Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Special occasion ornament – Ball – bell – or star-shaped
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-04
2001-04-17
Jones, Deborah (Department: 1775)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Special occasion ornament
Ball, bell, or star-shaped
C428S013000, C428S014000, C428S034100, C428S034400, C428S042100, C428S542200, C428S542400, C428S913300, C283S110000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217956
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ornaments and, more particularly, to transparent ornaments.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ornaments are used as decorations to create an aesthetically pleasing effect, particularly during a holiday season. Ornaments, such as Christmas tree ornaments, may have many shapes, sizes, and colors. However, the most common ornament is a globe having a decorative finish and a hanger for attachment to a support, such as a tree branch.
A personalized ornament can be created from raw materials, such as papier-mâché, paint, and the like. Moreover, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,648 to Yates, a photograph or photographic transparency
12
can be received in a holder
15
disposed in a transparent or translucent housing. A lamp and a lens
31
can be positioned on opposite sides of holder
15
for projecting light through the photograph or photographic transparency and for limiting viewing within the housing to the area of the photograph or photographic transparency. U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,667 to Rusch discloses an ornament formed from a plurality of housing-forming members
6
which can be snapped together to form a hollow sphere. A greeting card blank
10
can be positioned inside the hollow sphere and indicia or photographs can be mounted on the greeting card blank. U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,364 to Hunt discloses an ornament display container formed from a pair of housing sections connected together by a connecting ring. Pictures can be positioned back-to-back on opposite sides of the housing ring for viewing through the housing sections.
A disadvantage of prior art ornaments is the need for mounting hardware to support pictures within the ornaments. This mounting hardware increases the cost and complexity of these prior art ornaments, and, in some instances, may interfere with the aesthetics of the ornament. Another disadvantage is the inability to view an image received in the ornament from both sides thereof.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the above disadvantages and others by providing an ornament that is easy to assemble and which enables images received on a film substrate positioned in the ornament to be viewed from both sides of the substrate. Still other objects will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, I have invented an ornament that includes an optically transparent and hollow globe and an optically transparent film formed from a material having a shape-memory which urges the film planar. The film is received in the globe with the shape-memory urging a periphery of the film into contact with an interior surface of the globe. A translucent image received on the film is viewable as a forward image from one side of the film and viewable as a reverse image from the other side of the film.
The film is formed so that the shape-memory causes one or more points of the periphery thereof to contact the interior surface of the globe.
The globe can include an opening for receiving the film into the globe. The globe can also include a hollow neck having a proximal end connected to the globe and a distal end extending away from the globe. The hollow neck can define the opening in the globe. A cap can be received over the distal end of the hollow neck and a fastener can be attached to the cap on a side thereof opposite the opening in the globe.
Preferably, the material forming the substrate is a plastic film and the image is received on the film by photocopying.
Alternatively, the opening can be a slot formed in the body of the globe. The globe can also be formed from a plurality of globe parts configured to be coupled together to form the globe.
I have also invented a method of making an ornament. The method includes providing a hollow and optically transparent globe and providing an optically transparent film having a shape-memory which urges the film planar. A translucent image is formed within a periphery of the film. The translucent image is viewable as a forward image from one side of the film and viewable as a reverse image from the other side of the film. The film is configured to be received in the globe so that the shape-memory urges one or more points of a periphery of the film into contact with an interior surface of the globe. The film with the image received thereon is positioned inside the globe with the shape-memory urging one or more points of the periphery of the film into contact with the interior surface of the globe.
To position the film inside the globe, the film can be rolled into a spiral having an outside diameter less than a diameter of an opening in the globe. The rolled film can be inserted through the opening in the globe. When the rolled film is received in the globe, the shape-memory of the film causes the film to unroll so that one or more points of the periphery of the film contact the interior surface of the globe thereby securing the film inside the globe. Alternatively, the film can be positioned inside the globe by inserting the film into a slot in the globe.
A cap can be secured over the opening in the globe and a hanger can be secured to the cap.
Lastly, I have invented an ornament having a hollow and optically transparent body and an optically transparent film received in the body. The film has a shape-memory which urges the film planar whereby one or more points of a periphery of the film contact the interior surface of the body to secure the position of the film inside the body. A translucent image received on the film is viewable as a forward image from one side of the film and viewable as a reverse image from the other side of the film.
The body can include an opening for receiving the film therethrough between an exterior of the body and an interior of the body. A hollow cylinder can be positioned coaxially with the opening. The hollow cylinder can have a proximal end connected to the body and a distal end extending away from the body. A cap can be secured over the distal end of the hollow cylinder.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2519248 (1950-08-01), Hulbert
patent: 3624939 (1971-12-01), Gossard
patent: 3694648 (1972-09-01), Yates
patent: 3802104 (1974-04-01), Wiley
patent: 4173667 (1979-11-01), Rusch
patent: 4224364 (1980-09-01), Hunt
patent: 4968565 (1990-11-01), Stefano
patent: 5160566 (1992-11-01), Ashby et al.
patent: 5254026 (1993-10-01), Kaiser
patent: 5273794 (1993-12-01), Engel
patent: 5649874 (1997-07-01), Headford et al.
patent: 5806895 (1998-09-01), Sharabani
patent: 5834073 (1998-11-01), Greenblat et al.
Bahta Abraham
Jones Deborah
Webb Ziesenheim & Logsdon Orkin & Hanson, P.C.
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