U.S. patent application number 11/410906 was filed with the patent office on 2007-12-13 for novelty display device.
Invention is credited to Ruth Laurent, Shane Morgenstern.
Application Number | 20070283611 11/410906 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38820451 |
Filed Date | 2007-12-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070283611 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Laurent; Ruth ; et
al. |
December 13, 2007 |
Novelty display device
Abstract
The novelty display device has a body shaped to represent a
substantial portion of a scaled reduction of a game ball belonging
to a sport. An image or indicia associated with the sport is
displayed on a flat surface formed on the body.
Inventors: |
Laurent; Ruth; (Houston,
TX) ; Morgenstern; Shane; (Toronto, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Ade & Company Inc.;1795 Henderson Highway
P.O. Box 28006
Winnipeg
MB
R2G1P0
CA
|
Family ID: |
38820451 |
Appl. No.: |
11/410906 |
Filed: |
April 26, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
40/700 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09F 23/14 20130101;
G09F 23/00 20130101; G09F 23/0066 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
040/700 |
International
Class: |
A47G 1/06 20060101
A47G001/06 |
Claims
1. A novelty display device comprising: a body having a first
portion and a second portion; the first portion being shaped to
represent a substantial portion of a scaled reduction of a game
ball belonging to a sport; the second portion comprising a display
surface having an image displayed thereon, the image being
associated with said sport.
2. The device according to claim 1 wherein the display surface is
flat.
3. The device according to claim 1 wherein the image is centered on
the display surface.
4. The device according to claim 1 wherein the image is covered by
a clear coating which is raised in relation to a periphery of
display surface.
5. The device according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a
peripheral display area surrounding the image.
6. The device according to claim 1 wherein the image comprises a
photo of a player or indicia associated with a team of a sport and
the first portion of the body represents a portion of a game ball
associated with said sport.
7. The device according to claim 1 wherein the first portion is
shaped to represent a substantial portion of a spherical game ball
and the display surface is round.
8. The device according to claim 1 wherein the first portion is
shaped to represent a substantial portion of a game ball which is
elongated in one direction, the display surface being generally
parallel to said one direction.
9. The device according to claim 1 wherein the first portion
includes a textured surface representative of an actual surface of
the game ball being represented.
10. The device according to claim 9 wherein the textured surface
comprises seams.
11 The device according to claim 9 wherein the textured surface
comprises stitching.
12. The device according to claim 9 wherein the game ball being
represented comprises a football and the textured surface comprises
a representation of laces located on the first portion opposite the
display surface of the second portion.
13. The device according to claim 1 wherein the game ball being
represented comprise a baseball.
14. The device according to claim 1 wherein the game being
represented comprises a basketball.
15. The device according to claim 1 wherein the game ball being
represented comprises a ball which is elongate in one direction and
wherein the substantial portion being represented comprises more
than one half of the game ball.
16. The device according to claim 1 wherein the game ball being
represented comprises a football.
17. The device according to claim 1 in combination with a display
housing comprising a base with a plurality of docking stations,
each being arranged to support the display device therein, and a
wall spanning upwardly from a portion of a periphery of the base,
the base and the wall being shaped and patterned to represent a
ball stadium.
18. The combination according to claim 17 wherein the ball stadium
being represented comprises a baseball stadium and wherein the base
spans substantially horizontally from a narrow end to a wide end of
greater lateral dimension than the narrow end to represent a
baseball playing field, the wall being supported at the wide end of
the base.
19. The combination according to claim 17 wherein each docking
station comprises an aperture having a diameter which is less than
a diameter of the body.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a novelty display device
having a shape representing an aspect of a particular sport and
displaying an image associated with said sport thereon.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Sports collectibles are common in various forms, as they are
known to be desirable to display images and equipment related to
various sports and popular players who are known to play sports.
Types of collectibles include various types of actual sporting
equipment, novelty items and collectibles such as pins, stamps,
stickers and trading cards, all with player images or other logos
or indicia of the sport or teams.
[0003] One known type of sports collectible item, previously made
available by Activa Consumer Promotions Inc., includes a scaled
reduction of a hockey puck including images associated with the
sport of hockey, such as player photos and the like, being
displayed on the flat sides of the puck shape. A display housing
unit, also previously made available by Activa Consumer Promotions
Inc., has a base shaped and patterned to represent a hockey rink. A
peripheral wall extends upwardly from the base with images of arena
seating and occupants of the arena thereon. Docking stations are
provided in the base for supporting a plurality of pucks with
different images thereon. While displaying a player image on the
scaled reduction of a piece of sports equipment is aesthetically
pleasing, in most sports the shape of the equipment does not
readily provide a suitable display surface upon which an image can
be printed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided
a novelty display device comprising:
[0005] a body having a first portion and a second portion;
[0006] the first portion being shaped to represent a substantial
portion of a scaled reduction of a game ball belonging to a
sport;
[0007] the second portion comprising a display surface having an
image displayed thereon, the image being associated with said
sport.
[0008] By providing a body which is shaped to represent only a
portion of a game ball, a remaining portion of the body can be
shaped to form a display surface upon which an image can be printed
so that both the shape of the body and the image being displayed on
the remaining portion can be readily recognized in association with
a particular sport.
[0009] Preferably, the display surface is flat and the image is
centered thereon, covered by a clear coating which is raised in
relation to a periphery of display surface and surrounded by a
peripheral display area.
[0010] When the image comprises a photo of a player of a sport or
logo of a team or other indicia, preferably the first portion of
the body represents a portion of a game ball associated with that
sport.
[0011] When the first portion is shaped to represent a substantial
portion of a spherical game ball, for example a basketball or a
baseball, the display surface is round.
[0012] When the first portion is shaped to represent a substantial
portion of a game ball which is elongated in one direction, the
display surface may also be elongated and parallel to said one
direction. The substantial portion being represented may be near
one symmetrical half of the game ball divided either in the
direction that the ball is elongate or transversely thereto. In
most embodiments however, the substantial portion being represented
comprises a major portion representing more than half of the game
ball The first portion preferably includes a textured surface
representative of an actual surface of the game ball being
represented, for example the textured surface may represent seams,
stitching or laces on the first portion opposite the display
surface of the second portion.
[0013] The novelty display device may be supported on a display
housing comprising a base with a plurality of docking stations,
each being arranged to support the display device therein.
[0014] The display housing may include a wall spanning upwardly
from a portion of a periphery of the base, in which the base and
the wall are shaped and patterned to represent a ball stadium.
[0015] When a baseball stadium is represented, the base preferably
spans substantially horizontally from a narrow end to a wide end of
greater lateral dimension than the narrow end to represent a
baseball playing field. The wall in this instance is preferably
supported at the wide end of the base.
[0016] Each docking station may comprise an aperture having a
diameter which is less than a diameter of the body to suspend the
body of the display device therein.
[0017] Various embodiments of the invention will now be described
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the
novelty display device.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a front elevational view and FIG. 3 is a side
elevational view of the display device according to FIG. 1.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a top plan view and FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view
of the device according to FIG. 1.
[0021] FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of the device according to
FIG. 1.
[0022] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the
display device.
[0023] FIG. 8 is a front elevational view, FIG. 9 is a side
elevational view and FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the device
according to FIG. 7.
[0024] FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 are respective bottom plan and rear
elevational views of the device according to FIG. 7.
[0025] FIG. 13 is a perspective view and FIG. 14 is a front
elevational view of a third embodiment of the display device.
[0026] FIG. 15 is a side elevational view and FIG. 16 is a top plan
view of the device according to FIG. 13.
[0027] FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 are respective bottom plan and rear
elevational views of the device according to FIG. 13.
[0028] FIG. 19 is a perspective view and FIG. 20 is a front
elevational view of a fourth embodiment of the display device.
[0029] FIG. 21 is a side elevational view and FIG. 22 is a top plan
view of the device according to FIG. 19.
[0030] FIG. 23 and FIG. 24 are respective bottom plan and rear
elevational views of the device according to FIG. 19.
[0031] FIG. 25 is a perspective view of a display housing for
supporting a plurality of the novelty display devices therein.
[0032] FIG. 26 and FIG. 27 are respective front and side
elevational views of the display housing.
[0033] FIG. 28 and FIG. 29 are respective top plan and rear
elevational views of the display housing.
[0034] In the drawings like characters of reference indicate
corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0035] Referring to the accompanying figures there is illustrated a
novelty display device generally indicated by reference numeral 10.
Though various embodiments of the device 10 are described and
illustrated herein, the common features will first be
described.
[0036] The novelty display device 10 includes a first portion 12
and a second portion 14 which are integrally moulded as a single
body. The first portion 12 has a shape which represents a
substantial portion of a scaled reduction of a game ball belonging
to a sport. The first portion, thus, is visually recognisable as a
sports game ball from which a section is cut away along a flat
plane to define the second portion 14 of the body. The second
portion 14 comprises a flat display surface along the cutting plane
through the scaled reduction of the game ball which defines only a
portion of the game ball representation.
[0037] In addition to being suitably shaped to represent a game
ball, the first portion 12 of the body includes textured markings
16 formed thereon which comprise further scaled representations of
a game ball for the relevant sport. The first portion of the body
also includes additional logos 18 and other similar indicia.
[0038] The flat display surface defining the second portion 14 of
the body includes an image 20 displayed thereon in the form of a
photo of a player, team logo or other indicia of that team
associated with the sport which the game ball represents. The image
20 is reduced in size in relation to the display surface while
being centered thereon so that a peripheral display area 22 is
defined which surrounds the image about a full periphery thereof.
The peripheral display area 22 includes additional indicia 24
including names of the player, team or any other indicia including
logos and the like associated with either the sport or the player.
The image is supported directly on the display surface while a
clear coating 26 spans overtop of the image so that the clear
coating 26 is raised in relation to the surrounding peripheral
display area 22.
[0039] Turning now more particularly to the embodiment of FIGS. 1
through 6, the first portion of the body is shaped to represent a
baseball in which the first portion comprises a major portion which
is more than half the overall spherical volume of the ball. The
flat display surface defined by the second portion 14 is thus
round. The texture 16 in this instance comprises representations of
seams and stitching of the type commonly found on a baseball.
[0040] Turning now to the embodiment of FIGS. 7 through 12, the
first portion of the body is shaped to represent a basketball in
which the first portion also represents a major portion comprising
more than half the spherical shape of the ball so that the flat
display surface defined by the second portion 14 of the body is
similarly round in shape. The texture 16 in this instance also
represents the conventional pattern of seams found on an official
game ball in the sport of basketball.
[0041] Turning now to the embodiment of FIGS. 13 through 18, a
further embodiment is illustrated in which the first portion of the
body is representative of a football. The overall shape of the body
is thus oblong similar to a football. The first portion of the body
represents more than half of the shape of a football which has been
divided along a flat plane lying parallel to the longitudinal
center of the ball extending in the elongate oblong direction of
the ball. The display surface accordingly has a flat oblong shape
recognizable as the profile of a football. The texture markings 16
comprise textured representations of the stitching or laces on a
football and are located on the rear side of the first portion of
the body diametrically opposite the display surface of the second
portion 14. The image 20 and indicia on the peripheral display area
22 are oriented to be upright and readable when the elongate
longitudinal direction of the body is in an upright
orientation.
[0042] Turning now to the embodiment of FIGS. 19 through 24, a
fourth embodiment is illustrated in which the first portion of the
body is also representative of a football. The overall shape of the
body is thus oblong similar to a football. The first portion of the
body represents more than half of the shape of a football which has
been divided along a flat plane lying parallel to an elongate
central axis extending in the elongate oblong direction of the
ball. The display surface accordingly has a flat oblong shape
recognizable as the profile of a football. The texture markings 16
also comprise textured representations of the stitching or laces on
a football and are located on the rear side of the first portion of
the body diametrically opposite the display surface of the second
portion 14. The image 20 and indicia on the peripheral display area
22 are oriented to be upright and readable when the elongate
direction of the central axis of the body is in a generally
horizontal and laterally extending orientation.
[0043] Turning now to FIGS. 25 through 29, a display housing 30 is
illustrated for supporting a plurality of the novelty display
devices therein. The housing 30 includes a base comprised of a
substantially horizontal sheet supporting a plurality of docking
stations 34 therein. Each docking station comprises an aperture
formed in the sheet 32 having a shape which conforms to the game
ball representation of the display device to be supported therein.
In each instance, the diameter or cross sectional dimension of the
aperture is arranged to be less than that of the first portion of
the body of the display device so that the display device is
suspended therein. The sheet 32 includes a peripheral flange 36
which depends downwardly from a full periphery of the base sheet 32
to suspend the sheet 32 spaced above a supporting surface upon
which the display housing 30 rests.
[0044] The base sheet 32 tapers outwardly with increasing lateral
dimension from a narrow end 38 to a wide end 40 in the illustrated
embodiment. Accordingly the sheet 32 in plan view is visually
recognizable as a baseball playing field locating a baseball
diamond thereon. A peripheral wall 42 is supported only at a wide
end 40 of the base to extend upwardly therefrom in three sections
in which each section comprises a planar sheet angularly offset
from the next adjacent sheet in a generally arc shaped pattern
about the wide end of the base. Images of stadium seating with
occupants therein are printed on interior surfaces of the wall 42.
The base sheet 32 also includes images printed thereon which are
visually representative of a baseball playing field. The walls also
include horizontal slots 44 formed therein spaced upwardly from the
bottom end of the walls towards the top end thereof into which
additional items can be inserted and suspended from the walls,
including representations of sports pennants and the like.
[0045] Since various modifications can be made in my invention as
herein above described, and many apparently widely different
embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims
without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that
all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be
interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
* * * * *