Patent 7566256 was granted and assigned to Mattel, Inc. on July, 2009 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Joints for movable toys, such as action figures, that use friction to maintain a fixed position. The toys include several body part members interconnected by a joint that includes a plug portion and a socket portion that receives the plug portion. The socket portion includes one or more protrusions, against which the plug portion is urged to create friction between the plug portion and the socket portion.