Patent Publication Number: US-RE38946-E

Title: Children&#39;s toy and bath soap assembly

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to soaps, 
     especially transparent or translucent soaps, combined with children&#39;s toys. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Children have always exhibited a great propensity and ability for getting dirty. Children are also notorious for not wanting to bathe, and judiciously avoiding the use of soap. 
     Most children have a highly active imagination and like to play with toys and other figurines. Numerous attempts have been made to entice children to play with soap by crafting the soap in the shape of a figure or toy. Numerous color schemes have also been used in an attempt to entice children to use soap. 
     Swartz in U.S. Pat. No. 2,677,913, attempted to entice children to play with soap in which a figurine was partially embedded. The head and feet of the figurine protruded from opposite ends of the soap, but was otherwise hidden from view until the soap was used up and the figure exposed. Because the figurine was largely encased in soap, with only head and feet protruding, there was little incentive for a child to use the soap in order to gain access to the figurine. 
     United Kingdom Patent No. 627,622 tried to provide incentive to a child to use soap by placing a waterproof capsule containing a tiny toy in a transparent or opaque bar of soap having a conventional rectangular shape. The child could see the tiny toy and/or hear a rattle within the container, thereby realizing that this particular bar of soap contained within it a capsule and a tiny toy. However, with the shape of the soap bar being rectangular, an the toy being very small, and no special exterior container, the interest in the soap by the child was minimal. In passing, it is interesting to note how very small the toy actually is in the U.K. patent, in that, for example, the thickness of the soap around the toy is substantially greater than the size of the toy itself. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the object of this invention to get children to want to bathe, wash and play with a body of soap. It is also an object of this invention to provide the incentive for getting children to want to bathe, wash and play with a body of soap. It is a further object of this invention to provide this incentive from the moment a child selects a body of soap to be purchased until the body of soap is substantially used up. It is an additional object of this invention to provide children with a reward for having used up substantially an entire body of soap. Additionally, it is an object of this invention to provide an attractive storage container for the body of soap, and for the reward once the body of soap has been used up. 
     Preferably, the container is also transparent so that the toy is visible through the container and the transparent shape to encourage sales and use of the product. The toy is large enough to be clearly visible through the container, and large enough that it cannot be swallowed by a child. 
     CHILD SAFE SIZE 
     It is also an object of the present invention to insure that all toys or figures embedded in a body of soap fully comply with present child safety standards as to the size of the toy, its composition, and appendages. Specifically, the size of the toy is such that it will not fit into a circular tube with an inside diameter of ¾ of an inch or less. 
     It is desirable that the toys are quite large relative to the size of the body of soap, and thus, for example, that the thickness of the soap to the toy be less than the maximum dimension of the toys in at least some areas of the assembly. 
     These and other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following Description of an Exemplary Preferred Embodiment when read in conjunction with the attached Drawings and appended Claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a toy assembly including a transparent body of soap shaped like a bear which has embedded in it a toy bear and including and outer transparent housing matching the contained toy; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the assembly of  FIGS. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  shows a toy assembly including a body of soap in the shape of a fish in which is encapsulated a mermaid; 
         FIG. 4  shows a toy assembly including a body of soap in the shape of a heart in which is encapsulated a toy mouse; 
         FIG. 5  shows a toy assembly including a body of soap in the shape of a heart in which is encapsulated a mermaid; 
         FIG. 6  shows a toy assembly including a body of soap in the shape of a car in which is encapsulated a toy in the shape of a duck; 
         FIG. 7  shows a toy assembly including a body of soap in the shape of a star in which is encapsulated a toy depicting a young girl; and 
         FIG. 8  shows a toy assembly including a body of soap in the shape of a dinosaur in which are encapsulated two toys, both toy dinosaurs. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The preferred embodiment of the invention consists of a waterproof toy, or figurine  12  which is encapsulated in a body of transparent soap  14 . The entire toy or figurine is fully visible through the soap. Th body of soap itself is irregular, in the shape of an object or depiction designed to encourage children to play with it. The shape of a bear (FIGS.  1  and  2 ), or teddy bear, fish (FIG.  3 ), heart (FIGS.  4  and  5 ), car (FIG.  6 ), star (FIG.  7 ), and dinosaur ( FIG. 8 ) are examples of soap shapes which have been implemented. 
     The body of soap itself is further encased in a transparent soap container  16  made of plastic. This soap container may be formed of upper and lower matching portions which fit together to form a complete container. The shape of the soap container is irregular, and conforms to the shape of the body of soap. The soap container serves as a soap dish, as well as a toy, and storage container for future use. In addition, the transparent nature of the soap container allows a child to fully view the toy encapsulated within the body of soap. This allows a child to effectively select the toy, or reward he is to receive after he has substantially used up the body of soap. This provides incentive for the child to bathe, wash and play with the body of soap in an effort to more quickly access the toy he desires which is contained within the body of soap. The soap container can also be colored or tinted to accent or highlight features of the toy or the shape/design of the body of soap. 
     The configuration of the body of soap is selected to conform to the shape of the toy of figure or complement the shape of the toy or figurine. In conforming to the shape of the toy, the soap container, and body of soap will have a shape either identical to or substantially matching the shape of the toy or figurine contained within the body of soap. For example,  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate the depiction of a toy bear  12  contained within a body of  14  which is formed in the shape of a bear. Note that the toy bear is upright and depicts a bear walking, whereas the shape of the body of soap, and container  16  depicts a bear which is seated on its hind legs. The shape of the body of soap conforms to the shape of the toy. 
     The configuration of a body of soap and container can complement the shape of the toy contained within the body of soap.  FIG. 3  depicts a toy in the shape of a mermaid  32  which is encased within a body of soap  34  depicting a fish. The mermaid toy or figurine and body of soap depicting a fish complement one another. Especially in the eyes of a child, both are associated with creatures that live under water. The configuration shown in  FIG. 4  depicts a toy in the shape of a mouse  42  contained within a body of soap  44  and placed in soap container  46  which is formed in the shape of a heart. Additional configurations include  FIG. 5  in which a toy in the shape of a mermaid  52  is encapsulated within a body of soap  54  and placed in a soap container  56  which is in the shape of a heart. The configuration in  FIG. 6  depicts a toy in the shape of a duck  62  encapsulated in a body of soap  64  which is placed in a container  66  which is formed in the shape of a car. The configuration shown in  FIG. 7  depicts a toy in the shape of a girl  72  encapsulated within a body of soap  74  and placed in a container  76  which is formed in the shape of a star. The depiction shown in  FIG. 8  shows two toys in the shape of dinosaurs  81  and  82  encapsulated within a body of soap  84  and placed within a soap container  86  which is formed in the shape of a different dinosaur. 
     The figurine or toy placed within a particular body of soap may be selected independently of the shape of the body of soap itself, but preferable there is a match of one sort or another between the toy and the shape of the soap and of the container, either conforming or complementing one another. 
     There has been described hereinabove a novel toy embedded in a body of soap. Those skilled in the art may now make numerous uses of the above described embodiment without departing from the inventive concepts. Thus, by way of example but not limitation, the translucent soap may be tinted with a color as desired, and the container may not be entirely transparent, but may be provided with a translucent viewing window or cover and may be otherwise opaque. It is also noted that the soap and toy assembly may be wrapped or enclosed in a clear flexible transparent wrap, in place of the soap container. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the drawings and the foregoing detailed description.