US3125828A - ostrander - Google Patents

Description

March 24, 1964 R. K. OSTRANDER 3,125,828

ANIMATED ARTICULATED DOLL Filed May 10, 1962 Tiql.

2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTR. P035197- TQTO/YDEP BY 44; AAA-0% March 24, 1964 R. K. OSTRANDER ANIMATED ARTICULATED DOLL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 10, 1962 R m N W m i @05 osn w voe-g 44 I Amp/vans lliiiiiiiiiiii' H BY 6424 AM United States Patent 3,125,828 ANIMATED ARTICULATED DOLL Robert K. Ostrander, 497 Prospect Ave., Maplewo'od, NJ. Filed May 10, 1962, Ser. No. 193,749 7 Claims. (Cl. 46-120) This invention relates to an animated articulated doll.

It is an object of my invention to provide a doll of the character described having an extremely simple arrangement for imparting life-like animation to the arms and legs of the doll.

It is another object of my invention to provide a doll of the character described in which the animation is impar-ted at a low cost so that a doll of this character can compete with a simple unanimated articulated doll.

It is another object of my invention to provide a doll of the character described in which the parts added for the purpose of animation are few, inexpensive and simple and can be incorporated in the doll rapidly and with case.

It is another object of my invention to provide a doll of the character described which has a life-like wiggling action of the arms and legs when the latter are animated.

It is another object of my invention to provide a doll of the character described the arms and legs of which will move toward one another when the torso is squeezed.

It is another object of my invention to provide a doll of the character described in which the aforesaid motion of the arms and legs can be secured by squeezing various portions of the torso and is not limited to the application of pressure to any single area.

It is another object of my invention to provide a doll of the character described in which the torso is flexible and resilient so that the squeezing thereof which generates the animation of the arms and legs also is capable of providing adequate air pressure for actuation of a sounding mechanism.

It is another object of my invention to provide a doll of the character described wherein the first half of a cycle of animation is engendered by manual pressure on the torso and wherein the return half of the cycle of animation is eifected by the weight of the arms and legs thereby avoiding the necessity of employing springs.

It is another object of my invention to provide a doll of the character described in which the arms and legs will experience a random animated motion rather than a simple arcuate motion whereby to more closely simulate the unguided (not mentally directed) limb movements of a very young child.

It is another object of my invention to provide a doll of the character described in which when the torso is squeezed the arms and legs on opposite sides of the doll will move simultaneously but not jointly, that is to say in which the linkage system that actuates the limbs and that interconnects limbs on opposite sides includes a lost motion connection which enables the limbs on opposite sides to experience motion relative to one another as well as simultaneous motion.

It is another object of my invention to provide a doll of the character described in which the linkage system for actuating the limbs of the doll is somewhat resilient whereby the motions of the arms and legs will not be stifi and unnatural but will include haphazard variations in acceleration that are due to the yieldability of the linkage system and which makes the aforesaid motions more closely resemble movement of human limbs.

It is an ancillary object of my invention to provide a doll of the character described in which the limbs are articulated joined to the body in any conventional manner and in which the limb actuating linkage system is independent of the articulated joining means so that the limb connections are separate and distinct from the limb animation mechanism.

v which is sufiiciently thick to be self-form-maintaining, but

Patented Mar. 24, 1964 "ice It is an ancillary object of my invention to provide a doll of the character described in which loosely articulated joints are utilized to join the limbs to the dolls torso independently of the animation mechanism.

Other objects of my invention in part will be obvious and in part will be pointed out hereinafter.

My invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the doll hereinafter described and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which I have shown one of the various possible embodiments of my invention,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a doll constructed in accordance with my invention, the same being shown lying with its back lowermost and in a horizontal position and with its limbs swung back under the influence of gravity;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the doll after the torso has been squeezed to move the arms and legs forwardly and towards one another;

FIG. 3 is a side-to-side vertical central sectional view through the dolls torso and illustrating the construction of the animating mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a front-to-back vertical central sectional view through the dolls torso and likewise illustrating the animating mechanism;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the animating mechanism and its points of support and showing the position of the parts thereof when pressure is applied to the torso at other than the center of its frontal region; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing the parts of the animating mechanism when the torso is squeezed at the center of its frontal region.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 denotes a doll constructed in accordance with my invention. Said doll has a torso 12, a pair of arms 14 and a pair of legs 16.

Suitable means is included to articulately join the arms and legs to the torso at the shoulders and hips. It should be made clear at this point that any type of articulate joint can be employed which permits the arm and the leg on each side of the torso to be moved relative to thetorso about a single common axis that passes through the shoulder joint and through the hip joint at that side of the torso. For example such articulate joints may be in the form of conventional ball and socket joints, or the arms and legs may be in one piece, i.e. molded with the torso, and the connections between the torso and the arms and legs may be made of a thinner material than the arms and legs or of a more pliable material so as to permit the arms and legs to experience hinged movement in the indicated direction with respect to the torso. However in the preferred form of my invention I employ the type of loosely articulated joint which is illustrated in FIG. 3 hereof and which is shown, described and claimed in my reopen-ding application for 'Loosely Articulated Doll, Serial No. 118,381, filed June 20, 1961, now abandoned.

The torso 12 is a hollow semi-stiff resilient shell of humanoid appearance, that is to say, it is such that it will retain its own predetermined shape when unstressed and even when mildly stressed, as for example when the same simply is held. However, the torso will readily yield when deliberately squeezed or compressed, although as soon as the stress is released the torso will resume its original shape. Such a torso preferably is molded, desirably being molded from a comparatively inexpensive synthetic plastic material by any mass production inexpensive process. For example, the torso can be molded from a plastisol, eg a vinyl plastisol, as by slush molding. Alternatively I may employ a hollow rubber torso not so thick that it can not readily be deformed upon deliberate squeezing. It is pointed out that the torso shown does not include integral arms and legs. The doll also will be provided with a head that can be attached to the torso in any usual manner. Since the head is conventional it has not been illustrated.

The arms and legs may be made in any of the manners and from any of the materials mentioned above with respect to the torso. Said arms and legs will, in general, be of conventional contours and their sizes will be appropriate to the size of the torso. For the sake of simplicity the arms, legs and torso may be essentially conventional, that is to say they may be the arms, legs and torso which customarily are used in a multi-part doll such as an articulated doll, e.g. a doll in which the limbs are rotatably joined to the torso at the shoulders and hips. However as soon will be pointed out, the arms, legs and torso are not entirely conventional in that whereas standard arms, legs and torsos customarily have portions removed therefrom after molding and before being articulately joined, the arms, legs and torsos used herein need not have any such portions removed and indeed preferably do not.

The mechanism employed to articulately join the limbs to the torso is, in the form of my invention now being described, such that the limbs, although connected to the torso, can experience three-dimensional loose articulation. Said joining mechanism, i.e. joining means, for each limb essentially constitutes a sheath, casing, jacket, sack, or the like of limp, flexible material, desirably thinwalled in nature, which is secured to the torso and which includes tubular unfilled (hollow, empty) extensions at the shoulders and hips that securely engage the proximal ends of the limbs.

More particularly the torso 12 is hollow, empty, light, flexible, resilient, shell-like, semi-stiff and self-form-maintaining, having been molded as by slush, centrifugal, injec tion, or dip molding out of my material suitable for use in such molding processes, for example vinyl plastisol, a polyvinyl ester, a synthetic elastomer or natural rubber. The torso has the general configuration of a human torso, and desirably that of an infant. The outer surface differs from the configuration of a natural torso only in that it is truncated at the neck, at the shoulders and at the hips.

The shape of the torso at the neck, shoulders and hips in conventional for a dolls torso. For example at the neck of the torso, a tubular open neck extension 18 is provided for communication with the interior of the head (not shown). Moreover a conventional neck flange 20 may be included, the same constituting an outwardly extending annular rib at the upper end of the neck extension the function of which rib is to retain the head in position in the traditional manner.

At each shoulder the torso includes a shallow socket 22 constituting a short inwardly tapering frusto-conical side wall 24 terminating at a base wall 26. The base Wall 26 is vertical when the doll is erect and the two base walls 26 are substantially parallel to one another and face laterally outwardly. When such a torso is used in a conventionally articulated doll, the base wall 26 and more or less of the side wall 24 is removed, as by cutting, to provide a bearing for a shoulder end of a dolls arm. However in the present invention the socket 22 deliberately is left whole, principally in order to maintain the base wall 26 intact, since in such condition it can function as an element of the animating mechanism hereinafter to be described. Also by leaving the socket in one piece I am able to prevent escape of air pressure if the torso is to be used as an air bellows.

In a similar fashion, at the pelvis of the torso I provide shallow hip sockets 28 which are of the same general configuration as the shoulder sockets 22, differ-ing therefrom only that they are somewhat larger and they are inclined to the vertical as well as to the horizontal when the torso is held erect. Each hip socket 28 in- 4i cludes an inwardly tapering frusto-conical side wall 30 and a base wall 32. Each base wall 32 faces laterally outwardly and, like the base wall 26, is perpendicular to a plane running through the centers of all the shoulder and hip sockets. In a conventional doll torso which is articulately joined to a leg the base Wall 32 and optionally a part of the side wall 3% is removed to create a journal which rotatably receives the hip end of a leg. However, as in the case of the shoulder sockets 22, in carrying out my invention the hip sockets 28 may be left whole so that the base walls 32 remain intact as molded.

Each arm 14 is made so as to be self-form-maintaining, preferably being molded so that it can have imparted thereto a life-like configuration and detail. The arms are hollow and desirably are made in the same manner and of the same materials as described with respect to the torso.

The shoulder end of each arm 14 is formed to a conventional contour of the type which is customarily used to rotatably mate with a standard shoulder socket in a torso. Such contour includes a head 34 which essentially comprises a circular disc separated from the adjoining full size portion of the upper arm by an annular groove 36. By Way of analogy the head 34 may be considered to have a squat mushroom shape. When this type of arm is employed in connection with a dolls standard torso to which it is joined to permit rotation of the arm relative to the torso about an axis perpendicular to the base wall 26, the head or disc 34 is located within the hollow interior of the torso of the doll, having been thrust through the cut away shoulder opening, and the walls of the groove 36 are journaled in the inwardly flanged bearing that then surrounds the shoulder opening. However such an articulated connection is not used in my invention since, as noted earlier, the wall 26 is left intact. Desirably the periphery of the disc 34 is reinforced by an annular wire ring insert the diameter of which exceeds that of the base of the groove 36.

The legs 16, like the arms 14, are of conventional construction and are molded in the same manner as the arms and torso. The hip end of each leg, like the shoulder end of each arm, is provided with a head including a disc 38 and an adjoining annular groove 40 which separates the disc from the full diameter upper thigh of the leg. For the sake of completeness I point out that the head at the hip end of the leg, like the head at the shoulder end of the arm, heretofore has been used to effect a rotatable joint with a hip opening at the pelvis of a standard dolls torso although it is not used in this standard fashion in the form of my invention now being described.

If desired, the doll can include a sounding mechanism, this being possible because the torso is empty rather than stulfed. The sounding mechanism simply may comprise a sounding reed 41 which passes through and is secured to an opening in the back of the torso.

It also will be observed that due to the emptiness of the hollow interior of the torso it is possible to employ various other adjuncts which enhance the resemblance of the doll to a human infant. All possible adjuncts have not been illustrated since their presence is not essential to the instant invention. Typical adjuncts are more elaborate sounding mechanisms, e.g. voice mechanisms, drinking and Wetting mechanisms, crying mechanisms and mechanisms for utilizing the pressure generated within the torso by squeezing thereof to actuate movable mechanical arrangements.

As indicated earlier, joining means is employed to articulately connect the limbs to the torso. Said mechanism in the form of my invention being described is a sheath 42 which comprises a fitted jacket for the torso. The sheath need not be skin tight nor need the sheath be made of a resilient fabric like a leotard although such a fit and such fabric can be used. It will sufice if the sheath is a reasonably good fit on the torso. The presence of some play, i.e. a loose fitting, will to no noticeable degree detract from the proper articulated joining of the limbs to the torso. The sheath is fabricated from a limp, flexible, optionally waterproof, material, for example cloth, or a plastic pellicle, or a plastic coated or impregnated cloth or oilcloth. The sheath is cut and stitched to approximately match the shape of the torso. By way of example the fit need only be about as good as that of a loose fitting undergarment. The sheath includes a neck opening and, except for the configuration at the articulated shoulder and hip joints, the sheath is rather close to the torso and thereby is captively held to the same. In order to obtain the articulated connections which enable the sheath to be secured to the limbs and allow the limbs three-dimensional free play, the sheath is provided with four extensions or portions each of which might roughly be considered to be of tubular configuration. There are two such extensions 44 for the arms and two extensions 46 for the legs. Each arm extension is located over a different shoulder socket 22 and each leg extension over a different hip socket 28.

Referring first to the arm extensions 44 each of these essentially consists of an integral portion of the sheath which extends away from the torso at the shoulder. This extension need not be of exact cylindrical shape but essentially constitutes a short hollow empty section of limp, flexible material that protrudes laterally outwardly from the torso. At its distal end the arm extension 44 is secured in some suitable fashion to the shoulder (proximal) end of the arm. Thus there is provided a clear space 48 within the arm extension 44 which space is hollow, i.e. empty or in other words unfilled with any solid material, so that the tubular arm extension being constituted as it is of limp flexible material can be turned in any desired direction. Each arm extension 44 has a closed end 50.

To aid in securing an extension 44 or 46 to the proximal end of an arm or leg I employ a prehensile, i.e. gripping, ring, to wit a split circular clamping ring 52 having overlapping ends and having an unstressed diameter smaller than the diameter of the annular groove 36 (or 4th) in the head of the proximal end of the arm (or leg).

To actually connect the limbs to the sheath, the sheath is turned inside out so that the surface thereof which eventually will constitute the internal surface of the sheath is, for the moment, the exterior surface thereof. The same action inverts the tubular extensions for the arms and legs. I then insert the head (proximal) ends of the limbs into the inverted sheaths, thrusting the same fully into the inverted protruding tubular extensions 44,

.46 so that the discs of the limbs are forced against the closed ends 50 of the associated inside-out tubular extensions. Then the clamping rings are slipped over the material of the inverted tubular extensions until they lie directly over the grooves 36 and 40 so that the rings will force the underlying limp material of the extensions into said grooves. Thereafter the sheath is reinverted to bring it back into normal shape and the torso is inserted into the sheath.

After rearrangement of the sheath into its normal to-beused condition, the various tubular extensions are somewhat conical in configuration being broader adjacent the torso than at the limbs. Preferably the disc ends of the limbs are spaced from the walls 26, 32 a sufficient distance to permit free articulation of the limbs.

It will be appreciated that my invention is not to be limited to the specific joining means above described although this type of means, to wit, including the use of limp tubular extensions, has been found by me to be by far the most desirable in connection with the animating means next to be described. I further wish to point out that the joining means is complete within itself or in other words is independent of the animating means so that the animating means need not serve a joining function. Thereby the construction of the animating means can be greatly simplified.

The animating means simply consists of three parts, to wit, a rigid backbone 54 which acts as a shield and reaction member, and right and left wire forms 56, 58.

The rigid backbone is employed to provide a reaction member against which to urge the wire forms and also to make certain that any front-to-back squeezing action exerted on the dolls torso causes rearward movement of the wire forms rather than forward movement, or an accompanying forward movement, of the rear of the torso. Said rigid backbone can comprise a post but more conveniently is in the form of a stiff broad metal band which may have its longitudinal edges forwardly turned to increase the rigidity of the backbone. The backbone extends in a vertical direction and is located adjacent the internal rear central vertical surface of the torso. Preferably the backbone extends over substantially the full height of the torso and is angled to the torso adjacent the crotch. The opposite ends of the backbone may be formed with tabs 60 of reduced diameter. One tab extends through a slit at the back of the torso adjacent the neck where it will be concealed by the head and the other tab extends through a slit in the torso at the crotch.

The two wire forms 56, 58 are mirror images of one another so that a description of either one will suffice. Each form has a central portion 62 disposed inside the dolls torso and two end portions 64, one extending through a shoulder at a side of the torso and the other extending through a hip at the same side of the torso. One end portion extends into an arm and another into a leg at the same side of the torso. The wire of which the forms are made is strong enough to be self-formmaintaining but also preferably is somewhat springy and for this purpose the wire forms may be made of hard drawn wire.

The central portion of the wire form is shaped to approximately match the configuration of the interior surface of the torso over a substantial distance at the chest and abdomen of the doll when said form is in its foremost position in which it contacts said surface. Thereby if the frontal portion of the dolls torso is depressed the central portion of the wire form which is beneath it and which is contacted by it likewise will be depressed. It will be observed that the central portion of each Wire form runs from a shoulder to a hip in a generally vertical direction and also is bowed laterally inwardly across the doll from the line of the shoulder and hip to slightly beyond the center of the dolls vertical medial line whereby the position of each central portion is controlled by the position of a substantial area of the frontal portion of the dolls torso. Thus almost regardless of where the dolls torso is squeezed some part of the torso which is in contact with a central portion of a wire form will be depressed so as to move such wire form. Furthermore because the wire forms respectively are activated by the right and left parts of the front portions of the torso these wire forms are sensitive to movement of any part of the front of the torso.

Also the forms are shown as crossing at the front of the torso. This arrangement is not essential to the operation of my invention.

The ends 64 of the wire forms are pivoted to the torso at spaced points, such pivotal connection being elfected with the assistance of the base walls 26, 32 of the arm and leg sockets which have been left intact for this purpose. The arm base wall 26 is formed with an aperture 66 and the leg base wall 32 is formed with an aperture 68 solely for the purpose of permitting passage therethrough of an end portion of the wire form. The apertures are of such a size as to snugly pass the end portions of the Wire forms, a sloppy connection at this point being permissible but not particularly desirable.

Each end portion includes a branch 70 which extends through an aperture 66 or 68, the wire form being so shaped that the branch is approximately perpendicular to the associated wall 26 or 32 when the central portion 62 of the Wire form contacts the internal surface of the unstressed torso. Thereby when the central portion of the wire form is depressed the branches 7% of the form will rock about an axis passing through the apertures 66, 68, in other words about a single common axis passing through the shoulder joint and through the hip joint at the side of the torso on which the form is located. The branches 70 are able to rock about this axis because of the flexibility of the walls 26 and 32 and also because of any looseness in the fit between the branches '70 and the apertures 66, 68. It is to be noted that each branch 70 could swivel in its aperture 66, 68 due to the flexibility of the walls 26, 30, but since both branches are part of a single structural element they will rock together about the aforesaid single axis.

It is desirable to captively retain the branches 70 in the apertures 66, 68 and preferably a simple structure is employed for this purposes. Said structure may constitute a pair of reaches 72 at opposite ends of each branch 70 which reaches extend in the same direction away from the branch. For instance the reaches '72 of a shoulder branch 70 extend upwardly in substantial parallelism to one another and the reaches 72 of a hip branch 70 extend downwardly in approximate parallelism to one another. The reaches are spaced apart by a distance in excess of the thickness of the wall of the torso so that the wire forms will not frictionally bind on the torso at the shoulders and hips when the front of the torso is depressed.

In order to secure a highly realistic action, in the preferred form of my invention the regions where the end portions 64 run into the ends of the central portions 62 are located at approximately the centers of the shoulder and hip sockets. Accordingly in the illustrated form of my invention the apertures 66, 68 are displaced from the centers of the shoulder and hip sockets by a distance approximately equal to the length of an afliliated interior reach 72.

It will be obvious that the U-shaped configuration pro vided by the cooperating branches and reaches tends to prevent the branches from being accidentally disengaged from the apertures 66, 68.

The free end of the external reach '72. of each Wire form has extending laterally outwardly therefrom and in one piece therewith a limb activator 74 which penetrates the closed end 50 of the associated tubular extension and the disc 34 or 38 of the associated limb. The limb activator is directed outwardly at such an angle as to extend into the limb and have its tip engage the limb well within the same. A desirable relative proportioning and shaping of the limb activator is such that the tip of the limb activator will touch an internal surface of the limb about one-third of the length of the limb away from the head end thereof and when the doll is lying flat on its back on a horizontal surface. The contact at this time preferably is with an internal portion of a front part of the limb whereby if the torso is depressed and thereby the central portion of the wire form or forms lowered the consequent elevation of the limb actuators will raise, that is to say animate, the corresponding leg or legs and arm or arms. It will be seen that this animating movement is independent of the articulated joining of the limbs to the torso, although, of course, it is permitted only because an articulated connection is present. It is particularly to be observed that if the articulated joints were omitted the animating mechanism could not serve to replace the articulation function.

Because the wire forms are somewhat springy, i.e. resilient, motions experienced by the arms and legs are not stiff, precise and mechanical. When the wire forms have their central portions depressed the forms will be slightly flexed along various portions of their length so that as the limbs move they do not move in an exact ratio to the movement of their central portions. Thus the overall eifect is highly realistic and does not resemble robotic action. Furthermore because the limb activators actuate the limbs only by a contact and not by an interengaged connection the limbs have a somewhat floppy movement as when their inertia carries the limbs out of contact with the activators and when the limbs fall back on the activators which since they are springy, permit the limbs to wiggle. Thus there is a combination of a definite animation plus a resilient movement and a somewhat floppy movement all of which cause the animation to resemble the untutored, i.e. unguided, motion of an infants limbs.

When manual pressure on the torso is released the weight of the limbs is suflicient to restore the limbs to their original condition and, without the use of springs, to bias the central portions of the wire forms back against the now unstressed internal frontal portions of the dolls torso.

It will be appreciated that since the wire forms engage the inside surface of the dolls torso over substantial lengths of the frontal portion thereof, depression of any part of the torso will cause some movement of the arms and legs toward one another over the front of the torso. Obviously, depression of the center of the torso will cause an equal degree of movement of both wire forms as illustrated in FIG. 6 while depression of one side of the torso, as for example the left side, will cause a major movement of the limbs at the left of the torso as illustrated in FIG. 5 and little or no movement or even opposite movement of the limbs at the right side of the torso.

If it were not for the presence of the rigid backbone, squeezing of the torso might cause the rear of the torso to move forwardly and thereby either not result in animation or cause less animation than is wanted; however since the rear of the doll is stiffened by the rigid backbone any squeezing front-to-back stress on the torso causes only inward movement of the front of the torso with consequent animation of the limbs.

Although I have up to this point described the animation of the doll only when lying on its back, it will be understood that animation will occur in all other positions of the doll. For instance if the doll is held upright the loose articulation of the limbs will permit the limbs to swing down slightly so that the limb activators will contact the internal surfaces of the limbs at higher points whereupon where the abdomen or chest of the doll is squeezed the same inward and forward movement of the dolls limbs over the torso will take place and when the squeezing action is released the arms and legs will tend to swing somewhat rearwardly and then again will bias the central portions of the wire forms against the interior surface of the frontal portion of the dolls torso.

It will be understood that the flopping action of the limbs, i.e. their ability to move with respect to the limb activators, arises from the fact that the limb activators do not extend all the way down the lengths of the limbs and the limbs are hollow and empty so that the limb and limb activators are not physically unitary. However if the flopping action is not desired, the activators and limbs are made functionally integral as by stufling the limbs or by terminating the activators near the ends of the limbs, or by terminating the activators in rings that internally engage circumferential zones of the limbs, whereby to inhibit relative movement of the activators and limbs.

It thus will be seen that I have provided a doll which achieves the several objects of my invention and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein described or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A doll with animated articulated limbs, said doll comprising (a) a hollow semi-stiff resilient torso having shoulders and hips and provided with a wall at each shoulder and with a wall at each hip, said Walls being in onepiece with the torso,

(b) each of said shoulder Walls and hip walls having a through aperture,

() two arms,

(d) two legs,

(e) each arm being associated with a different shoulder and shoulder wall,

(f) each leg being associated with a different hip and hip wall,

(g) each arm having a proximal end adjacent a differend associated shoulder wall,

(h) each leg having a proximal end adjacent a different associated hip wall,

(i) a different loose joint articulately connecting the proximal end of each arm to its associated shoulder,

(j) a different loose joint articulately connecting the proximal end of each leg to its associated hip,

(k) and a mechanism for animating the arm and the leg on one side of the torso concurrently with one another and for separately animating the arm and the leg on the other side of the torso concurrently with one another, said mechanism comprising (1) two self-form-maintaining elongated wire forms,

(2) one wire form being associated only with an arm, a leg, a hip wall and a shoulder wall at one side of the torso,

(3) the other wire form being associated only with the arm, the leg, the hip wall and the shoulder wall at the other side of the torso,

(4) each wire form having a central portion and end portions in one piece with one another,

(5) the central portion of each wire form being shaped and disposed to contact the interior surface of the frontal portion of the torso,

(6) the end portions of each wire form extending through said apertures in the walls at the shoulder and hip of the torso at one different side only of the torso so that each wire form is rotatable with respect to the torso at said apertures about an axis passing through said apertures in the shoulder wall and the hip wall on the same side of the torso, this being a different side for each Wire form,

(7) the end portions of one of the wire forms being provided with limb activators that extend into the arm and the leg on one side only of the torso,

(8) and the end portions of the other wire form being provided with limb activators that extend into the arm and the leg on the other side only of the torso,

(9) whereby when the central portions of the wire forms are pressed rearwardly the arm and the leg on one side of the torso are swung jointly toward over the center of the torso and the arm and leg on the other side of the torso are swung jointly toward over the center of the torso,

(10) the arms and legs being thereby mutually swung toward one another.

2. A doll as set forth in claim 1 wherein a backbone stiffens the rear of the torso so that when the abdomen is squeezed between its front and back, the central portions of the wire forms will be pressed rearwardly toward the back of the torso.

3. A doll as set forth in claim 2 wherein the arms and the legs are hollow.

4. A doll as set forth in claim 3 wherein the activators extend only part way into the arms and the legs.

5. A doll as set forth in claim 4 wherein the activators extend about one-third of the lengths of the arms and the legs.

6. A doll as set forth in claim 1 wherein the arms and the legs are light and blow-molded.

7. A doll as set forth in claim 1 wherein the central portions of the wire forms contact the interior surface of the frontal portion of the torso over a substantial dis tance.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,586,796 Gold et a1. June 1, 1926 2,503,948 Henry Apr. 11, 1950 2,614,365 Musselwhite et al Oct. 21, 1952 2,727,334 Ostrander Dec. 20, 1955 3,053,008 Pelunis Sept. 11, 1962

Claims (1)

1. A DOLL WITH ANIMATED ARTICULATED LIMBS, SAID DOLL COMPRISING (A) A HOLLOW SEMI-STIFF RESILIENT TORSO HAVING SHOULDERS AND HIPS AND PROVIDED WITH A WALL AT EACH SHOULDER AND WITH A WALL AT EACH HIP, SAID WALLS BEING IN ONEPIECE WITH THE TORSO, (B) EACH OF SAID SHOULDER WALLS AND HIP WALLS HAVING A THROUGH APERTURE, (C) TWO ARMS, (D) TWO LEGS, (E) EACH ARM BEING ASSOCIATED WITH A DIFFERENT SHOULDER AND SHOULDER WALL, (F) EACH LEG BEING ASSOCIATED WITH A DIFFERENT HIP AND HIP WALL, (G) EACH ARM HAVING A PROXIMAL END ADJACENT A DIFFEREND ASSOCIATED SHOULDER WALL, (H) EACH LEG HAVING A PROXIMAL END ADJACENT A DIFFERENT ASSOCIATED HIP WALL, (I) A DIFFERENT LOOSE JOINT ARTICULATELY CONNECTING THE PROXIMAL END OF EACH ARM TO ITS ASSOCIATED SHOULDER, (J) A DIFFERENT LOOSE JOINT ARTICULATELY CONNECTING THE PROXIMAL END OF EACH LEG TO ITS ASSOCIATED HIP, (K) AND A MECHANISM FOR ANIMATING THE ARM AND THE LEG ON ONE SIDE OF THE TORSO CONCURRENTLY WITH ONE ANOTHER AND FOR SEPARATELY ANIMATING THE ARM AND THE LEG ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TORSO CONCURRENTLY WITH ONE ANOTHER, SAID MECHANISM COMPRISING (1) TWO SELF-FORM-MAINTAINING ELONGATED WIRE FORMS, (2) ONE WIRE FORM BEING ASSOCIATED ONLY WITH AN ARM, A LEG, A HIP WALL AND A SHOULDER WALL AT ONE SIDE OF THE TORSO, (3) THE OTHER WIRE FORM BEING ASSOCIATED ONLY WITH THE ARM, THE LEG, THE HIP WALL AND THE SHOULDER WALL AT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TORSO, (4) EACH WIRE FORM HAVING A CENTRAL PORTION AND END PORTIONS IN ONE PIECE WITH ONE ANOTHER, (5) THE CENTRAL PORTION OF EACH WIRE FORM BEING SHAPED AND DISPOSED TO CONTACT THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE FRONTAL PORTION OF THE TORSO, (6) THE END PORTIONS OF EACH WIRE FORM EXTENDING THROUGH SAID APERTURES IN THE WALLS AT THE SHOULDER AND HIP OF THE TORSO AT ONE DIFFERENT SIDE ONLY OF THE TORSO SO THAT EACH WIRE FORM IS ROTATABLE WITH RESPECT TO THE TORSO AT SAID APERTURES ABOUT AN AXIS PASSING THROUGH SAID APERTURES IN THE SHOULDER WALL AND THE HIP WALL ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE TORSO, THIS BEING A DIFFERENT SIDE FOR EACH WIRE FORM, (7) THE END PORTIONS OF ONE OF THE WIRE FORMS BEING PROVIDED WITH LIMB ACTIVATORS THAT EXTEND INTO THE ARM AND THE LEG ON ONE SIDE ONLY OF THE TORSO, (8) AND THE END PORTIONS OF THE OTHER WIRE FORM BEING PROVIDED WITH LIMB ACTIVATORS THAT EXTEND INTO THE ARM AND THE LEG ON THE OTHER SIDE ONLY OF THE TORSO, (9) WHEREBY WHEN THE CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE WIRE FORMS ARE PRESSED REARWARDLY THE ARM AND THE LEG ON ONE SIDE OF THE TORSO ARE SWUNG JOINTLY TOWARD OVER THE CENTER OF THE TORSO AND THE ARM AND LEG ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TORSO ARE SWUNG JOINTLY TOWARD OVER THE CENTER OF THE TORSO, (10) THE ARMS AND LEGS BEING THEREBY MUTUALLY SWUNG TOWARD ONE ANOTHER.

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