AU2002300634B2 - Table Decoration - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant(s): WILLIAM LESLIE LUCAS Invention Title: TABLE DECORATION The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 2 TABLE DECORATION TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to table decorations for use on festive occasions, for example at group dinners, weddings and parties.

It is known to decorate tables set for festive occasions with displays of helium filled balloons tethered by ribbon or tape to stable anchor weights placed on the table. Presently available anchor weights for this purpose are made of cheap stone or other waste material wrapped in an outer decorative covering of paper, plastic or metal foil. By the present invention, it is possible to provide a cheap but attractive table decoration which can serve as a base for a balloon display and in which the balloons need not necessarily be helium filled but may be air filled balloons on mounting sticks.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, there is provided a table decoration including a body having opposed ends and capable of standing in a stable manner on one of its ends on a flat surface and having a plurality of holes extending into its other end so as to extend downwardly into the body when the body is so supported whereby to serve as sockets for holding balloon mounting rods such that the rods will extend upwardly from the base in the formation of a balloon display, wherein the body is formed predominantly as a casting of a transparent resin having embedded therein shards of glass visible from the exterior of the body to produce an internal decorative effect.

The body casting may also have dye embedded within it to provide externally visible internal colouring.

The shards of glass may be formed from broken recycled glass articles, for example broken bottles.

The body may be of generally frusto-conical H:\Rachel\kee\specifications\PR7141 compl.doc 19/08/02 3 formation with a flat circular base end face and a flat opposite end circular face of lesser diameter, a conically tapered peripheral surface to extend upwardly and inwardly when the body is rested on its base end face.

The holes may extend inwardly into the body from said opposite end face and perpendicular to that face so as to be generally vertical when the body is rested on its base end face.

There may be three of said holes spaced circumferentially around the upper end face and set inwardly from its outer periphery.

There may also be a central hole extending inwardly from the middle of the opposite end face.

The opposite end face of the body may also be provided with a balloon tether anchor. This may be in the form of a loop of ribbon or tape fixed to the upper end face of the body. The anchor loop may be so fixed by engagement between a peripheral wall of one of the holes and a hollow tubular liner inserted into that opening.

The invention also provides a method of forming a table decoration balloon display base comprising the steps of placing shards of glass within a mould and pouring a transparent casting resin into the mould to form a casting in which the shards of glass are embedded and are visible from the exterior of the casting to provide a decorative effect, the mould being shaped such that the casting has an end face on which the body can stand in a stable manner on a flat support surface and an opposite face from which a plurality of holes enter into the casting.

BRIEF DISCLOSURE OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the invention may be more fully explained, a preferred embodiment will be described in some detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of table decoration in accordance with the invention H:\Rachel\keep\specifications\PR7141 compl.doc 19/08/02 4 Figure 2 illustrates a balloon display incorporating the decoration as illustrated in Figure 1; and Figure 3 illustrates an alternative form of balloon display which can also be formed with the aid of the same table decoration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The table decoration illustrated in Figure 1 comprises a frusto-chonical body 11 formed as a casting of a clear polyester resin within which there is embedded shards of glass 12 which are clearly visible from outside the body and which produce an internal decorative effect.

Body 11 has a circular base end face 13, a circular upper end face 14 and a conically tapered peripheral surface The body can be rested on a horizontal support surface by placing its base face 13 on that surface and it will then rest in a stable manner to provide a stable base for a balloon display as described below. Face 14 then becomes an upper face of the body. A series of three circumferentially spaced cylindrical holes 16 extend vertically downwardly from upper face 14 into the body for some distance and a central cylindrical hole 17 extends in a similar fashion downwardly from the middle of the upper face 14. Central hole 17 is lined with a hollow tubular liner 18 and a balloon tether anchor loop 19 of ribbon or tape material is fixed to the upper end of the body 11 by being jammed between this liner and the peripheral wall of the hole.

The display base of Figure 1 may be used to create a balloon display of the kind shown in Figure 2 or alternatively a display of helium filled balloons as shown in Figure 3. In the display shown in Figure 2, three balloons 21 are fixed to upper ends of three mounting rods 22 of varying lengths and the lower ends of rods 22 are simply inserted into the circumferentially spaced holes 16 in the upper end of the display base. The balloons are H:\Rachel\keep\specifications\PR7141 compl.doc 19/08/02 5 thus held in a display which extends upwardly from the table. The display is quite stable, but the individual balloons can be removed with their mounting rods at anytime. The display may further include ribbons 23 or other decorative material on the mounting rods 22.

In the display illustrated in Figure 3, a large number of helium filled balloons 24 are tethered to the display base 11 by ribbons 25 which are all tied or otherwise connected to the tether anchor loop 19 at the upper end of the display base.

In order to be capable of anchoring an appropriate number of helium filled balloons, say up to balloons, the display base may weigh at least 150g.

Preferably, it should weigh between 180g and 200g. It may be cast from clear polyester resin. One particularly suitable resin is available commercially under the name Polylite 61-209 and Escon CR64-61283 supplied by Fiberglass International, a division of AC Hatrick Chemicals. This polyester resin can be cast in moulds of glass, acrylic fiberglass or metal. The resin is poured into the mould with an MEP type catalyst and sets into a hard clear transparent body. The mould may include a series of pegs or rods to form the holes 16, 17 when the body is cast. The shards of glass 12 are simply placed in the mould so as to become embedded in the casting when it sets and they are clearly visible from outside the mould in a decorative effect. Even if the resin is clear, the refraction of light provided by the shards of glass provides a crystal like decorative effect. It is possible to also include dye in the mould during the casting process to produce internally coloured bases. It is preferred to produce the bases is a range of colours as well as in clear form which can be used in adjacent displays.

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Claims (17)

1. A table decoration including a body having opposed ends and capable of standing in a stable manner on one of its ends on a flat surface and having a plurality of holes extending into its other end so as to extend downwardly into the body when the body is so supported whereby to serve as sockets for holding balloon mounting rods such that the rods will extend upwardly from the base in the formation of a balloon display, wherein the body is formed predominantly as a casting of a transparent resin having embedded therein shards of glass visible from the exterior of the body to produce an internal decorative effect.

2. A table decoration as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body casting has dye embedded within it to provide externally visible internal colouring.

3. A table decoration as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2i wherein the shards of glass are formed from broken recycled glass articles.

4. A table decoration as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the shards of glass are formed from broken glass bottles.

A table decoration as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body is of generally frusto-conical formation with a flat circular base end face and a flat opposite end circular face of lesser diameter, a conically tapered peripheral surface to extend upwardly and inwardly when the body is rested on its base end face.

6. A table decoration as claimed in claim 5, wherein the holes extend inwardly into the body from said opposite end face and perpendicular to that face so as to be generally vertical when the body is rested on its base end face.

7. A table decoration as claimed in claim 6, wherein at least some of said holes are spaced circumferentially H:\Rachel\keep\specifications\PRU41 compl.doc 19/08/02 7 around said opposite end face and are set inwardly from its outer periphery.

8. A table decoration as claimed in claim 7, wherein there are three of said holes spaced circumferentially around said opposite end face and set inwardly from its outer periphery.

9. A table decoration as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, wherein another of said holes is a central hole extending inwardly into the body from the middle of the opposite end face.

A table decoration as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said opposite end face is provided with a balloon tether anchor.

11. A table decoration as claimed in claim wherein the balloon tether anchor is in the form of loop of ribbon or tape extending from opposite end force of the body.

12. A table decoration as claimed in claim 11, wherein the anchor loop is fixed to the body by engagement of the loop between a peripheral wall of one of said holes and a hollow tubular hole lining inserted into that hole.

13. A table decoration as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said body has a weight of at least 150g.

14. A table decoration as claimed in claim 14, wherein said body has a weight in the range 180g to 200g.

A method of forming a table decoration balloon display base comprising the steps of placing shards of glass within a mould a pouring a transparent casting resin into the mould to form a casting in which the shards of glass are embedded and are visible from the exterior of the casting to provide a decorative effect, the mould being shaped such that the casting has an end face on which the body can stand in a stable manner on a flat support surface and an opposite face from which a plurality of holes enter the casting.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein dye is H:\Rachel\keep\specifications\PR7141 compl.doc 19/08/02 8 introduced into the mould so as to become embedded within the resin and provide externally visible internal colouring.

17. A method as claimed in claim 15 or claim 16, wherein the mould is shaped such that the casting is of generally frusto-conical formation with a flat circular base end face and a flat opposite end circular face of lesser diameter, and a conically tapered peripheral surface to extend upwardly and inwardly when the body is rested on its base end face. H:\Rachel\keep\specifications\PR7141 compl.doc 19/08/02