Patent Description:
Play structures allow children to imaging they are operating vehicles, or inhabiting buildings. Such structures may be formed by fitting fabric sheets over a frame.

Known play structures may include a continuous flexible wire loop that runs through one or more pockets along the edge of a fabric sheet. When the wire is folded onto a compact configuration and held, for example, in a storage bag or other container, the play structure remains collapsed. When compression of the folded wire is release, the wire loop expands. The fabric sheet is supported by the expanded wire to create the play structure. Such structure is disclosed for example on <CIT>.

The shape that can be achieved by play structures supported by a flexible wire are limited. The wire itself must be a closed loop. A loose wire end could create a protrusion hazard for children playing with the structure. It may be difficult to create realistic looking shapes, for example, the outlines of a boat, where the shape is supported by a continuous wire loop. Forming an angular apex, such as the tip of the bow of a boat, or crisp corners on the back of the stern, may be difficult using known techniques.

Play structures formed from fabric sheets supported by wire loops may not collapse to as small a storage configuration as might be desirable. The resilient wire used to form the loop may have a minimum radius of curvature that limits how compact the coiled wire can be compressed. Bending the wire in too small a radius may deform the wire and damage the structure.

Known play structures supported by wire loops may be difficult to repair if they are damaged. Typically, if the wire of such known play structures is kinked or broken, the structure cannot be repaired and must be disposed of. In addition, if the wire were broken, the loose end may be sharp and could create a hazard for children playing with the structure.

To create a more realistic experience for a child playing with a play structure, it may be necessary that the structure have more rigidity than can be achieved with a wire loop, at least for certain portions of the structure. For example, where the play structure represents a vehicle such as a car or boat, providing sides that are relatively stiff may give the child the sensation of being inside a solidly constructed structure. Where the sides of a play structure are formed by a flexible wire loop, it may be difficult to create a sufficiently stiff side to the structure.

Providing parts of a structure that are relatively stiff according to know embodiments may create a safety hazard if the parts are formed in a manner that would allow a stiff protruding member to extend vertically. A vertical protrusion could cause injury if a child were to fall on it or abruptly sit down on it.

Document <CIT> discloses a kit for building a model aeroplane. The kit comprises several parts connected together, but the connection of the parts together is not configured to be stiff enough to build play structures to create a more realistic experience for a child.

The present invention is directed to a batten assembly according to claim <NUM>. Subsidiary aspects of the invention are provided in the dependent claims.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide an improved structure for children's toys. Such embodiments provide resilient structures that provide the sensation of sitting to standing in the structure without creating a protrusion hazard. Such structures may include a vehicle such as a boat, car, or airplane. According to one aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a children's structure that is easy to assemble, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and that provides an aesthetically pleasing shape. According to another aspect of the disclosure there is provided a structure that collapses easily when a child sits or presses down on vertical components of the structure. These embodiments reduce the risk that a member forming the structure with present a protrusion hazard.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a play structure is formed from components that can be easily joined and separated from one another to allow the toy to be disassembled for storage and reassembled for play.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, the structure is formed from components that are simple to manufacture and can be formed from inexpensive materials.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, toys embodying the disclosed structure can be created with a variety of shapes and configurations using common structural components.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, toys embodying the disclosed structure are lightweight and easy to store and transport.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, toys embodying the disclosed structure are assembled from components that are easily manipulated by a child, this providing a learning opportunity, a group play experience, and a sense of satisfaction when the child assembles the structure with the help of an adult or other child.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, toys embodying the disclosed structure are durable and can resiliently spring back to their intended shape when impacted, stepped on, or dropped. Such toys may include vertically oriented structures like flags, goalposts, and the like that need to remain upright but that can easily flex away from a vertical orientation so as not to create a protrusion hazard.

The above and/or other aspects of the disclosure will be more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments of the disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:.

Exemplary embodiments of the disclosure will now be described below by reference to the attached Figures. The described exemplary embodiments are intended to assist the understanding of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

<FIG> shows a toy play structure <NUM> according to one embodiment of the disclosure. In this exemplary embodiment, the structure forms the shape of a sailboat. The disclosure is not limited to this shape and includes, but is not limited to, structures with a variety of shapes, for example, vehicle shapes like a car, truck, fire engine, or train, and the like, building shapes like a house, a store, a swimming pool, a garage, a ball pit, and other shapes. In addition, as will be explained below, embodiments according to the disclosure can be used to support a variety of objects, for example, flag poles, goalposts, racetrack finish lines, and the like.

As shown in <FIG>, the play structure <NUM> is formed from fabric panels <NUM> forming the sides and stern of the boat. A fabric bottom <NUM> may be formed from the same fabric as the sides <NUM>. According to one embodiment, fabric bottom <NUM> is formed from an abrasion resistant material, for example, a laminated fabric or tarp material, to provided better durability. According to one embodiment, the edges of fabric bottom <NUM> are sewn to the edges of panels <NUM>. Pockets <NUM> are formed along the edges of the panel <NUM> where they form the "gunwales" of the boat and also along the bottom edges of panels <NUM> where they join fabric bottom <NUM>. Struts <NUM>, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, are inserted through these pockets <NUM> to create a resilient support to hold the fabric panels in the desired shape, for example, a sailboat.

<FIG> shows the frame of the boat <NUM> assembled without the fabric. <FIG> shows an exploded view of the frame. Struts <NUM>, <NUM> are arranged along the upper and lower edges of the boat shape. According to one embodiment, struts <NUM> along the sides of the boat are longer than struts <NUM> forming the stern of the boat. Struts <NUM>, <NUM> according to one embodiment, are formed from flexible rods like those used to support camping tents. As shown in <FIG>, rods <NUM> may include segments <NUM>' that can be joined by inserting the end of one segment into a collar or ferrule <NUM>" of an adjacent segment in a telescoping fashion. This arrangement allows the toy to be disassembled and stored in a small package. According to another embodiment, struts may include an elastic strap (not shown) that extends through a hollow space inside the segments that joins the segments to one another so the rod segments remain together when disassembled.

Ends of struts <NUM>, <NUM> are joined at the bow and stern of the boat by connectors <NUM>. <FIG> show exemplary embodiments of connectors <NUM> joining struts <NUM>, <NUM>. <FIG> show a connector <NUM> in detail. The connector <NUM> includes one or more strut receivers <NUM>. The internal surface of the strut receivers <NUM> are shaped to form an interference fit with the ends of struts <NUM>. According to one embodiment, the inside diameter of strut receivers <NUM> is tapered so that as the end of strut <NUM> is inserted, a tight fit is created to secure the strut with the connector. Connector <NUM> includes batten receiver <NUM> to join with batten <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>.

Strut receivers <NUM> may be arranged at an angle with respect to one another to form the desired shape of the completed frame. In the embodiment of <FIG>, the angle between strut receivers <NUM> of the connectors 20a at the bow of the boat is about <NUM> degrees, creating a realistic tapered bow for the boat. The angle between strut receivers <NUM> of the connectors 20b at the stern of the boat is about <NUM> degrees, creating a realistic looking square stern for the boat. For embodiments where different configurations of strut receivers <NUM> and batten receivers <NUM> are provided, such as boat <NUM>, the connectors 20a, 20b may include a distinguishing marking <NUM>, such as shown in <FIG>. In the embodiment of <FIG>, connector 20a, that forms the bow of the boat, has a "star" symbol is embossed on the connector.

Connectors 20a, 20b may be formed with a variety of orientations between strut receivers <NUM> to achieve other shapes for the collapsible toy, for example, square corners on a truck shape, a tapered bow and stern on a canoe shape.

In the exemplary embodiment, connectors are shown with two strut receivers <NUM> but the connectors could be formed with a single receiver or with more than two receivers. Strut receivers <NUM> are shown as being in substantially a single plane but the disclosure is not limited to this arrangement. Depending on the shape of the play structure (or other structure) formed by the struts <NUM>, the strut receivers <NUM> can be set at a variety of angles to one another.

According to some embodiments, as described below, one or more of the connectors <NUM> are formed with no strut receiver, and instead include a structure such as a "peg" to insert into the soil and/or a coupling to support a flag, goalpost, or other object that needs to be supported vertically but that can easily flex away from a vertical orientation so as not to present a protrusion hazard.

As can be seen in <FIG> and <FIG>, at the corners of the structure <NUM>, are vertically oriented battens 21a, 21b. In this embodiment, batten 21a at the bow of the boat is somewhat longer than the battens 21b at the stern of the boat. This arrangement gives the boat shape a more realistic appearance with a high bow sloping to a lower stern. In addition, by providing a lower portion of the "gunwale" of the boat near the stern, the structure is easier for small children to enter while the higher portion of the gunwale near the bow gives the child a sense of being enclosed in the boat.

<FIG> show detailed view of batten <NUM> unconnected from the connectors <NUM>. Batten <NUM> is formed from a flat strip of a flexible material. The material forming the battens <NUM> may be a flexible or elastomeric polymer. According to some embodiments, batten <NUM> is formed from high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyamide polymers (Nylon), and the like. According to one embodiment, a notch <NUM> is provided along the center line of the strip of material. The notch helps facilitate bending batten into a C-shaped cross section when the batten <NUM> is inserted into batten receiver <NUM> on connector <NUM>. According to other embodiments, instead of providing battens <NUM> as flat members, the battens can be formed with a curved cross section about a longitudinal axis of the batten.

<FIG> show batten <NUM> inserted into connector <NUM>. Batten receiver <NUM> has an arcuate, curvilinear cross section and is open at one end. Batten <NUM> is joined with connector <NUM> by bending the batten about its longitudinal axis so that it is curved substantially the same as the arcuate batten receiver <NUM> and then inserting an end of the batten <NUM> into batten receiver <NUM>. The width of the batten is equal to or less than the length along the curvilinear cross section of the batten receiver <NUM>. Notch <NUM> along the axis of batten <NUM> may allow the batten to more easily bend to the arcuate shape of the batten receiver. As shown in <FIG> and exploded view in <FIG>, connectors 20a, 20b are joined with both ends of each batten 21a, 21b to form frame <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the side and stern fabric <NUM> and bottom fabric <NUM> have openings at the corners where struts <NUM>, connectors 20a, 20b, and battens 21a, 21b are joined. To assemble structure <NUM>, struts <NUM> are assembled by joining strut segments <NUM>' together end to end using collars <NUM>". Struts <NUM> are inserted through pockets <NUM> formed in the side fabrics <NUM> and bottom fabric <NUM>. Struts <NUM> are inserted through pockets formed along the top and bottom edges of the stern fabric. Ends of struts <NUM>, <NUM> are fitted to strut receivers <NUM> on connectors 20a, 20b. Battens 21a, 21b are bent to a curvilinear shape about their longitudinal axes to conform to the curved cross section of batten receivers <NUM> and inserted into the batten receivers.

<FIG> and <FIG> show batten <NUM> and connectors <NUM> separate from the rest of structure <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, when no compressive force is applied to the batten, the batten is substantially straight with the cross section of the batten substantially the same as the curvilinear cross section of the batten receivers <NUM>. This holds the upper portion of the boat structure <NUM> shown in <FIG> at its maximum height. Because the batten <NUM> has a curved configuration as a result of being held in arcuate batten receivers <NUM>, the batten provides support for the structure. According to one embodiment, the curved shape of batten <NUM> has a greater stiffness than when the batten is not curved, that is, as shown in <FIG>. As shown in <FIG>, when compressive force is applied, a portion of the batten <NUM> between connectors <NUM> flattens, allowing the batten to give way. Notch <NUM> along the axis of batten <NUM> may facilitate the flattening of the batten when force is applied. As a result of the shape of batten <NUM>, when downward force is applied to toy <NUM>, for example, when a child steps on the structure or sits down on it, the structure readily collapses and does not cause injury. When the force is relieved, battens <NUM> resume their curvilinear cross section (imposed on the batten by the curvilinear cross section of patten receivers <NUM>) and the toy resumes its original shape.

By joining struts with connectors according to embodiments of the disclosure, a realistic shape for the overall structure can be achieved, for example, clean, crisp corners at the stern and a tapered bow of a sailboat. Such a shape may not be possible using known techniques. At the same time, battens according to embodiments of the disclosure allow the structure to safely collapse and resiliently rebound to form a safe and durable play structure.

According to some embodiments, connectors <NUM> may include additional structures. In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, connector 20a may include a boss <NUM> or clip or other structure on its upper surface to support a sail <NUM> or other accessory. According to other embodiments, connectors <NUM> may be adapted to support other types of toys and sporting equipment, for example, flags or goalposts, that are held upright, but that easily bend away from vertical so as not to create a protrusion hazard.

<FIG> shows a further embodiment of the disclosure. Lower connector <NUM> includes a spike or peg <NUM> adapted to be inserted into soil or other surface to fix the assembly in the ground. Alternatively, lower connector <NUM> could be affixed to a floor or exercise mat using a fastener such as a screw or adhesive patch instead of a spike. Batten <NUM> is inserted into a batten receiver <NUM> of bottom connector <NUM>, as in the previous embodiments. Upper connector <NUM> is provided at the top of batten <NUM>, with the top of the batten inserted into batten receiver <NUM>. A boss or other connective member <NUM> is provided on the top surface of upper connector <NUM>. Boss <NUM> is designed to hold a structure such as a flag <NUM>. As with previous embodiments, batten <NUM> is held in a curved configuration, giving the structure some rigidity to support the flagpole, which might form a portion of a goal or target for a sporting event. Should a person impact the flag, or land on top of the structure, batten <NUM> flexes, as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG> to safely give way to avoid presenting a protrusion hazard.

Claim 1:
A batten assembly for a collapsible toy (<NUM>) comprising:
a first connector (<NUM>) having a first batten receiver (<NUM>),
a second connector (<NUM>) having a second batten receiver (<NUM>); and
a batten (<NUM>) having a longitudinal axis and a batten width perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, wherein the batten width is less than or equal to the path length,
characterized in that
the first batten receiver and the second batten receiver each have a curvilinear cross section and a path length along the curvilinear cross section, and
wherein the first and second batten receivers each comprise one open end, and
wherein the batten is curved about the longitudinal axis to conform to the curvilinear cross section and wherein a first end of the batten is removably inserted in the one open end of the first batten receiver (<NUM>) and a second end of the batten is removably inserted in the one open end of the second batten receiver (<NUM>).