Abstract:
A memorabilia case according to the present invention includes a cover and a base that are manually engageable into a locking relationship. The case may further include a suspension means for preventing physical contact between an article of memorabilia and the case housing in at least one direction. The locking relationship is provided by at least one locking mechanism including a cleat and cooperating socket. For added protection, the locking mechanism may be obscured from access by a security flange. The case further includes a tamper detection means to determine certain attempted accesses to a display cavity formed within the case.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to containers and more specifically to manually engageable locking containers for articles of memorabilia where the container preferably includes access detection means. 
         [0002]    There currently exist many display cases used to exhibit memorabilia, such as sports collectibles, coins and autograph and picture cards. Generally, memorabilia display cases fall into two categories. One category of cases allows the selective insertion and removal of the article to be displayed. The second category of prior cases provides for secure containment of an article to be displayed. Cases of the first type are generally convenient for a casual volatile display of articles, while cases of the second type are intended for authentication, grading and preservation. 
         [0003]    Cases adapted for casual volatile display of articles generally feature a convenient way of engaging the case to contain an article of memorabilia. Such convenience may be supplied by manually engageable structures, such as pressure fit mechanisms, threaded case engagements, or releasable clip mechanisms. Cases adapted for authentication, grading and preservation are generally sealed in some manner, usually by way of ultrasonically bonding portions of the case together, for example. While the manual engagement of cases of the first type is convenient, the security of such cases is less than desirable for an authenticated piece of memorabilia. Likewise, while the permanence of ultrasonic bonding of cases of the second type provides excellent protection and security for articles of memorabilia, the equipment required to perform such bonding is not inexpensive and is not very portable. 
         [0004]    Thus, the art of displaying articles of memorabilia would benefit from a case that includes convenient and inexpensive assembly and further includes a security mechanism. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention provides a memorabilia case that includes convenient and inexpensive assembly and further includes a security mechanism as a manually engageable locking container having access detection means. 
         [0006]    A memorabilia case according to the present invention includes a cover having a cover top wall and a cover side wall coupled to the cover top wall. The coupling may be provided by forming the cover top wall integrally with the cover side wall. Such case also includes a base having a base top wall and a base side wall coupled to the base top wall. The coupling may be provided by forming the base top wall integrally with the base side wall. The manually engageable security is provided by at least one but perhaps five or more locking mechanisms where each locking mechanism includes cooperating structure on the cover and on the base. The locking mechanism may be provided within a seam created by the interface of the cover and the base. Furthermore, a security flange is adapted to obscure access to the cooperating locking mechanism structures. Such security flange may be coupled to and may be formed integrally with the cover. When the cover and the base are engaged in a locking relationship, there is a display cavity that is formed. A majority of the display cavity may be formed by the cover top wall and cover side wall. Alternatively, the majority of the display cavity may be formed by the cover top wall, alone. 
         [0007]    A memorabilia case according to the present invention may also include a suspension means for preventing contact between a contained article of memorabilia and desired walls of the case. For instance, a plurality of support pedestals may project from the base top wall. The pedestals may be provided with contact pads adapted to interface with the article of memorabilia. The pedestals may be spatially arranged to interface to predetermined contact points of a predetermined article of memorabilia, such as the stitched seams of a baseball. Another example of a suspension means may be an elastomeric gasket for placement around the article of memorabilia, such as a ring to be placed around a pin-back button. 
         [0008]    A memorabilia case according to the present invention may also include a desiccant chamber coupled to said base. The case may include a display cavity formed when the cover and the base are engaged in the locking relationship, and the desiccant chamber may be formed integrally with the base and in fluid communication with the display cavity. 
         [0009]    A case adapted to hold an article of memorabilia may include an improvement according to the present invention, where the improvement includes a manually engageable security lock including a cleat, a socket cooperating with the cleat, and a security flange that obscures access to the cooperating junction of the cleat and the socket. The improvement may further include a tamper detection means that indicates attempted access to the case after the security lock has been manually engaged. The tamper detection means may include a fracturability of the security flange caused by a separating force of a magnitude less than is required to disengage the security lock. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a cross-section view taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a side elevation view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is an exploded view of the embodiment of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a cross-section view taken along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is a side elevation view of the embodiment of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 10  is an exploded view of the embodiment of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 11  is a cross-section view taken along line  11 - 11  of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 12  is a side elevation view of the embodiment of  FIG. 9 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0022]    Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structures. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims. 
         [0023]    Turning now to the figures,  FIGS. 1-4  show a first embodiment  100  of a memorabilia case according to the present invention. This embodiment  100  includes a cover  120  and a base  140 , and is designed to contain preferably an article of memorabilia to be at least partially suspended in the case  100 , such as a baseball  400 . The cover  120  has a cover top wall  122  and a cover side wall  124  coupled to the cover top wall  122  to form a display cavity  126 . The top wall  122  of the cover  120  is generally planar, but it may have a stacking structure  128 , such as a stacking lip, formed thereon. The case  100  may be provided with a suspension means for preventing contact between a contained article of memorabilia and desired walls of the case  100 . For instance, extending into the cavity  126 , preferably from the top wall  122 , may be at least one but preferably a plurality of stabilization pedestals  132 . Each stabilization pedestal  132  is preferably provided with a contact pad  134  that may be friction fitted or otherwise coupled to the pedestal  132 . If the pedestals  132  are provided on the cover  120 , the spatial arrangement of the pedestals  132  is preferably such that contact with the article of memorabilia  400  by the pedestals  132  or pads  134  is at points on the article  400  that are not likely to include an autograph. Such points may include, for example, the seams  402  of the baseball  400 . The cover  120  may also be provided without stabilization pedestals  132 , in which case a portion of the article  400  may rest against the top wall  122  of the cover  120 . The cover  120  is preferably formed by injection molding, and the side wall  124  is preferably coupled to the top wall  122  by being integrally formed with the top wall  122 . The cover  120  is formed from a preferably substantially transparent material, such as a clear plastic material. 
         [0024]    The base  140  generally has a base top wall  142  and a base side wall  144  coupled to the base top wall  142 , which may form a base cavity  146 . The base top wall  142  has a display surface  142   a . On a portion of the base side wall  144 , opposite the display surface  142   a , a stacking mechanism  148 , such as a stacking lip, may be provided. The base stacking lip  148  of one case  100  is thus designed to cooperate with the cover stacking lip  128  of a second case  100 , thereby providing stabilized stackability. A portion of the base side wall  144  may be provided with a recessed display channel  144   a , that is adapted to receive a certificate or placard  404 . Extending from the display surface  142   a , and generally away from the base  140 , is at least one but preferably a plurality of support pedestals  152 . Each support pedestal  152  is preferably provided with a contact pad  154  that may be friction fitted or otherwise coupled to the pedestal  152 . The base  140  may also incorporate a desiccant chamber  155 . The chamber  155  may depend from the base top wall  142  and extend opposite the display surface  142   a , into the base cavity  146 . When the case  100  is assembled, the desiccant chamber  155  is in fluid communication with at least a portion of the display cavity  126 . Such fluid communication may be provided by way of at least one aperture  156 , formed through the base top wall  142  in the embodiment  100  shown. The desiccant chamber  155  may be provided with a chamber cover  157 , which is preferably selectively removable from the case  100  to allow for replacement of a desiccant material  158  contained in the chamber  155 . 
         [0025]    The cover  120  and base  140  are held together in a manually engageable secure relationship by a plurality of security latches  160 . Each security latch  160  comprises a security cleat  162  and a cooperating security socket  164 . Access to the security latches  160  is preferably obscured by a security flange  166 , which may depend from and/or be integrally formed with the cover  120  or the base  140 . The case  100  preferably features a means for indicating attempted access or tampering. An example of such means for indicating attempted access or tampering may be the frangible nature of the cover  120 , the base  140  or the security flange  166 . Thus, materials may be chosen to provide a desired fracture of the cover  120 , the base  140  or the security flange  166 , upon attempted access to the display cavity  126 . In one embodiment, the force required to unlatch the security latches  160 , which are preventing access to the display cavity  126 , is greater than the force required to cause a fracture visible to the naked eye in the security flange  166 . That is, a fracture of the security flange  166  will occur before the security latches  166  release, thereby indicating attempted access to the display cavity  126 . 
         [0026]      FIGS. 5-8  provides a second embodiment  200  of a memorabilia case according to the present invention. While the first embodiment  100  was preferably adapted to hold a three-dimensional article of memorabilia, such as the baseball  400 , the second embodiment  200  is preferably adapted to hold securely a generally planar article of memorabilia  500 , such as a pin-back button, a coin, or in the case of the alternative embodiment in  FIGS. 9-12 , an autograph and/or picture card. Though such planar articles  500  are necessarily three-dimensional, the articles  500  extend significantly further into two dimensions than they do into the third dimension. That is, the thickness of a planar article  500  is significantly less than the length or width of the planar article  500 . 
         [0027]    The second embodiment  200 , like the first embodiment  100 , includes a cover  220  and a base  240 . The cover  220  has a cover top wall  222  and a cover side wall  224  coupled to or formed integrally with the cover top wall  222 . The cover  220  preferably forms at least a portion of a display cavity  226 . Alternatively, the cover  220  may form all or substantially all of the display cavity  226  with the base  240  simply covering the cavity  226 . Alternatively, the cover  220  may simply cover the cavity  226 , all or substantially all of which is formed by the base  240 . The display cavity  226  shown in  FIGS. 5-8  is generally cylindrical, however the invention is not limited to the shape of the cavity  226 . The side wall  224  of the cover  220  preferably includes a stacking structure  228 , such as a stacking lip, formed thereon. Additionally, the cover top wall  222  may be provided with a recessed display channel  229  adapted to contain a certificate or placard  504 . The display channel  229  may oppose a base display channel  249 , adapted to cooperate with the cover display channel  229  to contain the placard  504 . The cover  220  is preferably formed by injection molding, and the cover side wall  224  is preferably integrally formed with the cover top wall  222 . The cover  220  may be formed from a preferably substantially transparent material, such as a clear plastic material. The case  200  may be provided with a suspension means for preventing contact between a contained article of memorabilia and desired walls of the case  200 . For instance, a gasket  502  may be provided to assist in holding the article of memorabilia  500  in a desired orientation within the display cavity  226 . 
         [0028]    The base  240  generally has a base top wall  242  and a base side wall  244  coupled to or formed integrally with the base top wall  242 . On a portion of the base side wall  244 , a stacking mechanism  248 , such as a stacking lip, may be provided. The base stacking lip  248  of one case  200  is thus designed to cooperate with the cover stacking lip  228  of a second case  200 , thereby providing stabilized stackability. 
         [0029]    The cover  220  and base  240  are held together in a manually engageable secure relationship by a plurality of security latches  260 . Each security latch  260  comprises a security cleat  262  and a cooperating security socket  264 . Access to the security latches  260  is preferably obscured by a security flange  266 , which may depend from and/or be integrally formed with the cover  220  or the base  240 . The case  200  preferably features a means for indicating attempted access or tampering. An example of such means for indicating attempted access or tampering may be the frangible nature of the cover  220 , the base  240  or the security flange  266 . Thus, materials may be chosen to provide a desired fracture of the cover  220 , the base  240  or the security flange  266 , upon attempted access to the display cavity  226 . In one embodiment, the force required to unlatch the security latches  260 , which are preventing access to the display cavity  226 , is greater than the force required to cause a fracture visible to the naked eye in the security flange  266 . That is, a fracture of the security flange  266  will occur before the security latches  266  release, thereby indicating attempted access to the display cavity  226 . 
         [0030]      FIGS. 9-12  provide an alternative second embodiment  200  of a memorabilia case according to the present invention. In this embodiment  200 , a majority of the display cavity  226  is formed in the base  240 , as is a majority of the base display channel  249 . This embodiment may be particularly suited for securing an autograph card, picture card, or certificate  500  and an accompanying placard  504 . 
         [0031]    The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Furthermore, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims.