Ice sculptures are an attractive and popular form of decoration. They can take on many shapes, and can be carved by hand or formed in a mold. Due to their transient nature, ice sculptures are often used to enhance the decorative atmosphere of a special occasion. For example, ice sculptures are frequently displayed at serving tables during festive dining events. Specially arranged lighting is sometimes used to significantly enhance the attractive appearance of an ice sculpture, by shining light through the ice to give it a translucent, illuminated appearance.
While an ice sculpture can be formed into almost any size and shape, the indoor use of illuminated ice sculptures is typically limited to large serving tables and the like, due to the need to connect illuminating lights to a power outlet, and due to the need to manage the water that flows from an ice sculpture as it melts. When an ice sculpture is displayed on a food-serving table, for example, the table is typically placed against a wall for easy access to a power outlet, and the ice sculpture is often placed in a large basin that is partially masked by flowers and/or fruit surrounding the ice sculpture. However, this approach does not enable display of ice sculptures in more general locations, such as the center of a dining table, a coffee table in the center of a living room, or any other location where it is inconvenient to provide space for a water catch-basin, and/or where a power outlet is not readily available.
Special carts have been proposed that include drainage tubes, water collection basins, and power cords all concealed within their structures. However, these carts still require access to a power outlet, and they do not provide for use of ice sculptures in limited spaces and/or in locations that are not close to a power outlet.
A self-contained ice sculpture display platform is known that illuminates an annular-shaped ice sculpture using a candle placed in the center of the annulus, and includes a water-catching bowl located beneath the platform so as to catch water flowing through drainage holes in the platform as the ice melts. While this approach does not require placement near a wall outlet, and is adaptable to small spaces, it is limited in that it is adaptable only to ice sculptures with an annular shape, and can only provide the weak illumination that results from a candle. The proximity of the candle to the ice can also accelerate melting of the ice sculpture.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds