Child's portable activity pack

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Occupying the attention of children traveling in conveyances, such as airplanes or automobiles, is a challenge for parents. When confined to a seat on an airplane or automobile a child typically becomes restless and irritable due to inactivity. Although a parent may bring a few toys or play items aboard an airplane in carry-on luggage, the child typically loses interest in a relatively short period of time and looks for other avenues of entertainment.

Thus there is a need for a child's portable activity pack that can be hand-carried onto commercial airplanes or taken on automobile trips and which contains a variety of amusement or educational items capable of maintaining the child's interest for extended periods of time. In addition to maintaining such activity items in an organized manner, the portable activity pack should include a wide variety of activity items, such as toys, books, a flat transparent surface for game boards, or tracing or writing and a dry erase board for drawing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A portable activity pack in the form of a back pack is provided having back straps and a handle for hand carry and which has fold-up panels containing toys, games, writing or drawing paper and related children activity items. Aboard an aircraft the portable activity pack is unfolded and a rear pouch is placed on a fold-down tray attached to the back of the seat in front of the seat being occupied by the child. The back straps are crossed beneath the tray and rebuckled. A front pouch attached to one lateral side of the rear pouch, which is the same size as the rear pouch, has a loop on its free lateral edge, which hooks over the latch for the fold-down tray, thereby holding the front pouch and its dry erase board in an upright position. A lateral side pouch folds down from the other lateral side of the rear pouch at the front of the tray and top and bottom side pouches fold-down at the sides of the tray. The rear pouch has a transparent plastic window beneath which game boards and sheets of paper may be stored. The front pouch may include a dry erase board and includes a zipper for a pocket behind the board for storing paperback books, game boards or other flat items. Loops are provided below the dry erase board for holding dry erase pens. The side pouches also include zipper enclosed compartments for storing game cards, crayons, toys and the like. Mesh pockets are also provided on the side pouches for storing toys and game pieces and one of the side pouches preferably has loops for storing finger puppets. When it is desired to refold the portable activity pack, the front pouch unhooks from the tray latch and is folded over the rear of the rear pouch, the lateral side pouch is folded over the front pouch and a separating zipper therebetween is closed. Next, the top and bottom side pouches are folded over the interconnected front and lateral side pouches and a separating zipper therebetween is closed. A flap is provided to hide this last mentioned zipper. The flap is held in its zipper covering position by Velcro patches. The shoulder straps are then unbuckled and the portable activity pack is removed from the fold-down service tray. Friction hinges interconnect lateral edges of the front and rear pouches, which serve to frictionally hold the front pouch in an adjusted activity position when it is manually moved to such position. The friction hinges facilitate use of the portable activity pack when the activity site does not include a hook on which the loop can be hooked to hold the front pouch in an upright position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The portable activity pack is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the front of the portable activity pack;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the rear of the portable activity pack;

FIG. 3A is a front view of the portable activity pack in a folded condition;

FIG. 3B shows the top and bottom side pouches unzipped and unfolded;

FIG. 3C shows the portable activity pack completely unzipped and unfolded;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the unfolded pack placed on a fold-down tray of an aircraft;

FIG. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 in FIG. 4, and

FIG. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3A shows the portable activity pack 11 in its folded condition. FIG. 3B shows the portable activity pack 11 partially unfolded and FIG. 3C shows the pack 11 completely unfolded. The portable activity pack 11 includes a quadrilateral front pouch 12, a quadrilateral rear pouch 13, a lateral side pouch 14, a top side pouch 16 and a bottom side pouch 17. A pair of shoulder straps 18, 19 have corresponding portions 21, 22 secured to a back panel 20 of the rear pouch 13 near its top edge 23 and corresponding portions 24, 26 of the straps 18, 19 are secured to the rear pouch 13 near its bottom edge 27. An adjustable quick release buckle 28 releasably connects strap portions 18 and 24 and an adjustable quick release buckle 29 releasably connects strap portions 19 and 26. A handle 31 is secured to the top of the portable activity pack 11 near the top edge 23 of the back pouch 13 to facilitate hand carry of the portable activity pack 11.

The front pouch 12 has a front or inner wall or panel 36 to which a rigid dry erase board 37 is secured and a rear or outer wall or panel 38, which in FIG. 3B is shown connected to the lateral side pouch 14 by a separating zipper 39. A non-separating zipper 41 in the front panel 36 of the front pouch 12, disposed between the dry erase board 37 and the lateral edge 42 of the front panel 36, provides access to a pocket between the panels 36, 38 where thin books, game boards or the like may be stored. A plurality of spaced apart loops 43 for the dry erase pens are secured to the front panel 36 of the front pouch 12 between the dry erase board 37 and a lateral edge 44 of the front pouch 12 secured to a lateral edge of the rear pouch 13. FIG. 5 shows dry erase pens installed in the loops 43.

Referring to FIGS. 3C, 4, 5 and 6, the rear pouch 13 has a front panel 46 which includes a transparent plastic window or game board 47 mounted in a rigid frame 49. Elastic bands or straps 48 are attached at their opposite ends to the front panel 46 to extend across the four corners of the rectangular transparent game board 47. The bands 48 serve to hold flat game boards, tracing paper or writing paper in place on the transparent game board. The front panel 46 and the back panel 20 of the rear pouch 13 are secured to one another at their top edges, bottom edges and the lateral edge adjacent lateral edge 44 of the front pouch 12. The top and bottom edges of the panels 46, 20 correspond in position with the top edge 23 and bottom edge 27 of the rear pouch, shown in FIG. 2. The lateral side of the top panel 46 of the rear pouch 13 is not secured to the back panel 20 of the rear pouch 13 thereby providing an elongated opening 51, shown in FIG. 6, providing access to a storage area for flat board games, paper and other flat items. A pair of friction hinges 111, 112 interconnect the front pouch 12 to the rear pouch 13 permitting relative pivotal movement about an axis 113 adjacent the lateral edge 44 of the front pouch 12. The friction hinges 111, 112 serve to releasably hold the front pouch 12 in the pivot position to which it is manually adjusted. The friction hinges function in a manner similar to their function in lap top computers.

The lateral side pouch 14 includes a front panel 52 and a rear panel 53 which are interconnected at their top edges, their bottom edges and their lateral side edges which correspond to a top edge 56, a bottom edge 57, and lateral edges 58, 59 of the lateral side pouch 14. A non-separating zipper 61 is installed in the front panel 52 adjacent and parallel to the lateral edge 59, which provides access to the interior of the pouch 14, which is suitable for storing small toys and game pieces. Mesh material is sewn or otherwise fastened to the front panel 52 to form a pair of mesh pockets 62, 63 which open toward the zipper 61. The pockets 62, 63 are ideal for storing quickly accessible game pieces or toys.

As shown in FIGS. 3C, 4 and 5, the top side pouch 16 has a front panel 66 and a back panel 67 interconnected at their top, bottom and laterally opposite sides to form a top edge 68, a bottom edge 69, a lateral edge 71 and a lateral edge 72. A non-separating zipper 73 is installed in the front or rear panel 66 near to and parallel with the top edge 68 for providing access to the pocket formed by the panels 66, 67. Five loops 74 are secured to the front panel 66 for storage of finger puppets, not shown. A flap 76 having the same lateral width as the top side pouch 16 is secured to the top side panel 67 at the top edge 68 and extends beyond the bottom edge 69 of the pouch 16 so that when the portable activity pack 11 is in its folded condition, as shown in FIG. 1, the free end of the flap 76 covers a separating zipper 77 interconnecting the bottom edge 69 of the top side pouch 16 with a bottom edge 81 of the bottom side pouch 17. The flap 76 may also carry a distinctive symbol or decoration, such as the embroidered flower 80 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3A.

The bottom side pouch 17 includes a front panel 82 and a back or rear panel 83 interconnected at their top, bottom and laterally opposite sides to form a top edge 84, the bottom edge 81, a lateral edge 86 and a lateral edge 87. A non-separating zipper 88 is installed in the front panel 82 near and parallel with the top edge 84 to provide access to the pocket formed between the panels 82, 83. Mesh material is sewn or otherwise fastened to the front panel 82 to form side by side mesh pockets 91, 92. Velcro patches 93, 94 are sewn on the lower corners of the front panel 83 of the lower side pouch 17 which mate with Velcro patches 96, 97 sewn on the inside of the flap 76 in the fold-up condition of the activity pack as shown in FIG. 1.

The portable activity pack 11 is designed to maintain toys, games, writing accessories and the like in a secure organized manner during transport and when unfolded aboard an airplane, in an automobile, on a train or at a home, it provides an activity center for keeping a child occupied for a long period of time. The portable activity pack 11 can be carried by the handle 31 or, by using the back straps 21, 22, it can be transported as a backpack. When the portable activity pack 11 is unfolded and placed on a service tray 98 in its fold-down service position shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, an flexible elastic loop or fastening 99 on edge 42 of the front pouch 12 is hooked on the retention hook or latch 101 used to maintain the fold-down service tray 98 in its fold-up or stored position in the cavity in the rear of the passenger seat 102 in front of the seat, not shown, occupied by the child using the portable activity pack 11. The rear pouch 13 rests on the service tray 98 and the straps 21, 22 are preferrably crossed and tightened beneath the service tray 98. The portable activity pack 11 is thus securely held in place. The portable activity pack 11 and its contents are not disturbed by air turbulence during a flight. All the pouches 12, 13, 14, 16, 17 are accessible to the child. The storage area behind the dry erase board 37 is suitable for storing flat items and reading material such as thin books. The storage area beneath the plastic window 47 is particularly suited for storing flat pictorials for tracing, game boards, and sheets of paper for writing or tracing. The elastic corner bands 48 hold a game board or Lego mat in place and also hold paper in place when the child is engaged in writing or tracing activity.

The friction hinges 111, 112 increase the versatility of the portable activity pack 11 by maintaining the front pouch 12 and its dry erase board 37 in an upright posture to which it may be pivoted without reliance on an external support such as found aboard a passenger aircraft. The friction hinges 111, 112 facilitate the usefulness of the portable activity pack 11 when used at home, when it accompanies a child to a baby sitters home, in an automobile or train or to a day care center.

REFERENCE NUMBER GLOSSARY

11 portable activity pack

12 quadrilateral front pouch

13 quadrilateral rear pouch

14 lateral side pouch

16 top side pouch

17 bottom side pouch

18 shoulder strap

19 shoulder strap

21 corresponding portion

22 corresponding portion

23 top edge

24 corresponding portion

26 corresponding portion

27 bottom edge

28 adjustable quick release buckle

29 adjustable quick release buckle

31 handle

36 panel

37 rigid dry erase board

38 rear or outer wall or panel

39 separating zipper

41 non-separating zipper

42 lateral edge

43 loop

44 lateral edge

46 front panel

47 rectangular transparent game board

48 band

49 rigid frame

51 elongated opening

52 front panel

53 rear panel

56 top edge

57 bottom edge

58 lateral edge

59 lateral edge

61 non-separating zipper

62 mesh pocket

63 mesh pocket

66 front panel

67 back panel

68 top edge

69 bottom edge

71 lateral edge

72 lateral edge

73 non-separating zipper

74 loop

76 flap

77 separating zipper

80 embroidered flower

81 bottom edge

82 front panel

83 rear panel

84 top edge

86 lateral edge

87 lateral edge

88 non-separating zipper

91 mesh pocket

92 mesh pocket

93 Velcro patch

94 Velcro patch

96 Velcro patch

97 Velcro patch

98 service tray

99 fastening

101 latch

102 passenger seat

111 friction hinge

112 friction hinge