Patent Application
20050143202
The invention relates to toys used with a projectile such as a ball, and more particularly, to hand held throwing and catching devices used to facilitate throwing and catching such a projectile.
Perhaps one of the most popular types of games played through the years involves catching and throwing a ball. Although various types of balls can be caught and thrown with bare hands, in many cases it is desirable to use a hand held device or toy to facilitate catching and/or throwing the ball. In some cases, such as a standard baseball glove, the device is used only for catching the ball, whereas in other cases, such as a lacrosse stick, the device may be used for both catching and throwing. A variety of catching/throwing devices having different shapes and configurations have been provided through the years.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,392,978 to Wiest discloses a ball projecting and catching device having an arcuate platform for catching a moving ball and subsequently launching the ball into flight in a cyclical motion. U.S. Pat. No. 2,710,753 to Lockwood discloses a racquet game device enabling a player to catch, hold, and propel a ball, including a V-shaped frame for frictionally engaging the ball. Other examples of catching/throwing devices can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,025,995, 1,458,335, 651,222, and in publication GB 2,112,290. While the foregoing prior art devices have provided some enjoyment and amusement for users, there remains a continuing need in the art for evermore interesting and exciting ball catching/throwing toys and the like.
The present invention is directed to a novel toy used for throwing and catching a projectile, such as a ball. The toy enables a player to throw the ball with the same toy used to catch the ball.
A ball 22 is shown entering basket portion 14, while being caught with toy 10. The ball is depicted as semi-transparent, so that components of support structure 18 are visible behind the ball. One suitable ball is an ordinary tennis ball, but in general, toy 10 may be used to catch and throw projectiles of various sizes and shapes. To use the toy to catch the ball, a player may grip handle 12, and holding toy 10 in a suitable position, may orient basket portion 14 so that the moving ball collides with one or more of retaining members 16. The retaining members are spaced apart by a distance that is generally less than the diameter of the ball, but are somewhat flexible. Therefore, as depicted in
Retaining members 16, while flexible, are provided with sufficient tension to snap back into place after the ball has passed into the interior of the basket portion, preventing or at least significantly inhibiting the ball from rebounding through the retaining members and out of the basket portion. For example, the retaining members may be constructed from elastic shock cord material (i.e., bungee cord), as will be described in more detail below.
Once ball 22 has passed through retaining members 16 and into the interior of basket portion 14, it contacts support structure 18. In the depicted embodiment, the support structure includes several elongate support members 24 arranged in a criss-cross pattern, defining apertures that are too small for the ball to pass through. However, other support structures are possible, such as a substantially solid backing member, which may be flexible to some degree, or a combination of crossed support members and backing members. Providing a support structure with some amount of flexibility may allow the ball to be received within basket portion 14 without rebounding excessively, since the support structure will tend to absorb some of the kinetic energy of the ball.
Still referring to
As shown in
As described previously, retaining members 16 may be constructed from sections of elastic shock cord. In the depicted embodiment, members 16 are constructed from a single length of shock cord, which is threaded through apertures 36 in upper components 30 and 34, and tied off at both ends. Thus, the tension in the retaining members is substantially constant, and may be adjusted to be sufficient to allow passage of a moving projectile, but to retain the projectile within the basket portion of the toy once it has been caught.
The handle and support structure of the toy may be constructed from any suitable material, preferably a lightweight and substantially rigid plastic or thermoplastic material. Alternatively, the toy may be constructed from wood, aluminum, and/or other metals or composite materials, among others. In one embodiment, toy 10 may be approximately 10-20 inches (10″-20″) in total length, and preferably approximately 15″ in length. The toy's width at its widest point may be approximately 4″-7″, and is preferably approximately 5.5″. Handle 12 may be approximately 4″-8″ long and 1″-2″ wide, and is preferably approximately 6″ long and approximately 1.3″ wide. Basket portion 14 may be approximately 6″-12″ long and approximately 4″-8″ deep, and is preferably approximately 9″ long and approximately 5.75″ deep. Retaining members 16 may be constructed from a single piece of elastic shock cord, interwoven through apertures 36 to form substantially parallel, flexible members aligned with the longitudinal axis of handle 12. The shock cord used in such an embodiment has a diameter smaller than the diameter of apertures 36, and a length suitable for being stretched to several times the length of the basket portion. Preferably, the shock cord is approximately 36″ long and approximately ⅛″ in diameter.
Another embodiment of the throwing/catching toy of the present invention is shown in
The idea is that with this embodiment, a person can play catch with the ball at closer distances, and a different type of game play is provided. The pad is provided for shock absorbing purposes, when the ball enters through the retaining members 16 and strikes against support members 24. As shown in
From the above description, it can be seen that projectile thrower/catcher toy 10 provides enhanced play value and vigorous throwing and catching activities involving a projectile such as a tennis ball, or more relaxed casual play. By providing a lightweight, easily maneuverable device, the toy enables a player to present an opening, such as the basket portion described, to catch a flying projectile even while the player is on the run, or stretched into a difficult position to try and reach a rapidly approaching ball over the player's head, down near the feet, off to the side, etc.
While the present description has been provided with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that many variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope defined in the following claims. The description should be understood to include all novel and non-obvious combinations of elements described herein, and claims may be presented in this or a later application to any novel and non-obvious combination of these elements. The foregoing embodiments are illustrative, and no single feature or element is essential to all possible combinations that may be claimed in this or a later application. Where the claims recite “a” or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof, such claims should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring, nor excluding, two or more such elements.
