Toy

Abstract

To provide a technique of producing an operation feeling further imitating to that when crushing air bubbles of real bubble wrap in a toy repetitively amusing a player with a feeling of crushing the bubble wrap.SOLUTION: A toy 2 includes a first sheet 30 having a plurality of projections 31 formed on a front side. A second sheet 40 is bonded to the back side of the first sheet 30, so that each of the projections 31 is individually sealed, with a gas included therein. The second sheet 40 includes, on the back side thereof, movable contacts 62 of tactile switches 61 respectively corresponding to the projections 31.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a toy that allows a child to repeatedly enjoy the sensation of squashing bubble wrap. [Background technology]

[0002] One type of bubble wrap used for product packaging is a sheet-type cushioning material with many air bubbles arranged geometrically. Such bubble wrap, commercially available as Air Cap (registered trademark) or Buchi-Puchi (registered trademark), is sometimes used as a game to pop the bubbles before discarding. Bubble wrap is made of thin vinyl, and once the bubbles are popped, they do not return to their original shape, so once all the bubbles are popped, the game can no longer be played with.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a toy that allows users to repeatedly enjoy the sensation of popping bubble wrap. Using this toy not only allows users to enjoy popping the bubbles over and over again, but also provides a playful element that helps relieve stress. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3134221 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the toy of Patent Document 1, the tactile switch is pressed through a silicone rubber solid body (the second button sheet 203 having the large button 501 and the small button 601 in Patent Document 1) through a silicone rubber sheet that imitates the bubbles in bubble wrap. Therefore, the operation feels slightly different from popping the bubbles in real bubble wrap.

[0006] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a toy technology that allows the user to feel as if they are popping bubbles in real bubble wrap. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a toy comprising a first sheet having N (N≧2) protruding convex portions formed on the front side; a second sheet that is adhered to the back side of the first sheet, thereby individually sealing each of the convex portions in a gas-sealed state; movable contacts provided on the back side of the second sheet at positions corresponding to each of the convex portions; a performance output unit; and an electronic control unit that controls the performance output of the performance output unit based on the conductivity state of the movable contacts, wherein the movable contacts individually change from an off state to an on state when pressure is applied to the corresponding convex portion via the sealed gas within the convex portion.

[0008] Furthermore, the movable contact may be a contact for a tactile switch, and the operation of the movable contact may be tactilely detectable on the front side of the first sheet via the sealed gas in the convex portion corresponding to the movable contact.

[0009] The convex portion may have a truncated cone shape.

[0010] The movable contact may be sized to fit within the outline of the lower surface of the corresponding protrusion when viewed from the front side.

[0011] The movable contact may be sized to fit within the outer shape of the upper surface of the corresponding protrusion when viewed from the front side.

[0012] The protrusion may have a side surface that is thinner than an upper surface.

[0013] The first sheet and the second sheet may be semi-transparent, and the device may further include an opaque sheet provided between the second sheet and the movable contact.

[0014] The first sheet may have one or more annular grooves surrounding the convex portion on the rear surface of the first sheet around the convex portion.

[0015] The second sheet may have a protrusion that protrudes toward the movable contact at a position facing the movable contact.

[0016] Furthermore, the first sheet may have M dummy convex portions in addition to the N convex portions, and the second sheet may have vent holes at positions corresponding to the dummy convex portions.

[0017] The device may further include a base having the movable contact, the performance output unit, and the electronic control unit, and a frame body, and the first sheet and the second sheet are arranged between the base and the frame body.

[0018] In addition, the performance output unit may have a speaker, and the base may have a storage section for storing a battery and a speaker storage section for storing the speaker protruding from the rear side, and the non-protruding parts other than the storage section and the speaker storage section may be configured as a gripping part for the user. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, the first sheet and the second sheet form a protrusion that is gas-filled, similar to the bubbles in real bubble cushioning material. This protrusion undergoes elastic deformation when an operation to crush the bubble is performed, but returns to its original state without breaking the airtight seal when the operation is released. When the operation to crush the bubble is performed, the protrusion transmits an operating force to the rear side while elastically deforming, thereby actuating the movable contact. When the movable contact is actuated, for example, a sound effect that imitates the sound made when a bubble is crushed can be output from the toy. This makes it possible to realize a toy that allows users to experience the same feeling as crushing the bubbles in real bubble cushioning material. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the toy from above and at an angle from the front. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] This is an XZ cross-sectional view and a partially enlarged view of the III-III cross-section of the toy, viewed from the negative Y-axis direction. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first seat as seen from diagonally above the front. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first seat as seen from diagonally above the rear. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the second seat as seen from diagonally above the front. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the second seat as seen from diagonally above the rear. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an enlarged XZ cross-sectional view showing the periphery of one protrusion. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an enlarged XZ cross-sectional view showing the area around one protrusion when the user operates the toy. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Below, examples of embodiments of the present invention will be described, but it goes without saying that the forms to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the following embodiments. Also, each figure shows three orthogonal axes in a right-handed system. The positive X-axis direction of the three orthogonal axes corresponds to the front or front, the negative X-axis direction corresponds to the back or rear, the positive Y-axis direction corresponds to the left, the negative Y-axis direction corresponds to the right, the positive Z-axis direction corresponds to the up, and the negative Z-axis direction corresponds to the down.

[0022] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a toy 2 according to this embodiment, and is a perspective external view of the toy 2 as seen obliquely from above the front. Fig. 2 is a perspective external view of the toy 2 as seen obliquely from above the back.

[0023] The toy 2 is a small, portable, roughly box-shaped toy that allows the player to repeatedly enjoy the sensation of squeezing bubble wrap. The toy 2 has a frame 6 on the front side of a base 4.

[0024] A strap hole 8 and an LED 10 for outputting effects are provided on the top of the base 4. A battery housing 14 with a housing lid 12 and a speaker housing 16 protrude from the back of the base 4. The non-protruding portion of the back of the base 4 other than the battery housing 14 and the speaker housing 16 is thinner in the front-to-rear direction than the speaker housing 16, and is formed as a grip 18 for holding the toy 2 with fingers in the front-to-rear direction.

[0025] The toy 2 sandwiches the top, bottom, left, and right outer edges of the seat assembly 20 between the base 4 and the frame 6. A plurality of protrusions 31 and a plurality of dummy protrusions 33 of the seat assembly 20 protrude and are exposed to the front side from the window portion of the frame 6. The protrusions 31 and dummy protrusions 33 are shaped to resemble the bubbles in a sheet of bubble wrap material. The user holds the toy 2 by placing the pad of their thumb on the top surface of the protrusions 31 and wrapping the index finger and other fingers around the back of the toy 2 and hooking them on the grip portion 18. Then, to play, the user operates the toy 2 by squeezing the protrusions 31 with their thumb.

[0026] When the convex part 31 is operated, an internal circuit is turned on, and the toy 2 emits a dramatic sound that resembles the sound emitted when bubbles in a bubble cushioning material are crushed from a speaker built in the speaker housing part 16, and makes the LED 10 emit light in a given dramatic pattern.

[0027] 3 is an XZ cross-sectional view and a partially enlarged view of the III-III cross-section (see FIG. 1) of the toy 2, viewed from the negative Y-axis direction. For ease of understanding, electrical wiring and small electronic and electrical components are omitted from the illustration.

[0028] Between the base 4 and the frame 6, the toy 2 holds, in order from the front side, a seat assembly 20, a spacer 52, a control board 60, and an inner case 70 which is an internal support structure.

[0029] The sheet assembly 20 is a laminated sheet body, and is formed by bonding three sheets, namely, a first sheet 30, a second sheet 40, and an opaque sheet 50, in that order from the front side, in a layered manner.

[0030] FIG. 4 is a perspective external view of the first sheet 30 as seen obliquely from above the front. FIG. 5 is a perspective external view of the first sheet 30 as seen obliquely from above the rear surface. The first sheet 30 is molded from translucent or transparent silicone rubber. The first sheet 30 has N (N is an integer of 2 or more) convex portions 31 and M (M is an integer of 1 or more) dummy convex portions 33. The convex portions 31 and the dummy convex portions 33 are arranged in a predetermined geometric positional relationship when viewed from the front.

[0031] The protrusion 31 has an outer shape that is roughly a truncated cone, imitating the bubbles in real bubble cushioning material, and forms an inner space that is roughly a truncated cone and opens to the rear side. Note that the outer shape and the inner space of the protrusion 31 are not limited to this and can be set as appropriate. For example, they may be cylindrical. They may also have a shape that looks like an oblong oval when viewed from the front.

[0032] An annular groove 35 is formed on the outer periphery of the opening on the back side of the convex portion 31. The annular groove 35 forms unevenness in the front-to-rear direction, ensuring space for retaining adhesive for bonding the first sheet 30 and the second sheet 40, and contributing to increasing the adhesive strength around the opening. The specifications and number of grooves in the annular groove 35 can be set as appropriate depending on the materials of the first sheet 30 and the second sheet 40, the specifications of the adhesive, etc.

[0033] FIG. 6 is a perspective external view of the second sheet 40 as seen obliquely from above the front. FIG. 7 is a perspective external view of the second sheet 40 as seen obliquely from above the rear surface. The second sheet 40 is molded from translucent or transparent silicone rubber. The second sheet 40 has a flat front side, but has ventilation holes 41 at positions facing the dummy protrusions 33. The second sheet 40 also has thin recesses 43 and protrusions 45 on its rear side, in positional relationships corresponding to the respective protrusions 31. Specifically, the thin recesses 43 and protrusions 45 are provided at positions where the center of the protrusion 31 in a front view and the centers of the thin recesses 43 and protrusions 45 corresponding to the protrusions 31 in a rear view have the same YZ plane coordinates.

[0034] The thin-walled recess 43 is a donut-shaped dish-shaped recess that is locally thinner in the X-axis direction (front-rear direction) than the surrounding area and opens toward the rear. The protrusion 45 is a portion formed from the center of the thin-walled recess 43 toward the rear.

[0035] 3, adhesive is applied to the annular groove 35 on the back side of the first sheet 30, and then the front side of the second sheet 40 is adhered to the back side so that it faces the first sheet 30. As a result, the back side opening of the protrusion 31 is closed by the second sheet 40, forming an airtight space, and a gas-sealed state in which airtight air is sealed inside is achieved.

[0036] An opaque sheet 50 is attached to the back side of the second sheet 40. The opaque sheet 50 is a printable and elastically deformable resin sheet. For example, it can be made of a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) sheet or opaque silicone rubber. The opaque sheet 50 prevents the interior of the toy 2 from being seen through the translucent or transparent first sheet 30 and second sheet 40. By preparing different types of opaque sheets 50 with various patterns printed on the front side, it is possible to create a variety of toys 2.

[0037] A control board 60 is disposed on the rear side of the opaque sheet 50 via a spacer 52 . The spacer 52 is a member that ensures an installation space for the movable contact 62 between the opaque sheet 50 and the control board 60. The spacer 52 is, for example, a plate-like member that is thin in the X-axis direction, and has through-holes 54 on the back side of each of the protrusions 31 that penetrate in the X-axis direction and have the same diameter as or approximately the same diameter as the thin-walled recesses 43.

[0038] The control board 60 is equipped with tactile switches 61 provided corresponding to the respective protrusions 31, an electronic control unit 65, and various electronic and electrical components, and receives power from a button battery 80 housed in the battery housing 14. The control board 60 is electrically connected to a speaker 82 housed in the speaker housing 16, which is the first performance output unit, and an LED 10, which is the second performance output unit, and controls the performance output of these.

[0039] The tactile switch 61 has a movable contact 62 and a fixed contact 63, which are connected to an electronic control unit 65. The movable contact 62 is a thin, dome-shaped metal member that functions as a reversing spring, and is positioned so that the dome faces the protrusion 45 in the normal state. The fixed contact 63 is positioned inside the dome of the movable contact 62, so that the movable contact 62 comes into contact with the fixed contact 63 when the shape of the movable contact 62 is reversed toward the rear.

[0040] The electronic control unit 65 controls the performance output of the speaker 82 (first performance output unit) and the LED 10 (second performance output unit) based on the conduction state between the movable contact 62 and the fixed contact 63. The electronic control unit 65 can be realized by, for example, an IC chip or an SoC (System on a Chip).

[0041] FIG. 8 is an enlarged XZ cross-sectional view showing the periphery of one of the protrusions 31. As shown in FIG. When paying attention to the size relationship of each part around the convex portion 31, the thickness ts of the side of the convex portion 31 is thinner than the thickness tp of the top surface, and the outer diameter φ1 of the upper end of the convex portion 31 when viewed from the front side is set smaller than the outer diameter φ2 of the lower end when viewed from the front side.

[0042] The diameter of the thin recess 43 of the second sheet 40 and the diameter of the through hole 54 of the spacer 52 are set to be the same as or approximately the same as the diameter of the opening on the rear side of the protrusion 31.

[0043] The outer diameter φ3 (corresponding to the outer shape of the movable contact 62) of the tactile switch 61 as viewed from the front is larger than the tip diameter φ4 of the protrusion 45 of the second sheet 40, but is set smaller than the diameter φ5 of the thin-walled recess 43 of the second sheet 40. Furthermore, the outer diameter φ3 of the movable contact 62 is smaller than the outer diameter φ1 of the upper end of the convex portion 31 as viewed from the front, and is smaller than the outer diameter φ2 of the lower end of the convex portion 31 as viewed from the front. In other words, it can be said that the movable contact 62 is sized to fit within the outer shapes of the lower and upper surfaces of the corresponding convex portion 31 as viewed from the front.

[0044] FIG. 9 is an enlarged XZ cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of one of the protrusions 31 in a state where the user operates the toy 2. As shown in FIG. The user places the ball of their thumb on the front end surface of protrusion 31, wraps their index finger and other fingers around the back of toy 2, and hooks them on gripping portion 18 to hold toy 2. Then, the user presses protrusion 31 with their thumb in the same way as they would crush the air bubbles in real bubble cushioning material.

[0045] The pressure exerted by this operation causes the protrusions 31 to deform as shown in Figure 9. That is, the top, bottom, left, and right sides of the protrusions 31 deform by bulging outward, and the thin-walled recesses 43 of the second sheet 40 deform by bulging toward the rear. The user's fingers experience a realistic sensation similar to the sensation of squashing bubbles in real bubble cushioning material.

[0046] The first sheet 30 and the second sheet 40 are firmly adhered to each other by the adhesive held in the groove of the annular groove portion 35, so that the airtightness of the convex portion 31 will not be broken even if it is pressed in a crushing manner. In addition, most of the pressed airtight gas is concentrated on the side surfaces, which have a thickness ts that is thinner than the thickness tp of the top surface, causing the top, bottom, left, and right sides of the convex portion 31 to bulge outward. This prevents the pressed airtight gas from acting on the gap between the first sheet 30 and the second sheet 40 and tearing the adhesive portion apart.

[0047] When the thin recess 43 of the second sheet 40 expands toward the rear, the opaque sheet 50 also elastically deforms toward the rear, and the protrusion 45 presses the movable contact 62 through the opaque sheet 50, deforming the dome shape of the movable contact 62 into a shape inverted from the front side to the rear side.

[0048] Due to its structure, the impact caused by the reversal of the shape of the movable contact 62 is transmitted to the first sheet 30 via the sealed gas in the protrusion 31 corresponding to the movable contact 62, making it tactilely detectable on the front side of the first sheet 30. By using a metallic dome-shaped material for the movable contact 62, the impact caused by the reversal of the movable contact 62 is small, but sharper than if a metallic dome-shaped material were not used. This small but sharp impact is transmitted to the user's finger via the protrusion 31, giving the user a sensation as if the bubbles in real bubble wrap had burst. The sharpness of this impact is one of the important factors in creating a realistic feel that was not possible with previous toys of this type.

[0049] When the movable contact 62 is reversed, the movable contact 62 and the fixed contact 63 are individually brought into a conductive state (ON state), and the electronic control unit 65 performs a predetermined performance output control. That is, the LED 10 is made to emit light in a predetermined light emission pattern, and the speaker 82 emits a performance sound that imitates the sound made when bubbles in real bubble wrap pop.

[0050] When the user removes his / her finger from the protrusion 31, the movable contact 62 is released from its inversion state and returns to its protruding state facing the front, and the contact between the movable contact 62 and the fixed contact 63 is released, resulting in a non-conductive state (OFF state). The protrusion 31 also returns to its original shape due to its elasticity. In other words, the user can operate the same protrusion 31 by squeezing it again.

[0051] As described above, according to this embodiment, a toy can be realized that allows the user to feel as if they are popping bubbles in real bubble cushioning material.

[0052] Furthermore, even if the user operates to crush dummy protrusion 33, there is no corresponding tactile switch 61, and the air in dummy protrusion 33 can easily escape through vent hole 41, so there is no output effect like when pressing protrusion 31 as described above, and there is no tactile sensation of an impact being returned to the finger. Dummy protrusion 33 recreates the state where a crushing sensation is not obtained, as when pressing a broken bubble in a real sheet of bubble cushioning material with the edge cut off and part of the bubble remaining at the edge.

[0053] [Modification] The embodiments to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the above examples, and constituent elements can be added, omitted, or modified as appropriate.

[0054] (Variation 1) For example, in the above embodiment, two forms of performance output are exemplified: light emission by the LED 10 and sound emission from the speaker 82. However, the present invention is not limited to these. For example, light emission by the LED 10 may be omitted, or a vibrator may be added to add short vibrations to the performance output.

[0055] (Variation 2) The movable contacts 62 of the tactile switch 61 of the above embodiment may be a mixture of multiple types of movable contacts 62 that differ in the load required to reverse their shape due to differences in the thickness or material of the metallic dome-shaped material. With this configuration, it is possible to reproduce in the toy 2 a state in which there are sparse bubbles, such as bubbles that are difficult to crush and bubbles that collapse relatively easily, even in real bubble cushioning material. Furthermore, the tone of the sound emitted from the speaker 82 may be, for example, a different popping sound, depending on the type of movable contact 62. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 2…Toys 4...Base 6…Frame body 8...Strap hole 10...LED 12...Storage lid 14...Battery compartment 16...Speaker housing 18...Gripping part 20...Seat assembly 30...1st sheet 31...Convex part 33...Dummy protrusion 35...Annular groove 40...Second seat 41...Ventilation hole 43...Thin-walled recess 45...Protrusion 50...Opaque sheet 52...Spacer 54...Through hole 56…Seat 60...Control board 61...Tactile switch 62...Movable contact 63…Fixed contact 65...Electronic control unit 70...Inner case 80...Button battery 82...Speaker

Claims

1. a first sheet having at least two adjacent protrusions formed thereon and protruding from a front side; a second sheet that is adhered to the back surface of the first sheet to close the two adjacent protrusions in a gas-sealed state; a first member provided on the rear surface side of the second sheet at a position corresponding to the two adjacent protrusions; Equipped with a sheet between the adjacent convex portions in the first sheet has a portion having a thickness greater than the thickness of the sheet on the upper surface of the first sheet, The thickness of the first sheet constituting the convex portion is smaller on the side surface than on the top surface, the first member is configured to be pressurized by a pressure from the front side of the convex portion being transmitted via a sealed gas inside the convex portion. toy.

2. The first member is configured to be deformable by the pressing force. The toy of claim 1.

3. The first member includes a thin dome shape and is configured so that the dome shape is deformed by the pressure. The toy of claim 2.

4. The first member is composed of a reversing spring that reverses when pressed. The toy according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The convex portion has a truncated cone shape. The toy according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The first member is sized to fit within the outer shape of the lower surface of the opposing convex portion when viewed from the front side. The toy according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The first member is sized to fit within the upper surface outline of the opposing convex portion when viewed from the front side. The toy according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The thickness of the first sheet constituting the convex portion is thinner on the side than on the top surface, The toy according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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