Patent Publication Number: US-10314419-B2

Title: Charm blanket

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention pertains generally to a commemorative article. More specifically, the invention relates to a blanket or similar article used to commemorate milestone events, such as events in a child&#39;s life. The blanket permits various charms, which relate to events in the child&#39;s life, to be attached along the perimeter of the blanket at various locations. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Baby blankets are well known as blankets which are typically much smaller and/or softer than other blankets. These blankets may be given to a baby by parents, relatives, or friends of the parents shortly after the baby is born. Baby blankets generally depict colorful designs and pictures to provide stimulation for the baby. The blankets often become cherished items for the baby and important mementos for the parents when the baby gets older. 
     In addition to the baby&#39;s blanket, parents often want to keep reminders of the first time their baby has done something new, such as first steps, first words, first play group and so forth. Typically, this is done with a scrapbook or baby memory book, which parents fill with pictures and other mementos as milestone events occur. However, scrapbooks or memory books are time consuming to prepare, and are not something the baby can interact with or enjoy until they are much older. 
     In the field of baby blankets, U.S. Pat. No. RE38,782 E to Dix discloses a blanket which is composed of two pieces sewn on top of each other with various ribbon loops sewn between the pieces along the perimeter. These ribbons are made of various materials in various colours and designs to provide visual, auditory, and tactile stimulation for the baby. This design for a blanket provides some stimulation for the baby but sewing the ribbons directly into the blanket does not permit those ribbons to be changed from preset positions. The ribbons also only serve to provide additional stimulation and do not enable the blanket to act as a personalized keepsake for both parents and children. In other words, once a child outgrows the blanket of RE 32782, it is no further use. 
     Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a blanket, such as a baby blanket which can commemorate milestone events in the baby&#39;s life in a way that is unique to each baby&#39;s blanket. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The charm blanket of the present invention, such as the baby charm blanket is designed for parents to uniquely and easily record the significant milestones in a baby or child&#39;s life. It is a combination of a blanket and a baby memory book. Individual charms made of ribbons or other small objects suitable for babies are attached to the baby charm blanket to mark milestones as they occur. 
     The charms may depict words, phrases, or pictures related to the milestones. Other charms may be shapes which are relevant to the milestones, such as a tooth for the baby&#39;s first tooth. These shapes may be crafted out of plastic, rubber, silicon, wood or other baby safe materials. 
     The blanket may depict a time line, a calendar with dates or the baby&#39;s age along the perimeter of the blanket such that the charms may be attached at the appropriate date or age that the milestone event occurred. 
     The baby charm blanket is a safe and practical article which may be hung on the wall or given to the baby to play with which is personalized and unique to each baby. The baby charm blanket provides a means to remember important events in a baby&#39;s life which the baby can also enjoy and be stimulated by at the same time. 
     In some embodiments, the present invention provides a commemorative article in the form of a blanket or pillow comprising a fabric body, fasteners attached to the fabric body, and commemorative charms which may be removably attached to the fasteners, wherein the commemorative charms depict milestone events. 
     In some embodiments, the fasteners may be hook and loop fasteners which connect to hook and loop fasteners on the charms. 
     In some embodiments, the fabric body may be composed of a top piece and a bottom piece, wherein the hook and loop fasteners may be sewn along the perimeter of the fabric body to the interior side of each piece; and the top and bottom pieces may be sewn together further towards the center of the fabric body than the hook and loop fasteners. 
     In some embodiments, the charms may be connected to the fabric body by connecting the hook and loop fasteners of the top piece of the fabric body to a top side of the charm and connecting the hook and loop fasteners of the bottom piece of the fabric body to a bottom side of the charm. 
     In some embodiments, the fabric body may depict a calendar around a perimeter of the fabric body and the milestone events may be events in a baby&#39;s life. In some embodiments, the calendar may depict the amount of time since the baby&#39;s birth. In some embodiments, the calendar may provide spaces corresponding to the months of the year. 
     In some embodiments, the charms may be ribbons which depict words, phrases or pictures related to a milestone in a baby&#39;s life. In some embodiments, the charms may be objects made of plastic, rubber, silicon, wood, or materials suitable for babies in shapes which relate to a milestone event in the baby&#39;s life. 
     The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings which illustrate by way of example only embodiments of the invention: 
         FIG. 1  is a top plan view of the blanket of the present invention with various ribbon charms attached along a perimeter calendar. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the charms being attached to the blanket of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1-2 , preferred embodiments of a charm blanket according to the present invention, such as baby charm blanket  10 , will now be described. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the baby charm blanket  10  is approximately 30 inches by 30 inches. In the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, blanket  10  is made of two layers of fabric such as a woven or non-woven fabric. The outer surface of one of the layers is the front surface of the blanket, and may be provided with an aesthetically pleasing graphic design. Typical designs may be animals, castles, licensed characters or the like. The outer surface of the other layer may be provided with a design, or it may be blank. Both layers may be made of any suitable material such as woven or non-woven cotton, polyester or other fabric, felt, vinyl coated cloth, vinyl, leather, or any composite thereof or other suitable material as will be a matter of choice for one skilled in the art. The two layers are joined together around their perimeters as described below. 
     In a preferred embodiment, a calendar grid  40  is provided around the perimeter of the front surface of the blanket. For instance, a border of about 2 inches may be delineated around the perimeter, with the border divided into either 12 equal sized rectangles, each one representing a month, or 52 equal sized spaces, each one representing a week. In this regard, it will be appreciated that other arrangements are possible and certainly within the scope of the present invention. For instance, the perimeter may be divided into rectangles of size proportionate to the length of each month, and labelled, January, February etc., with January situated, for instance, in the lower right corner of the perimeter, and the months arranged clockwise around the blanket. 
     If a grid of equal rectangles numbered 1 to 12 or 1 to 52 as described above is provided, the beginning of the first space is labelled “born”, “new born”, or similar. The end of the last space can likewise be labelled “first birthday” or words to that effect. 
     The top and bottom layers of the blanket may be sewn together by a seam extending around the inner edge of the perimeter grid, as shown in  FIG. 2 . This seam will keep the top and bottom layers of the blanket nicely aligned, but will permit the outer edges of the top and bottom layers, held together as described below preferably by a hook and loop fastener tape such as Velcro™, to be separated for the insertion of charms in any desired location around the perimeter. It will be appreciated, however, that this perimeter seam is not absolutely necessary, and one may rely entirely on the fastener tape around the perimeter to hold the layers together. 
     The top and bottom pieces  50 ,  60  will each have a ⅝ inch soft and flexible sew-on hook and loop fasteners  55 ,  65  sewn ¼ inch inside the edges of the top and bottom pieces  50 ,  60 . The hook fastener may be on the top piece  50  and the loop fastener may be on the bottom piece  60 . When the top piece  50  and the bottom piece  60  are put together the hook and loop fasteners  55 ,  65  match up inside the blanket, holding the perimeter of the top and bottom pieces  50 ,  60  together. 
     Behind the inner most edge of the hook and loop fasteners  55 ,  65  is approximately a 1-inch space before perimeter seam  41  is sewn around the entire perimeter of the top piece  50  of the material, lining up with the edge of the calendar border  40 . This seam  41  may attach a piece of light-weight cotton, polyester, or other suitable batting to the inside of the blanket  10 , making it slightly puffier and softer to the touch, and also offsetting the thickness of the hook and loop fasteners  55 ,  65  and the charms  20  once the charms  20  are inserted between the top and bottom pieces  50 ,  60 . 
     The charms  20  are pieces of customized ribbon, cord, or the like with a word, phrase, or picture in the center, indicating the milestone, or small objects made of plastic, rubber, silicon, wood, or other material suitable for babies, in a shape relevant to the milestone (not pictured). 
     Each ribbon charm  20  will typically be approximately 3′/4 inch in length and 1 inch wide, but other sizes and shapes of ribbon charms are possible, and within the scope of the present invention. At the end of each charm  20  there is ⅝ inch soft and flexible hook and loop fasteners  70  sewn onto each side. For ribbon charms  20 , loop fasteners may be on the front of the charm (same side as the words or pictures appear) and hook fasteners are on the back of the charm. This design ensures that the information on the ribbon charm  20  is visible on the same side of the blanket  10  as the calendar  40  and that the hook and loop fasteners of the blanket  10  match the hook and loop fasteners of the charms  20 . This arrangement may, of course be reversed. 
     For the embodiment described above, each piece of ribbon may be about 6 inches long, folded in half to make a ribbon charm  20 . As a result of the ⅝-inch hook and loop fasteners and the ¼ inch space inside the edge of the baby charm blanket  10 , once a ribbon charm  20  is connected, only part of the ribbon charm  20  will be showing. The ribbon charms  20  are available in many different colors and patterns and made of a mix of grosgrain and satin ribbons. Ribbon charms  20  may feature words such as “tooth”, “laugh”, “stack blocks” or other phrases relevant to events in a baby&#39;s first year that parents wish to commemorate. 
     For instance, appropriate charms, either in the form of ribbons, or small plastic mementos may be provided for the following events in a baby&#39;s first year:
         Baby&#39;s First:   1. Smile   2. Laugh   3. Babble   4. Roll Over   5. Grasp Toy   6. Sit Up   7. Sippy Cup   8. Solid Food   9. Crawl   10. Stand with Help   11. Stand without Help   12. Wave   13. Clap Hands   14. Word   15. Climb Stairs   16. Finger Feed   17. Stack Blocks   18. “Mama”   19. “Dada”   20. Tooth   21. Haircut   22. Walk with Help   23. Walk without Help   24. Peek-a-Boo   25. Vacation   26. Swim   27. Snow   28. Full Sleep   29. Overnight Away   30. Play Group       

     Each charm will be placed in the space corresponding to the month or week in which the event occurred, and secured to the hook and loop fasteners  55 ,  65  of the blanket  10  by the charm&#39;s complementary hook and loop fasteners  70 . 
     Other embodiments of the present invention may use different fasteners such as snaps, buttons or the like for the charms, a different marking scheme around the perimeter, different materials for the blanket, different materials for the charms, or may be a single blanket piece rather than two pieces sewn together. Other blanket constructions will be obvious to a person skilled in the art. Other embodiments may also use different sizes and placements of the various components. In each instance, the blanket or similar article will permit commemorative objects to be attached to the article as milestones in the baby or child&#39;s life occur. Other purposed blankets will be obvious to a person skilled in the art, such as blankets for pets or other commemorative purposes. 
     Although the baby charm blanket has been illustrated as being made of particular materials and in a particular shape, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that certain changes could be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the blanket could be round or made of fleece, or permit charms to be attached to a more central area of the blanket. Alternatively, the “blanket” may be more stuffed, like a pillow, or have the shape of a stuffed animal. 
     Since certain changes (including those listed above) may be made in the above described baby charm blanket without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all subject matter of the above description and in the accompanying drawings be interpreted merely as examples of the invention herein and shall not be construed as limiting the invention.