Up until now there have only been two types of mobiles. The first type of mobile is powered by its own motor that either winds-up or is battery operated as seen mostly over children's cribs. This type of mobile with its symmetrically placed ornaments and ridge structural balance is permanently balanced. The second type of mobile is generally called a kinetic mobile. A kinetic mobile moves randomly in no set direction, up and down, back and forth from a breeze or draft. A kinetic mobile is carefully pre-balanced and any change of location of any of its parts would upset its delicate balance. Mobiles require careful balancing especially with kinetic mobiles. This takes skill and is very time consuming balancing a kinetic mobile especially if it has ornaments. The ornaments of a kinetic mobiles are permanently attached and cannot be added or relocated or removed because the delicate balance of the mobile would be destroyed.
The mobile of the present invention is a new and unique type of mobile that suspends and revolves from the airflow of an electric ceiling fan in a consistent direction and can be easily balanced and rebalance. There are several unique features of the mobile of the present invention. The mobile can have an ornament or ornaments that do not have to be symmetrically located on the mobile. The mobile can have an ornament or ornaments that can be added or removed or relocated to any location on the mobile and the mobile can be quickly and easily balanced and rebalanced making adding or relocating or removing an ornament or ornaments possible and very easy. The mobile of the present invention will continue to be able to revolve from the airflow of a ceiling fan with any changes made. This enables the creation of a uniquely personal and interactive mobile creating the opportunity for a wide selection and choice of placement of decorative ornaments from which a uniquely personalized mobile can be created, and changed or rearranged again and again!
The mobile kit of the present invention becomes an attractive part of a room's décor adding beauty, knowledge, inspiration, fun and whimsy while enabling a wide variety of themes and interests in the mobile's design and ornaments, by way of example, but not limited to: birds, boats, airplanes, cars, butterflies, insects, fish, animals, human figures, pixies, dragons, mythical creatures, imaginary creations, cartoons, flowers, leaves, branches, clouds, waves, stars, comets, scenery, sport activities, vocational interests, nature themes. These mobiles with their varying interests and themes are not limited to the home, but can be used where ever ceiling fans are used: homes, offices, work places, schools, barns, nursing homes, hospitals, fire departments, military bases, marinas, airports, factories, shopping malls, show rooms, etc., etc. These mobiles with their ease of balancing would make a wonderfully exciting and creative craft project as well as being educational! These mobiles can excite creativity in the designing and arrangement of a very personal and expressive mobile!
The mobile kit of the present invention literally and figuratively is a cool, unique and beautiful way to decorate a room with an abundance of themes and interests that can be easily changed while still enabling easy balancing and rebalancing of the mobile, a unique feature of the present invention.
Studies have shown that good air circulation is good for one's health and that a fan in an infant's room can help prevent Infant Death Syndrome.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a mobile kit for use with a ceiling fan that meets these needs.
The following patents and patent applications are representative of mobile kits that may be attached to ceilings or ceiling fans:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,682 (Hurxthal) describes a mobile sculpture and kit for its manufacture are provided wherein a plurality of pairs of photographs, in back-to-back relationship, with respect to one another, are suspended in air, in spaced-apart location, each pair of photographs being removably replaceable from a holder for the pair of photographs so that other pairs of photographs can be substituted from time-to-time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,398 (Dye) describes a decorative lighting and rotating display fixture kit comprises a support frame for mounting the fixture to a ceiling fan, a shroud concealing the support frame, and at least one electrical light socket mounted within the shroud. A motor is mounted to extend below the support frame shroud, is concealed by a decorative motor shroud, and supports a decorative display or carousel for rotation about a vertical axis. Electrical wiring connects the light socket and the motor to the ceiling fan wiring. A switch attached to the support frame and connected to the electrical wiring controls electrical energy to the fixture kit. The fixture kit may be mounted directly to the ceiling or other wiring location as a separate fixture, without the ceiling fan.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,555 (Paduano) describes mobiles which have an articulated array of arms connected to a central hub and artifacts attached to the outer, distal ends of the arms by strap-type fasteners. The hub can be rotated by a battery-powered or a spring-type motor as selected by a user of the mobile. The hub of the mobile is attached to a vertically extending support having a flexible segment by a ball and joint connector. A clamp at the lower end of the support is employed to fix the support to a suitable and available structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,529 (Lane) describes a support assembly in a decorative structure includes at least two suspended elements. The support assembly includes a support tube having a hollow interior and opposed end portions. In an embodiment, a pair of selectively removable adjustment are adapted to interlock with a respective end portion of the support tube. A flexible, elongate support element is secured between each of the clips and the respective end portions of the support tube. The elongate support element has two ends, each of the ends being adapted for attachment to a suspended element of the decorative structure. The adjustment clips can be adapted to fit over the end portions of the support tube, which can be constructed as a hollow cylindrical tube. In an illustrated embodiment, the adjustment clips comprise annular cylindrical members having an inner diameter approximately equal to an outer diameter of the support tube. In another embodiment, the elongate support element is secured in slits on the respective ends of the support tube. The elongate support element can be provided as a string, for example, monofilament. The support tube and/or the adjustment clips can be fabricated from a transparent material. The support tube can be provided with a substantially arcuate shape. A method of securing suspended elements to a support assembly in a decorative structure including at least two suspended elements is also set forth.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,971,854 (Krakowski) describes a mobile kit for use with a ceiling fan, the kit comprising a plurality of fan ornament assemblies, each fan ornament assembly including a collar device adapted for attaching to a fan blade, a support cord having a first end and a second end, the first end attached to the collar device, an ornamental object attached to the second end of the support cord. The support cord is adapted to suspend ornamental object when the collar device is attached to the fan blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,311,421 (Fahl) describes an ornament having an upper hub, a lower hub, a platform, a central pole and a coil. The upper hub is mounted directly on top of the lower hub with the platform permanently attached to the lower hub for attachment to virtually any smooth surface. The coil wraps around the pole, which is threaded and mates with internal grooves in the upper hub. The coil includes a string of lights plugged into an electrical outlet in the upper hub. The upper hub freely rotates with respect to the lower hub, which remains stationary. To maintain electrical contact between the lights and a power supply, copper tabs protrude from the lower hub and extend into copper rings in the upper hub.
U.S. Pat. Application 2006/0165529 (Sobel) describes an air circulation system-driven, suspended rotating display device includes an attachment member and a rotatable member. The attachment member has an upper end and a lower end, and a component for attachment proximate a ceiling fan or, alternatively, proximate an air vent. The attachment component is located at the upper end, and has a swivel joint for attachment to a rotatable member. The rotatable member has a frame, a sign connected to the frame and at least one air vane connected to frame for acting like a turbine to cause circulating air to spin the rotatable member with its sign.
U.S. Pat. Application 2010/0316495 (Todd) describes a lighting and heating assembly is provided. The lighting and heating assembly is configured for mounting to an existing ceiling fan. The lighting and heating assembly includes a lighting assembly for distributing light and a heating assembly for providing heat to the air circulated by the ceiling fan. The lighting assembly is attachable to the ceiling fan and has the heating assembly detachably connected thereto, which allows the lighting assembly to be used without the heating assembly. Additionally, the lighting and heating assembly is adjustable such that the lighting assembly and/or heating assembly are repositionable at desired locations in relation to one another and the air flow generated by the ceiling fan.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.
The present invention relates to a mobile with adjustable balance that suspends and revolves from the airflow of an electric ceiling fan. The mobile of the present invention can have one or more removable ornaments that can be relocated or added or removed or a combination thereof and the mobile can be repeatedly and easily rebalanced. The mobile of the present invention suspends from a generally central location of the ceiling fan, below the fan blades not on the fan blades.
Let it be understood that the term “co-operatively attaches”, “co-operatively attached”, “co-operatively attach” will be used in the patent of this invention to mean an element of the mobile that “removably or non-removably attaches”.
The mobile kit of the present invention has a balancing platform with an attachment means. The attachment means being a screw eye or a swivel eye generally centrally located on the balancing platform for cooperatively attaching to the fan attachment device. The balancing platform can be made for example from wood or plastic. The balancing platform can be planar or three-dimensional.
The mobile kit includes a fan attachment device that is intermediate the balancing platform of the mobile and the ceiling fan's attachment point. The fan attachment device can be made from a variety of flexible materials such as; swivel chain, nylon line, string, fishing line, ribbon. The fan attachment device having an attachment means to cooperatively attach to the balancing platform and the ceiling fan's attachment point. The preferred embodiment of a fan attachment means for both ends of the fan attachment device is a swivel & hook combination comprising: a swivel with an attachment eye and a hooking means. Both can be removably attached to a swivel chain by a removable clasp or the swivel and hook that attaches to the balancing platform end of the fan attachment device can be permanently attached to the fan attachment device. The other end of the fan attachment device has two interchangeable attachment means comprising a removable clasp and a swivel with the swivel eye and hook. These two interchangeable attachment means removably attach to the fan's swivel pull chain or hook over or to a structure of the ceiling fan. This is desirable because one fan attachment device can be used on two different types of ceiling fans—ceiling fans with or without swivel pull chains. The fan attachment device comprising a swivel chain can also be easily lengthened or shortened. Another attachment clasp can be used to connect to another section of swivel chain. Swivel chain is also easily cut to the desired length.
If for example a string, nylon line, fishing line, or ribbon are used as a fan attachment device than the two swivels with an attachment eye and hook can be tied on to each end of the fan attachment device. One or both swivels and hooks can be tied on by the user at the desired length. This type of fan attachment device could also tie directly to the balancing platforms's attachment means.
A fan attachment band is an adhesive band or one or more elastic bands used to attach to the lower hub of the ceiling fan for attaching a fan attachment device when there is no structural element or swivel pull chain for attachment purposes on the ceiling fan.
The main body of the mobile kit consists of a display structure or display structures with multiple attachment points for ornaments and multiple attachment points for the bridle or bridles. A display structure can be planar or three dimensional. A display structure can be ridge or flexible or a combination thereof. A display structure can be round or oval or geometric or radial. Multiple display structures suspended from one another can each have their own balancing platform or they can share a balancing platform. Multiple display structures can be cooperatively attached to each other by an attachment line intermit the display structure above and the attachment means of the balancing platform of the display structure below. The attachment line has an attachment means at both ends for attaching to a corresponding attachment device on the display structure such as a hook or screw eye or the attachment line wraps around a structural element of the above display structure and connects to itself. Display structures can also be cooperatively attached by tying or wiring through the attachment means of the balancing platform below and the display structure above.
The display structure of the present invention can be decorative. The display structure can have incisions for the cooperative attachment of an ornament or ornaments. The display structure can have structural elements for ornament to co-operatively attach. The display structure is constructed from generally lightweight materials for example but not limited to; oaktag, balsa wood, museum board, foam board, cardboard, paper, vellum, fabrics, wood, wire, plastic, rubber or a combination thereof. The display structure can have one or more bridles. Depending on the attachment points of a bridle some display structures may have one or more balancing structures for enabling generally vertical balance in cooperation with a bridle. The balancing structure is used when the location of the bridle makes the display structure top heavy. There are generally five types of display structures:
A generally horizontal, planar display structure of the present invention can be decorative on one or both sides. A planar display structure can be an irregular shape.
A three-dimensional display structure of the present invention can be flexible or ridge or a combination thereof. Multiple sequential three-dimensional display structures if co-operatively attached close enough together can have interlocking elements on the display structure that can create and maintain a radial pattern. A three-dimensional display structure can be irregularly shaped.
A round and oval display structure of the present invention requires two or more bridles and a supporting rim which can be made for example from: wire, plastic, foam board, oaktag, cardboard, natural materials.
A radial display structure of the present invention requires two or more bridles and two or more overlapping support structures making a cross or radial pattern.
The bridle or bridles of the mobile of the present invention can cooperatively attach to the display structure and adjustably thread across the balancing platform. The bridle or bridles slide preferably through perforations in the balancing platform giving the display structure its generally horizontal balancing ability and the ability to rebalance the display structure when ornaments are added or removed or relocated or a combination thereof. The bridle can also work in conjunction with one or more balancing structures of the display structure to give a top heavy display structure generally vertical balance. A securing tape releasably secures the bridle to the balancing platform to help prevent slippage, but still allowing adjustments to be made. Alternative releasing securing means for example can be a clip or wrapping the bridle around a structure element of the balancing platform. The bridle can be made from a variety of materials for example but not limited to; fishing line, nylon line, thread, ribbon, string. The bridle or bridles can be decorative with planar or three-dimensional objects in areas that do not interfere with balancing adjustments.
The mobile kit of the present invention has ornaments. The ornaments of the present invention can be planar and three-dimensional. The ornaments of the present invention can be decorative The ornaments of the present invention are constructed from generally lightweight materials for example but not limited to; paper, vellum, oaktag, cardboard, structural foam, plastic, fabrics, wire, thread or a combination thereof. The ornaments of the present invention can be removably attached to the main display structure or a combination of removable and non-removable ornaments can be attached to the display structure. The ornaments of the present invention can have a plurality of attachment points for the co-operative attachment of tethers or bridles or wires. Tethers or bridles or wire can permanently attach to an ornament by way of example; tying or gluing or gluing between coversheets or a combination thereof.
There are two major types of ornaments of the mobile of the present invention. There are ornaments that randomly spin and move and ornaments that do not randomly spin, but can be angled and faced in a given direction.
The first type of spinning ornaments that cooperatively attaches to the display structure are ornaments that randomly spin and move. They dangle from the display structure by a single tethering line. One or more ornaments can be cooperatively attached to a single tethering line.
A second type of spinning ornament that dangles and randomly spins and moves are two ornaments at each end of a tethering line. This tethering line may also have more than two ornaments.
The third type of spinning ornament that dangles and randomly spins and moves is an ornament or ornaments that are attached to a bridle and tethering line combination.
The second major type of ornaments are the most unique. They do not randomly spin and are relatively stable. They can be given a specific angle and faced in a given direction.
The first major type of ornament of the present invention that does not randomly spin but is relatively stable is an ornament suspended from the display structure by a bridle. It is the bridle configuration that balances the ornament and enables the ornament to generally face in a given direction and be given a specific angle all without random spinning. The wider apart the bridle is at the display structure's attachment point, the more stability the ornament will have. A single bridle configuration can have two or more attachment lines to an ornament.
The second major type of ornament that does not randomly spin but is relatively stable is an ornament supported in mid-air by a wire. The wire allows the ornament to be angled and faced in any desired direction. The wire of the mid-air ornament can wrap around or clip to the display structure.
Lastly the display structure can have an ornament that is not suspended or supported in mid-air but cooperatively attaches directly to the display structure.
All of these ornaments can have one or more ornaments co-operatively attached to them by a tethering line, bridle or wire or a combination thereof. This enables a sequential series of ornaments. A sequential series of ornaments can be removably attached. Ornaments can have ride on figures and carry removable objects.
The tethering line or bridle or wire of these removable ornaments attaches to the display structure in several ways and are not limited to: hooks or loops, clips, wrapping or looping or draping over elements of the display structure, or inserting the bridle or tether into an incision or incisions in the display structure or any combination thereof. If a sequential series of ornaments are permanently attached for example by tying or gluing it would be considered as one ornament.
To prevent a tethering line from slipping through an incision a planar or three-dimensional object is attached at the end of the tethering line. In the case of a bridle as well as a tethering line with an ornament at each end, the object is attached in a generally central location on the bridle and between the two end ornaments on the tethering line. Since tethering lines and bridles can be difficult to see, these objects also make it easier to locate, and pick up an ornament for adding or removing or relocating an ornament on the display structure or a combination thereof.
The speed of the fan determines the speed that the mobile revolves. The faster the fan speed the faster the mobile revolves. However, the revolving speed of the mobile is considerably slower than the speed of the revolving fan blades.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in scope or application to the details of construction or arrangements of the components set forth in the following drawings or description. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other methods, assemblies and devices for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention.
Other features of my invention will become more evident from a consideration of the following brief descriptions of the patent drawings accompanying this specification:
The detailed description set forth herein with the appended drawings is intended as a description of an exemplary embodiment and is not intended to represent the only forms of the embodiment of the present invention.
The mobile kit 10 of this invention revolves 310 from the air flow 300 from the fan blades 18 of the ceiling fan 12. Preferably revolves 310 in the direction of the fan blades 18. Ceiling fans 12 can have different controllable speeds and the mobiles 10 of this invention revolve faster with a faster fan speeds and slower with a slower fan speeds. However, the revolving speed of the mobile is considerably slower than the revolving speed of the fan blades. The revolving speed of the mobile 10 can also be slowed down by lengthening the fan attachment device 110.
The exemplary display structure of the mobile kit 10 has ornaments, 41 and 42 and 43. Ornament 41 in the shape of the space shuttle is suspended by a bridle 20 from incisions 32 in the display structure 60. The bridle 20 attaches 30 to the space shuttle. The bridle 20 of ornament 40 has an object 34 in the shape of a star to prevent slippage through the incision 32. The ornament has another ornament 42 in the shape of an astronaut suspended in air by a wire 68 at attachment points 30.
The display structure 60 has an ornament 42 in the shape of a star supported in mid-air by a wire 68 with beads. The ornament 42 shows attachment points 30 on the ornament 42 and on a structural element of the display structure 60 in the form of a star.
The display structure 60 has an ornament 43 with a tether and bridle 22 and an object 34 in the shape of a star to prevent slippage of the tether and bridle 22 through the incisions 32 of the display structure 60. The ornament 43 in the shape of a shooting star suspends from a bridle and tether 22. Other ornaments 40 co-operatively attach 30 by a tether 26 to create a sequential effect. This ornament 43 with tether and bridle 22 can be a single ornament or have sequential ornaments 40 with tethers 26 cooperatively attached.
The display structure 61 has two, three dimensional ornaments 42 supported in mid-air by a wire 68. The first three-dimensional ornament 42 in the shape of a butterfly is removably attaches to the display structure 61 by means of a clip 67 and the wire 68 attaches to the butterfly at a plurality of attachment points 30. The second three-dimensional ornament 42 in the shape of a bee is removably attached to the display structure 61 by wrapping the wire 68 at the attachment point 30 around a structural element of the display structure 61. The wire 68 attaches to the bee ornament 42 at the attachment point 30.
The third ornament
While the foregoing description includes details and specificities, it is to be understood that these have been included for purposes of explanation only, and are not to be interpreted as limitations of the invention. Modifications to the embodiment described above can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which is intended to be encompassed by the following claims and their legal equivalent.
This non-provisional utility patent application claims the benefit under 35 USC § 119(e) of provisional patent application No. 61/814,762 filed Apr. 22, 2013, also referenced on the application data sheet under 35 USC § 119(e) accompanying this specification.
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