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United States Patent Application	20080119107
Kind Code	A1
Song; Rong-Jyh ;   et al.	May 22, 2008

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Foreign Application Data

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Date	Code	Application Number
Nov 16, 2006	CN	200620147836.5

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Claims

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1. An inflatable toy assembly comprising:an inflatable body having a ride base portion adapted to be seated by a player; anda non-stretchable and flexible reinforcing bag for receiving fittingly said ride base portion of said inflatable body.

2. The inflatable toy assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reinforcing bag has an outer surface formed with two foot-supporting members that are disposed respectively adjacent to opposite lateral sides of said ride base portion.

3. The inflatable toy assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said foot-supporting members is in the form of a strap.

4. The inflatable toy assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said reinforcing bag and said foot-supporting members are made of the same material.

5. The inflatable toy assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the material includes polyester and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

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Description

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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001]This application claims priority of Chinese Application No. 200620147836.5, filed on Nov. 16, 2006.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002]1. Field of the Invention

[0003]The invention relates to an inflatable toy, more particularly to an inflatable toy assembly having reinforced strength.

[0004]2. Description of the Related Art

[0005]FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional horse-shaped inflatable toy 1 that serves as a riding toy. The conventional inflatable toy 1 has a ride base portion 10 that is to be seated by a player (not shown), and is made of a flexible and stretchable material, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). During operation, when the player riding on the ride base portion 10 moves downwardly so as to press downwardly against the ride base portion 10 by the weight of the player, the ride base portion 10 apparently deforms to thereby generate a restoration force for restoration of the deformed ride base portion 10. However, sometimes, due to excessive deformation of the ride base portion 10, stability of the whole inflatable toy 1 during operation cannot be ensured, and only a little of the restoration force acts on upward movement of the player. Furthermore, since PVC has a relatively poor strength, unwanted rupture and air leakage of the ride base portion 10 easily occur after a period of use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006]Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an inflatable toy assembly that can be stably operated and that has superior strength.

[0007]According to the present invention, an inflatable toy assembly comprises:

[0008]an inflatable body having a ride base portion adapted to be seated by a player; and

[0009]a non-stretchable and flexible reinforcing bag for receiving fittingly the ride base portion of the inflatable body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010]Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

[0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional inflatable toy;

[0012]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the first preferred embodiment of an inflatable toy assembly according to the present invention;

[0013]FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view showing the first preferred embodiment; and

[0014]FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the second preferred embodiment of an inflatable toy assembly according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015]Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.

[0016]Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the first preferred embodiment of an inflatable toy assembly according to the present invention is shown to include an inflatable body 2 and a non-stretchable and flexible reinforcing bag 3. In this embodiment, the inflatable toy assembly serves as a riding toy.

[0017]In this embodiment, the inflatable body 2 is horse-shaped, and has a head portion 22, a ride base portion 20 adapted to be seated by a player, and a neck portion 21 interconnecting the head portion 22 and the ride base portion 20, and formed with a halter 211. The inflatable body 2 is made of a flexible and stretchable material, such as PVC.

[0018]In this embodiment, the reinforcing bag 3 is made of a composite material composed of polyester and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and receives fittingly the ride base portion 20 of the inflatable body 2.

[0019]FIG. 4 illustrates the second preferred embodiment of an inflatable toy assembly according to this invention, which is a modification of the first preferred embodiment. In this embodiment, the reinforcing bag 3' has an outer surface 30 formed with two foot-supporting members 31 (only one is shown) that are disposed respectively adjacent to opposite lateral sides of the ride base portion 20 of the inflatable body 2. Each foot-supporting member 31 is in the form of a strap, and is made of the same material as that of the reinforcing bag 3'.

[0020]In actual operation, due to the non-stretchable character of the reinforcing bag 3, 3', the ride base portion 20 of the inflatable body 2 is confined in the reinforcing bag 3, 3' such that excessive deformation of the ride base portion 20 of the inflatable body 2 can be avoided, thereby resulting in superior stability. On the other hand, due to the presence of relatively small deformation of the ride base portion 10, almost all the restoration force corresponding to the weight of the player during operation acts on upward movement of the player, thereby obtaining a superior amusement effect. Furthermore, since the reinforcing bag 3, 3' has superior strength, unwanted rupture and air leakage of the ride base portion 20 can be minimized, thereby prolonging the service life of the inflatable toy assembly of this invention.

[0021]While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

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