WO2005120863A2

WO2005120863A2 - Table device forming a paperweight, pastime and the like

Info

Publication number: WO2005120863A2
Application number: PCT/IT2005/000314
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marcello Rogai; Federigo Rogai
Original assignee: Marcello Rogai; Federigo Rogai
Priority date: 2004-06-09
Filing date: 2005-06-01
Publication date: 2005-12-22
Also published as: ITFI20040129A1; WO2005120863A3

Abstract

The body (1) has a convex lower supporting surface (1A), to allow oscillations of said body, and an upper surface (1 B) provided with a plurality of seats (3) and defining, with a cover (5), a closed space (7) suitable to contain a plurality of free elements (9) with internal sphere (9C) and consequently susceptible to move by rolling and 'tumbling' and each susceptible to be partially contained in one of said seats (3), when said body (1) is subjected to suitable oscillations.

Description

"TABLE DEVICE FORMING A PAPERWEIGHT, PASTIME AND THE LIKE" DESCRIPTION The object of the invention is a device which can be used as a paperweight on a desk and which is produced to be used as a pastime game, as a "diversion" and the like and which can also be a promotional gadget and also offer further functions, as shall be apparent from the text hereunder. Essentially, the device in question includes a body with convex lower supporting surface to allow said body to oscillate and to roll from an intermediate arrangement resting on a surface; said body has an upper, mainly flat surface provided with a plurality of seats and defining - together with a cover - a closed space suitable to contain a plurality of free elements, susceptible to move by rolling and "tumbling"; each of said elements is susceptible to be partially contained in one of said seats, when said body is subjected to suitable oscillations. Each of said free elements is, in practice, formed of a capsule with cylindrical wall and with hemispherical or, in any case, convex ends, with a relatively heavy rolling body, in particular spherical, contained inside said capsule. In this way, when said upper surface is subjected to inclinations, said free elements can roll and tumble, i.e. be raised and lowered until they reach one of said seats and are partially contained in a relatively stable manner therein. Said body can be at least in part transparent and/or include transparent parts, to thereby form a magnifying lens. Said body and/or the cover thereof can be extended to offer large surfaces susceptible to contain messages, such as advertisements or the like. Both said free elements and said seats can be marked with symbols, such as different total coloring, two colors, alphanumeric symbols or the like, to increase the possibilities of the game. The lower surface of said body can extend as a spherical surface portion, or alternatively it can include at least one cylindrical surface portion - in particular circular - susceptible to be covered with an absorbent layer. Yet again, said lower surface can have - on the geometrical axis of the assembly - a projection to form a spinning top. The invention shall be better understood by following the description and accompanying drawing, which shows a non-limiting practical embodiment of said finding. In the drawing: Figures 1 to 3 show a first embodiment and of the device, in a perspective view, in a vertical section and in a view and partial section according to Ill-Ill in Figure 2. Figure 4 shows an enlarged detail; Figures 5 and 6 show, in a vertical section and in a section according to VI-VI in Figure 5, a second embodiment, with the body also forming a magnifying lens; Figures 7 and 8 show a variant with respect to Figures 5 and 6; Figures 9, 10 and 11 , 12 show possible variants of the cover; Figures 13 to 15 show a variant of embodiment of said body in views according to XIII-XIII in Figure 14, XIV-XIV in Figure 13 and XV-XV in Figure 14; and Figure 16 shows, in a vertical section, a further variant of embodiment of said main body. According to the illustration in Figures 1 to 4, the device comprises a body 1 which has a convex lower surface 1A and which can be a spherical surface or a surface with a different profile, nonetheless susceptible to oscillate according to the double arrow f1 with respect to a supporting surface S which can be the surface of a table or the like, and according to a plurality of diametral planes. The body 1 has a flat upper surface 1B with a plurality of seats 3 suitably distributed for the purposes indicated below, and each of which may have a slightly beveled edge to facilitate introduction. A cover 5 is susceptible to be applied to the body 1 and engaged along the edge thereof to define a space 7 delimited in part by the flat surface 1 B of the body 1. Several free elements 9 are contained inside this space 7, each of which is produced with a central area with circular section 9A terminating with two convex and preferably hemispherical surfaces 9B. Contained inside each element 9 is a movable sphere 9C with a relatively significant weight. Elements of this type are susceptible to roll according to the arrows f3 along the cylindrical central surface 9A and can also "tumble", i.e. move according to the double arrows f5 rotating about one or the other of the end surfaces 9B, all being stressed by the presence of the sphere 9C, which can roll along the longitudinal extension of the element 9. This element 9 may also be of the type of those used in the pharmaceutical industry to form capsules to contain medication mainly in powder or in granules to be swallowed with a liquid; the difference lies in the presence of the sphere 9C. Each of the elements 9 is susceptible to be housed as indicated with 9X in one or in the other of the seats 3 produced on the surface 1B of the body 1 , so that it protrudes partially from said seat as indicated with 9X, without it being possible to move and be displaced from the seat until the body 1 is overturned from the arrangement shown in Figure 1 to make the element 9 fall from the arrangement 9X into the space 7 delimited by the cover 5. The edge of the seats 3 can be slightly beveled to facilitate introduction of the capsules. With a solution of this type a patience game device is produced, which can be used both held in the hand and with it resting on a surface S and inclining it according to a plurality of directions owing to the symmetry offered by the body 1 and by the essentially spherical surface 1A thereof; therefore the surface 1B can be inclined as a function of the ability of the player to make the elements contained in the space 7 "tumble" and roll, to attempt to arrange them successively all in respective seats 3. Both the elements 9 and the seats 3 can be suitably marked with alphanumeric symbols, with different colors or in another suitable way to attach different values to the individual elements 9 compared with their individual seats 3 to increase the possible combinations of the game. Naturally, the cover 5 will be made of a transparent material so that the movements of the individual elements closed in the space 7 can be controlled. When the body 1 is also made at least partially of a transparent material, this can also form a magnifying lens. In this case the central seat 3Y can advantageously be eliminated to form in the central area of the body 1 a magnifying lens represented by the thickness of said body 1. Figures 5 and 6 show an arrangement of this type. Figures 7 and 8 show a variant of embodiment in which the body 11 - equivalent to the body 1 - is provided inferiorly with a seat to contain a lens 13 which completes the convex surface of the body 11 and which, in the central area, allows the assembly to be utilized in such a way as to use the lens 13. The surfaces of the body 1 or 11 and of the cover 5 or equivalent can at least in part be utilized to apply or obtain advertising messages or the like. The cover 5 will always have a transparent surface sufficient to allow control of the movements of the individual elements. Figures 7 and 8 show a cover 15 equivalent in function to the cover 5, but produced to offer larger free surfaces for the application of advertisements or of other messages. Likewise, Figures 9 and 10 also show a variant of the cover 25 equivalent to the cover 5 and also offering a surface, which can be used for advertising messages of a larger size than the one offered by the cover 5. In the embodiment in Figures 1 and 2 the lower surface 1A is symmetrical with respect to a vertical axis, so that the device can be oscillated according to a plurality of radial directions to allow any desired maneuver of inclination of the surface 1 B of the body 1. In the variant in Figures 3 to 15 the body 31 - equivalent to the body 1 - does not offer the same axial symmetry as the body 1 , but has a surface 31 A which extends cylindrically flanked by surfaces 31 S with a spherical segment or of another type extending as lateral continuations of the cylindrical surface 31A. In this case the body 31 can oscillate according to the double arrow f7 so as to remain resting on the cylindrical surface 31A, which can be provided with an absorbent layer to form what is conventionally an absorbent pad provided for a desk. The body 31 can in any case also be oscillated according to the double arrow f8 to thereby allow inclination in a plurality of directions of the flat upper surface 31C of said body 31 , which will be provided, just as the one in the previous example, with seats like the seats 3 for elements like the elements 9. Yet another variant of embodiment is shown in Figure 16, where an assembly analogous to the assembly 1 , 5 of the first example is completed at the axis of symmetry A-A of the body 41 with a tip 43, protruding to a limited extent, which allows the assembly of the body 41 and of the cover thereof to be transformed into a spinning top, utilizable in addition to the uses according to the previous description. It is understood that the drawing only shows an example provided purely as a practical arrangement of the invention, which may vary in forms and arrangement without however departing from the scope of the concept on which said invention is based. Any reference numerals in the appended claims are provided purely to facilitate reading of said claims with reference to the description and to the drawing, and do not limit the scope of protection represented by the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A table device for various uses, such as a paperweight, pastime and the like, characterized in that it comprises a body (1) with convex lower supporting surface (1A), to allow oscillations of said body from an intermediate arrangement, said body having an upper surface (1B) provided with a plurality of seats (3) and defining, with a cover (5), a closed space (7) suitable to contain a plurality of free elements (9), which are susceptible to move by rolling and "tumbling" and each susceptible to be partially contained in one of said seats (3), when said body (1) is subjected to suitable oscillations. 2. Device as claimed in claim 1, c aracterized in that each of said free elements (9) is formed of a capsule with a cylindrical wall (9A) with hemispherical or, in any case, convex ends (9B), with a relatively heavy rolling body (9C), in particular spherical, contained inside said capsule so that when said upper surface (1A) is subjected to inclinations, said free elements (9) can roll and tumble, i.e. be raised and lowered, until they reach one of said seats (3) and are partially contained in a relatively stable manner therein. 3. Device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said upper surface (1A) is flat. 4. Device as claimed in at least one of the previous claims, characterized in that said body (1 , 11) is at least in part transparent and/or includes transparent parts to form a magnifying lens. 5. Device as claimed in at least claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said body (1) and/or said cover (5; 15; 25) extend with large surfaces susceptible to contain advertising messages or the like. 6. Device as claimed in at least one of the previous claims, characterized in that said free elements (9) are marked with symbols, such as total different coloring, two colors, alphanumeric symbols or the like. 7. Device as claimed in at least one of the previous claims, characterized in that each of said seats (3) is marked by a symbol, alphanumeric, chromatic or the like. 8. Device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lower surface of said body (1) extends as a spherical surface portion. 9. Device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lower surface of said body (31) includes at least one cylindrical surface portion (31 A), susceptible to be covered with an absorbent layer. 10. Device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lower surface of said body (41) has, on the geometrical axis of the assembly, a projection to form a spinning top. > 11. Table device forming a paperweight, pastime and the like; all as described above and represented by way of example in the accompanying drawing.