Patent Application
20060205544
The present invention generally relates to inflatable objects. More specifically, the present invention relates to a new and unique toys that can be modified using inflatable bladders.
In the prior art, various types of toys are very well known. Typically, a toy has a given shape and configuration that is static and cannot be modified. For example, a toy for throwing, such as a football or baseball, is of a fixed shape and configuration. Thus, each time that it is thrown, it exhibits the same general flight characteristics. In another example, a toy, such as an action figure, may have a given aesthetic appearance that can only be modified by adding or removing parts or reconstructing the parts at hand. In general, known toys are static in nature in that they cannot be altered to make the toy more unique in appearance and operation each time.
There have been many attempts in the prior art to provide toys that can transform from one type of toy to another to make the toy more interesting and fun. Typically, these toys have moveable parts that can be reconfigured to construct a toy of a different appearance. However, the basic function and operation of the toy is, essentially, the same as before but with a different aesthetic appearance.
In other example, toys can change in appearance by simply adding and subtracting parts. For example, there are many construction oriented toys that use building blocks or sticks to create a toy. Again, the overall function of the toy remains as aesthetic in nature.
The foregoing prior art toy products suffer from the problem that they cannot dynamically change their function where the characteristics of the operation and use of the toy are modified and made more unique and fun. More specifically, sports-related toys are not well-suited to being modified as are the toys of the prior art. In sports-related toys, additional parts cannot easily be added. While it is possible to add a fin to a football or magnetic tape to a flying disc to alter their flight characteristics, such modification is cumbersome and can lead to unpredictable results.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a toy that can dynamically change to alter its flight characteristics in a unique way. There is also a need for a toy that can be dynamically modified to achieve unique results that are not capable with prior art toys. There is a further need for a toy that can dynamically change to assist the user in operation of the toy. In addition, there is a need for a toy that can dynamically change both in its functional characteristics but optionally its aesthetic characteristics as well.
The present invention preserves the advantages of prior art objects, such as toy articles and related devices. In addition, it provides new advantages not found in currently available objects, toys and related devices and overcomes many disadvantages of such currently available objects, toys and related devices.
The invention is generally directed to a novel and unique dynamic object, such as a throwable toy. The object of the present invention includes at least one unique internal bladder that can be modified by the user to easily change the characteristics of the object.
An object with a dynamically changeable configuration is provided. The outer surface configuration and/or the weight displacement configuration can be dynamically changed to alter the characteristics of the object, which can be a toy, such as a football, baseball or flying disc. To change the outer configuration of the object, a cover having an outer surface and at least one aperture therethrough is provided. A surface changing member, such as a bladder, is urgable into the at least one aperture to dynamically change the outer surface of the object. To change the weight displacement of the object, the main body includes a first chamber and a second chamber therein where fluid, such as gas or liquid, can flow therebetween. The positioning of the fluid within the first chamber and the second chamber is controlled by a pump and valve system. As a result, the weight displacement of the object is dynamically changeable.
It should be understood that the dynamically changeable object can be employed in many different environments and be used for different purposes. The present invention is particularly well-suited to serve as a toy, particularly toys that are thrown in the air, such as footballs, baseballs and flying discs. For ease of discussion herein, the object of the present invention will be shown an described in connection with throwable toys as a preferred use of the present invention. However, this shall in now way limit the scope of the present invention to throwable toys.
The use of at least one inflatable bladder can alter a number of different functional characteristics of a throwable toy. Many different types of throwable toys can employ the features of the present invention, such as footballs, baseballs and flying discs.
As a first example, the grip of the toy can be modified by the technology of the present invention. The outer surface of a football is typically a roughened surface leather or plastic material. For example, a bladder may be inflated with a material, preferably gas, so it protrudes through apertures in the cover or expand the outer cover of the toy to provide additional grip for the user. For example, additional grip ridges can be created as described in detail below.
It is also envisioned that the bladder can alter the flight characteristics of the toy. The movement of structure within a throwable toy typically affects flight. For example, an inflatable bladder can raise spiral ridges to encourage a football to spiral or shift weight displacement within a baseball to facilitate it to curve. Such weight displacement may be carried out by movement of a liquid, gas, gel or solid material within the body of the toy. For example, the bladder may re- orient water or push a solid mass within the toy body to carry out this weight displacement. Such movement can occur in real-time while the toy is being thrown to create unique results.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a toy that can be dynamically changed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a toy that can have its surface dynamically changed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a toy that can change its surface to change its grip.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a toy that can change its surface to change its flight characteristics.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a toy that can change its weight distribution.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a toy that can change its weight distribution to change its flight characteristics.
The novel features which are characteristic of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims. However, the invention's preferred embodiments, together with further objects and attendant advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
The present invention relates generally to a dynamically changeable object 10, such as a toy. In accordance with the present invention, the configuration of the toy 10 can be changed in a number of different ways to change its characteristics, such as its outer configuration, inner configuration, aesthetics or buoyancy. Change of the outer configuration can be employed to change gripping or flight characteristics of the toy. Change of the inner configuration can be employed to change the weight distribution of the toy 10 to, in turn, affect flight characteristics and other performance features of the toy 10.
Referring first to
The example shown in
A front view of the a football 10, that employs the present invention, is shown in
An inner surface changing member, general referred to as 18, is provided within a chamber 20 defined within the cover 12. The surface changing member 18 is preferably a bladder, with an inner wall 18a and outer wall 18b that can be inflated by a gas, such as air.
A inflation system, generally referred to as 22, is provided that includes a pump device 24 and a release device 26. In this embodiment, by way of example, the pump device 24 is shown on the opposite side of the football 10 as the release device 26, however, they may be on the same side as each other. In fact, the pump device 24 and the release device 26 can be positioned at any suitable relative locations on the football 10 to enable access by the user. Details of a sample inflation system 22, for use with the present invention, is shown in
For game play with the football 10, employing the present invention, it may be desirable to change the outer configuration thereof, for example, to change the outer surface to change the interaction of the football 10 with the user and to also change the flight characteristics of the football 10. For example, the outer surface of the bladder 18 may tacky to the touch by either manufacturing the bladder 18 out of a material that is naturally tacky or to provide an additional substance thereon to make the outer surface tacky to the touch.
In the example of a football 10, if the user wants to change the grip characteristics of the football 10, the pump device 24 is actuated to fill the bladder 18 with a gas, such as air. In fact, the bladder can be filled with any type of fluid, but it is preferably filled with air for ease of use. Inflation of the bladder 18 causes it to press against the inner wall 20 of the cover 12. Since the apertures 14 preferably provided in the cover 12 of the football 10, further inflation of the bladder 18 causes the bladder 18 to bulge through the apertures 14, as seen in
A cross-sectional view of the football 10 in this condition is shown in
The longitudinal ridges, referenced as 18 in
Most notably, the amount of surface change can be dynamically changed by the user. The bladder 18 is adjustably inflatable to control the amount of bulge of the bladder 18 through the aperture or apertures in the cover 12. Thus, the bladder 18 can be inflated more to provide larger bulges to provide more grip. Similarly, the bladder 18 can be inflated less to provide smaller bulges to provide less grip. In fact, the bladder 18 can be deflated to a degree where it does not bulge through the apertures 14 at all, if desired.
As can be understood, varying the outer configuration of a throwable toy 10 not only changes the grip, because that is the surface that the user interfaces with, but also the flight characteristics of the toy 10. The longitudinal ridges 18 in
Turning now to
In this preferred inflation system 22, a pump mechanism is provided, generally referred to as 24, and a release mechanism, generally referred to as 26. The pump mechanism 22 includes two one-way valves 28, 30 and a storage chamber 32 defined by a flexible dome 34. When the dome 34 is depressed, the volume of gas, such as air, within the dome 34 is urged through the first one-way valve 28 into the interior 36 of the bladder 18. During depression of the dome 34, the second valve 30, such as a flapper valve, remains closed to ensure that the volume of gas within the dome 34 is fully urged into the bladder 18 via the first one-way valve 28. Any type of suitable valve can be used for the valves 28 and 30.
When the dome 34 is released, the second one-way valve 30 opens and the first one-way valve 28 closes to permit the dome 34 to be re-filled with gas. The dome 34 is preferably spring-biased by the flexible material itself of the dome 34 moving back to its fully open state to draw gas therein. Thus, after depression of the dome 34 of the pump mechanism 24, the dome 34 is re-filled with gas in preparation to be depressed again. As can be understood, further depression of dome 34 repeats the cycle and urges more and more gas into the chamber 36 of bladder 18. As described above, the bladder 18 is filled until its reaches a desired condition, namely, until the bladder 18 bulges the desired amount through the apertures 14 in the cover 12.
It may also be desired to remove gas from the bladder 18 to reduce the size of the bladder 18 and, in turn, reduce the bulging of the bladder 18 through the apertures 14. In
When the second dome 40 is being depressed and the third one-way valve 38 is open, gas is free to exit from the bladder 18 into the environment via the pass through aperture 46. A further fourth valve (not shown) may be provided for additional control of the outflow of gas from the bladder 18.
The inflation mechanism 24 of
Similarly,
The inflation mechanism, with pump device 24 and release device 26, are incorporated into the ball 60 in similar fashion to the football 10 above. The pump device 24 and release device 26, from the outside of the ball 60, are preferably made as low profile as possible so to not affect ball flight characteristics.
The surface changing members or bladder 66 can be used to the change the grip characteristics of the ball 60. In
The invention shown in
For example, it is be possible to create a flying disc 400 with an elastic film or fabric covering its top surface. If a properly shaped air bladder 406 is placed just below the surface 404, the bladder 406 can cause a change in shape of the airfoil 410 when inflated. The same configuration could apply to a baseball, in which the outer skin is somewhat stretchable, and a small bladder on one side of the ball just inside the surface could distort the cover of the ball slightly causing an eccentricity. As a result, shape shifting of the toy can be carried out in this embodiment without the apertures shown in
Still further, as in seen in
Turning now to
An example of use of the second embodiment 100 of the present invention is shown in
However, it may be desirable to dynamically adjust the weight distribution of the football 100 so that it flies better when thrown. For example, as in
To carry this out, liquid 106 is pumped from the primary storage chamber 102 in the center of the football 100 out to a tubular secondary storage chamber 108 located at the periphery of the football 100. The primary storage chamber 102 and the secondary storage chamber 108 are in fluid communication with each other via a conduit 110. Each of the chambers 102 and 108 may be expandable, if desired. The liquid 106 is pumped by a pumping mechanism 112 using a dome 116 button, as seen in
It is possible that the liquid 106 can be moved to a given location in preparation for the football 100 to be thrown. Then, upon the release of another button (not shown), the liquid 106 can be permitted to flow back to the primary storage chamber 102 during flight thereby increasing spiraling speed of the football 100.
It is envisioned that two counter-acting pumps can alternatively be employed to precisely control the flow of liquid 106 from the primary storage chamber 102 to the secondary storage chamber 108, as generally discussed below in connection with
Referring now to
To carry this out, a main storage chamber 138 and a secondary storage chamber 140 are provided in fluid communication with each another via conduit 142. Flow of liquid between the primary storage chamber 138 and the secondary storage chamber 140 is controlled by the pumping mechanism 144 and release mechanism 146 in similar fashion to that shown in
In
Also, one or more sensors 164 can be respectively provided in the primary storage chamber 152 and/or the secondary storage chamber 154 to electronically sense liquid levels in each chamber 152, 154 and provide a digital readout at display 166. This electronic sensor 164 can be used with or without the visual indicator 162. In either example, the user can be fully informed of the location of the liquid 156 in the primary storage chamber 152 and the secondary storage chamber 154 to fully understand the nature of the weight distribution presently configured.
Turning now to
As with the version shown in
In
It is envisioned, within the scope of the present invention, that the liquid can move from chamber to chamber during flight. For example, the liquid can be pumped to one location, such as the outer periphery of toy, and then thrown. During flight, the liquid can be drawn back to the center to help enhance a spiral in similar fashion to how a figure skater movers their arm closer to the body during a spin to speed up the spin. Also, the liquid can be maintained at a given location, if desired.
In general, in any of the embodiments of the invention, as will be discussed below, the bladder may be inflated with any type of fluid material, including gas, liquid or gel. To serve as a source of the fluid material, such as gas, the toy preferably has an integrated pumping mechanism. Alternatively, an external inflation device, such as a pump or a pressurized CO2 cartridge, may be employed. The toy could also include a small internal or external motor driven pump mechanism.
Alternatively, the bladder may effectuate such weight displacement or re-orientation outside the body of the toy. Such construction can be modified to suit the toy and its associated flight characteristics. Still further, even non-throwing toys can employ the inflatable bladder construction of the present invention. For example, an action figure can be equipped with such a bladder where the size and configuration of the toy can be changed to suit the desires user. Thus, any toy or object that can benefit from the present invention can incorporate the inventive features of the present invention.
In view of the foregoing, a new and improved toy is provided that can dynamically change to alter many different physical functional aspects of the operation of the toy, such as the grip and flight characteristics. The present invention provides features not found in known toys and is, therefore, a great improvement over such prior art toys.
It would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. All such modifications and changes are intended to be covered by the appended claims.
This application claims priority from prior U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/659,468 filed on Mar. 8, 2005.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60659468 | Mar 2005 | US |
