Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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RECEPTACLE WITH COMPARTMENTED PERIPHERAL WALL
FOR DISPLAY OF PERSONALIZED GRAPHICS/TEXT
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to receptacles, especially those typically used
as
wastebaskets in a domestic or office environment. More particularly, the
invention
comprises a receptacle having a transparent peripheral wall which is
compartmented to
receive a plurality of sheets of standard paper sizes, which may bear
personalized graphics
or text.
2. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
People have always been interested in personalizing their surroundings to
display
their individuality. Over the years a number of different items, many of them
various types
of receptacles which may be personalized by the inclusion of personal graphic
or textual
matter, have been developed.
United States Patent Number 5,894,948, issued to Frank Yeh on April 20, 1999,
presents a Novelty Mug Assembly having an inner mug and a transparent outer
mug.
Either a flat sheet formed into a cylinder or a preformed cylinder may be
fitted between the
inner mug and outer mug, the cylinder either having a graphic or textual
design already
thereon or being customizable by the user. Once the cylinder is placed within
the outer
mug, the inner mug is removably inserted, with a seal device placed
therebetween.
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The cylinder may be replaced at the user's discretion. By contrast, the
periphery of the
present invention is compartmentalized to receive a plurality of decorative
sheets.
In United States Patent Number 5,562,229, issued to Edward Callahan on October
8,1996, a DECORATIVE RECEPTACLE WITH REMOVABLE COVER is disclosed. An
inner receptacle body has flanges at its upper and lower end which releasably
hold an
outer, tubular sidewall member in place. A base member is held in place by a
plurality of
pins which engage corresponding holes in the bottom of the tubular sidewall
member. The
tubular sidewall member may thereby be removed for cleaning or replacement
with
another sidewall member having the same or a different graphic design thereon.
While
Callahan provides a changeable, decorative cover for a recf:ptacle, no
provision is made for
separately housing sheets of decorative material, as does the present
invention.
Fumiyo Kimura discloses a VESSEL WITH DISPLAY FUNCTION in his United
States Patent Number 5,553,735, issued on September 10, a 996. Kimura presents
two
distinct embodiments of his vessel. In a first embodiment an inner and an
outer shell with a
gap therebetween is formed as a single unit, closed at the top arid sealed
with a base unit.
In several different versions of the second embodiment, an inner shell is
inserted into an
outer shell, the two elements being removably joined around the periphery of
the upper
edges. A cavity between the inner and outer shells may receive interchangeable
graphic or
textual displays. While Kimura provides for changing displays within the
vessel, the
separate and distinct chambers of the present invention are absent.
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United States Patent Number 5,553,733, issued to Linda M. Rosenthal on
September 10,1996, sets forth an ARTICLE COVER. A rigid base element has a
pliable
peripheral wall attached around its perimeter, the wall being extendable to
cover the
exterior of an article placed therewithin. The free end of the peripheral wall
is adjustable
by an elastic band to fit over various sizes of items.
Edgar F. Trombly discloses an ICE CONTAINER in his United States Patent
Number 4,047,633, issued on September 13,1977. An inner container and an outer
container are spaced apart one from the other and bonded together so as to
form a dead air
space therebetween. Decorative material may be placed between the inner
container and a
transparent outer container, but once the unit is sealed, the material can not
be changed, as
in the present invention.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in
combination, is
seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention satisfies the desire by many individuals to personalize
a
receptacle by providing the ability to changeably display graphic or textual
matter of
interest to themselves or to others. An inner cylinder, closed at the bottom
and open at the
top is fitted within a substantially transparent outer cylinder, also closed
at the bottom and
open at the top. A plurality of vertical spacers ensure a uniform gap between
the inner and
outer cylinders, as well as dividing the periphery into uniformly dimensioned
chambers for
receiving sheets of paper, or other thin material, bearing graphic or textual
matter. The gap
between the inner and outer cylinders is sealed by a removable gasket placed
between the
open ends thereof.
Accordingly, it is a principal aspect of the invention to provide a receptacle
which
may be easily decorated with graphic or textual matter.
It is another aspect of the invention to provide a waste- basket on which the
graphic
or textual matter may be easily changed, at the user's discretion.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a waste-basket offering
protection
from liquids and dirt to the graphic or textual matter displayed Thereon.
Still another aspect of the invention is to provide a waste- basket which is
light
weight.
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An additional aspect of the invention is to provide a waste- basket which can
withstand a reasonable degree of abuse.
It is again an aspect of the invention to provide a waste-basket which is
relatively
inexpensive to produce, and therefore to purchase.
It is an aspect of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements
thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive,
dependable and
fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become readily apparent
upon
further review of the following specification and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Various other aspects, features, and attendant advantages of the present
invention
will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when
considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like
reference
characters designate the same or similar parts throughout tree several views
and wherein:
Fig. 1 is an environmental perspective view of the inventive receptacle.
Fig. 2 is an exploded, environmental perspective vif;w of the inventive
receptacle.
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Fig. 3 is a detailed plan view of one of the vertical spacers of the present
invention.
Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of a second embodiment of the inventive
receptacle.
Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of a third embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERF;ED EMBODIMENTS
The receptacle I of the present invention is depicted generally at Figs. I and
2. The
primary elements of receptacle I are inner cylinder 10, outer cylinder 20,
graphic sheet 30,
and gasket 40.
Inner cylinder 10 consists of a bottom panel 12 and a peripheral wall 14.
Bottom
panel 12 and peripheral wall 14 are formed, preferably of a polymeric
material, by any
commonly known method, such as, but not limited to, extrusion, injection
molding, or
vacuum forming. Bottom panel 12 and peripheral wall 14 may be formed as a
single unit
or as separate elements and joined by a method such as, but not limited to,
chemical
welding. Bottom panel 12 and peripheral wall 14 may, optionally, be of an
opaque,
translucent, or transparent material, therefore it would be evident to one
skilled in the art
that inner cylinder 10 could be formed of other materials, such as, but not
limited to, a
metal, without departing from the spirit of the invention.
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Outer cylinder 20 consists of a bottom panel 22, a peripheral wall 24, and a
plurality of vertical spacers 26 formed on the interior surface of peripheral
wall 24 and
equally spaced thereabout. Like bottom panel 12 and peripheral wall 14, bottom
panel 22
and peripheral wall 24 are formed, preferably of a polymeric material, by
methods such as,
but not limited to, extrusion, injection molding or vacuum forming. Bottom
panel 22 and
peripheral wall 24, too, may be formed as a single unit or as separate
elements and joined
by a method such as, but not limited to, chemical welding. Since the intent of
the present
invention is to display graphic or textual matter through outer cylinder 20,
peripheral wall
would, preferably, be of a transparent material, although an opaque or
translucent material
could be utilized.
Vertical spacers 26 are uniformly spaced apart from one another around the
inner
surface of peripheral wall 24. Each vertical spacer 26 has a length extending
from bottom
panel 22 to a point proximate the upper edge of peripheral wall 24, a nominal,
uniform
thickness which spaces peripheral walls 14 and 24 apart from one another by a
measurement sufficient to receive the thickness of a graphic sheet 30 (graphic
sheet 30 will
be further discussed hereinbelow), and a nominal, uniform width which
separates the space
formed between peripheral walls 14 and 24 into separate compartments 28, each
compartment 28 is adapted to receive a graphic sheet 30.
Receptacle 1 could be produced in various sizes wherein compartments 28 are
adapted to hold 8W' X 11", 8W' X 14", or 210mm X 297mm sheets of paper, as
well as
other standard sheet sizes. While the intent of the present invention is to
utilize standard
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paper sizes for graphic sheets 30, it would be evident to one skilled in the
art that other
sizes may be utilized or that multiple sizes could be utilized without
departing from the
spirit of the invention. Vertical spacers 26 are dimensioned to fit snugly
against peripheral
wall 14, thereby preventing graphic sheets 30 from slipping between vertical
spacer 26 and
peripheral wall 14.
A removable gasket 40, preferably of a flexible, transparent material,
occupies the
gap between the upper edges of inner cylinder Z O and outer cylinder 20,
preventing the
ingress of dirt and/or moisture and securing the graphic sheets 30 within the
cavities
created between peripheral walls 14 and 24 and vertical spacers 26. It would
be evident to
one skilled in the art that gasket 40 could be translucent or opaque, as well
as transparent.
It would be evident to one skilled in the art that vertical spacers 26 could
be formed
as an integral element of peripheral wall 24 or joined to peripheral wall 24
by a method
such as, but not limited to, chemical welding. It would be further evident to
one skilled in
the art that vertical spacers 26 could be spaced around the outer surface of
peripheral wall
14, in lieu of the inner surface of peripheral wall 24, without departing from
the spirit of
the present invention. It would, likewise, be evident to one skilled in the
art that inner
cylinder 10 could be formed without a bottom panel 12, wil:h bottom panel 22
serving as
the interior bottom of receptacle 1.
While the term "cylinder" has been used in disclosing the shape of inner
cylinder
and outer cylinder 20, it would be evident to one skilled in the art that
inner cylinder 10
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and outer cylinder 20 could be of differing shapes, including, but not limited
to, elliptical
or polygonal, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
Inner cylinder 10
and outer cylinder 20, regardless of the shape used, may also be frustal
(having tapering
sides). However, if a frustal shape is utilized, vertical spacers 26 would
have a slight
wedge shape in order to maintain a uniform measurement therebetween from the
bottom to
the top of receptacle 1.
Graphic sheets 30 consist of a material such as, but not limited to, paper,
cloth or a
thin polymeric sheet bearing either a pictorial or textual graphic, or both.
As has been
stated hereinabove, the intent of the present invention is to be able to
utilize standard stock
paper sizes for graphic sheets 30. The graphic may be applied to graphic sheet
30 by any
means known in the art, including, but not limited to, printing, stitching,
and the like.
In a second embodiment, inner cylinder 50 (shown in cross section at Fig. 4)
further includes a lip 56 extending outwardly around the upper edge of
peripheral wall 54.
Lip 56 forms an inverted "U" extending outwardly and downwardly over the upper
edge of
peripheral wall 24. A seal may be formed between inner cylinder 50 and outer
cylinder 20
by a system wherein the snug relationship between peripheral wall 14 and
vertical spacers
26 constrains the upper edge of peripheral wall 24 in close juxtaposition with
lip 56.
Optionally, a gasket 40 may seal the gap between peripheral wall 14 and
peripheral wall 24
or the gap between peripheral wall 24 and lip 56. Vertical spacers 26 are
formed on the
inner surface of outer cylinder 20 or the outer surface of inner cylinder 10,
as in the
preferred embodiment described hereinabove, although it would, again, be
evident to one
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skilled in the art that vertical spacers 26 could be formed on the outer
surface of inner
cylinder 50.
In a third embodiment (shown in cross section at Fig. 5) an inner peripheral
wall 62
and an outer peripheral wall 64 are formed as a single element, joined at the
top thereof by
a bridge 68, with vertical spacers 66 therebetween, as in the preferred
embodiment
described hereinabove. The bottom edge of outer peripheral wall 64 extends
beyond the
bottom edge of inner peripheral wall 62 such that a bottom panel 70 may be
frictionally
held within the perimeter of outer peripheral wall 64, the upper surface of
bottom panel 70
abutting the bottom edge of inner peripheral wall 62. It would be evident to
one skilled in
the art that bottom panel 70 could be restrained within the perimeter of outer
peripheral
wall 64 by any variety of clipping method, of which many are known in the art.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the
embodiments
described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of
the
following claims.
