Abstract:
A beach toy is provided to make a moat that is shaped and dimensioned to correspond with an impermeable moat liner. The beach toy includes a shovel, a cord, and a stake. The cord interconnects the shovel and the stake. In use, the stake is inserted into a porous medium. Next, the shovel is pulled away from the stake until the cord is taut. The blade of the shovel is inserted into the porous medium and moved about the stake while keeping the cord taught to remove material and form a annular-shaped moat.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    The instant application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/425,475 filed Dec. 21, 2010. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]    Not Applicable. 
       THE NAMES OF PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT  
       [0003]    Not Applicable. 
       INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC  
       [0004]    Not Applicable. 
       BACKGROUND  
       [0005]    1. Technical Field 
         [0006]    The embodiments described and claimed herein relate generally to toys. More specifically, some of the embodiments relate to procedures and implements for building an impermeable moat for a sand castle and playing with sand and water. 
         [0007]    2. Background Art 
         [0008]    Going to the beach and playing in the sand is a popular pastime for many families. Playing in the sand is made fun and engaging through the use of various types of beach toys and sand castle building aids that are readily available on the market, such as castle-shaped plastic buckets, rakes, shovels and sieves. A proposed sand castle building aid is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/412,215 (“Adams”). Adams discloses a beach toy kit comprising a sand form and several accessories, including a vehicle, a boat, a shovel, a rake, a sieve, a ramp, a bridge, and a sand liner. In one embodiment, Adams&#39; sand liner present an annular channel around a castle to define a moat. 
         [0009]    Unfortunately, the prior art beach toys suffer from several problems. Adams&#39; sand liner, in particular, can be difficult to use. Adams&#39; sand liner is designed to be placed in a channel dug into the sand that conforms closely with the shape and contours of the sand liner. For instance, one embodiment of Adams&#39; sand liner is annular and has particular width, depth, and radii. The channel dug into the sand preferably has the same shape and dimensions. These shapes and dimensions are difficult to match using existing tools (shovels, rakes, hands). 
       BRIEF SUMMARY  
       [0010]    Several embodiments of a beach toy apparatus and associated methods are described and claimed herein that solve at least some of the problems of the prior art beach toy. In simple terms, a kit is provided that makes moat-making easy and fun. This kit helps dig a moat that closely conforms to the shape and dimensions of a sand liner. Insertion of the sand liner in the moat results in a moat that retains water. Children will no longer have to fill and refill their moats endlessly. 
         [0011]    In one particular embodiment, a beach toy is provided that includes a material displacement tool, an interconnecting member, and an anchor. In this embodiment, the interconnecting member is attached at a first end to the material displacement tool. Further, the interconnecting member is pivotally attached at a second end to the anchor to allow the material displacement tool to be moved in a generally circular path about the anchor, whereby the material displacement tool can dig a generally annular-shaped channel. In one embodiment, the interconnecting member is pivotally attached to the anchor by way of a first ring at a first end and a second ring at a second end that allows for the material displacement tool to be moved in a generally circular path around the anchor. In another embodiment, at least one or both of the first and second rings are not used but the interconnecting member is pivotally attached to the anchor such that a portion of the interconnecting member is crimped together with another portion of interconnecting member to form a loop around a portion of the anchor. In this embodiment, the crimped portions of the interconnecting member allows for the material displacement tool to be moved in a generally circular path around the anchor. 
         [0012]    In one embodiment, the material displacement tool is a shovel. In this embodiment or another embodiment, the shovel includes a depth gauge to allow the annular-shaped channel to be provided with a substantially constant depth along a given radius. Further, the shovel preferable has a first connector at a first side for attachment to the interconnecting member to allow the shovel to be moved in a first direction about the anchor and a second connector at a second side for attachment to the interconnecting member to allow the shovel to be moved in a second, opposite direction about the anchor. In one embodiment, the shovel also includes a hook for connecting with one of either the first ring or second ring. 
         [0013]    In one embodiment, the anchor is a stake. In this embodiment or another embodiment, the stake includes a post and head at an upper end thereof for attachment to the interconnecting member. Further, in one embodiment, the interconnecting member is a cord. In this embodiment or another embodiment, the cord is a string. 
         [0014]    In another particular embodiment, a method for using a beach toy is disclosed. In this embodiment, the beach toy includes a material displacement tool, an interconnecting member, and an anchor, the interconnecting member being attached at a first end to the material displacement tool and being attached at a second end to the anchor. In this embodiment, the method includes inserting the anchor into a porous medium, pulling the material displacement tool away from anchor whereby the interconnecting member is approximately taut, inserting the material displacement tool into the porous medium, and moving the material displacement tool in a generally circular pattern about the anchor to dig a generally annular channel. 
         [0015]    In yet another particular embodiment, a method for using a beach toy is disclosed, wherein the beach toy comprises a shovel, a cord, and a stake. In this embodiment, the method includes the steps of: inserting the stake into a porous medium, leaving a connector of the stake exposed, attaching a first end of the cord to the stake, attaching a second end of the cord to the shovel, and pulling the shovel away from the stake whereby the cord is approximately taut. The method further includes inserting a blade of the shovel into the porous medium whereby a surface of the porous medium is generally aligned with a depth gauge on the blade and moving the shovel in a generally circular pattern about the anchor to dig a generally annular channel. 
         [0016]    Other embodiments, which can include some combination of the features discussed above and below and other features which are known in the art, are contemplated as falling within the claims even if such embodiments are not specifically identified and discussed herein. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0017]    These and other features, aspects, objects, and advantages of the embodiments described and claimed herein will become better understood upon consideration of the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where: 
           [0018]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a first embodiment of a moat-making kit in use; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is a side view illustrating a first embodiment of a stake of the moat-making kit; and, 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a front view illustrating a first embodiment of a shovel of the moat-making kit. 
       
    
    
       [0021]    It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the embodiments are sometimes illustrated by graphic symbols, phantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the embodiments described and claimed herein or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the inventions described herein are not necessarily limited to the particular embodiment illustrated. Indeed, it is expected that persons of ordinary skill in the art may devise a number of alternative configurations that are similar and equivalent to the embodiments shown and described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. 
         [0022]    Like reference numerals will be used to refer to like or similar parts from the figure in the following detailed description of the drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0023]    Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , a first embodiment of a moat-making kit is shown. In that embodiment, the moat-making kit comprises a stake  1 , a shovel  2 , a boat  3 , a liner  4 , two stake rings  5 , and a string or cord  6 . The two rings  5  are attached at opposite ends of the cord  6 , for example by a knot on the cord  6 . The two rings  5  are connectors for connecting one end of the cord  6  to the stake  1  and the other end of the cord  6  to the shovel  2 . Both the stake  1  and the shovel  2  include corresponding connectors. For example, the stake  1  includes a post  1   a  with an enlarged diameter head  1   b  for connecting with one of the rings  5 . The shovel  2  includes at least one hook  2   a  for connecting with the other ring  5 , and preferably two hooks  2   a,    2   b  on opposites sides of the shovel  2  to facilitate use by both right- and left-handed individuals. 
         [0024]    It is contemplated that other embodiments could include various combinations of the above-mentioned or other equivalent components. For example, the rings  5 , post  1   a  and head  1   b,  and hooks  2   a,    2   b,  can be replaced with simple screws and nuts or a ball that snaps into a recess on the top of the stake  1  and/or shovel  2 . As another example, the rings  5  need not be used and the cord  6  is pivotally attached to the stake  1  by way of crimped portions of cord  6  such that a portion of cord  6  is crimped together with another portion of cord  6  to form a loop around the post  1   a  of stake  1 . In this example, the crimped portion of cord  6  allows for the shovel  2  to be moved in a generally circular path around the stake  1 . The cord  6  can be a flexible material like string or a more rigid one like plastic. The cord  6  could also comprise 2 or more pieces of dowel that attach together with a 2-sided female component or 3 flat pieces of plastic that attached together with wing nuts. The cord  6  could also be permanently attached to the stake  1  and/or the shovel  2 , and could wrap around the stake  1  and/or shovel  2  for storage, or retract into one or both the stake  1  and shovel  2 . The liner  4  could be made of any flexible, nonporous material, such as vinyl, plastic or rubber. Preferably, the liner  4  is thin so it can fold up easily and store compactly. The liner  4  could be completely flat and conform to the shape of the channel when installed, or it could be manufactured with a bottom and sides giving it a more sturdy body. Alternative designs for the shovel  2  could include a handhold in the blade instead of a handle. 
         [0025]    The moat-making kit is designed to be used at an outdoor recreational area, such as a beach or a pool, where a porous medium such as sand  7  is provided. When used at a beach, the moat-making kit is used by first choosing a location that is near the water, but beyond the reach of the waves. Next, an area large enough to accommodate the liner  4  is smoothed out. Preferably, the dry sand on top should be removed, and the moist sand just below should be smoothed. Moist sand holds its shape better and is easier to work with. 
         [0026]    One end of the cord  6  is attached to the stake  1 , which is placed in the center of the smoothed-out area and inserted into the sand, leaving the top two inches of the stake  1  exposed. The shovel  2  is attached to the opposite end of the cord  6 . Generally, during use of the moat making kit, cord  6  is connected to stake  1  at one end and connected to shovel  2  at another end. Generally, the cord  6  is pivotally attached to stake  1  such that shovel  2  can be moved in a uniform circular motion with respect to the stake. 
         [0027]    The shovel  2  is pulled away from the stake  1  such that the cord  6  is pulled taut, but care should be taken to avoid displacing the stake  1 . Sand  7  is progressively removed using the blade of the shovel  2  until the proper depth is reached as marked by a depth gauge  2   c  on the shovel. As sand  7  is removed, the shovel  2  is moved around the stake  1  in a circular path, keeping the cord  6  taut, to form an annular moat. The depth gauge  2   c  can be any indication on the shovel such as a raised line or groove. The removed sand is generally placed outside the circle so that the removed sand does not interfere with the cord  6  as the shovel  2  moved in a circular motion with respect to the stake  1 . In another embodiment, the removed sand can be placed in the center of the moat for use later when building a sandcastle. However, in this embodiment, the sand inside the center of the circle can interfere with movement of the cord  6  as the shovel is moved. Accordingly, it is preferred that the removed sand is placed outside the circle and not inside the circle. When finished removing the sand, the shovel  2  can be pulled backwards in the channel to smooth out the surface of the channel. 
         [0028]    Next, the liner  4 , which can be made of any impermeable material, such as plastic, is placed in the channel. For instance, the material is impermeable to water. The liner  4  should be firmly pushed into the moat to prevent unwanted displacement during play. Once the liner  4  is in place, the shovel  2  can be pulled backwards in the moat to smooth out the liner  4  and water can be poured into the center of the moat. Care should be taken to ensure no water gets underneath the liner. The moat is now finished and ready for play. 
         [0029]    Because the blade of the shovel  2  is provided with a depth gauge  2   c  and a shape and dimensions that correspond to the shape and dimensions of the liner  4 , proper use of the above-described method results in a near-perfect annular channel that matches the shape and dimensions of the liner  4 . Accordingly, shovel  2  has a shape and dimension that corresponds to the shape and dimension of liner  4  such that proper use of shovel  2  results in a snug and easy fit for the liner  4  into the moat. 
         [0030]    Although the inventions described and claimed herein have been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the inventions described and claimed herein can be practiced by other than those embodiments, which have been presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the claims below should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.