Doll having grasping hand and electrical means actuated thereby

Claim 2

In a doll which includes at least one arm, the improvement comprising: a hand for mounting on said arm, said hand having relatively movable parts arranged to move between closed and open external configurations, to respectively grasp and release objects; electrically activatable means mounted on said doll; an electrical switch mechanically coupled to said hand to operate between electrically closed and open states in response to relative movement of said hand parts to and from a predetermined configuration intermediate said open and closed configurations; and means for supplying current, said current supplying means being electrically coupled to said switch and said electrically activatable means.

Claim 3

The improvement described in claim 1 including: latching means coupled to the interior portion of said hand for resiliently urging its retention in either of said open and closed configurations to which it has been moved, to permit movement to the other configuration upon the application of forces directly to the exterior portion of said hand urging it towards the other configuration.

Claim 4

The improvement described in claim 2 wherein: said hand includes a hollow shell of flexible material, defining finger and palm regions; and said latching means includes a frame within said hollow shell of said hand, a lever pivotally mounted on said frame and extending into saId finger region for pivoting between first and second positions to move said hand between said closed and open configurations, and a spring coupled to said lever, said spring mounted to lie in a position of greatest potential energy when said lever is in a position intermediate said first and second positions.

Claim 5

The improvement described in claim 3 wherein: said lever is pivotably mounted at a location within said hollow shell near the intersection of said finger and palm regions; and said spring is a leaf spring with a rearward end fixed to said frame and a forward end exerting spring pressure against a portion of said lever.

Claim 6

The improvement described in claim 1 wherein said hand comprises: a hollow shell formed to resemble a hand, with palm and finger portions; a frame with a portion within said palm; a lever pivotally mounted on said frame, said lever coupled to at least some of said finger portions to move them between open and closed positions relative to said palm portion; and a spring coupled to said lever, said spring mounted to urge said lever to pivot further towards an open or closed position when it is closer to an open or closed position, respectively.

Claim 7

The improvement described in claim 5 wherein: said hollow shell is formed of a resilient material, said finger portions include a thumb extending from one side of said palm portion and four finger portions connected along their length so they bend together as a unit but substantially independent of said thumb, said four finger portions defining a multiple-finger hollow region; and said lever extends into said multiple-finger hollow region to bend said four finger portions.

Claim 8

The improvement described in claim 1, including: means for urging said hand to and yieldably retaining said hand in either of said open and closed configurations; and wherein said electrical switch closes only at a hand configuration intermediate said open and closed configurations, said switch remaining electrically open when said hand is in said open open configuration and when said hand is in said closed configuration, whereby to prevent undue depletion of batteries.

Claim 9

The improvement described in claim 7 wherein said means for retaining said hand comprises: over-center spring means for resiliently retaining said hand in said open and closed configurations after said hand has been moved past said intermediate configuration toward said open and closed configurations, respectively.

Claim 10

In combination with a doll including an electrically activatable means, a voltage source and electrical circuitry connecting said electrically activatable means to said voltage source a doll hand assembly comprising: a resilient shell defining a rearward region, a hollow palm region forward of said rearward region, a thumb region extending with a forward directional component from one side of said palm region, and a hollow multiple-finger region extending substantially forwardly from said palm region; a frame having a rearward end secured to said rearward region of said shell and a forward end located within said shell near the intersection of said palm and multiple-finger regions; a lever having a rearward end portion pivotally mounted on said forward end of said frame and a forward lever end portion extending into said hollow multiple-finger region; a leaf spring having a rearward end substantially fixed to said frame and a forward end extending past the axis where said lever is mounted on said frame and biased against said lever; a first electrically conductive member mounted to slide forwardly and rearwardly relative to said frame, said conductive member having a forward portion coupled to said lever to be slid by said lever as it pivots, and said first conductive member also having a rearward portion; a second electrically conductive member mounted along the path of said rearward portion of said first conductive member to be contacted by iT at only predetermined positions of said lever; and electric leads connecting said conductive members to said electrical circuitry.

Claim 11

In combination with a doll including an electrically activatable means, a voltage source and electrical circuitry connecting said electrically activatable means to said voltage source a doll hand assembly comprising: a resilient shell defining a rearward region, a hollow palm region forward of said rearward region, a thumb region extending with a forward directional component from one side of said palm region, and a hollow multiple-finger region extending substantially forwardly from said palm region; a frame having a rearward end secured to said rearward region of said shell and a forward end located within said shell near the intersection of said palm and multiple-finger regions; a lever having a rearward end portion pivotally mounted on said forward end of said frame and a forward lever end portion extending into said hollow multiple-finger region; a leaf spring having a rearward end substantially fixed to said frame and a forward end extending past the axis where said lever is mounted on said frame and biased against said lever; a first electrically conductive member mounted to slide forwardly and rearwardly relative to said frame, said conductive member having a forward portion coupled to said lever to be slid by said lever as it pivots, and said first conductive member also having a rearward portion; a second electrically conductive member mounted along the path of said rearward portion of said first conductive member to be contacted by iT at only predetermined positions of said lever; and electric leads connecting said conductive members to said electrical circuitry.