U.S. patent number 3,917,271 [Application Number 05/521,027] was granted by the patent office on 1975-11-04 for ball for target games.
Invention is credited to Allan M. Elfman, Jerome H. Lemelson.
United States Patent |
3,917,271 |
Lemelson , et al. |
November 4, 1975 |
Ball for target games
Abstract
Structures are provided in missiles for use in toy target games
and the like having a multitude of upstanding hook-like formations
secured thereto and operable to retain the missiles against a
target surface. In one form, a missile in the shape of a hollow
spheroid is moulded of plastic and includes in its outer surface a
plurality of oblong indentations extending almost halfway around
the spheroid. Each adapted to receive and retain a similarly-shaped
segment of textile hooking material. The depth of each indentation
is preferably such that the upstanding hook-like formations of the
material inserted therein will protrude just beyond the adjacent
surface portions of the missile so that a minimum discontinuity in
the surface of the hollow spheroid is effected. In a particular
form, the indentations are five in number, similarly configured and
somewhat similar in shape to those portions of the surface of the
spheroid which do not contain indentations. The spacing between the
oblong segments of hooking material on the ball is such that the
ball will adhere to the target regardless of which portion of the
ball engages the target. If desired, the missile may be made in the
shape of a football and the material forming the body of the ball
and the textile hooking material on the ball may be of different
colors.
Inventors: |
Lemelson; Jerome H. (Metuchen,
NJ), Elfman; Allan M. (New York, NY) |
Family
ID: |
27043563 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/521,027 |
Filed: |
November 5, 1974 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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471760 |
May 20, 1974 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
473/573;
273/DIG.30; 473/281 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B
43/005 (20130101); Y10S 273/30 (20130101); A63F
2009/0239 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63B
43/00 (20060101); A63F 9/02 (20060101); A63B
065/00 (); A63B 039/06 (); A63B 069/36 () |
Field of
Search: |
;273/65E ;46/DIG.1
;273/181B,186E,16R,16.5A,95R,95A,16E,58K |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Marlo; George J.
Parent Case Text
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 471,760
filed May 20, 1974 and entitled Missiles for Target Games and
having as a parent application Ser. No. 436,045 filed Jan. 24, 1974
and entitled Target Game.
Claims
We claim:
1. A missile for use in target games employing a target which is
composed of a planar sheet including a substantial area of pile
material having upstanding filamentary formations protruding
therefrom which are adapted to engage and hold said missile against
any of the various portions of the target which the missile may
strike during playing said game,
said missile being formed of a thin-walled light weight generally
convex shaped hollow body forming a self supporing bulbous
enclosure in the shape of a sphereoid,
the outer surface of the wall of said hollow body defined by convex
outer portions thereof surrounding a plurality of oblong
indentations therein wherein the depth of each indentation is
substantially constant throughout the indentation and wherein each
indentation extends almost halfway around said sphereoid body,
a plurality of oblong sections of sheet-like fastening material
each configured in contour to the contour of a respective of said
indentations,
each of said oblong sections of sheet-like fastening material being
secured within a respective indentation in the wall of said hollow
body of similar contour thereto,
each of said oblong sections of sheet-like fastening material
having a multitude of filamentary formations which are cantelever
supported and protrude outwardly from said fastening material in a
manner such that they extend substantially radially outwardly from
said hollow body when said oblong sections of said fastening
material are secured within said indentations in engagement with
the bottom walls thereof,
each of said filamentary formations of said fastening material
having a shank portion wich is formed with an end portion which
extends outwardly of the shank portion and extends backwardly in
the direction of said fastening material to define a hook-like
formation,
said hook-like formations of filamentary fastening material being
configured and protruding from the sections of said fastening
material in a manner such that they project a degree beyond the
surface of those portions of said hollow body which are disposed
between said indentations to permit said hook-like formations to
engage the formations of the target which said missile strikes to
retain said missile thereagainst,
said oblong sections of sheet-like fastening material being
configured and spaced apart around the surface of said sphereoid
body in a manner such that, regardless of which portion of said
sphereoid body engages said substantial area of target pile
material, a sufficient number of the hook-like formations of said
oblong sections of fastening material will engage and become
attached to the filamentary formations of said target and retain
said sphereoid body against said target.
2. A missile in accordance with claim 1 wherein said indentations
in said wall of said hollow body are of substantially equal shape
and are equi-spaced apart around said hollow body.
3. A missile in accordance with claim 2 wherein each of said
indentations in said wall of said hollow body and said oblong
sections of sheet-like fastening material taper from a maximum
width near the center portions thereof to narrower end portions at
each end thereof.
4. A missile in accordance with claim 3 wherein each of said oblong
sections of fastening material and the indentations in which they
are disposed are symmetrically shaped and of similar shape to the
shapes of the other indentations and sections of fastening
material.
5. A missile in accordance with claim 1 wherein each of said
indentations and section of fastening material are of substantially
equal shape.
6. A missile in accordance with claim 5 wherein each of said
indentations in the wall of said hollow body and the non-indented
portions of said wall between said indentations is of substantially
similar configuration.
7. A toy missile in accordance with claim 6 wherein said
indentations and the fastening material filling said indentations
are each five in number and wherein the material of which said
hollow body is molded and that of which said fastening material is
made are of different colors.
8. A toy missile in accordance with claim 5 wherein said sphereoid
is in the range of 1 inch and 2 inches in diameter and the
indentations therein and fastening material filling same vary
between 2 inches and 3 inches in length and between 3/8 and 3/4 in
width at their centers and between 1/16 inch and 3/16 inch in width
at their ends.
Description
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to new and improved structures in missiles
for target games, and in particular to structures in spherically
shaped missiles or balls containing hooking material secluded as a
plurality of separate elements in the outer surfaces thereof.
It is known in the art to provide a target game employing a
lightweight sphereoid, containing a plurality of segments of
textile material known as Velcro attached to the outer surface
thereof. For example, in application Ser. No. 436,045 there is
provided a number of different constructions for spherical,
target-seeking missiles which are completely covered with textile
hooking material which is die cut into oblong pieces of similar
shape and cemented to the outer surface of a lightweight plastic
ball. At least ten such elements are employed involving a
substantial amount of the material, which is quite costly,
particularly for use in a low-cost toy target game. Such total
coverage of a ball with such material has been effected for two
reasons, one to provide an outer surface of substantially
uninterrupted, spherical configuration and the other to provide a
symmetrical array of different-colored elements interposed between
each other and decorating the sphereoid.
The instant invention is particularly directed to a new and
improved structure in a missile such as a spheroid of the type
described above, wherein substantially half of the hooking material
required of the conventional totally covered spereoid is eliminated
thereby substantially reducing the cost for producing same. The
ball shaped missile is light enough in weight and is covered with
separate sections of hooking material which are so configured and
spaced apart around the surface of the missile that the missile
will attach itself to the surface of the pile target regardless of
which portion of the missile strikes the target.
Accordingly it is a primary object of this invention to provide a
new and improved structure in a missile for use in target games
employing hooking materials for the target and at least a portion
of the missile.
Another object is to provide a structure in a missile, particularly
in the shape of a sphereoid or ball containing hooking fastener
material attached to its surface wherein said hooking material is
provided in both a functional shape arrangement and a decorative
arrangement without the need to occupy the entire surface of the
missile in order to permit the missile to attach itself to a target
containing similar fastening material.
Another object is to provide a missile for use with targets
containing textile hooking material wherein the missile is in the
shape of a sphereoid and contains a plurality of sections of
hooking material attached to its surface and wherein indentations
are provided in the surface of the sphereoid which are configured
to properly retain said sections of hooking material so that they
will not easily peel off.
Another object is to provide a missile construction for use in
target games wherein a plurality of sections of hooking material
are attached to indentations in the missile's surface and wherein
said indentations are of such a depth as to permit the sections of
hooking material to dispose their hook elements just beyond the
outer surface of the missile to permit same to engage and be
retained against the target without substantially interrupting the
smooth configuration of the surface of the missile.
With the above and such other objects in view as may hereinafter
more fully appear, the invention consists of the novel
constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as will be
more fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings
but it is to be understood that changes, variations, and
modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the
invention as claimed.
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a side view of a molded plastic base forming part of a
missile coming within the purview of the instant invention,
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken through a diametral plane of
the base of FIG. 1 showing the general surface shape of the wall of
the base and indentations therein for receiving and holding
sections of hooking material and
FIG. 3 is a top view of a spherically shaped missile employing the
base shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and having a plurality of sections of
hooking material secured in indentations therein.
In FIG. 1 is shown part of a target game component 11 comprising a
hollow spherical shell having a thin shell-like wall 11W which is
preferably formed either of single blow molding or a two piece
injection molding of such plastic polymers as polystyrene,
polyethylene, cellulose acetate, polypropylene or other suitable
thermoplastic resin. The wall 11W of shell 11 is molded with a
plurality of oblong indentations 12 therein which are shown as
separated by spherically shaped wall portions 13 of substantially
similar contour configuration as the contours of the indented
portions 12 of the wall. The portions 13, which are illustrated as
five in number and are interposed between an equal number of
indentations 12, are joined at opposite ends of the missile to
circular formations 15 and 16 which are preferably extensions of
the spherical outer surface 14 of the missile defining portions 13.
While the indentations and non-indented portions therebetween may
be fewer or greater in number than five each, we have discovered
that the configuration illustrated in the drawings provides an
arrangement of components to be described which is both esthetic
and efficient both from the production cost and operational
requisites. By securing oblong sections 20 of flexible hooking
material of substantially the same contour configurations as the
indentations 12, as shown in FIG. 3, a target game missile is
provided which will be retained against a section of pile target
material of the type defined, for example in U.S. Pat. No.
3,032,345, regardless of which portion of the missile strikes the
target material. For the plastic resins described, the missile
shell 11 preferably has a wall thickness as thin as or somewhat
less than 1/32 inch and preferably in the range of 0.012 inch to
0.030 inch to provide the assembly 10 light enough so that it will
not bounce off the target. The hooking material contains a
multitude of filamentary plastic hooks 22 secured to a sheet-like
base, the bottom face of which base is preferably adhesive bonded
or welded to the outer surface 17 of each indentation 12. The
sections 20 are each configured to completely fill the indentations
12 and, if formed of a material which is a different color than
that of the plastic of which shell 11 is molded, a pleasing
decorative effect is attained by providing portions of the missile
outer surface of one color interposed between the portions thereof
defined by the sections 20 of a different color simulating a
playball made of a plurality of different sections of similar shape
and configuration.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, five
oblong indentations 12 are molded in the wall 11W, each of similar
contour and equally spaced apart from each other in a circular
array around the sphereoid with each containing a similarly
configured oblong section of the described hooking material
completely filling the indentation. The indentations 12 contain
portions of the wall 11W of spherical configuration below the
spherical configuration defined by wall portions 13 with the
spherical outer surfaces 17 of the indentations supporting the
sections 20 of hooking material to permit their hook-like
formations 22 to protrude beyond the surfaces of portions 13 a
degree to engage and retentively hold the missile 10 against a pile
target material of the type defined herein and in U.S. Pat. No.
3,032,345. The depth of the indentations 12 is preferably such,
however, that the protruding hook-like formations of the sections
20 do not protrude beyond the spherical shell defined by surface 14
a degree such as to abruptly change or vary the general spherical
shape of the missile as illustrated in FIG. 3.
Although the missile shown in the drawings is in the shape of a
spherical ball, it may be provided in other concave configurations
such as an oblate sphereoid or a football.
For a hooking material such as Velcro material which is produced by
the American Velcro Corporation of New York, N.Y. which is
approximately 1/16 inch thick, the depth of the cavities 12 is
preferably in the order of 1/32 inch allowing the filamentary hook
formations thereof to protrude about 1/32 inch beyond the spherical
plane of the surface 14 of the hollow shell 11.
While a typical spherically shaped missile of the type illustrated
in the drawings may vary in outer diameter from between one inch
and two inches and the indentations and sections of textile
fastening material may vary from three to seven in number, in a
preferred embodiment of the invention, the ball shaped base 11 is
about 11/2 inch in diameter with a wall thickness of less than 1/32
inch for proper lightness to prevent the missile from bouncing off
the target, the indentations and fastening material are
approximately 2 inches long and vary from about 1/16 inch to 3/16
inch width at their ends to about 3/8 inch to 3/4 inch at their
centers and are five in number. Such a spherically shaped missile
is preferably formed of a one piece blow molding of polyethylene,
polystyrene, cellulose acetate or other suitable thermoplastic
resin.
* * * * *