Patent Application
20130257031
The present invention relates to foam book design for children of early ages, where cutout manipulative pieces from the foam pages allow for playing in a puzzle-like fashion. The foam pages are collected together in an interlocking manner and can be looped around the rings or disk-shaped objects along the cutout side holes on each foam page.
Different types of children foam books are available on the market and there are a number of patents in this regard.
Notably, Derraugh U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,507 patent, Kaufman U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,932 patent, and Kaufman U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,665 patent all provided the disclosure of foam books for young children. However, these prior art patents did not allow any particular foam page(s) to be independently selected and taken out for play, due to the binding means used.
The prior art patent of Legrand U.S. Pat. No. 7,258,367 taught the construction of a “loosely bound” foam book, where a binding strap closure strap (4) is used to string through the binder slots(2) of the foam pages. Though such “strap through slot” structure allows for the foam pages to be taken out, it lacks the ease and the convenience of the interlocking means disclosed in present invention.
Present invention specifically teaches the structure to allow individual elements of the foam book to be taken out for individual play purpose, due to the interlocking means adopted herein.
An object of present invention is to provide a children's foam book where the individual pages can be taken out for independent play and then easily put back into the same or a different position, due to the interlocking mechanism used.
There is no distinction between a “front” page or a “back” page, as there is no “binding” means used, as disclosed and discussed by known prior art patents or products.
Another object of present invention is to provide a manipulative cutout piece from a foam page, where a hole or a recess of corresponding shape is made, so that said cutout piece can be fitted back into the foam page, in a puzzle-fitting fashion.
Yet another object of present invention is to allow the materials used, both the foam pages and the interlocking disk-oriented objects or rings, to be washable and also safe of children's inadvertent chewing, thus enhancing the sanity safety for the play-to-learn activities of children using presenting invention.
As shown in
Said side holes 79 are sized to fit the sliding engagement of a plurality of disk-shaped objects 20 or rings 30.
For said plurality of disk-shaped objects 20, the edge of which will be made to be ribbed, to provide the engaging fitting to said cut-out side holes 79. See
A ring of ribbed peripheral edge 25 is formed along the outside periphery of said disk-shaped object 20. Said ribbed edge 25 is sized to fit the cut-out side holes 79, so as to form an easy interlocking means between said disk-shaped objects 20 and the foam pages 80, and allowing for individual disassociation of any selected foam page 80 to be taken out for independent play.
In the mid portion of each foam page 80, a cut-out manipulative piece 40 may be made, resulting in a corresponding cut-out hole 84 on said foam page 80. The manipulative piece 40 can be fitted into said cut-out hole 84, like a puzzle piece fitting fashion.
Foam pages 80 are not bound together, by any binding means. The foam book 100 of present invention thus contains all the foam pages 80 in an interlocking fashion and these foam pages 80 can freely loop around the rings 30 or the disk-shaped objects 20.
Moreover, the design of no-binding means to present invention allows any of the foam pages 80 to be easily taken out from the rings 30 or the disk-shaped objects 20.
Also, the foam pages 80 of present invention loop around the rings 30 or disk-shaped objects 20 with no distinction of any front or back cover page.
The materials used for the foam pages 80, the cutout manipulative pieces 40, the rings 30 and the disk-shaped objects 20 are all washable and are safe for children's inadvertent chewing.
