Apparatus and method for manupulating a spring toy
US5178576A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 4, 1991 |
| Grant date | Jan 12, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 4, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA63F2250/486
- WIPO fieldFurniture, games
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A pair of platform devices used for interaction with a flexible coil spring toy have a plurality of flat step-like surfaces separated vertically and horizontally corresponding to the periodic step-walking motion of the flexible coil spring toy. The platform devices are manipulated in an alternating sequence in cooperation with the motion of the flexible coil spring toy to give the appearance that the toy is walking down a set of stairs. In the preferred embodiment, the platform devices have a handle and are held and manipulated by a human operator. The spring momentum transfers the coils of the spring from one surface of the device to the next lowermost surface of the device as the spring's adjacent coils successively sweep through the path of an arc. When a certain amount of coils have been moved to the lower surface, the momentum causes the trailing coils to move over the center of mass of the flexible coil spring and land onto another lower surface to give the appearance that the flexible coil spring toy is walking down a set of stairs. When the spring toy reaches the lowermost surface of one of the devices, the other device is placed in position to enable the spring toy to land…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.