Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63J—DEVICES FOR THEATRES, CIRCUSES, OR THE LIKE; CONJURING APPLIANCES OR THE LIKE
  • A63J19/00—Puppet, marionette, or shadow shows or theatres

Definitions

• the present invention generally finds application in the field of board games and particularly relates to a portable puppet theater.
• the theater In order to emulate a real theater experience, the theater must be composed of a given number of basic components which are designed to be later assembled in the place in which the theater will be used.
• a need felt by the users of such object is its portability, i.e. the possibility to assemble and disassemble and easily carry the theater from one place to another and when traveling, with no risk of damage and loss of essential components.
• a further need is to minimize dimensions hence the entropic impact on the relevant space, e.g. a child’s room, especially when it has a small size. Indeed, such objects typically have a bulky and permanent structure, and are not easily transportable.
• US2837863 and US1600554 disclose portable puppet theaters comprising a carrying case and a structure in the case to assemble the puppet game.
• the structure comprises side walls, a rear curtain, a roof and a front portal, which are joined together by tabs and also by fastening means.
• the rear curtain which is used to conceal the puppeteer, hangs from a telescopic rod, which is fixed in through holes of the side walls and both the case and the foldable structure are formed from a cardboard blank with various fold lines. Furthermore, the case has handles attached to its blank.
• US2368188 discloses a theater that comprises a box-like element obtained from a flat die-cut blank with pre-fold lines and a separate sheet for the floor, which can be coupled to the bottom of the structure by means of tabs fitting into slots.
• the theater has a book applied proximate to the rear wall, with pages changing by rotation about a spiral.
• US3961426 discloses a portable theater comprising a base, hinged and folding side and bottom walls, a front portal, a base and a series of side panels or curtains. The latter hang from rod-like support elements whose ends may rest on the recesses formed along the upper edges of the side walls of the foldable structure.
• KR20100008300 discloses a theater having a pair of side walls and a front wall hinged together to form a foldable structure that is adapted to alternate from a collapsed configuration to an upstanding configuration. Furthermore, in the upstanding configuration, the side walls are joined to the front wall by resilient support means that are adapted to hold the structure in the upstanding configuration.
• the technical problem addressed by the present invention may be deemed to be the provision of a compact and easily transportable portable puppet theater having a very simple and effective structure.
• the object of the present invention is to solve the aforementioned problem by providing a portable puppet theater that is highly efficient and relatively cost-effective.
• a particular object of the present invention is to provide a theater that takes up a very little space, while providing all the features of a typical puppet puppet theater.
• a portable puppet theater as defined in claim 1 , which comprises a pair of side walls and a front wall having a central opening designed to face the audience, a plurality of inner walls defining one or more sceneries and a curtain, a substantially horizontal cover element, which is adapted to cover said side walls and said front wall in a substantially vertical position, said side walls and said front wall being hinged together to form a foldable structure that is adapted to alternate from a collapsed configuration with said walls in mutually overlapping relationship, and an upstanding configuration with said walls at right angles and substantially vertical, and vice versa.
• the cover element is in the form of a lid with a flat central portion and edges folded upwards to receive therein said inner walls and said load-bearing structure in the collapsed configuration, said cover element being adapted to be turned upside down with its edges facing downwards and contacting said side walls and said front wall in the vertical position, said flat central portion of said cover element having a plurality of slits to allow said inner walls to be removably introduced therein from the top to positions facing said central opening.
• the slits are substantially parallel, a series of rear slits are designed to receive th3e sceneries and a front slit of the cover element is designed to receiver the curtain.
• the slits extend to a length that is slightly greater than the width of the inner walls to facilitate introduction thereof from the top into the corresponding slits.
• the inner walls have appendages at a top edge thereof, which extend beyond the ends of the slits to rest on the flat portion and hold the inner walls that have been introduced into the slits in a hanging state.
• the slits of the series designed to receive the sceneries are suitably spaced apart from the slit designed to receive the curtain to facilitate the introduction of one or more puppets.
• the front wall and the side walls of the foldable structure are formed from a unit panel of a sheet material, such as cardboard, plastified paper or a plastic laminate, which is suitably die-cut and formed with fold lines to define adjacent mutually hinged partial panels that can be folded upon themselves.
• a sheet material such as cardboard, plastified paper or a plastic laminate
• the partial panels have corresponding upwardly extending tabs adapted to fit into corresponding slots formed in the flat portion of the cover element to stabilize the foldable structure with its side and front walls in the upstanding configuration.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the portable puppet theater of the invention in the upstanding configuration
• FIGS. 2 and 3 are front and rear perspective views of the theater respectively
• FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the theater of Fig. 1 ;
• FIGS. 5 to 7 are plan views of the theater of Fig. 4;
• FIGS. 8 and 9 are perspective views of the puppets of the theater of Fig.
• FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the theater of Fig. 1 and the container;
• FIG. 1 1 is a plan view of a detail of the theater of Fig. 7.
• a portable puppet theater generally designated by numeral 1 , which is designed for use by by users such as children and adults for entertainment and education of an audience of children of various ages.
• the theater 1 comprises a pair of side walls 2, a front wall 3 having a central opening 4 which is designed to face the audience, a plurality of inner walls 5 defining one or more sceneries 5A and a curtain 5B, and a cover element 6, which is 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 which is adapted to alternate from a collapsed configuration with the walls 2, 3 in mutually overlapping relationship, and an upstanding configuration with the walls 2, 3 at right angles and substantially vertical, and vice versa.
• the term "collapsed 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 flattened structure during storage to minimize bulk.
• the term "upstanding configuration" is intended to designate a configuration in which the theater 1 forms a deployed structure for use, which is vertically arranged, substantially orthogonal to a support surface.
• the front wall 3 and the side walls 2 of the foldable structure 7 are formed from a unit panel 8 of a sheet material selected from the group comprising cardboard, plastified paper or a plastic laminate or a similar material, as long as it has high ductility properties.
• unit panel 8 is suitably die-cut and formed with fold lines 9 to define adjacent mutually hinged partial panels 10 that can be folded upon themselves, to alternate from the collapsed configuration to the upstanding configuration.
• the partial panels 10 may be at least four in number, a first pair of adjacent partial panels 10A defining the front wall 3 and a second pair of end partial panels 10B being adapted to define the pair of side walls 2, as shown in FIG. 7.
• the unit panel 8 has a bottom edge 1 1 and a top edge 12.
• the top edge 12 faces upwards, and the bottom edge 1 1 rests on a support surface, the latter not being shown.
• the fold lines 9 of the partial panels 10 may extend from the bottom edge 1 1 to the top edge 12 and orthogonal thereto.
• the cover element 6 is in the form of a lid with a flat central portion 13 and edges 14 folded upwards to receive therein the inner walls 5 and the foldable structure 7 in the collapsed configuration and is adapted to be turned upside down with the folded edges 14 facing downwards and contacting the side walls 2 and the front wall 3 in the upstanding configuration.
• the flat central portion 13 of the cover element 6 has a plurality of slits 15 to allow the inner walls 5 to be removably introduced therein from the top to positions facing the central opening 4.
• the cover element 6 is also suitably die-cut and formed with fold lines 9 to define the flat central portion 13. It shall be noted that the edges 14 are folded at right angles to the central portion 13.
• the partial panels 10 of the foldable structure 7 have corresponding upwardly extending tabs 16 adapted to fit into corresponding slots 17 formed in the flat central portion 13 of the cover element 6 to stabilize the foldable structure 7 with its side walls 2 and front wall 3 in the upstanding configuration.
• the tabs 16 are formed on the top edge 12 of the unit panel 8 and each partial panel 10 comprises a respective tongue 16 aligned with the corresponding slot 17 when the foldable structure 7 is in the upstanding configuration.
• the slots 17 are formed proximate to the fold lines 9 of the cover element 6, between the flat central portion 13 and the folded edges 14 such that, in the upstanding configuration, the cover element 6 will not extend beyond the side walls 2 and the front wall 3, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 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 designed to receive the sceneries 5A and a front slot 15B designed to receive the curtain 5B.
• the slits 15 may also not be parallel, without departure from the scope of the present invention.
• the slits 15 extend to a length h that is slightly greater than the width I2 of the inner walls 5 to facilitate introduction thereof from the top into the corresponding slits 15.
• the inner walls 5 have appendages 18 at a top edge thereof, which extend beyond the ends of the slits 15 to rest on the flat central portion 13 and hold the inner walls 5 that have been introduced into the slits
• the appendages 18 are large enough to extend the length of the inner walls to a length I3 which is slightly greater than the length h of the slits 15, to prevent the inner walls 5 from slipping into the theater 1 as they are being introduced into the slits 15.
• the slits 15A of the series designed to receive the sceneries 5A are suitably spaced apart from the slit 15B designed to receive the curtain 5B to facilitate the introduction of one or more puppets 19 between the curtain and the scenery.
• the central opening 4 has a substantially rectangular shape and comprises dimensions adapted to allow the user of the theater 1 to introduce one hand and facilitate the introduction of the puppets 19 between the curtain 5B and sceneries 5A.
• an additional series of openings may be formed in the side walls 2 and at the bottom edge 1 1 of the unit panel 8, for the puppets 19 to be dynamically positioned and moved without exposing the hands of the user to the view of the audience through its central opening 4.
• the puppets 19 may comprise substantially L-shaped figures with an elongate body 20 having a strip 21 of flexible material extending therefrom, with one end 2T adapted to fit into longitudinal slots 22 to hold the strip 21 in a position perpendicular to the elongate body 20 and to retain the puppet 19 or hold it in an upright configuration, as schematically shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.
• the elongate body 20 of the puppets 19 may fit into the slots 17 of the cover element 6 and the strips 21 may be retained by the longitudinal slots 20, resting on the flat central portion 13, which will prevent them from falling into the theater 1 .
• the puppets 19 are printed on a 2D sheet medium, but different media may be also used, such as 3D prints, without departure from the scope of the present invention.
• the theater 1 comprises an outer container consisting of a base box 23 adapted to receive therein the cover element 6 which in turn stores the foldable structure 7 in the collapsed state, the inner walls 5 and the puppets 19, as shown in FIG. 10.
• an upper box 24 is also provided, which is designed to be closed on the base box 23 for orderly transport of the theater 1 in a theater form without no risk of loss or damage of its essential components.
• the theater 1 will take up very little space, while providing all the features of a typical puppet theater.
• the outer container may contain editorial material selected from the group comprising stories, scripts, paper accessories for customization of the puppets or other equivalent material adapted to fulfill the purposes of the stories that will be proposed.
• the first pair of panels 10A defining the front wall 3 may be equipped with reinforcement means 25 adapted to hold the coplanar panels 10a in an upstanding configuration, to thereby prevent the theater 1 to undesirably alternate from the upstanding configuration to the collapsed configuration.
• the reinforcement means may comprise a strip of a sheet material 25A with ends adapted to fit into buckles or pockets 25B formed on each of the adjacent partial panels 10A of the first pair.
• the theater 1 is assembled as follows.
• the foldable structure 7 is deployed from a collapsed configuration with the walls 2, 3 in mutually overlapping relationship, to an upstanding configuration with the side walls 2 at right angles to the front wall 3 and the bottom edge 1 1 of the unit element 8 resting on a support base.
• the cover element 6 is turned upside down with the folded edges 14 facing downwards and contacting the side walls 2 and the front wall 3 in an upstanding configuration, such that the tabs 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.
• the curtain 5B will be simply introduced into the front slit 15b of the cover element 6, the sceneries 5A will be introduced into the corresponding rear slits 15A and the puppets 19 will be mounted by fitting the end 21 ' of the strip 21 into the longitudinal slots 22 of the elongate body 20 to arrange it on the support surface.
• the strip of sheet material 25A may fit into the reinforcement means 25B to hold the coplanar partial panels 10A in the upstanding configuration.
• the theater 1 fulfills the intended objects and particularly has a compact and easily transportable configuration and a very simple and effective structure.
• the theater of the invention is susceptible of a number of changes and variants, within the inventive concept disclosed in the appended claims.
• the present invention may find application in industry, because it can be produced on an industrial scale in the field of board games.

Landscapes

• Toys (AREA)
• Containers And Packaging Bodies Having A Special Means To Remove Contents (AREA)
• Adornments (AREA)
• Purses, Travelling Bags, Baskets, Or Suitcases (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=66286633

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (12)

Families Citing this family (2)

Family Cites Families (32)

• 2019
  • 2019-01-18 IT IT102019000000807A patent/IT201900000807A1/it unknown
• 2020
  • 2020-01-17 WO PCT/IB2020/050366 patent/WO2020148713A1/en unknown
  • 2020-01-17 AU AU2020209023A patent/AU2020209023A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2020-01-17 MX MX2021008670A patent/MX2021008670A/es unknown
  • 2020-01-17 BR BR112021014007-7A patent/BR112021014007A2/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2020-01-17 US US17/423,161 patent/US20220126220A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2020-01-17 EA EA202191853A patent/EA202191853A1/ru unknown
  • 2020-01-17 CN CN202080014675.5A patent/CN113490535A/zh active Pending
  • 2020-01-17 CA CA3126375A patent/CA3126375A1/en active Pending
  • 2020-01-17 JP JP2021541074A patent/JP2022517374A/ja active Pending
  • 2020-01-17 EP EP20705510.4A patent/EP3911427B1/de active Active
• 2021
  • 2021-07-14 CL CL2021001875A patent/CL2021001875A1/es unknown

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