Inflatable overhead crib gym toy

• US 4,335,538 A
• Filed: 11/12/1980
• Issued: 06/22/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shelcore Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Shelcore Incorporated
• Inventors: Greenberg, Sheldon
• Primary Examiner(s): Peshock, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foycik, Jr., Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US06/206,255
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 46/88, 46/87, 46/178, 46/180, 46/175 R, 46/1 R, 46/193, 46/89, 46/90, 272/112, 272/113, 272/130, 272/109, 272/61, 272/131, 272/136, 272/193
• US Class Current: 446/220
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/068 using user's body weight
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/12 specially adapted for children
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 482/904 Removably attached to wheelchair, home furnishing, or home structure

Abstract

An air-inflatable overhead crib gym toy encourages children to perform exercise-type manual movements with safety. The toy has an inflatable elongated tubular body in which a movable toy object is received, a pair of longitudinally-extending inflatable tubular extensions at opposite ends of the body, and a transversely-extending inflatable tubular projection which extends downwardly towards the child. A handle is swingingly supported from each extension. The movable object is visible through transparent side walls in the body, and is movable when the child grasps the handles, the projection, or any other part of the toy. Noisemakers are actuated when the child manipulates the toy. The inflated toy is soft and yieldable to the touch to protect the child from injury, and restores itself to its inflated condition when the child releases the toy from his grasp.

Claims

1. A soft, inflatable, crib-supported, gym-type, overhead nursery toy for encouraging children to perform exercise-type manual movements with safety, comprising:

(a) an air-inflatable tubular body constituted of thin plastic material, said tubular body having transparent wall portions bounding an interior main chamber, said tubular body being elongated along a longitudinal axis of symmetry and having opposite axial ends;

(b) a pair of axially-extending, air-inflatable tubular extensions each located at a respective axial end of the tubular body, each extension being constituted of thin plastic material wall portions which bound an interior compartment that is in air communication with the main chamber of the tubular body;

(c) a radially-extending, air-inflatable tubular projection intermediate the axial ends of the tubular body, said tubular projection being constituted of thin plastic material wall portions which bound an interior space that is in air communication with the main chamber of the tubular body;

(d) a toy object mounted within the main chamber for movement relative to the tubular body when the inflated toy is subjected to manual movement;

(e) gym means connected to each extension and extending generally radially downwardly towards the child, for providing a handhold for each extension for the child to grasp and thereby perform the exercise-type movements; and

(f) air-admitting means on the tubular body, for inflating the tubular body, the tubular extensions and the tubular projection from a collapsed configuration in which the deflated body, extensions and projection can be stored, to an inflated configuration in which the toy object is visible through the transparent wall portions and movable relative to the tubular body when the child grabs the gym means and manipulates the toy,

said inflated body, extensions and projection being soft and yieldable to the touch to protect the child from any injury during manipulation of the toy, and being self-restorable to said inflated configuration when the child ceases said manipulation.

2. The nursery toy as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising noisemaker means in the air path between the interior space and the main chamber, and between each interior compartment and the main chamber, for generating sound when the extensions and the projection are manipulated.

4. The nursery toy as defined in claim 1, wherein the tubular body is elongated along a longitudinal axis of symmetry;

and wherein the toy further comprises a pair of axially-extending, air-inflatable tubular extensions at opposite axial ends of the tubular body, each extension being constituted of thin plastic material wall portions which bound an interior compartment that is in air communication with the main chamber of the tubular body.

5. The nursery toy as defined in claim 4, wherein the gym means includes a manually-grippable handle swingingly suspended from each extension.

6. The nursery toy as defined in claim 4;

and further comprising noisemaker means in the air path between each interior compartment and the main chamber, for generating sound when the extension is manipulated.

7. The nursery toy as defined in claim 1, wherein the gym means includes a radially-extending, air-inflatable tubular projection intermediate the axial ends of the tubular body, said tubular projection being constituted of thin plastic material wall portions which bound an interior space that is in air communication with the main chamber of the tubular body.

8. The nursery toy as defined in claim 7;

and further comprising noisemaker means in the air path between the interior space of the projection and the main chamber, for generating sound when the projection is manipulated.

9. The nursery toy as defined in claim 1, wherein the toy object is mounted for overhead swinging movement within the main chamber.

10. The nursery toy as defined in claim 1, wherein the toy object is mounted for rolling movement within the main chamber.

3. A soft, inflatable, crib-supported, gym-type, over-head nursery toy for encouraging children to perform exercise-type manual movements with safety, comprising:

(a) an air-inflatable tubular body constituted of thin plastic material, said tubular body having transparent wall portions bounding an interior main chamber;

(b) a toy object mounted within the main chamber for movement relative to the tubular body when the inflated toy is subjected to manual movement;

(c) support means operatively connected to the tubular body, for supporting the overhead toy on a crib at a location above the child;

(d) gym means operatively connected to the tubular body and extending downwardly therefrom towards the child, for providing a handhold for the child to grasp and thereby perform the exercise-type movements; and

(e) air-admitting means on the tubular body, for inflating the latter from a collapsed configuration in which the deflated body can be stored, to an inflated configuration in which the toy object is visible through the transparent wall portions and movable relative to the tubular body when the child manipulates the gym means,

said inflated tubular body being soft and yieldable to the touch to protect the child from any injury during manipulation of the toy, and being self-restorable to said inflated configuration when the child ceases said manipulation.