US2721420A - Noise maker toy for attachment to a shoe - Google Patents

Description

1955 v. H. CHATTEN NOISE MAKER TOY FOR ATTACHMENT TO A SHOE Filed Oct. 22, 1953 United States Patent 1 2,721,420 NOISE MAKER TOY FOR ATTACHMENT TO A SHOE Victor H. Chatten, Torrance, Calif. Application October 22, 1953, Serial No. 387,583 3 Claims. (Cl. 46-175) This invention relates to toys and amusement devices and is particularly directed to a sound-producing bulbous device adapted to be attached to a shoe so that when the wearer walks a distinctive sound is produced at each step.

An object of this invention is to provide a squawker toy which may be readily attached and removed from a shoe near the instep thereof and while the shoe is on or off the wearers foot.

A more particular object is to combine a noise-emitting voice with a self-expanding rubber-like bulb and to provide novel means for mounting this combination upon the side of a low or Oxford type shoe near the instep so that the bulb is distorted by contact with the ground but does not underlie the sole of the shoe.

Other and more detailed objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a small boy having one of the squawker toys attached to each shoe.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a shoe showing one of the squawker toys mounted upon it.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation, partly broken away, taken substantially on the lines 3-3 as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing construction and manner of attachment of the mounting clip.

Referring to the drawings, the squawker toy, generally designated 10, includes a self-expanding resilient bulb 11 formed of rubber or rubber-like material. The bulb 11 has a neck portion 12 which is expanded beyond its normal unstressed diameter to receive and grip the sound generating squawker or voice 13. The voice 13 has a hollow cylindrical shell or housing 14 provided with an internal vibratory reed 15. When a current of air is caused to flow through the central opening 16, the reed 15 vibrates to produce a characteristic sound or noise.

The attachment clip 17 has a projecting finger 18 provided with a dog-leg bend 1.9 and has a circular anchor portion 20 provided with a central aperture 21 encircled by a ring of axially projecting teeth 22. The anchor portion 21 is permanently affixed to the housing 14 by forcing the teeth 22 into the relatively soft material of the housing at one end thereof. The housing 14 may conveniently be formed of wood. The aperture 21 is aligned with the central opening 16 in the housing.

The attachment clip 17 is preferably formed of resilient material such as spring steel and the dog leg bend 19 initially contacts the outer surface of the neck 12 of the bulb 11.

To mount the squawker toy on the shoe 23, the finger 18 is inserted into the interior of the shoe over the upper side edge so that the bulb 11 contacts the floor 24 near the location of the instep of the shoe. The bulb preferably does not underlie any part of the sole or heel of the shoe but is positioned alongside, as best shown in Figures 1 and 3. The device may be installed or removed before or after the shoe is placed on the foot of the wearer. The finger 18 projects between the wall of the shoe upper and the sock (not shown) covering the wearers foot.

The distance from the upper outer edge 25 of the shoe to the floor 24 is slightly less than the overall height of the squawker toy so that the bulb 11 is distorted somewhat by contact with the floor or ground surface. This distortion reduces the volumetric content of the bulb and expels air through the passage 16, causing the reed to sound. When the shoe is lifted from the floor or ground the bulb 11 returns to its normal unstressed shape 2,721,420 Patented Oct. 25, 1955 2 and thereby sucks air back into the interior of the bulb through the passage 16. The reed 15 can be constructed to sound when the air is expelled from the bulb, or sucked in, or both.

The overall height of the squawker toy 10 can be changed to fit various styles and sizes of shoes simply by changing the extent to which the cylindrical housing 14 projects into the bulb neck 12. More than one squawker toy can be mounted on each shoe, if desired.

The outer surface of the rubber neck 12 contacts the side surface of the shoe and is held in frictional engagement therewith by means of the resilient finger 18 on the attachment clip 17 This frictional contact is effective to prevent the squawker device from riding-up on the shoe and thereby adversely affecting the contact of the bulb 11 with the ground or floor.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the details herein set forth but my invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a foot operated squawker toy adapted to be removably attached to an Oxford type shoe or the like, the combination of: a resilient self-expanding bulb having a ground-contacting portion and a neck, a housing gripped within the interior of the neck and having an air passage extending therethrough, a sound generating device within the housing actuated by flow of air through said passage, and an attachment clip on the upper end of the housing adapted to enter the interior of a shoe adjacent a side wall thereof and clamping the outer surface of the neck against such side wall, the overall length of the bulb and housing being adjustable by varying the position of the housing within the neck so that the bulb may engage the ground at one side of the shoe near the instep.

2. in a toy of the class described, the combination of: a low shoe of the Oxford type having a side wall adjacent the instep, a resilient self-expanding bulb having a groundcontacting portion and a neck, a housing gripped within the interior of the neck and having an air passage extending therethrough, a sound generating device within the housing actuated by flow of air through said passage, and an attachment clip on the upper end of the housing having a finger portion extending into the interior of the shoe and to clamp the outer surface of said neck against said side wall of the shoe, the overall length of the bulb and housing being adjustable by varying the position of the housing within the neck so that the bulb may engage the ground at one side of the shoe near the instep.

3. In a foot operated squawker toy adapted to be removably attached to an Oxford type shoe or the like, the combination of: a hollow resilient self-expanding member, the member having a bulbous ground-contacting portion and an upwardly extending neck portion, a housing gripped within the interior of the neck portion and provided with an air passage extending therethrough, a sound generating device operatively associated with the housing and actuated by flow of air through said passage, and an attachment clip mounted on the housing and having a portion thereof adapted to enter the interior of the shoe adjacent a side wall thereof and to clamp the outer surface of said neck portion against such side wall, said attachment clip serving to support the hollow member so that the bulb portion may engage the ground at a side of the shoe near the instep.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 847,240 Chamberlain Mar. 12, 1907 953,586 Bolles Mar. 20, 1910 2,413,545 Cordi Dec. 31, 1946 2,551,680 Kipling May 8, 1951 2,561,743 Kusmarowis July 24, 1951

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