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Expander and Action Figure with an Expander

an action figure and expander technology, applied in the field of reconfigurable toys, can solve the problems of child losing interest in the toy, tedious manual manipulation, repetitiveness,

Inactive Publication Date: 2013-05-02
MATTEL INC
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is a reconfigurable toy that can change from a flat, collapsed configuration to a deployed configuration. The toy includes an expander member that is pivotally coupled to another expander member, allowing them to move between retracted and expanded positions. The expander members can be angled away from each other in their expanded positions. The toy also includes a biasing member that moves the expander members to their expanded positions. The technical effect of the invention is a toy that can change from a flat, collapsed configuration to a deployed configuration with expanded expander members that can be angled away from each other.

Problems solved by technology

Such manual manipulation can become tedious and repetitive such that a child loses interest in the toy.

Method used

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  • Expander and Action Figure with an Expander
  • Expander and Action Figure with an Expander
  • Expander and Action Figure with an Expander

Examples

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Embodiment Construction

[0064]In one embodiment, an expander includes several expander components or members or panels that are coupled to each other and that are placeable in collapsed or retracted positions, corresponding to a collapsed configuration of the expander, and placeable in deployed or expanded positions, corresponding to a deployed or expanded configuration of the expander. Thus, the expander is transformable from a state or configuration in which it is folded flat to a state or configuration in which it forms a three-dimensional object.

[0065]Different embodiments of expanders according to the present invention are disclosed herein. In each of the embodiments, the movable members that are coupled to each other are expander components or members. As illustrated in the Figures and described below, each expander includes several expander components that have thin, planar configurations with multiple ends or edges. An expander component is coupled along one end or edge to another expander componen...

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Abstract

An expander has a collapsed configuration and a deployed configuration. The expander has at least one expander component that is movably coupled to another expander component. The expander may be used with a toy figure. In one implementation, each of the expander components is pivotally coupled to another expander component. The expander includes a biasing member that biases adjacent expander components away from each other.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of and priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 431,835 entitled “Expander and Action Figure with an Expander,” filed Jan. 11, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a reconfigurable toy, and in particular, to a toy that is positionable in a retracted or collapsed configuration and in a deployed or use configuration. The present invention also relates to an expander and an action figure with an expander, and in particular, to an action figure with an expander that includes one or more expander members.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Some reconfigurable toys are known in the art. Reconfigurable toys may be moved between a first configuration and a second configuration by the manual manipulation of a child. Such manual manipulation can become tedious and repetitive such that a child loses...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): A63H13/00A63H33/00
CPCA63H33/003A63H33/00A63H13/00
Inventor MARTINEZ, RUBENSUN, STEEDTAYLOR, DOUG
Owner MATTEL INC