Patent Application
20240189726
The disclosure relates to stuffed animal devices and more particularly pertains to a new stuffed animal device for securing a stuffed animal to a user. The device includes a stuffed animal that has a pair of arms and a pair of legs. The device includes a flexible frame integrated into the arms and legs and mating members that are integrated into the arms and legs. Each of the arms and legs is pleated to facilitate the arms and legs to be lengthened or shortened. The device includes a plurality of mating members each integrated into respective arm and leg to facilitate the arms and legs to be matable to each other. The device includes a mood indicator attached to the stuffed animal and a data card that can be filled out to communicate the user's mood.
The prior art relates to stuffed animal devices including a combination toy and garment device that includes a shirt and a stuffed animal attached to the shirt. The prior art discloses a doll device that includes a doll and a pair of straps attached to the doll for securing the doll to a user. The prior art discloses a headwear device that includes a hat and a stuffed animal that is removably attachable to the hat. The prior art discloses a stuffed animal device that includes a stuffed animal with a plurality of removably attachable segments for securing the stuffed animal to a user. The prior art discloses a transformable structure that comprises a plurality of components movably attached together to define a doll that can be shaped.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a stuffed animal that has a body, a pair of arms, a pair of legs and a head. Each of the arms and each of the legs can be wrapped around a user's body to inhibit the user from dropping the stuffed animal. A pair of first mating units integrated into a respective one of the arms for securing the arms around the user.
A pair of second mating units is integrated into a respective one of the legs for securing the legs around the user. A mood indicator is attached to the body of the stuffed animal which changes colors when the mood indicator is in thermal communication with the user's body to visually communicate the physical state of the user.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
Each of the arms 16 has a distal end 30 with respect to the body 14 and each of the arms 16 has a plurality of arm pleats 32 integrated into an outer wall 34 of the arms 16. The plurality of arm pleats 32 on each of the arms 16 is positioned between the body 14 and the distal end 30 of a respective one of the arms 16. Furthermore, the arm pleats 32 on each of the arms 16 is collapsible or extendable thereby facilitating the arms 16 to be lengthened or shortened to accommodate various sizes of users. The arms 16 pleats extend around a full circumference of the respective arm 16.
Each of the legs 18 has a distal end 36 with respect to the body 14 and each of the legs 18 has a plurality of leg pleats 38 integrated into an outer wall 34 of the legs 18. The plurality of leg pleats 38 on each of the legs 18 is positioned between the body 14 and the distal end 36 of a respective one of the legs 18. Furthermore, the plurality of leg pleats 38 on each of the legs 18 is collapsible or extendable thereby facilitating the legs 18 to be lengthened or shortened. In this way the legs 18 can accommodate various sizes of users. The leg pleats 38 extend around a full circumference of the respective leg 18.
A pair of first mating units 40 is each integrated into a respective one of the arms 16. Each of the first mating units 40 is releasably matable to each other thereby facilitating the arms 16 to be attached to each other for securing the arms 16 around the user 19. Each of the first mating units 40 is positioned adjacent to the distal end 30 of the respective arm 16. Furthermore, each of the first mating units 40 may comprise a magnet that magnetically engages each other, complementary mechanical fasteners or any other type of multiple use, releasable mating unit.
A pair of second mating units 42 is each integrated into a respective one of the legs 18. Each of the second mating units 42 is releasably matable to each other thereby facilitating the legs 18 to be attached to each other for securing the legs 18 around the user 19. Each of the second mating units 42 is positioned adjacent to the distal end 30 of the respective leg 18. Additionally, each of the second mating units 42 may comprise a magnet that magnetically engages each other, complementary mechanical fasteners or any other type of multiple use, releasable mating unit.
A spine 44 is provided and the spine 44 is positioned within the body 14 of the stuffed animal 12. The spine 44 is oriented to extend substantially between a bottom 45 of the body 14 and a neck 47 between the body 14 and the head 20. Additionally, the spine 44 is comprised of a rigid material and the spine 44 is positioned proximate a back side 46 of the body 14. A pair of arm members 48 is provided and each of the arm members 48 has a first end 50 and a second end 52. Each of the arm members 48 is positioned within a respective one of the arms 16. The first end 50 of each of the arm members 48 is attached to the spine 44 and the second end 52 of each of the arm members 48 is attached to a respective one of the first mating units 40 that is disposed in the respective arm 16. Additionally, each of the arm members 48 is comprised of a stretchable material thereby facilitating the arm members 48 to elongate or shorten when the respective arm 16 is lengthened or shortened.
A pair of leg members 54 is provided and each of the leg members 54 has a first end 51 and a second end 53. Each of the leg members 54 is positioned within a respective one of the legs 18. The first end 51 of each of the leg members 54 is attached to the spine 44 and the second end 53 of each of the leg members 54 is attached to a respective one of the second mating units 42 that is disposed in the respective leg 18. Each of the leg members 54 is comprised of a stretchable material thereby facilitating the leg members 54 to elongate or shorten when the respective leg 18 is lengthened or shortened.
A mood indicator 56 is attached to the body 14 of the stuffed animal 12 such that the mood indicator 56 is in physical contact with the user's body 14 when the arms 16 and the legs 18 are wrapped around the user's body 14. The mood indicator 56 is comprised of a thermally reactive material thereby facilitating the mood indicator 56 to change colors when the mood indicator 56 is in thermal communication with the user's body 14. In this way the mood indicator 56 can visually communicate the physical state of the user 19. The mood indicator 56 has a pair of lobes 58 separated by a valley 60 and a point 62 that is distally positioned with respect to the valley 60 such that the mood indicator 56 has the shape of a heart. Additionally, the mood indicator 56 is positioned on a front side 64 of the body 14 of the stuffed animal 12 and the mood indicator 56 is located adjacent to a respective one of the arms 16.
A card 66 is included which has a plurality of emotional indicia 68 applied to a front surface 70 of the card 66. Each of the plurality of emotional indicia 68 comprising an image of a heart 72 and a word 74 associated with a respective one of a plurality of emotional states of the user 19. A respective one of the emotional indicia 68 is marked by the user 19 to facilitate the user 19 to visually communicate their current emotional state. The card 66 has identification indicia 76 are applied to the front surface 70 of the card 66. The identification indicia 76 comprising words comprising “Hi! My name is ______ and I belong to ______”.
In use, each of the arms 16 and each of the legs 18 of the stuffed animal 12 are wrapped around the user's arm 78, for example, thereby securing the stuffed animal 12 to the user 19. In this way the user 19 can enjoy the comfort of the stuffed animal 12 in a waiting room of a dental office, for example, or other situation that might be stressful for the user 19. Furthermore, the first mating units 40 and the second mating units 42 ensure that the stuffed animal 12 does not fall become misplaced. The card 66 can be filled out to facilitate the user 19 to communicate their emotional state to a caregiver, for example, or other individual that will need to interact with the user 19. Additionally, the mood indicator 56 can visually display the color associated with the mood of the user 19.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
