Patent Abstract:
Designs of bottle sets are disclosed to highlight a sign in a transparent container. In one embodiment, a bottle set includes a bottle and a base. A fixture is provided and disposed within the bottle. The fixture includes a light guide extended from an interior bottom of the bottle. The bottle is positioned onto the base, where the base provides a light source lighting of which is guided through the light guide to shine the mark on the fixture.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention is generally related to the area of wine display. Particularly, the present invention is related to bottle designs of highlighting a sign in a transparent container. More specifically, the present invention is related to designs of highlighting a brand in a wine bottle. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A wine bottle is a bottle used for holding wine, generally made of glass. Some wines are fermented in the bottle, others are bottled only after fermentation. They come in a large variety of sizes. The standard bottle contains 750 mL, although this is a relatively recent development. Wine bottles are usually sealed with cork, but screw-top caps are becoming popular, and there are several other methods used to seal a bottle. 
     After a wine bottle is done, a label designed in various fashions, is put on the bottle. The label is often the only resource a buyer has for evaluating the wine before purchasing it. Certain information is always included in the wine label, such as the country of origin, quality, type of wine, alcoholic degree, producer, bottler, or importer. Some wineries place great importance on the label design while others do not. There are wineries that have not changed their label&#39;s design for many years, while others hire designers every year to change it. The elegance of a label does not determine the quality of wine in the bottle but may attract the attention of a consumer, possibly creating a purchase desire towards the wine. 
     No matter how the label is designed, the variations are being repeated or limited. An elegant design of a label together with a bottle may lose its elegance among many bottles of wine in a display rack. 
     There is a need for other types of bottle designs that go beyond the traditional label designs and attract the attention of consumers while being displayed. 
     SUMMARY 
     This section is for the purpose of summarizing some aspects of embodiments of the present invention and to briefly introduce some preferred embodiments. Simplifications or omissions in this section as well as in the title and the abstract of this disclosure may be made to avoid obscuring the purpose of the section, the title and the abstract. Such simplifications or omissions are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. 
     Broadly speaking, the present invention is related to bottle designs of highlighting a sign in a transparent container. According to one aspect of the present invention, the present invention is related to designs of highlighting a mark or marks in a wine bottle (e.g., a vodka bottle). A fixture is provided and disposed within the bottle. The fixture includes a light guide extended from an interior bottom of the bottle. The bottle is positioned onto the base, where the base provides a light source lighting of which is guided through the light guide to shine the mark on the fixture. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, the mark(s) are pre-distorted to compensate visual distortion through a glass bottle and/or liquid content in the bottle. The mark(s) are imprinted, itched and marked on the fixture. With the illumination provided in the light guide, the mark(s) are shined or highlighted. As a result, a bottle set designed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention stands out with illuminated marks or brand names among all displays, considerably attracting attentions from shoppers or visitors. 
     Embodiments of the invention may be implemented in numerous ways, including a method, a bottle set, or a part of a display system. According to one embodiment, the present invention is a bottle set comprising: a base including a light source to provide illumination; a bottle being fit onto the base; and an elongated fixture disposed in a central position with the bottle, wherein the fixture includes a light guide to collect the illumination and shine a mark on the fixture. 
     According to another embodiment, the present invention is a method for a bottle set including a bottle and a base, the method comprises providing a fixture in a bottle, wherein the fixture including a light guide is extended from an interior bottom of the bottle; and sitting the bottle onto the base, wherein the base provides a light source lighting of which is guided through the light guide to shine a mark on the fixture. 
     There are numerous objects, features, and advantages in the present invention. These objects, features, and advantages will become apparent upon examining the following detailed description of various embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a bottle set designed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2A  shows a wine bottle set including a bottle sitting on a base, wherein a fixture carrying a brand name is disposed within the bottle; 
         FIG. 2B  shows an exposed view of a base used in  FIG. 2A ; 
         FIG. 2C  shows a cross-section view of the base used in  FIG. 2A ; 
         FIG. 2D  shows a cross-section view of an interior bottom of a bottle. 
         FIG. 3A  shows an example of a light guide having a rectangular cross-section; and 
         FIG. 3B  shows an embodiment of a fixture that is typically used in a situation in which the fixture extends all the way to the neck of a bottle. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will become obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. The descriptions and representations herein are the common means used by those experienced or skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. In other instances, well-known components have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the present invention. 
     Reference herein to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Further, the order of blocks in process flowcharts or diagrams representing one or more embodiments of the invention do not inherently indicate any particular order nor imply any limitations in the invention. 
     Embodiments of the present invention are discussed herein with reference to  FIGS. 1-3B . However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extends beyond these limited embodiments. 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a bottle set  100  designed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The bottle set  100  includes a wine bottle  102 , a base  104  and a fixture  104 . In one embodiment, the base  102  facing the bottom of the wine bottle  102  is molded to have a shape fitting nicely with the exterior bottom of the wine bottle  102  so that the wine bottle  102  is comfortably sitting on the base  102 . In another embodiment, the wine bottle  102  is bonded together with the base  104  using a type of adhesive. 
     The fixture  104  is vertically disposed within the wine bottle  102 , preferably in the center therein. In one embodiment, the fixture  104  is extended between the interior bottom of the wine bottle  102  and the neck of the wine bottle  102 . In another embodiment, one end of the fixture  104  is bonded to the interior bottom of the wine bottle  102  and the other end of the fixture  104  is extended to the neck of the wine bottle  102  where it meets a cork used to seal the bottle  102 . In still another embodiment, the fixture  104  is extended all the way to the opening of the bottle  102 . One of the features in the present invention is to shine marks (e.g., brand names) imprinted on the fixture  104  using guided illumination from the base  104 . Depending on implementation, the marks may be a brand name and/or type of wine. A display of a bottle set in accordance with the present invention will make the product in the bottle set stand out among all other displays, attracting sufficient attention from consumers. 
       FIG. 2A  shows a wine bottle set  200  including a bottle  202  sitting on a base  204 , wherein a fixture  206  carrying a brand name is disposed within the bottle  202 . The fixture  206  includes a light guide that collects illumination from the base  204  and guides the illumination along the light guide, so as to shine the brand name imprinted on the fixture  206 . In one embodiment, the fixture  206  is positioned in a central position of the bottle  202  by a centering device  208  including two pieces to ensure that the fixture  206  does not move. 
       FIG. 2B  shows an exposed view of the base  204 . The base itself may be made of a solid material (e.g., a rigid plastic material or stone). The base  204  includes at least three felt pads  210  to stabilize the standing of the bottle set  200  on a flat surface. The base  204  further includes a light source (e.g., an LED)  212 , a battery  214  to energize the light source  212 , a switch  216  to switch on or off the light source  212 . In another embodiment, the base  204  may also include a timer that may automatically turn off the light source  212  after a predefined period (e.g., 4 hours). 
       FIG. 2C  shows a cross-section view of the base  204 . After the fixture  206  is positioned in the bottle  202 , an adjustment means is provided to ensure that the light source (LED)  212  is aligned with the light guide. In one embodiment, the adjustment means includes an adjustment screw  210  that may be adjusted in or out to push a clamp pin  220  that in return adjusts the position of an adjustable LED holder  222 . In one embodiment, an aperture or lens  224  may be used to focus lighting from the LED  212  onto the light guide in the bottle  202 . In one embodiment, the base  204  is so designed to appear to be integrated with the bottle  202 . With proper decoration or artistic design on the exterior, the base  204  appears to be part of the bottle  202 , thus forming an elegant design of a bottle set. 
       FIG. 2D  shows a cross-section view of an interior bottom  230  of a bottle. To secure a fixture  234  in the bottom  230  of the bottle, two centering pieces  232  are used to hold the fixture  234  in the middle of the bottom  230  so that lighting from the base can be projected onto the light guide in the fixture  234 . The lighting traveling in the light guide subsequently shines or highlights marks on the fixture  234 . 
       FIG. 3A  shows an example of a light guide  300  having a rectangular cross-section. It should be noted that a triangular or a circular cross-section light guide is also feasible. In one embodiment, marks or brand names are itched into the surfaces of the light guide  300 , but are not-overlapping on each side. In other words, the marks do not lie on the same horizontal plane for all sides. To minimize visual distortion through a glass bottle, in one embodiment, the marks on the light guide  300  are pre-distorted in a way that compensates the visual distortion through the glass bottle. 
     In one embodiment, the light guide  300  is hollow and the marks are on the exterior surface of the light guide  300 . The interior surface of the light guide  300  is coated with a type of reflective material so that the light coming into the light guide  300  is fairly evenly distributed to shine the marks. In another embodiment, the light guide  300  is made of a type of mylar film to form an elongated cylinder with a type of paint inside of the cylinder for the light to transmit evenly to all the letters imprinted on the film. 
       FIG. 3B  shows an embodiment of a fixture  310  that is typically used in a situation in which the fixture extends all the way to the neck of a bottle. The fixture  310  includes two parts  312  and  314 . The top part  312  is provided to facilitate the flow of liquid while the bottom part  314  is essentially a light guide to guide lighting from a base to illuminate marks on the fixture  310 . 
     Without obstructing the flow of liquid from the opening of the bottle, the top part  312  of the fixture  310  is made hollow. There are openings  316  on the top part  312  of the fixture  310  so that the fluid can flow out of the bottle through the openings  316  without following into the bottom part  314 . 
     The current invention may be implemented in different forms, including a part of a display system, a method and a bottle set. One of the important features in the present invention is to shine marks on a fixture to attract attentions from others on display. It should be noted that two separate words “fixture” and “light guide” are user herein, depending on implementation, they may mean the same thing or two different things (one being included or interested within another). 
     The present invention has been described in sufficient details with a certain degree of particularity. It is understood to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure of embodiments has been made by way of examples only and that numerous changes in the arrangement and combination of parts may be resorted without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the forgoing description of embodiments.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5