FAMILY HAND PUPPET

Abstract

A family hand puppet. A substantially solid body is provided in the shape of a human hand, the body having a main portion and a plurality of separate fingers extending therefrom, each finger having a distal end. A set of separate attachments is also provided, and a fastening mechanism such as hook and loop fasteners or adhesive tape releasably connects the set of separate attachments to corresponding distal ends of the fingers. In another embodiment, the puppet has a hollow body, forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein.

Claims

1. A family hand puppet comprising: a) a substantially solid body in the shape of a human hand, the body having a main portion and a plurality of separate fingers, each of the fingers being connected to the main portion of the substantially solid body and extending therefrom, each finger having a distal end; b) a flexible outer covering surrounding at least a portion of the substantially solid body and the plurality of separate fingers, the outer covering comprising a material selected from a group consisting entirely of: woven fabric, plush fabric, and combination thereof; c) a set of separate attachments; and d) means for releasably connecting the set of separate attachments to corresponding distal ends of the fingers.

2. The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 1, wherein the means for releasably connecting the set of separate attachments to corresponding distal ends of the fingers is attached to each of the set of separate attachments and comprises at least one of a set of fastening devices consisting of: hook and loop fasteners; adhesive tape; rubber cement; magnets; and snaps.

3. The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of the set of separate attachments comprises a separate image.

4. The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 3, wherein the separate images are chosen from a set of images consisting of: photographs; and graphic images.

5. The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 4, wherein the photographs and graphic images are chosen from a set of images consisting of: depictions of human heads representative of members of a family; cartoon characters; fictional characters; fanciful characters; animals; fruits; vegetables; colors; patterns; shapes; letters; numbers; and edible items.

6. The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 1, wherein the set of separate attachments comprises means for generating sounds.

7. The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 1, wherein the set of separate attachments comprises odiferous material.

8. The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 1, wherein the set of separate attachments comprises raised indicia.

9. The family hand puppet in accordance with claim 8, wherein the raised indicia represent braille letters.

10. A hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein, comprising: a) a substantially solid body in the shape of a human hand, the body having a main portion and a plurality of separate fingers extending therefrom, each finger having a distal end; b) a flexible outer covering surrounding at least a portion of the substantially solid body and the plurality of separate fingers, a gap being formed between the body and the outer covering for allowing a user to insert her hand therebetween, the outer covering comprising a material selected from a group consisting entirely of: woven fabric, plush fabric, and combination thereof; c) a set of separate attachments; and d) means for releasably connecting the set of separate attachments to corresponding distal ends of the fingers.

11. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 10, wherein the means for releasably connecting the set of separate attachments to corresponding distal ends of the fingers is attached to each of the set of separate attachments and comprises at least one of a set of fastening devices consisting of: hook and loop fasteners; adhesive tape; rubber cement; magnets; and snaps.

12. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 10, wherein each of the set of separate attachments comprises a separate image.

13. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 12, wherein the separate images are chosen from a set of images consisting of: photographs; and graphic images.

14. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 13, wherein the photographs and graphic images are chosen from a set of images consisting of: depictions of human heads representative of members of a family; cartoon characters; fictional characters; fanciful characters; animals; fruits; vegetables; colors; patterns; shapes; letters; numbers; and edible items.

15. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 10, wherein the set of separate attachments comprises means for generating sounds.

16. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 10, wherein the set of separate attachments comprises odiferous material.

17. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 10, wherein the set of separate attachments comprises raised indicia.

18. The hand puppet forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein in accordance with claim 17, wherein the raised indicia represent braille letters.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, when considered in conjunction with the subsequent detailed description, in which:

[0017] FIG. 1 is a front, schematic view of a family hand puppet in accordance with the present invention; and

[0018] FIG. 2 comprises front and rear schematic views of attachments for use with the family hand puppet depicted in FIG. 1.

[0019] Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0020] Although the following detailed description contains specific details for the purposes of illustration, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments of the invention described below are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention.

[0021] A family hand puppet is provided. A substantially solid body having a flexible outer covering in the shape of a human hand has a main portion and a plurality of separate fingers extending therefrom, each finger having a distal end. Separate attachments are provided so the set of separate attachments are attached to corresponding distal ends of the fingers. In another embodiment, the puppet has a hollow body forming a glove for articulation by a human hand inserted therein.

[0022] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a front, schematic view of a family hand puppet 10 in accordance with the present invention. Hand puppet 10 having a flexible outer covering is fabricated of woven fabric or plush fabric in the preferred embodiment, but other flexible materials, including but not limited to leather, plastic, or paper can be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0023] Extending from a main portion 10 of hand puppet 10 are five fingers 12, each having a distal end or tip 14 at a location most remote from main portion 10. Disposed on the surface of each fingertip 14, secured by means well known in the art, is a fastening mechanism 16 for attaching an article described hereinbelow. Fastening mechanism 16 is preferably a portion of a hook and loop fastener (e.g., Velcro material), but adhesive tape, rubber cement, magnets, snaps, or any other suitable fastening device or material can be used.

[0024] Main portion 10 and fingers 12 can be solid or filled with conventional material such as cotton, wool, kapok fibers, polyester, or plastic pellets from fingertips 14 to a lower portion 18 of hand puppet 10. In a second embodiment, main portion 10 and fingers 12 can be substantially hollow to allow for a user to insert his or her hand through lower portion 18 and into fingers 12 to provide articulation thereof. Thus, the invention can be used as a stuffed toy in one embodiment or as a wearable glove in another embodiment.

[0025] Referring now also to FIG. 2, front schematic views of a set of attachments 20a-20g are shown for use with family hand puppet 10 depicted in FIG. 1. Corresponding rear schematic views of the set of attachments are depicted as reference numerals 20a-20g, respectively. Attached by means well known in the art to the rear surface of attachments 20a-20g are fastening mechanisms that correspond to fastening mechanisms 16 disposed at fingertips 14 (FIG. 1) of hand puppet 10. That is, when the hook portion of a hook and loop fastener is disposed on a fingertip 14, a loop portion of a hook and loop fastener is part of the reverse side of a corresponding attachment 20a-20g, and vice versa.

[0026] Attachments 20a-20g each have a photographic or graphic depiction of human heads representative of members of a family; cartoon characters; fictional characters; fanciful characters; animals; fruits; vegetables; colors; patterns; shapes; letters; numbers; and edible items.

[0027] Moreover, attachments 20a-20g can include mechanical or electronic means for generating sounds and/or may include odiferous material, including but not limited to lavender extract or aromatic oils. Attachments 20a-20g can also be material with raised features to provide texture or to represent letters and/or numbers in braille.

[0028] All references throughout this application, for example patent documents including issued or granted patents or equivalents; patent application publications; and non-patent literature documents or other source material; are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties, as though individually incorporated by reference, to the extent each reference is at least partially not inconsistent with the disclosure in this application (for example, a reference that is partially inconsistent is incorporated by reference except for the partially inconsistent portion of the reference).

[0029] The terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed. Thus, it should be understood that although the present invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments, exemplary embodiments and optional features, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims. The specific embodiments provided herein are examples of useful embodiments of the present invention and it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be carried out using a great number of variations of the devices, device components, and method steps set forth in the present description. As will be obvious to one of skill in the art, methods and devices useful for the present methods can include a great number of optional composition and processing elements and steps.

[0030] All patents and publications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the levels of skill of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. References cited herein are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety to indicate the state of the art as of their publication or filing date and it is intended that this information can be employed herein, if needed, to exclude specific embodiments that are in the prior art. For example, when compositions of matter are claimed, it should be understood that compounds known and available in the art prior to Applicant's invention, including compounds for which an enabling disclosure is provided in the references cited herein, are not intended to be included in any composition of matter claims herein.

[0031] As used herein, comprising is synonymous with including, containing, or characterized by, and is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. As used herein, consisting of excludes any element, step, or ingredient not specified in the claim element. As used herein, consisting essentially of does not exclude materials or steps that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristics of the claim. In each instance herein any of the terms comprising, consisting essentially of, and consisting of may be replaced with either of the other two terms. The invention illustratively described herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element or elements, limitation or limitations which is not specifically disclosed herein.

[0032] One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that all art-known functional equivalents, of any materials and methods disclosed herein are intended to be included in this invention. The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention that in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed. Thus, it should be understood that although the present invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optional features, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0033] Since other modifications and changes varied to fit particular operating requirements and environments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention is not considered limited to the example chosen for purposes of disclosure and covers all changes and modifications which do not constitute departures from the true spirit and scope of this invention.

[0034] Having thus described the invention, what is desired to be protected by Letters Patent is presented in the subsequently appended claims.