Abstract:
A housing containing a power source and an electrical circuit, the housing having an upwardly extending portion for supporting a consumable portion; a finger-grasping portion extending from the housing for engagement with the finger of a user; and an illuminating element connectable to the electrical circuit and the power source to illuminate the consumable portion.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     There are several varieties of lighted toys that hold candies or other consumable substances. However, these toys do not allow the user to wear the toy on their finger like a ring while the consumable is lighted. Further, such toys are often large and complex and therefore may be expensive to manufacture.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a lighted ring toy that entertains the user while a consumable supported by the toy is consumed. The user activates the lighting feature of the toy by removing a circuit-interrupting insulator. Once the insulator is removed and the circuit is closed, a power source causes a light located inside a housing to illuminate the consumable for a period of time required for the user to consume at least a portion of the consumable. The device is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.  
         [0003]     In one embodiment, the lighted ring toy of the invention has: a housing containing a power source and an electrical circuit, the housing having an upwardly extending portion for supporting a consumable portion; a finger-grasping portion extending from the housing for engagement with the finger of a user; and an illuminating element connectable to the electrical circuit and the power source to illuminate the consumable portion. In a particular embodiment, the electrical circuit may have at least one electrical contact for completing the circuit in a contacting position thereof, and the ring toy may further comprise a removable insulator disposed adjacent the electrical contact in a non-contacting position to interrupt the electrical circuit. The power source may be configured to illuminate the consumable portion for a preselected period of time sufficient to consume it, and thereafter to expire. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0004]     The invention may be more readily understood from the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein an example of the invention is shown and in which:  
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is an elevational view of a lighted ring toy according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0006]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the toy of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0007]      FIG. 3  is a vertical cross-sectional view of the toy taken along the line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 , showing one possible internal configuration;  
         [0008]      FIG. 4  is an internal view of the toy as seen in the direction  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3 , with the top portion of the housing, the batteries, and the insulator removed;  
         [0009]      FIG. 5  is a schematic of the electrical circuit of the toy of  FIG. 1  in the illustrated embodiment of the invention utilizing a flashing light emitting diode (LED);  
         [0010]      FIG. 6  is a schematic of a configuration of the electrical circuit of the invention in another embodiment of the invention utilizing a non-flashing LED and a separate flasher circuit; and  
         [0011]      FIGS. 7A-7F  illustrate alternative possible designs of the consumable mountable on the lighted ring of the invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     Referring now to the drawings,  FIGS. 1, 2  and  3  illustrate a lighted ring toy  10  according to one embodiment of the invention. The ring toy  10  is constructed to be worn as a ring, rather than grasped by the user&#39;s hand, and includes a consumable  12  illuminated by a battery-powered light source  14  ( FIG. 2 ). In the illustrated embodiment, the light source  14  is contained within a ring-shaped housing  16  upon which the consumable  12  is mounted. The housing  16  contains an electrical circuit  18  and a power source  20  which cause the illumination effect to occur. The housing  16  has an opening  22  ( FIG. 3 ) through which a removable insulator  24  passes to interrupt the electrical circuit  18 . Removal of the insulator  24  allows the electrical circuit  18  to be completed, creating the illumination effect of the toy and thereby amusing a user during consumption of the consumable  12 .  
         [0013]     The consumable  12  mounted on the toy can be sucker candy, gummy candy, or any other food product through which illumination of the light source  14  can be seen to amuse the user. It can also have a wide variety of shapes and colors intended to amuse the user when it is illuminated. A few examples of the shapes for the consumable  12  are illustrated in  FIGS. 7A through 7F  and identified by the numerals  12 A through  12 F respectively.  
         [0014]     The consumable  12  has an opening  25  ( FIG. 3 ) that receives an upwardly-extending portion  26  of the housing  16  to hold the consumable  12  in place. The upwardly extending portion  26  preferably has a plurality of inclined ribs  26 ′ on its outer surface with undercut portions  26 ″ to ensure that the consumable  12  remains in place at the housing  16  during consumption. When a resilient material such as gummy candy is used for the consumable  12 , the opening  25  in the consumable may be somewhat smaller in diameter than the portion of the housing to be received within it to enhance friction and thereby retain the candy in place.  
         [0015]     The light source  14  can be a light emitting diode (“LED”) or any other suitable device for producing light in response to electrical power from the power source  20 . The light source  14  can be of either the flashing or non-flashing type.  
         [0016]     Referring more specifically to  FIG. 3 , in the illustrated embodiment the upwardly-extending portion  26  of the housing  16  contains the light source  14  and supports the consumable  12 . While the material of the upwardly-extending portion  26  is limited by the need to transmit at least a portion of the light emanating from the light source to achieve the desired visual effect, the remainder of the housing  16  is not so limited and can be made of any other suitable material. Although the figures show a particular shape for the upwardly-extending portion  26 , alternatively, it can have any other shape suitable for supporting the consumable  12  and housing the light source  14 .  
         [0017]     As shown, the housing  16  may be made of two different parts joined together to contain the power source  20 , the electrical circuit  18 , and the light source  14  of the toy  10 . These two parts can be joined together by a snapping structure, by an adhesive, or by any other suitable method.  
         [0018]     In the illustrated embodiment, the housing  16  includes a boss  28  at the base of the upwardly-extending portion  26  for supporting the consumable  12 . The boss  28  has a peripheral lip  29 ′ that engages the outer edge of the consumable  12 , giving the combination a pleasing, uniform appearance and effectively supporting the weight of the consumable. In some cases, an interior void  28 ″ is provided adjacent the base of the stem  26  to permit expansion of the candy upon curing. The housing  16  can be shaped in any way that provides sufficient space for the electrical circuit  18 , the power source  20 , and the light source  14 . The embodiment shown in the drawings comprises a form of hexagonal pyramid whose vertex is replaced by the upwardly-extending portion  26  of the housing  16 . This gives the housing an enlarged lateral dimension.  
         [0019]     A finger-grasping portion  30  of the embodiment shown in the figures extends from the bottom of the housing  16 . The finger-grasping portion  30  includes a horizontal plate  32  that joins with the remainder of the housing to support the electrical circuit  18  and the power source  20 . A race track shaped abutment  34  extends upward from the horizontal plate  32  to hold in place the power source  20 , represented in the drawings by two button cell batteries. The abutment  34  includes two inward extensions  36  that create a pair of recesses for receiving the button cell batteries, and a narrow gap  37  ( FIGS. 2 and 4 ) along the floor of the plate  32 .  
         [0020]     First and second contact portions  38 ″ and  39 ″ are disposed within the recesses directly below the batteries. The first contact portion  38  has an finger  38 ′ which extends through the gap  37  and against a vertical tab  39 ′ of the second contact portion  39 . The two contact portions are also provided with central spring arms  38 ′ and  39 ′, respectively, which urge the batteries upwardly. The finger  38 ′ of the contact portion  38  is configured to contact and press against the tab  39 ′ of the contact portion  39  when the insulator  24  is removed from the opening  22 .  
         [0021]     In the embodiment shown in the figures, the button cell batteries are disposed in opposite directions so they are connected in series with each other and with the light source  14  when the contact portion  38  touches the contact portion  39 . To avoid shorting of the battery terminals, a ring  41  of insulating material is disposed underneath the inverted battery along its peripheral edge. The light source  14  is connected to the batteries by leads  42  and  43 , which pass through and are attached to a small circuit board or wiring board  40  for support. The ends of the leads  42  and  43  extend from the bottom of the circuit board where they make electrical contact with opposite poles of the two batteries. The electrical circuit  18  therefore comprises the light source  14 , the power source  20 , the first and second contact portions  38  and  39 , and the leads  42  and  43 .  
         [0022]     The board  40  can vary in complexity in different embodiments of the invention. In the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3 , the board  40  merely anchors the leads  42  and  43  and supports the light source  14 . In that case, the schematic of the lighted ring toy  10  can be as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . The light source  14  may then be a flashing LED of the type available under the commercial designation MT-F406, which is powered by two series-connected batteries of the type identified commercially as LR 41  button cells. In this embodiment, the LED  14  is connected across the series-connected batteries  20  such that removal of the insulator strip  24  in the direction indicated completes the circuit and causes the LED to flash until the batteries are discharged.  
         [0023]     According to the schematic of  FIG. 6 , which depicts an alternative embodiment of the invention ( 10 ′),the board  40  may comprise a circuit  45  that provides, in addition to physical support, lighting effects such as flashing of the light source  14 . In this embodiment, the circuit  45  may be an integrated circuit of the type available commercially under the designation A5403-01 which, in the illustrated configuration, intermittently applies the voltage of the batteries  20  across the LED  14  to produce a flashing light effect. In this embodiment, the light source may be a non-flashing LED available commercially under the designation, 3R4SDB-4.  
         [0024]     Now, considering the battery circuit in greater detail, the negative terminal of each button cell battery is the discrete circular terminal on one of its ends, and the positive terminal includes the side and bottom surfaces of the battery. One battery is inverted relative to the other, and the central spring arm  38 ″ of the contact portion  38  contacts the negative terminal of the inverted battery while the positive terminal is separated from the contact portion  38  by the insulator ring  41 . In this configuration, the finger  38 ′ of the first contact portion is urged toward the tab  39 ′, which is in contact with the positive terminal of the non-inverted battery but is initially prevented from contacting it by the insulator  24 . Removal of the insulator  24  allows the finger  38 ′ to touch the tab  39 ′, completing the circuit to apply the combined voltages of the two batteries across the leads of the light source  14 .  
         [0025]     The contact portions  38  and  39  may be made of copper, steel or other resilient conductive material, causing the finger  38 ′ to press against the insulator  24  with sufficient force to hold it in place while at the same time permitting the insulator to be removed by manually pulling it downwardly from the housing  16 . In one embodiment, the first elongated contact portion  38  is rounded or bent at its point of contact with the insulator  24  so that the insulator  24  can be removed without tearing or becoming jammed in the housing  16 .  
         [0026]     The insulator  24  and the insulating ring  41  may each be made of any suitable insulating material, such as coated paper or a sheet of suitable synthetic polymeric material. In one particular embodiment, the material may be the type available commercially under the trademark Mylar.  
         [0027]     The preceding description has been presented with reference to presently preferred embodiments of the invention. These should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as examples of the embodiments thereof. Alterations and changes in the described structure may be practiced without meaningfully departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.  
         [0028]     For example, the circuit board  40  may, in its more complex embodiments, take the form of a printed circuit board having discrete electronic components mounted thereon, an integrated circuit, or a hybrid circuit comprising both discrete components and one or more integrated circuits. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their equivalents.