Abstract:
A reusable decal system for use with building bricks, toys, and accessories made of plastic or other similar substance, which includes flexible cling decals and a non-porous backing sheet and a system for customizably designing and printing images on the cling decals. The cling decals are cut in a plurality of shapes and printed with a plurality of designs as to form windows, doors, signs, vehicle parts, animals, people, letters, numbers and symbols for the purpose of creating customized play sets, building brick creations, toys, and accessories. In use, the cling decals are peeled from a backing sheet and applied to the plastic building bricks, toys, or accessories in a variety of configurations. The cling decals can be reused in different or changed plastic building brick creations, other plastic toys, or other plastic accessories.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a divisional of prior application Ser. No. 13/074,396, filed Mar. 29, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/319,182, filed Mar. 30, 2010, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/319,184, filed Mar. 30, 2010. Application Ser. No. 13/074,396 published as U.S. Publication No. 2011/0243628 on Oct. 6, 2011. The entire contents of each of the foregoing applications are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a reusable cling decals for use in connection with building bricks, building brick creations, toys, as well as accessories made from plastic or similar material, and more particularly to the practice of affixing decals in a reusable and repositionable manner upon plastic toys for educational, entertainment, and decorative purposes. 
       SUMMARY  
       [0003]    The invention comprises reusable decals which include flexible cling shapes that are adhered, using some releasable cling mechanism, including but not limited to, any variety of relatively low-tack, pressure sensitive adhesive or mastic, or electrostatically or through some other releasable cling mechanism not requiring any variety of adhesive or mastic, to plastic building bricks, toys, and accessories. For clarity, the terms “cling” and “cling mechanism” and the like are referred to herein as including all such mechanisms, unless otherwise specified. The indicia are cut in a plurality of shapes and forms, and are printed on the outward facing side as to form windows, doors, signs, vehicle parts, animals, faces, clothing, people, letters, numbers and symbols for the purpose of creating customized play sets. In use, the indicia are peeled from a backing sheet and applied to the rigid plastic building blocks in a variety of configurations. The shapes can be reused in different or changed building block sets or on different plastic toys or accessories. The shapes can be cleaned of oil and dirt so as to revitalize their ability to stick to plastic surfaces. The cling shapes can be produced in pre-cut sheets for use with home printers and can be offered as customized collections of shapes through an online program. 
         [0004]    The invention provides a flexible sheet of vinyl or similar material being die cut into a plurality of graphic symbol elements in the shapes of fictional or nonfictional characters, animals, windows, furniture, appliances, plants, lights, signs and the like to be arranged on plastic toys, such as building bricks, or accessories by use of static, or similar non-adhesive, cling. The invention elements are peeled from the substrate and adhered through the cling mechanism to the plastic surface. The invention elements can be removed, reused, rearranged, and repositioned to enable the user to create custom play elements on plastic toys. The invention elements can be removed, reused, rearranged, and repositioned to enable the user to create custom designs on plastic accessories such as sunglasses, bracelets, watches, headbands, and the like. 
         [0005]    The invention increases the creative and educational options for popular interconnecting plastic building bricks. Interconnecting plastic building bricks are popular creative and educational toys because they can be used to build various shapes, structures, and people, which can then be disassembled and the same building bricks used to create other shapes, structures, and people. Current building brick sets are sold with traditional high-tack, non-releasable adhesive-backed stickers. Once the adhesive-backed stickers are connected to a creation comprised of interconnecting building bricks, neither the bricks nor the stickers can be easily reused. Even if the adhesive-backed sticker is limited in size as to affix to only one building brick, the adhesive-backed sticker cannot be easily removed. Generally speaking, once a traditional adhesive-backed sticker is attached to a brick, it remains part of that brick. Thus, using traditional high-tack, non-releasable, adhesive-backed stickers with interconnecting building brick creations reduces the creative options for the user. The invention elements allow for further customization of building brick creations, but in a way that increases the overall creative options for the user. This invention opens up a vast array of doors to the user not available in the prior art. This invention provides flexibility of play and settings, educational value, strategic possibilities and stimulation of cognitive and coordination skills far superior to any other game disclosed in the prior art. 
         [0006]    In one embodiment, the invention elements can be used to customize plastic toys or plastic accessories like hair clips and bracelets. The advantage of using the invention elements is the ability to customize toys and accessories without permanently changing the appearance of the toy or accessory. The stickers comprising part of the invention can be printed with a variety of shapes, designs, names, or slogans to allow the temporary customization of toys and accessories. 
         [0007]    The invention&#39;s shapes and printed components can be changed to allow for virtually limitless options. Furthermore, the invention can be offered with customized shapes, names, signs, etc. In one application, a customer can order sheets filled with shapes and designs the customer selects. In another application, customers can provide artwork, pictures, names, numbers, or slogans for inclusion in the shapes and designs. In another application, customers can select the colors used in the designs. 
         [0008]    Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0009]      FIG. 1  illustrates the use of an invention cling decal with an interconnecting plastic building brick. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  illustrates a top plan view of a plurality of the invention cling decals, with one invention cling decal being pulled off of the substrate materials for use on plastic building bricks, toys, or accessories. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a top plan view of a plurality of invention cling decals formed in a variety of shapes in accordance with the invention and shown upon a common backing sheet. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  illustrates a side plan view of the invention cling decal flat against the surface of a plastic building brick, toy, or accessory. 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  as well as the invention cling decal of  FIG. 4  being removed from the surface of a plastic building brick, toy, or accessory. 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  illustrates the invention cling decal with a printed design on the top surface of the invention cling decal. 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a front plan view of the invention cling decal being removed from the plastic building brick of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  illustrates a front plan view of the invention cling decal of  FIGS. 1 and 7  being reused on a different creation comprised of multiple interconnecting plastic building bricks. 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  illustrates a front plan view of the use of the invention cling decal of  FIGS. 1 ,  7 , and  8  being reused on a plastic bracelet accessory. 
           [0018]      FIG. 10  is a top plan view of an invention cling decal in a circle shape with a printed design on the top surface of the invention decal. 
           [0019]      FIG. 11  is a schematic representation of a system for ordering, customizing and printing decals. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0020]    Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein are meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. 
         [0021]    In addition, it should be understood that embodiments of the invention may include hardware, software, and electronic components or modules that, for purposes of discussion, may be illustrated and described as if the majority of the components were implemented solely in hardware. However, one of ordinary skill in the art, and based on a reading of this detailed description, would recognize that, in at least one embodiment, the electronic based aspects of the invention may be implemented in software (e.g., stored on non-transitory computer-readable medium). As such, it should be noted that a plurality of hardware and software based devices, as well as a plurality of different structural components may be utilized to implement the invention. Furthermore, and as described in subsequent paragraphs, the specific mechanical configurations illustrated in the drawings are intended to exemplify embodiments of the invention and that other alternative mechanical configurations are possible. 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  shows the cling decal  10  of the invention affixed to the surface of a plastic building brick  12 . The cling decals may be manufactured in a variety of ways. In one embodiment, each cling decal  10  is manufactured from an enlarged sheet of cling material  14  wherein this enlarged sheet is affixed to a backing sheet  16  of plasticized paper, plasticized cardboard, plastic, or other material upon which the cling material  14  can be affixed. The backing sheet  16  has a top release surface film of a plastic coating or the like chosen for removable attachment to the rear side of the cling material  14 . The cling material  14  affixed to the backing sheet  16  is die cut by means of suitable cutting apparatus to form a plurality of shapes of selected size and shape, examples of which are viewed in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . This cutting procedure may be controlled to avoid cutting of the backing sheet  16 , a technique known to those skilled in the art as “kiss cut,” thereby permitting the multiple cling decals  10  thereon to be packaged and marketed as a group. In one embodiment, the groups can be organized by theme, customized by customers ordering various collections of pre-designed shapes, or customized to incorporate names or words desired by an individual customer. In another embodiment, pre-cut sheets may be sold to be customized by the customers. While any individual cling decals  10  are not in use, they may conveniently be stored on the backing sheet  16  to which they readily adhere, thereby facilitating handling the unused cling decals  10 . 
         [0023]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , cling decals  10  can be produced in a variety of shapes and can be produced with several cling decals  10  being die cut from a single sheet of cling material  14  on top of a backing sheet  16 . The backing sheet  16  can be produced using plasticized paper, plastic, or plasticized cardboard, or any other material upon which the cling material  14  will adhere in a removable manner. As shown in  FIG. 2 , a selected cling decal  10  is easily peeled from the backing sheet  16  ready for use. The selected cling decal  10  can then be placed directly onto the toy, building brick, building brick creation, or accessory. A key feature of the invention is that the cling decals  10  affix to the plastic building brick  12  or other item without using glue or other mastic additives. The cling decal  10  thus provides a mechanism for customizing building bricks  12 , building brick creations  24 , toys, and accessories  26  without permanently changing the customized item. 
         [0024]    In  FIG. 4 , the cling decal  10  is seen from a side view, as attached to the surface  18  of a plastic building brick  12 , toy, or accessory  26 .  FIG. 5  provides a side view of a cling decal  10  as it appears while being removed from the surface  18  of a plastic building brick  12 , toy, or accessory  26 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 6  shows the cling decal  10  of  FIG. 1  with one of the limitless number of printed ornamentations  20  on the top surface  22  of the cling decal  10 . In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the cling decals  10  on the backing sheet  16  have the decorative ornamentation applied to the top surface  22  thereof. This ornamentation  20 , in a preferred form, is provided in different patterns, shapes, colors, and with words. The decorative ornamentation  20  is applied by use of ink selected from the general class of vinyl inks or other inks appropriate for the cling material  14 , although alternative forms of decorative ornamentation may be applied. In any event, ornamentation  20  is applied to the top surface  22  of the cling decal  10  to avoid interference with rear side affixing to a toy, building brick  12 , or accessory  26 . The top surface  22  of the cling decal  10  can be printed with designs (as shown here), words, or pictures that can take the form of a name, sign, architectural feature, vehicle part, animal, person, face, clothing, accessory, or other desired indicia. After application of the decorative ornamentation  20 , the top surface  22  of the cling decals  10  may be covered by a transparent surface layer. This surface layer may be used if doing so maintains the integrity of the underlying ornamentation and protects against smudging or other damage. 
         [0026]    In addition to being reusable, the cling decals  10  are repositionable on the same or different surface.  FIG. 7  demonstrates the cling decal  10  in use in  FIG. 1  being removed from a plastic building brick  12 . In  FIG. 8 , the cling decal  10  in use in  FIG. 1 , and removed in  FIG. 7 , is reused on a creation comprised of several plastic building bricks  24 . 
         [0027]    In  FIG. 9 , the cling decal  10  in use in  FIGS. 1 ,  7 , and  8  is again reused on a plastic bracelet accessory  26 . The invention accommodates rapid interchanging of the cling decals  10  with other cling decals  10  and the rapid interchanging of plastic building bricks  12 , toys, and accessories  26  onto which a given cling decal  10  is attached. That is, a cling decal  10  can be peeled from the customized item quickly and easily and without leaving unsightly residue on the customized item. The removed cling decal  10  can be returned to its original site on the backing sheet  16 , whereupon a different cling decal  10  can be selected from the backing sheet  16  for mounting onto the customized building brick  10 , toy, or accessory  26 . In addition, the removed cling decal  10  can be attached to another building brick  12 , toy, or accessory  26 . In this manner, the decorative appearance of the combined toy, building brick  12 , or accessory  26  and cling decal  10  can be customized and changed to suit the desires or moods of the individual. Furthermore, the cling decals  10  can be changed and combined to suit the user&#39;s imagination. 
         [0028]      FIG. 10  demonstrates one of many alternative shapes for the cling decal  10  with a design ornamentation  20  printed on the top surface  22  of the cling decal  10 . The material used for the cling decals  10  can be die cut into any variety of shapes and printed with any variety of designs, words, or pictures, to permit their use as faces, clothing, windows, doors, architectural features, slogans, signs, decorative elements, flowers, trees, skid marks, engines, mailboxes, or any other visual element that can be utilized in conjunction with plastic building bricks  12 , toys, or accessories  26 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 11  is a schematic representation of a system  30  for ordering, customizing and printing decals formed on a sheet of flexible cling material releasably adhered to a backing sheet, which is die-cut or kiss-cut into a variety of forms, customized in size and shape so as to fit on a plurality of predetermined plastic toys. As shown in  FIG. 11 , the system  30  includes a computer  34  including a processor, computer-readable media, and an input/output interface. The processor, computer-readable media, and input/output interface are connected by one or more connections, such as a system bus. It should be understood that although only one processor, computer-readable media module, and input/output interface are described in connection with  FIG. 11 , the system  30 , and any computers specified therein, can include multiple processors, computer-readable media modules, and input/output interfaces. Also, the functionality provided by the system  30  can be distributed among or accommodate multiple computers or systems or can be combined with other computers or systems. The computer-readable media can include non-transitory computer readable medium and can include volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the computer-readable media includes a disk drive or other types of large capacity storage mechanism. 
         [0030]    The input/output interface of the computer  34  is connected locally to a printer  38  for locally printing decals ordered or customized through the system  30 . The input/output interface of the computer  34  is also connected to a network  42 . As is commonly known in the art, the input/output connections of the computer  34  may be wired or wireless, and the network can be any form of network, including a LAN, WAN, internet, extranet, or other form of network. 
         [0031]    Also shown in  FIG. 11  is a decal customization specialty purpose computer  46  connectable via the network  42 . The specialty purpose computer is a remotely located decal customization system and includes a processor, computer readable media and input/output interfaces (not shown). The input/output interface allows communication between devices, such as computer  34 , on the network, and specialty purpose computer  46 . 
         [0032]    The instructions stored in the computer-readable media can include various components or modules configured to perform particular functionality when executed by the processor of computer  46 . For example, the computer-readable media can include a decal customization module  48  and a decal image database  50 . The decal image database includes a set of images stored therein for selection to print on a selected decal. The customization module  48  allows selection of images from the image database  50  to print on a decal or set of decals. Alternatively, the customization module  48  allows uploading of images over the network  42  for printing on the decal or set of decals. The customization module  48  includes computer executable instructions to format the images for printing on the forms. If the images selected are inappropriate for the decal selected, i.e., the images cannot be formatted to print on the decal, then, the customization module  48  generates a message sent via the network  42  to computer  34  indicating that the selected image cannot be formatted to print on the decal. 
         [0033]    Once formatted, the image can be sent back from computer  46  to computer  34  to print the images on a pre-cut decal sheet using printer  38 . In another embodiment, the customization module can be stored locally on computer  34  to allow immediate printing of the decal on printer  38 . In yet another embodiment, the computer  46  includes a data module  52  for inputting user information. The formatted images can be sent to a printing and die-cutting machine  54  along with the user information. With this information, the die cut machine  54  can automatically print and package the customized decals (illustrated as package  56 ) for mailing to the user using appropriate means such as mail, etc. In yet another embodiment, the computer  46  includes a forms customization module operable in connection with the image database and/or image customization module to format the shape of the forms so that the sheet is die cut in a way that fits the images requested by the user. In still another embodiment, the computer  46  generates an image of the proposed sheet prior to die cutting or printing from computer  34 , and transmits the image to computer  34  for display thereon, so that the user can view the layout of forms on the sheet prior to printing and/or die cutting. 
         [0034]    Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.