Stuffed animal toy

• US 6,142,846 A
• Filed: 10/07/1999
• Issued: 11/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Linda Ojakaar
• Original Assignee: Linda Ojakaar
• Inventors: Ojakaar, Linda
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kien T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cegielnik, Urszula M.
• Application Number:
  US09/414,260
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 446/175, 446/369, 446/485, 446/390, 446/71-77, 362/124, 362/189, 362/190
• US Class Current: 446/72
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/006 provided with electrical lighting electrical lighting F21

Abstract

A stuffed animal toy has a plush, padded body and one or more elongated appendages, such as arms, legs and tail. At least one flashlight module is resident within the appendage oriented to permit a directional beam of light to be emitted outwardly from the appendage. The flashlight module can be activated and deactivated by grasping the appendage and squeezing radially inward in repetition to turn the light on and off. The flashlight module is a self-sufficient battery powered, usually low voltage, direct current lighting unit. In one aspect, the flashlight module can be easily and quickly removed from the stuffed animal and utilized as a normal flashlight, independent of the stuffed animal. After such use, the module can be replaced into the appendage of the stuffed animal. While the module is removed, the stuffed animal can be utilized as a normal, plush toy plaything.

Claims

1. A stuffed animal toy comprising a body with appendages protruding therefrom, a flashlight module within and replaceably removable from at least one appendage and positioned so as to emit a directional beam of light outward from the appendage, and an elongated pillow comprising a cover and a filling of padding material, the pillow being operative to be received within the appendage when the flashlight module is removed, in which the body comprises an outer surface of a plush material.

2. The stuffed animal toy of claim 1 in which the module is positioned to emit the beam of light outward from the tail.

3. The stuffed animal toy of claim 1 in which the module is postioned to emit the beam of light outward from an arm or a leg.

4. The stuffed animal toy of claim 1 which further comprises switch means on a switch bearing appendage for activating and deactivating the flashlight module.

5. The stuffed animal toy of claim 4 in which the switch means comprises a switch operable by squeezing the appendage.

6. The stuffed animal toy of claim 1 in which flashlight module is operative apart from the body.

7. The stuffed animal toy of claim 1 comprising a plurality of flashlight modules, each module positioned in an appendage different from those of other modules.

8. The stuffed animal toy of claim 7 which comprises one switch to activate all flashlight modules simultaneously.

9. The stuffed animal toy of claim 7 which comprises a plurality of switches adapted to activate each flashlight module independently of other flashlight modules.

10. The stuffed animal toy of claim 4 in which the body is of a material cleanable with a cleansing solution.

11. A stuffed animal toy comprising a body with a plurality of elongated appendages protruding therefrom, at least one of the appendages defining a cavity at an end of the appendage, a flashlight module operable independently of the body, and a cushion, in which each of the flashlight module and cushion have a shape adapted to fit within the cavity and the appendage is operative to receive, hold, and eject the module and cushion provided that only one of the module and the cushion can occupy the cavity at a time.

12. The stuffed animal toy of claim 11 in which the flashlight can be positioned within the cavity so as to emit a beam of light directed outward from the appendage when the flashlight is energized.

13. The stuffed animal toy of claim 12 further comprising a switch adapted to energize the flashlight when the appendage is sqeezed by a user of the toy.