Abstract:
A bottle cap stadium/arena table related to the field of indoor/outdoor furniture. More specifically, a table that mimics a stadium/arena in which sports fans can customize using their own bottle caps. The inventive device includes a table frame with perforated plates that hold decorative bottle caps around the central sporting area that mimics people sitting in the stands; including miniature accessories to depict a particular sporting event (goals, flags). The table, which mimics a miniature stadium/arena, includes a glass tabletop that acts as the table&#39;s surface. The table is user customizable to a specific sporting team.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates to the field of furniture. More specifically the invention relates to a table that mimics or represents a sporting layout. In some embodiments, sports fans can customize the table using their own bottle caps. 
     DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
     There are many varieties of indoor/outdoor tables that already exist. As described in more detail below, similar tables may include, by way of example, a do-it-yourself (DIY) bottle cap table depicting a chosen sporting team, an air hockey table, a foosball table, etc. 
     DIY “Do It Yourself” bottle cap table instructions are available on the Internet. This product consisting of a table in which the bottle caps are laid horizontally on a table and often times an epoxy is poured over them, or a grout is used to fill the spacing between bottle caps, so the table is level and flat. Various designs can be made out of the bottle cap layout; however, they are always laid flat, used as the tabletop surface and/or the bottle caps lay in a plane parallel to the table surface. These tables don&#39;t represent a stadium/arena. The use of epoxy/grout makes the bottle cap pattern/layout permanent and non-replaceable. 
     Air Hockey tables are something similar, which are already on the market. A typical air hockey table consists of large smooth playing surface, a surrounding rail to prevent the puck and mallets from leaving the table, and slots in the rail at either end of the table that serve as goals. On the ends of the table behind and below the goals, there is usually a puck return. There are no user customizable features of a standard air hockey table. 
     Foosball tables are something similar, which are already on the market. This product consists of a plastic or metal table where a game of soccer is played using players attached to poles. A ball made from various types of material is dropped into the field and players on either side of the table control the poles to try and score on each other. There are no user customizable features of a standard foosball table. 
     The present invention seeks to provide a table where sports fans can easily and simply customize a table (designed to look like a sports stadium or arena) to their favorite sports team, and to use their own bottle caps. The present invention does not create a game for people to play, but rather is a piece of functional furniture and/or piece of art for their favorite team. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as it becomes better understood when considered in conjunctions with the accompanying drawings. Reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views: 
         FIGS. 1A-C  are aerial views of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a detailed side view of the table frame, leg, light and decal assembly and glass top of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4A  is a detailed side view of an apparatus that holds the bottle caps in place, in the closed position. 
         FIG. 4B  is a detailed elevation view of a latching mechanism. 
         FIG. 4C  is a detailed side view of the apparatus that holds the bottle caps in place, in the open position. 
         FIGS. 5A-B  are side views of the rectangular base plate mounted to a leg. 
         FIG. 6  is an aerial view of the base plate of the playing area that has numerous holes to accommodate any and all sports of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 7-11  are aerial views of diagrams of various sporting layouts. 
         FIG. 12  is a side view of an accessory for a soccer field. 
         FIGS. 13A-D  are elevation views of a diagram of a football field goal post and football pylons accessories. 
         FIGS. 14A-B  are elevation views of a diagram of a basketball court basketball hoop accessories. 
         FIG. 15A-F  are elevation views of a diagram of a baseball field home plate, bases No. 1-3, and outfield wall accessories. 
         FIGS. 16A-D  are elevation views of a diagram of a hockey rink goals and surrounding wall with glass extension accessories. 
         FIGS. 17A-C  are elevation views of a diagram of a soccer field goal and corner flag accessories. 
         FIGS. 18A-B  are elevation views of a padded headrest. 
         FIG. 19  is a side view of a plate for holding bottle caps. 
         FIG. 20  is a side view of a plate for holding bottle caps. 
         FIG. 21  is a side view of a plate for holding bottle caps. 
         FIG. 22  is a side view of a plate for holding bottle caps. 
         FIG. 23A  is a front elevation view of a plastic foot. 
         FIG. 23B  is an aerial view of a plastic foot. 
         FIG. 23C  is a side elevation view of a plastic foot. 
         FIGS. 24A-C  are cross-section elevation views of different examples of a top frame profile. 
         FIG. 25A  shows a plan view of a bottle cap held with rubberized nubs. 
         FIG. 25B  shows a cross-section side view of a bottle cap held with a rubberized O-ring. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views. 
     The table of the present invention may comprise any number of legs, for example, from 1 (a pedestal), 2, 3, 4, 5, to 6 legs, or more. 
     In a first embodiment, the table of the present invention comprises four legs attached to a lower rectangular frame near the middle of the legs, and attached to an upper rectangular frame at the top of the legs. The lower frame holds a horizontal base plate that has a sporting surface displayed on the base plate&#39;s upper surface. The upper frame holds an optional tabletop made of a clear material, such as glass or clear plastic (e.g., acrylic, Plexiglas). 
     In other embodiments, the table may be oval or circular in shape, as viewed from the top (See  FIGS. 1B, 1C ). 
       FIG. 1A  and  FIG. 2  illustrates a first example of a table  20 , which is comprised of a tabletop upper frame  21  having four legs  22 ,  23 ,  24  and  25  which can be made of metallic rectangular tubing (e.g., steel or aluminum) held together by the rectangular lower frame  26 , which can be made of a metallic rectangular tubing. A perforated top plate  27  and it&#39;s respective solid back plate  28  are held to a rectangular frame  26  via hinges  29 , which can be spot welded. Table  20  comprises four perforated top plates  27  and four solid back plates  28 . The perforated top plate  27  combines with the solid back plate  28  to form a bottle-cap holder plate  97 , which is rotatable about an axis that is horizontal. A battery pack  33  powers lights, which are later described in  FIG. 3 . The wire  34  of the lights runs up, for example, leg  25 , under the tabletop frame  21 . Legs  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25  have an upper portion that is angled at a tilt angle, θ, with respect to the horizon (see  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 5B ). The tilt angle, θ, can range from 20 to 45 degrees, with a preferred angle being 30 degrees. The bottom part of legs  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25  can be flared outwards with each leg having a flared end  99 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a bolt  41  which is welded or screwed to the metallic tabletop frame  21 . The table legs  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25  are mounted to the tabletop frame  21 , via a screw  40 , which is inserted through a horizontal mounting plate  39 , which is mounted to the top of each table leg  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25  and then screwed into the bolt  41 . A strand of lights  38 , which can be LED lights, are tucked into a translucent plastic frame  31 . The plastic frame  31  is attached to the tabletop upper frame  21  via rubber plugs  36  that pass through holes in the plastic frame  31  and are inserted into holes in an extension  66  of the tabletop frame  21 . The clear tabletop  35  of the table  20  rests on the top of the rubber plugs  36  to avoid glass-on-metal contact. A semi-transparent decal  37  is placed on the plastic piece  31  to mimic stadium signage/lighting. This lighting technique is used for all sporting layouts (with the exception of the soccer field). The lighting layout for the soccer field is described in  FIG. 12 . Tabletop  35  can be clear glass or clear plastic (e.g., acrylic, Plexiglas). 
       FIGS. 4A and 4C  illustrate a perforated top plate  27  and its respective solid back plate  28 , which is connected to the tabletop frame  21  via a latching mechanism  42 , which has a latch  44 . The placement of bottle caps  43  in perforated top plates  27  is user customizable, and the bottle caps can represent or mimic an audience of the sporting arena sitting in their seats. The respective two plates  27  and  28  can be spaced apart a distance that is thinner than the thickness of a standard bottle cap. The perforated plates  27  and their respective back plates  28  can be screwed together or spot welded together at top  88  and bottom  86  locations to form a rotatable bottle-cap holding plate  97 , which is attached to the rectangular frame  26  with hinges  29 . Plates  27  and  28  can be made of metal, e.g., aluminum, aluminum alloy, or steel, or plastic. Plates  27  and  28  can be powder-coated any color, or otherwise painted or finished with a finish or surface treatment. Use of hinge  29  makes the bottle-cap holding plate  97  rotatable about a horizontal axis. The latch  44  can be rotated 90 degrees to latch/unlatch the upper part of holding plate  97  from the tabletop frame  21 , as shown in  FIG. 4B . The latch  44  is attached to the tabletop frame  21  via an angled nut  84 . Bottle-cap holding plate  97  is angled at the same angle, θ, with respect to the horizontal, as the upper part of legs  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 . The tilt angle, θ, can range from 20 to 45 degrees, with a preferred angle being 30 degrees. Alternatively, in place of using actual bottle caps  43 , an adhesive decal (or decals) can be placed on bottle-cap holding plate  97  that has an artistic depiction of people sitting in their stadium seats. Base plate  47  rests on top of lower frame  26 . Spacer block  101  (washer) sits in-between plate  39  and upper frame  21 , which can be secured with a bolt (not shown). Base plate  47  can be secured to lower frame  26  using an L-bracket  103  and bolts (not shown). 
     Bottle caps  43  can be placed by the user in recessed slots (perforations, circular recesses)  83  in the perforated plate  27 , which are supported via the back plate  28 . The pattern of recesses  83  can be a simple square pattern, or it can be a hexagonal close packed pattern. Alternatively, the pattern can be a random pattern. The perforated plates  27  and their respective back plates  28  can be unlatched by operating the latching mechanism  42  and opening the plates (i.e., rotated downwards to a horizontal position) in a manner to allow placement of bottle caps  43  in their designated slots in the perforated plates  27 . When unlatched and rotated to a horizontal position, the bottle-cap holding plate  97  can be supported by a flexible, lightweight chain, strap, loop, or strip of metal, or fabric or plastic or rubber  92  that is attached to hooks  94  and  94 ′. Once all of the bottle caps  43  have been placed in it&#39;s designated hole on the perforated plate  27 , the perforated plate  27  and it&#39;s respective back plate  28  can be rotated back into it&#39;s latched position and then latched back to the table main frame  21  by rotating the latch  44  to its closed position. Alternatively, a thin, clear plastic or clear glass cover plate (not shown) can be disposed over the bottle caps to keep them in place (e.g., when the table is being moved). Alternatively, latching mechanism  42  can comprise magnetic latching means (e.g., a magnet and magnetic material). Other latching mechanisms can be used, as is well-known in the art. 
       FIGS. 5A and 5B  illustrates an example of how the rectangular lower frame  26  can be attached to each leg  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 . An L-shaped bracket  32  is welded to each metallic leg  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 , and has two threaded holes. Bolts  45 ,  46  are passed through the rectangular table frame  26  and screwed into the L-bracket  32 .  FIG. 5B  is an elevation side view showing the upper frame  21 , glass top  35 , lower frame  26  with base  47  resting on frame  26 , and legs  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 . Sporting surface  64  (basketball surface) is disposed on top of base  47 . Miniature basketball goal accessory  65  is bolted down to the top of base  47  using bolt  85 . 
       FIG. 5B  and  FIG. 6  illustrates the base plate  47  which will hold the stadium/arena&#39;s playing surface (not shown). The base plate  47  can be attached to the rectangular frame  26  with screws, L-brackets and welds. Or, the base plate  47  can simply rest in the frame  26  under it&#39;s own weight. The base plate  47  has numerous holes  48 - 58  and  87  that accommodate miniature accessories of numerous sports layouts, including: football, basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer. Other types of games/events can be mimicked (e.g., tennis, lacrosse, Indianapolis  500  or Le Mans racecar track, track &amp; field). Holes  48  are for the beginning of the end zone pylons and holes  49  are for the back of the end zone pylons as well as for soccer corner flags. Holes  50  are for holding football field goal posts. Holes  57  are for holding soccer goals. Holes  55  are for holding hockey goals and holes  48 ,  49 ,  50  and  56  are utilized for the hockey rink wall. Holes  51  are for holding basketball hoops. Holes  52  and  53  are for holding the baseball field home plate and bases Nos. 1-3. Holes  54  are for holding the baseball field green wall surrounding the outfield. Holes  58  are for holding a shade umbrella, which can pass through the entire table and is supported by an umbrella stand that can rest on the floor. If customers do not wish to utilize an umbrella they can choose not to perforate the hole in their respective sports layout. Holes  87  are for holding decals for soccer perimeter advertising lights and their respective light cables. 
     Base plate  47  can comprise a sporting surface disposed on the upper surface of the base plate  47 . The sporting surface can be a pattern that is painted (e.g., screen-printed) on the base plate  47 , or it can comprise a separate piece of plastic (e.g., a plastic film or laminate) that has the sporting surface pattern printed inside the plastic with a matching pattern of holes that match up to the holes pre-drilled in the base plate  47 . The plastic laminate can be adhesively attached to the base. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a football stadium sporting surface  59  by which an artificial turf (or green felt layer) field is laid out. The set of miniature accessories  60 - 62  ( FIG. 13A , B, C, D) can be passed through the grass (or felt) and table base plate  47  and secured by a bolt  85  on the bottom of the base plate  47 . 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a basketball court sporting surface  64  by which a court is laid out. The set of miniature accessories  65  ( FIG. 14A , B) can be passed through the court and table base plate  47  and secured by a bolt  85  on the bottom of the base plate  47 . 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a baseball field sporting surface  67  by which a field is laid out. The set of miniature accessories  68 - 70  ( FIG. 15A , B, C, D, E, F) can be passed through the field and table base plate  47  and secured by a bolt  85  on the bottom of the base plate  47 . 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a hockey rink sporting surface  72  by which a rink is laid out. The set of miniature accessories  73 - 74  ( FIG. 16A , B, C, D) can be passed through the court and table base plate  47  and secured by a bolt  85  on the bottom of the base plate  47 . 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a soccer field sporting surface  76  by which a field is laid out. The set of miniature accessories  77 - 78  ( FIG. 17A , B, C) can be passed through the court and table base plate  47  and secured by a bolt  85  on the bottom of the base plate  47 . 
       FIG. 12  illustrates the lighting feature  79  is to be placed around three of the four sides of the soccer field. Feature  79  comprises a light source  31  disposed inside of a tent-shaped translucent plastic display structure  81 ,  81 ′, with a decorative colored decal  82  on the face of surface  81 ′. 
       FIGS. 13A-D  are elevation views of a diagram of a football field goal post  62  and football pylons  60 ,  61  accessories. Bolt  85  is used to hold the accessories to the base plate  47 . 
       FIGS. 14A-B  are elevation views of a diagram of a basketball court basketball hoop  65  accessory. Bolt  85  is used to hold the accessories to base plate  47 . 
       FIG. 15A-F  are elevation views of a diagram of a baseball field home plate  68 , bases No. 1-3,  69 , and outfield wall  70  accessories. Bolt  85  is used to hold the accessories to the base plate  47 . 
       FIGS. 16A-D  are elevation views of a diagram of a hockey rink goals  73  and surrounding wall with glass extension  74  accessories. Bolt  85  is used to hold the accessories to the base plate  47 . 
       FIGS. 17A-C  are elevation views of a diagram of a soccer field goal  77  and corner flag  78  accessories. Bolt  85  is used to hold the accessories to the base plate  47 . 
       FIGS. 18A and 18B  illustrates a padded headrest  183  which contains magnets  184  to hold the front and back of the headrest  183  together when placed over the chair  185 . The padded headrest  183  will have a team name and logo on the front side, as shown in  FIG. 18B . 
       FIG. 19  shows a side view of an embodiment of a bottle-cap holding plate  100 , which includes a plurality of recesses  102  for holding bottle caps  43 . Plate  100  is a single, thick, integrated plate that has had bottle cap recesses  102  machined out (e.g., milled) of the plate partially through the thickness of the plate  100 . 
       FIG. 20  shows a side view of another embodiment of a bottle-cap holding plate. Perforated top plate  106  can be adhesively bonded or spot welded to a solid back plate  104  to make a two-part structural laminate. In other words, the spacing between the top and back plates is zero. The top plate  106  includes a plurality of recesses  102  for holding bottle caps  43 . The depth of the recesses  102  can be sufficiently deep so as to securely hold the bottle caps  43 . The bottom plate  104  can have a different thickness than the top plate  106 . For example, the bottom plate  104  can be thinner than the top plate  106 . 
       FIG. 21  shows a side view of another embodiment of a bottle-cap holding plate. Perforated top plate  106  can be adhesively bonded or spot-welded to a solid back plate  104  to make a two-part structural laminate. The top of the array of bottle caps  43  is covered by a thin sheet  108  of clear glass or clear plastic (e.g., acrylic or Plexiglas). This sheet serves to keep the bottle caps from falling out of their recesses  102  when the entire table is moved. 
     In other embodiments, the bottle caps  43  can be glued in place in their recesses, to make them a permanent installation. Alternatively, a thick, removable adhesive can be used to make the bottle cap installation semi-permanent. 
       FIG. 22  shows a side view of another embodiment of a bottle cap array. Here, a small magnet  200  is placed and glued inside a hole drilled in lower plate  104 , inside of each recess  102 , which magnetically attracts the bottle caps to the lower plate and holds them in place. Alternatively, these types of magnets can be used in the embodiments shown in  FIG. 19-21 . 
     In some embodiments, a large adhesive decal can be placed on bottle-cap holding plate  97  that has an artistic depiction of many people sitting in their stadium seats. In this case, plate  97  would not need to be perforated, and could be a single plate thick. 
     In other embodiments, an adhesive decal of an image of a person (the same or different persons) can be adhered to the top of each bottle cap. 
     In some embodiments, the wires for the LED lights can be fed down one of the legs, since the battery case can be mounted to one of the legs. In other embodiments, the lighting can be driven by standard 120 V wall current. 
       FIGS. 23A-C  show different views of a plastic foot  204 , which has a thinner upper insert portion  202  that inserts into the bottom  99  of hollow leg  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 . The purpose of the plastic foot  204  is to prevent corrosion of a metal (e.g., steel) leg when resting on a water-covered surface (e.g., when outdoors). Alternatively, the legs of the table  20  can be made of stainless steel or aluminum alloy. The plastic foot  204  can be made of any plastic, such as polyethylene. The plastic foot  204  can also help to prevent scratching of the flooring. Alternatively, the plastic foot  204  can have a rounded bottom profile (not shown). 
       FIGS. 24A-C  are side elevation cross-section views of different examples of the top frame  21 .  FIG. 24A  illustrates an example where the frame&#39;s profile is made of two different rectangular cross-section rails,  21  and  66 , which are welded or bolted together to make an integral frame  21 .  FIG. 24B  illustrates an example where the rail  21  is made of extruded aluminum or aluminum alloy, which includes an inside extension (bump-out/ledge)  166  located on the inner edge of frame  21 .  FIG. 24C  illustrates an example where the frame  21  is made of extruded aluminum or aluminum alloy, wherein frame  21  comprises a curved, bull-nosed outer edge (corner)  210  (which is easily formed using an extrusion process). The three different frame profiles have approximately the same bending strength and stiffness. 
       FIG. 25A  shows a plan view of a bottle cap  43  held with rubberized nubs  300 . Rubberized means that the nub  300  is made of rubber or any other elastomer that has rubber-like, elastic properties. Three nubs are shown in  FIG. 25A , although other numbers of nubs can be used (e.g., 4, 5, 6, etc.). The nubs can be glued into place, or held by friction. Alternatively, nubs  300  can be formed from a sheet of rubber or gasket-like material that is sandwiched in-between the top and bottom plates ( 27 ,  28 ). 
       FIG. 25B  shows a cross-section side view of a bottle cap held with a rubberized O-ring  302 , which is disposed inside of circular recess  83 . O-ring  302  is disposed inside of a groove  304  machined along the inner diameter of recess  83 . The flared ends  143  of the bottle caps  43  are captured and securely held underneath the O-ring confinement ring.