Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE: Illuminating Stuffed Toy
INVENTOR: Ashok Khubani
DOC NO.: 1432-414PCT
UTILITY PATENT APPLICATION
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of patent
application serial number 13/891,010 filed in the U.S.
Patent & Trademark Office on May 9, 2013.
NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT PROTECTION
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document
and its figures contain material subject to copyright
protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the
reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent
disclosure, but otherwise reserves all copyrights
whatsoever.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to toys and more
particularly to a stuffed toy imitating an animal, person
or figure having a portion that illuminates for the
amusement of children.
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Description of the Related Art
Children everywhere are entertained by plush toys.
Plush toys that illuminate are even more fascinating for
youngsters and can provide hours of enjoyment both in light
and dark spaces. The illuminating toy of the present
invention is combined with a unique plush pillow imitating
a lovable character and together provides an ideal sleep
aid. Conventional illuminating toys function with lights
randomly suspended within the plush toy. While this art is
functional, it does not further the functional design and
aesthetic tributes of an illuminating plush toy, nor does
it inherently suit the purpose of the present device. The
present invention provides a functional means of housing
the illumination means properly within the device and also
provides additional amusement and comfort.
While these units may be suitable for the particular
purpose employed, or for general use, conventional
illuminating devices are not suitable for the purposes of
the present invention as disclosed hereafter.
It is, therefore, a primary object of the present
invention to provide a stuffed toy that imitates the
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appearance of an animal, person or figure having a portion
that illuminates to create a soothing soft glow.
It is another object of the present invention to
provide an illuminating toy that has a plush pillow casing
for comfortably aiding a child in falling asleep.
It is another object of the present invention to
provide an illuminating stuffed toy that a child may freely
squish, bend, bang, throw, lie on, fold, flex, and hug
without disrupting the positioning of light emitting diodes
(LEDs) therein.
It is another object of the present invention to
provide means within an interior cavity of the toy for
supporting and two dimensionally restricting the position
of LEDs therein such that the LEDs are sandwiched between
an upper and lower membrane.
It is another object of the present invention to
provide a toy wherein the supporting means is aligned with
the fabric casing such that the diodes fixed within the
supporting means emit light through predetermined
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illuminating areas of the stuffed toy, while being held in
a fixed two dimensional position within a plane.
It is another object of the present invention to
provide a timing means for automatically turning off the
illuminating portion of the toy after a predetermined
amount of time.
It is another object of the present invention to
provide a toy that fosters a peaceful and beautiful
environment for falling asleep.
It is another object of the present invention to
provide a toy with an illuminating means capable of
emitting light outwardly from the toy substantially 360
degrees, while simultaneously imitating an animal standing
up.
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BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the present
invention, a toy is provided which emits a soft glow. The
toy includes a body portion having a fabric casing with a
predetermined light diffusing area, and at least one
flexible sheet housed within the body portion for
maintaining light emitting diodes in a fixed position in a
plane. Herein, the light emitting diodes align with the
light diffusing area of the casing. The at least one
flexible sheet is fixed two-dimensional position in the
plane and moveable toward or away from the casing.
In accordance with an additional embodiment a toy is
provided that emits a soft glow having a body portion
having a fabric casing with light diffusing properties.
The toy includes at least one interior cavity within the
body portion. Illuminating means is provided for emitting
light, housed within the at least one interior cavity.
Means is provided for supporting and maintaining the
illuminating means in a fixed two-dimensional position in a
plane within the interior cavity. The supporting means
supports the illuminating means such that the illuminating
means is aligned with the fabric casing.
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The fabric casing of the toy has an outside surfaces
having at least one predetermined illuminating area and an
inside surface.
The predetermined illuminating area of the toy is at
least in part substantially translucent.
The supporting means of the toy supports the
illuminating means such that the illuminating means is
aligned with the predetermined illuminating area of the
fabric casing.
The illuminating means of the toy includes a strand of
at least two light emitting diodes fastened together by a
connecting wire within the at least one interior cavity.
The supporting means of the toy includes an upper membrane
having at least two diode openings for accepting diodes of
the illuminating means therethrough, and having a lower
membrane for sandwiching the connecting wire between the
upper and lower membranes, and wherein the at least two
diode openings are larger than the diodes.
The illuminating means of the toy includes a strand
having at least one light emitting diode fastened thereto
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by a connecting wire within the at least one interior
cavity. The supporting means includes at least one
flexible sheet having at least one diode opening for
accepting diodes of the illuminating means therethrough.
The toy includes a pressure sensitive switching means
within the body portion configured to turn on and turn off
the illuminating means.
The toy includes circuit means within the body portion
having a timing circuit activated by actuating the pressure
sensitive switching means to automatically turn off the
illuminating means after a predetermined amount of time.
The toy includes a power source operably connected to
the illumination means and the circuit means within the
body portion of the toy.
The toy includes a manual switching means operably
connected with the circuit means and the power source for
allowing the pressure sensitive switching means to manually
turn on and off the illuminating means, and activate the
timing circuit for turning off the illuminating means after
a predetermined amount of time.
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The outside surface of the toy includes a hook and
loop fastener for substantially allowing the body portion
of the toy to fold in half and emit light in a 360 degree
pattern.
In accordance with an additional embodiment, a stuffed
toy is provided which emits a soft glow. The toy includes
a body portion having a fabric casing including an outside
surface having at least one predetermined illuminating area
with light diffusing properties and an inside surface. The
toy includes at least one interior cavity within the body
portion. Illuminating means is provided for emitting
light, having a strand of at least one light emitting diode
fastened by a connecting wire and housed within the at
least one interior cavity. Means is provided for
supporting and maintaining the illuminating means in a
fixed two-dimensional position in a plane within the
interior cavity. The supporting means includes at least
one flexible sheet having at least one diode opening for
accepting diodes of the illuminating means therethrough,
and wherein the at least one diode opening is larger than
the diode. The supporting means supports the illuminating
means such that the diodes are aligned with the
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predetermined illuminating areas of the fabric casing. A
pressure sensitive switching means is provided within the
body portion and is configured to turn on and off the
illuminating means. A circuit means within the body
portion has timing means activated by actuating the
pressure sensitive switching means to automatically turn
off the illuminating means after a predetermined amount of
time. A power source operably connected with the
illuminating means and the circuit means is provided within
the body portion of the stuffed toy. Pressure on the
pressure sensitive switching means activates the power
source, furnishing current to the diodes such that light
emitted therefrom within the body portion is directed
against the inside surface of the fabric casing, resulting
in at least one softly backlit illuminating area at the
outside surface of the fabric casing.
The at least one flexible sheet of the toy is moveable
toward or away from the casing.
The toy includes a manual switching means operably
connected to the circuit means and the power source for
allowing the pressure sensitive switching means to manually
turn on and off the illuminating means, and activate the
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timing circuit for turning off the illuminating means after
a predetermined amount of time.
The outside surface of the toy includes a hook and
loop fastener for substantially allowing the body portion
to fold in half and emit light in a 360 degree pattern.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
To these and to such other objects that may
hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to an
illuminating stuffed toy as described in detail in the
following specification and recited in the annexed claims,
taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which
like numerals refer to like parts in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the illuminating
stuffed toy of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of supporting means for
supporting light emitting diodes of the illuminating
stuffed toy of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the illuminating
stuffed toy of FIG. 1 standing up via a hook and loop
fastener;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the interior
cavity of the stuffed toy of FIG. 1 wherein upper and lower
membranes of the supporting means are illustrated; and
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FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a compartment for
housing circuit means, timing means and power source of the
illuminating stuffed toy of FIG. I.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects
the invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in
the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the
fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only.
Variations are contemplated as being part of the invention,
limited only by the scope of the claims.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIGS 1-5 illustrate the present invention directed to
a stuffed or plush toy 10 for entertaining children. For
purposes of this description, a form of the invention
involving a stuffed dog animal will be used, though the
present invention applies to alternate imitations including
but not limited to animals, people, figurines, objects and
other forms of stuffed toys, as well as alternate shapes
and sizes.
FIG 1 illustrates the toy 10 including a head 11 and a
body portion 12 having at least one interior cavity 14 and
a fabric casing having light diffusing properties.
Preferably, the casing 16 is made of fabric, mesh, plastic,
or other like material. The interior cavity 14 is housed
within the casing 16 having an outside surface 18 and an
inside surface 20. The outside surface 18 has at least one
predetermined illuminating area 22 that is preferably at
least in part substantially translucent. Other areas of
the outside surface 18 may be opaque, and/or partially
translucent. Preferably, the outside surface 18 of the
casing 16 is a soft plush fabric pillow or mesh material
configured to limit transmission of light to a soft glow
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for subtly depicting a well-known animal, character, figure
or image.
The different areas of the outside surface 18 of the
casing 16 selectively illuminate to varying degrees, or
remain completely dark, based on material chosen. This
allows the casing 16 of the body portion 12 to highlight
different colors, shapes or designs of the character being
imitated by the toy. For example, if the toy 10 is a
ladybug stuffed animal, the outside surface of the casing
16 may include a plurality of opaque black dots that
prohibited light from shining through, with all areas in
between being translucent red material. When the body
portion of the ladybug illuminates, all translucent red
material areas will glow and the black dots will remain
dark thereby illustrating a glowing ladybug stuffed animal.
FIG. 2 illustrates the illuminating means 30 housed
within the interior cavity 14 for emitting light through
the toy. The illuminating means 30 is preferably a strand
of light emitting diodes (LEDs) 32 fastened together by a
connecting wire 34. The LEDs may be white or any other
color, and based on the design considerations may or may
not be the same color throughout the entire strand. In the
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preferred embodiment, the illuminating means 30 is designed
about means 36 for supporting and maintaining the LEDs in a
fixed, two dimensional, position in a plane that is
moveable toward or away from the casing 16. The means 36
restricts the positioning of the LEDs within the toy, such
that movement of the LEDs is fixed within the interior
cavity 14 when a child plays with the body portion 12 of
the toy 10. The child may freely squish, bend, bang,
throw, lie on, fold, flex, and hug, for example, the toy 10
without disrupting the alignment of the LEDs within the
interior cavity 14. In an alternate embodiment, the
illuminating means includes a strand having at least one
light emitting diode fastened thereto by a connecting wire
within said at least one interior cavity.
FIG. 3 illustrates the plush outside surface 18 of the
casing 16 of the toy including a hook and loop fastener 18A
for substantially allowing the body portion 12 of the toy
10 to fold in half, thereby depicting the imitated animal
standing up. This provides the illuminating means 30 the
ability to emit light outwardly in substantially a 360-
degree pattern, while simultaneously imitating an animal
standing up.
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FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the body portion
illustrating the supporting means 36, made up of at least
one flexible sheet, foil, screen, membrane or other like
material. In the preferred embodiment, the support means
includes an upper membrane 38 and a lower membrane 40 made
of lightweight thin mesh fabric. The upper membrane 38
includes a plurality of openings 42, larger in
circumference than each diode, for accepting a diode
therethrough. In an alternate embodiment, when the
supporting means 36 is one flexible sheet, there includes
at least one opening 42 for accepting diodes therethrough.
Preferably during assembly, the strand of LEDs 32 is
positioned about a custom made jig or pattern support tool.
The jig is used to control the location of the LEDs before
being sandwiched between the membranes 38, 40. A plurality
of different jigs is designed for accommodating different
kinds of toys 10 of the present invention. For example,
the ladybug stuffed animal with illuminating translucent
red material and opaque black dots, as discussed supra, is
created by having a corresponding jig for appropriately
positioning the LEDs 32 within the supporting means 36
before placement within the interior cavity 14 of the body
portion 12 of the toy 10. By appropriately aligning the
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LEDs of the supporting means with the corresponding fabric
casing a realistic imitation is achieved. A dog stuffed
toy will have its own corresponding jig, which may be
different from the jig used for the ladybug toy, and both
may be different from other characters or shapes, depending
on the selected character, casing design and glowing areas.
After the jig positions the LEDs for the specific toy
being created, the strand of LEDs 32 is placed on the lower
membrane 40. Then the upper membrane 38 is placed on top
of the lower membrane 40 and sandwiches the connecting wire
34 therebetween, while allowing the LEDs to extend up
through the openings 42 in the upper membrane 38. The
upper and lower membranes 38, 40 of the supporting means 36
are substantially attached at predetermined locations
preferably by a heat-sealing method. The method creates a
plurality of dashed heat sealed lines 44 forming channels
46 horizontally across the means 36. These channels 46
hold the connecting wire 34 in elongated position, and
prohibit the LEDs from moving horizontally or vertically
from the designated openings 42. Together the LEDs of the
supporting means 36 and the fabric casing 16 are aligned to
guide emitted light from the LEDs through the predetermined
illuminating areas 22 of the casing to achieve optimum
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illumination.
The supporting means 36 together with the illuminating
means 30 described above is placed within the interior
cavity 14 of the body portion 12 of the toy 10. Additional
plush stuffing may be inserted into the cavity 14 around
the supporting means 36. In alternate embodiments, the
supporting 36 and illuminating means 30 may be inserted
into different portions of the toy as desired, for example
into the head, face, legs, tail or any other portion or
combination thereof.
A pressure sensitive switching means 50 of the present
invention, shown in FIG. 1, is used to turn on and off the
illuminating means 30. Preferably, the pressure sensitive
switching means 50 is a button inserted into the interior
cavity 14 at a predetermined location, depicted by a
corresponding symbol shown on the outside surface 19 of the
casing so that children recognize where the actuation
button is located and where to depress for activating and
deactivating illumination of the toy 10.
FIG. 5 illustrates a compartment 62 for housing a
circuit means 52, having a timing means 56. The circuit
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means and timing means 52, 56 are in operably connected to
the pressure sensitive switching means 50. When activated
by the pressure sensitive switching means 50, the timing
means 56 automatically turns off the illuminating means 30
after a predetermined amount of time, unless the pressure
sensitive switching means 50 is depressed again to turn the
toy 10 off sooner. The circuit means 52 has at least one,
but preferably three setting positions, independently
activated by a manual switching means 54. The first
position is "timer," the second position is "on," and the
third position is "off." When the switch 54 of the circuit
means 52 is in the "timing" position, depressing the
pressure sensitive switching means 50 activates the timing
means 56 and allows the illuminating means 30 to emit light
for a predetermined amount of time before automatically
turning off. When the switch 54 of the circuit means 52 is
in the "on" position, the pressure sensitive switching
means 50 is manually depressed to selectively turn on and
off the illumination means 30. When the switch 54 of the
circuit means 52 is in the "off" position, power is not
supplied to the illuminating means 30, thus keeping the toy
from illuminating regardless of whether the pressure
switching means 50 is depressed.
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A power source 60 is included within the body portion
12 of the toy and is operably connected to the illumination
means 30 and the circuit means 52 for illuminating said
illumination means 30. In the preferred embodiment, the
power source 60 is housed within the compartment 62 within
the interior cavity 14 of the body portion 12 of the toy
10. The power source 60 can be for example, but not
limited to, one or more batteries, a watch battery, AA or
AAA alkaline batteries, or a lithium battery. Preferably,
the compartment 62 houses three "AAA" batteries, held in
position between spacers. The batteries are secured within
the compartment by a holder plate 64 that provides closure
to the compartment 62. Different power source
compartments, configurations and sources are contemplated,
including an arrangement that supplies different voltages,
including but not limited to, solar power, wind power,
chemical power, DC power sources, rechargeable batteries,
and AC adapters with jack and power.
The compartment 62 is easily reached within the body
portion 12, preferably by a zipper 12A, for changing the
batteries or changing the setting of the manual switching
means 54.
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When the manual switching means 54 is in the "on" or
"timing" position and the pressure sensitive switching
means 50 is depressed, the power source 60 is automatically
activated and furnishes current to the LEDs such that light
emitted therefrom within the interior cavity 14 is directed
against the inner surface of the casing 16, resulting in at
least one softly backlit illuminating area 22 at the
outside surface of the casing 16. When the manual
switching means 54 is in the "off" position, the power
source 60 is blocked from activation.
In conclusion, herein is presented the illuminating
stuffed toy for emitting a soft glow. The invention is
illustrated by example in the drawing figures, and
throughout the written description. It should be
understood that numerous variations are possible, while
adhering to the inventive concept. Such variations are
contemplated as being a part of the present invention.
While only one preferred embodiment of the present
invention has been disclosed for purposes of illustration,
it is obvious that many modifications and variations could
be made thereto. It is intended to cover all of those
modifications and variations, which fall within the scope
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of the present invention as defined by the following
claims.
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