Patent Publication Number: US-2007098852-A1

Title: Candy attachment for a writing implement

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/731,148 filed Oct. 28, 2005, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a candy attachment for a writing implement. More particularly, the present invention relates to a candy attachment having an embedded sleeve which is attachable to an end of a pen, pencil, or other writing implement.  
      2. Background of the Invention  
      Children, and even adults, love candy. Almost everyone likes lollipops. It is well known that many people chew on pens or pencils. What would be desirable is to provide a candy for use on a pen, pencil, or other writing implement.  
      Various accessories for writing implements have, in the past, been provided, for attaching candy to an end of a pen or pencil. One example is a writing accessory having an elongate member with a hard candy disposed on one end of the elongate member and a connector disposed on an opposite end of the elongate member, exterior of the candy, wherein the connector is removably engageable with an end of a pen or pencil. However, such a design results in a large, extended, and unstable product that is difficult to write with when the candy is attached to a writing implement.  
      Accordingly, what would be desirable, but has not yet been provided, is a candy attachment for a writing implement that is easily replaceable, remains stable when attached to a writing implement, and includes a sleeve embedded in the candy for removably attaching the candy to the writing implement.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a candy attachment for a writing implement. The attachment comprises a sleeve embedded within a piece candy (e.g., a hard or soft candy). An end of a writing implement, such as a pen or pencil, is insertable into the sleeve and frictionally engageable therewith to removably attach the candy to the writing implement. When attached to the writing implement, the candy attachment remains stable during writing. After the candy has been consumed, the sleeve can be removed from the writing implement and discarded, and another candy attachment according to the present invention can be provided for attachment to the writing implement.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      Other important objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following Detailed Description of the Invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a front view showing the candy attachment of the present invention, which is removably attachable to a writing implement.  
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the candy attachment of the present invention, taken along the line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 , showing a sleeve recessed into the candy attachment.  
       FIG. 3  is another embodiment of the candy attachment shown in  FIG. 2 , in which the sleeve has first and second diameters.  
       FIG. 4  is another embodiment of the candy attachment shown in  FIG. 1 , wherein the configuration of the upper end of the recess is less tapered.  
       FIG. 5  is another embodiment of the candy attachment shown in  FIG. 2 , in which the sleeve tapers.  
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the candy attachment attached to a writing implement.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a candy attachment for a writing implement comprising a sleeve embedded within a piece of candy (e.g., a hard or soft candy). The sleeve is frictionally engageable with an end of the writing implement to removably attach the candy to the writing implement.  
       FIG. 1  is a front view showing the candy attachment of the present invention, indicated generally at  10 . The attachment  10  comprises a sleeve  14  embedded in a candy  12 . The candy  12  could be any desired hard or soft candy. The sleeve  14  is sized and shaped to receive an end  8  of a writing implement  6  (which could comprise any desired writing implement, such as a pen, pencil, marker, crayon, etc.) and frictionally engages the end  8  of the writing implement  6  when the end  8  is inserted into the sleeve  14  (as indicated by arrow A). When the candy attachment  10  is attached to the writing implement  6 , the candy attachment  10  remains stable during writing. After consuming the candy  12 , a user can remove the sleeve  14  from the writing implement and discard same. It should be noted that the candy  12  could be provided in any desired shape or configuration without departing from the spirit or scope or the present invention. The invention can be viewed as recessing a cover for a writing implement, e.g. a pen cap, into a candy for attachment of the candy to the writing implement, e.g. a pen.  
      The sleeve  14  can include a rim  15  at a lower edge. The rim  15  is positioned on the exterior of the candy  12 . The sleeve  14  can also include one or more ribs  16  extending circumferentially about the outside of the sleeve  14 . These ribs  16 , if present, serve to retain the sleeve  14  within candy  12 . The sleeve  14  can also include a rounded apex  18  which can coact with an eraser on the end of a pencil (not shown), or the end of a pen, to frictionally engage the candy attachment thereon. The configuration of the apex  18  at the upper end of the sleeve  14  can be varied. As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the apex  18  of the sleeve  14  can be tapered, or as shown in  FIG. 4 , it can be more cylindrical, or it can have any other suitable shape. The apex  18  can be designed to best engage a particular shaped writing implement.  
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the candy attachment  10  of the present invention, taken along the line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 . As can be seen, the sleeve  14  is embedded within the candy  12 . The sleeve  14  includes an aperture  20  for receiving an end of a writing implement. It should be noted that the length of the sleeve  14  can be adjusted, but it is desirable that the sleeve  14  extends a sufficient distance into the candy  12  to provide for stable attachment of the candy  10  to the writing implement. Circumferential ribs  16  and rounded apex  18  can also be seen.  
       FIG. 3  shows another embodiment of the candy attachment of the present invention, indicated generally at  110  which includes a sleeve  114  having an opening  120 . This sleeve  114  is embedded in a candy  112 , and has areas with different diameters to accommodate different sized writing implements. Circumferential ribs  116  and rounded apex  118  could also be provided. A necked down area  117  is provided between the different diameters, and it is rounded so that it can frictionally engage an eraser on a pencil. A rim  115  can also be provided at a lower edge of the sleeve  114 .  
       FIG. 4  shows another embodiment of the candy attachment of the present invention, indicated generally at  210 . The candy attachment  210  is similar in construction to the candy attachment shown in  FIG. 1 , except that the sleeve  214  is generally cylindrical in shape and includes a nearly-cylindrical end  218 . As with the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the sleeve  214  is embedded in a candy  212 , and could include a plurality of ribs  216  extending circumferentially from the sleeve  214  to engage the candy  212 . The end  8  of the writing implement  6  can be inserted into the sleeve  214 , as shown by arrow B.  
       FIG. 5  shows another embodiment of the candy attachment of the present invention, indicated generally at  310 , which includes a sleeve  314  embedded in a candy  312 . The sleeve  314  includes an opening  320  and a plurality of ribs  316 . The sleeve  314  tapers from a wider open end to a smaller diameter inner end to accept and frictionally engage writing implements of different sizes. A rim  315  could also be provided on the sleeve  314 .  
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing the candy attachment  10  on a writing implement. As can be seen, the sleeve  14  frictionally engages the writing implement, allowing a writer to write when the candy attachment  10  is attached to the writing implement.  
      The candy attachment of the present invention could be sold in a plastic or other type of wrapper. After purchasing the candy attachment, a user can remove same from the wrapper, and insert the end of a pen or pencil into the sleeve of the candy attachment. After the candy has been consumed, the sleeve can be removed from the writing implement and discarded, and another candy attachment according to the present invention can be provided for attachment to the writing implement.  
      The shape and configuration of the sleeve of the present invention could be altered as desired without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. For example, the sleeve could be widened so that a user&#39;s finger can be inserted into the sleeve, so as to provide a “finger lollipop.” The sleeve can be fabricated from a plastic material, or any other suitable material. It is desirable that the sleeve have some elasticity to it to facilitate a frictional fit with a writing implement. The inner surface of the sleeve could also include inner convolutions (or ribs) for engaging the writing implement, as well as outer convolutions on the outer surface of the sleeve for engaging a candy.  
      It will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention described herein are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art may make many variations and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All such variations and modifications, including those discussed above, are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.