Patent Application
20100248581
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
1. Technical Field
The embodiments described and claimed herein relate generally to toys. More specifically, some of the embodiments relate to beach toys and implements for building a sand castle and playing with sand and water.
2. Background Art
Going to the beach and playing in the sand is a popular pastime for many families. Playing in the sand is made fun and engaging through the use of various types of beach toys and sand castle building aids that are readily available on the market, such as castle-shaped plastic buckets. Unfortunately, the prior art beach toys suffer from several problems. For example, most beach toy kits typically include one bucket and one or more implements, such as a shovel, a rake, and/or a sieve or sifter. The prior art shovels, rakes, and sieves serve primarily only one function, i.e., to manipulate sand. As a result, children will oftentimes become quickly bored.
In addition, the storage options for prior art beach toys are limited and inadequate. As a result, some parents simply store the beach toy accessories in the bucket. With no adequate means to hold the beach toys in the bucket, however, accessories can be lost during the walk to/from the beach and/or during storage. Attempts have been made to solve this problem, for example, through the use of mesh bags. Unfortunately, when filled, these bags can become bulky and difficult to use and carry, especially for a child, and will consume large amounts of storage space. Another alternative storage solution is provided in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0277357A1 to Buckley (“Buckley”). In one embodiment, Buckley discloses a beach toy storage container that has the form a hollow doughnut or toroid. The doughnut form comprises two half portions that are connected together. The two half portions are rigid structures and define an internal volume that can be used for storing sand toys. Once separated, each of the two half portions can be dug into the sand and filled with water to create a pool surrounding or adjacent to a sand castle structure. Like a filled mesh bag, however, the Buckley storage container is bulky and large and, therefore, cannot be easily carried by a child and consumes large amounts of storage space. Moreover, the Buckley storage container presents a closed volume in which sand can be trapped and cause an unintended mess if opened in a vehicle or at home.
Several embodiments of a beach toy kit are described and claimed herein that solve at least some of the problems of the prior art beach toy kits. In simple terms, a compact unit is provided with everything a child needs to have fun with a castle at the beach. More specifically, some of the embodiments include multi-functional components that keep the interest of children, allow the toy to be compactly stored for future use, and/or reduce the risk of lost toys.
In one particular embodiment, the beach toy kit includes a sand form and at least two accessories. The sand form can resemble a building structure, such as a castle, whereby the castle defines a hollow form with at least one opening. In that regard, the castle can be used as a sand castle mold. The accessories can be any type of toy or implement, such as a vehicle, a boat, a shovel, a rake, a sieve, a ramp, a bridge, or a moat. The internal volume of the castle can be used for storing the accessories. It is contemplated that at least one of the accessories will be connectable to the opening in the sand castle to at least partially close the opening and to retain or hold the various other accessories inside of the castle. For example, the accessory can be a sand sifter or sieve. In this case, the sand sifter could be provided with connectors on opposite sides that engage with complementary connectors at the rim of the opening on the castle.
In another particular embodiment, the beach toy kit includes a castle and at least one accessory. The accessory presents multi-functionality, wherein the accessory is usable as a play implement and also can be connected to the castle for storage. When connected to the castle, the accessory forms a handle that can be gripped for transporting the castle from one location to another. For example, the accessory can be a bridge that spans the width of a water channel or moat. In this case, each end of the bridge can be provided with connectors that engage with complementary connectors on the castle.
In yet another particular embodiment, the beach toy kit includes a castle and at least one accessory. Like the previously described embodiment, the accessory presents multi-functionality, wherein the accessory is usable as two different play implements. For example, the accessory could be a vehicle driving surface that includes various features making the vehicle driving surface also useable as a utensil, such as a shovel or rake.
In yet another particular embodiment, the beach toy kit includes a building structure comprising multiple pieces. For example, the building structure could comprise two pieces, a base structure and a stacking structure. In the storage configuration, the stacking structure would nest inside of the base structure to present a compact package. In the usage configuration, the stacking structure would sit on top of the base structure to present a larger building structure.
In yet another particular embodiment, the beach toy kit includes castle and a sand liner. The sand liner could present an annular channel around the castle that defines a moat. The sand liner is flexible such that the sand liner could be folded and stored compactly within the castle.
Other embodiments, which can include some combination of the features discussed above and below and other features which are known in the art, are contemplated as falling within the claims even if such embodiments are not specifically identified and discussed herein.
These and other features, aspects, objects, and advantages of the embodiments described and claimed herein will become better understood upon consideration of the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the embodiments are sometimes illustrated by graphic symbols, phantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the embodiments described and claimed herein or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the inventions described herein are not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated. Indeed, it is expected that persons of ordinary skill in the art may devise a number of alternative configurations that are similar and equivalent to the embodiments shown and described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims.
Like reference numerals will be used to refer to like or similar parts from figure to figure in the following detailed description of the drawings.
Referring first to
The castle 20 is provided with ramps 21, 22, 30 that a child can use to push a play vehicle 14 up and down. As shown, the castle is constructed from two pieces, a main structure 23 and a stacking structure 24, although any number of pieces can be used. The unique feature of the castle 20 is that the various pieces are designed to nest. As shown, the stacking structure 24 fits into the main structure 23 to provide a compact package for storage or transport. In a usage position, however, the stacking structure 24 can be set on top of the main structure 23 to present a large castle 20.
Both the main structure 23 and the stacking structure 24 comprise various side walls and top walls that define partially-closed, internal volumes 25, 26. The walls of the castle 20 can be formed out of plastic with a thin wall, perhaps through injection molding. Other materials, such as metal are contemplated. The bottoms of the main structure 23 and stacking structure 24 are open, which allow various accessories, such as the ramp 30, the bridge 40, the moat 50, the sifter 60, and the shovel 70, to be stored therein. See, for example,
The castle 20 is designed to be used in conjunction with the vehicle ramp 30. The vehicle ramp 30, as shown, comprises two pieces, a first ramp member 31 and a second ramp member 32. In this embodiment, the first ramp member 31 and second ramp member 32 are identical, and each have two connectors 33, 34, one at each end, that allow the two ramp members 31, 32 to be connected together, interchangeably. In addition, the castle 20 is provided with a complementary connector 27, which allows the ramp to connect to the castle.
The bridge 40 is provided with multiple functions. As shown in
The moat 50 is shown as an annular, closed loop channel, but can be alternatively shaped. The moat 50 is formed using a water resistant or impervious sand liner that is designed to be at least partially recessed within the sand to define a channel. The sand liner solves the problem of placing water in the sand and watching it disappear. The moat 50 filled with water allows a child to play with water and a play boat 12 in the sand. The sand liner is flexible to allow the it to be folded and stored compactly within the castle 20.
The sifter 60 is configured to be used not only as a sifter, but also as a closure member for the castle 20. More particularly, the sifter 60 is provided with connectors 61, 62 and the castle 20 is provided with a lip 29, that surrounds the perimeter of the bottom opening of the castle 20, to form a complementary connector. As shown in
Turning now to
The ramp 130 has a two part construction, including a first ramp member 131 and a second ramp member 132. Like the first embodiment, each ramp member 131, 132 includes connectors on opposite ends to allow the ramp members 131, 132 to be connected together and/or to the castle 120. In a usage position, the ramp 130 can be connected to the castle at complementary connector 121. In a storage position, each ramp member 131, 132 can be separately connected to the bottom of the castle to connectors 122A, 122B and 123A, 123C, respectively. In the storage configuration, each ramp member 131, 132 spans the width of the bottom opening on the castle 120 to hold stored items inside of the castle 120.
The first ramp member 131, as shown, comprises two intersecting surfaces 133, 134, which can be planar, as shown, or curvilinear. On a top side of the first ramp member 131, the surfaces 133, 134 serve as vehicle driving surfaces. The opposite, or bottom, side of the first ramp member 131 defines a shovel handle and head. The shovel handle is defined by surface 133, which can be extended through the use of ramp member 132. The shovel head is defined at the intersection of the surfaces 133, 134, and is bounded by two gussets 135, 136 which strengthen the ramp member 131 and provide means for retaining sand within the shovel head.
Although the inventions described and claimed herein have been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the inventions described and claimed herein can be practiced by other than those embodiments, which have been presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.
