CN113490535A

CN113490535A - Portable puppet theater

Info

Publication number: CN113490535A
Application number: CN202080014675.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 阿图罗·费拉拉
Original assignee: A TuluoFeilala
Current assignee: A TuluoFeilala
Priority date: 2019-01-18
Filing date: 2020-01-17
Publication date: 2021-10-08
Also published as: AU2020209023A1; CA3126375A1; US20220126220A1; EA202191853A1; CL2021001875A1; EP3911427B1; MX2021008670A; WO2020148713A1; BR112021014007A2; JP2022517374A; EP3911427A1; IT201900000807A1

Abstract

A portable puppet theater (1) comprising a pair of side walls (2), a front wall (3), a plurality of inner walls (5), and a cover element (6), the front wall (3) having a central opening (4) designed to face an audience, the plurality of inner walls (5) defining one or more scenery (5A) and curtains (5B), the cover element (6) being adapted to cover the side walls (2) and the front wall (3). The side walls (2) and the front wall (3) are substantially vertical and hinged together to form a foldable structure (7), the foldable structure (7) being adapted to alternate from a collapsible configuration in mutual overlapping relationship with the walls (2, 3) and an upright configuration at right angles to the walls (2, 3) and substantially vertical, and vice versa. The cover element (6) is in the form of a lid, the cover element (6) having a flat central portion (13) and upwardly folded edges (14) for receiving therein the inner wall (5) and the collapsible structure (7) in the collapsible configuration. The cover element (6) is adapted to be turned upside down with the folded edge (14) facing downwards and in contact with the side walls (2) and the front wall (3) in an upright configuration. Furthermore, the flat central portion (13) of the cover element (6) has a plurality of slits (15) to allow the removable introduction of the inner wall (5) therein from the top to a position facing the central opening (4).

Description

Portable puppet theater

Technical Field

The invention is generally applied to the field of table games, and particularly relates to a portable puppet theater.

Background

Known in the field of table games are structures in the form of puppet theaters (hereinafter referred to simply as "theaters") designed for use by children and adults for entertaining and educating the audience of children of different ages.

In order to simulate a real theater experience, a theater must be made up of a given number of basic components designed to be later assembled where the theater will be used.

The need felt by the user for such an object is its portability, i.e. the possibility of assembling and disassembling the theatre, and to easily carry the theatre from place to place when travelling, without the risk of damaging and losing the necessary components.

A further need is to minimize the size and thus the entropy impact on the relevant space, such as a child's room, especially when the child's room has a small size. In practice, such objects generally have a bulky and permanent structure and are not easily transportable.

This need can be met by accepting only small sizes and also using collapsible structures that can be stored in order in a generally flat container.

US 2837863 and US 1600554 disclose portable puppet theaters that include a carrying case and a structure within the case for assembling the puppet game. The structure comprises side walls, a rear curtain, a top cover and a front door frame, which are joined together by lugs and also by fastening means.

In US 2837863, a rear curtain for concealing a puppet is hung on telescopic rods fixed in through holes in the side walls, and both the box and the foldable structure are formed from cardboard blanks having different fold lines. Further, the box has a handle attached to its blank.

One disadvantage of this prior art portable theater is that it is relatively complex and has 3D fittings for forming both the collapsible structure and the case.

US 2368188 discloses a theater comprising box-like elements obtained from flat die-cut blanks with pre-folded lines, which can be coupled to the bottom of the structure by means of lugs fitting into slots, and a separate sheet for the floor. The theater has a book applied proximate the back wall, the book having pages that change by rotating about a spiral (spiral).

No containers are provided in this theater and once the structural accessories have been disassembled they cannot be stored and protected during transport, which involves the risk of loss and damage.

US 3961426 discloses a portable theater which includes a base, hinged and folding side and bottom walls, a front door frame, a base, and a series of side panels or curtains. The curtain is suspended on rod-like support elements, the ends of which can rest on recesses formed along the upper edges of the side walls of the collapsible structure.

KR 20100008300 discloses a theater having a pair of side walls and a front wall hinged together to form a collapsible structure adapted to alternate from a collapsible configuration to an upright configuration. Furthermore, in the erected configuration, the side walls are joined to the front wall by resilient support means adapted to hold the structure in the erected configuration.

Again, in the latter case, no container is provided to store the different parts of the theatre and to facilitate transport and protection thereof when transferred from one place to another.

Technical problem

In view of the prior art, the technical problem solved by the present invention may be seen as providing a compact and easily transportable portable puppet theater of a very simple and efficient structure.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems by providing a portable puppet theatre that is efficient and relatively cost effective.

It is a particular object of the present invention to provide a theatre which occupies very little space whilst providing all the features of a typical puppet theatre.

These and other objects, as will be better explained hereinafter, are achieved by a portable puppet theater as defined in claim 1, comprising a pair of side walls, a front wall having a central opening designed to face an audience, a plurality of inner walls defining one or more scenery and curtains, and a substantially horizontal cover element; a cover element is adapted to cover the side walls and the front wall in a substantially vertical position, the side walls and the front wall being hinged together to form a foldable structure adapted to alternate from a collapsed configuration, in which the walls are in a mutually overlapping relationship, and an erected configuration, in which the walls are at right angles and substantially vertical, and vice versa.

The cover element is in the form of a lid having a flat central portion and upwardly folded edges for receiving therein said inner wall and said load bearing structure in a collapsible configuration, said cover element being adapted to be turned upside down with its edges facing downwards and in vertical position in contact with said side walls and said front wall, said flat central portion of said cover element having a plurality of slits to allow removable introduction of said inner wall into the slits from the top to a position facing said central opening.

In one embodiment as shown and described, the slits are substantially parallel, a series of rear slits are designed to receive the scenery, and the front slit of the cover element is designed to receive the curtain.

Conveniently, the slit extends for a length slightly greater than the width of the inner wall to facilitate its introduction into the respective slit from the top.

As shown in fig. 1 to 5, the inner wall has, at its top edge, an appendage which extends beyond the end of the slit to rest on the flat portion and to keep the inner wall, which has been introduced into the slit, in a suspended condition.

In one embodiment as shown, the series of slits designed to receive the scenery are suitably spaced from the slits designed to receive the curtain to facilitate the introduction of one or more puppets.

Preferably the front and side walls of the foldable structure are formed from unitary panels of sheet material (such as cardboard, plasticised paper or plastics laminate) which are suitably die cut and formed with fold lines to define adjacent, inter-hinged partial panels which can be folded over themselves.

Advantageously, in the upright configuration, the partial panels have respective upwardly extending lugs adapted to fit into respective slots formed in the flat portion of the cover element, so as to stabilize the foldable structure with its side walls and front wall in the upright configuration.

Drawings

Further features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of a preferred, non-exclusive embodiment of a portable puppet theater according to the invention, which is described as a non-limiting example by means of the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable puppet theater of the present invention in an upright configuration;

fig. 2 and 3 are a front perspective view and a rear perspective view of a theater, respectively;

fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the theater of fig. 1;

fig. 5-7 are plan views of the theater of fig. 4;

fig. 8 and 9 are perspective views of a puppet of the theater of fig. 1;

fig. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the theater and container of fig. 1;

fig. 11 is a plan view of a detail of the theater of fig. 7.

Detailed Description

With particular reference to the figures, there is shown a portable puppet theater, generally designated by the numeral 1, designed to be used by users such as children and adults, to entertain and educate the audience of children of different ages.

As shown in fig. 1, a theater 1 includes a pair of side walls 2, a front wall 3, the front wall 3 having a central opening 4 designed to face an audience, a plurality of inner walls 5 defining one or more scenery 5A and curtains 5B, and a cover element 6 adapted to cover the side walls 2 and the front wall 3.

As known per se, the lateral walls 2 and the front wall 3 are substantially vertical and hinged together to form a foldable structure 7, which foldable structure 7 is adapted to alternate from a collapsible configuration, in which the

walls

2, 3 are in mutual overlapping relationship, and an upright configuration, in which the

walls

2, 3 are at right angles and substantially vertical, and vice versa.

As used hereinafter, the term "collapsible configuration" is intended to designate a folded configuration in which the side walls 2 and the front wall 3 of the foldable structure 7 overlap to form a folded flat structure to minimize volume during storage.

Furthermore, as used hereinafter, the term "upright configuration" is intended to indicate a configuration in which the theatre 1 forms an unfolded structure for use, which is arranged vertically, substantially orthogonal to the support surface.

Advantageously, the front wall 3 and the side walls 2 of the foldable structure 7 are formed by a unit panel 8 of sheet material, the unit panel 8 being selected from cardboard, plasticized paper or plastic laminate or similar material, provided that it has high extensibility characteristics.

Furthermore, the unit panels 8 are suitably die-cut and formed with fold lines 9 to define adjacent, mutually hinged partial panels 10, which partial panels 10 can be folded on themselves so as to alternate from a collapsible configuration to an upright configuration.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the number of partial panels 10 may be at least four, a first pair of adjacent partial panels 10A defining the front wall 3 and a second pair of end partial panels 10B adapted to define the pair of side walls 2, as shown in fig. 7.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the cell panel 8 has a bottom edge 11 and a top edge 12, as shown. In the upright configuration of the theatre 1, the top edge 12 faces upwardly and the bottom edge 11 rests on a support surface, not shown.

Preferably, the fold line 9 of the partial panel 10 may extend from the bottom edge 11 to the top edge 12 and be orthogonal to the bottom edge 11, the top edge 12.

In a particular aspect of the invention, the cover element 6 is in the form of a lid, the cover element 6 having a flat central portion 13 and upwardly folded edges 14 to receive the inner wall 5 and the collapsible structure 7 therein in the collapsible configuration, and the cover element 6 being adapted to be turned upside down with the folded edges 14 facing downwards and in contact with the side walls 2 and the front wall 3 in the upright configuration.

Furthermore, the flat central portion 13 of the cover element 6 has a plurality of slits 15 to allow the removable introduction of the inner wall 5 therein from the top to a position facing the central opening 4.

Thus, as best shown in fig. 4 and 6, the cover element 6 is also suitably die cut and formed with a fold line 9 to define a flat central portion 13. It should be noted that the edge 14 is folded at right angles to the central portion 13.

Advantageously, in the upright vertical configuration, the partial panels 10 of the foldable structure 7 have respective upwardly extending lugs 16, the lugs 16 being adapted to fit into respective slots 17 formed in the flat central portion 13 of the cover element 6, so as to stabilize the foldable structure 7 in such a way that its side walls 2 and front wall 3 are in the upright configuration.

In the illustrated embodiment, the lugs 16 are formed on the top edges 12 of the unit panels 8, and each partial panel 10 comprises a respective tongue 16 aligned with a corresponding slot 17 when the foldable structure 7 is in the erected configuration.

In particular, the slot 17 is formed close to the folding line 9 of the cover element 6, between the flat central portion 13 and the folded edge 14, so that in the upright configuration the cover element 6 will not extend beyond the side walls 2 and the front wall 3, as shown in fig. 1 to 3.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the plurality of slits 15 of the cover element 6 are substantially parallel, and the cover element 6 comprises a series of rear slits 15A and front slots 15B, the series of rear slits 15A being designed to receive the scenery 5A and the front slots 15B being designed to receive the curtain 5B.

Alternatively, the slits 15 may also be non-parallel without departing from the scope of the invention.

Conveniently, the slit 15 extends for a length I₁Slightly larger than the width I of the inner wall 5₂To facilitate its introduction from the top into the respective slit 15.

Furthermore, the inner wall 5 has, at its top edge, an appendage 18, the appendage 18 extending beyond the end of the slit 15 to rest on the flat central portion 13 and to keep the inner wall 5, which has been introduced into the slit 15, in a suspended condition.

As shown in fig. 1-3, the appendage 18 is large enough to extend the length of the inner wall to a length I₃Length I of₃Slightly greater than the length I of the slit 15₁To prevent the inner wall 5 from sliding into the theatre 1 when being introduced into the slot 15.

It should be noted that in the upright configuration of the foldable structure 7, as shown in figure 1, in which one of the internal walls 5A is fully introduced into its respective slit 15A, the appendix 18 does not extend beyond the fold line 9 of the flat central portion 13 of the cover element 6.

In the embodiment shown, the series of slots 15A designed to receive the scenery 5A are suitably spaced from the slots 15B designed to receive the curtain 5B to facilitate the introduction of one or more puppets 19 between the curtain and the scenery.

As known per se, the central opening 4 has a substantially rectangular shape and comprises dimensions adapted to allow a user of the theater 1 to introduce one hand and to facilitate the introduction of a puppet 19 between the curtain 5B and the scenery 5A.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, not shown, an additional series of openings may be formed in the side walls 2 and at the bottom edges 11 of the unit panels 8, allowing the puppet 19 to be dynamically positioned and moved without exposing the user's hands to the viewer's view through its central opening 4.

The puppet 19 may comprise a substantially L-shaped figure (figure) having an elongated body 20, the elongated body 20 having a strip 21 of flexible material extending therefrom, the strip 21 having one end 21 ', the end 21' being adapted to fit into the longitudinal slot 22 to hold the strip 21 in a position perpendicular to the elongated body 20 and to maintain or hold the puppet 19 in an upright configuration, as schematically shown in fig. 8 and 9.

Alternatively, the elongated body 20 of the puppet 19 may fit into the slot 17 of the cover element 6 and the strips 21 may be held by the longitudinal slots 20, resting on the flat central portion 13, which will prevent them from falling into the theater 1.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the puppet 19 is printed on 2D sheet media, but different media, such as 3D printing or the like, may be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

According to a particular aspect of the invention, the theater 1 comprises an outer container comprising a base box 23, the base box 23 being adapted to receive the cover element 6 therein, the cover element 6 storing, in sequence, the collapsible structure 7, the inner wall 5 and the puppet 19 in a collapsible state, as shown in fig. 10.

Also, an upper box 24 is provided, which upper box 24 is designed to be closed on the base box 23 for ordered transport of the theatre 1 in theatre form without risk of losing or damaging its essential components.

Thus, theater 1 will occupy very little space while providing all of the features of a typical puppet theater.

Preferably, the outer container may contain editing material selected from the group consisting of stories, scripts, paper accessories for custom puppets, or other equivalent material suitable for the purpose of fulfilling the story to be posed.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, as shown in fig. 11, the first pair of panels 10A defining the front wall 3 may be equipped with stiffening means 25, the stiffening means 25 being adapted to keep the coplanar panels 10A in the upright configuration, thereby preventing the theater 1 from being undesirably alternated from the upright configuration to the collapsible configuration.

The reinforcement means may comprise a strip 25A of sheet material, the ends of the strip 25A being adapted to fit into a button or pocket 25B formed on each of the first pair of adjacent partial panels 10A.

In operation, the theater 1 is assembled as follows.

First, the upper box 24 is detached from the base box 23 to allow the user to access the container, and then the puppet 19, the inner wall 5 and the foldable structure 7 are removed from the cover member 6.

The foldable structure 7 is then unfolded from the collapsed configuration of the

walls

2, 3 in overlapping relationship with each other to an erected configuration in which the side walls 2 are at right angles to the front wall 3 and the bottom edges 11 of the unit elements 8 rest on the support base.

The cover element 6 is turned upside down with the folded edge 14 facing downwards and in contact with the side wall 2 and the front wall 3 in the upright configuration, so that the lugs 16 of the first pair of adjacent panels 10A and the second pair of end panels 10B will fit into the respective slots 17 of the cover element 6.

Now, curtain 5B will be simply introduced into front slit 15B of cover element 6, scenery 5A will be introduced into respective rear slit 15A, and puppet 19 will be mounted by fitting end 21' of strip 21 into longitudinal slot 22 of elongated body 20 so as to arrange it on the support surface.

Alternatively, different assembly sequences may also be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, once the foldable structure 7 has been unfolded, a strip 25A of sheet material may be fitted into the stiffening means 25B to maintain the coplanar partial panels 10A in the erected configuration.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the theater 1 achieves the intended objectives and has, among other things, a compact and easily transportable configuration and a very simple and effective structure.

The theatre of the invention is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications within the inventive concept disclosed in the appended claims.

While the theater has been described with particular reference to the accompanying figures, the numerals referred to in the disclosure and claims are only used for the sake of a better intelligibility of the invention and shall not be intended to limit the claimed scope in any manner.

Reference herein to "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" or "some embodiments" indicates that the particular feature, structure, or element described is included in at least one embodiment of the present subject matter.

Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or elements may be combined in any suitable manner to provide one or more embodiments.

Industrial applicability

The present invention can find application in industry because it can be produced on an industrial scale in the field of table games.

Claims

1. A portable puppet theater (1) comprising a pair of side walls (2), a front wall (3), a plurality of inner walls (5) and a cover element (6), the front wall (3) having a central opening (4), the central opening (4) being designed to face an audience, the plurality of inner walls (5) defining one or more scenery (5A), and a curtain (5B), the cover element (6) being adapted to cover the side walls (2) and the front wall (3), the side walls (2) and the front wall (3) being substantially vertical and hinged together to form a collapsible structure (7), the collapsible structure (7) being adapted to alternate from a collapsed configuration in which the walls (2, 3) are in a mutually overlapping relationship, and an erected configuration in which the walls (2, 3) are at right angles and substantially vertical, and vice versa, the cover element (6) being in the form of a lid, the cover element (6) having a flat central portion (13) and upwardly folded edges (14) so as to receive therein the plurality of inner walls (5) and the foldable structure (7) in the collapsible configuration, the cover element (6) being adapted to be turned upside down with the folded edges (14) facing downwards and in contact with the side walls (2) and the front wall (3) in the upright configuration, the flat central portion (13) of the cover element (6) having a plurality of slits (15) to allow the inner walls (5) to be removably introduced from the top to a position facing the central opening (4).

2. A theatre as claimed in claim 1 wherein the slots (15) are substantially parallel, a series of rear slots (15A) being designed to receive the set (5A) and a front slot (15B) of the cover element (6) being designed to receive the curtain (5B).

3. A theatre as claimed in claim 1 wherein the slot (15) extends to a length (I)₁) Slightly larger than the width (I) of the inner wall (5)₂) To facilitate its introduction from the top into the respective slit (15).

4. A theatre as claimed in claim 1 wherein the inner wall (5) has an appendage (18) at its top edge which extends beyond the end of the slot (15) to rest on the flat central portion (13) and to hold the inner wall (5) which has been introduced into the slot (15) in a suspended condition.

5. A theatre as claimed in claim 2 wherein the series of slots (15A) designed to receive the set (5A) are suitably spaced from the slots (15B) designed to receive the curtain (5B) to facilitate the introduction of one or more puppets (19).

6. A theatre as claimed in claim 1 wherein the front wall (3) and side walls (2) of the foldable structure (7) are formed from a single panel (8) of sheet material such as cardboard, plasticised paper or a plastics laminate, the single panel (8) being die cut and formed with fold lines (9) as appropriate to define adjacent inter-hinged partial panels which can be folded over themselves.

7. A theatre as claimed in claim 6 wherein the number of partial panels (10) is at least four, a first pair of adjacent panels (10A) together defining the front wall (3) and a second pair of end panels (10B) defining the pair of side walls (2).

8. A theatre as claimed in claim 6 wherein the partial panels (10) have respective upwardly extending lugs (16), the lugs (16) being adapted to fit into respective slots (17) formed in the flat central portion (13) of the cover element (6) so as to stabilise the collapsible structure (7) with the side walls (2) and front wall (3) thereof in the erected configuration.

9. A theatre as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first pair of partial panels (10A) defining the front wall (3) are formed with stiffening means to maintain them co-planar in the erected configuration.

10. A theatre as claimed in claim 9 wherein the reinforcing means comprises a strip of sheet material, the ends of which are adapted to fit into a button or pocket formed on each of the partial panels (10A).

11. A theatre as claimed in claim 5 wherein the one or more puppets (19) are substantially L-shaped figures, the one or more puppets (19) having an elongate body (20), the elongate body (20) having a strap (21) of flexible material extending therefrom, the strap (21) having one end (21 '), the end (21') being adapted to fit into a longitudinal slot (22) to retain the strap (21) in a position perpendicular to the elongate body (20) and to maintain or retain the puppets (19) in an upright configuration.

12. A theater as defined in claim 11, wherein the puppet is printed on 2D or 3D sheet media.

13. A theatre as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims wherein it comprises an outer container comprising a base box (23) and an upper box (24), said base box (23) being adapted to house therein said cover element (6), said cover element (6) storing in sequence said folded structure (7), said inner wall (5) and said puppet (19) in said collapsible state, said upper box (24) being able to be closed on said base box (23) for orderly transport of said theatre (1) without risk of losing or damaging essential components of said theatre.