Abstract:
There is provided a container having a plurality of sides that define an internal hollow space. The upper portion of the container may be selectively opened to allow items to be inserted or removed from the container. The bottom portion of the container is adapted to have an inverted point that resembles the base of a toy top. In addition, the external faces of the sides of the container are decorated and, preferably, resemble a draydel.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention generally relates to containers. In particular, the present invention relates to soft-sided or child-safe containers that resemble toys, such as tops and/or draydels.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    In the art directed to containers, containers for storage of items are preferably sturdy and, thusly, are generally very hard because they are made of heavier, stronger, and stiffer materials, such as wood, thick plastic, and metal. However, hard-sided containers present a potential source of injury, especially to small children. Accordingly, there is an ongoing need for containers that are sturdy, yet soft-sided or child-safe.  
           [0005]    Holidays often juxtapose the challenges of entertaining guests and keeping the home tidy. Decorating for the holidays often adds to these challenges. It is usually impractical to have one part of the home neatly organized and another part of the home decorated for entertaining. Accordingly, there is a need for a container for use in keeping the home tidy that can also be used as a decoration.  
           [0006]    Hanukkah or Chanukah is an important and popular religious holiday. During Chanukah, it is a custom to play with a four-sided top called a draydel or sivivon. “Draydel” may also be spelled dreidel, dreydl, draydl, and dreidl. On each side on the draydel is a different Hebrew letter:          (nun),          (gimel),          (heh), and          (peh), corresponding to the words in the sentence “nes gadol haya po” (“A great miracle happened here”). Outside of Israel, the letter          (peh) is replaced by          (shin) for “nes gadol haya sham” (“A great miracle happened there”). The draydel game is played by having each player place an amount of coins or other tokens, such as candy pieces, do into a kupah or kitty. Once the kitty is filled, each player takes a turn spinning the draydel. When the draydel falls, it will fall on one of the 4 letters. According to the letter, the spinner will either spin again (nun), take the entire kitty (gimel), take half the kitty (heh), or place more tokens into the kitty (peh or shin).  
           [0007]    The present invention addresses home container storage needs, as well as holiday decoration needs.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a soft-sided container that is both child-safe and decorative. Another object of the invention is to provide such a container that resembles a toy top, such as a draydel.  
           [0009]    These, and further objects of the invention are achieved by a container having a plurality of sides that define an internal hollow space. The upper portion of the container may be selectively opened to allow items to be inserted or removed from the container. The bottom portion of the container is adapted to have an inverted point that resembles the base of a toy top. In addition, the external faces of the sides of the container are decorated and, preferably, resemble a draydel. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container according to the present invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container of FIG. 1 with the lid open showing the interior chamber;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the container of FIG. 1;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is a side plan view of the container of FIG. 1;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the container of FIG. 1;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the upper portion of the container of FIG. 1 along line  6 - 6  of FIG. 4; and  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 is a detail view of the zipper used to close the container of FIG. 1. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]    Referring to the drawings and, in particular, FIG. 1, there is illustrated a soft-sided container according to the present invention, generally indicated as reference numeral  1 . Container  1  has a lid  10 , a body portion  20 , and a base portion  30 . Lid  10  preferably has a handle  12 . Body portion  20  includes at least one side wall. Base portion  30  includes at least one bottom wall. Container  1  may have any top-like shape, dependent only upon the intended application thereof. For example, container  1  may be substantially pear-shaped, like a “peg” top. Base portion  30  may be conical rather than pyramidal. Body portion  20  and base portion  30  may have any number of sides, dependent only upon the intended application of container  1 .  
         [0018]    As illustrated in FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of container  1  resembles a four-sided toy top with a pyramidal base. Body portion  20  has side walls  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28  (also see FIG. 2) set at right angles to one another to form a cubic shape. Base portion  30  has bottom walls  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38 . Lid  10 , side walls  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28 , and bottom walls  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38  define a hollow interior space  50 . In addition, bottom walls  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38  are adapted to form a point or tip  40 .  
         [0019]    Referring to FIG. 2, at least a portion of the edge of lid  10  is permanently attached along the upper edge of body portion  20 . As illustrated in FIG. 2, lid  10  is attached to the upper edge of body portion  20  by a seam  25  adjacent to side wall  24 . Alternatively, lid  10  may be attached to the upper edge of body portion  20  by a lightweight hinge-like mechanism (not shown). The remaining portion of the edge of lid  10  that is not permanently attached to the upper edge of body portion  20  is releasably attached to the upper edge of body portion  20  by a fastener  71  (also see FIGS. 6 and 7). As illustrated in FIG. 2, lid  10  is adapted to be releasably attached to the upper edge of body portion  20  by fastener  71  adjacent to side walls  22 ,  26 , and  28 . Hollow interior space  50  is effectively sealed when lid  10  is attached to body portion  20 . When lid  10  is released from body portion  20 , lid  10  may freely pivot along seam  25 . By pivoting lid  10  away from body portion  20 , an opening into hollow interior space  50  is exposed and items may be placed within or removed from hollow interior space  50  therethrough.  
         [0020]    Fastener  71  may be any appropriate device or appliance known in the art that can be releasably sealed, closed, or connected. Fasteners useful in the present invention include, but are not limited to: zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners, snaps, buttons, magnets, frog-closures, buckles, bows, ribbons, locks, and combinations thereof. The preferred fastener  71  is a zipper having a zipper handle  71  (see FIG. 7). Fastener  71  is preferably incorporated between lid  10  and body portion  20  in such a way that fastener  71  is substantially concealed for esthetic and/or safety reasons.  
         [0021]    Base portion  30  is attached to the bottom of body portion  20 . In the preferred embodiment illustrated by the figures, base portion  30  has base walls  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38 . Base walls  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38  are attached to side walls  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28 , respectively. Base walls  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38  are adapted to form a point or tip  40 . Preferably, base portion  30  has an interior wall (not shown) that defines the bottom of hollow interior space  50 . Thus, hollow interior space  50  is preferably cubic, while base portion  30  preferably resembles an inverted or upside-down pyramid. Base portion  30  is preferably filled with a soft, but firm, filling material  45  (see FIG. 3), such as heavy felt and/or fiberfill.  
         [0022]    The overall construction of lid  10  is pliable or soft. Lid  10  may be made using an appropriate material, such as cloth (e.g., terrycloth, velvet, velveteen, or plush), flexible non-woven materials (e.g., felt), flexible plastics, and/or thin metals (e.g., metallic thread). Lid  10  may include rigid or non-pliable materials, such as rigid plastics, so long as including such rigid materials does not adversely affect the overall soft construction of lid  10 .  
         [0023]    Preferably, lid  10  is reinforced with a stiffening material  15  (see FIG. 6). Stiffening material  15  is adapted to prevent lid  10  from collapsing into hollow interior space  50 , especially when lid  10  is attached to the upper portions of side walls  22 ,  26 , and  28  via fastening means  70 . Stiffening material may be incorporated within lid  10  (as shown in FIG. 2). In addition, stiffening material may be incorporated on the interior face of lid  10  and/or along the exterior face of lid  10 . Stiffening material  15  may be any appropriate material that is stiffer than lid  10 . Exemplary materials for use as stiffening material  15  include felt, plastic, foam rubber, and wood.  
         [0024]    Handle  12  also preferably has an overall pliable or soft construction. Handle  12  may be made using an appropriate material, such as cloth (e.g., terrycloth), flexible non-woven materials (e.g., felt), flexible plastics, and/or thin metals (e.g., metallic thread). Handle  12  may include rigid or non-pliable materials, such as rigid plastics, so long as including such rigid materials does not adversely affect the overall soft construction of lid  10 .  
         [0025]    Preferably, handle  12  is reinforced with a stiffening material  17  (see FIG. 6). Stiffening material  17  is adapted to help maintain the shape of handle  12 . Stiffening material may be incorporated within handle  12  (as shown in FIG. 6). In addition, stiffening material may be incorporated along the exterior of handle  12 . Stiffening material  17  may be integrally attached to stiffening material  15  to form a unitary stiffening structure. Stiffening material  17  may be any appropriate material that is stiffer than handle  12 . Exemplary materials for use as stiffening material  17  include felt, plastic, foam rubber, and wood.  
         [0026]    Like lid  10 , the overall construction of body portion  20  is pliable or soft. Each side wall  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28  may be made using an appropriate material, such as cloth (e.g., terrycloth), flexible non-woven materials (e.g., felt), flexible plastics, and/or thin metals (e.g., metallic thread). Side walls  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28  may include rigid or non-pliable materials, such as rigid plastics, so long as including such rigid materials does not adversely affect the overall soft construction of lid  10 .  
         [0027]    Preferably, side walls  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28  are reinforced with stiffening materials (not shown) to maintain the basic shape of side walls  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28 . In general, any stiffening materials that are employed will not prevent side walls  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28  from collapsing somewhat when container  1  is empty. Stiffening materials may be incorporated within side walls  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28 . Alternatively, stiffening materials may be disposed on the interior face of side walls  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28 , and/or along the exterior face of side walls  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28 . Any appropriate stiffening materials may be used for reinforcing side walls  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28 . Exemplary materials for use as a stiffening material include felt, plastic, foam rubber, and wood. A more preferred embodiment of container  1  incorporates light boning (e.g., collar stays) within side walls  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28 .  
         [0028]    Side walls  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28  are attached to one another at their respective corners by corner seams  42 ,  44 ,  46 , and  28 . Preferably, a stiffening material is also incorporated within corner seams  42 ,  44 ,  46 , and  48 .  
         [0029]    Like to other portions of container  1 , the overall construction of base portion  30  is pliable or soft. Base portion  30  may be made using an appropriate material, such as cloth (e.g., terrycloth), flexible non-woven materials (e.g., felt), flexible plastics, and/or thin metals (e.g., metallic thread). Base portion  30  may include rigid or non-pliable materials, such as rigid plastics, so long as including such rigid materials does not adversely affect the overall soft construction of base portion  30 . In addition to fill material  45 , base portion  30  may be reinforced with a stiffening material (not shown) to help base portion  30  to maintain to preferred conical or pyramidal shape. Stiffening material may be disposed (1) within base walls  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38 , (2) on the interior face of base walls  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38 , and/or (3) along the exterior face of base walls  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38 . Stiffening material for reinforcing base walls  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38  may be any appropriate stiffening material. Exemplary materials for use as a stiffening material include felt, plastic, and wood. In addition, base walls  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38  may be reinforced with light boning (e.g., collar stays).  
         [0030]    Container  1  is preferably about 6″ to about 16″ high between point  40  and the apex of handle  12 . Container  1  is preferably about 4″ to about 8″ wide and about 4″ to about 9″ tall along all its side walls when hollow interior space  50  is substantially filed to its capacity. Handle  12  is preferably about 1″ to about 4″ tall and about 1″ to about 1.5″ in diameter. Base portion  30  is preferably about 1″ to about 3″ tall and about 4″ to about 8″ wide. Lid  10  and sidewalls  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28  are each about 0.5″ thick. Hollow space  50  preferably has dimensions of about 3.5 to about 7.5″ wide, about 3.5 to about 7.5″ long, and about 3.5 to about 8.5″ tall. Thus, hollow space  50  has a volume of about 42 cubic inches to about 480 cubic inches.  
         [0031]    Container  1  is preferably formed from separate pieces or subsections that are folded and attached together by stitching, glue, or other appropriate means. For example, lid  10 , body portion  20 , and base portion  30  may be formed separately before being sewn together. Alternatively, container  1  may be formed from a single continuous blank. In addition, whether using separate subsections or a single blank, the final construction of container  1  may employ any appropriate technique, such as sewing, gluing, and the combination thereof.  
         [0032]    Preferably, lid  10  is formed using a base fabric piece, an upper fabric piece, and a single reinforcing member. Lid  10  may incorporate other useful and/or customary materials, such as padding. Base and upper fabric piece may be cut from a preselected pattern. Traditional sewing techniques may be used to determine the amount of fabric needed to properly make lid  10 . The reinforcing member may be attached to the base fabric piece using an adhesive or stitching. The reinforcing member may have the same or smaller area than the base and upper fabric pieces. To complete lid  10 , the upper fabric piece is attached to the base fabric piece and/or reinforcing member.  
         [0033]    Handle  12  is preferably formed using a single fabric piece that is cut from an appropriate pattern and sewn into an elongated shape defining a hollow space that is filled with a filling material. Handle  12  may be made separately from lid  10  and thereafter attached to lid  10  using any appropriate method.  
         [0034]    Side walls  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28  are each formed in a similar manner and, therefore, the steps for forming side wall  22  apply equally to side walls  24 ,  26 , and  28 . Side wall  22  is preferably formed using a base fabric piece, an upper fabric piece, and one or more reinforcing members. Side wall  22  may incorporate other useful and/or customary materials, such as padding. For the purpose of uniformity, base and upper fabric pieces can be cut from a preselected pattern. Traditional sewing techniques may be used to determine the amount of fabric needed to properly make side wall  22 . Optionally, one or more reinforcing members are attached to base fabric piece using an adhesive or stitching. The optional reinforcing member or members may have the same or smaller area(s) than the base and upper fabric pieces. To form side wall  22 , the upper fabric piece is attached to the base fabric piece and/or reinforcing member(s).  
         [0035]    The individually formed subsections may be attached to one another in any order using any appropriate technique, such as sewing and/or gluing. For example, once the individual side walls  22 ,  24 ,  26 , and  28  are formed, body portion  20  can be created by sewing the square-shaped side walls to one another to form a four-sided box-like shape having two opposing open ends. Then, lid  10  may be permanently attached to body portion  20  at seam  25  adjacent to side wall  24 . Fastening means  70  (i.e., a zipper) could then be inserted between lid  10  and body portion  20  so that lid  10  may be releasably attached to body portion  20  along three sides thereof. Triangular-shaped base walls  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38  may be sewn together to form an inverted pyramidal-shaped pocket having an upper free edge and a lower point. The inverted pyramidal-shaped pocket would then be filled with fill material  45 . A fifth base wall may then be attached to the free edge of the pyramidal-shaped pocket. Resulting pyramidal-shaped base portion  30  can then be attached to the lower edge of body portion  20 . An advantage of sewing the portions together rather than using an adhesive is that the seams intrinsically provide support or reinforcement. Boning may optionally be incorporated in the seams.  
         [0036]    As stated above, a more preferred form of container  1  is as a draydel. Accordingly, on each side wall of container  1  are the letters          (nun),          (gimel),          (heh), and          (peh) or          (shin). The letters may be made directly on the side walls or made separately and subsequently attached to the side walls. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the letters are separately made from a substantially pliable material (e.g., fabric) and subsequently sewn and/or “heat transferred” onto the side walls. Container  1  preferably also incorporates other decorative features that are symbolic for the Jewish religion, such as the colors blue and white, and the Star of David.  
         [0037]    Of course, container  1  has many uses. For example, container  1  may be used to hold items such as gifts, toys, clothing, and potpourri. In addition, container  1  may be stuffed like a pillow. Container  1  is also of use, per se, as a decoration or decorative item.  
         [0038]    The present invention having been thus described with particular reference to the preferred forms thereof, it will be obvious that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.