Apparel – Body garments
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-13
2001-01-16
Calvert, John J. (Department: 3741)
Apparel
Body garments
C446S028000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06173450
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to costumes and toys, and, more particularly, to costumes that create an illusion that the wearer is being carried by the costume character and to plush toys.
2. Description of Related Art
Costumes are known in the art that create illusions regarding the character that is the subject of the costume. For example, the costumes of Lundgren (U.S. Pat. No. 1,267,567) and of Stapleton (U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,098) make it appear as though the person wearing the costume is being carried by a character. However, it has been found that the heads and body parts of such costumes have a tendency to droop, rendering the costume less attractive and realistic.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved costume that creates the illusion that the wearer is being carried by the costume character.
It is an additional object to provide a method of making such a costume.
It is a further object to provide a method of donning such a costume.
It is another object to provide a combined costume and plush toy.
It is yet an additional object to provide a method of making such a combined costume and plush toy.
It is yet a further object to provide a method of interconverting the figure between its costume and toy configurations.
These objects and others are attained by the present invention, which in one embodiment comprises a costume representative of a character. The character has a head, a body section, and at least two legs. The body section and the legs have a common interior space that is adapted to admit the lower body section and the legs of a wearer thereinto.
A pair of false limbs is affixed to a rear of the costume so that they depend downward and forward toward a front of the costume when in use. The limbs are preferably positioned to provide an illusion that when donned the wearer is being carried by the costume character.
A particular improvement of the costume comprises means for supporting the character's head in an upright orientation against the wearer's chest. Previous costumes known in the art had a particular difficulty with this feature, as the heads tended to droop downward, which spoiled the costume's appearance.
The costume further comprises means for being retained on the wearer. These retaining means are also adapted to improve the appearance of the costume in providing a realistic-looking illusion.
In another embodiment of the invention, an object is provided that permits interconversion between a costume configuration and a toy configuration. In this embodiment, the object comprises the costume as described above, with an addition that the interior space is further dimensioned to house the legs and the means for being retained. Thus, to convert the object to the toy configuration, the limbs and means for being retained are inserted into the interior space via the opening, and only the character itself remains visible. The character can then be used as a toy, for example, as a stuffed animal if the character is of the plush variety.
The features that characterize the invention, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description used in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. It is to be expressly understood that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration and description and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. These and other objects attained, and advantages offered, by the present invention will become more fully apparent as the description that now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1267567 (1918-05-01), Lundgren
patent: 2705803 (1955-04-01), Sheldrick et al.
patent: 2754121 (1956-07-01), Jupiter
patent: 3382504 (1968-05-01), Barbosa
patent: 3447165 (1969-06-01), Brosk
patent: 3611628 (1971-10-01), Noble et al.
patent: 3613301 (1971-10-01), Noble et al.
patent: 3920239 (1975-11-01), Whilte
patent: 4138745 (1979-02-01), Greenspan
patent: 4280292 (1981-07-01), Hills
patent: 4300307 (1981-11-01), Biasuzzi et al.
patent: 4498199 (1985-02-01), Margolis
patent: 4722098 (1988-02-01), Stapleton
patent: 4799889 (1989-01-01), Yockey
patent: 5209691 (1993-05-01), Ekstein
patent: 5359731 (1994-11-01), Cavalier
patent: 5542122 (1996-08-01), Molodovan
patent: 5643037 (1997-07-01), Altschul
patent: 5970518 (1999-10-01), Jordon
patent: 6006365 (1999-12-01), Strandberg
Allen Dyer Doppelt Milbrath & Gilchrist, P.A.
Calvert John J.
Hoey Alissa L.
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