Patent Application
20110048258
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a handheld stamp.
2. Description of the Related Art
Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Handheld stamps have long been used as marking tools.
To use the handheld stamp 100, the bottom cover 106 is detached from the bottom of the stamp mount 104. A user may hold the handle 102 and apply pressure downward onto the stamp mount 104, so that the die face 108 is pressed against a surface to leave an image or pattern on the surface. When the handheld stamp 100 is not in use, the bottom cover 106 may be coupled to the stamp mount 104 to prevent the die face 108 from possibly staining the surroundings of the handheld stamp 100.
The typical handheld stamp 100 is associated with a single image or pattern. To stamp a different image or pattern, another handheld stamp may be required. In other words, if multiple images or patterns are desired, then multiple handheld stamps with each stamp engraved with a unique image or pattern may be required. Having multiple handheld stamps not only increases cost but also makes storage burdensome.
What is needed in the art is thus a cost effective way to manufacture the handheld stamp and address at least the problems set forth above.
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a handheld stamp assembly. The handheld stamp assembly includes a stamp mount having a top member with an opening and a bottom member capable of being slid into the top member along a first direction through the opening, wherein the top member and the bottom member form an enclosure when the bottom member slides into and is secured with the top member, a handle coupled to the stamp mount in a detachable manner along a second direction.
Another embodiment of the present invention sets forth another handheld stamp assembly. The handheld stamp assembly includes a handle having a cavity with an open end and a close end and a stamp mount configured to be coupled to the handle. The stamp mount comprises a substantially circular opening and a substantially rectangular opening, wherein the substantially circular opening is disposed at a first surface of the stamp mount for receiving the handle, and defines a protrusion disposed within the substantially circular opening for locking with the cavity.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention sets forth another handheld stamp assembly. The handheld stamp assembly includes a handle and a stamp mount having a top member and a bottom member. The top member is detachably coupled to the handle and is slidably engaged with the bottom member to form an enclosed space, and the bottom member comprises a first surface to be attached to a die face and a second surface having an ink reservoir with a hole.
So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
In conjunction with
As mentioned above, the locking mechanism 208 is configured to secure the handle 202 onto the stamp mount 204. First, the handle 202 is inserted into the substantially circular opening 222 by aligning the substantially rectangular shape knob 212 at the bottom of the handle 202 to the substantially rectangular receiving opening 309 within the substantially circular opening 222. In addition, the open end 216 of the substantially “L” shaped cavity 214 is also aligned to the protrusion 224 for the insertion. Then, the handle 202 is rotated so that the protrusion 224 moves from the open end 216 to the close end 218 of the substantially “L” shaped cavity 214. When the protrusion 224 engages with the projection 220, the protrusion 224 and the projection 220 may be joined together to form a hook and a lock because of the shape designs of the protrusion 224 and the projection 220, therefore securely coupling the handle 202 with the stamp mount 204.
According to one embodiment of the present invention,
The bottom member 322 comprises a top surface 321 and a bottom surface 323. The bottom surface 323 may be configured to be attached to a die face (not shown). The top surface 321 further comprises an ink reservoir 327 and a hole 328 for the ink reservoir 327 for the ink to flow through to the die face, if one is attached to the bottom surface 323. The bottom member 322 further comprises a ledge 324 formed around the top surface 321. One end of the ledge 324 is a door 326 with a groove 329. On another end of the ledge 324 is a pushing block 330. The door 326, the groove 329, and the pushing block 330 allow the bottom member 322 to be pulled, pushed, and/or detached from the top member 302. The pushing block 330 is further configured to be inserted into an aligning slot 310 on one side wall of the top member 302 to ensure proper alignment of the bottom member 322 to the top member 302. Sliding tracks 325 are formed on opposite sidewalls 336 and 338 of the bottom member 322. The sliding tracks 325 are configured to be aligned with the position blocks 314. A protrusion 332 is placed on one end of the sliding tracks 325. When the bottom member 322 slidably engages with the top member 302, and the protrusion 332 engages with the block 318, the bottom member 322 is securely coupled to the top member 302.
The bottom cover 350 comprises a bottom 352, a sidewall 353, multiple alignment retainers 354, and ribs 355. The bottom 352 has an inner top surface and an outer edge. In one implementation, the inner top surface of the bottom 352 of the bottom cover 350 may further comprise an ink pad for a die face that may be attached to the bottom member 322. The sidewall 353 is formed on and extends up from the outer edge and the inner top surface of the bottom 352. The alignment retainers 354 are formed on and extend up from the inner surface of the bottom 352 near the sidewall 353. The ribs 355 are formed on the inner surface of the sidewall 353 and are in alignment with one another and transversely off-center. With further reference to FIG. 3B, the ribs 355 selectively align and engage with the ribs 312 on the outer surface of the sidewall 304 of the top member 302. One or more of the alignment retainers 354 may also align and engage with the clip open 316.
With further reference to
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
