Miniature comic book kit
An educational kit for children to encourage reading through the play value of the kit and which may also improve hand-eye coordination. The kit includes a miniature comic book having very small printing, a magnifying lens which facilitates the reading of the small printing, a stand and a case for the comic book. The kit may also include a mirror for reading backwards text printed on the comic book, micro stickers and micro trading cards.
The present invention relates to an educational kit for children, and more particularly to a miniature comic book kit which encourages reading through the play value of the kit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONComic books are well known, but as a general rule they are printed in at least 12 point text. There is no inherent play value in a comic book per se.
It is also well know that small text can be produced which requires the use of a magnifying lens or glass. Thus, it has been reported that biblical passages have been engraved on the head of a pin, which required the use of a magnifying glass to read them. However, such an item was not designed for children to use.
It is also believed that Cracker Jacks™ used to offer mini books. However, a magnifier was not provided nor required.
Marvel Comics™ has had free mini-comic book inserts in cereals, etc. as premiums. One measured 2.25 inches by 3.5 inches and was called “Marvel Mini Comic Book Keychain Ultimate Spiderman”.
Where's Waldo in Hollywood was sold in a Mini hardcover edition with a free Magnifying Lens The purpose was to locate mini images of Waldo with the magnifier. Each page is 6¼ inches long by 4¼ inches wide. The pages are primarily mini illustrations of people with various backgrounds. The text that does appear is small but is a size that can be read by most children or reading age without the need of a magnifying glass.
It has also been reported that in the 1960's there were mini comic books in gum ball machines. However, none came with magnifying glasses.
Finally, mini Bibles have been sold.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of the present invention to provide a kit which will, through it play value, encourage children to read.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a kit which will, through it play value, develop a child's hand-eye coordination.
The foregoing objects are achieved by providing a kit which includes a magnifying glass, a miniature comic book with micro text which requires the use of the magnifying glass to read. In a preferred embodiment the comic book comes in a small plastic case, which only receives the comic book. The case with the enclosed comic book may be worn about the neck as each case has a small hole though which a bead chain may pass. In addition, a stand is provided to facilitate the reading of the comic book. The kit may also include a mirror for reading text which has been printed backwards on the comic books. Other items which may be included in the kit are micro-trading cards and micro stickers.
The foregoing objects and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be become more apparent after a consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
With reference initially to
The stand or base 40 is best shown in
While the books 10 shown in the drawings are typically conventionally printed, other forms of printing may be employed. Some books may be printed in 3D. Others may be printed with secret messages in red reveal ink for example. If this is done, the kit may also include as an accessory an appropriately colored reading glass.
Various games may be played with the miniature comic book kit of this invention. Thus, children may place the micro comic books into the small cases 30, and then play games such as throwing them against a wall. The display stands 40 are also used for displaying the comics on a shelf or to stand the comic book up to allow other children to try and knock over the book and stand. The winner of the game would be rewarded with the comic book that was on the stand. There are a number of games like this too numerous to mention.
While a preferred form of this invention has been described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that applicant does not intend to be limited to the particular details described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but intends to be limited only to the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. In this regard, the term “means for” as used in the claims is intended to include not only the designs illustrated in the drawings of this application and the equivalent designs discussed in the text, but it is also intended to cover other equivalents now known to those skilled in the art, or those equivalents which may become known to those skilled in the art in the future.
Claims
1. A miniature comic book kit comprising:
- a magnifying lens; and
- a miniature comic book containing artwork and stories, the stories being printed in such a small text size that it would be difficult to read by a child without the use of a magnifying lens.
2. The miniature comic book kit as set forth in claim 1 wherein the magnifying lens has a shaped handle which corresponds to a character depicted in the artwork of the comic book.
3. The miniature comic book kit as set forth in claim 1 wherein the comic book has a size of about 1.5 inches by 1 inch.
4. The miniature comic book kit as set forth in claim 1 wherein the text is printed in a size of 4 point or less.
5. The miniature comic book kit as set forth in claim 1 wherein the kit further includes a stand or base for the receipt of the comic book to facilitate its reading.
6. The miniature comic book kit as set forth in claim 1 wherein the kit further includes a small plastic case for carrying the comic book, the case being provided with a flip-up top.
7. The miniature comic book kit as set forth in claim 1 wherein the flip-up top is transparent.
8. The miniature comic book kit as set forth in claim 7 wherein the kit further includes a stand or base for the receipt of the small plastic case so that the comic book can be displayed.
9. The miniature comic book kit as set forth in claim 1 wherein the text is printed backwards, and wherein the kit further includes a mirror to facilitate the reading of the backwards text.
10. The miniature comic book kit as set forth in claim 1 wherein the kit further includes micro trading cards and micro stickers.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 9, 2004
Publication Date: May 11, 2006
Inventor: Wayne Fromm (Toronto)
Application Number: 10/984,242
International Classification: B65D 71/00 (20060101);