Decorative and connectable display arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10172485-B2
Application number	US-201715492071-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2017
Priority date	Jan 2, 2014
Publication date	Jan 8, 2019
Grant date	Jan 8, 2019

Abstract

A decorative and connectable display arrangement that includes a housing of multi-sided form having opposed first and second sides and a bottom, an inner support frame that is disposed within the housing and including a cap member having an open top port, and at least one decorative member that is supported within the housing and extends upwardly through the open top port. The decorative member includes a base piece that is pivotally supported in the housing and a stem piece extending from the base piece and extending through the open top port. A solar energy source or panel is supported in the inner support frame and is effective for driving the at least one decorative member in a predetermined motion direction. The housing has 3 on opposed sides thereof an interlock tongue and groove mechanism that enables adjacent ones of the housings to be engaged together.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of connecting together multiple housings to form a decorative and connectable display arrangement including providing a plurality of housings of multi-sided form; providing an inner support frame that is separate from and that is disposed within the housing and including a cap member having an open top port; disposing at least one decorative member that has a support within the housing and extends upwardly through the open top port; said decorative member including a base piece that is pivotally supported in the housing from the inner support frame and a stem piece extending from the base piece and extending through the open top port; said stem piece that extends through the open top port being user visible; controlling the decorative member by means of a solar energy source supported in the inner support frame and for driving the at least one decorative member in a predetermined motion direction; said multiple housings having on opposed sides thereof an interlock tongue and groove mechanism that enables adjacent ones of the housings to be engaged together.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the inner support frame is provided with a base and a top plate that is spaced above the base and pivotally supporting the base piece of the decorative member in the housing by means of a pivot pin.

3. The method of claim 2 including disposing the pivot pin that supports the base piece of the decorative member at a location between the base and top plate of the inner support frame.

4. The method of claim 3 including mounting a decorative piece from a distal free end of the stem piece.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the top port comprises an elongated open top port and further including providing the cap member with a peripheral edge, and accommodating the peripheral edge of the cap member within a top opening of the housing.

6. The method of claim 5 including mounting the solar panel on the cap member adjacent to the elongated open top port of the cap member and mounting an induction drive coil in proximity to the base piece for receiving energy from the solar panel and causing an arcing motion of the decorative stem along the elongated open top port of the cap member.

7. The method of claim 6 including providing each housing having on the opposed first and second sides an interconnecting member that enables adjacent ones of the housings to be engaged together and providing the interconnecting member on the first side is a tongue mechanism and the interconnecting member on the second side is a groove mechanism with the engagement of the housings being by a sliding action between the juxtaposition housings.

8. The method of claim 1 including providing said cap member with a top recess in a top surface thereof with said solar panel being disposed in the top recess, the top recess being elongated and the solar panel being similarly elongated, said recess and solar panel extending substantially in parallel to the elongated open top port in the cap member.

9. The method of claim 8 including providing a circuit board, mounting the circuit board at the inner support frame along with wiring that interconnects between the solar panel and the circuit board, mounting an induction coil in proximity to the base piece for receiving energy from the solar panel, providing additional wiring that also connects from the circuit board to the induction coil that is mounted at the base of the inner support frame.

10. The method of claim 9 including transferring the energy from the solar panel to the induction coil, said induction coil being representative of an attraction member for establishing a magnetic field for causing the arcing motion of the decorative member, said attraction member being a magnet polarized so as to provide an attraction force between the base piece and the coil.

11. The method of claim 10 including maintaining the induction coil in a fixed stationary position and providing an energy field from the induction coil to attract the decorative member so that the decorative member can sweep across the open top port of the cap member.

12. The method of claim 1 including providing the top plate of the inner support frame with an upwardly turned peripheral ledge having spaced apart slots, the cap member having its peripheral edge provided with spaced apart tabs, and the tabs are interlocking with the slots so as to keep the cap member in the desired rotational position and fixed in that position.

13. A method of constructing a housing that is adapted to form a decorative display arrangement including providing a housing of multi-sided form; providing an inner support frame that is separate from and that is disposed within the housing and including a cap member having an open top port; disposing at least one decorative member that has a support within the housing and extends upwardly through the open top port; said decorative member including a base piece that is pivotally supported in the housing from the inner support frame and a stem piece extending from the base piece and extending through the open top port; said stem piece that extends through the open top port being user visible; controlling the decorative member by means of a solar energy source supported in the inner support frame and for driving the at least one decorative member in a predetermined motion direction.

14. The method of claim 13 including providing the inner support frame with a base and a top plate that is spaced above the base and pivotally supporting the base piece of the decorative member in the housing by means of a pivot pin.

15. The method of claim 14 including disposing the pivot pin that supports the base piece of the decorative member at a location between the base and top plate of the inner support frame.

16. The method of claim 13 including providing the top plate of the inner support frame with an upwardly turned peripheral ledge having spaced apart slots, the cap member having its peripheral edge provided with spaced apart tabs, and the tabs are interlocking with the slots so as to keep the cap member in the desired rotational position and fixed in that position.

17. The method of claim 13 including providing said cap member with a top recess in a top surface thereof with said solar panel being disposed in the top recess, the top recess being elongated and the solar panel being similarly elongated, said recess and solar panel extending substantially in parallel to the elongated open top port in the cap member; including providing a circuit board, mounting the circuit board at the inner support frame along with wiring that interconnects between the solar panel and the circuit board, mounting an induction coil in proximity to the base piece for receiving energy from the solar panel, providing additional wiring that also connects from the circuit board to the induction coil that is mounted at the base of the inner support frame; including transferring the energy from the solar panel to the induction coil, said induction coil being representative of an attraction member for establishing a magnetic field for causing the arcing motion of the decorative member, said attraction member being a magnet polarized so as to provide an attraction force between the base piece and the coil; and including maintaining the induction coil in a fixed stationary position and providing an energy field from the induction coil to attract the decorative member so that the decorative member can sweep across the port.

18. A method of connecting together multiple housings to form a decorative and connect

Assignees

• Wu Yu Chi
• Wang Hsiu Mei
• Fourstar Group Inc

Inventors

• Wu Yu-Chi
• Wang Hsiu-Mei

Classifications

• A47G7/08 Primary

  Covers for flower-pots {, e.g. ornamental pots} · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title