Patent Application
20060196014
1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure is for a device that detachably holds a dining napkin or other soft object to an article of clothing. Particular to the usage in the training and care of children, the device features rounded edges and corners, and may be constructed from a soft, resilient material for safety concerns.
2. Background
In bringing up children, it is often a great challenge to teach them proper manners at the dining table. Children can be rambunctious and have short attention spans when it comes to sitting still during a meal. It is also common for young children to spill food on themselves when eating. Bibs or trays are commonly used to protect against eating mishaps at a young age, but as a child grows older this quickly becomes impractical and unseemly.
When a child graduates to the use of dining napkins from using bibs, the dining napkin often winds up on the floor numerous times during the course of a meal. This is usually a result of improper posture, a lack of sitting still, or simply because the child is not consciously aware of the napkin on his lap. It would be beneficial to have a device that would act as the proverbial “training wheels” for dining napkins to train a child in their proper use. The device would be used to secure a napkin to a child's clothing to protect against food spillage, and to assist in developing proper eating manners. It is also desirable for the device to be simple and safe to operate, so that even children can use it by themselves.
In attaching a dining napkin to the person, there are numerous napkin holding devices and clips known in the prior art. However, these devices may pose certain dangers when used with a child because they may utilize strong clamping mechanisms and sharp construction, and are only intended for adult use. U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,756 issued to Howard on Oct. 16, 2001, entitled “Clip,” illustrates a device that has large, sharp clamping teeth, which are fully exposed when the device is in the open position. U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,487 issued to Ochsman on Jun. 22, 1999, entitled, “Wearable Clamp for Releaseably Holding a Napkin or Other Flexible Substrate and Method for Wearing a Napkin or Other Flexible Substrate,” is comprised of a planar base hingedly connected to a movable jaw and carries an L-shaped lever and a spring clip. The movable jaw is sharp and the construction has many components.
Other designs utilize a thin cord or string element to suspend the clipped napkin over clothing, which may pose a danger to children if swallowed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,284 issued to Juda et al. on Jan. 7, 2003, entitled “Clothing Protective Device,” discloses a pair of clipping halves that is connected by means of a string or decorative chain which is to be draped around the neck of the user. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,836,899, issued to Glasmire on Jan. 4, 2005, entititled “Device for Detachable Holding an Absorbent Napkin Across the Torso,” describes a device that features magnetic clipping ends that are also connected by a cord. Both devices may not be suitable for use with younger children.
Furthermore, most napkin clips and holders cover only the upper extremities starting from the neck of the user. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,680 issued to Basseches et al. on Jan. 17, 1984, entitled “Napkin Clip,” describes a clip which may be attached to an upper clothing portion below the chin of a wearer. The absorbent napkin is inserted into this tie clip-like device. This device, however, does nothing to train children in the proper etiquette and use of dining napkins, and in fact simply wears the napkin like a bib.
What is needed is a device for securing a napkin to a child's clothing, which is used to teach the child how to behave at the dining table like grown-ups. It helps in establishing correct eating manners, encourage proper posture during the meal, and teaches the proper usage of dining napkins.
a is a cross sectional view of
a shows a top view of the embodiment of
b shows a side view of the embodiment of
c shows a side view of the embodiment of
The edges and corners of the body 102 are rounded to provide safety. In alternate embodiments, the body 102 may be coated in a soft covering to further aid in safety.
In alternate embodiments, the gripping components 202a and 202b may have patterns that aid in gripping, such as small ridges or teeth.
A dining napkin may be gripped by the clip and remain secured to an article of clothing, as long as the child does not exhibit excessive movements during the meal. It is not an object of the invention to provide a gripping force that can withstand such movements, but rather aid the child in developing proper eating manners and napkin usage by reinforcement. If the napkin does slip from the clip, the child can be informed gently that he is not behaving properly at the dining table, such as not staying still, letting his legs slip off the chair, or generally not maintaining a good sitting posture.
In a further embodiment depicted in
Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the invention as described and hereinafter claimed is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
