Alpha beanie buddies

• US 5,897,421 A
• Filed: 04/23/1998
• Issued: 04/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Deborah M. Rink, Donna M. Rink
• Original Assignee: Deborah M. Rink, Donna M. Rink
• Inventors: Rink, Deborah M., Rink, Donna M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MUIR, DAVID N
• Application Number:
  US09/065,310
• Time in Patent Office: 369 Days
• Field of Search: 446/369, 446/390, 446/491, 446/901, 434/159, 434/160, 434/171, 434/172, 434/403, 434/421, 40/594, 40/620
• US Class Current: 446/369
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 1/06 and being attachable to, or mounted on, the support
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 1/32 comprising elements to be used without a special support
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 446/901 Detachably adhesive

Abstract

A bean bag alphanumeric figure is provided comprised of a first fabric side and a second fabric side having indicia of a face on the exterior of the first fabric side. The first fabric side and the second fabric side are held together in attachment so as to form a pocket by stitching along the periphery of the fabric sides so as to expose the exterior of the first fabric side to the exterior of the pocket. The pocket formed from first fabric side and the second fabric side is stitched closed leaving an opening which would allow the filling of the pocket formed from the two sides with a bean or pellet like material. The two sides of the fabric left unattached would then be brought into engagement and attached by stitching the sides closed. A Velcro™ like material or snaps would be provided on both sides of the feet and hands of the alphanumeric figures so that they may be brought into removable engagement with each other removably secured hand to hand, foot to foot, or foot to hand. Additionally, in one embodiment, a mechanical sound producing device may be sew into the interior of the pocket which, upon activation by depression, produces a voice which says the name of the letter or number into which the mechanical sound producing device has been inserted. Furthermore, in one embodiment, a flexible rollable board having a Velcro™ like material or snaps along a front of the board, may be utilized by attaching the individual figures to the Velcro™ or snaps of the board to the Velcro™ or snaps of the hands and feet of the figures.

Claims

1. An alphabetic set of teaching figures comprising:

a stuffed body member on each figure;

a pair of arms on each figure having a proximal end and a distal end, each arm being attached to the body member by an attachment mechanism at their proximal ends;

a pair of hands on each figure having a front side and a back side attached to the distal end of each respective arm by the attachment mechanism; and

an attachment material attached by the attachment mechanism to the front side and the back sides of each hand thereby allowing each figure to be removably attached to another figure or the same figure thus providing a line of figures connected together.

2. The alphabetic set of teaching figures of claim 21, further comprising the attachment material secured to an exterior fabric wall for display purposes or for hanging each figure so as to create a word, a phrase, or numbers.

3. The alphabetic set of teaching figures of claim 2, further comprising a flexible rollable portable attachment board having a primary side and a secondary side;

the primary side of the flexible rollable portable attachment board having the attachment material applied thereupon enabling the alphabetic set of teaching figures to be attached thereto so a user can create words, phrases, or numbers from the alphabetic set of teaching figures.

4. The alphabetic set of teaching figures of claim 2, further comprising a rigid attachment board having a primary side and a secondary side, the primary side of the rigid attachment board having the attachment material applied thereupon enabling the alphabetic set of teaching figures to be attached thereto so a user can create words, phrases, or numbers from the alphabetic set of teaching figures.

5. The alphabetic set of teaching figures of claim 2, further comprising the body member on each figure having a first fabric side and a second fabric side forming a pocket therebetween filled with a filling material, the first fabric side and the second fabric side each having an interior fabric wall and an exterior fabric wall, and a mechanical sound producing device attached to the body member for audible pronunciation of a word, a name, or a phrase, the body member further comprising an indicia of a face attached to the exterior wall of the first fabric side.

6. The alphabetic set of teaching figures of claim 1, wherein a pair of legs is provided on each figure having a distal end and a proximal end, the legs attached to the body member by the attachment mechanism at their proximal ends.

7. The alphabetic set of teaching figures of claim 2, wherein the attachment material is hook and loop, or snaps, and the filling material is a granular filling material.

9. The alphanumeric teaching figure of claim 1, wherein the filling material is beans.

10. The alphanumeric teaching figure of claim 1, wherein the filling material is pellets.

11. The alphanumeric teaching figure of claim 1, wherein the attachment mechanism comprises stitching.

12. The alphanumeric teaching figure of claim 1, wherein the attachment mechanism comprises an adhesive.

13. The alphanumeric teaching figure of claim 1, wherein the attachment material is hook and loop.

14. The alphanumeric teaching figure of claim 1, wherein the attachment material comprises snaps.

15. The alphanumeric teaching figure of claim 1, wherein the body further comprises an indicia of a face attached to the exterior wall of the first fabric side.

16. The alphanumeric teaching figure of claim 1, wherein the body further comprises an indicia of clothing attached to the exterior fabric wall of the first fabric side.

17. The alphanumeric teaching figure of claim 1, further comprising a drawstring bag for carrying the alphanumeric figures.

18. The alphanumeric teaching figure of claim 1, further comprising attachment material secured to the exterior fabric wall of the second fabric side for display purposes or for hanging the alphanumeric figure.

19. The alphanumeric teaching figure of claim 1, further comprising a flexible rollable portable attachment board having a primary side and a secondary side, the flexible rollable portable attachment board having the attachment material applied on the primary side, the secondary side, or both.

20. The alphanumeric teaching figure of claim 1, further comprising a rigid attachment board having a primary side and a secondary side, the rigid attachment board having attachment material applied on the primary side, the secondary side, or both.

21. The alphanumeric teaching figure of claim 1, further comprising a mechanical sound producing device attached to the interior fabric wall for audible pronunciation of a word, a name, or a phrase.

8. An alphanumeric teaching figure comprising:

a body member having a first fabric side and a second fabric side forming a pocket therebetween filled with a filling material, the first fabric side and the second fabric side each having an interior fabric wall and an exterior fabric wall;

a pair of arms having a proximal end and a distal end, the arms attached to the body by an attachment mechanism at their proximal ends;

a pair of legs having a distal end and a proximal end, the legs attached to the body member by the attachment mechanism at their proximal ends;

a pair of hands having a front side and a back side attached to the distal end of each respective arm by the attachment mechanism;

a pair of feet having a front side and a back side attached to the distal end of each respective leg by the attachment mechanism; and

an attachment material attached by the attachment mechanism to the front side and the back side of each hand and foot thereby allowing each alphanumeric teaching figure to be removably attached to another alphanumeric teaching figure or the same alphanumeric teaching figure in a grouped relationship enabling the alphanumeric teaching figure to be maintained in a side-by-side (horizontal) relationship to an adjacent alphanumeric teaching figure, the alphanumeric teaching figure to be maintained in a top-to-bottom (vertical) aligned relationship to an adjacent alphanumeric teaching figure, and the alphanumeric teaching figure to be maintained in a diagonally aligned relationship to an adjacent alphanumeric teaching figure.

22. An alphabetic set of teaching figures comprising:

a body member on each figure having a first fabric side and a second fabric side forming a pocket therebetween filled with a filling material, the first fabric side and the second fabric side each having an interior fabric wall and an exterior fabric wall;

a pair of arms on each figure having a proximal end and a distal end, each arm being attached to the body member by an attachment mechanism at their proximal ends;

a pair of legs on each figure having a distal end and a proximal end, the legs attached to the body member by the attachment mechanism at their proximal ends;

a pair of hands on each figure having a front side and a back side attached to the distal end of each respective arm by the attachment mechanism;

a pair of feet on each figure having a front side and a back side attached to the distal end of each respective leg by the attachment mechanism; and

an attachment material attached by the attachment mechanism to the front side and the back sides of each hand and foot thereby allowing each figure to be removably attached to another figure or the same figure thus providing a line of figures connected together, the attachment material enabling side-by-side top-to-bottom and diagonal configurations of the line of figures.

23. The alphabetic set of teaching figures of claim 22, further comprising the attachment material secured to the exterior fabric wall of the second fabric side for display purposes or for hanging each figure so as to create a word, a phrase, or numbers.

24. The alphabetic set of teaching figures of claim 23, further comprising a flexible rollable portable attachment board having a primary side and a secondary side;

the primary side of the flexible rollable portable attachment board having the attachment material applied thereupon enabling the alphabetic set of teaching figures to be attached thereto so a user can create words, phrases, or numbers from the alphabetic set of teaching figures.

25. The alphabetic set of teaching figures of claim 23, further comprising a rigid attachment board having a primary side and a secondary side, the primary side of the rigid attachment board having the attachment material applied thereupon enabling the alphabetic set of teaching figures to be attached thereto so a user can create words, phrases, or numbers from the alphabetic set of teaching figures.

26. The alphabetic set of teaching figures of claim 23, wherein the attachment material is hook and loop adhesive, or snaps, and the filling material is a grandler filling material.

27. The alphabetic set of teaching figures of claim 23, further comprising a mechanical sound producing device attached to the interior fabric wall for audible pronunciation of a word, a name, or a phrase, the body member further comprising an indicia of a face attached to the exterior wall of the first fabric side.