STATIONERY AND SCHOOL SUPPLY ITEMS AND DECORATIVE ACCESSORIES FOR SUCH ITEMS

Abstract

A kit including a stationery or school supply item, e.g., a notebook, portfolio, folder, pencil/pen pouch, backpack, book bag, etc., and at least one of a plurality of decorative accessories. The stationery or school supply item has stretchable portion including a plurality of apertures. Each of the accessories includes a decorative front portion and a mounting stub. The mounting stub is arranged to be snap fit into any of the apertures of the stationery or school supply item so that the an aesthetically pleasing or representational graphic design on the front portion of the decorative insert appears on the surface of the stationery or school supply item to adorn it.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

“Not Applicable”

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

“Not Applicable”

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISK

“Not Applicable”

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to stationery or school supplies and more particularly to stationery and school supply items and decorative accessories for such items.

Children are known to decorate their school supplies or other stationery items to express their creative and individual character. This is commonly accomplished by means of drawings on the covers of notebooks, backpacks, pen and pencil cases, etc. Decorative stickers, decals or decorative pins are frequently used for decorating such items.

United States Published Application 20070006502 discloses a system and method for securing accessories to shoes and other articles of clothing, such as belts and scarves. The system basically comprises a decorative accessory including a shaft having first and second ends and a first shoulder secured to the first end of the shaft. The first shoulder is configured for insertion through an expandable hole in an upper portion of the shoe to engage an inner surface of the upper portion of the shoe. The accessory also includes a second shoulder and a third shoulder. The second shoulder is secured to the second end of the shaft and is configured to engage the shoe. The third shoulder is located adjacent to the second shoulder. The third shoulder bears decoration indicia.

The patent literature includes several patents relating to books or other children's items being arranged for decoration, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,715,816 (White), U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,574 (Koyabashi), U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,691 (Waldman), U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,609 (Hoag), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,166 (Hoag).

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a need exists for stationery or school supplies for children which can be readily decorated with decorative accessories. The subject invention addresses that need.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of this invention there is provided a stationery or school supply item adapted to be adorned with at least one of a plurality of decorative accessories. Each of the decorative accessories comprises a front portion including an aesthetically pleasing or representational graphic design and a mounting stub portion projecting rearward from the front portion. The stationery or school supply item is selected from the group consisting of notebooks, portfolios, folders, pencil/pen pouches, backpacks, book bags, and the like and has a portion formed of a stretchable material having an outer surface including a plurality of apertures therein. Each of the apertures is arranged to releasably receive the stub of any of the plurality of decorative accessories, whereupon the front portion of the at least one insert appears on the outer surface of the stationery or school supply item to adorn it.

In accordance with another aspect of this invention there is provided a plurality of decorative accessories for use with a stationery or school supply to adorn the item. The stationery or school supply item is selected from the group consisting of notebooks, portfolios, folders, pencil/pen pouches, backpacks, book bags, and the like and has portion formed of a stretchable material having an outer surface including a plurality of apertures therein. Each of the decorative accessories comprises a front portion including an aesthetically pleasing or representational graphic design and a mounting stub portion projecting rearward from the front portion. Each of the mounting stubs is arranged to be snap-fit into any of the plurality of apertures, whereupon the front portion of the at least one insert appears on the outer surface of the stationery or school supply item to adorn it.

In accordance with still another aspect of this invention there is provided a kit comprising a stationery or school supply item being selected from the group consisting of notebooks, portfolios, folders, pencil/pen pouches, backpacks, book bags, and the like, and at least one of a plurality of decorative accessories for use with the stationery or school supply to adorn it. The stationery or school supply item has a portion formed of a stretchable material having an outer surface including a plurality of apertures therein. Each of the decorative accessories comprises a front portion including an aesthetically pleasing or representational graphic design and a mounting stub portion projecting rearward from the front portion. Each of the mounting stubs is arranged to be snap-fit into any of the plurality of apertures, whereupon the front portion of the at least one insert appears on the outer surface of the stationery or school supply item to adorn it.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in conjunction with the following drawings in which like reference numerals designate like elements and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an exemplary notebook constructed in accordance with the subject invention and having several decorative accessories constructed in accordance with this invention secured on the cover thereof;

FIG. 2A is an enlarged plan view of the front of one of the decorative accessories shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B is an enlarged side view of the decorative insert shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view, similar to that of FIG. 2A, but showing the front of a decorative insert constructed in accordance with this invention bearing a different graphic design;

FIG. 5 is a plan view, similar to that of FIGS. 2A and 4, but showing the front of a decorative insert constructed in accordance with this invention bearing still another different graphic design;

FIG. 6 is a plan view, similar to that of FIGS. 2A, 4 and 5, but showing the front of a decorative insert constructed in accordance with this invention bearing still another different graphic design;

FIG. 7A is a plan view of the rear side of the embodiment of the decorative insert shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A;

FIG. 7B is a plan view of the rear side of the embodiment of the decorative insert shown in FIGS. 1 and 4;

FIG. 7C is a plan view of the rear side of the embodiment of the decorative insert shown in FIGS. 1 and 5;

FIG. 7D is a plan view of the rear side of the embodiment of the decorative insert shown in FIGS. 1 and 6;

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of an exemplary pencil and/or pen pouch constructed in accordance with the subject invention and having several decorative accessories constructed in accordance with this invention secured on a side thereof; and

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of an exemplary backpack constructed in accordance with the subject invention and having several decorative accessories constructed in accordance with this invention secured on the front side thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the various figures of the drawing, wherein like reference numbers refer to like parts, there is shown at 20 in FIG. 1 a school notebook constructed in accordance with one exemplary aspect of this invention. The notebook 20 includes a front cover 22 which includes a plurality of apertures 24 arranged in a grid-like array. Each of the apertures is arranged to receive a respective decorative insert or accessory 26 to decorate or adorn the notebook. The details of the accessories 26 will be described later. Suffice it to say for now that each accessory 26 includes a decorative front or outer surface that may include graphics and/or other indicia to provide some aesthetically pleasing appearance. For example, the front surface may include a design selected from the group consisting of sports, hobbies, animal figures, human figures, flowers, plants, nature. The design may be provided by embossing, debossing, silk screening or otherwise decorating the outer surface of the accessory with the desired visual material(s). The embodiments of the accessories shown herein are but a few examples of the myriad of designs which can be incorporated into the accessories of this invention. Moreover, the outer periphery or profile of the front surface of any accessory 26 may be in the form of any desired shape, be it a geometric shape or the shape of an object, e.g., the peripheral shape of the graphic design making up the front surface. Thus, the embodiments of the drawing are provided for illustrative purposes and should not be deemed to limit this invention in any respect.

It should also be noted at this juncture that the subject invention has much wider applicability than merely enabling the decoration of notebooks 20. In particular, the subject invention can be used for enabling the decoration of various types of stationery and/or school supplies. For example, as shown in FIG. 8 the subject invention can be used to decorate a pen and/or pencil pouch 100. As shown in FIG. 9 the subject invention can be used to decorate a backpack or mini-backpack 200. Other stationery or school supply items can be decorated in the furtherance of this invention, as well.

Turning now to FIGS. 1 and 3 it can be seen that the front cover 22 of the notebook 20 is a generally planar member. In accordance with one preferred aspect of this invention it is formed of a resilient (stretchable material), e.g., foam, so that each of the apertures 24 can be stretched. This feature is of considerable importance to enable the aperture to readily receive a portion of an accessory 26 to mount the accessory on the cover. In the exemplary embodiment of the notebook shown in FIG. 1, a generally planar back cover 28 is provided. The back cover may also be formed of a similar material as the front cover and may or may not include apertures in it. Disposed between the front and back covers are a plurality of pages 30, all of which are held together by a conventional spiral 32.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A and 2B one exemplary decorative insert or accessory 26 will now be described. That accessory includes an outer portion 36 having a front surface 38 and a rear surface 40. The outer portion 36 is a generally planar member, which in this case, has the profile of a five pointed star with, two other increasingly smaller stars superimposed thereon. In addition, the front surface 38 of the accessory 26 bears graphics, e.g., color lines 42, defining the shapes of those stars. As best seen in FIG. 2B a stub or prong 38, having a flanged end or head 46, projects perpendicularly from the rear surface 40 of the outer portion 38 of the accessory 26. The flanged end or head 46 may be of any shape. In the exemplary embodiments shown it is of circular shape as can be clearly seen in FIGS. 7A-7D. In any case the width of the head 46 measured diagonally is slightly greater than the inside diameter of any of the apertures 24. Since the cover 22 is formed of a stretchable material the prong 44 can be inserted into any of the apertures 24, with the head 46 causing that aperture to stretch until the head is fully through the aperture, whereupon the aperture constricts to result in the snap-fitting of the prong 44 in the aperture as best seen in FIG. 3. This secures the accessory on the cover, with the front surface 38 of the accessory being readily visible, thereby adorning the cover. Since the cover material is stretchable the accessory 26 can be removed from its aperture, if desired, by merely pulling on it. However, the size of the head 46 is sufficiently large to prevent accidental dislodgement.

FIG. 4 shows the front of another exemplary embodiment of a decorative accessory 26 constructed in accordance with this invention. The accessory 26 of FIG. 4 is constructed like the accessory of FIGS. 2A and 2B, except that its outer portion 36 is in the shape of a purse. The accessory of FIG. 4 also includes graphics, e.g., lines 48, on the front surface 38 further defining the details of the graphics of the purse. FIG. 5 shows the front of another exemplary embodiment of a decorative accessory 26 constructed in accordance with this invention. The accessory 26 of FIG. 5 is constructed like the accessory of FIGS. 2A, 2B and 4, except that its outer portion 36 is in the shape of a pair of ballet slippers. The accessory of FIG. 5 also includes graphics, e.g., lines 50, on the front surface 38 further defining the details of the pair of ballet slippers. The front surface 38 also bears indicia in the form of script 52 stating the word “Dance”. FIG. 6 shows the front of another exemplary embodiment of a decorative accessory 26 constructed in accordance with this invention. The accessory 26 of FIG. 6 is constructed like the accessory of FIGS. 2A, 2B, 4 and 5, except that its outer portion 36 is in the shape of a pair of angel wings. The accessory of FIG. 6 also includes graphics, e.g., lines 54, on the front surface further defining the pair of angel wings. The front surface 38 also bears indicia in the form of a decorative font stating the word “Angel”. The rear surface 40 of each of the accessories of FIGS. 2A, 4, 5 and 5 are shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C and 7D, respectively.

As mentioned earlier, FIG. 8 shows a pencil and/or pen pouch 100 constructed in accordance with this invention. That pouch includes a side wall 102 formed of a stretchable material, e.g., foam, and include a plurality of apertures 24 arranged in an array. Each of the apertures is arranged to receive a respective decorative insert or accessory 26 to adorn the pouch 100. The accessories 26 that are to be used to decorate or adorn the pouch can be any of the accessories described heretofore. It should be noted that the opposite side of the pouch 100 may also be constructed like the side wall 102 to enable decorative accessories 26 to be mounted thereon to adorn that side of the pouch.

FIG. 9 shows a mini-backpack 200 constructed in accordance with this invention. The backpack includes a front wall 202 formed of a stretchable material, e.g., foam, and include a plurality of apertures 24 arranged in a grid-like array. Each of the apertures 24 is arranged to receive a respective decorative insert or accessory 26 to adorn the backpack. The accessories that are to be used to decorate or adorn the backpack can be any of the accessories described heretofore. It should be noted that other walls of the backpack 200 may also be constructed like the front wall 202 so as to enable decorative accessories 26 to be mounted thereon to adorn that side of the pouch.

It should be pointed out at this juncture, that the number of accessories that are utilized to decorate or adorn the stationery or school supply item, their position(s) on that item, and the design of the accessories are all up to the choice of the user. To that end, the subject invention can be provided in the form of a kit including the stationary or school supply item itself and one or more decorative accessories for decorating/adorning the item. Moreover, the accessories can be packaged and sold separately to enable users to select those particular items they wish to use to adorn their school supplies/stationery.

It should be noted that a portion of the drawings in this document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The assignee of this invention, who is also the copyright owner, has no objection to the mechanical reproduction of any portion of such drawings as appear in the United States Patent and Trademark Office files or records or in any patent which may issue based on this application, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

While the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Claims

1. A stationery or school supply item adapted to be adorned with at least one of a plurality of decorative accessories, each of the decorative accessories comprises a front portion including an aesthetically pleasing or representational graphic design and a mounting stub portion projecting rearward from the front portion, said stationery or school supply item being selected from the group consisting of notebooks, portfolios, folders, pencil/pen pouches, backpacks, book bags, and the like and having a portion formed of a stretchable material having an outer surface and including a plurality of apertures therein, each of said apertures being arranged to releasably receive the stub of any of said plurality of decorative accessories, whereupon said front portion of the at least one insert appears on said outer surface of said stationery or school supply item to adorn it.

2. The stationery or school supply item of claim 1 wherein said stretchable material comprises a foam material.

3. The stationery or school supply item of claim 1 wherein said apertures are arranged in a grid-like array across at least a portion of said outer surface of said stationery or school supply item.

4. The stationery or school supply item of claim 2 wherein said apertures are arranged in a grid-like array across at least a portion of said outer surface of said stationery or school supply item.

5. A plurality of decorative accessories for use with a stationery or school supply to adorn the item, the stationery or school supply item is selected from the group consisting of notebooks, portfolios, folders, pencil/pen pouches, backpacks, book bags, and the like and has a visible outer surface including a plurality of apertures therein, each of said decorative accessories comprising a front portion including an aesthetically pleasing or representational graphic design and a mounting stub portion projecting rearward from said front portion, each of said mounting stubs being arranged to be snap-fit into any of said plurality of apertures, whereupon said front portion of the at least one insert appears on the outer surface of the stationery or school supply item to adorn it.

6. The decorative accessories of claim 5 wherein at least one of said decorative items has a design selected from the group consisting of sports, hobbies, animal figures, human figures, flowers, plants, nature.

7. A kit comprising a stationery or school supply item being selected from the group consisting of notebooks, portfolios, folders, pencil/pen pouches, backpacks, book bags, and the like, and at least one of a plurality of decorative accessories for use with said stationery or school supply to adorn it, said stationery or school supply item having a visible outer surface including a plurality of apertures therein, each of said decorative accessories comprising a front portion including an aesthetically pleasing or representational graphic design and a mounting stub portion projecting rearward from said front portion, each of said mounting stubs being arranged to be snap-fit into any of said plurality of apertures, whereupon said front portion of said at least one insert appears on said outer surface of said stationery or school supply item to adorn said stationery or school supply item.

8. The kit of claim 7 wherein said stretchable material comprises a foam material.

9. The kit of claim 7 wherein at least one of said decorative items has a design selected from the group consisting of sports, hobbies, animal figures, human figures, flowers, plants, nature.

10. The kit of claim 8 wherein at least one of said decorative items has a design selected from the group consisting of sports, hobbies, animal figures, human figures, flowers, plants, nature.