Patent Application
20180303181
This application is directed, in general, to the modeling and displaying of clothing, accessories, makeup, and other personal articles worn and used by people, as a means of helping people learn about themselves.
The present invention is used to help teach people of all ages and backgrounds about themselves and assists them in coping with a complex world. The invention is essentially a reconstruction of the human form that is custom made to represent the person who owns it. The representation may be as a caricature of a person or a more realistic representation.
The invention has features which allow a person to quickly modify the form by changing its position, adding articles of clothing and accessories, changing hairstyle, and applying makeup and nail polish. Labels can be placed upon different parts of the form to teach children sight words related to the human body. Additionally, details of the human anatomy can be added for additional educational benefits.
Illustrative embodiments of the 2D form of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which are incorporated by reference herein and wherein:
In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical structural, mechanical, electrical, and chemical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. To avoid detail not necessary to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the description may omit certain information known to those skilled in the art. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the claims. Unless otherwise indicated, as used throughout this document, “or” does not require mutual exclusivity.
For the purpose of this detailed description, references will be made to two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) forms of parts of the human body. To the extent that the various forms of the human body may be made from board-like material (plywood, particle board and the like), generally planar in construction, and lacking significant depth (less than 1 inch for example) as compared to width and height (several inches to several feet), these forms will be described as 2D forms. The detailed description herein goes generally to 2D forms of the present invention, but 3D variations are easily conceptualized as being made from larger pieces of whole material or sculpted, formed, or cast from molds and forms.
The present invention is the creation of a personalized human form of a known person, with facial and body features added by color of paint, chalk, and other artistic materials, and forms sized proportionally to the known person. Fabric and similar craft materials may be used to replicate human features such as but not limited to hair, eyes, nose, lips, and ears. The end product may be a realistic model of the person or else a caricature form of that person depending on requested features. The invention, once fully assembled, may be left intact or else taken apart and stored away when not needed. Generally the present invention will be held upright by a separate stand intended for such purpose as the invention may not be capable of self-support in certain embodiments.
As described herein, the present invention is generally made up of fourteen individual pieces: one head form (101), one torso form (102), two upper arm forms (103 and 106), two lower arm forms (104 and 107), two hand forms (105), two upper leg forms (109), two lower leg forms (110), and two foot forms (111 and 112). Additional forms not depicted herein could include fingers, toes, and other common appendages if desired. The forms are generally put together so as to resemble the human form. In some embodiments of the invention some of the various form parts may be combined into a single form, such as but not limited to a single arm form comprising an upper and lower arm form or else comprising an upper and lower arm form and hand form, or other similar combination of forms. Another embodiment of the invention is only a single form of the entire human body (as depicted in
Combining the forms together to resemble a human form may occur in several different ways. The forms may be combined in a rigid way by an adhesive such as glue, polymer cement, hook and loop fasterner such as Velcro, or similar materials that do not allow movement when the two forms are connected. Alternatively, the forms may be held together with joints such as but not limited to hinges, gliding joints, and ball and sock joints that allow movement of one form relative to another form.
To allow a user of the invention to attach various articles to it, any or all of the several forms used may have magnetic materials such as but limited to steel embedded within the form. Such forms may also have one portion of a a hook and loop fastener on the surface. In this way, a user could attach or connect certain items by magnet or by hook/loop fastener. Other fastener devices known to those skilled in the art could also be applied to the surface of the forms for the purpose of attaching various articles. An example of such use would be to use a hook and loop fastern to secure a wig or other similar fabric to the head form. A user could then experiment with different wigs or fabrics to achieve a desired look. Similarly, a fastener such as a hook or loop may be attached to the back of the torso or to the back or top of the head to allow placement on a stand or attachment to a wall or similar rigid structure. Item 115 shows a triangular form attached to the back of the 2D form to allow the form to stand upright on its own.
In some non-limiting embodiments of the invention, it may be desireable to apply makeup, nail polish, or other similar temporary product ordinarily used by people and applied to the body. To facilitate the application and removal of such products, a water based polycryclic protection finish, such as from Minwax, can be added to certain forms such as the face and hands.
To allow for display of common home electronics a cut-out may be added to any of the forms. As a non-limiting example,
In this way the invention can be further enhanced by the user adding speakers, alarms, or other devices as desired. To the extent the addition of electronic equipment adds additional depth to the invention, the addition of said inner chamber to an otherwise 2D form of the invention does not materially change the 2D characteristic, it will simply be obvious when viewed from the side. Conversely, electronics placed will be concealed in a 3D version of the invention where any of the forms have substantial depth as compared to the width and height.
