1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to awards. More particularly the invention concerns a self standing award medal.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
To commemorate achievement in fields such as sports, business and academics, it has become common practice to award achieving individuals various types of certificates, plaques, ribbons, medals and the like. For example, well known types of medals include the Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals which are awarded at the Olympics and like sporting events. The conventional prior art award medal generally consists of a disc-shaped plate that is typically formed by well-known molding and casting techniques and is suspended on a chain or ribbon that is worn about the neck of the recipient. In many instances the disk shaped medal includes brightly colored decorative designs and often is engraved with indicia such as “first place”, “second place” and the like. While the relatively heavy weight of conventional, prior art medals provides a gratifying feel when worn by the recipient, because of their weight the medals are generally worn only on special occasions. When the medal is not being worn, the recipient often wishes to display the medal for viewing by others. However, the prior art offers little in the way of convenient means for appropriately displaying achievement medals.
In recognition of this prior art deficiency, the thrust of the present invention is to provide an achievement medal of a unique design that can be worn by the recipient in a conventional manner and when not in use can be conveniently and attractively displayed on any type of flat surface, such as a desk, bookshelf or the like.
By way of brief summary, one form of the achievement medal of the present invention comprises a body portion having a front, plate-like display surface, a rear surface, and first and second sides, each side having an upper portion, a lower portion and an intermediate portion. A first, outwardly extending pivot pin is connected to the first side proximate its intermediate portion and a second outwardly extending pivot pin is connected to the second side proximate its intermediate portion. To conveniently support the achievement medal on a flat surface for display purposes, a generally U-shaped support member is pivotally connected to the first and second pivot pins for movement between a first stowed or folded position and a second extended, medal display position.
With the forgoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved achievement medal that can be worn about neck of the user in a conventional manner, or alternatively, when not being worn, can be conveniently and attractively displayed on a flat surface, such as found on a desk or bookshelf.
Another object of the invention is to provide an achievement medal of the aforementioned character that includes a plate-like display surface upon which various decorations and indicia can be conveniently imprinted or engraved.
Another object of the invention is to provide an achievement medal as described in the preceding paragraphs that embodies a compact, easy to use support means provided in the form of a pivotally mounted, generally U-shaped support that can be conveniently moved from a stowed configuration to an extended configuration wherein the medal can be supported on a flat surface in a manner such that the indicia provided on the display surface of the medal is readily visible.
Another object of the invention is to provide an award medal that can be of various configurations and can embody a wide variety of colorful ornamental designs.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved achievement medal of the class described that is of a generally rugged construction, is durable in use and yet is of a simple design that can be economically mass produced.
These and other objects of the invention will be achieved by the novel improved achievement medal of the invention as illustrated in the attached drawings and described in the specification which follows.
Referring to the drawings and particularly to
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
An important feature of the self standing achievement medal of the present invention is the support member 36 that is pivotally connected to body portion 16 for movement between a first folded position shown in
In the construction illustrated in the drawings and described in the preceding paragraphs, when the recipient desires to wear the medal assembly about his or her neck, support member 36 is folded into the stowed position shown in
Referring next to
Body 56 has a first side 62 having an intermediate portion 62a and a second side 64 having an intermediate portion 64a. For a purpose presently to be described, a first pivot pin 66 is connected to and extends outwardly from first side 62 proximate the intermediate portion 62a thereof. Similarly, a second pivot pin 68 is connected to and extends outwardly from second side 64 proximate the intermediate portion 64a thereof.
As illustrated in
As in the earlier embodiment, an important feature of the self standing achievement medal of this latest form of the present invention is the support member 76 that is pivotally connected to body portion 62 for movement between a first folded position shown in
As the construction illustrates in the drawings and described in the preceding paragraphs, when the recipient desires to wear the medal assembly about his or her neck, support member 76 is folded into the stowed position shown in
Having now described the invention in detail in accordance with the requirements of the patent statutes, those skilled in this art will have no difficulty in making changes and modifications in the individual parts or their relative assembly in order to meet specific requirements or conditions. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, as set forth in the following claims: