Play enclosure for artwork, paperwork, sand and water play use

A play enclosure for interchangeable use as an artwork center, paper cutting and coloring area, a sand and water play enclosure includes an open top, rectilinear, box-like structure having short side walls as compared with a length and a width of the rectilinear structure. A peripheral shelf slopes inwardly from peripheral top edges of all sides of the open top of the rectilinear structure. The top surface of the peripheral shelf is spaced from a bottom of the enclosure and has an inward extension wide enough to function as a child's seat and a child's table surface. The peripheral shelf, in a preferred embodiment, has two corner cut-outs, at diametrically opposite corner regions of the peripheral shelf, adjacent an intersection of two side walls of the rectilinear structure. Each cut-out has a mouth open to a center region of the rectilinear structure. The shelf defines about the periphery of each cut-out, a peripheral groove open to the top surface of the shelf. Two discrete, removable corner elements have depending lips that matingly seat within the peripheral groove such that the elemental top surface of each corner element is coplanar with the top surface of the peripheral shelf. One of the corner elements has a cup for holding instruments such as crayons, scissors and the like, and a receptacle for a supply of paper. Another corner element is a strainer for sand or water.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to an enclosure to be used with sand or water 
as a play enclosure, sandbox or play pool, preferably for indoor use in 
nursery school or home settings. Removable corner elements are provided 
for fitting in a receiving structure. A first type of corner element holds 
writing and cutting instruments for paperwork play by the children and 
alternately fittable corner elements strain the sand or water. The corners 
can optionally be fitted with plain seats. 
2. Prior Art 
Children regularly play in structurally confined areas. Very young children 
often play in playpens and preschool children play in low box-like 
enclosures adapted to hold sand and/or water. In the vernacular, these 
box-like structures are called sandboxes or kiddy pools. When configured 
for indoor use, sand or water play boxes are conventionally provided with 
high sides, e.g. two feet, such that the children stand around the box. 
The high sides keep the sand or water confined. When the box is configured 
for outside play, children customarily sit on the bottom or on the sides 
of the box or pool, whether it holds sand or water, and play with toys in 
a center region of the pool. To further stimulate the child play, the 
seating area around the pool according to the invention doubles as a 
table-like structure that confines spillage. Child play is further 
increased according to the invention by providing interchangeable portions 
of the seating or table structure adapted for specific use in paperwork, 
sand and water play. The periphery of the enclosure includes removable 
corner sections that for paperwork hold crayons, pencils, markers or other 
such writing instruments, cutting instruments such as scissors, and a 
supply of paper. The elements can also hold various types of water color 
or paint. The paperwork corner elements are interchangeable with elements 
for straining with water or sand, which are in effect fluid mediums, to 
stimulate the children's play. These elements, which are also useful to 
separate toys from sand or water, can also be interchangeable with regular 
seats. 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,423,955 to Widener discloses a sandbox having corner seats 
at the intersection between the low rise sides of a rectilinear, open top 
box. The seats have depending flanges that cooperate with an outwardly 
protruding flange on the box. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 277,300 to Appel et al. 
shows a combined sandbox and sifter having an outwardly extending 
peripheral shelf and a movable straining bar structure spanning the entire 
width of the open top, rectilinear box-like structure. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 
245,357 to Burgess et al. discloses a sand or water play drum having an 
inwardly depending peripheral shelf which provides seating for children 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,886,828 to Lattuca discloses a plastic sand and water pool 
having uniquely configured corner seats for children. The surfaces of the 
seats are below the plane of the open top, rectilinear structure. U.S. 
Pat. No. 2,673,086 to Brown, Sr. discloses a children's collapsible 
sandbox having laterally extending, removable seats at each end of the 
open top, rectilinear structure. These seats have side faces depending 
from the top surfaces of the seats and covering the outside edges of the 
sandbox. U.S. Pat. No. 3,454,272 to Elkington et al. discloses a child's 
playpen and sandbox that is circular with a central open region within 
which a child sits. U.S. Pat. No. 2,199,915 to Howard discloses a child's 
play bowl with an umbrella vertically disposed above the bowl. U.S. Pat. 
No. 1,018,373 to Robbins discloses a kindergarten table that includes an 
open top, rectilinear structure subdivided into a sandbox region and a 
tabletop region. U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,244 to Gaspar discloses a child's 
play seat apparatus that is generally a water table with a plurality of 
play toys disposed above the water table and an integral seat. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide an artwork, paperwork, 
sand play and water play enclosure that has interchangeable functional 
corner elements to stimulate children's play from within or around the 
enclosure for these specific uses. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an 
enclosure wherein the corner elements and the peripheral shelf extending 
inward around the enclosure are arranged to double as a table for children 
using the implements retained in the corner elements, whereby the children 
sit in the enclosure and face outwardly with their legs under the 
peripheral shelf, or sit outside, facing inward. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an 
enclosure wherein the corner elements and the retained implements can be 
easily removed from the enclosure and replaced with other functional 
corner elements. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The artwork, paperwork, sand play and water play enclosure includes an open 
top defined by a rectilinear, box-like structure with relatively low side 
walls as compared with a length and a width of the rectilinear structure. 
The bottom is continuous, for containing sand or water, and may have a 
removable plug. A peripheral shelf inwardly extends from peripheral top 
edges of all sides of the open top of the rectilinear structure, the shelf 
being spaced from the bottom, for example by about eight inches. The top 
surface of the peripheral shelf has an inward extension wide enough to 
function as a child's seat or a child's table surface. However, the 
peripheral shelf is preferably sloped slightly inwardly such that paper 
cuttings, sand or water on the shelf tend to fall into the enclosure 
rather than outside. 
The peripheral shelf, in a preferred embodiment, has two corner cut-outs, 
at diametrically opposite corners of the peripheral shelf adjacent an 
intersection of two side walls of the rectilinear structure. Each cut-out 
has a mouth opening toward a center region of the rectilinear structure. 
The shelf defines, about the periphery of each cut-out, a peripheral 
groove opening toward the top surface of the shelf. Discrete, removable 
corner elements adapted for the respective functions of the enclosure have 
depending peripheral lips that matingly seat within the peripheral groove 
such that the elemental top surface of each corner element is coplanar 
with the top surface of the peripheral shelf. One of the corner elements 
adapted for paperwork has at least one of a cup for holding writing 
instruments such as crayons, means for holding scissors, glue or the like, 
and a receptacle for paper supplies. An interchangeable other corner 
element is a strainer for sand or water placed in the pool, and is useful 
for storage of toys. A plain seat can also be installed in the corner 
position(s).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) 
The present invention relates to an artwork, paperwork, sand play and water 
play enclosure adapted for play by children with materials such as paper, 
crayons, paper cuttings, sand and water. These materials are great fun and 
are highly educational, but are subject to causing a mess should they be 
dispersed. These materials also require quite different apparatus with 
which to play. 
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of artwork, paperwork, sand play and water 
play enclosure 10. Enclosure 10 includes bottom 12, continuous and 
watertight, but preferably provided with a removable drain plug, and four 
side walls 14, 16, 18 and 20. The bottom and walls define an open top, 
rectilinear, box-like structure. The height of the side walls is 
relatively short (e.g. about eight inches) as compared with either the 
length of enclosure 10 or the width of enclosure 10, each about three to 
four feet. The side walls include a peripheral top edge 22 that is common 
to side walls 14, 16, 18 and 20. Perferably, peripheral edge 22 is 
rounded. 
Inwardly extending from peripheral top edge 22 is a peripheral shelf 24. 
Peripheral shelf 24 extends inboard toward the interior of the enclosure 
towards central region 26 of enclosure 10. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, cut-out 34 is adjacent an intersection of side 
wall 18 and side wall 20. Peripheral shelf 24 is wide enough and extends 
inwardly toward central region 26 enough that it functions as a child's 
seat and a child's table surface. Preferably, however, shelf 24 also tilts 
inwardly, for example at 5 to 30 degrees, preferably about 15 degrees. 
Cut-out 34 includes a mouth 36 that is open to central region 26. 
Peripheral shelf 24, about the periphery of cut-out 34, defines a 
peripheral groove 38 that is open to a top surface 40 of peripheral shelf 
24. The cross-section of groove 38 is U-shaped, opening upwardly. The 
groove extends about the periphery of cut-out 34 in the shelf's top 
surface and can be discontinuous, i.e., defined by a plurality of U-shaped 
tab structures around cut-out 34. Top edge 22, however, is preferably 
continuous around the circumference of enclosure 10. Walls 18, 20, 14 and 
16 are continuous as necessary to contain water or sand. 
The present invention includes at least two discrete, interchangeable 
corner elements 50 and 52, adapted for different functions. Corner element 
50 has an elemental top surface 54 of substantially the same size and 
shape as the cut-outs and particularly as cut-out 34, shown in FIG. 2. 
Corner element 50 includes depending side wall sections to form a lip, one 
of which is side wall section 56, depending from elemental top surface 54. 
The height and thickness of the depending elemental said wall section lips 
is substantially similar to the depth and the width of peripheral groove 
38 surrounding most of cut-out 34. This feature enables elemental top 
surface 54 to be substantially coplanar with top surface 40 of peripheral 
shelf 24 when corner element 50 is placed in cut-out 34. Wall section 56 
need not be continuous, but is sufficiently engaged in groove 38 as to 
support the weight of a child. 
Corner element 50 also includes a means for holding instruments for 
writing, cutting, coloring etc. which, in the illustrated embodiment, 
includes cup 60 that depends below elemental top surface 54. Cup 60 can be 
formed integrally with the corner element, or a flanged cup can be dropped 
into a mating hole in surface 54 as necessary to hold instruments. Corner 
element 50 also includes other means for holding instruments, such as 
scissors or other implements characterized by an enlarged end, namely 
through passages 62 and 64. Corner element 50 also includes a receptacle 
for holding sheets of paper 66 that is mounted to the underside of corner 
element 50. The paper holder 66 has an open face 68 that is open to 
central region 26 of enclosure 10. 
The interchangeable further corner element 52 (seen in FIG. 3) can be 
generally classified as a strainer and toy storage element. It includes an 
elemental center region 70 that is depressed with respect to the elemental 
top surface 72. At the bottom of the depression, a plurality of holes, one 
of which is typical hole 74, permits passage of a fluid medium into an 
inboard region of enclosure 10, whereby toys stored in the corner element 
are automatically separated from the sand or water. As used herein, the 
term "a fluid medium" includes any flowable material such as water or sand 
or other liquid, granular or like material that can occupy the enclosure 
and when poured will flow through the hole in the bottom of corner element 
52. 
Peripheral shelf 24 also includes an inboard shelf edge surface 27 that 
extends down from top surface 40 of the shelf. Shelf edge surface 27 
likewise extends downward from top surface 40 along an interior edge 29 of 
the shelf and strengthens shelf 24 against bending. 
As shown in FIG. 3, straining corner element 52 includes an elemental lip 
76 that depends from elemental top surface 72. Such elemental lip, in 
conjunction with shelf edge surface 27, forms a substantially continuous 
lip surface about a portion of central region 26 of enclosure 10 when the 
strainer 52 is disposed in the cut-out. As seen in FIG. 3, corner element 
52 includes drain bottom 70 with drain holes 74 being large enough to 
allow sand granules to pass through easily, while retaining the toys 
therein. 
Since enclosure 10 can be used as an artwork, paperwork, water or sand play 
enclosure, it is convenient to include closeable drain holes 90 and 92 in 
side wall 16 (as shown in FIG. 1). These drain holes may be closed by 
press-in plugs 94. 
Now referring to FIG. 4, a cross section taken on lines 4--4 of FIG. 1 
shows enclosure 10 with sloping peripheral shelf 24 and corner element 50. 
Top edge 22 is shown integral with sides 20 and 18 and bottom 12 U-shaped 
groove 38 is fitted with corner element 50. Corner element 50 has passage 
62 for holding implements such as scissors which would have handles 
extending above surface 54 and cutting members suspended below surface 54. 
Cup 60 and paper holder 66 are seen suspended in corner element 50. 
Preferably, enclosure 10 is made of molded one piece plastic and peripheral 
shelf 24 is integral with the rectilinear structure that includes side 
walls 14, 16, 18 and 20 as well as bottom 12. 
The benefits of having removable corner elements are that crayons, pens and 
writing instruments can be placed in cup 60 of corner element 50, as well 
as paper placed in paper holder 66 while children play indoors or 
outdoors. Enclosure 10 may normally be kept either indoors or outdoors, or 
may be moved back and forth (i.e., outside for water, inside for 
paperwork). When the children stop playing with one functional attribute, 
corner element 50 can be simply removed from enclosure 10 and replaced. If 
used outdoors, corner element 50 can be removed daily to prevent damage to 
the paper, crayons, pens, etc. due to weather. It should be recognized 
that corner element 50 as shown can be modified such that it includes 
holders for paints, paint brushes and the like, and paper. The term 
"instruments" includes any paper, or like material, manipulating, cutting, 
folding and writing means. Those for coloring implements and paints, for 
example, can be used as writing instruments. Since peripheral shelf 24 
acts not only as a child's seating area but also as a child's table, the 
placement and location of corner elements 50 and 52 are advantageous since 
children can remove the supplies from the corner elements, use shelf top 
surface 40 as a play surface on either side of the corner element, and 
replace the writing instruments and paper back into the corner elements 
for easy removal, storage and care by their supervisors, for example 
teachers at a nursery school or the like. With respect to corner element 
52, other types of fluid play activities can be incorporated therein that 
would stimulate child's play. 
The invention allows choice of artwork, paperwork, sand and water play. 
Paperwork play, especially cutting of paper, produces a product (bits of 
paper) that is appropriately confined in an enclosure of a type similar to 
a sandbox or wading pool. Children love to play in all these materials and 
the invention facilitates not only the play, but also the necessary 
activities of the children's supervisor to set up and store away the 
apparatus and materials to be used.