Patent Abstract:
A souvenir display design is described comprising a transparent or translucent housing, the housing having at least one flattened surface for supporting the housing on a planar surface and a recess in a surface of the housing for frictionally receiving and engaging a souvenir. In another embodiment, the souvenir display comprises a keychain type configuration.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to Provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/759,681, filed Jan. 17, 2006, to David Raisner, et al. entitled SOUVENIR DISPLAY DEVICE and Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/873,216 filed, Dec. 6, 2006 to David Raisner, et al. entitled SOUVENIR DISPLAY DEVICE, the entire contents of each of which are specifically incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     This application relates generally to souvenir display devices. More particularly, this application relates to display devices, which are generally transparent or translucent and which receive therein souvenirs such as casino chips for easy display thereafter.  
         [0003]     It is typical for consumers to purchase or receive souvenirs from vacations, holidays, trips and certain activities such as visits to casinos. Particularly, with respect to casinos, it is quite common to give as a gift or to take home one or more casino chips as a memento of the trip to the casino. In fact, many people routinely collect casino chips from various casinos as a memento or souvenir of their trip. Such casino chips and other souvenirs typically are placed on a table or in a drawer and are easily forgotten (as such souvenirs may be difficult to properly display).  
       SUMMARY  
       [0004]     The above-described and other problems and disadvantages of the art are overcome and alleviated by the present display device, which easily and efficiently stores a souvenir such as a casino chip for later display. An exemplary souvenir display device comprises a transparent or translucent plastic housing having a surface which includes an opening therein. The opening is sized and configured to allow the souvenir to be easily press fit (i.e., friction fit) therein. The housing also includes at least one flattened area so as to permit positioning of the housing on a flat surface such as a shelf or table. Because the housing is transparent or translucent, the souvenir is readably viewed from any side of the display device. Moreover, in the event that a different souvenir is desired to be placed in the display device, the friction fit will allow ease of removal of the souvenir with replacement of a different souvenir therein.  
         [0005]     Another exemplary display device comprises a keychain type configuration.  
         [0006]     The above-described display device is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and provides an easy cost-effective way of displaying a memento or other souvenir such as a casino chip.  
         [0007]     The above-discussed and other features and advantages of the present invention will be appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]     Referring now to the exemplary drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several FIGURES:  
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a front elevation view of an exemplary souvenir display device having a casino chip inserted therein in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is side elevation view of the display device of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the display device of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a perspective, exploded view of the display device of  FIG. 1  showing the casino chip being inserted therein;  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a front elevation view of another exemplary souvenir display device;  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a side cross sectional view of the display device of  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  is a front perspective view of the display device of  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0016]      FIG. 8  is a rear perspective view of the display device of  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0017]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an exemplary display device;  
         [0018]      FIG. 10  is a front schematic view of the exemplary display device of  FIG. 9 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 11  is a side schematic view of the exemplary display device of  FIG. 9 ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 12  is a front perspective view of an exemplary display device;  
         [0021]      FIG. 13  is a side schematic view of the exemplary display device of  FIG. 12 ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 14  is a front perspective view of an exemplary display device;  
         [0023]      FIG. 15  is an exploded view of the exemplary display device of  FIG. 14 ;  
         [0024]      FIG. 16  is a front perspective view of an exemplary display device;  
         [0025]      FIG. 17  is an exploded view of the exemplary display device of  FIG. 16 ;  
         [0026]      FIG. 18  is a front perspective view of an exemplary display device;  
         [0027]      FIG. 19  is an exploded view of the exemplary display device of  FIG. 18 ;  
         [0028]      FIG. 20  is a front perspective view of an exemplary display device; and  
         [0029]      FIG. 21  is a side schematic view of the exemplary display device of  FIG. 20 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0030]     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , an exemplary display device for displaying a souvenir such as a casino chip is shown generally at  10 . In this embodiment, the display device is shown having a cylindrical shape with a relatively circular front surface  12 , a similarly shaped back surface  14  and a substantially cylindrical side surface  16  between front and back surfaces  12  and  14 . A flattened support surface  18  is formed along a portion of cylindrical side surface  16 . It will be appreciated that flattened support surface  18  provides a surface for display device  10  to be positioned on a table, shelf or other flattened surface for display of a souvenir.  
         [0031]     Front surface  12  includes a cylindrical opening  20  therein. In this embodiment, opening  20  is comprised of a circular base surface  22  and a cylindrical sidewall  24 . Opening  20  is sized and configured to receive and frictionally engage with a souvenir such as a casino chip  26  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4 . In other words, the diameter and circumference of opening  24  is sized and configured such that casino chip  26  may be received into the opening but because the opening is slightly smaller than casino chip  26 , the chip will frictionally engage with and be retained by the sidewalls  24  of opening  20 . An exemplary dimension for opening  22  is a diameter of about 1.5 inch and a depth of about 0.1406 ( 9/16) inch.  
         [0032]     Display device  10  is of one-piece construction and preferably molded although the device could be machined from a single block of material. Display device  10  is made from a suitable polymeric material, which exhibits transparency and/or translucency, examples of which include acrylics or polycarbonates.  
         [0033]     Referring now the  FIGS. 5 and 6 , another exemplary display device is illustrated generally at  30 . In this embodiment, the display device is shown having a cylindrical shape with a relatively circular front surface  12 , a similarly shaped back surface  14  and a substantially cylindrical side surface  16  between front and back surfaces  12  and  14 . A flattened support surface  18  is formed along a portion of cylindrical side surface  16 . It will be appreciated that flattened support surface  18  provides a surface for display device  10  to be positioned on a table, shelf or other flattened surface for display of a souvenir.  FIGS. 7 and 8  show front and rear perspective views of the exemplary device of  FIGS. 5 and 6 .  
         [0034]     Front surface  12  includes a cylindrical opening  20  therein. In this embodiment, opening  20  is comprised of a circular base surface  22  and a cylindrical sidewall  24 . Opening  20  is sized and configured with one or more ribs  32  to receive and frictionally engage with a souvenir such as a casino chip  26  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4 . In other words, the diameter and circumference of opening  24  is sized and configured, and the at least one rib is formed therein, such that casino chip  26  may be received into the opening but because the inner circumference of the opening  20  with rib(s)  32  is slightly smaller than casino chip  26 , the chip will frictionally engage with and be retained by the rib(s)  32  of opening  20 . An exemplary dimension for opening  22  is a diameter of about 1.58 inch and a depth of about 0.1406 ( 9/16) inch. An exemplary dimension for each of three exemplary crush ribs on the sidewall  24  of the opening is about 0.03 inches protrusion from the sidewall  24 .  
         [0035]     Display device  10  is of one-piece construction and preferably molded although the device could be machined from a single block of material. Display device  10  is made from a suitable polymeric material, which exhibits transparency and/or translucency, examples of which include acrylics or polycarbonates. Referring to  FIG. 6 , to save materials and weight (and thus cost), the front side  12  of the display device  10  may be beveled from the outer circumference to the opening  20 . Also, a void  34  may be formed in the backside  16  of the display device, either or both of behind the opening  20  and behind the device  20  but outside the circumference of the opening  20 . Also, as illustrated, the relative volume of void space may differ across the display device, with the exemplary display device of  FIG. 6  having more volume removed in the outer periphery of the device back  16 , and less removed behind the opening  20 . The void may be formed by a molding process when making the device, machined after making the device, or the equivalent. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the void space creates a peripheral sidewall having about 0.15 inches of thickness on a display device that measures about 2.76 inches from top to bottom. Again, these dimensions are merely exemplary and not limiting.  
         [0036]     While the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 1-8  have an overall generally cylindrical configuration, it will be appreciated that this is an example only. In fact, display device  10  may have any suitable overall configuration such as a square, rectangle or any other geometric shape including symmetric or asymmetric geometries. Further, it will be appreciated that while the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-4  is sized to receive a coin-type souvenir (such as a casino chip) the opening  20  may be similarly configured to receive any other suitable souvenir such as a souvenir having a square, rectangular or other geometric shape, whether symmetrical or asymmetrical. It will also be appreciated that flattened surface  18  may have a variety of configurations and may include additional layers adhesively or otherwise applied thereto, such as a felt or fabric covering.  
         [0037]     Referring now to  FIGS. 9-11 , another exemplary display device is illustrated generally at  40 . This embodiment is of a key chain or FOB type, wherein the souvenir (not shown) will insert between front and rear faces  42 ,  44  through a top portion, shown generally at  46 . When inserted, the souvenir will be supported by at least one supporting interior contour (i.e., either conforming to the shape of the souvenir or having multiple points of contact ( 48 ,  50 ,  52  in  FIG. 10 ) to allow space around the souvenir, e.g., to at least some of the sides of the souvenir for viewing (see openings  54 ,  56 ,  58  in FIGS.  9 - 11 )). An opening  60  is provided through one or both of the front and rear  42 ,  44  of the device to accommodate a key chain or the like. In the presently illustrated exemplary embodiment, it is noted that something inserted through one of the openings  60  would effectively prevent the souvenir from sliding out of the device. In an exemplary embodiment, the display device is not more than twice the diameter of the souvenir. In another exemplary embodiment, the device is not more than 1.5 times the diameter of the souvenir. In another exemplary embodiment, the device is not more than 1.1 times the diameter of the souvenir.  
         [0038]     Of course, any portion of the device may have tackiness or be configured to frictionally engage the souvenir to resist movement of the souvenir in an installed configuration.  
         [0039]     Referring now to  FIGS. 12 and 13 , another exemplary embodiment allows for deformation of a part of the display device (in the illustrated case, at least a portion of the back surface  44 ) to accommodate the souvenir. Referring now to  FIGS. 20 and 21 , another exemplary embodiment allows for deformation of a part of the display device (in the illustrated case, spreading of an upper region  70  of the device) to accommodate the souvenir.  
         [0040]     Referring now to  FIGS. 14 and 15 , another exemplary embodiment allows for disassembly and reassembly of a part of the display device (in the illustrated case, disassembly of the front surface  42  from the back surface  44 ) to accommodate the souvenir. This embodiment may include any of various mechanisms to resist detaching of the pieces when assembled, including snap fits or other mechanical locks (see snap fit portions  62  configured to mate with recesses  64 ), among others.  FIGS. 16 and 17  illustrate another such embodiment, wherein two portions  66 ,  68  are hingedly attached.  FIGS. 18 and 19  illustrate another exemplary embodiment that allows for disassembly and reassembly of a part of the display device (in the illustrated case, a different kind of hinged relationship, where front and back surfaces  42 ,  44  include a hinge  72  therebetween) to accommodate the souvenir.  
         [0041]     While exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0