| THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. A blank of bendable sheet material for forming a three dimensional ornament, the ornament having a body with two wings projecting from the body such that the wings form visually significant elements of the overall design of the ornament, wherein the blank includes a central portion shaped to form the body of the ornament and two adjoining side portions shaped and sized to form the wings; wherein each side portion adjoins the central portion at a respective connection region; and wherein, when the blank is bent into a three dimensional shape and secured at the connection region, the wings project from the body of the ornament. 2. The blank of claim 1 wherein each connection region includes a slit which is arranged to be interlockable with a slit of the other connection region when the blank is bent into its three dimensional shape, whereby, when the slits are interlocked, the wings project from the body of the ornament. 3. The blank of claim 1 or 2 wherein an image is applied to the blank such that the central portion and side portions each carry a part of the image whereby, when the blank is formed into its three dimensional shape, the parts of the image appearing on the wings form prominent visual features of the overall design of the ornament. 4. The blank of claim 3 wherein the image includes an illustration of a figure, such as a person, creature or machine, having a body with wings of the type to facilitate flight projecting from its sides, the image being aligned on the blank such that the body of the illustrated figure appears on the body of the ornament and the wings of the figure appear on the wings of the ornament. 5. The blank of claim 3 wherein the image includes an illustration of a figure, such as a person, creature or machine, set against a background of the type being an environment, setting or context of the figure, the image being aligned on the blank such that the figure appears on the body of the ornament and the background appears on the wings of the ornament. 6. The blank of claim 4 or claim 5 wherein a peripheral edge of the blank forms a shape which conforms to an outline of the image. 7. The blank of any one of the preceding claims wherein, when the blank is formed into its three dimensional shape, the wings extend beyond a maximum width of the body of the ornament. 8. The blank of any one of claims 2-6 wherein each slit has an open end located on a peripheral edge of the blank and a closed end located inwardly from the peripheral edge, and wherein one of the slits extends downwardly from an upper peripheral edge of one of the connection regions and the other slit extends upwardly from a lower peripheral edge of the other connection region such that, when the slits are interlocked, their closed ends meet at an intermediate position between the upper and lower peripheral edges. 9. The blank of any one of the preceding claims, further including a head portion joined to the central portion at a location intermediate the side portions. 10. The blank of claim 9 wherein the head portion and two side portions are integral with the central portion. 11. The blank of any one of the preceding wherein the central portion forms a substantially conical shape when the blank is bent into a three dimensional shape and secured at the connection region. 12. The blank of any one of the preceding claims wherein the three dimensional ornament is an article of headwear, such as, for example, a party hat. 13. The blank of claim 12 wherein the blank includes a means for attaching to a person's head. 14. The blank of any one of the preceding claims wherein the bendable sheet material is selected from the group consisting of paper, cardboard, plastic. 15. The blank of any one of the preceding claims wherein the bendable sheet material has a weight in the range 150-300 grams per square metre (gsm). 16. The blank of claim 15 wherein the weight of the bendable sheet material is preferably 200 grams per square metre (gsm). 17. A three dimensional ornament having a body with two wings projecting from the body such that the wings form visually significant elements of the overall design of the ornament, wherein the ornament is formed from a blank of bendable sheet material and the blank includes a central portion shaped to form the body of the ornament and two adjoining side portions shaped and sized to form the wings; wherein each side portion adjoins the central portion at a respective connection region; and wherein each connection region includes a slit which is arranged to be interlockable with a slit of the other connection region when the blank is bent into a three dimensional shape, whereby, when the slits are interlocked, the wings project from the body of the ornament. 18. A blank substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. 19. A three dimensional ornament substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. |
This invention relates in general to three dimensional ornaments. In particular, the invention is applicable to a party hat and it is convenient to describe it in this manner. However, it should be noted that the invention is not limited to this application. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Ornaments are well known, as people have always decorated their houses, places of work and themselves with such things. Ornaments, such as hats, have often been used at birthday parties and festive occasions to assist with setting a scene or a theme for the occasion. They also ensure the guests or the person whose birthday it is, feels special.
Party hats currently available are pre-assembled, different coloured, cone shape arrangements. These pre-assembled cone hats are usually assembled prior to shipping by means of staples or some type of adhesive, most commonly either glue or tape.
Pre-assembled hats, due to their shape, take up a lot of space when stored or transported. To overcome that, and in order to save transportation and storage costs, often these cone hats are pressed flat and folded making them easier to store and transport. The disadvantage in folding or pressing the pre- assembled cone hat is that a permanent crease is placed in at least two places on the hat, ruining its aesthetic appearance.
A further disadvantage of other conventional inexpensive hats, such as visors made of paper and card material, is the locking mechanism. This style of hat has a visor element to shade the eyes from sunlight and two arm-like portions which are held together using a slot and tab arrangement to enable the hat to be placed on a person's head. Hats using this type of locking mechanism can often be difficult to assemble and very difficult to disassemble. This is because the slots do not easily form for the tabs to be inserted inside them. In addition, the tabs often have pointed tails which ensure they lock into the slot. This can make them very difficult to disassemble without breaking or ruining the hat. Furthermore, these hats are usually made for onetime use only. Another disadvantage of existing party hats is that the visual design or illustration on the hat is not readily able to be seen when the hat is worn. Party hats are often curved or cone shaped with the visual design or illustration printed directly on the hat. As the illustration follows the curve of the hat it is only given a two dimensional effect. Furthermore, only a small proportion of the illustration is seen when the hat is worn.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive decorative ornament which is easy to assemble and disassemble, and where the ornament has a significant visual three dimensional appearance. Any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the invention. It should not be taken as an admission that any of the material formed part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art in Australia or any other country on or before the priority date of the claims herein. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect the present invention provides a blank of bendable sheet material for forming a three dimensional ornament. The ornament has a body with two wings projecting from the body such that the wings form visually significant elements of the overall design of the ornament. The blank includes a central portion shaped to form the body of the ornament and two adjoining side portions shaped and sized to form the wings. Each side portion adjoins the central portion at a respective connection region. When the blank is bent into a three dimensional shape and secured at the connection region, the wings project from the body of the ornament. The wings of the ornament refer to the part of the ornament that projects from the body of the ornament, formed from the side portions of the blank. The term "wings" is not necessarily referring to something that would facilitate flight for example the wing of a bird, aeroplane or even a dragon. It may be used in a context to represent a part of a building (for example, a wing of a building). In this way the wings of the ornament should be distinguished from any illustration of wings of the type to facilitate flight which might be depicted on the wings of the ornament. Preferably each connection region of the blank includes a slit which is arranged to be interlockable with a slit of the other connection region when the blank is bent into its three dimensional shape, whereby, when the slits are interlocked, the wings project from the body of the ornament. It is desirable that each slit in the blank has an open end located on a peripheral edge of the blank and a closed end located inwardly from the peripheral edge. One of the slits may extend downwardly from an upper peripheral edge of one of the connection regions and the other slit may extend upwardly from a lower peripheral edge of the other connection region such that, when the slits are interlocked, their closed ends meet at an intermediate position between the upper and lower peripheral edges.
Furthermore, it is preferable that an image is applied to the blank such that the central portion and side portions each carry a part of the image whereby, when the blank is formed into its three dimensional shape, the parts of the image appearing on the wings form prominent visual features of the overall design of the ornament.
A peripheral edge of the blank preferably forms a shape which conforms to an outline of the image.
In one embodiment the image includes an illustration of a figure, such as a person, creature or machine, having a body with wings of the type to facilitate flight projecting from its sides, the image being aligned on the blank such that the body of the illustrated figure appears on the body of the ornament and the wings of the figure appear on the wings of the ornament.
Alternatively the image includes an illustration of a figure, such as a person, creature or machine, set against a background of the type being an environment, setting or context of the figure, the image being aligned on the blank such that the figure appears on the body of the ornament and the background appears on the wings of the ornament.
In another embodiment the blank further includes a head portion joined to the central portion at a location intermediate the side portions. The illustration may include a corresponding head of the figure. Preferably the head portion and two side portions are integral with the central portion. In a further embodiment the central portion of the blank forms a substantially conical shape when the blank is bent into a three dimensional shape and secured at the connection region.
When the blank is formed into its three dimensional shape, preferably the wings extend beyond a maximum width of the body of the ornament.
In a preferred embodiment the three dimensional ornament is an article of headwear, such as, for example, a party hat. Furthermore the blank preferably includes a means for attaching to a person's head.
Preferably the bendable sheet material the blank is made from is selected from the group consisting of paper, cardboard and plastic. It is desirable that the bendable sheet material has a weight in the range of 150-300 grams per square metre (gsm), and preferably a weight of 200 grams per square metre (gsm).
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a three dimensional ornament having a body with two wings projecting from the body such that the wings form visually significant elements of the overall design of the ornament. The ornament is formed from a blank of bendable sheet material and the blank includes a central portion shaped to form the body of the ornament and two adjoining side portions shaped and sized to form the wings. Each side portion adjoins the central portion at a respective connection region. Each connection region includes a slit which is arranged to be interlockable with a slit of the other connection region when the blank is bent into a three dimensional shape, whereby, when the slits are interlocked, the wings project from the body of the ornament. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It will be convenient to further describe the invention with respect to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments thereof. Other embodiments of the invention are possible, and consequently, the particularity of the accompanying drawings is not to be understood as superseding the generality of the preceding description of the invention. Figure 1 shows a blank for making a three dimensional ornament according to the present invention. Figure 2 shows a decorated blank with an overlay of a generic blank for making an ornament, suitable for use as a party hat, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 shows a front view of the decorated blank of Figure 2 assembled into an ornament, suitable for use as a party hat.
Figure 4 shows a rear view of the ornament shown in Figure 3.
Figures 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 show various further embodiments of the present invention.
Figure 10 shows a method of assembling a blank into a party hat according to an embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
An ornament in this context is an ornament which has decorative qualities. It could be an ornament for a mantelpiece or a cabinet in the home, to be placed on a shelf in a child's bedroom, on a desk in a work place or even an item for personal ornamentation.
Personal ornamentation could encompass items which are worn in order to decorate oneself, for example, broaches, jewellery and in particular hats and other headwear. Headwear also includes party hats and hats worn for special, festive or themed occasions: birthday party hats; Halloween hats; Christmas hats; etc.
Some of the qualities required for a party hat are that it should be inexpensive, which includes, inexpensive to manufacture and transport. Furthermore it is preferable that the party hat be easy to assemble after purchase, easy to put on and durable. In addition, in order to be reusable it is preferably easily disassembled without causing damage. However, one of the most important qualities of a party hat is that the design or illustrationon the hat should be visible.
Figure 1 shows a blank for forming a three dimensional ornament according to the present invention. The blank 1 is made of bendable sheet material for forming a three dimensional ornament as shown, for example, in Figures 3 and 4. The ornament 31 has a body 32 with two wings 33 projecting from the body 32 such that the wings 33 form visually significant elements of the overall design of the ornament 31. In order to form the three dimensional ornament, the blank 1 includes a central portion 2 and two adjoining side portions 3, 3'. The central portion 2 is shaped to form the body 32 of the ornament 31. The two adjoining side portions 3, 3' are shaped and sized to form the wings 33. Each side portion 3, 3' adjoins the central portion at a respective connection region 4, 4' so that, when the blank is bent into a three dimensional shape and secured at the connection regions 4, 4', the wings 33 project from the body 32 of the ornament 31.
In the embodiment shown, each connection region 4, 4' includes a slit 8, 8' which is arranged to be interlockable with a slit 8', 8 of the other connection region 4', 4 when the sheet material is bent into a three dimensional shape. When the slits are interlocked, the wings 33 project from the body 32 of the ornament 31.
Each slit 8, 8' has an open end 5, 5' located on a peripheral edge of the blank and a closed end 6, 6' located inwardly from the peripheral edge. One of the slits 8' extends downwardly from an upper peripheral edge of one of the connection regions 4' and the other slit 8 extends upwardly from a lower peripheral edge of the other connection region 4 such that, when the slits 8, 8' are interlocked, their closed ends 6, 6' meet at an intermediate position between the upper and lower peripheral edges. It is desirable for each slit 8, 8' to be of approximately the same length and for the closed ends of the slits 6, 6' to meet at a position approximately half way between the upper and lower peripheral edges. The connection regions 4, 4' of the blank are sized such that, when the slits 8, 8' are interlocked, the upper and lower peripheral edges of the connection regions 4, 4' are substantially aligned. It will be appreciated that the width of the slits 8, 8' has been depicted slightly larger than would be expected in order to illustrate and describe the present invention.
When the slits are interlocked, as shown in Figure 4, the ornament is securely formed and the body forms a hollow space. In this embodiment the central portion 2 of the blank 1 forming the body 32 of the ornament 31 forms a substantially conical shape, however, it is to be appreciated that the body 32 could alternatively be a cylindrical shape or any other shape. The locking mechanism is strong enough to keep the blank in the form of the ornament without requiring adhesive means. This is advantageous as the ornament can be easily assembled for use without the need for adhesive means such as staples, glue or tape.
As shown in Figures 3 and 4, an image is applied to the blank 1 (for example Figure 1 or Figure 2) such that the central portion 2 and side portions 3, 3' each carry a part of the image whereby, when the blank 1 is formed into its three dimensional shape, the parts of the image appearing on the wings 33 form prominent visual features of the overall design of the ornament 31.
Figures 5, 6 and 8 show that the image applied to the blank can include an illustration of a figure, such as a person, creature or machine, having a body with wings of the type to facilitate flight projecting from its sides. The image is aligned on the blank such that the body of the illustrated figure appears on the body 32 of the ornament 31 and the wings of the figure appear on the wings 33 of the ornament 31.
In addition, a head portion 7 (see Figure 1 ) may be joined to the central portion 2 at a location intermediate the side portions 3, 3'. The illustration may include a corresponding head of the figure. Furthermore, the head portion 7, and two side portions 3, 3' may be integrally formed with the central portion 2.
For example, Figure 5 shows a decorated blank in the form of a dragon. In this example the head portion of the blank forms the head of the dragon, the side portions of the blank form the wings of the dragon and the central portion of the blank forms the body of the dragon when the blank is formed into a three dimensional ornament.
Figure 6 shows a decorated blank for making an ornament, having an illustration of a fairy holding a cat applied to it. In this embodiment, on the side portions is illustrated the part of the image depicting the wings of the fairy. The wings of the ornament (once formed) therefore carry the image of the wings of the fairy, the wings and the image on them forming a significant visual element of the ornament.
Alternatively, as shown in Figure 7, the image can include an illustration of a figure, such as a person, creature or machine, set against a background. The background is of the type being an environment, setting or context of the figure, such as a landscape, part of a machine, or even other figures. The background projects and extends from the sides of the figure. The image is aligned on the blank such that the figure in the illustration appears on the body 32 of the ornament and the background appears on the wings 33 of the ornament 31.
In this way, the wings could depict or take on the form of the background behind a figure (see Figure 7 - the castle wall behind a knight). The background, as briefly stated above, could take the form of an environment, setting or context of the figure, that is, it could form the scenery in which the figure is situated. For example, the body of the ornament could bear an illustration of a farmer and the wings could depict a tractor or the farm environment in which the figure of the farmer is placed. Another example could have the body of the ornament depicting a superhero and this figure is set against a background of other superheros. In this example, the background of the other superheros would be illustrated on the wings of the ornament or party hat.
It will be appreciated that the wings of the three dimensional ornament can take various forms as shown in the attached figures. These wings could be in the form of wings of the type to facilitate flight, such as wings of fairies, angels, birds, aeroplanes or even dragons. The wings could also take the form of spikes (see for example Figure 9) or a mane on an animal's back.
Other attributes the wings can have, but are not limited to, are as follows: tails, ears, heads, legs, arms, hair, feet, feathers, scales, horns, beaks, fins, castles, towers, drawbridges, landscapes, decorative embellishments, sporting equipment (eg footballs, soccer balls, baseball bat, cricket bat, boxing gloves, soccer goals etc), machines, or parts of machines, such as aeroplanes, rocket ships, boats, cars, trucks, bicycles, cranes, bulldozers, and helicopters.
Such an ornament described above may be suitable for use as a party hat. Images drawn on current party hats are difficult to see or appreciate as they follow the curvature of the party hat. The present invention has an advantage over current party hats because, as shown in Figure 3, when the blank is formed into a party hat not all of the image applied to the blank follows the curvature of the body of the hat. The side portions 3, 3', which form the wings 33, extend outwardly from the body 32 of the hat giving the image on the wings 33 a more three dimensional form.
Preferably (as shown in Figures 3 and 4) the wings extend beyond a maximum width of the body of the ornament. In this way it can be seen that the wings 33 form visually significant elements of the overall design of the party hat and this type of party hat is more aesthetically pleasing to the consumer and wearer.
Elastic or other securing means may be attached to the party hat to aid in securing it to one's head.
The ornament of the present invention is made from bendable sheet material. This could be paper, cardboard, plastic or other durable, light weight, bendable, inexpensive material. It is desirable that the weight of the bendable sheet material is in the range of 150-300 grams per square metre (gsm) and preferably about 200 gsm.
As the blanks are flat, they are easy to store and transport. Thus they are also significantly less expensive than pre-assembled ornaments because they use less space when stored and transported. A unique attribute is that an ornament in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is made out of a single piece of bendable sheet material and is flat packed when sent to the retailer or wholesaler allowing consumers to construct the ornament once at home. This therefore reduces unnecessary bulky packaging both for storage and transportation. Figure 10 shows the way the decorated blank in Figure 5 can be very quickly and easily assembled into an ornament. In addition, the blank may already be in its required shape (ie pre cut), or the consumer may be able to "cut out" the blank from an outline printed on the bendable sheet material. Alternatively, the blank may have a perforated outline whereby the blank can be "pressed out" from the bendable sheet material. In this way it is desirable that a peripheral edge of the blank forms a shape which conforms to the outline of the image so as to allow a consumer to easily assemble the ornament into its three dimensional shape.
The blank when assembled into a three dimensional ornament, therefore has a significant visual three dimensional appearance and also provides a convenient and affordable decorative ornament which is easily stored in a "flat pack" arrangement and thus cost effective to store and transport. The blank is also able to be quickly assembled with a secure locking mechanism, not requiring any adhesive, but which is also straightforward to disassemble. In addition the ornament can be re-used multiple times as it is made of durable material. When no longer needed, the ornament can then be effortlessly disassembled and stored easily in a flat arrangement.
Variations can be made to the above-described arrangements without departing of the spirit or scope of the invention as described herein or as claimed in the appended claims. For example the body of the ornament when assembled could form a cylindrical shape.
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