stuffed toy

Abstract

The object of the present invention is to provide a stuffed toy that can be used as both a ball and a stuffed toy, and that has the characteristic that a young child can play with the ball by himself. [Solution] The stuffed toy 1 of the present invention comprises a main body 10 having a sphere 10a and fabric 10b covering the sphere 10a, and a convex portion 12 arranged on the main body 10 so as to protrude outward from the main body 10, one end of the convex portion 12 being a free end and the other end being a fixed end, and when it comes into contact with the main body 10 when it touches the ground, it displaces to come into contact with the main body 10 and undergoes viscoelastic deformation so as to be crushed.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] As an example of a stuffed toy that has been devised to allow for a wide variety of ways to play with it, Patent Document 1 discloses a stuffed toy that can be used in two ways by flipping it over. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. Hei 3-9789 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, examples of toys that are popular with young children include balls and stuffed toys. If a stuffed toy can also be used as a ball, the variety of ways to play with it will increase and it will be more interesting. Furthermore, ball games are usually played together with children and their parents, so it is desirable for young children to be able to play with balls by themselves.

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a stuffed toy that can be used as both a ball and a stuffed toy, and that allows a young child to play with the ball by himself. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The stuffed toy of the present invention comprises a main body having a sphere and a fabric covering the sphere, and a convex portion arranged on the main body so as to protrude outward from the main body. The convex portion has one end as a free end and the other end as a fixed end, and when it comes into contact with the main body when it touches the ground, it displaces so as to come into contact with the main body and undergoes viscoelastic deformation so as to be crushed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a stuffed toy that can be played with both as a ball and as a stuffed toy, and that allows young children to play with the ball by themselves. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stuffed toy according to a first embodiment, viewed diagonally from above on the front left. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the stuffed toy according to the first embodiment, seen diagonally from above and rear on the right side. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along section II. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view of the stuffed toy according to the first embodiment in a state where the stuffed toy is placed on the ground. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a view from the left showing the stuffed toy according to the first embodiment in a state where the stuffed toy is in contact with the ground. [Figure 6] Fig. 6(a) is a diagram showing a state in which the ear convex portions of the stuffed toy according to the first embodiment are about to touch the ground, and Fig. 6(b) is a diagram showing a state in which the ear convex portions of the stuffed toy according to the first embodiment have touched the ground. [Figure 7] Fig. 7(a) is a diagram showing a state in which the tail convex portion of the stuffed toy according to the first embodiment is about to touch the ground, and Fig. 7(b) is a diagram showing a state in which the tail convex portion of the stuffed toy according to the first embodiment has touched the ground. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the stuffed toy according to the second embodiment, viewed diagonally from above on the front left. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The stuffed toy of the present invention is a stuffed toy whose exterior is designed so that a child can play with the ball by himself without the need for a parent or guardian.

[0010] (First embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0011] [Structure of stuffed toy 1] 1 and 2, the stuffed toy 1 includes a spherical main body 10 and a plurality of convex portions 12. The main body 10 also has a face area FA that represents the face of the stuffed toy.

[0012] In the following, the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1 will be used as reference directions. Specifically, in the stuffed toy 1, the side where the face area FA is provided is the front direction, the opposite side is the rear direction, the side where the ear convex portions 12aL, 12aR are provided is the up direction, the side where the foot convex portions 12cL, 12cR are provided is the down direction, and when facing forward, the right hand side is the right direction and the left hand side is the left direction. Here, the up and down direction is the vertical direction.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 10 has a sphere 10a and a fabric 10b covering the sphere 10a. The fabric 10b has a large number of fibers 10b1 standing upright to create an uneven surface. Therefore, the main body 10 is spherical, and the large number of standing fibers 10b1 create unevenness on the surface. The sphere 10a is an elastic body with a hollow structure, and is formed, for example, from a non-phthalate soft plastic, with air sealed inside. Note that the sphere 10a may have a solid structure and need not be an elastic body.

[0014] The fabric 10b has a large number of fibers 10b1 standing upright on its surface. The fibers 10b1 are what is called cut pile, which is fluffy on the surface of the fabric 10b. More specifically, the fibers 10b1 are synthetic fibers such as polyester or acrylic, approximately 30 to 100 denier and approximately 10 mm long. The fibers 10b1 are randomly fluffy, creating an uneven surface on the main body 10.

[0015] The face area FA is located on the front side of the main body 10, has a substantially circular shape, and includes eyes 14L, 14R and a mouth 16. More specifically, the eyes 14L, 14R and the mouth 16 are embroidered on the surface of the fabric 10b to represent the face of the stuffed toy 1. The face area FA may also be embroidered with embroidery to represent the forehead, cheeks, and nose.

[0016] The convex portions 12 are components that form the exterior of the stuffed toy 1, and a plurality of them are arranged on the main body 10 so as to protrude outward from the main body 10. The convex portions 12 are, for example, components that form the hands, feet, and tail, or components that provide decorative effects such as ribbons, hats, and spheres. Specifically, the convex portions 12 include ear convex portions 12aL, 12aR, hand convex portions 12bL, 12bR, foot convex portions 12cL, 12cR, and tail convex portion 12d.

[0017] Furthermore, the convex portion 12 is arranged so that the center of gravity G of the stuffed toy 1 does not coincide with the center C of the main body 10. Specifically, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the center of gravity G of the stuffed toy 1 is located diagonally downward and forward of the center C of the main body 10.

[0018] More specifically, the convex portions 12 are formed, for example, from cloth bags filled with polyester cotton, and each has a different shape and size. Specifically, the ear convex portions 12aL, 12aR are elongated and flattened columns. The hand convex portions 12bL, 12bR and the foot convex portions 12cL, 12cR are flattened boxes with a roughly oval outline. The tail convex portion 12d is thin and roughly disc-shaped.

[0019] The ear convex portions 12aL and 12aR, the hand convex portions 12bL and 12bL, and the foot convex portions 12cL and 12cR are arranged symmetrically. Furthermore, the ear convex portions 12aL and 12aR, the hand convex portions 12bL and 12bR, and the foot convex portions 12cL and 12cR are arranged so as to surround the face area FA, as shown in Fig. 4. More specifically, the ear convex portions 12aL, the hand convex portions 12bL, the foot convex portions 12cL, the foot convex portions 12cR, the hand convex portions 12bL, and the ear convex portions 12aR surround the face area FA in this order, clockwise when viewed from the front.

[0020] Furthermore, the ear convex portions 12aL, hand convex portions 12bL, and foot convex portions 12cL are arranged with their positions shifted in the front-to-back direction, as shown in Fig. 5. More specifically, the hand convex portions 12bL, foot convex portions 12cL, and ear convex portions 12aL are attached to the fabric 10b in this order with their positions slightly shifted from front to back. Similarly, the ear convex portions 12aR, hand convex portions 12bR, and foot convex portions 12cR are arranged with their positions shifted in the front-to-back direction.

[0021] Furthermore, one end of the convex portion 12 is a free end and the other end is a fixed end. The other fixed end is attached to the fabric 10b, and the other free end extends outward from the fabric 10b. Specifically, the ear convex portion 12aL is attached to the fabric 10b so that one end extends diagonally downward to the left and the other end is located at the upper left of the sphere 10a when viewed from the front. The hand convex portion 12bL is attached to the fabric 10b so that one end extends diagonally upward to the left and the other end is located at the center left of the sphere 10a when viewed from the front. The foot convex portion 12cL is attached to the fabric 10b so that one end extends to the left and the other end is located at the lower left of the sphere 10a when viewed from the front. The ear convex portions 12aR, hand convex portions 12bR, and foot convex portions 12cR are positioned symmetrically with the ear convex portions 12aL, hand convex portions 12bL, and foot convex portions 12cL, respectively. The tail convex portion 12d is attached to the fabric 10b so that one end extends backward and the other end is located at the lower center of the rear side of the sphere 10a.

[0022] [Actions and Effects] (Playing with stuffed animals) The stuffed toy 1 has ear convex portions 12aL, 12aR, hand convex portions 12bL, 12bR, foot convex portions 12cL, 12cR, tail convex portion 12d, and face area FA, and functions as a stuffed toy. Therefore, the stuffed toy 1 allows for play with the stuffed toy. Furthermore, since the surface of the fabric 10b covering the sphere 10a has many fibers 10b1 standing upright, the stuffed toy 1 feels pleasant to the touch. Therefore, the stuffed toy 1 allows for play with the stuffed toy and develops an attachment to it.

[0023] Furthermore, since one end of each of the ear convex portions 12aL, 12aR, hand convex portions 12bL, 12bR, foot convex portions 12cL, 12cR, and tail convex portion 12d is free, children can pick up one end and move it around, making it more fun to play with the stuffed animal, such as pretend play or caring for it. Children can also enjoy displaying the stuffed animal toy 1 as a decorative item.

[0024] (Playing with a ball) The stuffed toy 1 has a spherical body 10 and functions as a ball. This allows the toy 1 to be used as a ball toy. The surface of the fabric 10b covering the sphere 10a has many fibers 10b1 standing upright to create an uneven surface. This makes the stuffed toy 1 less likely to roll than if the surface were smooth, and it can roll along an irregular trajectory rather than in a straight line. Therefore, the stuffed toy 1 rolls easily near a young child's hand, allowing the young child to play with the ball by himself. Furthermore, the stuffed toy 1 always rolls along a different trajectory no matter where it is rolled from, allowing the young child to enjoy playing with the ball over and over again.

[0025] Furthermore, the stuffed toy 1 has protruding portions 12 that protrude outward from the main body 10. As a result, when the stuffed toy 1 rolls, the ear protruding portions 12aL, 12aR, hand protruding portions 12bL, 12bR, foot protruding portions 12cL, 12cR, or tail protruding portion 12d touches the ground, moderately impeding the rolling. The stuffed toy 1 can roll along a more irregular trajectory rather than moving in a straight line. Therefore, the stuffed toy 1 can easily roll close to a young child's hand, allowing the young child to play with the ball by himself.

[0026] Each of the convex portions 12 (ear convex portions 12aL, 12aR, hand convex portions 12bL, 12bR, foot convex portions 12cL, 12cR, tail convex portion 12d) has a different shape and size. This causes the strength and direction of the rolling inhibition to vary depending on the convex portion 12 that comes into contact with the ground, allowing the stuffed toy 1 to roll in an unpredictable, more irregular trajectory. Young children's curiosity is stimulated by the unpredictable behavior of the stuffed toy 1, making playing with the ball more enjoyable.

[0027] The convex portion 12 is arranged so that the center of gravity G of the stuffed toy 1 does not coincide with the center C of the main body 10. This makes it difficult for the stuffed toy 1 to roll in a straight line, and the stuffed toy 1 rolls along an irregular trajectory. Therefore, the stuffed toy 1 can easily roll close to the hand of a small child, and the small child can play with the ball by himself.

[0028] When the stuffed toy 1 is in contact with the ground, one end of the convex portion 12, which is the free end, is displaced so as to come into contact with the main body 10. In other words, the convex portion 12 is displaced so as to be sandwiched between the main body 10 and the ground surface. Specifically, for example, when the stuffed toy 1 rotates from the state shown in FIG. 6(a) to the state shown in FIG. 6(b) (in the direction of the black arrow), one end 12aL1 of the ear convex portion 12aL is displaced toward the main body 10 (in the direction of the white arrow) and comes into contact with the main body 10 when the ear convex portion 12aL comes into contact with the ground. When the stuffed toy 1 is further rotated and the ear convex portion 12aL is no longer in contact with the ground, one end 12aL1 of the ear convex portion 12aL is displaced so as to move away from the main body 10, and the ear convex portion 12aL returns to its state before it came into contact with the ground.

[0029] 7(b) (in the direction of the black arrow), one end 12d1 of the tail convex portion 12d is displaced toward the main body 10 (in the direction of the white arrow) and comes into contact with the main body 10 when the tail convex portion 12d touches the ground. When the stuffed toy 1 further rotates and the tail convex portion 12d is no longer in contact with the ground, one end 12d1 of the tail convex portion 12d is displaced away from the main body 10, and the tail convex portion 12d returns to the state it was in before touching the ground.

[0030] In this way, the stuffed toy 1 absorbs kinetic energy due to the displacement of the convex portions 12, reducing the moving speed and rotation speed. Therefore, when the convex portions 12 touch the ground, the stuffed toy 1 is easily affected by the unevenness of the surface of the main body 10 and the differences in the shape and size of the convex portions 12 that touch the ground, and can more easily roll along an irregular trajectory. Therefore, the stuffed toy 1 can easily roll close to a young child's hand, allowing the young child to play with the ball by himself.

[0031] Furthermore, the convex portion 12 undergoes viscoelastic deformation so as to be crushed when it comes into contact with the ground. More specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 6(b), when the ear convex portion 12aL is pinched between the ground surface and the main body 10 as the stuffed toy 1 rolls, the ear convex portion 12aL is deformed so as to be crushed by the load of the main body 10. The shape into which the ear convex portion 12aL is deformed varies depending on the direction and speed at which the stuffed toy 1 rolls when it comes into contact with the ground. As the stuffed toy 1 further rolls, one end 12aL1 of the ear convex portion 12aL separates from the ground surface and the main body 10 and returns to its original shape over time.

[0032] 7(b), when one end 12d1 of tail convex portion 12d is displaced toward main body 10 upon contact with main body 10, tail convex portion 12d is deformed so as to be crushed by the weight of main body 10. The shape of the deformed tail convex portion 12d differs depending on the direction and speed at which stuffed toy 1 rolls upon contact with main body 10. Furthermore, when stuffed toy 1 rotates, one end 12d1 of tail convex portion 12d moves away from main body 10 and returns to its original shape over time.

[0033] In this way, the kinetic energy of the stuffed toy 1 is absorbed by the viscoelastic deformation of the convex portions 12, and the moving speed and rotation speed are reduced. Therefore, when the convex portions 12 touch the ground, the stuffed toy 1 is easily affected by the unevenness of the surface of the main body 10 and differences in the shape and size of the convex portions 12 that touch the ground, and can roll along an irregular trajectory more easily. Furthermore, the trajectory of the stuffed toy 1 changes depending on the differences in the shape of the viscoelastically deformed convex portions 12, and can roll along a more irregular trajectory. Therefore, the stuffed toy 1 rolls easily near a young child, and a young child can play with the ball by himself.

[0034] The convex portion 12 is a member that constitutes the exterior of the stuffed toy 1. This reduces the manufacturing cost of the stuffed toy 1 and improves the appearance of the stuffed toy 1 compared to when the convex portion 12 and the exterior member are provided separately.

[0035] The ear convex portions 12aL, 12aR, hand convex portions 12bL, 12bR, and foot convex portions 12cL, 12cR are arranged to surround the facial area FA. As a result, when the facial area FA touches the ground, the stuffed toy 1 is moderately difficult to roll in all radial directions of the facial area FA, and can roll along a more irregular trajectory. Furthermore, the ear convex portions 12aL, 12aR, hand convex portions 12bL, 12bR, and foot convex portions 12cL, 12cR are arranged with their positions shifted in the front-to-back direction. As a result, when the facial area FA touches the ground, the distance to the convex portions 12 that hinder rotation varies depending on the direction of rotation, and the stuffed toy 1 can roll along a more irregular trajectory. Furthermore, when the face area FA touches the ground, the irregular behavior of the tail convex portion 12d located on the opposite side (rear side) attracts the child's interest, allowing the child to play with the ball more enjoyably.

[0036] The convex portions 12 may be at least one of the ear convex portions 12aL, 12aR, hand convex portions 12bL, 12bR, foot convex portions 12cL, 12cR, and tail convex portion 12d.

[0037] One end of the convex portion 12 may be displaced in the opposite direction (outward) from the main body 10 when the device is in contact with the ground.

[0038] (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 8. The second embodiment described below differs from the first embodiment in that it does not include the ear convex portions 12aL, 12aR, foot convex portions 12cL, 12cR, and tail convex portion 12d of the first embodiment, but includes spherical convex portions 12e1, 12e2, 12e3, 12e4, and 12f. That is, in the second embodiment, the convex portion 12 includes hand convex portions 12bL, 12bR and spherical convex portions 12e1, 12e2, 12e3, 12e4, and 12f. Furthermore, the spherical convex portion 12f is attached to the tip of a cone member 10f extending outward from the main body 10. Other configurations and arrangements are similar to those of the first embodiment, so the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment are used and their description will be omitted.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 8, the stuffed toy 2 has spherical convex portions 12e1, 12e2, 12e3, 12e4, and 12f.

[0040] Spherical convex portions 12e1, 12e2, 12e3, and 12e4 are arranged on a circumference along a plane perpendicular to the front-to-rear axis and passing through the center of main body 10. More specifically, spherical convex portions 12e1 and 12e2 are arranged on the upper right side of main body 10, and spherical convex portions 12e3 and 12e4 are arranged on the upper left side of main body 10, with spherical convex portions 12e1 and 12e4, and spherical convex portions 12e2 and 12e3, being positioned symmetrically.

[0041] Spherical convex portions 12e1, 12e2, 12e3, and 12e4 have one free end and the other fixed end, with the free end swingable and the other end attached to fabric 10b. As a result, spherical convex portions 12e1, 12e2, 12e3, and 12e4 are displaced so as to abut against main body 10 when they touch the ground. Specifically, when stuffed toy 2 rolls, spherical convex portions 12e1, 12e2, 12e3, and 12e4 rotate around the fixed end as a fulcrum upon touching the ground and are displaced so as to abut against main body 10. As stuffed toy 2 further rolls and spherical convex portions 12e1, 12e2, 12e3, and 12e4 no longer touch the ground, spherical convex portions 12e1, 12e2, 12e3, and 12e4 are displaced so as to move away from main body 10 and return to their state before touching the ground.

[0042] Furthermore, the spherical convex portions 12e1, 12e2, 12e3, and 12e4 undergo viscoelastic deformation so as to be crushed when they come into contact with the ground. Specifically, when the stuffed toy 2 rolls, the spherical convex portions 12e1, 12e2, 12e3, and 12e4 sandwiched between the ground surface and the main body 10 are deformed so as to be crushed by the load of the main body 10. The shape into which the spherical convex portions 12e1, 12e2, 12e3, and 12e4 are deformed varies depending on the direction and speed at which the stuffed toy 2 rolls when it comes into contact with the ground. Furthermore, as the stuffed toy 2 rolls, the spherical convex portions 12e1, 12e2, 12e3, and 12e4 separate from the ground surface and the main body 10 and restore their original shapes over time.

[0043] Spherical convex portion 12f is attached to the tip of cone member 10f extending outward from main body 10. Cone member 10f has a generally cylindrical shape, with fabric 10b covering spherical body 10a extending outward from the center of the top of main body 10. Spherical convex portion 12f is located between spherical convex portion 12e2 and spherical convex portion 12e3, and can swing relative to main body 10 via cone member 10f. Therefore, the position of spherical convex portion 12f changes between spherical convex portion 12e2 and spherical convex portion 12e3 depending on the rolling direction and rotational speed of stuffed toy 2.

[0044] As a result, the stuffed toy 2 is moderately difficult to roll due to the contact of the spherical convex portion 12f with the ground, and can roll along an irregular trajectory due to the difference in the position of the oscillating spherical convex portion 12f. Furthermore, the spherical convex portion 12f undergoes viscoelastic deformation as if being crushed when it comes into contact with the ground. This allows the stuffed toy 2 to roll along an even more irregular trajectory. Therefore, the stuffed toy 2 can easily roll close to a young child's hand, allowing the young child to play with the ball by himself. Furthermore, the stuffed toy 2 allows for play with a stuffed toy.

[0045] The above-described embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. This novel embodiment can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The embodiments and modifications of the present invention are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the inventions described in the scope of utility model registration claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1,2: stuffed toys 10: main body, 10a: sphere, 10b: fabric, 10b1: fiber, 10f: cone member 12: Convex part 12aL, 12aR: Ear convex part 12bL,12bR: Hand convex part 12cL, 12cR: Foot convexity 12d: Tail convex part 12e1, 12e2, 12e3, 12e4, 12f: Spherical convex part 14L, 14R: Eyes 16: Mouth FA: Face area

Claims

1. a body having a sphere and a fabric covering the sphere; a convex portion disposed on the main body so as to protrude outward from the main body, The convex portion has one end as a free end and the other end as a fixed end, and is displaced so as to come into contact with the main body when the main body is grounded, and is viscoelastically deformed so as to be crushed. Plush toy.

2. The convex portion is made up of a plurality of convex portions having different shapes and sizes. The stuffed toy of claim 1.

3. The convex portion is arranged so that the center of gravity does not coincide with the center of the main body. The stuffed toy according to claim 2.

4. The convex portion is a member that constitutes the appearance. The stuffed toy of claim 3.

5. The fabric has a large number of fibers standing up so as to create an uneven surface. The stuffed toy of claim 4.

6. A facial region resembling a face is provided on the front side, The convex portions are arranged so as to surround the face region and to be shifted in positions in the front-rear direction. The stuffed toy of claim 5.

7. At least one of the convex portions is provided at a tip of a member extending outward from the main body, The convex portion is swingable relative to the main body. The stuffed toy according to claim 5 or 6.

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