Patent Application
20110084038
The presently-disclosed subject matter relates to devices for holding bath toys. In particular, the presently-disclosed subject matter relates to devices for holding bath toys that include a receptacle attached to a mounting plate through the use of posts and caps.
In most households, bathtubs are small, confined spaces that play host to a variety of personal items including shampoos, soaps, and the like. As such, there is generally a limited amount of storage space available for additional items, such as bath toys for children. Many parents frequently provide their children with toys to play with during bath time and to make bath time an enjoyable occasion for the children. However, many problems frequently arise from providing children with bath toys during bath time because these toys are often left lying on the bottom of the bathtub after they are used.
Leaving toys on surface of bathtub not only creates a cluttered and disorganized space that must be cleaned up before a subsequent individual takes a bath or a shower, it also increases the risk for mold and mildew formation on the bathtub and on the bath toys themselves. Indeed, the moist surfaces that remain on the bottom of a bathtub after taking a bath provide a damp environment for mold and mildew to form and proliferate. This formation of mold and mildew poses a significant health risk for individuals, especially young children. To that end, numerous devices have been designed and manufactured for storing and draining wet bath toys, which allow parents to avoid the inconvenient task of rinsing, drying, and storing the toys after every bath.
However, currently-available bath toy storage devices are less than sufficient. Many of the bath toy storage devices that are currently available are comprised of plastic structures that only contain a few holes in select portions of the devices for draining water from the bath toys. As such, a requisite amount of air can not flow through the bath toy storage devices and some bath water inevitably remains on the toys and within the bath toy storage devices, thus encouraging mold and mildew formation. Furthermore, many of the current designs for bath toy storage devices are large and cumbersome, or cannot be easily removed from the bathtub itself or from the walls of a bath room, thus making it difficult to remove and clean the devices. In any event, known devices for holding bath toys fail to adequately address the problem of mold and mildew formation, or sufficiently provide a means to easily remove and clean the device, which is also of great importance.
The presently-disclosed subject matter includes devices for holding bath toys.
In one exemplary embodiment, a device for holding bath toys is provided that comprises a flexible receptacle having a back panel and a front panel adjoined by opposing sides and a bottom of the receptacle, a portion of which is formed of a mesh material. The top portion of the back panel defines at least two openings and, in conjunction with the upper edge of the front panel, defines the open end of the receptacle. A mounting plate is further provided that includes at least two posts on a first side of the mounting plate, which can be inserted into the openings in the top portion of the back panel, and a means for attaching the mounting plate to a wall. At least two caps, each defining a bore for receiving the post, can then be inserted onto the posts to secure the receptacle to the mounting plate. In some embodiments, the back surface of each cap is wider in diameter then the openings in the top portion of the back panel such that the receptacle can not be easily pulled over the caps and removed from the mounting plate.
In some exemplary embodiments of the presently-disclosed devices for holding bath toys, the caps are selectively removable from the posts. In some embodiments, the posts on the mounting plate are threaded such that they can be received by corresponding threads in the bore of each cap. Further, in some embodiments, a means for interlocking each cap to each threaded post is provided such that the cap can be secured to the threaded post after it is twisted on. In some embodiments, the means for interlocking each cap to each threaded post comprises at least one threaded segment on a post that extends in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the post and further comprises at least one groove in the threaded bore of the cap that receives the threaded segment of the post.
In some embodiments, the caps of the presently-disclosed devices for holding bath toys further include a hooked portion that extends from a bottom portion of the cap and can be used for hanging a bathtub accessory. In such embodiments, the bottom portion of each cap further comprises an aperture from draining liquid from a concave portion of the cap such that bath water or other liquids do not collect in the concave portion of the cap.
To attach an exemplary device for holding bath toys to a wall or other surfaces such as a bath tub door, or the like, various means can be included on the mounting plate. In some (e.g., back) embodiments, a plurality of suction cups, such as four suction cups, are attached to a second side of the mounting plate and are used to attach the mounting plate to an appropriate surface. In some embodiments, at least two holes are defined by the mounting plate and are spaced at predetermined intervals along the length of the mounting plate such that screws or the like can be inserted into the holes and used to attach the mounting plate to a wall.
In some exemplary embodiments of the presently-disclosed device for holding bath toys, the receptacles are comprised of various materials to facilitate the use of an exemplary device for holding bath toys. In some embodiments, the back panel and the front panel can be comprised of neoprene material. In some embodiments, various portions of the receptacle, such as the bottom, sides, or a portion of the back panel, are comprised of mesh such that water can easily drain off of bath toys located within the receptacle. Further, in some embodiments, a mesh window is included in the front panel of the receptacle to allow users to view one or more toys located within the receptacle.
The presently-disclosed devices for holding bath toys allow a receptacle to be easily attached and secured to a variety of different walls or surfaces, but yet still allow for the receptacles to be easily removed and cleaned. Further, the presently-disclosed devices for holding bath toys can comprise a variety of mesh portions that allow the toys placed within the receptacle to dry, thus preventing mold and mildew formation.
Advantageously, in various alternative embodiments, the presently-disclosed devices are made of a material which dries quickly, e.g., neoprene, and the material is machine washable. Further, in various forms, the device is composed of a material which is stretchable, so as to expand to fit bath toys. In addition, in various embodiments, advantageously, the device has a wide opening at the top to allow one to easily place and remove bath toys from the device's receptacle.
The presently-disclosed subject matter includes devices for holding bath toys. In particular, the presently-disclosed subject matter includes devices for holding bath toys that include a receptacle attached to a mounting plate through the use of posts and caps.
Referring now to
In some embodiments, to further secure the posts 32,34 to each cap 50,52 a means for interlocking each cap 50,52 to each threaded post 32,34 is provided. Still referring to
In some exemplary embodiments of the presently-disclosed devices for holding bath toys, the caps 50,52 can further comprises additional features to facilitate the use of an exemplary device 10 in a bathtub setting. For example, as illustrated in
Referring now to
Regardless of whether the holes 42,44 or the plurality of suction cups 38 are used to secure an exemplary mounting plate 30 to a wall, to install an exemplary device 10 for holding bath toys, the mounting plate 30 must first be secured to an appropriate wall, such as a glass or tile wall of a bathroom. In one exemplary implementation, where four suction cups 38 are used to attach the mounting plate 30 to a wall, a glass or tile bathroom wall surface is first cleaned and the center of each of the suction cups 38 are lightly wetted. The mounting plate, with the four attached suction cups, is then pressed firmly against the wall such that the mounting plate is secured to the glass or tile surface. After a sufficient amount of time has passed (e.g., 10 min) to allow the suction cups to completely adhere to the wall, the receptacle 12 is then hung on the posts 32,34 of the mounting plate 30 through the two openings 26,28 in the top portion 24 of the back panel 14. The caps 50, 52 including a hooked portion 60 are then inserted onto the posts by positioning each cap 50,52 onto each threaded post 32,34 with the hook portion 60 of each cap facing downward. The caps are then turned 180° clockwise such that the threaded bore 54 of each cap 50,52 engages the corresponding threaded portions of each post 32,34, and the caps 50,52 are secured to the post with the hooked portion 60 facing upward.
An exemplary receptacle 12 of the presently-disclosed devices for holding bath toys is typically fabricated from a flexible material, such as a synthetic material, in order to provide a receptacle that dries quickly and is machine-washable. Various synthetic materials can be used in accordance with the presently-disclosed subject matter and include synthetic materials such as synthetic fibers, neoprene, and the like. Advantageously, the material is machine washable.
In some embodiments, the back panel 14 and the front panel 16 of the receptacle 12 are each fabricated from a neoprene material. By fabricating the back panel 14 and front panel 16 of a neoprene material, an exemplary receptacle 12 can be provided that not only dries quickly and is machine washable, but that is also capable of expanding such that the receptacle 12 and its open end 25 are able to stretch to hold and to provide access to a variety of different bath toys of varying shapes and sizes. To further enhance the ability of the presently-disclosed devices for holding bath toys to hold a variety of different bath toys of varying shapes and sizes, in some embodiments, the opposing sides 16,18 of the receptacle 12 comprise a pair of gussets such that the open end 25 is narrower than the bottom 22 of the receptacle 12, as illustrated in
In order to allow toys held within the presently-disclosed devices for holding bath toys to dry, an exemplary receptacle 12 is also comprised, at least in part, of a mesh material that allows water and other bath liquids to drain from the toys and also allows air to circulate within the receptacles so that the bath toys dry between uses. As noted herein, in some exemplary embodiments, at least a portion of the bottom 22 of the receptacle 12 is formed of a mesh material. In some embodiments, and as shown in
Referring still to
Further provided in some embodiments of the presently-disclosed devices for holding bath toys are a pair of opposing side panels 74,76 that are adjoined to an end of the opposing sides 16,18, the front panel 16, and back panel 14 of an exemplary receptacle 12. In some embodiments, the pair of opposing side panels 74,76 further define the open end 25 of the receptacle 12 to provide a roomier open end 25 that allows an individual to more readily access one or more bath toys that may be held within the receptacle 12. Further, by providing opposing side panels 74,76 in embodiments where the opposing sides 18, 20 and the bottom 22 form a continuous mesh, the side panels 74,76 effectively prevent the continuous mesh from tearing that may otherwise occur when an individual is placing or removing bath toys from the receptacle.
The above-described devices for holding bath toys provide a useful means to collect and store bath toys that may otherwise be left lying in the bottom of a bathtub. The presently-disclosed devices for holding bath toys can be readily installed and removed from a variety of bathroom walls and, by providing a receptacle that is removable from a mounting plate, the receptacle itself may be easily removed and cleaned without having to uninstall the entire device. Furthermore, by providing a receptacle that is comprised of neoprene and mesh, as opposed to a plastic receptacle, receptacles are provided that not only allow the receptacles and toys held within them to dry quickly, but that are also are bisphenol A (BPA)- and phthalate-free, which is of great importance in reducing the health risks associated with these two chemicals. Additionally, fabricating the devices out of a flexible neoprene material allows the devices to be fabricated in a variety of different colors to make bath time a more enjoyable occasion for children.
One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional embodiments are also possible without departing from the teachings of the presently-disclosed subject matter. This detailed description, and particularly the specific details of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein, is given primarily for clarity of understanding, and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom, for modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure and can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the presently-disclosed subject matter.
