Patent Application
20080079255
The present invention provides a coloring book. The coloring book has a plurality of pages made of washable material, such as, for example, fabric or a coated substrate. The plurality of pages are preferably disposed between a cover formed outside and generally around the plurality of pages. At least one colorable design is desirably printed on either side, or both sides, of each page of the plurality of pages for coloration with crayons, markers and/or other coloring instruments. The plurality of pages are preferably detachable from the coloring book as a unit and/or individually for more convenient removal of colors therefrom.
Exemplary embodiments of coloring book are shown in
At least one page of the plurality of pages 12 is made of washable material. By “washable” material, it is understood any natural or man-made material capable of retaining colors placed thereon using crayons, markers, or other coloring instruments, but which releases such colors when treated with water or other cleaning substance.
For example, in one embodiment of the invention, shown in
After coloration, fabric pages 12 are desirably washed in water, optionally containing detergent and/or other cleaning substance, to remove colors from colorable designs 14 without substantially affecting the quality of the fabric and/or individual pages 12. Desirably, fabric pages 12 of coloring book 10 of the present invention can be placed in a regular home or commercial washing machine and washed to remove colors therefrom. After washing, fabric pages 12 of coloring book 10 of this invention may be ironed to remove wrinkles, if any. Alternatively, pages 12 of coloring book 10 of this invention can be made of wrinkle-free fabric or other washable material. Following cleaning, colorable designs 14, which are cleared of colors during the cleaning process, may be colored again with a new choice of colors. Thus, because pages 12 of coloring book 10 of this invention are made of washable material, after coloration, colors can be removed from colorable designs 14, and coloring book 10 can be reused for another coloration. This process can be repeated as many times as desired, and coloring book 10 of this invention can be colored multiple times.
In another embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the plurality of pages comprises a composite material, such as, for example, a coated substrate. Coating on the substrate is preferably smooth for easier coloring and/or cleaning. Colors can be removed from the pages comprised of a coated substrate by wiping the pages clean with a cloth, optionally containing a cleaning substance, or the entire coloring book may be placed into a washing machine, as described above. As will be appreciated, various and alternative washable materials available in the art can be used for the pages of the coloring book of this invention.
With reference to
Removable pages 12 facilitate cleaning and/or washing of the coloring book 10 of the present invention, as individual pages 12 can be individually removed from coloring book 10 for cleaning/washing and subsequently reattached for coloring. Alternatively, the entire coloring book 10 can be washed at once by, for example, placing coloring book 10 into a washing machine. Removable pages 12 also may facilitate coloring, as individual pages 12 can be removed from coloring book 10 for easier handling. Also, coloring book 10 of this invention can be conveniently shared by many users, as removable pages 12 are easily removable from coloring book 10.
Coloring book 10 of this invention preferably further comprises cover 20 formed outside plurality of pages 12 and including front cover portion 16 and back cover portion 18. Front cover portion 16 and back cover portion 18 define the front and the back of coloring book 10, respectively. Front cover portion 16 is the front cover of coloring book 10 and back cover portion 18 is the back cover of coloring book 10. Front cover portion 16 and back cover portion 18 may be formed as one element. Alternatively, front cover portion 16 and back cover portion 18 may be formed as two separate elements bound together to form cover 20 of coloring book 10.
Each of front cover portion 16 and back cover portion 18 includes two sides. Front cover portion 16 includes front cover first side 36 and front cover second 38 side opposite front cover first side 36. Back cover portion 18 includes back cover first side 40 and back cover second side 42 opposite back cover first side 40. Front cover second 38 side and back cover first side 40 form the inside surfaces of cover 20 of coloring book 10, and front cover first side 36 and back cover second side 42 form the outside surfaces of cover 20 of coloring book 10. The plurality of pages 12 are disposed between front cover second 38 side and back cover first side 40. Each of the opposing sides of front cover portion 16 and back cover portion 18 may include printed text and/or graphics. Furthermore, each of the opposing sides of front cover portion 16 and back cover portion 18 may include colorable designs 14 to provide additional colorable surface for coloring.
Front cover portion 16 preferably includes front cover interior edge portion 29 disposed at or adjacent to seam 28 of coloring book 10. Similarly, back cover portion 18 preferably includes back cover interior edge portion 30 disposed at or adjacent to seam 28 of coloring book 10. Page interior edge portion 26 of each page is disposed between front cover interior edge portion 29 and back cover interior edge portion 30. Front cover portion 16 and back cover portion 18 may be joined by directly connecting front cover interior edge portion 29 to back cover interior edge portion 30 at seam 28 of coloring book 10. Alternatively, a cover joining element (not shown), such as a removable binding, may be disposed between and connect front cover interior edge portion 29 and back cover interior edge portion 30.
Front cover portion 16 has front cover exterior edge portion 50 opposite front cover interior edge portion 29. Similarly, back cover portion 18 preferably including back cover exterior edge portion 52 opposite back cover interior edge portion 30. Coloring book 10 according to one embodiment of this invention further comprises at least one cover fastener 54 that joins front cover portion 16 and back cover portion 18 to secure the coloring book 10 in a closed position. The at least one cover fastener 54 desirably comprises two elements, one of which is preferably positioned at or near front cover exterior edge portion 50 and the other is preferably positioned at or near back cover exterior edge portion 52. In one embodiment of this invention, the coloring book 10 includes a plurality of cover fasteners 54 disposed along front cover exterior edge portion 50 and back cover exterior edge portion 52. In one embodiment of the invention, cover fasteners 54 are buttons positioned along front cover exterior edge portion 50 and corresponding loops positioned along back cover exterior edge portion 52. In another embodiment of the invention, cover fasteners 54 are hook fasteners positioned along the front cover exterior edge portion 50 and loop fasteners positioned along the back cover exterior edge portion 52. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art following the teachings herein provided, the positions of the buttons and the loops as well as the hook and loop fasteners can be reversed or alternatively positioned. As will also be appreciated, various and alternative fasteners available in the art can be used for the fasteners of the coloring book 10 of this invention, such as, for example, snaps and/or zippers.
In one embodiment of this invention, the coloring book 10 further comprises pouch 56 for storing crayons, markers and/or other coloring instruments. Pouch 56 may be a separate element attached to any part of coloring book 10. Alternatively, coloring book 10 may be designed to form pouch 56 as an integral element thereof.
In another embodiment of this invention, such as shown in
In other embodiments of this invention, where each page of plurality of pages is formed separately, and not from a single folded sheet of fabric, pockets can be formed by joining two or more sheets of fabric or other washable material together to form a page. A support sheet can be placed in such formed pocket.
The plurality of pages 102 shown in
As will be appreciated various and alternative sizes, shapes, and/or configurations are available for the coloring book, the front cover portion, the back cover portion, the pages, support sheets, seams and fasteners of this invention.
As shown in
The front cover portion, the back cover portion and the plurality of pages can be formed from the same or different materials. Furthermore, the seam according to this invention can have various and alternative sizes and placements. For example, as shown in
Thus, the invention provides a coloring book having a front cover portion and a back cover portion and a plurality of pages of washable material disposed between the front cover portion and the back cover portion. Individual pages and/or the plurality of pages as a whole are desirably detachable from the coloring book for more convenient removal of colors from the colorable designs and/or coloring. The pages of the coloring book can be formed as individual sheets, multiple sheets joined together to form a single page, or of a single folded sheet of washable material, such as fabric or a coated substrate. The pages of the coloring book can be formed of a single folded sheet for efficient and relatively less expensive manufacturing, while providing a relatively strong and aesthetically pleasing seam. The support sheets for the pages of the coloring book of this invention provide stiffness to make the individual pages of the coloring book easier to color on and/or manipulate. The coloring book of this invention can be used and reused. For example, the coloring book of this invention can be passed along from an older sibling to a younger sibling within the same family as the older child grows out of the age of using coloring books.
The invention illustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element, part, step, component, or ingredient which is not specifically disclosed herein.
While in the foregoing detailed description this invention has been described in relation to certain preferred embodiments thereof, and many details have been set forth for purposes of illustration, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is susceptible to additional embodiments and that certain of the details described herein can be varied considerably without departing from the basic principles of the invention.
