US20090209166A1 - Shipping box toy - Google Patents
Shipping box toy Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20090209166A1 US20090209166A1 US12/070,437 US7043708A US2009209166A1 US 20090209166 A1 US20090209166 A1 US 20090209166A1 US 7043708 A US7043708 A US 7043708A US 2009209166 A1 US2009209166 A1 US 2009209166A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- toy
- corrugated fiberboard
- ride
- box
- boxes
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
- A63H33/00—Other toys
- A63H33/008—Playhouses, play-tents, big enough for playing inside
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62K—CYCLES; CYCLE FRAMES; CYCLE STEERING DEVICES; RIDER-OPERATED TERMINAL CONTROLS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CYCLES; CYCLE AXLE SUSPENSIONS; CYCLE SIDE-CARS, FORECARS, OR THE LIKE
- B62K9/00—Children's cycles
Definitions
- the present invention relates to toys. More particularly, the present invention relates to corrugated fiberboard construction toys that also serve the purpose of shipping themselves to and from end users with zero waste.
- an object of the present invention is to provide a corrugated fiberboard construction toy incorporating a set of recyclable shipping boxes that may become the base frame to develop into a ride on or structural toy model via auxiliary accessories.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide economical and high-durability constructible toys that also serve the purpose of shipping themselves to and from an end user to save money as well as save our fragile environment.
- the present invention provides a fundamental concept of employing 100 percent recyclable packaging containers as a major component of a user-assembled permanent structure in the form of a model or toy for play.
- the container of the present invention initially transports itself and then transforms itself into a material component to make the final product for repeated uses over time.
- the corrugated fiberboard construction toy of the present invention incorporates a set of recyclable shipping boxes comprising an outer box that in its entirety forms a main part of the toy besides its temporary uses for shipping the toy to and from a toy user; one or more inner boxes of corrugated fiberboard contained in the outer box during shipping and then deployed to mate with the outer box to provide a subassembly of the toy with a predetermined rigidity; auxiliary forms of corrugated fiberboard for mating with the outer and inner boxes to selectively support the toy subassembly as it differentiates into a model figure or building for a child to actively play on or in; a number of dowel fasteners for penetrating walls of the fiberboard to maintain the integrity of the toy; and accessories for adding selective toy features to the outer and inner boxes to further simulate the building or vehicle the toy models after.
- Both of the inner and outer boxes for the fiberboard construction toy may take the form of a regular slotted container.
- the toy may be offered in a model kit of transportation means including land, air and sea vehicles. Or, it may be an animal model on wheels.
- the toy may be a model house of a corrugated fiberboard and decorated wall accessories.
- a corrugated fiberboard construction toy ride incorporating a set of recyclable shipping boxes comprises an outer box that in its entirety forms a main frame of the toy ride besides its temporary uses in shipping the toy ride to and from a toy user; one or more inner boxes of corrugated fiberboard fully contained in the outer box during shipping and then deployed to mate with the outer box to provide a subassembly of the toy ride with an enough rigidity to support a child's weight, the inner boxes being a set of regular slotted containers oriented to have a group of flaps open sideways at one end of the toy ride and another group of closed flaps at the opposite end of the toy ride; a steering means mounted on the open group of flaps via a supporting column of corrugated fiberboard with a number of dowel fasteners threaded through walls of the fiberboard and two opposite floor wheels on an axle mounted across the main frame near the opposite end of the toy ride and; accessories for adding convenience and decoration to the toy ride to model after
- the corrugated fiberboard construction toy ride may be a three wheeled wagon with the steering means including a single wheel centrally positioned on the supporting column and an elongated handle to provide a control grip of the wagon.
- the steering means including a single wheel centrally positioned on the supporting column and an elongated handle to provide a control grip of the wagon.
- it may be developed into a four-wheeled animal figure with the steering means including two side wheels on a transverse axle through the supporting column and an elongated handle to provide a control grip of the animal figure.
- the corrugated fiberboard construction toy wagon may be easily modified into an aircraft figure on landing gear of three wheels with the steering means including a single wheel centrally positioned on the supporting column and an elongated handle to provide a control grip of the aircraft figure.
- the steering means including a single wheel centrally positioned on the supporting column and an elongated handle to provide a control grip of the aircraft figure.
- Auxiliary accessories to make the aircraft transformation include a tail plane on a fin mounted on the main frame near the single wheel, a cowl with a propeller at the opposite end of the main frame, and two side wings made of corrugated fiberboard boxes and having die-cut locks for attachment to the main frame.
- a corrugated fiberboard construction toy building incorporating a set of recyclable shipping boxes comprises an outer box that in its entirety forms an exploded first roof section of the toy building besides its temporary uses in shipping the toy building to and from a toy user; an inner box contained in the outer box during shipping and then exploded to join the first roof section to make an elongated roof component; at least four telescope boxes contained in the inner box for making peripheral supporting columns with a number of threading dowels penetrating through walls of the fiberboard boxes; flexible cover panels for forming walls attached by dowels to the roof components and supporting columns to complete a residential space inside the toy building.
- the cover panels of the fiberboard toy building may be made of plastic and adapted to cover four peripheral sides between the columns under the roof components leaving reclosable doors and windows.
- the cover panels may be made of fabric.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cardboard box wagon according to one embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the box wagon of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the box wagon of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view along line 4 - 4 of the box wagon of FIG. 3 .
- FIG. 5 is a partially exploded perspective view of a toy character ride in the form of a bear on wheels according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an airplane ride according to another alternate embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a toy house according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 8 is a perspective view of component boxes of the toy house of FIG. 7 in shipment partially exploded to show the toy disassembled for shipment to a customer or recycling site according to the present invention.
- a cardboard box construction toy wagon 10 has three package boxes in the most common style of regular slotted container that can be assembled in a child's room to provide a durable indoor toy.
- Wagon 10 is provided with two rear wheels 12 on a rear transverse axle 14 and a front wheel 16 on a front axle 18 to which an elongated handle 20 is connected for pushing or pulling the wagon 10 .
- Wagon 10 comprises the largest single part that is an outer frame box 22 .
- Box 22 may have sleek exterior surfaces with decorative graphic printed to simulate certain types of vehicle. Additionally, decals may be provided to add reality to the assembly kit of wagon 10 .
- cushion 23 may be optionally attached to wagon 10 about its top center.
- the wagon 10 before the wagon 10 is completed by a recipient it contains its own components in two smaller boxes contained in the outer box 22 used as an original shipping container to deliver via a convenient shipping service of choice by a toy supplier.
- the shipping outer box 22 as used turns into a frame box, which becomes the principal part of wagon 10 .
- the wagon 10 mainly comprises the most widely used cardboard material, which is technically corrugated fiberboard consisting of a fluted corrugated sheet normally glued to and positioned between two flat linerboards for use as conventional shipping containers or storage boxes of various household items and commodities. This forms a single wall corrugated board for the box. To enhance the strength of frame box 22 , it is possible to incorporate a double wall fiberboard having three flat facings and two intermediate fluted corrugated sheets. Also available is a triple wall corrugated board formed by four flat facings and three intermediate corrugated sheets.
- Manufactured box structures of the fiberboard are known to have many different designs including the popular regular slotted containers with top and bottom areas made closable by four flaps respectively having the same length, overlap slotted containers with a set of two opposing flaps made longer to overlap partially or fully, telescope boxes consisting of two or three box sections telescoping in various degrees at different separation lines and combination of the above.
- the boxes of this embodiment of wagon 10 may employ the combinations of the above types of boxes with careful positioning of their flaps to enhance the structural rigidity of the toy ride.
- the outer box 22 may be a modified full-overlap slotted container of a relatively thin profile having two identical elongated side panels 24 connected in a shorter parallel distance defined by another pair of flat top 26 and similar bottom panels so that top panel 26 provides convenient striding surfaces for a rider of wagon 10 .
- a longitudinal span 25 of box 22 is twice a latitudinal span 27 thereof so that regular squares may fit inside box 22 side by side.
- Side panels 24 have full overlap flaps 28 at one end that may be folded flat onto the inner surfaces of the respective side panels 24 to reinforce frame box 22 vertically against the rider's weight.
- top panel 26 and the bottom counterpart have regular flaps 30 folded into frame box 22 to double the thickness of frame box 22 locally.
- a rectangular opening 32 is formed by the four smooth folding lines of flaps 28 , 30 leaving no sharp edges where young users may touch frequently.
- an upright support box 34 may be press fitted into the rear opening 32 of frame box 22 so that a vertical front panel 36 of rear support 34 extends midway along the entire length of frame box 22 on which most body weight of the rider will fall.
- Rear support 34 may be a regular slotted container with its entire top 37 and bottom 38 flaps kept closed after it is emptied of its load of the wagon components shipped therewith.
- rear support 34 has two axle bores 40 formed in line transversely close to opposite lower rear corners 42 corresponding to similar axle bores 44 that are preformed through frame box 22 and its proximal full flaps 28 at an appropriate distance from the floor to provide a safe ground clearance of wagon 10 for small toy riders.
- axle 14 When rear support 34 is positioned in frame box 22 with bores 40 , 44 aligned, axle 14 may be installed.
- Axle 14 may comprise a stationary sleeve 46 , which is a cut length of a strong cardboard pipe tightly threaded through bores 40 , 44 and may remain therein under friction between the paper materials. With sleeve 46 driven in, rear support 34 becomes fixed in box 22 . Then, two wheels 12 each having a short section of tubular shaft 48 attached may be slidably mounted into the sleeve 46 .
- Wheels 12 and shafts 48 may be ordinary plastic and/or wood structures and rubber tires or belts may be provided to surround the wheels 12 for an extra traction.
- two shortened shaft 48 may be fastened to each other via a section of connecting rod 50 inside sleeve 46 .
- the remaining half of the interior space of frame box 22 may be reinforced using another common box structure but with an extra functionality in mind.
- side panels 24 of box 22 are provided with two lateral full flaps 52 generally extending in parallel for flexibly holding front wheel 16 supported on a supporting column 54 . Between the two full flaps 52 are two regular flaps 56 folded inside box 22 to provide smooth edges and thicken the corresponding areas of frame box 22 .
- the remaining box is a front support 58 pushed into box 22 from a front opening 60 .
- Support 58 may be a regular slotted container that is oriented to lie sideways in a size to fill another half of the interior of box 22 next to rear support 34 to provide a front rectangular compartment 62 for supporting column 54 .
- Support 58 is pushed tightly to line the box 22 so that a vertical blind wall 64 formed of closed inner four flaps engages front panel 36 of rear support 34 to double the vertical strength of box wagon 10 .
- front support 58 is completely opened forwardly where two lateral flaps 68 are folded out and back to face full flaps 28 of frame box 22 while two horizontal flaps 70 are folded in reverse to clear the space for regular flaps 56 , which are already put inside box 22 .
- Equal length of cardboard tubes 76 may be used as dowel pins for latching box 22 and front support 58 together. Also threaded by pinning tubes 76 is supporting column 54 inside front support 58 .
- Supporting column 54 may be made of two or three stacked sheets of bent fiberboard comprising a vertical back plate 78 sized to fit in compartment 62 tightly and two flexing arms 80 extending from back plate 78 for supporting front wheel 16 .
- Each arm 80 has a lateral connection section 82 that rests on the inner surface of front support 58 and a forearm section 84 provided with a distal thru hole 86 so that a cross rod 88 may be held by penetrating a series of holes 86 at opposite sides with a rolling sleeve 90 slidably mounted thereon.
- Sleeve 90 is in turn fixed to wheel 16 concentrically to allow wheel 16 rotate freely with respect to supporting column 54 .
- Connection sections 82 each has two side bores 92 that will be aligned with dowel holes 72 of front support and side bores 74 of box 22 after assembly.
- the outer surface of forearm section 84 faces the inner surface of full flaps 52 of box 22 .
- Flaps 52 also have lateral thru holes 94 similar to and aligned with holes 86 to receive cross rod 88 protruding outwardly of thru holes 86 .
- the longitudinal extension of forearm section 84 is determined relative to the length of full flap 52 of box 22 so that once tubes 76 secure box 22 , front support 58 and supporting column 54 together flap 52 is flexed to retreat thru holes 86 for threading with cross rod 88 as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 .
- support column 54 may be modified to adopt known steering methods.
- forearm sections 84 with thru holes 86 may extend alternatively from top and bottom of back plate 78 generally horizontally in order to have the holes 86 open vertically in the center of wagon 10 for rotationally holding a single handle bar to which front wheel 16 and handles are connected at opposite ends thereof.
- Handle 20 may be made of metal in the form of tube sections and comprise a lower fork 96 with two bent tubes welded by a double barrel joint 98 .
- Axle rings 100 terminate two bifurcated ends of lower fork 96 for receiving the axle 18 threaded into cross rod 88 mounted on front wheel 16 .
- fork 96 may be forcibly expanded and then released to engage axle 18 protruding from opposite thru holes 86 to secure wheel 16 in locked position between two forearm sections 84 .
- a shaped and padded upper handle portion 102 may be pushed into joint 98 to complete the handle 20 .
- the handle 20 may be maneuvered by the rider or an assisting operator to propel wagon 10 of the present invention.
- double or more multiple-wall fiberboard may replace the single wall as described above.
- two inner supports 34 and 58 may also be replaced by a single box structure that lines the outer box 22 .
- Dowels are preferably hollow rather than solid so that they form tubes and are similar to shipping tubes having an uncorrugated cardboard wall portion. Dowel strength and stiffness are sized according to fit the design.
- FIG. 5 shows a second one of diverse applications of the same shipping box toy concept to a slight different ride in the form of an interesting animal to ride that is a polar bear, which has us concern about our limited natural resources and global warming, too.
- a bear ride 200 is based on the same frame of wagon 10 in that it comprises two rear wheels 212 on a rear transverse axle 214 , an outer frame box 222 that is the original shipping container, two smaller boxes press fitted inside outer box 222 contained in the outer box 222 .
- the outer box 222 may be a modified full-overlap slotted container of a relatively thin profile having two identical elongated side panels 224 connected in a shorter parallel distance defined by another pair of flat top 226 and similar bottom panels so that top panel 226 provides a convenient striding surface for a rider of toy bear 200 .
- Side panels 224 have full overlap flaps at one end that may be folded flat onto the inner surfaces of the respective side panels 224 to reinforce frame box 222 vertically against the rider's weight.
- an upright box liner for reinforcement is press fitted into the rear of frame box 222 so that a vertical front panel of the rear box liner extends midway along the entire length of frame box 222 on which most body weight of the rider will fall.
- the rear box liner may be a regular slotted container with its entire top and bottom flaps kept closed after it is emptied of its load of the toy components shipped therewith.
- the rear box liner has two axle bores formed in line transversely close to opposite lower rear corners corresponding to similar axle bores that are preformed through frame box 222 and its proximal full flaps at an appropriate distance from the floor to provide a safe ground clearance of toy bear 200 for small riders.
- axle 214 When the rear box liner is positioned in frame box 222 with bores aligned, axle 214 may be installed.
- Axle 214 may comprise a stationary sleeve 246 , which is a cut length of a strong cardboard pipe tightly threaded through bores of box 222 and the box liner. With sleeve 246 driven in, the rear box liner becomes fixed in box 222 . Then, two wheels 212 each having a short section of tubular shaft 248 attached may be slidably mounted into the sleeve 246 .
- the second embodiment employs two wheels 216 , which are identical to the rear wheel assembly 212 so that toy bear 200 provides more stable rides.
- the opposite ends of side panels 224 of box 222 are provided with two lateral full flaps 252 generally extending in parallel for flexibly holding front wheels 216 supported on a supporting column 254 . Between the two full flaps 252 are two regular flaps 256 folded inside box 222 to provide smooth edges and thicken the corresponding areas of frame box 222 .
- the remaining box is a front box liner pushed into box 222 from a front opening 260 .
- the front box liner (Support 58 ) may be a regular slotted container that is oriented to lie sideways in a size to fill another half of the interior of box 222 next to the rear box liner to provide a front rectangular compartment 262 for supporting column 254 .
- the front box liner is pushed tightly to line the box 222 to double the vertical strength of toy bear 200 .
- Equal length of cardboard tubes 276 may be used as dowel pins for latching box 222 and the front box liner together through appropriately formed bores in advance. Also threaded by pinning tubes 276 is supporting column 254 inside the front box liner.
- Supporting column 254 may be made of two or three stacked sheets of bent fiberboard and has two parallel flexing arms 280 .
- An axle 224 for front wheels 216 is fixedly mounted on full flaps 252 and supporting column 254 .
- Extending from axle 224 is an upright handle 220 that may be connected on the axle 224 by a sleeve 221 and terminated at its top end with a horizontal grip bar 223 .
- Two joined small boxes form an animal head 225 for mounting over grip bar 223 to support a cover 227 , which may be made of a plush toy section combined with a seating mat to provide a soft riding surfaces with a warm feeling.
- the plush cover 227 may be comfortably padded and have a frictional rear surface 229 that contacts box 222 at its top 226 and sides 224 to provide a safer ride.
- Top side openings 231 are formed to let grip bar 223 protrude laterally.
- support column 254 may be modified to adopt known steering methods.
- arms 280 may extend alternatively from top and bottom of support column 254 generally horizontally in order to have vertical holes formed through arms 280 in the center of toy bear 200 for rotationally threading a single handle bar to which front wheels 216 and grip bar 223 are connected at opposite ends thereof.
- Handle 220 may be made of metal and include a pair of lower tube sections 240 welded by a double barrel joint 242 to provide a high torsional strength. Then, a pair of upper tube sections 245 with grip bar 223 may be pushed into joint 242 to complete the handle 220 . With conventional toy ride-ons, the rider may grip the handle 220 to maneuver toy bear 200 and drive it by pushing the floor by legs. Optional footrests 247 may be plugged in lower pinning tube 276 .
- FIG. 6 is a third embodiment where the wagon foundation of FIG. 2 embodiment may be easily modified into other transportation toys such as an airplane 300 with optional add-ons.
- Airplane 300 may use the same type of three regular slotted containers as in the wagon 10 of the first embodiment. Airplane 300 is provided with a front landing gear 312 made of two wheels on an axle 314 and a rear landing gear 316 on an axle 318 to which an elongated handle 320 is optionally connected for an assistant to push or pull the airplane 300 . Airplane 300 comprises the largest single part that is an outer fuselage frame box 322 . Box 322 may have sleek exterior surfaces with decorative graphic printed to simulate certain model of airplane. In order to give convenient seating, a cushion 323 may be optionally attached to airplane 300 about its top center.
- Airplane 300 is shipped in kit form to a recipient's place to assemble.
- the outer box 322 as used in shipping turns into a working fuselage, which becomes the principal part of airplane 300 .
- the boxes of this embodiment of airplane 300 may employ the combinations of different type containers including the regular slotted containers, overlap slotted containers and telescope boxes with careful positioning of their flaps to enhance the structural rigidity of the toy ride.
- the outer box 322 may be a modified full-overlap slotted container of a relatively thin profile.
- airplane 300 has a latitudinal span twice longer than its width so that two box liners with regular square sides may fit inside box 322 side by side.
- box 322 may have its four flaps at one end folded flat onto the inner surfaces thereof to reinforce box 322 against the rider's weight.
- four smooth folding lines of the flaps define a first rectangular opening 332 .
- an upright first box support 334 may be press fitted into first opening 332 so that the support 334 reaches midway along the entire length of box 322 on which most body weight of the rider will fall.
- Box support 334 may be a regular slotted container with its entire top and bottom flaps kept closed after it is emptied of its load of the airplane components shipped therewith.
- Axle 314 may comprise a fixed sleeve (not shown) threaded through transverse bores at lower corners of outer box 322 and box support 334 . Such sleeve also functions to secure both boxes 322 , 334 together. Then, two wheels 312 each having a short section of tubular shaft attached may be rotatably mounted into the sleeve.
- the remaining half of the interior space of fuselage box 322 may be reinforced using a second box support 358 pushed into box 322 in the opposite direction from the first support 334 .
- the opposite end of box 322 is provided with two lateral full flaps 352 generally extending in parallel for flexibly holding rear landing gear 316 supported on a supporting column 354 .
- Two cardboard tubes 376 may penetrate throughout sidewalls of both boxes 322 , 358 and supporting column 354 to join them together.
- Supporting column 354 has two flexing arms 380 distally located for supporting landing gear 316 .
- Column 354 is partially inserted in second support 358 and locked therein by two pinning tubes 376 .
- Axle 318 for landing gear 316 penetrates opposite stacks of arm 380 and full flap 352 and then clipped by handle 320 at its bifurcated lower ends. Because of the inherent flexibility of the paper material, simply turning landing gear 36 through handle 320 will result in a gentle directional change of the plane 300 .
- outer box 322 On the front side of outer box 322 there may be punched slots for fastening airplane add-ons, i.e. three lateral slots 361 near first opening 332 may extend through first support 334 inside for latching a crafted paper cowl 363 with three of four circumferentially located die-cut locks 365 .
- the remaining bottom lock 366 may be inserted into a similar slot formed on the exposed wall area of first support 334 .
- a front-end wall 367 of cowl 363 may have a bore (not shown) for mounting a paper tube shaft 369 of a propeller 371 , which may be formed of wood or Styrofoam.
- a bolt 373 from the interior of cowl 363 can keep the shaft 369 in cowl 363 .
- a longitudinal top slot 375 combined with a couple of vertical sidewall slots 377 may be similarly formed through outer box 322 and first box support 334 for mating with a left wing 379 , which is a thin elongated box, preferably shaped into a wedge.
- a major die-cut lock 381 may be shaped on a horizontal top flap to latch in top slot 375 of box 322 while two die-cut locks 383 made be formed out of the opposing bottom flap to extend vertically side by side and inserted in sidewall slots 377 of box 322 .
- Opposite right wing 385 is correspondingly structured to mate with a right top slot 387 of box 322 and sidewall slots similar to slots 377 .
- a cut out paper fin 389 clips onto an open edge 360 of box 322 as a tail plane 391 is inserted through a side slit of fin 389 .
- adding a bow and stern part may be added to both ends of the vehicle to form a ship model.
- the present invention not only applies to rideable toy products but also to residential toy buildings such as an in-house playhouse 500 shown in FIG. 7 .
- FIG. 8 wherein supporting paper components are selected for display, the invention is more clearly demonstrated to show how a simple set of shipping boxes can be expanded to structural foundation of the scale toys with which children can actively engage and play more.
- An outer shipping box 510 and a closely dimensioned inner box 512 may be regular slotted containers with identical end flaps 514 , 516 that close with the temporary assistance of staples, die-cut locks and/or adhesive to make the respective boxes stacked one over the other.
- closure flaps 518 and 520 in the respective sets for boxes 510 , 512 all have cut corners in preparation for providing the necessary angled joints in building a slanted roof component 513 of house 500 . Also formed are dowel holes 522 through appropriate points of the entire box walls to make instant joints between house components.
- Main support of playhouse 500 is provided by four telescope boxes 524 , one of which is pulled up for clarity.
- Each box 524 comprises an inner tube 526 tightly inserted in an outer tube 528 .
- Tubes 526 , 528 are shown to have a rectangular shape in cross section but triangles, circles or other shapes may be incorporated.
- finished playhouse 500 of FIG. 7 includes add-ons to decorate the building frame principally of two joined roof sections 510 , 512 and four erected corner columns 524 .
- Added to the frame are four separate sidewalls made of fabric or plastic material.
- a largest sheet 530 finishes a front wall of house 500 with a cut out door 532 at one side.
- Door 532 may be fitted with a handle 534 with a closure having two attracting magnets or a hook and loop fastener 536 .
- Reinforcements 538 may be attached to edges of door 532 and the surrounding areas to provide a visually prominent entrance to the house 500 .
- the same form of sheet may be applied to set up the opposite rear wall.
- Both sidewalls may be set up by smaller sheets 540 with cut out windows 542 that simulate casement windows.
- a set of mating fasteners 544 may be attached to have the window 542 closed temporarily and then a matching set of wall fasteners 546 may be attached to sidewall 540 at a distance from window 542 so that opposite fasteners 544 of window 542 can swing out to mate with the counterpart fasteners 546 to keep window 542 open.
- a couple of triangular sheets 548 cover the opposite openings made by roof sections 510 , 512 leaving shaped openings 550 for air circulation and observation.
- This whole house 500 may stand firmly only by using a type of dowel pins 552 at appropriate locations throughout.
- two roof sections 510 , 512 are joined at each set of overlapped flaps 518 , 520 .
- Triangular sheets 548 are attached to joined roof sections 510 , 512 at the free end flaps 518 and 520 with a middle spine area 554 deflected into a matching angle to sheet 548 .
- Overlapped flaps at 556 are nailed by dowel 552 threading sheet 548 also. At least one dowel is used to tack every flap 518 , 520 to sheets 548 .
- Each of the four columns 524 is kept erected by at least four side dowels 552 threaded through overlapped junctions 557 between inner and outer tubes 526 , 528 .
- the roof assembly 510 , 512 , 548 that is light enough for handling by small children may be mounted on top of four columns 524 .
- end flaps 514 and 516 provide a top frame for attaching the largest front and rear sheets 530 .
- column 524 is also penetrated by the same dowel passing sheet 530 and end flap 514 or 516 to enhance the integrity of walls.
- Dowels 552 at the junction 557 of two tubes 526 and 528 may also hold proximate holes of sheet 530 as it is further attached at lower corners 558 to columns 524 .
- both side sheets 540 may be attached to the remaining sides of columns 524 to complete the house 500 .
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Toys (AREA)
Abstract
A corrugated cardboard constructible toy has a set of recyclable shipping boxes and comprises an outer box that in its entirety forms a main part of the toy besides temporary uses for shipping the toy to and from a toy user. One or more inner boxes of corrugated fiberboard are contained in the outer box during shipping and then deployed to mate with the outer box to provide a subassembly of the toy with a predetermined rigidity. Auxiliary forms of corrugated fiberboard for mating with the outer and inner boxes to selectively support the toy subassembly as it differentiates into a model figure or building for a child to actively play on or in. A number of dowel fasteners may penetrate walls of the fiberboard to maintain the integrity of the toy.
Description
- A. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to toys. More particularly, the present invention relates to corrugated fiberboard construction toys that also serve the purpose of shipping themselves to and from end users with zero waste.
- B. Description of the Prior Art
- There are known toy structures made out of a cardboard material in the form of mating sheets and panels as used in making packaging boxes and they are many of which one is disclosed as early as U.S. Pat. No. 1,533,011 “Toy Construction” to Knaggs. U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,130 to Walker describes a modular playhouse comprising a plurality of sections derived from two related modular units. U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,010 to Krebs offers a cardboard assembly toy provided flat with predetermined fold lines and utilizing a proprietary edge connection arrangement.
- However, no practical suggestions have ever been made to take advantage of the simplicity of ordinary shipping box forms of corrugated fiberboard to provide a durable frame structure to build up diverse children's toys for indoor ride and other activities in a built-in premises that the very toy construction box is self mailable to and from the end user to ensure recycling of resources at toy retirement and achieve zero packaging waste.
- Rather, there have been more interests in designing the packages to provide improved durability and visibility to increase the perceived value of contained products requiring lower cost of material used for the immediate commercial reasons. But the current surge of product consumption due to lowered manufacturing cost and shorter product cycles have increased the burden to recycle packaging material. As a result, more empty boxes create a national household waste problem. Because elaborate packaging containers cease to function immediately after unloading the product contents and inevitably end up in the trash or a limited number of recycling bins, this waste of material resources becomes enormous especially in holiday seasons when consumers purchase more larger box items.
- In view of the above, there is an immediate need to provide a zero packaging waste, 100% recyclable product for mass consumed products. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a corrugated fiberboard construction toy incorporating a set of recyclable shipping boxes that may become the base frame to develop into a ride on or structural toy model via auxiliary accessories.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide economical and high-durability constructible toys that also serve the purpose of shipping themselves to and from an end user to save money as well as save our fragile environment.
- The present invention provides a fundamental concept of employing 100 percent recyclable packaging containers as a major component of a user-assembled permanent structure in the form of a model or toy for play. The container of the present invention initially transports itself and then transforms itself into a material component to make the final product for repeated uses over time.
- In order to achieve these objectives, the corrugated fiberboard construction toy of the present invention incorporates a set of recyclable shipping boxes comprising an outer box that in its entirety forms a main part of the toy besides its temporary uses for shipping the toy to and from a toy user; one or more inner boxes of corrugated fiberboard contained in the outer box during shipping and then deployed to mate with the outer box to provide a subassembly of the toy with a predetermined rigidity; auxiliary forms of corrugated fiberboard for mating with the outer and inner boxes to selectively support the toy subassembly as it differentiates into a model figure or building for a child to actively play on or in; a number of dowel fasteners for penetrating walls of the fiberboard to maintain the integrity of the toy; and accessories for adding selective toy features to the outer and inner boxes to further simulate the building or vehicle the toy models after.
- Both of the inner and outer boxes for the fiberboard construction toy may take the form of a regular slotted container. The toy may be offered in a model kit of transportation means including land, air and sea vehicles. Or, it may be an animal model on wheels. The toy may be a model house of a corrugated fiberboard and decorated wall accessories.
- According to one embodiment of the present invention, a corrugated fiberboard construction toy ride incorporating a set of recyclable shipping boxes comprises an outer box that in its entirety forms a main frame of the toy ride besides its temporary uses in shipping the toy ride to and from a toy user; one or more inner boxes of corrugated fiberboard fully contained in the outer box during shipping and then deployed to mate with the outer box to provide a subassembly of the toy ride with an enough rigidity to support a child's weight, the inner boxes being a set of regular slotted containers oriented to have a group of flaps open sideways at one end of the toy ride and another group of closed flaps at the opposite end of the toy ride; a steering means mounted on the open group of flaps via a supporting column of corrugated fiberboard with a number of dowel fasteners threaded through walls of the fiberboard and two opposite floor wheels on an axle mounted across the main frame near the opposite end of the toy ride and; accessories for adding convenience and decoration to the toy ride to model after a man-made vehicle or animal figure to ride.
- The corrugated fiberboard construction toy ride may be a three wheeled wagon with the steering means including a single wheel centrally positioned on the supporting column and an elongated handle to provide a control grip of the wagon. Alternatively, it may be developed into a four-wheeled animal figure with the steering means including two side wheels on a transverse axle through the supporting column and an elongated handle to provide a control grip of the animal figure.
- The corrugated fiberboard construction toy wagon may be easily modified into an aircraft figure on landing gear of three wheels with the steering means including a single wheel centrally positioned on the supporting column and an elongated handle to provide a control grip of the aircraft figure. Auxiliary accessories to make the aircraft transformation include a tail plane on a fin mounted on the main frame near the single wheel, a cowl with a propeller at the opposite end of the main frame, and two side wings made of corrugated fiberboard boxes and having die-cut locks for attachment to the main frame.
- In another important embodiment of the present invention, a corrugated fiberboard construction toy building incorporating a set of recyclable shipping boxes comprises an outer box that in its entirety forms an exploded first roof section of the toy building besides its temporary uses in shipping the toy building to and from a toy user; an inner box contained in the outer box during shipping and then exploded to join the first roof section to make an elongated roof component; at least four telescope boxes contained in the inner box for making peripheral supporting columns with a number of threading dowels penetrating through walls of the fiberboard boxes; flexible cover panels for forming walls attached by dowels to the roof components and supporting columns to complete a residential space inside the toy building.
- The cover panels of the fiberboard toy building may be made of plastic and adapted to cover four peripheral sides between the columns under the roof components leaving reclosable doors and windows. Alternatively, the cover panels may be made of fabric.
- Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cardboard box wagon according to one embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the box wagon ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the box wagon ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view along line 4-4 of the box wagon ofFIG. 3 . -
FIG. 5 is a partially exploded perspective view of a toy character ride in the form of a bear on wheels according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an airplane ride according to another alternate embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a toy house according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of component boxes of the toy house ofFIG. 7 in shipment partially exploded to show the toy disassembled for shipment to a customer or recycling site according to the present invention. - Similar reference numbers denote corresponding features throughout the attached drawings.
-
CALL OUT LIST OF ELEMENTS 10: Box Wagon 12: Wheel 14: Real Axle 16: Front Wheel 18: Front Axle 20: Handle 22: Outer Frame Box 23: Cushion 24: Side Panel 26: Flat Top 28: Full Flap 30: Regular Flap 32: Opening 34: Rear Support 36: Front Panel 37, 38: Flap 40, 44: Axle Bore 42: Corner 46: Sleeve 48: Shaft 50: Connecting Rod 52: Full Flap 54: Supporting Column 56: Regular Flap 58: Support 60: Front Opening 62: Compartment 64: Blind Wall 68: Lateral Flap 70: Horizontal Flap 72: Dowel Hole 74: Side Bore 76: Pinning Tube 78: Back Plate 80: Arm 82: Connection Section 84: Forearm Section 86: Distal Thru Hole 88: Cross Rod 90: Rolling Sleeve 92: Side Bore 94: Lateral Thru Hole 96: Lower Fork 98: Double Barrel Joint 100: Axle Ring 102: Upper Handle Portion 200: Bear Ride 212: Rear Wheel 214: Rear Axle 216: Front Wheel 220: Handle 221 Sleeve 222: Outer Frame Box 223: Grip Bar 224: Front Axle 225: Animal Head 224: Side Panel 226: Top 227: Cover Mat 229: Frictional Surface 231: Top Side Opening 240: Lower Tube Section 242: Joint 245: Upper Tube Section 246: Sleeve 247: Foot Rest 248: Tubular Shaft 252: Full Flap 254: Supporting Column 256: Regular Flap 260: Front Opening 262: Compartment 276: Pinning Tube 280: Flexing Arms 300: Airplane 312: Front Landing Gear 314: Axle 316: Rear Landing Gear 318: Axle 320: Handle 322: Outer Frame Box 323: Cushion 332: First Opening 334: First Box Support 352: Full Flap 354: Column 358: Second Box Support 361: Slot 363: Cowl 365: Die-cut Lock 366: Bottom Lock 369: Shaft 371: Propeller 373: Bolt 375, 387: Top Slot 376: Tube 377: Sidewall Slot 379: Left Wing 380: Arm 381: Major Lock 383: Lock 385: Right Wing 500: Playhouse 510, 512: Roof Section 513: Roof Component 514, 516: End Flap 518. 520: End Flap 522: Dowel Hole 524: Telescope Box Column 526: Inner Tube 528: Outer Tube 530: Larger Sheet 532: Door 534: Handle 536, 544: Fastener 538: Reinforcement 540: Smaller Sheet 542: Window 546: Wall Fastener 548: Triangular Sheet 550: Opening 552: Dowel 554: Spine 556: Flap Overlap 557: Tube Junction 558: Lower Corner - With reference to
FIG. 1 , a cardboard boxconstruction toy wagon 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention has three package boxes in the most common style of regular slotted container that can be assembled in a child's room to provide a durable indoor toy. Wagon 10 is provided with tworear wheels 12 on a reartransverse axle 14 and afront wheel 16 on afront axle 18 to which anelongated handle 20 is connected for pushing or pulling thewagon 10. Wagon 10 comprises the largest single part that is anouter frame box 22.Box 22 may have sleek exterior surfaces with decorative graphic printed to simulate certain types of vehicle. Additionally, decals may be provided to add reality to the assembly kit ofwagon 10. In order to give a convenient seating,cushion 23 may be optionally attached towagon 10 about its top center. Also referring toFIG. 2 , before thewagon 10 is completed by a recipient it contains its own components in two smaller boxes contained in theouter box 22 used as an original shipping container to deliver via a convenient shipping service of choice by a toy supplier. The shippingouter box 22 as used turns into a frame box, which becomes the principal part ofwagon 10. - The
wagon 10 mainly comprises the most widely used cardboard material, which is technically corrugated fiberboard consisting of a fluted corrugated sheet normally glued to and positioned between two flat linerboards for use as conventional shipping containers or storage boxes of various household items and commodities. This forms a single wall corrugated board for the box. To enhance the strength offrame box 22, it is possible to incorporate a double wall fiberboard having three flat facings and two intermediate fluted corrugated sheets. Also available is a triple wall corrugated board formed by four flat facings and three intermediate corrugated sheets. - Manufactured box structures of the fiberboard are known to have many different designs including the popular regular slotted containers with top and bottom areas made closable by four flaps respectively having the same length, overlap slotted containers with a set of two opposing flaps made longer to overlap partially or fully, telescope boxes consisting of two or three box sections telescoping in various degrees at different separation lines and combination of the above.
- The boxes of this embodiment of
wagon 10 may employ the combinations of the above types of boxes with careful positioning of their flaps to enhance the structural rigidity of the toy ride. Theouter box 22 may be a modified full-overlap slotted container of a relatively thin profile having two identicalelongated side panels 24 connected in a shorter parallel distance defined by another pair offlat top 26 and similar bottom panels so thattop panel 26 provides convenient striding surfaces for a rider ofwagon 10. Preferably, alongitudinal span 25 ofbox 22 is twice alatitudinal span 27 thereof so that regular squares may fit insidebox 22 side by side.Side panels 24 have full overlap flaps 28 at one end that may be folded flat onto the inner surfaces of therespective side panels 24 to reinforceframe box 22 vertically against the rider's weight. In addition,top panel 26 and the bottom counterpart haveregular flaps 30 folded intoframe box 22 to double the thickness offrame box 22 locally. Thus, arectangular opening 32 is formed by the four smooth folding lines offlaps - In order to provide
wagon 10 with a riding stability over longer product lifetime while keeping its lightweight, anupright support box 34 may be press fitted into therear opening 32 offrame box 22 so that a verticalfront panel 36 ofrear support 34 extends midway along the entire length offrame box 22 on which most body weight of the rider will fall.Rear support 34 may be a regular slotted container with its entire top 37 and bottom 38 flaps kept closed after it is emptied of its load of the wagon components shipped therewith. In addition,rear support 34 has two axle bores 40 formed in line transversely close to opposite lowerrear corners 42 corresponding to similar axle bores 44 that are preformed throughframe box 22 and its proximalfull flaps 28 at an appropriate distance from the floor to provide a safe ground clearance ofwagon 10 for small toy riders. Whenrear support 34 is positioned inframe box 22 withbores axle 14 may be installed.Axle 14 may comprise astationary sleeve 46, which is a cut length of a strong cardboard pipe tightly threaded throughbores sleeve 46 driven in,rear support 34 becomes fixed inbox 22. Then, twowheels 12 each having a short section oftubular shaft 48 attached may be slidably mounted into thesleeve 46.Wheels 12 andshafts 48 may be ordinary plastic and/or wood structures and rubber tires or belts may be provided to surround thewheels 12 for an extra traction. In order to keep components in good size for the confined space such as the internal volume ofbox 34, two shortenedshaft 48 may be fastened to each other via a section of connectingrod 50 insidesleeve 46. The remaining half of the interior space offrame box 22 may be reinforced using another common box structure but with an extra functionality in mind. - The opposite ends of
side panels 24 ofbox 22 are provided with two lateralfull flaps 52 generally extending in parallel for flexibly holdingfront wheel 16 supported on a supportingcolumn 54. Between the twofull flaps 52 are tworegular flaps 56 folded insidebox 22 to provide smooth edges and thicken the corresponding areas offrame box 22. The remaining box is afront support 58 pushed intobox 22 from afront opening 60.Support 58 may be a regular slotted container that is oriented to lie sideways in a size to fill another half of the interior ofbox 22 next torear support 34 to provide a frontrectangular compartment 62 for supportingcolumn 54.Support 58 is pushed tightly to line thebox 22 so that a verticalblind wall 64 formed of closed inner four flaps engagesfront panel 36 ofrear support 34 to double the vertical strength ofbox wagon 10. At the same time,front support 58 is completely opened forwardly where twolateral flaps 68 are folded out and back to facefull flaps 28 offrame box 22 while twohorizontal flaps 70 are folded in reverse to clear the space forregular flaps 56, which are already put insidebox 22. There may be two sets of dowel holes 72 formed throughout both folded lateral flaps 44 close to theopen compartment 62 offront support 58. Dowel holes 72 of each set extend in line transversely corresponding to similar side bore 74 that are preformed throughframe box 22 nearfront opening 60. Equal length ofcardboard tubes 76 may be used as dowel pins for latchingbox 22 andfront support 58 together. Also threaded by pinningtubes 76 is supportingcolumn 54 insidefront support 58. - Supporting
column 54 may be made of two or three stacked sheets of bent fiberboard comprising avertical back plate 78 sized to fit incompartment 62 tightly and two flexingarms 80 extending fromback plate 78 for supportingfront wheel 16. Eacharm 80 has alateral connection section 82 that rests on the inner surface offront support 58 and aforearm section 84 provided with a distal thruhole 86 so that across rod 88 may be held by penetrating a series ofholes 86 at opposite sides with a rollingsleeve 90 slidably mounted thereon.Sleeve 90 is in turn fixed towheel 16 concentrically to allowwheel 16 rotate freely with respect to supportingcolumn 54.Connection sections 82 each has two side bores 92 that will be aligned withdowel holes 72 of front support and side bores 74 ofbox 22 after assembly. When assembled, the outer surface offorearm section 84 faces the inner surface offull flaps 52 ofbox 22.Flaps 52 also have lateral thruholes 94 similar to and aligned withholes 86 to receivecross rod 88 protruding outwardly of thruholes 86. The longitudinal extension offorearm section 84 is determined relative to the length offull flap 52 ofbox 22 so that oncetubes 76secure box 22,front support 58 and supportingcolumn 54 togetherflap 52 is flexed to retreat thruholes 86 for threading withcross rod 88 as illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 4 . This provides an extra flexibility offlaps 52 sideways to increase its range of motion in concert with left or right deflections offront wheel 16 andforearm sections 84 by an operator throughhandle 20. Because of the inherent flexibility of the paper material, simply turningwheel 16 throughhandle 20 will result in a gentle directional change of thewagon 10 without a dedicated steering mechanism. - If it is desired to provide
wheel 16 with an option of tight turns,support column 54 may be modified to adopt known steering methods. For example,forearm sections 84 with thruholes 86 may extend alternatively from top and bottom ofback plate 78 generally horizontally in order to have theholes 86 open vertically in the center ofwagon 10 for rotationally holding a single handle bar to whichfront wheel 16 and handles are connected at opposite ends thereof. -
Handle 20 may be made of metal in the form of tube sections and comprise alower fork 96 with two bent tubes welded by a double barrel joint 98. Axle rings 100 terminate two bifurcated ends oflower fork 96 for receiving theaxle 18 threaded intocross rod 88 mounted onfront wheel 16. At the time of assembly,fork 96 may be forcibly expanded and then released to engageaxle 18 protruding from opposite thruholes 86 to securewheel 16 in locked position between twoforearm sections 84. Then, a shaped and paddedupper handle portion 102 may be pushed into joint 98 to complete thehandle 20. As with conventional push ride-ons, thehandle 20 may be maneuvered by the rider or an assisting operator to propelwagon 10 of the present invention. - Alternatively, double or more multiple-wall fiberboard may replace the single wall as described above. In such case, two
inner supports outer box 22. Dowels are preferably hollow rather than solid so that they form tubes and are similar to shipping tubes having an uncorrugated cardboard wall portion. Dowel strength and stiffness are sized according to fit the design. -
FIG. 5 shows a second one of diverse applications of the same shipping box toy concept to a slight different ride in the form of an interesting animal to ride that is a polar bear, which has us concern about our limited natural resources and global warming, too. Abear ride 200 is based on the same frame ofwagon 10 in that it comprises tworear wheels 212 on a reartransverse axle 214, anouter frame box 222 that is the original shipping container, two smaller boxes press fitted insideouter box 222 contained in theouter box 222. - The
outer box 222 may be a modified full-overlap slotted container of a relatively thin profile having two identicalelongated side panels 224 connected in a shorter parallel distance defined by another pair offlat top 226 and similar bottom panels so thattop panel 226 provides a convenient striding surface for a rider oftoy bear 200.Side panels 224 have full overlap flaps at one end that may be folded flat onto the inner surfaces of therespective side panels 224 to reinforceframe box 222 vertically against the rider's weight. - Also, an upright box liner for reinforcement is press fitted into the rear of
frame box 222 so that a vertical front panel of the rear box liner extends midway along the entire length offrame box 222 on which most body weight of the rider will fall. The rear box liner may be a regular slotted container with its entire top and bottom flaps kept closed after it is emptied of its load of the toy components shipped therewith. In addition, the rear box liner has two axle bores formed in line transversely close to opposite lower rear corners corresponding to similar axle bores that are preformed throughframe box 222 and its proximal full flaps at an appropriate distance from the floor to provide a safe ground clearance oftoy bear 200 for small riders. When the rear box liner is positioned inframe box 222 with bores aligned,axle 214 may be installed.Axle 214 may comprise astationary sleeve 246, which is a cut length of a strong cardboard pipe tightly threaded through bores ofbox 222 and the box liner. Withsleeve 246 driven in, the rear box liner becomes fixed inbox 222. Then, twowheels 212 each having a short section oftubular shaft 248 attached may be slidably mounted into thesleeve 246. - However, instead of single
front wheel 16, the second embodiment employs twowheels 216, which are identical to therear wheel assembly 212 so thattoy bear 200 provides more stable rides. - The opposite ends of
side panels 224 ofbox 222 are provided with two lateralfull flaps 252 generally extending in parallel for flexibly holdingfront wheels 216 supported on a supportingcolumn 254. Between the twofull flaps 252 are tworegular flaps 256 folded insidebox 222 to provide smooth edges and thicken the corresponding areas offrame box 222. The remaining box is a front box liner pushed intobox 222 from afront opening 260. The front box liner (Support 58) may be a regular slotted container that is oriented to lie sideways in a size to fill another half of the interior ofbox 222 next to the rear box liner to provide a frontrectangular compartment 262 for supportingcolumn 254. The front box liner is pushed tightly to line thebox 222 to double the vertical strength oftoy bear 200. Equal length ofcardboard tubes 276 may be used as dowel pins for latchingbox 222 and the front box liner together through appropriately formed bores in advance. Also threaded by pinningtubes 276 is supportingcolumn 254 inside the front box liner. - Supporting
column 254 may be made of two or three stacked sheets of bent fiberboard and has two parallel flexingarms 280. Anaxle 224 forfront wheels 216 is fixedly mounted onfull flaps 252 and supportingcolumn 254. Extending fromaxle 224 is anupright handle 220 that may be connected on theaxle 224 by asleeve 221 and terminated at its top end with ahorizontal grip bar 223. Two joined small boxes form ananimal head 225 for mounting overgrip bar 223 to support acover 227, which may be made of a plush toy section combined with a seating mat to provide a soft riding surfaces with a warm feeling. Theplush cover 227 may be comfortably padded and have a frictionalrear surface 229 that contacts box 222 at its top 226 andsides 224 to provide a safer ride.Top side openings 231 are formed to let grip bar 223 protrude laterally. - Because of the inherent flexibility of the paper material, simply turning
wheels 216 throughhandle 220 will result in a gentle directional change of thetoy bear 200 without a dedicated steering mechanism. - If it is desired to provide
wheels 216 with an option of tight turns,support column 254 may be modified to adopt known steering methods. For example,arms 280 may extend alternatively from top and bottom ofsupport column 254 generally horizontally in order to have vertical holes formed througharms 280 in the center oftoy bear 200 for rotationally threading a single handle bar to whichfront wheels 216 andgrip bar 223 are connected at opposite ends thereof. - Handle 220 may be made of metal and include a pair of
lower tube sections 240 welded by a double barrel joint 242 to provide a high torsional strength. Then, a pair ofupper tube sections 245 withgrip bar 223 may be pushed into joint 242 to complete thehandle 220. With conventional toy ride-ons, the rider may grip thehandle 220 to maneuvertoy bear 200 and drive it by pushing the floor by legs.Optional footrests 247 may be plugged in lower pinningtube 276. -
FIG. 6 is a third embodiment where the wagon foundation ofFIG. 2 embodiment may be easily modified into other transportation toys such as anairplane 300 with optional add-ons. -
Airplane 300 may use the same type of three regular slotted containers as in thewagon 10 of the first embodiment.Airplane 300 is provided with afront landing gear 312 made of two wheels on anaxle 314 and arear landing gear 316 on anaxle 318 to which anelongated handle 320 is optionally connected for an assistant to push or pull theairplane 300.Airplane 300 comprises the largest single part that is an outerfuselage frame box 322.Box 322 may have sleek exterior surfaces with decorative graphic printed to simulate certain model of airplane. In order to give convenient seating, a cushion 323 may be optionally attached toairplane 300 about its top center. -
Airplane 300 is shipped in kit form to a recipient's place to assemble. Theouter box 322 as used in shipping turns into a working fuselage, which becomes the principal part ofairplane 300. The boxes of this embodiment ofairplane 300 may employ the combinations of different type containers including the regular slotted containers, overlap slotted containers and telescope boxes with careful positioning of their flaps to enhance the structural rigidity of the toy ride. Theouter box 322 may be a modified full-overlap slotted container of a relatively thin profile. - Preferably,
airplane 300 has a latitudinal span twice longer than its width so that two box liners with regular square sides may fit insidebox 322 side by side. In preparation for assembly,box 322 may have its four flaps at one end folded flat onto the inner surfaces thereof to reinforcebox 322 against the rider's weight. Thus, four smooth folding lines of the flaps define a firstrectangular opening 332. - In order to provide
airplane 300 with a riding stability over longer product lifetime while keeping its lightweight, an uprightfirst box support 334 may be press fitted intofirst opening 332 so that thesupport 334 reaches midway along the entire length ofbox 322 on which most body weight of the rider will fall.Box support 334 may be a regular slotted container with its entire top and bottom flaps kept closed after it is emptied of its load of the airplane components shipped therewith.Axle 314 may comprise a fixed sleeve (not shown) threaded through transverse bores at lower corners ofouter box 322 andbox support 334. Such sleeve also functions to secure bothboxes wheels 312 each having a short section of tubular shaft attached may be rotatably mounted into the sleeve. - The remaining half of the interior space of
fuselage box 322 may be reinforced using asecond box support 358 pushed intobox 322 in the opposite direction from thefirst support 334. The opposite end ofbox 322 is provided with two lateralfull flaps 352 generally extending in parallel for flexibly holdingrear landing gear 316 supported on a supportingcolumn 354. - Two
cardboard tubes 376 may penetrate throughout sidewalls of bothboxes column 354 to join them together. Supportingcolumn 354 has two flexingarms 380 distally located for supportinglanding gear 316.Column 354 is partially inserted insecond support 358 and locked therein by two pinningtubes 376.Axle 318 forlanding gear 316 penetrates opposite stacks ofarm 380 andfull flap 352 and then clipped byhandle 320 at its bifurcated lower ends. Because of the inherent flexibility of the paper material, simply turninglanding gear 36 throughhandle 320 will result in a gentle directional change of theplane 300. - On the front side of
outer box 322 there may be punched slots for fastening airplane add-ons, i.e. threelateral slots 361 nearfirst opening 332 may extend throughfirst support 334 inside for latching a craftedpaper cowl 363 with three of four circumferentially located die-cut locks 365. The remainingbottom lock 366 may be inserted into a similar slot formed on the exposed wall area offirst support 334. A front-end wall 367 ofcowl 363 may have a bore (not shown) for mounting apaper tube shaft 369 of apropeller 371, which may be formed of wood or Styrofoam. Abolt 373 from the interior ofcowl 363 can keep theshaft 369 incowl 363. - A longitudinal
top slot 375 combined with a couple ofvertical sidewall slots 377 may be similarly formed throughouter box 322 andfirst box support 334 for mating with aleft wing 379, which is a thin elongated box, preferably shaped into a wedge. At the proximal end ofwing 379, a major die-cut lock 381 may be shaped on a horizontal top flap to latch intop slot 375 ofbox 322 while two die-cut locks 383 made be formed out of the opposing bottom flap to extend vertically side by side and inserted insidewall slots 377 ofbox 322. Oppositeright wing 385 is correspondingly structured to mate with a righttop slot 387 ofbox 322 and sidewall slots similar toslots 377. - At the end, a cut out
paper fin 389 clips onto an open edge 360 ofbox 322 as atail plane 391 is inserted through a side slit offin 389. - Instead of the aircraft accessories of
cowl 363,propeller 371,fin 389 andtail plane 391, adding a bow and stern part may be added to both ends of the vehicle to form a ship model. - The present invention not only applies to rideable toy products but also to residential toy buildings such as an in-
house playhouse 500 shown inFIG. 7 . Referring also toFIG. 8 wherein supporting paper components are selected for display, the invention is more clearly demonstrated to show how a simple set of shipping boxes can be expanded to structural foundation of the scale toys with which children can actively engage and play more. Anouter shipping box 510 and a closely dimensionedinner box 512 may be regular slotted containers with identical end flaps 514, 516 that close with the temporary assistance of staples, die-cut locks and/or adhesive to make the respective boxes stacked one over the other. For the purpose of the present invention, eight closure flaps 518 and 520 in the respective sets forboxes slanted roof component 513 ofhouse 500. Also formed aredowel holes 522 through appropriate points of the entire box walls to make instant joints between house components. Main support ofplayhouse 500 is provided by fourtelescope boxes 524, one of which is pulled up for clarity. Eachbox 524 comprises aninner tube 526 tightly inserted in anouter tube 528.Tubes - Although not shown in
FIG. 8 in the form of loose components, finishedplayhouse 500 ofFIG. 7 includes add-ons to decorate the building frame principally of two joinedroof sections corner columns 524. Added to the frame are four separate sidewalls made of fabric or plastic material. Alargest sheet 530 finishes a front wall ofhouse 500 with a cut outdoor 532 at one side.Door 532 may be fitted with ahandle 534 with a closure having two attracting magnets or a hook andloop fastener 536.Reinforcements 538 may be attached to edges ofdoor 532 and the surrounding areas to provide a visually prominent entrance to thehouse 500. The same form of sheet may be applied to set up the opposite rear wall. Both sidewalls may be set up bysmaller sheets 540 with cut outwindows 542 that simulate casement windows. A set ofmating fasteners 544 may be attached to have thewindow 542 closed temporarily and then a matching set ofwall fasteners 546 may be attached tosidewall 540 at a distance fromwindow 542 so thatopposite fasteners 544 ofwindow 542 can swing out to mate with thecounterpart fasteners 546 to keepwindow 542 open. A couple oftriangular sheets 548 cover the opposite openings made byroof sections openings 550 for air circulation and observation. - This
whole house 500 may stand firmly only by using a type of dowel pins 552 at appropriate locations throughout. First, tworoof sections flaps Triangular sheets 548 are attached to joinedroof sections middle spine area 554 deflected into a matching angle tosheet 548. Overlapped flaps at 556 are nailed bydowel 552threading sheet 548 also. At least one dowel is used to tack everyflap sheets 548. - Each of the four
columns 524 is kept erected by at least fourside dowels 552 threaded through overlappedjunctions 557 between inner andouter tubes roof assembly columns 524. Next, end flaps 514 and 516 provide a top frame for attaching the largest front andrear sheets 530. At each corner ofhouse 500,column 524 is also penetrated by the samedowel passing sheet 530 andend flap Dowels 552 at thejunction 557 of twotubes sheet 530 as it is further attached atlower corners 558 tocolumns 524. Likewise, bothside sheets 540 may be attached to the remaining sides ofcolumns 524 to complete thehouse 500. - Besides the initial advantage of offering a useful economic toy line in accordance with the present invention, replacements or disposal of these toys will be beneficial to environment because the volume components of the box toys will be an excellent fiber material for recycling. Even the actual process of recycling the novel toys of the present invention is preinstalled on the outer toy bodies, which were the very shipping boxes in the first place. They can trace back to the recycling address as originally agreed upon unless an immediate collection is available in the neighborhood. The practical solutions of the present invention will nurture the children now and later by helping conserve natural resources and energy for their future.
- Therefore, while the presently preferred forms of the shipping box transformed toys have been shown and described, and several modifications thereof discussed, persons skilled in this art will readily appreciate that various additional changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined and differentiated by the following claims.
Claims (17)
1. A corrugated fiberboard construction toy incorporating a set of recyclable shipping boxes comprising:
an outer box that in its entirety forms a main part of the toy besides its temporary uses for shipping the toy to and from a toy user;
one or more inner boxes of corrugated fiberboard contained in the outer box during shipping and then deployed to mate with the outer box to provide a subassembly of the toy with a predetermined rigidity;
auxiliary forms of corrugated fiberboard for mating with the outer and inner boxes to selectively support the toy subassembly as it differentiates into a model figure or building for a child to actively play on or in;
a number of dowel fasteners for penetrating walls of the fiberboard to maintain the integrity of the toy; and
accessories for adding selective toy features to the outer and inner boxes to further simulate the building or vehicle the toy models after.
2. The corrugated fiberboard construction toy of claim 1 , wherein each of the inner boxes is a regular slotted container.
3. The corrugated fiberboard construction toy of claim 1 , wherein the toy is in a model kit of transportation means including land, air and sea vehicles.
4. The corrugated fiberboard construction toy of claim 1 , wherein the toy is in a kit of an animal model on wheels.
5. The corrugated fiberboard construction toy of claim 1 , wherein the toy is in a model house kit.
6. A corrugated fiberboard construction toy ride incorporating a set of recyclable shipping boxes comprising:
an outer box that in its entirety forms a main frame of the toy ride besides its temporary uses in shipping the toy ride to and from a toy user;
one or more inner boxes of corrugated fiberboard fully contained in the outer box during shipping and then deployed to mate with the outer box to provide a subassembly of the toy ride with an enough rigidity to support a child's weight, the inner boxes being a set of regular slotted containers oriented to have a group of flaps open sideways at one end of the toy ride and another group of closed flaps at the opposite end of the toy ride;
a steering means mounted on the open group of flaps via a supporting column of corrugated fiberboard with a number of dowel fasteners threaded through walls of the fiberboard and two opposite floor wheels on an axle mounted across the main frame near the opposite end of the toy ride and;
accessories for adding convenience and decoration to the toy ride to model after a man-made vehicle or animal figure to ride.
7. The corrugated fiberboard construction toy ride of claim 6 , wherein the toy ride is a three wheeled wagon with the steering means including a single wheel centrally positioned on the supporting column and an elongated handle to provide a control grip of the wagon.
8. The corrugated fiberboard construction toy ride of claim 6 , wherein the toy ride is a four wheeled animal figure with the steering means including two side wheels on a transverse axle through the supporting column and an elongated handle to provide a control grip of the animal figure.
9. The corrugated fiberboard construction toy ride of claim 6 , wherein the accessories include an animal head skeleton of one or more corrugated fiberboard boxes mounted on the steering means and a comfort mat to cover the animal figure at least partially.
10. The corrugated fiberboard construction toy ride of claim 6 , wherein the toy ride is an aircraft figure on landing gear of three wheels with the steering means including a single wheel centrally positioned on the supporting column and an elongated handle to provide a control grip of the aircraft figure and wherein the accessories include a tail plane on a fin mounted on the main frame near the single wheel, a cowl with a propeller at the opposite end of the main frame, and two side wings made of corrugated fiberboard boxes and having die-cut locks for attachment to the main frame.
11. A corrugated fiberboard construction toy building incorporating a set of recyclable shipping boxes comprising:
an outer box that in its entirety forms an exploded first roof section of the toy building besides its temporary uses in shipping the toy building to and from a toy user;
an inner box contained in the outer box during shipping and then exploded to join the first roof section to make an elongated roof component;
at least four telescope boxes contained in the inner box for making peripheral supporting columns with a number of threading dowels penetrating through walls of the fiberboard boxes;
flexible cover panels for forming walls attached by dowels to the roof components and supporting columns to complete a residential space inside the toy building.
12. The corrugated fiberboard construction toy building of claim 11 , wherein the cover panels are made of plastic and adapted to cover four peripheral sides between the columns under the roof components leaving reclosable doors and windows.
13. The corrugated fiberboard construction toy building of claim 12 , wherein the doors and windows are reclosable with using magnet attractions.
14. The corrugated fiberboard construction toy building of claim 12 , wherein the doors and windows are reclosable with using hook and loop fasteners.
15. The corrugated fiberboard construction toy building of claim 11 , wherein the cover panels are made of fabric and adapted to cover four peripheral sides between the columns under the roof components leaving reclosable doors and windows.
16. The corrugated fiberboard construction toy building of claim 15 wherein the doors and windows are reclosable with using magnet attractions.
17. The corrugated fiberboard construction toy building of claim 15 , wherein the doors and windows are reclosable with using hook and loop fasteners.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/070,437 US20090209166A1 (en) | 2008-02-19 | 2008-02-19 | Shipping box toy |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/070,437 US20090209166A1 (en) | 2008-02-19 | 2008-02-19 | Shipping box toy |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20090209166A1 true US20090209166A1 (en) | 2009-08-20 |
Family
ID=40955554
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/070,437 Abandoned US20090209166A1 (en) | 2008-02-19 | 2008-02-19 | Shipping box toy |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20090209166A1 (en) |
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2018019531A1 (en) | 2016-07-29 | 2018-02-01 | Arcelik Anonim Sirketi | Corrugated board shipping package for household appliance which can be transformed into a cabin, method, use |
US10325238B1 (en) * | 2016-03-03 | 2019-06-18 | Amazon Technologies, Inc. | Transformable shipping containers |
US20190231045A1 (en) * | 2016-09-20 | 2019-08-01 | Aili Jian | Interactive animate luggage |
US10387932B2 (en) * | 2016-09-07 | 2019-08-20 | iNetwork Group, LLC | Method for re-purposing a shipping box for use as a playhouse |
US20210347397A1 (en) * | 2020-04-30 | 2021-11-11 | Headstart International Pty Ltd | Ride-on toy for children |
US11247139B2 (en) * | 2019-10-15 | 2022-02-15 | Lovevery, Inc. | Activity box |
US20230149820A1 (en) * | 2021-11-18 | 2023-05-18 | Stallion Sport Limited | Portable Ride-On Toy |
Citations (12)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1932368A (en) * | 1933-05-04 | 1933-10-24 | Gum Inc | Carton which is equipped to be used as a toy |
US2124352A (en) * | 1938-03-02 | 1938-07-19 | Doris T Patten | Doll house assembly |
US2551089A (en) * | 1946-12-21 | 1951-05-01 | Behrens Albert | Packaging container convertible into a toy |
US2589588A (en) * | 1948-06-14 | 1952-03-18 | Jullien F Winnemore | Toy building boxes |
US3195265A (en) * | 1961-06-09 | 1965-07-20 | Productive Ideas Unltd Inc | Package convertible to a toy |
US3261619A (en) * | 1962-10-24 | 1966-07-19 | Gen Box Company | Child's coaster vehicle |
US3939600A (en) * | 1974-10-30 | 1976-02-24 | Eid Ellen G | Take-apart toy |
US4963115A (en) * | 1989-12-18 | 1990-10-16 | Smart Design, Inc. | Multipurpose container toy with mountable wheels |
US4992068A (en) * | 1989-12-28 | 1991-02-12 | Conrad Peter M | Educational play house |
US5358172A (en) * | 1991-03-15 | 1994-10-25 | Omega Engineering, Inc. | Transformable carton |
US5423709A (en) * | 1994-04-08 | 1995-06-13 | Summers; Marie L. | Collapsible doll house with foldable sections |
US20060219764A1 (en) * | 2005-04-01 | 2006-10-05 | Copeman Donald G | Play box with multiple configuration capability |
-
2008
- 2008-02-19 US US12/070,437 patent/US20090209166A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (12)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1932368A (en) * | 1933-05-04 | 1933-10-24 | Gum Inc | Carton which is equipped to be used as a toy |
US2124352A (en) * | 1938-03-02 | 1938-07-19 | Doris T Patten | Doll house assembly |
US2551089A (en) * | 1946-12-21 | 1951-05-01 | Behrens Albert | Packaging container convertible into a toy |
US2589588A (en) * | 1948-06-14 | 1952-03-18 | Jullien F Winnemore | Toy building boxes |
US3195265A (en) * | 1961-06-09 | 1965-07-20 | Productive Ideas Unltd Inc | Package convertible to a toy |
US3261619A (en) * | 1962-10-24 | 1966-07-19 | Gen Box Company | Child's coaster vehicle |
US3939600A (en) * | 1974-10-30 | 1976-02-24 | Eid Ellen G | Take-apart toy |
US4963115A (en) * | 1989-12-18 | 1990-10-16 | Smart Design, Inc. | Multipurpose container toy with mountable wheels |
US4992068A (en) * | 1989-12-28 | 1991-02-12 | Conrad Peter M | Educational play house |
US5358172A (en) * | 1991-03-15 | 1994-10-25 | Omega Engineering, Inc. | Transformable carton |
US5423709A (en) * | 1994-04-08 | 1995-06-13 | Summers; Marie L. | Collapsible doll house with foldable sections |
US20060219764A1 (en) * | 2005-04-01 | 2006-10-05 | Copeman Donald G | Play box with multiple configuration capability |
Cited By (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10325238B1 (en) * | 2016-03-03 | 2019-06-18 | Amazon Technologies, Inc. | Transformable shipping containers |
WO2018019531A1 (en) | 2016-07-29 | 2018-02-01 | Arcelik Anonim Sirketi | Corrugated board shipping package for household appliance which can be transformed into a cabin, method, use |
US10387932B2 (en) * | 2016-09-07 | 2019-08-20 | iNetwork Group, LLC | Method for re-purposing a shipping box for use as a playhouse |
US20190370875A1 (en) * | 2016-09-07 | 2019-12-05 | iNetwork Group, LLC | Method For Re-Purposing A Shipping Box For Use As A Playhouse |
US20190231045A1 (en) * | 2016-09-20 | 2019-08-01 | Aili Jian | Interactive animate luggage |
US11247139B2 (en) * | 2019-10-15 | 2022-02-15 | Lovevery, Inc. | Activity box |
US11865468B2 (en) | 2019-10-15 | 2024-01-09 | Lovevery, Inc. | Activity box |
US20210347397A1 (en) * | 2020-04-30 | 2021-11-11 | Headstart International Pty Ltd | Ride-on toy for children |
US20230149820A1 (en) * | 2021-11-18 | 2023-05-18 | Stallion Sport Limited | Portable Ride-On Toy |
US11839828B2 (en) * | 2021-11-18 | 2023-12-12 | Stallion Sport Limited | Portable ride-on toy |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US20090209166A1 (en) | Shipping box toy | |
EP2405783B1 (en) | Luggage | |
US5354589A (en) | Hinged structures | |
EP2114207B1 (en) | A collapsible seat | |
US7681782B2 (en) | Collapsible gift box | |
US4533151A (en) | Combination carrier, chair, and lounge/table | |
US20130244538A1 (en) | Playhouse with removable fastening system | |
US20150038246A1 (en) | Repeatedly Collapsible Retail Stand Toy | |
CA2563857A1 (en) | Process for assembling a bag | |
US8347467B2 (en) | Lightweight viewing casket with reinforcing lid and method of using same | |
US20110281495A1 (en) | Cardboard play structure | |
US2047748A (en) | Toy and the like | |
US20040166765A1 (en) | Folding cardboard playhouse | |
US7832757B2 (en) | Folding stroller with decorative skirt | |
CN201099189Y (en) | Hidden folding child seat for vehicle | |
US20110195796A1 (en) | Play structures | |
GB2398776A (en) | Collapsible container | |
US20230064959A1 (en) | Multi structural expandable and collapsible imaginary play Matt with automatic articulating mechanism to expand structures | |
AU2012100505B4 (en) | Luggage panel with integrated carry handle for soft-side type luggage cases | |
WO2007003870A1 (en) | Toy apparatus | |
WO2004063030A1 (en) | Collapsible container | |
JP2001220976A (en) | Portable knockdown stepladder | |
GB2331025A (en) | Collapsible Playcentre | |
UA115532U (en) | TEAM CHILDREN'S BUILDING | |
AU2011201310A1 (en) | A carriage |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |