Driving mechanism for a wave-producing ornament

• US 6,003,392 A
• Filed: 04/28/1998
• Issued: 12/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vincent Kuo Wei Lee
• Original Assignee: Vincent Kuo Wei Lee
• Inventors: Lee, Vincent Kuo Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Graysay, Tamara L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Joyce, William C
• Application Number:
  US09/066,554
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: 74/40, 74/44, 74/45, 74/43, 40/406, 446/267
• US Class Current: 74/44
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/02 incorporating moving display members
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/18208 Crank, pitman, and slide

Abstract

A driving mechanism of a wave-producing ornament is mounted in a base of the ornament and includes a motor which rotates a disc. A connecting link is pivotally connected at a first end to an outer periphery of the disc and at a second end to a lower end of a push bar. The push bar is located in a channel integrally formed on the base of the ornament and has a round head projects from a top opening of the channel to contact with an end of a liquid container of the ornament above the base. When the disc rotates, it brings the connecting link to move in a circular motion and pull and push the push bar to descend and ascend along the channel reciprocatingly. Whereby, the liquid container is periodically lifted and lowered at one end by the round head of the push bar to produce waves in the container. A crank is pivotally connected at an inner end to the pivotal point on the disc with a decorated outer end projecting from a long slot on the base of the ornament, so that the rotating disc shifts the crank and causes the decorated outer end of the crank to reciprocate in the long slot.

Claims

1. A wave-producing ornament, comprising a motor and a disc mounted in a base of said wave-producing ornament, said disc being driven by said motor and a central shaft, a connecting link being pivotally connected at a first end to a pivotal point near an outer periphery of said disc and at a second end to a lower end of a push bar, a driving link being pivotally connected at an inner end to said pivotal point with an outer end sliding in a slot provided on said base for moving a movable ornament, said push bar having a predetermined length and extending through a vertically extended channel integrally formed on said base at a predetermined position to project a round head and a proper length thereof beyond a top opening of said channel, such that said round head directly contacts a bottom end of a liquid container of said wave-producing ornament, said liquid container being pivotally connected to the base;

whereby when said disc is rotated by said motor, said connecting link is brought by said disc to move in a circular motion and pulls and pushes said push bar to descend and ascend in said channel on said base in a reciprocating manner and thereby causes said container to seesaw periodically and producing waves in said container.