Patent Publication Number: US-11375830-B2

Title: Tablecloth for wishing well table

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/823,041 filed on Mar. 25, 2019, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein, and is a Continuation-In-Part Application of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/804,225 filed Feb. 28, 2020, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a wishing well table, and more particularly to a table top supported by a plurality of legs, having an aperture disposed through the tabletop, a removable pouch attached to the aperture, a wishing well disposed over the aperture having an opening therethrough, and a tablecloth with an aperture opening is provided to cover the table. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There are many special or festive occasions in which family members and other guests give gifts to the person or persons being recognized, such as wedding receptions, bridal showers, baby showers, anniversaries, birthday parties, graduation parties, retirement parties, “house-warming” parties, and the like. Furthermore, there are many religious occasions in which guests traditionally give gifts such as baptisms, communions, confirmations, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, and the like. 
     While many gift givers choose to give tangible gifts on such festive or religious occasions, it is also customary to give a monetary gift in the form of cash, check or gift certificate. A monetary gift allows the recipient the freedom to decide how the gift may be used. 
     At a wedding reception, for example, it is common that the gift givers place their gift to the newlyweds on a large table as they enter into the reception area. For those guests who prefer to give a monetary gift, a large bowl or wishing well structure is often provided to collect and store the gifts during the monetary reception. The large bowl or wishing well structure is utilized in order to avoid the possibility of accidentally losing a gift or having a gift stolen from the reception area. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed a wishing well table linen to temporarily hold gifts. The wishing well table includes a table formed of a table top supported by a plurality of legs. The wishing well table further includes an aperture disposed through the tabletop. A removable pouch is attached to the aperture to receive the gifts. A wishing well is disposed over the aperture having an opening to receive the gifts to fall through the aperture into the removable pouch. Finally, a tablecloth with an aperture opening is provided to cover the table. 
     According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed a wishing well table to temporarily hold gifts. The wishing well table includes a table formed of a table top including an upper surface and bottom surface, and a plurality of legs that support the table. The wishing well table further includes an aperture disposed through the tabletop. A removable pouch is provided with reinforcement rings in the upper open part thereof. The removable pouch is secured to the aperture within the table top with a plurality of suspension members to receive the gifts. A wishing well is temporarily secured to the table top and disposed over the aperture having an opening to receive the gifts to fall through the aperture into the removable pouch. Finally, a tablecloth with an aperture opening is provided to cover the table. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The structure, operation, and advantages of the present invention will become further apparent upon consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures (Figs.). The figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Certain elements in some of the figures may be omitted, or illustrated not-to-scale, for illustrative clarity. The cross-sectional views may be in the form of “slices”, or “near-sighted” cross-sectional views, omitting certain background lines which would otherwise be visible in a “true” cross-sectional view, for illustrative clarity. 
       In the drawings accompanying the description that follows, both reference numerals and legends (labels, text descriptions) may be used to identify elements. If legends are provided, they are intended merely as an aid to the reader, and should not in any way be interpreted as limiting. 
         FIG. 1  is a front three-dimensional view of the wishing well table, in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a front three-dimensional view of the table top and gift receptacle, in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a three-dimensional view of the envelope receiving structure for use with the wishing well table, in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a front three-dimensional view of the wishing well table in combination with a first embodiment of a linen covering, in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In the description that follows, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations of these specific details are possible while still achieving the results of the present invention. Well-known processing steps are generally not described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obfuscating the description of the present invention. 
     In the description that follows, exemplary dimensions may be presented for an illustrative embodiment of the invention. The dimensions should not be interpreted as limiting. They are included to provide a sense of proportion. Generally speaking, it is the relationship between various elements, where they are located, their contrasting compositions, and sometimes their relative sizes that is of significance. 
     In the drawings accompanying the description that follows, often both reference numerals and legends (labels, text descriptions) will be used to identify elements. If legends are provided, they are intended merely as an aid to the reader and should not in any way be interpreted as limiting. 
     Wedding guests and guests at certain other festive occasions such as bridal showers, baby showers, anniversary parties, graduations and retirement parties will usually give a gift to the person or persons being honored. While tangible gifts are frequently given on such occasions, in many cases both the giver of gift and the person(s) receiving the gift would prefer a cash gift. Frequently a giver does not know what present the would-be recipient would like to receive, and the recipient frequently prefers the freedom of selection, which is afforded by a cash gift. 
     As a result, cash gifts, whether in the form of actual cash, a check, or a gift certificate are frequently given on festive occasions such as those mentioned above. Sometimes a large bowl for receipt of such gifts is provided, but more often such gifts are merely placed on a table which invites a risk that some of the gifts will be accidentally lost. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the wishing well table  10  is designed as a table  12  to temporarily hold checks, envelopes, greeting cards, gift cards, and other presents in a removable pouch  15 . A wishing well  16 , as seen in  FIG. 2 , is disposed over an aperture  14  within the table  12 . A check, greeting card, gift card, or envelope is inserted through an opening  18  within the wishing well  16 , and then falls through the aperture  14  in the table  12 , and lands within the removable pouch  15 . 
     Referring to the  FIG. 2 , the table  12  comprises a table top  20  having an upper surface  22  and a bottom surface  24 . The table  12  may be constructed of a variety of materials, such as metal, plastic or wood. The shape of the table  12  may be circular, square, rectangular, or any other desired shape. The standard height for the table  12  is 30 inches. 
     The table top  20  is supported by a plurality of legs  26 , such as legs  26   a ,  26   b ,  26   c , and  26   d , although any number of legs may be utilized. These legs  26  may be fixed in place and are rigidly connected to the table top, Alternatively, the legs  26  may fold against the bottom surface  24  of the table top  20 , such as is used on a card table. Near the center of the table is the aperture  14  to which the removable pouch  14  is attached. It should be noted that the table top  20  may be provided with more than one apertures  14 , to accommodate a plurality of wishing wells  16 . The aperture  14  may be located center, left or right side of the table  12  depending on the size and shape of the table. The table may also be folded in half with carrying handles or straps for easy transportation. 
     Although the aperture  14  is shown to have a circular or square configuration, it is envisioned that other configurations can be used, such as rectangular, triangular, etc., depending on the design choice. It is conceivable that table linen with a corresponding portion will be used to cover the aperture for special occasions. 
     The removable pouch  15  may be secured to the aperture  14  within the table top  20  in any desired fashion. For example, the inner surface of the aperture  14  may be provided with a plurality or variety of suspension members  28 , which can be shaped as latches and/or hooks. Depending on the size of the opening, the number of hooks can be increased with the increased size of the aperture  14 . The removable pouch  15  is suspended within the aperture  14  with the help of the suspension members. 
     The removable pouch  15  can be formed from any desired material, such as netting material or any fabric material. The removable pouch  15  may be provided with reinforcement rings  17  in the upper open part  19  thereof to facilitate suspending of the removable pouch from the suspension members  28 . As can be seen in  FIG. 2 , the removable pouch  15  extends below the bottom surface  24  of the table top  20 , to receive gifts and envelopes. 
     As seen in  FIG. 3 , the wishing well  16  may include any shaped gift receptacle. Although a three tiered gift receptacle is illustrated, any desired shape may be used. The wishing well  16  is adapted to receive monetary gifts through an opening or slot  18  located on the gift receptacle. 
     The wishing well  16  is baseless and is designed to sit directly over the aperture  14 . According to the preferred embodiment, the slot  18  for receiving gifts into the monetary gift receptacle may be located in either the upright sides of the integral base or in the roof of the integral structure. The slot  18  for receiving gifts may be located anywhere on the gift receptacle  16 , depending on its size. The site of the slot  18  will be selected based on the ease of accessibility to the removable pouch  15 . 
     The wishing well  16  may be temporarily secured to the table top  20 . For instance, there may be a Velcro strip  21  attached to the underside  16   a  of the wishing well  16  which can be secured to a corresponding Velcro strip  23  upon the upper surface  22  of the table top  20  surrounding the aperture  14 , or any other like product. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a tablecloth  30 , with a corresponding aperture opening  32  will be used to cover the wishing well table  10  for special occasions. As illustrated, the aperture opening  32  can accommodate the corresponding Velcro strip  23  upon the upper surface  22  of the table top  20 . The tablecloth  30  may be circular, square, rectangular, or any other desired shape that corresponds to the shape of the wishing well table  10 . The tablecloth  30  may be of any desired and appropriate dimensions, typically with dimensions adequate to properly cover the wishing well table  10 . 
     The tablecloth  30  provide an attractive cover for a table or a desk and also protect surface from spills and dirt. For certain types of indoor dining, particularly that which is formal or at least relatively formal, the tablecloth  30  will preferably be constructed of finer materials and may include a pattern or design to improve the appearance of the tablecloth. In this embodiment, the tablecloth  30  will tend to be relatively expensive and, therefore, reused. 
     For certain other uses, it is not necessary or even desirable that the tablecloth  30  be of the quality described above. Therefore, it is within the terms of the embodiment that a plastic tablecloth  30  will be utilized that is disposable. Further, the tablecloth  30  may be designed as part of an overall table setting, with coordinating napkins, placemats, or other decorative pieces. 
     As illustrated, there is aperture opening  32  formed within the tablecloth  30  which is designed to correspond to the aperture  14 . As such, when the tablecloth  30  is disposed over the wishing well table  10 , the aperture  14 , and the receptacle removable pouch  15  are accessible to the user. It must be noted that although the aperture opening  32  is shown to have a circular configuration, it is envisioned that other configurations can be used, such as rectangular, triangular, etc., depending on the shape of the aperture  14 . 
     Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to a certain preferred embodiment or embodiments, certain equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. In particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described components (assemblies, devices, etc.) the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs the specified function of the described component (i.e., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary embodiments of the invention. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more features of the other embodiments as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.