FIGURE WITH A ROCKING BODY

Abstract

 The present disclosure relates to a figure with a rocking body. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a figure, comprising a base with a support assembly attached to and extending therefrom, a head attached to a top of the support assembly of the base, and a body movably attached to the support assembly such that the body moves relative to the support assembly when a force is applied thereto.

Description

BACKGROUND

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 61/993,712, filed May 15, 2014, the entire disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a figure with a rocking body. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a figure with a body casing that moves with respect to the head and the body.

RELATED ART

[0003] Action figures, dolls, figurines, and other such toys or statues are often purchased and collected by consumers as collectibles. People frequently decorate their rooms, offices, cubicles, and desks, etc. with figures of their favorite characters (e.g., television, movie, video game, etc.). Such figures can be stationary or dynamic in that, for example, the head of the figure can move with respect to the body of the figure. One such figure is known as a bobblehead doll. Another is the head knocker figure sold by National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA). The movement of the head catches the attention of viewers and is enjoyable to see.

[0004] What would be desirable, but has not yet been developed, is a figure with a rocking body. More specifically, what would be desirable is a figure with a body that moves with respect to the head of a figure.

SUMMARY

[0005] The present disclosure relates to a figure with a body that is moveable with respect to the figure. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a figure with a rocking body comprising a base, a support assembly attached to the top of the base, a head attached to the support assembly, a pendulum that is pivotally attached to the support structure, and a body attached to the pendulum. The pendulum can be moved by application of a force (e.g., magnetic force) applied to the rocking body (and/or pendulum) to move the rocking body back and forth about a pivot point.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] The foregoing features of the disclosure will be apparent from the following Detailed Description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a figure with a rocking body;

FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating movement of the rocking body of the figure from Position A, to Position B, to Position C;

FIGS. 3-5 are views illustrating movement of a pendulum of a support assembly of the figure as used with a magnetic coil;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the support assembly;

FIG. 7 is a partially assembled view of the support assembly;

FIGS. 8-9 are side and back views of the support assembly attached to a base;

FIG. 10 is a back view of the support assembly attached to the base, a partially assembled rocking body, and a head;

FIG. 11 is a top view of the assembled rocking body with the head positioned adjacent thereto;

FIGS. 12-13 are front and back views of the fully assembled figure with a rocking body.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged perspective view of an upper portion of the figure;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged side view of a lower portion of the figure;

FIG. 16 is a bottom view of the base of the figure with the cover removed;

FIG. 17 is a bottom view of the base of the figure with the cover attached;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a figure with a rocking body; and

FIG. 19 is another perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0007] The present disclosure relates to a figure with a rocking body, as discussed below.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a figure 10 with a rocking body 16. The figure 10 includes a base 12 with a support assembly 14 attached to and extending from the base 12. Attached to the top of the support assembly 14 is a head 18 of the figure 10 which could be stationary or dynamic (e.g., the head 18 could move independent of the rocking body 16). For example, the head 18 could be attached to the support assembly 14 by any moveable attachment mechanism, such as a spring (e.g., a bobblehead doll). A rocking body 16 could be attached to the support assembly 14 by any suitable attachment device and could be provided with any type of movement (e.g., rocking, rotation, bouncing, etc.), or no movement. For example, the body 16 could be attached by a simple pivot (e.g., where the body 16 could have a hollow sphere resting on a point of a stand, such that the body 16 is movable in any direction), or any other type of pivot. Any type of force could be used to provide motion, such as mechanical (e.g., spring loaded, push/pull from a person), electronic, magnetic, etc.

[0009] A rocking body 16 is secured to a pendulum of a support assembly 14. The body 16 can be constructed to extend about the pendulum and the support assembly 14, such that a bottom portion of the support assembly 14 protrudes through a bottom opening 20 of the casing assembly 16, and a top portion of the support assembly 14 protrudes through a top opening 22 of the casing assembly 16. The rocking body 16 can move (e.g., pivot, swing back and forth) from Position A (e.g., when the rocking body 16 is at rest) to Positions B and C. The top opening 22 and bottom opening 20 provide room for the rocking body 16 to rotate back and forth (without hitting the support assembly 14) and could be any suitable shape or size. The material of the components could include any suitable material, such as plastic (e.g., vinyl), metal, glass, etc., and could be manufactured from any suitable process (e.g., injection molding). Although the rocking body 16 is shown as a three dimensional figure, the body 16 could instead be two dimensional instead.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating motion of the rocking body 16 of the figure 10. As shown (and described above), the figure 10 includes a base 12, a support assembly 14 attached to and extending from the base 12, a head 18 attached to the top of the support assembly 14, and a rocking body 16 attached to the support assembly 14. The rocking body 16 rotates (e.g., to and from Position A, to Position B, to Position C, and back) about pivot component 63. Any number of shapes or configurations of the rocking body 16 could be used (e.g., open area between legs of the rocking body 16).

[0011] FIGS. 3-5 are views illustrating movement of a pendulum 150 of a support assembly 114 of the figure as used with a magnetic coil 196 (the components of which are discussed below in more detail). The support assembly 114 includes a front support 130 attached to a back support (not shown), and a pendulum 150 (e.g., with a weight at a lower end) secured therebetween by a pivot component 163. The upper portion of the arm of the pendulum 150 is attached to and moves about pivot component 163. The weighted bottom portion of the pendulum 150 includes a magnet 160. The strength, polarity, and weight of the magnet 160 could vary depending on size, weight, and characteristics of a particular figure (e.g., the weight of the magnet 160 could affect the speed at which the pendulum 150 swings back and forth).

[0012] A magnetic coil 196 is in electrical communication with and operated by a controller 197 (e.g., printed circuit board), which is in electrical communication with and powered by a battery 198 or other power source. The controller 197 could be programmed to provide current to the magnetic coil 196 in repeatable select increments (e.g., for particular repeatable durations). Providing the magnetic coil 196 with a current adjusts the polarity of the magnetic coil 196 such that it attracts or repels the magnet 160 of the pendulum 150, thereby displacing the pendulum 150 and causing it to move back and forth. The duration and/or intensity of the current (e.g., intensity of the polarity) could be a setting provided as a default by the manufacturer, and/or could be adjusted by a user by a control on the figure (e.g., to adjust the speed of swinging of the rocking body of the figure).

[0013] FIG. 3 is a front view showing the pendulum 150 at rest, when the magnetic coil 196 has a neutral polarity (e.g., no current). FIG. 4 is a front view showing the pendulum 150 in Position A, and in dashed lines, Position B. The current could be reversed by the controller 197, and/or the current could be activated and terminated (e.g., cyclically). In this way, the controller 197 changes the polarity of the magnetic coil 196 and/or magnetize / de-magnetize the magnetic coil 196 to provide a magnetic force which interacts with the magnet 160 of the pendulum 150 to attract and/or repel the magnet 160 (e.g., to and from Positions A and B). FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the pendulum 150 in Position A of FIG. 4. However, the magnet is optional and instead, the pendulum 150 could rock back and forth simply by result of an external force from a user (e.g., push).

[0014] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the support assembly 114. The support assembly 114 includes a front support 130, a back support 140, a pendulum 150, a pivot component 163, a front tension clip 161 (e.g., open ring), and a back tension clip 162 (e.g., open ring).

[0015] The front support 130 includes an upper casing 132 connected to a lower column 133, with a front foot 134 at a bottom thereof. The upper casing 132 defines an interior and includes side openings 138 on each of the two sides of the upper casing 132 (discussed below in more detail). The upper casing further includes a rounded protrusion 135, which conforms to the shape of the front tension clip 161, which attaches thereto. The back support 140 includes an upper casing 142 connected to a lower column 143 and a front foot 144 at a bottom thereof. The upper casing 142 defines an interior and includes side openings 148 on each of the two sides of the upper casing 142 (discussed below in more detail). The upper casing 142 further includes a rounded protrusion (not shown), which conforms to the shape of the back tension clip 162, which attaches thereto.

[0016] The pivot element 163 can be a cylinder 164 (e.g., plastic) with a pin 165 (e.g., metal) protruding out of each end of the cylinder 164. The ends of the pin 165 of the pivot element 163 are mounted to an inner surface of the protrusion 135 of the upper casing 132 of the front support 130 and an inner surface of the protrusion 145 of the upper casing 142 of the back support 140.

[0017] The pendulum 150 could be any suitable shape (e.g., T-shaped). The pendulum could have a vertical rod 151 with a first arm 152 extending (e.g., at a right angle) from the top of the rod 151 and a second arm 153 extending (e.g., at a right angle) from the top of the rod 151 in a direction opposite the first arm 152. At the top of the rod 151, in between the first and second arms 152, 153 is a top center hole 154. When assembled, the top center hole 154 is positioned about the pivot element 163, thereby allowing the pendulum 154 to rotate about the pivot element 163. At the end of each of the first and second arms 152, 153 are first and second holes 155, 156. The first and second holes 155, 156 retain the rocking body in position as the pendulum 150 swings back and forth. Further, the bottom of the rod 151 includes a bottom receptacle 158, which receives and retains a magnet 160, as described above. Although, any type of attachment could be used to connect the rocking body to the pendulum (e.g., snap fit) and/or connect a magnet 160 to the pendulum 150 (e.g., adhesive).

[0018] FIG. 7 is a partially assembled view of the support assembly 114. As described above, the support assembly 114 includes a pendulum 150, front and back supports 130, 140, and pivot component 163. The front support 130 includes an upper casing 132, a lower column 133, and side openings 138. The back support 140 includes an upper casing 142, a lower column 143, and side openings 148. The pendulum 150 includes a vertical rod 151, a first arm 152, a second arm 153, a first hole 155, a second hole 156, and a center hole 154.

[0019] The interior of the upper casing 132 of the front support 130 includes one or more front posts 136 and one or more front apertures 137. The interior of the upper casing 142 of the back support 140 also includes one or more back posts 146 and one or more back apertures 147. The front posts 136 of the upper casing 132 of the front support 130 and the back apertures 147 of the upper casing 142 of the back support 140 interact with each other (e.g., the front posts 136 of the front support 130 are received in the back apertures 147 of the back support 140) to interlock the front support 130 with the back support 140. In the same way, the back posts 146 of the upper casing 142 of the back support 140 and the front apertures 137 of the upper casing 132 of the front support 130 interact with each other (e.g., the back posts 146 of the back support 140 are inserted into and received in the front apertures 137 of the front support 130) to interlock the front support 130 with the back support 140. Further, the apertures of both (or either) of the front and back supports 130, 140 could be through holes, which allow a screw (or other attachment device) to thread into an inner hole of a post of the front and back supports 130, 140, thereby securing the supports 130, 140 to each other. For example, a screw could be inserted through back aperture 147 of back support 140 and into an inner hole of front post 136 of front support 130.

[0020] FIGS. 8-9 are side and back views, respectively, of the support assembly 114 attached to a base 112. The side openings 138, 148, of the front and back supports 130, 140 of the support assembly 114 together form an opening on each side that allows the first and second arms 152, 153 of the pendulum 150 to protrude from the upper casings 132, 142 of the front and back supports 130, 140. As explained below, in this way the rocking body can be attached to the pendulum 150. The side openings formed by the front and back supports 130, 140 provide sufficient room for the arms 152, 153 to move vertically up and down as the pendulum 150 rotates. Further, the pendulum 150 has sufficient room between the lower columns 133, 143 of the front and back supports 130, 140 to rotate freely therebetween. Additionally, the center post 135 of the front casing 130 and center post 145 of the back casing 140 conform to and receive the front and back open rings 161, 162, respectively.

[0021] The base 112 includes a top 180 and a sidewall 182 with a switch 192 protruding therefrom. The top 180 of the base 112 defines a front recess 188, back recess 189, and a swivel slot 190 therebetween. The sidewall 182 is shown as circular, although the sidewall 182 could be of any shape (e.g., rectangular, square, etc.). A power switch 192 is disposed in the sidewall 182 allowing a user to control the automatic operation of the pendulum 150. Although the switch 192 is shown as having lateral movement (e.g., a toggle switch), any type of switch could be used (e.g., push button).

[0022] The front recess 188 is sized and shaped to conform to and receive the front foot 134 of the front support 130 (e.g., such that the top of the front foot 134 is flush with the top 180 of the base 112), and the back recess 189 is sized and shaped to conform to and receive the back foot 144 of the back support 140 (e.g., such that the top of the back foot 144 is flush with the top 180 of the base 112). As a result, the front foot 134 and back foot 144 sit in and are supported by the front recess 188 and back recess 189.

[0023] The top 180 of the base 112 further defines a swivel slot 190 between the front recess 188 and back recess 189 that extends through the top 180 into the interior of the base 112. As a result, the bottom of the pendulum 150, which retains the magnet (not shown), extends through the swivel slot 190 beneath the top 180 of the base 112, so that the magnet can interact with the magnetic coil retained within the housing (described below in more detail). Further, the swivel slot 190 could be wider than the front and back recesses 188, 189, thereby providing the pendulum 50 with sufficient room to rotate.

[0024] FIG. 10 is a back view of the support assembly 140 attached to the base 112, a partially assembled rocking body 16, and a head 118. The rocking body 16 includes a front casing 166 and back casing 172, which together form a hollow interior. The front casing 166 includes one or more posts 168 extending from the interior thereof. The posts 168 are insertable through the first and second holes 155, 156 of the pendulum 150. The back casing 172 includes one or more sleeves 174 extending from the interior thereof. The posts 168 of the front casing 166 interact with and are received by the sleeves 174 of the back casing 172 to interlock and secure the front and back casings 166, 172 to one another. Screws, or any other attachment means, could extend through the sleeves 174 of the back casing 172 to engage the posts 168 of the front casing 166 (e.g., by threading into holes within the posts 168). As a result, front and back casings 166, 172 are secured to the pendulum 150, so that when the pendulum 150 rotates (e.g., swings, pivots, etc.), the front and back casings 166, 172 rotate as well. Other forms of attachment could be used to secure the casings 166, 172 to each other (e.g., snap fit) and/or the casings 166, 172 to the pendulum 150.

[0025] FIG. 11 is a top view of an assembled rocking body with a head positioned adjacent thereto. The head 118 includes a post 176 having a recess 177 therein and side protrusions extending outwardly therefrom. The recess 177 receives the peg 149 of the back support 140, thereby securing the head 118 thereto. The recess 177 and peg 149 are each shown as rectangular but could be keyed to one another so that only one possible attachment direction is allowed (e.g., each is trapezoidal). The eyes (not shown) of the head 118 could be sprayed on and/or separate eye parts which could get plugged into the head 118.

[0026] The front and back casings 166, 172 of the rocking body 116 form a top opening 122. The top opening 122 is large enough (e.g., wide enough) to provide sufficient room for the rocking body casing 116 to rotate (e.g., without the inner perimeter of the top opening 122 of the figure bumping the peg 149 of the back support 140 or post 176 of the head 118 as it rotates).

[0027] FIGS. 12-13 are front and back views of the fully assembled figure 10 with rocking body 116. As described above, the figure 10 includes a base 112 with a switch 192, a rocking body 116, and a head 118. The rocking body 116 including a front casing 166 and a back casing 172. As shown, the sleeves 174 of the back casing 172 can receive screws therethrough that engage (e.g., thread into) the posts of the front casing 166 (described above). A plug (e.g., molded plug) could be inserted to cover the screws and form a seamless surface. The exterior of the front and back casings 166, 172, along with the head 118 visually depict a character (e.g., movie, television, videogame), or any other image.

[0028] FIG. 14 is an enlarged perspective view of an upper portion of the figure 10. The front casing 166 and back casing 172 of the rocking body 116 can together form side slots 126 at the top edges of the casings 166, 172 proximate the top opening 122. These side slots 126 provide clearance for the support assembly 114 when the rocking body 116 rotates. However, such side slots 126 may not be necessary depending on the size of the top opening 122.

[0029] FIG. 15 is an enlarged side view of a lower portion of the figure 10. The base 112 includes a sidewall 182 and a switch 192 disposed therein. The switch 192 moves linearly along a slot 193 in the sidewall 182 of the base 112. The switch 192 could have only two positions (e.g., on and off) or multiple positions along the slot (e.g., modes of operation). Any number and types of controls could be utilized (e.g., push button) to control any type of characteristic of operation (e.g., timer, speed of rocking, etc.). Any suitable clearance between the top 180 of the base 112 and the bottom of the rocking body 116 could be used.

[0030] FIG. 16 is a bottom view of the base 112 of the figure 110 with the cover 184 removed. The base 112 includes an interior 186 which houses a variety of components including the magnetic coil 196 and controller 197, each mounted to an interior surface thereof. The inside of the cover 184 has a battery compartment 198 mounted thereto. The cover 184 could be secured to the base 112 by any attachment device (e.g., screws).

[0031] FIG. 17 is a bottom view of the base 112 of the figure 110 with the cover 184 attached. A plurality of feet 194 extend from the exterior of the cover 184, and could be of any number and/or any position. The cover 184 also includes a battery cover 195 to provide access to only the battery compartment (and not the interior of the base 112). The battery cover 195 could be secured in place by any type of attachment device (e.g., screw).

[0032] FIGS. 18-19 are views of another embodiment of a figure 210 with a rocking body 216. Here, the rocking body 216 is in the form of a leg, but it could take on any other appearance. More specifically, FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the figure 210 with the rocking body 216. The figure 210 functions and operates as described in FIGS. 1-17 except where otherwise indicated. The figure 210 includes a base 212 with a support assembly 214 (e.g., outer post) attached to and extending from the base 212, as well as a slot 290 therein. The support assembly 214 is shown exterior to the rocking body 216, but could be within the rocking body 216. Attached to the top of the support assembly 214 is a top portion 218 (e.g., a lamp shade), which could be stationary or dynamic. A rocking body 216 (e.g., leg) is attached to the support assembly 214 by a connection that allows for relative movement such as a pivot 263. The connection allows the rocking body 216 to move, or pivot, relative to the support assembly 214. As such, the rocking body comprises a pendulum. Movement of figure 210 could be provided as described above.

[0033] FIG. 19 is another perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 18. As shown, the top portion is attached to the support assembly 214 of the figure 210. More specifically, the top portion 218 includes a post 176 having a recess 177 therein. The top of the support assembly 214 is inserted into and secured in the recess 177.

[0034] Having thus described the system and method in detail, it is to be understood that the foregoing description is not intended to limit the spirit or scope thereof. It will be understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure described herein are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art may make any variations and modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. All such variations and modifications, including those discussed above, are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A figure with a rocking body comprising:

a base;

a support assembly extending from the base;

a head attached to the support assembly; and

a body attached to the support assembly, the body movable relative to the support assembly by the application of a force applied on the body.

2. The figure of Claim 1, further comprising a pendulum pivotally attached to the support assembly, the body attached to the pendulum.

3. The figure of Claim 2, wherein the support assembly comprises a front support and a back support, the pendulum pivotally attached between the front support and back support.

4. The figure of Claim 3, wherein the pendulum includes a vertical rod, a first arm extending from a top of the rod having a first hole in an end thereof, a second arm extending from the top of the rod in a direction opposite the first arm having a second hole in an end thereof, and a top center hole at the top of the rod between the first and second arms.

5. The figure of Claim 4, wherein the center hole is positioned about a pivot on the support assembly and the pendulum pivots about the pivot.

6. The figure of Claim 5, wherein the first and second holes retain the body in position as the pendulum swings back and forth.

7. The figure of Claim 3, wherein the pendulum includes a magnet.

8. The figure of Claim 7, further comprising a magnetic coil within the base and proximate the pendulum magnet.

9. The figure of Claim 8, further comprising a controller to vary polarity of the magnetic coil to create a force that moves the pendulum.

10. The figure of Claim 9, wherein the controller is programmed to provide current to a magnetic coil in repeatable select increments, the current adjusting polarity of the magnetic coil to attract or repel the magnet of the pendulum.

11. The figure of Claim 9, further comprising a control for a user to adjust a speed that the pendulum moves.

12. The figure of Claim 10, wherein the base includes a slot, and an end of the pendulum extends into the base through the slot.

13. The figure of Claim 11, wherein the control is a switch disposed in a sidewall of the base, the switch controlling a magnitude and duration of current through the magnetic coil thereby allowing a user to adjust the speed of rocking of the pendulum.

14. The figure of Claim 1, wherein the body pivots about a pivot component of the support assembly.

15. The figure of Claim 1, wherein the body comprises a front casing and a back casing forming a hollow interior.

16. The figure of Claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the body extends through an opening in the base.

17. The figure of Claim 1, wherein the head moves independent of the body.

18. The figure of Claim 17, wherein the head is attached to the support assembly by a spring.

Drawing