1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toy, more particularly to a learning toy for young children that provides a variety of games for playing as well as for developing learning and cognitive skills in children.
2. Description of the Related Art
With reference to
According to the construction described above, the face panel 12 and the picture card 13 are assembled to and disassembled from the base 11 by inserting or withdrawing the same from the elongate channels 123 of the base 11. If the face panel 12 were considerably large, such inserting and withdrawing operations would evidently be quite difficult and require considerable effort. Moreover, because the peg elements 14 are attached onto the face panel 12 by fitting the projections 122 on the face panel 12 into the respective recesses 142 of the peg elements 14, the stability of the connection will be affected if the depth of connection is limited. Therefore, the face panel 12 is suitable only for attachment of lightweight and small peg elements 14 thereon. In terms of the teaching function, the board unit 1 provides no more than the general function of fitting the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle on a board, in which variations are manifestly insufficient. The present invention is thus contrived in an attempt to alleviate the above shortcomings of the prior art.
Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a learning toy for children in which toy elements can be stably and firmly attached onto a board assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a toy-game kit in which a variety of games for playing as well as for developing learning and cognitive skills of children are incorporated therein.
Accordingly, the learning toy according to the present invention comprises a board assembly having a plurality of perforations, and at least one toy element provided with a stud member for insertion into one of the perforations so as to attach the toy element onto the board assembly. In the preferred embodiments, the board assembly includes a base and a face panel removably superposed on the base, the base being provided with a plurality of perforations and the face panel being provided with a plurality of perforations respectively aligned with the perforations of the base, and a plurality of toy elements each having a head and a stud member connected to the head are provided, the heads being of various forms and configurations for attachment onto the board assembly to form a combination corresponding to a pattern, or to provide various games for playing.
In a further aspect, the present invention provides a toy-game kit which includes the board assembly and the plurality of toy elements described above.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
A first preferred embodiment of the learning toy according to the present invention is shown in
In the first preferred embodiment shown, the board assembly 2 includes a base 21 provided with a plurality of perforations 231 formed through the thickness of the base 21 and a transparent face panel 22 removably superposed on the base 21 and provided with a plurality of perforations 232 which are aligned with the perforations 231 of the base 2 (see
The base 21 has a front side 211 formed with a recessed portion 212 for receiving the face panel 22 and one of pattern cards 24 selected, and a back side 217. The recessed portion 212 is defined by a pair of opposed first walls 213, 214 and a pair of opposed second walls 215, and two notched portions 216 are formed respectively on the pair of opposed second walls 215.
The face panel 22 has two opposed sides 221 each formed with a lug 222 projecting into one of the notched portions 216 when the face panel 21 is assembled with the base 21. A user may insert a finger into the notched portion 216 of the base 21 and grip the lug 222 therein, thus making it convenient for the user to hold the face panel 22.
The positioning unit 4 includes a plurality of slots 41 formed on one of the first walls 214, which is the lower wall, of the base 21, a plurality of projections 42 formed on a lower edge 223 of the face panel 22 for insertion into the slots 41, and two fixing members 43 rotatably mounted on the other first wall 213, which is the upper wall, of the base 21. The fixing members 43 each have a stop 431 and may be rotated such that the stop 431 projects over the face panel 22 so as to hold the face panel 22 in place with the base 21, or is moved away from the face panel 22 so that the face panel 22 can be removed from the recessed portion 212 of the base 21. Thus, to position and fix the face panel 21 onto the base 21 with a pattern card 24 interposed therebetween, the desired or selected pattern card 24 is placed in the recessed portion 212 of the base 21, then the face panel 22 is overlaid on the pattern card 24 with the projections 42 fitted into the respective slots 41 to place the face panel 22 in position, and finally the fixing members 43 are rotated until each of the stops 431 projects over the face panel 22, thereby positioning the face panel 22 and the pattern card 24 onto the base 21.
The toy elements 3 each further include a head which is connected to the stud member 32 and which is configured in different forms. In the present embodiment, the toy elements 3 each have a geometrically shaped head 31 integral with the stud member 32, the geometrically shaped heads 31 of the toy elements 3 being of such shapes as rounded, square, isosceles triangle or crescent-shape, as shown in
Alternatively, the pattern card 24 may be eliminated, and the toy elements 3 may be freely and randomly selected and combined to form a pattern or picture as envisaged by a child player.
A second preferred embodiment of the learning toy is shown in
A third preferred embodiment of the learning toy is shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
With reference to
Furthermore, a plurality of storage cases 54 may be mounted on the support frame assembly 5, for storing the toy elements 3.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toy-game kit which includes the board assembly 2 and the various toy elements 3 in the embodiments illustrated in
It can be appreciated from the foregoing that the learning toy as well as the toy-game kit according to the present invention have the following advantages and effects:
First of all, in the present invention, the face panel 22 is directly received in the recessed portion 212 of the base 21, with the projections 42 on the face panel 22 fitted in the respective slots 212 on the base 21, thus positioning the face panel 22. The fixing members 43 are then rotated to abut against the face panel 22, thus fixing the face panel 22 in place. The above operation is reversed to remove the face panel 22 from the base 21. Evidently, the positioning and removal of the face panel 22 are quite simple and easy.
Secondly, in the present invention, the board assembly 2 which is made up of the base 21 and the face panel 22 results in a thickness that provides for greater insertion depth of the various stud members 32,38 which are used to attach the heads of the toy elements 3 onto the board assembly 2. This enhances the stability and firmness of attachment so that variable configurations and sizes of the heads of the toy elements 3 may be attached onto the board assembly. As a result, numerous variations and different ways of playing are possible with the present invention. Thus, the games are not only made more interesting but can also train agility of the fingers of young children, stimulate brain power and arouse creativity in young children, as well as help young children develop independent thinking. The present invention is thus educational as well as recreational.
It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The present examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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2961786 | Lowmaster | Nov 1960 | A |
3175825 | Ehret | Mar 1965 | A |
3594940 | Yonezawa | Jul 1971 | A |
3845590 | Ertl | Nov 1974 | A |
4183167 | Jatich | Jan 1980 | A |
4488034 | Stephens et al. | Dec 1984 | A |
4536980 | Fleming | Aug 1985 | A |
4986756 | Yamaguchi | Jan 1991 | A |
4993984 | Matarese | Feb 1991 | A |
6378232 | Creech | Apr 2002 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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1 091 109 | Apr 1955 | FR |
1 576 436 | Aug 1969 | FR |
2 570 612 | Mar 1986 | FR |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20050227573 A1 | Oct 2005 | US |