Three-dimensional coloring product

Abstract

Coloring product including a plurality of substantially planar panels, at least one of which is a flocked panel including a colorable substrate and a flocked material applied in a pattern to an outer face thereof to maintain areas of the outer face exposed and thus colorable. The panels are designed to be connectable to together to form a three-dimensional object. Thus, children can enjoy coloring the flocked panel and then assembling the colored flocked panel with other panels to form the three-dimensional object which can be played with.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60 / 639,143 filed Dec. 22, 2004, the specification of which is incorporated by reference herein.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to coloring products for children and more specifically, to coloring products which allow children to both color pictures and form or assemble the pictures into three-dimensional objects that can be played with. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Children indisputably enjoy coloring. As such, various products have been developed to enhance their coloring experience above basic coloring books, from “color by numbers” coloring books (in which objects are partitioned into various shapes with each shape being numbered and each number assigned to a specific color) to fuzzy art. [0004] Fuzzy art involves paper or a board which has a velvet-type material applied to a colorable subs...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011] It is another object of the present invention to provide a new coloring product which includes planar panels or sheets which can be cut, folded, connected together and / or otherwise manipulated into a three-dimensional object so that the three-dimensional object can be played with.

[0016] Another connecting technique is used in particular to connect opposed panels together and involves the placement of one or more intermediate panels extending substantially perpendicular to the opposed panels and including tabs which fit into complementary slots in the opposed panels. The opposed panels may constitute front and rear panels of the three-dimensional object being formed, and the intermediate panel(s) can be flocked like the front and rear panels and / or include a design relating to a design on the front and rear panels, possibly to provide the object with a realistic three-dimensional appearance.

[0018] To reduce the need to connect panels together, it is possible to form a plurality of panels from a common sheet of material and provide fold lines in the sheet of material between the panels. As such, when the sheet of material is folded about the fold lines, the panels are formed. A connection mechanism might still be required to connect unattached ends of the panels together, e.g., an adhesive applied to an end of one panel to be pressed against an end of another panel. In one such embodiment, at least six panels are formed from a common sheet of material which has fold lines enabling it to be folded into the form of a box. The box may be provided with a design of a radio, e.g., as a boom box. To increase the resemblance of the box to a radio / boom box, a flocked tape-receiving and control panel and handle panel may be connected to the box, e.g., via tabs and complementary slots.

[0020] To enhance the child's playing experience with the three-dimensional objects, various interactive mechanisms can be arranged in connection with one or more of the panels forming the object or in an interior space of the object defined by the panels. For example, a sound generating mechanism can be arranged to generate sound relating to the object being formed or the design on the object. In one example, the design is in the form of a transformer-style robot and robotic-type sounds, words or phrases are generated when the sound generating mechanism is activated by pressing a button on the robot. This button can be arranged on one of the panels. In addition to or instead of sound generation, a light generating mechanism can be activated by the same or a different button to cause one or more LEDs to project light outward from the panel.

Problems solved by technology

One drawback to the prior art coloring products is that once completed, the colored pictures cannot be played with but rather, are useable only for decorative purposes, e.g., hung on a wall or pasted into a scrapbook.

None of the above-described products which enable the formation of three-dimensional objects intentionally provides children with an opportunity to color the sheets of material or pieces from which the three-dimensional object will be formed.

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