U.S. patent number 3,921,978 [Application Number 05/407,518] was granted by the patent office on 1975-11-25 for game bat.
Invention is credited to John E. C. Warren.
United States Patent |
3,921,978 |
Warren |
November 25, 1975 |
Game bat
Abstract
An injury free game playing stick for hitting a ball having a
solid cylindrical ball hitting body portion and a flexible handle
centrally attached to one end of the body and extending therefrom.
The body is made of foam material. One end of the handle extending
into the body and attached thereto by rivets and/or glue. The body
portion is provided with cover or skin which may be sprayed on or
it may be a denim cloth bag. The handle may be a polyvinylchloride
plastic material while the ball hitting body portion may be a
flexible polyurethane plastic foam material.
Inventors: |
Warren; John E. C. (Melbourne
Beach, FL) |
Family
ID: |
23612410 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/407,518 |
Filed: |
October 18, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/567;
273/DIG.5; 273/DIG.8; 463/47.7 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B
67/002 (20130101); A63B 60/12 (20151001); A63B
59/54 (20151001); A63B 59/58 (20151001); A63B
59/80 (20151001); Y10S 273/08 (20130101); Y10S
273/05 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63B
59/00 (20060101); A63B 67/00 (20060101); A63B
059/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;273/129,67R,67A,67DA,67DC,67B,73R,72R,266,1R,8R,8B,8D,8C,80.2
;272/76 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Apley; Richard J.
Assistant Examiner: Brown; T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Ray; Warren E.
Claims
I claim:
1. A lightweight injury-free player's stick for a game comprising a
solid substantially cylindrical resilient foam ball striking body
having a length about 3 times the diameter, said ball striking body
having a protective and frictional skin on the external surface
thereof and a central longitudinal bore about 6 inches in depth,
and a flexible handle means in said bore and extending a
substantial distance therefrom.
2. A lightweight injury-free player's stick for a game according to
claim 1 wherein said ball striking body is made of flexible
polyurethane foam and said body skin is a high tensile strength
polyurethane material.
3. A lightweight injury-free player's stick for a game according to
claim 1 wherein said ball striking body is made of flexible
polyurethane foam and said body skin is a cloth covering.
4. A lightweight injury-free player's stick for a game according to
claim 1 wherein said ball striking body is about 41/2 inches in
diameter and about 12 inches in length and has a rounded lower end
and a curvilinear upper end.
5. A lightweight injury-free player's stick for a game according to
claim 1 wherein said flexible handle means is a hollow
polyvinylchloride tube having a grip on the distal end thereof.
6. A lightweight injury-free player's stick for a game according to
claim 5 further including a grommet around said tube adjacent said
ball striking body.
7. A lightweight injury-free player's stick for a game according to
claim 1 wherein said flexible handle means comprises a stabilizing
hollow tube in said body bore and extending therefrom, a second
hollow tube fitted onto said stabilizing tube, and means connecting
said stabilizing hollow tube and said second hollow tube.
8. A lightweight injury-free player's stick for a game according to
claim 7 wherein said connecting means includes a pair of
rivets.
9. A lightweight injury-free player's stick for a game according to
claim 7 wherein said connecting means includes a cement material
and rivets.
10. A lightweight injury-free player's stick for a game according
to claim 7 wherein said stabilizing hollow tube and said second
hollow tube are made from polyvinylchloride material, further
comprising a hand grip on the distal end of said second hollow tube
and a grommet around said second hollow tube adjacent said ball
striking body.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to playground activities wherein ten to
twelve players may engage in a sports event with maximum
recreational value and exercise with a minimum hazard of injury.
The game is particularly adapted to provide the benefits of
recreation and exercise for a large number of players for
institutions as schools, etc., at a minimum cost while minimizing
the likelihood of injuries to the players. The game is adapted from
hockey or polo having a coined name of PILLO-POLO. Within
applicant's knowledge there is no known similar game except insofar
as the general scheme is related to hockey or polo.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The game is played on a somewhat conventional field, indoors or
outdoors, having a pair of goals with light weight aluminum frames
and netting, one goal at the longitudinal ends of the field, but
the conventional hockey stick or polo mallet is replaced with an
injury-free playing stick for each player. The conventional hockey
puck or polo ball is replaced with a light weight plastic foam ball
of substantial diameter whereby injuries to players are very
unlikely.
The primary object is to provide the equipment for playing the
hockey-like game whereby maximum exercise and recreational benefits
are realized at minimum cost and with the least likelihood of
injuries to the players.
Further objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent
from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with
the accompanying drawing in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a top view of a typical playing field with goals and
players;
FIG. 2 shows a player's stick;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the lines 3--3 of FIG.
2;
FIG. 4 depicts a detail of the joinder of tubes of FIGS. 2 and
3;
FIG. 5 illustrates a modification of the player's stick;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the lines 6--6 of FIG.
5;
FIG. 7 shows a ball suitable for use in the game;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on the lines 8--8 of FIG. 7;
and
FIG. 9 is a showing of a goal suitable for use in the game.
Similar reference numerals are applied to similar elements
throughout the drawing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In FIG. 1 is shown the outline of the playing field 100, indoors or
outdoors, having long sides 101 and short sides 102 and 103.
Preferably the field is 50 feet by 100 feet in dimensions, but
other dimensions may be used depending upon the available space. A
center line 104 is provided which may be a dashed line as shown or
the center line may be a solid line. Goals 105, 106 are located at
each end of the playing field as in hockey (see FIG. 9). While more
or less players may play the game the normal players are left and
right wingmen 107, 108, a center 109, left and right defensemen
110, 111, and a goalie 112. The opposite side would normally have
the same number of players.
A side view of a player's stick is depicted in FIG. 2, a sectional
view taken on the lines 3--3 of FIG. 2 is shown in FIG. 3, and an
enlarged view of a detail of FIG. 3 is shown in FIG. 4. The ball
striking portion indicated at 200 has a rounded end 201, an upper
curvilinear portion 202, and a surface 203 which may have a skin as
it comes from the mold or may have an added cover consisting of a
sewn six-piece denim cloth bag or a polyurethane skin. The
polyurethane skin may be sprayed onto the striking portion after
molding, but preferably it is sprayed into the mold before the
striking portion foam is injected. The skin or cover 203 may be
colored blue for sticks used by one side and colored red for the
sticks used by the other side. At 301, as indicated by the cross
hatching for plastic, is shown the body of the striking portion of
the playing stick which is preferably injection molded with a
flexible polyurethane plastic foam material although a material
like sponge rubber could be used. The foam material may be of about
3.7 pounds per cubic foot, and the polyurethane skin may be 0.0625
inches in thickness with 5,000 pounds tensile strength. The
striking body 200 is provided with a one-inch diameter bore 305
about six inches in depth which receives a hollow, tubular plastic
pipe 302 made of polyvinylchloride as a stabilizing tube. The
stabilizing tube 302 may be placed in the mold before the foam for
body 200 is injected or it may be glued or cemented in the bore
later. The body 200 may be about 41/2 inches in diameter and about
12 inches in length. A hollow, tubular handle 204 of flexible
polyvinylchloride plastic material is cemented or glued as at 401
over the stabilizing tube 302 with a force fit. A pair of rivets
207, 303 with internal expanded portions 304 (see FIG. 4), are also
provided to prevent separation of the stabilizing tube 302 and the
handle 204. A grip 205 having finger grooves 206 is provided on the
distal end of the handle. The grip is cemented and force-fitted
onto the handle. The weight of the entire playing stick is less
than 10 ounces, and due to the cushion-like striking portion a
player may strike another player with little chance of injury. The
length of the handle 204 is about 22 inches, and since the length
of the striking body 200 is about 12 inches, the overall length of
the playing stick is about 34 inches. It will be understood that
these dimensions may be varied somewhat as may be necessary or
desirable.
A modified player's stick is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 with FIG.
6 being a cross sectional view of FIG. 5 taken on the lines 6--6.
The ball striking portion 500, plastic foam body 601, rounded end
501, upper curvilinear portion 502, surface or skin 503, and the
hand grip 505 with finger grooves 506 are identical with similar
elements in FIGS. 2 and 3 as are the bore 603, weights, dimensions,
color coding, and the materials. The stabilizer tube is omitted and
the hollow tubular polyvinylchloride handle 504 extends into and is
glued or cemented into the bore 603 as shown by handle extension
602. A rubber grommet 507 encircles the handle 504 adjacent the
upper portion of the striking body 500. It should be noted that
such a grommet may be utilized with the playing stick shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3.
Instead of a hockey puck or polo ball the ball 701 of FIG. 7 is
provided, FIG. 8 being a cross sectional view of the ball of FIG. 7
taken on the lines 8--8 of FIG. 7. The ball 701 is approximately
seven inches in diameter and is made of a light weight material as
a flexible plastic polyurethane foam material indicated at 703
weighing about one ounce. The playing ball 701 may be provided with
a skin or outer cover 702 as described with respect to the playing
stick, but such a cover is not necessary. The ball 701 may be cut
from a suitable block of plastic polyurethane foam or produced by
molding. Obviously such a light weight foam plastic ball is
extremely unlikely to cause injuries to the players.
In FIG. 9 the numeral 900 generally indicates a goal symbolically
shown at goals 105, 106 in FIG. 1. The goal includes a light weight
aliminum tubular frame comprising a top horizontal tube 901, a pair
of vertical tubes 902, 903, a pair of horizontal tubes 905, 906 as
feet, and a back horizontal tube 904. Attached to the tubular frame
if a net 907 having squares of about two-inch configuration. A goal
and net may be 56 inches high, 42 inches wide, and 22 inches deep,
but these dimensions may be varied as desired. These goals and
other similar goals are commercially available, and it is thought
that further description is not necessary to an understanding of
the invention. As with the ball and playing sticks, these light
weight goals are extremely unlikely to be the cause of injuries to
the players.
There has been disclosed a new game and equipment therefor that is
very fast, very safe, involving team play for about 12 players, and
providing vigorous exercise and fun for boys and girls of all ages.
The polo-type playing equipment and game requires a new skill which
is easily acquired and is absolutely safe. It should be noted that
no masks, hand, elbow, or shin guards are required.
The game is usually played with two teams of six players on each
side, as in hockey, with a referee commencing play with a face off
at center (and after a goal is scored). Three 10 minute periods are
suggested to constitute a game. When the ball goes out of the
playing area the other team takes possession of the ball at that
point, but the players must be on-side when taking the ball over
the center line. A checking, charging, or bumping penalty retires a
player from the game. Normally only the three offensive players are
allowed to cross the center line to reduce congestion around the
goals. The playing ball cannot be caught or held in the hand, but
it can be knocked down by hand. An offensive player may not
deliberately kick or throw the ball into the net, but if a
defensive player shoots, kicks, or throws the ball into his own
net, a goal is awarded to the offensive team. Other rules adapted
from hockey will readily occur to those familar with games of
hockey, polo, or soccer.
While for purposes of description I have shown and described
specific embodiments of my invention, it will be apparent that
changes and modifications can be made therein without departing
from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended
claims.
* * * * *