Amusement devices: toys – Convertible from – or serving as diverse article – Including figure toy
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-02
2001-05-29
Ackun, Jr., Jacob K. (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices: toys
Convertible from, or serving as diverse article
Including figure toy
C446S073000, C446S100000, C446S386000, C446S390000, C211S014000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06238260
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of toy ball or egg holding devices usable with natural (preferably hard boiled) or artificial eggs such as plastic eggs and other small balls. The toys have a lower holder element designed to receive and support one end of the egg or ball in a holder in a nested and unattached relation and include an upper position adopted to be received on top of the egg or ball. The combination of the upper and lower elements with an egg or ball in the middle represent human or animal characters of interest. The character may include decals placeable on the egg or ball to further represent the facial or other characteristics of the head of the character of interest.
II. Related Art
Toy caricatures having human or animal features are well known. Such caricatures have also been used, for example, in the form of toy caricatures using sports equipment such as footballs, basketballs, or the like. Such a sport caricature system with attached, removable ball appendages is depicted in U.S. Design Patent DES 403031 issued to Stousland et al. The direct attachment of the arm and leg appendages, however, make such a concept difficult to use with delicate structures such as natural eggs.
The present invention contemplates an amusement device or toy, but also a useful independent support for carrying eggs such as real or artificial Easter eggs nested therein in which the eggs are retained but are unattached to the support. The supports or holders of the invention may be generally crafted to depict any animal or human likeness and the characters may include decals removably applicable to carried egg or small ball or even permanent decal features.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide amusement devices in the form of animal or human character likenesses associated with small balls or natural or artificial eggs, including Easter eggs, that can be used to support or carry the eggs.
Another object of the invention is to provide such amusement devices that also provide useful support for small balls or natural or artificial eggs, including Easter eggs that receive and carry but are not attached to the balls or Easter eggs involved.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a useful support in the form of a caricature or character of interest resembling an animal or a human likeness in which the egg forms the head of the likeness.
Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide removable decals applicable to the small ball or natural or artificial eggs to enhance the characterization of facial and other head features of the character of interest.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from familiarization with the specification, drawings and claims found in this application.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a toy or amusement device in conjunction with a support holder for carrying natural and artificial eggs of all kinds, particularly of the chicken egg size, and small balls. One preferred embodiment of the device includes a support base in the form of a pedestal that includes the lower body and feet of human or animal character of interest and also contains an open hollow upper recess for receiving one end of an egg or other egg-shaped object or a small ball therein. Also attached to the support base are a pair of forelimbs or arms spaced from the support base by an integral intermediate stem member, the arms or forelimbs being those of the character of the support base. This base is normally used in conjunction with a separator upper member that includes features of the top of the character of interest and is selected from hats and other upper head feature structures such as rabbit ears, hairdos antennae, wreaths, crowns and halos. The upper member also has an open hollow lower recess for receiving the upper end of the egg or ball or other object being contained in the toy holder support base. In this manner, the holder toy acts as a delicate holder in which arms or forelegs serve to retain the egg in the holder and the lower torso or pedestal containing the feet provides a recessed seat for the egg, or the like. A hat or upper member fits down over the egg to also help stabilize it in its holder.
No adhesive or other material or holding device need be utilized in conjunction with retaining the egg in the holder device. In this manner, the egg holder toy is contemplated to be an arts and crafts type or creative toy in which users of the toy can also create their own characters using a variety of interchangeable top and bottom elements to make up the egg holder such and by decorating, dyeing and/or drawing original faces on the egg and placing the decorated egg in the holder to create a new character using such a combination of basic upper and lower elements. It is also contemplated that decals can be provided for the purpose of decorating the face and other head features of the character of interest. These devices may be removable as by providing them with any of several temporary, reusable adhesive which enable the decals to be pealed off and reapplied. Such materials are well known to those skilled in the art and are readily available commercially. The decals, in any event, do not interfere with other uses for the egg.
While the primary use of the egg holder toy of the invention may be to contain hard boiled decorated Easter eggs, it is further contemplated that drained, decorated eggs such as those traditionally associated with Ukrainian Easter, uncooked eggs, artificial or plastic egg shapes and small balls could be utilized in the same manner. It is also part of the invention to provide such a toy egg holding system in which the upper and lower members, together with the forelimbs or arms are joined in one continuous structure which can be opened to receive the egg within upper and lower recesses, which will resiliently regain its original shape capturing and containing the egg therein.
As used herein, the term “egg” refers to any natural or artificial egg or any small egg-shaped object including hard or soft plastic or foam egg shapes and small balls or other elements compatible with the concept of the invention as would occur to those skilled in the art. While certain examples are given in the detailed description, it is contemplated that any imaginable character of interest could be produced in the form contemplated for the invention and those actually depicted are merely intended as illustrative embodiments or arrangements.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 403031 (1998-12-01), Stousland et al.
patent: 1631205 (1927-07-01), Horner et al.
patent: 2109965 (1938-03-01), Booth
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patent: 3837111 (1974-09-01), Godfrey et al.
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patent: 4757626 (1988-07-01), Weinreich
patent: 5078641 (1992-01-01), Chen
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patent: 5232390 (1993-08-01), Brooks
patent: 5454746 (1995-10-01), Guegan et al.
patent: 5545069 (1996-08-01), Glynn et al.
patent: 5632377 (1997-05-01), Ferrero
patent: 5779059 (1998-07-01), Kotch
Ackun Jr. Jacob K.
Carlson Jeffrey D.
Nikolai Mersereau & Dietz, P.A.
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