Gingerbread House Construction Kit

Abstract

A gingerbread house construction kit, comprising an easel having a front surface and a rear surface and a ledge extending outwardly from a bottom edge of the front surface, the easel also having at least one support member fixedly secured to the rear surface operatively arranged to support the easel on a flat surface such that the front surface makes an angle with respect to the flat surface; and, a plurality of gingerbread elements operatively arranged to be positioned and adhered to the front surface of the easel to create a gingerbread scene.

Claims

1. A gingerbread house construction kit, comprising: an easel having a front surface and a rear surface and a ledge extending outwardly from a bottom edge of said front surface, said easel also having at least one support member fixedly secured to said rear surface operatively arranged to support said easel on a flat surface such that the front surface makes an angle with respect to said flat surface; and, a plurality of gingerbread elements operatively arranged to be positioned and adhered to said front surface of said easel to create a gingerbread scene.

2. The gingerbread house construction kit recited in claim 1 wherein said angle is greater than 30? and less than 90?.

3. The gingerbread house construction kit recited in claim 2 wherein said angle is approximately 73?.

4. The gingerbread house construction kit recited in claim 1 wherein said plurality of gingerbread elements is selected from the group consisting of elements representative of Santa, a sleigh, reindeer, snowman, presents, gifts, bows, igloos, animals, snowballs, snow, stars, the sun, the moon, planets, fruit basket, candy cane, snow, lollipop, Christmas tree, boot, tinsel, villages (house, cabin, store), nativity scene (Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Manger, Wise Men, Three Kings, camels, sheep, donkey, other animals), drummer boy, bells, churches, wreaths, garland and Advent wreath.

5. The gingerbread house construction kit recited in claim 1 wherein said easel comprises two rear support members, including a right support member secured to said rear surface and a left rear support member secured to said rear surface.

6. The gingerbread house construction kit recited in claim 1 wherein said front surface further comprises at least one printed indicia scene element which functions to guide a user as to placement of said gingerbread elements.

7. The gingerbread house construction kit recited in claim 1 wherein said gingerbread elements are edible.

8. The gingerbread house construction kit recited in claim 1 wherein at least some of said gingerbread elements are made of gingerbread.

9. The gingerbread house construction kit recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of said gingerbread elements comprises frosting, wherein said frosting functions as an adhesive to secure said gingerbread elements to said front surface.

10. The gingerbread house construction kit recited in claim 1 wherein at least some of said gingerbread elements are selected from the group consisting of icing, cookies, pretzels, licorice (strings, straws, chunks), non-pareils, graham crackers, graham cookies, ginger snaps, gumdrops, jelly candies, coated chocolate and peanut candies (M&Ms?), lollipops, chocolate-peanut butter cups, candy canes (traditional and logs), colored sugar, confectioners sugar, silver ball candies, chocolate chips, and candy sprinkles.

11. The gingerbread house construction kit recited in claim 1 wherein said flat surface is a top surface of a table.

12. The gingerbread house construction kit recited in claim 1 where said easel has an upper edge and a lower edge and said ledge is affixed to said front surface of said easel proximate said lower edge and extends outwardly therefrom.

13. A method for making a substantially 2-dimensional gingerbread scene on a front surface of an easel, comprising the steps of: placing a first plurality of gingerbread materials on a front surface of said easel, said easel having a front surface and a back surface, wherein the front surface further comprises an upper edge and a lower edge, and a ledge that extends outwardly from said lower edge arranged to support some of said gingerbread materials, wherein said first plurality of gingerbread materials comprises frosting; placing a second plurality of gingerbread materials upon said first plurality of gingerbread materials, wherein said first and second pluralities of gingerbread materials are placed in a position on the front surface during a construction phase and said first and second pluralities of gingerbread materials remain relatively in the same position during a curing phase.

14. The method for making a substantially 2-dimensional gingerbread scene on a front surface of an easel as recited in claim 13 wherein said second plurality of gingerbread materials are selected from the group consisting of cookies, pretzels, licorice (strings, straws, chunks), non-pareils, graham crackers, graham cookies, ginger snaps, gumdrops, jelly candies, coated chocolate and peanut candies (M&Ms?), lollipops, chocolate-peanut butter cups, candy canes (traditional and logs), colored sugar, confectioners sugar, silver ball candies, chocolate chips, and candy sprinkles.

15. A method for making a substantially 2-dimensional gingerbread scene on a front surface of an easel, comprising the steps of: placing a first plurality of gingerbread materials on a rear surface of a second plurality of gingerbread materials and then placing the combined materials on said front surface of said easel, said easel having a front surface and a back surface, wherein the front surface further comprises an upper edge and a lower edge, and a ledge that extends outwardly from said lower edge arranged to support some of said gingerbread materials, wherein said first plurality of gingerbread materials comprises frosting and said second plurality of gingerbread materials are selected from the group consisting of cookies, pretzels, licorice (strings, straws, chunks), non-pareils, graham crackers, graham cookies, ginger snaps, gumdrops, jelly candies, coated chocolate and peanut candies (M&Ms?), lollipops, chocolate-peanut butter cups, candy canes (traditional and logs), colored sugar, confectioners sugar, silver ball candies, chocolate chips, and candy sprinkles.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] Various embodiments are disclosed, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which corresponding reference symbols indicate corresponding parts, in which:

[0023] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a traditional 3-dimensional gingerbread house, constructed poorly by a young child;

[0024] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the easel component of the present invention;

[0025] FIG. 3 is a left rear perspective view of the easel shown in FIG. 2;

[0026] FIG. 4 is a right rear perspective view of the easel shown in FIG. 2;

[0027] FIG. 5 is a left-side view of the easel shown in FIG. 2;

[0028] FIG. 6 is a right-side view of the easel shown in FIG. 2;

[0029] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the easel shown in FIG. 2;

[0030] FIG. 8a is a perspective view of the easel shown in FIG. 2 showing a few gingerbread elements being positioned and glued thereon;

[0031] FIG. 8b is a perspective view of the easel shown in FIG. 2 showing the gingerbread elements shown in FIG. 8a after they have been secured to the easel front surface;

[0032] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the easel shown in FIG. 2 except showing a completely assembled gingerbread scene thereon; and,

[0033] FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the invention shown in FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] At the outset, it should be appreciated that like drawing numbers on different drawing views identify identical, or functionally similar, structural elements. It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the disclosed aspects.

[0035] Furthermore, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the particular methodology, materials and modifications described and as such may, of course, vary. It is also understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0036] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It should be understood that any methods, devices or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the example embodiments.

[0037] It should be appreciated that the term substantially is synonymous with terms such as nearly, very nearly, about, approximately, around, bordering on, close to, essentially, in the neighborhood of, in the vicinity of, etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims. It should be appreciated that the term proximate is synonymous with terms such as nearby, close, adjacent, neighboring, immediate, adjoining, etc., and such terms may be used interchangeably as appearing in the specification and claims.

[0038] It should be understood that the term relatively planar is a descriptor used herein to define an object having three dimensions: width, height, and depth. Relatively planar objects have both width and height that correspond to a plane, while the depth is substantially less than both the width and height.

[0039] It should also be appreciated that examples provided herein may conclude with etc., which should be interpreted to mean viable alternatives within the scope of the named examples, such that unnamed examples would be apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art.

[0040] Moreover, as used herein, the phrases comprises at least one of and comprising at least one of in combination with a system or element is intended to mean that the system or element includes one or more of the elements listed after the phrase. For example, a device comprising at least one of: a first element; a second element; and, a third element, is intended to be construed as any one of the following structural arrangements: a device comprising a first element; a device comprising a second element; a device comprising a third element; a device comprising a first element and a second element; a device comprising a first element and a third element; a device comprising a first element, a second element and a third element; or, a device comprising a second element and a third element. A similar interpretation is intended when the phrase used in at least one of: is used herein.

[0041] It should be appreciated that the embodiments as illustrated are only one of a variety of possible embodiments of the claimed invention. It should also be appreciated that directional adjectives, such as upper, lower, right, left, and similar variations, are to be interpreted in view of the corresponding drawings and are intended to be exemplary.

[0042] Adverting now to FIG. 1, this drawing is a perspective view of a traditional 3-dimensional gingerbread house 100, constructed poorly by a young child. As described previously young children and even some adults lack the manual dexterity and/or the artistic ability to construct a traditional gingerbread house, sometimes resulting in aesthetically displeasing houses and even collapsed walls or unstable structures.

[0043] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of easel 10 of the present invention. Easel 10 includes planar member 11, upper edge 12 and lower edge 13 and lower ledge 14, which is secured to the planar member at its lower edge 13 and extends outwardly therefrom. Ledge 14 has a top surface which functions to support placement of gingerbread house elements. Planar member 11 has a front surface 11a which functions as the mounting surface for edible gingerbread house elements as described infra (while it is envisioned that the gingerbread elements are edible, in some embodiments they don't have to be.) In a preferred embodiment, front surface 11a is substantially planar. Also in a preferred embodiment, planar member 11 is made of wood, but it could be made of plastic, metal, or any other suitable material. Planar surface 11a may also include printed indicia thereon such as a winter or holiday scene as described further infra.

[0044] FIG. 3 is a left rear perspective view of the easel shown in FIG. 2. This drawing shows rear surface 11b of planar member 11. It also shows right base support 15a, left base support leg 15b, and ledge 14. The support legs are secured to planar member 11 with fasteners (screws) (identified infra) to support the member on a table or other surface. In a preferred embodiment, member 11 is supported at an angle of 72.9? although other angles are possible, preferably angles that are less than 90? and more than 30?. Obviously the lower the angle the less likely gingerbread elements are to slide or fall and the easier the task of constructing a 2-dimensional gingerbread house or scene will be. In a preferred embodiment, the angle of member 11 is fixed, but it is envisioned that adjustable support legs could be used to support member 11 in a way that could vary the angle of support as determined by the user.

[0045] FIG. 4 is a right rear perspective view of the easel shown in FIG. 2. This drawing shows all the elements described above with respect to FIG. 3.

[0046] FIG. 5 is a left-side view of the easel shown in FIG. 2.

[0047] FIG. 6 is a right-side view of the easel shown in FIG. 2.

[0048] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the easel shown in FIG. 2. As shown in the drawing, ledge 14 attaches to member 11 in the front and support legs 15a and 15b attach to member 11 in the rear. Member 11 includes through-bores 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d, 18e, and 18f. Fastener 17a is arranged to pass through through-bore 18a to secure support leg 15b to member 11. Fastener 17b is arranged to pass through through-bore 18b to secure support leg 15a to member 11. Fastener 17c is arranged to pass through through-bore 18c to secure support leg 15b to member 11. Fastener 17d is arranged to pass through through-bore 18d to secure support leg 15a to member 11. Fastener 17e is arranged to pass through through-bore 18e and into partial through-bore 19e in ledge 14 to secure ledge 14 to member 11. Fastener 17f is arranged to pass through through-bore 18f and into partial through-bore 19f in ledge 14 to secure ledge 14 to member 11. In a preferred embodiment, fasteners 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, and 17f, are screws.

[0049] FIGS. 8a and 8b illustrate construction of a gingerbread scene on easel 10. As shown in FIG. 8a, the user would apply frosting 21 to surface 11a at various locations, and then place edible elements such as first edible element 16a (star), second edible element 16b (gingerbread man), and third edible element 16c (snow) onto the board atop the frosting. As the frosting dries during a curing stage it tends to become an adhesive to hold the edible elements in place on the front surface of the board. Again, it is preferred that the elements be edible but they don't have to be. Moreover and alternatively, the frosting/adhesive could be applied to a rear surface of one of the edible elements and then placed on surface 11a.

[0050] It should be appreciated that the order and position of placement of the edible elements placed on front surface 11a and upper surface 14a of lip 14 depend upon the user's artistic expression. There may be printed indicia on surface 11a, as described below in reference to FIG. 10, which may function as a guide to creation of a scene.

[0051] As can be seen in this drawing the completed scene is substantially 2-dimensional, since the individual gingerbread elements have length and width dimensions but small thickness dimensions relative to width and length. The resulting work of art differs from the traditional 3-dimensional gingerbread house both in appearance and in the complexity of manufacture. It should be appreciated by viewing the scene in FIG. 9 that any number of elements, such as but not limited to a Santa figure, a sleigh, reindeer, Christmas trees, snowmen, presents/gifts, bows, villages (house, cabin, store), igloos, animals, snowballs, snow, stars, sun, planets, moon, nativity scene (Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Manger, Wise Men, Three Kings, camels, sheep, donkey, other animals), drummer boy, bells, churches, wreaths, garland, and Advent wreath. A non-exhaustive list of possible artistic elements as shown in FIG. 9 are illustrated and shown in the table below:

[0052] FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the invention shown in FIG. 9. In addition to showing all the elements of the invention described supra, including the edible elements described in the table above, this drawing also shows printed indicia 10a (large cloud), 10b (sun), 10c (small cloud), 10d (small hills) and 10e (mountains). These printed indicia elements which are printed on front surface 11a of the easel function as a guide for the gingerbread scene maker, especially young children, in indicating where to place gingerbread elements on the surface of the easel. Obviously, a myriad of scenes are possible. Older children and adults may want to create their own printed indicia or use none at all. The possibilities are as endless as one's imagination.

[0053] It will be appreciated that various aspects of the present invention and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. For example, although the invention, in a preferred embodiment, provides a means and method for constructing a gingerbread scene to celebrate the Christmas holiday it should be appreciated that the invention could be used to construct other holiday scenes, including but not limited to Easter, Halloween and Thanksgiving, and could even be use to celebrate other special occasions such as birthdays, with substitution of appropriate building materials. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the appended claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0054] 10 Easel [0055] 10a Large cloud printed indicia [0056] 10b Sun printed indicia [0057] 10c Small cloud printed indicia [0058] 10d Small hills printed indicia [0059] 10e Mountains printed indicia [0060] 11 Planar member [0061] 11a Front surface of planar member 11 [0062] 11b Rear surface of planar member 11a [0063] 12 Upper edge [0064] 13 Lower edge [0065] 14 Ledge [0066] 14a Upper surface of ledge 14 [0067] 15a Right base support leg [0068] 15b Left base support leg [0069] 16a First edible element (star) [0070] 16b Second edible element (man) [0071] 16c Third edible element (snow) [0072] 17a Mechanical fastener [0073] 17b Mechanical fastener [0074] 17c Mechanical fastener [0075] 17d Mechanical fastener [0076] 17e Mechanical fastener [0077] 17f Mechanical fastener [0078] 18a Through-bore [0079] 18b Through-bore [0080] 18c Through-bore [0081] 18d Through-bore [0082] 18e Through-bore [0083] 18f Through-bore [0084] 19e Partial through-bore [0085] 19f Partial through-bore [0086] 21 Adhesive/frosting [0087] 200 Completed gingerbread scene