This invention is related to toys, and more particularly to toy kitchens that may be collapsed, such as for storage.
Toy kitchens consume significant space. Because of their size, many toy kitchens cannot be stored as assembled in narrow or small areas, such as under beds or in some closets. Therefore, the toy kitchens may have to be partially disassembled into parts small enough to store in those areas. However, such disassembly (and subsequent assembly) may be time-consuming and parts of the toy kitchen may be lost during the storage process.
Therefore, there may be a need for a toy kitchen that may be quickly collapsed for storage in narrow or small areas without removal of numerous parts. There may also be a need for a toy kitchen that may likewise be quickly reassembled to its expanded position for use.
In an embodiment, a collapsible toy kitchen includes: a back support including a backsplash; a kitchen counter including a countertop and a range, the kitchen counter pivotably connected to the back support; a base, the base pivotably connected to the back support; two side walls that are each foldable; and a fastener, the kitchen counter securable to the back support with the fastener.
In another embodiment, the collapsible toy kitchen includes: a back support including a backsplash; a kitchen counter including a countertop and a lip, the lip including a first aperture; a shelf extending from the back support and including a second aperture; and a fastener to secure the kitchen counter to the shelf by extending at least partially through both the first aperture and the second aperture.
Other embodiments, which may include one or more parts of the aforementioned method or systems or other parts, are also contemplated, and may thus have a broader or different scope than the aforementioned method and systems. Thus, the embodiments in this Summary of the Invention are mere examples, and are not intended to limit or define the scope of the invention or claims.
The accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals are employed to designate like components, are included to provide a further understanding of collapsible toy kitchens and methods, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, and illustrate embodiments of collapsible toy kitchens and methods that together with the description serve to explain the principles of collapsible toy kitchens and methods.
Various other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent according to the following description exemplified by the drawings, which are shown by way of example only, wherein:
a illustrates a perspective view of the collapsible toy kitchen with the kitchen counter and base in the collapsed position, in accordance with one embodiment;
b illustrates a perspective view of a close-up of the latch shown in
Reference will now be made to embodiments of collapsible toy kitchens and methods, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Details, features, and advantages of the collapsible toy kitchens and methods will become further apparent in the following detailed description of embodiments thereof.
As used herein, to “pivot” means to turn about an axis. The axis may be defined, for example, by a pin or bolt to which the thing that pivots is connected. When a first thing is “pivotably connected” to another, the first thing is connected in such a way, e.g., by a pin or bolt, that allows that first thing to pivot relative to the other. Being “pivotably connected” does not necessarily mean that the first thing can freely pivot about the other thing at all times. Rather, a locking device (e.g., fastener 214 securing kitchen counter 200 to front wall 400 or shelf 150; latch 610 with its bar 612 resting against its catch 616) may be installed and thereby prevent pivoting and have to be removed or unlatched or otherwise adjusted, for example, to allow the pivoting.
Additionally, being “pivotably connected” does not necessarily mean that the first thing is pivotable about the second thing directly about the point or area of connection. Rather, the first thing may be “pivotably connected” to the second via an attachment that is not itself pivotable but allows the first thing to pivot with respect to the second thing (e.g., kitchen counter 200 may be connected to the back support 100 via a nonpivoting attachment that is the connecting board 220, but may pivot about hinges 222 attached to the connecting board 220 and thus be pivotable with respect to back support 100).
Any reference in the specification to “one embodiment,” “a certain embodiment,” or a similar reference to an embodiment is intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of such terms in various places in the specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. References to “or” are furthermore intended as inclusive, so “or” may indicate one or another of the ored terms or more than one ored term.
The back support 100 may include a backsplash 110 and, as shown, for example, in FIGS. 5 and 7-9 described below, a lower back wall 120. The back support 100 may be one piece such that the backsplash 110 and lower back wall 120 are integral. In another embodiment, the backsplash 110 and lower back wall 120 may be formed of a combined two or more pieces, such as the two pieces forming the backsplash 110 and an additional piece forming the lower back wall 120 as shown in the figures. The backsplash 110 may include a wall or portion of a wall and may have various elements attached thereto, such as described herein.
The collapsible toy kitchen 10 may include one or more kitchen components and/or accessories attached to the back support 100. For example, a faucet 112, hooks 114 such as for hanging pots or dishrags, and a clock 116 may be secured to the backsplash 100 of the back support 100. The faucet 112 and clock 116, as well as other elements of the toy kitchen may be considered toys and thus not “work” as their real counterparts, though in an embodiment one or more of those elements may work.
In another embodiment, the back support 100 may include further pieces, such as braces 130 and 140, to provide further structural support to the collapsible toy kitchen 10. The braces 130 and 140 may form sides of the back support 100. The braces 130 and 140 may also serve as legs that will, along with the front legs 430 and 432 of the front wall 400 described below, support the collapsible toy kitchen 10 against the ground.
The back support 100 may further include a shelf 150. The shelf 150 may extend from the backsplash 110. The shelf 150 may include one or more partitions 152 if desired. The shelf 150 may include a hole or other aperture therein, such as the aperture 156 shown by hidden lines in
The kitchen counter 200 may include a countertop 202 and one or more kitchen components. The kitchen components may be positioned on and/or extend through the countertop 202. In an embodiment, the kitchen counter 200 includes the countertop 202, a range 204 secured to the countertop 202, and a sink 206 extending through the countertop 202. The range 204 may be secured to the countertop 202 by being integral therewith or may be attached with an adhesive or other means. The sink 206 may be integral with the countertop 202 or at least partially rest on the countertop 202 while extending through the countertop 202.
The kitchen counter 200 may include a lip 208. The lip 208 may extend from the front edge 210 of the kitchen counter 200. In an embodiment, the countertop 202 is approximately flat and the lip 208 extends approximately perpendicularly to the countertop 202, though the lip 208 may extend at another angle if desired. The lip 208 may include an aperture 212, through which a fastener 214 described below may extend to secure the kitchen counter 200 to the front wall 400 as described below.
The kitchen counter 200 may be pivotably connected to the backsplash 110 or other part of the back support 100, as desired. In one such embodiment, the kitchen counter 200 is pivotably connected to the back support 100 via an attachment, which is a connecting board 220. The connecting board 220 may be attached to the backsplash 110 of the back support 100, such as by screws or other means. The kitchen counter 200 may be connected to the connecting board 220 via one or more hinges 222, allowing the kitchen counter 200 to pivot with respect to the back support 100.
The kitchen counter 200 may be securable to the back support 100 with the fastener 214. In an embodiment, the kitchen counter 200 is securable to the shelf 150 of the back support 100. The kitchen counter 200 may pivot (if the fastener 214 is removed) such that its front edge 210 and lip 208 rotates toward the back support 100 till the aperture 212 of the lip 208 is aligned with the aperture 156 of the shelf 150. The fastener 214 may then be extended through the aperture 212 of the lip 208 and into the aperture 156 on the underside 154 of the shelf 150 to secure the kitchen counter 200 to the back support 100 by securing the kitchen counter 200 to the shelf 150. As described above, the fastener 214 and aperture 156 of the shelf 150 may each be at least partially threaded such that the fastener 214 may be secured at least partially in the aperture 156 to secure the kitchen counter 200 to the shelf 150 such as shown in
As described above, the aperture 156 may extend completely through the shelf 150, as desired. In that embodiment, the kitchen counter 200 may be securable to the shelf 150 with the fastener 214 either extending first through the kitchen counter 200, such as through the aperture 212 of the lip 208, and then through the aperture 156 at the underside 154 of the shelf, or may alternatively extend first through the other side of the shelf 150 and then into the kitchen counter 200. In the latter case, the aperture 212 of the lip 208 may be partially threaded if the fastener 214 is a threaded bolt, though the aperture 212 may be at least partially threaded in the other embodiments herein, if desired.
In an embodiment, the faucet 112 is secured to the back support 100, and more particularly the backsplash 110, in a position such that when the kitchen counter 200 is secured to the shelf 150 with the fastener 214, the faucet 112 extends at least partially into the sink 206, meaning that the faucet 112 (which includes a spout and may or may not include knobs) extends at least partially into the volume contained by the sink 206, such as shown in
The base 300, shown in
As pivotably connected to the back support 100, the base 300 may be able to pivot upward to a position such as shown in
Returning to
The front wall 400 may have controls 420, 422, and 424 connected thereto. The controls 420, 422, and 424 may be rotatable knobs or other controls designed to look like controls for the range 204, an oven (the part of the aforementioned interior compartment adjacent the oven door 402), and a dishwasher (the part of the interior compartment adjacent the dishwasher door). For example, the four controls 420 may be play controls each corresponding to one of the burners of the range 204. The control 422 may be a play control for the oven. The controls 424 may be play controls for the dishwasher. The number of total controls and number of controls assigned to each of the range 204, oven, and dishwasher may vary as desired.
The front wall 400 may include an aperture 426, such as shown in
The front door 400 may include feet 430 and 432, which may, along with the braces 130 and 140 of the back support 100 as described above, rest against a floor and support the collapsible toy kitchen 10 in the expanded position, such as shown in
The side walls 500 and 600 may each be foldable. The side walls 500 and 600 may each be pivotably connected to one or more other parts of the collapsible toy kitchen 10. In an embodiment, the side walls 500 and 600 are each pivotably connected to both the back support 100 and front wall 400. Referring to just the side wall 500 for simplicity but with the understanding that the side wall 600 is similarly constructed and connected, the side wall 500 may be pivotably connected to the brace 130, or another part of the back support 100, and front wall 400 by hinges 502 and 504, respectively. The hinges 502 and 504 may be positioned so they are shown when the collapsible toy kitchen 10 is in the expanded position as in
As mentioned above, the side wall 600 may be similarly constructed and connected as is the side wall 500. Thus, the side wall 600 may be pivotably connected to the back support 100, such as to the brace 140, and the front wall 400, such as by hinges similar to the hinges 502 and 504 associated with the side wall 500. One such hinge similar to one of the hinges 502 is shown in
In an embodiment, the side walls 500 and 600 may each be locked so as to prevent the side walls 500 and 600 from folding when not desired and thus keep the side walls 500 and 600 in an expanded position, such as shown in
In an embodiment, the latch 610 includes a bar 612 attached to the side wall 600, such as by pivotable connection such as a pin 614 attached to the sidewall portion 606. The latch 610 may also include a catch 616, which may include one or more elements attached cantilevered to the side wall 600. In one embodiment, the catch 616 includes two such elements, one attached to the side wall portion 606 and the other attached to the side wall portion 608, though the catch may be another type of catch in another embodiment. As so cantilevered, the bar 612 may be pivoted to rest between each element of the catch 616 and the side wall 600. In that position, the bar 612 may extend between the side wall portions 606 and 608 to keep the side wall 600 in the expanded position, preventing the side wall portions 606 and 608 from pivoting about the pivotable connection that connects each other (akin to the hinges 510 that pivotably connect the side wall portions 506 and 508 of the side wall 500 to each other) and moving in the direction of the interior compartment described herein.
As described above, the collapsible toy kitchen 10 may be collapsed from its expanded position to its collapsed position in which it takes up less space, which may facilitate storage.
As described herein, the base 300 may also be pivoted to its collapsed position.
After the base 300 has been moved to its collapsed position, the side walls 500 and 600 may be folded and thereby moved to their collapsed positions. To fold the side walls 500 and 600, the bars (e.g., bar 612 for side wall 600) of the latches (e.g., latch 610 for side wall 600) attached thereto may be pivoted away from the resting position against their catches (e.g., catch 616 for side wall 600) and the side wall 600.
In the fully collapsed position, the collapsible toy kitchen 10 may have a significantly lesser width than in the expanded position.
The collapsible toy kitchen 10 may be made of various materials. For example, the back support 100, kitchen counter 200, base 300, front wall 400 and side walls 500 and 600 may be mostly made of medium density fiberboard or other wood. The faucet 112, hooks 114, clock 116, sink 206, window 406 for the oven door 402, handles 408 and 414, and controls 420, 422, and 424 may be made of plastic. Other materials may be alternatively or additionally be used for the aforementioned parts and other parts of any of the embodiments of the collapsible toy kitchen 10 herein.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternations could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. For example, in various embodiments, the pivotable connection of the kitchen counter 200 and/or base 300 to the back support 100 may be or include a connection to the braces 130 and 140 or any other part of the back support 100, and the kitchen counter 200 may be securable to any part of the back support 100 with the fastener 214. Accordingly, the particular arrangements, apparatuses, systems, and methods disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention.
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