Other

Jernstrom Design Workshop, Inc.

Hans Ebbe Jernstrom

Thomas Lee Long

Ronald Liedtke

A toy has an enclosure pierced by a plurality of holes, each hole being in the shape of a distinctive geometry. A plurality of blocks are shaped to pass through only individually associated ones of the holes. Inside the housing, a balanced panel receives the blocks as they pass through the holes. When the cumulative weight of all blocks on the panel equals or exceeds a spring bias, the balance panel tips and performs a surprise function. In the disclosed embodiment, the surprise is a toy cow popping through a door and the blocks discharged out the back is both a surprise and a reward.

Action toy requiring space perception and eye/hand coordination

A mechanical toy athlete built on a base has a hollow body portion comprising the torso of the athlete. A slidable plunger extends from within and out the top of the hollow body portion. The head of the athlete mounts on the top end of the plunger. Downward external pressure on the head moves the plunger from a rest position into which it is biased. A lever arm which represents either an arm or leg of the athlete, depending on the sport that the athlete 'plays,' mounts to the hollow body portion. The lever arm rotates relative to the hollow body portion in a fashion resembling the movement of the human limb which the lever arm represents and the lever arm is also biased into a rest position. The plunger, as it moves from its rest position, cooperates with the lever arm to rotate the lever arm from its rest position. When the leverarm rotates from its rest position, it propels a toy projectile, which represents the object that the athlete uses in the sport he 'plays.' Particular embodiments of the toy athlete represent football, basketball, soccer and hockey players.

Mechanical toy athlete

There is disclosed herein a toy bubble-blowing machine which includes a housing and an associated bubble-forming mechanism. The bubble-forming mechanism includes a plurality of elements, with only one--a hand crank--being positioned outside of the housing. The hand crank is rotatable and is connected to a main drive shaft and drive gear. A propeller which is positioned within the housing and above the drive shaft is drivingly interconnected with the drive gear by a gear train for rotation at a speed greater than the speed of the shaft. A bubble dipper is secured to the drive shaft for rotation through a reservoir of bubble-forming liquid within the housing and for forming a film of the bubble-forming liquid. As the dipper is rotated, the dipper positions the film in the airstream from the propeller so as to form bubbles from the film.

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Barrington, IL, United States of America

Hans Ebbe Jernstrom