Field of the invention

The invention relates in general to toys, and more in particular regards an animated toy. Summary of the invention

The object of the invention is to provide an animated toy, i.e., a motor-driven toy, that is extremely simple and economically advantageous to produce but at the same time technologically innovative in terms of practically zero energy consumption, and moreover prearranged for obtaining pleasant and amusing animated effects.

According to the invention, this object is achieved thanks to a solar-energy toy characterized in that it comprises a half-shell having resting feet, a vibrating electrical device, and photovoltaic-cell means applied to the half-shell for actuating the vibrating electrical device in such a way as to move the half-shell on a supporting surface as a result of the vibrations transmitted to the aforesaid resting feet.

Preferably, the half-shell is made of thermoformed and decorated plastic material, in such a way as to present for example stylized features of an animal, of a vehicle, or of a toy in general.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the vibrating electrical device consists of an eccentric mass governed in rotation by an electric motor supplied directly by the photovoltaic-cell means, which can be provided on the outside of or else inside the half-shell.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the annexed drawings, provided purely by way of non-limiting example, wherein:

- Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view from above of one embodiment of a solar-energy toy according to the invention; - Figure 2 shows a variant of Figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a view in vertical cross section of the solar-energy toy of Figure 2; and

- Figure 4 is a perspective view from beneath of the solar-energy toy of Figure 2. Detailed description of the invention

The example of embodiment that will now be described with reference to the figures relates to a toy in the form of an animal, and more particularly of a tortoise. Obviously, the toy may present forms, dimensions and features different from the ones represented in the example, and hence it may not only be in the form of an animal but also of an automobile, vehicles in general, etc. The toy, designated in the example by the reference 1, consists of a half-shell made of relatively thin plastic material, decorated with the features of a tortoise and conveniently obtained by thermoforming means. The half-shell 2 can be conveniently realized starting from a plate of thermoforming plastic material, typically plane and typically of -the type designed for alimentary uses, preferably (albeit not necessarily) transparent or translucid. Printed on one face of the thermoformable plate via conventional printing processes for example in four-colour printing, is the decoration correlated to the toy. The next step consists in thermoforming the plate thus printed so as to obtain the half-shell 2, the conformation of which corresponds to the one represented. Preferably, albeit not necessarily, the decoration previously printed on the plate prior to its thermoforming will be provided on the internal surface of the half-shell 2, of course in the event where the plate from which it is obtained is transparent or translucid.

Present underneath the half-shell 2 are feet 3 for resting the toy 1 on a supporting surface. Said feet 3, which are relatively thin and hence flexible or elastically deformable, can be constituted by integral appendages of the half-shell 2 or else of an auxiliary body, which is also made of plastic material and which is also possibly thermoformed and possibly transparent, set within the half-shell 2.

Within the half-shell 2 there is moreover housed an a. c. electric motor 5, the shaft of . which governs an eccentric mass 6. The motor 5 and the eccentric mass 6 constitute a vibrating electrical device via which, in operation, the half-shell 2 and more specifically the corresponding resting feet 3 are subjected to vibration.

The motor 5 can be supplied by usual rechargeable batteries via a photovoltaic-cell device 7 or else, more conveniently, directly by the latter.

The photovoltaic-cell device 7 can be positioned on the outside of the half-shell 2, as in the case of the example illustrated in Figure 1, or else inside it if- this is transparent, as is the case of Figures 2-4.

In operation, the solar irradiation of the photovoltaic cell 7 produces activation of the electric motor 5 and consequent rotation of the eccentric mass 6, as a result of which the half-shell 2 (and possibly the auxiliary half-shell 4) with the corresponding resting feet 3 is set in vibration. As a result of said vibration, the toy 1 moves in a more or less random way on the corresponding resting surface, following upon the vibration of the feet 3, thus obtaining an amusing effect with a zero energy consumption in so far as it is supplied by solar irradiation.

Of course the details of construction and the embodiments may vary widely with respect to what has been described and illustrated herein, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the ensuing claims.

Thus, for example, the vibrating electrical device could use, instead of the rotating eccentric mass described with reference to the example, different systems provided that they are suited to achieving the same functional effect.