LIGHT-UP TOY ASSEMBLY WITH MULTIPLE PLAY COMPONENTS

Abstract

A light-up toy with multiple play components includes an outer toy configured to contain both a viscous, squishy, gooey substance such as “slime” and a removable inner toy, the inner toy including a flexible sleeve having a toy shape, and the flexible sleeve surrounding a lighting module that includes at least one light source, such as an LED, a power source made up of one or more button cells, and circuitry and components for activating the at least one LED in response to an external stimulus, such as motion or an impact of the outer toy or the removable inner toy against a surface.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a light-up toy assembly that may be disassembled into multiple play components.

More specifically, the invention relates to a toy assembly made up of a light-up inner toy and an outer vessel through which a light source contained in the inner toy may be viewed when the light-up inner toy is suspended in the outer vessel by a viscous, squishy, oozy play material. Both the light-up inner toy and the viscous, squishy, oozy play material may be removed from the outer vessel for separate play.

In a preferred embodiment, the light-up inner toy may include a power source and motion or impact sensing circuitry to activate the light source when the first toy is within the outer vessel and motion or an impact is detected, or when the first toy has been removed from the outer vessel and motion or impact is detected. Optionally, the light-up inner toy may be made up of a lighting module, which includes the light source, power source, and circuitry, and a flexible sleeve configured to form the inner toy when fitted over the light source containing module. The outer vessel may also be shaped as a toy, although the shape of the outer vessel is not limited to toy shapes.

The invention thus provides a light-up toy assembly that offers up to three play modes: (i) play with the light-up first toy separately from the outer vessel and the viscous, squishy, oozy material; (ii) play with the viscous, squishy, oozy material separately from the outer vessel and the first toy; and (iii) play with the outer vessel having the first toy and the viscous, squishy, oozy play material contained within to form a second light-up toy.

The viscous, squishy, oozy material may be the substance known to toy manufacturers as “slime,” which is conventionally made up of various combinations of nontoxic alcohol group containing polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol or polysaccharide guar gum, a coloring agent, and a gelling agent such as sodium tetraborate.

2. Description of Related Art

2a. Slime

The term “slime” as used herein refers to a conventional toy product introduced in February 1976, that consists of a non-toxic viscous, squishy and oozy green or other color material made primarily from guar gum. Different variations of slime have been released over the years, including slime containing rubber insects, eyeballs, and worms, as well as slime that is not contained in any enclosure but simply intended to indulge a child's desire to play with or create a gooey mess, without causing permanent damage to skin, clothes, furniture or the play area. It continues to be a popular toy.

2b. Light-Up Flashing Balls and Toys

Impact or motion activated light-up toys, such a balls, are well known and widely available. Such motion or impact activated light-up toys conventionally include one or more LEDs, at least one small power cell, and a motion sensing switch and circuitry sealed within the toy for safety. The switch closes the power circuit and causes the LED to turn on or flash for a predetermined period, such as a few seconds, when the switch is caused to close because the toy has been moved or caused to impact or bounce off of a surface.

An example of a ball or other object with a flashing LED arrangement is disclosed in U.K. Patent Publication No. 2,242,364. The circuit includes two LEDs and a circuit for causing the LEDs to flash at predetermined frequency and intensity in response to closing of a switch. The LEDs and circuitry may be embedded in a spherical elastomer to form a ball, or other devices such a toy sword or crossing guard's stop sign. U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,445 discloses a similar ball in which is embedded a pair of LEDs and a flasher circuit, but adds a motion sensor to activate the flasher circuit when the ball is bounced.

2c. Compound Toys

Compound or nested toys that include toys within toys, or that transform into different objects, and also well-known and widely available. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,203,393 discloses a type of toy in which a character is visible within the toy, the character being removable from the toy for separate play. The toy is modular and may be manipulated to represent different objects. Another example of a toy within a toy is the spherical space station of U.S. Pat. No. 8,182,207, from which a spaceship can be removed. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,580 discloses a yoyo made of a clear plastic material through which removable toy figures may be viewed, while U.S. Pat. No. 9,931,579 discloses a ball with removable toys enclosed within the ball, some of which are enclosed within plastic sleeves.

2d. Compound Toys that Include Slime

A variety of toys that combine slime and non-illuminated toy-shaped objects are available for online purchase. These include an egg-shaped object that contains slime and a spider, an egg-shaped object that contains slime and a dinosaur fossil toy, and a cylindrical container that contains slime and a Ghostbuster character. In addition, it is known to include a lighting module that is in addition to the non-illuminated inner toy, for example by including both the lighting module and a dinosaur-shaped toy in a slime-filled egg-shaped object. The lighting module illuminates the outer container, but is not intended for separate play and does not illuminate the inner toy.

None of these conventional compound toys includes a removable inner toy that lights up, much less an inner light-up toy that is visible through the housing of the outer toy, and that is accompanied by slime to provide additional play possibilities.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a first objective of the invention to provide a toy that provides a variety of play options to enhance the play experience.

It is a second objective of the invention to provide a toy with multiple play possibilities, and yet that is safe, simple in construction, and inexpensive to manufacture.

It is a third objective of the invention to provide a new type of toy that combines impact activated lighting and toy-within-a-toy concepts with a viscous, squishy, gooey play substance such as slime to provide a new play experience with fun aspects of all three types of toy.

One or more of these objectives is achieved by a preferred embodiment of the invention in which the toy is made up of an outer vessel configured to contain both the viscous, squishy, gooey substance and a removable light-up inner toy, the light-up inner toy including at least one light source, such as an LED, a power source made up of one or more button cells, and circuitry and components for activating the at least one LED in response to an external stimulus, such as motion or an impact of the outer toy or the removable inner toy against a surface.

In an exemplary implementation of the preferred embodiment, the outer vessel may include a main body with an opening and a closure configured to be removably coupled to the main body to close the opening, for example by mating external and internal threads, thereby forming an interior space, the main body being made of a transparent material through which the inner toy and the viscous, squishy, gooey substance may be viewed when inserted into the main body through the opening, and through which the at least one light source is visible when activated.

Also in the exemplary implementation, the inner toy may include a flexible sleeve having a toy shape, the flexible sleeve surrounding a lighting module that includes the above LED, power source made up of one or more button cells, and circuitry and components for activating the at least one LED in response to an external stimulus.

Optionally, the lighting module of this implementation may be provided with a plurality of LEDs of different colors, the LEDs being soldered or connected to both sides of a circuit board that also includes motion or impact sensing and flasher circuit, as well as contacts of the one or more button cells that make up the power source.

The lighting module of this implementation may include a rigid transparent housing through which the at least one light source is visible but that is sealed to prevent a child from accessing the power source or circuitry. The rigid transparent housing may be spherical in shape to facilitate fitting of the sleeve over the housing. Different sleeves representing different objects or characters may be fitted over the same lighting module to form a variety of different inner toys.

In use, when the main body of the outer housing is filled with the viscous, squishy, gooey substance and the inner toy has been inserted through the opening, the outer housing may be played with as a discrete unit that lights up or flashes for a predetermined period upon movement or impact. The color of the gooey substance and the shape of the inner toy enhances the appearance of the outer toy. The closure prevents the gooey substance from oozing out of the outer housing during play or storage.

When the closure is opened, the viscous, squishy, gooey substance and the inner toy may be removed from the outer housing and played with separately, with the inner toy retaining the ability to light up upon motion or impact. When play is completed, the viscous, squishy, gooey substance can be inserted back into the outer housing through the opening, followed by coupling or the closure to the main body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view showing parts of an outer toy constructed in accordance with the principles of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a spherical lighting module for the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a sleeve into which the spherical light module of FIG. 2 is placed to form an inner toy.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an inner toy made up of the spherical lighting module of FIG. 2 and the sleeve of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing the outer toy of FIG. 1, into which has been placed the inner toy of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing the assembled toy of FIG. 5, into which a viscous, squishy, gooey substance in the form of “slime” has also been placed.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the assembled toy of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a different perspective view of the assembled toy of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an assembled toy with alternative shapes for the outer toy and the inner toy's sleeve.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows an outer vessel 1 in the form of a transparent container made up of a main body 2 and a closure 3. Main body 2 includes a neck 4 having one or more external threads 5, while closure 3 includes one or more internal threads 6 configured to be threaded onto external threads 5 of the neck 4 in order to secure the closure 3 to the main body 2 and thereby provide a closed container.

At least the main body 2 preferably includes or is made of a transparent material such as acrylic or Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or polypropylene (PP), through which the contents of the main body 2 are visible. Closure 3 may be made of a transparent, translucent, or opaque material, and may be colored. When assembled together, main body 2 and closure 3 may have a shape of a toy, although it will be appreciated that the shape of the outer vessel may be varied in numerous ways, including decorative container shapes that are not traditionally considered to be toy shapes, as well as shapes of characters or animals, vehicles, or any other object or item that a child may wish to play with. The illustrated configuration is, for example, a representation of a narwhal. The container main body 2 and/or the closure 3 may include markings, such as markings 7 which, in the illustrated example, give the impression of eyes. Markings 7 may be printed, painted, in the form of decals, or otherwise added to the main body to enhance the appearance of the toy. Additional appendages, such as the illustrated “horn” 8 may also be added to provide a desired appearance.

It will be appreciated that the inclusion of a neck and threads to secure the closure 3 to the main body 2 is not intended to be limiting, and that other means for securing the closure 3 to the main body 2 may be substituted. The coupling between the closure 3 and main body 2 should be sufficiently secure to prevent the contents of the container, and in particular slime, from unintentionally flowing out of the container, and yet should be capable of being opened by any person, including a small child, who wishes to access and remove the contents of the main body 2 of the outer vessel 1.

The light-up inner toy 20 shown in FIGS. 4-8 may include a toy shaped housing that contains lighting components as described below, or a modular toy assembly made up of a separate lighting module 10 and sleeve 18.

In the illustrated implementation, the light-up inner toy includes a lighting module 10 which, as shown in FIG. 2 is a discrete unit that contains a power source, illustrated as three stacked button cells 11 positioned between a first contact (not shown) on a circuit board 12 and a second contact 13 extending from the circuit board 13. Three light sources in the form of LEDs 14 also extend from the circuit board and are visible through the housing 15 of the lighting module 10. Like the main body 2, lighting module housing 15 may be made of a non-toxic, rigid, transparent material, such as an acrylic, PMMA, PC, PET, or PP. The circuit board may be permanently sealed within the module 10 to prevent access by a child. The LEDs may have one or more different colors.

Included on the circuit board 13, but not shown, is circuitry for causing the LEDs to illuminate in response to motion or impact. In addition, the circuitry may include flasher circuitry for turning the lights on and off, and circuitry that limits the continuous activation or flashing to a predetermined interval of time, such as a few seconds. Such circuitry is well-known and commercially available, as are the LEDs 14, printed circuit board 13, the contacts, and button cells 11.

The housing 15 of lighting module 10 may have a spherical shape, which allows it to be most easily fitted into the sleeve 18 shown in FIG. 3, but the shape of the housing 15 may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention. If the housing 15 already has the shape of a toy, then the flexible sleeve 18 of the illustrated implementation may be dispensed with.

The sleeve 18 of the illustrated implementation is preferably made of a flexible material such as rubber, PP, or PET having a shape, when not stretched, of a character or animal, vehicle, or any other object or item that a child may wish to play with. An opening 19 at the bottom of the sleeve has a diameter smaller than that of the lighting module 10 but sufficient to enable the lighting module 10 to pass through the opening when the sleeve is stretched, so that the sleeve 18 fits over the module 10 and the module 10 is contained within the sleeve to form an inner toy 20, as shown in FIG. 4. The sleeve 18 may be colored so as to appear to be opaque when the module 10 is not inside sleeve 18, or when the module is within the sleeve 18 but not illuminated. However, the sleeve 18 must be thin enough and made of a material capable of transmitting light when the LEDs are activated by motion or impact, so that the lighted LEDs are visible when the module 10 is within the sleeve 18.

Inner toy 20 forms a discrete and complete toy that may be played with by itself when removed from the outer toy 1, and that will illuminate with, for example, attractive flashing color effects when the LEDs 14 within the lighting module 10 are activated. As noted above, it will be appreciated that the housing 15 of the lighting unit may itself have a toy shape, eliminating the need for the additional flexible sleeve 18.

As shown in FIGS. 5-8, the inner toy 20 fits within the outer vessel 1, so that the inner toy 20 is visible through the main body 2 of the outer toy 1. When the outer vessel 1 is moved or impacts a surface, depending on the circuitry included in module 10, the LEDs 14 are activated and the lighting effects exhibited by the activated LEDs 14 are visible through both the sleeve 18 of the inner toy 20 and also the transparent main body 2 of the outer vessel 1.

Preferably, as illustrated in FIGS. 6-8, the inner toy 20 is suspended within the main body 2 by a viscous, squishy, gooey material such as the illustrated “slime” 21, which fills a substantial portion of the interior space of the outer vessel 1, and through which the inner toy 20, and activated LEDs 14 within the inner toy 20, are visible. The slime itself is preferably colored so that it also is visible through the main body 2 while still being sufficiently translucent to transmit light from the activated LEDs 14. Both the slime 21 and the inner toy 20 may be removed from the outer vessel 1 through the opening formed by removal of the closure 3 from the main body 2, allowing separate play with both the slime 21 and the inner toy 20. When play is completed, or when it is desired to play with the outer vessel 1, the slime 21 and/or the inner toy 20 may be placed back into the main body 2 through the opening formed by removing the closure 3.

FIG. 9 show alternative shapes for the inner toy 20′ and outer vessel 1′. The alternative shapes are, by way of example and not limitation, unicorn shapes. The inner toy 20′ shown in FIG. 9 includes a lighting module (not shown) that may be identical to lighting module 10 shown in FIG. 2, and also includes slime 21′. The outer vessel 1′ again includes a main body 2′ and a closure 3′ that also have a shape of, by way of example and not limitation, a unicorn.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the possible shapes or configurations of the inner toy and the outer vessel may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A light-up toy assembly with multiple play components, comprising: an outer vessel including a main body and a closure configured to be coupled to the main body, thereby forming an interior space, wherein at least portion of the main body is made of a transparent material;a light-up inner toy including at least one light source, at least one power source, and circuitry for supplying power from the at least one power source to the at least one light source upon the occurrence of an external stimulus; anda viscous, squishy, gooey play substance containing an alcohol group polymer, a coloring agent, and a gelling agent,wherein the interior space of the outer vessel is configured to removably contain the light-up inner toy and the viscous, squishy, gooey play substance when an opening in the main body is closed by the closure,wherein the at least one light source is visible through the viscous, squishy, gooey play substance, and the transparent material of the main body when the light-up inner toy and the viscous, squishy, gooey play substance are situated within the interior space of the outer toy and the light source is activated by the occurrence of the external stimulus, andwherein the light-up inner toy and the viscous, squishy, gooey play substance are removable from the interior space of the outer toy when the closure is removed from the opening in the main body, thereby enabling the light-up inner toy and the viscous, squishy, gooey play substance to be played with independently of each other and the outer vessel.

2. A light-up toy assembly with multiple play components as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light source includes at least one LED.

3. A light-up toy assembly with multiple play components as claimed in claim 2, wherein the light source includes a plurality of LEDs.

4. A light-up toy assembly with multiple play components as claimed in claim 2, wherein the circuitry includes an impact sensing switch and a flasher circuit that cause the at least one LED to flash for a predetermined period whenever the inner toy is caused to impact a surface and whenever the inner toy is contained within the outer vessel and the outer vessel is caused to impact a surface.

5. A light-up toy assembly with multiple play components as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at least one LED, the impact sensing switch, and the flasher circuit are mounted on a circuit board, and the circuit board is fixed within a transparent spherical housing of the lighting module.

6. A light-up toy assembly with multiple play components as claimed in claim 5, wherein the power source includes at least one button cell.

7. A light-up toy assembly with multiple play components as claimed in claim 6, wherein the power source includes a plurality of button cells stacked on said circuit board and held in place by contact electrically connected to an extending from the circuit board.

8. A light-up toy assembly with multiple play components as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main body includes an externally threaded neck and the closure includes internal threading for engaging the externally threaded neck to removably couple the closure to the main body and close the opening.

9. A light-up toy assembly with multiple play components as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one light source includes multiple light sources of different colors that, when activated are visible through the viscous, squishy, gooey play substance, and the main body of the outer vessel.

10. A light-up toy assembly with multiple play components as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light-up inner toy includes a flexible sleeve and a lighting module that contains the at least one light source, an impact sensing switch, and a flasher circuit fixed within a transparent housing, and wherein the flexible sleeve has a toy shape and fits over the lighting module to form the light-up inner toy.

11. A light-up toy assembly with multiple play components as claimed in claim 10, wherein the transparent housing is spherical.

12. A light-up toy assembly with multiple play components as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main body includes markings and/or appendages arranged to represent features of an object or entity that the main body is configured to resemble.

13. A light-up toy assembly with multiple play components as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polymer is selected from polyvinyl alcohol and polysaccharide guar gum.

14. A light-up combination toy, comprising: an outer toy including a main body and a closure configured to be coupled to the main body, thereby forming an interior space, wherein at least the main body is made of a transparent material;a light-up inner toy; anda substance having a viscous, squishy and oozy texture and containing an alcohol group polymer, a coloring agent, and a gelling agent,wherein the interior space of the outer toy is configured to removably contain the inner toy and the substance having a viscous, squishy and oozy texture when an opening in the main body is closed by the closure,wherein the inner toy and the substance are removable from the interior space of the outer toy when the closure is removed from the opening in the main body, thereby enabling the inner toy and the substance to be played with independently of each other and of the outer toy.

15. (canceled)

16. A light-up combination toy as claimed in claim 14, wherein the polymer is polyvinyl alcohol or polysaccharide guar gum, and the gelling agent is sodium tetraborate.

17. (canceled)

18. A light-up combination toy, comprising: an outer toy including a main body and a closure configured to be coupled to the main body, thereby forming an interior space, wherein at least the main body is made of a transparent material;a lighting module including a housing containing at least one light source, at least one power source, and circuitry for supplying power from the at least one power source to the at least one light source upon the occurrence of an external stimulus;a flexible sleeve that fits over the housing of the lighting module to form an inner toy;wherein the interior space of the outer toy is configured to removably contain the inner toy and a substance having a viscous, squishy and oozy texture when an opening in the main body is closed by the closure,wherein the inner toy and the substance having a viscous, squishy and oozy texture are removable from the interior space of the outer toy when the closure is removed from the opening in the main body, thereby enabling the inner toy and the substance having a viscous, squishy and oozy texture to be played with independently of each other and of the outer toy,wherein the circuitry includes an impact sensing switch and a flasher circuit that cause the at least one LED to flash for a predetermined period whenever the inner toy is caused to impact a surface and whenever the inner toy is contained within the outer toy and the outer toy is caused to impact a surface.