Doll dressing machine

Abstract

A doll dressing machine comprises a base 6 and a spaced pair of guides 5 upstanding therefrom configured to receive at the upper ends 7 thereof the hands of a doll 11 of the type having articulated ar

Description

Field of the Invention This invention relates to a doll dressing machine, for example suitable for use as a plaything. Background to the Invention Dolls typically have removable clothing so that different clothing items can be interchanged. Conventionally-constructed fabric clothing items require to be placed on the doll manually, and while various attempts have been made to provide a dressing machine that can fit clothing items, they have relied on specially-formed semi-rigid clothing elements that can be readily fitted on to the doll without the need to introduce the doll’s limbs into tubular fabric sleeves or trouser-legs, for example. Examples of such machines are disclosed in US2007093171A1 and US2012045965A1, which show machines which can place moulded plastic clothing parts that are placed on to the front and rear of the doll and which co-operate to simulate a complete garment. The use of plastic clothing parts is unsatisfactory for a number of reasons: they have an unrealistic appearance, and do not behave like fabric clothes, restricting movement, for example. Additionally, they restrict the child’s choice of garments for the doll; it is not possible to hand-make additional clothes, for example. There is therefore a need for a machine that can be used with conventional fabric dolls’ clothes and is straightforward in operation. Summary of the Invention According to the invention, there is provided a doll dressing machine comprising a base and a spaced pair of guides upstanding therefrom configured to receive at the upper ends thereof the hands of a doll of the type having articulated arms whereby, in use, the doll is supported on the base with its arms directed downwardly and resting on the guides, and a garment manipulator device having at least one opening therein configured to be received over the guides, and a handle for lifting the manipulator from a first position adjacent to the base to a second position above the doll, whereby a garment positioned with armholes or straps around the guides is drawn upwards by the manipulator over the doll and over the doll’s arms. The invention further provides a doll dressing method, comprising providing a base having upstanding therefrom a spaced pair of guides, locating a manipulator device on the base and surrounding the guides, placing a doll’s garment including a pair of sleeves or armholes on to the base with each sleeve or armhole of the garment around a respective one of the guides, placing a doll of the type having articulated arms and legs on to the base with the hands of the doll resting on the guides and with its arms directed downwardly and the legs within the garment, and lifting the manipulator upwardly to draw the garment upwards on to the doll until the arms of the doll are directed upwardly above the body thereof. Further features of the invention are set out in the claims. The machine of the invention is straightforward to operate and can be used with existing dolls’ clothes of various different types, giving a more satisfactory appearance than with the rigid components used in the prior art machines. Brief Description of the Drawings In the drawings, which illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the invention: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine from above and behind, with its door open; Figure 2 is corresponding front elevation; Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view of the manipulator device forming part of the machine illustrated in Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the support stand and base of the machine; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the machine from the rear, illustrating the two extreme positions of the manipulator, in use; Figure 6 is an illustration of the machine showing the doll in place before dressing; and Figure 7 is a corresponding illustration to that of Figure 6, but with the garment in position on the doll, just before release from the machine. Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiment Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the doll dressing machine comprises a moulded enclosure 1 having on one face thereof a hinged door 2, giving access to a cavity 3 within the enclosure. A vertical slot 4 extends through the wall on the side of the enclosure opposite to the door. A pair of guides 5, shown in more detail in Figure 4, the guides 5 being spaced apart by a distance determined by the size of the doll with which it is to be used and extending upwards from a base 6 by a distance such that, when the doll’s arms are extended downwardly at the sides of the body, the hands at the ends of the arms can rest on the upper surfaces of the supports, which are provided with a U-shaped portion 7 to receive the hands. A manipulator tool 8, illustrated in Figure 3, comprises a handle 8a and a head end 8b which has a butterfly-wing shape provided with two spaced holes 8c therethrough, configured to fit over and around the guides 5. The head end 8b has a pair of laterally-extending studs 8d which are received in respective tracks on the opposed sides of the slot 4 to retain the handle in the slot, with the handle 8a extending from the rear of the enclosure 1. Referring now to Figures 5 to 7, the manipulator 8 is located on the base 6 with the guides 5 extending through the holes 8c. The garment 9 is positioned on the base 6 with the shoulder straps or sleeves 9a thereof fitted over the respective guides 5. and. The base 6 is provided with a sprung clip 10 which engages the hem of the garment - it may be necessary for the user to do this manually. The doll 11 is then placed in the machine with the feet resting on the base 6 and within openings the garment 9, for example with a skirt hem surrounding the legs of the doll. The doll’s hands are placed in the U-shaped portions 7 of the guides 5. The guides may be telescopically adjustable to accommodate dolls of different sizes or with different arm lengths. At this stage, the arms of the doll extend generally downwardly from its shoulders. The door 2 is then closed and is held in place by a spring latch (not shown). The handle 8a extending from the rear of the enclosure 1 and initially in the position indicated in Figure 5 by arrow A, is then drawn upwardly along the slot 4, guided by the studs 8d in the tracks, until it reaches the uppermost position indicated by arrow B, at which point the doll’s arms are now extending upwards above the head of the doll. As the manipulator 8 is raised, the sleeves or straps are pulled over the arms of the doll and the garment is pulled free of the sprung clip 10. When the handle 8a reaches its second or uppermost position, it engages a release mechanism which releases the door latch, allowing it to open so that the user can gain access to the doll, now wearing the garment. With some types of clothing, the user may then need to complete the dressing by bringing together the two parts of a closure on the garment, for example a hook-and-loop type of closure. Clips attached by strings to the manipulator may be employed instead to bring the two parts of the hook-and-loop closure together automatically during movement of the manipulator. The arrangement with the enclosure surrounding the doll during the dressing operation with a door which is only released when the operation is completed, adds to the entertainment value, but it will be appreciated that the use of a door, or indeed an enclosure, is optional to the invention; a simple framework could be employed to guide the handle of the manipulator, for example, or the manipulator could be used without a guide track. The manipulator may be configured in two parts in order to hold the outfit and create downward pull. One part stays firm at no higher than the end of the arm poles until the tension finally pulls the bottom hem of the outfit out of the clamp. The second top section of the manipulator pulls the outfit over the arms. While the manipulator preferably has individual holes 8c corresponding to the two guides 5, it will be appreciated that one single aperture surrounding the two guides would be sufficient for operation of the machine. The machine can be sized to suit the size of popular ranges of dolls, but different sizes could be used for different sizes of doll. The machine is configured for dolls having at least simple articulation of the arms allowing rotation at the shoulders, but can be used with dolls having more sophisticated articulation, such as at the elbows and at the wrists. The apertures (holes) 8c in the manipulator 8 pass over the arms, in use, drawing the sleeves or straps over them and then disengaging from the arms during the upward movement. The base 6, and with it the guides 5, may be configured to be removable, 5 along with the manipulator 8, from the enclosure, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, to facilitate fitting of the garment on to the guides and the placing of the doll on to the base. Formations 12 are moulded into the base, or provided on the base, to receive the feet of the doll, once the garment 9 has been positioned around the formations 12. The complete assembly, with the doll 11 and garment 9 in 10 place, is then inserted into the cavity 3 within the enclosure 1, the handle 8a being pushed through the slot 4 to project from the rear of the enclosure 1. In an alternative embodiment, not illustrated, the slot or guide track 4 may be formed as a loop so that the manipulator passes back down the back of the doll to ensure that the garment is fully engaged on the shoulders of the doll. 15

Claims

1. A doll dressing machine comprising a base and a spaced pair of guides upstanding therefrom configured to receive at the upper ends thereof the hands of a doll of the type having articulated arms whereby, in use, the doll is supported on the base with its arms directed downwardly and resting on the guides, and a garment manipulator device having at least one opening therein configured to be received over the guides, and a handle for lifting the manipulator from a first position adjacent to the base to a second position above the doll, whereby a garment positioned with armholes or straps around the guides is drawn upwards by the manipulator over the doll and over the doll’s arms.

2. A doll dressing machine according to Claim 1, wherein the base comprises means for temporarily engaging, in use, a portion of a garment located over the guides and around the doll.

3. A doll dressing machine according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the means for temporarily engaging a portion of a garment comprises hooks engageable on the garment.

4. A doll dressing machine according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the means for temporarily engaging a portion of a garment comprises a spring clip.

5. A doll dressing machine according to any preceding claim, comprising an enclosure surrounding the base and including a door by which a doll may be introduced into the machine, the enclosure including a vertically extending track through which the handle projects and serving to guide the vertical movement of the manipulator.

6. A doll dressing machine according to Claim 5, comprising a door release activated by the handle reaching the upper end of the track.

7. A doll dressing machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the manipulator device has a pair of openings therein, each opening surrounding a respective one of the guides when the manipulator is resting on the base.

8. A doll dressing method, comprising providing a base having upstanding therefrom a spaced pair of guides, locating a manipulator device on the base and surrounding the guides, placing a doll’s garment including a pair ofsleeves or armholes on to the base with each sleeve or arm hole of the garment around a respective one of the guides, placing a doll of the type having articulated arms and legs on to the base with the hands of the doll resting on the guides and with its arms directed downwardly and the legs within the garment,5 and lifting the manipulator upwardly to draw the garment upwards on to the doll until the arms of the doll are directed upwardly above the body thereof.

9. A method according to Claim 8, comprising using a machine according to any of Claims 1 to 7.

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