US4007936A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Novelty closure
Assignee: Funstuf Inc
•
Filing: 1975-04-09
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Granted: 1977-02-15
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Expires: 1995-04-09
Abstract
Abstract A novelty closure consists of a container cover, such as that used in connection with soft drink cups, and a puzzle means coupled with said cover at the central portion thereof. The puzzle means takes the form of a planar member having indicia imprinted thereon and having depressions therein and small spherical balls are movably mounted upon the planar member so that by manual manipulation of the cover the balls can be rolled into the depressions.
Inventors
- 👤 James R. Hornsby, Jr.
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 04:18
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D51/00; B65D51/24; A; A63; A63F; A63F7/00; A63F7/04; A63F7/044; A63F9/00; A63F9/001; A63F2009/0012; A63F2009/0013; A63F2009/0015
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
103 words
A novelty closure comprising: a container cover having a central portion, and puzzle means coupled with said cover at said central portion, said puzzle means comprising a planar member having indicia thereon and having depression means therein, and ball means movably disposed upon said planar member, said puzzle means being operative by manual manipulation of said container cover to position said ball means in said depression means, said container cover being scored in surrounding relation to said central portion to enable said central portion and said puzzle means to be removed from the remainder of said cover by manual rupturing along said scoring.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
103 words
A novelty closure comprising: a container cover having a central portion, and puzzle means coupled with said cover at said central portion, said puzzle means comprising a planar member having indicia thereon and having depression means therein, and ball means movably disposed upon said planar member, said puzzle means being operative by manual manipulation of said container cover to position said ball means in said depression means, said container cover being scored in surrounding relation to said central portion to enable said central portion and said puzzle means to be removed from the remainder of said cover by manual rupturing along said scoring.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
271 words
A novelty closure comprising: a container cover having a central portion, and puzzle means coupled with said cover at said central portion, said puzzle means comprising a planar member having indicia thereon and having depression means therein, and ball means movably disposed upon said planar member, said puzzle means being operative by manual manipulation of said container cover to position said ball means in said depression means; said container cover further including a container engaging portion formed integrally with said central portion; said container engaging portion including an outer portion surrounding said central portion and a skirt depending from said outer portion and terminating at a lower edge disposed beneath said planar member; said outer portion being engageable upon, and said skirt extending along the outside of, a container closable by said container cover; said puzzle means further comprising a transparent upper portion superposed in spaced relation above said planar member and a peripheral skirt portion extending between said planar member and said upper portion to thus retain said ball means upon said planar member; said ball means being spherical balls and the distance between said upper portion and said planar member exceeding the diameter of said spherical balls to assure that said balls are freely movable upon and across said planar member; said puzzle means planar member comprising a disc having indicia imprinted thereon and having depression means formed therein, said disc being attached to the underside of said container cover whereby said central portion of said cover forms said upper portion; said disc having the periphery thereof attached to said container cover adjacent the bottom of said peripheral skirt.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
271 words
A novelty closure comprising: a container cover having a central portion, and puzzle means coupled with said cover at said central portion, said puzzle means comprising a planar member having indicia thereon and having depression means therein, and ball means movably disposed upon said planar member, said puzzle means being operative by manual manipulation of said container cover to position said ball means in said depression means; said container cover further including a container engaging portion formed integrally with said central portion; said container engaging portion including an outer portion surrounding said central portion and a skirt depending from said outer portion and terminating at a lower edge disposed beneath said planar member; said outer portion being engageable upon, and said skirt extending along the outside of, a container closable by said container cover; said puzzle means further comprising a transparent upper portion superposed in spaced relation above said planar member and a peripheral skirt portion extending between said planar member and said upper portion to thus retain said ball means upon said planar member; said ball means being spherical balls and the distance between said upper portion and said planar member exceeding the diameter of said spherical balls to assure that said balls are freely movable upon and across said planar member; said puzzle means planar member comprising a disc having indicia imprinted thereon and having depression means formed therein, said disc being attached to the underside of said container cover whereby said central portion of said cover forms said upper portion; said disc having the periphery thereof attached to said container cover adjacent the bottom of said peripheral skirt.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
A novelty closure as defined in claim 2 wherein said skirt is provided with an inwardly directed ridge to facilitate securing of said cover to a container.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
289 words
A novelty closure comprising: a container cover having a central portion, and puzzle means coupled with said cover at said central portion, said puzzle means comprising a planar member having indicia thereon and having a depression means therein, and ball means movably disposed upon said planar member, said puzzle means being operative by manual manipulation of said container cover to position said ball means in said depression means; said container cover further including a container engaging portion formed integrally with said central portion; said container engaging portion including an outer portion surrounding said central portion and a skirt depending from said outer portion and terminating at a lower edge disposed beneath said planar member; said outer portion being engageable upon, and said skirt extending along the outside of, a container closable by said container cover; said puzzle means further comprising a transparent upper portion superposed in spaced relation above said planar member and a peripheral skirt portion extending between said planar member and said upper portion to thus retain said ball means upon said planar member; said ball means being spherical balls and the distance between said upper portion and said planar member exceeding the diameter of said spherical balls to assure that said balls are freely movable upon and across said planar member; said central portion of said cover has said indicia imprinted thereon and has said depression means formed therein whereby said cover central portion comprises said puzzle means planar member and wherein said closure further includes a cap member positioned upon and attached to said central portion, said cap member having a transparent top wall which forms said upper portion; said container cover central portion and outer portion having top surfaces lying in the same plane.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
289 words
A novelty closure comprising: a container cover having a central portion, and puzzle means coupled with said cover at said central portion, said puzzle means comprising a planar member having indicia thereon and having a depression means therein, and ball means movably disposed upon said planar member, said puzzle means being operative by manual manipulation of said container cover to position said ball means in said depression means; said container cover further including a container engaging portion formed integrally with said central portion; said container engaging portion including an outer portion surrounding said central portion and a skirt depending from said outer portion and terminating at a lower edge disposed beneath said planar member; said outer portion being engageable upon, and said skirt extending along the outside of, a container closable by said container cover; said puzzle means further comprising a transparent upper portion superposed in spaced relation above said planar member and a peripheral skirt portion extending between said planar member and said upper portion to thus retain said ball means upon said planar member; said ball means being spherical balls and the distance between said upper portion and said planar member exceeding the diameter of said spherical balls to assure that said balls are freely movable upon and across said planar member; said central portion of said cover has said indicia imprinted thereon and has said depression means formed therein whereby said cover central portion comprises said puzzle means planar member and wherein said closure further includes a cap member positioned upon and attached to said central portion, said cap member having a transparent top wall which forms said upper portion; said container cover central portion and outer portion having top surfaces lying in the same plane.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
A novelty closure as defined in claim 4 wherein said skirt is provided with an inwardly directed ridge to facilitate securing of said cover to a container.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
234 words
A novelty closure comprising: a container cover having a central portion, and puzzle means coupled with said cover at said central portion, said puzzle means comprising a planar member having indicia thereon and having depression means therein, and ball means movably disposed upon said planar member, said puzzle means being operative by manual manipulation of said container cover to position said ball means in said depression means; said puzzle means further comprising a transparent upper portion superposed in spaced relation above said planar member and a peripheral skirt portion extending between said planar member and said upper portion to thus retain said ball means upon said planar member; said ball means being spherical balls and the distance between said upper portion and said planar member exceeding the diameter of said spherical balls to assure that said balls are freely movable upon and across said planar member; said central portion of said cover having said indicia imprinted thereon and having said depression means formed therein whereby said cover central portion comprises said puzzle means planar member, said closure further including a transparent cap member having a top which comprises said puzzle means upper portion and having a depending skirt which comprises said puzzle means peripheral skirt portion; said cap member further including a flange extending outwardly from said depending skirt, said flange being attached to said cover to couple said cap member to said cover.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
234 words
A novelty closure comprising: a container cover having a central portion, and puzzle means coupled with said cover at said central portion, said puzzle means comprising a planar member having indicia thereon and having depression means therein, and ball means movably disposed upon said planar member, said puzzle means being operative by manual manipulation of said container cover to position said ball means in said depression means; said puzzle means further comprising a transparent upper portion superposed in spaced relation above said planar member and a peripheral skirt portion extending between said planar member and said upper portion to thus retain said ball means upon said planar member; said ball means being spherical balls and the distance between said upper portion and said planar member exceeding the diameter of said spherical balls to assure that said balls are freely movable upon and across said planar member; said central portion of said cover having said indicia imprinted thereon and having said depression means formed therein whereby said cover central portion comprises said puzzle means planar member, said closure further including a transparent cap member having a top which comprises said puzzle means upper portion and having a depending skirt which comprises said puzzle means peripheral skirt portion; said cap member further including a flange extending outwardly from said depending skirt, said flange being attached to said cover to couple said cap member to said cover.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1980-02-15 | 1980-08-16 | 1981-02-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-02-15 | 1984-08-16 | 1985-02-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-02-15 | 1988-08-16 | 1989-02-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |