U.S. patent application number 15/074138 was filed with the patent office on 2016-09-22 for play mat system.
The applicant listed for this patent is Edwin N. Arboleda. Invention is credited to Edwin N. Arboleda.
Application Number | 20160271509 15/074138 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 56923527 |
Filed Date | 2016-09-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160271509 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Arboleda; Edwin N. |
September 22, 2016 |
Play Mat System
Abstract
A play mat system to which various objects may be removably
mounted over a display. The play mat system generally includes a
housing having a transparent upper surface or upper cover. A
display is either integrated with the housing or provided by an
electronic device such as a tablet computer which may be removably
connected to the lower surface of the housing via one or more
receiver brackets. The housing may include a plurality of
projections extending from its upper surface or upper cover to
which various objects such as toys or building blocks may be
removably mounted. Multiple housings may be interconnected via
links such that they function as a singular display unit.
Inventors: |
Arboleda; Edwin N.; (Glen
Head, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Arboleda; Edwin N. |
Glen Head |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
56923527 |
Appl. No.: |
15/074138 |
Filed: |
March 18, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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62135388 |
Mar 19, 2015 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H 33/22 20130101;
A63H 33/042 20130101; A63H 3/28 20130101; A63H 33/086 20130101;
A63H 2200/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63H 33/08 20060101
A63H033/08; A63H 33/22 20060101 A63H033/22 |
Claims
1. A play mat system, comprising: a housing including an upper
surface and a lower surface; a plurality of projections extending
upwardly from the upper surface of the housing for removably
receiving one or more objects; a display for projecting an image
through the upper surface of the housing.
2. The play mat system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of
projections comprises a circular cross-section.
3. The play mat system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of
projections comprise varying sizes and shapes.
4. The play mat system of claim 1, wherein the display is
integrated with the housing.
5. The play mat system of claim 1, wherein the display is removably
connected to the housing.
6. The play mat system of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a
speaker for playing audio.
7. The play mat system of claim 1, wherein the housing includes one
or more receivers and one or more connectors for interconnection
with other housings.
8. The play mat system of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a
link for electrical interconnection with other housings.
9. The play mat system of claim 8, wherein the link comprises a
ribbon connector.
10. The play mat system of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a
data port for interconnecting with a storage device.
11. The play mat system of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a
upper cover.
12. The play mat system of claim 11, wherein the display is
positioned underneath the upper cover.
13. The play mat system of claim 12, wherein the upper cover is
transparent.
14. The play mat system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of
projections extend upwardly from the upper cover.
15. A play mat system, comprising: a first housing including a
first upper surface; a plurality of first projections extending
from the first upper surface; a first display for projecting an
image through the first upper surface of the first housing; a
second housing including a second upper surface; a plurality of
second projections extending from the second upper surface; a
second display for projecting the image through the second upper
surface of the second housing; and a link electronically connecting
the first housing and the second housing such that the image is
display across the first display and the second display.
16. The play mat system of claim 15, wherein the first housing
includes at least one connector and the second housing includes at
least one receiver, wherein the at least one connector removably
engages with the at least one receiver.
17. The play mat system of claim 15, further comprising one or more
objects adapted to be removably mounted on the first projections or
the second projections.
18. The play mat system of claim 17, wherein the first projections
comprise a first size and the second projections comprise a second
size, wherein the first size and the second size are different.
19. A play mat system, comprising: a housing including an upper
surface and a lower surface; a plurality of projections extending
upwardly from the upper surface of the housing for removably
receiving one or more objects; a plurality of receiver brackets
extending from the lower surface of the housing; an electronic
device removably connected to the receiver brackets, wherein the
electronic device comprises a display, wherein the display is
visible through the upper surface of the housing; and one or more
objects removably connected to the plurality of projections.
20. The play mat system of claim 19, wherein the electronic device
comprises a tablet computer.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] I hereby claim benefit under Title 35, United States Code,
Section 119(e) of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No.
62/135,388 filed Mar. 19, 2015. The 62/135,388 application is
currently pending. The 62/135,388 application is hereby
incorporated by reference into this application.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable to this application.
BACKGROUND
[0003] 1. Field
[0004] Example embodiments in general relate to a play mat system
to which various objects may be removably mounted over a
display.
[0005] 2. Related Art
[0006] Any discussion of the related art throughout the
specification should in no way be considered as an admission that
such related art is widely known or forms part of common general
knowledge in the field.
[0007] Play mats have been in use by children for many decades.
Typical play mats comprise flexible mats which are placed on the
ground. Various objects are generally fixedly or removably
connected to the play mats so that a child may lay on the play mat
and play with the toys. In some play mats, structures are provided
that suspend the toys over the child while the child is on the play
mat.
[0008] Play mats have been limited in the type of toys which may be
connected thereto. For example, play mats do not typically have any
structure to which toy figures such as toy soldiers or robots may
be connected alongside with traditional building blocks such as
LEGOS or DUPLOS. Further, any imagery on the play mat is generally
fixed, with alternating images or even videos not being
supported.
SUMMARY
[0009] An example embodiment of the present invention is directed
to a play mat system. The play mat system includes a housing having
a transparent upper surface or upper cover. A display is either
integrated with the housing or provided by an electronic device
such as a tablet computer which may be removably connected to the
lower surface of the housing via one or more receiver brackets. The
housing may include a plurality of projections extending from its
upper surface or upper cover to which various objects such as toys
or building blocks may be removably mounted. Multiple housings may
be interconnected via links such that they function as a singular
display unit.
[0010] There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, some of the
features of the play mat system in order that the detailed
description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the
present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There
are additional features of the play mat system that will be
described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the
claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least
one embodiment of the play mat system in detail, it is to be
understood that the play mat system is not limited in its
application to the details of construction or to the arrangements
of the components set forth in the following description or
illustrated in the drawings. The play mat system is capable of
other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various
ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and
terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description
and should not be regarded as limiting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] Example embodiments will become more fully understood from
the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying
drawings, wherein like elements are represented by like reference
characters, which are given by way of illustration only and thus
are not limitative of the example embodiments herein.
[0012] FIG. 1 is a first perspective view of a play mat system in
accordance with an example embodiment.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a second perspective view of an example
embodiment.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an example embodiment with a
pair of objects secured to the projections.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a lower perspective view of an example
embodiment.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a top view of an example embodiment displaying an
image.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of an example embodiment.
[0018] FIG. 7 is a top view of an example embodiment in which
multiple housings have been interconnected to form a single
display.
[0019] FIG. 8 is a first side view of an example embodiment.
[0020] FIG. 9 is a second side view of an example embodiment.
[0021] FIG. 10 is a first end view of an example embodiment.
[0022] FIG. 11 is a second end view of an example embodiment.
[0023] FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG.
5.
[0024] FIG. 13 is a top view of an example embodiment displaying an
image.
[0025] FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of an example
embodiment with a tablet aligned for connection to the housing.
[0026] FIG. 15 is a bottom perspective view of an example
embodiment with a tablet connected to the housing.
[0027] FIG. 16 is a side sectional view of an example embodiment
with a tablet connected to the housing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A. Overview.
[0028] An example play mat system generally comprises a housing 20
having a transparent upper surface 21 or upper cover 30. A display
34 is either integrated with the housing 20 or provided by an
electronic device 36 such as a tablet computer which may be
removably connected to the lower surface 22 of the housing 20 via
one or more receiver brackets 37. The housing 20 may include a
plurality of projections 32 extending from its upper surface 21 or
upper cover 30 to which various objects 12 such as toys or building
blocks may be removably mounted. Multiple housings 20 may be
interconnected via links 46 such that they function as a singular
display 34 unit.
B. Housing.
[0029] As shown throughout the figures, exemplary embodiments
include a housing 20 which comprises an upper surface 21, a lower
surface 22, a first end 23, a second end 24, a first side 25, and a
second side 26. The housing 20 may comprise a mat or board. The
housing 20 may be flexible in some embodiments, or rigid in other
embodiments. The size, shape, and orientation of the housing 20 may
vary across different embodiments of the present invention. Thus,
the rectangular shape shown in the figures should not be construed
as limiting in this regard. Different sizes may be utilized so that
the present invention may be utilized across a wide range of age
groups and for a wide range of purposes.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 7, multiple housings 20 may be
interconnected to form a larger play mat system 10. The orientation
in which the housings 20 are interconnected may be tailored to suit
specific user's needs. For example, multiple housings 20 may be
interconnected in a daisy chain configuration as a linear series.
As shown in the figures, multiple housings 20 may also be
interconnected in a manner which retains the overall shape of a
singular housing 20 but with far greater surface area for the
displays 30.
[0031] Various structures and methods may be utilized to removably
interconnect multiple housings 20 together, such as hook-and-loop
fasteners, clamps, brackets, and the like. In the embodiment shown
in the figures, each housing 20 includes connectors 27 and
receivers 28 on its ends 23, 24 and sides 25, 26.
[0032] The connectors 27 may comprise pegs or other similar
extensions which are adapted to be removably received by the
corresponding receivers 28. The receivers 28 may comprise openings
sized to frictionally receive the corresponding connector 27 from
an adjacent housing 20. In the exemplary figures, the first end 23
and second side 26 of the housing 20 includes receivers 28 while
the second end 24 and first side 25 of the housing 20 includes
connectors 27.
[0033] Many embodiments of the housing 20 will be adapted to be
removably mounted on a variety of surfaces such as walls, ceilings,
floors, and the like. It should be appreciated that the housing 20
may be removably mounted to any horizontal, diagonal, or vertical
surface without any limitation based on orientation of the surface.
Various methods and structures may be utilized for removably
mounting the housing 20 on such surfaces, such as the suction cups
29 on the lower surface 22 of the housing 20 shown in FIG. 4.
C. Upper Cover.
[0034] The housing 20 may include an upper cover 30 which is
fixedly or removably connected to the upper surface 21 of the
housing 20. In some embodiments, the upper cover 30 may be integral
with the housing 20 and thus form its upper surface 21. In other
embodiments, such as shown in FIG. 12, the housing 20 may include a
recessed portion on its upper surface 21 which accommodates the
display 34 and upper cover 30.
[0035] The upper cover 30 will preferably be transparent or
semi-transparent such that images from an underlying display 34 may
be viewed through the upper cover 30. In embodiments without a
discrete upper cover 30, the upper surface 21 of the housing 20 may
itself be transparent or semi-transparent.
[0036] The upper cover 30 will preferably include a plurality of
projections 32 extending upwardly therefrom. In embodiments without
a discrete upper cover 30, the plurality of projections 32 will
extend upwardly directly from the upper surface 21 of the housing
20. The projections 32 are utilized to removably receive any number
of objects 12 on the housing 20, such as toys, building blocks
including LEGOS or DUPLOS, scenery such as trees and the like, or
any other object 12 which would be desirable to secure to the
housing 20 for education or play. It should be appreciated that the
projections 32 may be adapted for use with toys from different
manufacturers by connecting the toys (such as through openings on
the toys themselves) to the housing 20.
[0037] It should be appreciated that the shape, size, and
orientation of the projections 32 may vary in different
embodiments. The projections 32 could cover the entire upper
surface 21 of the housing 20 or, in other embodiments, could cover
only portions of the upper surface 21 of the housing 20. Any areas
on the housing 20 without projections 32 could be utilized to
provide instructions, other text, symbols, and the like.
[0038] In the exemplary figures, the projections 32 are shown as
being comprised of vertical pegs. The projections 32 could in some
embodiments not extend vertically, but extend at various angles.
The projections 32 are shown as cylindrical in the exemplary
figures, but alternate shapes could be utilized such as a
square-shaped or star-shaped cross-section. The projections 32 will
preferably be adapted to fit with common toys, building blocks, or
the like. Adapters may be provided to allow for different types of
objects 12 to be connectable to the projections 32.
D. Display.
[0039] As shown throughout the figures, the housing 20 includes a
display 34 which is adapted to project various images or videos
through the upper cover 30 or upper surface 21 of the housing 20.
The display 34 may comprise various configurations, including LCD,
LED, and the like. The display 34 may comprise various sizes as
well. Although the figures illustrate that the display 34 covers
substantially the upper surface 22 of the housing 20, the display
34 could cover less or more of the overall area of the upper
surface 22 of the housing 20 in different embodiments.
[0040] The display may be integral with the housing 20 as shown in
FIGS. 12 or, in alternate embodiments, could comprise a discrete
electronic device 36 which is removably secured to the housing 20.
As shown in the figures, one such embodiment comprises an
electronic device 36 such as a tablet which may be removably
mounted within a plurality of receiver brackets 37 extending from
the lower surface 22 of the housing 20. Other electronic devices 36
such as mobile phones, computers, laptops, PDA's, and the like
could also be utilized.
[0041] The number, orientation, and configurations of any brackets
37 used may vary so long as the electronic device 36 is securely
but removably connected to the housing 20. The receiver brackets 37
will preferably extend from the lower surface 22 of the housing 20
such that the display 34 of the electronic device 36 is visible
through the upper surface 21 or upper cover 30 of the housing 20.
However, other positioning may be utilized.
[0042] The housing 20 may also include a speaker 40 for providing
audio capabilities for the present invention. For example, music
stored on the electronic device 36 could be played through the
speaker 40 of the housing 20. The housing 20 may also include a
data port 42 such as a USB port to which various devices such as
storage devices may be connected via a USB cable. In such
embodiments, the speaker 40 may be adapted to play audio files
stored on such a device connected to the data port 42.
[0043] The housing 20 may include a wireless transceiver 44 which
is adapted for wireless communication with other housings 20 or
with the electronic device 36. The wireless transceiver 44 may
comprise a WI-FI transceiver 44 so that the present invention may
be connected to a wireless network. Audio received through the
transceiver 44 may be played through the speaker and video or
images received from the transceiver 44 may be displayed on the
display 34. Thus, the display 34 may be used for wireless streaming
of video or audio.
[0044] Many embodiments will preferably be configured such that,
when multiple housings 20 are interconnected, the displays 34 of
the various housings 20 will act in unison as a single, larger
display 34. Such a configuration is shown in FIG. 7. Various
methods may be utilized to electronically interconnect multiple
housings 20 to allow for the video and/or audio sharing
necessary.
[0045] In the embodiment shown in the figures, each of the housings
20 includes one or more links 46 such as ribbon connectors
extending from their sides 25, 26 and/or ends 23, 24. The links 46
could be on one, multiple, or all sides 25, 26 and/or ends 23, 24
of the housing 20. Such links 46 may be connected to a
corresponding video port 47 to effectuate the electronic
interconnection between housings 20 and displays 34. In some
embodiments, the video port 47 could comprise a port adapted for
both video and audio, such as HDMI. In the embodiment shown in the
figures, each side 25, 26 and end 23, 24 of the housing 20 includes
a link 46 for connecting to a video port 47 on an adjacent housing
20 and a video port 47 for receiving a link 46 from an adjacent
housing 20.
E. Operation of Preferred Embodiment.
[0046] In use, various images 14 or videos may be displayed on the
display 34 whether the display 34 is integrated with the housing 20
or with an electronic device 36 which is removably connected to the
housing 20. In the latter embodiment, the electronic device 36 is
first secured to the lower surface 22 of the housing 20 by the
receiver brackets 37 as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. In either
embodiment, any such images 14 may be viewable through the upper
cover 30 or the upper surface 21 of the housing 20.
[0047] Videos/images/sounds may be generic or customized
specifically for a specific customer. Any such videos/images/sounds
may be downloaded, streamed, stored locally, stored remotely, etc.
Thus, the display 34 of the present invention is adapted to provide
support for both local (i.e., stored natively within the housing
20) or remote (i.e., streamed from a third-party device).
[0048] Whether the display 34 is active or inactive, one or more
objects 12 may be removably mounted on the projections 32 of the
housing 20. For example, objects 12 comprised of toy robots may be
connected to the projections 32 via openings on the bottom of such
toy robots which are common with many toys. If the projections 32
are improperly sized for any type of object 12, an adapter may be
provided.
[0049] For example, if the projections 32 are sized properly for
building blocks, an adapter may be provided to additionally allow
toys to be connected alongside the building blocks. In some
embodiments, the size or shape of the projections 32 may vary on
the housing 20 itself; with a first plurality of projections 32
comprising a first size/shape and a second plurality of projections
32 comprising a second size/shape.
[0050] In some embodiments, the present invention may be utilized
to play a board game. In such an embodiment, the display 34 could
display a board game surface, such as RISK or MONOPOLY. The
projections 32 could be utilized for moving pieces for such a board
game around over the display 34 to play the game. Dice could be
rolled on portions of the housing 20 which do not include
projections 32, or on another surface.
[0051] The housing 20 may be electronically interconnected via a
wired or wireless connection with other electronic devices 36,
other housings 20, or various other devices. The data port 42 may
be utilized to interconnect via USB or other type of data
transferring protocol with a storage device or computer which may
provide a video signal for the display 34 and/or an audio signal
for the speakers 40. The wireless transceiver 44 may be utilized to
interconnect with a wireless network, such as via WI-FI, or to
remotely connect with another electronic device 36 such as a
storage device, computer, tablet, or phone.
[0052] As shown in FIG. 7, multiple housings 20 may be
interconnected to each other to act as a single display 34. This
may be accomplished by using the links 46 and video ports 47 on the
outer edges of the housings 20. A link 46 may be connected to a
video port 47 on an adjacent housing 20 so that multiple housings
20 may display a single image 14 such as shown in FIG. 7. This type
of interconnection is useful for increasing the effective surface
area of the displays 34.
[0053] Unless otherwise defined, 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. Although
methods and materials similar to or equivalent to those described
herein can be used in the practice or testing of the play mat
system, suitable methods and materials are described above. All
publications, patent applications, patents, and other references
mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety to
the extent allowed by applicable law and regulations. The play mat
system may be embodied in other specific forms without departing
from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is
therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all
respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Any headings utilized
within the description are for convenience only and have no legal
or limiting effect.
* * * * *