Entertainment device with soft goods play implements and housing
A reconfigurable entertainment device is disclosed, wherein the device includes a housing having an opening leading to a play implement receiving region. The entertainment device also includes at least one play implement for being retrieved from the play implement receiving region through the opening. The housing also includes an attachment member used to selectively secure the device to a child receiving device such a crib, stroller, car seat, swing, bassinet, bouncer, etc. The entertainment device of the present invention is configurable in at least first and second modes of use. In a first mode of use, the attachment member is used to connect the housing to a child receiving device such that the opening of the housing, and thus the play implements, are exposed to a child in the child receiving device. In a second mode of use, the entertainment device is supported in a freestanding manner by a supporting surface (e.g., a floor, blanket, mattress, play-mat, etc.). A child on the supporting surface within reach of the entertainment device can reach through the opening of the housing and retrieve play implements from the play implement receiving region. The child can then enjoy interacting with the housing or the play implements during floor play.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/754,278, filed Dec. 29, 2005, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a reconfigurable entertainment device and, more particularly, to a set of play implements and a housing for storing the play implements, where the housing and the play implement are each made at least partially of a soft goods material. The housing further includes at least one flexible member attached thereto for selectively securing the housing to a child receiving device such as a crib, stroller, car seat, swing, bassinet, bouncer, etc. In a first mode of use, the entertainment device of the present invention is configurable such that the at least one flexible member is secured to the child receiving device to provide a first play mode wherein a child in the child receiving device may retrieve play implements from or insert play implements into the housing within the child receiving device. In a second mode of use, the entertainment device of the present invention is configurable such that the housing is freestanding on a support surface such as a floor, blanket, or mattress, such that a child sitting on the floor may retrieve play implements from or insert play implements into the housing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONYoung children enjoy grasping, manipulating and stacking play implements as well as placing play implements into identified target areas such as holes, receptacles, or other open receiving areas. Children develop and become more mobile as they explore crawling, walking and other motor skills. At each stage of development, a child becomes more agile and capable than in earlier stages of development. Parents obviously want to encourage exploration at each developmental stage in order to accelerate the child's passage to the next developmental stage. To this end, reconfigurable entertainment devices offer parents an opportunity to encourage exploration at various developmental levels. Reconfigurable entertainment devices can provide skill level-appropriate stimulation at one developmental stage and can then be reconfigured to provide skill level-appropriate stimulation at a more advanced skill level/developmental stage.
In the present case, a reconfigurable children's soft goods block set and soft goods holder/housing is disclosed. The entertainment device of the present invention can be reconfigured into multiple configurations to stimulate children of different distinct skill and developmental levels. The entertainment device includes graspable, stackable soft goods play implements and a soft goods housing for removably receiving the implements therein. A child using the entertainment device of the present invention can grasp the soft goods play implement for stacking, throwing, inserting into or removing from the housing or just for play and exploration with an individual soft goods play implement. Each soft goods play implement has a volumetric geometric shape (e.g., a cube, a sphere, etc.). When the soft goods play implement is formed in the shape of a six-sided cube, each side has thereon at least one of a visual indicia and a tactile stimulation region. The soft goods play implements may also include an internal sensory stimulation (e.g., a sound generator or a vibration producing mechanism) device to generate sensory stimulating output.
The entertainment device according to the present invention facilitates two modes of activity or use for children at different developmental levels. In the first mode of use, a flexible member, connected to the housing of the entertainment device, is attached to a child receiving device such as the rails of a crib to secure the housing thereto. The attached entertainment device including its housing and soft goods play implements are thus made accessible (even to infants) by placing the housing and soft goods play implements within reach of the lower portion of the crib. In the early stages of development an infant may lie in the crib and still be able to access the housing and soft goods play implements. As the child develops past infancy, his/her range of motion is expanded and the child is able to explore past the confines of a crib, the flexible member of the housing can be detached from the crib rails and the housing can removed from the crib and placed on a flat supporting surface (e.g., floor, blanket, mattress, play-mat, etc). As a result, a child that has advanced to the toddler stage can sit up on the supporting surface and access the soft goods housing and soft goods play implements housed therein. In both modes of use, the soft goods play implements of the entertainment device feature numerous sensory stimulating rewards including visual, audible, and tactile stimulation.
As referenced above, the entertainment device of the present invention also provides sensory-stimulating rewards for a child. Each soft goods play implement and the soft goods housing may include a sensory-stimulating device(s) housed internally for creating sensory-stimulating output. Various sensory-stimulating devices may be utilized (e.g., bell devices, rattle devices, crinkle material, soft or rough textured material, vibration generation devices, etc.).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONGenerally, the entertainment device of the present invention comprises a reconfigurable children's entertainment device comprising a set of soft goods play implements and a soft housing for removably receiving the play implements. As referenced above, the housing and the play implements are each composed at least partially of soft goods materials.
The housing of the entertainment device of the present invention forms an enclosure with an opening on one side for removably receiving the soft goods play implements. The housing also includes a fastener attached to the housing. The fastener may comprise a flexible member that is composed of first and second straps that are used to connect the housing to various child receiving devices. The ends of each of the first and second straps may include one of a hook or loop fastener with the other end including the corresponding other one of the hook or loop fasteners. Accordingly, the first and second straps of the flexible member can then be wrapped around a portion of the child receiving device (e.g., crib rails) and the hook and loop fasteners secured together to fasten the housing to the child receiving device. The housing of the entertainment device of the present invention may also include visual and tactile stimulating features on its exposed surfaces.
The entertainment device of the present invention may also include at least one soft goods play implement and preferably includes a set of soft goods play implements. Each soft goods play implement may be formed to be graspable by a child and may be formed in one of a number of volumetric geometric shapes (e.g., spherical, triangular, rectangular, conical, pyramidal, cubic, etc.). The shapes of the soft goods play implements are obviously not limited to the foregoing list of volumetric geometric shapes and thus, they may be formed in any shape. When the chosen volumetric geometric shape is cubical, the play implement has six sides and fits by itself or with other play implements into the play implement receiving region through the opening of the housing. The opening and the play implement receiving region of the housing is complementarily shaped with respect to the soft goods play implements. Furthermore, each soft goods play implement, presents a child with numerous sensory stimulating opportunities. For example, each side of a particular soft goods play implement may include at least one of a visual indicia and a tactile stimulating region. Tactile stimulating regions may include at least contoured fabric patterns and extended projecting streamers or tassels. The soft goods play implements of the present invention may also include internally embedded sound generating devices. Such embedded sound generating devices may include bell devices and/or rattle devices. The soft goods play implements of the present invention may also include vibration generation devices that are embedded within the internal volume of the play implement.
The entertainment device of the present invention may be employed for use in at least two distinct modes. In a first mode of use, first and second straps of the flexible member are wrapped around a portion of a child receiving device to attach the housing of the entertainment device to a portion of the child receiving device. The child may then be placed in the child receiving device within reach of the entertainment device so that the child can grasp the housing or one of the soft goods play implements. The child can then either remove or return the play implement(s) to the play implement receiving region of the housing or, alternatively, play with the play implement(s) independently of the housing. In a second mode of use, generally employed when the child is older and can sit up, the housing of the entertainment device can be detached from the child receiving device and placed on a supporting surface with the opening of the housing, and thus the soft goods play implements contained therein, exposed to the child. The child can either remove or return the play implement(s) to the play implement receiving region of the now freestanding housing or, alternatively, play with the play implement(s) independently of the housing, all the while enjoying the various stimulations provided by the entertainment device (e.g., tactile, sound or vibration stimulation).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Like reference numerals have been used to identify like elements throughout this disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONIn accordance with the present invention, an activity entertainment device is disclosed. The entertainment device is a reconfigurable to allow for at least two distinct modes of activity. In a first mode of use, the entertainment device is connected to a child receiving device such as a crib, stroller, car seat, swing, bassinet, bouncer, etc., to entertain an infant. When the infant is placed in the child receiving device with reach of the entertainment device, it may lie in the child receiving device and interact with the housing or the soft goods play implements. In a second mode of use, the entertainment device may be freestanding on a supporting surface (e.g., floor, blanket, mattress, play-mat, etc) so that a toddler may sit on the supporting surface and interact with the entertainment device. Play will generally include exploring the attractive visual, tactile, and other sensory stimulating features of the housing and play implements (e.g., touching the attractive features of the housing, removing play implements from and returning play implements to the implement receiving region of the housing and manipulating and stacking the play implements).
Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention that come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. For example, it is to be understood that terms such as “left”, “right” “top”, “bottom”, “front”, “rear”, “side”, “height”, “length”, “width”, “upper”, “lower”, “interior”, “exterior”, “inner”, “outer” and the like as may be used herein, merely describe points of reference and do not limit the present invention to any particular orientation or configuration.
Claims
1. An entertainment device comprising:
- a housing, said housing including a play implement receiving region and an attachment mechanism, said housing formed at least partially from a soft goods material; and
- at least one play implement, said at least one play implement operable to be removeably received in said play implement receiving region of said housing, said at least one play implement formed at least partially from a soft goods material, wherein said attachment mechanism is operable to attach said housing to a child receiving device.
2. The entertainment device of claim 1, wherein said housing is freestanding and is operable to sit on a supporting surface and receive said at least one play implement to provide for a floor-play mode of use.
3. The entertainment device of claim 2, wherein said attachment mechanism of said housing comprises at least one flexible member attached to said housing for securing said housing to said child receiving device.
4. The entertainment device of claim 1, wherein said child receiving device is a crib, said crib including crib rails, and said attachment mechanism is operable to attach said housing to said crib rails.
5. The entertainment device of claim 3, wherein said at least one flexible member further comprises first and second straps, wherein said first strap includes a first fastener and said second strap includes a second fastener, wherein said first fastener and said second fastener are attachable to each other to attach said housing to said child receiving device.
6. The entertainment device of claim 1, wherein said at least one play implement is in the form of a volumetric geometric shape.
7. The entertainment device of claim 6, wherein said at least one play implement comprises a plurality of play implements.
8. The entertainment device of claim 6, wherein said volumetric geometric shape is one of the group comprising a square, a triangle, a circle, and a rectangle.
9. The entertainment device of claim 7, wherein said play implement receiving region of said housing is complementarily shaped to receive said plurality of play implements.
10. The entertainment device of claim 7, wherein at least one of said plurality of play implements is a cube with six sides and wherein each of said sides includes one of a visual indicia and a tactile stimulating region.
11. The entertainment device of claim 10, wherein at least one of said plurality of play implements includes a sound generating device housed therein to generate audible output.
12. The entertainment device of claim 10, wherein one of said six sides is formed from a contoured fabric pattern to provide said tactile stimulating region.
13. The entertainment device of claim 7, wherein at least one of said plurality of play implements includes a vibration producing mechanism.
14. The entertainment device of claim 1, wherein said housing further includes at least one of a visual indicia and a tactile stimulating region.
15. The entertainment device of claim 1, wherein said housing includes a stiffener member to provide structural rigidity to said housing.
16. The entertainment device of claim 7, wherein said plurality of play implements are configured to be stacked.
17. A method of using an entertainment device in a child receiving device mode and a floor-play mode, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a housing including a play implement receiving region and an attachment mechanism, the housing formed at least partially from a soft goods material;
- providing at least one play implement, the at least one play implement operable to be removeably received in the play implement receiving region of said housing, the at least one play implement formed at least partially from a soft goods material;
- utilizing the attachment mechanism to attach said housing and said at least one play implement received in said play implement receiving region to a child receiving device;
- removing the housing from the child receiving device; and
- placing the housing and the at least one play implement received in the play implement receiving region in a freestanding position on a supporting surface for a floor-play mode of use.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one play implement is a cube with six sides.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the child receiving device is a crib, the crib including crib rails, and the step of utilizing the attachment mechanism to attach said housing and the at least one play implement received in the play implement receiving region to a child receiving device includes the further step of utilizing the attachment mechanism to attach the housing to the crib rails.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one play implement comprises a plurality of play implements, the plurality of play implements being configured to be stacked, the method further comprising the step of removing the plurality of play implements from the play implement receiving region of the housing and stacking the plurality of play implements on each other.
Type: Application
Filed: May 23, 2006
Publication Date: Jul 5, 2007
Inventors: Mary Mastrosimone-Gese (East Aurora, NY), Kenneth Morton (East Aurora, NY)
Application Number: 11/438,702
International Classification: A63H 33/00 (20060101);