Compostable Toys and Related Methods

Abstract

A beach toy bucket includes a housing and a rim. The housing has a bottom and one or more walls defining a cavity. The one or more walls include a first end and a second end. The bottom is disposed at the first end of the one or more walls. The rim is disposed at the second end of the one or more walls and collectively defines a shape surrounding the cavity. The housing and the rim are formed from a compostable material.

Claims

1. A beach toy bucket comprising: a housing having a bottom and one or more walls defining a cavity, the one or more walls including a first end and a second end, the bottom disposed at the first end of the one or more walls; and a rim disposed at the second end of the one or more walls and collectively defining a shape surrounding the cavity, wherein the housing and the rim are formed from a compostable material.

2. The beach toy bucket of claim 1, wherein the one or more walls includes a planar first wall.

3. The beach toy bucket of claim 1, wherein the one or more walls includes a first wall having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface defining a plane spaced apart from the second surface to define a recess.

4. The beach toy bucket of claim 1, wherein the bottom includes a first surface and a second surface, the first surface defining a plane spaced apart from the second surface to define a recess.

5. The beach toy bucket of claim 1, wherein the rim includes a first tab extending from the rim toward the bottom.

6. The beach toy bucket of claim 1, wherein the compostable material includes one or more of a semi-crystalline polyester resin or a biopolymer resin.

7. The beach toy bucket of claim 1, wherein the compostable material includes a mixture of a compostable polybutylene succinate resin and a compostable polylactic acid resin.

8. A beach toy bucket comprising: a housing having a plurality of walls defining a cavity, the plurality of walls including a bottom disposed at a first end of each of the plurality of walls; and a rim disposed at a second end of each of the plurality of walls and defining a shape surrounding the cavity, wherein the housing and the rim are formed from a compostable material.

9. The beach toy bucket of claim 8, wherein the plurality of walls includes a planar first wall.

10. The beach toy bucket of claim 8, wherein the plurality of walls includes a first wall having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface defining a plane spaced apart from the second surface to define a recess.

11. The beach toy bucket of claim 8, wherein the bottom includes a first surface and a second surface, the first surface defining a plane spaced apart from the second surface to define a recess.

12. The beach toy bucket of claim 8, wherein the rim includes a first tab extending from the rim toward the bottom.

13. The beach toy bucket of claim 8, wherein the compostable material includes one or more of a semi-crystalline polyester resin or a biopolymer resin.

14. The beach toy bucket of claim 8, wherein the compostable material includes a mixture of a compostable polybutylene succinate resin and a compostable polylactic acid resin.

15. A beach toy bucket comprising: a housing including a bottom and at least one wall, the at least one wall extending from the bottom and at least partially defining a cavity; and a rim disposed at an end of each wall of the at least one wall and defining a shape surrounding the cavity, wherein the housing and the rim are formed from a compostable material.

16. The beach toy bucket of claim 15, wherein the at least one wall includes a planar first wall.

17. The beach toy bucket of claim 15, wherein the at least one wall includes a first wall having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface defining a plane spaced apart from the second surface to define a recess.

18. The beach toy bucket of claim 15, wherein the rim includes a first tab extending from the rim toward the bottom.

19. The beach toy bucket of claim 15, wherein the compostable material includes one or more of a semi-crystalline polyester resin or a biopolymer resin.

20. The beach toy bucket of claim 15, wherein the compostable material includes a mixture of a compostable polybutylene succinate resin and a compostable polylactic acid resin.

Description

DRAWINGS

[0039] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected configurations and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0040] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a beach toy kit in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure;

[0041] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bucket of the beach toy kit of FIG. 1, a handle of the bucket being removed for clarity;

[0042] FIG. 3 is a front view of the bucket of FIG. 2;

[0043] FIG. 4 is a side view of the bucket of FIG. 2;

[0044] FIG. 5 is a top view of the bucket of FIG. 2;

[0045] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the bucket of FIG. 2;

[0046] FIG. 7 is a front view of a shovel of the beach toy kit of FIG. 1;

[0047] FIG. 8 is a side view of the shovel of FIG. 7;

[0048] FIG. 9 is a top view of the shovel of FIG. 7;

[0049] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a sieve of the beach toy kit of FIG. 1;

[0050] FIG. 11 is a top view of the sieve of FIG. 10;

[0051] FIG. 12 is a side view of the sieve of FIG. 10;

[0052] FIG. 13 is a front view of the sieve of FIG. 10;

[0053] FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the sieve of FIG. 10 taken along the line 14-14 of FIG. 11; and

[0054] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the beach toy kit of FIG. 1 in the assembled configuration.

[0055] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] Example configurations will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example configurations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art. Specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of configurations of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example configurations may be embodied in many different forms, and that the specific details and the example configurations should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure.

[0057] FIG. 1 illustrates a beach toy kit 10 in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. While the beach toy kit 10 is generally shown and described herein as including a bucket 12, a shovel 14, and a sieve 16, the beach toy kit 10 may include other toys and articles within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the kit 10 may include a rake, various sand molds, and various assemblies (e.g., trucks, water towers, etc.) within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0058] The bucket 12 may include a housing 18 and a handle 20. With reference to FIGS. 2-6, the housing 18 may include a first wall 22a, a second wall 22b, a third wall 22c, a fourth wall 22d, and a bottom 24. While the housing 18 is generally shown and described herein as having four walls 22a-22d defining a cuboid shape, the housing 18 may include more or less than four walls 22a-22d defining various other three-dimensional shapes (e.g., a cylinder) within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0059] Each of the walls 22a-22d of the housing 18 may include a first end 26 and a second end 28 opposite the first end 26. The bottom 24 may be disposed at the first end 26 of the one or more walls 22a-22d such that the one or more walls 22a-22d collectively define a cavity 29. The bucket 12 may also include a rim 30 disposed at the second end 28 of the one or more walls 22. The rim 30 may define a shape surrounding the cavity 29.

[0060] With reference to FIG. 2, the first wall 22a and the third wall 22c may each include a first surface 32 and a second surface 34. The first surface 32 may be spaced apart from the second surface 34 to define a recess 36 and a corresponding protrusion 37 within the cavity 29. The recess 36 and/or the protrusion 37 may be defined in part by opposing sidewalls 38a and 38b and a top wall 42. As illustrated, the recess 36 may extend through, or otherwise define, an opening 40 in the bottom 24 of the housing 18. The top wall 42 may oppose the opening 40.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 3, the sidewalls 38a and 38b, may converge as they extend from the first end 26 to the top wall 42. In some implementations, the sidewalls 38a and 38b may be substantially parallel to one another. In other implementations, the bottom 24 may be formed without the opening 40. The configuration of the protrusion 37 and the recess 36 may allow a first bucket 12 to be more easily disposed (e.g., stacked) within a second bucket 12. In this regard, the protrusion 37 of a first bucket 12 may be received by, and disposed within, the recess 36 of a second bucket 12 to allow for more efficient alignment and stacking of a plurality of buckets 12.

[0062] As illustrated, the recess 36 may extend upward toward the rim 30. In some implementations, the recess 36 is centered on the first wall 22a or the third wall 22c. In other implementations, the recess 36 extends the entire height of the first wall 22a or the third wall 22c from the first end 26 to the second end 28. In some implementations, the opposing sidewalls 38a and 38b may cooperate with the bottom 24 and the top wall 42 to form substantially radial corners. In other implementations, the opposing sidewalls 38a and 38b may cooperate with the bottom 24 and the top wall 42 to form right angle corners.

[0063] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the bottom 24 of the housing 18 may include a first surface 48 and a second surface 50. The first surface 48 may be spaced apart from the second surface 50 of the bottom 24 to define a recess 52 and a corresponding protrusion 53. The recess 52 and/or the protrusion 53 may further be defined by at least one sidewall 54 that cooperates to form an enclosed perimeter of the recess 52 and/or the protrusion 53. In some implementations, the at least one sidewall 54 of the recess 52 and/or the protrusion 53 may be contoured. In other implementations, the at least one sidewall 54 of the recess 52 and/or the protrusion 53 may be planar. The recess 52 and/or the protrusion 53 may take any shape that fits within the surface area of the bottom 24 of the housing 18. In some implementations, the recess 52 may be square and the sidewalls 54 may cooperate to form arcuate corners. In other implementations, the sidewalls 54 form substantially right angles. In other implementations, the sidewalls 54 cooperate to form a substantially round perimeter. The configuration of the protrusion 37 and the recess 36 and the protrusion 53 and/or the recess 52 may allow a first bucket 12 to be more easily disposed (e.g., stacked) within a second bucket 12. In this regard, the protrusion(s) 37 and/or 53 of a first bucket 12 may be received by, and disposed within, the recess(es) 36 and/or 52 of a second bucket 12 to allow for more efficient alignment and stacking of a plurality of buckets 12.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 4, the rim 30 may extend outwardly from the walls 22a-22d and surround the cavity 29. In this regard, the rim 30 may define the same shape (e.g., a square, a circle, a triangle, etc.) as the one or more walls 22a-22d. In some implementations, the rim 30 includes one or more tabs 44 extending from the rim 30 toward the bottom 24. The one or more tabs 44 may include an aperture 46 formed through a thickness of the one or more tabs. In some implementations (e.g., FIG. 1), the aperture 46 is sized to receive the handle 20.

[0065] In the assembled configuration (e.g., FIG. 1), the handle 20 may be coupled to the housing 18. For example, in some implementations, the tabs 44 extend from the rim 30 on opposed sides of the cavity 29. In some implementations, the handle 20 is formed from woven fibers in the form of a rope. In other implementations, the handle 20 is formed from another material, such as metal or the same material from which the housing 18 is formed.

[0066] With reference to FIGS. 7-9, the shovel 14 may include a first end 56 having a scoop 58 and a second end 60 having a handle 62. The shovel 14 may have a substantially circular cross sectional shape 64. A longitudinal axis A.sub.10 extends along the length of the shovel 14 from the first end 56 to the second end 60 and is centrally located within the shovel 14. The shovel may further have a collar 66 that connects the scoop 58 to the handle 62 and is axially centered on the longitudinal axis A.sub.10. The collar 66 may be disposed between the first end 56 and the second end 60. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the collar 66 may be contoured to accommodate varying diameters of the scoop 58 and the handle 62. In some implementations, the contour of the collar 66 may include a radius. In other implementations, the contour of the collar 66 may define a right angle.

[0067] As illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the scoop 58 may be axially centered on the longitudinal axis A.sub.10 and define a frustoconical body having an open first end 76 associated with the first end 56 of the shovel 14, a second end 78 coupled to the collar 66, a first sidewall 80, a second sidewall 82, and a third sidewall 84 that cooperate to define a cavity 86. The first and second sidewalls 80 and 82 may extend along the longitudinal axis A.sub.10 from the open first end 56 of the shovel 14 toward the second end 78 coupled to the collar 66. The third sidewall 84 may extend transverse to the longitudinal axis A.sub.10, along a perimeter of the frustoconical body of the scoop 58. The first sidewall 80, second sidewall 82, and third sidewall 84 may converge with each other to define the cavity 86 in the frustoconical body of the scoop 58. In some implementations, the first sidewall 80, second sidewall 82, and third sidewall 84 cooperate to define a substantially contoured (e.g., cylindrical) cavity 86. In other implementations, the first sidewall 80, second sidewall 82, and third sidewall 84 cooperate to define a substantially polygonal cavity 86. In other examples, the first sidewall 80, second sidewall 82, and third sidewall 84 may cooperate to define a substantially arcuate cavity 86.

[0068] The handle 62 of the shovel 14 may be axially centered on the longitudinal axis A.sub.10 and tapered from the second end 60 of the shovel 14 to the collar 66 that connects the handle 62 to the scoop 58. The handle 62 may further include a proximal end 68 and a distal end 70 opposite the proximal end 68. The handle 62 may taper from the proximal end 68 toward the distal end 70 such that a cross-sectional area of the proximal end 68 is greater than a cross-sectional area of the distal end 70. The handle 62 may further include an aperture 72 formed through a thickness of the handle 62 transverse to the longitudinal axis A.sub.10. In some implementations, the aperture 72 is used to receive an additional handle (e.g., a rope or a string) for storing (e.g., hanging) the shovel. Referring to FIG. 9, the shovel 14 may further include a passage 74 extending along the longitudinal axis A.sub.10 so that material (e.g., sand) may move throughout the length of the shovel 14.

[0069] With reference to FIGS. 10-14, the sieve 16 may include a base portion 88 and a rim portion 89. The base portion 88 may include a first wall 92a, a second wall 92b, a third wall 92c, a fourth wall 92d, and a bottom 94. While the base portion 88 is generally shown and described herein as having four walls 92a-92d defining a cuboid shape, the base portion 88 may include more or less than four walls 92a-92d defining various other shapes (e.g., a cylinder) within the scope of the present disclosure. In this regard, the shape defined by the walls 92a-92d may be substantially similar to the shape defined by the walls 22a-22d of the housing 18, while the size of the shape defined by the walls 92a-92d may be smaller than the size of the shape defined by the walls 22a-22d of the housing 18.

[0070] Each of the walls 92a-92d may include a first end 98 and a second end 100 opposite the first end 98. The bottom 94 may be disposed at the first end 98 of, and extend from and between, the one or more walls 92a-92d such that the one or more walls 92a-92d and the bottom 94 collectively define a cavity 99. The bottom 94 may further include a plurality of holes 101 extending therethrough, such that the bottom 94 defines a substantially porous construct.

[0071] The rim portion 89 may be disposed at the second end 100 of the walls 92a-92d and include a corresponding first lip 96a, second lip 96b, third lip 96c, and fourth lip 96d extending outwardly from the respective first wall 92a, second wall 92b, third wall 92c, and fourth wall 92d, such that the walls 92a-92d and the lips 96a-96d collectively define a channel 102 surrounding the walls 92a-92d and the cavity 99. The one or more lips 96a-96d disposed at the second end 100 of the one or more walls 92a-92d collectively define a shape surrounding the cavity 99. In this regard, the shape defined by the lips 96a-96d may be substantially similar to the shape defined by the rim 30 of the housing 18, while the size of the shape defined by the lips 96a-96d may be larger than the size of the shape defined by the rim 30 of the housing 18.

[0072] The rim portion 89 may further include a first handle portion 90a and a second handle portion 90b. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the first handle portion 90a may extend outwardly from the first lip 96a, and the second handle portion 90b may extend outwardly from the third lip 96c. In particular, the first lip 96a may extend away from first wall 92a to form the first handle portion 90a extending substantially parallel (+/ten degrees) to the bottom 94, while the third lip 96c may extend away from third wall 92c to form the second handle portion 90b extending substantially parallel (+/ten degrees) to the bottom 94. In some implementations, the handle portions 90a and 90b are curved or rounded. In other implementations, the handle portions 90a and 90b are contoured to the shape of fingers to facilitate gripping of the sieve 16.

[0073] With reference to FIG. 15, the bucket 12 may be sized to receive the sieve 16 and the shovel 14. In use, a user first places the shovel 14 in the bottom of the bucket 12, and then nests the sieve 16 within the walls of the bucket 12, such that the user can carry the beach kit 10 as a single unit. In particular, in the assembled configured, the base portion 88 of the sieve 16 may be disposed within the cavity 29 of the bucket 12. In some implementations, an inner surface of one of the walls 22a-22d may engage an outer surface of one of the walls 92a-92d. For example, the first wall 22a may engage the first wall 92a, the second wall 22b may engage the second wall 92b, the third wall 22c may engage the third wall 92c, and the fourth wall 22d may engage the fourth wall 92d. The rim 30 may be disposed within the channel 102 such that the rim portion 89 engages, and is supported by, the rim 30. In particular, the lips 96a-96d may engage the rim 30 such that the handle portions 90a, 90b extend outwardly relative to the rim 30. The bottom 94 of the sieve 16 and the bottom 24 of the bucket 12 may define a void 104 extending therebetween within at least a portion of the cavity 29. As illustrated in FIG. 15, the void 104 may be sized to receive the shovel 14.

[0074] One or more of the bucket 12, the shovel 14, or the sieve 16 may include, or be formed at least in part from, a biodegradable material. In some implementations, the bucket 12, the shovel 14, and the sieve 16 are formed from a certified compostable material that satisfies ASTM D6400 compostability standards (e.g., non-toxic and able to decompose into soil in municipal and industrial aerobic composting facilities, including biodegrading at a rate comparable to known compostable materials). In particular, the bucket 12, the shovel 14, and the sieve 16 may be formed at least in part from a semi-crystalline polyester resin or a biopolymer resin. For example, the bucket 12, the shovel 14, or the sieve 16 may be formed at least in part from a blend of a compostable polybutylene succinate (PBS) resin and a compostable polylactic acid (PLA) resin. In this regard, the bucket 12 (e.g., the housing 18), the shovel 14, or the sieve 16 may be formed at least in part from a compostable material, including a mixture of a compostable PBS and a compostable PLA.

[0075] The PBS resin of the bucket 12, the shovel 14, or the sieve 16 may have a variety of properties making it suitable for use in the sand or on a beach. For example, in some implementations, the PBS material of the bucket 12, the shovel 14, or the sieve 16 includes the properties shown in Table 1.

TABLE-US-00001 Properties Test Method Unit Value Density ISO 1183 g/cm.sup.3 1.26 MFR(190 C., 2.16 kg) ISO 1133 g/10 min 22 Melting Point ISO 3146 C. 115 Yield Stress ISO 527-2 MPa 40 Stress at Break ISO 527-2 MPa 30 Strain at Break ISO 527-2 % 170 Flexural Modulus ISO 178 MPa 630 Flexural Strength ISO 178 MPa 40 Izod Impact ISO 180 kJ/m.sup.2 7 Strength (23 C.) Heat Deflection ISO 75-1 C. 95 Temperature (0.45 MPa) Rockwell Hardness ISO 2039-2 R Scale 107

[0076] The PLA of the bucket 12, the shovel 14, or the sieve 16 may also have a variety of properties making it suitable for use in the sand or on a beach. For example, in some implementations, the PLA material of the bucket 12, the shovel 14, or the sieve 16 includes the properties shown in Table 2.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Value ASTM Method Physical Properties Specific Gravity 1.24 D792 MFR, g/10 min 14 D1238 (210 C., 2.16 kg) Relative Viscosity 3.3 Crystalline Melt 145-160 D3418 Temperature ( C.) Glass Transition 55-60 D3418 Temperature ( C.) Clarity Transparent Mechanical Properties Tensile Yield Strength, 9,000 (62) D638 psi (MPa) Tensile Elongation, % 3.5 D638 Notched Izod Impact, 0.3 (16.0) D256 ft-lb/in (J/m) Flexural Strength (MPa) 15,700 (108) D790 Flexural Modulus (MPa) 515,000 (3600) D790 Heat Distortion 55 E2092 Temperature ( C.)

[0077] A method of manufacturing the kit 10 may include forming one or more of the bucket 12, the shovel 14, or the sieve 16 from the compostable material. For example, the bucket 12, the shovel 14, or the sieve 16 may be manufactured by injection molding, extruding, or three-dimensionally printing the compostable material.

[0078] The configuration, materials, and manufacturing methods described herein provides a beach toy kit 10 that is compact, easy-to-use, and compostable. Accordingly, the beach toy kit 10 reduces the risk of unknowingly or undesirably polluting the environment with toxins and other harmful materials. For example, the previously-described configuration of the beach toy kit 10, including the method of assembling the bucket 12, the shovel 14, and the sieve 16 as a single unit, reduces the risk of polluting the environment by inadvertently leaving one of the bucket 12, the shovel 14, or the sieve 16 in an undesirable location (e.g., the beach). Moreover, the compostable material of the bucket 12, the shovel 14, or the sieve 16 reduces the risk of polluting the environment by ensuring that, upon the end of its useful life, through intentional or inadvertent discarding, the beach toy kit 10 will disintegrate in a compostable manner (e.g., in a way that satisfies the previously-described ASTM D6400 compostability standards) that does not pollute the environment with harmful materials.

[0079] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary configurations only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular articles a, an, and the may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms comprises, comprising, including, and having, are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. Additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0080] When an element or layer is referred to as being on, engaged to, connected to, attached to, or coupled to another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected, attached, or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being directly on, directly engaged to, directly connected to, directly attached to, or directly coupled to another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., between versus directly between, adjacent versus directly adjacent, etc.). As used herein, the term and/or includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0081] The terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections. These elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as first, second, and other numerical terms do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example configurations.

[0082] The foregoing description has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular configuration are generally not limited to that particular configuration, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected configuration, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.