Quick assembly children's playhouse, playset, and the like

Abstract

A quick assembly playhouse broadly includes pairs of wood paneled walls and living hinges. The wood paneled walls cooperatively form at least part of the playhouse when erected. Each of the pairs of walls presents adjacent hinge margins that extend alongside one another. Each of the living hinges is attached to adjacent hinge margins of a corresponding one of the pairs of walls so as to cooperatively form a living hinge joint that permits folding and unfolding of the corresponding one of the wall pairs.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A quick assembly playhouse comprising:
 multiple pairs of wood paneled walls that cooperatively form at least part of the playhouse when erected,   each of said pairs of walls presenting adjacent hinge margins that extend alongside one another; and   living hinges each attached to adjacent hinge margins of a corresponding one of the pairs of walls so as to cooperatively form a living hinge joint that permits folding and unfolding of the corresponding one of the pairs of walls,   each of said pairs of walls being shiftable about the living hinge between a folded position, in which the walls of the pair are stacked on top of one another, and an unfolded position, in which the walls of the pair are operable to form the erected playhouse.   
     
     
         2 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 1 ,
 adjacent ones of said walls including a complemental set of quick-connection connectors, with each of the connectors of the set being associated with a respective one of the adjacent walls,   said connector set being configured to automatically secure the adjacent walls when the adjacent walls are shifted relative to one another during playhouse erection.   
     
     
         3 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 2 ,
 said connector set automatically securing the adjacent walls when the adjacent walls are shifted vertically relative to one another.   
     
     
         4 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 2 ,
 one of said adjacent walls being associated with a first one of the pairs of walls, and the other of said adjacent walls being associated with a second one of the pairs of walls, such that the adjacent walls are formed from two of the wall pairs.   
     
     
         5 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 4 ,
 wherein the playhouse is four-sided to present two of said pairs of wall.   
     
     
         6 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 4 ,
 each of said adjacent walls presenting a connection margin opposite the hinge margin,   said connectors being located along the connection margins of the adjacent walls.   
     
     
         7 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 6 ,
 one of said connectors of the connector set presenting a slot, and the other of the connectors of the connector set presenting a tab slidably received in the slot when the adjacent walls are shifted relative to one another.   
     
     
         8 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 7 ,
 said connectors each including a fastener for securing the connector to the respective one of the adjacent walls.   
     
     
         9 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 7 ,
 said slot being oriented generally vertically, such that the connector set secures the adjacent walls to one another when the adjacent walls are shifted vertically relative to one another.   
     
     
         10 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 9 ,
 said living hinge joint being oriented generally vertically.   
     
     
         11 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 7 ,
 said adjacent walls including a pair of said connector sets.   
     
     
         12 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 4 ,
 each connector of the connector set presenting a slot and a tab, with the tab of each of the connectors of the connector set being slidably received in the slot of the other connector of the connector set.   
     
     
         13 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 12 ,
 said tab of one of the connectors of the connecter set projecting a direction generally opposite to the tab of the other of the connectors of the connection set, such that the connector set interlocks the adjacent walls to one another.   
     
     
         14 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 13 ,
 said tabs projecting generally vertically,   said living hinge joint projecting generally vertically.   
     
     
         15 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 1 ,
 each of said living hinges including a longitudinal line of weakness that defines a minimum thickness dimension ranging from about one tenth of a millimeter to about eight tenths of a millimeter.   
     
     
         16 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 15 ,
 each of said living hinges defining a maximum thickness dimension that ranges from about one millimeter to about three millimeters.   
     
     
         17 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 15 ,
 each of said living hinges including a longitudinally extending region that presents opposed concave surfaces, with the concave surfaces cooperatively defining the line of weakness.   
     
     
         18 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 1 ,
 each of said living hinges including a synthetic resin material selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, and combinations thereof.   
     
     
         19 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 1 ,
 one of said adjacent hinge margins presenting a recess that receives the other one of said adjacent hinge margins when the walls are unfolded.   
     
     
         20 . The quick assembly playhouse as claimed in  claim 1 ,
 said walls cooperatively forming upright exterior walls of the playhouse.