Patent Abstract:
A holder for a circle gazing globe has a receiver for receiving the tubular neck of the gazing globe and a member affixed to the receiver and encircling at least a portion of the gazing globe when the gazing globe is mounted in the receiver. The encircling member takes a variety of forms. In one aspect, a hanger is carried on the encircling member for movably coupling the encircling member and the gazing globe to a fixed support surface. In another aspect, at least two fingers are resiliently coupled to the receiver and have at least one portion engageable with the gazing globe to releasably mount the gazing globe in the receiver.

Full Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO CO-PENDING APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of the Sep. 30, 1998 filing date of provisional application Ser. No. 60/102,541 Sep. 30, 1998, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates, in general, to garden or landscaping ornamental structures and, more specifically, to gazing globes. 
     2. Description of the Art 
     So-called gazing globes have long been used as decorations in gardens and lawns. Such gazing globes are typically formed of a hollow, glass globe which has a small diameter and short length neck extending from the spherical portion of the globe. Gazing globes are provided in different colors, typically with a reflective, mirror finish. 
     Such globes typically rest and are supported on columns mounted on the ground or in small brackets attached to a wall or other vertical surface. A recess in the top surface of the columns and brackets receives the neck to stationarily position the gazing globe on the column or bracket. 
     It is also known to support gazing globes in a cylindrical sleeve or receiver which is mounted at one end of a support formed of one or more interconnected metal rods. In all such applications, the spherical portion of the gazing globe is disposed uppermost above the associated support column or collar so as to clearly view from all sides. 
     It would be desirable to provide a different type of gazing globe holder which provides a different aesthetic appearance, while still providing the necessary globe support function. It would also be desirable to provide a gazing globe holder which is capable of hanging a gazing globe from a support surface. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One aspect of the present invention is a holder for receiving a decorative gazing globe having a spherical body and a smaller diameter neck extending from the body. In one aspect, the holder includes a receiver which receives the neck of the gazing globe, and a member encircling at least a portion of the globe when the globe is mounted in the receiver. The receiver is joined to or carried on the member. 
     The receiver is preferably in the form of a hollow, cylindrical member. The encircling member is a tubular member which encircles, in one aspect, substantially all of the circumference of the gazing globe when the gazing globe is mounted in the receiver. In another aspect of the invention, the encircling member encircles less than the entire circumference of the gazing globe. In a specific aspect, the encircling member encircles substantially one-half of the circumference of the gazing globe. 
     The receiver member and the encircling member are preferably fixedly welded together. In one aspect, the encircling member has an arcuate shape. In another aspect, the encircling member has a polygonal shape. In yet another aspect, the encircling member is in the form of an annular disk having a central aperture through which the globe is disposed when mounted in the receiver. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, a hanger is carried on the receiver for hanging the gazing globe and the holder on a support. In one example, the hanger is in the form of a hook carried on the encircling member. 
     The receiver may also be mounted, in another aspect of the present invention, on an upright pedestal or stake for supporting the holder on a horizontal surface, such as the ground, a floor, etc. 
     In another aspect, the encircling member is in the form of at least two circumferentially spaced members each projecting from the receiver and engageable with the globe when the globe is mounted in the receiver. Each member has a first end affixed to the receiver and an opposed second end. The second end is freely moveable with respect to the first end and preferably disposed radially inwardly of the first end. Each member preferably extends non-planarly between the first and second ends. More specifically, each member preferably extends arcuately between the first and second ends. 
     The gazing globe holder of the present invention provides a unique ornamental or decorative appearance for a conventional gazing globe while providing support for the gazing globe on the ground or other support. The present holder uniquely enables a gazing globe to rotate under manual force or in the wind when the gazing globe holder carries a hanger connected to a support surface. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     The various features, advantages and other uses of the present invention will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description and drawing in which: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded, perspective view of one embodiment of a gazing globe holder according to the present invention 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the gazing globe holder shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a gazing globe holder according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of yet another embodiment of a gazing globe holder according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of a gazing globe holder according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of the gazing globe holder according to the present invention; and 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the gazing globe holder shown in FIG. 6 with a modified stand. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawing and to FIGS. 1-3, in particular, there is depicted a support or holder which is ideally suited for stationarily supporting a gazing globe  10 . 
     As is conventional, the gazing globe  10  has a spherical portion  12  with a generally cylindrical, tubular neck  14  projecting therefrom. The gazing globe  10  is typically formed of blown glass and has a hollow interior. 
     In a first embodiment of a gazing globe holder  16  according to the present invention, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the holder  16  includes a receiver  20  which functions to snugly receive the small diameter and short length neck  14  projecting from the spherical portion  12  of the globe  10 . Although the receiver  20  can take many different forms, by way of example only, the receiver  20  is in the form of a hollow, cylindrical body  22  having a first end  24  and an opposed second end  26 . The overall length of the body  22  is approximately the length of the neck  14  of a conventional gazing globe  10 . 
     However, it will be understood that since gazing globes  10  can be provided in different sizes with different diameter spherical portions  12  and different length and diameter necks  14 , the body  22  of the receiver  20  can also take many different forms or sizes so as to be snugly receive the neck  14  of one of many different sized gazing globes  10 . 
     Regardless of the size of the neck  14  of the globe  10 , the inner diameter of the body  22  of the receiver  20  will be approximately the same as the outer diameter of the neck  14  so as to securely receive and support the gazing globe  10  without substantial movement of the globe  10  in the body  22 . 
     According to the present invention, an encircling member  30  is provided which encircles at least a portion of the outer surface of the spherical portion  12  of the gazing globe  10  when the gazing globe  10  is securely mounted within the receiver  20 . The encircling member  30  may be formed of any material, such as metal, plastic, etc., with metal being preferred for long use under harsh exterior conditions. 
     In one aspect of the invention, the encircling member  30  is in the form of a ring  32  formed of a generally square cross section tube. It will be understood that rectangular, circular or other cross sectional shapes may also be used for the ring  32 . The ring  32  may be formed of a continuous member or as an elongated strip which is bent into a circle prior to having the ends of the strip joined together, such as by welding. 
     The ring  32  is preferably powder coated in any color. The color may match the color of the gazing globe  10  mounted in the receiver  20  or be of a contrasting color, such as black. In the case of a plastic material used to form the ring  32 , the selected color is blended with the plastic when molded, extruded, etc. 
     The ring  32  is fixedly secured to the body  22  of the receiver  20  by welding, mechanical fasteners or other suitable means. In one mounting arrangement shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the second end  26  of the body  22  of the receiver  20  is mounted on the interior surface of the ring  32  and secured thereto by welding, fasteners, etc. Other mounting arrangements will be described hereafter in conjunction with alternate embodiments of the gazing globe holder of the present invention. 
     In the aspect of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ring member  32  completely encircles the spherical portion  12  of the globe  10  to provide a unique appearance for the gazing globe  10 . In addition, the ring  32  provides an additional feature in that it may be employed to hang the gazing globe  10  from a support, not shown. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a hanger  36  in the form of a hook, ring or other attachment is carried on the ring  32 , generally spaced 180° or directly opposite from the mounting position of the receiver body  22 . In one embodiment, the hook  36  has a closed end which extends from a stem mounted through an aperture in the ring  32 . One end of the stem  32  is bent or otherwise secured to the ring  32  to mount the hook  36  on the ring  32 . A connector member  38 , such as a string, wire, cable, etc., may be tied or fastened to the hook  36  to support the entire ring member  32  and the gazing globe  10  mounted therein from an external support, such as a tree, trellis, stand, etc. 
     In addition to encircling the spherical portion  12  of the gazing globe  10 , the ring  32  is also spaced from the exterior surface of the spherical portion  12  of the gazing globe  10  for aesthetic appearance purposes as well as to enable the gazing globe  10  to be inserted into and be removed from the receiver body  22 . 
     FIG. 3 depicts an alternate embodiment of a gazing globe holder  50  according to the present invention. In this aspect of the invention, the holder  50  includes the same receiver  20  described above and shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The ring member  32  of the first embodiment is replaced by an arcuate or other shaped strip member  52  having opposed first and second ends  54  and  56 . 
     The strip member  52 , which is depicted by way of example only as having the same square cross sectional shape and curved radius configuration as the ring member  32  of the first embodiment of the holder  16 , will also be understood to be able to be formed with different cross sections and different shapes. The illustrated 180° arcuate shape for the strip member  52  is by way of example only. Other shapes for the strip member  52  will be described hereafter. 
     The first end  54  of the strip member  52  is fixedly connected to the receiver body  22  by welding, fasteners, etc. In one mounting arrangement, the first end  54  of the strip member  52  may underlie the entire diameter of the receiver body  22 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     However, in the aspect of the invention depicted in FIG. 3, the first end  54  of the strip member  52  may be fixedly secured by means of a mechanical fastener, welding, etc., to the side wall of the body  22  of the receiver  20  to integrally join the strip member  52  and the receiver  20 . 
     An aperture is formed in the second end  56  of the strip member  52  and receives a hook  58 . The hook  58  is connectible to a hanger, such as a string or cable  38  as in the first embodiment, to enable the strip member  52  to be hung from an external support, such as a tree, deck, trellis, stand, bracket or other hanger mounted on a wall of a building, home, etc., or in the ground. 
     The strip member  52  encircles only a portion of the gazing globe  10  mounted in the receiver  20  and is spaced from the exterior surface of the spherical portion  12  of the gazing globe  10  along the entire length of the strip member  52 . 
     In both of the first and second embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-3, since the ring member  32  and the strip member  52  are supported by means of a wire or cable  38  from an external support, the entire holder  30  or  50  may be rotatable about the interconnecting cable  38 . 
     This enables the gazing globe  10  to be rotated either by manual force or by the wind to provide a moving aesthetic appearance which has not been heretofore provided for gazing globes. 
     Referring now to FIG. 4, there is depicted yet another aspect of a holder  70  for the gazing globe  10 . FIG. 4 depicts two unique aspects of the present gazing globe holder. First, the holder  70 , in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, has a polygonal shape, such as an exemplary triangular configuration, formed of planar or arcuate legs  72 ,  74 ,  76  and  78  which may be formed of a single continuous member bent into the desired triangular or other polygonal shape, or provided in a number of separate segments which are joined together, such as by welding, for example, into the polygonal shape. 
     It will be understood that the specific example of a triangular shape for the holder  70  illustrates the construction of the gazing globe holder of the present invention in any polygonal shape, as well as for other non-polygonal shapes, such as oval. Such polygonal or non-polygonal shapes as well as various design shapes, such as elliptical, oval, serpentine, or other irregular shapes apply equally to a continuous holder, such as holder  30  or to a partial encircling holder, such as holder  50 . 
     In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the legs  76  and  78  of the support  70  are spaced apart and secured by welding or fasteners to opposite portions of the side wall of the body  22  of the receiver  20 . 
     The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 also depicts the support  70  as being mounted on a stationary post  80  extending from a base  82  which can be mounted on the ground, floor or other generally horizontal surface. The post  80  could also be mounted directly in the ground without the need for the base  82 . A cross bar  84  is mounted interiorly within the body  22  of the receiver  20  generally adjacent to the second end  26  of the body  22 . The post  80  is connected to the cross bar  84 , such as by welding, for example. 
     It will be understood that the post  80  may take other configurations as conventional in gazing globe supports or to suit the particular aesthetic appearance of an artist. 
     Another embodiment of a gazing globe holder  90  is depicted in FIG.  5 . In this aspect of the invention, the holder  90  is depicted as being mounted on the post  80  which can be mounted directly in the ground or attached to the base or pedestal  82  as described above and shown in FIG.  4 . 
     The holder  90  includes a receiver  92  which is in the form of a decorative, cylindrical member, such as a tubular wire coil. A cross bar, not shown, may be mounted interiorly within the receiver  92  for connection to one end of the post  80 . Alternately, the receiver  92  may take on other forms, such as a smooth exterior tubular member of circular, polygonal or other shape. In this embodiment, by example only, the inner diameter of the receiver  92  is greater than the outer diameter of the neck of the gazing globe  10 . 
     A unique feature of the holder  90  is the formation of the encircling member as a plurality of support fingers, with three support fingers, each denoted by reference number  94 , being shown by example only. Each support finger  94  may be individually attached at one end to the receiver  92 , such as by welding, soldering, etc. Alternately, as shown in FIG. 5, each of the plurality of support fingers  94  is integrally formed or attached to an annular ring  96  which is fixedly mounted on one end of the receiver  92 , by welding, mechanical fasteners or the like. The ring  96  has an inner aperture through which the neck of the gazing globe  10  extends into the receiver  92  in a non-contacting arrangement. It should be noted that at least two and preferably three, four or even more support fingers  94  may be provided on the ring  96 . 
     The support fingers  94  have a flower petal-like shape with a first end connected to the ring  96  and the outer edges smoothly or sharply tapering to an opposed apex or tip  98 . As shown in FIG. 5, each of the support fingers  94  extends smoothly outward from the first end connected to the ring  96  such that the tip  98  of each support finger  94  extends radially outward beyond the outer diameter of the ring  96 . 
     The support fingers  94  are preferably formed of a resilient, spring-like material, such as a spring steel. This provides resiliency to each of the support fingers  94 . 
     In a normal relaxed state, the tips  98  of each of the support fingers  94  define an opening which has a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the gazing globe  10 . However, the gazing globe  10  may be easily forced past the tips  98  of the support fingers  94  which urges the tips  98  of the support fingers  94  radially outward allowing the circumference of the gazing globe  10  to pass beyond the tips  98  into a cavity between the inner surfaces of the support fingers  94 . Due to the resiliency of the support fingers  94 , the tip ends  98  of the support fingers  94  follow the contour of the gazing globe  10  and move radially inward toward their normal, relaxed position to firmly support the gazing globe  10  in the holder  90 . In this supporting position, it can be seen in FIG. 5 that the tips  98  of the support fingers  94  engage the gazing globe  10  at a position above the equator of the gazing globe  10 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, there is depicted yet another aspect of the present gazing globe holder denoted by reference number  100 . In this aspect, the holder  100  includes a receiver  20  as described previously for other embodiments of the present invention. A support  102  in the form of an elongated pole or stake is joined at one end to the receiver  20 , such as by welding, and projects therefrom for emplacement in the ground to support the receiver  20  above the ground. Alternately, the support  102  could be in the form of a stationary post  80  and base  82  as shown in FIG.  4 . 
     The holder  100  also includes a pair of arms  104  and  106  which are joined at one end to the receiver  20 , such as by welding, fasteners, etc., and project outwardly therefrom, generally in an arcuate shape by example only. The arms  104  and  106  may be formed of any suitable material, such as metal, plastic, etc., with metal being preferred due to the normal outdoor use of the gazing globe holder  100 , and are formed from a thin metal sheet in identical arcuate shapes having the same radius. 
     The arms  104  and  106  have different arcuate lengths by example only. The outer ends of each of the arms  104  and  106  are fixedly joined to a disk  108  having a central aperture  110  formed therein. The disk  108  is fixedly joined to the ends of each of the arms  104  and  106  by suitable fastening means, such as welding, rivets, or other mechanical fasteners. Due to the different arcuate length of the arms  104  and  106 , the disk  108  is disposed at an angle to horizontal when the holder  100  is mounted in the ground or otherwise supported on an underlying surface. 
     The central aperture  110  has a diameter to enable the gazing globe  10  to be freely passed therethrough into and out of engagement with the receiver  20 . However, an upper portion of the gazing globe  10  projects through the aperture  110  and the disk  108  when the gazing globe  10  is fully mounted in the receiver  20 , the gazing globe  10  and the disk  108  bear a decorative resemblance to the planet Saturn. 
     Although the disk  108  is depicted as having a solid form between inner and outer diametrical edges, it will be understood that the disk  108  may actually be in the form of multiple radially spaced disks interconnected to each other by thin ribs or strips. 
     FIG. 7 depicts a modified support  120  usable with the gazing globe holder  100  described above and shown in FIG.  6 . In this aspect of the invention, the support  120  is shown by example only in the form of a thin rod having multiple bends forming individual angular disposed segments between opposed ends to provide a decorative appearance for the support  120 . It will also be understood that the angular segmented shape of the support  120  may also be used with an underlying base  82  as shown in FIG.  4 . 
     Although different shaped encircling members as well as underlying support posts have been individually depicted in various aspects or embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that the present invention contemplates the use of any of the encircling members with any of the support members in any combination to form a pleasing decorative appearance. 
     In summary, there has been disclosed a holder for a decorative gazing globe having a conventional spherical body and a small diameter neck extending from the body. The holder includes a receiver for receiving the neck of the globe. A member encircles at least a portion of the globe when the globe is mounted in the receiver. The receiver is fixed to the member. 
     The receiver preferably comprises a hollow cylindrical member having an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the neck of a conventional gazing globe for securely receiving and supporting the gazing globe therein without movement. 
     The support member, which is disclosed in a plurality of embodiments, encircles at least a portion of or an entire circumference of the gazing globe when the gazing globe is mounted in the receiver. 
     A hanger is mounted on the support member for hanging the support member and the gazing globe mounted in the receiver on the support member to an external support. This enables the gazing globe and the support to rotate under manual force or by the wind to provide a moving, dynamic decoration. The support may also be stationarily mounted on a post mountable in the ground or to a base or pedestal.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1