Movable figurine assembly

Abstract

A movable figurine assembly includes a support, a figurine, and a movement mechanism. The support includes a guide track. The figurine includes a movable body and a traveler that engages with the guide track. The movement mechanism includes a coupling and a motor. The motor is operatively coupled to the figurine by the coupling to move the figurine. The traveler engages with the guide track and guides the figurine to move along the guide track when the motor is operated to move the figurine.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A movable figurine assembly comprising:
 an upright support assembly including an upright support and a guide track;   a figurine including a movable body and a projecting appendage extending from the movable body, the projecting appendage including a distal end that is distal from the movable body, the projecting appendage having a traveler on the distal end that engages with the guide track; and   a movement mechanism including a tether and a motor, the motor operatively coupled to the figurine by the tether, the motor operable to raise and lower the figurine by moving the tether,   wherein the traveler engages with the guide track and guides the figurine to move along the guide track when the motor is operated to move the figurine.   
     
     
         2 . The movable figurine assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the movement mechanism includes a reel, and the motor is operably coupled to the reel (i) to rotate the reel in a first direction to wind the tether on the reel and raise the figurine and (ii) to rotate the reel a second direction opposite to the first direction to unwind the tether from the reel and lower the figurine. 
     
     
         3 . The movable figurine assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the movement mechanism is disposed above the figurine to raise and lower the figurine. 
     
     
         4 . The movable figurine assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the tether is attached to the traveler. 
     
     
         5 . The movable figurine assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the tether is attached to the movable body of the figurine. 
     
     
         6 . The movable figurine assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the upright support is a rigid support. 
     
     
         7 . The movable figurine assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the upright support is a flexible support strand. 
     
     
         8 . The movable figurine assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the flexible support strand includes a plurality of lights. 
     
     
         9 . The movable figurine assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the upright support is the guide track. 
     
     
         10 . The movable figurine assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the upright support is a flexible support strand, and
 wherein the traveler includes a U-shaped recess, the flexible support strand being positioned in the U-shaped recess to engage the traveler with the guide track.   
     
     
         11 . A movable figurine assembly comprising:
 an upright support assembly including two upright supports connected to each other by a plurality of transverse supports disposed transverse to the two upright supports, the two upright supports each having a guide track;   a figurine including a movable body, a plurality of projecting appendages, and an appendage motor, each projecting appendage of the plurality of projecting appendages extending from the movable body, the plurality of projecting appendages including:
 two upper projecting appendages, each of the two upper projecting appendages including a distal end that is distal from the movable body and having a traveler on the distal end that engages with a corresponding guide track, the traveler of one of the two upper projecting appendages engages with the guide track of one of two upright supports and the traveler of the other one of the two upper projecting appendages engaging with the guide track of the other one of the two upright supports; and 
 two lower projecting appendages, each of the two lower projecting appendages being movable relative to the movable body by the appendage motor to have a rotating envelope for each of the two lower projecting appendages, the two lower projecting appendages being disposed proximate to the plurality of transverse supports such that the rotating envelope of each of the two lower projecting appendages has a position of closest extent, wherein a gap is maintained between the two lower projecting appendages and the plurality of transverse supports at the position of closest extent; 
   a movement mechanism disposed above the figurine, the movement mechanism including a tether, a reel, and a drive motor, the tether being connected to the figurine and the drive motor being operably coupled to the reel (i) to rotate the reel in a first direction and (ii) to rotate the reel a second direction opposite to the first direction to alternatively wind the tether on the reel and raise the figurine and to unwind the tether from the reel and lower the figurine,   wherein the traveler of each upper projecting appendage engages with the corresponding guide track and guides the figurine to move along the guide track when the drive motor is operated to move the figurine, and the appendage motor is operable to rotate the two lower projecting appendages as the figurine is raised and lowered.   
     
     
         12 . The movable figurine assembly of  claim 11 , further comprising a housing, the drive motor and the reel of the movement mechanism being located within the housing and the two upright supports extending from the housing. 
     
     
         13 . The movable figurine assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the figurine has a humanoid form, each of the two upper projecting appendages is a biomorphic structure resembling a human arm, and each of the two lower projecting appendages is a biomorphic structure resembling a human leg. 
     
     
         14 . The movable figurine assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the upright support assembly is arranged in a ladder configuration with the plurality of transverse supports spaced apart from each other and arranged parallel to each other. 
     
     
         15 . The movable figurine assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the movement mechanism further includes a tether guide wheel positioned between the reel and the figurine to be in contact with the tether as the drive motor winds and unwinds the tether from the reel, the guide wheel operatively connected to a reset switch to cut power to the drive motor if the tether loses tension. 
     
     
         16 . The movable figurine assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the tether is a first tether and the reel is a first reel, the first tether being attached to the traveler of a first one of the two upper projecting appendages, and
 wherein the movement mechanism further includes a second tether and a second reel, the second tether being attached to the traveler of a second one of the two upper projecting appendages, the drive motor being operably coupled to the second reel (i) to rotate the second reel in the first direction and (ii) to rotate the second reel the second direction opposite to the first direction to alternatively wind the tether on the reel and raise the figurine and to unwind the tether from the reel and lower the figurine, the first reel and the second reel being rotated in concert with each other.   
     
     
         17 . The movable figurine assembly of  claim 14 , wherein each of the two of upright supports and the plurality of transverse supports is a flexible support strand. 
     
     
         18 . The movable figurine assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the traveler of each of the upper projecting appendages includes a U-shaped recess, and the flexible support strand of a corresponding upright support is positioned in the U-shaped recess as the corresponding guide track to engage the traveler with the guide track. 
     
     
         19 . A movable figurine assembly comprising:
 a support including a guide track;   a figurine including a movable body and a traveler that engages with the guide track; and   a movement mechanism including a coupling and a motor, the motor operatively coupled to the figurine by the coupling to move the figurine,   wherein the traveler engages with the guide track and guides the figurine to move along the guide track when the motor is operated to move the figurine.   
     
     
         20 . The movable figurine assembly of  claim 19 , wherein the coupling is a tether, and the motor is operatively coupled to the tether to retract the tether to raise the figurine and extend the tether to lower the figurine.