US5525383A — Container for diplaying transitory moving images

Claim 1

Independent Claim 161 words

A container for holding a liquid or other product and for displaying transitory moving images on an outside surface thereof, said container comprising, a container body having an upright side wall, a bottom wall and a top portion that terminates in an upper mouth through which liquid or other product can be introduced and removed therefrom, said side wall having fixed visible moire markings on the exterior surface thereof, a transparent or translucent rotatable sleeve mounted in closely adjacent slidable contact upon the exterior surface of the side wall of the container body for rotational sliding movement upon the container body whereby the sleeve can be rotated manually by sliding the sleeve so that the sleeve rotates about a center axis of the side wall, and said sleeve has visible complementary moire markings thereon that cooperate with the fixed moire markings on the container to produce transitory images when the sleeve is rotated manually about the center axis of the container.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 161 words

A container for holding a liquid or other product and for displaying transitory moving images on an outside surface thereof, said container comprising, a container body having an upright side wall, a bottom wall and a top portion that terminates in an upper mouth through which liquid or other product can be introduced and removed therefrom, said side wall having fixed visible moire markings on the exterior surface thereof, a transparent or translucent rotatable sleeve mounted in closely adjacent slidable contact upon the exterior surface of the side wall of the container body for rotational sliding movement upon the container body whereby the sleeve can be rotated manually by sliding the sleeve so that the sleeve rotates about a center axis of the side wall, and said sleeve has visible complementary moire markings thereon that cooperate with the fixed moire markings on the container to produce transitory images when the sleeve is rotated manually about the center axis of the container.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 12 words

The device of claim 1 wherein the container is a beverage container.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 36 words

The device of claim 1 wherein the container is a retail shipping and dispensing container for storing and selling a beverage or food product and a cap is removably connected to the mouth of the container.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 60 words

The container of claim 1 wherein the container is frusto-conical and has a side wall which tapers centrally proceeding toward the bottom of the container and at least some of the moire markings comprise a multiplicity of tapered moire markings or tapered spaces between such markings that are wider at the top of the container than at the bottom thereof.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 27 words

The device of claim 1 wherein a retaining element is operatively associated between the sleeve and the container to prevent the sleeve from sliding off the container.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 45 words

The container of claim 5 wherein the retaining element is a cap bonded to the bottom wall of the container for forming an upwardly facing shoulder to engage a bottom edge of said sleeve so as to hold the sleeve in position on the container.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 52 words

The container of claim 5 wherein the retaining element comprises a circumferentially extending groove in the container body, said sleeve has a complementary rib thereon projecting centrally into said groove whereby engagement of the rib with the groove permits rotation of the sleeve upon the container body but prevents accidental removal thereof.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 46 words

The container of claim 1 wherein the container comprises a mug, the sleeve comprises a flexible plastic sheet in tubular form applied to an outside surface of said mug and the mug includes a handle connected to the container body and located externally of the sleeve.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 49 words

The container of claim 1 wherein the container comprises a sports bottle having a side wall, an open top and a closed bottom, a closure for the open top and a tube extending through the closure of the container through which a beverage can be expelled from the container.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 55 words

The container of claim 1 wherein the sleeve has a bottom wall extending beneath the bottom wall of the container and a snap fastener is operatively connected between the bottom wall of the sleeve and the bottom wall of the container for permitting rotation of the sleeve but preventing accidental removal thereof from the container.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 40 words

The display container of claim 1 wherein at least one of said moire images comprises a removable applique that can be applied to the wall of the container or the sleeve or removed and repositioned in any desired location thereon.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 43 words

The container of claim 1 wherein the sleeve comprises a flexible plastic film, said film is placed over said container and the film is retained in place upon said container by frictional engagement with an outside surface of the wall of the container.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 21 words

The container of claim 12 wherein the flexible plastic film is elastic and the plastic film is stretched onto said container.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 40 words

The container of claim 12 wherein both the container and the sleeve taper inwardly proceeding toward the bottom of said container whereby moving the sleeve upwardly onto the container will increase said frictional engagement between the sleeve and the container.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 12 words

The container of claim 12 wherein said container comprises a drinking cup.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 26 words

The container of claim 12 wherein the sleeve is held in place upon said container by frictional engagement with an outer surface of said side wall.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 25 words

The container of claim 1 wherein both the container body and the sleeve are rigid and the sleeve is composed of a transparent plastic resin.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 29 words

The container of claim 17 wherein the sleeve has a bottom wall and said bottom wall has a rotatable snap-fit connection with the bottom wall of the container body.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 20 words

The device of claim 1 wherein said container includes multiple transparent or translucent tubular sleeves mounted upon said container body.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 75 words

The container of claim 1 wherein at least some of the visible moire markings comprise pieces of removable and replaceable plastic film having moire markings thereon for enabling the user to apply, remove and reposition the moire ,markings in any desired location or orientation on the wall of the container body or sleeve to produce different interactive relationships with complementary moire markings depending upon the position in which the film is applied to the container.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 75 words

The container of claim 1 wherein said sleeve includes colored or white printed areas interposed with transparent or translucent windows containing moire markings, and the container body beneath the sleeve has a moire pattern comprising dark colored or black lines, dots, or other visible moire markings whereby the colored or white printed areas on said sleeve serve to visually block the marking underneath while the transparent or translucent areas allow the markings to show through.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 25 words

The container of claim 1 wherein the sleeve is transparent plastic and the moire markings on the container body comprise a line or grid pattern.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 41 words

The container of claim 1 wherein said moire markings on the container body comprise a pattern or design printed upon an outer surface of said container body and the moire markings applied to the sleeve comprise parallel lines or a grid.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 37 words

The container of claim 1 wherein said container has a circumferentially extending downwardly facing shoulder above said sleeve and a circumferentially extending upwardly facing shoulder below said sleeve for preventing the sleeve from falling off the container.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 13 words

The container of claim 24 wherein said shoulders are molded into said container.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 34 words

The container of claim 24 wherein said shoulders comprise strips of material bonded above and below said sleeve for retaining said sleeve in position upon the container wall and allowing the sleeve to rotate.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 38 words

The container of claim 1 wherein the sleeve comprises a flexible sheet of transparent or translucent plastic film including a pair of vertical aligned upright adjoining edges bonded to one another for forming said sheet into said sleeve.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 37 words

The container of claim 27 wherein the sleeve is placed on the container body so as to be held in place upon the container body by friction and can be rotated by hand on the container body.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 12 words

The container of claim 27 wherein the container comprises a drinking cup.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 48 words

The container of claim 1 wherein the container body includes a circumferentially extending outwardly projecting rib and said sleeve has a mating circumferentially extending groove sized so as to snap fit onto the rib for preventing the sleeve from sliding off the container body while allowing rotation thereof.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 24 words

The container of claim 1 wherein said sleeve is divided horizontally into a pair of separate abutting sleeve portions which may be independently rotated.

Claim 33

Dependent Claim 149 words

A frusto-conical container that can be used as a cup or drinking glass for holding liquid and for displaying transitory images on an outside surface comprising, a container body having a frusto-conical side wall, a bottom wall and an upper open mouth, said side wall tapers centrally proceeding toward the bottom of the container, a frusto-conical sleeve slidably mounted on and closely adjacent to the outside surface of the container, said container body has fixed moire markings and said sleeve has complementary moire markings for displaying images that appear to move when the sleeve is rotated on the container relative to the fixed markings, at least some of the moire markings comprise a multiplicity of tapered moire lines or tapered spaces between lines, said tapered lines or spaces being arranged such that the markings or spaces are wider at the top of the container that at the bottom thereof.

Claim 34

Dependent Claim 149 words

A frusto-conical container that can be used as a cup or drinking glass for holding liquid and for displaying transitory images on an outside surface comprising, a container body having a frusto-conical side wall, a bottom wall and an upper open mouth, said side wall tapers centrally proceeding toward the bottom of the container, a frusto-conical sleeve slidably mounted on and closely adjacent to the outside surface of the container, said container body has fixed moire markings and said sleeve has complementary moire markings for displaying images that appear to move when the sleeve is rotated on the container relative to the fixed markings, at least some of the moire markings comprise a multiplicity of tapered moire lines or tapered spaces between lines, said tapered lines or spaces being arranged such that the markings or spaces are wider at the top of the container that at the bottom thereof.

Claim 35

Dependent Claim 57 words

The container of claim 32 wherein at least some of the moire markings are applied to removable and replaceable transparent or translucent plastic film patches adapted to be temporarily secured to a portion of the container in any selected position whereby the patcher can be removed and replaced wherever desired to interact differently with complementary moire markings.

Claim 36

Dependent Claim 32 words

The container of claim 32 wherein a design or image including moire markings is fixedly secured to said container body and said sleeve includes moire markings comprising a multiplicity of upright lines.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1999-06-11	1999-12-11	2000-06-11	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2003-06-11	2003-12-11	2004-06-11	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2007-06-11	2007-12-11	2008-06-11	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Container for diplaying transitory moving images

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