Illumination – With liquid container
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-20
2003-01-28
Cariaso, Alan (Department: 2875)
Illumination
With liquid container
C362S096000, C362S800000, C362S806000, C362S505000, C362S562000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06511196
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to illuminated container displays. Such displays are highly desirable for advertising messages and other marketing efforts, and are particularly effective when illuminated and presented on such devices as mugs and tumblers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Containers, including mugs and tumblers for beverages, are available in the industry and some include illumination and illuminated messages, designs, symbols, trademarks, patterns and the like.
Among those containers is the wine glass disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,735,113, issued to Thomas H. Stott for a fiber optical display in the wine glass. Light from a light source in the stem is confined within optical fibers and routed into a transparent double wall. The fibers create an optical display within the double wall at the ends of the fibers where the light is released.
Another container is the drinking glass disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,866, issued to R. E. Simpson. An image with text is on the bottom of the liquid containing portion of the glass, and is illuminated by light sources in a base.
An illuminated container that has an illuminated emblem on the exterior surface of a drinking container, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,407, issued to William R. Ratcliffe, et al. A light source is adjacent the emblem.
Mugs are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,575,553 and 5,211,699, issued to Tommy B. Tipton, which have light emitting diodes positioned within the outer wall of the drinking container, from which light is sent through the outer wall of the mug to recessed indicia on the outer surface of the containers. The light escapes from within the outer wall through the recessed indicia. In a third illuminated mug, Tipton has a separate base which positions the light emitting diodes for encapsulation by the container outer wall when attached.
A drinking glass holder having a centrally positioned light source is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,745,947, issued to J. L. Sansous. The light source is positioned adjacent the apex of a transparent dome which along with the sides of the holder support a drinking glass.
An ice bucket has a message visible through the outer wall of the bucket in U.S. Pat. No. 2,604,579, issued to C. Deneboudes. A light source is positioned within the outer container directly behind the message. Other light sources within the outer container are visible from within the inner container through portals in the inner container near the top.
A drinking glass is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,435 issued to Harvey G. Weller, that includes a light emitting diode placed adjacent a design cut into the outer surface of the glass. Fiber optics are included in the design on the outer surface.
The illuminated beverage vessel disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,355, issued to M. David Dietz, et al., includes a light source directing light into the bottom center of the drinking vessel.
Although the above containers are useful, no prior art containers are known that use an inner container as the target area for illuminated messages and designs. To attractively and cleanly illuminate a message or design on the inner container's outer surface requires that the space between such surface and the outer container be free from obstructions such as a source of light that would block the view of the message or design.
To provide the optimum view of such a message or design also requires that the message or design be viewable through the outer container.
Such a goal also requires that the source of light be positioned near the perimeter of the outer container in order to direct the light into the space and onto the inner container outer surface. Similarly, such positioning must be accomplished in a manner that avoids any significant entrapment of the light in the outer container wall. Such entrapment would dilute the illumination of the inner container message or design and possibly create visual interference. To avoid such entrapment the source of light must be vertically unaligned with the outer container wall.
What is needed is a carefully configured container having a transparent outer container that allows an unobstructed view of an illuminated message or design on the outer surface of an inner container, the illumination source being positioned out of the peripheral wall cavity between the outer and inner containers, yet near the perimeter of the outer container, in order to directly light such space and the target message or design. Such illumination should occur without significant loss of light on the bottom of the inner container or by entrapment within the outer container wall.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
My invention is a container that provides aesthetically pleasing, unobstructed and effective illumination of a message or design on the outer surface of an inner container, the message or design being easily viewable through an outer container that supports the inner container.
A peripheral wall space, or cavity, is formed between the outer surface of the inner container and the outer container peripheral wall, the outer container being supported by a detachable base. A light source, in the form of at least one light emitting diode, is carefully positioned in the base near the perimeter of the attached outer container in order to introduce light directly from beneath the outer container, into the peripheral wall cavity and onto the inner container's outer surface. Positioning the light source near the perimeter of the outer container avoids undue illumination of the largely unviewable bottom of the inner container, which, in the case of a drinking vessel, should extend to, or near, the outer container bottom.
Placing the light source beneath the outer container and out of the peripheral space allows the peripheral space to be free of light source related hardware, such as wiring and diodes, that would otherwise obstruct the view of the illuminated message or design on the inner container.
Such positioning is also optimal for enabling a broad and sweeping light mantle to bathe the inner container outer surface, thus creating a simulated neon sign effect.
At the same time such positioning can allow some light to encounter the bottom edge of the inner container. This encounter allows some of the light to be transmitted through the inner container's peripheral wall to the surface nonconformities intentionally included in the message or design, such as protruding or recessed figures, alphanumeric characters, designs, symbols, and the like, that are multi-faceted. As the light in the inner container wall encounters such nonconformities many such facets are more intensely illuminated than the surrounding features.
The light source is also positioned out of vertical alignment with the outer container wall to avoid entrapment of any significant amount of light in the outer container wall.
Further directional control of the light exiting the light source is provided by the inclusion of a light altering element proximate the outer container bottom, or integral therewith. This light altering element enhances the inner container illumination effectiveness and assists in avoiding outer container wall light entrapment.
My invention includes inner containers of various shapes. In addition to being visually appealing in their own right, the various shapes interact with the light from the light emitting diode and alter the light, creating a wide variety of aesthetically pleasing light mantle shapes.
Using the inner container's outer surface as the message or design display area provides advantages over placing the message or design displays on the outer container. For example, a predominant marketing tool is a mug printed with a company's trademark, logo, or advertising message. In the typical screen printing process, the mug's handle prevents a full surround screen print. Full surround screen printing is available for the inner container since no handle is present.
In addition, an exteriorly presented message or
Cariaso Alan
Gray George S.
Payne Sharon
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