Practice hockey puck of felt material

Abstract

A hockey puck which can safely be used for practice purposes on non-ice surfaces includes a one-piece body of felt and a ballast weight located within the felt body.

Description

This invention relates to hockey pucks which can be used for practice purposes on smooth surfaces other than ice.

Since it is not easy for ice hockey players, especially young players, to obtain access to an ice rink for practice as often as and when they wish, previous attempts have been made to provide a puck which can be used on smooth surfaces other than ice, for example a gymnasium floor, and which matches the behaviour of a standard puck on ice as closely as possible.

Previous proposals of this nature have not been successful for several reasons. They have not behaved on smooth surfaces like a standard puck on ice, or they have been mechanically complicated, for example by being provided with some kind of roller arrangement, or they have been too hard for safe use outside of an ice rink with the likelihood of causing damage to persons and property.

It has now been found, according to the present invention, that a very satisfactory practice puck can be provided by making the body of the puck of felt and including a ballast weight within the felt body. The ballast weight may be positioned in a central bore in the felt body, and a plug of felt secured in the bore by a suitable adhesive to retain the ballast weight in place.

The outer surfaces of the felt body may be treated with a water repellent to minimize moisture absorption and still retain the original felt characteristics.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a puck,

FIG. 2 is a plan view,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the ballast weight.

Referring to the drawings, a practice puck has a one-piece cylindrical body 11 of felt, the thickness and diameter of which correspond to the size of a standard puck for use on ice, the thickness therefore being about one inch and the diameter about three inches. The body 11 has a central bore 12 extending partway through the body 11 from one face thereof. In this case, the bore 12 has a diameter of 1.25 inches and a depth of 0.625 inches.

A cylindrical ballast weight 13 of steel or weighted plastic is positioned at the bottom of the bore 12. The diameter of the ballast weight 13 corresponds to the diameter of the bore 12, and the thickness of the ballast weight 13 is 0.25 inches. A felt plug 14 is also positioned in the bore 12. The plug 14 has a diameter corresponding to that of the bore 12, and has a thickness of 0.375 inches so that one end of the plug 14 contacts the ballast weight 13 and the other end of the plug is flush with the face of the body 11 from which the bore 12 extends. The plug 14 is retained in place in the bore 12 by a suitable adhesive, for example contact cement, thereby also retaining the ballast weight 13 in its centrally located position within the felt body 11 of the puck.

In this case, the weight of the felt body 11 and felt plug 14 is 1.25 oz., and the weight of the ballast weight is 1.75 oz. The total weight of the puck is therefore 3 oz., which is less than the official weight of a puck for use on ice. The lesser weight of the practice puck enables it to have the desired rebound and directional control, with a minimum of risk of property damage or injury to people. The ballast weight 13 provides the desired kinetic energy.

A suitable felt for the body, having the desired resiliency, rebound and weight characteristics has an equivalent S.A.E. number of F3, with 90% minimum wool content, a maximum tensile strength of 400 p.s.i. and a splitting resistance of 22. A suitable felt for the plug 14 has an equivalent S.A.E. number of F5, with 95% minimum wool content, a minimum tensile strength of 400 p.s.i. and a splitting resistance of 18.

Advantageously, the exterior surfaces of the body 11 and plug 14 are treated with a water repellent, a suitable treatment being by spraying with a high density silicone agent which does not change the softness of the original felt material.

When used on a non-ice smooth surface, the felt puck behaves in a manner very similar to a standard puck on ice, and yet is much less likely to cause damage to people and objects with which it comes in contact than prior non-ice pucks. The actual weight of the ballast weight 13 has been determined to provide the desired balance, rebound and directional control.

The puck may also be used on an ice surface, although it is not of course primarily designed for this purpose.

If desired, the bore 12 could extend completely through the body 11, with a plug 14 being provided above and below the ballast weight 13.

Claims

We claim:

1. A hockey puck suitable for practice on non-ice smooth surfaces, said puck having substantially the size and shape as a conventional hockey puck and including a cylindrical body of felt and a ballast weight within said body, the diameter of said cylindrical body being greater than its height.

2. A puck according to claim 1 wherein the ballast weight is cylindrical.

3. A puck according to claim 2 wherein the body has a central bore with the ballast weight located therein.

4. A puck according to claim 3 wherein the bore is closed by a felt plug.

5. A puck according to claim 4 wherein the plug is secured in the bore by adhesive.

6. A puck according to claim 1 wherein the outer surfaces of the body are treated with water repellent.