GB2275484A

GB2275484A - Children's playhouse

Info

Publication number: GB2275484A
Application number: GB9402866A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Stanton Barber; Anita Jean Barber
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-02-26
Filing date: 1994-02-15
Publication date: 1994-08-31
Anticipated expiration: 2014-02-15
Also published as: GB9303980D0; GB2275484B; GB9402866D0

Abstract

A child's playhouse is formed by attaching one or more sheets of flexible material (10) to the arms of a rotary clothes' dryer (12). <IMAGE>

Description

Children's Playhouses This invention relates to a child's playhouse.

Children's playhouses are known in the form of a tent structure comprising a frame of poles which can be assembled and disassembled and a decorated plastics or cloth cover adapted to fit around the assembled frame.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided one or more flexible sheets adapted to fit to the arms of a rotary clothes' dryer in such a manner as to form a child's playhouse.

The term "rotary clothes' dryer" as used herein refers to the well known device comprising a central pole in use upstanding from a socket in the ground and having at its top end an assembly of a number of angularly spaced radially-extending arms, usually three or four, mounted for rotation around the pole.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of producing a child's playhouse according to which one or more flexible sheets is or are fitted to the arms of a rotary clothes' dryer to form a walled enclosure.

According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a child's playhouse comprising the combination of a rotary clothes' dryer with one or more flexible sheets fitted to the arms thereof to form a walled enclosure.

The or each flexible sheet is preferably made of plastics material, and may be decorated, as with windows or the like, at least on the side which is on the outside when the sheet or sheets is or are fitted to the dryer. A part of a sheet may have a cut-out or one or more slit defined flaps to form a door.

For a three-armed dryer, the sheet or sheets will form a three walled triangular enclosure when fitted. A sheet may carry a triangular flap for forming a roof, or a separate triangular roof panel of sheet material may be provided, and analogously in the case of a four-armed dryer.

In practice, a single sheet will be generally rectangular with the long edges forming the top and bottom of the enclosure when the sheet is fitted to the dryer. Adjacent the top edge, eyelets are preferably provided to fit over the outer ends of the arms of the rotary dryer and may secure in position by suitable clips. Inward movement of the sheet along the arms is inevitably prevented by the outer washing line which connects between the arms of the dryer.

In the case of several sheets being provided, each one sheet will form an individual wall of the enclosure and means may be provided for interconnecting adjacent sheets along their adjacent vertical edges. In other respects, the arrangement can be similar.

The bottom edge of the sheet or sheets may be weighted.

A practical embodiment of child's playhouse in accordance with the invention is exemplified in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the playhouse; Figure 2 is a flat view of the outer wall of a flexible sheet to be used in producing the playhouse; Figure 3 shows a fixing arrangement for the sheet on the dryer; Figure 4 shows an optional roof panel; Figure 5 shows four sheets for use in a modified arrangement; and Figure 6 shows a fastening arrangement for adjacent sheets.

Referring first to Figure 1, a child's playhouse is illustrated, produced by fixing a decorated plastics sheet 10, shown separately in Figure 2, over a three-armed rotary clothes' dryer 12.

The sheet is decorated with windows and battlements for example, and has a slit 14 which forms flaps at a simulated doorway. The sheet may alternatively be cut with an opening to provide access. Various designs of fort, fairy castle, house, wigwam, cottage etc. may be printed on the sheet. It may be printed on its two sides with alternative designs, as it is reversible.

The sheet also has four spaced elongate reinforced eyelets 16 adjacent its top edge, for fitting the sheet over the ends of the three arms of the rotary dryer to form a tentlike enclosure. Obviously, the two end eyelets both fit over the same arm of the dryer. The sheet may be weighted within a bottom seam 18.

The means of fixing the sheet on the arms is shown in Figure 3. Inward movement along the arms is limited by the outermost washing line 20 of the dryer. For preventing the sheet 10 slipping off the arms outwardly, plastics or steel spring U-clips 22 are employed.

An optional triangular roof panel 24 for the tent-like enclosure is shown in Figure 4. This has a central hole 26 for fitting over the top of the centre pole of the dryer and three elongate edge-reinforced eyelets 28 for fitting over the outer ends of the three arms of the dryer.

In Figure 5 are shown four similarly-sized sheets 30A, B, C, D, which may be utilised to form an enclosure on a four-armed dryer. An enclosure may be formed on a threearmed dryer simply by omitting one of the four sheets.

The four sheets fit to a four-armed dryer in analogous manner to a single sheet, utilising eyelets 32 and clips of the form shown in Figure 3, but additionally, as exemplified by the eyelets 34 and Velcro (Trade Mark) strips 36 of Figure 6, means are provided for securing together adjacent side edges of adjacent sheets 30.

The four sheets 30A to 30D may be differently configured and decorated to depict, for example, a beach hut, circus tent, space ship or village, and within each form of decoration may provide head cut-outs as shown in sheet 30A, a window as shown in sheet 30B and a slit providing a door, as shown in sheet 30C.

Various modifications of the above-described and illustrated arrangement are possible within the scope of the invention hereinbefore defined.

Claims

1. A playhouse arrangement comprising one or more flexible sheets adapted to fit to the arms of a rotary clothes' dryer in such a manner as to form a child's playhouse.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the sheet or sheets have eyelets for fitting over the ends of the arms of the dryer.

3. An arrangement according to claim 2, in combination with clips for retaining the sheet or sheets on the arms of the dryer.

4. An arrangement according to any of claims 1 to 3, comprising a plurality of sheets, each for forming one wall of a polygonal enclosure.

5. An arrangement according to claim 4, in combination with means for securing together the adjacent edges of adjacent sheets.

6. An arrangement according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sheet, or one of the sheets, has one or more slits for forming a door flap.

7. An arrangement according to any of claims 1 to 6, in combination with a piece of sheet material for forming a roof.

8. A playhouse arrangement substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 or Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A method of producing a child's playhouse according to which one or more flexible sheets is or are fitted to the arms of a rotary clothes' dryer to form a walled enclosure.

10. A child's playhouse comprising the combination of a rotary clothes' dryer with one or more flexible sheets fitted to the arms thereof to form a walled enclosure.