US20060128264A1

US20060128264A1 - [stuffing toy]

Info

Publication number: US20060128264A1
Application number: US10/905,055
Authority: US
Inventors: Pei-Yao Tang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-12-13
Filing date: 2004-12-13
Publication date: 2006-06-15

Abstract

A stuffing toy is disclosed to include a toy body having a narrow elongated flexible feed member outwardly extended from the outside wall and connectable to a stuffing machine for receiving a stuffing material to stuff the toy body and to support the toy body in shape. The feed member is tied into a knot to seal the channel and to form an ornament after stuffing of the toy body with the stuffing material.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toy and more particularly, to a stuffing toy, which has a feed member through which a stuffing material can be filled into the toy body by a stuffing machine to support the toy body in shape.
b 2. Description of the Related Art
In the present modern life, the consumers no longer only buy essential products but also buy products for entertaining themselves or offering gifts to someone special. Some people like to buy decoration items or stuffed toys in order to make their living environment attractive, warm and cozy. Particularly, stuffed toys are cute, attractive and warm in appearance and available in wide varieties, and are easy to sell on the market.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, a conventional stuffing toy comprises a symmetrically cut fabric A, which is stitched into the designed shape with an opening A1 left for enabling the worker to stuff a stuffing material into the inner space of the toy body. After stuffing, the threads of the stitches are stretched tight to close the opening A1 and to complete the manufacture of the toy. A stuffing device may be used to force the selected stuffing material into the inner space of the toy body through the opening, and then the opening is sealed after stuffing. According to this design, making a stuffed toy requires first fastening together multiple fabric pieces to make a container which encloses an interior volume and which has an exterior surface. The container includes an opening into the interior volume that has two lips. A length of filament is used to stitch through the fabric to form multiple spaced apart loops along the length of the opening. Each loop extends from one lip to the other and is untensioned so as to allow the lips to be separated. A stuffing apparatus with an injection tube can propel stuffing material through the tube. The tube is inserted into the opening between adjacent loops of the filament and stuffing material is injected into the interior volume of the container. The injection tube is then withdrawn and the filament is tensioned to tension the loops to draw the lips into abutment.
According to the aforesaid prior art stuffing toy manufacturing method, the manufacturing process is complicated and requires much working time and labor. After stuffing, the border area of the opening is forced radically outwards by the stuffed stuffing material, and the worker must employ much effort to tension the loops to draw the lips into abutment. After a certain length of time, the loops that draw the lips into abutment may be loosened easily, and the stuffing material may be forced out of the stuffing toy. In case the stuffing toy is stuffed with a fine material such as feathers, the child playing with the stuffing toy may breathe in escaped fine stuffing material. A child who is unusually sensitive to the stuffing material of the stuffing toy may cause an allergy when breathing in the escaped stuffing material, or an irritation when touched the escaped stuffing material with the skin.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a stuffing toy that eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a stuffing toy, which facilitates the stuffing process of stuffing material.
To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, the stuffing toy comprises a toy body defining therein enclosed an inner space, and a flexible, narrow, elongated feed member outwardly extending from the outside wall of the toy body. The feed member defines a channel in communication between the enclosed inner space and the outside space of the toy. The channel has an outer end connectable to a stuffing machine for guiding a stuffing material from the stuffing machine into the enclosed inner space of the toy body to support the toy body in shape. After stuffing, the feed member is tied into a knot, or sealed and secured to the inside of the toy body, keeping the outer appearance of the toy neat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a stuffing toy before sealing of the feed member according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing showing connection of the feed member of the toy body to a stuffing machine and filling of a stuffing material into the toy body of the stuffing toy according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 1 but showing the feed member sealed.
FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the present invention, showing another sealing example of the feed member.
FIG. 5 is an extended out view of a symmetrically cut fabric for stuffing toy according to the prior art.
FIG. 6 is an elevational view of stuffing toy after stuffing and before sealing of the opening according to the prior art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

Reference will be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the toy body 1 is made of a fabric material and encloses an inner space 11. The toy body 1 can be made in the form of an animal. The toy body 1 comprises a feed member 12, which is a narrow elongated flexible member extending outwards from the outside wall of the toy body 1 and defining a channel 121 in communication between the inner space 11 and the atmosphere.
For stuffing the inner space 11 of the toy body 1 with a stuffing material, the channel 121 of the feed member 12 is connected to a stuffing machine 3 and then the stuffing machine 3 is operated to force a stuffing material 2 into the inner space 11 through the channel 121 of the feed member 12. After the inner space 11 is fully stuffed with the stuffing material 2, the stuffing material 2 supports the toy body 1 in shape. After stuffing, the feed member 12 is tied up to make a knot so as to seal off the channel 121. The knot can be made to form the navel of the toy body 1, or to serve as an ornament.
Referring to FIG. 4, fastening means, for example, hook and loop materials or snap means may be provided to secure the feed member 12 to the inside of the toy body 1 after stuffing of the inner space 11 with the stuffing material 2.
Further, the stuffing material 2 can be cotton, sponge, shredded fabric, plastic bead or any other soft materials, and the toy body 1 can be made having the shape of a cartoon figure, vegetable, animal, or the like.
As indicated above, the selected stuffing material 2 can easily and rapidly be filled into the inner space 11 of the toy body 1 through the channel 121 of the feed member 12 by the stuffing machine 3. After stuffing, the feed member 12 is tied into a knot or sealed and secured to the inside of the toy body 1 with fastening means to keep the outer appearance of the toy 1 neat. The invention simplifies the stuffing process of stuffing material. After stuffing, the stuffed toy body 1 can easily be sealed up to hold the stuffed stuffing material 2 inside the inner space 11 of the toy body 1 positively. It should be noted that the location of the feed member 12 is not limited to the naval area of the toy body 1. The feed member 12 can be formed at any location around the outside wall of the toy body 1. Furthermore, if the stuffing material 2 is compacted after a long time of use or due to some other reasons, the user can untie the knot to open the channel 121 so that the old stuffing material 2 can be taken out of the toy body 1 and new stuffing material 2 can be filled into the toy body 1.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with a specific best mode, it is to be understood that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations in which fall within the spirit and scope of the included claims. All matters set forth herein or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted in an illustrative and non-limiting sense.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A stuffing toy comprising a narrow elongated flexible feed member outwardly extended from a toy body thereof, a channel defined in said feed member in communication with an inside space of said toy body and the atmosphere through which a stuffing material is forcible into the inside space of said toy body to support said toy body into shape.

2. The stuffing toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said toy body has the shape of a cartoon figure.

3. The stuffing toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said toy body has the shape of a vegetable.

4. The stuffing toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said toy body has the shape of an animal.

5. The stuffing toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said channel of said feed member has an outer end connectable to a stuffing machine for receiving said stuffing material to stuff said toy body.

6. The stuffing toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outer end of said channel of said feed member is sealed after stuffing of said toy body with said stuffing material.

7. The stuffing toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stuffing material is selected from a material group including cotton, sponge, shredded fabric and plastic beads.

8. The stuffing toy as claimed in claim 1, further comprising fastening means provided between said toy body and said feed member and adapted to seal said feed member after filling of said stuffing material into the inside space of said toy body.

9. The stuffing toy as claimed in claim 8, wherein said fastening means is hook and loop materials.

10. The stuffing toy as claimed in claim 8, wherein said fastening means is a snap.