Background of The Invention Frequently a child likes a certain doll or the like so much that the child desires the doll to be with him/her as the child plays and moves in various activities.

In the past, a child has experienced difficulty in maintaining a doll close to his/her person as the child plays and moves in various activities. Several devices and methods have been devised to assist a child in closely keeping a doll or the like.

U.S.A. Patent 4,280,292 shows a doll carried by a person as the arms of the doll are attached together and encircle the person's neck.

U.S.A. Patent 2,593,218 shows a doll attached to a belt which encircles a person.

U.S.A. Patent 2,628,452 shows an article of clothing provided with a pocket which is adapted to carry a doll.

U.S.A. Patent 4,595,618 shows a vehicle seat belt attachment by which a doll is attached to the seat belt. U.S.A. Patent 4,138,745 shows a garment which is provided with a panel or pocket which includes a puppet body.

U.S.A. Patent 2,686,313 shows a pocket type of arrangement in a child's garment for supporting a doll.

None of these arrangements provides a satisfactory means or method by which a child can maintain a doll or the like close to his/her person as the child plays and moves in various activities. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a means and a method by which a child can maintain a doll close to his/her person as the child plays and moves in various normal activities.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a means and method by which the doll is maintained upon the child without interfering with the normal activities of the child.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a means and a method by which a child can easily and readily attach a doll to his/her person.

Other objects and advantages of this invention reside in the construction of parts, the combination thereof, the method of production and the mode of use, as will become more apparent from the following description. Summary of The Invention

This invention provides a means and a method by which a doll or the like is easily attached to the clothing of a child so that the child can play and be involved in numerous activities with the doll close to his/her person, without significantly impairing the activities of the child.

A hook and pile attachment combination is used to attach a doll to a garment of a child. A hook or pile fastener is secured to a doll, and a complementary hook or pile fastener is secured, preferably, but not necessarily, to the shoulder portion of the child's garment. Thus, the doll can be easily detachably attached to the shoulder portion of the child's garment. Thus, the doll is maintained on the shoulder of the child as the child performs all of the normal activities of a child.

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If desired, a plurality of hook and pile elements or members 10 may be secured to the garment 12. Thus, the doll 20 or a plurality of dolls 20 can be attached to the garment 12 at a plurality of positions or to the garment 12 at one of a plurality of positions.

Although the preferred embodiment of this invention has been described, it will be understood that within the purview of this invention various changes may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement of parts, the combination thereof, and the mode of use, which generally stated consist in a structure and method within the scope of the appended claims.

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Brief Description of The Views of the Drawing FIG. T is an exploded type of front view illustrat¬ ing the method and structure by which a doll or the like is detachably attached to the shoulder portion of a garment worn by a child.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the doll of FIG. 1 attached to the shoulder portion of the child's garment. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the doll of FIGS.

1 and 2 , attached to the shoulder portion of the garment worn by the child.

FIG. 4 is a view taken substantially on line 4- 4 of FIG. 3, drawn on a larger scale than FIG. 3, showing a hook or pile attachment member secured to the doll of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

FIG. 5 is a view drawn on a larger scale than FIG. 4, taken substantially on line 5-5 of FIG. 3, showing a hook or pile attachment member secured to the shoulder portion of the child's garment.

Detailed Description of The Invention In accordance with this invention a hook or pile element or fastener 10 is secured to a portion of a child's garment 12. Preferably, but not necessarily, the hook or pile element 10 is secured to the shoulder portion of the garment 12. A complementary hook or pile element or fastener 14 is secured to a doll 20.

The doll 20 may be of the type consisting of a figure of a person, or an animal, or another type of figure. The hook and pile fasteners may be of the type referred to as VELCRO.

Thus, as illustrated, the doll 20 can be easily and readily attached to the garment 12 of the child, and the child may maintain his/her normal activities while the doll 20 is carried by the child.