US1490409A - Toy device - Google Patents

Description

F. VENTRESCA April 15 1924.

TOY DEVICE Filed Aug. 28 1922 E atented Apr. 15, teas.

unites stares FLORENCE VENTRESGA, OF WESTERN SPRINGS, ILLINOIS.

TOY DEVICE.

Application filed August 28, 1922. Serial No. 584,847.

2 '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FLounNoE VnN'rREscA,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Western Springs, Cook County, Illinois, 6 have invented a certain new and useful Toy Device, of which the following is a speciiication.

The present invention relates to toy devices the general objects of which are to provide amusement or entertainment and instruction for children. The specific present objects areto provide a device which will carry out the general objects in a novel way and by novel means, and to provide a different variety of amusement or entertainment as well as of instruction from what has heretofore been known.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side view of the device in a preferred form, the upper conical member being shown in medialvertical section and other parts being broken away to show construction; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top view of the device of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective on a reduced scale showing one of the frustoconical members of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragment showing one of the marginal pins and its connection; and Fig. 5 is a side view showing the parts of Fig. 1 in another arrangement.

The device illustrated comprises the base 10, which may be any suitable means for holding vertically the shaft-like standard 11, which may well be of wood. There are several horizontally disposed supports shown as disc-like members 12, 13, 14- and 15, each having a central aperture whereby these members may be positioned upon the shaft or standard 11 for rotative movement thereon. These disc-like supports are of difierent diameters, and preferably the respective diameters are such as to define a structure which is relatively small at the top and rel- 45 atively large at the bottom. In other words,

the diameters of the disc-like members respectively gradually become less from the lowermost to the uppermost when arranged as shown in Fig. 1. The lowermost disclike member 12 is shown as being sustained by an enlargement of the shaft at 11. These disc members may be considered as of wood.

The device includes also a plurality of frusto- conical members 16, 17 and 18, any one of which may be considered to be shown in Fig. 3. These are also of different diameters at their bases respectively, and they are so positioned as to constitute filler pieces between adjacent ones of the supports 12, 13, 14 and 15. Each may be considered as being formed of cardboard or other sheet material. Each is a readily removable member. The filler piece 16 rests upon the support 12, the filler piece 17 rests upon the support 13 and the filler piece 18 rests upon the support 14. Preferably, as shown, such of the supports as 13, let and 15 rest upon the filler pieces below them respectively. The shoulder at 11 therefore carries the entire structure carried by the shaft.

The top member 19 may be considered to be of the same material as the filler pieces mentioned, and is made conical instead offrusto-conical in order to carry out the upwardly-narrowing efiect and complete what is, in the preferred and usual arrangement, a device which quite notably resembles a tree, especially of the kind seasonally known as Christmas tree. There may be an opening at the apex of the cone 19 for the pin 20 projecting loosely into an axial hole in the upper end of the shaft, the pin serving to steady the top member somewhat, but importantly it continues the tapering effect and gives some finish to the design, and, since the pin will ordinarily have an eye at the top as illustrated, decorative objects such as the star device shown may be attached thereto.

The supports 12, 13, 14 and 15 are somewhat larger in diameter respectively than the larger bases of the frusto-conical members resting upon them, and these extending marginal edge portions of the supports are preferably serrated or formed with outweirdly-extending projections 22, well shown in Fig. 2. Such an irregular and especially pointed formation carries out further the tree resemblance and relieves the structure as a whole from a certain severity of form which results from unbroken lines. Each of the projections 22 is provided with a normally vertical hole adapted to accommodate a small pin 24c, or in some instances a candle 25. Such pins suggest tree-like attenuations and have the mechanical function of providing means for securing to the tree ornamental objects or toys according to the pleasure of the child using the device or that of the grown-up person who may make the decorative effects. The pins are readily removable and may be inserted from either side of the supports respectively if so desired.

In Fig. 5 I have shown how the tree structure may be modified in shape, the same parts in that figure being given the reference numerals of Fig. 1. One part of the instruction as well as amusement feature consists in building from the several elements structures of various shapes.

The device may be made in various sizes, and I contemplate that in larger sizes it may well take the place of the Christmas tree of spruce, pine, cedar, etc., extensively used during the Christmas holiday season, and thus contribute to the avoidance of some of the great amount of tree destruction which annually takes place for a merely temporary decorative use.

It willbe noted fronrthe drawings that the conical and frusto-conical members will nest among each other when the device is not in use whereby it may be packed away in the home or shipped in relatively small bulk.

Reference should be had to the appended claims to determine the scope of the invention herein set forth.

I claim:

1. In a toy device of the character de scribed, the combination of a vertically-arranged standard, a plurality of horizontallyarranged supports readily removably mounted substantially centrally of the supports on said standard in spaced-apart relation, one above another, the supports being of difierent dimensions in directions radial of the standard and being adapted to be arranged thereon with their respective peripheries defining a structure relatively small at the top and relatively large at the bottom, and readily removable frusto-conical filler pieces substantially occupying the space between adjacent ones of said supports.

2. In a toy device of the character described, the combination of a vertically-arranged standard in the form of a shaft, a plurality of horizontallyarranged disc-like supports readily removably mounted substantially centrally of the supports on said standard and in spaced-apart relation, one above another, the supports being of different diameters and being adapted to be arranged with their respective peripheries defining an upwardly-directed cone and to be arranged also in other relations, and readily-removable frusto-conical filler members arranged respectively between adjacent ones of said supports, the peripheral portions of said supports respectively projecting in diametric directions beyond the tiller members adjacent thereto, such projecting portions having means for securing ornamental devices thereto.

3. In a toy device of the character described, the combination of a base, a vertical shaft rising from the base, means on the shaft near the base for supporting a horizontally-arranged disc-like member, a horizontallyarranged disc-like member rotatable on the shaft and supported by said means, a frusto-conical member resting on said disclike member, a second disc-like member ro- Latably mounted on the shaft and resting on said frusto-conical member, a second frustoconical member resting on said last-mentioned disc-like member, the device having an upper conical member and an upper disclike member on which the conical member rests.

FLORENCE VENTRESCA.

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