Title of Invention

AN IMPROVED COASTER

Abstract

A coaster on which a drinking glass or any article meant to be kept, having means to various move-ments translated into action to achieve such functions so as to present in a novel manner a number of effects more particularly prevents the glass from tilting, the glass or the article is covered / uncovered, illuminates the contents in the glass, plays musical sound, and other versatile effects all automatically.

Full Text

- 2 - This Invention relates to an improved coaster The coaster as used in prior art was input under a drinking glass to protect the top of a table. I have searched and seen specifications of coasters for which patents were granted e.g. Patents - No. 959l3 dated 3.10.64, No. l6l572 dated 27.10.83, etc. etc.. But, no coaster hereinbefore had the multipurpose novel objects as in my invention. By this invention X have achieved to fulfil following novel objects to meet the conditions of practical use. An object of this invention is to hold in a novel manner a drinking glass or any article meant to be kept on a coaster whereby the glass does not tilt or slip and the content does not spill. Another object of the invention la to provide a device by which the glass or the article is automati-cally covered thus preventing it from dust and other impurities A further object of the invention is to automatically illuminate inside a transparent drinking glass to give glittering effect to the liquid and also to notice any solid or milky impurities instantaneously. A still another object of the invention is to Contd. p/3. - 3 - have a musical sound automatically from the sot - up. Yet a further object of the invention is to have a coaster giving versatile uses & effects of elegant, decorative, and aesthetic value which will be exciting and impressive. According to the invention the coaster comprises a top base on which a drinking glass or any article meant to be kept, having means to various movements translated into action in order to achieve such functions so as to present in a novel manner a number of objects among which the said above objects are in particular. In accordance with one embodiment by example only In carrying out the invention, a round top plate is resting against a compression spring propositioned inside an encasement all made from plastic or suitable material. Underneath the outer periphery of the top plate, a number of segments or wings interspaced round the periphery are hlngedly hanging and protruding out of the encasement horizontally, such that, a pressure by the weight of a drinking glass on the top plate will make all the wings swing upward, thus fencing the outer peripheral region of the top plate thereby protecting the article from aideway movement. When the load is released by lifting the article, the wings contd... p/4. - 4 - awing back to their original position as the top plate is pushed upward by the spring and/or the wings. A slender tube of height more than that of the glass standing vertically fixed on the top plate away from the centre near periphery, having inside a push rod resting on a pin fixed with the base of the bottom cover of the encasement. Inside the tube near its top a hinged lever peeps out through a slot. Cut-side the tube, a carrier that carries a lid cover hanging; at the top and projected at centre of the drinking glass is resting over the said lever. When the tube comes downward along with the top plate the push rod makes the lever swing backward, and the carrier with the lid cover automatically falls over the drinking glass thus covering the glass and encircling the glass top by a rim with the lid cover. On lifting the glass upward along with the lid cover the carrier slides back, siaaulteneously the tube with the top plate goes up thereby releasing the push rod and that the lever peeps out again and stops the Carrier from falling down. A glow lamp and/or a musical system are incorporated inside the encasement so that when the top plate moves downward by the weight of the drinking glass, the battery fitted inside makes contact and the system operates. On the base of the top plate a transluscent hole(s) will illuminate the bottom of the glass thereby contd...p/5. - 5 - giving a glittering effect, and clarity to the liquid inside the transparent glass. The said wings with ornamentations acting along the outer periphery of the coaster, bloom like a flower petal, and with the said other configurations of the coaster all added to give an elegant decorative and aesthetic appearance and such novel manner of presenta-tion along with a number of objects In action with automatic effect will be impressive and exciting like magical surprise. The invention will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 shows the top view of the coaster, the spring inside not shown. Fig. 2 shows the front view of the coaster with wings removed. Fig. 3 shows one of the wings swung up, and the bottom half of the coaster together with the spring shown separate. Fig. 4 shows the Internal view of 'the lock/ unlock mechanism of the lid cover. Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 are the alternative method of look/unlock mechanism of the Ud cover. contd...p/6. - 6 - Referring to the drawings, 1 is the circular top plate with its rim or surround extended downward as in Fig.3 around which encircles an intermediate fixed ring 2 with top edging bent inward to stop the top plate from coming out of the intermediate ring. The Intermediate ring with a number of hooks 5 below and interspaced round the circle of the ring locks inside the slots ,7 in the bottom cover 3 thus forming an encasement. A number of wings 4 interspaced round the circle as in Fig.l are freely held at its bend at the end inside the encasement and resting hingedly over the edge of the openings 6 and protruding through the openings out of the encasement horizontally. The top plate 1 is resting against a compression spring 8 of suitable light gage and diameter vide Figs. 2 and 3, while the bottom of the rim of top plate touching the wings held In horizontal position, such that, the pressure by a drinking glass kept on the top plate will make all the wings swing upward vertically, thus hedging the outer peripherial region of the top plate thereby protecting the glass from sideway movement. When the load is released by lifting the article, the top plate is pushed upward by the spring and that the wings swing back to their original horizontal position. A slender tube 9 is fixed and standing on to contd •• .p/7 - 7 - the top plate of the coaster away from the centre near its periphery as in Pig.4. A lid cover 15 with inverted rim or surround 15A as additional guard for glass top to stop tilting as shown la hanging from its carrier 10. The carrier with easy slide fit over the fixed typo la -resting on the top edge of lever 11 which Is protruding out say 1 mm. The lever is hinged with a pin 12 with the fixed tube A slide fit push rod 13 with a pin 13A below the curve of the lever with the fixed tube la resting on a pin 14 located at the base of the bottom cover. On keeping a drinking glass at the centre shown by dotted line, the top plate along with the fixed tube and the lever moves downward by the weight of the glass. The concaved curve of the lever as moves down gradually, comets in contact with the push rod pin 13A and the curvature is such that the lever moves back inside allowing the carrier to fall down with the lid cover over the glass. On lifting the glass along with the lid cover the carrier 10 slides back at the same time with the top plate of the coaster moving upward by spring, action as described in the previous illustration. Also, the fixed tube with the top plate moves upward releasing the push rod from the lever. Immediately, the lever by its weight or by suitably placed light spring action comes forward to its original position thereby contd••p/8 - 8 - stops the carrier with the lid cover from falling. This mechanism is suitable when the coaster top plate la bigger in diameter. In another method of the lock/unlock mechanism of the lid cover vide figs 5 & 6, the fixed tube 9 could be placed on a platform X6 annexed to the coaster* The connecting rod 17 is linking the top plate and the lever 11 through a passage 19 between encasement of the coaster and that of the platform. The lever provided with a spring 18 will move backward and forward with the up and down movement of the connecting rods by the top plate of the coaster. Thus covering and uncovering the glass as described above. It will thus be seen that I have provided coasters which achieve several objects of my invention which are well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use. As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein described or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. - 9 -I CLAIM: 1. An improved coaster comprising an encasement having a top plate, a spring(s ) prepositioned inside, a number of segments or a surround, partly or fully inside in its peripheral region, a lid cover with its own surround carried by a support standing over the encasement, an illuminating source and a musical sound source incorpo-rated inside, on or within the encasement a member or plurality of members are interlinked, the whole set up being such that when the spring is pressed against by the top plate on receiving the 1oad of a glass, the segments come nut to fence the periphery and with the help of the interlinked member(s ) the motion is trans-mitted to release the lid cover to make it fall on glass top, the illuminating source and the musical sound source operate by their respective contact point by virtue of downward movement of the top plate, and inversely, on releasing the load by lifting the glass a push to the top plate is effected by the said spring(s) thereby all the said movements along with the respective function reversihly get back to their original position, and such combined effects are well adapted to meet the condition of practical use. 2. A coaster as claimed in claim 1 wherein on receiving the load of a glass over the top plate, a number of segments or surround takes its formation around the top plate along the periphery to guard or fence the peripheral region preventing the glass on the coaster from moving outward. ..10 - 10 - 3. A coaster aa claimed in claim 1 wherein the lid cover with its own surround carried by a standing support placed on or near the peripheral region of the top plate of the coaater and the lid cover which is hang-ing out over the glass and the glass when kept on the coaster the lid slides down from the action of inter-linked members and fails on the glass top thus covering the g1ass along with a surround of the lid to stop tilting of the glass and such covering as well protects the contents inside the glass preventing outside germs and other impurities. and 3 4. A coaster as claimed in claim l/wherein the top plate when pressed by the load of a transparent drinking glass, the contact point of a lighting source incorpo-rated inside the encasement illuminates the contents of the glass by the light passing through transparent hole(s ) in the base of the top plate where the glass is kept thus offering a glittering attraction of the liquid along with the glass walls arid to visgibly ensure any unwanted particles in the contents. 5. A coaster as claimed in claim 1 wherein the top plate when pressed by the 1oad of a glass , the contact points of a musical sound device incorporated inside the encase-ment starts playing as an optional feature and that such device piay bo of battery operated or otherwise, to create a refreshing mood, .. .11 - 11 - 6, The coaster as claimed in claim 4 & 5. wherein the operation of light ami/or musical sound are at the option of the users with the help of on-off a witch connected to contact points* 7. A coaster as claimed in claims heroln-befnre or after wherein the term glass means a drinking glass or like article or any article meant to be kept on a coaster. 8. A coaster as claimed in claim 1 is made of material like e.g . plastic or fibre or such material of practi-cability and economy. 9. A coaster as claimed in claim 1 wherein on receiving a drinking glass or any article meant to be kept on it gives exciting, impressive, attractive presentations from the combined effect of the set up and achieves such function or functions so as to automatically generate, produce, present versatile effects by the outcome of different movements singly or jointly resulting in an innumerable features of practical use. 10. A coaster substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A coaster on which a drinking glass or any article meant to be kept, having means to various move-ments translated into action to achieve such functions so as to present in a novel manner a number of effects more particularly prevents the glass from tilting, the glass or the article is covered / uncovered, illuminates the contents in the glass, plays musical sound, and other versatile effects all automatically.

Documents:

00425-cal-1998 abstract.pdf

00425-cal-1998 claims.pdf

00425-cal-1998 correspondence.pdf

00425-cal-1998 description(complete).pdf

00425-cal-1998 description(provisional).pdf

00425-cal-1998 drawings.pdf

00425-cal-1998 form-1.pdf

00425-cal-1998 form-2.pdf

00425-cal-1998 form-5.pdf

00425-cal-1998 form-6.pdf