U.S. patent application number 16/681537 was filed with the patent office on 2020-05-28 for flying toy.
The applicant listed for this patent is AGATSUMA CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Masaya SASANO, Shinji TODOKORO.
Application Number | 20200164280 16/681537 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 68696230 |
Filed Date | 2020-05-28 |
![](/patent/app/20200164280/US20200164280A1-20200528-D00000.png)
![](/patent/app/20200164280/US20200164280A1-20200528-D00001.png)
![](/patent/app/20200164280/US20200164280A1-20200528-D00002.png)
United States Patent
Application |
20200164280 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
TODOKORO; Shinji ; et
al. |
May 28, 2020 |
FLYING TOY
Abstract
A vinyl hollow flying toy having a rocket shape includes a main
body portion including a front body portion at a front end portion
and narrowed diametrically, a middle body portion at a middle
portion and having a maximum diameter, and a rear body portion at a
rear end portion and having fins, which are each made up of a fin
member, and in the flying toy, the fins are inflated with air as
with the main body portion to maintain a shape of a rocket type
flying object with fins, the fin members constituting the fins are
formed to be attached while being twisted in one direction relative
to an axis of the main body portion of the flying toy, and an air
injection nozzle is provided on the main body portion.
Inventors: |
TODOKORO; Shinji; (Tokyo,
JP) ; SASANO; Masaya; (Tokyo, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
AGATSUMA CO., LTD. |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
68696230 |
Appl. No.: |
16/681537 |
Filed: |
November 12, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H 27/005 20130101;
A63H 27/10 20130101; A63H 2027/1066 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63H 27/00 20060101
A63H027/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 22, 2018 |
JP |
2018-219123 |
Claims
1. A vinyl hollow flying toy having a shape copied from a rocket,
comprising: a main body portion comprising, in turn, a front body
portion provided at a front end portion and narrowed in diameter, a
middle body portion provided at a middle portion and having a
maximum diameter, and a rear body portion provided at a rear end
portion and having a plurality of fins provided thereon, the
plurality of fins each being made up of a fin member, wherein the
fins are inflated with air as the main body portion is inflated
with air to maintain a shape of a rocket type flying object with
fins, wherein the fin members constituting the fins are formed to
be attached to the rear body portion in such a manner as to be
twisted in one direction with respect to a center axis of the main
body portion of the flying toy, and wherein an air injection nozzle
is provided on the main body portion.
2. The flying toy according to claim 1, having an overall length of
more than 10 cm to several tens of centimeters.
3. The flying toy according to claim 1, wherein the fin members
constituting the fins are each formed into a bag formed by
connecting two front and rear sheets together at a front edge
portion, an outer edge portion, and a rear edge portion and are
fixedly connected to the main body portion at connecting portions
each extending from the front edge portion to the rear edge
porition, wherein interiors of the fin members and an interior of
the main body portion are caused to communicate with each other, so
that air in the interior of the main body portion is injected into
the interiors of the fin members and air in the interiors of the
fin members is discharged into the interior of the main body
portion, and wherein the fin members each have a linear bonded
portion where the two front and rear sheets are pressure bonded
together.
4. The flying toy according to claim 2, wherein the fin members
constituting the fins are each formed into a bag formed by
connecting two front and rear sheets together at a front edge
portion, an outer edge portion, and a rear edge portion and are
fixedly connected to the main body portion at connecting portions
each extending from the front edge portion to the rear edge
portion, wherein interiors of the fin members and an interior of
the main body portion are caused to communicate with each other, so
that air in the interior of the main body portion is injected into
the interiors of the fin members and air in the interiors of the
fin members is discharged into the interior of the main body
portion, and wherein the fin members each have a linear bonded
portion where the two front and rear sheets are pressure bonded
together.
5. The flying toy according to claim 1, wherein in the main body
portion, the front body portion is thinner than the middle body
portion, the middle body portion is increased gradually in diameter
from the front body portion to become thicker curvilinearly in
diameter and is slightly reduced in diameter near a rear end
thereof to connect continuously to the rear body portion, and the
rear body portion is narrowed in diameter gradually and
rectilinearly to reach a rear end portion, and wherein the fins are
provided on the rear body portion.
6. The flying toy according to claim 2, wherein in the main body
portion, the front body portion is thinner than the middle body
portion, the middle body portion is increased gradually in diameter
from the front body portion to become thicker curvilinearly in
diameter and is slightly reduced in diameter near a rear end
thereof to connect continuously to the rear body portion, and the
rear body portion is narrowed in diameter gradually and
rectilinearly to reach a rear end portion, and wherein the fins are
provided on the rear body portion.
7. The flying toy according to claim 3, wherein in the main body
portion, the front body portion is thinner than the middle body
portion, the middle body portion is increased gradually in diameter
from the front body portion to become thicker curvilinearly in
diameter and is slightly reduced in diameter near a rear end
thereof to connect continuously to the rear body portion, and the
rear body portion is narrowed in diameter gradually and
rectilinearly to reach a rear end portion, and wherein the fins are
provided on the rear body portion.
8. The flying toy according to claim 4, wherein in the main body
portion, the front body portion is thinner than the middle body
portion, the middle body portion is increased gradually in diameter
from the front body portion to become thicker curvilinearly in
diameter and is slightly reduced in diameter near a rear end
thereof to connect continuously to the rear body portion, and the
rear body portion is narrowed in diameter gradually and
rectilinearly to reach a rear end portion, and wherein the fins are
provided on the rear body portion.
9. The flying toy according to claim 1, wherein in the flying toy
having the shape of the rocket type flying object, a center of
gravity of a whole of the flying toy is positioned near a center
position of the main body portion in relation to a front-rear
direction thereof or is positioned further forwards than the center
position.
10. The flying toy according to claim 2, wherein in the flying toy
having the shape of the rocket type flying object, a center of
gravity of a whole of the flying toy is positioned near a center
position of the main body portion in relation to a front-rear
direction thereof or is positioned further forwards than the center
position.
11. The flying toy according to claim 3, wherein in the flying toy
having the shape of the rocket type flying object, a center of
gravity of a whole of the flying toy is positioned near a center
position of the main body portion in relation to a front-rear
direction thereof or is positioned further forwards than the center
position.
12. The flying toy according to claim 4, wherein in the flying toy
having the shape of the rocket type flying object, a center of
gravity of a whole of the flying toy is positioned near a center
position of the main body portion in relation to a front-rear
direction thereof or is positioned further forwards than the center
position.
13. The flying toy according to claim 5, wherein in the flying toy
having the shape of the rocket type flying object, a center of
gravity of a whole of the flying toy is positioned near a center
position of the main body portion in relation to a front-rear
direction thereof or is positioned further forwards than the center
position.
14. The flying toy according to claim 6, wherein in the flying toy
having the shape of the rocket type flying object, a center of
gravity of a whole of the flying toy is positioned near a center
position of the main body portion in relation to a front-rear
direction thereof or is positioned further forwards than the center
position.
15. The flying toy according to claim 7, wherein in the flying toy
having the shape of the rocket type flying object, a center of
gravity of a whole of the flying toy is positioned near a center
position of the main body portion in relation to a front-rear
direction thereof or is positioned further forwards than the center
position.
16. The flying toy according to claim 8, wherein in the flying toy
having the shape of the rocket type flying object, a center of
gravity of a whole of the flying toy is positioned near a center
position of the main body portion in relation to a front-rear
direction thereof or is positioned further forwards than the center
position.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This patent application is based upon and claims the benefit
of priority under 35 USC 119 to Japanese Patent Application No.
2018-219123 filed on Nov. 22, 2018, the entire disclosure of which,
including the description, claims, drawings, and abstract, is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a vinyl toy that is
inflated into a rocket shape with air to be played with by being
thrown.
Description of the Related Art
[0003] Conventionally, there have been provided a number of
variously shaped toys that are played with by being thrown, and
some of them are formed into a shape copied from an airplane or
into a rocket-like shape.
[0004] In the toys that are played with by children by throwing
them to fly, there has been a balloon toy formed into a flying
object having a cylindrical main body portion and a plurality of
fins provided on the main body portion and made of a plastic film
to secure the safety of a person, should the person be hit by the
thrown flying object (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
9-56934).
[0005] This flying object is made up of a cylindrical rod-shaped
balloon having a diameter of on the order of 10 cm and a length of
1 m to 2 m. When it is stowed, air is drawn out from the balloon
flying object, whereby the balloon can be folded up. The fins are
each formed as a plate-like fin member which is made up of two
superposed plastic films. In this balloon flying object, four fin
members are provided. Then, these fin members are connected
together at base portions thereof by an annular fin member base
portion. This annular fin member base portion and the four
plate-like fin members are formed integrally by a plastic film, so
that the fins are fixed to a main body portion of the flying object
by the annular fin member base portion when air is injected into
the main body portion to inflate the main body portion into a
cylindrical body.
[0006] The balloon flying object having the length of 1 m or longer
is suitable for playing outside, but the balloon flying object
having such a length has a drawback that it is too big to play with
inside a room.
[0007] In addition, when attempting to inflate the balloon toy to
play with, some labor hours need to be taken to inflate the main
body portion of the toy from a folded state for stowage, leading a
drawback that preparations for play become troublesome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a flying
toy which can solve the problems described above, can be played
with easily and safely whether inside or outside, and can be folded
into a small size for stowage, for example, when it is not
used.
[0009] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a vinyl hollow flying toy having a shape copied from a
rocket, including a main body portion including, in turn, a front
body portion provided at a front end portion and narrowed in
diameter, a middle body portion provided at a middle portion and
having a maximum diameter, and a rear body portion provided at a
rear end portion and having a plurality of fins provided thereon,
the plurality of fins each being made up of a fin member, and in
this vinyl hollow flying toy, the fins are inflated with air as the
main body portion is inflated with air to maintain a shape of a
rocket type flying object with fins, the fin members constituting
the fins are formed to be attached to the rear body portion in such
a manner as to be twisted in one direction with respect to a center
axis of the main body portion of the flying toy, and an air
injection nozzle is provided on the main body portion.
[0010] The flying toy has an overall length of more than 10 cm to
several tens of centimeters.
[0011] The flying toy may be configured as follows. The fin members
constituting the fins are each formed into a bag formed by
connecting two front and rear sheets together at a front edge
portion, an outer edge portion, and a rear edge portion and are
fixedly connected to the main body portion at connecting portions
each extending from the front edge portion to the rear edge
portion, interiors of the fin members and an interior of the main
body portion are caused to communicate with each other, so that air
in the interior of the main body portion is injected into the
interiors of the fin members and air in the interiors of the fin
members is discharged into the interior of the main body portion,
and the fin members each have a linear bonded portion where the two
front and rear sheets are pressure bonded together.
[0012] The flying toy may be configured as follows. In the main
body portion, the front body portion is thinner than the middle
body portion, the middle body portion is increased gradually in
diameter from the front body portion to become thicker
curvilinearly in diameter and is slightly reduced in diameter near
a rear end thereof to connect continuously to the rear body
portion, and the rear body portion is narrowed in diameter
gradually and rectilinearly to reach a rear end portion, and the
fins are provided on the rear body portion.
[0013] The flying toy may be configured as follows. In the flying
toy having the shape of the rocket type flying object, a center of
gravity of a whole of the flying toy is positioned near a center
position of the main body portion in relation to a front-rear
direction thereof or is positioned further forwards than the center
position.
[0014] The flying toy according to the present invention is formed
into the rocket shape having the fins at the rear body portion, and
the fins are attached to the main body portion while being twisted.
Thus, when in flight with the fins constituting a trailing portion
of the main body portion, the main body portion is rotated around
the longitudinal center axis of the main body portion by the fins,
whereby the flying toy is enabled to fly far in a stabilized
posture by the rotation of the main body portion and the
advantageous effect of the fins.
[0015] In addition, in the flying toy, the main body portion and
the fin members constituting the fins are formed into the vinyl bag
which can be inflated with air. Thus, the flying toy can be
prepared for play only by injecting air from the air injection
nozzle, whereas the flying toy can be folded up into a reduced size
for stowage by drawing out the air therefrom. When in use, even
though the flying toy hits an object or a person, it is difficult
for the flying toy to be broken, and the flying toy is least likely
to damage or injure the thing or the person it hits. Consequently,
with the flying toy, players can enjoy playing with by throwing the
flying toy to fly far safely and easily.
[0016] Then, the flying toy has the overall length of more than 10
cm to several tens of centimeters, whereby a player can enjoy
playing with the flying toy by throwing the toy whether inside or
outside. When not in use, the flying toy can be folded into a small
size by drawing out the air from the interior thereof for stowage,
transport, carriage, or storage.
[0017] Additionally, the fin members constituting the fins are each
formed into the bag by connecting the two front and rear sheets
together along the circumferential edge thereof, and the interiors
of the fin members so formed are caused to communicate with the
interior of the main body portion of the flying toy. Then, when air
is injected into the main body portion to inflate the main body
portion, the fins are also inflated with the air, whereby the
flying toy can be formed into the predetermined shape. Then, since
the linear bonded portions are provided to extend from the rear
edge portions of the fin members towards the front, an air drag at
the time of flight can be prevented from being increased too high,
which would otherwise be the case as a result of the fin members
constituting the fins being inflated thick.
[0018] Further, the air drag that the flying toy generates when in
flight can be reduced, allowing the flying toy to fly over a long
flying distance by the shape of the main body portion in which the
front body portion is narrowed in diameter, the middle body portion
is widened to become the thickest, and the rear body portion is
gradually narrowed in diameter towards the rear. Thus, the player
can enjoy playing with the flying toy by throwing the toy to fly
far.
[0019] Then, the center of gravity of the rocket-type vinyl flying
toy with the fins provided at the rear is positioned near the
center position of the main body portion in relation to the
front-rear direction thereof or is positioned further forwards than
the center position. This enables the light flying toy made of the
vinyl sheet to fly in a stabilized posture.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of a flying toy
according to the present invention; and
[0021] FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the embodiment of the flying
toy according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, a flying toy according to the present
invention is a rocket-shaped vinyl flying toy 10 with fins 31
including a main body portion 11 including, in turn, a nose portion
13, a front body portion 21 situated near the nose portion 13, a
middle body portion 23 situated in the middle of the main body
portion 11, and a rear body portion 25 situated at the rear of the
middle body portion 23. The front body portion 21 is formed into a
cylindrical shape which is narrower in diameter than the middle
body portion 23 and the rear body portion 25. The fins 31 are
provided at the rear body portion 25.
[0023] The main body portion 11 and the fins 31 are inflated with
air and are formed of a vinyl sheet of a thickness of on the order
of 0.2 mm. The main body portion 11 has an overall length of
substantially more than 10 cm to 70 cm, and a maximum diameter
portion of the middle body portion 23 has a diameter of
substantially 2 to 3 cm to 7 to 10 cm. Additionally, the fins 31
each have a length of substantially one fourth to one fifth of the
overall length of the main body portion 11 and a thickness of
substantially 5 mm to 15 mm.
[0024] Then, substantially one fourth of the main body portion 11
situated closer to the nose portion 13 is allocated to the front
body portion 21, and this front body portion 21 is formed into a
thin cylindrical shape of a diameter of substantially one half of
the maximum diameter of the main body portion 11. The nose portion
13 has a substantially spherical shape. The middle body portion 23
continues from the front body portion 21 and extends substantially
to a center of the main body portion 11. A diameter of the middle
body portion 23 is changed in such a manner as to change the shape
of the middle body portion 23 curvilinearly by gradually increasing
the diameter of the middle body portion 23 from the front body
portion 21, while the diameter is slightly reduced near a rear end
of the middle body portion 23. Further, the rear body portion 25
that continues from the middle body portion 23 is narrowed in
diameter gradually and rectilinearly to a rear end of the main body
portion 11 in such a manner that a diameter of a rear end portion
15 becomes almost the same as or slightly greater than a diameter
of the nose portion 13.
[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, an air injection nozzle 51, which is
configured to inject air into interiors of the main body portion 11
and the fins 31, is provided at the rear end portion 15.
[0026] Then, in this embodiment, four fins 31, which are made up of
fin members of the same shape, are formed on the main body portion
11 at a portion near a rear end of the rear body portion 25 in such
a manner as to be disposed at equal intervals around a
circumference of the rear body portion 25. The fin members
constituting the fins 31 are each formed into a bag by use of two
vinyl sheets, so that air can be injected into the fin members via
the main body portion 11 as air is injected into the main body
portion 11.
[0027] The fin 31 has a front edge portion 33 which extends
obliquely rearwards and outwards from front ends of connecting
portions 41 where the fin 31 is connected to the main body portion
11, an outer edge portion 35 which extends rearwards from an outer
end of the front edge portion 33, and a rear edge portion 37 which
connects a rear end of the outer edge portion 35 with rear ends of
the connecting portions 41. Then, the two vinyl sheets are
connected together along the front edge portion 33, the outer edge
portion 35, and the rear edge portion 37. Further, the two vinyl
sheets are connected to the main body portion 11 at the connecting
portions 41 in such a manner that an interior of the main body
portion 11 communicates with an interior of the fin member
constituting the fin 31 through a portion defined between the
connecting portions 41 where the two vinyl sheets are connected to
the main body portion 11. This enables air in the interior of the
main body portion 11 to flow into the interior of the fin member
and air in the interior of the fin member to flow into the interior
of the main body portion 11.
[0028] Then, the fin members each include a linear bonded portion
45 where the two front and rear vinyl sheets are bonded together
through heat sealing from a middle position of the rear edge
portion 37 to a position lying near the front edge portion 33 in
substantially parallel to the outer edge portion 35 and the
connecting portions 41. Thus, a middle portion of the fin member is
prevented from being inflated thick as a thickness of the fin
member when the fin member is inflated with air flowing thereinto
from the main body portion 11, whereby the fin member constituting
the fin 31 can be kept holding a plate-like shape as a whole.
[0029] In each of the fins 31, the fin member is attached
integrally to the main body portion 11 in such a manner as to be
inclined or twisted at an angle of substantially 15 degrees to 20
degrees with respect to a longitudinal axis of the rear body
portion 25 so that the front edge portion 33 and the rear edge
portion 37 are offset from each other in one direction with respect
to the direction of a longitudinal center axis of the main body
portion 11.
[0030] Consequently, the flying toy 10 flies with the main body
portion 11 rotating around the longitudinal center axis of the main
body portion 11 as a result of the fins 31 being twisted in the one
direction when the flying toy 10 is thrown.
[0031] The air injection nozzle 51 provided at the rear end portion
15 includes a check valve and is normally retracted into the
interior of the main body portion 11 at the rear end portion 15.
The air injection nozzle 51 includes a cap. When preparing the
flying toy 10 for use, the air injection nozzle 51 at the rear end
portion 15 is pulled out from the interior of the main body
portion, and with the cap removed, air is injected into the
interiors of the main body portion 11 and the fins 31 through the
air injection nozzle 51, whereby the flying toy 10 can be inflated
for use. On the contrary, when preparing the flying toy 10, for
example, for stowage, the cap is removed from the air injection
nozzle 51, and the check valve is collapsed to be opened by being
pressed laterally horizontally so that air in the interiors of the
main body portions 11 and the like can be discharged to the
outside.
[0032] In this way, the flying toy 10 is formed of the vinyl sheet
with the main body portion 11 and the fins 31 kept hollow when
inflated. As a result, the flying toy 10 can be folded into a small
size by discharging the air inside to facilitate stowage or storage
and transport or carriage. On the contrary, the flying toy 10 can
be inflated with air injected into the interior thereof, whereby
the fin members constituting the fins 31 are inflated to the
predetermined thickness and the rocket-shaped main body portion 11
with the fins 31 can easily be inflated to the predetermined shape
and size.
[0033] As a result, the flying toy 10 can be inflated easily and
quickly to such an extent that the main body portion 11 has a
maximum diameter of substantially several centimeters and an
overall length of substantially more than 10 cm or a maximum
diameter of 10 cm or smaller and an overall length of substantially
several tens of centimeters only by injecting air from the air
injection nozzle 51, whereby the player can play by throwing the
inflated flying toy 10.
[0034] Then, in playing with this flying toy 10, when the flying
toy 10 is thrown, the flying toy 10 flies with the main body
portion 11 rotating due to the fins 31 which are provided on the
main body portion 11 in such a manner as to be twisted with respect
to the center axis of the main body portion 11. In this way, for
play, the flying toy 10 can fly far while maintain the stable
flying posture as a result of the shape of the main body portion 11
in which the front body portion 21 is formed narrower in diameter
than the middle body portion 23 and the rear body portion 25, the
action of the fins 31, and the stabilization of the center axis due
to the rotation of the toy.
[0035] Additionally, since the flying toy 10 is formed to have the
overall length of more than 10 cm to several tens of centimeters,
the player can play with the flying toy 10 by throwing it whether
inside or outside. Further, the player can enjoy playing with the
flying toy 10 by inflating the flying toy 10 into the rocket-type
toy having the predetermined shape anywhere through injection of
air thereinto.
[0036] Furthermore, in this flying toy 10, the main body portion 11
and the fins 31 are made of the thin vinyl sheets and are inflated
with air to keep their shapes. As a result, even though the flying
toy 10 hits a person or an object, there is no risk of the flying
toy 10 being broken, and the person or the object that the flying
toy 10 hits is least likely to be injured or damaged.
[0037] That is, in the case where the flying toy 10 is formed to be
inflated to such an extent that the main body portion 11 has an
overall length of more than 10 cm or substantially 12 to 13 cm to
20 cm and the middle body portion 23 has a maximum diameter of
substantially 2 to 3 cm, the flying toy 10 can be gripped on by the
fingers to be thrown, whereby the player can play with the flying
toy 10 inside such as within a room in a general house. For
example, the player can use the flying toy 10 as a dart and enjoy
playing the game of darts. Additionally, in the case where the
flying toy 10 is formed to be inflated to such an extent that the
main body portion 11 has an overall length of several tens of
centimeters or substantially 50 to 70 cm and the middle body
portion 23 has a maximum diameter of substantially 7 to 10 cm, the
flying toy 10 can be gripped on by the hand to be thrown, whereby
the player can play with the flying toy 10 inside such as within a
wide room in a general house or outside. For example, two players
can enjoy playing with the flying toy 10 in such a way that one
player throws the flying toy 10 in the air and the other player
catches the thrown flying toy 10.
[0038] Additionally, in the case where the flying toy 10 is formed
to be inflated to such an extent that the main body portion 11 has
the overall length of more than 10 cm or substantially 12 to 13 cm
to 20 cm, the flying toy 10 can be folded into such a small size
as, for example, to be put in a pocket by drawing out the air in
the interior of the main body portion 11 therefrom, so that the
flying toy 10 can be carried, transported or held extremely easily.
Even in the case where the flying toy 10 is formed to be inflated
to such an extent that the main body portion 11 has the overall
length of several tens of centimeters or 50 to 70 cm, the flying
toy 10 can be folded into such a small size as to be put in a
pocket or a bag in the same way, so that the flying toy 10 can be
carried, transported or held easily.
[0039] The overall length of the main body portion 11 or the flying
toy 10 is not limited to the overall length of 12 to 13 cm to 20 cm
which constitutes a small-sized flying object suitable mainly for
the play inside and the overall length of 50 to 70 cm which
constitutes a middle-sized flying object suitable mainly for the
play outside on many occasions. However, the overall length of the
flying toy 10 can be changed as required so that the flying toy 10
can be sized to any size between the overall length of
substantially more than 10 cm to the overall length of
substantially several tens of centimeters or 50 to 70 cm.
[0040] Then, in the embodiment described above, although the air
injection nozzle 51 is provided at the rear end portion 15 of the
flying toy 10, the position where to provide the air injection
nozzle 51 is not limited to the rear end portion 15. Thus, there
may be a case where the air injection nozzle 51 is provided at an
appropriate location on the main body portion 11 such as the nose
portion 13.
[0041] The number of fins 31 is not limited to four. Thus, an
appropriate number of two or more fins 31 only need to be disposed
at equal intervals around the circumferential edge of the rear end
portion 15, so that the rear of the flying toy 10 can be stabilized
to maintain a stable posture while the flying toy 10 is being
rotated.
[0042] The number of linear bonded portions 45 on each fin member
is not limited to one. A plurality of linear bonded portions 45 may
be provided parallel to the outer edge portion 35, and even in the
case where each fin member has a wide area, the thickness of the
fin member can easily be maintained thin by forming the plurality
of linear bonded portions 45 in parallel to each other.
[0043] Then, the flying toy 10 has the center of gravity positioned
substantially at the longitudinal center of the main body portion
11 for stable flight.
[0044] That is, in the case where the main body portion 11 and the
fins 31 are formed of a vinyl sheet of the same thickness, since
the front body portion 21 is narrowed in diameter and the plurality
of fin members as the fins 31 are provided at the rear of the main
body portion 11, the center of gravity of the flying toy 10 tends
to be positioned further rearwards than the center of the main body
portion. Then, when the flying toy 10 having the center of gravity
so positioned is thrown to fly, the inertial force generated as a
result of the flying toy 10 being thrown becomes great at the rear
of the flying toy 10, whereby the posture of the flying toy 10 in
flight is caused to be unstable from time to time.
[0045] Due to this, the center of gravity of the flying toy 10 is
positioned substantially at the longitudinal center of the main
body portion 11. The position of the center of gravity can be
controlled by controlling the distribution of thickness over the
vinyl sheet by increasing the thickness of a portion of the vinyl
sheet that corresponds to the front body portion 21 of the main
body portion 11.
[0046] In addition to the control based on the distribution of
thickness over the vinyl sheet, a small circular vinyl sheet is
additionally affixed to the nose portion 13 so that the nose
portion 13 is made up of double layers of vinyl sheet.
Alternatively, a circumferential portion of a small circular vinyl
sheet may be fused to the nose portion 13 of the main body portion
11 so as to define a sealed space, so that a small amount of iron
sand is sealed in the sealed space to control the center of gravity
of the flying toy 10.
[0047] As another means for controlling the center of gravity of
the flying toy 10, a resin string such as a nylon string passing
through the center axis of the main body portion 11 may be
incorporated in the front body portion 21 or the middle body
portion 23 in such a manner as to be stretched when the main body
portion 11 is inflated into the cylindrical shape, so that a small
metallic weight is attached to the resin string to control the
position of the center of gravity of the whole of the flying toy
10.
[0048] With iron sand sealed in the nose portion 13 in this way,
the center of gravity can easily be shifted to the front, and with
power-like substance such as iron sand used, even in the event that
the flying toy 10 hits an object, impact which is generated then
can be made small.
[0049] With a metallic weight incorporated in the interiors of the
front body portion 21 or the middle body portion 23, the position
of the center of gravity of the flying toy 10 can be controlled by
the small weight extremely easily. Additionally, since the metallic
weight is accommodated in the interior of the vinyl sheet inflated
with air, even in the event that the flying toy 10 hits an object,
the flying toy 10 is allowed to fall down safely by the cushioning
action of the inflated vinyl sheet.
[0050] Then, the position of the center of gravity of the flying
toy 10 only needs to be situated on the longitudinal center axis of
the main body portion 11 and hence is not limited to the location
lying near the longitudinal center of the main body portion 11.
There may be situations where the center of gravity of the flying
toy 10 is positioned further forwards than the longitudinally
central position. Thus, with the center of gravity positioned
slightly further rearwards than the longitudinal center of the main
body portion 11 near the longitudinal center, the flying toy 10 can
fly in such a posture that the nose portion 13 is slightly lifted
up, whereas with the center of gravity positioned further forwards
than the longitudinal center, the flying toy 10 can fly in such a
posture that the flying toy 10 is thrust into the air head-on from
the nose portion 13.
[0051] Additionally, the player can also enjoy an unstable flight
of the flying toy 10 caused by an unstable flight posture without
controlling the position of the center of gravity thereof.
* * * * *