Generally, one embodiment of the present invention takes the form of an apparatus for throwing and picking up (or retrieving) a sphere. A user may employ the apparatus, for example, to throw a sphere (such as a ball). The user may also employ the apparatus to pick up the sphere without requiring any portion of the user come into contact with the sphere.
One embodiment generally includes a claw or gripper for engaging and holding a sphere, such as a ball. The claw may be formed from a main claw body and three prongs extending from the claw body. The three prongs generally engage the sphere as described in more detail below. The prongs may be formed integrally with the claw body, or separate therefrom and affixed thereto.
The claw may attach to a handle at the handle's top end. The handle may telescope to extend the overall length of the handle. In alternative embodiments, the handle may be non-telescoping and/or of a fixed length. Typically, the user grasps the handle in order to manipulate the throwing/retrieving apparatus. For example, the user may move the claw into contact with a sphere by manipulating the handle, or toss a sphere from the throwing/retrieving apparatus by swinging the handle in an arc.
Turning now to
The prongs 115, 120, 125 are typically made of a material that will return to its initial position when not under an outward or expanding force. Thus, the prongs 115, 120, 125 will be pushed outward to move along the ball or sphere's outer surface 130, but exert an inward force (i.e., a force towards the interior of the gripped ball 105) to hold the ball 105 between the prongs 115, 120, 125. In this manner, the ball 105 may be picked up inside the claw 110. The inward force of the prongs 115, 120, 125 against the ball 105 is typically sufficient to retain the ball 105 within the claw 110 until the throwing/retrieving apparatus 100 is swung to eject the ball 105, as described below. Friction between the prongs 115, 120, 125 and the ball 105 may also contribute to retention of the ball 105 in the claw 110. The claw 110, including the first, second and third prongs 115, 120, 125, may be made of any suitable material, such as a plastic or a metal.
Each prong 115, 120, 125 of the claw 110 has an outer surface 135, 140, 145 and an inner surface 150, 155, 160. Each outer and inner surface 135, 140, 145, 150, 155, 160 is joined by a left side 165, 170, 175 and a right side 180, 185, 190. Typically, and as seen in
The inner surfaces 150, 155, 160 of one or more prongs 115, 120, 125 may be curved in a different manner as well. In addition to being curved along its length (i.e., the direction from the joinder with the claw body 195 to the prong tip), a prong's inner surface 150, 155, 160 may be curved along its width. The width of the prong 115, 120, 125 is defined as the distance between each prong's right side 180, 185, 190 and left side 165, 170, 175.
Generally, the claw 110 is sized such that the distance between any two prongs 115, 120, 125 is less than the diameter of the ball 105 intended to be gripped by the throwing/retrieving apparatus 100. Thus, when the throwing/retrieving apparatus 100 is sized to grip a tennis ball 105, the distance between each prong 115, 120, 125 is less than the tennis ball's diameter. Accordingly, at least a portion of the ball 105 extends beyond a plane drawn between the edge of each inner surface 150, 155, 160 of adjacent prongs 115, 120, 125. This is seen to best effect in
As previously mentioned, each of the first, second, and third prongs 115, 120, 125 abuts the claw body 195. The second and third prongs 120, 125 are at least partially curved along their inner and outer surfaces 140, 145, 155, 160, as shown in
The outer surface 135 of the first prong 115 is generally flat, as shown to best effect in
Returning to
In the present embodiment, the claw body 195 may be narrower at its base than at the joint with the second and third prongs 120, 125, as shown in
As can be seen from
In one embodiment, the opening is generally angled approximately 65 degrees from the longitudinal axis of the handle 200. When the embodiment is swung by a user with sufficient force (typically in an arc), the ball 105 may be thrown out of the claw 110. The angle of the opening enhances the ability of the user to throw the ball or sphere 105 from the claw 110 along a path initially parallel with, or at an angle above, a plane generally perpendicular to flat ground upon which the user stands. Thus, the ball 105 potentially may be thrown father and longer than if the opening were not angled in such a manner.
The top of the handle 200 of the present embodiment may be affixed to the claw body 195 at the claw body's base. The claw body 195 may be securely or releasably affixed to the handle 200 using any suitable means for joining elements together, including mechanical fasteners, adhesives, heat welds, and sonic welds. For some embodiments, the claw 110 or a portion of the claw 110 may be integrally formed with the handle 200.
The first operating position, with the handle 200 retracted, is space-efficient in comparison to the second operating position. Thus, a user may elected to store and/or carry the throwing/retrieving apparatus 100 with the handle 200 in the first operating position. By contrast, the second operating position may permit a user to retrieve a ball 105 from the ground or another surface without unduly bending over or down. Further, the extended length of the handle 200 in the second operating position permits a user to move the claw 110 (and any gripped ball 105) across a longer arc, thus imparting more momentum to the ball 105 and enabling the ball 105 to be thrown longer distance.
It should be noted that more than two handle segments 205, 210 may be employed in the throwing/retrieving apparatus 100. For example and as shown to best effect in
The base of the second handle segment 210 may typically larger than the diameter of the hole to prevent the two handle segments 205, 210 from disconnecting. When the handle 200 is at full extension (i.e., the second handle segment 210 is extended its maximum distance out of the first segment 205), friction between the outer side wall of the second handle segment 210 and circumference of the hole may resist retraction of the second handle segment 210 into the first handle segment 205. Alternatively, a pin, support, clip, snap or fastening mechanism may maintain relative positions of the first and second handle segments 205, 210 when the handle 200 is at full extension. It should be understood that more than two handle segments 205, 210 may be used. For example, three separate handle segments may be employed, with a third handle segment telescoping outward from the second handle segment.
One or more handle segments 205, 210, 215, 220, 225 may include an anti-rotation feature preventing adjacent handle segments 205, 210, 215, 220, 225 from rotating with respect to one another. For example, one or more handle segments 205, 210, 215, 220, 225 (and the holes through which they pass) may be D-shaped in lateral cross section. Alternatively, a spine, keying feature, projection, protrusion, and so forth may be formed on a handle segment and be received in a matching opening formed in, or as part of, the hole. Accordingly, the combination of keying feature etc. and opening may combine to prevent rotation of adjacent handle segments 205, 210, 215, 220, 225 with respect to each other.
As shown in
A clip or other retaining device 240 may be affixed to the outside of the first handle segment 205 to permit the throwing/retrieving apparatus 100 to be affixed to other supports or structures for carrying or storage. For example, the retaining device 240 may permit a user to clip the throwing/retrieving apparatus 100 to a belt or belt loop for carrying, or to hang the throwing/retrieving apparatus 100 from a hanger for storage.
A method for manufacturing a throwing/retrieving apparatus 100 will now be disclosed. The claw 110 may be injection molded from a plastic, such as an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (“ABS”) copolymer. Further, the claw 110 may be injection-molded as a single part or multiple parts. For example, the claw may be molded in two parts that are then affixed to one another. The claw parts may be affixed to one another mechanically (such as with a screw or bolt) or chemically (such as with an adhesive, by heat or sonic welding, or a chemical reaction). For example, the claw 110 may be molded as a left and a right piece that are then affixed or otherwise joined together.
Each segment 205, 210, 215, 220, 225 of the handle 200 may be separately blow molded from a suitable material, such as a polypropylene plastic. Alternatively, the inner (second, third, etc.) segments 210, 215 of the handle 200 may be blow molded while the first handle segment 205 is injection molded from either ABS plastic or polypropylene (or any segment may be injection molded). The handle segments 205, 210, 215, 220, 225 may then be placed one within the other and the base of the first handle segment 205 capped or sealed to hold the other handle segments 210, 215, 220, 225 within. Any handle segment, including the first handle segment, may be formed as a unitary piece or assembled from one or more separate pieces. For example, the first handle segment 205 may be made of a first half and second half joined together.
A lock switch 245 (see
The throwing/retrieving apparatus 100 has been described with respect to particular embodiments and methods of manufacturing. However, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that certain modifications may be made to the embodiments and methods disclosed herein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. For example, portions of the embodiments disclosed herein may be made from alternative materials such as different plastics, metals, wood, and so forth. The handle segments may be injection-molded instead of blow molded, and/or made from ABS plastic. Likewise, the claw and/or outer handle segment may be made from polypropylene. Additionally, portions of the handle and/or claw may be formed in separate sections and affixed to one another. Further, alternative embodiments of the present invention may employ four or more prongs instead of three.
All directional references (for example, upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, leftward, rightward, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, clockwise and counterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aid the reader's understanding of the embodiments of the present invention and do not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation or use of the invention unless specifically set forth in the claims. Joinder references (for example, attached, coupled, connected, joined and the like) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members between a connection of elements and relative movement between elements. As such, joinder references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relation to each other.
In methodologies directly or incorrectly set forth herein, various steps and operations are described in one possible order of operation that those skilled in the art recognizing the steps in operation can be rearranged, replaced or eliminated without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. Changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the appended claims.
Accordingly, the proper scope of the invention is determined in the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/806,407 filed on Jun. 30, 2006 and entitled “Ball Throwing and Retrieving Device” which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60806407 | Jun 2006 | US |