Patent Application
20100108561
The present invention relates generally to a pumpkin carving kit, and more particularly, to a pumpkin carving kit for carving a sexually themed image onto a pumpkin including at least one pattern defining the sexually themed image.
Pumpkin carving is a traditional means of celebrating the Halloween season. In the past, organic pumpkins have been carved by cutting away a portion of the shell near the stem or bottom and removing the strings, seeds and pulp from the interior of the pumpkin. An image is then formed on the exterior surface of the pumpkin using some form of cutting tool, such as pumpkin saw, paring knife, pocket knife or scissors blade. The image may first be transferred to the exterior surface of the pumpkin using a pattern having a cutout portion and a marking tool, such as a pen, marker or wax crayon. Once the image is formed, it may be illuminated by a light source positioned within the pumpkin, such as a candle or artificial light.
Some people prefer to carve an organic pumpkin because they enjoy making traditional Halloween treats using the strings, seeds and pulp removed from the interior of the pumpkin. However, most people find removing the strings, seeds and pulp to be time consuming and messy, and end up disposing of the pumpkin interior without utilizing the strings, seeds and pulp. Thus, many people would prefer to carve a pumpkin within a reasonable period of time without having to take additional precautions to protect their clothing and furnishings (e.g. table, desk, countertop, etc.) from the messiness of the contents of the pumpkin interior.
As a result, the use of artificial pumpkins having a hollow interior has increased significantly in recent years as suitable materials have been developed for forming a carvable artificial pumpkin. A further advantage is that a carvable artificial pumpkin is recyclable and may be used from year to year with the same or additional carvings. A carvable artificial pumpkin having a hollow interior and a shell made of a polyurethane foam material is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,555,188 and related patents issued to Chapman, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
When utilized, patterns for transferring an image to a pumpkin have historically been made from thin, flexible paper material that is capable of closely conforming to the irregular contour of the exterior surface of the pumpkin. Pumpkin carving patterns made from paper, however, are frequently weakened and ultimately destroyed by the liquid from the pulp of an organic pumpkin. If used with a carvable artificial pumpkin, oftentimes the delicate paper pattern is damaged by a cutting tool or a marking tool when the cutout portion of the pattern is traced. In other instances, the paper pattern is torn while being removed after being adhered to the exterior surface of the pumpkin.
More durable cutting dies, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,342,175 B1 issued to Brown et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,036 issued to Lani, as well as transfer patterns, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,446 issued to Bardeen and U.S. Pat. No. 6,855,224 issued to Wendler, are available. Cutting dies, however, are cumbersome, typically require a driving tool to impale the cutting die onto the exterior surface of the pumpkin and are inherently limited in complexity. Transfer patterns are similarly cumbersome, require additional expertise to use, and are typically not reusable.
For various reasons, the Halloween holiday has evolved from the traditional children's activity of trick-or-treating wearing costumes having a horror theme into adults wearing fanciful costumes and celebrating with alcoholic beverages and party decorations. Almost all bars, clubs and other drinking establishments feature Halloween events that cater to the heightened expression of sexuality that typically accompanies adults wearing costumes and consuming alcohol. The pumpkin remains the traditional Halloween party decoration. However, existing patterns for transferring an image onto the exterior surface of a pumpkin have not evolved along with the increase in adult-oriented celebrations, and instead, have continued to evoke a horror theme that is more suitable for use with the traditional children's activities associated with Halloween. As a result, it is difficult for a promoter of an adult-oriented Halloween celebration to locate party decorations, and in particular pumpkins, having a suitable theme.
Accordingly, there is a need for a pumpkin carving kit for carving an image onto the exterior surface of a pumpkin that is useable with either an organic pumpkin or a carvable artificial pumpkin. There exists a further need for a pumpkin carving kit including a pattern for transferring an image to a pumpkin that is both durable and reusable, while closely conforming to the exterior surface of the pumpkin. There exists a further, and more particular, need for a pumpkin carving kit including a pattern for transferring an image having a theme suitable for an adult-oriented Halloween celebration onto the exterior surface of a pumpkin.
The aforementioned disadvantages are overcome by, and the above needs, objectives and advantages, as well as others that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, are provided by a pumpkin carving kit according to the present invention. In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides a pumpkin carving kit including at least one pattern formed from a relatively thin, relatively flexible and relatively non-porous material that is substantially impervious to moisture. The at least one pattern includes at least one cutout portion comprising a plurality of edges. The kit further includes a marking tool for marking an outline of the edges of the at least one cutout portion of the pattern onto an exterior surface of a pumpkin. The kit further includes at least one cutting tool for carving the outline of the at least one cutout portion onto the pumpkin. The kit further includes an illumination source adapted to be positioned within the pumpkin for illuminating the cutout portion when the pumpkin is viewed from an external perspective.
In one aspect, the pumpkin is a carvable artificial pumpkin defining a generally hollow interior. The carvable artificial pumpkin may be formed from a polyurethane foam material having a nominal density of between about 2.5 and about 3.0 pounds per cubic foot. In addition, the exterior surface of the carvable artificial pumpkin may include a relatively thin coating formed from an acrylic elastomer.
In another aspect, the pumpkin may be an organic pumpkin including a shell having strings, seeds and pulp disposed within the shell and the kit may further include a scoop for removing the strings, seeds, and pulp from within the shell to form a generally hollow interior.
In yet another aspect, the at least one pattern is formed from a relatively thin plastic sheet. The plastic sheet may be selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyurethane, polypropylene and Mylar®. The at least one cutout of the at least one pattern preferably defines a sexually themed image.
In yet another aspect, the illumination source includes a housing, a light emitting diode (LED), a curved reflector surface and a power source. The power source may be at least one battery. The illumination source may further include at least one anchor for securing the housing to the pumpkin.
In still another aspect, the at least one cutting tool is selected from the group consisting of a piercing tool, a rough-cut tool and a fine-cut tool. The at least one cutting tool preferably includes one or more of a piercing tool, a rough-cut tool and a fine-cut tool. The at least one cutting tool may include a cutting portion and a handle portion that defines a sexually themed contour. The sexually themed contour may depict human anatomy.
In another exemplary embodiment the present invention provides a novelty pumpkin carving kit for carving a sexually themed image onto a pumpkin. The kit includes a carvable artificial pumpkin formed from a polyurethane foam material. The kit further includes at least one pattern formed from a relatively thin, relatively flexible and relatively non-porous material that is substantially impervious to moisture, the at least one pattern including at least one cutout portion comprising a plurality of edges that define the sexually themed image. The kit further includes a marking tool for marking an outline of the edges of the at least one cutout portion of the pattern onto an exterior surface of a generally hollow pumpkin. The kit further includes at least one cutting tool for carving the outline of the at least one cutout portion onto the pumpkin, the at least one cutting tool comprising a cutting portion and a handle portion that defines a sexually themed contour. The kit further includes an illumination source adapted to be positioned within the pumpkin for illuminating the sexually themed image when the pumpkin is viewed from an external perspective. The kit further includes a generally hollow, box-like container for storing the carvable artificial pumpkin, the at least one pattern, the marking tool, the at least one cutting tool and the illumination source. At least one exterior surface of the container includes printed indicia illustrating the sexually themed image.
In yet another exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides a method of carving a sexually themed image onto a pumpkin. The method includes providing a pumpkin having an exterior surface and defining a generally hollow interior, a pattern including at least one cutout portion comprising a plurality of edges that define the sexually themed image, a marking tool for marking an outline of the edges of the at least one cutout portion of the pattern onto the exterior surface of the pumpkin, and a cutting tool for carving the outline of the at least one cutout portion onto the exterior surface of the pumpkin. The method further includes placing the pattern against the exterior surface of the pumpkin and using the marking tool to trace an outline of the plurality of edges of the cutout portion that define the sexually themed image onto the exterior surface of the pumpkin. The method further includes using the cutting tool to carve the outline of the sexually themed image onto the exterior surface of the pumpkin.
A pumpkin carving kit according to the present invention is best understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures.
Referring to the drawing figures wherein identical reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the various views,
The pumpkin 20 may be a conventional organic pumpkin or may be a carvable artificial pumpkin. In the former instance, the organic pumpkin is carved in a known manner by cutting the opening 16 through the shell on the bottom of the pumpkin 20 and removing the strings, seeds and pulp from the interior 14 using the scoop 30 provided with the pumpkin carving kit 10 depicted in
In the latter instance, a carvable artificial pumpkin is included with the kit 10. The pumpkin 20 may be any commercially available artificial pumpkin made of a material that is carvable using the type of cutting blades on the cutting tools 60 that are provided with the kit 10. For example, but without limitation, the pumpkin 20 may be a carvable artificial pumpkin of the type shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,555,188 and related patents issued to Chapman. Accordingly, the pumpkin 20 may be a carvable artificial pumpkin defining a generally hollow interior 14 that is formed from a polyurethane foam material having a nominal density of between about 2.5 and about 3.0 pounds per cubic foot. Furthermore, the carvable artificial pumpkin 20 may comprise a relatively thin coating formed from an acrylic elastomer to form the exterior surface.
Regardless, the pattern 42 further comprises at least one cutout portion 48 having a plurality of edges 49 that define the sexually themed image 12. The edges 49 of the cutout portion 48 of the pattern 42 shown in
The marking tool 50 may comprise any conventional instrument or tool for marking an outline of the edges 49 of the at least one cutout portion 48 of the at least one pattern 40 on the exterior surface of the pumpkin 20. By way of example and without limitation, the marking tool 50 may be a pen, marker or any other device suitable for visually indicating the edges 49 (i.e. the contour of the cutout portion 48) on the exterior surface of the pumpkin 20. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the marking tool 50 is a wax crayon so that the residual visual indications of the contour of the cutout portion 48 can be removed from the exterior surface of the pumpkin 20 once the image 12 has been carved.
The at least one cutting tool 60 may comprise any conventional instrument or tool suitable for carving the outline of the at least one cutout portion 48 of the at least one pattern 40 onto the exterior surface of the pumpkin 20. By way of example and without limitation, the at least one cutting tool 60 may comprise a plurality of cutting tools selected from the group consisting of a piercing tool, a rough-cut tool and a fine-cut tool. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the at least one cutting tool 60 of the pumpkin carving kit 10 comprises one or more of a piercing tool 62, a rough-cut tool 65 and a fine-cut tool 68.
The illumination source 70 may comprise any conventional instrument or device for producing visual light and projecting the light outwardly from the illumination source. By way of example and without limitation, the illumination source may comprise a housing 71, at least one light emitting diode (LED) 72, a curved reflector surface 74, and a power source 75. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the reflector surface 74 has a concave curvature and the at least one LED 72 is located at the lowest point of the reflector surface. Furthermore, the housing is sized to receive the power source 75 consisting of at least one conventional battery and a pair of lead wires forming an electrical circuit with the at least one LED. As previously mentioned, the illumination source 70 may further comprise one or more tabs, projections or anchors 76 for affixing the illumination source to the pumpkin 20. In this manner, the illumination source 70 may be affixed to any portion of the pumpkin 20 as desired, including the side, top or bottom of the pumpkin.
In another embodiment, a pumpkin carving kit 10 kit according to the present invention comprises a carvable artificial pumpkin 20, at least one pattern 40, a marking tool 50, at least one cutting tool 60 and an illumination source 70 essentially as previously described in all relevant respects. In addition, the pumpkin carving kit 10 comprises a generally hollow, box-like container 80 for storing the carvable artificial pumpkin 20, the at least one pattern 40, the marking tool 50, the at least one cutting tool 60 and the illumination source 70. Furthermore, at least one exterior surface of the container 80 includes printed indicia thereon comprising a sexually themed image 82.
In yet another embodiment, a method of carving a sexually themed image 12 onto a pumpkin 20 according to the present invention includes providing a pumpkin having an exterior surface and defining a generally hollow interior 14, a pattern 40 including at least one cutout portion 48 comprising a plurality of edges 49 that define the sexually themed image, a marking tool 50 for marking an outline of the edges of the at least one cutout portion of the pattern onto the exterior surface of the pumpkin, and a cutting tool 60 for carving the outline of the at least one cutout portion onto the exterior surface of the pumpkin. The method further includes placing the pattern 40 against the exterior surface of the pumpkin 20 and using the marking tool 50 to trace an outline of the plurality of edges 49 of the cutout portion 48 that define the sexually themed image 12 onto the exterior surface of the pumpkin 20. The method further includes using the cutting tool 60 to carve the outline of the sexually themed image 12 onto the exterior surface of the pumpkin 20. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the method further includes providing an illumination source 70 and positioning the illumination source within the generally hollow interior 14 of the pumpkin 20 such that the sexually themed image 12 is more clearly viewable from an external perspective.
The foregoing has described exemplary embodiments of a pumpkin carving kit for carving a sexually themed image onto the exterior surface of a pumpkin. The pumpkin may be an organic pumpkin or an a carvable artificial pumpkin formed from a polyurethane foam material having a nominal density of between about 2.5 and about 3.0 pounds per cubic foot. Furthermore, the pumpkin carving kit comprises at least one durable, yet flexible pattern including at least one cutout portion having a plurality of edges that define a sexually themed image.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications thereto can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention and the best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation.
