Toy molding system

Abstract

A system includes: a plurality of mold portions, each mold portion including a mold design configured to shape a moldable material; and a base portion including: a design region; a design portion on the design region; and a plurality of mounting assemblies, each mounting assembly configured to mount one of the plurality of mold portions to the base portion with the mold design of the one of the plurality of mold portions in alignment with one section of the design portion.

Description

[0001] TOY MOLDING SYSTEM

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0003] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 660,736, filed on June 17, 2024 and titled TOY MOLDING SYSTEM, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0004] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0005] This disclosure relates to a toy molding system.

[0006] BACKGROUND

[0007] Persons of all ages enjoy playing with toys.

[0008] SUMMARY

[0009] In one aspect, a system includes: a plurality of mold portions, each mold portion including a mold design configured to shape a moldable material; and a base portion including: a design region; a design portion on the design region; and a plurality of mounting assemblies, each mounting assembly configured to mount one of the plurality of mold portions to the base portion with the mold design of the one of the plurality of mold portions in alignment with one section of the design portion.

[0010] Implementations may include one or more of the following features.

[0011] Each of the plurality of mounting assemblies may be configured to removably mount one of the plurality of mold portions to the base portion. Each of the plurality of mounting assemblies may be configured to rotatably mount one of the mold portions to the base portion. Each of the plurality of mounting assemblies may be a hinge assembly configured to receive a hinge connection on one of the plurality of mold portions. Each of the mold portions may include a first flat section and the hinge connection is at an end of the first flat section. At least some of the of the mold portions may be curved mold portions. Each of the curved mold portions also may include a curved section, and, when each of the curved mold portions is aligned with one section of the design portion, the curved section may extend away from the design portion. Each of the curved mold portions also may include a second flat section, and the curved section may be between the first flat section and the second flat section. At least some of the curved mold portions may include one or more of a design recess and a design projection on a side of the curved section that faces the design portion when the curved mold portion is aligned with one section of the design portion.

[0012] The design portion may project from the design region.

[0013] The system also may include the moldable material.

[0014] The moldable material may include one or more pre-formed sheets of moldable material.

[0015] The design portion may be configured to be removed and attached from the design region.

[0016] The design portion may be configured to move relative to the base portion.

[0017] The design portion may be configured to move relative to the base portion from a first position in which the design portion is received in a recess in the design region and a second position.

[0018] In some implementations, when in the second position, the design portion is substantially perpendicular to the base portion.

[0019] The design region may include a recessed region configured to receive the design portion.

[0020] In another aspect, an apparatus includes: a mold portion including: a first side including a mold design and a first attachment portion; a base portion including: a design region and a second attachment portion, where the first attachment portion and the second attachment portion are configured to interact to hold the base portion to the mold portion, and each mold design overlaps a different portion of the design region when the base portion is held to the mold portion and each mold design is configured to shape and / or imprint a design into a moldable material received in the design region; and a design portion configured to be received in a recess of the design region.

[0021] Implementations may include one or more of the following features.

[0022] The first attachment portion and the second attachment portion may be configured to hold the base portion to the mold portion in a pre-defined alignment.

[0023] The design portion may be further configured to be removed from the recess of the design region. The recess of the design region and the design portion may have different shapes and the recess of the design region may have a larger area then the design portion such that, when the design portion is received in the recess of the design region, at least some portions of the design region are not covered by the design portion.

[0024] The design portion may be further configured to move relative to the recess of the design region. The design portion may be configured to rotate about a pivot on the base portion between a first position in which the design portion is received in the recess and a second position in which the design portion is not received in the recess. The apparatus also may include a support configured to hold the design portion in the second position.

[0025] In another aspect, an apparatus includes: a mold portion including: a first side including mold designs, each mold design being in a different location on the mold portion; and a base portion including: a design region configured to receive a moldable material, where the base portion and the mold portion are configured to be oriented relative to each other in a pre-defined spatially registered arrangement, each mold design overlaps a different portion of moldable material received design region when the base portion and the mold portion are oriented relative to each other in the pre-defined spatially registered arrangement, and each mold design is configured to shape and / or imprint a design into the moldable material received in the design region.

[0026] The apparatus also may include a removable design portion, and the base portion also may include a recess configured to receive the design portion.

[0027] The techniques discussed herein may be implemented as a system, an apparatus, a device, or a method.

[0028] DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION

[0029] FIG. 1A is a block diagram of a molding system.

[0030] FIG. IB shows the molding system of FIG. 1A with a moldable material over a design portion.

[0031] FIG. 1C shows the molding system of FIG. 1A with mold portions in a closed position.

[0032] FIG. ID shows the molding system of FIG. 1A with mold portions in an opened position. FIGS. 2A and 2B show a mold portion.

[0033] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another mold system.

[0034] FIGS. 4A-4C show various views of another molding system.

[0035] FIGS. 5A-5E show various views of another molding system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] FIG. 1A is a block diagram of a molding system 100. The molding system 100 includes a base portion 110 and a plurality of mold portions 120a- 120c attached to the base portion 110 at respective mounting assemblies 125a-125c. The mounting assemblies 125a-125c allow the respective mold portions 125a-125c to rotate about the Y axis while remaining attached to the base portion 110. For example, the mounting assemblies 125a-125c may be hinge assemblies.

[0037] The base portion 110 includes a substantially flat design region 115 that includes a design portion 117. The design portion 117 is any kind of visual depiction or design. For example, the design portion 117 may be an abstract design such as shown in FIG. 1 A. Other examples of objects that may be depicted by the design portion 117 include, without limitation, a doll or humanoid figure, an animal, an insect, text, words, symbols, or a plant. The design portion 117 may be flush with the design region 115. In some implementations, the design portion 117 projects from the design region 115. For example, the design portion 117 may be a three- dimensional relief that includes rounded portions that project in the Z direction (out of the page) and / or recessed portions. Moreover, the design portion 117 may be removeable from the design region 115 and / or from the base portion 110. The design region 115 may be removable from the base portion 110.

[0038] Each mold portion 120a- 120c includes a respective first side 121 a- 121c and a respective mold design 123a-123c, a respective first flat portion 126a-126c, and a respective second flat portion 127a-127c. The mold design 123a is between the first flat portion 126a and the second flat portion 127a, the mold design 123b is between the first flat portion 126b and the second flat portion 127b, and the mold design 123c is between the first flat portion 126c and the second flat portion 127c.

[0039] FIG. IB shows the molding system 100 with a moldable material 105 over the design portion 117. The moldable material 105 is any type of material capable of holding a shape. Examples of the moldable material 105 include, without limitation, putty, clay, a viscous gel capable of holding a shape, and / or a dough substance (for example, PLAY-DOH®, available from Hasbro, Inc. of Pawtucket, Rhode Island). The moldable material 105 may be a non- homogenous material that includes a base moldable material and one or more additives or secondary materials substantially adhered to the base moldable material. Examples of additives or secondary materials include, for example, sand, pellets, glitter, other moldable materials, and / or plastic design elements. The moldable material may be pre-formed into a sheet or other defined shape prior to being placed in the design region.

[0040] The mold designs 123a- 123c may include cutting edges that cut through the moldable material 105 and may include design features that shape the moldable material 105 that imprint a pattern or design onto the moldable material 105 but do not cut through the moldable material 105.

[0041] FIGS. 1 A and IB show the molding system 100 with the mold portions 120a-120c in the open position. FIG. 1C shows the molding system 100 with the mold portions 120a- 120c in the closed position. To move the mold portions 120a- 120c to the closed position, the user of the system 100 rotates the mold portions 120a- 120c until the mold design 123 a- 123c are pressed into the moldable material 105. Each mold portion 120a- 120c also includes a respective second side 122a-122c, which faces away from the design region 115 in the closed position.

[0042] The mounting assemblies 125a-125c are positioned along the base portion 110 such that each mold design 123a-123c is aligned with one section of the design portion 117. A mold design is aligned with a section of the design portion 117 when the mold design faces the section of the design portion 117 in the closed position. In the example shown, the mold design 123a is aligned with a section 118a, the mold design 123b is aligned with a section 118b, and the mold design 123c is aligned with a section 118c.

[0043] The mold portions 120a- 120c are independently movable. Thus, the user may rotate more than one of the mold portions 120a- 120c simultaneously or each mold portion 120a- 120c may be rotated individually and / or sequentially from the top or first mold portion, 120a, to the last or third mold portion 120c. In some implementations the second flat portions 127a- 127c snap into corresponding receiving elements (not shown) on the base portion 110 to hold the respective mold portions 127a-127c in the closed position.

[0044] After the mold designs 123a-123c are pressed into the moldable material 105, the user opens the mold portions 120a-120c, as shown in FIG. ID. Once the mold portions 120a-120c are opened (as shown in FIG. ID), the user can remove the moldable material 105 that was not shaped by one of the mold designs 123a-123c from the flat region 115 such that moldable material 105 remains only on the sections 118a, 118b, 118c.

[0045] The shaped moldable material 105 provides a shaped design for the sections 118a, 118b, 118c. The shaped moldable material 105 can be removed from the design portion 117 and the process repeated. Moreover, the mold portions 120a-120c may be replaced with other mold portions that have different designs and can be used to create different shaped moldable material elements on the sections 118a, 118b, 118c of the design portion 117.

[0046] FIGS. 2A and 2B show a mold portion 220. The mold portion 220 is an example of a mold portion that may be attached to one of the mounting assemblies 125a-125c. The mold portion 220 includes a first side 221 and a second side 222 opposite the first side 221. When the mold portion 220 is used with the base portion 110 and is in the closed position, the first side 221 faces the design 117.

[0047] The mold portion 220 includes substantially flat portions 226 and 227 and a mold design 223 between the flat portions 226 and 227. A hinge connection point 229 is at an end of the portion 226. The hinge connection point 229 allows the mold portion 220 to be removably attached to any of the mounting assemblies 125a-125c.

[0048] The mold design 223 is curved and extends in the Z direction relative to the flat portions 226 and 227. When positioned over the design 117 in the closed position, the mold design 223 forms a recessed space above a section of the design 117. The mold design 223 includes design projections 228 that extend from the side 221. The design projections impart a design onto moldable material without cutting through the moldable material. The mold design 223 also may include a cutting edge 230. The cutting edge 230 cuts through moldable material.

[0049] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another mold system 300. The mold system 300 includes a base portion 310; mold portions 320a, 320b, 320c, 320d, 320e; and a canister 350 of moldable material 305. Each of the mold portions 320a-320d is removably attached to the base portion 310 at a mounting assembly (only the mounting assembly 325d is labeled in FIG. 3). The mold portion 320e may be attached to any of the mounting assemblies and used with the base portion 310.

[0050] The base portion 310 includes a design region 315 and a design portion 317 in the design region 315. The design portion 317 may be flush with the design region 315 or may include recesses and / or protrusions. The design portion 317 may be removable. In the example shown, a mold design 323d on the mold portion 320d was used to shape the moldable material into a sock design on a section 318d of the design portion 317. The mold portion 320c is in the closed position and is pressed into a piece of moldable material to form a skirt design on another section of the design portion 317. FIGS. 4A-4C relate to a molding system 400. The molding system 400 includes a base portion 410 and a mold portion 420. The base portion 410 is the same as the base portion 110 (FIGS. 1A-1D), except the base portion 410 does not include the mounting assemblies 125a- 125c. Instead, the base portion 410 includes base attachment portion 425a that receives a corresponding mold attachment portion 425b on the mold portion 420. In the example shown in FIG. 4A, the base attachment portion 425a is a recess at the perimeter of the base portion and the mold attachment portion 425b is a lip that fits into the recess to hold the base portion 410 to the mold portion 420. Other implementations are possible. For example, the attachment portion 425a may be a collection of posts that are received in corresponding recesses 425b on the mold portion 420.

[0051] The base portion 410 may include a registration structure to ensure the base portion 410 is aligned with the mold portion 420. Alternatively, the mold portion 420 may include a registration structure to ensure alignment with base portion. In some implementations, the base attachment portion 425a and the mold attachment portion 425b are the registration structure. In these implementations, the attachment portion 425a and the attachment portion 425b are configured to hold the base portion 410 and the mold portion 420 in a pre-defined spatially registered arrangement in which the base portion 410 and the mold portion 420 overlap.

[0052] The mold portion 420 includes a first side 498 and a second side 499. The mold portion 420 includes a mold designs 423a, 423b, 423c. Each mold design 423a, 423b, 423c includes recesses that extend in the -Z direction (into the page) and / or protrusions that extend in the Z direction (out of the page) arranged in a design shape. When the attachment portion 425b is held in the attachment portion 425a, the mold designs 423a, 423b, 423c face the design portion 117 and imprints a design onto a moldable material that is received on the design portion 117, and the second side 498 faces away from the design portion. Each of the mold designs 423 a, 423b, 423 c may have a different design. Moreover, the relative positioning of the mold designs 423 a, 423b, 423c on the mold portion 420 can be such that the imprinted design shows, for example, a sequentially evolving scene, a particular word or collection of words in a pre-defined order, or a larger design made up of smaller designs.

[0053] FIGS. 5A-5E relate to a molding system 500. The molding system 500 includes a base portion 510 and mold portions 520a, 520b, 520c attached to the base portion 510 at respective mounting assemblies 525a, 525b, 525c. Each mounting assembly 525a, 525b, 525c rotates about the base portion 510. Referring also to FIG. 5B, each mold portion 520a, 520b, 520c includes a respective first flat portion 526a, 526b, 526c; a respective second flat portion 527a, 527b, 527c; and a respective design mold 523a, 523b, 523c. Each design mold 523a, 523b, 523c includes recesses and / or protrusions that are configured to shape and / or imprint a design onto a moldable material.

[0054] The base portion 510 includes a design region 515 and a design recess 586. The design region 515 is a flat region and the design recess 586 is recessed into the design recess 515. The molding system 500 also includes a design portion 517. The design portion 517 is a separate piece that can be attached to the base portion 510 and removed from the base portion 510. In the example shown, the design portion 517 is attached to a pivot point 580 in the base portion 510. Referring also to FIG. 5D, the design portion 517 includes a base 570 and surface features 572 that extend substantially perpendicular to the base 570.

[0055] The design portion 517 has a range of motion relative to the pivot point 580. At a first end of the range of motion, the design portion 517 is received in the design recess 586 except for a tab region 585 of the design recess 586. The tab region 585 remains accessible even when the design portion 517 is in the design recess 586 and can be used to release the design portion 517 from the design recess 586. At a second end of the range of motion (shown in FIG. 5C), the design portion 517 extends substantially in the Z direction (out of the page). Referring also to FIG. 5E, which shows a second side 599 of the base portion 510, a stopping portion 587 defines the second end of the range of motion and prevents the design portion 517 from moving beyond the end of the second end of the range of motion. Additionally, the stopping portion 587 may help to hold the design portion 517 at the second end of the range of motion. The design portion 517 also can be completely removed from the pivot point 580, as shown in FIGS. 5D and 5E.

[0056] The molding system 500 may be used in several play patterns. For example, a user can press the design portion 517 into the design recess 586, a user can press a moldable material (such as the moldable material 105) into the design portion 517 and / or the design region 515, and rotate the mold portion 520a, 520b, and / or 520c such that the respective design mold 523a, 523b, and / or 523c interacts with the moldable material to imprint a design. The user then may, for example, move the design portion 517 about the pivot point with the adhered and shaped moldable material attached to the second end of the range of motion to display the decorated design portion 517. Other play patterns are also possible. For example, the user may remove the design portion 517 from the base portion 510 and press the moldable material into the design recess 586 to decorate the design portion 517 and / or to form a segment of moldable material having the shape of the design recess 586.

[0057] These and other implementations are within the scope of the claims. For example, the base portion 110 may be implemented without the mounting assemblies 125a-125c. In these implementations, the each of the mold portions 120a- 120c includes a mounting assembly or mechanism that attaches the respective mold portion 120a-120c to the base portion 110. For example, each of the mold portions 120a- 120c may have a clip that attaches to an edge of the base portion 110.

[0058] In another example, the mold portions 520a, 520b, 520c may be attached to the base portion 510 in a manner that does not involve the mounting assemblies 525a, 525b, 525c. For example, each of the mold portions 520a, 520b, 520c may include a clip that attaches to an edge of the base portion 510. The clips may be configured to allow the mold portions 520a, 520b, 520c to rotate relative to the base portion 510. In these implementations, the mounting assemblies are part of the mold portions 520a, 520b, 520c instead of the base 510, and the base 510 does not necessarily include the mounting assemblies 5252a, 525b, 525c.

[0059] In another example, the base portion 410 and the mold portion 420 may be separate elements or may be attached with, for example, a hinge connection.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A system comprising: a plurality of mold portions, each mold portion comprising a mold design configured to shape a moldable material; and a base portion comprising: a design region; a design portion on the design region; and a plurality of mounting assemblies, each mounting assembly configured to mount one of the plurality of mold portions to the base portion with the mold design of the one of the plurality of mold portions in alignment with one section of the design portion.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of mounting assemblies is configured to removably mount one of the plurality of mold portions to the base portion.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of mounting assemblies is configured to rotatably mount one of the mold portions to the base portion.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of mounting assemblies is a hinge assembly configured to receive a hinge connection on one of the plurality of mold portions.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each of the mold portions comprises a first flat section and the hinge connection is at an end of the first flat section.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein at least some of the of the mold portions are curved mold portions.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each of the curved mold portions further comprises a curved section, and, when each of the curved mold portions is aligned with one section of the design portion, the curved section extends away from the design portion.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the curved mold portions further comprises a second flat section, and the curved section is between the first flat section and the second flat section.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein at least some of the curved mold portions comprise one or more of a design recess and design projection on a side of the curved section that faces the design portion when the curved mold portion is aligned with one section of the design portion.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the design portion projects from the design region.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising the moldable material.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the moldable material comprises one or more pre-formed sheets of moldable material.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the design portion is configured to be removed and attached from the design region.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the design portion is configured to move relative to the base portion.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the design portion is configured to move relative to the base portion from a first position in which the design portion is received in a recess in the design region and a second position.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein, when in the second position, the design portion is substantially perpendicular to the base portion.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the design region comprises a recessed region configured to receive the design portion.

18. An apparatus comprising: a mold portion comprising: a first side comprising a mold design and a first attachment portion; a base portion comprising: a design region and a second attachment portion, wherein the first attachment portion and the second attachment portion are configured to interact to hold the base portion to the mold portion, and each mold design overlaps a different portion of the design region when the base portion is held to the mold portion and each mold design is configured to shape and / or imprint a design into a moldable material received in the design region; and a design portion configured to be received in a recess of the design region.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first attachment portion and the second attachment portion are configured to hold the base portion to the mold portion in a pre-defined alignment.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the design portion is further configured to be removed from the recess of the design region.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the recess of the design region and the design portion have different shapes and the recess of the design region has a larger area then the design portion such that, when the design portion is received in the recess of the design region, at least some portions of the design region are not covered by the design portion.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the design portion is further configured to move relative to the recess of the design region.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the design portion is configured to rotate about a pivot on the base portion between a first position in which the design portion is received in the recess and a second position in which the design portion is not received in the recess.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising a support configured to hold the design portion in the second position.

25. An apparatus comprising: a mold portion comprising: a first side comprising mold designs, each mold design being in a different location on the mold portion; and a base portion comprising: a design region configured to receive a moldable material, wherein the base portion and the mold portion are configured to be oriented relative to each other in a pre-defined spatially registered arrangement, each mold design overlaps a different portion of moldable material received design region when the base portion and the mold portion are oriented relative to each other in the pre-defined spatially registered arrangement, and each mold design is configured to shape and / or imprint a design into the moldable material received in the design region.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising a removable design portion, and wherein the base portion further comprises a recess configured to receive the design portion.

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