Stuffed toy with embedded magnets and related method

Abstract

A stuffed toy and method for removably attaching appendages. The appendages are magnetically attached using permanent magnets embedded beneath the stuffed toy fabric. In some embodiments, the appendages include such parts as a head, legs, arms, trunk, tail, or other toy body parts. The magnetically attached toy appendages are removable, reattachable, and interchangeable between toys or in some embodiments, to different positions on the same toy. In other embodiments, the head attaches only to a head position on the body, and the tail attaches only to a tail position on the body. In some embodiments, the body is shaped to provide an additional support structure to help hold the head in a desired position.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This invention claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 746,017, filed Apr. 28, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.[0002]This invention is related to the following applications:U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29 / 249,534, filed Oct. 10, 2006, titled “STUFFED TOY WITH DETACHABLE APPENDAGES”;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29 / 249,528, filed Oct. 10, 2006, titled “STUFFED TOY DRAGON WITH DETACHABLE APPENDAGES”;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29 / 249,530, filed Oct. 10, 2006, titled “STUFFED TOY ELEPHANT WITH DETACHABLE APPENDAGES”;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29 / 249,529, filed Oct. 10, 2006, titled “STUFFED TOY RABBIT WITH DETACHABLE APPENDAGES”;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29 / 249,531, filed Oct. 10, 2006, titled “STUFFED TOY PANDA WITH DETACHABLE APPENDAGES”;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29 / 249,533, filed Oct. 10, 2006, titled “STUFFED TOY GOLDFISH WITH DETACHABLE APPENDAGES”; andU.S....

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]In some embodiments, the magnet is of sufficient strength that attachment is accomplished strictly from the magnetic attraction between the toy parts. In some embodiments, each one of the body magnets are held to the surface of the body with the same pole facing outward from the body (e.g., in some embodiments, the body magnets are attached such that the north pole is outward for each magnetic location on the body), and the appendage magnets are held to the surface of the appendage with the same pole facing outward from the appendage (e.g., in some embodiments, the appendage magnets are each attached such that the south pole is outward for every appendage). In this way the polarity of the permanent magnets is used to enable the body to attract and hold its appendages to any magnetic location on the animal body, while the appendages repel each other. In other embodiments, the magnet polarities are configured so the head appendage will only attract to the head location (and not the tail location) on the body, the tail appendage will only attract to the tail location (and not the head location) on the body, and the head will attract directly to the tail. For example, in some embodiments, the main body has its head-attaching magnet with its north pole outward and its tail-attaching magnet with its south pole outward and the head has its magnet with the south pole outward so it can attach only to the head-attaching magnet of the body, and the tail has its magnet with the north pole outward so it can attach only to the tail-attaching magnet of the body. In some embodiments, different types of stuffed toy animals are provided in various similar body and appendage colo

Problems solved by technology

Many stuffed toys are rather static and lose children's interest after a short period of play.

Teagarden does not provide a st

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