WO2007015037A1

WO2007015037A1 - Clothing article

Info

Publication number: WO2007015037A1
Application number: PCT/GB2005/003807
Authority: WO
Inventors: Susan Lilian Hope
Original assignee: Beecurious Limited
Priority date: 2005-08-03
Filing date: 2005-10-04
Publication date: 2007-02-08
Also published as: GB0515927D0

Abstract

This invention relates to a clothing article, and in particular to a clothing article for a child. The clothing article has one or more playthings connected thereto. The playthings can be toys intended to entertain the child, and/or can be items intended to educate or stimulate the child.

Description

CLOTHING ARTICLE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a clothing article, and in particular to a clothing article for a child. Some embodiments of the invention are suitable for a young child or toddler whilst others are suitable for older children.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Young children in particular usually have a number of toys or playthings with which they might occupy themselves during the day. Typically, the toys will be located in the home, perhaps the living room of the home, so that the child can occupy himself or herself whilst the parent or guardian maintains a watch thereover.

However, young children are often taken by their parents or guardians away from the home, for example to the shops or to a restaurant, and it is common for one or more toys also to be taken, so that the child has something to play with whilst away from the home and does not require constant stimulation by the parent or guardian. There may also be occasions when the parent or guardian forgets to take toys and the child is left without any form or amusement or diversion.

If toys are taken by the parent or guardian, they may be dropped by the child, perhaps becoming dirty if the floor or ground is dirty. In some circumstances, the toy or toys can become lost. The former problem is made more serious by the habit of very young children to place toys in their mouths, which can be potentially dangerous if the toy has fallen onto a dirty or contaminated floor for example. The latter problem is accentuated if the parent or guardian has taken a large number of toys for the child, the parent or guardian perhaps not realising that a particular toy is missing until they have returned home. STATEMENT OFTHE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to reduce the likelihood or prevent a parent or guardian forgetting to take a toy or toys, and also to reduce or prevent the likelihood of a toy being dropped and/or lost by a child. It is also the object of the present invention to provide the child with the opportunity to participate in stimulating and/or educational play, and so to encourage such play.

According to the invention there is provided a clothing article to which a plaything is connected. Because the plaything is connected to the clothing article, the parent or guardian only has to ensure that the clothing article is not lost to ensure that the plaything is not lost; it will be understood that the loss of the clothing article is much less likely than the loss of an individual plaything. In addition, whilst the clothing article is being worn by the child the plaything cannot inadvertently be dropped onto the floor or ground.

In this application the term "plaything" is used generally to denote a three- dimensional item such as a model, game or the like, as well as a two-dimensional item such as a picture, symbol or word.

Preferably, there is more than one plaything connected to the clothing article. Thus, a variety of playthings can be provided with the clothing article, reducing the likelihood that the child will become bored, and so reducing the requirement for the parent or guardian to take additional (unconnected) playthings.

Usefully, the clothing article is an outer garment such as a jacket. It may be that the jacket will not normally be required to be worn whilst in the home, but will be required when the child is away from the home; the jacket is likely to be worn substantially continuously whilst the child is away from the home, at the shops for example.

Alternatively, the clothing article could be a vest, dress, dungarees, or pair of trousers for example. Also, the clothing article may be adapted for substantially continuous use both in the home and away from the home, so that the or each plaything is available to the child for extended periods of time.

Preferably, the or each plaything is connected to the clothing article adjacent to a pocket, perhaps being connected to a seam thereof. Accordingly, the plaything may be retained in the pocket when not required.

Desirably, the or each plaything is connected to the clothing article by a flexible elongate member such as a length string or cord. Accordingly, the plaything may be moved some distance away from the clothing article (typically to the extent of the child's reach) so as not to limit the child's freedom of play with the plaything. Preferably, however, the flexible elongate member is of a length insufficient to permit the plaything to engage the floor if the child drops the plaything whilst seated in a chair, or situated on the knee of the parent or guardian for example. In addition, the flexible elongate member will preferably be of a length whereby it cannot become entangled with the child's limbs, thus reducing the likelihood of accidents.

Preferably, the or each plaything is soft and compressible so that the child is not hurt or damaged by the plaything if he or she should fall onto it. Usefully, the plaything(s) are made of fabric. Alternatively, if a plaything is more solid it should be of small size so as to reduce the likelihood of pain or damage to a child falling onto it.

Preferably, the or each plaything is washable together with the clothing article; alternatively, the or each plaything is releasably connected to the clothing article. If the plaything is releasably connected to the clothing article, the releasable connection should be operable by the parent or guardian and not by the child. A suitable releasable connection might be a spring clip, a length of hook and loop fastener, or a popper type fixing, which in each case requires more strength and/or finger manipulation to operate than the child can achieve. - A -

The clothing article can include means to allow the plaything to be selectively hidden from view. For example, the clothing article may include flaps or panels which can be temporarily secured in a first position in which the plaything is obscured, and can be released to allow the plaything to be seen. The flap or panel may usefully be secured by way of a popper, hook and loop fastener or the like, which the child can release.

Also, the clothing article may carry a removable plaything which itself contains other playthings, or has other playthings attached to it. The removable plaything is preferably securable to the clothing item when desired, perhaps by a parent or guardian, and the child can utilise the plaything, and the other playthings contained thereby or attached thereto, whilst secured to the clothing article; alternatively, the parent or guardian may remove the removable plaything and allow the child to play with it and the other playthings contained thereby or attached thereto.

The plaything or playthings attached to the clothing item can be themed, for example related to a sports activity. In particular for use with older children, the plaything may be suited to a particular activity. For example, a sports top suited for a game of football could include a whistle in one pocket (and preferably attached to the sports top) and could further include a number of flaps, one flap obscuring a yellow panel and another flap obscuring a red panel, so that the user can selectively reveal the yellow panel or the red panel during a game of football. The clothing article can of course be coloured to match the strip of a particular football team, if desired.

The clothing article can also have an open or transparent panel therein, and a plaything which can be moved relative to the panel, the plaything being visible when aligned with the panel and obscured when not aligned with the panel. Usefully, the panel is formed in a sleeve of the clothing article, and the sleeve carries a control cable which can be pulled to move the plaything relative to the panel. The clothing article can include playthings of an educational nature as well as a recreational nature, for example the clothing article may include elements showing words, colours, symbols and/or pictures, or models of animals for example, allowing the child to become accustomed to those, and perhaps learning to associate the words for colours with the colours themselves, or the names of animals (and/or the sounds that animals make) with the animals themselves. The clothing article can also include games, the games being pastimes or educational (or both) for example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig.1 is a front view of a jacket comprising a first embodiment of the invention;

Fig.2 is a front view of part of a jacket comprising a second embodiment, detailing the cord or string connection within either front attached or concealed pockets;

Fig.3 is a front view of a third embodiment of clothing article according to the invention;

Fig.4 is a back view of the clothing article of Fig.3;

Fig.5 is a front view of a fourth embodiment of clothing article according to the invention;

Fig.6 is a back view of the clothing article of Fig.5;

Fig.7 is a front view of a fifth embodiment of clothing article according to the invention; and Fig.8 is a back view of the clothing article of Fig.7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to similar components in the different embodiments.

The clothing article 10 comprises a child's jacket of substantially known construction, together with seven toys or playthings 12,14,16,18,20,22 and 24. As shown, the plaything 12 is a pair of castanets and is affixed to the pocket 26 of the clothing article 10 by way of string 28.

When it is not desired for the child to play with the plaything 12, the plaything 12 and string 28 may be pushed into and retained within the pocket 26. As is customary with playthings for very young children, the string 28 is of a short length so that it cannot be passed fully around a child's neck. Thus, it is recognised that a potential strangulation hazard can be presented by a string which is connected to a plaything at one end and the clothing article at the other end, and in order to prevent this the string 18 is only around 15cm long. In other embodiments, and with clothing articles for larger and older children, longer strings may be employed.

The plaything 14, which in this embodiment is a finger puppet, is similarly affixed to pocket 26 by string 30, and likewise for playthings 16 and 18 (fish), 20 (a fishing net), 22 (a finger puppet) and 24 (a small doll). Thus, there is a variety of playthings of a different nature, offering different play experiences and varied stimulation, so that the child is less likely to become bored and require other (loose) playthings.

It will be understood that the number and positioning of the playthings on the clothing article can be chosen as desired; however, since the pockets of the child's jacket are rarely if ever required to transport other items, if desired the pockets may all be utilised to carry playthings. As shown, a single pocket can accommodate one or more playthings. Also, more or fewer pockets can be provided, since there is no requirement to limit the number or positions of the pockets to those customarily found on such jackets.

The jacket 10 has four pockets 26, 32, 34 and 36. Of these, pockets 26 and 36 are "concealed", i.e. only the opening is readily visible, whilst pockets 32 and 34 are applied to the outside of the jacket. The jacket carries a connecting means 38, of known form.

In the embodiment of Fig.1 , the playthings 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24 are soft and compressible, whilst the substantially solid castanets 12 are of small size. In each case, it is desired that a child falling onto the playthings will not be hurt or injured.

In the embodiment of Fig.2, the part of the jacket 40 has two playthings, a finger puppet 42 and a fish 44. The string 46 has one end sewn to the finger puppet 42 and its other end sewn to the jacket pocket 48. The string 50 has one end sewn to the jacket pocket 52 and its other end is passed through a hole formed in the tail of the fish 44, the end of the string being knotted to retain the fish 44 thereon. Other suitable means of fixing could alternatively be used, suited to the plaything concerned.

The playthings of Figs. 1 and 2 are washable with the clothing article, and so are permanently connected thereto. However, for older children it might be suitable to have metallic playthings such as cars connected to the clothing article, and such playthings should preferably be releasable to permit their temporary removal whilst the clothing article is being washed. Any suitable releasable fastening means could be used, but one which preferably cannot be operated by the child, i.e. only the parent or guardian (or other adult) can operate the releasable fastening so as to remove the plaything.

The clothing article 10 of Figs. 3 and 4 comprises a child's jacket of substantially known construction, but includes a plaything 12 secured by a string 28. In addition, this embodiment includes a removable plaything 52 which is secured to the jacket 10 by way of poppers (not shown - and other releasable fastenings could alternatively be used), and is selectively removable therefrom when desired.

In this embodiment the removable plaything 52 is in the form of a frog, and would suitably be coloured green. The removable plaything 52 constitutes a container for other playthings, and in particular the zip fastener 54 closes a receptacle within which can be located other playthings such as toys or educational items as desired, the other playthings preferably being secured by respective strings or cords to the removable plaything 52. Also, the zip fasteners 56 can be opened to reveal panels showing colours and/or pictures and/or symbols, allowing the child to associate colours with the names of those colours, animals with the name of each animal, or animals with the sound that each animal makes, for example. The sound(s) can for example be generated when the child presses a button, in known fashion. In other embodiments, the zip fasteners 54 and/or 56 are replaced by other fastening means such as hook and loop fasteners or poppers.

In addition, the clothing article 10 (or the removable plaything 52) can carry a game such as "tic tac toe", the "game board" being provided on the clothing article 10 or the removable plaything 52 and two sets of coloured counters secured by respective strings. Preferably, the game board is of fabric and the counters are secured thereto by way of hook and loop fasteners, though other suitable means of temporarily securing the counters to the game board could be provided.

Alternatively or additionally, a variant of a jigsaw could be provided, i.e. the clothing article 10 or removable plaything 52 could have a number of shaped and decorated pieces (each secured to the clothing article or removable plaything) which can be secured together in a desired pattern.

Alternatively or additionally again, the clothing article 10 or removable plaything 52 could have a panel representing a face and a number of separate facial features (each secured to the clothing article or removable plaything) which features can be selectively secured to the panel representing the face, so that the child is able to create a happy face or a sad face, for example.

Alternatively or additionally again, the clothing article 10 or removable plaything 52 could have a number of similarly shaped articles (each secured to the clothing article or removable plaything), such as circles, which vary in size, the child being required to place the articles in order of increasing or decreasing size.

The parent or guardian can secure the removable plaything 52 to the jacket 10 to allow the child to utilise the playthings whilst the jacket is being worn, or else the parent or guardian can remove the removable plaything and either transport that separately from the jacket (or allow the child to carry the removable plaything separately). It is therefore not preferred that the child be able to remove the removable plaything, but even if that is possible the size of the removable plaything 52 is such that it is less likely to become lost or discarded than a small plaything such as 12 for example.

Because the removable plaything 52 can be removed from the clothing article 10, the back surface of the removable plaything 52 can be utilised to carry or contain more playthings.

The removable plaything 52 can be in the form of an animal as shown in Fig.3, or it can be in another suitable form, such as a bus for example, it being understood that many young boys in particular are interested in transport.

The clothing article 10 in Figs. 5 and 6 is in the form of a coat, of substantially known construction, but includes a plaything 12 secured by a string 28.

In addition, the sleeve 60 of the clothing article 10 has a transparent panel 62, and within the sleeve is located a plaything to which is attached control strings 64. Pulling on the control strings 64 causes the plaything (not shown) to move relative to the panel, and it is arranged that the control strings 64 can be manipulated to cause the plaything to appear and titøflppear behind the transparent panel 62, i.e. the plaything can move upwardly and downwardly in a pocket within the sleeve 60, between positions in which the plaything lies behind the panel 62 and is therefore visible through the panel 62, and positions in which the plaything does not lie behind the panel and is therefore hidden from view.

In the embodiment of Figs. 7 and 8, the clothing article 10 is in the form of a jacket, of substantially known construction, but includes a plaything 12 secured by a string 28. This embodiment is suited to a particular sport or pastime, in this case football, so that the plaything 12 is football-related, namely a small football. For small children, the small football 12 can incorporate a squeaker or the like to make a noise when squeezed.

In addition, the jacket 10 carries a number of flaps or panels 66 which are arranged to spell out the word "FOOTBALL". Each flap is movable relative to the remainder of the jacket 10 between the exposed position as shown, and an obscured position in which the flap is secured to the respective popper 70.

In a variant of a football-related jacket for older children, a whistle can be connected to the jacket by a string or cord, and the jacket can have a flap concealing a red panel and another flap concealing a yellow panel, so that the child can display the red or yellow panel when desired.

It will be understood that variants of the clothing aticle of Figs. 7 and 8 could be provided with, for example, a different colour behind each of the flaps 66, and also the name of the colour, so that the clothing article could serve an educational purpose of associating the colour with its name.

In other embodiments, flaps such as 66 could obscure the names of animals or the words describing the sounds than certain animals make, as well as a picture or model of the respective animal. The jacket 10 of Figs. 7 and 8 also carries a model of a football boot 72. The football boot 72 has a lace 76 which is provided so that the child can practice typing up a shoelace, in preparation for tying his or her own shoelaces.

Other educational or training aids can be provided upon the clothing article if desired, for example a zip fastener, a button and buttonhole, and a popper, which can all be used by the child to practice the manipulation and operation of the various items.

Furthermore, the clothing article can incorporate a game such as a ball maze, for example, in which a ball bearing is required to be moved around a maze. The maze could be secured to the sleeve of the clothing article, or be secured thereto by way of a string, both of which require the child to practice controlled movements and will serve to develop hand-eye coordination.

It is believed that the invention will find its greatest utility with clothing articles for children between about 15 months and about 11 years old, but the invention is not limited to such age groups, and particular embodiments may be suited to older children.

Claims

1. A clothing article having a plaything connected thereto.

2. The clothing article of Claim 1 in which the plaything is substantially permanently connected thereto.

3. The clothing article of Claim 1 having a number of different playthings connected thereto.

4. The clothing article of Claim 1 in which the plaything is connected to the clothing article adjacent to a pocket.

5. The clothing article of Claim 4 in which the plaything can be stored within the pocket when not in use.

6. The clothing article of Claim 1 in which the plaything is connected to the clothing article by a flexible elongate member.

7. The clothing article of Claim 1 in which the plaything can be selectively hidden from view.

8. The clothing article of Claim 1 in which the plaything comprises a holder for other playthings.

9. The clothing article of Claim 8 in which the plaything is releasable from the clothing article.