BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a collectible marble set and, more particularly, to a marble set containing inserts that are tied to the characters in a media by a representative color.
(2) Description of Related Art
Collectible marble sets have long been known in the art. Collectible marble sets traditionally have various enhancements. However, the enhancements do not include being associated with a particular media. Having a marble set associated with a particular media drives up the popularity of a particular collectible marble set by linking the collectors love for collectible marble sets with the collector's desire for products depicting certain types of media. The popularity of a particular marble set can be increased by closely tying the various enhancements of the marble set to the type of media depicted. This further enhances the collecting experience by increasing the rarity of the design and features of the marble and by creating a custom look and feel for the marble set.
Thus, a continuing need exists for collectible marble sets that not only depict various types of media but also tie the marble enhancements to the media the marble is depicting.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a collectible marble set. The collectible marble set includes a plurality of marbles, the plurality of marbles having a first set of marbles and a second set of marbles. Each of the marbles have an insert therein, wherein the first set of marbles has an insert with a first color and the second set of marbles has an insert with a second color. The plurality of marbles are formed to be tied to a media having a first character set and a second character set, such that the first color represents the first character set and the second color represents the second character set.
In another aspect, each marble further includes a base.
In yet another aspect, the base color of the first set of marbles is the substantially similar to the first color and the base color of the second set of marbles is substantially similar to the second color.
In yet another aspect, each of the marbles further comprises an image disk representing a character in the media.
In yet another aspect, the image disks from the first set of marbles represent characters selected from the first character set, and the image disks from the second set of marbles represent characters selected from the second character set.
Finally, as can be appreciated by one in the art, the present invention also comprises a method for making the previously described collectible marble set. The method comprises a plurality of acts of forming, attaching, tying, representing, etc., the various components of the marble set to form the marbles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed descriptions of the various aspects of the invention in conjunction with reference to the following drawings, where:
FIG. 1 is a side-view illustration of a collectible marble according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective-view illustration of an insert for use with a collectible marble according to the present invention;
FIG. 3A is a diagram representing the relationship of marble inserts and media character sets;
FIG. 3B is a side-view illustration of the insert depicted in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a side-view illustration of a collectible marble according to the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a perspective-view illustration of a base for the collectible marble set according to the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a perspective-view illustration of a collectible marble positioned upon the base, according to the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a perspective-view illustration of an image disk according to the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a perspective-view illustration of a collectible marble according to the present invention, depicting an insert and image disk attached with the collectible marble;
FIG. 9 is a perspective-view illustration of a collectible marble set according to the present invention, depicting a collectible marble positioned upon a base; and
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of forming a collectible marble set according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention relates to a collectible marble set and, more particularly, to a marble set containing inserts that are tied to the characters in a media by a representative color. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and to incorporate it in the context of particular applications. Various modifications, as well as a variety of uses in different applications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to a wide range of embodiments. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments presented, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without necessarily being limited to these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.
The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with this specification and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference. All the features disclosed in this specification, (including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Furthermore, any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Section 112, Paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” or “act of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, Paragraph 6.
Note, if used, the labels left, right, front, back, top, bottom, forward, reverse, clockwise and counter-clockwise have been used for convenience only and are not intended to imply any particular fixed direction. Instead, they are used to reflect relative locations and/or directions between various portions of an object. As such, as the collectible marble set is turned around and/or over, the above labels may change their relative configurations.
Before describing the invention in detail, an introduction is provided to provide the reader with a general understanding of the present invention. Next, a description of various aspects of the present invention is provided to give an understanding of the specific details.
(1) Introduction
The present invention relates to a collectible marble set that contains enhancements that tie the set to characters in a media. The marble is formed to allow for an insert that has a color that represents a character in a media. The marble may additionally have an image disk inside itself that contains an image depicting the media character. The marble may additionally contain a base. Further, the base may be of a similar color to the color that represents the media character. Finally, the characters in the media may be grouped together into sets such that one color represents an entire group of characters and thus one set of marbles could contain similar colored enhancements but would represent different individual characters
(2.1) Detailed Description of the Collectible Marble Set
The present invention relates to a collectible marble set. FIG. 1 illustrates a side-view of a marble 100 in the collectible marble set according to the present invention. The marble 100 is formed in a suitable shape for containing various objects therein and having various objects mounted thereto. As a non-limiting example, the parts of the marble may include a top hemisphere 102, a bottom hemisphere 106, and an insert channel 104. Additionally, the marble 100 may be constructed out of any suitability durable material, non-limiting examples of which include plastic, glass, lexan, acrylic, etc. In this example, the insert channel 104 is a channel that extends around the circumference of the marble 100 to make space for an insert.
FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an insert 200. The insert 200 is formed of a suitable shape for being placed in the insert channel (depicted as element 104 in FIG. 1). The insert 200 can be made of any suitable material, non-limiting examples of which include plastic, glass, lexan, acrylic, etc. The insert 200 is formed such that it has a color. In this non-limiting example, the insert 200 is formed such that it fits within the insert channel (see element 104 in FIG. 1) and is substantially annular in shape to operate as a ring.
FIG. 3A illustrates a non-limiting example of the relationship between inserts 200 and 201 and media character sets 302 and 304. The collectible marble set is formed to represent a media 300 (e.g., movie, cartoon, comic book, etc.). The media 300 has characters that may be grouped into character sets 302 and 304. A media 300 may contain one or more character sets. The character sets 302 and 304 have a color or set of colors assigned to represent each of the character sets. For example, a first character set 302 is assigned a first color while a second character set 304 is assigned a second character. A set of marbles (a first marble 100 and a second marble 101) are tied 306 to a character set 302 and 304 in the media 300 by giving the insert 200 and 201 the same color as the color assigned to represent the given character set 302 and 304 or by selecting a color from the character set's set of colors. In this way the user may look at a marble or set of marbles and know what character set that marble or set of marbles represents merely by looking at the color of the insert. As a non-limiting example, the media may be a movie, such as the Star Wars™ movie made by Lucas Film Ltd., located at 1110 Gorgas Ave., San Francisco, Calif. 94129 In the movie, there are good guys and bad guys. The good guys may constitute one character set, while the bad guys constitute another character set. For example, the insert may be formed in the color blue to depict the good guys, while the bad guys are represented by the color red, or vice versa or any other selected color. Thus, a first color (which can be any suitable color) is used to represent one character set while a second color (any other suitable color) is used to represent another character set. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to a first and second characters set (and corresponding first and second colors), but can be expanded to any suitable number of character sets and corresponding colors.
FIG. 3B illustrates a side-view of the insert 200 (also depicted as element 200 in FIGS. 2 and 3A). FIG. 3B also displays other non-limiting examples of inserts. Element 202 illustrates that an insert can be formed such that the outer rim is raised and would thus extend out past the surface of the marble and would not be flush with the outer surface of the marble. Element 204 illustrates that an insert can be formed with a groove in it such that when the insert is placed in a marble the insert would form a groove around the center of the marble. There are many possible insert shapes. Elements 202 and 204 are provided to show that the possible shapes of the inserts are not limited to the insert depicted as element 200.
FIG. 4 illustrates a side-view of the marble 100 (also depicted as element 100 in FIG. 1) and insert 200 (also depicted as element 200 in FIG. 2) according to the present invention. The insert 200 and the marble 100 are attached such that the insert 200 substantially resides in the insert channel (depicted as 106 in FIG. 1) and is encased within the marble 100.
FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a base 500. The base can be formed in any suitable way that allows the base to serve as a support for the marble. The base may be constructed out of any suitable material, non-limiting examples of which include metal, plastic, wood, etc. In the depicted non-limiting example, the base 500 is substantially annular in shape and can be wider at the bottom 504 than at the top 502 to provide support and stability for the marble.
FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a base 500 and a marble 100 with an insert 200. As can be seen in the figure, the base 500 serves as a support for the marble 100. Further, the base 500 may be the same color as the insert 200 and thus the same color as the character set tied to the marble 100. When the insert 200 and the base 500 are the same color this will further aid the collector in identifying the character set that a particular marble is tied to.
FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of an image disk 700 depicting a character 702. A possible use for the image disk 700 includes depicting a character 702 from the character set tied to a marble via the color of the marble's insert. Non-limiting examples of possible images include, depictions of characters selected from the character set tied to the marble via insert color, depictions of events related to the character set's characters, depictions of vehicles or equipment related to the character set's characters, etc. The image disk 700 can be formed in any suitable shape or configuration that would allow it to display an image and be attached to the marble. Further, the image disk 700 can be constructed out of any suitable material, non-limiting examples of which include paper, glass, metal, plastic, etc.
FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the marble 100 with the top hemisphere (depicted as element 102 in FIG. 1) removed, the insert 200 and an image disk 800. As explained previously, the image disk can be formed in any way that allows it to display and image and attach to the marble. In the present non-limiting example, the image disk 800 is placed within the diameter of the insert 200 and within the diameter of the marble 100. Further, the image disk 800 is substantially flat in shape, similar to that of a coin or disk.
FIG. 9 illustrates a front, perspective-view of the marble 100 with insert 200, image disk 700, and base 500. All of the different enhancements (e.g., image disk 700, insert 200, and base 500) can be used on the same marble. Additional enhancements can also be used, non-limiting examples of which include plaques, metallic name decals, embossed logos, etc. All of the enhancements can be tied to the same character set. They can be tied to the same character set by being the same color as the color assigned to the character set or by representing an image that is related to the character set. In this non-limiting example, the base 500 and insert 200 are tied to the media by having the same color as the color assigned to the character set and the image disk 700 is tied to the media by representing an image that is related to the character set.
As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art and as described above, the present invention is not limited to a single marble, but is directed to a collection (plurality) of marbles. The collection includes at least two marbles (and can be formed with many more), each having a different color insert that is representative of a different character set in a media source (e.g., movie, cartoon, etc.).
FIG. 10 illustrates a method for forming the collectible marble set. The method comprises a plurality of acts, including forming a plurality of marbles; attaching inserts to each marble; and tying (representing) a media to the marble by assigning a color to the character set and then assigning the color to the inserts. Additionally, it can include steps that add further enhancements to the marbles. A non-limiting example of the steps that this method might include are forming a plurality of marbles 1000; attaching an insert to each marble 1002; and tying (representing) a character set to a marble set by assigning a color to a character set and then assigning the same color to the inserts of the marbles in a marble set 1004. Additionally, the methods shown in FIG. 10 can also include the acts of adding a base to each marble 1006; adding a base to each marble and coloring the base similar to the insert color 1008; attaching to each marble an image disk that represents a character in the media 1010 and; lastly, attaching to each marble an image disk that represents a character selected from a character set 1012.
Patent Application
20100048089
