Toy assembly with inner object and structure to open housing and material composition used for same

Abstract

In an aspect, a toy assembly is provided, and includes a toy assembly housing including a rack, and an inner object in the housing. The inner object includes a motor and a rack gear that is engaged with the rack, and which is rotatable by the motor. The rack gear is positioned such that rotation of the rack gear by the motor drives the rack gear in a first direction on the rack, which drives at least part of the inner object in the first direction so as to open the toy assembly housing and expose the inner object.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional application 63 / 764,532, filed on Feb. 27, 2025, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.FIELD

[0002] The specification relates generally to toys that include a housing and an inner object that opens the housing, and more particularly to toys that include a housing and an inner object that breaks open the housing.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0003] There is a continuing desire to provide toys that provide an element of surprise to the user. Thus, some toys have the ability to open a housing to reveal an inner object. New ways of representing realism in such toys is desirable.SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0004] In an aspect, a toy assembly is provided and includes a toy assembly housing including a rack, and an inner object in the housing. The inner object includes a motor and a rack gear that is engaged with the rack, and which is rotatable by the motor. The rack gear is positioned such that rotation of the rack gear by the motor drives the rack gear in a first direction on the rack, which drives at least part of the inner object in the first direction so as to open the toy assembly housing and expose the inner object.

[0005] In another aspect, a toy assembly is provided, and includes a toy assembly housing including a rack, and an inner object in the housing. The inner object includes a motor and a rack gear that is engaged with the rack, and which is rotatable by the motor. The rack gear is positioned such that rotation of the rack gear by the motor drives the rack gear in a first direction on the rack, which drives at least part of the inner object in the first direction so as to open the toy assembly housing and expose the inner object.

[0006] In another aspect, a toy assembly is provided, and includes a housing, and an inner object in the housing. The inner object includes a motor that is operatively connected to drive at least part of the inner object in a first direction so as to break the housing, to as to expose the inner object. The housing has an interior surface and at least a portion of the interior surface has a composition thereon that is elastic so as to connect pieces of the housing that are separated from one another after breakage of the housing by the inner object.BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] For a better understanding of the various embodiments described herein and to show more clearly how they may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a housing for a toy assembly, according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the toy assembly with part of the housing removed, to show an inner object.

[0010] FIG. 3 is a perspective sectional view of the toy assembly, with some parts of the inner object removed to show inner elements of the inner object.

[0011] FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the toy assembly in a first state.

[0012] FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the toy assembly in a second state.

[0013] FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the toy assembly in a third state.

[0014] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of toy assembly, showing the inner object breaking through the housing, and showing a composition that is optionally included in the housing.

[0015] FIG. 8 is a sectional perspective view of a toy assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, including a toy assembly housing and an inner object.

[0016] FIG. 9 is a sectional side view of a portion of the toy assembly shown in FIG. 8.

[0017] FIG. 10 is a sectional side view of the toy assembly shown in FIG. 8, having moved in a first direction.

[0018] FIG. 11 is a sectional side view of the toy assembly shown in FIG. 8, having

[0019] moved further in the first direction.

[0020] FIG. 12 is a sectional side view of the toy assembly shown in FIG. 8, having moved still further in the first direction.

[0021] FIG. 13 is a sectional side view of the toy assembly shown in FIG. 8, having moved even further in the first direction.

[0022] FIG. 14 is a sectional side view of the toy assembly shown in FIG. 8, in a braced position.

[0023] FIG. 15 is a perspective exploded view of a second body portion of the toy assembly shown in FIG. 8 along with elements used to drive it.

[0024] FIG. 16 is a perspective exploded view of the elements used to drive the second body portion of the toy assembly shown in FIG. 8.

[0025] FIG. 17 is a side view of the second body portion and the first body portion joined together with a portion of the second body portion omitted to show components that would be covered thereby.

[0026] FIG. 18A is a side view of the elements used to drive the second body portion.

[0027] FIG. 18B is a perspective view of the elements used to drive the second body portion in FIG. 18A.

[0028] FIG. 19A is a side view of the elements used to drive the second body portion in a second rotational position.

[0029] FIG. 19B is a perspective view of the elements used to drive the second body portion in FIG. 19A.

[0030] FIG. 20 is a sectional side view of the toy assembly shown in FIG. 14, having moved in a second direction.

[0031] FIG. 21 is a sectional side view of the toy assembly shown in FIG. 14, having moved further in the second direction.

[0032] FIG. 22 is a sectional side view of the toy assembly shown in FIG. 14, having moved still further in the second direction.

[0033] FIG. 23 is a magnified sectional side view of a portion of the toy assembly shown in FIG. 8, showing a composition applied to an inner surface of the housing of the toy assembly.

[0034] FIG. 24 is a magnified sectional side view of a portion of the toy assembly shown in FIG. 8, illustrating opening of the housing.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONDefinitions

[0035] For simplicity and clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the Figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment or embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described herein. It should be understood at the outset that, although exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the figures and described below, the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the exemplary implementations and techniques illustrated in the drawings and described below.

[0036] The terms ‘comprising’ and ‘including’ and their various conjugations (e.g. ‘comprises’) will be understood to be inclusive and open-ended, and not exclusive. This means that if an element A includes or comprises an element B, it will be understood that element A could include or comprise other elements in addition to including or comprising element B. The term ‘having’ and its various conjugations are also to be understood as being open-ended in the same way as ‘comprising’ and ‘including’. These terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

[0037] As used herein, the terms “substantially”, “about” and “approximately” are meant to cover variations that may exist in the upper and lower limits of the ranges of values, such as variations in properties, parameters, and dimensions. Such terms as “substantially”, “about” and “approximately” as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed. These terms of degree should be construed as including a deviation of at least +5% of the modified term if this deviation would not negate the meaning of the word it modifies

[0038] Various terms used throughout the present description may be read and understood as follows, unless the context indicates otherwise: “or” as used throughout is inclusive, as though written “and / or”; singular articles and pronouns as used throughout include their plural forms, and vice versa; similarly, gendered pronouns include their counterpart pronouns such that pronouns should not be understood as limiting anything described herein to use, implementation, performance, etc. by a single gender; “exemplary” should be understood as “illustrative” or “exemplifying” and not necessarily as “preferred” over other embodiments. Further definitions for terms may be set out herein; these may apply to prior and subsequent instances of those terms, as will be understood from a reading of the present description. It will also be noted that the use of the term “a” or “an” will be understood to denote “at least one” in all instances unless explicitly stated otherwise or unless it would be understood to be obvious that it must mean “one”.

[0039] The phrase “at least one of” is understood to be one or more. The phrase “at least one of . . . and . . . ” is understood to mean at least one of the elements listed or a combination thereof, if not explicitly listed. For example, “at least one of A, B, and C” is understood to mean A alone or B alone or C alone or a combination of A and B or a combination of A and C or a combination of B and C or a combination of A, B, and C.

[0040] Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the systems, apparatuses, and methods described herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, the components of the systems and apparatuses may be integrated or separated. Moreover, the operations of the systems and apparatuses disclosed herein may be performed by more, fewer, or other components and the methods described may include more, fewer, or other steps. Additionally, steps may be performed in any suitable order. As used in this document, “each” refers to each member of a set or each member of a subset of a set.

[0041] As used in this document, “attached” in describing the relationship between two connected parts includes the case in which the two connected parts are “directly attached” with the two connected parts being in contact with each other, and the case in which the connected parts are “indirectly attached” and not in contact with each other, but are connected by one or more intervening other part(s) between.

[0042] As used in this document, terms describing relative positions of elements such as ‘top’, ‘upper’, ‘bottom’, ‘lower’, or other analogous terms will be understood to refer to the placement of the described element during use of the apparatus of which it is a part unless the context would make it clear that it is otherwise. It will be understood that the aforementioned placement of an element, for example, can still be considered its placement even when the object that it is a part of is lying in some position other than the position in which it will be used. As an example, if reference is made to a device having an upper member, it will be understood that the upper member is being described as having an upper position when the device that it is a part of is in use or is in position for use, unless the context would make it clear that it is otherwise. Further to this example, it will be understood that the aforementioned upper member of the object can still be considered its upper member even when the object is lying on its side, for storage, or for transport, or for some other reason.

[0043] “Memory” refers to a non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium for storing information (e.g., data or data structures) in a format readable by a processor, and / or instructions (e.g., computer code or software programs or modules) that are readable and executable by a processor to implement an algorithm. The term “memory” includes a single device or a plurality of physically discrete, operatively connected devices despite use of the term in the singular. Non-limiting types of memory include solid-state semiconductor, optical, magnetic, and magneto-optical computer readable media. Examples of memory technologies include optical discs such as compact discs (CD-ROMs) and digital versatile discs (DVDs), magnetic media such as floppy disks, magnetic tapes or cassettes, and solid-state semiconductor random access memory (RAM) devices, read-only memory (ROM) devices, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) devices, flash memory devices, memory chips and combinations of the foregoing. Memory may be non-volatile or volatile. Memory may be physically attached to a processor, or remote from a processor. Memory may be removable or non-removable from a system including a processor. Memory may be operatively connected to a processor in such a way as to be accessible by a processor. Instructions stored by a memory may be based on a plurality of programming and / or markup languages known in the art, with non-limiting examples including the C, C++, C #, Python™, MATLAB™, Java™, JavaScript™, Perl™, PHP ™, SQL™, Visual Basic™, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), and combinations of the foregoing. Instructions stored by a memory may also be implemented by configuration settings for a fixed-function device, gate array or programmable logic device.

[0044] “Processor” refers to one or more electronic hardware devices that is / are capable of reading and executing instructions stored on a memory to perform operations on data, which may be stored on a memory or provided in a data signal. The term “processor” includes a single device or a plurality of physically discrete, operatively connected devices despite use of the term in the singular. The plurality of processors may be arrayed or distributed. Non-limiting examples of processors include integrated circuit semiconductor devices and / or processing circuit devices referred to as computers, servers or terminals having single or multi-processor architectures, microprocessors, microcontrollers, microcontroller units (MCU), central processing units (CPU), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), application specific circuits (ASIC), digital signal processors, and combinations of the foregoing.

[0045] Any method, application or module herein described may be implemented using computer readable / executable instructions that may be stored or otherwise held by a memory, and executed by a processor. Aspects of the present disclosure may be described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the disclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor, such that the processor, and a memory storing the instructions, which execute via the processor, collectively constitute a machine for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks.

[0046] The flowcharts and functional block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0047] Unless otherwise explained, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. Definitions of common terms in molecular biology may be found in Benjamin Lewin, Genes V, published by Oxford University Press, 1994 (ISBN 0-19-854287-9); Kendrew et al. (eds.), The Encyclopedia of Molecular Biology, published by Blackwell Science Ltd., 1994 (ISBN 0-632-02182-9); and Robert A. Meyers (ed.), Molecular Biology and Biotechnology: a Comprehensive Desk Reference, published by VCH Publishers, Inc., 1995 (ISBN 1-56081-569-8). Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice for testing of the present invention, the typical materials and methods are described herein. In describing and claiming the present invention, the following terminology will be used.

[0048] The compounds of the present invention may have asymmetric centers, chiral axes, and chiral planes (as described, for example, in: E. L. Eliel and S. H. Wilen, Stereo-chemistry of Carbon Compounds, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1994, pages 1119-1190), and occur as racemates, racemic mixtures, and as individual diastereomers, with all possible isomers and mixtures thereof, including optical isomers, being included in the present invention. In addition, the compounds disclosed herein may exist as tautomers and both tautomeric forms are intended to be encompassed by the scope of the invention, even though only one tautomeric structure may be depicted.

[0049] Generally, reference to a certain element such as hydrogen or H is meant to, if appropriate, include all isotopes of that element.

[0050] Where the term “alkyl group” is used, either alone or within other terms such as “haloalkyl group”, it encompasses linear or branched carbon radicals having, for example, one to about twenty carbon atoms or, in specific embodiments, one to about twelve carbon atoms. In other embodiments, alkyl groups are “lower alkyl” groups having one to about six carbon atoms. Examples of such groups include, but are not limited thereto, methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, pentyl, iso-amyl, hexyl and the like. In more specific embodiments, lower alkyl groups have one to four carbon atoms.

[0051] The term “alkenyl group” encompasses linear or branched carbon radicals having at least one carbon-carbon double bond. The term “alkenyl group” can encompass conjugated and non-conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds or combinations thereof. An alkenyl group, for example and without being limited thereto, can encompass two to about twenty carbon atoms or, in a particular embodiment, two to about twelve carbon atoms. In embodiments, alkenyl groups are “lower alkenyl” groups having two to about four carbon atoms. Examples of alkenyl groups include, but are not limited thereto, ethenyl, propenyl, allyl, propenyl, butenyl and 4-methylbutenyl. The terms “alkenyl group” and “lower alkenyl group”, encompass groups having “cis” and “trans” orientations, or alternatively, “E” and “Z” orientations.

[0052] The term “alkynyl group” denotes linear or branched carbon radicals having at least one carbon-carbon triple bond. The term “alkynyl group” can encompass conjugated and non-conjugated carbon-carbon triple bonds or combinations thereof. Alkynyl group, for example and without being limited thereto, can encompass two to about twenty carbon atoms or, in a particular embodiment, two to about twelve carbon atoms. In embodiments, alkynyl groups are “lower alkynyl” groups having two to about ten carbon atoms. Some examples are lower alkynyl groups having two to about four carbon atoms. Examples of such groups include propargyl, butynyl, and the like.

[0053] The term “halo” means halogens such as fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine atoms.

[0054] The term “aromatic group” or “aryl group” means an aromatic group having one or more rings wherein such rings may be attached together in a pendent manner or may be fused. In particular embodiments, an aromatic group is one, two or three rings. Monocyclic aromatic groups may contain 4 to 10 carbon atoms, typically 4 to 7 carbon atoms, and more typically 4 to 6 carbon atoms in the ring. Typical polycyclic aromatic groups have two or three rings. Polycyclic aromatic groups having two rings typically have 8 to 12 carbon atoms, preferably 8 to 10 carbon atoms in the rings. Examples of aromatic groups include, but are not limited to, phenyl, naphthyl, tetrahydronaphthyl, indanyl, biphenyl, phenanthryl, anthryl or acenaphthyl.

[0055] The term “heteroatom” means an atom other than carbon. Typically, heteroatoms are selected from the group consisting of sulfur, phosphorous, nitrogen and oxygen atoms. Groups containing more than one heteroatom may contain different heteroatoms.

[0056] The term “heteroaromatic group” or “heteroaryl group” means an aromatic group having one or more rings wherein such rings may be attached together in a pendent manner or may be fused, wherein the aromatic group has at least one heteroatom. Monocyclic heteroaromatic groups may contain 4 to 10 member atoms, typically 4 to 7 member atoms, and more typically 4 to 6 member atoms in the ring. Typical polycyclic heteroaromatic groups have two or three rings. Polycyclic aromatic groups having two rings typically have 8 to 12 member atoms, more typically 8 to 10 member atoms in the rings. Examples of heteroaromatic groups include, but are not limited thereto, pyrrole, imidazole, thiazole, oxazole, furan, thiophene, triazole, pyrazole, isoxazole, isothiazole, pyridine, pyrazine, pyridazine, pyrimidine, triazine, indole, benzofuran, benzothiophene, benzimidazole, benzthiazole, quinoline, isoquinoline, quinazoline, quinoxaline and the like.

[0057] The term “carbocyclic group” means a saturated or unsaturated carbocyclic hydrocarbon ring. Carbocyclic groups are not aromatic. Carbocyclic groups are monocyclic or polycyclic. Polycyclic carbocyclic groups can be fused, spiro, or bridged ring systems. Monocyclic carbocyclic groups may contain 4 to 10 carbon atoms, typically 4 to 7 carbon atoms, and more typically 5 to 6 carbon atoms in the ring. Bicyclic carbocyclic groups may contain 8 to 12 carbon atoms, typically 9 to 10 carbon atoms in the rings.

[0058] The term “heterocyclic group” means a saturated or unsaturated ring structure containing carbon atoms and 1 or more heteroatoms in the ring. Heterocyclic groups are not aromatic. Heterocyclic groups are monocyclic or polycyclic. Polycyclic heterocyclic groups can be fused, spiro, or bridged ring systems. Monocyclic heterocyclic groups may contain 4to 10 member atoms (i.e., including both carbon atoms and at least 1 heteroatom), typically 4 to 7, and more typically 5 to 6 in the ring. Bicyclic heterocyclic groups may contain 8 to 18 member atoms, typically 9 or 10 member atoms in the rings. Representative heterocyclic groups include, by way of example, pyrrolidine, imidazolidine, pyrazolidine, piperidine, 1,4-dioxane, morpholine, thiomorpholine, piperazine, 3-pyrroline and the like.

[0059] The term “substituted” as used herein refers to a chemically acceptable group, i.e., a moiety that does not negate the activity of the compounds / polymers described herein. It is understood that substituents and substitution patterns on the compounds / polymers described herein may be selected by one of ordinary skill in the art to provide compounds / polymers that are chemically stable and that can be readily synthesized by techniques known in the art. If a substituent is itself substituted with more than one group, it is understood that these multiple groups may be on the same carbon / member atom or on different carbons / member atoms, as long as a stable structure results. Illustrative examples of some suitable substituents include, but are not limited to, cycloalkyl, heterocyclyl, hydroxyalkyl, benzyl, carbonyl, halo, haloalkyl, perfluoroalkyl, perfluoroalkoxy, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, hydroxy, oxo, mercapto, alkylthio, alkoxy, aryl or heteroaryl, aryloxy or heteroaryloxy, aralkyl or heteroaralkyl, aralkoxy or heteroaralkoxy, HO—(C═O)—, amido, amino, alkyl-and dialkylamino, cyano, nitro, carbamoyl, alkylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylaminocarbonyl, dialkylaminocarbonyl, arylcarbonyl, aryloxycarbonyl, alkylsulfonyl, and arylsulfonyl. Typical substituents include aromatic groups, substituted aromatic groups, hydrocarbon groups including alkyl groups such as methyl groups, substituted hydrocarbon groups such as benzyl, and heterogeneous groups including alkoxy groups such as methoxy groups.

[0060] The embodiments of the disclosures described herein are exemplary (e.g., in terms of materials, shapes, dimensions, and constructional details) and do not limit by the claims appended hereto and any amendments made thereto. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that there are yet more alternative implementations and modifications possible, and that the following examples are only illustrations of one or more implementations. The scope of the disclosure, therefore, is only to be limited by the claims appended hereto and any amendments made thereto.DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0061] Reference is made to FIG. 1, which shows a toy assembly 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The toy assembly 10 includes a housing 12 (which may also be referred to as a toy assembly housing) and an inner object 14 (FIG. 2). The housing 12 is shown in a closed position in FIGS. 1 and 4, and an open position in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7.

[0062] The housing 12 may be made from any suitable material such as a polymeric material, such as, for example, PPS. The housing 12 includes a rack 16 thereon, as seen in particular in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6. The rack 16 may be fixed in the housing 12, and may extend into the inner object 14 for engagement by a rack gear 18 that is in the inner object 14. In the embodiment shown, the housing 12 includes a first housing portion 12a and a second housing portion 12b, which may be removably or permanently joined together. In the embodiment shown, the first and second housing portions are permanently joined together by way of an adhesive.

[0063] The housing 12 may optionally resemble an egg or may have any other suitable shape.

[0064] The inner object 14 may resemble a character, such as, for example, a dinosaur, a dragon, a bird, any other animal, any insect, a person, a robot, a vehicle. The character may be a fictitious entity (such as a character from a book, or a fictitious animal such as a dragon or a unicorn) or a real entity such as a dinosaur or a bird. In the example shown, the inner object resembles a dinosaur.

[0065] The inner object 14 is in the housing 12. The inner object includes a motor 20 (FIG. 3) and the aforementioned rack gear 18 that is engaged with the rack 16 and which is rotatable by the motor 20. The motor 20 may be operatively connected to the rack gear 18 by way of a gear train shown generally at 22. The motor 20 may directly drive a worm 24, that is part of the gear train 22.

[0066] Rotation of the rack gear 18 by the motor 20 drives the rack gear 18 in a first direction D1 (FIG. 4) on the rack 16, which drives at least part of the inner object 14 in the first direction D1 so as to open the housing (FIGS. 5, 6 and 7) and expose the inner object 14.

[0067] The inner object 14 may optionally include a first body portion 26 and a second body portion 28. The first body portion 26 and the second body portion 28 are pivotally connected together. The inner object 14 further includes a pivot gear 31 that is rotatable by the motor 20 to drive pivoting of the first body portion 26 relative to the second body portion 28 so as to further drive the inner object 14 to further open the housing 14 (as can be seen in FIG. 6). As can be seen in FIG. 3, the first body portion 26 may be the torso of the character, and the second body portion may be one or both legs of the character.

[0068] The motor 20 may be controlled by a controller 30 (FIG. 3) and may be powered by a power source such as a battery pack 32 that includes at least one cell. The controller 30 may include a processor 30a and a memory 30b.

[0069] The rack gear 18 (and optionally, the entirety of the gear train 22) may be positioned inside the inner object, so as to maintain the appearance of a character. Optionally, the rack 16 extends into the inner object 14 though an aperture 34 shown in FIG. 3.

[0070] In the embodiment shown, the entirety of the inner object 14 is driven in the first direction by rotation of the rack gear 18 on the rack 16.

[0071] In the embodiment shown, driving the at least part of the inner object 14 in the first direction D1 so as to open the housing 12 breaks the housing 12. In other embodiments, not shown, the housing 12 may include a panel that is hinged and is moved out of the way by the movement of the at least part of the inner object 14, thereby opening the housing 12 without breaking the housing 12.

[0072] The housing 12 has an interior surface 40 (FIGS. 4-7). At least a portion of the interior surface 40 has a composition 42 (FIG. 7) thereon that is elastic so as to connect pieces of the housing 12 (shown at 42 in FIG. 7), that are separated from one another after breakage of the housing 12 by the inner object 14. The composition 42 may also be referred to as a composition 42.

[0073] Reference is made to FIGS. 8 and 9, which show another embodiment of the toy assembly at 100. The toy assembly 100 may include a toy assembly housing 102, and an inner character 104. The toy assembly housing 102 may be similar to the toy assembly housing 12, and may include a first housing portion 102a and a second housing portion 102b, and may have any suitable shape such as the shape of an egg. The toy assembly housing 102 may be made from any suitable material such as a polymeric material, such as, for example, PPS.

[0074] The toy assembly housing 102 includes a rack 106 thereon, as seen in particular in FIG. 8. The rack 106 may be connected to the toy assembly housing 102 in any suitable way. For example, the rack 106 may be pivotably connected to a rack support member 108 in the toy assembly housing 102 (e.g. by virtue of a pin 110 that extends through an aperture 112 on the rack 106 and connects between two posts of the rack support member 118). Only one post from the rack support member 108 is shown in FIG. 8.

[0075] The rack 106 may be biased towards a disengagement position shown in FIG. 13. The rack 106 may be biased towards the disengagement position by any suitable means, such as by a spring, such as a torsion spring shown at 124 in FIG. 8. Alternatively, the rack 106 may be biased towards the disengagement position by gravity, such that, when it is not otherwise constrained, the rack 106 falls down towards the disengagement position.

[0076] The inner object 104 may be similar to the inner object 14, and may resemble a character, such as, for example, a dinosaur, or any other suitable character described above in relation to the inner object 14. The inner object 104 is in the housing 102.

[0077] The inner object 104 optionally includes a rack aperture 126 (FIG. 8) including a rack aperture opening 128 through which the rack 106 extends into the rack aperture 126. The inner object 104 includes a motor 130 (FIG. 15) and a rack gear 132 that is engaged with the rack 106 when the rack is in the rack aperture 126. The rack gear 132 is rotated by the motor 130. The motor 130 may be operatively connected to the rack gear 132 in any suitable way, such as though a gear train 134. The gear train 134 may include a worm 136 that is directly driven by the motor 130, and a plurality of intermediate gears 137 (best seen in FIG. 15) that are driven by the worm 136, and which, in turn, drive the rack gear 106.

[0078] The worm 136 may be equipped with a flight that renders it non-backdrivable such that de-energization of the motor 130 can occur, and the worm 136 holds the inner object 104 in whatever position it is in.

[0079] Rotation of the rack gear 132 by the motor 130 drives the rack gear 132 in a first direction D1 (FIG. 10) on the rack 106, which drives at least part of the inner object 104 in the first direction D1 so as to open the housing (FIGS. 11 and 13) and expose the inner object 104. In FIGS. 10-14 and 20-22, the first housing portion 102a is shown only in a simplified format so that it is easier to make out details of the inner object 104 itself.

[0080] It will be noted that the toy assembly housing 102 may include an inner object guide member 133 (FIG. 9) that constrains the inner object 104 to move in the first direction D1 (forwards or backwards). As can be seen particularly in FIG. 9, the guide member passes through a guide slot 135 in the inner object 104.

[0081] The rack gear 132 is positioned to engage the rack 106 and to drive along the rack 106 to bring the inner object 104 from a retracted position (shown in FIGS. 8 and 10) to a fully advanced position (FIG. 12). When the inner object 104 is in the fully advanced position, it can be seen that the rack 106 is positioned to be movable towards a disengagement position (FIG. 13) in which the rack 106 is spaced from the rack gear 132, and may be aligned or unaligned with the rack aperture opening 128. In the embodiment shown, the rack 106 is unaligned with the rack aperture 128 when in the disengagement position, which assists in visually dissociating the rack from the inner object 104, thereby rendering a greater appearance of being a character to the inner object 104 when the inner object 104 is removed from or otherwise leaves the toy assembly housing 110.

[0082] As noted above, the rack 106 is biased towards the disengagement position. This biasing of the rack 106 is so as to drive the rack 106 out of engagement with the rack gear 132 and towards the disengagement position (FIG. 14), upon bringing the inner object 104 to the fully advanced position (FIG. 13).

[0083] When the rack 106 disengages from the rack gear 132, the inner object 104 may start sliding back towards the retracted position, as the engagement between the rack gear 132 and the rack 106 is no longer available to hold the inner object 104 in position.

[0084] The motor 130 may be controlled by a controller 138 (FIG. 9) and may be powered by a power source such as a battery pack 139 that includes at least one cell. The controller 138 may include a processor 138a and a memory 138b. The controller 138.

[0085] Optionally, the toy assembly 10 includes one or more structures to hold the inner object 104 in one or more positions between the retracted position and the fully advanced position. For example, the toy assembly 10 may include an inner object brace 140. The inner object brace 140 is movable between a bypass position (FIG. 11), in which the inner object brace 140 permits movement of the inner object 104 therepast in the first direction D1, and a bracing position (FIGS. 12-14) in which the inner object brace 140 blocks the inner object 104 from returning to the retracted position once the inner object 104 moves past the inner object brace 140 in the first direction D1 (e.g. FIG. 12). The inner object brace 140 may be pivotable between the bypass and bracing positions. For example, the inner object brace 140 may include pin stubs on two sides, which are rotatably supported in apertures in suitable support structures in the toy assembly housing 102.

[0086] The inner object brace 140 may be biased towards the bracing position. For example, an inner object brace biasing member 142 may be provided to urge the biasing member brace 140 towards the bracing position. The inner object brace biasing member 142 may be any suitable structure such as, for example, a spring, such as, for example, a torsion spring or any other suitable type of spring. The inner object 104 is shaped to move the inner object brace 140 out of the way (FIG. 11) during movement of the inner object 104 towards the fully advanced position, and permits movement of the inner object brace 140 to the bracing position (e.g. by urging of the inner object brace biasing member 142) once the inner object 104 moves past the inner object brace 140 in the first direction D1 (FIG. 12). FIG. 14 shows the inner object 104 held in a braced position by the inner object brace 140. The braced position in the present embodiment is an intermediate position between the retracted and fully advanced positions for the inner object 104. However, it will be understood that the braced position could alternatively be the fully advanced position itself.

[0087] A purpose for the braced position shown in FIG. 14 is that the inner object 104 may be equipped to carry out further movement (i.e. a second movement that is a different movement than the movement in the first direction D1, which may be referred to as a first movement) so as to further open the toy assembly housing 102. The second movement is in a second direction D2, which is a different direction than the direction D1.

[0088] In the example embodiment shown, the inner object 104 may include a first body portion 144 and a second body portion 146. The first body portion 144 and the second body portion 146 may be pivotally connected together. In the embodiment shown, the first body portion 144 may be a torso of the dinosaur, and the second body portion 146 includes both legs of the dinosaur (though only one less is shown in the figures).

[0089] To carry out the second movement the inner object 104 may further include a pivot gear 148 that is rotatable by the motor 130 to drive pivoting of the first body portion 144 relative to the second body portion 146 so as to drive the inner object 104 to further open the toy assembly housing 102, (e.g. by moving the inner object 104 in the second direction).

[0090] The pivot gear 148 and associated structure are shown in FIGS. 15-19B. The inner object 104 includes an engagement member 150 that is operatively connected to the second body portion 146. At least one of the pivot gear 148 and the pivot gear engagement member 150 includes an engagement projection 152, and the other of the pivot gear 148 and the pivot gear engagement member 150 includes an engagement aperture 154 that is sized to receive the engagement projection 152 so as to operatively connect the pivot gear 148 and the pivot gear engagement member 150. In the embodiment shown, the engagement projection 152 is on the pivot gear engagement member 150 and the engagement aperture 154 is on the pivot gear 148. In the embodiment shown, there is a plurality of engagement projections 152, and a plurality of engagement apertures 154. To ensure that the engagement projections 152 are well aligned with the engagement apertures 154 when the pivot gear 148 and the pivot gear engagement member 150 are in the correct rotational positions relative to one another, the engagement projections 152 may ride in guide slots 156 in whichever of the pivot gear 148 and the pivot gear engagement member 150 holds the engagement apertures 154 (in the example shown, the pivot gear 148). Furthermore, the guide slots 156 may each have an end wall 157 that coincides with an end of the associated one of the engagement apertures 154. By providing the guide slots 156 and the end walls 157 thereof, the engagement projections 152 can more easily be aligned with the engagement apertures 154 to ensure that the engagement projections 152 enter into engagement apertures 154 when they are aligned with one another. It will be noted that there may be a single engagement projection 152 and a single engagement aperture 154, and therefore a single guide slot 156, or a plurality of engagement projections 152, a plurality of engagement apertures 154 and one or more guide slots 156.

[0091] The toy assembly 10 may further include a second body portion drive member 158 that is operatively connected to the second body portion 146, and a connector 159 that connects the pivot gear engagement member 150 and the second body portion drive member 158. The pivot gear engagement member 150 and the second body portion drive member 158 may each have a non-circular aperture 160, and the connector 159 may be in the form of a shaft that fits in the non-circular aperture 160 so as to rotationally connect the pivot gear engagement member 150 and the second body portion drive member 158. The non-circular aperture 160 may be shaped as a regular polygon (e.g. such as a hexagon, as shown), an irregular polygon, an ellipse, a splined shape, or any other regular or irregular shape that permits torque to be transferred between the pivot gear engagement member 150 and the second body portion drive member 158.

[0092] Even though the pivot gear engagement member 150 is rotationally connected to the connector 159, the pivot gear engagement member 150 may be slidable on the connector 159 so as to axial movement thereof along the axis of rotation of the pivot gear engagement member 150, so as to drive entry of the engagement projections 152 into the engagement apertures 154. It is alternatively possible for the pivot gear 148 to be movable axially to drive entry of the engagement projections 152 into the engagement apertures 154, however it is preferable to slide the pivot gear engagement member 150 instead of the pivot gear 148.

[0093] At least one of the pivot gear 148 and the pivot gear engagement member 150 is biased to move towards an engaged state in which the engagement projection 152 extends into the engagement aperture 154, so as to rotationally connect the pivot gear engagement member 150 and the second body portion 146 to the pivot gear 148. The biasing may be achieved by an engagement biasing member 162. The engagement biasing member 162 may be any suitable type of biasing member, such as a spring, (e.g. a compression spring as shown in FIG. 15). The engagement biasing member 162 may be positioned to urge the pivot gear engagement member 150 towards the pivot gear 148.

[0094] Initially, when the inner object 104 first reaches the braced position in FIG. 14, the pivot gear 148 and the pivot gear engagement member 150 may be as shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B. In this position, the engagement projections 152 are unaligned with the projection apertures 154. This position may be referred to as a compressed position for the inner character 104. During rotation of the pivot gear 148, the pivot gear 148 is driven through a first range of rotation up to an engagement position shown in FIG. 19A, bringing the engagement projections 152 and the engagement apertures 154 into alignment with one another. Once the engagement projections 152 and the engagement apertures 154 are in alignment with one another, the engagement biasing member 162 drives the engagement projections 152 and the engagement apertures 154 into engagement with one another, e.g. by driving axial movement of the pivot gear engagement member 150 (shown in FIG. 19B).

[0095] The second body portion drive member 158 may be operatively connected to the second body portion 146 through a second body portion biasing member 164 (FIG. 16), so as to limit force transmission between the second body portion 146 and the first body portion 144, throughout a range of movement between the second body portion 146 and the first body portion 144.

[0096] More specifically, the second body portion drive member 158 may include a biasing member driver projection 166. The second body portion biasing member 164 may be a torsion spring 168 having a first end 170 and a second end 172, which extend adjacent first and second circumferential ends 174 and 176 of the biasing member projection 166. The second body portion 146 itself may also have a biasing member receiver projection 178. The first and second ends 170 and 172 of the second body portion biasing member 164 also extend adjacent first and second circumferential ends 180 and 182 of the biasing member receiver projection 178.

[0097] When the second body portion drive member 158 is rotated in a first rotational direction DR1 (FIG. 17), it drives movement of the first end 170 of the torsion spring 168, which in turn drives movement of the second end 172 of the torsion spring 168. If there is nothing external to the inner object 104 to resist the relative pivoting between the first and second body portions 144 and 146 then the movement of the second end 172 drives movement of the biasing member receiver projection 178 and therefore pivoting of the second body portion 146 in the first rotational direction DR1. Similarly, when the second body portion drive member 158 is rotated in a second rotational direction DR2 (FIG. 17), it drives movement of the second end 172 of the torsion spring 168, which in turn drives movement of the first end 170 of the torsion spring 168. If there is nothing external to the inner object 104 to resist the relative pivoting between the first and second body portions 144 and 146 then the movement of the first end 170 drives movement of the biasing member receiver projection 178 and therefore pivoting of the second body portion 146 in the second rotational direction DR2.

[0098] If, however, there is a sufficient external force on the inner object 104 to resist the relative pivoting between the first and second body portions 144 and 146 then the second body portion 146 may remain stationary, and the torsion spring 168 may flex, such that the second end 172 remains stationary due to non-movement of the biasing member receiver projection, while the first end 170 moves angularly (also referred to as circumferentially) away from the second end 172. As a result, the forces transmitted through the intermediate gears 137 and the pivot gear 148 are lower than if the torsion spring 168 were not present. In another scenario, if the inner object 104 were dropped by a user after being removed from the housing 102, the first and second body portions 144 and 146 would tend to pivot, due to the position of the pivot axis of the first and second body portions 144 and 146, and their shapes and centers of gravity. If this occurs, the torsion spring 168 permits one of the first and second ends 170 or 172 during such pivoting, while the other of the first and second ends 170 and 172 to remain stationary, keeping a reduced amount of force from being transmitted back to the pivot gear 148 and the intermediate gears 137.

[0099] The movement of the inner object 104 in the second direction D2 will now be described in relation to FIGS. 20-22. FIG. 20 shows the inner object 104 after driving of the pivot gear 148 by some amount, after engagement of the engagement projections 152 with the engagement apertures 154. As can be seen, the inner object 104 is in a less-crouched position relative to the position shown in FIG. 14. During movement in this second direction D2, the inner object 104 further opens the housing 102. In the example shown, the inner object further breaks the housing 102. FIGS. 21 and 22 show further rotation of the pivot gear 148, which further drives the inner object 104 towards a standing position, away from the fully crouched position shown in FIG. 14. This movement in a second direction (i.e. the direction D2) further augments the realism of the appearance of a hatching event of a live being taking place.

[0100] Throughout the movement between FIGS. 14 and 22, the inner object 104 remains captured by the inner object guide member 133, and braced by the inner object brace 140.

[0101] The inner object 104 may additionally move in a third direction D3 (FIG. 14) which is different than both the first and second directions D1 and D2, in order to still further open the housing 102. To this end, the inner object 104 may include a second motor 184, (in which case, the motor 130 may be referred to as a first motor 130). The second motor 184 can best be seen in FIG. 8. The second motor 184 may be connected to a second gear train 186, (in which case, the gear train 134 may be referred to as a first gear train 134), and from the second gear train 186, to a third body portion 188 of the inner object 104. In the example embodiment shown, the third body portion 188 is a head of the dinosaur. Rotation of the second motor 184 drives the third body portion 188 in a precession movement about a central longitudinal axis (shown at AL in FIG. 8) of the inner object 104, which further augments the realism of the appearance of a hatching event of a live being taking place. Illustration of the precessive movement of the third body portion 188 can be seen in differences in how much of the third body portion 188 is visible in the sectional views in FIGS. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 20, due to varying amounts of the third body portion 188 being out-of-plane relative to the section plane used in the views.

[0102] For greater certainty, it will be noted that it is possible for the inner object 104 to undergo both the movement in the first direction D1 and / or the second direction D2 and the movement in the third direction D3 at the same time or at least partially at the same time. In other words, it is possible for the movement in the first direction D1 and / or second direction D2 to at least partially overlap with the movement in the third direction D3. FIGS. 11, 12, 13 and 20 illustrate various positions of the third body portion 188 in the third direction. It will be noted that the inner object 104 is also in different positions in the first direction D1 between FIGS. 11, 12 and 13, and is in different positions in the second direction between FIGS. 13 and 20, illustrating that movement in the third direction D3 can take place while movement takes place in one or both of the first and second directions D1 and D2.

[0103] It will be noted that the first, second, and third directions D1, D2 and D3 may be linear or arcuate directions and may follow any path. In the example shown, the first direction D1 is linear, the second direction D2 is arcuate about the pivot axis between the first and second body portions 144 and 146, and the third direction D3 is precessional about a longitudinal axis of the inner object 104. Any two or more of these directions could involve linear movement, rotary movement, precessional movement, or any other kind of movement. They need not all be different.

[0104] In addition to the movement of the inner object in at least one of the first, second and third directions D1, D2 and D3 to open the housing 102, the toy assembly 100 may include other features to augment the realism of the appearance of a hatching event of a live being. For example, the while the housing 102 may be structured to be opened without breaking (e.g. by means of hinged housing panels) during the movement of the inner object 104 in at least one of the first, second and third directions D1, D2 and D3, the toy assembly housing 102 may be structured such that the at least part of the inner object 104 in the first direction collides with and breaks through the toy assembly housing 102 when opening the toy assembly housing 102 (as shown in the embodiments in the figures). Additionally, or alternatively, the toy assembly housing 102 has an interior surface (shown in particular at 190 in FIG. 23) and at least a portion of the interior surface has a composition 192 thereon that is elastic so as to connect pieces of the housing 102 that are separated from one another after breakage of the housing 102 by the inner object 104. Pieces of the housing 102 can be seen in FIG. 24 at 198 (and are also shown in several other figures. In FIGS. 23 and 24 a highly simplified representation of the third body portion 188 is shown in outline only. Additionally, the pieces 198 of the housing 102 are shown in a simplified format. The pieces 198 of the housing 102 shown in the figures are pieces that have been broken off of the housing 102, though they may be shown as still adhered to the composition 192.Description of Composition

[0105] In aspects, the composition 192 comprises at least one substituted or unsubstituted siloxane according to Formula I below:wherein:n is an integer; andwherein R1 to R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl, a substituted or unsubstituted alkynyl, a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic group, a substituted or unsubstituted heteroaromatic group, a substituted or unsubstituted carbocyclic group, or a substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclic group.

[0108] In an aspect, R1 to R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted alkynyl. In another aspect, R1 to R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C10 alkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C10 alkenyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C10 alkynyl. In another aspect, R1 to R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C6 alkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C6 alkenyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C6 alkynyl. In another aspect, R1 to R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C6 alkyl. In another aspect, R1 to R6 are each independently selected from methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl, nonyl or decyl. In another aspect, R1 to R6 are each methyl.

[0109] In another aspect, R1 to R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted alkynyl. In another aspect, R1 to R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C10 alkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C10 alkenyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C10 alkynyl. In another aspect, R1 to R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C6 alkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C6 alkenyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C6 alkynyl. In another aspect, R1 to R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C6 alkyl. In another aspect, R1 to R6 are each independently selected from methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl, nonyl or decyl. In another aspect, R1 to R6 are each methyl.

[0110] As noted above, n is an integer, and thus can be any number, such as from about 1 to about 1000. This includes any intervening number of the range.

[0111] The composition 192 comprises the at least one substituted or unsubstituted siloxane in any suitable amount, such as an amount of from about 1% to about 99% w / w. This includes any intervening number in the range. In typical aspects, the at least one substituted or unsubstituted siloxane is present in an amount about of 5% to about 15% w / w, and in other typical aspects, the at least one substituted or unsubstituted siloxane is present in an amount of about 40% w / w to about 90% w / w.

[0112] In another aspect, the composition 192 comprises a first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane and a second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane, each of which are independently selected from Formula I:Wherein:n is an integer;R1 to R6 of the first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane, are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl; and,

[0115] R1 to R4 of the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane, are each independently selected from hydroxyl, amino, thiol, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted alkynyl and R5 and R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl.

[0116] In another aspect, R1 to R6 of the first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C10 alkyl. In another aspect, R1 to R6 of the first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C6 alkyl. In another aspect, R1 to R6 of the first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane are each independently selected from methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl, nonyl or decyl. In another aspect, R1 to R6 of the first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane are each methyl.

[0117] In another aspect, R1 to R4 of the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C10 alkyl and R5 and R6 of the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C10 alkenyl. In another aspect, R1 to R4 of the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C6 alkyl and R5 and R6 of the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C6 alkenyl. In another aspect, R1 to R4 of the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane are each independently selected from methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl, nonyl or decyl, and R5 and R6 of the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane are each vinyl. In typical aspects, R1 to R4 of the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane are each methyl and R5 and R6 of the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane are each vinyl.

[0118] In a specific aspect, the first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane is polydimethylsiloxane. In a specific aspect, the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane is vinyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane.

[0119] As noted above, n is an integer, and thus can be any number, such as from about 1 to about 1000. This includes any intervening number of the range.

[0120] The composition 192 comprises the first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane and the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane in any suitable amount, such as an amount of from about 1% to about 99% w / w. This includes any intervening number in the range.

[0121] In typical aspects, the first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane is present in an amount about of 5% to about 15% w / w. In specific aspects, the first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane is present at about 5% w / w, in other specific aspects, the first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane is present at about 8% w / w, and in further specific aspects, the first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane is present in an amount of about 11% w / w.

[0122] In other typical aspects, the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane is present in an amount of about 40% w / w to about 90% w / w. In specific aspects, the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane is present in an amount of about 90% w / w, and in other specific aspects, the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane is present in an amount of about 45% w / w.

[0123] In aspects, the composition 192 further comprises an anti-caking agent, which is, for example, an additive that can be placed in a powdered or granulated material, to prevent the formation of lumps (e.g. caking). The agent may also assist with ease of, for example, packaging, transport and flowability of the composition 192 described herein. The anti-caking agent may be any suitable anti-caking agent, such as, for example, tricalcium phosphate, powdered cellulose, magnesium stearate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium ferrocyanide, potassium ferrocyanide, calcium ferrocyanide, calcium phosphate, sodium silicate, silicon dioxide, calcium silicate, magnesium trisilicate, talcum powder, sodium aluminosilicate, potassium, aluminium silicate, calcium aluminosilicate, bentonite, aluminium silicate, stearic acid, and the like. In typical aspects, the anti-caking agent is a silicon dioxide, and the like. In typical aspects, the anti-caking agent is a silicon dioxide.

[0124] The anti-caking agent is present in any suitable amount, such as in an amount of from about 0.5% to about 30% w / w. This includes any intervening number in the range. In typical aspects, the anti-caking agent is present in an amount of about 1% to about 5% w / w. In specific aspects, the anti-cracking agent is present in an amount of about 5% w / w, and in other specific aspects, the anti-cracking agent is present in an amount of about 2.5% w / w.

[0125] In some specific aspects, the composition 192 described herein comprises the first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane, the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane and the anti-caking agent as described herein. In specific aspects, the first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane comprises polydimethylsiloxane, the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane comprises vinyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane and the anti-caking agent comprises silicon dioxide.

[0126] In aspects, the composition 192 further comprises a preservative. The preservative can prevent the growth and / or can react with and / or can destroy microorganisms that might damage or grow on or in the composition 192 or otherwise contaminate it. Examples of preservatives include, but are not limited to, antimicrobial agents such as quaternary ammonium compounds, alcohols, chlorinated phenols, parabens and paraben salts, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, methylchloroisothiazolinone / methylisothiazolinone, benzyl alcohol, phenoxyethanol, p-hydroxybenzoate, carbohydrates (e.g. dextrose, dextrins (e.g. maltodextrin)), small carboxylic acids like benzoic acid, sorbic acid, salicylic acid, formic acid, propionic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid or corresponding salts of any of the foregoing (e.g. sodium citrate dihydrate). Typically, the preservative is phenoxyethanol.

[0127] The preservative is present in any suitable amount, such as an amount of from about 0.05% to about 20% w / w. This includes any intervening number in the range. In typical aspects, the preservative is present in an amount of about 0.1% to about 1% w / w. In specific aspects, the preservative is present in an amount of about 0.25% w / w, and in other specific aspects, the preservative is present in an amount of about 0.5% w / w.

[0128] In aspects, the composition 192 further comprises an anti-foaming agent. The anti-foaming agent, or defoamer, is an additive that can be used to reduce and hinder the formation of foam. The anti-foaming agent can be any anti-foaming agent, such as for example, insoluble oils (e.g. mineral oil, vegetable oil or any other oil that is insoluble in the foaming medium), an oil-based defoamer containing a wax (e.g. ethylene bis stearamide (EBS), paraffin waxes, ester waxes and fatty alcohol waxes) and / or hydrophobic silica, polydimethylsiloxanes and other silicones (e.g. silicone compound consists of a hydrophobic silica dispersed in a silicone oil, silicone compounds containing silicone glycols and other modified silicone fluids), certain alcohols, alkyl polyacrylates, stearates and glycols.

[0129] In typical aspects, the anti-foaming agent comprises an organo-modified siloxane (OMS), such as a siloxane modified with an organo group such as a polyether (e.g., ethylene-propyleneoxide copolymer), long chain hydrocarbyl (e.g., C11-C30 alkyl), or aryl (e.g., C6-C14 aryl). In other aspects, for example, the anti-foaming agent comprises an organo-modified siloxane according to Formula I above, wherein n is from 2 to 500,such as 50 to 450, or such as 40 to 100, and wherein any one of R1 and R6 are the same or different, optionally wherein any one of R1 to R6 is, independently an organo group, such as an organo group selected from polyether (e.g., ethylene-propyleneoxide copolymer), long chain hydrocarbyl (e.g., e.g., C11-C30 alkyl), or aryl (e.g., C6-C14 aryl). In typical aspects, at least one of R1 and R2 is CH3.

[0130] In other further typical aspects, anti-foaming agent comprises an organo-modified polysiloxane containing fumed silica, such as that of, for example, siloxanes and silicones, di-Me, reaction products with silica (CAS 67762-90-7). An example of this product is Tego® Airex 900 by Evonik, a strong deaerator concentrate that combats both micro-and macro-foam.

[0131] The anti-foaming agent can be present in any suitable amount, such as in an amount of about 10% w / w to about 99% w / w. This includes any intervening number in the range. In typical aspects, the anti-foaming agent is present in an amount of about 40% w / w to about 90% w / w. In specific aspects, the anti-foaming agent is present in an amount of about 44% w / w, and in other specific aspects, the anti-foaming agent is present in an amount of about 88% w / w.

[0132] In some specific aspects, the composition 192 described herein comprises the first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane, the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane, the anti-caking agent, the preservative and the anti-foaming agent as described herein. In specific aspects, the first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane comprises polydimethylsiloxane, the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane comprises vinyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane, the anti-caking agent comprises silicon dioxide, the preservative comprises phenoxyethanol, and the anti-foaming agent comprises organo-modified polysiloxane, under the tradename Tego® Airex 900.

[0133] In other specific aspects, the composition 192 described herein comprises the substituted or unsubstituted siloxane according to Formula I, the preservative and the anti-foaming agent as described herein. In specific aspects, the substituted or unsubstituted siloxane according to Formula I comprises polydimethylsiloxane, the preservative comprises phenoxyethanol, and the anti-foaming agent comprises organo-modified polysiloxane, under the tradename Tego® Airex 900.

[0134] In aspects, the composition 192 described herein further comprises a colorant. The colorant as referred to herein generally refer to dyes, pigments, or substances that impart color when added to the composition 192 described herein. The dyes can be any suitable dye, such as food coloring dyes. The dyes may be natural (e.g., anthocyanins and cochineal) or artificial / synthetic (e.g., tartrazine yellow). The pigment can be any suitable pigment, including, for example, plant pigments such as carotenoids, chlorophyllin, anthocyanins, and betanin. In typical aspects, the colorant is selected from, but not limited to, amaranth, pigment green, pigment yellow100 and Allura red AC. In typical aspects, the colorant is amaranth, Allura red AC or a combination thereof.

[0135] The examples provided herein show exemplary amounts of the selected colorants which can provide a highly desirable somewhat transparent characteristic to the composition 192 described herein. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art, however, that other colorants may be used to achieve other color effects without departing from the scope of the present invention. The composition 192 comprise the colorant in any suitable amount, such as an amount of from about 0.05% to about 20% w / w. This includes any intervening number in the range.

[0136] In aspects, the composition 192 is transparent, and in other aspects, the composition 192 is translucent. The transparency / translucency of the composition 192 described herein may vary depending on what intended transparency / translucency of the composition 192 is desired. For example, the transparency may range from about 0.1% to about 100%. This includes any intervening number in the range. In typical aspects, the composition 192 is about 50% transparent with the dye therein, such that in typical aspects, the composition 192 is a translucent composition. In aspects, the composition 192 appears “glossy”, in other aspects, the composition 192 is translucent with the dye. The composition 192 may have a red, pink or red / pink coloration with typically about 50% transparency.

[0137] In specific aspects, the composition 192 described herein comprises the first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane, the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane, the anti-caking agent, the preservative, the anti-foaming agent, and the colorant as described herein. In specific aspects, the first substituted or unsubstituted siloxane comprises polydimethylsiloxane, the second substituted or unsubstituted siloxane comprises vinyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane, the anti-caking agent comprises silicon dioxide, the preservative comprises phenoxyethanol, the anti-foaming agent comprises organo-modified polysiloxane, under the tradename Tego® Airex 900, and the colorant is at least one of amaranth, pigment green, pigment yellow100 and Allura red AC.

[0138] In other specific aspects, the composition 192 described herein comprises the substituted or unsubstituted siloxane according to Formula I, the preservative, the anti-foaming agent, and the colorant as described herein. In specific aspects, the substituted or unsubstituted siloxane according to Formula I comprises polydimethylsiloxane, the preservative comprises phenoxyethanol, the anti-foaming agent comprises organo-modified polysiloxane, under the tradename Tego® Airex 900, and the colorant is at least one of amaranth, pigment green, pigment yellow 100 and Allura red AC.

[0139] The composition described herein may be in the form of a “slime”. The term “slime” as used herein, typically denotes a moist, soft, and slippery substance. The composition 192 or slime described herein can exhibit elastic properties while concurrently providing an easily manipulatable firmness and viscosity together with a tendency to adhere to objects. In aspects, the composition 192 described herein is stretchable. In this way, when the composition 192 is stretched and begins to thin, the composition 192 can peel or break, forming, for example, holes therein. While the more “slimy” texture described herein is typical, the composition 192 may also take the form of a liquid, gel, cream, and the like.

[0140] In aspects, the composition 192 described herein may be certifiable as “skin safe”.

[0141] The composition 192 described herein also has a shore hardness. Shore hardness is understood to mean the resistance of, for example, a rubber sample, to the penetration of a cone-shaped body of particular dimensions under a defined compression force. It is ideal for measuring the hardness of natural and synthetic rubber products, plastics, acrylic glass, acetates, thermoplastics, PVC, neoprenes, hardboards, wood, leather, etc. In aspects, the composition 192 has a shore hardness of about 000-34. Thus, the shore hardness value of the composition 192 described herein is typically below the shore 00 hardness scale. In aspects, the composition 192 has a higher modulus than compositions that do not comprise the components described herein. This can contribute to the composition 192 feeling firmer, however, the composition 192 is still malleable and can be stretched and ripped apart as described herein.Method of Use

[0142] The composition 192 is useful for coating, typically, the interior of the housing 102 such that the inner object 104 can emerge through the composition 192.

[0143] In aspects, the composition 192 is stretchable. In this way, the stretchable nature of the composition 192 allows for the composition 192 to become thin when pulled. In typical aspects, when the composition 192 is stretched, holes develop therein, such that when the inner object 104 opens the housing 102, and moves to stretch the composition 192, the composition 192 forms holes so that the inner object 104 is directed exposed (see FIG. 24).

[0144] Once the composition 192 has been produced by adding the components together at the desired proportions, for example, as exemplified in examples 1 to 4, the composition 192 may be applied to the inner surface 190 of the housing 102 as a thin layer. The housing 102 may include grooves 194 (FIG. 8) on the inner surface 190, which form fracture regions. The composition 192 may be allowed to collect in the grooves 194. The composition 192 may be applied to the inner surface 190 by any suitable means, such as, for example, brush application, spraying, such as airless spraying or compressed air spraying, or any other suitable technique. In typical aspects, the composition 192 is sprayed onto the surface. After application of the composition 192, the composition 192 is allowed to dry.

[0145] In some embodiment, the composition 192 has a tacky surface property. This facilitates its adherence to the inner surface 190 of the housing 102. To reduce the tackiness of the exposed surface (shown at 196) of the composition 192 (which will ultimately face the inner object 104 once the housing 102 is fully assembled with the inner object 104 inside), a suitable powder 197 (e.g. talcum powder) may be applied to the exposed surface 196 of the housing 102 prior to assembling of the housing 102. After application of the powder 197 to the exposed surface 196, excess powder 197 may be removed by any suitable means, such as for example, by brush or compressed air. Once the excess powder 197 has been removed, the final assembling of the housing 102 may be carried out, with the inner object 104 inside the housing 102. The powder 197 is represented as a few rhomboid shapes in FIG. 23 simply for identification purposes, however it will be understood that the powder 197 may have any particle shape and is relatively small in practice, and preferably more uniformly coats the exposed surface 196 of the composition 192.

[0146] Reference is made to the following specific examples of the composition 192. These examples are described solely for purposes of illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Changes in form and substitution of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient. Although specific terms have been employed herein, such terms are intended in a descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation.EXAMPLESExample 1—Exemplary Composition of the present invention—B

[0147] The following ingredients were combined to produce an exemplary composition of the present invention.PercentageChemical NameCAS NOcomposition %Vinyl terminated polydimethyl68083-19-290% siloxaneDimethicone9006-65-95%Silicon dioxide7631-86-95%Total:100% Example 2—Exemplary Composition of the present invention—2AB / 3AB

[0148] The following ingredients were combined to produce an exemplary composition of the present invention.Percentage composition %DGXH-1064-DGXH-1064-3AB2ABPMSPMSPMSPMSChemical NameCAS NO179C184C375C3955CSiloxanes and silicones, di-67762-90-744.40% 44.35% 44.30% 44.30% Me, reaction products withsilicaVinyl terminated polydimethyl68083-19-245.00% 45.00% 45.00% 45.00% siloxaneDimethicone9006-65-97.75%7.75%7.75%7.75%Silicon dioxide7631-86-92.50%2.50%2.50%2.50%Phenoxyethanol122-99-60.25%0.25%0.25%0.25%Allura red AC25956-17-60.10% / / / Amaranth915-67-3 / 0.15% / / Pigment green1328-53-6 / / 0.20% / Pigment yellow10012225-21-7 / / / 0.20%Total: 100% 100% 100% 100%Example 3—Exemplary Composition of the present invention—A

[0149] The following ingredients were combined to produce an exemplary composition of the present invention.Percentage compositionPMSPMSPMSPMSChemical NameCAS NO179C184C375C3955CSiloxanes and silicones,67762-90-7   55-90% 55-90% 55-90% 55-90%di-Me, reactionproducts with silicaDimethicone9006-65-910.0-15.0%10.0-15.0% 10.0-15.0% 10.0-15.0% Allura red AC25956-17-6   0.1-1% / / / Phenoxyethanol122-99-6 0.4-0.8%0.4-0.8%0.4-0.8%0.4-0.8%Amaranth915-67-3 / 0.1-0.7% / / Pigment green1328-53-6 / / 0.1-0.8% / Pigment yellow10012225-21-7 / / / 0.1-0.5%Example 4 Exemplary Composition of the present invention—2A / 3A

[0150] The following ingredients were combined to produce an exemplary composition of the present invention.Percentage compositionDGXH-1064-3ADGXH-1064-2APMSPMSPMSPMSChemical NameCAS NO179C184C375C3955CSiloxanes and silicones, di-Me,67762-90-788.8%88.7%88.6%88.6%reaction products with silicaDimethicone9006-65-910.50% 10.50% 10.50% 10.50% Allura red AC25956-17-60.20% / / / Phenoxyethanol122-99-60.50%0.50%0.50%0.50%Amaranth915-67-3 / 0.30% / / Pigment green1328-53-6 / / 0.40% / Pigment yellow10012225-21-7 / / / 0.40%Total: 100% 100% 100% 100%

[0151] While the above description has been made in relation to the composition 192, it will be understood that all of the above description may apply to the composition 42.

[0152] While in the embodiments shown, a rack and rack gear are described as being used to drive the inner object 104 to open the housing 102, it will be noted, that it is contemplated that, in some embodiments, any suitable structure may be used to drive movement of the inner object 104 to open the housing 102, particularly in embodiments in which the composition 192 is used, thereby lending realism to the appearance of the hatching event. Thus, more broadly worded, particularly, in embodiments in which the composition 192 is provided, the toy assembly 100 may be said to include a housing (e.g. the housing 102), an inner object (e.g. the inner object 104) in the housing, wherein the inner object includes a motor (e.g. the motor 130) that is operatively connected to drive at least part of the inner object in a first direction so as to open the housing, to as to expose the inner object (i.e. without necessarily employing a rack and a rack gear).

[0153] With reference to FIG. 22, once the housing 102 has been sufficiently opened, the user of the toy assembly 100 may remove the inner object 104 from the housing 102. In order to conserve space, a separate portion of the inner object 104 may be stored separately in the housing 102. In the embodiment shown, a portion of the tail of the dinosaur is stored separate, so as not to necessitate enlarging the housing 102 to fit it pre-mounted onto the torso of the dinosaur. The portion of the tail (more broadly, the separate portion of the inner object 104) is shown at 199 in the figures. The user may, upon removal of the separate portion 199, then mount it in any suitable to the remainder of the inner object 104. The mounting of the separate portion 199 may be permanent or releasable.

[0154] All publications, patents and patent applications cited above are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0155] Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that there are yet more alternative implementations and modifications possible, and that the above examples are only illustrations of one or more implementations. The scope, therefore, is only to be limited by the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A toy assembly, comprising:a toy assembly housing including a rack; andan inner object in the housing, wherein the inner object includes a motor and a rack gear that is engaged with the rack, and which is rotatable by the motor,wherein the rack gear is positioned such that rotation of the rack gear by the motor drives the rack gear in a first direction on the rack, which drives at least part of the inner object in the first direction so as to open the toy assembly housing and expose the inner object.

2. The toy assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner object includes a rack aperture including a rack aperture opening through which the rack extends into the rack aperture, wherein the rack gear is positioned so as to engage the rack and to drive along the rack to bring the inner object from a retracted position to a fully advanced position, wherein, when the inner object is in the fully advanced position, the rack is positioned to be movable towards a disengagement position in which the rack is spaced from the rack gear and is unaligned with the rack aperture opening,wherein the rack is biased towards the disengagement position so as to drive the rack out of engagement with the rack gear and towards the disengagement position, upon bringing the inner object to the fully advanced position.

3. The toy assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the rack is pivotably connected to a rack support member in the toy assembly housing, and wherein the toy assembly further includes a rack biasing member that urges the rack towards the disengagement position.

4. The toy assembly as claimed in claim 2, further comprising an inner object brace that is movable between a bypass position, in which the inner object brace permits movement of the inner object therepast in the first direction, and a bracing position in which the inner object brace blocks the inner object from returning to the retracted position once the inner object moves past the inner object brace in the first direction.

5. The toy assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the inner object brace is biased towards the bracing position, wherein the inner object is shaped to move the inner object brace out of the way during movement of the inner object towards the fully advanced position, and permits movement of the inner object brace to the bracing position once the inner object moves past the inner object brace in the first direction.

6. The toy assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner object includes a first body portion and a second body portion and wherein the first body portion and the second body portion are pivotally connected together, wherein the inner object further includes a pivot gear that is rotatable by the motor to drive pivoting of the first body portion relative to the second body portion so as to drive the inner object to further open the toy assembly housing.

7. The toy assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the inner object includes a engagement member that is operatively connected to the second body portion, wherein at least one of the pivot gear and the pivot gear engagement member includes an engagement projection, and the other of the pivot gear and the pivot gear engagement member includes an engagement aperture,wherein, during rotation of the pivot gear, the pivot gear is driven through a first range of rotation up to an engagement position, bringing the engagement projection and the engagement aperture into alignment with one another,wherein at least one of the pivot gear and the pivot gear engagement member is biased to move towards an engaged state in which the engagement projection extends into the engagement aperture, so as to rotationally connect the pivot gear engagement member and the second body portion to the pivot gear.

8. The toy assembly as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a second body portion drive member that is rotationally connected to the pivot gear engagement member, and which is operatively connected to the second body portion through a second body portion biasing member, so as to limit force transmission between the second body portion and the first body portion, throughout a range of movement between the second body portion and the first body portion.

9. The toy assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the toy assembly housing is structured such that the at least part of the inner object in the first direction collides with and breaks through the toy assembly housing when opening the toy assembly housing,and wherein the toy assembly housing has an interior surface and at least a portion of the interior surface has a composition thereon that is elastic so as to connect pieces of the housing that are separated from one another after breakage of the housing by the inner object.

10. The toy assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the composition 192 includes at least one substituted or unsubstituted siloxane according to Formula I:wherein:n is an integer; andR1 to R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl, a substituted or unsubstituted alkynyl, a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic group, a substituted or unsubstituted heteroaromatic group, a substituted or unsubstituted carbocyclic group, or a substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclic group.

11. A toy assembly, comprising:a housing; andan inner object in the housing, wherein the inner object includes a motor that is operatively connected to drive at least part of the inner object in a first direction so as to break the housing, to as to expose the inner object,wherein the housing has an interior surface and at least a portion of the interior surface has a composition thereon that is elastic so as to connect pieces of the housing that are separated from one another after breakage of the housing by the inner object.

12. The toy assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein the composition includes at least one substituted or unsubstituted siloxane according to Formula I:wherein:n is an integer; andR1 to R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl, a substituted or unsubstituted alkynyl, a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic group, a substituted or unsubstituted heteroaromatic group, a substituted or unsubstituted carbocyclic group, or a substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclic group.

13. The toy assembly as claimed in claim 12, wherein R1 to R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted alkynyl.

14. The toy assembly as claimed in claim 12, wherein R1 to R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C10 alkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C10 alkenyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C10 alkynyl.

15. The composition as claimed in claim 12, wherein R1 to R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C6 alkyl, a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C6 alkenyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C6 alkynyl.

16. The composition as claimed in claim 12, wherein R1 to R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C6 alkyl.

17. The composition as claimed in claim 12, wherein R1 to R6 are each methyl.

18. The composition as claimed in claim 12, wherein R1 to R4 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl and R5 and R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl.

19. The composition as claimed in claim 12, wherein R1 to R4 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C10 alkyl and R5 and R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C10 alkenyl.

20. The composition as claimed in claim 12, wherein R1 to R4 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C1-C6 alkyl and R5 and R6 are each independently selected from a substituted or unsubstituted C2-C6 alkenyl.

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