US2611214A - Roly-poly toy - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 23, 1952 sc 2,611,214

ROLY-POLY TOY Filed June 5, 1950 INVENTOR FREDERICK E 561402 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 23, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,611,214 1 HOLY-POLY Tor Frederick P. .Schur, Washington, I). 0. Application June 5, 1950, Serial No. 166,114

toy being very simple in construction, involving relatively few parts, and having a high degree of entertainment value for children.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved illuminated roly-poly toy which is inexpensive to manufacture, which is sturdy in construction, which is self-contained, and which provides a very interesting and entertainin blinking 'efiect when oscillated.

A still further object of the invention is to 6 Claims. (C1. 46-116) provide a battery-operated, self-contained, illuminated roly-poly toy which is dark when in its normal static position and which becomes illuminated when its equilibrium is disturbed, providing a blinking eifect as it rocks back and forth.

A still further object of the invention is to prowhen the toy is in its normal'static position,

whereby drainon the batteries of the toy isminimized and the useful life of said batteries is extended. a a I I 7 Further objects and'advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following de- 'scription andclaims and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view, partly in cross-section, of an-improved 'roly-poly toy constructed in accordance with the present invention, the toy being shown in normal, upright, static position. g

- Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the toy of Figure 1 with the upper portion of the main housing removed.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 3--3 of Figure 2. Y

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to the lower portion of Figure ljbut showing the toy in a rocked position.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary top plan'vi'ewsh'owing a modified form of switch arrangement employed in a roly-poly toy according to' the present invention. Y I

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional detail view taken on line 6-6 of Figure 5. a

V Figure 7 is a top plan detail view of the inner portion of a further modified form of ro1y-poly ing. a pair of parallel-connected batteries.-

the casing of battery 24.

Referring to the drawings, and more particul'arly to Figures 1 to 4, H generally designates the roly-poly toy. Said toy comprises a bottom hollow segment l2, which is substantially hemispherical, and a top segment I3, also hemispherical, detachably secured in any suitable manner to the rim of bottom segment 12. For example, said rim may be annularly recessed at 14 to receive the rim of segment 13 and may be formed with -L-shaped bayonet slots 15 to lockin'glyr'eceive inwardly projecting pins l6 carried by segment 13, as illustrated in Figure 1.

Secured to the top of segment 13 is a spherical head ll, suitably ornamented to simulate a face.

Secured in the lower portion of segment 12, as by a-plurality or clips I 8, is an annular thick metal disc I9, which functions as a weight'to bias the toy to an upright position, 'subst'antiall as shown in Figure 1. I Designated at 2! is a disc of relatively light insulating material secured in segment I2, as byf'a plurality of clips 22, above the weight disc l3.

Designated at 23 and '24 are respective flashlight batteries mounted in parallel rectangular apertures 25 formed in disc 21 and located symmetrically on opposite sides of the vertical axis of the toy. Designated at 26 is'a resilient trans versely extending contact bar provided with a horizontal tab '27 projecting from the intermedi ate portion of its lower edge and secured todisc 2| between the batteries '23 and 24. One arm '28 of bar 25 engages the end wall of the casing'foi battery 23 and the other arm 29 engages the center contact of battery 24. Designated at 30 is a metal spring clip secured to disc 2| and-engaging the end wall of the casing of battery 24, to frictionally retain the battery in "its seating aperture 25. Designated at'3'l is a springclip secured to disc 2| by a bolt 32. As shownin Figure 3, a spacer sleeve 2i! is provided'-'on bit 32 between clip '3'l and disc 21 Clip 31 is formed with a firstspring arm 33; engaging the'center contact of battery'23 and with a, second spring arm 34. Secured on the end of arm 34 is a verti cally positioned lamp socket 35, one terminal of said socket being electrically connected to arm 38. "I'heothfterminalof the socket, shown at 36, extends over the bared casing or battery 2'4 and is biased toward engagement with saidca'sing by the springarm 34. Mounted in'socket35 is a conventional fiashlightlamp bulb 31 which becomes energized whenever terminal as en ages Rigidly secured to the bottom surface oispring arm 34 is a depending rod 38, which is axially which is secured at 32 to the disc 2|. bracket member 3| is provided with the spring arm 34 on which the lamp socket is mounted, as

aligned with socket 35, and which extends through a central aperture 39 in disc 2|, through the central aperture 40 of weight disc [9, and through an aperture 4| in the bottom of segment I2.

From Figures 1, 3 and 4 it will be seen that when the toy is at rest the lower end of rod 38 engages the supporting surface, shown at 42, and maintains the contact terminal 36 elevated above the casingof battery 24. When the toy is rocked, the rod 38 is released and is moved outwardly through aperture 4|, as shown in Figure 4, allowing terminal 36 to engage the casing of battery 24, whereby the lamp 31 becomes energized. The segments l2 and i3 are formed of light-transmitting material, such as translucent plastic. Energization of lamp 31 therefore causes the body of the toy to glow. Oscillation of the toy causes said body to glow intermittently, follow- .ing the rocking motion of the toy, and producing a very interesting and entertaining effect. When the toy comes to rest in its static upright position, terminal 36 is supported out of engagement with the casing of battery 24. and the lamp 3! is deenergized.

In the modification shown in Figures 5 and 6, the meta1 spring clip 30' engaging the end wall of the casing of battery 24 is formed with a resilient contact arm 43 extending over the battery 24 parallel thereto and underlying the terminal 36. This eliminates the necessity of removing the insulating cover sleeve normally provided on the battery 24. As shown in Figure 6, terminal 36 is normally supported out of contact with arm 43.

When the toy is rocked, terminal 36 engages arm 43, completing the energizing circuit for the lamp 31 In the modification shown in Figure 7 the batteries 23 and 24 are connected in parallel and the terminal 36 is disposed in transverse overlying relation to the top edge of the resilient bar member 26. As illustrated, the center contacts of the batteries are connectedtogether by the respective spring arms 33, 33' of the bracket member 3| The in the previously described embodiments of the invention. 'Spring arm 34 is electrically connected to one terminal of the socket. Since spring arm 34 biases the lamp socket downwardly, theoth'er terminal 36 is adapted to engage the top edge of bar member 26 when the toy is rocked, thereby energizing the lamp 3! in the same manner as in said previously described embodiments.- I I While certain specific embodiments of an illuminated rely-poly toy have been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore it is intended that-no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

. What is claimed is:

1. In a toy of the character described, a lighttransmitting body having a rounded bottom formed with an aperture, a lamp mounted in said body, a battery in said body, switch means car- 2. In a toy of the character described, a 1ighttransmitting body having a rounded bottom formed with an aperture, a lamp mounted in said body, a battery in said body, an element movably mounted in said body, said element projecting through said aperture and being arranged to engage the supporting surface under the body, and circuit means arranged to intermittently connect said lamp to said battery responsive to movement of said element produced by rocking motion of said body.

3. A rely-poly toy comprising a hollow body of light-transmitting material having a rounded bottom formed with an aperture, a weight secured in the lower portion of said body, biasing the body to an upright position, support means secured in said body, a battery mounted on said support means, a lamp bulb carried by said support means, an element movably secured to said support means and projecting through said aperture, said element being engageable with the supporting surface under the body, first contact means carried by said element, second contact means carried by said support means subadjacent to said first contact means, and circuit means connecting said lamp to said battery and including said first and second contact means, said element being arranged to elevate the first contact means out of engagement with the second contact means when said element engages the supporting surface under the body, and to allow said first contact means to engage said second contact means when the element is rocked out of contact with said supporting surface as the body rocks on the supporting surface.

4. A roly-poly toy comprising a spherical hollow body of light-transmitting material formed with an aperture at its bottom, a weight secured in the lower portion of said body, biasing the body to an upright position, support means secured in said body, a battery mounted on said support means, a lamp bulb, resilient means securing said lamp bulb to said support means, an element secured to said bulb, said element projecting through said aperture and being engageable with the supporting surface under the body,

.first'conta'ct means carried by said element, second contact means carried by said support means ,subadjacent to saidfirst contact means, and cir- .cuit means connecting said lamp bulb to said battery and including said first and second contact means, said element being arranged to elevate the first contact means out of engagement with the second contact means when said element engages .the supporting surface under the body, and to al- .to an upright position, support means secured in said body, a battery mounted on said support .means, a lamp socket, spring means connecting .said'socket to said support means, a rigid rod member secured to said socket, said rod member projecting through said aperture and,bein engageablewith the supporting surface under the body, first contact means carried by, said socket, second contact means carried by said support means subadjacent-to said first contact means,

andcircuit means connecting said socket to said battery and including said first and second conitact means, the rod member being arranged to REFERENCES CITED hold the first and Second Contact means separated The following references are of re'ord in the by the engagement of said rod member with the fil of this patent; supporting surface under the toy when the toy is in a static condition and to allow said contact 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS means to interengage when the toy is rocked; Number Name j Date '6. In a toy, a light-transmitting body having a 907,092 Schoenhut Dec. 15, 1908 rounded bottom, illuminating means. inside the 1,923,861 Floraday Aug. 22, 1933 body, and switch means controllingly connected 2,104,762 Riner "Jan. 11, 1938 to the illuminating means and projecting through 10 2,151,938 Ramsey Mar. 28, 1939 said bottom for operation by engagement with the 2,177,337 Stein Oct. 24, 1939 supporting surface under the body responsiv'eto FOREIGN PATENTS rocking motion of the bottom of the body on-said supporting urface Number Country Date RE K sc fl 15 529,271 Great Britain NOV. 18, 1940

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