CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONSThe following application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/966,808, filed on Aug. 30, 2007.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSUREBubble-blowing wands have long been very popular toys. There is an ongoing need for new wands that provide new sources of entertainment for their users, which are typically children. The present disclosure provides a novel wand for blowing bubbles, that can be adapted for other uses as well.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSUREThus, in one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a bubble wand comprising a disc having at least one hole for blowing bubbles therethrough, and a hilt,
wherein the disc is removably connected to the hilt.
In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a bubble wand. The bubble wand comprises a disc having at least one hole for blowing bubbles therethrough, a pair of tongs, wherein the disc is removably connected to the pair of tongs, a handle, wherein the pair of tongs are connected to the handle, and a base, wherein the base is removably connected to the handle at an end of the handle opposite the pair of tongs.
In yet another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a bubble wand that comprises a disc having at least one hole for blowing bubbles therethrough, a pair of tongs, wherein said disc is removably connected to said pair of tongs, a handle, wherein said pair of tongs are connected to said handle, and a base, wherein said base is operably connected to said handle at an end of said handle opposite said pair of tongs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG. 1 is front view of a bubble wand of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bubble wand ofFIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a front view of the bubble wand ofFIG. 1, having a shorter handle;
FIG. 4 is a front view of the bubble wand ofFIG. 1, having an insert disposed within the disc;
FIG. 5 is a front view of several embodiments of the insert ofFIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a second embodiment of the bubble wand of the present disclosure;
FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a third embodiment of the hilt of the present disclosure;
FIG. 8 is a front view of a fourth embodiment of the bubble wand of the present disclosure;
FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the bubble wand ofFIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a fifth embodiment of the bubble wand of the present disclosure;
FIG. 11 is an exploded view of a sixth embodiment of the bubble wand of the present disclosure;
FIG. 12 is a front view of a seventh embodiment of the bubble wand of the present disclosure; and
FIG. 13 is a front view of an eighth embodiment of the bubble wand of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSUREThe present disclosure provides a bubble wand that can comprise at least two detachable pieces, namely a disc and a hilt. The disc is removably attached to the hilt in a manner described in further detail below. The discs and hilts of one wand can be interchangeable with discs and hilts of other wands. When placed in bubble making solution, the disc is able to produce bubbles. This can be accomplished with one of two possible methods. First, with or without attaching the disc to the hilt, users can dip or submerge the disc in a bubble solution, and create bubbles simply by blowing through it. The user can also attach the disc to the hilt, dip or submerge the disc in the bubble solution, and can create bubbles by waving the hilt. The wand can be made of a variety of materials, including but not limited to plastic, vinyl, or metal. The hilt and disc can also be made of different materials. For example, the hilt can be made of metal, while the disc is made of plastic, or vice versa.
Referring toFIG. 1, awand10 of the present disclosure is shown.Wand10 can havedisc20 and hilt30.Disc20 is substantially circular.Hilt30 comprises ahandle32, a pair oftongs40, and a pommel orbase50. Althoughdisc20 is circular in all of the embodiments discussed below, other shapes fordisc20 are contemplated by the present disclosure, including square, elliptical, oval, etc. Whendisc20 is dipped in bubble solution, the solution remains withininner diameter21, and the user can blow oninner diameter21 to create bubbles.
Tongs40 are connected to handle32. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 1,tongs40 are permanently connected to handle32. However, as will be discussed in further detail below,tongs40 can also be removably connected to handle32. As shown inFIG. 2,disc20 can connect totongs40 through a snap-fit connection.Tongs40 have achannel42 disposed therein. Channel42 has a pair ofinterior walls44, at least one of which has a raisededge46. Whendisc20 is connected totongs40,outer edge22 ofdisc20 is inserted intochannel42 oftongs40. Raisededge46 then engagesgroove24, which is disposed on a face ofdisc20, so thatdisc20 is held in place. The connection betweenedges46 andgrooves24 is such thatdisc20 can be rotated about its center and withinchannel42 while connected totongs40. In the shown embodiment, there are two raisededges46. There are also twogrooves24, one each disposed on either face ofdisc20. Although the connection betweendisc20 andtongs40 is shown as a snap fit, other methods of connection are contemplated by the present disclosure, such as a friction or pressure fit. In any case, the connection betweendisc20 andhilt30, ortongs40, is such thatdisc20 can rotate with respect to thehilt30 ortongs40, while still remaining connected.
Tongs40 can also have a pair oftabs48, which provide additional stability fordisc20 when it is connected totongs40.Tabs48 can each have an additional raisededge49 disposed thereon. Whendisc20 is connected totongs40 in the manner described above,edges49 engage with asecond groove26 disposed on the face ofdisc20. In the shown embodiment, there are twosecond grooves26, one each disposed on either face ofdisc20.
Disc20 can also have a plurality ofteeth28 disposed along a surface of theinner diameter21. Teeth28 can help to retain the bubble solution withininner diameter21, whendisc20 is dipped in bubble solution.
Besides being able to produce bubbles,disc20 can be used to play a wide assortment of games, including spinningdisc20 on its edge, like a spinning top, usingdisc20 as a Frisbee-style flying disc, usingdisc20 as a puck for knocking down pins when playing a variant of the game bowling, usingdisc20 in skelzies, which is a similar game to marbles, usingdisc20 to play marbles, and usingdisc20 as a game piece in the game of checkers.
Referring toFIG. 3, a second embodiment ofwand10 is shown. In this embodiment,handle32 ofhilt30 is much shorter than handle32 as shown inFIG. 1. The present disclosure contemplates a variety of lengths forhandle32, including those significantly longer than that shown inFIG. 1.
Referring toFIG. 4, a variety of inserts that can be placed ininner diameter21 ofdisc20 are shown. One embodiment ofinsert60, for example, shown insideinner diameter21, has a large center hole with four additional holes dispersed along the outside.Insert60 can therefore provide a variety of different sized bubbles after being dipped in bubble solution.Insert60 can connect todisc20 with a snap-fit, pressure or friction fit, or any other method suitable for connecting the two components. As shown inFIG. 5, insert60 can have a variety of hole patterns disposed thereon, including a three-by-three square, four-by-four square, a snowflake-type shape, or a small center hole surrounded by four larger holes. The present disclosure contemplates a wide variety of arrangements for holes disposed ininsert60.
Referring toFIG. 6, in oneembodiment wand10 can be disassembled into a plurality of separate parts as shown.Tongs40, for example, can have afirst part41 and asecond part43, which can be connected to handle32. The method of connection can be with apin fastener49, which connectsfirst part41 andsecond part43 to the components ofhilt30 discussed below. This connection can also be done without such a fastener, andfirst part41 andsecond part43 can connect to handle32 with other connection methods, such as a snap fit, pressure fit, or friction fit.
In addition, handle32 can have afirst part34 and asecond part36, which can be connected to each other and tofirst part41 andsecond part43 oftongs40. As with the components oftongs40 discussed above,first part34 andsecond part36 ofhandle32 can be connected to each other andtongs40 in any number of ways, such as with mechanical fasteners, or a snap fit, pressure fit, or friction fit connection.
Pommel50 can also be detachable fromwand10, and havefirst part52 andsecond part54.First part52 andsecond part54 ofpommel50 can have an opening in the top portions thereof, so thatfirst part34 andsecond part36 ofhandle32 can be placed therein.Pommel50 can be connected to handle32 with any of the connection methods described above fortongs40 and handle32. Thus, in this manner,wand10 can be disassembled for more portable use.
Referring toFIG. 7, a second method for disassemblingwand10 is shown.Wand10 can have a first part12 and asecond part14, which splitwand10 along its longitudinal axis. First part12 andsecond part14 can be connected to each other through any of several connection methods, such as with mechanical fasteners, a snap fit, a pressure fit, or a friction fit.
Referring toFIGS. 8-9, another embodiment ofwand10 is shown. In this embodiment,pommel50 is detachable fromhilt30, and has a smaller-sized wand110 removably connected thereto.Pommel50 can connect to the base ofhandle32 through a snap-fit or pressure-fit type connection. Whenpommel50 is connected to handle32 in this manner,wand110 is disposed within a hollow space insidehandle32.Wand110 also has aremovable disc120, and functions in a similar manner towand10.Wand110 can either be permanently connected to pommel50, or can be removably connected, as shown.Wand110 can also be loosely disposed within the hollow space withinhandle32.
Referring toFIG. 10, another embodiment ofwand10 is shown. Here, pommel50 hastray56 connected thereto. Whenpommel50 is connected to handle32,tray56 is disposed within a hollow space insidehandle32. Items such as small toys, coins, etc. can be stored ontray56 and withinhandle32.
Referring toFIG. 11, another embodiment ofwand10 is shown. In this embodiment, pommel50 can hinge about a fixedpoint51 and move to one side, revealing a compartment disposed withinhandle32. As is also shown inFIG. 11,pommel50 can also be completely removed, to reveal the hidden compartment.
Referring toFIG. 12, another embodiment oftray56 is shown. In this embodiment,tray56 is disposed withinhandle32, and can be pulled out to one side ofhandle32.Tray56 can have a grooved or latchedportion57 that can allow a user to pulltray56 out to the side ofhandle32.Tray56 can be attached to pommel50, so that such a movement would also causepommel50 to rotate. Alternatively,tray56 can be moved independently ofhandle32 orpommel50. As seen in FIG.13, handle32 can also have aside wall38 that can be opened, to reveal an inner compartment.Side wall38 can rotate about ahinge39.
While the present disclosure has been described with reference to one or more exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims.