Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 2966919 2017-05-12
DISPLAY CONTAINERS
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] Containers, for example vaults, and displays.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Containers usually need to be opened, and thus need a removable
closure or
cap of some kind. A threaded cap may be used, but a threaded connection may
require
considerable movement (multiple rotations) to assemble for a consumer product.
Increasing
the number of thread starts (to decrease the number of required rotations to
assemble), while
maintaining all other thread parameters, results in insufficient torque,
applied by hand, to
compress seals incorporated into the connection.
[0003] Coin displays usually mount a coin in a round opening in a display
bed. This
does display the coin, but is not readily combined with a container.
SUMMARY
[0004] A disk display is disclosed comprising a housing having a wall
defining an
opening, the wall including a disk support extending radially inward into the
opening; and a
disk retainer element that is securable to the housing to hold a disk against
the disk support.
The disk retainer element may seat against the housing using cooperating
elements on the
housing and disk retainer element that define a trajectory for the disk
retainer element to
move along when the disk retainer element is being secured in the housing cap,
in which the
trajectory flattens with increased insertion of the disk retainer element in
the housing, or the
trajectory forms a helix having a continuously increasing helix angle. A knob
and groove
arrangement may be used for the cooperating elements. The housing may form a
vessel cap
for a vessel.
[0005] A container is disclosed comprising a vessel having a vessel cap on
a first end
of the vessel; and the vessel cap being secured on the vessel by cooperating
elements on the
vessel cap and vessel that define a trajectory for the vessel cap to move
along when the
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vessel cap is being secured on the vessel, in which the trajectory flattens
with increased
insertion of the vessel cap into the vessel, or the trajectory forms a helix
having a
continuously increasing helix angle. A knob and groove arrangement may be used
for the
cooperating elements. An embodiment of a disk display is also disclosed where
the disk
display has elements that are shaped to secure a puck. Another embodiment
includes a disk
display that is received in a blind cavity in a glass vessel.
[0006] A memorial is disclosed comprising a tube having an axis, a cap on
a first end
of the tube; and the tube incorporating spiral features that extend axially
lengthwise of the
tube, at least some of which spiral features have differing axial lengths.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0007] Embodiments will now be described with reference to the figures, in
which
like reference characters denote like elements, by way of example, and in
which:
[0008] Fig. 1 shows a disk display, partly a view and partly in section;
[0009] Fig. 2 shows an exploded view of the disk display of Fig. 1;
[0010] Fig. 3 shows the disk display of Fig. 1 used as a closure on
vessel;
[0011] Fig. 4 shows a vessel with exterior features;
[0012] Fig. 5 shows another view of the vessel of Fig. 4.
[0013] Fig. 6 shows a first version of a connector; and
[0014] Fig. 7 shows a second version of a connector.
[0015] Fig. 8 shows a perspective view, cut away to show a section, of an
embodiment of a disk display, for an example where the disk may be a hockey
puck.
[0016] Fig. 9 shows a detail of the disk display of Fig. 8.
[0017] Fig. 10 shows an exploded view of the disk display of Fig. 8.
[0018] Fig. 11 shows a perspective view, cut away to show a section, of a
further
example of a disk display, for an example where the disk may be a coin, and
the disk display
is embedded in a glass vessel.
[0019] Fig. 12 shows an exploded view of the disk display of Fig. 11.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] Immaterial modifications may be made to the embodiments described
here
without departing from what is covered by the claims. In the claims, the word
"comprising"
is used in its inclusive sense and does not exclude other elements being
present. The
indefinite articles "a" and "an" before a claim feature do not exclude more
than one of the
feature being present. Each one of the individual features described here may
be used in one
or more embodiments and is not, by virtue only of being described here, to be
construed as
essential to all embodiments as defined by the claims.
[0021] A device is disclosed that may function as one or more of a vault
or container
for example for storing, securing or preserving objects, a disk display and a
memorial that
references past events or objects that took place or existed in the past. A
disk display is
shown for example in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 that may be used to display a disk such
as a coin or
medallion, and which may be used independently or may be used as a closure for
a vessel. A
disk display may comprise a vessel 10 having a vessel cap or disk housing 12
on a first end
14 of the vessel 10. The vessel 10 may comprise a tube. The vessel cap 12 may
have a wall
16 defining an opening 18, the wall 16 including a disk support 20 extending
radially inward
into the opening 18.
[0022] The disk support 20 may comprise a flange that sits on a shoulder
of the
vessel cap 12. A disk retainer element or internal locking cap 26 that is
securable to the
vessel cap 12 may be inserted within the vessel cap 12 to hold a disk 28
against the disk
support 20. The disk 28 may be encapsulated in a transparent case 29. Seals 24
and 25 may
be provided on either side of the disk 28 or transparent case 29. A first
annular seal 24 may
be provided in a cut out 22 in the flange 20 between the disk support 20 and
disk 28 or
transparent case 29. A second annular seal 25 may be provided between the disk
retainer
element 26 and the disk 28 or transparent case 29. The seals 24, 25 are
provided at the
periphery of the elements to seal against the inside wall of the vessel cap
12. The seals 24,
25 may be 0-rings.
[0023] Referring to Fig. 3, the vessel cap 12 may be secured on the vessel
10 by a
mechanical rotary connection that cooperating elements 30, 31 on the vessel
cap 12 and
vessel 10 that define a vessel cap trajectory for the vessel cap 12 to move
along when the
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vessel cap 12 is being secured on the vessel 10. In this example, the vessel
cap trajectory
flattens with increased insertion of the vessel cap 12 in the vessel 10. The
function can be
loosely compared to a threaded connection in that the rotational movement (or
force) of
assembly is translated to an axial movement (or force). However, while a
threaded
connection has (and can only have) a single helix angle, this connection
utilizes a helix angle
that continuously increases by a predetermined amount at any point along the
groove's path.
The helix angle of an element is the angle of the element relative to an axis
of translation of
the body as the body rotates around the axis. In the example shown, the axis
is the axis of
the vessel or tube 10.
[0024] Continuously increasing the helix angle from the start of the
connection to the
end allows for maximum axial movement and low (or even no) torque at the start
of the
rotation, transitioning to slow (or even no) axial movement and maximum torque
at the end.
A ball-and-groove design may be used to produce this variable helix angle.
Closing of the
cap on the vessel then requires significantly reduced movement (1/3 of a
rotation as depicted
in an example) compared with a threaded connection and maximizes torque where
required.
[0025] The vessel cap trajectory may be defined by grooves 31 in one of
the vessel
cap 12 and vessel 10, here being in the vessel 10. That is, the knobs 30 can
either be located
on the outer diameter of a male connector 50 (see Fig. 6) or on the inner
diameter of a female
connector 56 (see Fig. 7). The grooves 31 would then be located on the inner
diameter or the
outer diameter of the opposite connector 52, 54, respectively. The knobs 30
may be metallic
or non-metallic depending on application. In Figs. 1-3, vessel cap 12 forms
the male
connector and vessel 10 includes the female connector.
[0026] There may be three grooves 31 as shown in the figures, but fewer or
more
may be used. The grooves 31 start off with a steep portion, a low angle
relative to the vessel
axis, for example 45 degrees, and flattens gradually in the direction into the
vessel 10 to
become nearly perpendicular relative to the vessel axis or nearly parallel to
a circumference
of the vessel 10. The other of the vessel cap 12 and vessel 10 has knobs 30
that are
configured to slide in the grooves 31. The knobs 30 may be round and have a
slightly smaller
diameter than the cross-section diameter of the grooves 31. The knobs 30 may
be for
example formed of balls or pins embedded in the vessel cap 12. When balls are
used for the
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knobs 30, the grooves 31 may have rounded bottoms. When pins are used for the
knobs 30,
the grooves 31 may have flat bottoms. The pins may for example be cylindrical.
There may
be one or more grooves 31 and knobs 30.
[0027] The disk 28 may be a coin or medallion, for example. The flange 20
can be a
separate component to allow for different material and/or finishing options,
but can also be
integral to the surrounding vessel cap wall 16. The disk 28 may be
encapsulated in a
transparent case 29. The disk retaining element 26 may be hollow and may be
provided with
a spoke or spokes 34 such that the features of the reverse side of the disk 28
can be viewed.
The spoke(s) 34 provide a grip for the customer to easily remove the disk
retaining element.
[0028] When assembled with seals (as shown in Figs. 1 and 2) the paths
around the
disk 28 are blocked. The vessel cap 12 may function on its own as a disk
display, or may be
used to cap the vessel 10. The locking cap 26 may be secured on the vessel cap
12 by
cooperating elements 36, 37 on the locking cap 26 and the vessel cap 12 that
define a locking
cap trajectory that flattens with increased insertion of the locking cap 26 in
the vessel cap 12
in similar fashion to the cooperating elements 30, 31 on the vessel cap 12 and
vessel 10. The
locking track trajectory may be defined by grooves 37 in one of the vessel cap
12 and
locking cap 26. The other of the vessel cap 12 and locking cap 26 may have
knobs 36 (for
example, pins or balls) that are configured to slide in the grooves 37. The
description of the
trajectory of the vessel cap 12 as it is inserted into vessel 10 applies to
the trajectory of the
locking cap 26 as it is inserted into vessel cap 12.
[0029] The external surfaces of vessel 10, which may be cylindrically
shaped as a
tube, may function as a three-dimensional timeline. Flats 41 including spiral
features 40
running axially along the vessel 10 may represent events while circumferential
lines 42 may
indicate dates. Event flats 41, 40 are spaced equally about the circumference
and may begin
at different dates lines (as highlighted by the two hatched regions 43, 44) so
that they have
different axial lengths. The features 40 may align to features on the vessel
cap 12 when the
vessel cap 12 is fully secured on the tube. Features 46 on the ends of the
vessel 10 such as on
the exterior face of the vessel cap 12 (such as the castellations depicted in
Fig. 4) can be
extensions of the event flats 40. The connection of the vessel cap 12 to the
vessel 10 should
be timed during manufacturing to ensure alignment in assembly. The vessel 10
may have an
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end opposed to the end having the vessel cap 12 that may be capped by a
removable cap 58
that is secured by any suitable manner on the vessel 10. The removable cap 58
may include
features 60 that align to selected ones of the spiral features 40 or flats 41
when the cap 58 is
fully secured on the vessel 10.
[0030] Referring to Figs. 8, 9 and 10, a disk display 70 is shown with a
housing 72
having a wall 74 defining an opening 76. The wall 74 includes a disk support
78 extending
radially inward into the opening 76. A disk retainer element 80 is provided
that is securable
to the housing 72 to hold a disk 82, for example a hockey puck, against the
disk support 78.
The disk support 78 may be a flange extending around the opening 76. The disk
retainer
element 80 here surrounds the disk 82. The disk retainer element 80 may be
secured to the
housing 72 by threads, or a groove and knob connection as shown for the
embodiment of
Fig. 1, or by a twist to lock configuration shown in Figs. 8-10. In the twist
to lock
configuration, one or more projections 84, for example three projections 84
equally spaced
around the opening 76, may be provided on the housing 72 that may be inserted
in
correspondingly shaped axially extending slots 86 on the disk retainer element
80, and then
twisted into circumferentially extending slots 90. The projections could be on
the disk
retainer element 80 and the slots 86, 90 could be on the housing 72. Magnets
92 at
circumferentially spaced locations around the housing 72 and disk retainer
element 80 may
be embedded in openings 94 , 96 in the housing 72 and disk retainer element 80
respectively
to help locate and secure the housing 72 at a fixed position relative to the
disk retainer
element 80. The exterior 98 of the disk retaining element 80 may be knurled
and smoothed
to provide an appearance of the outside surface of a hockey puck. The magnets
92 may be
used with any of the disclosed embodiments.
[0031] Referring to Figs. 11 and 12, a disk display 100 is formed within a
glass
vessel 101, for example a drinking glass. The disk display 100 includes a
housing 102
having a wall 104 defining an opening 106. The wall 104 includes a disk
support 108
extending radially inward into the opening 106. A disk retainer element 110 is
provided that
is securable to the housing 102 to hold a disk 112, for example a coin,
against the disk
support 108. A gasket, flange or seal ring 114 may be provided between the
disk retainer
element 110 and the disk 112. The disk retainer element 110 may be securable
in the manner
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described in relation to the disk retainer element 26. Knobs 116, for example
pins or balls,
may be circumferentially disposed around the disk retainer element 110. The
knobs 116 may
be received in corresponding grooves 118 in the housing 102. The grooves 118
may have an
increasing helix angle with depth within housing 102. The housing 102 may be
press fit
within a blind cavity 120 within the base 124 of the vessel 101. The disk
retaining element
110 may be hollow and may be provided with a spoke or spokes 122 such that the
features of
the reverse side of the disk 112 can be viewed. The spoke(s) 122 provide a
grip to allow a
person to grip the disk retainer element 110 and rotate it to and from the
open and closed
positions.
[0032] The claim language "claims 1-N" means "any one of claims 1-N" where
N is
a natural number.
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