US 4,505,687 AGranted

Form retaining stuffed figurine

AssigneeAmerican Greetings Corporation

InventorJoan C. Munro

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Abstract

A figurine having a form retaining shape. The figurine comprises a body portion and a head portion connected with the body portion. The body portion comprises (i) a tubular outer covering, (ii) a fill material substantially filling the tubular outer covering, and (iii) a piece of elastic extending along at least a part of the tubular outer covering. The piece of elastic is in a partially tensioned state resulting from being fixedly secured under a state of high tension to at least two points spaced apart along the length of the tubular covering and then being allowed to relax to a partially tensioned state and being held in the partially tensioned state by the tubular outer covering. The piece of elastic allows the body portion to be manually deformed against that bias. The piece of elastic returns the body portion to the predetermined shape when the deforming forces are removed.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A stuffed figurine having a head portion and a form retaining body component;

said form retaining body component comprising a tubular, longitudinally extending outer covering of a compliant fabric material that is secured along a seam;
said seam extending parallel to the longitudinal extent of said covering, and a soft, compliant fill material being disposed within said tubular outer covering;
a length of elastic fixedly secured to and extending longitudinally along said seam along at least part of said tubular outer covering;
said length of elastic being held by the tubular outer covering in a partially tensioned state;
said length of elastic fixedly secured to at least two longitudinally spaced portions of said longitudinally extending tubular covering;
said length of elastic when in said partially tensioned state resiliently biasing said form retaining body component into a predetermined geometric form;
wherein said tubular outer covering has its longitudinal extent biased into an arcuate shape and with said tubular outer covering having an inner periphery and an outer periphery, said length of elastic being confined to and extending along said inner periphery, said form retaining body component being deformable against the bias of said length of elastic, and said length of elastic causing said form retaining body component to return to its predetermined geometric form when the forces causing the deformation are removed.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.