Patent Application
20240149145
The invention relates to a cup for games, in particular a dice cup with a bottom and a circumferential side wall according to the generic term of claim 1, a lid for the cup according to claim 12 and a system with stackable cups according to claim 14.
Cups for games, in particular dice cups with a bottom and a circumferential side wall, are known from the prior art. They are in use in various designs. Mostly they are made of leather or plastic. For playing dice, one or more dice are shaken in a cup, the cup opening being held closed with one hand. After shaking, the dice are tipped out of the cup onto a surface, such as that of a table. As soon as the rotating or rolling motion of the die or dice stops, the player can read off the dice numbers.
The advantage of a leather cup is that shaking noises are dampened by the material itself. Therefore, leather cups are very popular. Alternatively, there are cups lined with felt, which are formed of plastic. A dice cup in which disturbing noises are damped when the dice are shaken is known from DE 10 2013 100 150 A1. In the dice cup described there, lamellar or needle-like stop elements projecting from the cup base into the cup interior are provided. By means of these, the noise during dicing is damped and, further advantageously, the images of the dice are less worn. Compared to a pure leather cup or a cup lined with felt on the inside, the manufacturing costs are lower. Similar to the leather cup, this prior art cup produces a damped sound.
One disadvantage of this cup is that special stop elements, which must also be shaped calotte like, have to be formed in the cup base area. This makes production complex.
Based on this prior art, it is the object of the present invention to provide a cup for games, in particular a dice cup, which produces a damped sound, as in a leather cup, and at the same time has a pliability which allows dice to be picked up from a table surface or the like with the cup itself, i.e. to allow dice to be gripped. The haptics of the cup according to the invention is also intended to be similar to that of a leather cup. The object is also to provide a cup that has a long service life, is easy to clean and produces a good sound with low noise. Furthermore, a cup with a lid should be provided that is stackable and allows safe transport of the dice. A good haptic on the outer surface of the cup shall prevent slipping with the hand. In addition, a dice cup should be provided that allows an intensive rotating movement of the dice when pouring them out, up to a bouncing of the die or the dice out of the cup.
This object is solved according to the invention by the features contained in the characterizing part of patent claim 1 and in the co-ordinate claims 12 and 14, with useful further embodiments of the invention being characterized by the features contained in the subclaims.
According to the invention, the cup for games, in particular the dice cup, is provided with a bottom and a circumferential side wall, the cup having at its upper, inner rim edge a lip which preferably runs horizontally, parallel to the bottom and points inwards. The lip is preferably smooth on its upper surface and, in particular, has a rectilinear shape. The upper surface of the lip expediently closes flush with the upper surface of the upper end of the side wall. The lip is thus formed directly at the upper end of the side wall and is not offset downwardly at the inner side wall. Expediently, the upper surface of the lip extends in a horizontal plane. Expediently, the lip is tapered inwards towards the opening, i.e. at its free end, i.e. it is tapered.
Particularly expediently, the upper side or surface of the lip also runs in this case in a horizontal plane which starts at the upper end of the side wall and only the area forming the lip below the horizontal plane tapers towards the free end of the lip pointing into the interior of the container. In this case, the underside of the lip, between the free end of the lip and the inner wall of the cup, at which the lip ends in its lower region, runs essentially in a slope which is preferably rounded, in particular concave.
The underside of the lip thus forms an inwardly curved (or cambered) corner at the inner, upper end of the side wall.
The curve formed by the camber expediently has a circle of curvature corresponding to the circle of curvature of an outer circumference of an insert ring, which is used in an alternative embodiment of the invention described later.
The lip is formed in one piece with the cup and is made of the same material as the cup. The lip allows the dice to bounce in any case when they roll out, and consequently to rotate and roll well. Thus, a dice cannot be placed with a number as a player would like, because the dice in any case get a spin. The advantage of a one-piece design of the cup with the lip made of the same material is that later disposal or recycling is much easier than if the design of the dice cup with the lip is not one-piece and made of different materials. It would otherwise be necessary to dispose of materials separately. In addition, the one-piece design is better for a long life span. In a two-piece design consisting of a lip and a cup, an adhesive or other fixation must be used to join the two elements, which is not as durable as a one-piece design of the dice cup with lip.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the quality and workmanship is far superior to that of common dice cups.
In a further embodiment of the cup, the corner region between the underside of the lip projecting into the cup opening and the inner wall of the container is advantageously rounded. This embodiment allows for a rounded rolling motion that is not interrupted. Thus, a harmonious and uniform sound is achieved, advantageously a consistent rolling motion. The rounded corner area between the lip and the side wall has the additional advantage that the resulting soft geometry prevents dirt deposits and makes cleaning easier.
In a particularly preferred further embodiment of the cup, the inner wall surface of at least the side wall of the cup has a rough surface structure. The roughness can preferably correspond to references 30 to 33 of the guideline for electro erosive treatment VDI 3400 (version 1975-6). With the rough surface of the inner side wall, a more powerful rolling motion of the dice is achieved. The dice rotates due to the rough surface structure, i.e. much more than compared to a smooth surface, because a stronger rotary motion is generated. The rotation of the dice is favored.
The guideline VDI 3400 (version 1975-6) includes the electro erosive treatment, which is considered the worldwide standard for practical determination, testing and evaluation of the surface quality of eroded workpieces. The evaluation of the roughness of eroded surfaces, also known as the erosion standard for electrical discharge machining, is carried out in accordance with guideline VDI 3400 (version 1975-6). The erosion standard according to VDI 3400 (version 1975-6) is mainly used in structured tools for the production of plastic parts with a corresponding appearance and the specific haptics (haptic perception=tactile comparison). VDI class or reference 30 is characterized by an arithmetic mean roughness value Ra of 3.2 μm and an averaged roughness depth Rz of 12.5 μm. VDI class 31 or reference 31 is characterized by an arithmetic mean roughness value Ra of 3.5 μm and an averaged roughness depth Rz of 12.5 μm. VDI class 32 or reference 32 is characterized by an arithmetic mean roughness value Ra of 4.0 μm and an averaged roughness depth Rz of 15 μm. VDI Class 33 or Reference 33 is characterized by an arithmetic average roughness value Ra of 4.5 μm and an averaged roughness depth Rz of 15.0 μm.
The average roughness value Ra is the arithmetic mean value of all deviations of the roughness profile from the center line of the defined reference section. The arithmetic mean value of the profile ordinates Ra is the arithmetic mean value of the amounts of all ordinate values Z(x) within a single section Ir. According to DIN EN ISO 4288, the arithmetic mean of five individual sections is generally used to determine the characteristic values defined by a single measured section. The averaged roughness depth Rz is the mean value of the individual roughness depths of five successive individual measuring sections in the roughness profile. The largest height of the profile Rz is the sum of the height of the largest profile peak Zp and the depth of the largest profile valley Zv within the individual measured section Ir. Here, too, the arithmetic mean of five individual sections is generally used to determine the characteristic values defined by an individual measuring section in accordance with DIN EN ISO 4288.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer wall surface of the side wall of the cup has a rough surface structure. This rough surface structure preferably has a roughness of references 30 to 33 of the guideline for electro erosive treatment VDI 3400. The characteristic structure of the outer surface prevents the hand from slipping during dicing. With the rough surface structure on the outer wall surface, a very good haptic of the cup is achieved.
In a further preferred embodiment of the cup, it is provided that the corner area between the inner wall of the container and the inner side of the base is rounded. Less dirt can therefore be deposited in this area. Thorough cleaning of the cup is also facilitated by this design of the cup. In addition, the soft geometry helps to achieve a stronger rolling action.
In a further embodiment, the cup according to the invention has at least one, preferably annular, groove and/or elevation on the underside of the base. Thus, this cup can additionally be used in a system with stackable cups according to a second embodiment example of the invention, which makes the cup more versatile. This second embodiment example is described in detail below.
The material of the cup is preferably a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). Due to this material, a very high flexibility of the cup is achieved, so that the cup can be used to grip the dice and hold them in the cup. Due to the material, the cup can be squeezed with one hand to such an extent that the cup opening corresponds to the width of a die. The die or dice can thus be grasped, clamped between the walls of the cup and held. The cup can then be inverted with the hand gripping the cup and the die or dices dropped into the cup as pressure is released by one hand on the cup sidewall. Only with the thermoplastic elastomer is such gripping possible reliably and efficiently. Here, the thermoplastic elastomer combines the mechanical properties of vulcanized elastomers at room temperature with the processability of thermoplastics. Thus, thermoplastic elastomers combine the processing advantages of thermoplastics with the material properties of elastomers. Due to the absence of the chemical crosslinking sites present in rubber, repeated melting and processing of TPE is possible. The advantage of thermoplastic elastomers is that the elastic polymer chains are embedded in thermoplastic material. This results in a very high degree of pliability, with the mold returning to its original shape without restriction after bending. For gripping of dice, this pliability is of great advantage compared to the prior art.
Conveniently, the height of the cup is approximately between five and fifteen centimeters, preferably nine centimeters. The diameter at a height of nine centimeters is seven centimeters at the cup opening and five centimeters at the cup bottom. Alternative dimensions are possible.
Due to the increasing ecological requirements for plastics, the cup according to the invention is formed from a bio-based material. Alternatively, or in addition, it is biodegradable. Major advantages of the dice cup according to the invention are both the material, the haptics achieved thereby and, above all, the flexibility resulting therefrom. In addition, the rotation of the dice through the lip should be emphasized and also the possibility of picking up dice by hand with the cup, which can be done very easily. In addition, the dice roll off better. Furthermore, the service life of the dice cup according to the invention is longer compared to the common dice cups. Cleaning is also much easier than that of the comparable dice cups.
Conveniently, the upper (outer) surface of the lip lies in a horizontal plane so that the outer surface of the lip rests flat on a table surface when the cup is placed upside down on the table with its opening facing down. Because of this and because of its wider rim around its container opening, the cup has a larger contact surface when inverted. It is therefore more stable on the table and does not slip as conventional cups without such a lip do.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the hardness of the cup is in the range of 75 to 90 Shore A, preferably 88 Shore A.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the cup comprises an insert ring. This can be inserted into the corner area between the underside of the lip and the inner wall of the container. It can also be removed there so that the insert ring can be detached from the cup. The insert ring is formed in one piece. Preferably, the insert ring is positively seated in the corner area and is directly adjacent to the lower surface of the lip and the inner wall of the container and is clamped in the corner area formed by these two surfaces. It thus fits very snugly in this rounded concave corner and does not slip. The outer circumference of the insert ring is at least equal in size to the inner circumference of the cup in the corner area, preferably the outer circumference of the insert ring is slightly larger than the inner circumference of the cup in the corner area so that effective clamping of the ring in the corner area can take place. Slightly means approximately 0.005 to 0.5 mm. This is not absolutely necessary, however, because the cup wall tapers downward toward the bottom and the smaller inner circumference of the cup wall from top to bottom automatically causes the insert ring to be jammed in the corner area, especially because the inner circumference is already reduced in the area of the insert ring.
Particularly preferably, the insert ring is made of the same material as the container, namely a thermoplastic elastomer. The degree of hardness is conveniently in the range between 75 and 90 Shore A, preferably 88 Shore A.
With the help of the newly developed insert ring, the dice (or the multiple dice) roll out of the cup more quietly when they are poured out. The rolling noise is damped. Most importantly, the insert ring, especially when formed of the preferred thermoplastic elastomer, allows the die or dice to bounce out of the cup during the pouring process. This so-called “bouncing out” slows down the rolling away of the die or dice over a table surface. The die (or dice) does not roll as far because it is braked in particular by the material of the insert ring made of thermoplastic elastomer. The bouncing is expediently achieved on the one hand by the material of thermoplastic elastomer, which has a springy (elastic) effect on the rolling die, and on the other hand by the convex curvature of the insert ring in the inserted state itself. The die rolls over this curvature. The lip is no longer touched, and in particular the die no longer rolls over the ramp formed by the slope in the corner area between the underside of the lip and the inner wall of the container without the insert ring. The dice rotate at a higher number per second without the inserted insert ring than with the insert ring, since a steeper ramp is provided by the curved corner area.
A particular advantage is that the insert ring is detachable and made in one piece. It can therefore be used or not, depending on the twist you want to give the dice as a player. In case of a strong twist, i.e. a high number of turns of the die per second (e.g. 15 possible turns of the die), you leave it out and the die continues to roll in addition to the increased number of turns of the die. If you want a lower number of rotations, you insert the insert ring and the die also rolls less far over a table surface.
The insert ring advantageously has a circular cross-section, so that the convex curvature of the insert ring on its circumferential surface fits into the concave curvature in the corner area between the underside of the lip and the inner wall of the container and lies with a positive fit therein.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the cup comprises a releasable lid which, in the closed position, accurately closes the opening of the cup with a form-seat. Expediently, the material of the lid is either thermoplastic elastomer, polypropylene or styrene-butadiene copolymer. Preferably, the lid is transparent. Subsequent features describe this lid in further detail.
The invention also includes a lid as such for a cup, as the latter was described above. The lid enables safe transportation of the dice. Expediently, the lid is transparent. Because of the transparency of the lid, the dice can be identified. It may have a groove and/or a protrusion on its upper side. In the case where a first lid of a first cup provides a groove which is preferably annular, the bottom of a second cup has an elevation on its underside which engages in the groove of the first lid when the second cup is stacked over the first cup with the first lid in place. Expediently, however, a groove, preferably an annular groove, is formed on the underside of the bottom of the second cup, into which a complementary elevation, preferably annular elevation, formed on the top of the first lid engages in a form-fitting manner. A second cup can thus be stacked on a lower first cup with the first lid in place, and in a non-slip manner, because the elevation on the upper side of the first lid engages in the groove on the underside of the second cup placed on top of it.
The material of the lid is plastic. Preferably, the plastic is polypropylene (PP). This brings good stability to the entire device of cup with lid. Alternatively, the lid can be formed from the material styrene-butadiene copolymer (SBC). Alternatively, it is possible to make the lid biobased and biodegradable. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the lid is made of the same material as the dice cup, i.e., thermoplastic elastomer. In this case, it is expediently not transparent.
The advantage of the cup with lip according to the invention is that the flush termination of the lip surface, i.e. the outward-facing surface, with the upper surface of the upper end of the side wall results in a closed large support surface. The flush bearing surface of the lip and the side wall means that the lid is better supported by the cup.
A system with stackable cups, in particular dice cups for games, is also claimed. In this system, at least two stackable cups, each with a lid, are provided. Each of the lids expediently has an elevation on its upper side, which is preferably annular. Each cup expediently has a complementary, preferably annular, groove on its underside. The elevation of a lid can engage in the groove in the base of the cup above it to secure the stack when two or more cups are stacked with the lid in place.
Alternatively, the groove may be formed on the top of the lid and the elevation on the bottom of the cup base. However, since in this last described embodiment the cup is not very stable on a table due to its reduced bottom surface, this embodiment is not preferred. Rather, it is recommended to provide a groove on the underside of the cup bottom into which an elevation on the upper side of a lid located below it in the cup stack can engage. The elevation is consequently designed as a kind of stacking edge for stacking the dice cups.
It is convenient that the lid is transparent so that the dice in the cup are visible to the player(s). The player thus knows which type, shape or color of one or more dice he is carrying or transporting. Depending on the game variant, this is important because there exist not only dice with six faces but also cubes with eight or more faces.
Two examples of embodiments of the invention are described below by means of purely schematic drawings. The reference signs are identical in both described embodiment examples, as far as the features are present in agreement. Therein show
In
In
More conveniently, the length L1 of the lip, as shown in
The outer wall surface 7 of the cup 1 may also be provided with a rough surface texture. However, this roughness is not mandatory. The outer wall surface and/or inner wall surface can also be smooth. Advantageously, a good feel (haptic) is achieved with a rough outer wall surface. At reference character Z, a detail of the cup is circled, namely a region of the upper rim of the cup. This area is shown enlarged in
A lid 13 is placed on the upper edge of the cup to close the cup opening. The lid 13 has a wall area running around the contour of the lid 13. This projects downward substantially vertically from the lid plate, which completely closes the cup opening and rests on the upper end of the side wall and the upper surface of the lip, and is hereinafter referred to as lid rim 18. This lid rim 18 is flush with the outer, upper area of the side wall 3 of the cup 1. The lid 13 fits snugly on the upper rim of the cup. It completely closes the cup opening when placed on the cup. On its upper side 16, the lid 13 has an elevation 15 which is arranged somewhat inwardly offset from the lid edge 18. The elevation 15, which is shown in cross-section in
Circled with reference sign Y in
In
In
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 2022 002 366.9 | Nov 2022 | DE | national |
