INTERACTIVE BOOK WITH DETACHABLE, POP-UP DEVICE

Abstract

A foldable consumer product, such as book or card, has a plurality of pages and a detachable toy, mask or other interactive amusement device attached to at least one of the pages. The detachable device is configured to pop-up or open upon exposing at least one of the pages, and may be thematically related to the subject matter of the book or card.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application and claims the benefit of priority to PCT/US2006/037161, filed Sep. 25, 2006, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/814,556, filed Jun. 19, 2006, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention is directed generally to interactive books and greeting cards and, more particularly, to an interactive book or greeting card with a detachable pop-up device integrated into the book.

2. Related Art

Various attempts have been made to introduce children to reading and make the reading experience more stimulating and enjoyable, especially for young children. It has been found that illustrations play an important role in attracting and maintaining a child's interest in reading. Hence, children's story books have been provided with large, colorful pictures illustrating the subject matter or the background thereof. Pop-up books have been a very popular choice among parents and children because these pop-up books include hinged pop-up devices that provide surprise and amusement to the children. The ability to stimulate a child's imagination has been limited by currently available pop-up books as the pop-up devices have been physically integrated into book.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention improves upon commercially available pop-up books or greeting cards by integrating a removable pop-up device, such as a toy, mask, or other amusement device, physically into the book or card, which opens and/or pops out of the book or card as the pages are turned. Once the device is popped open, it can be detached from the book or card and independently played with or interacted with by the child or user. In the case of a mask, it can be worn, and in the case of a toy or amusement device, it can be played with. The removable pop-up device of the invention may also be thematically related to the subject matter of the book or card. In this manner, the child's or user's imagination is further stimulated and enhanced beyond the normal reading experience. Once the removable device has been played with or interacted with, it may be re-attached to the book or card for future use/enjoyment as a pop-up feature. The invention may be implemented in a number of ways, and is not limited to books or cards, but may be used in various other implementations.

According to one aspect of the invention, an interactive book has a mask thematically related to the subject of the interactive book. The book includes at least one foldable surface having at least one of textual and visual material thereon. The mask is detachably connected to the at least one foldable surface. The mask has a first compact position and a second expanded position, and is convertible between the first and second positions when the at least one foldable surface is folded or unfolded.

The mask may pop up from the at least one foldable surface as the at least one foldable surface unfolds, and the at least one foldable surface may include two adjoining pages. The mask may be re-attachable to the at least one foldable surface. The book may further include an attachment device to detach and re-attach the mask to the at least one foldable surface repeatedly. The attachment device may be at least one of a hook-or-loop type fastener, snap, magnet, clip and sticky glue. The mask may include openings arranged corresponding to eyes of a wearer. The mask may include an elastic band connected to side portions of the mask. The mask may further include tabs arranged on the side portions of the mask, and the tabs may be connected to the elastic band and configured to be bent backward when the mask is placed on a wearer's face. The mask may be folded along folding lines to at least partially separate the mask from the at least one foldable surface as the at least one foldable surface unfolds.

According to another aspect of the invention, an interactive greeting card has a mask thematically related to the subject of the interactive greeting card. The greeting card includes at least one foldable surface having at least one of textual and visual material thereon. The mask is detachably connected to the at least one foldable surface. The mask has a first compact position and a second expanded position, and is convertible between the first and second positions when the at least one foldable surface is folded or unfolded.

The mask may pop up from the at least one foldable surface as the at least one foldable surface unfolds, and the at least one foldable surface may include two adjoining pages. The mask may be re-attachable to the at least one foldable surface. The greeting card may further include an attachment device to detach and re-attach the mask to the at least one foldable surface repeatedly. The attachment device may be at least one of a hook-or-loop type fastener, snap, magnet, clip and sticky glue. The mask may include openings arranged corresponding to eyes of a wearer. The mask may include an elastic band connected to side portions of the mask. The mask may further include tabs arranged on the side portions of the mask, and the tabs may be connected to the elastic band and configured to be bent backward when the mask is placed on a wearer's face. The mask may be folded along folding lines to at least partially separate the mask from the at least one foldable surface as the at least one foldable surface unfolds.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, a method of using a consumer product having readable material and a pop-up device thematically related to the readable material includes positioning the consumer product such that the readable material may be seen, opening or exposing the pop-up device thematically related to the readable material, removing the pop-up device from the consumer product, playing with the pop-up device, and re-attaching the pop-up device to the consumer device for re-use.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, an interactive book includes means for folding and unfolding a foldable surface and means for amusing a reader. The amusing means is configured to pop up or open upon unfolding the foldable surface. The amusing means comprises means for interacting with a reader, and the interacting means is configured to be detached from and reattached to the interactive book.

Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the invention may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the invention and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the detailed description serve to explain the principles of the invention. No attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention and the various ways in which it may be practiced. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 schematically shows a pop-up book or greeting card constructed according to the principles of the invention having a pop-up device in the form of a mask detachably connected to the book or card;

FIG. 2 shows the detachable mask of FIG. 1 separated from the book or card; and

FIG. 3 shows the pop-up book or card of FIG. 1 without the mask.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the invention and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of one embodiment may be employed with other embodiments as the skilled artisan would recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the invention. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the invention may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the appended claims and applicable law. Moreover, it is noted that like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a pop-up book or greeting card with a detachable object in the form of a mask connected thereto according to an embodiment of the invention. For ease of reference, this description will refer to the disclosed embodiment as a book. The pop-up book 10 may include a conventional cardboard or paper-bound book 12 and a detachable mask 14. The invention may be employed in any type of object having surfaces that may be folded and opened to hide and show a detachable object, such as mask 14. Thus, the invention is not limited to conventional books with pages and covers or greeting cards, but may be applied to any other device such as a hinged, flap-type consumer product that can be folded and opened. In the embodiment below, the product is described as a pop-up book 10, which is very popular among children.

The pop-up book 10 may have a number of pages with readable print, text, graphics or other illustrations thereon, although only two pages are shown for ease of illustration. FIG. 1 shows two adjoining pages 30a, 30b, which may be folded and connected to the hinge of the book along the transverse edge 28a. As is known in the art, the object 14 may be configured to open or pop out of the book when the hinge mechanism of the binding of the book 12 is opened to expose the pages 30a and 30b. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the detachable mask 14 is folded along folding transverse lines 16a, 16b, 16c such that the detachable mask 14 may be at least partially separated and pop-out from the pages 30a, 30b when the book 12 is opened to expose the pages 30a and 30b.

The detachable mask 14 may be attached to the book 12 using an attachment mechanism, which may be any type of mechanism capable of detachably connecting the detachable mask 14 to the book 12. For example, FIG. 2 shows first fastener pieces 20a, 20b formed on the rear surface of the detachable mask 14 and FIG. 3 shows second fastener pieces 32a, 32b formed on the surfaces 30a, 30b, which may be removably engaged together to attach and detach the mask 14 to and from the book 12. The fasteners may be any type of hook or loop-type fasteners such as those marketed under the VELCRO name. Any kind of detachable connection is contemplated by the invention including snaps, magnets, clips, post-it type glue or any other adhesive, or other attachment mechanism known in the art to form a detachable connection suitable for the purposes described herein. Also, it is not necessary to attach the detachable mask 14 to both pages 30a, 30b. For example, the detachable object 14 may be attached to only one page, as long as at least a portion of the detachable mask 14 is configured to pop up or open upon exposing the page 30a or 30b.

While the detachable object is shown in the form of mask 14, it may take any form of any interactive device, toy (such as a building, animal, figure, car, bus, boat, train, airplane, rocket ship, etc.), or any other amusement device. The detachable object may be thematically related to the subject matter (e.g., printed material) of the book 12 to enhance the learning experience or imagination of the child or other user For example, the book 12 may be about interesting animals, such as elephants or monkeys, and the mask 14 may be an attractive elephant or monkey mask, respectively, to stimulate the child's imagination and play experience. Thus, in FIG. 1, the detachable object 14 is an elephant face mask, which a child can detach from the book 12 and wear on his or her face. The openings 26a, 26b are located corresponding to the eyes of the wearer. The mask 14 may be equipped with an elastic band 24 to fix the mask 14 on the wearer's face. The elastic band 24 may be tied to the holes 22a, 22b. The mask 14 may have cut-out portions in the form of die-cut tabs 18a, 18b located near the holes 22a, 22b, which may be bent backward along the folding lines 16b, and 16c to provide more comfortable fit to the wearer's face. After playing with the mask 14, the child or his or her parent can readily reattach the mask 14 to the book 12 for re-use as a pop-up device

FIG. 1 shows the fastener pieces 20a, 20b formed at the cut-out portions 18a, 18b, but the locations of the pieces 20a, 20b can be changed. The detachable object, such as mask 14, may be formed of any type of material such as paper, board, plastic and the like. Also, as should be clear from above, the detachable object 14 may be in any kind of shape or form. The detachable object, such as mask 12, also may be attached to a pop-up device that itself is attached, either fixedly or removably, to the book itself.

FIG. 2 shows a rear review of the mask 14 detached from the book 12. FIG. 3 shows the book 12 without the mask 14. As shown therein, the fastener pieces 20a, 20b of the mask 14 and the fasteners pieces 32a, 32b of the book 12 are arranged as complementary to each other to form a detachable connection. Also, as mentioned above, the elastic band 24 is connected to the cut-off portions 18a, 18b via the holes 22a, 22b. The die-cut tabs 18a, 18b may be bent backward to provide better fit to the wearer's face.

While the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications in the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, while the invention is described and illustrated herein in the form of a book, it may be implemented in a number of other devices, such as hinged, flap-type consumer products (e.g., greeting cards or the like). These examples given above are merely illustrative and are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible designs, embodiments, applications or modifications of the invention.

Claims

1. An interactive book having a mask thematically related to the subject of the interactive book, said book comprising:

at least one foldable surface having at least one of textual and visual material thereon; and

a mask detachably connected to said at least one foldable surface, said mask having a first compact position and a second expanded position, said mask being convertible between the first and second positions when said at least one foldable surface is folded or unfolded.

2. The interactive book of claim 1, wherein said mask pops up from said at least one foldable surface as said at least one foldable surface unfolds.

3. The interactive book of claim 2, wherein said at least one foldable surface comprises two adjoining pages.

4. The interactive book of claim 1, wherein said mask is re-attachable to said at least one foldable surface.

5. The interactive book of claim 4, further comprising an attachment device to detach and re-attach said mask to said at least one foldable surface repeatedly.

6. The interactive book of claim 5, wherein said attachment device is at least one of a hook-or-loop type fastener, snap, magnet, clip and sticky glue.

7. The interactive book of claim 1, wherein said mask comprises openings arranged corresponding to eyes of a wearer.

8. The interactive book of claim 1, wherein said mask includes an elastic band connected to side portions of said mask.

9. The interactive book of claim 8, wherein said mask further comprises tabs arranged on said side portions of said mask, said tabs being connected to said elastic band and configured to be bent backward when said mask is placed on a wearer's face.

10. The interactive book of claim 1, wherein said mask is folded along a plurality of folding lines to at least partially separate the mask from said at least one

foldable surface as said at least one foldable surface unfolds.

11. An interactive greeting card having a mask thematically related to the subject of the interactive greeting card, said greeting card comprising:

at least one foldable surface having at least one of textual and visual material thereon; and

a mask detachably connected to said at least one foldable surface, said mask having a first compact position and a second expanded position, said mask being convertible between the first and second positions when said at least one foldable surface is folded or unfolded.

12. The interactive greeting card of claim 11, wherein said mask pops up from said at least one foldable surface as said at least one foldable surface unfolds.

13. The interactive greeting card of claim 12, wherein said at least one foldable surface comprises two adjoining pages.

14. The interactive greeting card of claim 11, wherein said mask is re-attachable to said at least one foldable surface.

15. The interactive greeting card of claim 14, further comprising an attachment device to detach and re-attach said mask to said at least one foldable surface repeatedly.

16. The interactive greeting card of claim 15, wherein said attachment device is at least one of a hook-or-loop type fastener, snap, magnet, clip and sticky glue.

17. The interactive greeting card of claim 11, wherein said mask comprises openings arranged corresponding to eyes of a wearer.

18. The interactive greeting card of claim 11, wherein said mask includes an elastic band connected to side portions of said mask.

19. The interactive greeting card of claim 18, wherein said mask further comprises tabs arranged on said side portions of said mask, said tabs being connected to said elastic band and configured to be bent backward when said mask is placed on a wearer's face.

20. The interactive greeting card of claim 11, wherein said mask is folded along a plurality of folding lines to at least partially separate the mask from said at least one foldable surface as said at least one foldable surface unfolds.