ILLUSION DEVICE HAVING A KEY WITH RETRACTABLE KEYCHAIN CLIP

Abstract

Described is an illusion device having a key with a retractable keychain clip. The illusion device includes a housing having a keyring hole formed therethrough. A key is attached to the housing. A rotatable spool is positioned within the housing, while a coil is attached to the rotatable spool. Thread is wrapped around the spool that extends from the keyring hole. Finally, a chain with the keychain clip is attached to the thread.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of Invention

The present invention relates to props and gimmicks used in the field of toys and magic to create a variety of illusions and, more particularly, to an illusion device having a key with a retractable keychain clip that allows a user to perform a variety of illusions.

(2) Description of Related Art

The present invention relates to props and gimmicks used in the field of magic, carried on the person or hidden in the clothing of the magician, and used to create the illusion of transferring an object without a viewer recognizing that the object has been transferred. For example, a ring is obtained from a viewer and made to disappear and then magically reappear elsewhere. This type of illusion is performed using a hidden reel mechanism.

The origin of the ring transfer illusion began with a magician in the 1960's. The magician, Al Koran, created a wallet-type key holder that concealed a reel mechanism with a retractable string. Using his device, the magician would surreptitiously attach the string to the viewer's ring and then create the illusion that a ring would disappear and then magically appear in his wallet as the reel mechanism pulled the ring into the wallet. While the concept and item created a functional illusion, the wallet-type key holder was bulky and no longer a fashionable item as time passed. Further, the existing reel is noisy which works against the concept of concealing a hidden reel.

More recently, some magicians attempted to recreate the illusion of making a ring or object disappear using a key fob that had a hidden reel mechanism. For example, a product referred to as “Departure,” appears as a common remote control key fob; however, hidden inside of the key fob is a large reel mechanism. A problem with such an item is that the magician or performer will ultimately end up with two remote devices on their person (i.e., both the Departure product as well as their own real care remote key fob). Having to carry either two separate key chains or two remotes on one key chain (i.e., real plus fake) is impractical. Further and as was the case above, the Departure product is also noisy, making the illusion difficult to perform.

Another example of a key fob reel mechanism is the “Ring Flight Revolution” product. While the item included a concealed reel mechanism, it is bulky and the thread feeds through the keys that are attached thereto. By passing the thread through the keys, friction is created that can cause the thread to break over time which can be catastrophic if a viewer were to actually lose a ring during the performance. Similarly, as a fake key fob, this device also suffers from the practical issue that a performer will ultimately end up with two remote devices on their person (i.e., both the Ring Flight Revolution product as well as their own real care remote key fob), as well as the noise generated by the reel mechanism.

Another recent product was devised and sold under the name “Rinkey Dinky” as a key with a hidden reel. As was the case with the above devised products, the Rinkey Dinky item is noisy and bulky. Further, the thread of the product feeds unnaturally from the side of the key housing, creating functional issues as the thread goes against the orientation/direction of the reel mechanism embedded within the product. The unnatural thread orientation creates a lot of friction, resulting in difficulty in withdrawing the string as well noise generation as the string is retracted and withdrawn.

Thus, a continuing need exists for an illusion device having a key with a hidden reel mechanism that allows the string to be withdrawn discreetly and smoothly while significantly minimizing noise issues.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present disclosure provides an illusion device, comprising: a housing, the housing having a keyring hole formed therethrough; a rotatable spool positioned within the housing; a coil attached to the rotatable spool; thread wrapped around the spool and extending from the keyring hole; and a chain attached to the thread.

In one aspect, the chain has a proximal end and a distal end, with a clip attached to the distal end and the thread being attached to the proximal end.

In yet another aspect, a spool casing is formed within the housing. The spool casing is formed to allow the spool to be positioned therein and rotate within the spool casing.

In yet another aspect, the spool casing includes walls having a series of ribs that surround the spool.

In yet another aspect, the coil is a flat spiral torsion spring.

In another aspect, the housing includes tapered edges.

Additionally, the chain is positionable between a withdrawn position and a retracted position, such that when in the retracted position, the proximal end of the chain is held against the keyring hole.

In yet another aspect, a key is attached to the housing, thereby causing the illusion device to appear as a normal key.

Finally, as can be appreciated by one in the art, the present invention also comprises a method for forming and using the invention as described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed descriptions of the various aspects of the invention in conjunction with reference to the following drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is an exploded-view illustration of an illusion device according to various aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an assembled, interior-view illustration of the illusion device according to various aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 3A is an illustration of the illusion device, depicting the chain with an attached keychain clip as withdrawn in a withdrawn position;

FIG. 3B is an illustration of the illusion device, depicting the chain with the attached keychain clip as retracted in retracted position;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of the illusion device, depicting a ring attached to the keychain clip;

FIG. 5A is a side-view illustration of the illusion device housing and key;

FIG. 5B is a rotated, side-view illustration of the illusion device housing and key; and

FIG. 5C is a side-view illustration of the illusion device housing and key, depicting the chain retracted to provide the illusion that the chain is affixed with the keyring and not the housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to props and gimmicks used in the field of toys and magic to create a variety of illusions and, more particularly, to an illusion device having a key with a retractable keychain clip that allows a user to perform a variety of illusions. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and to incorporate it in the context of particular applications. Various modifications, as well as a variety of uses in different applications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to a wide range of embodiments. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments presented, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. Thus, although a key (e.g, car key) is disclosed and illustrated as one embodiment, the housing and illusion device can also be implemented in a USB stick or item detector (such as an Appe Air Tag) to provide a similar functionality and illusion to those types of devices as well.

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without necessarily being limited to these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with this specification and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference. All the features disclosed in this specification, (including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is only one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

Furthermore, any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Section 112, Paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” or “act of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, Paragraph 6.

Please note, if used, the labels left, right, front, back, top, bottom, forward, reverse, clockwise and counter clockwise have been used for convenience purposes only and are not intended to imply any particular fixed direction. Instead, they are used to reflect relative locations and/or directions between various portions of an object.

(1) Description

The present disclosure provides an illusion device having a key (such as a real or simulated car key) with a retractable keychain clip that improves upon the prior art due to its size, design, and hidden reel mechanism that allows the string to be withdrawn/retracted discreetly and smoothly while significantly minimizing all noise issues. The direction of the thread as it passes out from the key cover also provides a marked improvement over the prior art as the thread reel feeds from the top where the keyholder is sitting, allowing the thread to align with the rotational direction of the reel mechanism to provide smooth pulling and retraction. Further, the inclusion of a chain with keychain clip that appears as if it is attached to a keychain ring as opposed to the housing (as described in detail below), provides an improvement over the prior art as it misdirects the viewer and leads the viewer to believe that their displayed object (e.g., wedding ring) and associated chain and keychain clip is attached to the keychain ring as opposed to the housing, thereby misdirecting the viewer as to the secret utility of the illusion device. Also, by having the displayed object attached to the keychain clip, it is very user friendly to detach the ring when returning it to the user without calling any attention to the illusion device, making the commonality of the device more believable. Further details are provided below.

As shown in FIG. 1, the illusion device 100 includes a housing 17 formed of a top cover 1 and a bottom cover 4. In one aspect, attached with the housing 17 is a key 5. The key 5 can be attached with the housing 17 using any suitable mechanism, technique, or device. As a non-limiting example, tabs 8 formed in the housing 17 (e.g., bottom cover 4) are placed through a slot 7 in the key 5, with the key 5 then sandwiched and affixed between the top cover 1 and bottom cover 4. It should be noted that the illusion device 100 can also be formed to simulate other items other than a key. For example, the housing 17 can be shaped like a USB stick with the attached keychain ring described below. In this aspect, all of the spool and other components as described are housed within the housing 17, with the illusion device operating similar to the key embodiment; however, in this aspect, the viewer is led to believe it is a USB stick instead of a normal car key. Other embodiments include tracker devices (e.g., Apple Air Tag), and any other item that one might typically have on a keychain.

To create the illusion that the device is smaller than it actually is, the housing 17 (e.g., both of the covers) has tapered edges 9 to create a slim shape and make the key housing 17 look a lot smaller than the actual size required to house the reel mechanism.

Formed in at least one of the covers 1 and/or 4 is a spool casing 10. The spool casing 10 is formed to allow a spool 3 to be positioned therein and rotate within the spool casing 10. Notably, walls of the spool casing 10 are shaped to include a series of ribs 11 that surround the spool 3. The ribs 11 operate as sound baffles to break the sound of the spool 3 as it spins fast within the spool casing 10 or housing 17 to reduce whistling sound or other noise that may be created by the rotating spool 3.

The spool 3 operates as a coil housing to attach with and contain a coil 2 therein. The coil 2 is any suitable spring mechanism that is operable for winding a thread 12 back onto the spool 3 after being withdrawn from the spool 3. As a non-limiting example, the coil 2 is a flat spiral torsion spring that is attached to and between the spool 3 and a post 13 within the housing 17. Wrapped around the spool 3 is thread 12. The thread 12 is any suitable filament that can easily wind/unwind around the spool while avoiding detection, non-limiting examples of which include nylon monofilament (e.g., similar to fishing line) and a Kevlar string.

Included at the top of the housing 17 (i.e., top cover 1 and bottom cover 4) is a tube 6 that can be used to protect the thread 12 and direct the thread 12 out into a keyring hole 14 formed between the top cover 1 and bottom cover 4. After passing through the keyring hole 14, the thread 12 is attached to a chain 15, which in turn has a special clip 16 (e.g., spring clip) attached at its distal end. The clip 16 allows an operator to quickly and surreptitiously attach a viewer's ring to the clip 16.

For further understanding, FIG. 2 depicts an assembled, interior-view of the illusion device 100. As shown, the thread 12 is attached with the chain 15 and extends into the housing 17 to wrap around the spool 3. Further and as shown in FIG. 3A, the chain 15 can be drawn from the housing 17 under tension due to the thread 12 which is drawn from the spool. Due to the torsion spring (i.e., coil), the thread 12 (and attached chain 15) is under tension as it is drawn from the housing 17 and the coil is wound. In other words, upon pulling the chain 15 and thread 12 from the housing 17 (as the thread unwinds from the spool), the coil provides a return force to retract the thread 12 and re-wind the thread around the spool (as shown in FIG. 3B). Upon rewinding the thread 12, the proximal end of the chain 15 is pulled tightly into the keyring hole 14 to provide the illusion that the chain 15 is securely affixed to the keyring (depicted as element 20 in FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 4, this return force allows for the illusion to be performed using a concealed reel mechanism that can be attached to a viewer's object, such as a wedding ring 18, to cause the object to disappear and reappear elsewhere. In other words, the illusion device 100 is formed to resemble a common car key and features a mechanical retractable system, similar to retractable name badge clips, allowing it to be pulled and always retract when let go. In operation, a magician borrows the ring 18 with his left hand. With the right hand, the magician secretly holds the clip 16 that he pulled out from his pocket. He attaches the ring 18 to the clip 16, acting like he put the ring on his finger, while also hooking the clip 16 to the ring 18. Using sleight of hand, the magician lets go of the ring 18 which is very quickly pulled back into the magician's pocket and secured to the chain 15, which is in turn pulled tight against the housing 15. Thus, the ring 18 has, in essence, disappeared. However, it is later revealed that the ring 18 is connected to the device 100 and its clip 16, thereby creating the illusion that the ring 18 disappeared and reappeared elsewhere.

As noted above, the illusion device 100 of the present disclosure provides several unique aspects and improvements over the prior art. While devices such as key fobs and remote controls with hidden reel mechanisms exist, they all suffer a variety of deficiencies. Such existing devices are bulky and present issues with duplication. For instance, having a second car key remote (key fob) at all times would be impractical and would give away the secret device. Unlike existing products, the illusion device 100 of the present disclosure includes a small chain 15 instead of a string. The chain 15 creates the illusion of being attached to the key ring 20 when the audience looks down at the ring 18 attached to the chain 15. Note that the key ring 20 is passed through the keyring hole 14 so that when the chain 15 is pulled tightly into the keyring hole 14, it appears as if the chain 15 is attached to the key ring 20 and not the housing 17. To achieve this mechanism, the illusion device 100 uses the micro spring (e.g., coil) along with very thin layers of plastic, resulting in a key (not just a key fob or remote control) that closely resembles a real key. This way the audience does not know it is secluded and does not call attention to the illusion device 100. This design takes up minimal space and enables the magician to use his key fob and other keys as intended.

For further understanding, FIG. 5A is a side-view illustration of the illusion device housing 17 and key 5. As noted above and as shown between FIGS. 5B and 5C, the keyring hole 14 is formed at the top end 22 of the housing 17 and is tapered toward the top end 22 so as to allow the keyring 20 to easily reside above the chain 15 while pulling the chain 15 tightly into the keyring hole 14 below the keyring 20 and tightly against the keyring 20 to further enforce the illusion that the chain 15 is attached directly to the keyring 20 and not the housing 17. It should be noted that the thickness of the illusion device and its associated housing 17 is smaller than any other key fobs on the market, by over 70%. Additionally, the side view of the key is designed to make it appear even small than the actual thickness, concealing the utility of the illusion device. Further, the retraction as provided by coil is not as powerful as other reel mechanism devices on the market; the other reel mechanisms are very rough and forceful when retracting, which can cause the thread to break and lose the viewers ring. If the thread were to break, the device is essentially damaged or unusable since the reel is concealed within the housing.

Finally, while this invention has been described in terms of several embodiments, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the invention may have other applications in other environments. It should be noted that many embodiments and implementations are possible. Further, the following claims are in no way intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the specific embodiments described above. In addition, any recitation of “means for” is intended to evoke a means-plus-function reading of an element and a claim, whereas, any elements that do not specifically use the recitation “means for”, are not intended to be read as means-plus-function elements, even if the claim otherwise includes the word “means”. Further, while particular method steps have been recited in a particular order, the method steps may occur in any desired order and fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An illusion device, comprising: a housing, the housing having a keyring hole formed therethrough;a rotatable spool positioned within the housing;a coil attached to the rotatable spool;thread wrapped around the spool and extending from the keyring hole; anda chain attached to the thread.

2. The illusion device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the chain has a proximal end and a distal end, with a clip attached to the distal end and the thread being attached to the proximal end.

3. The illusion device as set forth in claim 2, further comprising a spool casing formed within the housing, the spool casing formed to allow the spool to be positioned therein and rotate within the spool casing.

4. The illusion device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the spool casing includes walls having a series of ribs that surround the spool.

5. The illusion device as set forth in claim 4, wherein the coil is a flat spiral torsion spring.

6. The illusion device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the housing includes tapered edges.

7. The illusion device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the chain is positionable between a withdrawn position and a retracted position, such that when in the retracted position, the proximal end of the chain is held against the keyring hole.

8. The illusion device as set forth in claim 7, further comprising a key attached to the housing, thereby causing the illusion device to appear as a normal key.

9. The illusion device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a spool casing formed within the housing, the spool casing formed to allow the spool to be positioned therein and rotate within the spool casing.

10. The illusion device as set forth in claim 9, wherein the spool casing includes walls having a series of ribs that surround the spool.

11. The illusion device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the coil is a flat spiral torsion spring.

12. The illusion device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the housing includes tapered edges.

13. The illusion device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the chain is positionable between a withdrawn position and a retracted position, such that when in the retracted position, the proximal end of the chain is held against the keyring hole.

14. The illusion device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a key attached to the housing, thereby causing the illusion device to appear as a normal key.