The field of the disclosure relates generally to toys, and more particularly, to fidget toys configured to spin in a user's hand.
Many people may find it difficult to passively occupy themselves, for example, by relaxing, meditating, observing the environment around them, engaging in thought, etc. For many people, it is natural to want to move or fidget when otherwise unoccupied. This want may be intensified by our modern lifestyle that provides ample opportunity to keep oneself busy and/or occupied most of the time. For example, many people may fill their ‘free time’ by using cellular phones to browse the Internet, play games, or otherwise keep themselves occupied. In addition, some people may keep their hands busy by playing with coins, pens, paperclips, or the like. However, such restlessness or fidgeting may become distracting or bothersome to others.
Some people may have a capacity to passively occupy themselves, however, they may occasionally experience periods of stress and/or anxiousness that may make it difficult to focus or relax. In such situations, even those that otherwise may passively occupy themselves can become restless or fidgety thereby distracting or bothering others. As such, it is desirable to provide a means for calming oneself, occupying one's time, and reducing one's restlessness and/or fidgeting that reduces distraction to others.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the detailed description below. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures.
In one aspect, a fidget spinner is provided. The fidget spinner includes a body having a central body portion and a plurality of arms. Each of the arms projects outwardly from the central body portion to present a distal end. The fidget spinner also includes a bearing assembly coupled to the central body portion. Moreover, the fidget spinner includes a plurality of spherical components. Each respective one of the spherical components is rotatably supported adjacent the distal end of a respective one of the arms.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:
Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings provided herein are meant to illustrate features of embodiments of this disclosure. These features are believed to be applicable in a wide variety of systems comprising one or more embodiments of this disclosure. As such, the drawings are not meant to include all conventional features known by those of ordinary skill in the art to be required for the practice of the embodiments disclosed herein. While the drawings do not necessarily provide exact dimensions or tolerances for the illustrated components or structures, the drawings are to scale with respect to the relationships between the components of the structures illustrated in the drawings.
The following detailed description of embodiments of the invention references the accompanying figures. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those with ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention. The embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation. Other embodiments may be utilized, and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the claims. The following description is, therefore, not limiting. It is contemplated that the invention has general application to identifying and verifying entities requesting access to confidential information and/or financial services. The scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
In this description, references to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “embodiments” mean that the feature or features referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Separate references to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “embodiments” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are not mutually exclusive unless so stated. Specifically, a feature, component, action, step, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments but is not necessarily included. Thus, particular implementations of the present disclosure can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.
In the following specification and the claims, reference will be made to several terms, which shall be defined to have the following meanings. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. “Optional” or “optionally” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includes instances where the event occurs and instances where it does not.
Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification and the claims, may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms, such as “about,” “approximately,” and “substantially” are not to be limited to the precise value specified. In at least some instances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value. Here and throughout the specification and claims, range limitations may be combined and/or interchanged, such ranges are identified and include all the sub-ranges contained therein unless context or language indicates otherwise.
As used herein, directions perpendicular to the center rotational axis 20 (shown in
In the exemplary embodiment, the fidget spinner 10 includes a body 12 having an annular central body portion 14 with a centrally mounted bearing assembly 16 positioned within a central aperture 18. The fidget spinner 10 also includes a plurality of spherical components 24 coupled to the body 12. The central aperture 18 is substantially centered on the body 12 of the fidget spinner 10 and is defined therethrough and defines a center rotational axis 20 of the body 12. The bearing assembly 16 also includes a pair of grasping caps 22. Specifically, the grasping caps 22 are positioned on the top (or the opposite axial sides), respectively, of the body 12. The grasping caps 22 are rotatable relative to the body 12. For example, the body 12 of the fidget spinner 10 may rotate about the center rotational axis 20 when a user grasps the two grasping caps 22 with his or her hand. Specifically, the body 12 may rotate relative to the grasping caps 22 when the grasping caps 22 are held or squeezed between a user's thumb and finger.
In the exemplary embodiment, the body 12 is generally planar, having a substantially constant thickness T1, as best illustrated in
As shown in
In this illustrated embodiment, each arm 26 includes the circular portion of the body that intersects with the central body portion 14. Each of the circular portions defining a respective arm 26 is situated such that the center point thereof lies along a radius of the central body portion 14 and the circular portion is symmetric relative to such radius. However, the principles of the present invention are equally applicable to “offset” arms (i.e., arms that are symmetric relative to the intersecting radius). Similarly, for alternatively shaped arms (e.g., elongated arms having a single main extension intersecting the central body portion 14), it is within the ambit of certain aspects of the present invention for the arm(s) to extend at an angle or be otherwise offset to the radiuses.
As best shown in
In the exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in
In the exemplary embodiment, the body 12 includes a plurality of circumferentially-extending connector elements 43 extending between adjacent arms 26. The connector elements 43 are spaced radially outward from the central body portion 14, defining an empty space therebetween. As best shown in
In the exemplary embodiment, the bearing assembly 16 relatively rotatable races 44 and 46. The bearing assembly 16 is most preferably a ball bearing assembly with a plurality of balls 48 rotatably positioned between the races 44 and 46. In the illustrated embodiment, the race 44 is spaced radially inward of the race 46. The race 46 of the bearing assembly 16 is coupled to the body 12 via the central aperture 18. As described above, the grasping caps 22 are disposed along the top and bottom of the bearing assembly 16 in an axially opposite manner.
Referring to
Alternatively, in an embodiment illustrated in
In the exemplary embodiment, the body 12 and the grasping caps 22, 54, and 56 are preferably formed by an injection molding process from a suitable resin material, such as a synthetic resin. Alternatively, the body 12 and the grasping caps 22, 54, and 56 may be formed from any process that enables the fidget spinner to function as described herein, for example, via an additive manufacturing or 3D printing process. In alternative embodiments, one or more of the body 12 and the grasping caps 22, 54, and 56 may be fabricated from a metal, such as an aluminum or steel.
The bearing assembly 16 is preferably a standard ball bearing as is known in the art, including, for example, a stainless steel, hybrid ceramic, or full ceramic ball bearing. In addition, the central aperture 18 may be sized to receive a standard bearing size, such as, and without limitation, a standard 606 bearing, 608 bearing, R188 bearing, and the like.
The spherical components 24 are preferably formed from a metal material, including for example, and without limitation, chrome plated steel, stainless steel, brass, bronze, carbon fiber, gold, silver, platinum, titanium, and the like. In addition, to facilitate smooth rotation of the spherical components 24, each component preferably has a B2 medium polish or better.
The spherical components 24 operate to increase the mass of the fidget spinner 10, which also increases the moment of inertia of the fidget spinner. By placing the spherical components 24 proximate the distal ends 28 of the arms 26, the moment of inertia is further increased. An increased moment of inertia facilitates as increased spinning time for the fidget spinner 10.
During fabrication of the fidget spinner 10 and 100, each of the spherical components 24 are positioned within a mold cavity of the injection mold for the fidget spinner. A suitable resin is injected into the mold, filling the mold cavity and surrounding at least a portion of the spherical components 24. As the resin material cools, it shrinks slightly, thereby defining the gap 34 that enables the spherical components 24 to rotate relative to the body of the fidget spinner 10 and 100. As described herein, the arms 26, 106 of the body surround respective spherical components 24 to retain the spherical component within the semi-spherical component-receiving opening 30. This facilitates the fidget spinner 10 and 100 to be used as a pendulum by grasping one of the spherical components 24 between the user's fingers, allowing the remaining parts of the fidget spinner to freely swing.
Described herein are embodiments of fidget spinners having spherical components coupled to the distal ends of a plurality of arms extending outward from a central bearing assembly. The spherical components described herein facilitate increasing the moment of inertia of the fidget spinner as well as providing spherical rotation of the fidget spinner about the spherical components. This is advantageous because it facilitates increasing the spinning time of the fidget spinner and provides a pendulum-like swinging of the body of the fidget spinner. Injection molding the body of the fidget spinner with the spherical components in place in the mold facilitates providing the necessary gap to provide rotation of the components while retaining them within the arms and reducing the cost and time to manufacture the fidget spinners described herein, for example, by eliminating expensive tooling to define semi-spherical pockets for the spherical components and inserting the components after molding of the body.
Although specific features of various embodiments of the disclosure may be shown in some drawings and not in others, this is for convenience only. In accordance with the principles of the disclosure, any feature of a drawing may be referenced and/or claimed in combination with any feature of any other drawing.
This written description uses examples to disclose the embodiments, including the best mode, and to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the embodiments, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the disclosure is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.
This patent application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/513,897 filed Jun. 1, 2017, and entitled “FIDGET TOY,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62513897 | Jun 2017 | US |