This invention relates to the field of indoor playhouses for children and more particularly to playhouses that attach to a door.
Children love playhouses. Playhouses are not only entertaining but also educational. Playhouses spark children's imagination and creativity. The big problem with playhouses is that they take up a great deal of space when they are not in use. Thus, a playhouse needs to be easily disassembled and able to be stored in a compact form. Also, once the playhouse is in storage, it must be able to be reassembled quickly. One of the objectives of this invention is to build a playhouse that assembles effortlessly, disassembled quickly and stored easily. The designer invention accomplished these goals exceedingly well.
The feature that accomplishes this goal is that the invention is a set of panels that attach to a door. The panels have designs on them that resembles a playhouse, such as a fire station, a castle, a police station, a farm, etc. There can be one panel, two panels or more.
The panels are attached to a door such that they can be folded out from the door. If one panel is used, the panel would be moved away from the door to a position approximately perpendicular to the door. The door could even become part of the playhouse. If the door is open, it could be one side of the playhouse that extends out into the room. The panel would be parallel to the wall. If the panel is on the outside of an open closet door, the wall next to the door could be part of the playhouse. If the panel is on the inside of an open closet door, the closet could be part of the playhouse. In this setting, the door could also be covered with a panel to add design to the wall of the playhouse.
If two panels are used, then the second panel would be perpendicular to the first and would be another side to the playhouse. As in the previous set up, the door could become one of the sides of the playhouse. This would create nearly a square house with the two panels and the door creating three sides and the opening to the doorway, or the wall would create the forth side. As in the previous example, if the closet door is used to set up the playhouse, the closet could be used as a second room in the house.
To construct the playhouse, an over the door hook that is attached to the panels is placed over a door. To begin play, the panels are folded away from the door. Thus, the playhouse is assembled in a matter of minutes. At the end of play one just folds the panels against the door. This makes the playhouse easy to create and disassemble. It also enables the playhouse to be compactly stored when not in use. The playhouse when in storage sits up against the door and only takes up the room of the thickness of the panels.
Consequently, this overcomes many disadvantages of a normal playhouse. The inventor playhouse can be easily assembled by just hooking the panels to the door and folding out the panels. The playhouse can also be easily stored when the playhouse playing has ended. The panels are folded against the door. The attribute that accomplished this goal is that the playhouse attaches to the door with an over the door hook. The over the door hook allows the playhouse to be quickly set up. It also enables the playhouse to be packed into a small out of the way area when the playing ends. Another advantage of the invention is that the playhouse can easily be moved and reassembled. To move the playhouse, the panels are folded against the door and then the panels are unsnapped from the over the door hooks at the top and bottom of the bottom of the door. The ability of the playhouse to fold enables the playhouse to be moved around the house easily. All that is necessary is to carry the folded panels and the over the door hooks to a new location. It also enables easy moving of the playhouse if the family decides to relocate.
Another desirable feature for such playhouses is that it has only three parts. All the panels are attached and fold together. Thus, there is no possibility to lose or misplace the parts.
Playhouses have been popular among children for decades. U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,572 to Somers et al. (1984) for example, describes a collapsible children's dwelling with a plurality of pieces hinged together. The structures suffer from the disadvantage of having a plurality of pieces. More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,747 to Sakihara (1994) illustrates a playhouse made of panels attached to a plurality of hinge-like locking mechanisms. This structure although it has fewer pieces than Somers et al., this structure still suffers from the disadvantage of having too many pieces. Structures such as these are often complex and consequently expensive and complicated to manufacture. Another drawback is the complex assembly of the playhouses. U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,249 to Payne (1990) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,436 to Sadler (1993) describe other structures with similar disadvantages. The playhouse described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,635 to Rylander (1978) is conveniently one-piece. However, Rylander's playhouse erects with complication. The included hinges increase cost and complexity of manufacturing. Other patents with complicated folding and expensive manufacturing include the play structures described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,912 to Pacca (1997), U.S. Pat. No. 992,337 to Butler (1911) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,709 to Summers (1995). Summers' dollhouse lacks the capacity to function as a playhouse considering the multiple levels.
The invention is an article of manufacture that attaches to a door and forms a playhouse. The article of manufacture is one or more panels that fold away from the door. The playhouse is attached to the door by a U shaped bracket the fits over the top of the door. Attached to the bracket is a pole to which the panels of the playhouse are attached. The pole is attached to the bracket by a pole holder clip. The pole snaps into the pole holder clip and is held securely to the bracket. The pole forms one of the sides of the frame of a panel. For more support, another U-shaped bottom bracket is attached to the bottom of the door and the pole.
Attached to pole are panels that are used to form the playhouse. All panels are formed from fabric stretched over a frame. The first panel is attached to a pole. The frame is a rectangular frame with 3 or 4 side pieces. The pole forms one of the sides of the frame. There is also a top piece and another side piece. About halfway down the side, a reinforcement piece runs between the pole and the other side piece. All the pieces are formed by tubes. A T connector clamps attach the pieces at the corner of the frame. The reinforcement piece is also connected to the side pieces by T connector clamps.
T connector clamps are used to form the corners. Each T connector clamp is a rectangular piece of hard plastic with a bore in one end. The bore is of a size that it will securely hold the side pieces in place. At the other end of the T connector clamp is a cylindrical opening that passes completely through T connector clamp and is perpendicular to the bore. The end of the cylindrical opening is cut to allow a gap at the bottom of the T connector clamp. The cylindrical opening is of a size that it will securely hold side pieces in place. However, due to the gap, the side pieces can twist in cylindrical opening. The gap enables the panel to be folded out from or in towards the door. The panel folds against the door.
The panel can fit on either side of the door. The panel can also fit on a closed door or an open door. When the panel is folded out from the open door, the door can become one the side of the playhouse. If panel fits on the front of door and door is open, the wall can become the back of the playhouse. If panel fits on the back of a closet door and the closet door is open, then the closet will become the back room of the playhouse.
The playhouse could also have two panels. The door panel forms the previous embodiment attaches to the door by the same method as the previous embodiment. The new panel attaches to the door panel via the other side piece of the door panel. Just as in the previous embodiment the panel is a frame which includes the other side piece of the previous embodiment, a side piece, a top piece and a reinforcement piece. These pieces are attached just as in the previous embodiment. The new panel can fold out from the door panel the same way the door panel folds out from the door. A third panel could also be added. The third panel would attach to the new panel by the same method the new panel attaches to the door panel. The third panel is a frame just like the new panel and the door panel. The third panel can be folded out from the new panel just like the new panel can be folded out from the door. When playing with the panels can be folded out from the door in numerous different patterns.
The panels are stretched with fabric. In the preferred embodiment, this fabric is nylon. The fabric is printed with designs. The fabric can also be cut out to form doors, windows, etc. The design could be a generic playhouse with doors and windows. Or the design could have a specific theme such as a fire station, a castle, a police station, a farm, etc.
Attached to the front of the U-shaped bracket 14 is a pole 16. Pole 16 attaches to a pole holder clip 80.
Attached to pole 16 are panels that are used to form the playhouse. All panels 20, 50 and 70 are formed from nylon fabric 22 that is stretched over the panels. The first panel 20 is attached to pole 16.
In the preferred embodiment, the panel 20 is a rectangular frame with three side pieces.
The side pieces 26, 28, 16 connects to T connector clamps 38 at the corners of the frame as shown in
The T connector clamp 38 is also used to attach panel 20 to the pole 16 on the door 12 as shown in
Panel 20 can fit on either side of the door 12. Panel 20 can also mount on a closed door 12 or an open door 12. When panel 20 is folded out from the open door 12, the door 12 can become one the side of the playhouse. If panel 20 fits on the front of door 12 and door 12 is open, the wall can become the back of the playhouse. If panel 20 fits on the back of a closet door 12 and the closet door 12 is open, then the closet could become the back room of the playhouse.
In
Panel 20 and 50 can fit on either side of the door 12. Panel 20 and 50 can also fit on a closed door 12 or an open door 12. When panel 20 and 50 is folded out from the open door 12, the door 12 can become one side of the playhouse with the panels becoming one or two sides. If panel 20 and 50 fit on the front of door 12 and door 12 is open, the wall can become the back of the playhouse with the other two panels becoming the sides. If panel 20 and 50 fits on the back of a closet door 12 and the closet door 12 is open, then the closet will become the back room of the playhouse.
In
Panel 20, 50 and 70 of
The side pieces 16, 26, 28, 34, 54, 56, 58, 74, 76, and 78 in the preferred embodiment are fiberglass tubes. The T connector clamps 38 are also made of hard plastic. Fabric 22 is stretched over panels. In the preferred embodiment, the fabric 22 is high quality or ripstop nylon.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
992337 | Butler | May 1911 | A |
2743023 | Larson | Apr 1956 | A |
2925916 | Pollock | Feb 1960 | A |
2940442 | Wilhelm | Jun 1960 | A |
3605771 | Fox | Sep 1971 | A |
4027912 | Pacca | Jun 1977 | A |
4112635 | Rylander | Sep 1978 | A |
4467572 | Somers | Aug 1984 | A |
4964249 | Payne | Oct 1990 | A |
4976205 | Miller | Dec 1990 | A |
5184436 | Sadler | Feb 1993 | A |
5313747 | Sakihara | May 1994 | A |
5352149 | Melashenko | Oct 1994 | A |
5423709 | Summers | Jun 1995 | A |
5989708 | Kreckel | Nov 1999 | A |
6108982 | Davison | Aug 2000 | A |
6978567 | Pearsall | Dec 2005 | B1 |
D544926 | Kassens | Jun 2007 | S |
7976395 | Healey | Jul 2011 | B2 |
9283491 | Pope-Gusev | Mar 2016 | B2 |
20160158638 | Olsen | Jun 2016 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 62476644 | Mar 2017 | US |
Child | 15928683 | US |