GB2548436A

GB2548436A - Trophy assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2548436A
Application number: GB1617057.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Cowan John-Paul
Original assignee: Brafferton Hyde Holdings Ltd
Current assignee: Brafferton Hyde Holdings Ltd
Priority date: 2016-01-20
Filing date: 2016-10-07
Publication date: 2017-09-20
Also published as: GB201617057D0; GB201601079D0

Abstract

A trophy assembly 30 comprises a base 32, a connector element 33, and a decorative element 34. The base includes a bore 31 which may be internally threaded and may further include a housing 41 shaped to receive a nut 38. The connector element has an upper face and a lower face. The lower face is provided with a rod 36 received in the bore whilst the upper face is provided with a plurality of resilient teeth 35. The rod may be threaded and there are preferably six or ten resilient teeth. The decorative element is provided with a hollow portion 37 shaped to receive the resilient teeth in a push fit arrangement. In use, the push-fit attachment allows the trophy to be assembled in a reduced amount of time than conventional trophy assemblies.

Description

Trophy Assembly

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to trophy assemblies and in particular to trophy assemblies comprising component parts that are assembled by trophy dealers.

Background of the Invention

Trophies typically comprise a base, onto which is mounted an upper, decorative part such as a cup or figurine, optionally with additional risers or columns therebetween. A typical trophy assembly is illustrated in Figure 1. The trophy is assembled, and held together, by a rod member 10 which passes throu^ a bore 11 in the trophy base 12. The rod member 10 is provided with opposite upper and lower threaded end portions 13 and 14. A sleeve 15 is provided with two internally threaded openings 19, 20. The lower opening 19 of the sleeve 15 is provided with an internal thread corresponding to the external thread of the end portion 14 of the rod member 10. The upper end of the rod member 10 passes through a decorative hollow column or riser element 16 and through the opening 18 of an upper lid 17. The upper end portion 14 of the rod 10 is then screwed into the threaded opening 19 of the sleeve 15. The figurine 22 has a base 21 with a threaded projection 23 depending therefrom which is screwed into the upper end 20 of the sleeve 15. The rod member 10 is then secured to the base 12 by a nut 24 which is screwed onto the threaded end portion 13 of the rod member 10. The nut 24 will be located in a recess (not shown) in the bottom surface of the base 12.

Different risers, figurines, and/or cups can be connected to different bases allowing a number of different trophies to be created. The assembling of the trophy typically either takes place at the trophy sales outlet, or at the trophy distributor. It is a time consuming task since all of the different elements must be first threaded onto the rod, and then must be properly aligned with the base. Aligning the different parts of the trophy usually requires adjustment of the nut underneath the base after all of the parts have been joined together.

It would be desirable to provide an improved trophy assembly that reduces the time taken to assemble trophies of this nature.

Summary of the Invention

According to the invention there is provided a trophy assembly comprising a base, a connector element, and at least one decorative element, wherein: the base includes a bore; the connector element comprises an upper face and a lower face and the lower face is provided with a rod shaped to be received in the bore, and the upper face is provided with a plurality of resilient teeth; and wherein at least one of the at least one decorative element includes a hollow portion shaped to receive the resilient teeth in a push fit arrangement.

Preferably the rod is threaded. This allows a nut to be threaded onto the rod once it has been passed through the bore in the base.

The at least one decorative element may be selected from the group comprising: figurines, cups, risers, columns, pedestals and other trophy toppers.

Preferably the shape of the connector element is selected from the group comprising: hexagonal, octagonal, square, circular and triangular. A shape with straight sides is preferred since it allows the connector element to be easily aligned with the base.

The connector element may be provided with six resilient teeth. Alternatively, the connector element may be provided with ten resilient teeth.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a connector element for use in a trophy assembly, the connector element having an upper face and a lower face, wherein the lower face is provided with a rod, and the upper face is provided with a plurality of resilient teeth.

Preferably the shape of the connector element is selected from the group comprising: hexagonal, octagonal, square circular and triangular. A shape with straight sides is preferred since it allows the connector element to be easily aligned with the base.

Preferably the rod is threaded.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a trophy component comprising a trophy base connected to a connector element wherein: the base includes a bore; the connector element comprises an upper face and a lower face and the lower face is provided with a rod shaped to be received in the bore, and the upper face is provided with a plurality of resilient teeth; and wherein the rod is received in the bore in the base and secured thereto.

Preferably the rod is threaded and preferably the connector element is secured to the base by threading a nut onto the rod from the underside of base.

Alternatively, the rod may be secured within the bore in the base by means of adhesive, by means of a press fit or push fit arrangement, or by means of an alternative fastener.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a metliod of assembling a trophy comprising the step of connecting a decorative element to a trophy component as hereinbefore defined, the trophy component including a trophy base and a connector element; wherein the decorative element includes a hollow portion shaped to receive the resilient teeth of the connector element in a push fit arrangement.

According to a further aspect of the invention , there is provided a trophy assembly comprising a base, and at least one decorative element, wherein the base includes means for securing a threaded member thereto.

The means for securing the threaded member thereto may comprise a housing shaped to receive a nut. Alternatively, the means for securing the threaded member thereto may comprise an internally threaded channel. Preferably the channel is a tube such as a metal tube.

The trophy assembly may further comprise a connector element as hereinbefore defined, and the base may include a hollow portion shaped to receive the resilient teeth of the connector element in a push fit arrangement.

The invention provides an improved trophy assembly that reduces the time taken to assemble trophies made up of several component parts.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the trophy assembly of the invention, and are by way of example:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a prior art trophy assembly;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a trophy assembly according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional exploded view of the trophy assembly of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of part of an alternative trophy assembly;

Figure 5 is an exploded side view of a trophy assembly according to a further embodiment of the invention;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional exploded view of the trophy assembly of Figure 5;

Figure 7a is an exploded perspective view of part of an alternative trophy assembly;

Figure 7b is a cross-sectional view of the trophy assembly of Figure 7a;

Figure 7c is a perspective view from underneath the trophy base of the assembly of Figure 7a;

Figure 8a is an exploded perspective view from below of part of an alternative trophy assembly;

Figure 8b is an exploded perspective view from above of the trophy assembly of Figure 8a;

Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view of part of an alternative trophy assembly;

Figure 10a is an exploded perspective view of part of an alternative trophy assembly;

Figure 10b is a cross-sectional view of the trophy assembly of Figure 10a;

Figure 11a is an exploded perspective view of part of a trophy assembly according to a further embodiment of the invention; and

Figure 11b is a side on view of the trophy assembly of Figure 11a.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Referring now to Figure 2, a trophy 30 includes a base 32 with a bore 31 therethrough; a connector element 33, and a decorative element 34. The decorative element 34 is attached to a base portion 37. The connector element 33 has a upper side which is provided with a plurality of resilient teeth 35, and a lower side which is provided with a threaded rod 36. To assemble the trophy 30 the connector element 33 is first secured to the trophy base 32. The threaded rod 36 is passed through the bore 31 in the trophy base 32 and a nut 38 is screwed onto the threaded rod 36. The nut 38 will preferably be located in a recess (41, see Figure 3) in the bottom surface of the base 32. At this stage the connector element can be correctly aligned with the trophy base 32 so that when the decorative element 34 as is attached it will be in the correct orientation. In the illustrated embodiment the connector element 33 is hexagonal in shape. The hexagonal shape allows the connector element 33 to be easily aligned with the trophy base 32, for example, as shown in Figure 1, one of the straight edges of the connector element 33 may easily be aligned such that it is parallel to the front edge 39 of the trophy base 32.

Figure 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view throu|^ the trophy 30, with the connector element 33 already connected to the trophy base 32. The base portion 37 of the decorative element 34 is hollow As shown in Figure 3, the inside of the hollow base 37 is shaped to provide a lip 40. The resilient teeth 35 on the connector element 33 are each shaped to fit into the lip 40 on the base portion 37 of the decorative element 34. In this way the decorative element 34 is easily connected to the connector element 33, and hence the trophy base 32 using this push fit or snap fit arrangement. Since the connector element 33 has already been adjusted to be in the correct orientation the decorative element can simply be pushed onto the base and no final adjustment is required.

The lip 40 inside the hollow base portion 37 of the decorative element 34 may be moulded as an integral part of the decorative element. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 4, a separate piece 42 which includes the lip 40 may be inserted into the base portion 37 of the decorative element.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate a trophy which includes additional decorative elements. Identical components are referred to by the same reference numerals.

Referring now to Figures 5 and 6, a trophy 50 includes a base 32 with a bore 31 therethrough and a connector element 33. In this trophy the decorative upper element of the trophy is made up of a stem element 51, a cup base 52 and a cup bowl 53.

As before, the connector element 33 is first secured to the trophy base 32 and aligned correctly therewith. The threaded rod 36 is passed through the bore 31 in the trophy base 32 and a nut 38 is screwed onto the threaded rod 36. The nut 38 will preferably be located in a recess (41, see Figure 6) in the bottom surface of the base 32.

The stem element 51 is hollow and has an upper end provided with resilient teeth 35’ and a lower end which is shaped internally to provide a lip 40’. The resilient teeth 35 on the connector element 33 are each shaped to fit into the lip 40’ on the stem element 51. In this way the stem element 51 is easily connected to the connector element 33, and hence the trophy base 32 using this push fit or snap fit arrangement. In this example the stem element 51 is moulded in two parts which attach separately to the trophy base 32. The trophy 50 illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 is finished off with the addition of a cup element. The cup element comprises a cup bowl 53 and a cup base 52 which are connected together using a nut 54 and screw 55 which passes through a hole 56 in the cup base 52. The cup base 52 is hollow and is shaped internally to include a lip 40” which connects with the resilient teeth 35’ of the stem element 51. The cup element is therefore a push fit onto the stem element 51 of the trophy 50. Decorative figurines or cups are often attached to trophies using a threaded nut and bolt arrangement as shown in Figures 5 and 6. One of the advantages of the invention is that it improves the process for constructing the trophy whilst allowing widely available trophy components to be used.

It is envisaged that the connector element 33 and the trophy base 32 are assembled together and properly aligned in advance. Then, the final step of adding a decorative element such as either the decorative element 34, or a stem element 51 and a cup element, or a stem element and a figurine can be added quickly and easily at the point of purchase. A decorative element such as the cup shown in Figure 6 may alternatively be attached to a cup base as illustrated in Figures 7a, 7b and 7c. Figure 7a illustrates a cup base 57, the underside of which comprises a nut housing 58, shown in Figure 7c, shaped to receive a nut 54. To assemble the trophy, a screw or bolt 55 or other threaded member is inserted through an aperture 56 in the cup base 57 and tightened onto the nut 54. The cup, or other decorative element, is not shown in Figure 7a but would be positioned between the two washers 59. A decorative cap 60 may be connectable to the top of the bolt 55.

In an alternative embodiment, as illustrated in Figures 8a and 8b, the upper side of the cup base 61 may be provided with a nut housing 62 shaped to receive a nut 54. The nut housing 62 may include a base or other projection(s) limiting movement of the nut 54 with respect to the cup base 61 in the direction of arrow A. In this embodiment the cup base 61 further comprises a cover piece 63 including an aperture 64 which locates over the centre of the nut 54, allowing a bolt (not shown) to be tightened onto the nut 54. The cover piece 63 preferably is a push fit onto the cup base 61 using clips 65, and may also be internally shaped to fit over the nut 54. A cup or other decorative element may be attached to the cup base 61 in the same manner as described in relation to Figure 7 a.

In a further alternative embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 9, the upper side of the cup base 66 is provided with a nut housing 67 shaped to receive a nut 54. The nut 54 may be secured within the nut housing 67 using an adhesive. A cup or other decorative element may be attached to the cup base 67 in the same manner as described in relation to Figure 7a.

In a further alternative embodiment, as illustrated Figures 10a and 10b, the upper side of the cup base 68 includes an aperture 70 which provides access to an internally threaded tube 69 located inside the cup base 68. Preferably the threaded channel is a metal tube. To assembly the trophy, a screw or bolt 55 is inserted through the aperture 70 in the cup base 68 and is screwed into the threaded tube 69. A cup, or other decorative element (not shown) would be positioned between the two washers 59. A decorative cap 60 may be connectable to the top of the bolt 55 to hide the bolt.

The underside of any of the cup bases illustrated in Figures 7 to 10 may also be connectable to a connector element 33 as hereinbefore described.

If the cup bases 57, 61, 66, 68 are configured to connect to a connector element 33 then the cup bases 57, 61, 66, 68 are hollow and are internally shaped to provide a lip (not shown) which connects with the teeth 35 of the connector element 33 in a push fit or snap fit arrangement. The internal lip may be moulded as an integral part of the cup base 57, 61, 66, 68, or alternatively, as shown in Figure 10a, a separate piece 42 which includes the lip may be inserted into the cup base.

Figures 11a and 11b illustrate an alternative embodiment of a trophy assembly in which the connector element 43 is circular in shape and is provided with ten resilient teeth 45. This assembly works in the same way as the assembly including the connector element 33 with six teeth, in that the teeth 45 are a push fit into the hollow base portion 47 of the decorative element 44.

Claims

1. A trophy assembly comprising a base, a connector element, and at least one decorative element, wherein: the base includes a bore; the connector element comprises an upper face and a lower face and the lower face is provided with a rod shaped to be received in the bore, and the upper face is provided with a plurality of resilient teeth; and wherein the decorative element includes a hollow portion shaped to receive the resilient teeth in a push fit arrangement.

2. A trophy assembly according to Claim 1, wherein the rod is threaded.

3. A trophy assembly according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one decorative element is be selected from the group comprising: figurines, cups, risers, columns, pedestals and trophy toppers.

4. A trophy assembly according to any preceding Claim, wherein the connector element is hexagonal in shape.

5. A trophy assembly according to any preceding Claim, wherein the connector element is provided with six resilient teeth.

6. A connector element for use in a trophy assembly, the connector element having an upper face and a lower face, wherein the lower face is provided with a rod, and the upper face is provided with a plurality of resilient teeth.

7. A connector element according to Claim 6, wherein the rod is threaded.

8. A connector element according to Claim 6 or 7, wherein the shape of the connector element is selected from hexagonal or circular.

9. A connector element according to any of Claims 6 to 8, wherein the connector element is provided with six resilient teeth or wherein the connector element is provided with ten resilient teeth.

10. A trophy component comprising a base connected to a connector element wherein: the base includes a bore; the connector element comprises an upper face and a lower face and the lower face is provided with a rod shaped to be received in the bore, and the upper face is provided with a plurality of resilient teeth; and wherein the rod is received in the bore in the base and secured thereto.

11. A trophy component according to Claim 10, wherein the rod is threaded and wherein the connector element is secured to the base by threading a nut onto the rod.

12. A method of assembling a trophy comprising the step of connecting at least one decorative element to a trophy component according to Claim 10 or 11, the trophy component including a trophy base and a connector element; wherein the at least one decorative element includes a hollow portion shaped to receive the resilient teeth of the connector element in a push fit arrangement.

13. A trophy assembly comprising a base, and at least one decorative element, wherein the base includes means for securing a threaded member thereto.

14. A trophy assembly according to Claim 13, wherein the means for securing the threaded member thereto comprises a housing shaped to receive a nut.

15. A trophy assembly according to Claim 13, wherein the means for securing the threaded member thereto comprises an internally threaded channel.

16. A trophy assembly according to any of Claims 13 to 15 further comprising a connector element according to any of Claims 6 to 9, wherein the base includes a hollow portion shaped to receive the resilient teeth of the connector element in a push fit arrangement.