DECORATIVE PROPANE TANK ASSEMBLY

Abstract

Three-dimensional, sports-related cover assemblies (34, 84, 94, 108, 126, 144) for propane tanks (32) are provided in order to permit sport- or team-related decoration of the tanks (32). The cover assemblies (34, 84, 94, 108, 126, 144) may be separable from the tanks (32) or may be integrated and unitized with the tanks (32). The assemblies (34, 84, 94, 108, 126, 144) have contoured or concavo-convex outer surfaces (70, 86, 104, 112, 130, 150), which are configured to give the three-dimensional likeness or appearance of a sports-related item, such as athletic head gear, footwear, balls, or other equipment.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is broadly concerned with decorative cover assemblies designed to cover a propane tank (e.g., a standard 20 lb. household tank) and to present the three-dimensional appearance or likeness of a sports-related item, such as athletic headgear or athletic balls. More specifically, the invention is directed to such cover assemblies which may be separate from a propane tank or integrated therewith, and which may be formed of any suitable material, such as metal or synthetic resin. Exemplary cover assemblies in accordance with the invention may be solid, hollow, or inflatable.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A tailgate party is a social event held on or around the open tailgates of vehicles. Tailgating traditionally involves consuming beverages and grilling food. Tailgate parties often occur in the parking lots of stadiums and arenas before, during, and after sporting events. For example, tailgate parties have become particularly popular in the U.S. as social gatherings that take place in stadium parking lots before football games. As an adjunct to such parties, tailgaters have flags, pennants, outerwear such as shirts, jackets, and caps, and all manner of other items, bearing the logo and/or name of their favorite team. Such team identification is deemed essential by tailgate participants.

Dedicated tailgaters sometimes have elaborate portable equipment for grilling of foods. Thus, many tailgaters have portable propane grills making use of one or more standard household propane tanks. These tanks are generally white in color and are positioned beneath the grill. As such, the tanks are unsightly and do not contribute to the festive atmosphere of a tailgate party.

It would therefore be a boon to tailgaters if unattractive and innocuous propane tanks could be decorated in a manner consistent with a tailgate party scheme, and particularly to give the appearance or likeness of a sports-related item consistent with the tailgate party theme.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the problem outlined above, and provides sports-related cover assemblies for propane tanks, each comprising a decorative body having an inner and an outer surface. The inner surface of the body is designed to mate with a propane tank (i.e., the inner surface is configured to rest upon or otherwise be supported by a propane tank wall), while the outer surface is configured to present a three-dimensional likeness or appearance of a sports-related item. The cover assembly may be separable from a propane tank, can be integrated with the tank, or the tank may be formed with the decorative surface aspects, such that there is no separate tank. The outer surface of the cover assembly is typically designed to give the three-dimensional likeness or appearance of things such as athletic headgear, athletic footwear, athletic balls, or other athletic equipment.

As used herein, with reference to the cover assembly bodies of the invention “three-dimensional” means that a given cover assembly body presents a contoured or concavo-convex outer surface, preferably with portions of the outer surface spaced a significant distance (most preferably at least about one-half inch) from the proximal propane tank wall. Such three-dimensional cover assemblies thus are distinctly different from conventional two-dimensional images printed on a simple tank cover or the like.

Hence, in the case of a cover assembly body having a simulated athletic headgear outer surface, the headgear is broadly selected from the group consisting of athletic helmets, caps, and hats, e.g., helmets for racing, football, lacrosse, baseball batting, rodeo, fencing, skiing and other winter sports, bicycling, hockey, and boxing. In the case of athletic footwear, the cover assembly body may present the three-dimensional appearance of footwear for soccer, football, hockey, basketball, track, skiing, boxing, golf, ballet, and bicycling. A wide variety of athletic cover assembly bodies may give the three-dimensional appearance of a simulated athletic ball, for example balls selected from the group consisting of baseballs, basketballs, cricket balls, tennis balls, footballs, rugby balls, lacrosse balls, baoding balls, billiard balls, table tennis balls, bowling balls, handballs, soccer balls, wiffle balls, polo balls, golf balls, racquet balls, beach balls, and volley balls. Other cover assembly bodies giving the three-dimensional appearance of simulated sports-related items may include covers giving the three-dimensional appearance of athletic apparel selected from the group consisting of jerseys, shirts, jackets, shorts, pants, stockings, pads, and gloves, hockey pucks, curling stones, racquets, mallets, baseball bats, hockey sticks, and basketball nets. In short, the scope of the present invention is limited only by the imagination of the fabricator.

It will also be appreciated that, in most instances, the outer surface of a given cover assembly would also include the name and/or logo of a specific team or athlete. In this way, the user can both decorate an otherwise bland-looking propane tank, while also proclaiming loyalty to the user's favorite team or athlete.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the combination of a standard household propane tank with a detachable, dual section cover assembly in accordance with the invention and presenting the likeness of an automobile racing helmet, wherein the cover assembly is mounted on the tank;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view similar to that of FIG. 1, but illustrating the surface structure of the cover assembly opposite that of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the combination depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of the combination depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the combination of FIG. 1, illustrating the cover assembly in its open configuration before being mounted on to the propane tank;

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of an integrated propane tank and cover assembly in accordance with the invention, the cover assembly presenting the likeness of a football helmet;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of the assembly of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the assembly of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is front perspective view of a combination comprising a standard household propane tank with a unitary, one-piece cover assembly in accordance with the invention releasably mounted on the tank, the cover assembly presenting the likeness of a racing helmet;

FIG. 11 is an elevational view of the combination illustrated in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a partial sectional view of the combination illustrated in FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a vertical sectional view of the one-piece cover assembly separate from the tank;

FIG. 14 is a front perspective view of the combination comprising a standard household propane tank with a hollow molded cover assembly in accordance with the invention mounted on the tank, with the cover assembly presenting the likeness of a football helmet;

FIG. 15 is an elevational view of the combination illustrated in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is partial sectional view of the combination of FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a vertical sectional view of the hollow molded cover assembly of FIG. 14, shown separate from the tank;

FIG. 18 is a rear perspective view of the combination comprising a standard household propane tank with an inflatable cover assembly in accordance with the invention mounted on the tank, with the cover assembly presenting the appearance of a football helmet;

FIG. 19 is a partial vertical sectional view of the combination of FIG. 18; and

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a combination comprising a standard household propane tank with a cover assembly in accordance with the invention mounted on the tank, the cover assembly presenting the likeness of a basketball.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Turning now to FIGS. 1-5, a combination 30 is illustrated including a standard household propane tank 32 and a detachable, two-piece cover assembly 34. The tank 32 (see FIG. 4) includes an upright hollow propane-holding container 36 having a circular base 38 and rounded upper and lower shoulders 40, 42. A standard propane tank valve 44 is secured at the top of the tank, with a carrying and connection cage 46 disposed partially about the valve 44. It will be appreciated that the tank 32 is itself wholly conventional.

The cover assembly 34 in this embodiment is made up of a body having front and rear sections 48 and 50 which are hingedly interconnected by means of hinge structure 52. The edges of the sections 48 and 50 opposite hinge structure 52 is provided with mating latch structures 54 and 56. As best seen in FIG. 5, the inner surface 58 of the cover assembly 34 is made up of front and rear section inner surfaces 60 and 62. These surfaces are designed to substantially surround the tank 32 and are further provided with a number of inwardly extending engagement blocks 64. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the blocks 64 are designed to firmly engage the wall of container 36 so as to prevent inadvertent axial or rotational movement of the cover assembly 34 relative to tank 32. It will further be observed that the cover assembly sections 48 and 50 cooperatively present an upper opening 66, which is disposed about cage 46 and valve 44, and a lower opening 68, which extends about the lower portion of tank 32.

In this embodiment, the outer surface 70 of the assembly 34, made up of front and rear section surfaces 72 and 74, give the three-dimensional likeness and appearance of an automobile racing helmet. Thus, the front surface 72 has a simulated visor 76 presenting concavo-convex surfaces, as well as a downwardly and outwardly extending chin section 78. In use, the cover assembly 34 is opened as depicted in FIG. 5, and closed about the tank 32 so that the latch structures 54 and 56 mate and engage. Removal of the cover assembly is accomplished by opening the latch structures and swinging the cover sections 48 and 50 apart.

FIGS. 6-9 illustrate another embodiment in the form of a combination 80 made up of an integrated propane tank 82 and cover assembly 84. In this case, the assembly 84 has a body presenting an outer surface 86, giving the three-dimensional appearance or likeness of a football helmet. The latter has a rounded surface characteristic of football helmets, along with simulated ear holes 88 and an outwardly projecting mask 90. The combination 80 further includes an upper valve 44 and cage 46, as previously described. Internally, the combination 80 may have a standard household propane tank, as described above, with the cover assembly 84 welded or otherwise permanently secured to the tank.

FIGS. 10-13 illustrate another form of the invention made of a combination 92 having a standard propane tank 32, described previously, and a molded, one-piece synthetic resin cover assembly 94. As best seen in FIGS. 12 and 13, the cover assembly 94 has a body presenting an upper opening 96 designed to surround cage 46 and valve 44, and a lower opening 98. The inner surface 100 of the assembly 94 is configured to closely mate with the outer wall of container 36 and shoulder 40. The assembly 94 may thus be installed on tank 32 simply by positioning the lower opening 98 above the tank and sliding the cover assembly 94 onto the tank to assume the position shown in FIG. 12. The cover can of course also be readily removed from the tank 32 by reversing this procedure. The cover assembly 94 can be fabricated from any suitable synthetic resin material, such as compressible polyurethane 102. The outer skin or surface 104 thereof is configured to give the three-dimensional likeness or appearance of an automotive racing helmet, as in the case of the first embodiment.

FIGS. 14-16 depict another embodiment, in the form of combination 106 again comprising a standard propane tank 32 and a cover assembly 108. The latter is in the form of a body having an inner surface 110, an outer surface 112, an upper opening 114, and a lower opening 116. Thus, the cover assembly 108 is a unitary structure, similar to the cover assembly 94. The inner surface 110 is designed to closely mate with the outer surfaces of tank 32, whereas the outer surface 112 gives the three-dimensional likeness or appearance of a football helmet, including simulated ear holes 118 and an outwardly projecting face mask 120. In this instance, however, the cover assembly 108 is a substantially rigid, hollow body presenting air space 122 between the inner and outer surfaces 110 and 112, and can be conveniently produced by standard rotary molding or other conventional techniques. The use of assembly 108 is the same as that described with respect to unitary cover assembly 94, i.e., the cover 108 can be positioned above a tank 32 and slid into place, as shown in FIG. 16.

FIGS. 18 and 19 depict a combination 124 again comprising a standard propane tank 32 with an inflatable unitary cover assembly 126. The assembly 126 is in the form of a body having an inner wall 128, which closely conforms with the wall surfaces of tank 32, and an outer surface 130, upper opening 132, and lower opening 134. The outer surface 130 is equipped with an inflation/deflation nipple 136, and gives the three-dimensional likeness or appearance of a football helmet, including ear holes 138 and face mask 140. In use, the mask assembly 126 is inflated through nipple 136, and the inflated assembly may be installed in the same manner as the previously described unitary cover assemblies. Alternately, the cover assembly 126 may be installed on the tank 32 in a deflated condition, and inflated in place. If necessary, the assembly 126 can be deflated before removal from tank 32.

FIG. 20 illustrates a combination 142 comprising a standard propane tank 32 and a cover assembly 144. The assembly 144 has a body of unitary, one-piece construction as in earlier embodiments. Thus, the cover assembly 144 includes an inner surface (not shown) configured to mate with the outer surface of tank 32 and has upper and lower openings 146, 148 allowing the assembly to be positioned over the tank 32. In this instance, the outer surface 150 of the assembly 144 presents the three-dimensional appearance of a basketball having simulations of typical sections and intervening seams. The cover assembly 144 may be hollow, filled, or inflatable.

It will thus be appreciated that the present invention provides a wide array of sports-related propane tank covers and combinations, which may be sectionalized, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-5, or unitary, as depicted in FIGS. 6-20. Alternately, combined assemblies can be made wherein the tank and cover assembly are unitized, as illustrated in FIGS. 6-9.

Furthermore, while the invention has been illustrated in the context of standard household propane tanks, the principles of the invention can be equally applied to larger or differently-configured propane tanks. Thus, the term “propane tank” as used herein should be understood to embrace all shapes and sizes of propane tanks. Additionally, the cover assemblies may be separate from or used with any size or shape of propane tank, or a propane tank may be fabricated from two or more sections by welding the sections together, wherein at least some of the sections have preformed surface design features in accordance with the invention, so that the completed tank has the likeness or appearance of a sports-related item. It will be appreciated that this form of the invention does not make use of a pre-existing or pre-formed propane tank.

Claims

1. A sports-related cover assembly for a propane tank, said cover assembly comprising a decorative body having and inner and an outer surface, said inner surface configured to mate with a propane tank, said outer surface being shaped and configured to present a three-dimensional likeness of a sports-related item.

2. The cover assembly of claim 1, said decorative body being separable from said propane tank.

3. The cover assembly of claim 2, said body having a pair of sections, said sections being hinged together, there being latching structure releasably interconnecting said sections when applied to a propane tank.

4. The cover assembly of claim 2, said body having an upper and a lower opening, said lower opening sized to receive a propane tank, said upper opening being smaller than said lower opening and sized to surround the valve and connection assembly of a propane tank.

5. The cover assembly of claim 2, said body formed of molded synthetic resin material.

6. The cover assembly of claim 2, said body being air inflatable.

7. The cover assembly of claim 1, said body being integrated with said propane tank.

8. The cover assembly of claim 1, sports-related item selected from the group consisting of athletic headgear, athletic footwear, athletic balls, and other athletic equipment.

9. The cover assembly of claim 8, said sports-related item being athletic headgear and selected from the group consisting of helmets, caps, and hats.

10. The cover assembly of claim 9, said headgear selected from the group consisting of helmets for racing, football, lacrosse, baseball batting, rodeo, fencing, skiing and other winter sports, bicycling, hockey, and boxing.

11. The cover assembly of claim 8, said sports-related item being athletic footwear and selected from the group consisting of footwear for soccer, football, hockey, basketball, track, skiing, boxing, golf, ballet, and bicycling.

12. The cover assembly of claim 8, said sports-related item being an athletic ball and selected from the group consisting of baseballs, basketballs, cricket balls, tennis balls, footballs, rugby balls, lacrosse balls, baoding balls, billiard balls, table tennis balls, bowling balls, handballs, soccer balls, wiffle balls, polo balls, golf balls, racquet balls, beach balls, and volley balls.

13. The cover assembly of claim 8, said sports-related item being other athletic equipment and selected from the group consisting of athletic apparel selected from the group consisting of jerseys, shirts, jackets, shorts, pants, stockings, pads, and gloves, hockey pucks, curling stones, racquets, mallets, baseball bats, hockey sticks, and basketball nets.

14. The cover assembly of claim 1, said body outer surface having a portion thereof spaced at least one-half inch from the proximal propane tank, when the cover assembly is mounted on a propane tank.

15. The combination comprising a propane tank comprising wall structure designed to contain propane and presenting an outer surface, said outer surface being shaped and configured to present a three-dimensional likeness of a sports-related item.

16. The combination of claim 15, said wall structure comprising a cover assembly separate from a propane tank, said cover assembly comprising a decorative body having and inner and an outer surface, said inner surface configured to mate with a propane tank, said outer surface being shaped and configured to present a three-dimensional likeness of a sports-related item.

17. The combination of claim 16, said decorative body being separable from said propane tank or integrated with said propane tank.

18. The combination of claim 16, said body being air inflatable.

19. The combination of claim 15, sports-related item selected from the group consisting of athletic headgear, athletic footwear, athletic balls, and other athletic equipment.

20. The combination of claim 19, said sports-related item being athletic headgear selected from the group consisting of helmets, caps, and hats, said helmets selected from the group consisting of helmets for racing, football, lacrosse, baseball batting, rodeo, fencing, skiing and other winter sports, bicycling, hockey, and boxing, said sports-related item being athletic footwear selected from the group consisting of footwear for soccer, football, hockey, basketball, track, skiing, boxing, golf, ballet, and bicycling, said sports-related item being an athletic ball and selected from the group consisting of baseballs, basketballs, cricket balls, tennis balls, footballs, rugby balls, lacrosse balls, baoding balls, billiard balls, table tennis balls, bowling balls, handballs, soccer balls, wiffle balls, polo balls, golf balls, racquet balls, beach balls, and volley balls, said sports-related item being other athletic equipment and selected from the group consisting of athletic apparel selected from the group consisting of jerseys, shirts, jackets, shorts, pants, stockings, pads, and gloves, hockey pucks, curling stones, racquets, mallets, baseball bats, hockey sticks, and basketball nets.