BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The features of the present disclosure are believed to be novel and are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The disclosure may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The figures that employ like reference numerals identify like elements.
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the display device displaying a baseball as an example of a possible prized item according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the display device of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of the display device of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 4 is a detail perspective view of a support for aligning a prized item within a dome.
FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the display device displaying a basketball as an example of a prized item according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the display device displaying a football as an example of a prized item according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 6 is a flow chart that schematically illustrates the steps of the method for displaying a prized item.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, several embodiments of the disclosure, each centered around an improved display device with a rotating support for an article of sports memorabilia. These embodiments are described with sufficient detail to enable one skilled in the art to practice the disclosure. It is understood that the various embodiments of the disclosure, although different, are not necessarily exclusive and can be combined differently because they show novel features. For example, a particular feature, structure, material composition, or quantity described in connection with one embodiment may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. In addition, it is understood that the arrangement of individual elements and components within each disclosed embodiment may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense.
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the display device 100 displaying a baseball, as one example of a prized item 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The display device 100 includes a dome 4 made of a bottom lip 5, a side wall 6, and a top wall 7 having a hemispherical configuration. In one preferred embodiment, the dome 4 is made of glass. The use of any transparent or semitransparent material with sufficient rigidity to maintain a dome structure over the prized item is contemplated. In another preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the dome is made of a cylindrical portion 6 and a hemispherical portion 7 designed to show the prized item at a constant distance from the baseball. The device 100 also includes a base 15 made of a top surface 18 and having a groove 17 defined on the top surface 18 to engage the bottom lip 5 of the dome 4. The engagement of the dome 4 with the base 15 in one preferred embodiment is shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows a flat bottom lip 5 engaged in a flat groove 17. Returning to FIG. 1, the base 15 also includes a middle opening 19 shown as a circular opening where a rotatable shaft 29 is inserted. The base further comprises a socle 20 made in a preferred embodiment of wood, plastic, glass, metal, or any other material of sufficient strength to serve as a base 15 for the device and hold the weight of the prized item 1. The socle 20 also includes a first power input 23 and an opening for a control device 21. In one preferred embodiment, the inside portion of the base 15 is hollowed out to leave room for an electrical motor 25 fixed to a bottom surface of the surface 18 by two fixation supports 27 connected to a power supply (not shown) using connectors 26. In another embodiment, a variable contactor 21 is electrically coupled to a connector 26 to control the intensity of the current to the electrical motor 25 and control the speed of rotation of the rotatable shaft 29 via the electrical motor 25. In a preferred embodiment, the motor 25 is a synchronous motor with low rotational speed and is equipped with a switch and an AC/DC adaptor (shown in part as 22). In another embodiment (not shown), another power supply, such as batteries or a mechanical cranking device, may be used. In one embodiment, the groove 17 is placed at a distance from the external surface of the base 15 to create an outer plateau 16. While a plateau 16 is shown, it is understood by one of ordinary skill that what is contemplated is the placement of a groove 17 at any desired location on the surface 18 of the base 15 to hold the dome 4. What is also contemplated is the placement of the groove 17 on the outer periphery of the base 15 and the use of a bottom lip 5 of a different geometry.
The device 100 also includes a support 8 movably disposed on the top surface 18, the support 8 configured to hold and align a prized item 1 relative to the dome 4. FIG. 3 illustrates a possible embodiment of the support 8. The support 8, as shown, supports a baseball and has a regular angle of curvature on the top surface 9 with a thin layer of soft protective material 12. The support 8 also includes an opening 14 for placing a rotatable shaft 29 of the electrical motor 25. It is understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the geometry of the rotatable shaft 29 is such that rotational movements of the shaft 29 are transferred to the support 8 by either a geometry that allows block rotational movements between the shaft 29 and the opening 14, or the use of adhesive or other type of fixation device such as, but not limited to, a nail, a bolt, or a clip. What is also contemplated is the use of any device to fix the support 8 to the shaft 29. The device also further includes a motor 25 connected to the base with a rotatable shaft 29 coupled to the support 8 such that, upon activation of the motor 25, the shaft rotates the support 8 and the prized item 1 thereon. While a concave configuration of the top surface 9 is shown, the use of any surface geometry that allows for the depositing and holding of a prized item is contemplated. FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate two different embodiments where the support 8 has a different top surface 9 adapted to hold a basketball 2 or a football 3. The dome 4 geometry is accordingly shown in different associated configurations.
One function of the device is to hold and display the prized item 1 for extended periods of time. Since the dome 4 is not attached to the base by a visible theft protection device 15, or such a device is placed indirectly, the ensemble (device 100 with prized item 1, 2, or 3) is subject to environmental conditions, small repetitive shocks in proximity of the device, or even low-level vibrations caused by the electrical motor 25 or other vibrations coming from the table, shelf, or surface (not shown) upon which the device 100 is placed for display. In addition, sports memorabilia such as a baseball or other spherical objects are intrinsically vulnerable to movement when given low repetitive forces, and if these items are not held securely, they may slowly move until they contact a confinement structure such as the dome 4. The dome 4, if not fixed to the top surface 18 of the base 15 or placed in a groove 17, may slowly migrate to the side of the top surface 18 until it becomes unstable and touches the prized item 1. A device able to control low-intensity lateral movements of the dome 4 and the prized item 1 by placing upon the base 15 a lateral holder in the form of a groove 17 and a support 8 able to retain laterally the prized item placed upon it is contemplated. The term “groove” in the context of this application includes, in addition to the generally accepted definition of “groove,” any offset surface variation made on the top surface 18, or an element placed upon the top surface 18, including an exclusion that allows for the bottom lip 5 to be stabilized upon the top surface 18 either laterally or vertically.
FIG. 4 is a detail perspective view of the a support 8 for aligning a prized item within a dome 4 according to a first embodiment. A layer of protective material 12 is used to center and maintain the prized item 1, 2, 3 on the support 8. The protective material 12 may be of any material designed to avoid permanent chemical and/or physical interaction with the prized item 1, 2, 3. In one embodiment, the protective material 12 is made of a layer of nylon [check with inventor]. The protective material 12 acts as a soft surface for contact with the prized item 1, 2, 3.
FIG. 6 is a flow chart that schematically illustrates the steps of the method for displaying a prized item 1. The method includes the steps of placing a display device 100 described herein in view of a person 101, removing the dome temporarily 102, placing the prized item on the support 103, replacing the dome over the prized item 104, and activating the motor 105 in order to initiate the movement of the shaft.
The invention is not limited to the particular details of the device or method depicted and described herein, and other modifications and applications may be contemplated. Further changes may be made in the above-described method and device without departing from the true spirit of the scope of the invention herein disclosed. It is intended, therefore, that the subject matter in the above depiction should be interpreted as illustrative, not in a limiting sense.
Patent Application
20080067086
