Patent Application
20070094883
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
This invention relates generally to the field of ball drying devices and more specifically to a football Dryer.
The game of football is well known in the United States. It is played with an elliptical shaped ball that is pointed at each end.
The ball is inflated with air and the outer skin can be made of pig skin or man made electrometric materials that are molded to simulate pig skin. The game of football is played in a variety of weather conditions including rain and snow. Under these conditions, the ball can become quite slippery and therefore more difficult to throw. Therefore it is desirable to use a dry football whenever possible. During a typical high school, or college or professional game each team uses their own footballs when they have possession of the ball. Therefore, a team that has access to a dry ball is at an advantage to a team that does not. To this end, the concept of a football dryer has been contemplated by a number of inventors.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,730 by C. Grant et al shows a method of drying footballs that uses silicon dioxide to absorb water. The user puts the ball in a bag with powder in it and shakes it. U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,002 by David M, Roberts et al includes a pair of contoured rollers that rotate causing a friction and rubbing to wipe the ball. U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,226 by K. Graffius shows a drier that uses electric heat lamps and needs to be plugged in to 120 volts AC. U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,040 by W. Starkey et al shows a drier that has a carrousel for the footballs to ride in and uses a generator powered by gasoline to provide power to heaters. Patent Application 2003/013602 A1 by A Pesnell shows a dryer that uses a 3000 watt heater powered by a battery. Each or the prior art sited has deficiencies that will be overcome by the present invention. The Grant patent is inherently a messy operation and rather time consuming. The Roberts patent dries only one ball at a time and is a rather complicated and expensive solution. The Graffius patent is not portable. The Starkey patent Is quite large and the use of a separate gas powered generator makes it noisy less portable than desired to be carried in a vehicle which carries football players and their equipment such as an SUV or a bus. The Pesnell patent application shows a large device that uses a 3000 watt heater powered by a battery. Even a huge battery would only last about thirty minutes putting out 3000 watts of power. Although the Ferris wheel design shown, being circular in nature, creates a lot of wasted space in the center of the circle and thereby makes the overall unit quite large thereby seriously reducing the ability for the device to be carried by normal transportation to football games that are played away from a team's home field.
In summary, the prior art does not show an ideal solution for a portable football drier that can dry a plurality of footballs quickly, can be taken to the football field without needing to be plugged in, and is small enough and light enough to be carried easily in a vehicle that is normally used for taking a football team to a game away from their home field.
The primary object of the invention is to provide a portable dryer for footballs for use at football games.
Another object of the invention is to provide a football dryer that dries footballs quickly for recycling into a football game.
Another object of the invention is to provide a football dryer that is compact and relatively light weight.
A further object of the invention is to provide a football dryer that uses portable power to create heat and forced air.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a football dryer where the power can last for one football game and then be recharged or replenished.
Still yet another object of the invention is to provide a football dryer that can also be powered by 120 volts AC.
Another object of the invention is to provide a football dryer that can flash dry a single ball or slow dry a plurality of balls.
Another object of the invention is to provide a football dryer that can be rolled onto the football field.
A further object of the invention is to provide a football dryer that protects footballs from excessive heat during the drying process.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed Football Dryer comprising: a housing capable of retaining a plurality of footballs, a housing vent, a pair of drive chains, a plurality of football carrying cradles, two sets of two drive gear plates, a chain drive motor, a battery type power supply, a propane powered heater, a housing door, a door latch, a transporting handle a pair of cart wheels, and a cart wheel axle, wherein said chain includes attachment means for said football carrying cradles so that said cradles are suspended between said drive gear chains in a Ferris wheel fashion, wherein said drive chains are supported by said sets of drive gear plates, wherein each set of said drive gear plates are connected by a horizontally disposed axle wherein one said axle is driven by a battery powered motor so that said drive gear plates rotate in unison causing said football cradles to travel an oblong path, Ferris wheel style, wherein said propane powered heater is located at the bottom of said housing so that as footballs sitting on said football cradles pass by said heater, they become warm and dry, wherein said footballs can enter and exit said housing through said housing door and said latch, and wherein said housing can be rolled onto a football field via a said cart wheels and said transporting handle.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.
Referring now to
As shown by the above description and drawings, the present invention provides a novel way to dry a plurality of footballs within a compact, portable housing that can be easily transported on a team bus or other vehicle and can be operated for the period of one football game without need to plug into a 120 volt AC outlet, or need for bulky and dangerous electrical generators or overly large gas heaters.
While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
