A device or toy for attaching to an article such as a pencil

Abstract

A device, particularly a toy, for attaching to an article such as a pen, pencil, drinking straw and the like 12 is disclosed. The toy has a body formed from one or more sheets of a flexible material such as cardboard. The body has opposing lateral edges 18 and a pair of appendages 22 / 24, arms and / or legs, extend towards the middle 16 of the body. The appendages are adhered to the body so that flexing the body causes the appendages to open and releasing them allows the appendages to grasp the article.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for attaching to an article and to a method of forming such a device and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to a device in the form of a small toy which is sold or given away by retailers as part of an incentive scheme. The use of small toy like devices which are given away by retailers as an incentive to encourage parents of small children to use their establishment is commonplace. Typically, such toys are low cost and formed from plastic. As a result, these toys are typically thought of as single use plastic devices. It is desirable to reduce the use of single use plastics and therefore forming an appealing toy from a material other than plastic is a new requirement of this industry. However, such toys must remain as appealing devices otherwise they will not be purchased and collected or the effectiveness of their purpose as an incentive, to encourage families to use a particular retailer, is reduced. Existing toys, that are made from a material which is believed to be more sustainable such as cardboard, are often difficult to assemble making them unappealing to younger children or those with limited dexterity. Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome or alleviate the above described disadvantages of the prior art. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a device for attaching to an article such as a pen, pencil, drinking straw and the like, the device comprising a body comprising at least one flexible sheet material, the body defining a medial line extending along said body and having opposing first lateral edges distal of said medial line and a plurality of appendages extending towards said medial line from adjacent said respective opposing first lateral edges such that flexion of said body allows said appendages to grasp an article. The device described above forms a small toy which can be easily manipulated to attach to a pen, pencil, drinking straw or many other articles which can fit between the appendages. The sheet material can ideally be a recyclable cardboard material meaning that the toy itself, and the packaging it is supplied in, can be easily recycled and is not formed from single use plastic. Furthermore, the article is small in volume, lightweight and can be packaged close together reducing transportation costs. It is also the case that the production techniques used for manufacturing the device are simple, printing, cutting and sticking cardboard, and can be easily and inexpensively adapted to provide a wide range of similar devices, in for example a collection, without significant tooling costs. In a preferred embodiment the appendages are adhered adjacent said first lateral edges. In another preferred embodiment the body comprises a first body portion and a second body portion adhered to said first body portion, said second body portion and said appendages formed from a single piece of said sheet material and located immediately adjacent each other. By folding a sheet material, so as to stick one portion to the next, and in particular to attach the appendages adjacent the lateral edges, structural advantages of this invention are provided. An option for the device of the j_nvention gs yo have the device depict a cartoon character. Such a character has a head formed from two sheets of cardboard stuck together. The torso of the character is formed from a single sheet of cardboard and the appendages from another with the edges of the appendages adhered to the torso. This arrangement has the advantage that the double thickness of cardboard in the head helps to increase the rigidity of the device and also helps control the flexion of the body portion of the device to ensure that the appendages provide sufficient gripping force to easily retained the device on the article they are grasping. In particular, the head portion flexes less than the torso and is therefore trying to push the whole article back to a flat condition thereby increasing the force applied by the appendages to the article being gripped. In a further preferred embodiment the body comprises at least one crease running substantially parallel to said medial By embossing crease lines into the body of the device the advantage is provided that the flexion of the body is more controlled and the pinching action applied to the device in order to open the appendages is less likely to exceed the elastic limit of the cardboard. The device may further comprise an envelope for containing said device prior to use. The envelope can be formed from the same sheet of cardboard but offers protection for the device during transportation as well as potentially hiding the surprise of which toy is being given until the envelope is opened. In a preferred embodiment the body, said appendages and said envelope are formed from a single sheet of said flexible sheet material. In another preferred embodiment the envelope is formed from a first and a second sheet portion of said sheet material and wherein said first and second sheet portion are adhered to each other adjacent second and third lateral edges of the first and second sheet portions respectively. In a further preferred embodiment the second and third lateral edges are provided with perforations inward of where said first and second sheet portion are adhered to each other. The first and second sheet portions are preferably connected by a fold. In a preferred embodiment the first and second body portions and said appendages are formed from a third and a fourth sheet portion of said sheet material. In another preferred embodiment the first and second body portions and said appendages are in use extracted from said third and fourth sheet portions by utilising cuts and perforations formed in said third and fourth sheet portions. In a further preferred embodiment the sheet material is cardboard. According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of attaching a device to an article such as a pen, pencil, drinking straw and the like, the method comprising: forming an article from a sheet material as set out above; applying a pinching action between said first lateral edges to cause the flexion of said body in a first direction and to cause ends of said opposing appendages to move away from each other; placing an article between said opposing appendages; and releasing said pinching action, thereby causing the flexion of said body in a second direction, opposite to said first direction, and causing said appendages to grip said article. According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of forming an article as set out above, comprising: printing on a sheet of material images representing said first, second, third and fourth sheet portions; cutting said sheet material including cutting perforations; applying an adhesive to said sheet material; and folding said sheet portions into engagement with adjacent sheet portions . Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and not in any limitative sense with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 is an image of a device of the present invention in use; Figure 2 is an image of a template of an alternative device of the present invention; Figure 3 is an image of a printed version of the template of figure 2; Figure 4 is an image of a device formed using the template of figures 2 and 3; Figure 5 is a series of images showing the operation of the device of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a series of images showing the device of figure 4 in use; Figure 7 is a series of images showing an alternative device of the present invention in use; Figure 8 is a series of images of alternative versions of the devices of the present invention in use; Figure 9 is a series of images showing an alternative embodiment of the device shown in figures 2 to 6; Figure 10 is an alternative embodiment of the present invention; Figure 11 is an image of a template of an alternative version of the device of the present invention; and Figure 12 is an image of a further alternative version of the device of the present invention. Referring initially to figure 1, a device, in the form of a toy 10, is shown attached to an article, in the form of a drinking straw 12. The toy 10 as a body 14 which is formed from a sheet of flexible material such as cardboard. The body 14 has a medial line 16 which runs down the centre of the body dividing the toy into two halves. On either side of the medial line 16 are a pair of first lateral edges 18. Extending from adjacent these lateral edges inwards towards the medial line 16 are a pair of appendages 20. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 the toy 10 is a character of a rabbit and each appendage represents an arm 22 and a leg 24. The appendages 20 are formed by the cut line 23 (see figure 2) which generates small waste portions 25 which are ideally removed from the device before the steps below are undertaken. With additional reference to figures 2 and 3, the toy 10 is cut from a larger piece of cardboard and formed by folding and adhering different parts of the cardboard to each other. In figures 2 and 3 the left hand image represents the outer side of the toy 10 and the envelope formed from the first and second sheet portions 26 and 28 while the right hand image represents the inner side of those same components. The first and second sheet portions 26 and 28 together form an envelope in which the toy 10 is stored for transportation. Third and fourth sheet portions 30 and 32 together form the toy 10 and a frame 34 within which the toy sits when initially formed and contained within the envelope. The fourth sheet portion 32 is folded, along the light grey crease lines 36, back onto the third sheet 30 and adhesive 38 (indicated with hash-lines) is used to stick these two sheets together. As a result, the two portions, 40 and 42, of the body 14 that represent the head of the toy 10 are adhered together. The portions, 44 and 4 6, of the body 14 that represent the torso (and limbs 22 and 24) of the toy 10 are only adhered together adjacent the lateral edges 18. As a result, the appendages 20 are not adhered to the body 14. The head portion 42 and torso portion 46, that together form the fourth sheet portion 32 do not have a frame. The head portion 40 and torso portion 44, which includes the appendages 20, are attached to the frame 34. That attachment is by the perforated cut line 48. The cut line is mostly cut with only very small points of connection (two examples indicated with reference numeral 50) between the frame 34 and the head and torso portions 40 and 44. As a result, the toy 10 can be easily removed from the frame by breaking the connection points 50 of the perforated line 48 (see figure 4) . In order to form the envelope, the third and fourth sheet portions 30 and 32 are together folded along the perforated line 52 onto the second sheet portion 28 before the first sheet portion 26 is folded to enclose the toy 10. The first and second sheet portions 26 and 28 have respective second and third lateral edges 54 and 56 which are parallel to the first lateral edges 18. Adjacent either the second or third (or both) lateral edges 54 and 56 are strips of adhesive 58 (indicated with hash-lines). Inwards (towards the medial line 16) of the adhesive 58 and / or lateral edges 54 and 56 are perforated cut lines 60. A crease line 62 made between the first and second sheet portions 26 and 28. When the first sheet and second sheet portions 26 and 28 are brought into engagement with each other the adhesive 58 sticks the sheet portions together specifically and only in the space between the lateral edges 54 and 56 and the perforated cut lines 60. So as to assist the flexion of the body, a pair of crease lines 62 are pressed into the third and fourth sheet portions 30 and 32. These crease lines 62 run substantially parallel to the lateral edges 18 on the torso portion 44 and mark the boundary of the appendages 20. However, the space between the appendages and the lateral edges may not be creased so as to encourage the arms and legs too open outwards when the lateral edge is 18 are pressed. In order to manufacture the toy 10, a sheet of cardboard material is printed with characteristics of the toy together with any material required on the inside and outside surfaces of the envelope as seen in figure 3. Glue lines 38 and 58 are also applied as required. The sheet material is then cut to form the first, second, third and fourth sheet portions 26, 28, 30 and 32 as well as the cut lines 23, 48, 52 and 60. At the same time, the crease lines 36 and 62 are also impressed into the third and fourth sheet portions 30 and 32. The device is then in the state shown in figure 3, that is printed and ready for folding and sticking. The fourth sheet portion is folded over so as to engage the third sheet portion and the adhesive 38 sticks these two portions together. The third and fourth sheet portions are together then folded, along the perforated cut line 52 onto the second sheet portion 28. The first sheet portion 26 is then folded over to cover the third and fourth sheet portions and to stick the first and second sheet portions together with the adhesive 58. The first and second sheet portions 26 and 28 then form an envelope within which the third and fourth sheet portions 30 and 32 are contained. The product is then ready for distribution. When the product has been given to a customer and is ready for use, the envelope is opened by tearing along both the perforated lines 60. The sections of the first and second sheet portions 26 and 28 that are between the second and third lateral edges 54 and 56 and the now torn edge of the perforated cut line 60 remain stuck together by the adhesive 58 and can be discarded. The first and second sheet portions 26 and 28 can now open up allowing the third and fourth sheet portions 30 and 32 to be folded out. The toy 10 can be removed from the frame 34 of the third sheet portion 30 by breaking the connection points 50 of the perforated cut line 48, as shown in figure 4. It should be noted that in Figure 4 an alternative embodiment is shown in which the frame 34 extends from the third sheet portion 30 and into the fourth sheet portion 32. In the example shown in figure 4 the remaining parts of the first and second sheet portions 26 and 28 show a list of characters which can be collected and in figure 3 additional information relating to the character is displayed. These items can themselves be collectible cards but could be disposed of for recycling. Operation of the toy 10 will now be described with additional reference to figure 5. In figure 5A, the toy 10 is shown in the condition in which it is removed from the packaging as previously described. That is, the toy 10 is substantially flat and the appendages 20 are substantially engaged with the torso portion 46 of the fourth sheet portion 32. In order to allow the toy 10 to grasp onto an article 12 a finger and thumb are placed on each of the lateral edges 18 of the body 14 and gently squeezed together. As a result, the lateral edges on either side of the toy come closer together and the body tends to bend along the crease lines 62. At the same time, the ends of the appendages 20, adjacent the medial line 16, begin to separate as seen in figures 5B and 5C. As this pinching action continues the appendages are able to separate to approximately the width between the two crease lines 62. An article, such as a pencil, pen or drinking straw 12 is placed between the appendages 20. When the pinching action of the thumb and finger are released, the flexion of the cardboard material that forms the body 14 of the toy, in particular around the torso portion 4 6, causes the appendages 22 to move back towards the medial line 16. As a result, the appendages 20 grasp and grip onto the article 12. As well as the drinking straw shown in Figure 1, the toy 10 is able to grasp other articles such as a phone, figure 6A, a cup handle, figure 6B, and a thumb, figure 6C. Where a cylindrical article is being gripped there are typically three points or areas of contact. Each appendage contacts the article at a point slightly past the diameter of the circular crosssection of the article and presses the article into engagement with the body 14 approximately adjacent the medial line 16. However, it should be noted that the contact with the body is not essential in particular where the toy 10 is grasping non-cylindrical objects such as the phone and cup handle shown in figures 6A and 6B. In these examples there may only be two points of contact where the appendages contact the articles with the spring mimicking elasticity of the cardboard providing sufficient grip to hold onto the article. With further reference to figure 7, the toy 10 can be placed into a display mode in which it is self-supporting by providing an article for the toy to grasp. In this example, the article is a piece of cardboard 64 which consists of a display portion 66 and a pair of tabs 68. The piece of cardboard can be formed as part of the envelope, that is from the first and second sheet portions 26 and 28, and is provided with a display portion 66 and a pair of tabs 68. In use, the tabs 68 are bent perpendicular to the display portion 66 which is sized with a width that can be comfortably grasped between the appendages 20 of the toy 10. The tabs 68 prevent the display portion 66 from moving backwards and force the appendages 20 into an open condition as well as forcing the portions of the torso 44 and 46 that are between the creases 62 and the lateral edges 18 to be pushed towards each other. As a result, the bottom edge of the legs 24 are separated and substantially parallel to each other thereby forming a stable base which is capable of supporting the toy 10 in a sitting position. In common with the examples shown in figures 6A and 6B there is no contact between the article 64 and the medial line 16 , although typically there is contact between the tabs 68 and the torso 46. With further reference to Figure 8, a series of alternative toys 10 are shown with different characters, of similar construction to that shown in figures 1 to 7, each grasping a drinking straw 12. A variation on the previously described embodiment is shown in figure 9. The shape of this device is the same as that shown in figures 2 to 6 except that the location and shape of the creases has been changed. Figure 9A shows the front of the toy 10 with the appendages 20 extending from the lateral edges 18 and figure 9B shows the back of the toy 10. On the front of the toy 10 there are only two small creases 80 an 82. On the back of the toy 10 there are two creases 84 and 86. All these creases are symmetrically placed on either side of the medial line 16. The creases 86 run parallel to each other and the lateral edges along the torso portion 46. The creases 86 preferably do not extend into the head. The creases 86 are in approximately the same position as the creases 32 in the previous embodiments. Returning to the front of the toy 10, the creases 80 and 82 extend from the lateral edges 18 adjacent the top of the arms 22 and the bottom of the head portion 40. These creases (80 and 82) form a V-shape. The separated ends of the V-shape are at lateral edges 18. The point of the V-shape is at the top of the creases 86 on the back. The crease 84 on the back is aligned with the crease 80 (which is the upper of the two on the front) and makes a junction with the end of the crease 86. As seen in figure 9C, this arrangement of creases causes the head of the toy to tip back when the lateral edges 18 are moved towards each other. There is slight flexion of the head but the lack of creases makes the head portion want to remain planar which helps apply the gripping force via the appendages. Figure 10 shows a further alternative based on the arrangement of creases just described. In this example each of the appendages 20 only has a single arm 22 and therefore no legs 24 as seen in the previous embodiments. An additional crease 88 is in the front of the toy 10. This crease 88 is aligned with the crease 86 on the back. Turning to Figure 11, an alternative embodiment of the previously described toy is shown in which parts in common with the previously described embodiment are labelled with like reference numerals increased by 100. In this example, the toy 110 is shown in template form only and is made from a single sheet of cardboard. There is no folding or sticking of sheet portions in order to produce the toy, although such sheet portions may be used to produce a frame and an envelope (not shown). Because a single sheet of card is used the appendages are not able to press the article they are grasping into engagement with the torso portion 46 of the previous embodiment. Therefore, an additional strip of cardboard 170 should be included at the bottom so that the article can be grasped by the appendages 120 and pressed into engagement with the head 140 and the strip 170. A still further alternative is shown in Figure 12 which does not take the form of an animal or human with arms and legs but is instead a vehicle. Instead of using arms and legs to grasp an article the toy uses the wheels of the vehicle as the appendages. The other difference is that the cab of the vehicle, equivalent to the head of the characters of the previous embodiments, is not substantially planar but is instead formed using origami like techniques to form a three-dimensional structure . It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiments have been described by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the protection which is defined by the appended claims. In particular, where various embodiments and aspects of the invention have been described above, features and steps of the apparatus and method are interchangeable between the embodiments and aspects of the invention. For example, where dimensions are indicated in the examples set out above these are examples of ideal measurements but should not be taken as being indicative of being essential to the performance of the invention. In the embodiment set out above the adhesion between sheets of the cardboard has been described as utilising a glue which is effectively printed onto the sheet cardboard. However, this is not the only mechanism by which this adhesion can be achieved. Other examples include, but are not limited to, the use of tape adhesives such as double sided tape, spray on adhesives and mechanical fixings such as staples or cutting and pressing together small portions off the sheet materials which should be joined together. Furthermore, although the primary purpose of the present invention is to replace single use plastics with recyclable materials such as cardboard the present invention can utilise any suitable flexible sheet materials including, but not limited to, cardboard, plastic impregnated cardboard, plastic sheet materials and metal sheet materials. In the embodiment shown in figures 2 and 3, the front of the toy (formed from the head portion 40, the torso portion 44 and the appendages 20) is part of the third sheet portion 30, whereas the back of the toy (formed from the head portion 42 and the torso portion 46) together form the fourth sheet portion 32. However, these components could be formed the other way round with the front coming from the fourth sheet portion.

Claims

1. A device for attaching to an article such as a pen, pencil, drinking straw and the like, the device comprising a body comprising at least one flexible sheet material, the body defining a medial line extending along said body and having opposing first lateral edges distal of said medial line and a plurality of appendages extending towards said medial line from adjacent said respective opposing first lateral edges such that flexion of said body allows said appendages to grasp an article.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein said appendages are adhered adjacent said first lateral edges.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein said body comprises a first body portion and a second body portion adhered to said first body portion, said second body portion and said appendages formed from a single piece of said sheet material and located immediately adjacent each other.

4. A device according to any preceding claim wherein said body comprises at least one crease running substantially parallel to said medial line.

5. A device according to any preceding claim further comprising an envelope for containing said device prior to use.

6. A device according to claim 5 wherein said body, said appendages and said envelope are formed from a single sheet of said flexible sheet material.

7. A device according to claim 5 or 6 wherein said envelope is formed from a first and a second sheet portion of said sheet material and wherein said first and second sheet portion are adhered to each other adjacent second and third lateral edges of the first and second sheet portions respectively.

8. A device according to claim 7 wherein said second and third lateral edges are provided with perforations inward of where said first and second sheet portion are adhered to each other.

9. A device according to claim 7 or 8 wherein said first and second sheet portions are connected by a fold.

10. A device according to any of claims 7 to 9 wherein said first and second body portions and said appendages are formed from a third and a fourth sheet portion of said sheet material.

11. A device according to any of claim 7 to 10 wherein said first and second body portions and said appendages are in use extracted from said third and fourth sheet portions by utilising cuts and perforations formed in said third and fourth sheet portions .

12. A device according to any preceding claim wherein said sheet material is cardboard.

13. A method of attaching a device to an article such as a pen, pencil, drinking straw and the like, the method comprising:forming an article from a sheet material according to any of the preceding claims;applying a pinching action between said first lateral edges to cause the flexion of said body in a first direction and to cause ends of said opposing appendages to move away from each other;placing an article between said opposing appendages; andreleasing said pinching action, thereby causing the flexion of said body in a second direction, opposite to said first direction, and causing said appendages to grip said article.

14. A method of forming an article according to any of claims 4 to 12, comprising:printing on a sheet of material images representing said first, second, third and fourth sheet portions;cutting said sheet material including cutting perforations;applying an adhesive to said sheet material; andfolding said sheet portions into engagement with adjacent sheet portions .17

Images