U.S. patent application number 11/899447 was filed with the patent office on 2008-03-27 for foldable pinata stand and methods thereof.
Invention is credited to Jose Arroyo.
Application Number | 20080073468 11/899447 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39223896 |
Filed Date | 2008-03-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080073468 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Arroyo; Jose |
March 27, 2008 |
Foldable pinata stand and methods thereof
Abstract
The present invention relates generally to the field of pinata
stands, and particularly to a foldable pinata stand and methods
which allow for easy quick set up of the pinata assembly and quick
and easy folding and transporting of the pinata stand. The present
invention is particularly adaptable for setting up a game of pinata
in locations where there are no trees or the trees do not have
branches of appropriate height for the pinata. The present
invention eliminates the need for finding branched trees or other
tall structures for hanging the pinata.
Inventors: |
Arroyo; Jose; (Calexico,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DAVID R PRESTON & ASSOCIATES APC
5850 OBERLIN DRIVE
SUITE 300
SAN DIEGO
CA
92121
US
|
Family ID: |
39223896 |
Appl. No.: |
11/899447 |
Filed: |
September 6, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60847032 |
Sep 25, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
248/122.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 9/0247 20130101;
A63B 67/10 20130101; A63B 2208/12 20130101; A63B 2210/50 20130101;
A63B 2071/024 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/122.1 |
International
Class: |
A47F 5/00 20060101
A47F005/00 |
Claims
1. A pinata stand comprising: a) a support assembly comprising one
or more removably attached pieces; b) a horizontal hanger attached
at one end to said support assembly; c) a pulley capable of
rotating 360 degrees, said pulley being attached to said horizontal
hanger for hanging a pinata; and d) a base having a top side
capable of engaging said vertical base support, said base having a
sharp bottom side capable of penetrating hard earth to support said
pinata stand in an upright position.
2. The pinata stand of claim 1, wherein said support assembly
comprises a first and a second folding arms pivotally attached to
said support assembly at each end, wherein said first folding arm
pivots away from said support assembly to become a vertical base
support for said support assembly, and wherein said second folding
arm pivots away from said support assembly to become the horizontal
hanger for said support assembly
3. The pinata stand of claim 2, wherein said first folding arm
pivots away from said support assembly and is locked into place by
way of a locking pin to become said vertical base support and
attaches to said top side of said base by means of.
4. The pinata stand of claims 3, wherein said second folding arm
pivots away from said support assembly to become said horizontal
hanger by way of extending up and being laid over the top of said
support assembly forming an L-shaped configuration.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims benefit of priority to U.S.
Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/847,032, filed Sep. 25, 2006,
entitled Foldable Pinata Stand and Methods Thereof, which is
incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of
pinata stands, and particularly to a foldable pinata stand and
methods which allow for easy quick set up of the pin ata assembly
and quick and easy folding and transporting of the pin ata
stand.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Generally, the game of pinata includes a container filled
with candy or treats and a stick. The objective of the game is for
a hitter to hold the stick and to try to hit the pinata in order to
break it and release the candy or treats, while at the same time
the pinata is moved up and down by a handler in order to make it
more difficult for the hitter to hit the pinata. Traditionally a
pinata is attached to a rope and slung over a tree branch to hang.
The free end of the rope hangs on one side of the tree branch where
it can be pulled and released by a handler in order to allow the
pinata to go up and down on the other side of the tree branch where
the hitter who is holding a stick tries to hit the pinata to break
and release the candy or treats.
[0004] The traditional game of pinata works well when the game is
played outside near a tree with some branches. However, the
traditional game of pinata cannot easily be enjoyed inside
buildings or in places where there are no trees with branches at
the desirable height. While there has been a trend to produce
pinata stands that take the place of a tree branch, further
improvements in the transportability and ease of use of pinata
stands are desirable and the present invention addresses the
existing problems and provides related benefits.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention relates generally to the field of
pinata stands, and particularly to a foldable pinata stand and
methods which allow for easy quick set up of the pinata assembly
and quick and easy folding and transporting of the pinata stand.
The present invention is particularly adaptable for setting up a
game of pinata in locations where there are no trees or the trees
do not have branches of appropriate height for the pinata. The
present invention eliminates the need for finding branched trees or
other tall structures for hanging the pinata.
[0006] The present invention recognizes that pinata stands can be
made so that it would be easier to transport the pinata stand and
set it up for use by providing a pinata stand with removable pieces
or a foldable pinata stand which can be easily carried to the
desired location, unfolded and quickly set up, and used in playing
the game of pinata.
[0007] As a non-limiting introduction to the breadth of the present
invention, the present invention includes several general and
useful aspects, including a vertical support assembly made from one
or more removable pieces and a horizontal hanger attached at one
end to the support assembly; a pulley capable of rotating 360
degrees, the pulley being attached to the horizontal hanger for
hanging a pinata; and a base having a top side capable of engaging
the vertical support assembly, the base having a sharp bottom side
capable of penetrating hard earth to support pinata stand in an
upright position.
[0008] Preferably the support assembly includes a first and a
second folding arms pivotally attached to the support assembly at
each end, wherein the first folding arm pivots away from the
support assembly to become a vertical base support for the support
assembly, and wherein the second folding arm pivots away from the
support assembly to become the horizontal hanger for the support
assembly; a pulley capable of rotating 360 degrees, the pulley
being attached to the horizontal hanger for hanging a pinata; and a
base having a top side capable of engaging the bottom portion of
the support assembly or the vertical base support, the base having
a sharp bottom side capable of penetrating hard earth to support
pinata stand in an upright position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pinata stand.
[0010] FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a foldable pinata
stand.
[0011] FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a foldable pinata in folded
configuration.
[0012] FIG. 2C is a top view of a foldable pinata in folded
configuration.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
pinata stand includes a support assembly made from one or more
removable pieces attached to one another at one or both ends. The
support assembly can be made from any suitable rigid material for
making a stand capable being used in a pinata game, for example,
solid pieces or hollow pieces such as pipes made from rigid
material such as wood, metal, plastic, rubber, or a combination
thereof. The one or more pieces of the support assembly of the
pinata stand can be attached together by any removable attaching
means such as pins, screws, nuts and bolts, or any other suitable
removably attaching means. The present invention also includes a
horizontal hanger attached at one end to one end of the support
assembly.
[0014] Preferably, the support assembly includes a first and a
second folding arms pivotally attached to the support assembly at
each end, wherein the first folding arm of the support assembly
pivots away from the support assembly to become a vertical base
support for the support assembly, and wherein the second folding
arm pivots away from the support assembly to become the horizontal
hanger for the support assembly. The support assembly and the first
and second folding arms can be attached together by any attaching
means that allows for the free pivoting action of the folding arms
such as pins or nuts and bolts, or any other suitable pivoting
attaching means.
[0015] More preferably, the first folding arm has mechanism for
locking it in place when it has pivoted away from the swing
assembly to become the vertical base support, for example, by way
of a lock pin which goes through at least a portion of the support
assembly into an aperture in the first folding arm and holds the
first folding arm locks it in a vertical configuration with the
support assembly. More preferably, the second folding arm of the
support assembly pivots away from the support assembly to become
the horizontal hanger by way of extending up and being laid over
the top of the support assembly forming an L-shaped configuration.
A locking mechanism similar to the one for the first folding arm
could also be used with respect to the second folding arm.
[0016] The support assembly and the first and second folding arms
can be attached together by any attaching means that allows for the
pivoting action of the folding arms such as nuts and bolts, or any
other suitable pivoting attaching means.
[0017] The present invention also includes a pulley capable of
rotating 360 degrees, the pulley being attached to the horizontal
hanger for hanging a pinata. The pinata can be attached to a rope
and slung over the pulley of the horizontal hanger so that the free
end of the rope hangs on one side of the pulley where it can be
pulled and released by a handler in order to allow the pinata to go
up and down on the other side of the pulley where the hitter who is
holding a stick tries to hit the pinata to break and release the
candy or treats. It is an important aspect of the present invention
that the pulley be capable of rotating 360 degrees because the
handler can move around in any which way so as to get out of the
way of the hitter without substantially moving away the pinata from
it's location, and also to further manipulate the pinata to make it
harder to hit for the hitter.
[0018] The present invention also includes a base having a top side
capable of engaging the bottom portion of the support assembly or
the vertical base support, the base having a sharp bottom side
capable of penetrating hard earth to support pinata stand in an
upright position. The top side of the base and the bottom portion
of the support assembly or the vertical base support can be
attached together using any removably attaching means such as pins,
screws, nuts and bolts or any other suitable removably attaching
means.
[0019] Further objectives and advantages of the present invention
will become apparent as the description proceeds and when taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To gain a full
appreciation of the scope of the present invention, it will be
further recognized that various aspects of the present invention
can be changed or combined to make desirable embodiments of the
invention.
[0020] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms
used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of
ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Where a
term is provided in the singular, the inventor also contemplates
the plural of that term. The nomenclature used herein and the
procedures described below are those well known and commonly
employed in the art.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
A Pinata Stand
[0021] FIG. 1 shows a one embodiment of a pinata stand 100. The
pinata stand 100 includes a support assembly 101 made from one or
more removable pieces 101, where in the one or more removable
pieces 101 can be attached to one another by way of removably
attaching means such as nuts and bolts 102. The pinata stand 100
also includes a horizontal hanger 103 attached at one end to one of
the support assembly 101. The pinata stand 100 also includes a
pulley 104 capable of rotating 360 degrees, the pulley 104 being
attached to the horizontal hanger 103 for hanging a pinata. The
pinata stand 100 further includes a base 105 having a top side
capable of engaging the vertical base support by way of a pin 106,
the base 105 having a sharp bottom side 107 capable of penetrating
hard earth to support the pinata stand 100 in an upright
position.
Example II
A Foldable Pinata Stand
[0022] FIGS. 2A-2C show an embodiment of a foldable pinata stand
200. The foldable pinata stand 200 includes a support assembly 201,
wherein the support assembly includes a first 202 and a second 203
folding arms pivotally attached to the support assembly 201 at each
end, wherein the first folding arm 202 of the support assembly 201
pivots away from the support assembly 201 to become a vertical base
support 202 for the support assembly 201, and wherein the second
folding arm 203 pivots away from the support assembly 201 to become
the horizontal hanger 203 for the support assembly 201. The
foldable pinata stand 200 also includes a pulley 205 capable of
rotating 360 degrees, the pulley 205 being attached to the
horizontal hanger 203 for hanging a pinata. The foldable pinata
stand 200 further includes a base 206 having a top side capable of
engaging the vertical base support by way of a bolt 207, the base
206 having a sharp bottom side 208 capable of penetrating hard
earth to support the foldable pinata stand 200 in an upright
position.
[0023] All headings are for the convenience of the reader and
should not be used to limit the meaning of the text that follows
the heading, unless so specified. Various changes and departures
may be made to the present invention without departing from the
spirit and scope thereof. Accordingly, it is not intended that the
invention be limited to that specifically described in the
specification or as illustrated in the drawings, but only as set
forth in the claims.
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