U.S. patent application number 12/627314 was filed with the patent office on 2010-10-07 for racket toy ball launcher.
This patent application is currently assigned to Poof-Slinky, Inc.. Invention is credited to Dennis O'Patka, CRAIG WILLIAMSON.
Application Number | 20100252012 12/627314 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42825143 |
Filed Date | 2010-10-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100252012 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
O'Patka; Dennis ; et
al. |
October 7, 2010 |
RACKET TOY BALL LAUNCHER
Abstract
A racket toy for launching a ball includes a handle and a rim
connected to the handle. The rim defines a central opening. A
drumhead material covers the central opening. An arm is connected
to the rim and extends towards a center of the central opening. A
ball holder cup is positioned on the arm and features a central
aperture sized to receive and hold a projectile ball by friction in
contact with a front side of the drumhead material. A launching
ball attached to the rim by an elastic strap in proximity to a back
side of the drumhead material so that said launching ball may be
pulled away from the back side of the drumhead material so as place
the elastic strap in tension. When the launching ball is released,
it strikes the back side of the drumhead material which causes the
front side of the drumhead material to launch the projectile ball
positioned in the ball bolder cup. The drumhead material produces a
sound when it is struck by the launching ball.
Inventors: |
O'Patka; Dennis; (Chicago,
IL) ; WILLIAMSON; CRAIG; (Lyons, IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GIFFORD, KRASS, SPRINKLE,ANDERSON & CITKOWSKI, P.C
PO BOX 7021
TROY
MI
48007-7021
US
|
Assignee: |
Poof-Slinky, Inc.
Plymouth
MI
|
Family ID: |
42825143 |
Appl. No.: |
12/627314 |
Filed: |
November 30, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61118509 |
Nov 28, 2008 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
124/20.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F 9/0252 20130101;
A63F 2009/0273 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
124/20.1 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/02 20060101
A63F009/02; F41B 7/08 20060101 F41B007/08 |
Claims
1. A racket toy for launching a ball comprising: a) a handle; b) a
rim connected to the handle and defining a central opening; c) a
drumhead material covering the central opening; d) an arm connected
to the rim and extending towards a center of the central opening;
e) a ball holder cup positioned on said arm and featuring a central
aperture sized to receive and adapted to hold a projectile ball in
proximity to a front side of the drumhead material; f) a launching
ball attached to the rim by an elastic strap in proximity to a back
side of the drumhead material so that said launching ball may be
pulled away from the back side of the drumhead material so as place
the elastic strap in tension so that when the launching ball is
released, it strikes the back side of the drumhead material which
causes the front side of the drumhead material to launch a
projectile ball positioned in the ball holder cup.
2. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the drumhead material produces
a sound when it is struck by the launching ball.
3. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the elastic strap includes a
first elastic strap and a second elastic strap with distal ends of
the first and second elastic straps attached to the launching ball
and the proximal ends attached to the rim.
4. The racket toly of claim 1 wherein the elastic strap passes
through a bore formed in the launching ball and has ends attached
to the rim.
5. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the arm includes a proximal
end attached to the rim and a distal end attached to the ball
holder cup.
6. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the rim includes a front half
and a back half with a circumferential edge of the drumhead
material secured there between.
7. The racket toy of claim 6 wherein the handle and at least one of
the front half or back half of the rim are molded as a single
piece.
8. The racket toy of claim 6 wherein the handle, at least one of
the front half or back half of the rim, the arm and the ball holder
cup are molded as a single piece.
9. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the handle includes a finger
grip portion.
10. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the drumhead material has a
thickness in the range of 0.10'' to 0.25''.
11. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the central aperture of the
ball holder cup is adapted to hold a projectile ball by
friction.
12. The racket toy of claim 11 wherein the central aperture
features a "+" shape.
13. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the launching ball has a
diameter in the range of 1'' to 4''.
14. The racket toy of claim 1 further comprising a projectile ball
removably positioned in the central aperture of the ball holder
cup.
15. The racket toy of claim 14 wherein the projectile ball is
constructed from foam.
16. The racket toy of claim 14 wherein the projectile ball has a
diameter in the range of 1'' to 4''.
17. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the ball holder cup is
positioned so as to hold a projectile ball in contact with a front
side of the drumhead material.
18. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the ball holder cup is
positioned so as to hold a projectile ball in close proximity to,
but not in contact with, the front side of the drumhead
material.
19. The racket toy of claim 1 wherein the drumhead material is
transparent.
20. A method of launching a projectile ball for play comprising the
steps of: a) providing a racket toy with a handle and a head, the
head including a ball holder cup on one side of a drumhead material
and a launching ball attached to the head by an elastic strap on
the other side of the drumhead material; b) positioning the
projectile ball in the ball holder cup; c) pulling the launching
ball away from the drumhead material so that the elastic strap is
placed in tension; and d) releasing the launching ball so that it
travels towards and strikes the drumhead material so that the
drumhead material launches the projectile ball from the ball holder
cup and a sound is produced.
Description
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 61/118,509, filed Nov. 28, 2008,
currently pending.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention generally relates to toys for children
and, more particularly, to a racket toy with energy transference,
sound and ball launch and a method for using same.
BACKGROUND
[0003] May toys have been developed and marketed that provide
children with the ability to launch a projectile. Examples include
the NERF line of ball shooters from Hasbro, Inc., which use air or
spring pressure to launch small foam balls out of the toy. Another
example is the CHUCKIT! ball launcher from Canine Hardware, Inc.
which holds a foam ball in a friction fit cup and then provides a
leverage arm with which to manually launch the ball. Blip Toys
offers a ZOOM-O ball shooter featuring a net, where the toy shoots
a ball up into the air to be caught by the child using the net.
Such toys are very safe given the soft and/or lightweight nature of
the projectile used.
[0004] Sling shots have existed for may years and are very popular.
When used as a children's toy, however, they can be dangerous if a
hard or sharp object is used as the projectile. A need therefore
exists for a toy that combines the safety of a soft and/or
lightweight projectile with the simplicity and fun of a slingshot.
A need also exists for such a toy that provides an entertaining
sound upon launching the projectile.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 is a front side perspective view of an embodiment of
the racket toy ball launcher of the present invention and a spare
projectile ball;
[0006] FIG. 2 is a front side perspective view of the racket toy
ball launcher of FIG. 1 with the launching ball pulled back by a
user so that the toy is ready to launch the projectile ball;
[0007] FIG. 3 is a back side perspective view of the racket toy
ball launcher of FIG. 2;
[0008] FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the racket toy ball
launcher of FIGS. 1-3 after the launching ball has been released
and the projectile ball has been launched from the toy.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0009] An embodiment of the racket toy ball launcher of the present
invention is indicated in general at 10 in FIGS. 1-4. As
illustrated in FIG. 1, the racket toy features a handle, indicated
in general at 12, and a head, indicated in general at 14. The
handle portion includes a finger grip portion 16 and is shaped for
ease of gripping by a user, as illustrated in FIGS. 2-4.
[0010] The head includes a rim, indicated in general at 17 in FIGS.
1-4, that is preferably ring-shaped so as to define a central
opening 20. While a circular shape is illustrated, the rim could
feature alternative shapes, such as square or polygonal. The rim
preferable features two halves: a front half, indicated at 18a, and
a back half, indicated 18b.
[0011] A sheet of drumhead material 22, such as MYLAR, is pulled
tightly across the central opening 20 of the racket toy head so as
to cover it. The sheet of drumhead material is preferably
transparent or clear so that a child may see through the racket toy
head. The drumhead material may be any material that, when pulled
tight, can deflect and produce a noise as described in greater
detail below. The sheet of drumhead material is preferably
approximately 0.10'' to 0.25'' thick.
[0012] The circumferental edge of the sheet of drumhead material is
preferably sandwiched between the front and back halves (18a and
18b) of the rim and is secured in place by adhesive, a tab and
groove or other fastening arrangement. The front and rear rim
halves are preferably secured together by pegs that are molded in
one half and that engage openings formed in the other half (see 24
in FIGS. 1-3) in a snap-fit arrangement. Alternatively, the rim
halves may be secured together by screws, rivets or other
fasteners.
[0013] An arm 26 is connected by its distal end to the rim front
half 18a and extends towards the center of the head central opening
20. A ball holder cup 28 is positioned at the distal end of the arm
and features a central aperture 32 that generally corresponds to
the center of the head central opening 20. It should be noted that
alternative embodiments of the arm could be used including one that
spans the central opening 20 in its entirety or one that extends
from the handle or a position on the rim other than the one
shown.
[0014] As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the central aperture 32 of the
ball holder cup 28 is sized to receive and hold or retain by light
friction fit a removable projectile ball 34. The central aperture
preferably features a "+" shape, but may feature any alternative
shape. In addition, arrangements other than those employing
friction may be used to retain the projectile ball in the ball
holder cup including, but not limited to, Velcro-type fasteners and
gravity. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the racket toy is preferably
provided with a second, or more, projectile ball 36.
[0015] While projectile balls 34 and 36 are preferably constructed
from foam, any soft, lightweight, somewhat flexible and durable
material could be used. The foam may be, for example, polyethylene
or a similar material.
[0016] The ball holder cup 28 is preferably spaced from the sheet
of drumhead material 22 so that the projectile ball 34 lightly
touches the front side of the sheet of drumhead material when the
ball is placed in the ball holder cup, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3.
In an alternative embodiment, the ball may be positioned in close
proximity to, but not in actual contact with, the front side of the
sheet of drumhead material when in the ball holder cup 28.
[0017] A launching ball 38 is secured to the distal ends of first
and second elastic straps 42a and 42b. The proximal ends of the
elastic straps are secured to the back half of the rim 18b.
Alternatively, the racket toy may include a single elastic strap
that extends through a bore formed in the launching ball with the
ends of the single elastic strap attached to the rim. Launching
ball 38 is preferably constructed from molded or cut foam (such as
polyethylene or an equivalent material), although it could be made
from a variety of other materials including, but not limited to,
molded plastic or even wood. Elastic straps 42a and 42b may be
constructed from any elastic material including, but not limited
to, rubber, rubberized cloth or surgical tubing. In use, the
launching ball 38 is pulled back into the launching position
illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 so that elastic straps 42a and 42b are
stretched into a tension state with stored energy. This action is
similar to the one used when operating a sling shot.
[0018] As illustrated in FIG. 4, when the user releases the
launching ball 38, it travels forward (in the direction of arrow
44) and into the back side of the drumhead material 22 as the
energy stored in the elastic straps 42a and 42b is released. As the
launching ball 38 strikes the drumhead material, the drumhead
material flexes forward and easily overrides the friction force
holding the projectile ball 34 within the central aperture of the
ball holder cup 28 so as to launch the projectile ball 34 from the
ball holder cup 28 in the direction of arrow 46. As a result, the
energy from launching ball 38 is transmitted through the drumhead
material 22 to the projectile ball 34.
[0019] As the launching ball strikes the drumhead material, the
racket toy produces a loud and enjoyable sound. In an alternative
embodiment, a more flexible drumhead material may be used, or the
tightness of the drumhead material may be reduced, so that the
sound produced by the racket is quieter.
[0020] As noted above, in an alternative embodiment of the
invention, the projectile ball 34 may be positioned in
non-contacting, close proximity to the front side of the sheet of
drumhead material, instead of in light contact with it, when
located in the central aperture of the ball holder cup 28. This
embodiment would still launch the projectile ball when the racket
is operated as described above, but would result in lack of full
energy transference between the launching ball and the projectile
ball.
[0021] The handle and head of the racket toy is preferable
constructed from an injection molded, durable plastic, such as high
impact styrene or ABS. The handle, arm 26, ball holder cup 28 and
front rim half 18a are preferably molded as a single piece, with
the back rim half 18b molded as a separate piece that is attached
to the front half as described above. Alternatively, the head and
handle of the racket toy may be constructed of separate pieces that
are manufactured separately and then joined together. The balls 34,
36 and 38 are preferably 1'' to 4'' in diameter or larger.
[0022] The racket toy ball launcher therefore provides the user
with a unique and enjoyable play toy and activity that provides
both visual and audible entertainment.
* * * * *