JPS5850749B2 - How to make bubbles and bubble making toys - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a bubble making device, and particularly to a toy that can be swung in the air to make bubbles.

Bubbles like soap bubbles from soap solution
BACKGROUND ART Making has long been a popular pastime and a constant source of fun and fascination for children.

Many devices of simple and complex construction have been used and proposed.

A common type of foam-making device has a ring or rod that is placed into a solution.

The soap films formed are turned into bubble-like bubbles by blowing them or drawing them in the air.

A device of this type is disclosed in US Pat. No. 3,295,245 to Knerr.
No. 8 and US Pat. No. 2,858,639 to Lawrence.

Although these devices are easy to use, they are prone to dripping and spillage.

Such drawbacks are inconvenient and unavoidable problems.

It is known to wave a toy in the air and generate bubbles with a rotating mechanical auxiliary member, as shown in US Pat. No. 3,008,263 to Ellman.

The impinging air drives a propeller, while its shaft drives a film-forming ring through a source of trapped and splashing foam-generating liquid.

Briefly summarizing the invention, the present invention encompasses a simple, inexpensive and highly enjoyable multi-bubbles making toy that is substantially indestructible under normal operating conditions and is movable. It has few or no members.

The toy consists of a container having a base (or bottom) with at least one outlet hole, the container serving as a reservoir for storing a foam-generating liquid.

A hollow tubular stem or shank has an opening connected to the base of the container and is located adjacent the outlet hole.

A plurality of ports or holes are formed in the side wall of the hollow stem.

When the toy is grasped and moved, centrifugal force and/or gravity causes a foam-generating liquid, such as soapy water, to flow through the outlet holes onto the inner circumferential surface of the hollow stem, covering at least some of the ports or holes with a soapy film.

When the membranes encounter a stream of air, they turn into bubbles, many of which stick together to form groups or clusters of bubbles.

Attach a string or rope-like linear object (1ine) to the opposite side of the container base and swing the toy in a circle.
It is also possible to carry the foam-generating liquid outwardly to the hollow stem by centrifugal force.

The toy can also be squeezed to pendulum-like or rock the toy back and forth within a small area, while gravity causes the foam-generating liquid to flow toward the port.

A plurality of exit holes are formed in the base of the container, at least some of which are located adjacent the inner edge of the open end of the hollow stem, to facilitate directing droplets of foam-generating liquid onto the inner circumference. It is preferable to do so.

Preferably, the container has a spherical or cylindrical shape and has one or more inlet holes by which a vacuum is created as the foam-generating liquid is gradually drained. You can prevent it from happening.

The refill opening formed in the container may also be capped with a removable cap to facilitate refilling of the supply of foam-generating liquid.

A linear object, such as a string or rope, for swinging the toy can be attached to the removable cap.

The hollow stem or shank has an annular shape and an open end through which air - which enters the hollow shank via various ports - is expelled and has the ability to create bubbles. enhance

Hollow shaft stem has multiple holes (ports) from end to end
are formed, and these holes increase in size progressively towards the distal end of the hollow stem, with a longitudinal alignment of 1
At least some adjacent rows of ports are staggered with respect to each other.

The distal end of the hollow stem can also be covered with a removable, drip-collecting closure that prevents liquid from spilling or splashing.

Furthermore, a sponge may be arranged within the closure device to allow excess drops of foam-generating liquid to be sucked up for reuse.

In another embodiment of a toy constructed according to the invention:
A valve arrangement is provided to selectively close or open the outlet hole in the base to allow the flow of the foam-generating liquid to flow or to restrict its flow.

Preferably, the valve device is a slide valve constituted by a hollow stem wall.

Preferably, the base of the container is a sleeve defined by an inverted cup-shaped portion having a plurality of spaced apart exit holes and a depending skirt portion having a radial slot.

The wall of the hollow stem has a plurality of spaced edge notches sized to properly align with the corresponding exit hole.

A peg is disposed through the slot and in contact with the hollow stem to hold the container and the hollow stem together and to limit the amount of rotation between the container and the hollow stem during the opening and closing operations of the valve. It looks like this.

The present invention also relates to a device for generating bubbles, which device includes an operative step of swinging in the air a toy having a section for containing a bubble-generating liquid and a hollow stem, the side walls of said stem being A hole (port) is formed.

A centrifugal force is exerted on the toy, which forces the foam-generating liquid from the reservoir onto the inner peripheral surface of the hollow stem.

The liquid spreads around the inner periphery of the hollow stem, covering at least some of the ports with a film of bubble-generating liquid.

Air flow hitting the membrane turns it into a bubble.

The toy can be shaken faster or slower to create correspondingly smaller cuddles or larger bubbles.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a person generating bubbles B by swinging the bubble-making toy 10 in a circle in the air.

This toy 10 has a container 11.

The container 11 has a section for storing a liquid for generating foam and a hollow shaft or stem 12 which is fixed to the container 11 and extends outwardly from the container 11. ing.

Further, the stem 12 has a number of ports or holes 13 formed therein from end to end.

For example, a linear object 1 such as a string is attached to one end of the container 11.
4 is attached to the string 14, and a bundle 15 is provided at the tip of the string 14, and a person can hold this bundle 15 by hand.
The toy 10 can be swung in the air by gripping it with the handles 6.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the container 11 is constructed as a spherically shaped collar, which for this purpose has a base part 20 in which a plurality of outlet holes 21 are formed in the central part. .

The foam-forming liquid 22 is forced by centrifugal force and/or gravity to drain or drip through the outlet hole 21 into the adjacent hollow stem 12 .

Hollow stem 12 has an inner or centric end 23 .

This end is affixed to the base 20 of the container and is open so as to surround and bound a plurality of exit holes 21.

The hollow stem 12 has a generally annular cross-sectional shape;
Moreover, a side wall 24 defining an inner circumference 25 and an outer circumference 26
have.

A plurality of ports or holes 13 extend through the sidewall from an inner periphery 25 to an outer periphery.

The hole 13 is preferably formed as an elongated hole or an elliptical hole whose longitudinal axis is parallel to the axis of the stem.

During operation, a portion of the foam-generating liquid 22 is constantly conveyed through the outlet hole 21 as indicated by the arrow 27;
The resulting droplet 28 or the like hits and spreads over the inner periphery 25 and eventually disperses into the hole 13.
, forming a thin film F of foam-generating liquid or foam-generating liquid.

As long as external forces, ie centrifugal and/or gravitational forces, are exerted on the reservoir 27, the holes 13 are continuously formed or replenished with a film F of foam-generating liquid.

The base 20 of the container and the adjacent central end 23 of the hollow stem 12 are shown as integrally formed as a unitary structure and will be described with respect to FIGS. 6 and 7. They can also be movably connected.

The container 11 and hollow stem 12 can be assembled from molded parts.

A removable, drip-collecting closure device 36 may also be attached to the outer or distal end (not shown) of the hollow stem 12.

Closure device 36 can be attached by friction, engagement, threaded engagement, snap-fit connecting elements or similar means.

One purpose of the closure device 36 is to prevent spillage of excess foam-generating liquid 22 that has passed the entire length of the hollow stem 12.
The purpose is to prevent it from getting wet.

Another purpose is to collect and store excess foam-generating liquid 22 so that it can potentially be reused or disposed of.

For this purpose, a plastic or rubber sponge 37 can be placed in the closure device and the liquid 22 can be handled more conveniently than sucked up.

A spinner or propeller 38 can be attached to the closure device 36 to increase the decorative effect or make it more fun.

For example, when the sponge 37 is completely soaked with liquid, the closure device 36 can be removed from the hollow stem 12 and the liquid 22 absorbed by the sponge 37 can be squeezed out and returned to the reservoir 11. I can do it.

Figure 3 shows the bubble making toy 10 being swung around in the direction D, and upon encountering the surrounding air, the air stream A hits the hole 13 and the air stream ends up at the hole 13.
You will be able to pass through 3.

Due to the interaction between the air flow A and the thin film F, many bubbles are created simultaneously.

Fully formed, free-floating bubbles are indicated by the letter B, while partially formed bubbles are indicated by the symbol B1.

Several bubbles are shown sticking together into groups or clumps of various sizes.

The centrifugal force Cf exerted on the foaming liquid reservoir is:
Furthermore, the droplet is constantly forced onto the inner periphery 25 of the hollow stem, so that bubbles are continuously created until the foam-generating liquid runs out.

The region or end of the container 11 opposite the base 20 is formed with a threaded neck 30 defining a refill opening that is sealed with a removable cap 31. .

A tether or string 14 is attached to the center of the removable cap 31.

Near the neck 30 there are one or more air inlet holes 3.
2, whose role is to prevent a vacuum from forming inside the container as the foam-generating liquid is evenly pumped out.

When the foam-generating liquid runs out, the cap 31 can be removed and the foam-generating liquid supplied to refill the container 11.

The hollow stem 12 has a generally tubular shape with an annular cross-section and an open end 33 through which a portion of the air flow can be discharged, thereby allowing the toy 10
The ability to create bubbles is increased.

Generally, the foam making capacity of toy 10 is greater when the closure device shown in FIG. 2 is removed.

Depending on the path of motion along which the toy 10 is moved, some bubbles are partly formed by and can exit through the opening constituted by the end portion 33.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of a toy 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention.

In this embodiment, the shape of the container 11, which is mainly characterized by the housing 35, is the same as the above-described embodiment.

With this construction, the foam-generating liquid can be substantially completely drained before liquid replenishment is required.

Assuming that the spherical container and cylindrical container have the same volume,
Cylindrical containers require fewer refills.

Hollow stem 12 has a number of longitudinally extending rows of ports or holes that are substantially continuous between a central or inner end 23 and an outer or distal end 33. is formed.

The holes in adjacent rows are staggered so that the expanding bubbles do not interfere with each other as much as possible.

The bore is preferably elongated or oval or oval in shape, with its long axis aligned with the longitudinal axis of the hollow stem 12.

The intermediate row of holes 13a is shown to have a similar shape and spacing to the adjacent row of holes 13, and to be staggered with respect to the holes 13.

Attaching the string 14 to the container 11 or the removable cap 31 is not an essential requirement.

This is because it is not necessary to swing the toy around in a complete circle in order to generate bubbles.

Gravity and the movement of air through the ports work together to create the bubbles.

For example, a toy cap 31 or a cylindrical housing 35
, the toy can be swung back and forth like a pendulum along a relatively short path of motion as indicated by the directional arrow P.

Gravity forces the liquid continuously into holes 13 and 13a;
Meanwhile, air hits the membrane and forms bubbles.

Of course, the bubbles thus produced will be fewer in number than the bubbles produced by the handling method described in connection with FIG.

Generally, at least a few bubbles are generated.

On the other hand, the toy can also remain absolutely stationary if a breeze or a mechanical fan exerts a force on the air passing through the holes 13 and 13a.

In FIG. 5, the foam making toy 10 is shown mounted and supported within the hollow stand 40.

The stand 40 has a flat, stable base 41 and an apex or neck 42 having a diameter equal to that of the hollow stem 12.
is slightly more than a dog in diameter.

The hollow stand can be used to support the toy 10 when it is not in use, can store excess material from the toy 10, and can also be used for supply or auxiliary purposes. It functions as a source.

Most importantly, however, the hollow stand can be used to help preform a thin film F of foam-generating liquid.

One method for creating a pre-formed film is to gently shake the toy 10 until the foam-generating liquid flows into the hollow shaft or stem 12, at which time the toy 10 absorbs the sliding action within the hollow stand 40. It reciprocates back and forth while being twisted or rotated.

The low-play fit between neck 42 and hollow stem 12 facilitates stretching and spreading of liquid across hole 13 to form membrane F.

It is also possible to immerse the hollow stem 12 directly into a source of foaming liquid.

However, it is not necessary to have a pre-formed membrane over the holes before using the toy 10.

The first advantage of using a stand 40 as described above is that it allows the membrane F to be built up more quickly and the foam to form more quickly.

When the membrane F is formed in either way and gravity and/or centrifugal force is applied to the reservoir, some of the pores on the stem are constantly filled with liquid to maintain the membrane F.

Preferably, the end-to-end length L2 of the hollow stem 12 is at least 1.5 times the length Ll of the container 11.

. Another embodiment of the toy is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7,
In this embodiment, the container 50 is characterized by being formed by a cylindrical housing 51 having a sleeve-shaped base 52, the diameter of which is smaller than the diameter of the housing 51.

The base portion 52 has a depending skirt portion 53 having a radially extending arcuate slot 54 formed therein.

A hollow shaft or stem 55 is movably connected within the base portion 52 and the central end 56 of the stem 55 is fully inserted into the depending skirt portion 53.

Hollow stem 55 has multiple rows of elongated ports or holes 58 and alternate rows of elongated ports or holes 59 .

Adjacent rows of elongated holes are staggered with respect to each other.

The nail 60 passes completely through the slot 54 and the hollow stem 5
5 so that the nail can be selectively manually repositioned at any position between the ends of the slot 54.

The reservoir 50 and the hollow stem 55 are rotatable relative to each other so as to displace a length equal to the arc defined by the slot 54.

As shown in FIG. 7, the reservoir 50 and the hollow stem 55 are
They are connected in a throttleable manner via a valve device provided for selectively allowing or blocking the passage of the foam-generating liquid 70.

The container base 52 has an inverted cup-shaped portion 63 that extends upwardly to partially project into the interior of the cylindrical housing 51 .

The inverted cup-shaped portion 63 is formed with a plurality of equally spaced holes, such as holes 64, 65 and 66.

The inverted cup-shaped portion 63 and the cylindrical humming 51 define an annular channel 68, which has a trapping function to collect the sediment 68, approximately at the level of the holes 64, 65 and 66. Down, so that the free flow of liquid 70, indicated by arrow 71, into hollow stem 55 is not obstructed or obstructed.

The generated droplets T2 of the liquid 70 flow on the inner peripheral surface of the hollow stem 55 and eventually form the film F as described above.

The upper wall 75 of the hollow stem 55 constitutes a slip valve, and its edges are formed with equally spaced notches 76, 77 and 78, which correspond to the corresponding outlet holes 64, 65.
and 66 are shown properly aligned.

Closing shoulders 80 and 81 are formed between the notches and are rotated to cover the outlet holes 76 and 77, thereby blocking the flow of liquid 70.

When the slide valve is fully closed, the members are in the relative position shown in FIG. 6, and when the slide valve is fully open, the members are in the relative position shown in FIG.

The size, shape and number of outlet holes, notches and closing shoulders can be varied to adjust the flow rate within predetermined limits.

For example, the outlet holes can be aligned with a partially closed arcuate slot to configure a predetermined flow rate to create a predetermined volume of foam or the like.

From the above description, it will be apparent that the disadvantages of conventional foam making toys have been improved or substantially eliminated by the present invention.

Next, the operation of the toy 10 will be explained with reference to the toy 10 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and the stand 40 shown in FIG.

Before attempting to create the foam, the hollow stem 12 is first placed in an empty (i.e., free of liquid) hollow stand 40 to create a preformed membrane F across the hole 13.

Under gravity, the foam-generating liquid 22 flows through the outlet holes 21 to the inner perimeter 25 and outwardly through some of the holes 13.

Due to the low-play fit between the neck 42 and the hollow stem 12, manually reciprocating and twisting the hollow stem 12 promotes the spreading of the liquid and especially the stretching of the membrane across the hole 13. .

This initial operation produces the initial or preformed membrane.

Stem 12 is then prepared to receive and dispense droplets of foam-generating liquid 22 on a continuous basis as long as centrifugal and/or gravitational forces are exerted on the reservoir.

A constant supply of droplets 28 continuously spreads across the pores and redirects them to maintain the membrane F.

As the flow of air A passes through the filled pores 13 of the membrane, the membrane F is formed into partial bubbles B1 and eventually into fully formed bubbles B.
form.

When a fully formed bubble breaks away from its pore, the membrane left behind produces the next successive bubble, or if the membrane ruptures entirely, a new membrane is supplied anew. Composed quickly of small droplets of liquid.

In any event, the pores or ports are refilled with a membrane that turns into a bubble, or the membrane is re-formed.

The cycle continues until the stored liquid is empty, or the person stops the gravitational and/or centrifugal forces exerted on the stored liquid, or the flow of liquid is interrupted by an attached means.

The toy 10 can be swung about any suitable curved path of movement, such as a horizontal path of movement, a path of movement in a vertical plane, or a path of movement in a vertical plane, or in which centrifugal and/or gravitational forces are exerted on the liquid 22 to create bubbles.

By swinging the toy 10 at fast and slow speeds,
Can create small bubbles and large bubbles.

Slower speeds generally result in larger bubbles.

Many fully formed bubbles will stick together.

From the above description, it will be clearly understood that the present invention provides a swinging foam toy and method in which all of the various advantages thereof are fully realized.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be listed.

(1) (a) a container having a base portion formed with at least one outlet hole and constituting a reservoir for a foam-generating liquid; (b) a container having an opening attached to the container base portion and having an outlet hole; (c) a plurality of holes formed in the hollow stem side wall; (c) a plurality of holes formed in the hollow stem side wall;
d) a linear member attached to the container at a location approximately opposite the base; when the linear member is grasped and used in the air, as in swinging a toy, centrifugal force causes the foam-generating liquid to A foam-making toy configured to flow around the inside of a hollow stem through an exit hole, the foam-generating liquid covering at least some of the pores of the stem with a membrane, and a flow of air hitting the membrane converting them into foam.

(2) A method of creating foam that includes the step of directing a stream of droplets of foam-generating liquid from a reservoir around the interior of a hollow stem to create additional foam.

(3) A method of creating foam that includes the step of dipping the hollow stem into a container of foam-generating liquid to form a pre-film across the hole before the toy is first shaken.

(4) Flow the foam-generating liquid around the inside of the hollow stem by hand shaking or by gravity flow, insert the hollow stem into the container with an interference fit, and slide it back and forth while twisting to pre-prepare the thin film across the hole. A method of making foam, including the steps of forming.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a person handling a toy constructed according to the invention to produce foam; FIG. 2 is a partial view showing how the foam-generating liquid forms a thin film; FIG. a cross-sectional view; Figure 3 is a perspective view showing how bubbles are formed when the toy is swung in the air;
FIG. 4 is a side view of a modified embodiment constructed in accordance with the present invention; FIG. 5 is a side view of a modified embodiment constructed in accordance with the present invention; FIG. FIG. 6 is a side view, partially in section, of another embodiment of a toy constructed in accordance with the present invention, in which the container and hollow stem are connected through a sliding valve arrangement. FIG. 7 is a partial longitudinal section corresponding to FIG. 6 and showing the valve arrangement in the open position; It is a diagram. 10...Toy, 11,50...Container,
12゜55... Stem, 13, 13a, 58,
59...hole, 20, 52...base part, 2L64,65°66...hole, 22, 7
0...Bubble-generating liquid, 24...Side wall, 2
5...Inner periphery, F...Membrane, B,
B1'...Bubble.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rotating foam-making toy comprising: a foam-generating liquid storage container 11; a hollow cylindrical stem 12°55; and a plurality of holes 13 and strings 14 penetrating the wall of the hollow cylindrical stem. (a) the container 11 is sealed except for a vent hole 32 and outlet holes 21, 64, 65, 66 spaced apart from the vent hole 32 for draining liquid from the container; (b) One end of the hollow cylindrical stem 12, 55 is connected to the container 11, and the other end is open, so that the liquid flowing out from the container 11 adheres to the inner wall surface of the hollow cylindrical stem. (C) The plurality of holes 13 are covered with a thin liquid film attached to the inner wall surface of the hollow cylindrical stem, and each thin film is formed into bubbles by the impact of air when the toy turns. (d) The hollow cylindrical stem has the outlet hole 21,64°6
5. It has an approximately average inner diameter from the 66 side to the open end, and (e) when the string 14 is held by a person's hand, the toy 1
0 is swirled in the air, the liquid flows along the inner wall surface of the hollow cylindrical stem through the outlet holes 21.64, 65, 66 due to centrifugal force, so that air bubbles are formed. A rotating foam-making toy that features: