Patent Publication Number: US-8540544-B1

Title: Novelty band for storing and displaying toy figures

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     In general, the present invention relates to ornamental attachments for bands, such as bracelets, necklaces, shoe straps, backpack straps, and belts that are worn by a person. More particularly, the present invention relates to such bands that have protrusions designed to engage and retain secondary objects. 
     2. Prior Art Description 
     The prior art is replete with band designs, such as bracelets, necklaces, collars, shoe straps and belts that are worn on the body. Such bands are often adorned with protruding objects, such as spikes, studs, and other such objects. However, such adornments are present on the bands merely for aesthetics and/or fashion. Such adornments usually serve no significant functional purpose. This prior art is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. D559,473 to Nguyen, entitled Pet Leg Bracelet and U.S. Pat. No. D543,127 to Daas, entitled Bracelet. 
     In the toy industry, small toy figures made from elastomeric material have become popular. Such toy figures are typically under an inch tall and weigh under ten grams. Such toy figures are produced by a variety of manufacturers and are sold under popular trade names such as Sqwishland®, Jungle Mania® and Sea Mania®. Such miniature toy characters are typically manufactured to have hollow interiors. By making the toy figures hollow, less raw material is needed and the toy figures are therefore cheaper to manufacture. 
     In order to manufacture such small toy figures with hollow interiors, a hole is typically formed in the base of the toy figure. Although this hole is a result of making the toy figure hollow, the hole does have other useful functions. The presence of the hole enables the toy figure to engage the eraser end of a pencil or the backend of a pen. In this manner, the toy figure can be used to decorate a pencil or pen. It is for this reason that such small toy figures are often referred to as “toppers” in the marketplace, being that the toy figures can “top” a pen or a pencil. 
     Since small toy figures are becoming increasingly popular, many children have begun to collect them. However, the toy figures themselves are small and are easily lost. Accordingly, collections of such toy figures should not be just thrown into a book bag or stuffed into a pocket. Rather, the small toy characters should be retained. It is for this reason that manufacturers are now producing play sets, bags and/or other items specifically designed to hold the small toy characters they make. The problem with such prior art storage devices is that the toy characters cannot be seen unless the storage device is open. It is therefore difficult to display a collection without removing the toy characters from their storage device. 
     The present invention is a device and method for both storing and displaying a collection of small toy figures. The present invention device and method provides a band with protrusions that engage and hold hollow interior of the toy figure. In this manner, the toy figure can be retained while simultaneously being displayed. The details of the present invention are described and claimed below. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a novelty assembly that is used to retain and display toy figures. The assembly utilizes a band having a first surface and a second surface. The band can be formed as a bracelet, necklace, headband, shoe strap, belt, or any other strap item that is worn or carried by a person. A plurality of nub projections extend from the first surface of the band. 
     A plurality of toy figures are provided. Each of the toy figures has a bottom opening. The bottom opening of each toy figure is pressed onto one of the nub projections that extends from the band. The bottom opening of the toy figures receive and engage the nub projection with a friction fit. This interconnects the toy figures with the band. The result is a novelty bracelet, necklace, headband, strap, or belt, where the toy figures appear to be the ornamentation of the novelty. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of exemplary embodiments thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a novelty assembly configured as a bracelet; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention assembly being configured with an open band; and 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention being configured on the strap of a sandal. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Although the present invention assembly can be embodied in many ways, only three exemplary embodiments are provided as illustrations. These embodiments were selected in order to set forth two of the best modes contemplated for the invention. The illustrated embodiments, however, are merely exemplary and should not be considered a limitation when interpreting the scope of the appended claims. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the present invention assembly  10  utilizes a band  12  that is formed in the general shape of a bracelet  14 . The band  12  is continuous and conforms to an annular shape. The band  12  has a width of between 5 mm and 15 mm. The thickness of the band  12  is preferably between 1 mm and 4 mm. Lastly, the inside diameter of the annular shape formed by the band  12  is preferably between 6 cm and 10 cm. In this manner, the band  12  is sized to fit onto the wrist of most children and young adults. 
     The band  12  is molded from an elastomeric material, such as silicon rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) material. In this manner, the band  12  is capable of elastically stretching. This helps the band  12  stretch over the hand and pass onto the wrist of a user. 
     The band  12  has a first outside surface  18  and a second inside surface  20 . A plurality of nub protrusions  16  radially extend from the outside surface  18  of the band  12 . Each of the nub protrusions  16  is preferably molded from the same elastomeric material as the band  12 . It is preferred that the band  12  and the various nub protrusions  16  be molded together as one integral piece in an injection molding machine. 
     Each of the nub protrusions  16  is cylindrical in shape. Accordingly, each nub protrusion  16  has a length L 1  and a diameter D 1 . The nub protrusions  16  are separated by a pitch spacing  22 . The preferred pitch spacing  22  between adjacent nub protrusions  16  is preferably between 1 cm and 2 cm. 
     In the shown embodiment, the nub protrusions  16  are symmetrically spaced around the band  12 . Although this equidistant pitch spacing is preferred for bracelets, such pitch spacing can be changed for other band types, such as necklaces and belts. 
     A plurality of toy figures  24  are provided. Each of the toy figures  24  has a bottom surface  26 . Each of the toy figures  24  has a maximum width W 1 . It will be understood that the pitch spacing  22  between adjacent nub protrusions  16  is greater than the maximum width W 1  of the toy figures  24 . In this manner, two toy figures can be mounted to the bracelet  14  side-by-side without touching. 
     Each of the toy figures  24  has a central opening  28  that is accessible from the bottom surface  26  of the toy  figure 24 . The central opening  28  has a depth, which is at least as deep as the length L 1  of the nub protrusions  16 . Furthermore, the central opening  28  in each toy  figure 24  has an inside diameter D 2 . The inside diameter D 2  of the central opening  28  is smaller than the diameter D 1  of the nub protrusions  16 . 
     To connect a toy  figure 24  to the band  12 , the bottom surface  26  of that toy  figure 24  is oriented toward the band  12 . The central opening  28  of the toy  figure 24  is then pressed over one of the nub protrusions  16  so that the nub protrusion  16  is forced into the central opening  28  with an interference fit. Each nub projection  16  has a rounded top edge  30  that helps to ease the interconnection. Once a nub protrusion  16  is inserted into a central opening  28 , the nub protrusions  16  and the material of the toy  figure 24  around the central opening  28  are locked together with a friction fit. 
     Elastomeric polymers have a very high coefficient of friction. Accordingly, when a toy  figure 24  is engaged with a nub protrusion  16 , the interconnection caused by the friction fit is significant. As a result, the toy figures  24  will not inadvertently disconnect from the bracelet  14  merely due to the forces of gravity or the forces of momentum as the bracelet  14  moves with the arm. Rather, the toy  figure 24  will remain in place on the nub protrusion  16  of the band  12  until the toy  figure 24  is physically grasped and pulled from the nub protrusion  16 . The preferred interconnection created by the interference fit preferably requires a pull force of at least 0.20 kilograms to achieve separation. This force is at least 50 times greater than the actual weight of the toy character. 
     Since the interconnection created by the friction fit is so strong, it may be difficult for some children to properly set a toy  figure 24  in place on a nub protrusion  16 . To help reduce the difficulty of setting a toy  figure 24  onto a nub protrusion  16 , each nub protrusion  16  has a rounded top edge  30 . This helps the nub protrusion  16  align with the central openings  28  in the toy figures  24 . Furthermore, each of the nub protrusions  16  can be painted with a paint coating  32 . The paint coating  32  on the nub protrusions  16  has a lower coefficient of friction than does the elastomeric material of the nub protrusion  16  itself. Consequently, the paint coating  32  acts as a lubricant and reduces the frictional forces between the nub protrusions  16  and the toy  figure 24 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , an alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, a band  40  is provided having a first end  42  and a second end  44 . The two ends  42 ,  44  are provided with a connection mechanism  46 , such as a buckle, clip connector, or Velcro® patches that enable the two ends  42 ,  44  to be interconnected to form a closed loop. The length of the band  40  can vary. Short bands can be used as bracelets. Long bands can be used as belts. Intermediate bands can be used as headbands and necklaces. 
     The illustrated embodiment of the band  40  has nub protrusions  16  only in one section of the band  40 . The nub protrusions  16  have the structure previously described and engage toy figures  24  in the manner previously described. The embodiment of  FIG. 3  shows that the nub protrusions  16  need not be evenly spaced or linearly aligned. Rather, what is of importance is that the spacing between adjacent nub protrusions  16  be sufficient enough to accommodate the toy figures  24 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a sandal  50  is shown having a foot strap  52 . The foot strap  52  is primarily used to hold the sandal  50  on the foot. The foot strap  52  has a top surface  54 . Nub protrusions  16  extend outwardly from the top surface  54  of the foot strap  52 . The nub protrusions  16  have the structure previously described and engage toy figures  24  in the manner previously described. 
     The embodiment of  FIG. 4  shows that the nub protrusions  16  need not be on novelty jewelry. Rather, the nub projections  16  can be on straps, such as shoe straps, backpack straps, bag straps and purse straps that are worn by a person or carried by a person. 
     It will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention that are illustrated and described are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art can make many variations to those embodiments. For instance, the number of nub projections, the spacing of the nub projections, and the appearance of the nub projections can all be altered. Likewise, the toy figures can be altered in size, number, and appearance. All such embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.