Toy and toy set

Abstract

To provide a toy and the like, which have a new uniting mechanism as a mechanism for uniting the toy.SOLUTION: A toy, which is constituted to be capable of being connected to another toy, comprises a connection part for being connected to the other toy. The connection part has a recessed part, a protruded part, and a projection that is constituted to be capable of being pressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to toys and toy sets. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 proposes a transforming toy in which a number of toys are combined to form a toy with a new appearance (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 3-81396 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the toys described in Patent Document 1, the mechanisms for combining the toys are different for each toy.

[0005] The present invention provides a toy having a novel combining mechanism as a mechanism for combining toys, and a toy set made up of a combination of such toys. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention relates to a toy configured to be connectable with another toy, the toy having a connecting portion for connecting with the other toy, the connecting portion having a recess, a protrusion, and a protrusion configured to be pressable.The present invention also relates to a toy set consisting of a combination of the above toys, the toy set comprising a first toy and a second toy, the first toy and the second toy having different appearances. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a toy having a novel combining mechanism as a mechanism for combining toys, and a toy set made up of a combination of such toys. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of an external configuration of a first toy in a first appearance according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of an external configuration of a second toy in a third appearance according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1A to 1C are diagrams showing an example of a cross-sectional configuration of a first toy, a configuration of a joint portion, and an external configuration of the first toy in a second appearance according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of a cross-sectional configuration of a second toy corresponding to an embodiment, a configuration of a connecting portion, and an external configuration of the second toy in a fourth appearance. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an external configuration of a first toy and a second toy after being combined according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining an outline of a joining operation at a joining portion according to an embodiment, and diagrams for explaining an arrangement of elements at the joining portion. [Figure 7] 5A to 5C are diagrams for explaining the configuration of a convex portion and a concave portion in a coupling portion according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more features among the multiple features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. In addition, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0010] In addition, in each drawing, the up, down, left and right directions on the paper surface are used as the up, down, left and right directions of the parts (or components) in this embodiment when describing the present invention. In the embodiments described below, the present invention uses ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) resin and SBC (Styrene-Butadiene copolymer, styrene-based special transparent resin) as molding materials, but is not limited thereto, and does not exclude the use of other materials (thermoplastic resins such as polyethylene, thermosetting resins, soft resins, metals, etc.). In addition, in this specification, when describing the positional relationship and movement direction of each part, the terms front (forward), rear (rearward), left (left side), right (right side), up (upward), down (downward), etc. may be used, but (unless otherwise specified) these expressions refer to the positional relationship in which the orientation of the toy shown in each drawing is regarded as front (forward). Therefore, even if it is the same toy, if the orientation changes from drawing to drawing, the front, back, left, right, up and down directions will also be different.

[0011] <Toy appearance> First, an example of the external configuration of a first toy according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1(A) is a perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of a toy 100, which is a first toy, when viewed obliquely from above. Fig. 1(B) is a perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of a toy 100 when viewed obliquely from below.

[0012] In FIG. 1(A), the toy 100 has an appearance (first appearance) that imitates an apple, and its surface is separated into a plurality of parts 101, 102, 103, and 104. Also, from FIG. 1(B), it can be seen that the toy 100 is separated into parts 102, 103, 104, 105, and 106. Also, at a location corresponding to the bottom surface of the part 102 of the toy 100, a coupling part 110 for coupling with the toy 200 shown in FIG. 2 is disposed. The coupling part 110 is configured as a collection of elements including a convex part 110a, a concave part 110b, a protruding part 110c, and a pressing part 110d. The toy 100 is configured to be able to change from the first appearance that imitates an apple to a second appearance that is different from the first appearance by expanding each part by pressing the protruding part 110c.

[0013] Next, an example of the external configuration of the second toy according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2(A) is a perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of toy 200, which is the second toy, when viewed obliquely from above. Fig. 2(B) is a perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of toy 200 when viewed obliquely from below.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2(A), the toy 100 has an appearance (third appearance) imitating a lobster, and its surface is separated into a plurality of parts 201R, 201L, 202L, 203, 204, and 205. Also, as shown in FIG. 2(B), the toy 200 also has parts 201R, 201L, 202R, 202L, 203, 204, and 205. Also, a coupling part 210 for coupling with the toy 100 shown in FIG. 1 is disposed at a location corresponding to the bottom surface of the part 205 of the toy 200. The coupling part 210 is configured as a collection of elements including a convex part 210a, a concave part 210b, a protruding part 210c, and a pressing part 210d. The toy 200 is configured to be able to transform from the third appearance imitating a lobster to a fourth appearance different from the third appearance by expanding each part by pressing the protruding part 210c.

[0015] Next, referring to FIG. 3, another structure of the toy 100 will be described. FIG. 3(A) is a diagram showing an example of a cross-sectional structure of the toy 100 taken along the line A-A' in FIG. 1(A). FIG. 3(B) is a diagram showing an enlarged view of the joint 110 of the toy 100. In FIGS. 3(A) and (B), the cross-sectional structure of the joint 110 on the bottom surface of the toy 100 is shown, and the convex portion 110a and the concave portion 110b are static parts and do not change position relative to each other. On the other hand, the protrusion 110c is configured to be movable in the vertical direction in FIG. 3(A), and is biased downward by the elastic body 301 via the member 302. In addition, the upper end of the protrusion 110c is a flat surface so that it can be pressed reliably. In FIG. 3(B), the pressing portion 110d is shown as an area surrounded by a dotted line, but the pressing portion 110d is configured to reliably press the flat surface of the protrusion 110c. In Fig. 3(B), a gap at least equal to the width of the protrusion 110c is provided between the protrusion 110c and the recess 110b, and the space defined by this gap is used as the pressing portion 110d, but this configuration is not limited to this. Alternatively, for example, a convex portion may be provided so as to press the flat surface of the protrusion 110c, or a recess that engages with the protrusion 110c may be provided. Also, the upper end of the protrusion 110c may be, for example, any curved surface other than a flat surface.

[0016] 3A uses a coil spring for the elastic body 301 that applies a biasing force to the protrusion 110c, but it is not limited to a coil spring, and various springs such as leaf springs, disc springs, torsion springs, rubber, and any other material, substance, or substance that exerts a restoring force to return to the original shape when deformation occurs due to the application of force can be used. Also, in FIG. 3A, the elastic body 301 does not directly act on the protrusion 110c, and biases the protrusion 110c via a member 302, but this configuration is not limited to this. That is, the protrusion 110c may be biased directly by the elastic body 301 so that the protrusion 110c protrudes from the bottom surface of the toy 100. In this embodiment, when the toy 100 is coupled with the toy 200 and the protrusion 110c is pressed by the pressing portion 210d, the protrusion 110c is pushed inward. This causes the inclined surface on the bottom surface of the part 302 to engage with the inclined surface on the upper end of the protrusion 110c, and the part 302 moves to the left side of the figure. As a result, the member supported by the part 302 is released from the holding state, the lock of the parts 101 to 106 is released (directly or indirectly), and each part unfolds to the state shown in FIG. 3(C). Note that the biasing force of another elastic body may be used when the lock of the parts 101 to 106 is released and they are unfolded.

[0017] Next, referring to FIG. 4, another structure of the toy 200 will be described. FIG. 4(A) is a diagram showing an example of a cross-sectional structure of the toy 200 taken along the line B-B' in FIG. 2(A). FIG. 4(B) is a diagram showing an enlarged view of the joint 210 of the toy 200. FIG. 4(A) shows a cross-sectional structure of the joint 210 on the bottom surface of the toy 200, and the convex portion 210a and the concave portion 210b are static parts and do not change position relative to each other. On the other hand, the protrusion 210c is configured to be movable in the vertical direction of FIG. 4(A), and is directly biased downward by the elastic body 401 here. The material constituting the elastic body 401 is the same as that described in relation to FIG. 3(A). The protrusion 210c and the pressing portion 210d are also the same as those described in relation to FIG. 3(A) and FIG. 3(B).

[0018] In the configuration of FIG. 4(A), when the toy 200 is coupled with the toy 100 and the protrusion 210c is pressed by the pressing unit 110d, the protrusion 110c is pushed inward. As a result, the upper end of the protrusion 210c presses or engages with other members, and the parts 201 to 205 are released from engagement (directly or indirectly), and each part unfolds to the state shown in FIG. 4(B). Note that the biasing force of another elastic body may be used when the parts 201 to 205 are released from engagement and unfolded. In addition, in this embodiment, the case where the parts unfold and the appearance is deformed has been described, but there is no particular limitation as long as the parts move and the appearance is deformed by the operation of the pressing unit (operation unit) on the protrusion. For example, the parts may move in a direction to close inward and deform.

[0019] FIG. 5 illustrates a state in which a new toy 500 is formed by combining the toy 100 and the toy 200 via the combining part 110 and the combining part 210 of each toy when the toy 100 and the toy 200 are provided as a toy set. The toy 100 is transformed from the first appearance of FIG. 1(A) to the second appearance of FIG. 3(C) by pressing the protrusion 110c of the combining part 110, and the toy 200 is transformed from the third appearance of FIG. 2(A) to the fourth appearance of FIG. 4(C) by pressing the protrusion 210c of the combining part 210. Then, the toy 100 of the second appearance and the toy 200 of the fourth appearance are combined to form a combined toy in a robot form (fifth appearance). Such a change in appearance can be achieved simultaneously by combining the toy 100 and the toy 200 via the combining part (there may be some parts that are partially transformed manually, such as fine adjustment of parts). At this time, since the coupling portion 110 is disposed on the bottom surface of the toy 100, when coupling with the toy 200, the toy 100 is coupled by being turned upside down.

[0020] 6(A) and 6(B) are diagrams for explaining the relationship between the connecting parts of two toys when they are connected to each other. In Fig. 6(A) and Fig. 6(B), reference numbers are given to correspond to the case where toy 200 shown in Fig. 5 is connected on the upper side and toy 100 is connected on the lower side.

[0021] FIG. 6(A) shows the arrangement state before the coupling portion 210 and the coupling portion 110 are coupled. When the toy 100 and the toy 200 are coupled, the convex portion 110a and the concave portion 210b are coupled, and the coupling position can be determined (positioned) by the coupling of the convex portion 210a and the concave portion 110b. At that time, the protrusions 110c and 210c arranged between the convex portion and the concave portion and the pressing portion 110d and 210d are positioned relative to each other, and the pressing by the pressing portion 210d of the protrusion 110c and the pressing by the pressing portion 110d of the protrusion 210c are simultaneously realized. In this embodiment, the pressing portions 110d and 210d are flat surfaces, but may be formed as convex portions or concave portions as described above. Also, as shown in FIG. 6(A), the height of the protrusion 110c with respect to the surface on which the coupling portion is provided is lower than the height of the protrusion 110a. As a result, when the coupling is not performed, the convex portion 110a can play a role as a guard to prevent erroneous operation of the protruding portion 110c.

[0022] FIG. 6(B) shows a state in which the coupling portion 210 and the coupling portion 110 are coupled. Here, the convex portion 110a and the concave portion 210b are coupled, and the convex portion 210a and the concave portion 110b are coupled. In addition, the protrusion portion 110c is pressed by the pressing portion 210d and is pushed into the toy 100. In addition, the protrusion portion 210c is pressed by the pressing portion 110d and is pushed into the toy 200. As a result, the elastic bodies that have been biasing the protrusion portion 110c and the protrusion portion 210c, respectively, are compressed. When the coupling between the toy 100 and the toy 200 is released and the compressed state is also released, the protrusion portions 110c and 210c protrude outward again, and it becomes possible to restore the original appearance of the toy. In this embodiment, an example in which a protrusion or a pressing portion is disposed between a convex portion and a concave portion is shown, but this is not limited thereto, and for example, a protrusion may be disposed next to a convex portion that is not on the concave portion side, or a protrusion or a pressing portion may be disposed in a position that is not between a convex portion and a concave portion. When a protrusion or a pressing portion is disposed between a convex portion and a concave portion as in this embodiment, the protrusion can be pressed more reliably.

[0023] Fig. 6(C) is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of the convex portion, concave portion, projection portion, and pressing portion in the joint portion. In Fig. 6(C), a reference numeral corresponding to the joint portion 110 of the toy 100 is given, but the joint portion 210 of the toy 200 has a similar structure. In Fig. 6(C), the projection portion 110c and the pressing portion 110d are arranged on a straight line 601 connecting the convex portion 110a and the recessed portion 110b. With such an arrangement, it becomes possible to provide a joint portion corresponding to this embodiment in common to a plurality of toys, and to join the toys together in any combination.

[0024] In addition, in Fig. 6, a dashed line 600 common to (A) to (C) is added, and this dashed line 600 passes through the boundary between the protrusion and the pressing portion. From Fig. 6, it can be seen that the configuration of the joint is configured to be linearly symmetrical with respect to the dashed line 600. By arranging the pairs of the protrusion and the protrusion, and the recess and the pressing portion linearly symmetrically in this way, the joint between the joints can be reliably ensured. Therefore, when the joint is used in common for a plurality of toys, it can be joined with any of the toys. The combination of the protrusion, the recess, the protrusion, and the pressing portion may be changed to a combination of the protrusion and the pressing portion, or the recess and the protrusion.

[0025] In the above-described embodiment, the convex portions 110a, 210a and the concave portions 110b, 210b of the coupling portions 110 and 210, respectively, may be configured to engage with each other when coupled. For example, a protrusion may be provided on the convex portion, and an insertion portion into which the protrusion is inserted may be provided on the concave portion, so that the inserted state can be maintained when the protrusion is inserted into the insertion portion. This configuration will be described below with reference to FIG. 7.

[0026] FIG. 7 shows an example of the cross-sectional structure of the protrusion and the insertion portion. FIG. 7(A) shows a state before the protrusion 110a and the recess 210b are coupled, and FIG. 7(B) shows a state in which the protrusion 110a and the recess 210b are coupled. The protrusion 110a can be configured, for example, by making the cross section of the tip 701 a curved surface and supporting it with a shaft member 702 having a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the curved surface. On the other hand, the recess 210b can be provided with protrusions 710a and 710b on the upper side of the inner wall of the recess so as to face each other. When the tip 701 of the protrusion 110a passes through the protrusions 710a and 710b, the shaft member 702 is supported by the protrusions 710a and 710b, and the state in which the protrusion 110a is inserted into the recess 210b is maintained. With this configuration, the engagement state between the protrusion and the recess can be stably maintained.

[0027] In the above embodiment, the recess 201b may be configured to have two protrusions with different widths arranged parallel to each other, and the space between the two protrusions may be used as the recess (first configuration), or the protrusions may be arranged in a substantially circumferential manner, and the space surrounded by the protrusions may be used as the recess (second configuration). The protrusion 101a corresponds to the configuration of the recess 201b, and is configured as a protrusion having a width that can be inserted into the space between the two protrusions of the recess 201b when the recess 201b is in the first configuration. On the other hand, when the recess 201b is in the second configuration, it is configured as an axial protrusion that can be inserted into the space of the recess 201b.

[0028] According to the embodiment described above, the toys corresponding to this embodiment have a common coupling part consisting of a convex part, a concave part, a protrusion part configured to be pressable, and a pressing part capable of pressing the protrusion part. By using the coupling part, the coupling direction of the toys to be coupled can be easily determined and coupled. At that time, since the coupling direction of the coupling part is uniquely determined by its structure, the toys are not coupled in the wrong direction. In addition, since the toy is transformed from the first appearance (or the third appearance) to the second appearance (or the fourth appearance) by pressing the protrusion part, the toys can be coupled and the appearance of the toys can be changed. In addition, by using the coupling part of this embodiment, the user can play with the coupling toys by freely combining toys that he likes.

[0029] In this embodiment, the pressable protrusion is disposed between the convex portion and the concave portion, so that it can be reliably pressed. In one embodiment, the protrusion is disposed closer to the convex portion, and the protruding members are disposed together, so that it can have a cohesive appearance. In addition, the height of the convex portion relative to the surface on which the coupling portion is provided is higher than that of the protrusion, so by disposing the protrusion closer to the convex portion, the protrusion can be used as a card that prevents erroneous operation of the protrusion. Specifically, even when the toy is not coupled, the protrusion is disposed near the protrusion, so that it can effectively prevent the protrusion from being erroneously operated.

[0030] In the above embodiment, the connecting portion is disposed on the bottom surface, but it may be disposed on the back surface or other surface depending on the structure of the toy. For example, in the case of a toy having an appearance resembling a car, the connecting portion may be disposed on the bottom surface or the back surface.

[0031] In the above embodiment, the first toy 100 is a toy that resembles an apple, and the second toy 200 is a toy that resembles a lobster. However, the appearance of the toys can be any animal, plant, living thing, vehicle (vehicle, airplane, ship, combat vehicle, etc.), virtual character (predetermined robot or character), stationery (eraser, pencil, ruler, compass, etc.), food (hamburger, etc.), any movable property (vending machine, etc.), real estate (building, condominium, station, landmark, other building). The appearance of the combined toy obtained by combining the first toy 100 and the second toy 200 after transformation is not limited to the above embodiment and can be any shape. In the above, the toy set consisting of the combination of the first toy and the second toy has been described, but the toy set may be configured to consist of a combination of three or more toys. In that case, for example, two or more coupling parts may be provided in one toy to connect two or more toys to one toy, or three or more toys may be connected in a series.

[0032] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

Claims

1. A toy configured to be connectable with other toys, a connecting portion for connecting to the other toy; The coupling portion is A first recess; A first protrusion; A protrusion configured to be pressable; At least the first protrusion and the protruding portion are disposed on an outer surface of the toy, the first recess engages with a second protrusion of the other toy; the first protrusion engages with a second recess of the other toy; The device further includes a part configured to be deployable in response to pressure applied to the protrusion, The toy is configured to have a first appearance before the protrusion is pressed, and to have a second appearance when the parts are released and unfolded in response to the protrusion being pressed.

2. The toy described in claim 1, wherein the protrusion portion is arranged between the first recess and the first convex portion, and a height of the protrusion portion relative to a surface on which the connecting portion is provided is lower than a height of the first convex portion relative to the surface.

3. a pressing portion between the first recess and the first protrusion for pressing the protrusion of the other toy; The toy according to claim 1 , wherein the protrusion and the pressing portion are arranged on a straight line connecting the first recess and the first convex portion.

4. The toy according to claim 3 , wherein the protrusion is disposed closer to the first convex portion than the pressing portion.

5. The toy according to claim 4 , wherein the protrusion and the first convex portion, and the pressing portion and the first concave portion are arranged line-symmetrically with respect to a boundary between the protrusion and the pressing portion.

6. The toy according to claim 3 , wherein the pressing portion is configured as any one of a flat surface, a convex portion, and a concave portion.

7. The toy according to claim 1 , wherein a tip of the protrusion has a flat surface or a curved surface.

8. The toy according to claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is directly or indirectly biased by an elastic body from inside the toy.

9. A toy as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first convex portion is configured to have a shaft portion and a tip portion located at the tip of the shaft portion, the diameter of the tip portion being larger than the diameter of the shaft portion, and the first concave portion is provided with an engaging member that engages with the tip portion of the second convex portion of the other toy.

10. The toy according to claim 1 , wherein the toy is transformed from the first appearance to the second appearance by being combined with the other toy.

11. The toy according to claim 1 , wherein the other toys include a toy that is the same as the toy and a toy that is different from the toy.

12. A toy set comprising a combination of toys according to any one of claims 1 to 11, the toy set including at least a first toy and a second toy having different appearances.

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