US2718727A - Tumbling toy - Google Patents

Description

F. J. LAISSUE TUMBLING TOY Sept. 27, 1955 Filed March 29, 1952 VENTOR.

f/ A4 A44 7 244 Mar United States Patent C) TUMBLING TOY Francisco J. Laissue, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Application March 29, 1952, Serial No. 279,289

1 Claim. (Cl. 46-134) The object of this invention is to improve and simplify the construction of tumbling toys in such manner that they may be constructed very cheaply and be given durability. A specific object of the invention is to provide a tumbling toy which may be formed of stock elements which are readily obtainable and assembled with a minimum cost.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the invention in upright form, the clothing which will cover the body and operative parts, with the exception of the hands and feet, having been stripped from the article and not being shown.

Fig. 2 is the side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1, placed in seated position and ready for manual action preliminary to its tumbling efiect, the figure being composite, portion B of the figure showing the article with its head and body pressed downwardly ready for release, and portion C, by dotted lines, showing the tumbling movement of the figure after it has been more completely depressed and then released.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation showing the spring connection between one of the arms and the body member.

Referring to the drawings I have shown at 1 a body member which may be of wood or any other suitable material, including plastic. At the top of the body members is mounted or molded a head 2.

Nearest the top and also nearest the base the body member is formed through its width, with a horizontal aperture; Placed in the top horizontal aperture is a rod 3 which, in the present embodiment does not extend down to the hand 4, but which is used as a carrier for the arms 5. Inasmuch as the arms 5 may be made of wood or other low cost material such an arrangement somewhat lowers the cost over an arrangement in which the rod itself is used for the arms, in the sense that the parallel bent sections of the rod extend down to and carry the hands 4.

The lower aperture of the body receives a second bent rod 6, the ends of which carry the legs 7, the latter being connected to the feet 8.

It will be understood that the legs and feet may be molded of plastic, or the bent rod 6 may extend down to and carry the feet 8, the latter being separately formed.

As indicated above the tumbling figure will customarily be clothed, as for example, in an inexpensive clowns costume which will be sufiiciently full and loose as to permit free action of the movable elements.

Each arm 5 has fastened thereto, below the pivotal line of the two arms, a coiled spring 9 the opposite end of which is secured to the body member. Thus when the body member is moved from the position A to either position B or C, the springs will be placed under tension.

In the operation of the tumbling toy, the latter may be placed in seated position, as shown at portion A of Fig. 2, the hands 4 resting upon a horizontal support. The head, then, may be pressed downwardly by a finger of the hand of an operator until the body reaches the position of either portion B or portion C (full lines) of Fig. 2. When the operators finger is released from the head 2, as by a quick withdrawal movement, the toy will spring into the air and will rotate, as for example, in the path of the dotted line, Fig. 2, and in the direction of the arrows, producing a pleasing tumbling effect which is augmented by the costume (not shown) which will be placed upon the figure in practice.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

A tumbling toy consisting of a body member carrying at its top a head-configuration, the body member being formed with horizontal apertures, one near the top and one near the base thereof, a rod bent into U-shape extending through the top-most aperture and carrying hand members, and a second freely movable rod of U-shape extending through the base aperture of the body and carrying feet, and a pair of coil springs having one end connected to the body member and its opposite end connected to each of the parallel extensions of the firstnamed rod, whereby the figure may be seated with the base positioned U-shaped rod lying horizontally and the hands extending downwardly from the body and in contact with a horizontal support, the body being adapted to rock downwardly on the base U-shaped rod whilst the hands exert leverage upon the horizontal support with tensioning of said spring, release of the article from said position causing it to have a backward tumbling as and for the purpose described.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,817,959 Bloxom Aug. 11, 1931 1,937,162 Parrish Nov. 28, 1933 2,498,974 Wilbik Feb. 28, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 253,039 Great Britain June 10, 1926

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