Patent Application
20180327153
Containers, for example vaults, and displays.
Containers usually need to be opened, and thus need a removable closure or cap of some kind. A threaded cap may be used, but a threaded connection may require considerable movement (multiple rotations) to assemble for a consumer product. Increasing the number of thread starts (to decrease the number of required rotations to assemble), while maintaining all other thread parameters, results in insufficient torque, applied by hand, to compress seals incorporated into the connection.
Coin displays usually mount a coin in a round opening in a display bed. This does display the coin, but is not readily combined with a container.
A disk display is disclosed comprising a housing having a wall defining an opening, the wall including a disk support extending radially inward into the opening; and a disk retainer element that is securable to the housing to hold a disk against the disk support. The disk retainer element may seat against the housing using cooperating elements on the housing and disk retainer element that define a trajectory for the disk retainer element to move along when the disk retainer element is being secured in the housing cap, in which the trajectory flattens with increased insertion of the disk retainer element in the housing, or the trajectory forms a helix having a continuously increasing helix angle. A knob and groove arrangement may be used for the cooperating elements. The housing may form a vessel cap for a vessel.
A container is disclosed comprising a vessel having a vessel cap on a first end of the vessel; and the vessel cap being secured on the vessel by cooperating elements on the vessel cap and vessel that define a trajectory for the vessel cap to move along when the vessel cap is being secured on the vessel, in which the trajectory flattens with increased insertion of the vessel cap into the vessel, or the trajectory forms a helix having a continuously increasing helix angle. A knob and groove arrangement may be used for the cooperating elements. An embodiment of a disk display is also disclosed where the disk display has elements that are shaped to secure a puck. Another embodiment includes a disk display that is received in a blind cavity in a glass vessel.
A memorial is disclosed comprising a tube having an axis, a cap on a first end of the tube; and the tube incorporating spiral features that extend axially lengthwise of the tube, at least some of which spiral features have differing axial lengths.
Embodiments will now be described with reference to the figures, in which like reference characters denote like elements, by way of example, and in which:
Immaterial modifications may be made to the embodiments described here without departing from what is covered by the claims. In the claims, the word “comprising” is used in its inclusive sense and does not exclude other elements being present. The indefinite articles “a” and “an” before a claim feature do not exclude more than one of the feature being present. Each one of the individual features described here may be used in one or more embodiments and is not, by virtue only of being described here, to be construed as essential to all embodiments as defined by the claims.
A device is disclosed that may function as one or more of a vault or container for example for storing, securing or preserving objects, a disk display and a memorial that references past events or objects that took place or existed in the past. A disk display is shown for example in
The disk support 20 may comprise a flange that sits on a shoulder of the vessel cap 12. A disk retainer element or internal locking cap 26 that is securable to the vessel cap 12 may be inserted within the vessel cap 12 to hold a disk 28 against the disk support 20. The disk 28 may be encapsulated in a transparent case 29. Seals 24 and 25 may be provided on either side of the disk 28 or transparent case 29. A first annular seal 24 may be provided in a cut out 22 in the flange 20 between the disk support 20 and disk 28 or transparent case 29. A second annular seal 25 may be provided between the disk retainer element 26 and the disk 28 or transparent case 29. The seals 24, 25 are provided at the periphery of the elements to seal against the inside wall of the vessel cap 12. The seals 24, 25 may be O-rings.
Referring to
Continuously increasing the helix angle from the start of the connection to the end allows for maximum axial movement and low (or even no) torque at the start of the rotation, transitioning to slow (or even no) axial movement and maximum torque at the end. A ball-and-groove design may be used to produce this variable helix angle. Closing of the cap on the vessel then requires significantly reduced movement (⅓ of a rotation as depicted in an example) compared with a threaded connection and maximizes torque where required.
The vessel cap trajectory may be defined by grooves 31 in one of the vessel cap 12 and vessel 10, here being in the vessel 10. That is, the knobs 30 can either be located on the outer diameter of a male connector 50 (see
There may be three grooves 31 as shown in the figures, but fewer or more may be used. The grooves 31 start off with a steep portion, a low angle relative to the vessel axis, for example 45 degrees, and flattens gradually in the direction into the vessel 10 to become nearly perpendicular relative to the vessel axis or nearly parallel to a circumference of the vessel 10. The other of the vessel cap 12 and vessel 10 has knobs 30 that are configured to slide in the grooves 31. The knobs 30 may be round and have a slightly smaller diameter than the cross-section diameter of the grooves 31. The knobs 30 may be for example formed of balls or pins embedded in the vessel cap 12. When balls are used for the knobs 30, the grooves 31 may have rounded bottoms. When pins are used for the knobs 30, the grooves 31 may have flat bottoms. The pins may for example be cylindrical. There may be one or more grooves 31 and knobs 30.
The disk 28 may be a coin or medallion, for example. The flange 20 can be a separate component to allow for different material and/or finishing options, but can also be integral to the surrounding vessel cap wall 16. The disk 28 may be encapsulated in a transparent case 29. The disk retaining element 26 may be hollow and may be provided with a spoke or spokes 34 such that the features of the reverse side of the disk 28 can be viewed. The spoke(s) 34 provide a grip for the customer to easily remove the disk retaining element.
When assembled with seals (as shown in
The external surfaces of vessel 10, which may be cylindrically shaped as a tube, may function as a three-dimensional timeline. Flats 41 including spiral features 40 running axially along the vessel 10 may represent events while circumferential lines 42 may indicate dates. Event flats 41, 40 are spaced equally about the circumference and may begin at different dates lines (as highlighted by the two hatched regions 43, 44) so that they have different axial lengths. The features 40 may align to features on the vessel cap 12 when the vessel cap 12 is fully secured on the tube. Features 46 on the ends of the vessel 10 such as on the exterior face of the vessel cap 12 (such as the castellations depicted in
Referring to
Referring to
The claim language “claims 1-N” means “any one of claims 1-N” where N is a natural number.
