Patent Application
20220184488
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to toys, and more specifically to children's interactive, educational toys that comply with the Montessori method and various safety test requirements as provided by various agencies such as United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”), American Society for Testing and Materials (“ASTM”), etc.
The Montessori Method of education, developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, is a child-centered educational approach based on scientific observations of children from birth to adulthood. Montessori's education method called for free activity within a “prepared environment,” meaning an educational environment tailored to basic human characteristics, to the specific characteristics of children at different ages, and to the individual personalities of each child. The function of the environment is to help and allow the child to develop independence in all areas according to his or her inner psychological directives. To this end, Montessori's method of education focuses on self-directed activity, hands-on learning, and collaborative play. In addition to offering access to the Montessori materials appropriate to the age of the children, the environment generally exhibits the following characteristics: 1) An arrangement that facilitates movement and activity; 2) Beauty and harmony, cleanliness of environment; 3) Construction in proportion to the child and her/his needs; 4) Limitation of materials, so that only material that supports the child's development is included; and 5) Order.
For children aged 0-3 years, toys, to a big extent determine the world around them, are a powerful means of development, up-bringing and education. One major challenge with toys in general is keeping children interested in playing with the toy for more than a short period of time. Montessori school toys are designed to help children develop respect for others and the environment, self-esteem and self-confidence, self-discipline, coordination, independence, social skills, emotional growth, and cognitive preparation. To this end, Montessori toys are designed to be interactive, educational, and comply with the characteristics listed above. The Montessori toys are designed in a manner that allows the children to actively use their imagination and learn while playing with the toys.
For children aged 0-3 the toys not only need to comply with the characteristics listed above but also need to be safe for children to use. However, currently the available Montessori toys fail to do so since they do not conform with the CPSC or ASTM safety requirements. The fact that kids aged 0-3 may get severely injured from toys that are not safe is obvious. For example, if the toys are made using unsafe materials, they may break while the kids are playing with them or the kids may bite the toy and ingest unsafe materials, etc. Such unsafe toys may not just have an effect on the kids' physical health but since toys are such an integral part of such kids' life, especially in a Montessori school setting, the unsafe toys may also erode the kids' trust in themselves and their world; confidence in their emerging abilities; gross motor coordination, fine motor skills, and language skills; and independence in daily tasks.
Accordingly, it is advantageous to have toys that provide both an interactive, educational environment and also comply with the Montessori method and safety requirements as provided by various agencies.
Provided herein are embodiments of interactive, educational toys that comply with the Montessori method and safety requirements as provided by various agencies such as CPSC, ASTM, etc. These toys may be referred to herein as Montessori toys.
In some embodiments, the present disclosure may include a grasping toy that complies with at least American Society for Testing and Materials educational and safety standards, comprising: a ring shape wooden body having an inside opening, wherein a wood grain runs along a length of the body; the body has rounded edge; and wherein a width and the length of the grasping toy is each sized larger than an opening of a rattle-test fixture so that the grasping toy does not pass through the opening of the rattle-test fixture.
In some embodiments, the present disclosure may include a rattle toy that complies with at least American Society for Testing and Materials educational and safety standards, comprising: an elongated cylindrical wooden dowel; a globe shape wooden bead having a first through opening sized to receive the elongated cylindrical dowel; a ring shape wooden body having an inside opening, wherein a first side of the body includes a second through opening, a second side of the body opposite the first side, the second side includes an indent; and wherein in an assembled state the elongated cylindrical dowel goes through the second through opening, the first through opening and rests in the indent, and such that the bead freely moves, and wherein a width rattle toy is sized larger than an opening of a rattle-test fixture so that the rattle toy does not pass through the opening of the rattle-test fixture.
In some embodiments, the present disclosure may include a grasping toy that complies with at least American Society for Testing and Materials educational and safety standards, comprising: two end cylinders, each having an end cap; one or more center cylinders positioned in-between the two end cylinders, wherein the two end cylinders and the one or more center cylinders and connected using a string; and wherein the end cap has a diameter larger than an opening of a rattle-test fixture so that the grasping toy does not pass through the opening of the rattle-test fixture.
In some embodiments, the present disclosure may include another rattle toy that complies with at least American Society for Testing and Materials educational and safety standards, comprising: a cube shape wooden body having an interior space, wherein the body is made of a single piece of solid wood and includes a lid attached to the body using one or more pins inserted into corresponding openings located on the lid and the body; and a ball sized to be securely located in the inside space and to move freely in the interior space.
In some embodiments, the present disclosure may include another rattle toy that complies with at least American Society for Testing and Materials educational and safety standards, comprising: two end lids, wherein each end lid includes a plurality of slots located on an interior surface of the end lid and the plurality of slots are sized to receive a plurality of flat walls; a plurality of pins sized to fit into a plurality of openings located on a rim of each end lid to secure the plurality of flat walls; and a rattle located and freely move within an interior space formed by the plurality of flat walls.
In some embodiments, the present disclosure may include a rolling drum toy that complies with at least American Society for Testing and Materials educational and safety standards, comprising: two end lids, wherein each end lid includes a plurality of slots sized to receive a plurality of dowels; a plurality of pins sized to fit into a plurality of openings located on a rim of each end lid to secure the plurality of dowels; and a plurality of balls located and freely move within an interior space formed by the plurality of dowels.
In some embodiments, the present disclosure may include another rolling drum toy that complies with at least American Society for Testing and Materials educational and safety standards, comprising: two end lids, wherein each end lid includes three discs, wherein a first and second discs each includes a plurality of slots sized to receive a plurality of dowels, wherein an end of each dowel flushes with an outer surface of the second disc, and wherein each dowel includes at least one notch fit over at least one of the first and second discs; a third disc is attached to an outer surface of the second disc; a plurality of balls located and freely move within an interior space formed by the plurality of dowels.
In some embodiments, the present disclosure may include a shape fitting toy that complies with at least American Society for Testing and Materials educational and safety standards, comprising: a set piece and a basket sized to removably fit into the set piece; and wherein the set piece includes a base and a body.
In some embodiments, the present disclosure may include a hex with ball toy that complies with at least American Society for Testing and Materials educational and safety standards, comprising: a body having one or more protrusions and a first center opening; a dowel; a lid having a second center opening and a base having a third opening, wherein the second and third center openings are sized to fitly receive the dowel; and wherein the dowel is capable of moving axially within the first center, and the body is capable of spinning about the dowel.
This summary and the following detailed description are merely exemplary, illustrative, and explanatory, and are not intended to limit, but to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the descriptions that follow, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description, claims and the appended drawings.
The present invention may be better understood by referring to the following figures. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale. Emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the disclosure. In the figures, reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.
The following disclosure describes various embodiments of the present invention and method of use in at least one of its preferred, best mode embodiment, which is further defined in detail in the following description. Those having ordinary skill in the art may be able to make alterations and modifications to what is described herein without departing from its spirit and scope. While this invention is susceptible to different embodiments in different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiment illustrated. All features, elements, components, functions, and steps described with respect to any embodiment provided herein are intended to be freely combinable and substitutable with those from any other embodiment unless otherwise stated. Therefore, it should be understood that what is illustrated is set forth only for the purposes of example and should not be taken as a limitation on the scope of the present invention.
In the following description and in the figures, like elements are identified with like reference numerals. The use of “e.g.,” “etc.,” and “or” indicates non-exclusive alternatives without limitation, unless otherwise noted. The use of “including” or “includes” means “including, but not limited to,” or “includes, but not limited to,” unless otherwise noted.
As used herein, the term “and/or” placed between a first entity and a second entity means one of (1) the first entity, (2) the second entity, and (3) the first entity and the second entity. Multiple entities listed with “and/or” should be construed in the same manner, i.e., “one or more” of the entities so conjoined. Other entities may optionally be present other than the entities specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those entities specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B,” when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including entities other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including entities other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other entities). These entities may refer to elements, actions, structures, steps, operations, values, and the like.
Currently, Montessori toys are being manufactured by companies, such as Heutink USA, Kid Advance, Montessori Outlet, Juliana Group, MVita, Leader Joy, and Alison's Montessori. Montessori toys supplied by these companies have tiny fine print on the back of the toys' packaging with labels warnings that states phrases such as “not safe for children under 3” and “suitable for 3 years+.” This is unsettling because these label markings are written on the packaging of toys that are all listed in the infant/toddler (implying children aged 0-3 years) sections of their websites and are based on the recommendations from the Association Montessori Internationale (“AMI”) 0-3 teacher's training manual. Currently, there are none or just a few safety compliant Montessori toys for 0-3-year-olds that have passed safety testing in the traditional wooden materials. There is no company that has a full, safety compliant Montessori toy curriculum for 0-3-year-olds. In fact, only 4% of toys in the US have passed safety testing for children between 0-3 years old, and most of those toys are plastic and plush. Most toys fail to comply with the safety requirements not so much because of their chemical structure but because they do not pass the physical and/or mechanical tests.
After working for months and experimenting with various shapes and sizes of the toys, the current invention was developed. For example, as described in detail below, the rattles were particularly hard to develop. There are very few rattles on the market that are developmentally appropriate and small enough for the hands of children aged 0-3 years. The rattles recommended in the AMI teacher's training manual could not pass the safety tests. Accordingly, completely new rattles were designed that conformed with the highest safety and educational value standards. The invented designs were then submitted to contract manufacturers. The manufacturers' work product was then subjected to informal physical and/or mechanical safety testing, such as drop tests, compression tests, tension tests, small parts testing, rattle test, and/or fixture test at the inventor's lab. Most tested products still failed as they were still mostly constructed like the toys manufactured by Montessori toy suppliers listed above. Subsequently, all the toys of the present disclosure were completely redesigned again until they passed the safety tests.
After a long and arduous experimentation and redesign process, Monti Kids reached out to the best toy testing safety lab in the country: Bureau Veritas with headquarters are in Buffalo, N.Y. where Fisher Price was founded. Fisher Price first started as a wooden toy company and eventually moved to plastic due to physical and/or mechanical safety testing challenges. After visiting Bureau Veritas with all the samples of the toys, Bureau Veritas advised the inventors to manufacture their toys in plastic. However, the inventors were determined to manufacture the toys in wood according to the Montessori educational standards while complying with the safety requirements as provided by various agencies such as CPSC, ASTM, etc. After the arduous redesign process, the inventors became experts in the safety standards, virtually memorizing all the relevant regulations. The inventors then set up their own physical and/or mechanical safety testing site. The inventors would design the toys, model it in cardboard, then build it in wood, and then perform the physical and/or mechanical safety tests. This process was repeated multiple times for each toy and the results, such as what sizes and weights posed the biggest risk in each design, which type of wood would work best, which direction the wood grain had to flow, and which unique internal construction would work best for each design, were recorded. Subsequently, the inventors found two new contract manufacturers who had more experience building safe toys and submitted their new designs to the new contract manufacturers. Despite being told by others to test in China in order to reduce testing costs, the inventors tested their toys in Bureau Veritas office in Buffalo so that the inventors could closely follow the process, discuss any failings or concerns with Bureau Veritas, and continue to learn from them in the process. Some of the toys passed the safety tests and for those that did not, the inventors continued the redesign process till the best iteration for the toy was achieved. This long and arduous experimentation and redesign process has resulted in the inventors' company being the only company that carries a full line of Montessori toys that are safe for children aged 0-3 years. The safety tests that the toys had to pass vary toy by toy. The two hardest safety tests to pass were 16 CFR 1500 & ASTM F963-11. Especially, because, when things broke, they often violated the small part requirement of 16 CFR 1501. However, eventually, the inventors after multiple experiments manage to design toys, described below, which pass the relevant safety tests as described by various agencies such as CPSC, ASTM (F963-11 and other relevant testing standards), etc. Additionally, the inventors also developed a new and useful methods of classifying various toys described below.
Further, even after designing toys based on the aforementioned tests, some additional revisions needed to be made to make the toys compliant with European (EN71) and other countries' safety tests. Accordingly, the toys described in PCT/US18/18544 application, which and the documents it claims priority to are incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, were modified.
The toys of the present invention and disclosure are now described in detail.
In some embodiments, the Grasping Toy 100 may have a substantially oval ring shape body 101 and an inside opening 102. In some embodiments, the Grasping Toy 100 may have a different shape. In some embodiments, the wood grain direction may run along the length of the Grasping Toy 100, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, the dimensions of the Grasping Toy 100 are as specified in the exemplary illustrations in
In some embodiments, a food safe finish may be applied to the Grasping Toy 100. As illustrated in
The casing 210 may include a through opening (or hole) 222 on one of its side and sized to receive the dowel 220. The casing 210 may include an indent opening (or not-through hole) 224 on the opposite side and sized to receive the dowel 220. The bead 230 may include a through opening 232 sized to receive the dowel 220. The opening 232 may go through the center of the bead 230. When assembled, the dowel 220 goes through the opening 222 and the opening 232, and rests in the indent 224. The opening 232 and the diameter of the dowel 220 may be sized so that the bead 230 may move freely when assembled. The opening 222 and corresponding indent 224 may be located at any spot on the casing 210. However, it is preferred that the opening 222 and corresponding indent 224 be located such that when assembled, the bead 230 does not contact with any inside wall of the casing 210. The dowel 220 may be attached to the casing using any attachment mechanisms, such as glue, snaps, etc. In some embodiments, there may be no attachment mechanism and it may just be based on the fit of the dowel 220 and casing 210. In some embodiments, the attachment mechanism may be dependent on fitting of the various parts and glue.
In some embodiments, the casing may have rounded edges. All parts of the Square Rattle 200 may be sanded smooth. In some embodiments, the bead 230 may be red in color. In some embodiments, the red color may be Pantone #38C-2035C. In some embodiments, the bead 230 may be of a different color or a combination of colors.
In some embodiments, the dimensions of the Square Rattle 200 may be as described in exemplary embodiment illustrated in
The Square Rattle 200 may be light, have a bead 230 that moves freely within the Square Rattle 200, may have thin casing 210 and/or dowel 210 that facilitate grasping, and/or be aesthetically pleasing. In some embodiments, the Square Rattle 200 may not have any small part fixtures, may not go through a rattle-test fixture, and/or may be durable to pass the various safety, such as not being a choke hazard, and educational requirements.
In some embodiments, the bead 230 may have a two-security system that prevents it from coming loose easily. The attachment mechanism, such as glue, and the casing 210 act as the two-security system. The Square Rattle 200 was successfully tested for DIN EN 71-1&2, AS/NZS 8124-1&2, SOR/2011-17, etc.
In some embodiments, the Grasping Cylinders 300 may include two end cylinders 320 and one or more cylinders 310 located in-between the two end cylinders 320. The cylinders 310 and 320 may be connected using a string 330. Each cylinder may include a center opening (hole) 322 (see
In some embodiments, each cylinder 310 and 320 may be large enough that even if the string 330 connecting them broke, the cylinder 310 and 320 would still not pose a choking hazard because of its size thereby avoiding the “small parts” and/or “small ball” violation. In some embodiments, the number of cylinders 310 and 320 may vary. In some embodiments, the end cylinders 320 may have a cap 325 that could be of any shape and size that is larger than the diameter of the cylinder 310 and 320.
In some embodiments, the size and dimensions of the Grasping Cylinders 300 and its components may be as described in
In some embodiments, the string 330 may form knots 334 in-between the cylinders and at the two ends. In some embodiments, the knots 334 may be glued to make sure that the cylinders 310 and 320 do not detach. For example, the knots 334 may itself be glued or contain glue, or the knots located at the end holes 336 may be glued to the end holes.
As illustrated in
In some embodiments, the components of the Cube Rattle (except the ball) may be all a single piece. In some embodiments, the ball 410 may be made of any other safety test compliant material.
In some embodiments, the ball 410 may be replaced with a safe rattle like that of the rattle 530 described in the Cylinder Rattle below.
In some embodiments, the ball 410 may have dimensions as described in exemplary embodiment illustrated in
The interior edges of the Cube Rattle 400 may be sanded. The exterior edges of the Cube Rattle 400 may be rounded. The body 420 and all components may be smooth and has no splinter. The Cube Rattle 400 was successfully tested for DIN EN 71-1&2, AS/NZS 8124-1&2, SOR/2011-17, etc.
The Cylinder Rattle 500 may also comprise at least one rattle 530, each sized larger than holes 548. The rattle 530 may be manufactured separately in order to avoid any lead content. In some embodiments, the walls 510 may be colored with any color that meets the education and/or safety test requirements to provide visual simulation for the children.
In some embodiments, the dimensions of the Cylinder Rattle 500 may be as described in exemplary embodiments illustrated in
The Cylinder Rattle 500 may be light, have a rattle 530 that is seized to move freely within the space inside the walls 510. The Cylinder Rattle 500 may have thin walls 510 and/or lids 540 that facilitate grasping, and/or be aesthetically pleasing.
In some embodiments, the Cylinder Rattle 500 may not have any small part fixtures, may not go through a rattle-test fixture, and/or may be durable to pass the various safety, such as not being a choke hazard, and educational requirements.
The rattle 530 may have a two-security system that prevents it from coming loose easily. The attachment mechanism, such as glue, and the pins 520 act as the two-security system. The Cylinder Rattle 500 may also pass various physical and mechanical tests. The Cylinder Rattle 500 was successfully tested for DIN EN 71-1&2, AS/NZS 8124-1&2, SOR/2011-17, ASTM F963-17, 16CFR 1500.44, etc.
The Rolling Drum 600 shown in
In some embodiments, the dimensions of the Rolling Drum 600 and its components may be as described in 6C, 6D, and 6E. For example, a ball 640 may have a diameter of 32 mm. The lid 610 may have a diameter of 102 mm and thickness of 23 mm. The dowel 630 may have a diameter of 10 mm. There may be up to 7 dowels 630 such that the distance between the dowels are 25.3 mm. Slots 612 may have a depth of 15.5 mm. The pin 610 may have a diameter of 4 mm.
In some embodiments, the Rolling Drum 650 may be as described in
In some embodiments, there may be three layers (or discs) on each side. The dowels 660 may be capable of passing through the lids 670. Once at least one disc of lid 670 may be passed through the dowels 660 via slots 672, as illustrated in
The dimensions of various components of the Rolling Drum 650 may be as described in
As shown in
In some embodiments, Shape Fitting 700 may have dimensions as illustrated in
In some embodiments, one or more component may be capable of moving. For example, the dowel 820 may be capable of moving in the direction illustrated in
In some embodiments, the dimensions of the Hex with Balls 800 may be as described in exemplary embodiments illustrated in
In some embodiments, the Hex with Balls 800 may not have any small part fixtures, may not go through a rattle-test fixture, and/or may be durable to pass the various safety, such as not being a choke hazard, and educational requirements. It may also pass various physical and mechanical tests. In some embodiments, the Hex with Balls 800 may be capable of being mass produced and/or easy to assemble. The Hex with Balls 800 successfully passed various physical and mechanical tests, for example, DIN EN 71-1&2, AS/NZS 8124-1&2, SOR/2011-17, ASTM F963-17, 16CFR 1500.44, etc., to ensure compliance with safety and educational standards.
As described above, various dimensions have been specified in exemplary embodiments. This disclosure is not limited to such dimensions and any dimensions that may still ensure educational and safety compliance as described herein may be used for the various components of the various toys described herein. Further, various components are not limited to the shapes, sizes, colors, and/or materials as described herein. Any shapes, sizes, colors, and/or materials that may still ensure educational and safety compliance as described herein may be used for the various components of the various toys described herein. The weights of the toys described herein may be according to the user's needs while complying with the safety and educational testing requirements described herein. Further, any attachment mechanism, such as glue, tight fit, zippers, buttons, snaps, nails, hooks, etc., may be used to secure the components of each toy together or with other toys. Finally, various surfaces, sides, and features of various components of the toys described herein are per how a person skilled in the art would construe those characteristics unless otherwise specified.
This application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/US2020/034414, filed May 22, 2020, which claims priority pursuant to U.S.C § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/851,545, filed May 22, 2019, the disclosures of both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties for all purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62851545 | May 2019 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/US20/34414 | May 2020 | US |
| Child | 17532814 | US |
