US20060046613A1 - Confetti discharge methods and machines - Google Patents

Confetti discharge methods and machines Download PDF

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Publication number
US20060046613A1
US20060046613A1 US11/213,669 US21366905A US2006046613A1 US 20060046613 A1 US20060046613 A1 US 20060046613A1 US 21366905 A US21366905 A US 21366905A US 2006046613 A1 US2006046613 A1 US 2006046613A1
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United States
Prior art keywords
confetti
stack
discharge
drum
machine
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
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US11/213,669
Inventor
Paul Mann
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Individual
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Individual
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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H37/00—Jokes; Confetti, streamers, or other dance favours ; Cracker bonbons or the like
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63J—DEVICES FOR THEATRES, CIRCUSES, OR THE LIKE; CONJURING APPLIANCES OR THE LIKE
    • A63J5/00—Auxiliaries for producing special effects on stages, or in circuses or arenas
    • A63J5/02—Arrangements for making stage effects; Auxiliary stage appliances
    • A63J5/028—Devices for making snow effects

Definitions

  • This invention relates to confetti discharge methods and machines.
  • confetti The discharge of confetti is used for artistic and other effects in theatre productions and in other entertainment and festive events and for celebration purposes.
  • the confetti is commonly in the form of circular discs of paper, but may be of rectangular-strip or other configuration, and may be of metal or plastics foil.
  • a method for discharge of confetti wherein discharge takes place from a stack of the confetti by engagement of a rotating member with the confetti at the bottom of the stack.
  • a machine for discharge of confetti comprises means for holding a stack of confetti, a rotatable member for engaging the confetti at the bottom of the stack, and means for rotating the rotatable member to discharge the confetti piece by piece from the bottom of the stack.
  • the rotating rotatable-member of the method and machine of the invention may have a rubber or grit surface for engagement with the bottom of the stack.
  • the surface may be grooved, or may have radially-projecting teeth, for engaging the bottom of the stack to effect discharge of the confetti.
  • the rotatable member may be a rotatably-mounted drum, but may be a wheel or endless belt, and the rate of discharge of the confetti may be regulated simply by control of the rate of rotation of this member.
  • Loading of the stack of confetti may be carried out using a tubular cassette that is open at both ends but has a removable pin or other retaining member that projects across the bottom of the cassette for retention of the confetti in the stack.
  • the pin or other retaining member may be removed when the stack is established ready for engagement with the rotatable member.
  • the billets or wads may be fed directly onto the rotatable member.
  • Rotation of the rotatable member in this case may be effective, for example, by means of one or more blades or other projections on it, to split open the packaging and thereby release the contained confetti for discharge piece by piece under the action of the rotating member.
  • FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the confetti-discharge machine according to the invention, during loading with a stack of confetti;
  • FIG. 2 is a front elevation, partly broken away, of the confetti-discharge machine of FIG. 1 ;
  • FIG. 3 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the confetti-discharge machine of FIGS. 1 and 2 , in operation;
  • FIGS. 4 and 5 are illustrative, respectively, of alternative forms of drum for use in the confetti-discharge machine of FIGS. 1 to 3 .
  • a column of confetti is loaded into the confetti-discharge machine 1 using a tubular cassette 2 inserted into a receiving tube 3 of the machine 1 .
  • the cassette 2 is open at both ends and a pin 4 extends across its bottom end so as to retain the confetti as a stack within the cassette 2 , as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 .
  • the pin 4 runs down a longitudinal slot 5 in a side-wall of the machine 1 and is then withdrawn by hand to prepare the machine 1 for operation.
  • the machine 1 includes an electric motor 8 for driving the drum 6 , that is powered via a transformer 9 from a power-input socket 10 .
  • the speed with which the motor 8 drives the drum 6 is regulated from a control board 11 which controls energisation of the motor 8 from the transformer 9 .
  • the board 11 which has input and output connectors 12 and 13 respectively, may be connected via the connectors 12 and 13 into a DMX (digital multiplex) lighting-control system of a theatre for remote control of the drive motor 8 and its speed.
  • the speed of rotation of the drum 6 can be very precisely controlled as required, between the extremes of very slow, to give a gentle discharge, and very high, to give a furious discharge.
  • packaged billets or wads of confetti are to be used, they can be loaded individually by hand one upon the other directly into a receiving tube (not shown) corresponding to the tube 3 .
  • the receiving tube in this case may have a longitudinal slot that is wide enough to facilitate loading using the fingers.
  • the drum 6 of the machine 1 may, as illustrated in FIG. 4 , have a rubber or grit surface 14 for engagement with the bottom of the stack in peeling off the confetti piece by piece.
  • the surface may be grooved leaving projecting ridges or lands to peel off the pieces from the bottom of the stack, and may have projecting teeth.
  • the drum 6 may have a blade 15 that projects from it in a quasi-tangential manner for peeling off the pieces one by one and cutting or ripping through any packaging of the confetti where billets or wads are loaded as described above.

Abstract

Confetti is discharged by machine from a stack by engagement of a rotating drum 6 with the bottom of the stack. The stack is retained within a tubular cassette 2 by a pin 4 which obstructs the open bottom of the cassette 2 and which is removed to release the stack onto the drum 6 once the cassette 2 is entered into the machine 1. The rate of discharge of confetti from the stack through a mouth 7 of the machine 1 is regulated by control of the speed of an electric motor 8 that drives the drum 6. The drum 6 may have a rubber or grit surface 14 and may have a projecting blade 15 for removal of the packaging of billets or wads of confetti that are fed onto the drum 6.

Description

  • This invention relates to confetti discharge methods and machines.
  • The discharge of confetti is used for artistic and other effects in theatre productions and in other entertainment and festive events and for celebration purposes. The confetti is commonly in the form of circular discs of paper, but may be of rectangular-strip or other configuration, and may be of metal or plastics foil.
  • Various methods and machines are used to effect the discharge of the confetti, but they generally fall short of providing a fully-controlled discharge. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and machine in this regard.
  • According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for discharge of confetti wherein discharge takes place from a stack of the confetti by engagement of a rotating member with the confetti at the bottom of the stack.
  • According to another aspect of the invention a machine for discharge of confetti comprises means for holding a stack of confetti, a rotatable member for engaging the confetti at the bottom of the stack, and means for rotating the rotatable member to discharge the confetti piece by piece from the bottom of the stack.
  • The rotating rotatable-member of the method and machine of the invention may have a rubber or grit surface for engagement with the bottom of the stack. Alternatively, or in addition, the surface may be grooved, or may have radially-projecting teeth, for engaging the bottom of the stack to effect discharge of the confetti.
  • The rotatable member may be a rotatably-mounted drum, but may be a wheel or endless belt, and the rate of discharge of the confetti may be regulated simply by control of the rate of rotation of this member.
  • Loading of the stack of confetti may be carried out using a tubular cassette that is open at both ends but has a removable pin or other retaining member that projects across the bottom of the cassette for retention of the confetti in the stack. The pin or other retaining member may be removed when the stack is established ready for engagement with the rotatable member.
  • When the confetti is packaged in billets or wads (as normally the case where rectangular strips of material, such as sold under the registered trade mark FLUTTER FETTI, are involved), the billets or wads may be fed directly onto the rotatable member. Rotation of the rotatable member in this case may be effective, for example, by means of one or more blades or other projections on it, to split open the packaging and thereby release the contained confetti for discharge piece by piece under the action of the rotating member.
  • A method and machine for discharge of confetti, all in accordance with the present invention, will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
  • FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the confetti-discharge machine according to the invention, during loading with a stack of confetti;
  • FIG. 2 is a front elevation, partly broken away, of the confetti-discharge machine of FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the confetti-discharge machine of FIGS. 1 and 2, in operation; and
  • FIGS. 4 and 5 are illustrative, respectively, of alternative forms of drum for use in the confetti-discharge machine of FIGS. 1 to 3.
  • Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a column of confetti is loaded into the confetti-discharge machine 1 using a tubular cassette 2 inserted into a receiving tube 3 of the machine 1. The cassette 2 is open at both ends and a pin 4 extends across its bottom end so as to retain the confetti as a stack within the cassette 2, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. When the cassette 2 is pushed down to the bottom of the tube 3 as illustrated in FIG. 2, the pin 4 runs down a longitudinal slot 5 in a side-wall of the machine 1 and is then withdrawn by hand to prepare the machine 1 for operation.
  • Withdrawal of the pin 4 releases the stack onto a rotatably-mounted drum 6 immediately under the tube 3 at the base of the machine 1. Rotation of the drum 6 as indicated in FIG. 3, peels off the confetti from the bottom of the stack piece by piece for discharge through a mouth 7 of the machine 1 at a rate dependent on the rate of rotation of the drum 6.
  • As shown in FIG. 2, the machine 1 includes an electric motor 8 for driving the drum 6, that is powered via a transformer 9 from a power-input socket 10. The speed with which the motor 8 drives the drum 6 is regulated from a control board 11 which controls energisation of the motor 8 from the transformer 9. The board 11, which has input and output connectors 12 and 13 respectively, may be connected via the connectors 12 and 13 into a DMX (digital multiplex) lighting-control system of a theatre for remote control of the drive motor 8 and its speed. The speed of rotation of the drum 6 can be very precisely controlled as required, between the extremes of very slow, to give a gentle discharge, and very high, to give a furious discharge.
  • Where packaged billets or wads of confetti are to be used, they can be loaded individually by hand one upon the other directly into a receiving tube (not shown) corresponding to the tube 3. The receiving tube in this case may have a longitudinal slot that is wide enough to facilitate loading using the fingers.
  • The drum 6 of the machine 1 may, as illustrated in FIG. 4, have a rubber or grit surface 14 for engagement with the bottom of the stack in peeling off the confetti piece by piece. As alternatives, the surface may be grooved leaving projecting ridges or lands to peel off the pieces from the bottom of the stack, and may have projecting teeth. However, and as illustrated in FIG. 5, the drum 6 may have a blade 15 that projects from it in a quasi-tangential manner for peeling off the pieces one by one and cutting or ripping through any packaging of the confetti where billets or wads are loaded as described above.
  • A rotating wheel or endless belt may be used in place of the rotating drum 6.

Claims (14)

1. A method for discharge of confetti wherein discharge takes place from a stack of the confetti by engagement of a rotating member with the confetti at the bottom of the stack.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rate of rotation of the rotating member is controlled for regulating the rate of discharge of the confetti from the bottom of the stack.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member is driven in rotation by an electric motor.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member has a rubber or grit surface for frictionally engaging the confetti at the bottom of the stack to effect its discharge.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member is a rotating drum.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member carries a projecting blade for removal of packaging from the stack.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the stack of confetti is contained within a tubular cassette, and wherein the rotating member engages the bottom of the stack beneath the cassette.
8. A machine for discharge of confetti, comprising means for holding a stack of confetti, said stack having a bottom and a top, a rotatable member for engaging the confetti at the bottom of the stack, and means for rotating the rotatable member to discharge the confetti piece by piece from the bottom of the stack.
9. The machine according to claim 8, including means for controlling the rate of rotation of the rotatable member so as to regulate the rate of discharge of the confetti from the bottom of the stack.
10. The machine according to claim 8, wherein the means for rotating the rotatable member is an electric motor.
11. The machine according to claim 8, wherein the rotatable member has a rubber or grit surface for frictionally engaging the confetti at the bottom of the stack to effect its discharge.
12. The machine according to claim 8, wherein the rotatable member is a rotatably-mounted drum.
13. The machine according to claim 8, wherein the rotatable member carries a projecting blade for removal of packaging from the stack.
14. The machine according to claim 8, wherein the means for holding the stack of confetti is a tubular cassette, and wherein the rotatable member engages the bottom of the stack beneath the cassette.
US11/213,669 2004-08-27 2005-08-26 Confetti discharge methods and machines Abandoned US20060046613A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB0419261.3A GB0419261D0 (en) 2004-08-27 2004-08-27 Confetti and confetti-like discharge
GB0419261.3 2004-08-27

Publications (1)

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US20060046613A1 true US20060046613A1 (en) 2006-03-02

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US (1) US20060046613A1 (en)
EP (1) EP1629873A1 (en)
GB (2) GB0419261D0 (en)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20130027934A1 (en) * 2011-07-27 2013-01-31 American Dj Supply, Inc. Dmx controllable low profile lighting apparatus
US20140345586A1 (en) * 2013-05-21 2014-11-27 Michael Lee Schexnayder Toy Firearm for Dispensing Chartaceous Objects
US9364765B2 (en) 2010-08-18 2016-06-14 Mattel, Inc. Toy assembly with blower and color changing features
US9427120B1 (en) * 2011-07-28 2016-08-30 Kenny D. Valentine System and method for creating currency rain
US10086312B2 (en) 2015-09-10 2018-10-02 International Gaming Project Limited Dispensing apparatus for dispensing confetti in response to an occurrence of an event on a gaming machine

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB0602207D0 (en) * 2006-02-04 2006-03-15 Mach Shop Special Effects Ltd Discharge of paper and other leaves from a stack
US9333439B1 (en) 2012-09-25 2016-05-10 Wanda Miller Folded confetti
PL225933B1 (en) * 2013-09-06 2017-06-30 Evermerry Z&A Garbiński Spółka Jawna Device for throwing out confetti and/or streamers

Citations (13)

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US4696615A (en) * 1984-11-28 1987-09-29 Eastman Kodak Company Copying machine
US4699371A (en) * 1984-11-30 1987-10-13 Eastman Kodak Company Sheet feeder
US4718809A (en) * 1985-03-13 1988-01-12 Smh Alcatel Device for unstacking flat objects
US4783064A (en) * 1987-03-17 1988-11-08 Nippon Coinco Co., Ltd. Card feeding mechanism
US4907942A (en) * 1986-08-29 1990-03-13 Schneider Gmbh & Co. Arrangement for separating paper sheet pads from a stack
US5015211A (en) * 1986-12-12 1991-05-14 Reveen Tyrone J Confetti cannon
US5256100A (en) * 1992-05-22 1993-10-26 Wang Kun Meng Toy gun having a replaceable firing mechanism
US5793177A (en) * 1995-09-11 1998-08-11 Hewlett-Packard Company Adaptable media motor feed system for printing mechanisms
US5918876A (en) * 1993-12-17 1999-07-06 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Sheet conveying apparatus
US20020084571A1 (en) * 2000-12-28 2002-07-04 Belec Eric A. Method and apparatus for separating a collation from a supply stack
US6612562B2 (en) * 2001-12-21 2003-09-02 Pitney Dowes Inc. Method and system for feeding media to a printer
US6776684B1 (en) * 2002-10-04 2004-08-17 James O. Watkins Fire crackler stick
US6830151B2 (en) * 1998-12-08 2004-12-14 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Container for dispensing controlled amounts of paper products

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE29703374U1 (en) * 1997-02-25 1997-06-26 Schob Ivo Snow / confetti machine

Patent Citations (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4696615A (en) * 1984-11-28 1987-09-29 Eastman Kodak Company Copying machine
US4699371A (en) * 1984-11-30 1987-10-13 Eastman Kodak Company Sheet feeder
US4718809A (en) * 1985-03-13 1988-01-12 Smh Alcatel Device for unstacking flat objects
US4907942A (en) * 1986-08-29 1990-03-13 Schneider Gmbh & Co. Arrangement for separating paper sheet pads from a stack
US5015211A (en) * 1986-12-12 1991-05-14 Reveen Tyrone J Confetti cannon
US4783064A (en) * 1987-03-17 1988-11-08 Nippon Coinco Co., Ltd. Card feeding mechanism
US5256100A (en) * 1992-05-22 1993-10-26 Wang Kun Meng Toy gun having a replaceable firing mechanism
US5918876A (en) * 1993-12-17 1999-07-06 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Sheet conveying apparatus
US5793177A (en) * 1995-09-11 1998-08-11 Hewlett-Packard Company Adaptable media motor feed system for printing mechanisms
US6830151B2 (en) * 1998-12-08 2004-12-14 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Container for dispensing controlled amounts of paper products
US20020084571A1 (en) * 2000-12-28 2002-07-04 Belec Eric A. Method and apparatus for separating a collation from a supply stack
US6612562B2 (en) * 2001-12-21 2003-09-02 Pitney Dowes Inc. Method and system for feeding media to a printer
US6776684B1 (en) * 2002-10-04 2004-08-17 James O. Watkins Fire crackler stick

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US9364765B2 (en) 2010-08-18 2016-06-14 Mattel, Inc. Toy assembly with blower and color changing features
US20130027934A1 (en) * 2011-07-27 2013-01-31 American Dj Supply, Inc. Dmx controllable low profile lighting apparatus
US9170010B2 (en) * 2011-07-27 2015-10-27 American Dj Supply, Inc. DMX controllable low profile lighting apparatus
US9427120B1 (en) * 2011-07-28 2016-08-30 Kenny D. Valentine System and method for creating currency rain
US20140345586A1 (en) * 2013-05-21 2014-11-27 Michael Lee Schexnayder Toy Firearm for Dispensing Chartaceous Objects
US9207035B2 (en) * 2013-05-21 2015-12-08 Michael Lee Schexnayder Toy firearm for dispensing chartaceous objects
US10086312B2 (en) 2015-09-10 2018-10-02 International Gaming Project Limited Dispensing apparatus for dispensing confetti in response to an occurrence of an event on a gaming machine

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP1629873A1 (en) 2006-03-01
GB2417431A (en) 2006-03-01
GB2417431B (en) 2007-03-28
GB0419261D0 (en) 2004-09-29
GB0517502D0 (en) 2005-10-05

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