US2991561A - Educational toy - Google Patents

Description

July 11, 1961 L. MOORE ETAL 2,991,561

EDUCATIONAL TOY Filed Sept. 10. 1959 Fig.3 36 Leroy Moore 38 40 Dorothy 5. Moore INVENTORS BY Mm United States Patent 2,991,561 EDUCATIONAL TOY Leroy Moore and Dorothy S. Moore, both of 1728 Piedmont, Jackson, Miss. Filed Sept. 10, 1959, Ser. No. 839,146 Claims. (Cl. 35-8) This invention relates to toys and more particularly to an educational toy for children in a low age group.

An object of the invention is to provide a very amusing educational toy for children which includes a receptacle equipped with a door capable of being opened and closed to provide ingress and egress for small figures. The door is held in a closed position by means of a lace that can be engaged with the receptacle by fitting the different shaped tips of the lace in specially shaped eyelet openings. Therefore it requires the use of a particular intelligence level for a child to complete the procedure of inserting and removing the figures from the receptacle.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the entire apparatus forming the educational toy.

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the receptacle with the door in the open position.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the lace with specially shaped eyelets used with the receptacle in FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a figure to be fitted into the receptacle and removed therefrom.

In the accompanying drawings there is a receptacle in the form of a shoe. As such, it has a sole 12, a heel 14, sides 16 and 18 together with an opening 18 defined by the edges 20 and 21 of the sides of the shoe. Although the blucher type shoe is shown it is evident that this type is subject to change.

The top of the shoe is closed by means of a panel 22 extending thereacross and rigidly secured in place. It is preferred that a flexible plastic be used as the material of construction, for example polyethylene. Panel 22 makes it impossible to insert or remove anything from the interior of the shoe that forms the receptacle. The only way that an object for example object 24 which is in the shape of a small pig, may be inserted in the receptacle is through opening 18 which is controlled by a door 26. Since the receptacle is a shoe, the door is in the form of a tongue capable of swinging to the open (FIG- URE 2) and closed positions (FIGURE 1) by the inherent flexibility of the material of construction of the shoe. Further, although one object 24 is shown in the drawing, many different shapes may be adopted such as other animals, small figurines, etc.

There are two groups and 32 of openings adjacent to edges 20 and 22. Alternate openings are of one shape while the balance of the openings are of another shape. For instance, the upper opening of group 32 is in the shape of a triangle while the upper opening of group 30 is in the shape of a circle. Lace 36 is equipped with a pair of tips 38 and 40. Tip 40 is cylindrical, but tip 38 is made of a triangular solid configuration so that the triangular tip will not enter the circular openings and the cylindrical tip will not enter the triangular openings and vice versa.

In use and operation the lace must be removed before the tongue forming door 26 can be opened. When it is opened, the figurines may be inserted or removed from the shoe. After the figures are all in the shoe, it is not possible to lace the shoe unless the proper tips are placed in the proper openings of groups 30 and 32.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An educational toy comprising a receptacle provided with walls, said receptacle having an opening, a door movably connected with the receptacle and controlling said opening, said opening having edges defined by edges of adjacent walls of said receptacle, said walls having groups of apertures therein of non-uniform shape, a lace inserted through the apertures for retaining said door in the closed position, and dissimilar shaped tips at the ends of said lace and of a cross-sectional shape similar to the shapes of the apertures of said groups.

2. An educational toy comprising a receptacle provided with walls, said receptacle having an opening, a door movably connected with the receptacle and controlling said opening, said opening having edges defined by edges of adjacent walls of said receptacle, said walls having groups of apertures therein of non-uniform shape, a lace inserted through the apertures for retaining said door in the closed position, and dissimilar shaped tips at the ends of said lace and of a cross-sectional shape similar to the shapes of the apertures of said groups, said receptacle being in the shape of a shoe, said door being in the form of the tongue of the shoe.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said shoe and tongue are made of flexible material.

4. An educational toy comprising a receptacle provided with walls, said receptacle having an opening, a door movably connected with the receptacle and controlling said opening, said opening having edges defined by edges of adjacent walls of said receptacle, said Walls having groups of apertures therein o-f non-uniform shape, a lace inserted through the apertures for retaining said door in the closed position, and dissimilar shaped tips at the ends of said lace and of a cross-sectional shape similar to the shapes of the apertures of said groups, said receptacle being in the shape of a shoe, said door being in the form of the tongue of the shoe, a panel at the upper part of the shoe thereby closing the upper part of the shoe and leaving only the said opening as the means of entrance into the shoe.

5. An educational toy comprising a receptacle provided with walls, said receptacle having an opening, a door movably connected with the receptacle and controlling said opening, said opening having edges defined by edges of adjacent walls of said receptacle, said walls having groups of apertures therein of non-uniform shape, a lace inserted through the apertures for retaining said door in the closed position, and dissimilar shaped tips at the ends of said lace and of a cross-sectional shape similar to the shapes ofjhe apertures of said-- groups, said receptacle being in the shape of a shoe, said door being in the form of the tongue of the shoe, a panel at the upper part of the shoe thereby closing the upper part of the shoe and leaving only the said opening as the means of entrance into the shoe, said groups of apertures each including a plurality of alternately placed apertures of similar shape, there being two different shapes of apertures in said groups, and there being two tips on said tures.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hume Mar. 16, 1943 Essington Dec. 6, 1949 Zalkind May 29, 1956 Zalkind May 29, 1956

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