the sphere (1) close automatically with the spring of the hinge (4), in such a way, that as soon as the body is out, the sphere (1) is constituted at the head of the body-shaped part (10), and together they constitute an entity different from the initial one.

(16) In addition, the body-shaped part (10) displays a series of supplementary characteristics that confer a high number of supplementary features thereto, among which, emphasis is made on the feature of being formed by one single part, which provides it with a higher rigidity and resistance. The hands present a slot (11) that allows the inclusion of other elements, and the feet, in addition to presenting a flat base that grants it higher stability, show a central hexagonal sunken area (12), which allows stacking it to other elements.

(17) The shape of the body-shaped part (10) can also allow for variations depending on the targeted segment, ranging from the body type, whether it is animal or human, the latter with male, female, or asexual gender, or with the appearance of a baby, child or adult. The sphere (1) can also allow for different variations, ranging from an oval shape, different colors or textures, or different faces, depending on the adhesive adjoined to the front surface.

(18) FIG. 2 shows a cross-section view of the toy in a semi-extended position in which the body-shaped part (10) is completely outside of the hollow-sphere (1) the caps have closed back into the spherical shape.

(19) FIG. 3 shows a cross-section view of the toy in an extended position, in which the body-shaped part (10) is part of the way out of the hollow-sphere (1) and in which the body-shaped part (10) has passed across the location of the hinges have reached past the frontal swivel (6) such that the body-shaped part (10) will continue to extend.

(20) FIG. 4 shows a cross-section view of the toy in an extended position, showing the internal mechanism that moves the body-shaped part (10), and in which the body-shaped part (10) is completely outside the hollow sphere (1) and the caps have closed. This figure also shows the additional detail for the mechanism of the circular swivels (8) inside the central casing (9).

(21) FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the toy in an extended position in which the body-shaped part (10) is completely outside the hollow sphere (1) and the caps have closed, with the further detail of slots (11) at the hands of the body-shaped part (10).

(22) FIG. 6 shows a frontal elevation view of the toy in an extended position in which the body-shaped part (10) is completely outside the hollow sphere (1) and the caps have closed, with the further detail of slots (11) at the hands of the body-shaped part (10).

(23) FIG. 7 shows a rear elevation view of the toy in an extended position in which the body-shaped part (10) is completely outside the hollow sphere (1) and the caps have closed.

(24) FIG. 8 shows a right profile view of the toy in an extended position in which the body-shaped part (10) is completely outside the hollow sphere (1) and the caps have closed, with the further detail of slots (11) at the hands of the body-shaped part (10) and showing the longitudinal cuts that form the two caps of the hollow sphere (1).

(25) FIG. 9 shows an upper level view of the toy showing the longitudinal cuts that form the two caps of the hollow sphere (1).

(26) FIG. 10 shows a lower level view of the toy in an extended position in which the body-shaped part (10) is completely outside the hollow sphere (1) and the caps have closed, with the further detail of slots (11) at the hands of the body-shaped part (10), and further show a central hexagonal sunken area (12) (but it can have any shape), which allows stacking it to other elements.

(27) It is contemplated that any embodiment discussed in this specification can be implemented with respect to any method, kit, reagent, or composition of the invention, and vice versa. Furthermore, compositions of the invention can be used to achieve methods of the invention.

(28) It will be understood that particular embodiments described herein are shown by way of illustration and not as limitations of the invention. The principal features of this invention can be employed in various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, numerous equivalents to the specific procedures described herein. Such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of this invention and are covered by the claims.

(29) All publications and patent applications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the level of skill of those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. All publications and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

(30) The use of the word a or an when used in conjunction with the term comprising in the claims and/or the specification may mean one, but it is also consistent with the meaning of one or more, at least one, and one or more than one. The use of the term or in the claims is used to mean and/or unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or the alternatives are mutually exclusive, although the disclosure supports a definition that refers to only alternatives and and/or. Throughout this application, the term about is used to indicate that a value includes the inherent variation of error for the device, the method being employed to determine the value, or the variation that exists among the study subjects.

(31) As used in this specification and claim(s), the words comprising (and any form of comprising, such as comprise and comprises), having (and any form of having, such as have and has), including (and any form of including, such as includes and include) or containing (and any form of containing, such as contains and contain) are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. In embodiments of any of the compositions and methods provided herein, comprising may be replaced with consisting essentially of or consisting of. As used herein, the phrase consisting essentially of requires the specified integer(s) or steps as well as those that do not materially affect the character or function of the claimed invention. As used herein, the term consisting is used to indicate the presence of the recited integer (e.g., a feature, an element, a characteristic, a property, a method/process step or a limitation) or group of integers (e.g., feature(s), element(s), characteristic(s), property(ies), method/process steps or limitation(s)) only.

(32) The term or combinations thereof as used herein refers to all permutations and combinations of the listed items preceding the term. For example, A, B, C, or combinations thereof is intended to include at least one of: A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC, and if order is important in a particular context, also BA, CA, CB, CBA, BCA, ACB, BAC, or CAB.

(33) Continuing with this example, expressly included are combinations that contain repeats of one or more item or term, such as BB, AAA, AB, BBC, AAABCCCC, CBBAAA, CABABB, and so forth. The skilled artisan will understand that typically there is no limit on the number of items or terms in any combination, unless otherwise apparent from the context.

(34) As used herein, words of approximation such as, without limitation, about, substantial or substantially refers to a condition that when so modified is understood to not necessarily be absolute or perfect but would be considered close enough to those of ordinary skill in the art to warrant designating the condition as being present. The extent to which the description may vary will depend on how great a change can be instituted and still have one of ordinary skill in the art recognize the modified feature as still having the required characteristics and capabilities of the unmodified feature. In general, but subject to the preceding discussion, a numerical value herein that is modified by a word of approximation such as about may vary from the stated value by at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12 or 15%.

(35) All of the compositions and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept, spirit and scope of the invention. All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

(36) To aid the Patent Office, and any readers of any patent issued on this application in interpreting the claims appended hereto, applicants wish to note that they do not intend any of the appended claims to invoke paragraph 6 of 35 U.S.C. 112, U.S.C. 112 paragraph (f), or equivalent, as it exists on the date of filing hereof unless the words means for or step for are explicitly used in the particular claim.

(37) For each of the claims, each dependent claim can depend both from the independent claim and from each of the prior dependent claims for each and every claim so long as the prior claim provides a proper antecedent basis for a claim term or element.