Patent Application
20240207754
The present disclosure relates to amusement devices. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a device for dispensing a particulate such as confetti, and methods of using such a device.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Prank devices have long been known for eliciting amusement by surprising unsuspecting users. Traditional prank devices range from discreet sound and smell emitters to devices for dispensing materials like water and confetti. There remains room in the art for new and exciting prank devices.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure and is not intended to be interpreted as a comprehensive listing of its full scope or of all of its objects, aspects, features and/or advantages.
According to an aspect of the disclosure, a particulate dispensing device includes an elongated tube that extends along an axis between a bottom end and a top end. The tube defines a bore along the axis. A top lid removeably closes the top end of the tube. A base is located in the bore of the tube adjacent to the bottom end. A rod is axially moveable in the tube and extends between the base and the top end. The rod defines an annular stopper that extends radially outwardly. A plurality of securement tabs are coupled to the base. The securement tabs are each radially moveable relative to the fitting. A piston is slideable along the rod in the bore of the tube. The piston has a lower end that is tube-shaped and has an annular recess that extends radially outwardly. A spring is located inside the bore of the tube and is biased toward the top of the piston. In a stored position, the rod is pressed downwardly with the top lid such that the stopper of the rod engages the plurality of securement tabs and moves the radial tabs radially outwardly into engagement with the annular recess of the piston to secure the piston in place axially and to hold the spring in place in its biased state. The top lid is removable to a released position to free the rod to permit movement of the stopper of the rod out of alignment with the securement tabs to remove the securement tabs from the annular recess to permit the piston to slide axially along the rod in response to unloading of the spring. A particulate is contained in the tube between the piston and the top lid for being emitted from the tube in response to removal of the top lid and axial movement of the piston.
According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method for operating a particulate dispensing device includes providing a particulate dispensing device as described above. The method also includes pressing the piston downwardly into engagement with the fitting and pressing the rod downwardly with the top lid such that the stopper of the rod engages the plurality of securement tabs and moves the securement tabs radially outwardly into engagement with the annular recess of the piston to secure the piston in place axially and to hold the spring in place in its biased state. The method also includes removing the top lid to free the rod to permit movement of the stopper of the rod out of alignment with the securement tabs to remove the securement tabs from the annular recess to permit the piston to slide axially along the rod in response to unloading of the spring and to project the confetti from the top end of the tube.
The subject particulate dispensing device and associated method provide a simple, compact and inexpensive arrangement for providing an exciting particulate dispensing effect to an unsuspecting user.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations thereof such that the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Example embodiments of a particulate dispensing device and associated methods embodying the teachings of the present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the example embodiments are only provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that the example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms that may be combined in various ways, and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
More particularly, referring to the figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, embodiments of a particulate dispensing device 10 are provided. According to the example embodiment, the particulate 12 is a confetti but other types of particulate could be used. Generally, the particulate dispensing device 10 is used to shower an unsuspecting user with a particulate 12 such as confetti in response to removing a top lid 74 of the device. The device 10 generally has the appearance of a generic tube (e.g. a tube for containing a package), and thus does not lead the user to knowing that the device 10 is a prank device.
As shown in
A base 22 is received by the bottom end 16 of the tube 14. The base 22 has a sleeve portion 24 that is received by the bottom end 16 of the tube 14 in the bore 20 and terminates at a top surface 26 inside the bore 20. The base 22 further has an open bottom surface 28 that removeably receives a disc-shaped bottom cover 30. As best shown in
A first slot (not shown) extends axially through the base 22. The first slot has a first cross-sectional shape. A rod 38 is axially moveably received by the first slot of the base 22. The rod 38 has the first cross-sectional shape such that the rod 38 is axially moveable within the first slot but not rotatable relative to the first slot. According to the preferred embodiment, the cross-sectional shape is a “plus sign” shape, but other shapes could be used. The rod 38 has a stopper 40 at an axially central location of the rod 38. According to the preferred embodiment, the stopper 40 tapers radially inwardly as it extends axially downwardly in a generally frustoconical shape.
The base further includes a fitting 42 that is coupled to the projection 32. More particularly, as best shown in
As best shown in
As best shown in
A piston 60 is slideable along the rod 38 in the bore 20 of the tube 14. The piston 60 has a disc-shaped top portion 62 with an outer diameter that is approximately the same as an inner diameter of the bore 20 of the tube 14 such that it sealingly engages an inner wall of the tube 14 as it axially moves within the tube 14. The piston 60 further has a tube-shaped lower portion 64 that extends dowardly from the top portion 62. An inner wall of the lower portion 62 of the piston 60 defines an annular recess 66 that projects radially outwardly.
A spring 68 is located inside the bore 20 of the tube 14 and extends between the top surface 26 of the base 22 and a bottom surface 70 of the top portion 62 of the piston 60. As shown in
The piston 60 is axially moveable between a stored position (e.g.
During use, the top lid 74 is removed from the tube 14, which permits axial movement of the rod 38 to permit movement of the stopper 40 of the rod 38 out of alignment with the securement tabs 54 to permit the piston 60 to slide axially along the rod 38 in response to unloading of the spring 68. This causes the particulate 12 to be sprayed out of the tube 14 with the piston 60, potentially at the unsuspecting user.
The subject particulate dispensing device 10 and associated method provide a simple, compact and inexpensive arrangement for providing an exciting particulate dispensing effect to an unsuspecting user. A majority of the components of the subject particulate dispensing device 10 are simple in design and may be made of plastics through simple and inexpensive methods such as 3d printing.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in that particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or later, or intervening element or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to described various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/434,259, filed on Dec. 21, 2022, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63434259 | Dec 2022 | US |
