Vacuum actuated display ornaments
Improved vacuum actuated display ornaments which adhere to surfaces by self-suction are improved by a wall thickness at the center of mass thicker than their peripheral wall thickness.
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This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/212,150, filed on Mar. 14, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,215.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to display ornaments and, more specifically, to display ornaments which intimately adhere to surfaces, such as the glass surface of a bathroom mirror, through self-suction.
2. Brief Description of Prior Art
A multitude of adhesive display ornaments are provided to the general public for the purpose of advertising and promotion. Typically, an ornament to a convenient surface for future reference. However, once the ornament has been mounted several problems arise. The ornament itself may deteriorate or the message on the ornament becomes dated, creating the desired to remove the ornament. Removal of the ornament all too often leads to substrate damage from the adhesive used or an unsightly residue may remain.
In an effort to eliminate this problem, an alternative class of display ornaments, such as magnetic backed ornaments, has been created for temporary display of information without damaging the underlying substrate. For example, there ornaments enable one to temporarily display invaluable health-related information in a convenient location, such as the front panel of a refrigerator, for quick access during an emergency. However, such an ornament suffers the disadvantage of being limited to use on metal substrates. We believe that a customized display ornament which affords one the opportunity to temporarily display information from a variety of locations, such as a bathroom mirror, a ceramic shower surround or the front panel of a refrigerator, would be a welcomed advancement to the art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention comprises an improved display ornament which adheres to substrates such as metal, plastic or glass, through self-suction. Said ornaments have predetermined shapes and are formed from a unitary or one-piece sheet of flexible material, preferably resinous thermoplastic material. Said shaped and flexible materials have a convex exterior surface and a concave interior surface, both of which are suitable for affixing a printed message. The interior surface of said ornament forms a concave cavity of measurable depth. Said cavity enables said ornament to adhere to surfaces when said cavity is compressed against a surface, which in turn creates an adhesive force through vacuum suction when said ornament flexes as it attempts to return to its original shape. The wall thickness of said ornament can be uniform but, preferably, the wall thickness varies, with the general area containing the center of mass (M) of said ornament being about ⅛″ thick, and tapering to approximately 1/16″ thick along its periphery. The periphery of said ornaments is custom shaped to meet the specific decorative requirement of the manufacturer.
Referring first to
Interior concave cavity 3 of said ornament can be seen in
The shape of said display ornament is preferably molded from a flexible sheet of thermoplastic resinous material such as vinyls, e.g., polyvinyl chloride. The wall thickness of said ornament can be uniform, in the case of symmetrical shapes, but for non-symmetrical shapes, the wall thickness must vary with the general area containing the center of mass M of said ornament being, for example, about ⅛″ thick for polyvinyl chloride, and tapering to approximately 1/16″ thick along periphery 4 when the object has a surface area of about 5 square inches; that is, taper is 50%. Tapering the wall thickness is required when constructing irregular and/or unsymmetrically shaped display ornaments.
Referring to
We have found that this problem can be overcome by molding the curved body of said ornament in a manner whereby the wall thickness of the central portion of said ornament tapers by 50% (for shapes having surface areas from 3 in2 to 25 in2). This forms a symmetrically shaped core about the general area encompassing center of mass M of said ornament as illustrated in
Referring to
Preferably, said core is conical shaped. It is believed an unlimited combination of cavity dimensions exists, such as base width and cavity depth, which will enable said core to generate a flexural force capable of offsetting said irregular flexural forces. For example, we have found that the overall area of, and weight contained within, a conical shaped core can vary greatly depending on the material used to construct said ornament and the selected embodiment of the invention. For example, when using polyvinyl chloride to construct an ornament similar to the embodiment illustrated in
The periphery of the display ornament is custom shaped so as to provide the manufacturer with a degree of flexibility in meeting their design requirements. For example,
We have identified a number of manufacturing processes which can be utilized to mold the curved body of said display ornament. One useful method is injection molding. When injection molding said ornament, it is believed an extreme amount of pressure is applied to force a pelletized form of the material, such as vinyls, into a cavity heated to a specified temperature. Once the material has filled the cavity and the desired shape formed, the part is then ejected from the cavity, allowed to cool and the cycle repeated.
The curved body of said injection molded ornament can be utilized to conveniently display information. For example, information can be displayed by directly printing, such as silk-screening, pad printing, etc., on the surface of said ornament. Another method would be to affix a label to the curved body of said ornament. A label can be affixed to said body by using an adhesive, or some other mechanism, such as heat. Preferably, heat is applied to affix said label to said body by using a process commonly referred to as In Mold Labeling. In Mold Labeling is a process whereby a label is mechanically inserted into the cavity of an injection molding tool at some point during the injection molding phase of said ornament. Said inserted label is therefore directly molded into the body of said ornament. It is believed that In Mold Labeling is a cost efficient method of affixing information to said ornament because it allows one to both mold and affix information to said ornament in one step.
Another method of molding the curved body of said ornament is to die cut said ornament from a flat, flexible sheet of material, and then molding the die cut piece into the desired conical shaped ornament. It is believed said method entails the preprinting of a specified number of the desired shape and related information onto a flat sheet of flexible material. Preferably, each shape is then die cut from the flat sheet by using two heated surfaces which mate. One of the mated surfaces should serve to impart a convex shape to the exterior portion of said ornament, while the other imparts a concave shape to the interior surface of said ornament. The primary function of the heated surfaces is to facilitate molding of the flat, die cut pieces into the desired conical shape. Secondly, it is preferred said surface or surfaces provide a means for cutting said pieces from said flat sheet of flexible material when said surfaces press against said flat material.
It is believed some type of mechanical means, such as an air actuated mechanism, should be utilized to hold the flat, die cut pieces in place between said mated surfaces. Said air actuated feature would ensure said pieces are properly oriented and firmly held in place against said surfaces until the applied heat has molded said pieces into the desired conical shaped ornament.
It is believed this method of molding said ornament is more valuable than injection molding, because it dramatically reduces the time required to print on said ornament. Secondly, this method makes it possible for a manufacturer to conveniently store numerous flat sheets of said printed ornaments until said ornaments are to be molded into finished, conical shaped ornaments. This, in turn, reduces the inventory space required to store said premolded pieces until the subsequent molding process is utilized to convert said flat sheets into finished, molded ornaments.
We have identified some additional beneficial characteristics of the material utilized to mold the curved body of said ornament. Preferably, said flexible material has a degree of tackiness. Said feature is believed to enhance the vacuum adhesive properties of said ornament by improving the vacuum seal formed along said periphery. Secondly, it is desired that said material has a degree of friction generating capabilities. It is believed said property is useful because it will impede the tendency of said compressed ornament to flex out of said shape and slide over a surface of attachment. Therefore, the purpose of said frictional property is to increase the energy barrier required to overcome the adhesive suction force generated when said ornament is compressed.
Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the invention and the appended claims.
Claims
1. A unitary, one-piece display ornament comprising a non-symmetrical flexible sheet material having an overall mass and a center of mass, said ornament having contoured walls which form a convex exterior surface and a concave interior surface, said interior surface having a surface area of from about 3 in.2 to about 25 in.2, both of which surfaces are suitable for displaying a printed message, while said interior surface is capable of adhering to a substrate when compressed against it; said contoured walls also forming a core at the center of mass of the ornament, said center of mass core occupying at least 40% of the total surface area of the ornament and containing at least 50% of the overall mass of the ornament.
2. The ornament of claim 1 wherein the contoured walls form a conical shaped core at the center of mass and has at the periphery a wall thickness of 50% less than the wall thickness at its center of mass.
3. The ornament of claim 2 having the wall thickness tapered gradually from about ⅛ inch thickness at the center of mass to about 1/16 inch at the peripheral wall thickness.
4. A unitary, one-piece display ornament comprising a flexible sheet material having an overall mass and a center of mass, said ornament having contoured walls which form a convex exterior surface and a concave interior surface, said interior surface having a surface area of from about 3 in.2 to about 25 in.2, both of which surfaces are suitable for displaying a printed message and at least one of said surfaces having a message displayed thereon, while said interior surface is capable of adhering to a substrate when compressed against it; said contoured walls also forming a core at the center of mass of the ornament, said center of mass core occupying at least 40% of the total surface area of the ornament and containing at least 50% of the overall mass of the ornament.
5. A unitary, one-piece display ornament comprising a flexible sheet material having an overall mass and a center of mass, said ornament having contoured walls which form a convex exterior surface and a concave interior surface, said interior surface having a surface area of from about 3 in.2 to about 25 in.2, both of which surfaces are suitable for displaying a printed message, while said interior surface is capable of adhering to a substrate when compressed against it; said contoured walls also forming a core at the center of mass of the ornament, said center of mass core occupying at least 40% of the total surface area of the ornament and containing at least 50% of the overall mass of the ornament, wherein said sheet has a shape corresponding to a product and/or a theme of a user of the ornament.
6. The ornament of claim 1 wherein the core is a localized region within the ornament.
7. The ornament of claim 6 wherein said center of mass core concentrates at least 50% of the overall mass of the ornament within one 40% of the total surface area of the ornament about its center of mass.
8. The ornament of claim 1 wherein the core is generally symmetric.
9. The ornament of claim 1 wherein the core is generally conical.
10. The ornament of claim 4 wherein the message displayed on the ornament includes information relating to advertising or promotional purposes of a user of the ornament.
11. The ornament of claim 4 wherein the message displayed on the ornament includes health-related information.
12. The ornament of claim 4 wherein said sheet has a shape relating to the message displayed on the ornament.
13. The ornament of claim 12 wherein the shape of the sheet and the message displayed on the ornament relate to advertising or promotional purposes of a user of the ornament.
14. The ornament of claim 12 wherein the shape of the sheet and the message displayed on the ornament relate to health or emergency information.
15. The ornament of claim 4 wherein the message displayed on the ornament is provided on the at least one surface in at least one form selected from a group of forms consisting of: directly printed, silk screened, pad printed, and labeled.
16. The ornament of claim 15 wherein the message displayed on the ornament is in-mold labeled on the at least one surface.
17. The ornament of claim 5 wherein said shape of the sheet is selected from a group of shapes consisting of a tooth corresponding to a product and/or a theme of a dental business, an apple corresponding to a product and/or a theme of a produce-related business, an animal corresponding to a product and/or a theme of a pet-related business, and a house corresponding to a product and/or a theme of a real estate-related business.
18. A unitary, one-piece display ornament comprising a flexible sheet material having an overall mass and a center of mass, said ornament having contoured walls which form a convex exterior surface and a concave interior surface, said interior surface having a surface area of from about 3 in.2 to about 25 in.2, both of which surfaces are suitable for displaying a printed message, while said interior surface is capable of adhering to a substrate when compressed against it; said contoured walls also forming a core at the center of mass of the ornament, said center of mass core occupying at least 40% of the total surface area of the ornament and containing at least 50% of the overall mass of the ornament, wherein said sheet has a shape customized for a select predetermined business.
19. The ornament of claim 18 wherein the shape of the sheet corresponds to a product and/or a theme of the business.
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Type: Grant
Filed: May 11, 2005
Date of Patent: Apr 15, 2008
Assignee: We-Flex, LLC (Chesterfield, MO)
Inventors: Douglas M. Sheffield, Jr. (Chesterfield, MO), Tamara K. Sheffield (Chesterfield, MO)
Primary Examiner: Marc A. Patterson
Attorney: Alston & Bird LLP
Application Number: 11/127,018
International Classification: B32B 1/00 (20060101); G09F 21/04 (20060101); A47G 1/17 (20060101);