US1870368A - Eye mountings for dolls - Google Patents

Description

9, 1932- J. L. LITOMY ,8 ,3 3

EYE MOUNTINGS' FOR DOLLS 7 Filed July 8, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. 621% I I A TTORNEYS.

g- 1932- J.'L. LITOMY EYE MOUNTINGS FOR DOLLS Filed July 8, 1951 2 ShetS-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 9, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE JOHN L. LITOIIIY, 0F GLEN BEDGE, JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO JGSEBH A. TAFERNER AND (ENE-THIRD TO LEO J. SCEILITZER, BOTH OF NEW YORK, N.

Application filed July 8,

This invention relates to eye constructions for dolls, display figures and the like, including eye members which are mounted inside the head of the doll or figure to be visible through eye openings and rotate to simultate movement of the eyes, as in opening and closing thereof.

In the manufacture of doll heads of plastic material, the material often shrinks or expands so that the eye openings in different heads may be different distances apart, or may be located out of horizontal alinement, or the face portions of the heads may vary in their relation to the other portions. Also, the heads may be similarly distortel from their original shapes while in use. Accordingly, it has been diiiicult to produce movaile eve devices which can be easily and quickly mounted in the doll heads and adjusted to accommodate such variations as occur during manufacture, or to permit the eyeballs to adjust themselves relative to the eye openings when the distortions occur while the doll is in use. Much difficulty has also been en countered in quickly and positively mounting the eye devices in the doll heads.

Especial diiiiculty has been encountered in attaching glass eyeballs to suitable mountings and providing for easy and quick rotation of the eyeballs upon tilting of the doll head, but glass eye members are preferable to eye members formed of other material because the glass eye members are more natural in appearance and can be more easily made.

Among the objects of my invention are to provide novel and improved means for easily, quickly and positively securing a movable eye device in a doll head, said means comprising a single length of bendable or malleable material such as wire, having sharp points at opposite ends and mounted in the device so that the ends of the wireniay be simultaneously forced by an impaling or penetrating operation into the walls of a doll head, and to provide novel and improved means to limit the extent of penetration of the ends of the wire into the doll head and compensate for different degrees of hardness of the ma terial of the doll head at the points of penetration of the wire, so that even should pene- MCUNTINGS FOR DOLLS Serial No. 549,379.

tration of one end of the wire be seriously impeded due to unusual hardness of the matethe other end of the wire will nevertheless be prevented from excessive penetration.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide an eye mounting of the character described wherein the eye members shall be loosely arranged on the supporting member and yieldingly held and rotated in the eye sockets by spring arms on a rocker pivotally mounted upon the support, whereby the eye members may yieldingly move in any direction and excessive friction or jamming of the eye members in the sockets and injury to glass eye members may be prevented.

Further objects are to provide in such an eye mounting a novel and improved rocker for holdin and rotating the eye members in the eye sockets, includin spring arms which abuttingly engage the rear sides .of the eyeballs and may be twisted to adjust the eyeballs and properly locate the pupils thereof in the respective sockets, and to provide an eye member of spherical form havin av flat surface on its rear side to be engaged by said spring arms.

Other objects are to provide in an eye mounting for doll heads of the character described, a rocker embodying novel and improved features of construction including a blankivhiehcan be bent to form rockers for different sizes of heads; to provide an eye mounting wslerein said rocker shall be freely slidable on the supporting member to com pensate for inaccuracy in the relation of the eye sockets to the sides of the head without varying the spring pressure on the eye members; to provide a movable eye construction for doll heads which shall be light in weight and embody a minimum number of simple parts, so that the device shall be sensitive to cause easy and quick rotation of the eye members upon slight tilting of the doll head, and the tendency of theeye. mounting to be dislocated in a head upon dropping of the doll shall be reduced; and to obtain other advantages and results as will be brought out by the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which correspondin and like parts are tially designated throughout the several views by the same reference characters,

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through a doll head with an eye con; struction embodying my invention mounted therein,the section being taken through one of the eye sockets;

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view, on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view, on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view similar to Figure 1, showing one of the adjustments of the eye mounting;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional View like Figure 3, showing another adjustment of the eye mounting;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the rockor for rotating the eye members;

Figure 7 is a plan view of the blank from which the rocker is formed;

Figure 8 is a detached plan view rocker for one size of doll head;

Figure 9 is a similar view showing the of the rocker modified for another size of doll head;

Figure 10 is an end elevation of the rocker as shown in Figure 8;

Figure 11 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the supporting member before it has been secured in a doll head;

Figure 12 is a similar view showing the supporting member secured in a doll head, and

Figure 13 is a top plan view of the supporting member shown in Figure 12.

Specifically describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the reference character A designates the hollow head of a doll of known construction having the usual eye sockets B in. the face portion thereof. In each of the eye sockets is arranged an eye member 1 mounted to rotate to simulate opening and closing of the eyes. Each of the eye members is substantially a hollow sphere of glass having on its front portion the usual representation 3 of a pupil and provided on its rear side directly opposite the pupil with a flat surface 4 which is substana chordal plane of a segment of the sphere. Preferably lashes 5 are applied to the eyeballs 1 in any suitable manner.

7 For mounting the eyeballs 1 in the doll head and yieldingly maintaining the eyeballs and rotating them in their respective eye sockets B, I have provided a supporting member C upon which is oscillatably mounted a rocker D. The supporting member G comprises a main tube 6 which is of a length somewhat less than the distance between the portions E of the side walls of the head A adjacent the eye sockets B. Within this tube is arranged a single piece of malleable or bendable wire 7 which has an intermediate portion 8 displaced or bent outwardly through a slot 9 in the tube 6 in the form of straightening a crimp. The ends of the wire are prefer ably pointed or sharpened at 10, and are initially spaced apart a distance less than that between the portions E of the side walls of the head.

In mounting the supporting member in the doll head, the tube and wire are properly located with respect to the eye sockets, after which the crimp 8 in the wire is partiallyfiattened or straightened, either manually or by machine, by pressure upon the crimp, so as to force the ends 10 of the wire outwardly from the tube. This action causes the pointed ends of the wire to penetrate the side walls of the doll head, as shown in Figure 12 of the drawings, so as to firmly secure the support in the head.

It may sometimes happen that the portions of the walls of the doll head adjacent the ends of the wire are of different degrees of hardness, and therefore the tendency is for the end of the wire adjacent the softer portion of the Wall to penetrate more deeply than the other end of the wire which may not penetrate at all. To overcome this difliculty, I contemplate the use of stops to limit the extent of penetration of the ends of the wire into the walls of the doll head and thereby compensate for different degrees of hardness of said walls. In the drawings I have shown this means as comprising a tube 11 surrounding each end portion of the wire 7 within the main tube 6 and longitudinally slidable in said main tube. The inner ends of the tubes 11 normally contact and are notched at 110 j with the closed ends of the notches terminating short of the respective ends of the crimp 8. Adjacent the ends of the crimp 8 the wire is formed with notches 12 to abut tingly engage the closed ends of the notches 110 as the crimp 8 is straightened, so that after each end of the wire has penetrated the side wall of the doll head a predetermined distance, the corresponding stop tube 11 will be projected from the main tube into contact with the side wall of the doll head, as shown in Figure 12, to limit further penetration of said end of the wire. Accordingly, it will be understood that when the two side walls are of different degrees of hardness, the end of the wire at the softer wall will penetrate firstupon straightening of the crimp 8, but the extent of penetration will be limited by the corresponding stoptube 11, after which the pressure exerted on the crimp during the operation will be transmitted to the other end of the wire at the harder wall of the doll head so as to cause said end to penetrate the wall.

With this construction, a will be understood that the supporting member may be 11 Live ZEKL ' of the drawings.

possibility of such dislocation of the supporting member taking place by accident, as by dropping of the doll, and after the sup porting member has once been mounted, there 1S no requirement for subsequent ads j ustments.

Another feature of the invention is the construction of the eye members 1 and the mounting thereof in the eye sockets. Each eye. member has at diametrically opposite points in its side walls, openings 13 of a diameter considerably greater than the diameter of the main tube 6' of the supporting member C, and each eye member is arranged in the doll head with one-end of the supporting member C loosely passing through the openings 13 of the eye member, so that the eye members may move in all directions without restraint from or contact with the supporting member;

'For holding and rotating the eye members in their sockets, I have provided the rocker D, which may be conveniently formed of a single sheet of metal, as shown in Figure 7 The blank for the rocker is so shaped as to provide a main portion 14 and two pivot legs 15 which are bent into a position so that their planes are substantial.- ly at right angles to the plane of the main portion 14, as shown in Figures 6, 8 and 10 of the drawings, whereby great rigidity of the rocker is produced with desired lightness in weight. At the end of the main portion 14 opposite the pivot legs 15 is a pendulum stem 16 upon which is secured a counterweight 17. At the outer end of each pivot leg 15 is a pivot opening 18 to receive the supporting member 0, so that the rocker may oscillate upon said supporting member, and pro ecting substantially at rightangles to the pivot legs 15 are spring arms 19 one to abuttingly engage the flat surface 4 at the rear of each eye member 1.

In assembling the parts for mounting them in a doll head, the rocker D is mounted on the supporting member C with the pivot legs 15 respectively at opposite sides of the crimp 8 and so that the rocker may have a limited sliding movement longitudinally of the supporting member. The eyeballs 1 are then slipped upon the respective ends of the supporting member with the spring arms 19 of the rocker engaging the rear sides of the eyeballs. The spring tension of the arms forces the eyeballs laterally of the supporting memberunti'l the edges of the openings 13 in the eyeballs engage the supporting member, and in placing the device in a doll head, the eyeballs are first seated in their respective sockets, after which the supporting member is forced toward the face portion of the doll head until the supporting member is approximately centrally disposed in the openings 13 of the eye members and in spaced relation to the edges of said openings.

Thereupon the crimp 8' is straightened to: se cure the. supporting member in: the head, as above described.

With the device so mounted, it will be ob.

served that the eyeballs 1 will be yieldingly held in their sockets by the respective spring arms 19,. and that the eyeballs will be re.- tated' upon tilting of the head by oscillation of the rocker and the engagement of the spring with the fiat surfaces 4t on the eye members, as indicated by dot and. dashlines on Figure 1 of the drawings.

To limit movement of the rocker in the direction to move theeye members into eye,- closing position, I. have provided a spring stop arm at the upper end of the rocker to engage the inside of the face portion of the doll head, as shown by dot and dash lines in Figure 1..

To compensate for inaccuracies in the; re-

lation of the eye sockets to each other, and

to ensure that the pupil portions 3 of the eye members shall be properly located in their respective eye openings, the spring arms 19 can be bent in different directions as shown in Figures at, 5 and 6. By twisting the spring arms out of their planes, the eye members may be adjusted about a. horizontalaxis to move the pupil portions up or down in the eye opening, as shown in Figures 4: and 6, while by bending the spring arms with respect to the pivot legs 15, the eyeballsmay be adjusted about vertical axes to move the pupil portions sidewise in the eye openings, as, shown in Figure 5.

Another desirable feature of my invention is that the construction of the rocker enables the production of rockers for different sizes of heads from a singlesize of blank. Figures 8 and 10 illustrate the manner of bending the spring arms to form rockers for different sizes of heads, the larger size being indicated by solid lines, and the smaller sizesbeing shown in dot and dash lines. Figure 10 is a plan view of the largest size of rocker, while Figure 9 is a similar view of one of the smaller sizes.

The invention is further particularly advantageous in that the construction embodies a minimum number of simple and easily made parts; the assembly of the parts may be quickly and easily made; the device may be easily, quickly and securely mounted in a doll head; the eye members and the rocker may be easily adjusted to compensate for inaccuracies in the relation of the eye openings to each other and to the face portion of the doll head, and the whole device is so light in weight as to be extremely sensitive to tilting of the head so that the eye members will be quickly moved upon even a slight tilt of the head; and the possibility of dislocation of the'mechanis-m in the doll head as by dropping of the doll, is reduced to a minimum.

While I have shown and described my inmeans at its extremities to penetrate into opposite walls of a doll head, and means for holding the end portions of said wire against bending and permitting said crimped portion to be straightened under pressure, so

that upon straightening of said crimped por- I tube surrounding tion said extremities will be forced in opposite directions.

2. In an eye mounting for dolls, a supporting member comprising a single piece of wire having an intermediate crimped portion and having its end portions in axial alinement and means atits extremities to penetrate into opposite walls of a doll head, and a tube in which said wire is arranged having a slot through which said crimped portion projects, so that said crimped portion may be straightened and thereby said extremities will be forced in opposite directions outwardly from the ends of said tube.

3. The eye mounting set forth in claim 2, wherein said wire has a notch in each end portion thereof, and with the addition of a each end portion of said wire within the first-mentioned tube to be abuttingly engaged adjacent its inner end by the respective said notch and to abuttingly engage at its other end the corresponding side wall of a doll head, whereby to limit movement of said extremities of the wire into said walls.

4; In an eye mounting for dolls, a rocker to yieldingly hold and rotate eye members in eye sockets in a doll head, comprising a body of sheet metal having integral spaced parallelpivot legs the planes of which are perpendicular to the plane of said body, said legs having alined pivot openings to receive a support, and integral spring arms projectgeneral planes approximately parallel to the plane of said. body to abuttingly engage the rear of an eye member.

5. In an eye mounting for dolls, a supporting member comprising a single piece of wire having an intermediate crimped poring laterally from said pivot legs withtheir tion and having its end portions in axial alinement and means at its extremities to penetrate into opposite Walls of a doll head, a tube in which said wire is arranged having a slot through which said crimped portion projects, so that said crimped portion may be straightened and thereby said extremities will be forced in opposite directions outwardly from the ends of said tube, segmentally spherical eye members havin diametrical openings of I a diameter su stantially greater than that of said supporting member through which the latter loosely passes, and a rocker oscillatably mounted on said supporting member between said eye members and having spring arms to abuttingly engage said eye members and holdand rotate them in eye sockets in a doll head.

6. In an eye mounting for dolls, a supporting member comprising a single piece of wire having an intermediate crimped portion and having its end portions m axial alinement and means at its extremities to penetrate into opposite walls of a doll head, a tube in which said wire is arranged having a. slot through which said crimpedportion projects, so that said crimped portion may be straightened and thereby said extremities will be forced in opposite directions outwardly from the ends of said tube, segmentally. spherical eye members having diametrical openings of a diameter substantially greater than that of said tube through which the latter loosely passes, a rocker includin a body of sheet metal having integral space parallel pivot legs the planes of which are perpendicular to the plane of said body,said legs having alined pivot openings to receive said tube, and integral spring arms projecting laterally from said pivot legs with their general planes approximately parallel to the plane of said body each to abuttingly engage the rear of one'of said eye members.

7. The combination with a doll head having eye sockets, of a supporting member comprising a single piece of wire having an intermediatecrimped portion and having its end portions in axial alinementand means at its extremities to penetrate into opposite walls of said doll head, a rigid support for said wire for holding the end portions of said wire against bending and exposing said crimped portion so that it can be straightened under pressure to force said extremities of the wire in opposite directions into said walls of the doll head, segmentally in eye sockets in a doll head.

. JOHN L. LITOMY.

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