Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6206688
-
Patent Number
6,206,688
-
Date Filed
Tuesday, July 20, 199925 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, March 27, 200123 years ago
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Inventors
-
-
Examiners
- Lazarus; Ira S.
- Clarke; Sara
Agents
- Parsons & Goltry
- Goltry; Michael W.
- Parsons; Robert A.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 431 126
- 431 296
- 362 161
- 362 101
- 428 7
- 248 534
- 215 386
- 215 388
- 215 390
- 215 391
- 220 703
- 220 735
- 220 759
- 220 769
- D07 507
- D07 509
- D07 560
- D07 3962
- D07 3963
- D11 130
- D11 117
- D11 121
- D26 10
- D26 23
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International Classifications
-
Abstract
Decorative apparatus comprising the assemblage of a receptacle of a type for accommodating a consumable liquid and a decorative assembly constructed to accommodate a candle for casting a decorative light when lit.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention concerns decorative devices and, more particularly, a decorative assembly for use with a receptacle of a type for accommodating a consumable liquid.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The art of decorating is one of furnishing, providing or adorning something with ornamentation. Whether decorating a room, a table or an office, skilled artisans, especially professional or interior decorators, devote considerable attention toward personal, professional and customer needs when selecting among specific design choices. Although the art is replete with decorative apparatus and structural fixtures for accommodating decorative items, the field of decorative apparatus is want for certain new and useful improvements.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to contribute to the art of decorative apparatus by providing a new and useful decorative assembly for use with a receptacle of a type for accommodating and serving a consumable liquid such as water, ice tea, wine, champagne, or other consumable liquid.
It is a purpose of the invention to provide a new and improved decorative assembly that is easy to install with a receptacle of a type for accommodating and serving a consumable liquid.
It is another purpose of the invention to provide a new and useful decorative assembly that is easy to construct.
It is another purpose of the invention to provide a new and improved decorative assembly that is easy to use.
It is still another purpose of the invention to provide a new and improved decorative assembly that is inexpensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above problems and others are at least partially solved and the above purposes and others realized in new and improved decorative apparatus. The decorative apparatus comprises the assemblage of a receptacle and a decorative assembly. The receptacle includes a base supporting a continuous sidewall having a continuous outer surface and an open end bound by a rim leading to a well for accommodating a consumable liquid. The decorative assembly is comprised of a body supported by the receptacle and a decorative element carried by the body. The body includes an engagement element, a groove accommodating a point of the rim and an abutment resting against a point of the outer surface of the receptacle. The decorative element supports a complemental engagement element engaged to the engagement element such that the body supports the decorative element away from the outer surface of the receptacle. The body preferably includes a platform that supports a candle away from, and in substantial opposition to, the open end of the receptacle. The engagement element comprises one of a male engagement element and a female engagement element, and the complemental engagement element comprises the other one of the male engagement element and the female engagement element.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and further and more specific objects and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of decorative apparatus comprising a decorative assembly supported by a receptacle of a type for accommodating and serving a consumable liquid, the decorative assembly having a body engaged to the receptacle, a decorative element supported by the body and a decorative attachment carried by the decorative element;
FIG. 2
is a side view of the decorative assembly of
FIG. 1
shown as it would appear supported by the receptacle;
FIG. 3
is a side view of the decorative attachment of
FIG. 1
shown as it would appear detached from the decorative element;
FIG. 4
is a fragmented perspective view of an engagement assembly for detachably securing the decorative element to the body of the decorative assembly of
FIG. 1
; and
FIG. 5
is a fragmented perspective view of another embodiment of an engagement assembly for detachably securing the decorative element to the body of the decorative assembly of FIG.
1
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Turning to the drawings, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding elements throughout the several views, attention is first drawn to
FIG. 1
illustrating a perspective view of decorative apparatus
10
, in accordance with the invention. Decorative apparatus
10
comprises the assemblage of a receptacle
11
and a decorative assembly
12
. Receptacle
11
is of a type constructed and designed specifically for accommodating a consumable liquid such as water, ice tea, juice, wine, champagne, etc. Receptacle includes a base
13
engagable so as to rest against a support surface in an upright condition. Base
13
leads to and supports a continuous sidewall
14
having a continuous outer surface
15
and an open end
16
bound by a rim
17
leading to a well
18
for accommodating or holding a consumable liquid. Consistent with this structure, receptacle
11
may comprise a tumbler, a wineglass, a champagne glass, a beer glass, etc.
Decorative assembly
12
may be constructed of plastic, a wax or wax-like material, a selected metal, wood or the like, and is comprised of a body
20
and a decorative element
21
. Regarding
FIGS. 1 and 2
, body
20
defines a decorative shape that, in this embodiment, is characterized by swirling and curvaceous features. Body
20
can be provided in any form of decorative shape or pleasing shape. In form, body
20
includes an enlarged portion
22
defining a proximal extremity
23
, and an opposing narrowed portion
24
defining a distal extremity
25
. Enlarged portion
22
supports or defines a platform
26
(shown only in
FIG. 1
) at proximal extremity
23
for accommodating a candle
27
, and a groove
28
that opposes platform
26
. Groove
28
faces distal extremity
25
. Body
20
supports decorative element
21
at distal extremity
25
. In this embodiment, decorative element
21
is comprised of an elongate body
30
having a proximal end
31
coupled to body
20
at or adjacent distal extremity
25
. Elongate body
30
leads away from distal extremity
25
and terminates with a distal end
32
that is outwardly curved. Distal end
32
may be provided in the form of any decorative shape such as the shape of a sash, a flower, an inverted fluted decorative shape, etc. Regarding a specific embodiment of decorative element
21
as shown best in
FIG. 3
, distal end
32
supports a recess
36
for accommodating a head
37
of a decorative attachment
38
.
FIGS. 1 and 2
show decorative attachment
38
as it would appear carried by distal end
32
.
Decorative assembly
12
is engagable so as to be supported by receptacle
11
for forming decorative apparatus
10
. In engagement, groove
28
accommodates a point or area
33
of rim
17
, and an abutment
34
defined by narrowed portion
24
at distal extremity
25
rests against a point or area
35
of continuous outer surface
15
of receptacle
11
toward base
13
away from rim
17
. Point
33
could be any point along rim
17
. So engaged to receptacle
11
, the bulk of body
20
resides outboard of continuous outer surface
15
of receptacle
11
as best seen in
FIG. 2
, proximal extremity
23
extends outwardly from open end
16
and distal extremity
25
reaches toward base
13
. When accommodating candle
27
in this regard, platform
26
supports candle
27
away from, and in substantial opposition to, open end
16
of receptacle
11
. Candle
27
may, of course, be lit for casting a decorative light. Also, decorative element
21
is coupled to body
20
so that it extends from distal extremity
25
, downwardly toward base
13
and away or spaced from outer surface
15
of receptacle
11
.
Engagement structure facilitates the detachable engagement of decorative element
21
to body
20
, such that body
20
supports decorative element
21
away from outer surface
15
of receptacle
11
when mounted to receptacle
11
. As a result of this engagement structure, a user may choose from a variety of decorative elements and interchange them as needed for accomplishing desired decorative ends. Turning to
FIG. 4
, an exemplary embodiment of engagement structure comprises an engagement element
40
carried by body
20
at distal extremity
25
, and a complemental engagement element
41
carried by decorative element
21
at proximal end
31
. Engagement element
40
comprises a female engagement element or structure and complemental engagement element
41
comprises a male engagement element or structure, although this positioning may be reversed. In
FIG. 4
, the female engagement element includes an internally threaded blind bore
44
, and male engagement element comprises a complementary externally threaded head
45
. Threaded head
45
is engagable to threaded blind bore
44
in a conventional manner. Regarding another embodiment in
FIG. 5
, the female engagement element includes recesses
46
formed into a blind bore
47
, and the male engagement element includes a head
48
that supports spring-loaded protuberances pins
49
that detachably engage the recesses
46
when head
48
is forced into blind bore
47
. Other engagement structure that will readily occur to the skilled artisan for removably coupling decorative element
21
to body
20
are intended to be included within the scope of this invention.
The present invention has been described above with reference to a preferred embodiment. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes and modifications may be made in the described embodiments without departing from the nature and scope of the present invention. Various changes and modifications to the embodiment herein chosen for purposes of illustration will readily occur to those skilled in the art. To the extent that such modifications and variations do not depart from the spirit of the invention, they are intended to be included within the scope thereof which is assessed only by a fair interpretation of the following claims.
Claims
- 1. A decorative apparatus comprising:a receptacle including a base supporting a continuous sidewall having a continuous outer surface and an open end bound by a rim leading to a well; a body supported by the receptacle and having an engagement element, a groove accommodating a point of the rim, an abutment resting against a point of the outer surface of the receptacle and a platform supporting a candle; and a decorative element having a complemental engagement element engaged to the engagement element of the body such that the body supports the decorative element away from the outer surface of the receptacle.
- 2. The decorative apparatus of claim 1, wherein the platform supports the candle away from, and in substantial opposition to, the open end of the receptacle.
- 3. The decorative apparatus of claim 1, wherein the engagement element of the body comprises one of a male engagement element and a female engagement element.
- 4. The decorative apparatus of claim 3, wherein the complemental engagement element comprises the other one of the male engagement element and the female engagement element.
- 5. In a receptacle including a base supporting a continuous sidewall having a continuous outer surface and an open end bound by a rim leading to a well, a decorative assembly comprising:a body having an engagement element, a groove engagable to a point of the rim, an abutment engagable against a point of the outer surface of the receptacle and a platform for accommodating a candle; and a decorative element having a complemental engagement element engagable to the engagement element of the body such that the body supports the decorative element away from the outer surface of the receptacle when the body is engaged to the receptacle at the first and second points.
- 6. The decorative assembly of claim 5, wherein the engagement element of the body comprises one of a male engagement element and a female engagement element.
- 7. The decorative assembly of claim 6, wherein the complemental engagement element comprises the other one of the male engagement element and the female engagement element.
- 8. A decorative apparatus comprising:a receptacle constructed and designed specifically for accommodating a consumable liquid, the receptacle including a base supporting a continuous sidewall having a continuous outer surface and an open end bound by a rim leading to a well for accommodating a consumable liquid; a body supported by the receptacle and having a platform supporting a candle, an engagement element, a groove accommodating a point of the rim and an abutment resting against a point of the outer surface of the receptacle; and a decorative element having a complemental engagement element engaged to the engagement element of the body such that the body supports the decorative element away from the outer surface of the receptacle.
- 9. The decorative apparatus of claim 8, wherein the platform supports the candle away from, and in substantial opposition to, the open end of the receptacle.
- 10. The decorative apparatus of claim 8, wherein the engagement element of the body comprises one of a male engagement element and a female engagement element.
- 11. The decorative apparatus of claim 10, wherein the complemental engagement element comprises the other one of the male engagement element and the female engagement element.
US Referenced Citations (8)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
H6-297900 |
Oct 1994 |
JP |