Abstract:
A table lamp having an ornamental liquid container movably connected to a main body thereof, so that the ornamental liquid container tends to swing, rotate and/or turn upside-down under an external force applied on the ornamental liquid container. At least one type of liquid, such as a dual-liquid or a magma-like liquid, and floating ornaments are contained in the ornamental liquid container. The liquid and floating ornaments tend to create unique, changeful and dynamic scenes when the ornamental liquid container is moved by the external force applied on it. The ornamental liquid container therefore gives the table lamp novel appearances and additional decorative effect.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a table lamp with movable ornamental liquid container, and more particularly to a table lamp having an ornamental liquid container movably mounted on a base of the table lamp, so that liquid and floating ornaments contained in the liquid container produce dynamical, changeful and beautiful scenes in the liquid container when the latter is moved by an external force applied on it. The table lamp therefore has unique ornamental effect apart from its illuminating function. 
     The table lamp is a very popular lighting fixture and may be versatilely designed. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,272,604 entitled “Cyclonic Liquid Ornament” and 5,678,918 entitled “Lamp Stand” both granted to the inventor of the present invention, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/888,833 entitled “A Lamp Seat Type Liquid Decoration” filed by the same inventor and having been paid of issuance fee, all disclose lamps having different dynamic decorative effect. There are also corresponding applications of the above-mentioned U.S. Patents and Patent Application being filed and granted a patent right in many other countries. A common feature of these earlier disclosed table lamps is they all include a liquid container fixedly mounted to an illuminating lamp body, and a motor for driving liquid and/or floating ornaments in the liquid container to move. That is, the liquid container itself does not move at all. 
     While these earlier disclosed table lamps having ornamental liquid container are structurally novel and unique in ornamental effect, they all have complicate components and accordingly require increased manufacturing cost that will adversely affect the competitive position of the table lamps in the market. However, as a matter of fact, some of the dynamical ornamental effect can be easily achieved, such as in a dual-liquid floating ornament that includes floating ornaments freely floating at an interface between two different liquids for quite a long time whenever the liquid container is vibrated. There is also a unique hourglass-like liquid container having a magma-like liquid contained therein. When the hourglass-like liquid container is turned upside-down, the magma-like liquid will naturally flow from an upper space in the liquid container to a lower space thereof. The time for the magma-like liquid to completely flow to the lower space is usually about three to five minutes that is long enough for producing continuously changeful liquid scenes in the liquid container. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a table lamp having an ornamental liquid container movably mounted thereto in very simple manner to achieve very good decorative and ornamental effect. The liquid container can be easily swung, rotated or turned upside-down under only a minor external force applied on it, and causes liquid and floating ornaments contained in the liquid container to present changeful and beautiful scenes, so that the table lamp is useful not only in illumination but also in decoration. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective of a table lamp with movable ornamental liquid container according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the table lamp of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective of a table lamp with movable ornamental liquid container according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective of a table lamp with movable ornamental liquid container according to a third embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective of a table lamp with movable ornamental liquid container according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective of a table lamp with movable ornamental liquid container according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective of a table lamp with movable ornamental liquid container according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 that are perspective and vertical sectional views, respectively, of a table lamp  10  according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the table lamp  10  mainly includes a base  11 , an ornamental liquid container  12  mounted to a top of the base  11 , a lamp holder support  13  mounted to a top of the liquid container  12 , and a lamp holder  14  mounted to a top of the support  13 . 
     The base  11  has a convex bottom surface  111  and a weight  112  fitted in the convex bottom surface  111 , such that the whole table lamp  10  is structurally like a tumbler and is allowed to tilt in any direction within a proper angle of inclination without turning over and to always maintain an upstanding position when it is in a still condition. 
     The ornamental liquid container  12  has a central through hole  121  and has dual-liquid floating ornament  20  contained in a space defined by the ornamental liquid container  12 . The dual-liquid floating ornament  20  includes a type of tinted liquid  21 , a type of clear oil  22  and some floating ornaments  23 , and is a currently very popular liquid type ornament. 
     The lamp holder support  13  also has a central through hole  131  aligned with the central through hole  121  of the ornamental liquid container  12 . 
     The lamp holder  14  includes a lamp shade  142  and a conductor  142  that is sequentially routed through the central through holes  131  and  121  to the base  11  for connecting to an external power source (not shown). 
     Whereby when the whole table lamp  10  in a still condition is subjected to an external pull and therefore swings to and fro, the tinted liquid  21 , the clear oil  22  and the floating ornaments  23  in the ornamental liquid container  12  are vibrated to show continuous changes that form a dynamic decoration for the table lamp  10 . 
     From the above description, it can be easily understood the ornamental liquid container  12  is basically a movable component in the table lamp  10  of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a table lamp  30  according to another embodiment of the present invention and is also a tumbler-type lamp like the table lamp  10  of FIGS. 1 and 2. The table lamp  30  mainly includes a base  31 , an ornamental liquid container  32  located above the base  31  and having a dual-liquid floating ornament  20  container therein, a lamp holder support  33  located above the ornamental liquid container  32 , and a lamp holder  34  connected to a top of the lamp holder support  33 . The table lamp  30  is structurally similar to the table lamp  10  but has differently shaped overall appearance compared to the table lamp  10 . 
     Please refer to FIG. 4 that shows a table lamp  40  according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the table lamp  40  mainly includes a base  41 , a pair of supporting posts  42  upright erected and spaced on the base  41 , an ornamental liquid container  43  supported on and between the two supporting posts  42  and containing a dual-liquid floating ornament  20 , and a lamp holder  44  mounted to a top of the two supporting posts  42 . A small night lamp  411  may be connected to a top center of the base  41  to illuminate the ornamental liquid container  42 . The ornamental liquid container  43  is supported on and between the two supporting posts  42  by pivotally connecting at two symmetrical points generally located within an upper half portion thereof to two pivotal shafts  421  separately sideward and inward extended from the two supporting posts  42 . Whereby when the ornamental liquid container  43  is subjected to an external pull force applied on it, it will pivotally swing between the two posts  42  about the two pivotal shafts  421 . 
     FIG. 5 shows a table lamp  50  according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention and mainly includes a base  51 , two supporting posts  52  upright erected and spaced on the base  51 , an ornamental liquid container  53  pivotally connected to and between the two supporting posts  52 , and a lamp holder  54  mounted on a top of the two supporting posts  52 . 
     The table lamp  50  is structurally similar to the table lamp  40  of FIG. 4, except that the ornamental liquid container  53  is supported on the supporting posts  52  by connecting two symmetrical and diametrically opposite middle points thereof to two pivotal shafts  521  separately sideward and inward extended from the two supporting posts  52 , such that the whole ornamental liquid container  53  is allowed to turn upside-down about the two pivotal shafts  521  under an external pull force, and that a thick and viscous liquid  60  looking like magma is contained in the ornamental liquid container  53  and a middle partition  531  having a central hole  532  is provided in the ornamental liquid container  53  to divide the liquid container  53  into an upper half and a lower half. Whereby when the ornamental liquid container  53  is turned upside-down, the magma-like liquid  60  naturally flows from a space at an upper half of the ornamental liquid container  53  through the central hole  532  on the middle partition  531  into another space at a lower half of the ornamental liquid container  53  like a scene can be seen in a hourglass. When the thick and viscous magma-like liquid  60  flows through the small central hole  532  on the middle partition  531 , it creates a unique, continuous and dynamic scene in the ornamental liquid container  53  and produces an excellent decorative effect. Although such liquid type ornament is known in the market, it has never been used with a table lamp. When the liquid container  53  is freely turned about the pivotal shafts  521  on the two supporting posts  52  and is illuminated by a lamp (not shown) connected to the lamp holder  54 , it forms a good ornament associated with the table lamp  50  to add the value and novelty of the table lamp  50 . 
     FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate another two structurally similar table lamps  70  and  80 , respectively, according to fifth and six embodiments of the present invention. Both the table lamps  70 ,  80  have a base  71 ,  81 , a supporting post  72 ,  82 , an ornamental liquid container  73 ,  83 , and a lamp holder  74 ,  84 . Both the ornamental liquid containers  73 ,  83  have dual-liquid floating ornament  20  contained therein to function as a dynamic ornament. The ornamental liquid container  73 ,  83  are suspended from an upper point of the table lamp  70 ,  80  by a suspended cord  75 ,  85  that is firmly connected at a lower end to a top of the ornamental liquid container  73 ,  83 . There are many different ways acceptable for connecting the suspended cord  75 ,  85  to the ornamental liquid container  73 ,  83  without any particular limitation. Whereby the ornamental liquid container  73 ,  83  may move in different manners varied with the manners in which an external force is applied on the ornamental liquid container  73 ,  83 . The dual-liquid floating ornament  20  inside the ornamental liquid container  73 ,  83  can therefore show dynamically changeful scenes. 
     In the embodiment of FIG. 6, a lower restraining cord  76  is provided and has an upper end connected to a bottom of the ornamental liquid container  73  and a lower end to a top of the base  71 . With counter pulls of the upper suspended cord  75  and the lower restraining cord  76 , the movement of the ornamental liquid container  73  may be limited to a predetermined range. 
     No matter how different the above-described table lamps are in their structural designs, they all include an ornamental liquid container, and particularly a movable ornamental liquid container that allows a user to apply a force on it in any manner and displaces under the applied force to cause dynamic changes in the liquid contained in the ornamental liquid container, and is therefore a good ornament associated with the table lamp to increase the latter&#39;s functions and value.