Self-righting toy
AssigneeLeisure, Inc.
InventorLouis Frederick Polk
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wobbling toy is configured to spontaneously re-orient itself in an upright position solely under the force of gravity. The self-righting toy includes a weight that is confined to and movable along a pathway such that the weight defines a dynamic mass that is sufficient to cause the housing to spontaneously pivot along a convex outer surface profile in coordination with a position of the weight in the pathway. The self-righting toy is configured to maintain a positional relationship of the weight so that the housing is spontaneously pivotable along the convex surface without external force supplied by a user.
Claims25
A self-righting toy, comprising:
- a housing having a housing axis defining an axial direction and a radial direction, said housing having a convexly curved outer surface and defining a chamber;
- a wall at least in part defining a pathway extending around the housing axis in the chamber;
- a weight confined to and movable along the pathway, said weight having a center of gravity;
- wherein said housing and said weight together define an arcuate tip boundary such that when said weight center of gravity is disposed radially outwardly from the arcuate tip boundary, said housing is spontaneously pivotable on the curved outer surface about one or more pivot axes under solely gravitational force, and wherein the pathway is configured to maintain said weight center of gravity radially outward from the arcuate tip boundary.
A self-righting toy, comprising:
- a housing having a housing axis defining an axial direction and a radial direction, said housing having a base and a peripheral portion extending curvilinearly from a border of the base to form a convex profile, with said housing defining a chamber;
- an annular wall extending at least partially circumaxially about the housing axis, and at least in part defining a planar endless pathway extending around the housing axis in said chamber;
- a weight confined to and movable along the endless pathway, said weight defining a dynamic mass that is sufficient to induce said housing to spontaneously pivot along the convex profile in coordination with a position of the weight in the endless pathway, wherein the position of the weight is maintained by the endless pathway to continuously maintain a tip condition in which said housing is spontaneously pivotable along the convex profile.
A self-righting toy, comprising:
- a housing having a housing axis defining an axial direction and a radial direction, said housing having a convex outer surface, and said housing defining a chamber;
- a channel extending at least partially about the housing axis in said chamber, and defining a substantially planar arcuate pathway in said chamber;
- a weight movably disposed in said channel, with said channel being configured to confine movement of said weight to along the defined pathway, said movable weight comprising a dynamic mass that is sufficient to induce said housing to spontaneously pivot along the convex outer surface in coordination with a position of said weight along the defined pathway, wherein the position of said weight is maintained by said channel to continuously maintain a tip condition in which said housing is spontaneously pivotable along the convex outer surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.