Patent Application
20160367878
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to recreational games and in particular to tetherball.
2. Prior Art
In a tether ball game, a ball is typically attached to one end of a flexible cord, or tether, and of which the other end is attached to the upper end of an upright or vertically disposed rigid pole. Play consists of hitting the ball so that it orbits, while suspended by the cord, in either direction about the pole.
An example of one of these tetherball games and the apparatus used in its play is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,764,140 wherein a spherical hollow ball, such as a tennis ball, is tethered by a flexible, non-resilient cord to a pole or standard disposed in a stationary vertical position, which ball is struck by a paddle wielded by a player so that it orbits about the standard.
Prior art has provided improvements in the game. For example, the manner in which the ball is attached to the cord has been addressed by many. Typically, the fastening relies on making a hole in the ball and using a stop inside the ball to which the cord is attached. Improvements have addressed how to increase the life of such connection of the ball and cord as the ball is struck repeatedly during a game and deteriorates quite rapidly.
While improvements have been made, there remains a need for a better tetherball game which is safe and more dynamic than prior versions. The instant invention is directed to such a tether ball game.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved tether ball game.
It is another object to provide a tether ball game with improved dynamics of play.
Still another object is to provide a relatively inexpensive constructed tether ball game, and one that does not easily deteriorate in use thereby prolonging playing time before the ball must be replaced.
According to one aspect of the invention, the present invention is directed to an improved tether ball game. The game includes a flexible and bendable pole, a foam ball attached to a top of the pole by way of a cord. A bottom of the pole is connected to a base to supporting the pole in an upward manner. The ball may be made of a polyfoam material having an axial opening extending therethrough with a cylindrical shaft extending through the axial opening and which receives the cord therethrough.
The pole can be made of poly vinyl chloride (PVC) or the like. The pole's diameter and thickness is predetermined in connection with the weight and size of the ball so that it flexes and bends as the ball is forcibly orbiting about the pole and exerting a force on the top of the pole. The base may include a sleeve which can be fixed in the ground or be part of a weighted structure which contains water or sand, for example.
The novel ball is characterized by its fabrication of a single piece of seamless resilient material, such as foam of a spherical configuration. The cord, or tether, is attached to the ball by means of a stop, such as a flanged insert connects to the cylindrical shaft. There can be flanged inserts on both ends of the shaft to aid against breakdown of the ball which normally occurs during play of the game by virtue of forces of the cord on the ball.
It is contemplated that the flanged inserts can comprise the cylindrical shaft. In this case, the flanged insert is provided in aligned relation with cylindrical portions extending inward and flange portions on the outside.
Another feature of the invention is to have an embodiment wherein a hose connection is provided to feed water into the pole. The pole can be formed with a plurality of holes which provide for water streams to be formed when water is passed under pressure up the pole. In this case, the top end may be capped to aid in such embodiment.
By so providing having the ball attached at a small diameter to the tethering cord, the ball when struck will tend to assume a spherical shape due to the centrifugal force to which the ball is subjected as it orbits about the vertically disposed standard to which the cord is attached.
Referring now to the invention. The manner in which the exemplary games is played is illustrated in
A foam ball 14 of the weight of a size and weight suitable for playing the tether ball game 10 in a manner described. The ball 14 can be made of a solid, spongy cellular material similar to that formed from polyester and polyurethane foams. The density of such foam can be sufficient enough to provide weight such that when attached via a cord 16 to the pole 12 and orbiting about the pole 12 under force of play in the game, the ball 14 causes the pole 12 to bend. A feature of the ball 14 being of a forgiving nature is that when it strikes the user it is not likely to cause injury. This is an important aspect as unlike conventional tether ball games wherein the path the ball would travel is relatively predictable, this is not so with the instant game. In fact, as the pole 12 bends and releases it lends yet another variation to the orbit of the ball 14 about the pole 12.
The cord 16, or tether, is attached to the ball 14 by means of a stop 18, such as a flanged insert or washer, which can connect to a cylindrical shaft 20 wherein the cord 16 can be knotted at its outer end. There can be flanged inserts 18 on both ends 22 of the shaft 20 to aid against breakdown of the ball 14 which normally occurs during play of the game by virtue of forces exerted through the cord 16 on the ball 14.
As depicted in
The present invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative forms. It should, therefore, be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.
