WO2004002598A1

WO2004002598A1 - Infant play activity center

Info

Publication number: WO2004002598A1
Application number: PCT/IL2003/000524
Authority: WO
Inventors: Shoshana Oren; Roni Golos; Zafrira Zanger Weisman
Original assignee: Tiny Love Ltd.
Priority date: 2002-06-27
Filing date: 2003-06-19
Publication date: 2004-01-08
Also published as: AU2003238646A1; IL150454A0

Abstract

A play activity center to promote the progressive development of an infant using the center. The center includes a small table (10) on one face of which is mounted a group of activity toys appropriate to an early stage of development, and on whose obverse face is a group of activity toys appropriate to a later stage. Attachable to the periphery of the table so that it can be rested on the floor are the compressible leg stumps of four feet (11, 14), the stumps being squeezed into peripheral sockets. The detachable feet make it possible to present either face of the table to a player at a level above the floor. Also provided are straps (35, 36) extending from the table to facilitate its suspensions from the sides of a crib or playpen.

Description

INFANT PLAY ACTIVITY CENTER

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to an infant play activity center which promotes the development of an infant who makes use of the center to play with activity toys, and more particularly to a play center which can be set up in a crib or playpen or on a floor to make available to an infant, toys appropriate to different stages of its progressive development.

STATUS OF PRIOR ART The activities carried out by an infant in its first year, plays a vital role in its acquisition of basic mental and motor skills, and in its ability to recognize differences in shapes, colors and sizes of various objects, as well as differences between musical tones and other sounds. The mind of an infant at birth is a "tabula rasa". It is only by play activity that an infant learns how to properly manipulate its arms and legs and to understand the nature of what it sees and hears. An infant whose activities in this crucial first year are inhibited or restricted, may suffer from an arrested development which interferes with its future progress.

It is known to provide an infant with a self-sufficient play center equipped with a variety of activity toys. These serve to develop the player's motor and grasping skills, and to enhance eye-to-hand coordination. The toys also teach the child to recognize distinctions in the shape, size and color of the objects being manipulated. The drawback of existing activity centers is that they fail to take into account that development is a progressive process, and that simple activity toys suitable for an early stage of development may not be effective in a later stage which calls for more complex activity. Existing infant activity centers are not supplied with activity toys which cover the full spectrum of a child's development, for to cover this spectrum, the toys must vary in their complexity. Thus a toy that only requires an infant to apply pressure thereto is suitable for an early stage of development whereas a toy that requires the child to execute up and down and sideways movement may only be suitable for a later stage of development.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing the main object of this invention is to provide an infant activity center which promotes an infant's development through successive stages. A significant advantage of an activity center in accordance with the invention is that since this center is usable during progressive stages of development, it makes it unnecessary to replace a center suitable only for an early stage with one appropriate to a later stage.

More particularly an object of this invention is to provide an activity center in which on one face of a small table is a group of activity toys suitable only for an early stage of development and on whose obverse face is a group of toys suitable for a later stage. Hence the face of the table which is presented to the child depends on his age.

Also an object of the invention is to provide a universal activity center which can be set up at any infant play site such as a crib, a playpen, on the floor of a nursery or wherever else the baby can play.

Briefly stated, these objects are attained in a play activity center to promote the progressive development of an infant using the center. The center includes a small table or platform on one face of which is mounted a group of activity toys appropriate to an early stage of development, and on whose obverse face is a group of activity toys appropriate to a later stage.

Attachable to the periphery of the table so that it can be rested on a playroom floor or on the floor of a crib or playpen are the compressible leg stumps of four feet, the stumps being squeezed into peripheral sockets. The detachable feet make it possible to present either face of the table to a player at a level just above the floor. Also provided are straps extending from the table to facilitate suspension of the table from the sides of a crib or playpen, or from another vertical surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of the invention as well as other objects and features thereof, reference is made to the annexed drawings, wherein

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one face of a play activity center in accordance with the invention having feet attached to a table to seat the center at a ground or floor sites, the center also being placeable in a crib or playpen. Fig. 2 shows the same center, but with the feet removed;

Fig. 3 shows a single foot supported by the center at a floor site; and Fig. 4 shows the obverse face of the center.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 shown therein is an infant activity play center in accordance with the invention provided with a small round table 10 molded of high-strength synthetic plastic material, such as polypropylene. Attachable to table 10 at equi-spaced positions along its circular periphery are feet 11, 12, 13 and 14. These serve to support the table 10 at a raised position a few inches above the floor F (Fig. 3) of a nursery so that an infant seated on the floor F is in a position to play with activity toys carried by the table 10.

Each foot, such as foot 11 shown in Fig. 3, is joined to a leg stump 11L formed of flexible urethane foam or other compressible material. The foot 11 and its leg stump 11L are encased in a fabric sock or the leg stump 11L and foot 11 may be coated with a soft plastic layer. To accommodate the feet, table 10 is provided along its circular periphery at each ninety-degree position with a socket having a C-shaped cross section. Squeezable into each socket is a compressible leg stump (11L, 12L, 13L or 14L) whereby the foot joined thereto projects from the table 10. The feet whose leg stumps are received in the sockets are reversible so that the feet can be made to support the table 10 so that either its main face or its obverse face is on top. The term 'main face' refers to the face used in the early stage of an infant's development and the term Obverse face' to a later stage of development.

Mounted on one face of table 10, as shown in Fig. 1, is a group of activity toys whose simple nature is such as to be appropriate to an infant of 3 to 9 months of age in the earliest stage of development, for these toys are very easy to manipulate.

One such toy is a plastic propeller 15 whose blades can be grasped by the infant and caused to spin. Mounted adjacent propeller 15 is a small, unbreakable oval mirror 16 in which a child seeing his own image also can see the spinning propeller 15. All of the toys are in different colors, shapes and sizes. From the standpoint of the infant, the most elaborate toy in this group is a banging hammer 17 which when raised by the infant above a drum 20 in the form of a metal bowl, and then dropped to bang the drum 20, produces the sound of a drum beat. To this end, hammer 17 is operated by pulling a drawstring ring 19 which causes the hammer 17 whose handle is joined to a pivot 18 to rise above drum 20. When the infant releases the ring 19, the hammer 17 drops to bang the drum 20. Obviously, the higher the infant raises the hammer 17, the louder the bang. In practice the hammer 17 itself can include a squeaker which squeaks when the hammer 17 strikes the drum 20.

Also mounted on the face of the table 10 is a rotatable dome 21 that resembles a human face in that it has at its axis an LED light 22 that acts as the nose, above which are a pair of knobs 23 and 24 that act as eyes. But when the infant turns dome 21 by grasping knobs 23 and 24, this causes LED 22 to light up and causes the dome 21 to play a simple tune. Hence the infant is rewarded should he succeed in turning the dome 21. Also included in the group of activity toys on the face of the table 10 is a ball 25 which when squeezed by the infant produces a squeaky sound. Also, a ball 26 mounted on a nested shaft is available that can be rotated by the infant. The group of activity toys illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 are only by way of example of toys appropriate to an infant's early stage of development (3 to 9 months of age) and therefore must be relatively simple and very easy to operate.

Fig. 4 shows the obverse face of the table 10 on which is mounted a group of activity toys appropriate to a later stage of development (9 months to 12 months). Thus one of these toys is a jack-in-the-box 27 which when a button 27A is pressed by an infant, causes a fabric doll to spring out of the box 27. The infant is then required to stuff the doll back in the box 27 and close its latched lid.

Also included is an array of four push-buttons 28, 29, 30 and 31 having different colors which are associated with a battery-powered sound system encased in the table 10. This system is activated when any one button in the array is pressed to play a tune on a piano. But when button 28 is pressed, then accompanying the piano is another instrument, such as a violin, and when button 29 is pressed, another instrument such as a clarinet accompanies the piano. Pressing button 30 or 31 results in other instruments accompanying the piano. Hence, this button-operated musical system teaches a child that we can change the way a tune sounds by using different instruments to produce the same tune.

Again it must be bome in mind, that an infant has been involved in very few experiences, and it is therefore an exciting experience for an infant to press a button and to see that his action had consequences expressed in terms of the light and sound.

Table 10 is provided at its upper end with a handle 34 so that it can be hand carried. It is also provided at its upper end with a pair of straps 35 and 36 so that the table 10 can be suspended between the sides of a crib or playpen far from a vertical surface. A loop 37 at the lower end of the table 10 makes it possible when the table 10 is suspended to then suspend another toy from the loop. While there has been shown and described a preferred embodiment of a play center in accordance with the invention, it is to be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An infant play activity center for promoting the development of an infant using the center which comprises:

I. a double-faced small table whose dimensions are such that 5 an infant can play with toys mounted on either face of the table;

II. a group of activity toys mounted on one face, and a group of activity toys mounted on the obverse face; and

III. means attachable to the table making it possible to place the table at an infant's play site at a raised position above a floor. lo2. A center as in Claim 1, further including straps attached to the table, making it possible to suspend the table from the sides of a crib or playpen.

3. A center as in Claim 1, in which said means are feet attachable at equi-spaced positions to the periphery of the table.

4. A center as in Claim 3, in which the table is circular and the feet attached 15 thereto are 90 degrees apart.

5. A center as in Claim 4, in which the periphery of the circular table is provided with sockets, each having a C-shaped cross-section, each foot being joined to a compressible leg stump that is squeezable into a socket.

6. A center as in Claim 5, in which each foot and leg stump joined thereto are ₂0 covered by a fabric sock.

7. A center as in Claim 5, in which the foot and leg stump are coated with a soft plastic.

8. A play center as in Claim 1, in which the activity toys on said face are appropriate to an early stage of development.

₂59. A play center as in Claim 8, in which the activity toys on the obverse face are appropriate to a later stage of development. 10. A play center as in Claim 1, in which the table is provided with a carry handle.