Abstract:
A PeaceKin figurine has a three-dimensional head, neck, body, left and right arms, left and right spherical magnet hands, as well as a substantially flat base. The spherical magnet hands allow PeaceKin to attach to one another and appear to “hold hands” without having to interlock any components. PeaceKin can be easily pulled apart simply by pulling a PeaceKin away from another, and then reattached by placing the hands in proximity to each other. When two PeaceKin are facing each other with hands attached, they appear to be hugging because they are slightly leaning forward. When three or more are placed hand-to-hand, they form a circle of PeaceKin, each holding the hands of its neighbors. The PeaceKin can each be customized to appear like a person from a given country, nationality, ethnic group, profession, sports team, holiday costume, historical figure, celebrity, religious figure, archetypal figure, etc.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/931,824 entitled PEACEKIN and filed on Jan. 27, 2014, which is specifically incorporated by reference herein for all that it discloses and teaches. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The invention relates generally to the field of dolls and figurines, and more particularly to a three-dimensional, customizable PeaceKin figurine. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Some of our oldest archeological explorations of ancient human civilizations have found dolls and figurines and associated artifacts. There are a large number of such items available today as collectibles, children&#39;s play items, decorations, etc. Nevertheless, known dolls and figurines are often overly complex, expensive to produce, prone to breakage, and can not easily and simply hold hands with one another. What is needed is a single, easy to produce base figurine that is rugged, can be easily customized based on the owner&#39;s preferences (or purchased pre-customized), has arms outstretched in a peace configuration, and yet remains able to hold hands and form a circle with other such figurines. 
     SUMMARY 
     One embodiment of the present invention comprises a PeaceKin having a three-dimensional head, neck, body, left arm, right arm, left sphere magnet hand, and right sphere magnet hand, as well as a substantially flat base. The spherical magnet hands allow PeaceKin to attach to one another and appear to “hold hands” without having to interlock any components. Furthermore, the PeaceKin can be easily pulled apart simply by pulling a PeaceKin away from another, and then reattached by placing the hands in proximity to each other. When two PeaceKin are facing each other with hands attached, they appear to be hugging. When three or more are placed hand-to-hand, they form a circle of PeaceKin, each holding the hands of its neighbors. The PeaceKin can each be customized to appear like a person from a given country, nationality, ethnic group, profession, sports team, holiday costume, historical figure, celebrity, religious figure, archetypal figure, any combination of the above, etc. Clothing, hats, accessories, and other paraphernalia can be attached to or worn by a given figurine to further customize each PeaceKin. And yet, the PeaceKin can be placed in a circle and hold hands to show that regardless of their differences, they can find common ground and peaceably join together. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The aforementioned and other features and objects of the present invention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following descriptions of a preferred embodiment and other embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a front elevation perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a PeaceKin figurine in traditional Mexican attire; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a front elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of a PeaceKin figurine; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a front, top perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a PeaceKin figurine; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a rear elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of a PeaceKin figurine; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a left side elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of a PeaceKin figurine; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a right side perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a PeaceKin figurine; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a PeaceKin figurine; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a bottom plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a PeaceKin figurine; 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a front perspective view of a group of exemplary embodiments of PeaceKin figurines showing them holding hands in a line. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following discussion, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments may be practiced without such specific details. Furthermore, lists and/or examples are often provided and should be interpreted as exemplary only and in no way limiting embodiments to only those examples. 
     Exemplary embodiments are described below in the accompanying Figures. The following detailed description provides a comprehensive review of the drawing Figures in order to provide a thorough understanding of, and an enabling description for, these embodiments. One having ordinary skill in the art will understand that in some cases well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments. 
     Referring now to the drawings,  FIG. 1  illustrates a front elevation perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a PeaceKin figurine  100  in traditional Mexican attire. The PeaceKin  100  in  FIG. 1  has a three-dimensional, somewhat spherical head  110  with headwear  111  (here, a sombrero), and could also have hair, glasses, facial features, etc. In other embodiments, other type of add-ons are contemplated such as different hats, other headwear, various styles/colors/lengths of hair, different/less/more facial features, ears, jewelry, etc. Although not shown in  FIG. 1 , the head  110  is attached to the main body  120  via a neck (see  FIG. 2 , item  115 ). 
     The PeaceKin figurine  100  in  FIG. 1  is sporting custom attire  170 . In this example, the custom attire  170  reflects one type of traditional Mexican wear, including a poncho and sombrero. The custom attire  170  comprises clothing and other wearable/customizable items. In other embodiments, other types of custom attire  170  are contemplated (for additional examples, see the custom attire displayed in the Provisional Application referenced above). 
     Extending generally outwards from the main body  120  of the PeaceKin figurine  100  are the left arm  130  and the right arm  140 . The arms  130  and  140  extend outwards and upwards, giving the PeaceKin  100  a friendly “open-arms” appearance. The arms are mostly covered by the custom attire  170  in  FIG. 1 , so see  FIG. 2  for more details. The arms  130  and  140  are positioned so as to provide excellent surfaces upon which to support the custom attire  170 . Furthermore, the positioning allows for the hands  137  and  147  to touch the hands of other PeaceKin figurines when placed in proximity. Because of the specific shaping and positioning, two PeaceKins appear to be hugging when placed approximately face to face (instead of the more usual “kissing” arrangement of other prior art figurines). 
     The left sphere magnet hand  137  and right sphere magnet hand  147  allow PeaceKin figurines to attach to one another and appear to “hold hands” without having to interlock any components. Furthermore, the PeaceKin can be easily pulled apart simply by pulling each PeaceKin away from another, and then reattached by placing the hands in proximity to each other. When two PeaceKin are facing each other with hands attached, they appear to be hugging. When three or more are placed hand-to-hand, they form a line or circle of PeaceKin, each holding the hands of its neighbors. The sphere magnet hands  137  and  147  can be recessed within the ends of the arms  130  and  140  and retained therein by a lip or rim of arm material that extends beyond an equator of the sphere hands  137  and  147 . In another embodiment, the hands  137  and  147  are glued or otherwise attached (removably or permanently) to the arms  130  and  140 . 
     At the bottom of the main body  120  is the substantially flat base  150  that supports the PeaceKin  100  and provides a stable base. Unlike many prior art figurines, the PeaceKin  100  does not rely on a pair of legs and feet, so it is inherently much more stable than those figurines that do. Instead, the PeaceKin  100  utilizes a bit of fanciful whimsy by extending the lower trunk somewhat and not utilizing any legs. This configuration allows the PeaceKin  100  to wear custom attire  170  that is normally associated with upper-body/torso only as well as attire that would normally extend all the way down a person&#39;s legs to the ground—and everything in between. The surface area of the base  150  can be greater than that of any other horizontal cross-section taken of the main body  120 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a front elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of a PeaceKin figurine  100 . The portions shown in  FIG. 2  include the three-dimensional, somewhat spherical head  110 , the face  112 , the neck  115 , the main body  120 , the left arm  130 , the right arm  140 , the left connector  135 , the right connector  145 , the chest  122 , the upper midsection  124 , the lower midsection  126 , and the base  150 . 
     The face  112  comprises the front portion of the somewhat spherical head  110 . A basic PeaceKin figurine  100  does not necessarily have predetermined facial features, as shown in  FIG. 2 . In another embodiment, features such as eyes, nose, mouth, chin, ears, or others can be included as part of the face  112 . In yet other embodiments, facial features can be painted on or otherwise applied to the surface of the face  112  and head  110 . The PeaceKin figurine  100  can be made of a material using any single color or mix of colors. Some commonly used colors include white, tan, brown and dark brown. 
     PeaceKin figurines  100  can be customized by attaching hair and/or headwear. Such accessories can be attached using magnetic means or other attachment means (for example, hook and loop materials). 
     The neck  115  serves to affix the head  110  onto the body  120 . In the PeaceKin  100  shown in  FIG. 2 , the neck  115  provides a permanent attachment between the other two portions. In other embodiments, the neck  115  can provide a removable attachment to the head  110 , body  120 , or both. 
     The arms  130  and  140  extend outwards and upwards from the main body  120 , giving the PeaceKin  100  a friendly “open-arms” appearance. The angle between the arms and the main body  120  is greater than ninety degrees and less than one hundred and thirty five degrees. In some embodiments, the arms are mostly covered by custom attire  170  (see, for example,  FIG. 1 ). The arms  130  and  140  are positioned so as to provide excellent surfaces upon which to support the custom attire  170 . Furthermore, the positioning allows for the hands (not shown in  FIG. 2 , see  FIG. 1 , items  137  and  147 ) to touch the hands of other PeaceKin figurines when placed in proximity to one another. Although  FIG. 2  appears to shown that the right arm  140  is raised to the same height as the left arm  130 ; this is not necessarily the case in other embodiments (either arm can be somewhat higher than the other). Because of the specific shaping and positioning of the arms, two PeaceKins appear to be hugging when placed approximately face to face. 
     The left connector  135  and the right connector  145  serve to connect the left and right hands  137  and  147  (see  FIG. 1 ) to their respective arms  130  and  140 . As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the left and right connectors  135  and  145  comprise sockets that are configured to hold the left and right sphere magnet hands  137  and  147 . In another embodiment, the hands comprise eight millimeter spheres. The spheres can both be magnetic, or one can be magnetic and the other can be attracted by a magnet (e.g., a steel ball bearing). In this embodiment, since only one hand is magnetic, the exact orientation of the north and south poles of that magnet are less significant, making construction of the PeaceKin less labor intensive. 
     The left and right hands  137  and  147  can be attached to the connectors  135  and  145  with adhesives. In another embodiment, acetone is used as it has the added benefit of slightly melting the connectors when certain plastic(s) are used to construct said connectors. The hands  137  and  147  can permanently attach to the connectors, or they can removably attach to the connectors. In one embodiment, the connectors wrap around past a prime meridian of the spherical hands. In such cases, the connectors could be formed around the hands, or the hands could pop into the connectors. 
     In other embodiments, the connectors  135  and  145  can be hook and loop material, adhesive(s), magnets, or some other form of attachment that secures the hands to the arms. 
     A front portion of the main body  120  comprises the chest  122 , the upper midsection  124  and the lower midsection  126 . The chest  122  comprises that portion of the PeaceKin  100  between the neck  115 , the arms  130  and  140 , and the upper midsection  124 . The upper midsection  124  comprises a torso portion and is configured to transition the PeaceKin main body  120  from the chest  122  to the lower midsection  126 . The upper and lower midsections  124  and  126  form an elongated torso and can function as a torso without legs, as a torso with somewhat squat legs, or anything in between. This feature provides the PeaceKin with significant versatility such that it can be used to simulate a large variety of human heights, positions, etc. especially when used in combination with custom attire  170 . 
     Although the lower midsection  126  flares outwards to create the wide flat base  150 , the PeaceKin  100  are able to appear to hug one another when placed face to face as the main body  120  leans slightly forward and to either the left or right. This allows the hands  137  and  147  to touch and the PeaceKin heads to appear in proximity rather than to stand back in an aloof configuration if the figurines were to stand perfectly straight (in such a case, the forward edges of the lower midsections  126  of two PeaceKin would otherwise be the only point of contact). 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a front, top perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a PeaceKin figurine  100 . In this view, the slight forward lean of the PeaceKin is more visible. Also, the positioning of the arms  130  and  140  is further elucidated. The head  110 , face  112 , neck  115 , chest  122 , arms  130  and  140 , connectors  135  and  145 , upper midsection  124 , lower midsection  126 , main body  120  and base  150  are all identified in this illustration. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a rear elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of a PeaceKin figurine  100 . The head  110 , neck  115 , arms  130  and  140 , connectors  135  and  145 , main body  120  and base  150  are illustrated in this view. Additional components shown here include the back of the head  117 , the back  123 , the upper back midsection  125  and the lower back midsection  127 . The upper and lower back midsections  125  and  127  connect to the back  123 ; these three components together comprise the rear portion of the main body  120  and correspond to the chest, upper midsection, and lower midsection from the front view (see  FIG. 3 ). 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a left side elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of a PeaceKin figurine  100 . The left side junctures between the upper midsection  124  and the upper back midsection  125 , and between the lower midsection  126  and the lower back midsection  127  are illustrated. Note also how the arm  130  flares out and upwards from the main body  120 . 
     In the illustration of  FIG. 5 , the forward lean of the PeaceKin  100  is very apparent. Note that this lean allows the PeaceKin&#39;s hands to touch another PeaceKin&#39;s hands when the two are placed in a face to face configuration. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a right side perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a PeaceKin figurine  100 . The right side junctures between the upper midsection  124  and the upper back midsection  125 , and between the lower midsection  126  and the lower back midsection  127  are illustrated. Note also how the arms  130  and  140  flare out and upwards from the main body  120 . 
     In the illustration of  FIG. 6 , the forward lean of the PeaceKin  100  is also apparent. Note also the socket shape of the connector  145 . In other embodiments, the connectors are configured differently. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a PeaceKin figurine  100 . The placement and configuration of the head  110  is shown, as is the relationship between the face  112  and the back of the head  117 . The forward reaching orientation of the arms  130  and  140  is apparent in  FIG. 7 . This orientation, combined with the forward lean of the PeaceKins allows them to appear to hold hands when placed face to face. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a bottom plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a PeaceKin figurine  100 . The flat nature of the base  150  is clearly illustrated in  FIG. 8 . This configuration provides a solid foundation for the PeaceKin  100  so that it can stand firmly and not be easily knocked over. Additionally, the wide base provides stability such that custom attire, head-gear, and other accessories can be added to the PeaceKin without causing it to become unstable and tip over. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 8 , the flat base  150  is solid. In other embodiments, the base can be hollow, can comprise a lattice-work, or can otherwise comprise girders separated by hollow areas. In yet another embodiment, counterweight can be inserted in the base  150  (or in the interior neat to the base) to ensure the stability of the PeaceKin. This view also shows the forward reaching configuration of the arms  130  and  140 . 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a front perspective view of a group of exemplary embodiments of PeaceKin figurines  210 ,  220 ,  230 ,  240  and  250  showing them holding hands in a line. In the embodiment in  FIG. 9 , the hands of the figurines could be magnetic (magnets and/or materials attracted thereby) so that once placed in proximity to one another, the figurines automatically grasp and hold each others&#39; hands. Although the dress displayed in  FIG. 9  is the same in general appearance for all five PeaceKin figurines,  210 ,  220 ,  230 ,  240  and  250 , it is contemplated that the clothing and headwear could vary considerably among them. The first figurine  210  could, for example, be dressed as a Chinese girl wearing one form of traditional attire (see Provisional Patent Application 61/931,824, of which this application claims benefit, for examples). The second figurine  220  can, for example, be dressed as a Mexican boy wearing one form of traditional attire. The third figurine  230  can, for example, be dressed as an African boy wearing one form of traditional attire. The fourth figurine  240  can, for example, be dressed as a Native American girl wearing one form of traditional attire. The fifth figurine  250  can, for example, be dressed as a Middle Eastern girl wearing one form of traditional attire. Various types of traditional attire are contemplated, those discussed here are non-limiting examples. 
     Note that the figurines in  FIG. 9  can all hold hands in a line facing forward because of the configuration of the PeaceKin. The free hands of the Chinese Girl  210  and the Middle Eastern Girl  250  can be attached to one another, forming the five PeaceKin figurines into a circle facing either inwards or outwards. 
     While particular embodiments have been described and disclosed in the present application, it is clear that any number of permutations, modifications, or embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of this disclosure. 
     Particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the embodiments should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the claims encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the claimed subject matter. 
     The above detailed description of the embodiments is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise embodiment or form disclosed herein or to the particular fields of usage mentioned above. While specific embodiments and examples are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the disclosure, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Also, the teachings of the embodiments provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. 
     Any patents, applications and other references that may be listed in accompanying or subsequent filing papers, are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of embodiments can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the various references to provide yet further embodiments. 
     In light of the above “Detailed Description,” the Inventor may make changes to the disclosure. While the detailed description outlines possible embodiments and discloses the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, embodiments may be practiced in a myriad of ways. Thus, implementation details may vary considerably while still being encompassed by the spirit of the embodiments as disclosed by the inventor. As discussed herein, specific terminology used when describing certain features or aspects should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the embodiments with which that terminology is associated. 
     While certain aspects are presented below in certain claim forms, the inventor contemplates the various aspects in any number of claim forms. Accordingly, the inventor reserves the right to add additional claims after filing the application to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects. 
     The above specification, examples and data provide a description of the structure and use of exemplary implementations of the described articles of manufacture and methods. It is important to note that many implementations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.