Novelty soap

• US 5,971,827 A
• Filed: 08/20/1997
• Issued: 10/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Allan C.K. Lee, Shu Hong Wong
• Original Assignee: Allan C.K. Lee, Shu Hong Wong
• Inventors: Wong, Shu Hong, Lee, Allan C. K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carlson, Jeffrey D.
• Application Number:
  US08/916,998
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 446/71-73, 446/81, 446/175, 446/404, 446/485, 40/442, 40/541, 40/550, D28/8.1, D28/8.2, 510/141, 510/143, 510/144, 510/147
• US Class Current: 446/81
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 5/00 Musical or noise- producing devices for additional toy effects other than acoustical musical tops A63H1/28; sound-producing dolls A63H3/28; musical toy vehicles A63H17/268; acoustical vehicle-signalling devices A63H17/32; whistling toy locomotive arrangements A63H19/14; music, sound or noise production in general G10
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/04 combined with or containing other objects
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/048 Soap or detergent bars or cakes with an inner core consisting of insoluble material floating soaps C11D17/02
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 23/00 Advertising on or in specific articles, e.g. ashtrays, letter-boxes on or in vehicles G09F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 23/0081 on sanitary articles, e.g. on cakes of soap
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/00 Combined visual and audible advertising or displaying, e.g. for public address

Abstract

A novelty soap bar is disclosed. The bar comprises an attractor module within a soap body made of substantially translucent or transparent soap, surrounding the attractor module. The attractor module comprises a water impermeable shell; an electronic, actuatable circuit within the shell adapted to cause emission of at least one of a visible and an audible signal, perceptible through the soap body; and a battery within the shell for providing energy to the circuit to cause emission of the visible signal. The module further comprises a light sensitive switch, mounted within said soap body to sense light exterior to said soap body, and interconnected with the circuit and the battery, to inhibit flow of current from the battery in the absence of light; and a motion sensitive switch interconnected with the circuit, to activate the circuit in response to sensing motion of the soap bar. The attractor module may be arranged to produce an animated sequence visible through the soap bar. The animated sequence may be formed using LEDs, LCDs, reflective sheets, or an electromechanical carousel.

Claims

1. A novelty soap bar comprising an attractor module within a soap body which is made of a light permeable soap material surrounding said module, said module comprising a water impermeable shell and an electronic circuit encased within said shell, said circuit including signaling means to produce a signal perceptible through said shell and said soap body, a battery to operate said signaling means, a light sensitive switch which closes said circuit only when subjected to light penetrating from outside of said soap bar to said light sensitive switch and which otherwise opens said circuit, and a motion sensitive switch which upon sensing motion of said soap bar provides a signal which causes activation of said signaling means only when said circuit is closed by said light sensitive switch, said signaling means being immediately deactivated when said circuit is opened by said light sensitive switch even when said soap bar is in motion.

2. The novelty soap bar of claim 1, wherein said shell comprises a transparent wall and said attractor module comprises a translucent film mounted behind said wall within said module, said film comprising

a first face bearing a translucent image, having a substantially solidly coloured backing;

said solid backing having clear pin-hole regions forming substantially transparent pin-hole regions on said film adapted to pass light through said regions;

said circuit comprising a plurality of light sources mounted behind said pin-hole regions to emit light through said pin-hole regions, said light visible through said wall and said soap body.

3. The novelty soap bar of claim 2, wherein said film comprises a second face opposite said first face, and wherein said backing is formed by substantially, solidly colouring said second face.

4. The novelty soap bar of claim 3, wherein said second face is coloured white.

5. The novelty soap bar of claim 2, wherein said circuit when activated, lights said light sources in sequence and said pin-hole regions are located on said image so that said light sources, when lit in sequence, simulate animation on said image.

6. The novelty soap bar of claim 2, wherein said module further comprises a diffuser mounted between said film and said light sources, said diffuser adapted to diffract light emitted by said sources onto said film near said pin-hole regions.

7. The novelty soap bar of claim 2 wherein said light sources comprise a plurality of light emitting diodes.

8. A soap bar as claimed in claim 1 wherein said signaling means provides a visual signal.

9. A soap bar as claimed in claim 1, wherein said signaling means provides an audible signal.

10. A soap bar as claimed in claim 1 when contained within a light impermeable container for shipping said soap bar.