Toys and toy sets

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

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

Background Art

[0002] In Patent Document 1, there is proposed a transformable toy that combines a plurality of toys to form a toy with a new appearance (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the toy described in Patent Document 1, the mechanism for combining the toys is 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 composed of a combination of such toys.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention is a toy configured to be connectable to another toy, and includes a connecting portion for connecting to the other toy, the connecting portion having a concave portion, a convex portion, and a protruding portion configured to be pressable. The present invention is also a toy set composed of a combination of the above toys, including a first toy and a second toy, and the first toy and the second toy have different appearances from each other. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a toy configured to be connectable with other toys, comprising a connecting portion for connecting with the other toy, the connecting portion having a first recess, a first protrusion, and a pressable projection, wherein at least the first protrusion and the projection are arranged on the outer surface of the toy, the first recess engages with a second protrusion of the other toy, and the first protrusion engages with a second recess of the other toy, and further comprises a part configured to be deployable in response to the pressing of the projection, wherein the toy has a first appearance before the pressing of the projection, and has a second appearance when the locking of the part is released and the part is deployed in response to the pressing of the projection. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide toys having a novel combining mechanism as a mechanism for combining toys, and toy sets consisting of combinations of such toys. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A block diagram showing an example of the external configuration of the first toy in a first appearance corresponding to the embodiment. [Figure 2] A block diagram showing an example of the external configuration of the second toy in a third appearance corresponding to the embodiment. [Figure 3] A diagram showing an example of the cross-sectional configuration of the first toy, the configuration of the joint, and the external configuration of the first toy in the second external view, corresponding to the embodiment. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of the cross-sectional configuration of the second toy corresponding to the embodiment, the configuration of the joint, and the external configuration of the second toy in the fourth external view. [Figure 5] A diagram showing an example of the external appearance configuration after combining the first toy and the second toy corresponding to the embodiment. [Figure 6] A diagram illustrating the general operation of the coupling mechanism in the coupling part corresponding to the embodiment, and a diagram illustrating the arrangement of elements in the coupling part. [Figure 7]A diagram illustrating the configuration of the convex and concave portions in the joint corresponding to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, identical or similar configurations will be given the same reference numeral, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

[0010] Furthermore, in each figure, the up, down, left, and right directions on the paper will be used in the description in the text as the up, down, left, and right directions of the parts (or components) in this embodiment.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 examples of 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 direction of movement of each part, terms such as front, back, left, right, up, and down may be used, but (unless otherwise specified) these expressions refer to the positional relationship when the orientation of the toy shown in each drawing is considered to be front. Therefore, even for the same toy, if the orientation changes from drawing to drawing, the directions (front, back, left, right, up, and down) will also differ.

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

[0012] In Figure 1(A), toy 100 has an appearance resembling an apple (first appearance), and its surface is separated into multiple parts 101, 102, 103, and 104. Figure 1(B) also shows that toy 100 is separated into parts 102, 103, 104, 105, and 106. Furthermore, a connecting part 110 for connecting to toy 200 shown in Figure 2 is located at the bottom surface of part 102 of toy 100. The connecting part 110 is composed of a set of elements: a convex part 110a, a concave part 110b, a projection part 110c, and a pressing part 110d. Toy 100 is configured to be transformable from a first appearance resembling an apple to a second appearance different from the first appearance by pressing the projection part 110c, causing the parts to unfold.

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

[0014] As shown in Figure 2(A), toy 100 has an appearance that mimics a lobster (third appearance), and its surface is separated into several parts 201R, 201L, 202L, 203, 204, and 205. Also, as shown in Figure 2(B), toy 200 also has parts 201R, 201L, 202R, 202L, 203, 204, and 205. Furthermore, a connecting part 210 for connecting to toy 100 shown in Figure 1 is located at the bottom surface of part 205 of toy 200. The connecting part 210 is composed of a set of elements: a convex part 210a, a concave part 210b, a projection part 210c, and a pressing part 210d. Toy 200 is configured to be deformable from a third appearance mimicking a lobster to a fourth appearance different from the third appearance by pressing the projection part 210c, causing the parts to unfold.

[0015] Next, other structures of the toy 100 will be described with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3(A) is a diagram showing an example of the cross-sectional structure of the toy 100 along the line A-A' in Figure 1(A). Figure 3(B) is a magnified view of the joint 110 of the toy 100. In Figures 3(A) and (B), the cross-sectional structure of the joint 110 at the bottom surface of the toy 100 is shown, and the convex portion 110a and concave portion 110b are static parts and their positions do not change relative to each other. On the other hand, the projection 110c is configured to be movable in the vertical direction in Figure 3(A) and is biased downward by the elastic body 301 via member 302. The upper end of the projection 110c is a flat surface to ensure that it is pressed securely. In Figure 3(B), the pressing portion 110d is shown as a region enclosed by a dotted line, and the pressing portion 110d is configured to securely press the flat surface of the projection 110c. In Figure 3(B), a gap at least equal to the width of the projection 110c is provided between the projection 110c and the recess 110b, and the space defined by this gap is used as the pressing portion 110d, but the configuration is not limited to this. In addition, a convex portion may be provided to press against the flat surface of the projection 110c, or a recess that engages with the projection 110c may be provided. Furthermore, the upper end of the projection 110c may be a curved surface other than a flat surface, for example.

[0016] Regarding the elastic body 301 that applies a biasing force to the protruding portion 110c, although a coil spring is used in Fig. 3(A), not limited to the coil spring, in addition to various springs such as leaf springs, disc springs, torsion springs, etc., rubber and other arbitrary materials, substances, materials that exhibit a restoring force to return to their original shape when deformed by the application of force can be used. Also, in Fig. 3(A), the elastic body 301 does not act directly on the protruding portion 110c and is biased via the member 302, but it is not limited to this configuration. That is, the elastic body 301 may directly bias the protruding portion 110c so that the protruding portion 110c protrudes from the bottom surface of the toy 100. In this embodiment, when the toy 100 is coupled to the toy 200 and the protruding portion 110c is pressed by the pressing portion 210d, the protruding portion 110c is pushed inward. As a result, the inclined surface of the bottom surface of the part 302 and the inclined surface of the upper end of the protruding portion 110c engage, and the part 302 moves to the left side of the figure. Consequently, the holding state of the member supported by the part 302 is released, and the locking of the parts 101 to 106 is (directly or indirectly) released, and each part expands to the state shown in Fig. 3(C). When the locking of the parts 101 to 106 is released and expanded, the biasing force of other elastic bodies may be utilized.

[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 the cross-sectional structure of the toy 200 along the B - B' line in Fig. 2(A). Fig. 4(B) is a diagram showing an enlarged view of the coupling portion 210 of the toy 200. In Fig. 4(A), the cross-sectional structure of the coupling portion 210 on the bottom surface of the toy 200 is shown, and the convex portion 210a and the concave portion 210b are static parts and their positions do not change relative to each other. On the other hand, the protruding portion 210c is configured to be movable in the vertical direction in Fig. 4(A), and here it is directly biased downward by the elastic body 401. The material constituting the elastic body 401 is the same as that described in relation to Fig. 3(A). Also, the protruding portion 210c and the pressing portion 210d are 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 to the toy 100 and the protrusion 210c is pressed by the pressing portion 110d, the protrusion 110c is pushed inward. As a result, another member is pressed by the upper end portion of the protrusion 210c, or by engaging, the locking of the parts 201 to 205 is (directly or indirectly) released, and each part is deployed to the state shown in FIG. 4(B). When the locking of the parts 201 to 205 is released and deployed, the biasing force of another elastic body may be utilized. In addition, in the present embodiment, the case where the parts are deployed and the appearance is deformed has been described, but it is not particularly limited as long as the parts operate and the appearance is deformed by the operation of the protrusion by the pressing portion (operation portion). For example, the parts may operate and deform in a direction of closing inward.

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

[0020] FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B) are diagrams for explaining the relationship between the coupling portions of two toys when the coupling portions are coupled. In FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B), reference numerals are assigned corresponding to the case where the toy 200 shown in FIG. 5 is on the upper side and the toy 100 is on the lower side and they are coupled.

[0021] Figure 6(A) shows the arrangement of the connecting portion 210 and the connecting portion 110 before they are joined. When toy 100 and toy 200 are joined, the convex portion 110a and the concave portion 210b are joined, and the joining position can be determined (positioned) by the joining of the convex portion 210a and the concave portion 110b. At that time, the projections 110c and 210c and the pressing portions 110d and 210d, which are positioned between the convex portion and the concave portion, are positioned relative to each other, and the pressing of the projection 110c by the pressing portion 210d and the pressing of the projection 210c by the pressing portion 110d are realized simultaneously. In this embodiment, the pressing portions 110d and 210d are flat surfaces, but they may be formed as convex or concave portions as described above. Also, as shown in Figure 6(A), the height of the projection 110c with respect to the surface on which the connecting portion is provided is lower than the height of the convex portion 110a. As a result, when the connection is not made, the protrusion 110a can act as a guard to prevent accidental operation of the projection 110c.

[0022] Figure 6(B) shows the state in which the connecting part 210 and the connecting part 110 are connected. Here, the convex part 110a and the concave part 210b are connected, and the convex part 210a and the concave part 110b are connected. Also, the projection 110c is pressed by the pressing part 210d and pushed into the toy 100. Also, the projection 210c is pressed by the pressing part 110d and pushed into the toy 200. As a result, the elastic bodies that biased the projection 110c and projection 210c are compressed. When the connection between toy 100 and toy 200 is released and the compressed state is released, the projections 110c and 210c protrude outward again, making it possible to return the toy to its original appearance. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which a projection or pressing part is placed between a convex part and a concave part, but it is not limited to this. For example, a projection may be placed next to a convex part that is not on the concave side, or the projection or pressing part may be placed at a position other than between the convex part and the concave part. When a projection or pressing part is placed between a convex part and a concave part as in this embodiment, the projection can be pressed more reliably.

[0023] Figure 6(C) is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of the convex portion, concave portion, projection portion, and pressing portion in the joint. In Figure 6(C), reference numerals corresponding to the joint portion 110 of toy 100 are used, but the joint portion 210 of toy 200 has a similar structure. In Figure 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 concave portion 110b. This arrangement allows multiple toys to have the same joint portion as this embodiment, making it possible to connect the toys in any combination.

[0024] Furthermore, Figure 6 shows a dashed line 600 common to (A) through (C), which passes through the boundary between the projection and the pressing part. From Figure 6, it can be seen that the configuration of the connecting part is symmetrical with respect to the dashed line 600. By arranging the combinations of the convex part and projection, and the concave part and pressing part symmetrically in this way, the connection between the connecting parts can be reliably ensured. Therefore, if the connecting part is used in common for multiple toys, it will be possible to connect it to any of the toys. Note that the combination of the convex part, concave part and projection, pressing part may be changed to a combination of the convex part and pressing part, and the concave part and projection.

[0025] In the above-described embodiment, the protrusions 110a, 210a and recesses 110b, 210b of the connecting portions 110 and 210, respectively, may be configured to engage when connected. For example, a projection may be provided on the protrusion, and an insertion portion into which the projection is inserted may be provided on the recess, and the insertion state may be maintained when the projection is inserted into the insertion portion. This configuration will be described below with reference to Figure 7.

[0026] Figure 7 shows an example of the cross-sectional structure of the projection and the insertion part. Figure 7(A) shows the state before the projection 110a and the recess 210b are joined, and Figure 7(B) shows the state after the projection 110a and the recess 210b are joined. The projection 110a can be constructed, 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 have projections 710a and 710b facing each other on the upper side of the inner wall of the recess. When the tip 701 of the projection 110a passes through the projections 710a and 710b, the shaft member 702 is supported by the projections 710a and 710b, and the state in which the projection 110a is inserted into the recess 210b is maintained. With this configuration, the engaged state between the projection and the recess can be stably maintained.

[0027] In the above embodiment, the recess 201b may be configured such that two projections having different widths are arranged parallel to each other, and the space between the two projections is used as the recess (first configuration), or the projections may be arranged continuously in a substantially circular shape, and the space surrounded by the projections is used as the recess (second configuration). Furthermore, the convex portion 101a corresponds to the configuration of the recess 201b, and when the recess 201b is configured in the first configuration, it is configured as a convex portion having a width that can be inserted into the space between the two projections of the recess 201b. On the other hand, when the recess 201b is configured in the second configuration, it is configured as an axial convex portion that can be inserted into the space of the recess 201b.

[0028] According to the embodiments described above, the toys corresponding to this embodiment all have a common connecting part consisting of a convex part, a concave part, a pressable projection, and a pressing part that can press the projection. By using this connecting part, the direction of connection of the toys to be connected can be easily determined and connected. In this case, the direction of connection is uniquely determined by the structure of the connecting part, so it is not possible to connect them in the wrong direction. Also, when the projection is pressed, the toy deforms from a first appearance (or a third appearance) to a second appearance (or a fourth appearance), so the appearance of the toys can be changed at the same time as the toys are connected. Furthermore, by using the connecting part of this embodiment, users can combine toys of their choice and play with them in a way that is free and imaginative.

[0029] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pressable projection is positioned between the convex and concave parts, ensuring reliable pressing. In one embodiment, the projection is positioned closer to the convex part, and the protruding members are grouped together, resulting in a more cohesive appearance. Also, since the height of the convex part relative to the surface on which the joint is provided is higher than that of the projection, positioning the projection closer to the convex part allows the convex part to be used as a card to prevent accidental operation of the projection. Specifically, even when toys are not joined, the presence of the convex part near the projection effectively prevents accidental operation of the projection.

[0030] In the above embodiment, the case in which the connecting part is located on the bottom surface was described, but in addition to this configuration, it may be located on the back or other surfaces depending on the structure of the toy. For example, in the case of a toy that resembles a car, the surface on which the connecting part is provided may be the bottom surface or the back surface.

[0031] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the first toy 100 was made to resemble an apple and the second toy 200 was made to resemble a lobster, but the appearance of the toys can be any animal, plant, living creature, vehicle (vehicle, airplane, ship, combat vehicle, etc.), virtual character (a predetermined robot or character), stationery (eraser, pencil, ruler, compass, etc.), food (hamburger, etc.), any movable property (vending machine, etc.), or real estate (building, apartment, station, landmark, or other structure). Also, the appearance of the combined toy obtained by combining the transformed first toy 100 and the second toy 200 is not limited to the above embodiment and can be any shape. In addition, although the above-described toy set is made up of a combination of two toys, the first toy and the second toy, the toy set may be made up of a combination of three or more toys. In that case, for example, one toy may be provided with two or more connecting parts so that two or more toys are connected to one toy, or three or more toys may be connected in a chain.

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

Claims

1. A toy configured to be connectable with other toys, It is equipped with a connecting part for connecting with the aforementioned other toys, The aforementioned joint is The first recess and The first convex part and A projection that is configured to be pressable, The toy has a first convex portion and a projection portion arranged on the outer surface of the toy, The first recess engages with the second protrusion of the other toy, The first protrusion engages with the second recess of the other toy, The system further includes a part configured to be deployable in response to pressure applied to the aforementioned projection, The toy is configured to have a first appearance before the projection is pressed, and to have a second appearance when the locking of the parts is released and the parts are unfolded in response to the pressing of the projection.

2. The toy according to claim 1, wherein the projection is positioned between the first recess and the first convex portion, and the height of the projection with respect to the surface on which the joint is provided is lower than the height of the first convex portion with respect to the surface.

3. The first recess and the first protrusion further have a pressing portion that presses against the protrusion of the other toy, The toy according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the projection 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 projection is positioned closer to the first convex portion than the pressing portion.

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

6. The toy according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the pressing portion is configured as a flat surface, a convex portion, or a concave portion.

7. The toy according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the tip of the projection is formed of a flat or curved surface.

8. The toy according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the projection is biased directly or indirectly by an elastic body from the inside of the toy.

9. The toy according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first protrusion 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 is larger than the diameter of the shaft portion, and the first recess comprises an engaging member that engages with the tip portion of the second protrusion of the other toy.

10. The toy according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the toy transforms from a first appearance to a second appearance by being combined with the other toy.

11. The toy according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the other toy includes both the same toy and a different toy.

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

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