Patent Application
20240091612
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The disclosure relates to ball tossing devices and more particularly pertains to a new ball tossing device for use in playing a ball tossing game. The present invention discloses a ball tossing device which allows a user to aim and to toss a ball as part of a ball tossing game.
The prior art relates to ball tossing devices whereby a person uses a hand-held tool to facilitate tossing a ball during gameplay. What is lacking in the prior art is a ball tossing device comprising a substantially rigid rod to which a basket is attached. A ball to be used in a ball tossing game can be positioned in a cup that in the basket. A rear sight attached to the rod is aligned with a target and the ball is launched.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a rod, which is substantially rigid, a basket, which is attached to a front face of the rod proximate to an upper end of the rod, and a cup, which is positioned in the basket and which is attached to a bottom of the basket. The cup is sized complementarily to a portion of a ball to be used in a ball tossing game. The cup is configured for selective insertion of the portion of the ball so that the ball is retained in the cup when the rod is substantially vertical. A rear sight is attached to and extends from the upper end of the rod. The rod is configured to be grasped in a hand of a user, positioning the user to align the rear sight with a target and to launch the ball at the target by one or both of a flick of a wrist or an extension of a forearm of the user.
Another embodiment of the disclosure includes a method comprising a provision step, which entails providing a target and a ball tossing device, as described above. The target then is positioned as desired for game play. The rod is grasped, held substantially vertically and the portion of the ball into the cup so that the ball is retained in the cup. The rear sight is aligned with the target. The ball is launched at the target by one or both of a flicking of a wrist and or extending of a forearm.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The basket 14, which comprises an upper ring 30 and a pair of arcuate bars 32, is attached to a front face 34 of the rod 12 proximate to an upper end 36 of the rod 12. The upper ring 30 is attached to the rod 12 and defines a top 38 of the basket 14. Each arcuate bar 32 has opposing ends 40, which are attached to a lower limit 42 of the upper ring 30 so that the arcuate bars 32 are mutually perpendicular and define a bottom 44 of the basket 14.
A support ring 46, which is attached to and which extends around the rod 12 and the upper ring 30, and a support bar 48, which is attached to and which extends arcuately between the bottom 44 of the basket 14 and the front face 34 of the rod 12, serve to stabilize the basket 14 relative to the rod 12.
The cup 16 is positioned in the basket 14 and is attached to the bottom 44 of the basket 14. The cup 16 is sized complementarily to a portion 50 of a ball 52 to be used in a ball tossing game. The cup 16 is configured for selective insertion of the portion 50 of the ball 52 so that the ball 52 is retained in the cup 16 when the rod 12 is substantially vertical, as shown in
The rear sight 18 is attached to and extends from the upper end 36 of the rod 12. The rod 12 is configured to be grasped in the hand of the user, positioning the user to align the rear sight 18 with a target 54 and to launch the ball 52 at the target 54 by one or both of a flick of a wrist or an extension of a forearm of the user. The present invention is used in ball tossing games, wherein a ball 52 is tossed toward a target 54, such as, but not limited to, hoops, buckets, cans, boards having holes, and the like. The present invention also can be used in a ball tossing game wherein the ball 52 and the target 54 together comprise a hook and loop fastener.
The rear sight 18 may comprise a rear plate 56 and a pair of rear posts 58. The rear plate 56 is attached to and extends bilaterally from the upper end 36 of the rod 12. The rear posts 58 are attached to and extend from the rear plate 56. Each rear post 58 is positioned proximate to a respective opposed end 60 of the rear plate 56 and is opposingly positioned on the rear plate 56 relative to the rod 12. The pair of rear posts 58 defines a rear gap 62. The user is positioned to align the rear gap 62 with the target 54 prior to launching the ball 52 at the target 54.
The ball tossing device 10 also may comprise a front sight 64, which is attached to the basket 14. The front sight 64 is opposingly positioned relative to the rod 12 and extends codirectionally with the rod 12. The user is positioned to align the front sight 64 and the rear sight 18 with the target 54 prior to launching the ball 52.
The front sight 64 may comprise a pair of front posts 66, which is attached to and which extends from the basket 14. The front posts 66 define a front gap 68, positioning the user to align the front gap 68 and the rear gap 62 with the target 54 prior to launching the ball 52 at the target 54. The front posts 66 and the rear posts 58 are cylindrical. As such, should the ball 52 contact either of the pair of front posts 66 or the pair of rear posts 58 upon launch from the basket 14, the direction of travel of the ball 52 will be substantially unaltered.
Each slot 70 of a pair of slots 70 is positioned in an inner face 72 of a respective front post 66. A sight plate 74 is slidably positioned in the pair of slots 70 and is configured to be selectively positioned within the pair of slots 70 to adjust a vertical length 76 of the front gap 68. Such adjustment allows the user to selectively lower and raise their aim through the rear sight 18 and front sight 64. A nub 78 is attached to and extends from the sight plate 74 and is configured to be engaged by a finger of the user to selectively position the sight plate 74 within the pair of slots 70. The present invention anticipates the rear sight 18 and the front sight 64 comprising other sighting means, such as, but not limited to, the front sight 64 comprising a ring, the rear sight 18 comprising a cross, a disc, or the like, and other combinations known to those skilled in the art of sights.
The ball tossing device 10 also comprises a finger bar 80 and an ovoid panel 82. Opposite ends 84 of the finger bar 80 are attached to a rear face 86 of the rod 12, thereby defining a finger loop 88. The finger bar 80 is positioned between the basket 14 and the lower end 28 of the rod 12. The finger loop 88 is configured for insertion of a respective finger of the user, such as an index finger or a middle finger, as shown in
The ovoid panel 82 is attached to the front face 34 of the rod 12, extends from the finger bar 80 toward the basket 14, and extends bilaterally from the rod 12. A plurality of openings 90 is positioned in the ovoid panel 82, with each opening 90 being configured for selective insertion of a respective finger of the user. The plurality of openings 90 comprises a pair of first cutouts 92, which is positioned singly distal from the rod 12, a proximate cutout 94, which extends bilaterally from the rod 12 proximate to the finger bar 80, and a distal cutout 96, which extends bilaterally from the rod 12 distal from the finger bar 80. As shown in
In use, the ball tossing device 10 enables a method of playing a ball tossing game 100 comprises a provision step 102, which entails providing a ball tossing device 10, according to the specification above, and a target 54. A setup step 104 of the method 100 entails positioning the target 54 as desired for game play. A holding step 106 of the method 100 entails grasping the rod 12 and holding it substantially vertically. A loading step 108 of the method 100 entails inserting the portion 50 of the ball 52 into the cup 16 so that the ball 52 is retained in the cup 16. A first execution step 110 of the method 100 entails aligning the rear sight 18 with the target 54. A second execution 112 step of the method 100 entails flicking a wrist and/or extending a forearm to launch the ball 52 at the target 54.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
