Abstract:
Disclosed are the working of a Spherical Locking Container  10 , which roughly takes the form an ammunition cylinder from a pistol revolver. The faux Bullets  11  give the appearance of solid and valuable device. The item generates commercial value as a novelty as well as a clever, well-constructed storage container.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to storage containers, and to 3-dimensional puzzles. It also relates to simulation novelties of the firearm industry. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    There are storage containers that are made to hide their valuable contents, particularly by possessing the external appearance of common products that are not related to the contents they enclose. Examples of this are sealable canisters that look like soda cans, or shaving cream dispensers. Those containers are intended to trick would-be thieves or baggage handlers into thinking that the containers are indeed commercial products. The purpose of them is to cause the actual valuables to be overlooked by people to whom they do not belong. 
         [0003]    The problem with those false containers is that they appear to possess little or no perceived value of their own. They could easily be discarded by anyone who does not believe the containers hold much worth to their owner(s). 
         [0004]    There are also other types of concealing containers, one such is a modified book with pages cut out to form a hidden compartment. But, like the shaving cream dispenser or the false soda can, they generally promote the likelihood that their particular contents will be inspected, due to the very nature of the articles themselves. 
         [0005]    By the same token, those false containers may otherwise become recognizable as devices meant to conceal hidden articles, such as currency, keys, jewelry, et cetera. This may be due to the fact that the containers appear slightly different than the trademarked products that they are supposed to imitate. This can defeat the entire purpose of such false containers, in that they cannot reliably conceal their contents, nor can they parlay immediate suspicions that they may contain other items. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    The invention, in its preferred embodiment, is a bulbous housing assembly that roughly takes the shape of an ammunition cylinder from a revolver handgun. The assembly has at least one removable cap, which is free to spin with respect to the cylinder portion of the container. As the cap spins, it makes the clicking sound of an actual revolver, as it would rotate from one chamber to the next. The realistic action and weight of the container itself gives a user the therapeutic experience of handling real firearm paraphernalia, while it avoids any suspicion of its purpose as a safe-keeper of valuables. 
         [0007]    It is an object of this invention to provide a false container that appears to be a generic, yet valuable, item of its own. The item has its own appreciable value as a novelty, whether or not it is used to store anything at all. In fact it may not appear to be a container at all, but may have the feel of a solid article or assembly. It is not meant to look like anything common. The novelty of its appearance specifically indicates that it is not intended to conceal other items. It also avoids the otherwise likely appearance of imitating other trademarked products. 
         [0008]    It is another object of this invention to provide a false container that possesses one or more elements, each having two or more sections, which normally appear as contiguous singular pieces of, or within, the assembly of the container itself. For example, the invention could take the form of an empty plastic housing that is made of two injection-molded halves, which are outfitted to look like say a roll of quarter-dollar coins, when assembled. 
         [0009]    It is another object of this invention to provide an item that possesses a psychologically tangible association with handguns. Although the invention cannot be used as an accessory to any firearm, it has the look, the feel, and the nostalgic articulation of an actual revolver. The item, which is not subject to any regulations pertaining to real weapons, imparts a psychological appeal that is enough to provide users with the sensation of handling firearm paraphernalia without subjecting themselves to the inherent risks that would otherwise be involved. 
         [0010]    It is still another object of this invention to provide a concealing container that possesses enough mass and inertia that it will be more likely to detract any noticeable effect from the jostling movement of less-heavy items within. 
         [0011]    It is yet another object of this invention to provide a puzzle toy that, by its particular movement, is meant to be challenging to open. 
     
    
     
       DRAWING VIEWS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  shows the assembled invention in a front perspective view. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  shows the assembled invention in a rear perspective view. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of the Center Ring. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the Front Cap. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the Rear Cap. 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a cross-section of the assembled invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a Signature Front Cap. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    The invention, in this preferred embodiment, is made to resemble a revolving ammunition cylinder (from a six-shooter, for example). With this device, the Front Cap and Rear Cap are fixed to each other upon assembly, to form what we call a magazine. Together, though, they are free to spin inside a housing called the Center Ring. 
         [0020]    The user holds the Center Ring with one hand, while turning a Cap with the other hand. The user contacts the bullet portions with his fingers, so as to provide grip. These bullet features could be omitted, so that the recesses provide even greater grip. 
         [0021]    As the caps revolve within the housing, they tend to locate at one of six possible positions (just like the cylinder of a pistol revolver). The magazine is intended to appear as though there are six live bullets loaded into it, which appear to occupy the interior volume of the housing. 
         [0022]    In  FIG. 1 , the device  10  is shown as a primarily spherical assembly. The Front Tip  11  of each bullet can be seen in this view. 
         [0023]      FIG. 2 , shows the same device, when viewed from the rear. In this view, the Rear Tip  12  of each bullet is visible. Now, although each “bullet” is comprises a front portion and a separate rear portion, together each will be referred to as a single bullet in this document, for convenience. Each portion can be either press-fit or bonded into place. 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  shows the Center Ring  20  when viewed from the front. The interior of the Center Ring is cylindrical, with the exception of the Rear Lip  23  and the Front Lip  24 . Note that the Rear Lip possesses a number of notches, each called an Index  21 . Only three Indexes are visible in this view, but there are six total, equally spaced on the Rear Lip. 
         [0025]    Also, note that there are two Slots  22  in the Front Lip directly across from each other. 
         [0026]    Upon the exterior surface of the Center Ring are six Recesses  25 , which together enhance the appearance of the device to resemble a pistol cylinder. Each end of the Center Ring is defined by a Rim  26 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 4  shows the Front Cap  30 . A Front Tip  11  of a bullet is one of three visible in this view. A Front Plastic Seal  36  is shown mounted to the Front Cap, which has an outer diameter slightly smaller than that of the Rim of the Center Ring. The Front Cap comprise two or more Posts, which rotably fasten it to the Center Ring. A single Post  32  is shown here with its narrower Stem  34 . The two Posts in this view of the Front Cap align with the two Slots in the Center Ring, upon assembly. The two Posts also align with two pins on the Rear Cap (which are shown in  FIG. 5 ). 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  shows the Rear Cap  40 . A Rear Tip  12  of a bullet is one of two visible in this view. A Rear Plastic Seal  46  is mounted to the Rear Cap, which has an outer diameter slightly smaller than that of the Rim of the Center Ring. The Fixed Pin  41  possesses a Snap Ring  43 , which is located about a groove on the Fixed Pin (shown in greater detail in  FIG. 6 ). The Indexing Pin  42 , is shown with another Snap Ring  43 , a Spring  44 , and a Detent  45 . This Detent is shown approximately in the position it would be in, when the device is fully assembled. 
         [0029]      FIG. 6  shows the complete device (in a bisecting cross-section). In this view, the inner workings of the can be seen more easily. The assembly comprises the Center Ring  20 , the Front Cap  30 , and the Rear Cap  40 . 
         [0030]    The Posts  32  are press-fit into the body of the Front Cap. The Posts extend into the Center Ring and are kept within it by the Front Lip  24  of the Center Ring. Once the Front Cap is in place and rotated, the Front Cap is locked to the Center Ring. The Stem (see  FIG. 4 ), with its smaller diameter, allows room for the Front Lip. The length of the Stem is slightly greater than the thickness of the Front Lip, to allow free rotation while limiting any movement other than rotation. The Front Plastic Seal  36  acts to reduce friction during rotation. 
         [0031]    When assembling the device, the Posts can only pass the Front Lip of the Center Ring properly, through the Slots. 
         [0032]    The Posts each comprise a disc-shaped Magnet  33  that is pressed into the Post  32  itself. The Magnets are installed to attract the Pins of the Rear Cap. Although the Pins are mechanically captured within the Posts, upon assembly, the Magnets help to keep the Post and Pin together. This is so that the Caps will tend to stay fixed to each other, even if the Posts are free to pass the Slots in the Center Ring. (The Slots are shown in  FIG. 3 .) 
         [0033]    The Rear Cap  40  is permanently located with the Center Ring  20  by the Snap Ring  43  on the Fixed Pin  41 . The Rear Cap is able to spin freely, but is tended by the Detent  45  to one of six Indexes  21  by the force of the Spring  44 . The Spring is held in place by a Snap Ring, which is fixed about a groove on the Indexing Pin  42 . The Rear Plastic Seal  46  acts to reduce friction during rotation. 
         [0034]    Note that the detent mechanism could easily be located separate from the Indexing Pin  42 , and may even take the form of a commercial detent mounted so that its axis is radial to the device itself. In such a case, the Indexing Pin would be similar to the Fixed Pin  41 . 
         [0035]    When the device is assembled, the Posts pass through the Slots, and onto the ends of the Pins. At that point, the Caps are held together by the force of the Magnets alone. (Ideally, an unauthorized person would not be aware that the Front Cap could be removed when in that position.) If and when the Caps are turned, then the Front Cap is physically kept onto the assembly by the Front Lip. Only when the Front Cap is in place through the Slots, can it be rotated to lock the Front Cap to the Center Ring. When the device is assembled, the Front Cap rotates with the Rear Cap as a single part. 
         [0036]      FIG. 7  shows the Front Cap of an Alternate Embodiment  50 . In this view, the Signature (i.e. unique and asymmetric) Pattern of Posts  52  ensures that there is one and only one position (orientation) for the Front Cap when it can be removed from the Center Ring. 
         [0037]    As with any embodiment, the position of the Front Cap, when it can be removed, can be marked by corresponding features on both the Cap and the Center Ring. These features can be as discreet, or as discrete, as necessary. 
         [0038]    To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated. 
         [0039]    With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.