Abstract
The invention relates to a cup for games, particularly a dice cup. This comprises a base and a circumferential side wall. The cup is formed from a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). At its upper, inner rim edge, the cup has an inwardly facing lip that is formed integrally with the cup. In addition, the invention relates to a lid for this cup and to a system comprising a plurality of stackable cups, in particular dice cups.
Claims
1-14. (canceled)
15. A cup for games, in particular dice cup with a bottom and a circumferential side wall, characterized in that the cup is formed from a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) and has an inwardly facing lip on its upper, inner rim edge, which lip is formed integrally with the cup.
16. The cup according to claim 15, characterized in that a corner region formed between an underside of the cup and an outer surface of the side wall of the cup is rounded.
17. The cup according to claim 15, characterized in that an inner surface of the side wall has a rough surface structure, preferably a roughness, in particular an arithmetic mean roughness value Ra and/or an averaged roughness depth R.sub.z, being selected which corresponds to references 30 to 33 of the guideline for electro erosive treatment VDI 3400 [version 1975-6].
18. The cup according to claim 15, characterized in that an outer surface of the side wall has a rough surface structure which preferably corresponds to the roughness, in particular an arithmetic mean roughness value Ra and/or an averaged roughness depth R.sub.z, according to references 30 to 33 of the guideline for electro erosive treatment VDI 3400 [version 1975-6].
19. The cup according to claim 15, characterized in that a corner area between the inner surface of the side wall of the cup and an inner side of a base area of the cup is rounded.
20. The cup of claim 15, characterized in that the cup has at least one, preferably annular, groove and/or elevation on an underside of the bottom.
21. The cup of claim 15, characterized in that the cup is formed from bio-based material and/or is biodegradable.
22. The cup of claim 15, characterized in that the upper surface of the lip lies in a horizontal plane X2 and is preferably smooth.
23. The cup of claim 15, characterized in that the degree of hardness of the cup is in the range from 75 to 90 Shore A, preferably 88 Shore A.
24. The cup of claim 15, characterized in that the cup comprises an insert ring that is detachably seated in a corner region between a lip underside and an inner surface of the side wall, preferably positive-fit and directly in the corner region, the insert ring being formed, particularly preferably, from the same material as the cup.
25. The cup of claim 15, characterized in that the cup comprises a lid formed of a material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic elastomer, polypropylene, or styrene-butadiene copolymer.
26. A lid for a cup according to claim 15, characterized in that the lid has a, preferably annular, groove or elevation on its upper side for stacking several cups one on top of the other by means of a cup placed on this lid.
27. The lid according to claim 26, characterized in that the material of the lid is thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), polypropylene (PP) or styrene-butadiene copolymer (SBC).
28. A system with stackable cups, in particular dice cups, for games, comprising: a plurality of cups each formed from a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) and has an inwardly facing lip on its upper, inner rim edge, which lip is formed integrally with the cup, wherein in each cup is configured to receive a having an annular, groove or elevation on its upper side for stacking several cups one on top of the other by means of a cup placed on this lid; and wherein at least two stackable cups, each with a lid, each of the lids has an elevation on its upper side and each cup has on its bottom underside an annular groove of complementary design to the annular elevation of the lid, in which groove the elevation of the lid engages to secure the stack when the cups are stacked with the fitted lid on top of one another, or each of the lids has an annular, groove on its upper side and each of the cups has on its bottom underside an annular elevation of complementary design to the annular groove of the lid, which elevation engages in the groove of the lid to secure the stack when the cups are stacked with the fitted lid in place.
Description
FIGURE DESCRIPTION
[0037] Two examples of embodiments of the invention are described below by means of purely schematic drawings. The reference signs are identical in both described embodiment examples, as far as the features are present in agreement. Therein show
[0038] FIG. 1A a side view of a cup for games according to a first embodiment,
[0039] FIG. 1B a cross-section in longitudinal direction along section line A-A, as shown in FIG. 1A, through the cup,
[0040] FIG. 1C an enlarged view of the upper cup rim circled in FIG. 1C and marked with reference sign Z,
[0041] FIG. 2A a side view of a cup for games with a lid according to a second embodiment,
[0042] FIG. 2B a cross-section in longitudinal direction along section line A-A through the cup as shown in FIG. 2A,
[0043] FIG. 2C an enlarged view of the upper container rim with lid rim shown in FIG. 2B, circled and marked with reference sign Y, according to the second embodiment of the invention,
[0044] FIG. 3A a perspective view of the cup according to the second embodiment,
[0045] FIG. 3B a perspective view of the top of the lid according to the second embodiment,
[0046] FIG. 3C a perspective view of a cup for games closed with the lid according to the second embodiment, the view being from obliquely above,
[0047] FIG. 4A a side view of the lid,
[0048] FIG. 4B a cross-section through the lid along section line C-C, as shown in FIG. 4A,
[0049] FIG. 5A a cross section in longitudinal direction along section line A-A, as shown in FIG. 1A, through the cup with an insert ring,
[0050] FIG. 5B a perspective view of the cup with an insert ring,
[0051] FIG. 6 roughness profile for determining the roughness values.
[0052] FIG. 1A shows a cup 1 for games, in particular a dice cup with a base 2 and a circumferential side wall 3. A line of intersection with the points A-A is indicated by a dashed line in the longitudinal center axis of the cup. On the outside, the upper edge of the cup and the corner area at the bottom are expediently rounded.
[0053] In FIG. 1A, both an X-axis and a Y-axis are drawn. The plane of the X-axis is labeled X.sub.1. The plane of the Y axis is labeled Y.sub.1. X.sub.1 shows the plane of the bottom in FIG. 1A, which is horizontal. With Y.sub.1 a plane of the cup in the Y-axis is shown, where it can be clearly seen from this vertical plane Y.sub.1 that the cup tapers slightly from its upper edge to the bottom. The outer circumference at the top rim of the cup sidewall at the cup opening is larger than the outer circumference of the sidewall at the cup bottom.
[0054] FIG. 1B shows a cross-section of the cup along section line A-A. The cup 1 has an inwardly pointing lip 5 on its upper, inner rim edge 4. In this first embodiment example according to FIGS. 1A to 1C, this lip 5 is arranged projecting horizontally inwards from the upper rim of the cup. The lip 5 thus runs parallel to the base 2. The lip 5 is formed integrally with the cup 1. The cup 1 has an inner wall surface 6 and an outer wall surface 7. In the first embodiment example shown here, the inner wall surface 6 of the cup 1 has a rough surface structure. The rough surface texture of the inner surface 6 enhances the rolling motion of a dice in the cup, since the dice rotates more due to the rough surface than compared to a smooth surface. In addition, the noise when rolling the dice is dampened. The rough surface structure on the inner surface is not absolutely necessary.
[0055] In FIG. 1B, the length of the lip on its upper side is marked L.sub.1. In addition, two radii are shown, of both the container base including the side wall closing the base to the outside and the container opening including the upper rim of the cup. Here, the two radii each run from the longitudinal center axis of the cup to the respective outer circumference of the side wall of the cup (in the bottom area and in the opening area, respectively). R.sub.1 denotes the radius from the center of the cup to the outer circumference of the side wall at the upper rim of the cup enclosing the container opening (upper end of the side wall, adjacent to cup opening). R.sub.2 denotes the radius from the center of the cup to the outer circumference of the side wall at the bottom.
[0056] More conveniently, the length L.sub.1 of the lip, as shown in FIG. 1B, is less than a radius R.sub.1 of the outer circumference of the side wall at the top cup rim minus a radius R.sub.2 of the outer circumference of the side wall at the container bottom.
[0057] The outer wall surface 7 of the cup 1 may also be provided with a rough surface texture. However, this roughness is not mandatory. The outer wall surface and/or inner wall surface can also be smooth. Advantageously, a good feel (haptic) is achieved with a rough outer wall surface. At reference character Z, a detail of the cup is circled, namely a region of the upper rim of the cup. This area is shown enlarged in FIG. 1C. The enlarged view of FIG. 1C once again clearly shows the inwardly pointing lip 5, which is formed on the inwardly facing rim edge 4 at the upper end of the side wall 3 of the cup 1. Clearly evident is the corner area 8, which is formed between the underside of the lip 5 and the inner wall of the container 1, which is rounded in shape. This allows the dice to roll off well. Alternatively, the corner area 8 can also be angularly shaped, but this is not preferred.
[0058] FIGS. 2A to 4B show a second embodiment of the invention. A cup 1 having a base 2, a side wall 3 and a lid 13 fitted to the opening at the top of the cup is shown in FIG. 2A. A cross-sectional view of the cup 1 is shown in FIG. 2B, the section being along the longitudinal central axis B-B as shown in FIG. 2A. A groove 11 is formed on the underside 10 of the base 2, which is provided slightly offset inwardly from the corner area of the base. Due to its annular design in this second embodiment example, two grooves are visible in the cross-sectional view according to FIG. 2B. However, these two grooves are formed by a self-contained annular groove 11 on the bottom 10 of the base 2 of the cup 1 (not shown here). A slight bulge, which projects upward into the interior of the cup, is provided in the center of the base. This is not absolutely necessary in the cup.
[0059] A lid 13 is placed on the upper edge of the cup to close the cup opening. The lid 13 has a wall area running around the contour of the lid 13. This projects downward substantially vertically from the lid plate, which completely closes the cup opening and rests on the upper end of the side wall and the upper surface of the lip, and is hereinafter referred to as lid rim 18. This lid rim 18 is flush with the outer, upper area of the side wall 3 of the cup 1. The lid 13 fits snugly on the upper rim of the cup. It completely closes the cup opening when placed on the cup. On its upper side 16, the lid 13 has an elevation 15 which is arranged somewhat inwardly offset from the lid edge 18. The elevation 15, which is shown in cross-section in FIG. 2B, is a partial section of an annular elevation 15 formed on the upper side of the lid. The annular elevation 15 is symmetrical with respect to the annular groove 11, so that when a plurality of cups 1 are stacked one on top of the other with the lid 13 in place, in particular when the bottom 10 of the base 2 of a second cup 1 is placed on the top 16 of the lid 13 of a first cup 1, a form fit is produced between the groove 11 and the elevation 15, preferably the annular shape thereof.
[0060] Circled with reference sign Y in FIG. 2B is a detail of the upper sidewall area of cup 1 and of a lid rim 18 overlapping this area. In FIG. 2C, this detail Y is shown in enlarged view. Here, the lower side 17 of the lid 13, which extends horizontally and parallel to the base 2, is placed in a sealing manner on the upper side of the lip and the upper end 19 of the side wall 3, with the lid rim 18, which points vertically downward, overlapping the side wall 3 of the cup 1. The lid fits snugly on the upper end 19 of the side wall 3 of the cup 1. Expediently, due to its pliability caused by the preferred material of a thermoplastic elastomer, the upper end 19 is under a certain pretension which acts outwardly and, by its force on the inner wall region of the lid rim 18, firmly braces the lid 13 to the cup 1. During a dicing operation with the lid 13 in place, the lid 13 thus cannot be released without a major effort, expediently a lifting of the lid by hand. The lid remains firmly connected to the upper end 19 or the upper edge region of the side wall 3 of the cup 1 during the dicing process.
[0061] In FIG. 3A, a perspective view of the cup 1 is shown from an oblique top view. The inner wall surface 6 of the cup is shown. Expediently, the inner wall surface has a rough surface texture. It preferably has a roughness corresponding to references 30 to 33 of the guideline for electro erosive treatment VDI 3400 (version 1975-6) (not shown). In FIG. 3B, the cover 13 is shown in a stand-alone position. Clearly visible is the annular elevation 15 on the top of the lid 16. It is located here halfway between the outer edge and the center of the lid 13. The annular elevation 15 can also be located outside this halfway, i.e., further toward the center of the lid or the edge of the lid 18. A certain symmetry of the annular circle of the elevation 15 to the circular lid 13 is desired. FIG. 3C shows a perspective view of the lid 13 placed on the cup 1. In the case of a stacking of several cups 1 one on top of the other, the annular elevation 15, shown here, of the lid 13 of the cup shown, and referred to here as the first cup, engages in the annular groove 11 of a second cup 1 placed thereon and not shown here, which groove is provided on the underside of the base 2 of the second cup 1 placed thereon and not shown here. This results in a shift protection in the stack of two or more cups.
[0062] In FIG. 4A, the lid 13 is shown in a stand-alone position. The annular protrusion 15, which is formed here centrally between the lid edge 18 and the center of the lid 13, is clearly visible on the upper side of the lid 13. A cut line C-C is shown. The cross-section to this cut line is shown in FIG. 4B. Here, the annular shape of the protrusion 15 results very clearly at the top 16 of the lid 13, as two protrusion sections are shown in the left and right halves of the lid. A downwardly facing protrusion is provided in the center of the lid. This can be complementary to a downwardly directed bulge on the bottom underside of the container 1, so that in the case of stacking a displacement lock can also be achieved via this. Advantageously, the bulge on the lid 13 is directed upwards, so that a bulge also directed upwards in the bottom center of the cup 1, as shown in FIG. 2B, provides a form fit when several cups are stacked one on top of the other.
[0063] FIG. 5A shows a cross-section in longitudinal direction along section line A-A through a cup without lid. This cup accommodates an insert ring, which is marked with reference numeral 20. The underside of the lip forms, between the free end of the lip and the inner wall of the cup at which the lip ends in its lower region, a rounded, inwardly curved corner. The curve formed by the bulge or curved corner has a circle of curvature with a radius equal to the radius that determines the diameter of the insert ring, measured at its outer circumference. Thus, the insert ring sits firmly clamped in the curvature by means of a positive fit. Since the cylindrical wall of the cup tapers downward from the opening to the bottom, clamping of the insert ring occurs immediately below the lip in the bulge. Preferably, the insert ring is flush with the bulge.
[0064] FIG. 5B shows a perspective view of the cup with insert ring 20. It is clearly visible that the insert ring is not flush with the upper outer and horizontal surface of the lip but lies below the free end of the lip within the bulge formed between the inner wall and the free lip.
[0065] FIG. 6 shows an example of a roughness profile (R-profile) with the parameters given in the description. It is taken from the Europa-Fachbuchreihe f?r Metallberufe, Verlag Europa Lehrmittel, Nourney, Vollmer GmbH & Co. KG, Haan-Gruiten, Germany, 44th edition. The calculation formulas for the arithmetic mean roughness value Ra and the averaged roughness depth Rz are the same for all materials, so that they are also used for the dice cup according to the invention.
