Toy component and toy

Abstract

To address such a problem of assembly toys that a combination of components is fixed, and it is not possible to change the combination of components according to types of toys.SOLUTION: Toy components of an assembly toy, include a first component, a second component, and a third component configured to be connectable with the first component and the second component. The first component and the second component are so configured that first parts thereof to be connected to the third component have a same configuration, however, partial configurations of the components are different from each other. Accordingly, the first component and the second component are configured to change the combination thereof with the third component according to types of toys when being used.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a toy part and a toy. [Background technology]

[0002] Assembly toys (for example, doll-shaped assembly toys) are assembled by combining multiple parts. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a plastic model in which each part is assembled by combining two plastic parts, one on the front and one on the back. The plastic parts have projections and recesses, and the parts are joined by combining these. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2-5103 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional technology, the combination of parts is fixed, and the combination of parts cannot be changed according to the type of toy.

[0005] The present invention provides a toy part and a toy that allow the combination of parts to be changed depending on the type of toy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is, for example, a toy part for an assembly type toy, comprising a first part, a second part, and a third part configured to be connectable to the first part and the second part, the first part and the second part having the same configuration of a first portion that connects to the third part, and configured to differ from each other in some configurations of the parts, and the first part and the second part are configured to be used in a reconfigurable manner with respect to the third part depending on the type of the toy.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is a construction toy including, for example, the above-described toy parts. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a toy part and a toy that allow the combination of parts to be changed depending on the type of toy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1A] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an external front view of a toy object according to an embodiment. [Figure 1B] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an exterior side surface of a toy object according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the external front appearance of a plurality of toy objects of different sizes according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 11A to 11C are diagrams showing examples of the structure of a portion of a leg of a toy object of different size according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 4A to 4C are diagrams for explaining the structure of parts that configure the leg portion shown in FIG. 3 according to one embodiment. [Figure 5A] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating examples of chest structures of toy bodies of different sizes according to an embodiment. [Figure 5B] 11A to 11C are diagrams showing examples of cross-sectional structures of the chests of toy bodies of different sizes according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a mark indicating a size that is attached to a toy part of a toy body according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] 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.

[0011] 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. Note that, in the embodiments described below, the present invention uses ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) resin, SBC (styrene-butadiene copolymer, styrene-based special transparent resin), etc. as molding materials, but is not limited to these, and does not exclude the use of other materials (thermoplastic resins such as polyethylene, thermosetting resins, soft resins, metals, etc.).

[0012] <Appearance of the toy body> First, an example of the external configuration of a toy body 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1A and 1B. Figure 1A shows the external front view of the toy body 100. Figure 1B shows the external side view of the toy body 100. Note that up / down, left / right, and front / rear arrows indicate the orientation of the toy body in the figure, and this also applies to the other figures.

[0013] The toy body 100 can be configured by combining a plurality of parts. The appearance of the toy body 100 may be, for example, a doll type or an animal type. The toy body 100 includes a head 101, a chest 102, a right arm 103, a left arm 104, an abdomen 105, a waist 106, a right leg 107, and a left leg 108. The toy body 100 is a movable toy body such as a movable figure, and each part can be moved within a limited range caused by its relationship with other members. The head 101 is connected to the chest 102 by a spherical connecting member (hereinafter, also referred to as a ball joint).

[0014] The chest 102 can be separated into a bust portion 102a, a clavicle portion 102b, and a costume portion 102c, and further, a right arm portion 103 and a left arm portion 104 are connected by a spherical connecting member. The right arm portion 103 is composed of a right shoulder portion 103a and a right arm main body portion 103b, and the left arm portion 104 is composed of a left shoulder portion 104a and a left arm main body portion 104b. In addition, an abdomen 105 is connected to the lower portion of the chest 102. The detailed configurations of the chest 102 and the arms 103 and 104 will be described later. A waist portion 106 is connected to the abdomen 105. A right leg portion 107 and a left leg portion 108 are connected to the waist portion 106, and are covered with decorative parts such as a skirt. The right leg 107 is made up of a right hip joint 107a and a right leg body 107b, and the left leg 108 is made up of a left hip joint 108a and a left leg body 108b.

[0015] Hereinafter, the upper body including the head 101, chest 102, right arm 103, and left arm 104 will be referred to as the upper body. The lower body including the waist 106, right leg 107, and left leg 108 will be referred to as the lower body. The upper body and the lower body are connected via the abdomen 105. The chest 102, abdomen 105, and waist 106 will also be collectively referred to as the torso. Below, the structures of the legs and hip joints will be mainly described as the movable structure according to this embodiment. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention, and the movable structure described below can be applied not only to the legs and hip joints, but also to other joints such as shoulder joints and chest joints that connect the arms.

[0016] <Appearance of different sized toys> Next, referring to FIG. 2, differences in appearance between toy bodies 100 of different sizes according to this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, size includes the height (or overall length) and other physical characteristics (bust, waist, hips, etc.) of the character represented by the toy body 100. In FIG. 2, the sizes of the toy body 100 are classified into four types, S, M, L, and LL, according to height. Hereinafter, when referring to the size of a toy body, this refers to the height size. On the other hand, when referring to the size of a physical characteristic, for example, the chest 102 refers to the bust size.

[0017] In this embodiment, the characters may have the same height but different physical characteristics. For example, the toy 100 with an S height can have a bust size of S, M, or L. Even if the characters have the same height and physical characteristics, the toy 100 can represent different types of characters by having different faces and hairstyles.

[0018] FIG. 2(a) shows an example of the appearance of a small-sized toy body 100S. FIG. 2(b) shows an example of the appearance of a medium-sized toy body 100M. FIG. 2(c) shows an example of the appearance of a large-sized toy body 100L. FIG. 2(d) shows an example of the appearance of an extra-large-sized toy body 100LL. In the example of FIG. 2, an example is described in which the smaller the height, the smaller the physical features, but the height and the physical features do not necessarily have to match.

[0019] These different sized toy bodies 100S to 100LL can be constructed by combining common parts and size-specific parts regardless of size. The common parts can be, for example, the right arm body part 103b, the left arm body part 104b, the right leg body part 107b, and the left leg body part 108b. The abdomen 105 and the waist part 106 can also be common, but in FIG. 2, they are common between the toy bodies 100S and 100M, and between the toy bodies 100L and 100LL, respectively. By replacing the size-specific parts, the user can change the size of the toy body 100, for example, from 100S to 100L, or change the style of the toy body 100 while keeping the size of the toy body (for example, change the bust size from S to M or L).

[0020] The head and face can be naturally made unique parts for character identification, but the right hip joint 107a and the left hip joint 108a can be made unique for each size. Thus, the toy body 100S has a right hip joint 107as and a left hip joint 108as, the toy body 100M has a right hip joint 107am and a left hip joint 108am, the toy body 100L has a right hip joint 107al and a left hip joint 108al, and the toy body 100LL has a right hip joint 107all and a left hip joint 108all. These hip joints have the same basic structure except that their lengths (heights) differ for each size. In this way, the height of each toy body 100 can be changed by changing the length of the hip joints. Also, since the hip joints can be hidden by clothing, the viewer does not feel uncomfortable even if the legs are of different lengths.

[0021] In addition, in FIG. 2, the right shoulder 103as and the left shoulder 104as are used in common for the toy bodies 100S and 100M, and the right shoulder 103al and the left shoulder 104al are used in common for the toy bodies 100L and 100LL. The right shoulder 103a and the left shoulder 104a each include a shoulder joint and are connected to the chest 102. The right shoulder 103a also plays a part of the length of the right arm 103, and when the length of the right shoulder 103a is increased, the length of the right arm 103 is increased by adding the length of the right arm main body 103b, which is used in common. Therefore, if the right shoulder 103a is prepared for each size, the length of the right arm will be noticeable in the LL-sized toy body 100LL, which may cause a sense of incongruity. The same is true for the left arm 104. If the arms are too long like this, it can feel unnatural and can give the impression of being unbalanced as a doll body, so the length is made to be standardized to a certain extent. In Figure 2, the arms are standardized for S, M, L, and LL sizes, but they can also be standardized for all sizes from S to LL.

[0022] In addition, the toy bodies 100S and 100M share the same bust portion 102as and clavicle portion 102bs, while the toy bodies 100L and 100LL share the same bust portion 102al and clavicle portion 102bl, but the bust portion 102a and clavicle portion 102b may be prepared for each size. Although the costume portion 102c is omitted in FIG. 2, the costume portion may be prepared for each type of toy body 100, including its configuration. In addition, the configuration of the costume portion 102c may have a common design, or may have a different design for each character.

[0023] Furthermore, since the bust portion 102a, the clavicle portion 102b, and the costume portion 102c are connected to form the chest portion 102, matching the sizes can prevent a visual sense of incongruity. For example, when the bust portion 102as and the clavicle portion 102bl are combined, or when the bust portion 102al and the clavicle portion 102bs are combined, the connection surfaces between the bust portion and the clavicle portion do not connect well, causing a visual sense of incongruity. To prevent such a situation, it is desirable to combine the bust portion, the clavicle portion, and the costume portion in the same size.

[0024] <Example of leg configuration> Next, referring to FIG. 3, differences in size of the leg 107 of the toy body 100 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 3(a) is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the leg 107 of the toy body 100S. FIG. 3(b) is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the right leg 107 of the toy body 100M. The right leg body 107b is common to the toy bodies 100S and 100M. However, in FIG. 3, only the part above the knee of the leg 107b is shown, and the part below the knee is omitted, but the part below the knee is also common. On the other hand, it can be seen that the heights of the right hip joint parts 107as and 107am are different. The user can change the configuration of the leg 107 of the toy body by replacing the right hip joint parts 107as and 107am.

[0025] In this way, by changing the height of the hip joint according to the size of the toy body 100, the length of the leg 107 changes, and as a result, the height of the toy body 100 changes. The hip joint 107a is connected to a connection part 301, which is common regardless of the size of the toy body 100. Although Fig. 3 shows the configuration of the leg 107 for the toy bodies 100S and 100M, the same is true for the toy bodies 100L and 100LL.

[0026] In this manner, in this embodiment, parts specific to the size of toy body 100 (or parts that differ for each size) and common parts regardless of size are used, so even if the parts are specific, the connection parts with the common parts are made in the same form. In Fig. 3, although right hip joint parts 107as and 107am have different heights (or lengths), the connection parts with right leg body part 107b are configured similarly, and the joining part with connection part 301 is also configured similarly.

[0027] Next, the internal structure of the right hip joint portion 107a shown in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4(a) shows a comparison between the right hip joint portion 107as and the right hip joint portion 107am. As shown by the dotted line, when the top of the right hip joint portion 107as and the top of the right hip joint portion 107am are aligned, it can be seen that the right hip joint portion 107am extends further downward than the right hip joint portion 107as. However, the configuration of the opening 401 provided in the right hip joint portion 107as and the right hip joint portion 107am is the same, including the size of the opening and the internal structure.

[0028] Next, FIG. 4(b) shows an example of the appearance of the sub-parts 107cs and 107cm arranged inside the hip joints 107as and 107am. The sub-parts 107cs and 107cm each have an opening 402 and a protrusion 403, and the opening 402 and the protrusion 403 each have a common size and shape. However, the sub-parts 107cs and 107cm have different lengths corresponding to the heights of the hip joints 107as and 107am. As shown by the dotted line, when the top of the sub-part 107cs and the top of the sub-part 107cm are aligned, it can be seen that the sub-part 107cm extends further downward than the sub-part 107cs. In this case, the length and shape of the protrusion 403 are common. This is because they are commonly connected to the right leg body 107b. In addition, openings are provided in the bottom of the hip joint parts 107as and 107am, and when the sub-parts 107cs and 107cm are inserted through the bottom openings, the opening 402 is positioned at the opening of the opening 401, and the protrusion 403 protrudes from the bottom opening. In this way, even in toy parts specific to a size, there are common parts and specific parts, and when connecting to other parts, compatibility with other toy parts of different sizes is maintained.

[0029] <Chest configuration example> Next, with reference to Figs. 5A and 5B, differences in parts configurations due to differences in structure and size of the chest 102 of the toy body 100 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 5A(a) is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the chest 102s of the toy bodies 100S and 100M. Fig. 5A(b) is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the chest 102l of the toy bodies 100L and 100LL. A user can change the configuration of the chest 102 of the toy body to either the chest 102s or the chest 102l by replacing parts. Note that the configuration of the chest 102 is common between the toy bodies 100S and 100M, and between the toy bodies 100L and 100LL, but may be different depending on the size of the toy body 100. Fig. 5B(a) is an AA cross-sectional view of the chest 102 shown in Fig. 5A(a). Fig. 5B(b) is a BB cross-sectional view of the chest 102 shown in Fig. 5A(b).

[0030] In this embodiment, the chest 102 is configured to include a bust portion 102a, a clavicle portion 102b, and a costume portion 102c according to the bust size. The chest 102 may also include other members constituting the skeleton. FIG. 5A shows a combination of a bust portion 102as, a clavicle portion 102bs, and a costume portion 102cs, and a combination of a bust portion 102al, a clavicle portion 102bl, and a costume portion 102cl. The parts connecting these parts are configured to have a depth (or width, thickness, bulge, etc.) specific to the bust size, so when the parts are replaced, the connecting surface is not continuous, which creates a visual sense of incongruity, so it is desirable to configure the chest 102 by a combination for each size. In addition, the lengths or heights of the parts in the above-mentioned leg portion 107 are different, but in the configuration of the chest 102, the parts are configured to have different depths, widths, or bulges.

[0031] For example, as shown in FIG. 5B, the bust portions 102as and 102al have different values ​​of depth (or width) d1, d2 so as to reflect the size of the bust of the toy body 100. Here, the depth d2 of the bust portion 102al, which has a larger bust size, is greater than the depth d1 of the bust portion 102as. Accordingly, the clavicle portion 102b located above the bust portion 102a also has a larger bulge near the connection surface with the bust portion 102a in the clavicle portion 102bl than in the clavicle portion 102bs. Specifically, the clavicle portion 102bl has a gentle slope near the connection surface with the bust portion 102al, and the end protrudes to the outside of the toy body 100, whereas the clavicle portion 102bs has a steeper slope near the connection surface with the bust portion 102as, and the end is located further inside the toy body 100. This reflects the size of the bust. Also, for the costume part 102c, the bulge of the costume part 102cl is larger than that of the costume part 102cs at the boundary between the bust part 102a and the clavicle part 102b. This is also evident from the fact that, of the costume parts 102cs and 102cl shown in cross section in Fig. 5B, the costume part 102cl is located on the outer front side of the toy body 100. The chest part 102 has a connection part 501 for connection to the abdomen 105, and the configuration of the connection part 501 is the same regardless of the size.

[0032] <Part size identification> Next, a method for identifying part sizes will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 shows an example of a mark indicating which size each part corresponds to. For example, the part size can be indicated on the part's runner, but once the part is removed from the runner, it becomes difficult to determine the size of the part individually, so a mark for identifying the size is attached to each part. When changing parts, the user can easily determine which size the part corresponds to by checking the mark.

[0033] 6(a) and (b) are views showing the appearance of the subparts 107cs and 107cm shown in FIG. 4(b) from different angles. FIG. 6(a) shows the subpart 107cs, which is marked with a triangular mark 601. FIG. 6(b) shows the subpart 107cm, which is marked with a circular mark 602. That is, a triangle indicates the S size, and a circle indicates the M size. Alternatively, a square may indicate the L size, and a star may indicate the LL size.

[0034] 6(c) shows an example in which a marker indicating the size is added to a cylindrical part, and here, a round marker 603 is added. Therefore, it can be seen that this part is a medium-sized part.

[0035] The following Figures 6(d) to (f) show the same costume parts, but the number of lines shown in the mold is different. Marker 604 in Figure 6(d) has one line, mark 605 in Figure 6(e) has two lines, and mark 606 in Figure 6(f) has three lines. By changing the number of lines in this way, it is possible to indicate the size of the costume part. Here, one line can be small size, two lines can be medium size, and three lines can be large size. Although not shown in Figure 6, four lines can also be large size.

[0036] Sizes may be indicated using the symbols of rock, paper, and scissors, or animals, in addition to the above methods. Or, symbols such as one-wheeled, two-wheeled, three-wheeled, and four-wheeled vehicles may be used. Sizes may also be indicated using the alphabet (A, B, C), Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3), Roman numerals (I, II, III), or Greek letters (α, β, γ, etc.). Size indicators may be placed on the inside of the parts.

[0037] The combination of markers may be common to different parts, or may differ depending on the location of the part, such as a geometric shape (e.g., triangle, circle, square, etc.) for shoulder joints and Arabic numerals for hip joints.

[0038] As described above, by dividing the parts (toy parts) constituting the toy body into common parts and size-specific parts, the user can easily change the size and style of the toy body. For example, by replacing the right hip joint part 107a, the length of the leg part 107 can be easily changed, and as a result, the size of the toy body can be changed. In addition, by replacing the parts constituting the chest part 102, the bust size can be changed from S to M or L. In addition, for example, by selling size-specific parts as a set, the user can enjoy changing the size and style of the toy body without purchasing the entire doll toy, thereby improving playability.

[0039] Furthermore, since size-specific parts have common connection parts with parts of the same size, even if the user replaces size-specific parts, the size can be changed naturally without creating discontinuous surfaces in the appearance of the toy.

[0040] <Summary of the embodiment> The above embodiment discloses at least the following toy parts and toys. (1) A toy part for a construction toy, A first part, a second part, a third part configured to be connectable to the first part and the second part; and Equipped with The first part and the second part are configured such that the configuration of a first portion connected to the third part is the same, and the configuration of a part is different from each other; A toy part, wherein the first part and the second part are configured to be used in a recombined manner with the third part depending on the type of the toy. (2) The toy part according to (1), wherein the type of the toy is at least one of the height and physical characteristics of the toy. (3) The toy part according to (1) or (2), wherein the configuration of the part is at least one of the length, height, thickness, depth, and width of the part. (4) A toy part described in any one of (1) to (3), wherein the overall length of the toy when the first part is connected to the third part is shorter than the overall length of the toy when the second part is connected to the third part. (5) the first part includes a first subpart therein; the second part includes a second subpart therein; the first portion is configured as a protrusion on the first subpart and the second subpart; The toy part according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the protrusion portion is configured to have the same size and length for the first subpart and the second subpart. (6) The toy part according to (5), wherein lengths of the first sub-part and the second sub-part correspond to lengths of the first part and the second part, respectively. (7) A toy part described in any one of (1) to (6), wherein the surfaces of the first part and the second part are configured to be continuous with the surface of the third part when connected to the third part. (8) The present invention further includes a fourth part that is configured to be connectable to the first part and the second part at a second part that is different from the first part of the first part and the second part, and is different from the third part; The toy part according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the first part and the second part have the same configuration of the second part. (9) The second portion is configured as an opening in the first part and the second part; The toy part according to (8), wherein the openings of the first part and the second part have the same size and the same internal structure. (10) the first part includes a first subpart therein; the second part includes a second subpart therein; the first subpart and the second subpart have an opening; The first subpart and the second subpart are configured so that the size of the opening is the same, The toy part described in (9), wherein the first sub-part is positioned inside the first part at a position where the opening can be seen from the opening, and the second sub-part is positioned inside the second part at a position where the opening can be seen from the opening. (11) The first part includes a third subpart and a fourth subpart, the second part includes a fifth subpart and a sixth subpart; The toy part according to any one of (1) to (10), wherein a width or depth of a portion formed by the third subpart and the fourth subpart is smaller than a width or depth of a portion formed by the fifth subpart and the sixth subpart. (12) The toy part according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the first part and the second part each have a different mark for identifying a part size. (13) The toy part according to (12), wherein the marker is provided on a part surface that is not exposed to the outside when the first part and the second part are connected to other parts. (14) The toy part according to (12) or (13), wherein the markings include a combination of multiple figures, patterns, letters, or numbers for individually indicating multiple sizes. (15) An assembly toy including a toy part according to any one of (1) to (14).

[0041] 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. Toy parts for an assembly toy, The first part, A second part configured to be connectable to the first part and Equipped with, The first part is, Having a first portion that connects to the second portion, and including a sub-part on which the first portion is formed, A toy component comprising a third part formed having the first part and configured such that a part of its configuration differs from that of the first part, and configured to be used interchangeably with the second part depending on the type of toy.

2. The toy component according to claim 1, wherein the type of toy is at least one of the height and physical characteristics of the toy.

3. The toy part according to claim 1, wherein a part of the composition of the aforementioned part is at least one of the length, height, thickness, depth, and width of the part.

4. The toy component according to claim 1, wherein the total length of the toy when the first part is connected to the second part is different from the total length of the toy when the third part is connected to the second part.

5. The first part contains a first subpart inside, The aforementioned third part contains the second subpart internally. The first part is configured as a projection in the first sub-part and the second sub-part, The toy part according to claim 1, wherein the projection is configured to be the same size and length for the first subpart and the second subpart.

6. The toy part according to claim 5, wherein the lengths of the first sub-part and the second sub-part correspond to the lengths of the first part and the third part, respectively.

7. The toy component according to claim 1, wherein the surfaces of the first part and the third part are configured to be continuous with the surface of the second part when connected to the second part.

8. A second part, distinct from the first part of the first part and the third part, further comprises a fourth part, which is configured to be connectable to the first part and the third part, and is distinct from the second part. The toy part according to claim 1, wherein the first part and the third part have the same configuration as the second part.

9. The second part is configured as an opening in the first part and the third part, The toy part according to claim 8, wherein the opening is the same in size and internal structure for the first part and the third part.

10. The first part contains a first subpart inside, The aforementioned third part contains the second subpart internally. The first sub-part and the second sub-part have openings. The first sub-part and the second sub-part are configured to have the same size opening. The toy part according to claim 9, wherein the first sub-part is positioned inside the first part so that the opening can be seen from the opening, and the second sub-part is positioned inside the third part so that the opening can be seen from the opening.

11. The toy part according to claim 1, wherein the first part and the third part each have different markings for identifying the part size.

12. The toy part according to claim 11, wherein the markings are provided on the surface of the parts that are not exposed to the outside when the first part and the third part are connected to other parts.

13. The toy part according to claim 11, wherein the markings include a combination of multiple figures, patterns, letters, or numbers for individually indicating multiple sizes.

14. An assembly toy comprising toy parts according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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