Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6374522
-
Patent Number
6,374,522
-
Date Filed
Monday, July 24, 200024 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, April 23, 200222 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 040 473
- 040 410
- 040 409
- 040 411
- 040 406
- 040 407
- 446 267
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A glass water ball structure including a base seat having a receptacle in which a fixing seat of the glass water ball is received. A lower support cone is disposed on the fixing seat of the glass water ball to abut against an adjusting bolt screwed in the base seat. An upper support cone is disposed on the dome of the glass water ball to abut against a frame body upward extending from the base seat. The entire glass water ball is pivotally disposed in the base seat.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improved glass water ball structure, and more particularly to a glass water ball structure which has high safety and little frictional force against rotation and can be rotated for a long time.
FIG. 4
shows a conventional glass water ball
8
including a base seat
81
and a glass ball
82
fixed on the base seat
81
. When it is desired to watch the decorative articles disposed in the glass ball
82
from different angles, it is necessary to turn the entire base seat
81
. This is inconvenient to a user.
Moreover, in some products, numerous fine decorative chips are added into the glass ball
82
. When shaking the glass water ball
8
, the liquid contained therein will be disturbed and the decorative chips will be entrained by the liquid and finally slowly fall down as snow. With respect to a larger or a heavier glass water ball
8
, it is dangerous to shake the glass water ball
8
. In case the glass water ball
8
is incautiously dropped, the user may get hurt.
Although some kinds of articles such as terrestrial globes can be rotatably supported at two ends, it is impossible to insert a supporting pin or shaft into or pass the supporting pin or shaft through the glass water ball
8
. Therefore, such rotary measure cannot be transferred to the glass water ball
8
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a glass water ball structure in which a fixing seat of the glass water ball is received in a receptacle of the base seat. An upper support cone of the dome of the glass water ball and a lower support cone of the bottom of the fixing seat respectively abut against a frame body and an adjusting bolt screwed in the base seat. Therefore, the entire glass water ball is firmly pivotally disposed in the base seat and can be rotated with safety ensured.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide the above glass water ball in which by means of adjusting the adjusting bolt screwed in the base seat, the frictional force against the rotation of the glass water ball between the upper and lower support cones and the bottom face of the frame body and the top face of the adjusting bolt can be minimized so that the glass water ball can be rotated for a long time.
According to the above objects, the glass water ball structure of the present invention includes a base seat having a receptacle with an opening facing upward. A fixing seat of a bottom of a transparent glass water ball is received in the receptacle. A liquid and decorative article are contained in the glass water ball. The bottom of the base seat is formed with a thread hole communicating with the receptacle. An adjusting bolt is screwed in the thread hole. The fixing seat of the glass water ball is disposed with a lower support cone. The lower support cone abuts against a top face of the adjusting bolt. A frame body is disposed on the base seat and extending to upper side of the glass water ball. An upper support cone is adhered to the dome of the glass water ball. The upper support cone abuts against the bottom face of the frame body.
The present invention can be best understood through the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a sectional view taken along line II—II of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4
is a perspective view of a conventional glass water ball.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Please refer to
FIGS. 1 and 2
. According to a first embodiment, the glass water ball structure of the present invention includes a base seat
11
having a receptacle
12
with an opening facing upward. A fixing seat
21
of the bottom of a transparent glass water ball
2
is received in the receptacle
12
. A liquid, decorative article
11
and numerous fine decorative chips
221
are contained in the glass water ball
2
. The bottom of the base seat
11
is formed with a thread hole
13
communicating with the receptacle
12
. An adjusting bolt
14
is screwed in the thread hole
13
. The fixing seat
21
of the glass water ball
2
is disposed with a lower support cone
23
. The top face of the adjusting bolt
14
is formed with a first locating hole
141
corresponding to the tip
231
of the lower support cone
23
in which the lower support cone
23
is retained. A frame body
15
is disposed on the base seat
11
, surrounding the upper side of the glass water ball
2
. An upper support cone
24
is adhered to the dome of the glass water ball
2
. The upper and lower support cones
24
,
23
are coaxially arranged. The bottom face of the frame body
15
is formed with a second locating hole
151
corresponding to the tip
241
of the upper support cone
24
in which the upper support cone
24
is retained. The decorative article
21
contained in the glass water ball
2
has an asymmetrical pattern with respect to the rotary axis of the glass water ball
2
.
When assembled, the fixing seat
21
of the glass water ball
2
is positioned in the receptacle
12
of the base seat
11
and then the adjusting bolt
14
is screwed to lift the lower support cone
23
and move the entire glass water ball
2
upward until the upper support cone
24
abuts against the frame body
15
. Therefore, the entire glass water ball
2
is safely and firmly pivotally disposed in the base seat
11
. Accordingly, the glass water ball
2
will not drop and damage during assembling procedure.
The lower support cone
23
of the fixing seat
21
of the glass water ball
2
is retained in the first locating hole
131
of the adjusting bolt
13
of the base seat
11
, while the upper support cone
24
of the glass water ball
2
is retained in the second locating hole
151
of the bottom face of the frame body
15
. Therefore, there are only two contact points between the glass water ball
2
and the frame body
15
and the adjusting bolt
13
. Moreover, by means of adjusting the adjusting bolt
13
, the contacting force between the upper and lower support cones
24
,
23
and the frame body
15
and the adjusting bolt
13
can be varied to minimize the frictional force against the rotation of the glass water ball
2
. Accordingly, a user only needs to apply little force for turning the glass water ball
2
. Furthermore, due to the little frictional force against the rotation, in case the user turns the glass water ball
2
with greater force, the glass water ball
2
will rotate for a long time. Therefore, the user can conveniently see the decorative article
22
from different angles. The decorative article
22
can be designed with different patterns in cooperation with the rotary glass water ball
2
to form a dynamic visual effect.
Moreover, prior to rotation, the liquid contained in the glass water ball
2
is inertially still. However, after the glass water ball
2
is rotated, the asymmetrical decorative article
21
will rotate along with the glass water ball
2
. As a result, the liquid in the glass water ball
2
will be disturbed to carry the decorative chips
221
to flow around. Finally, the decorative chips
221
will slowly fall down due to their own weight to achieve a visual effect as snowing in the rotary glass water ball
2
. Therefore, it is unnecessary to shake the entire glass water ball for disturbing the liquid as the conventional glass water ball so that the safety in use can be ensured.
In addition, in case the upper support cone
24
accidentally detach from the second locating hole
151
of the frame body
15
in use, the fixing seat
21
of the glass water ball
2
is still received in the receptacle
12
of the base seat
11
so that the glass water ball
2
will be still stably seated in the base seat
11
without dropping.
FIG. 3
shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the frame body
35
upward extends from the base seat
31
to the upper side of the glass water ball
4
for the upper support cone
44
of the glass water ball
4
to abut against. Such structure achieves the same effect as the first embodiment.
The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention, not intended to limit the scope thereof. Many modifications of the above embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
Claims
- 1. A glass water ball structure comprising a base seat having a receptacle with an opening facing upward, a fixing seat of a bottom of a transparent glass water ball being received in the receptacle, a liquid and decorative article being contained in the glass water ball, the bottom of the base seat being formed with a thread hole communicating with the receptacle, an adjusting bolt being screwed in the thread hole, the fixing seat of the glass water ball being disposed with a lower support cone, the lower support cone abutting against a top face of the adjusting bolt, a frame body being disposed on the base seat and extending to upper side of the glass water ball, an upper support cone being adhered to the dome of the glass water ball, the upper and lower support cones being coaxially arranged, the upper support cone abutting against the bottom face of the frame body.
- 2. A glass water ball structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the top face of the adjusting bolt is formed with a first locating hole corresponding to a tip of the lower support cone.
- 3. A glass water ball structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottom face of the frame body is formed with a second locating hole corresponding to a tip of the upper support cone.
- 4. A glass water ball structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the decorative article contained in the glass water ball has an asymmetrical pattern with respect to the rotary axis of the glass water ball and numerous fine decorative chips are contained in the glass water ball.
US Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
6027774 |
Fine |
Feb 2000 |
A |