FLOWER DOLL

Abstract

A flower doll includes a body including a doll portion and a flower portion opposite the doll portion, the doll portion including two arms and a head, the flower portion including a plurality of petals, a reinforcing wire that is disposed within the body and that runs along a portion of a torso of the body and along a length of each of the arms, and a band or sleeve coupled to the body between the doll portion and the flower portion where the band or sleeve can be configured to substantially cover and surround the doll portion of the flower doll to conceal the doll portion substantially within an interior portion of the band or sleeve.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/043,226, filed on Aug. 28, 2014, U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/019,825, filed Jul. 1, 2014, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/008,591, filed on Jun. 6, 2014, which are incorporated by reference

TECHNICAL FIELD

This specification generally relates to a toy, in particular a flower doll.

BACKGROUND

A doll is commonly used as a toy. Dolls may also be used as collector's items for some adults.

SUMMARY

In a general aspect, a flower doll includes a body including a doll portion and a flower portion opposite the doll portion, the doll portion including two arms and a head, the flower portion including a plurality of petals, a reinforcing wire that is disposed within the body and that runs along a portion of a torso of the body and along a length of each of the arms, and a band or sleeve coupled to the body between the doll portion and the flower portion where the band or sleeve can be configured to substantially cover and surround the doll portion of the flower doll to conceal the doll portion substantially within an interior portion of the band or sleeve.

Implementations of this aspect may include one or more of the following features. For example, the plurality of petals of the flower has varying sizes. The flower portion is configured to support the doll portion in a substantially upright position on a flat surface. A stand is included and is configured to support the flower portion or the doll portion in a substantially upright position on a flat surface.

Implementations of this aspect may include one or more of the following features. For example, the flower portion has a first end and a second end and a plurality of petals disposed between the first end and the second end. The size of the plurality of petals increases from the first end to the second end. The band or sleeve is an elastic band or sleeve that is stretchable to substantially cover and surround the doll portion of the flower doll.

Implementations of this aspect may include one or more of the following features. For example, the reinforcing wire is crossed shaped. The cross shape is formed by wrapping a first length and a second length of the reinforcing wire around each other. The cross shape is formed when a first length is snapped into a recess at the midpoint of a second length. The flower portion is composed of plush material. The flower portion is composed of felt fabric. The doll portion is composed of plastic. The doll portion is composed of plush material.

In a general aspect, a flower doll includes a doll portion including two arms, a head, and a first end opposite the head, a flower portion including a first end with a plurality of flowers and a second end opposite the first end, where the first end of the doll portion is removably coupled to the second end of the flower portion, and a sleeve coupled to the first end of the doll portion, where the sleeve can be configured to substantially cover and surround the doll portion of the flower doll.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a doll portion of a flower doll.

FIG. 2 shows the doll portion of the flower doll and a flower portion of the flower doll opposite the doll portion.

FIGS. 2-6 show a band/sleeve disposed at the midsection of the flower doll and between the flower portion and the doll portion of the flower doll.

FIGS. 6-8 show the band/sleeve in use substantially covering the doll portion of the flower doll.

FIG. 9 shows the flower portion of the flower doll supported on a flat surface by a stand.

FIGS. 10-11 show a stand for use in supporting the flower doll.

FIGS. 12-13 show the connections between the doll portion and flower portion of the flower doll.

FIG. 14A shows the band/sleeve in use substantially covering the doll portion of the flower doll.

FIG. 14B shows a snap-fit type connection between the doll portion and the flower portion of the flower doll.

FIGS. 15-17 show a cross shaped reinforcing wire.

FIGS. 18A-18B shows a screw type connection.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is directed to a flower doll. A user can convert the flower doll from a doll implementation to a flower implementation by flipping the flower doll and using a retractable band or sleeve disposed between the flower portion and the doll portion to cover and surround substantially the doll portion of the flower doll. The flower doll may be able to stand upright on a flat surface on its own, or a stand may be provided and used to support and/or hold the flower doll in a substantially upright position on a flat surface in either the doll implementation or the flower implementation.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the flower doll 100 includes a doll portion 102 and a flower portion 112. The doll portion 102 includes a head 104, a torso or body 105, two hands 106, and hair 108. The flower portion 112 includes a plurality of petals 114 and a plurality of leaves 116. The flower doll 100 also includes a skirt portion 110(a) of a dress 110. In some implementations, the flower portion 112 may include a plurality of flowers. In these implementations, the flower portion 112 may include four flowers, six flowers, twelve flowers, or any number of flowers. The plurality of flowers of the flower portion 112 may include one or more different types of flowers. For example, the plurality of flowers of the flower portion 112 may include rose flowers and carnation flowers. The dress 110 is detachably mounted to the torso or body portion 105 of the flower doll 100. The skirt portion 110(a) of the dress 110 facilitates the conversion of the flower doll 100 from the doll portion 102 to the flower portion 112 when the skirt portion 110(a) is moved to cover either doll portion 102 of the flower doll 100 or the flower portion 112 of the flower doll 100. The flower doll 100 further includes a retractable band or sleeve 202 that is coupled to the body 105 of the flower doll 100 between the doll portion 102 and the flower portion 112.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the skirt portion 110(a) of the dress 110 covers the flower portion 112 of the flower doll 100 when the doll portion 102 is in the upright position as shown. When the doll portion 102 is in the upright position, the doll portion 102 may be supported on a surface, such as a table or other substantially flat surface, by the flower portion 112, as shown for example in FIG. 2. In some implementations, the doll portion 102 may be supported in an upright position by a stand, an example of which is shown by stand 1002, 1004 in FIGS. 10-11. The stand 1002, 1004 may add stability to ensure the doll portion 102 can remain in an upright position for extended periods of time, for example, when the flower doll 100 is on display in a store or in someone's home. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the doll portion 102 of the flower doll 100 may be adorned with a dress 110. The flower doll 100 may include several different dresses that a user can use at different times and/or interchangeably. Accordingly, the dress 110 may be removably attached to the flower doll 100. The different dresses may each be designed with a theme, for example, a Christmas themed dress, a Valentine's Day themed dress, a St. Patrick's Day themed dress, or any other suitable themed dress. The dress 110 may be a single layer of fabric of the dress may include multiple layers of fabric.

The doll portion 102 and the flower portion 112 of the flower doll 100 can also be incorporated into other creative works such as books, movies, or any other suitable products. In some implementations, the face of the doll portion 102 of the flower doll 100 may be individualized by a user. For example, the user may submit a photo in the likeness of the user to be used to personalize the face of the doll portion 102 of the flower doll 100. The user can also design a face, such as a cartoon character or the like, to be implemented on the face of the doll portion 112 of the flower doll 100.

In some implementations, the flower doll 100 may also contain an electronic chip used to identify the particular flower doll 100. For example, the flower doll 100 may include an identification number, a serial number or any other suitable identifying element and that identifying element may be stored on the electronic chip. The identifying element can be used for identifying the user on a website that contains stories about the flower doll 100. An electronic identification chip may be included with the flower doll 100 to associate the particular flower doll 100 with an interactive website. There may also be interactive books that are associated with the flower doll 100, and/or other interactive media to additionally promote the enjoyment or usability of the flower doll 100.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the doll portion 102 may be supported by the flower portion 112 on a surface. For example, the plurality of petals 114 and the plurality of leaves 116 of the flower portion 112 of the flower doll 100 provide support to the doll portion 102 to enable the doll portion 102 to be free standing. The plurality of leaves 116 and the plurality of petals 114 of the flower portion 112 may be arranged in a conical shape as shown in FIG. 1, which provides a wider base at the intersection of the surface providing additional support for the flower portion 112 in the standing position.

In some implementations the flower portion 112 and the doll portion 102 of the flower doll may be made of a plastic material. In some implementations, the flower portion 112 and the doll portion 102 of the flower doll may be made of a plush material, fabric, felt, or any other suitable material. In some implementations, the flower doll 100 may include a structural reinforcing wire (e.g., wire 500 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13) that is disposed within the body or torso 105 of the flower doll 100. In some examples, the wire may run along torso of the flower doll 100 and along the length of each of the arms 106 of the flower doll 100. In these examples, the reinforcing wire may be in a cross shape, with a first length of the wire running through the body or torso 105 of the flower doll 100 and a second length of the wire, substantially perpendicular or transverse to the first length of wire, running along a portion of each of the arms 106 of the flower doll 100. The reinforcing wire may add additional support to the flower doll 100 to enable the doll portion 102 to be free standing and to permit the arms 106 of the flower doll 100 to be positioned in multiple configurations. The reinforcing wire also allows the torso 105 and the arms 106 of the doll portion of the flower doll 100 to be flexible. In some implementations, the reinforcing wire may be made of metal, or any other suitable malleable material. In other implementations, the reinforcing wire may be made of plastic.

Referring to FIGS. 15-16, the wire 500 may be used as the structural frame for the formation of the flower portion 112. The first length of the reinforcing wire 500a may run along the torso of the doll portion and end in a loop 1502 at the flower portion. The flower portion may be formed as each petal of the flower is added along the wire 500a and collected near the loop 1502. The petals at the base of the first length of the reinforcing wire 500a may be arranged in the shape of a flower, for example, a rose. The second length of the reinforcing wire 500b may run through each arm of the doll portion 102. The first length 500a and the second length 500b of the reinforcing wire may be connected in a cross shape. In some implementations, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the second length 500b may be wrapped around the first length 500a in a counterclockwise direction and then the first length of the wire 500a may be wrapped around the second length of the wire 500b from top to bottom to form the cross shape. In some implementations, as illustrated in FIG. 17, the second length of the wire 500b may have a recess 1702 that is complementary to the width of the first length of the wire 500a. The first length of the wire 500a may fit into the recess 1702 to form the cross shaped wire. The doll portion 102 of the flower doll may be manufactured with the cross shaped reinforcing wire 500 as the structural frame. In some implementations, the cross shaped reinforcing wire may be formed from metal, or plastic, or any other suitable material.

Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, the doll portion 102 and the flower portion 112 of the flower doll 100 may be joined together at the torso or body section 105. In some implementations, the flower portion 112 of the flower doll 100 may be a pre-manufactured flower portion that has a female connector portion 301. The doll portion 102 may be joined to the flower portion 112 when the structural wire 500 that runs through the doll portion 102 is coupled to the female connector portion 301 of the flower portion 112. In some examples, the structural wire 500 may have a female connector portion disposed at one end that connects to a male connector portion of the flower portion 112 as shown in FIG. 13. The male and female connectors may be glued or otherwise fastened together to ensure that the flower portion 112 and doll portion 102 of the flower doll 100 are securely fastened together. In some implementations, the flower portion 112 and doll portion 102 may be removably connected, using for example, snap-fit connectors, or other suitable connecting elements.

Referring to FIGS. 14A and 14B, the flower portion 112 and the doll portion 102 of the flower doll may be joined together at a first end opposite the head of the doll portion and a second end of the flower portion. In some implementations, the connecting element between the flower portion 112 and the doll portion 102 may be a snap-fit type connector. In some implementations, the snap-fit type connector may be metal, or any other suitable material. As illustrated, the second end 1406 of the flower portion 112 may include a female end 1402 of the snap-fit type connector. The first end 1408 of the doll portion 102 may include a male end 1404 of the snap-fit type connector. The male end 1404 of the snap-fit connector may be complementary to the female end 1402. A user may snap the male end 1404 into the female end 102 of the snap-fit type connector to join the flower portion 112 to the doll portion 102. In some implementations, the doll portion 102 may include the female end of the snap-fit type connector and the flower portion 112 may include the male end. In some implementations, the connecting element between the flower portion 112 and the doll portion 102 may be a ball and socket type connector. In these implementations, the doll portion 102 may include the ball end of the connector and the flower portion 112 may include the socket end of the connector. The flower portion 102 may be rotatable along the connector axis. In some implementations, the connector may be a button like connection. In some implementations, the connecting element between the flower portion 112 and the doll portion 102 may be a screw type connector. As illustrated in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the end of the flower portion 112 may be recessed and ribbed 1802 to allow the complementary end 1804 of the doll portion 102 to screw into the flower portion. In other implementations, the connecting element between the flower portion 112 and the doll portion 102 may be a truck trailer hitch type connector. In other implementations, the doll portion and the flower portion may be coupled together using an adhesive, hook and loop fastener, or other suitable connection means. The retractable band/sleeve 202 coupled to the midsection of the flower doll 100 may also cover the connection point of the doll portion 102 and flower portion 112.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-8, the retractable band or sleeve 202 that is coupled to the midsection of the flower doll 100 between the doll portion 102 and the flower portion 112 can be pulled over the flower portion 112 to substantially surround and cover the flower portion 112. In order to convert the flower doll 100 from the doll implementation illustrated in FIG. 1 to the flower implementation as illustrated in FIG. 9, a user may pull the band 202 over the flower portion 112 of the flower doll. The band 202 may be used to surround the plurality of petals 114 and the plurality of leaves 116 of the flower portion 112. In some implementations, the retractable band 202 can be made from elastic, or any stretchable material, including fabrics, elastomers or other flexible materials. In these implementations, the band 202 may compress the flower portion 112 as it is pulled around and over substantially all of the flower portion 112. FIG. 8 illustrates the flower doll 100 in a flipped position with doll portion 102 of the flower doll 100 surrounded and enclosed within the retractable band 202, and the flower portion 112 being held upright. In the flower implementation, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the flower doll 100 may be held in an upright position by a metal stand 1002, 1004 (also illustrated in FIG. 10). The plurality of leaves 116 of the flower portion of the flower doll 100 may cascade down the sides of the doll portion within the band 202. In some implementations, the plurality of leaves 116 of the flower portion 112 may be big enough to conceal the surrounded doll portion or reach to a point just above the platform or table upon which the flower doll 100 is supported. The stand 1002, 1004 may be used to hold the flower doll 100 in an upright position. The stand 1002, 1004 may include two metal parts 1002 and 1004 that are removably coupled together. For example, the stand includes a wire frame 1002 that can be compressed and held in place within stand portion 1004 of the stand. The surrounded flower portion 102 of the flower doll may then be placed within the substantially circular portion of wire frame 1002 and held in a substantially upright position on the surface of the table or other supporting structure, for example.

The plurality of petals 114 and the plurality of leaves 116 of the flower portion 112 may be composed of plush material, fabric, plastic or any other suitable material. Each of the plurality of petals 114 may be made of the same color material, and in other examples, each of the plurality of petals 114 may be made of a different color material. The material used to manufacture the plurality of leaves 116 may be green in color, and the material used to manufacture the petals may be another color suitable for representing a particular flower. In some implementations, the material used to manufacture the leaves 116 may be different from the material used to manufacture the petals 114. In some implementations, the skirt portion 110(a) of the dress 110 may comprise a plurality of layers of fabric. In these implementations, each layer of the skirt portion 110(a) may be a different type of fabric and/or different color fabric. The plurality of petals 114 may include a reinforcing material that can allow the user to adjust the shape of each of the plurality of petals 114. For example, each of a plurality of petals 114 may include a wire or any other suitable material.

A number of implementations and alternatives have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A flower doll comprising:

a body comprising a doll portion and a flower portion opposite the doll portion, the doll portion comprising two arms and a head, the flower portion comprising a plurality of petals;

a reinforcing wire disposed within the body and running along a portion of a torso of the body and along a length of each of the arms; and

a sleeve coupled to the body between the doll portion and the flower portion, wherein the sleeve can be configured to substantially cover and surround the doll portion of the flower doll.

2. The flower doll of claim 1 wherein the plurality of petals of the flower have varying sizes.

3. The flower doll of claim 1 wherein the flower portion is configured to support the doll portion in a substantially upright position on a flat surface.

4. The flower doll of claim 1 wherein a stand is configured to support the flower portion in a substantially upright position on a flat surface.

5. The flower doll of claim 1 wherein the flower portion has a first end and a second end and a plurality of petals is disposed between the first end and the second end.

6. The flower doll of claim 5 wherein the size of the plurality of petals increases from the first end to the second end.

7. The flower doll of claim 1 wherein the sleeve comprises an elastic sleeve that is stretchable to cover substantially all of the doll portion of the flower doll.

8. The flower doll of claim 1 wherein the reinforcing wire is cross shaped.

9. The flower doll of claim 8 wherein the cross shape is formed by wrapping a first length and a second length of the reinforcing wire around each other.

10. The flower doll of claim 8 wherein the cross shape is formed when a first length is snapped into a recess at the midpoint of a second length.

11. The flower doll of claim 1 wherein the flower portion is composed of plastic.

12. The flower doll of claim 1 wherein the flower portion is composed of plush material.

13. The flower doll of claim 1 wherein the flower portion is composed of felt fabric.

14. The flower doll of claim 1 wherein the doll portion is composed of plastic.

15. The flower doll of claim 1 wherein the doll portion is composed of plush material.

16. A flower doll comprising:

a doll portion comprising two arms, a head, and a first end opposite the head;

a flower portion comprising a first end with a plurality of flowers and a second end opposite the first end;

wherein the first end of the doll portion is removably coupled to the second end of the flower portion,

a sleeve coupled to the first end of the doll portion, wherein the sleeve can be configured to substantially cover and surround the doll portion of the flower doll.

17. The flower doll of claim 16 wherein the first end of the doll portion is removably coupled to the second end of the flower portion by a snap-fit type connector.

18. The flower doll of claim 16 wherein the first end of the doll portion is removably coupled to the second end of the flower portion by a screw type connector.

19. The flower doll of claim 16 wherein the first end of the doll portion is removably coupled to the second end of the flower portion by a ball and socket connector.