Patent Application
20240367064
Embodiments of the invention relate to plush toys. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to plush toys having two layers of plush with at least one layer being manually removable.
Plush toys are toys made of soft material, often a fur type of fabric, for example a Teddy Bear. Plush toys are also referred to as a stuffed toy, stuffed animal, plushie, plush-toy, soft toy, plushy. They have been a quintessential childhood plaything for decades. Plush toys are typically made by forming the body from plush fabric. Filling the body with some type of soft filler material through a fill hole and closing the fill hole often with a ladder stich. Plush fabric is a thick or deep pile fabric generally made by knitting a backing with pile fibers of a desired length and then laminating the fibers to the backing to prevent the fabric from shedding during use.
Traditionally, plush toy came in a myriad shapes and sizes, from animals to humanoids to almost any imaginable shape. The may have features embossed or embroidered on their surface. Some come with changes of outfits or skins that can be peeled off and changes then reapplied. Recently some manufacturers have made “reversable” plush toys that fold within themselves to reveal a different shape or appearance. Changes in plush toys are largely driven by the desire to improve the play experience for the user. What is needed is a plush toy that provides a unique and memorable play experience.
Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that different references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one.
In some embodiments, additional features such as horn 104 may be formed from a different material than the body of plush toy 100. In the shown embodiment horn 104 is formed from a smooth fabric with its shape maintained by a poly-fill material. Other fill materials are also contemplated. Further it should be understood that embodiments of the invention contemplate plush toys made to include plastic parts (e.g. eyes, hands faces etc.) or parts made from single layer plush fabric.
Base layer 122 may be a different color and or pattern of colors than shag layer. Generally, it is desirable for the second thread weight to be less than or equal to the first thread weight of the shag layer 102. By virtue of greater pile height and greater thread weight, in some embodiments, the shag layer 102 completely occludes the base layer 122. In such embodiments, the e.g., color of the base layer 122 is unknown until the at least a portion of the shag layer 102 is removed.
Base layer 122 may have additional ornamental features 124 embossed, embroidered or otherwise affixed to base layer 122 in a manner that they are not visible when shag layer 102 is present. Some of the ornamental feature visible through the shag layer 102 such as eyes 106 may have additional ornamental features 124 associated therewith that are not visible when the shag layer 102 is present. Other features such as eyebrows 108 may have a different extent when the shag layer 102 is removed.
This provides for a unique play experience as the appearance of the toy under the shag layer is unknown by the child when the plush toy 100 is unboxed. Different toys of the same model can have different underlying aesthetics (color, embossments etc.) with different sets of aesthetics having different rarity increasing the collectability of the toys. The joy an excitement experienced by the child as each feature is revealed by the manual bit by bit removal of the shag layer 102 is completely different than the experience of merely unwrapping an item. Additionally, the grasping an pulling of the plush fabric works fine motor skills of younger children.
Thereafter, shag layer 202 is added by embroidering through the backing 204 and finished laminant layer 222. Shag layer is not laminated to the composite fabric and distal end 214 are not permanently affixed to the composite fabric. Rather, shag layer 202 is detachably coupled through the backing to be manually removable. In this way, individual threads 212, or groups thereof can be pulled by hand from the fabric. As more threads 212 of shag layer 202 are removed, the underlying base layer 222 is exposed. Shag layer has a pile height H′. In some embodiments H′ is in the range of 10 mm to 15 mm. In some embodiments the pile heights are selected to have a difference in the range of 3 mm to 10 mm.
The pocket 304 and it closure 308 provide various play benefits. The user can use the pocket to hold the threads 312 removed from the shag layer. By adding the shag layer threads to the pocket 304, the overall fill of the plush toy can be increased as the shag layer 102 is removed. Furthermore, the manipulation of the closure further enhances the users fine motor skills. While pocket 304 is believed to enhance the play experience in certain contexts, it should be recognized that some embodiments of the invention may omit the opening 302, pocket 304, and closure 308 entirely. In an embodiment, with no pocket, a envelope of polyethylene vinyl acetate (PEVA) or similar material may be provided with the toy to retain the removed fibers.
Fabric 404 forms a body with an internal cavity 406. Internal cavity 406 may be fill with various fill materials 414, 416. In some embodiment a single fill material e.g. fill material 416 may be used to fill the entire cavity 406. In other embodiments, two or more fill materials 414, 416 may be used. Suitable fill materials include synthetic fiber, cotton, straw, wood, wool, plastic pellets, beans or the like. Internal cavity 406 may have a pocket 432 to contain fibers 434 (that are removed from shag layer 402). Fabric 404 may define an opening 408 in the body that provide ingress into the pocket 432. A closure mechanism 410 may be attached to the fabric 404 at the opening 408. Closure mechanism 408 could be hook and loop material, a zipper, snaps, buttons or the like.
At block 508, a second pile is embroidered onto the fabric over the first pile that has been laminated onto the backing. The second embroidery is not laminated or otherwise fixed to the backing. Generally, the second embroidery has a pile height greater than the pile height of the first embroidery. In most embodiments, the color of the second pile is different from the color of the first pile. The fabric is now ready to be formed into a plush toy.
At block 510, the fabric is cut and sewn to form the body of the plush toy. Formation of the body is completed in the manner customary in the art. Any of the myriad plush toy shapes may be formed. The body formed defines an internal cavity. An opening is left in the body to allow the body to be filled once complete. Optionally, as part of forming the body, an internal pocket can be formed at block 522. The pocket resides within the internal cavity when the toy is completed. A closure mechanism is affixed to the pocket opening at block 524. Suitable closure mechanisms include hook and loop material, a zipper, snaps, buttons or the like.
At block 512, the internal cavity is filled with one or more fill materials through the opening left during body formation. Suitable fill materials include synthetic fiber, cotton, straw, wood, wool, plastic pellets, beans and the like. Once filled at block 514, the fill hole is closed typically with a ladder stich to prevent the fill from leaking out during use. Thereafter the completed toy is ready for packaging and distribution.
In the foregoing specification, the embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes can be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
