Patent Application
20220386791
Collectibles are often stored on a shelving, made of plastic or wood, so that the collectible may be viewed by the collector. However, typical shelving does not protect collectibles from dust and damage from ultraviolet (UV) light or accidental dropping.
Accordingly, there is a need for devices that protect collectibles while those collectibles are stored and displayed. Meanwhile, some collectibles have a standard height and a standard width. For instance, FUNKO POP! vinyl figurines come in standard-sized cuboid shaped boxes that identify the figurine and allow collectors to view the figurines through a transparent portion of the original, standard-sized box. Accordingly, devices may be specifically designed to protect collectibles of a standard size while those collectibles are stored and displayed.
Among other features, U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2020/0407144 describes a collectible protector and a collectible display case. The collectible protector is designed specifically to receive a collectible, such as a FUNKO POP! vinyl figurine, which is contained in a rectangular box. The collectible protector protects the collectible while remaining transparent so that the user can see the collectible as the is stored in and protected by the collectible protector.
The collectible display case has a foam layer and a front facing layer. The foam layer may be ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foam. The front facing layer and the foam layer includes cutouts (i.e., openings), having a height H and a width W. The collectible display case has a front and a back.
As described in U.S. Pat. Pub No. 2020/0407144, the back may include attachment mechanism that allows the collectible display case to be mounted on a wall. However, an attachment mechanism on the back of the collectible display case has a certain number of drawbacks. First, an attachment mechanism affixed to the back of the collectible display case prevents the collectible display case from remaining flush with a wall. Second, hanging the collectible display case by aligning an attachment mechanism with a nail or hook on the wall may be difficult because the back of the collectible display case, the attachment mechanism, and the nail or hook on the wall are not visible while the collectible display case is being hung. Therefore, there is a need those and other improvements to the collectible display case described in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2020/0407144.
A display case stores collectibles each having a standard height and a standard width. The case has a front layer, a foam layer, and a back layer. A plurality of openings are located in the front layer and the foam layer, the height and width of each opening being configured to receive one of the collectibles. One or more mounting holes are accessible via one of the openings.
In describing the illustrative, non-limiting embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents that operate in similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. Several embodiments are described for illustrative purposes, it being understood that the description and claims are not limited to the illustrated embodiments and other embodiments not specifically shown in the drawings may also be within the scope of this disclosure.
The back layer 680 is a thin solid planar plate to attach the display case 600 to a support surface such as a vertical wall. The back layer is substantially continuous, i.e., uninterrupted without any openings that might otherwise affect its sturdiness as a support. The back layer 680 can, for example, have openings for optional fastening mechanisms, without compromising its structural support. The back layer 680 is in a back layer plane and the front layer 640 is in a front layer plane. And the front layer plane is substantially parallel to the back layer plane.
The foam layer 650 is a sheet that is rectangular in shape and the length and width of the foam layer 650 is much greater than the thickness of the foam layer 650. The foam layer 650 is much thicker than the front layer 640 and the back layer 680, to be sufficiently rigid and sturdy to form a frame that supports the front layer 640 and back layer 680. For example, the foam layer is more than 50 times (and over 80 times) thicker than the front and back layers 640, 680. In one embodiment, the foam layer 650 is approximately 8.4 cm thick and the front layer 640 and back layer 680 are each about 1 mm thick. As best shown in
The front layer 640 is attached to the front facing foam surface 652 of the foam layer 650. The front layer 640 is more rigid than the foam layer 650 and can be, for example, a rigid but lightweight and flexible carbon fiber. The rigidity of the front layer 640 provides further support to the foam layer 650 and facilitate receiving of the collectible or collectible protector. The front layer 640 also provides a nice viewing front facing surface. The back layer 680 is attached to the rear facing surface of the foam layer 640. The back layer 680 is more rigid than the foam layer 650 and enables the display case 600 to be hung on a wall or other surface.
The front layer 640, foam layer 650 and back layer 680 are separate discrete members that are attached to one another. The front layer 640 is fixedly attached to the front facing foam surface 652 of the foam layer 650, such as by an adhesive such as glue, though other suitable means can be utilized such as a fastener or connector or the like. The back layer 680 is fixedly attached to the rear facing foam surface 656 of the foam layer 650, such as by an adhesive such as glue, though other suitable means can be utilized such as a fastener or connector or the like. Accordingly, the foam layer 640 is sandwiched between the front layer 640 and the back layer 680. Since the two outer layers, i.e., the front layer 640 and the back layer 680, are more rigid than the middle foam layer 640, the front layer 640 and back layer 680 support the overall strength of the collectible display 600. In particular, since the back layer 680 is a continuous sheet, it provides greater support to the foam layer 650. In addition, the front and back layers 640, 680 protect the foam layer 650 from being damaged, such as by being cut, torn or punctured. However, in some embodiments, a front layer 640 and a back layer 680 are optional and the front layer 640 and/or back layer 680 need not be provided.
The foam layer 650 has one or more openings 654 that are configured to receive a collectible or collectible protector; here, the openings 654 are rectangular in shape and the foam layer 650 is sufficient thick to receive and support a collectible or collectible protector. In one embodiment, the foam layer 650 is at least 50-90% of the thickness of the collectible or collectible protector, and in some embodiments at least 75-85% of the thickness of the collectible or collectible protector. In some embodiments, the foam layer 650, or the foam layer 650 and the front layer 640, is only slightly smaller in thickness than the collectible or collectible protector, so that the collectible or collectible protector is flush with the front layer 640 or protrudes slightly outward from the front layer 640. In other embodiments, the foam layer 650, or the foam layer 650 and the front layer 640, can be thicker than the collectible or collectible protector, so that the collectible or collectible protector is fully received in the opening 654. The foam layer 650 is sandwiched between the front layer 640 and back layer 680. In the example shown, there are nine openings 654 arranged in an array having three rows and three columns.
It is further noted that each one of the foam openings 654 is aligned with a respective one of the front layer openings 644, so that the front layer is positioned about the foam openings 654. The foam openings 654 have the same size and shape as the front layer openings 644, though in certain embodiments the front layer openings 644 can be slightly larger than the foam openings 654. Each opening 654 is configured to have a shape, height H and a width W to receive a single collectible or collectible in a collectible protector.
The collectible display case 600 may also include display case side walls 660, 664 on each of the two sides, as well as a display case top wall 662 and a display case bottom wall 668. The walls 660, 662, 664, 668 extend substantially orthogonally to the planes of the front facing layer 640 and the back layer 680. It is further noted that the foam layer openings 654 each have a respective foam opening top wall, foam opening bottom wall and foam opening side walls. And, the front layer openings 644 each have a respective front layer top wall, front layer bottom wall, and front layer side walls. The display case top wall 662, display case bottom wall 668 and display case side walls 660, 664 are comprised of the back layer 680, foam layer 660, and front layer 640.
As shown in
In addition, interior walls 659 are formed between the openings 654. The interior walls 659 are sufficiently thick to provide support for the collectibles inserted into the openings 654. In one embodiment, the rear foam wall 658 is approximately 1 cm thick, and the openings are 13 cm wide, 17.2 cm in height and 7.5 cm deep, and the interior walls 659 are about 1.6 cm thick; though any suitable dimensions can be provided. Thus, the rear foam wall 658 is sufficiently thick to provide support, but can be substantially smaller than the depth of the openings 654. The openings 654 can be more than five times deeper than the thickness of the rear foam wall 658, and in the current example embodiment are 7.5 times larger. In addition, the interior walls 659 are substantially smaller than the height and width of the openings 654. The width and height of the openings 654 are more than 10 times larger than the width of the interior walls 659, and in the example embodiment the width is 13 times larger and the height is 17 times larger. That positions the collectibles relatively close to one another for maximum viewing, but the interior walls 658 are large enough to adequately grip and support the collectibles.
A mounting device can be provided for attaching the back layer 680 to a support surface such as a vertical wall surface. The mounting device can be any suitable device that mounts the display case 600 to the support surface. For example, the mounting device can be a connector or the like that attaches (such as by adhesive such as glue) to the back layer 680. Or, in the embodiment shown, the mounting device can include mounting holes 690 and fasteners (e.g., screws). The mounting holes 690 pass through the rear foam wall 658 and the back layer 680. The mounting holes 690 receive fasteners (e.g., screws) that pass through the mounting holes in the rear foam wall 658 and the back layer 680 to mount the collectible display case 600 to the support surface. The collectible display case 600 may include, for example, two mounting holes 690 near the top-left and top-right corners of the collectible display case 600 and may also include two additional mounting holes 690 near the bottom-left and bottom-right corners of the collectible display case 600. The mounting holes 690 are drilled through the foam layer and the back layer after the openings 654 are formed.
Because portions of the rear foam wall 658 is accessible to the user when the openings 654 are not being used to store collectibles, the collectible display case 600 allows the user to easily use the mounting holes 690 to mount the collectible display case 600 from the front of the collectible display case 600, for example by drilling screws through the mounting holes 690 into a stud or anchor in a wall. Because the collectible display case 600 (and collectables) are light weight, in some instances the collectible display case 600 may even be safely mounted by simply affixing the collectible display case 600 directly to drywall using screws through the mounting holes 690. Mounting the collectible display case 600 using the mounting holes 690 (rather than an attachment mechanism affixed to the back layer 680), also allows the collectible display case 600 to be mounted flush against the wall.
As illustrated, in certain embodiments no veneer is placed about the outer side perimeter surfaces (i.e., top side foam surface 651, right side foam surface 653, left side foam surface 655, bottom side foam surface 657) of the display case 600. The outward facing surfaces of the foam layer 650 (i.e., top side foam surface 651, right side foam surface 653, left side foam surface 655, bottom side foam surface 657) form the outward facing surfaces of the walls 660, 662, 664, 668, and no veneer is placed over that portion of the foam layer 650. That is, the left and right outer foam surfaces 653, 655 of the display case side walls 660, 664 form the left and right outermost surfaces of the display case 600. And the top foam surface 651 of the display case top wall 662 and the bottom foam surface 657 of the display case bottom wall 668 form the top and bottom outermost surfaces of the display case 600.
The display cases 600 are modular, in that they can be readily placed side by side, so that the right side foam surface 653 of one display case 600 touches the left side foam surface 655 of an adjacent display case 600. The display cases 600 can also be placed above and below each other so that the top foam surface 651 of one display case 600 touches the bottom foam surface 657 of an adjacent display case 600. The foam outer side surfaces (i.e., top side foam surface 651, right side foam surface 653, left side foam surface 655, bottom side foam surface 657) allow the display cases 600 to be placed flush against each other without gaps therebetween.
The back layer 680 may also include two layers, for example a back facing base layer 684 and a back facing veneer layer 686. The front facing base 684 may be ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foam. The front facing veneer 686 may be carbon fiber. The back facing base layer 684 and back facing veneer layer 686 are more rigid than the foam layer 650, to support and strengthen the foam layer 650 and facilitate hanging the collectible display case 600. The back veneer layer 686 can be coupled to the back base layer 684, such as by an adhesive such as glue or a fastener or connector or the like. In addition, the veneer layer 686 can be any suitable material, and need not be a veneer.
Unlike plastic or wood shelving, the foam layer 650 of the collectible display case 600 holds the collectible 150 snuggly in place while the collectible 150 is stored, protected, and displayed. In preferred embodiments, the openings 654 of the foam layer 650 are sized to receive a collectible 150 inside the collectible protector 100 and hold the collectible 150 and the collectible protector 100 in place.
As shown in
The opening 654 may also have a depth. The depth of the opening 654 (74 mm) may be less than the standard depth of the collectable 150 (93 mm) and the collectable protector (101 mm) so each collectible cantilevers out of the display case 600 when placed into one of the openings 654.
The height and/or width of the openings 654 in the front facing layer 640 need not be the same as the height and/or width of the openings 654 in the foam layer 650. The height and/or width of the openings 654 in the front facing layer 640 may be large enough that a collectible 150 (or a collectible 150 within a collectible protector 100) may be easily inserted within an opening 654. However, in some embodiments, the height and/or width of the openings 654 in the foam layer 650 may be smaller than the height and/or width of the openings 654 in the front facing layer 640. In those embodiments, the foam layer 650 may provide a friction fit between the interior walls 659 of the foam layer 650 and the collectible 150 (or the collectible 150 within the collectible protector 100) to prevent the collectibles 150 stored and displayed in the collectible display case 600 from inadvertently falling out of the collectible display case 600. The foam layer 650 is also pliable and sized so that the collectibles or collectible protectors can be readily and removably inserted and readily removed from the openings (with minimized vacuum), yet sufficiently snug to form a friction fit that reliably retains the collectible or collectible protector so it does not inadvertently fall out of the opening, even if the display case 600 were to fall down, tumble or be inverted.
The height H and width W of the foam openings 654 are such that each opening 654 receives and holds a collectible or collectible protector 100 using a friction fit. In other words, the width W of the foam openings 654 is such that, when a collectible or collectible protector is inside one of the openings 654, the sides of the opening 654 make contact with the sides of the collectible 100. The opening 654 then holds the collectible 100 in place, even if the depth of each foam opening 654 is less than the depth of the collectible 150 (such that the collectible 100 cantilevers out from the collectible display case 600). In order for the sides of the opening 654 to make contact with the sides of the collectible or collectible protector 100, the width W of the foam openings 654 may be equal to or less than the width of the collectible or collectible protector 100 (in the embodiment shown in
Additionally, because of the pliability of the foam layer 650, a collectible that is inside the collectible protector may be inserted into and stored in one the openings 654. The collectible protector can extend outward from the front surface of the front, though in other embodiments the protector can be substantially flush or recessed with respect to the front surface. In addition, a locking mechanism, such as a latch or arm, can be provided to lock the collectible protector in the opening 654. The locking mechanism can be moved between a locked position and an unlocked position. In the locked position, the locking mechanism at least partially blocks the opening 654 or the collectible or protector, to further prevent the collectible or protector from inadvertently falling out of the opening 654. The front layer openings 644 can be sized larger than the foam openings 654 so that the front layer 640 does not interfere with the insertion and/or removal of the collectible in the foam opening 654. Thus, the collectible can easily pass through the front panel opening 644 into the foam opening 654.
The collectible display case 600 may have any number of openings 654. The collectible display case 600 may be modular and allow multiple collectible display cases 600 to be stacked on top of one another or placed side-by-side. The collectible display cases 600 may be configured to provide specific (e.g., branded) attachments such as a textured laminate front facing layer, lights, a display window, pins, etc. The openings 654 can be arranged in rows and columns, though any suitable arrangement pattern can be provided, to display the collectibles in a front facing position.
Unlike plastic or wood shelving, the foam layer 650 of the collectible display case 600 holds the collectible 150 snuggly in place while the collectible 150 is stored, protected, and displayed. The collectible display case 600 is light weight, as the foam layer 650, front and back layers 640, 680 (which can be thin since the foam provides the direct support to the collectibles) are all lightweight materials.
In some embodiments, the openings 654 may provide enough space that a user can insert or remove a collectible 150 (or a collectible 150 within a collectible protector 100) without encountering substantial vacuum force. In some of those embodiments, the back layer 680 may include air vents that each vent any air within an opening 654 behind a collectible 150 inserted in the opening 654.
It is noted that in the example embodiments shown and described, the display 600 is configured to receive a plurality of collectibles, and specifically cuboid shaped collectibles or collectible protectors, such as for example FUNKO POP! collectibles. However, the display 600 can be configured in other shapes and sizes to receive collectibles and collectible protectors of other sizes and shapes other than cuboid shaped collectibles or collectible protectors.
It is further noted that the drawings may illustrate and the description and claims may use several geometric or relational terms and directional or positioning terms, such as planar, parallel, perpendicular, orthogonal, flat, front, back, top, bottom, left, right, and side. Those terms are merely for convenience to facilitate the description based on the embodiments shown in the figures, and are not intended to limit the invention. Thus, it should be recognized that the invention can be described in other ways without those geometric, relational, directional or positioning terms. In addition, the geometric or relational terms may not be exact. For instance, walls or surfaces may not be exactly flat, perpendicular or parallel to one another but still be considered to be substantially perpendicular or parallel because of, for example, roughness of surfaces, tolerances allowed in manufacturing, etc. And, other suitable geometries and relationships can be provided without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
The foregoing description and drawings should be considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure, which may be configured in a variety of shapes and sizes and is not intended to be limited by the embodiment herein described. Numerous applications of the disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the specific examples disclosed or the exact construction and operation shown and described. Rather, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure.
The present application claims priority to Provisional Patent Application No. 63/196,465, filed Jun. 3, 2021, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. The subject matter of this application is also related to the features described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/913,468, filed Jun. 26, 2020, which claims priority to U.S. Prov. Pat. Appl. No. 62/867,281, filed Jun. 27, 2019. Those applications are hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63196465 | Jun 2021 | US |
