Child's portable activity pack

Abstract

A child's portable activity pack having folding pouches for amusement or educational items. The pack can be unfolded and its rear pouch placed on a folded down airplane passenger service tray. The back straps can be tightened beneath the tray to securely hold the pack on the tray and a front pouch with an erase board unfolds upwardly and hooks on the service tray catch provided to hold the service tray in its fold-up position. Friction hinges are also provided to releasably hold the front pouch in an upright position when not aboard an aircraft. The portable activity pack has side pouches, which hang down at the sides of the service tray, or other support, for storing the amusement and educational items. The back pouch includes a clear plastic game board and a compartment beneath the game board for game boards and flat items.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] Occupying the attention of children traveling in conveyances, such as airplanes or automobiles, is a challenge for parents. When confined to a seat on an airplane or automobile a child typically becomes restless and irritable due to inactivity. Although a parent may bring a few toys or play items aboard an airplane in carry-on luggage, the child typically loses interest in a relatively short period of time and looks for other avenues of entertainment. [0002] Thus there is a need for a child's portable activity pack that can be hand-carried onto commercial airplanes or taken on automobile trips and which contains a variety of amusement or educational items capable of maintaining the child's interest for extended periods of time. In addition to maintaining such activity items in an organized manner, the portable activity pack should include a wide variety of activity items, such as toys, books, a flat transparent surface for game boards, or tracing o...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0003] A portable activity pack in the form of a back pack is provided having back straps and a handle for hand carry and which has fold-up panels containing toys, games, writing or drawing paper and related children activity items. Aboard an aircraft the portable activity pack is unfolded and a rear pouch is placed on a fold-down tray attached to the back of the seat in front of the seat being occupied by the child. The back straps are crossed beneath the tray and rebuckled. A front pouch attached to one lateral side of the rear pouch, which is the same size as the rear pouch, has a loop on its free lateral edge, which hooks over the latch for the fold-down tray, thereby holding the front pouch and its dry erase board in an upright position. A lateral side pouch folds down from the other lateral side of the rear pouch at the front of the tray and top and bottom side pouches fold-down at the sides of the tray. The rear pouch has a transparent plastic window beneath which game boards and sheets of paper may be stored. The front pouch may include a dry erase board and includes a zipper for a pocket behind the board for storing paperback books, game boards or other flat items. Loops are provided below the dry erase board for holding dry erase pens. The side pouches also include zipper enclosed compartments for storing game cards, crayons, toys and the like. Mesh pockets are also provided on the side pouches for storing toys and game pieces and one of the side pouches preferably has loops for storing finger puppets. When it is desired to refold the portable activity pack, the front pouch unhooks from the tray latch and is folded over the rear of the rear pouch, the lateral side pouch is folded over the front pouch and a separating zipper therebetween is closed. Next, the top and bottom side pouches are folded over the interconnected front and lateral side pouches and a separating zipper therebetween is closed. A flap is provided to hide this last mentioned zipper. The flap is held in its zipper covering position by Velcro patches. The shoulder straps are then unbuckled and the portable activity pack is removed from the fold-down service tray. Friction hinges interconnect lateral edges of the front and rear pouches, which serve to frictionally hold the front pouch in an adjusted activity position when it is manually moved to such position. The friction hinges facilitate use of the portable activity pack when the activity site does not include a hook on which the loop can be hooked to hold the front pouch in an upright position.

Problems solved by technology

Occupying the attention of children traveling in conveyances, such as airplanes or automobiles, is a challenge for parents.

When confined to a seat on an airplane or automobile a child typically becomes restless and irritable due to inactivity.

Although a parent may bring a few toys or play items aboard an airplane in carry-on luggage, the child typically loses interest in a relatively short period of time and looks for other avenues of entertainment.

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