Patent Publication Number: US-5255460-A

Title: Diagrammatic indicator plate assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an improved structure over that in U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,064, titled Liquid-drop Model Diagrammatic Indicator Plate Structure, of which its outer case is designed into a Z-shaped body to concisely lessen the inner space for the sandy flowing element inside to flow through and present a further distinctive effect of sand patterns along with its original effect of liquid-drop patterns. 
     Therefore, it is to be noted that the first object of the present invention is to provide a liquid-drop model diagrammatic indicator plate structure with an improved concise structure to perform multiple effects as liquid-drop, picture indicating, and sand patterns. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a liquid-drop model diagrammatic indicator plate structure which, with its Z-shaped outer case an inclined plate inside forming front and back slotted passages, enables the sandy flowing element to flow smoothly and prevents the dropping liquid from dropping without passing the sliding plate; so that the liquid-drop and sand patterns can both be presented. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The liquid-drop model diagrammatic indicator plate structure of the present invention is an improved structure of the original U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,064 titled the same name. The outer case of the present structure is improved from a cube housing to a Z-shaped housing wherein its inner space has been lessened concisely to refine the smooth flow of the sandy flowing element and the clearness of viewing the patterns made in the structure. The disclosed Z-shaped structure unites the indicating effects of the sand patterns and liquid-drop patterns and achieves a distinctive performance that surpasses the original structure. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a side-sectional view of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is another side-sectional view showing the flow of the sandy flowing element. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the front of the preferred embodiment. 
     FIG. 5 is another perspective view showing the back of the preferred embodiment (after the reversion of the structure). 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The liquid-drop model diagrammatic indicator plate structure of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is an improvement over that in U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,064 which comprises a transparent Z-shaped housing (1) and a plate (2) installed inside the housing (1). The Z-shaped housing (1) is provided with two thick terminals and an inclined thin flat middle part; the thick terminals respectively form reservoirs (11) to contain a large quantity of a sandy flowing element (3), and both terminals are capable of standing to support the structure. The plate (2) is specifically designed to fit into the flat middle part of the housing (1) so that the space in the middle part, after the installation of the plate (2), can be divided and formed into a front and a back narrow (about 2 m/m) slotted passages (12) for communicating with both reservoirs (11) in the terminals. On both sides of the plate, a number of holes (21) are preset for indicating specific patterns while a number of shallow concaves (22) are also provided for disguising those pattern indicating holes (21), and the plate (2) thereby looks like it is just provided with multiple holes without any special patterns. When the housing (1) is reversed to allow all the sandy flowing element (3) originally at the bottom to be at the top, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the flowing element (3) which has a specific gravity higher than the float of the liquid will then flows downwards from the reservoir through an exit groove (13) to the slotted passage (12). Although there will be a convection between the liquid and the sandy element (3) at the moment of reversing the housing, however, the sandy element (3) will flow along the front passage because of the narrow space (about 2 m/m) of the passage. In the process of the flow, the sandy element (3) will slide down through these shallow concaves (22) smoothly while being retained a certain amount in those holes (21), and thereby the preset pattern will be revealed gradually. The rest of the large quantity of the sandy element (3) which keeps flowing downwards will be amassed at the bottom and forms a mimic scene of the desert. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment which the plate (2) is preset with a desert scenery to go with the sandy pattern at the bottom for presenting an outstanding life-like desert scene. As the housing (1) is reversed again, the sandy element (3) been carried accordingly will again flow downwards through the passage (12) on the inclined surface of the plate (2) on the other side and likewise be retained in the holes (21) to reveal another preset pattern, for example the tropical beach scene as shown in FIG. 5, going with an alternative sand pattern formed at the bottom. 
     As afore-mentioned features, it is realized that the present invention which combines the liquid-drop effect and the sand pattern effect is novel and distinctive for decoration and surpasses any prior arts in this field.