The present invention generally relates to sports memorabilia. More specifically, the present invention relates to a sports team display with speakers that emit prerecorded team songs and chants.
The viewing of athletic activities is a staple of modern society. Over the past few decades, various sports have grown from popular past-time activities into several multi-million-dollar industries. It is common to find people who have become die-hard fans of different sports teams represent their teams with multiple varied accessories. Many accessories associated with different sports teams are available, including flags, clothes, wearables, etc. Some popular fan devices are replica balls with a design associated with a sports team. Such balls are often shaped or decorated to represent a specific team's color, symbol, mascot, etc. Many of these balls are designed to be played with, while others are just designed to be used as ornamental devices. The ornamental balls are great accessories for decorating a room, office, etc. Ornamental balls displaying a sports team's colors, symbol, and/or mascot are favorites among sports fans.
Unfortunately, few or none incorporate an important part of sports: a sports team song/chant. Sports team songs/chants are important for fans to support and cheer for their teams. It is common to find fans in a bar to start chanting or singing a team's song/chant while watching their team play. While there are some sports balls that have an integrated speaker system for playing music or sounds while playing with the balls, few ornamental balls have been actually designed to play a team's song/chant. Among those, none have a convenient mount and easy actuation for activating the song/chant. Any sports team fan would love to have an ornamental ball that allows them to play their team's song/chant anytime they want. Thus, an ornamental ball which plays a song/chant of a sports team is beneficial and necessary.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a ball that is designed to represent a sports team's colors, mascot, symbol, etc. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a ball with a sound-emitting mechanism that can play a recorded sports team's song/chant. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a ball which is designed as an ornamental ball with an integrated speaker system. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a ball with talking mechanism which is easy to use and easy to set up. The present invention accomplishes these objectives, providing a decoration that can play songs, chants, and other relevant sports-themed sounds from a sports-themed ball.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
The present invention is a sports-team related display that is used to decorate a room or area. The present invention is configured to allow for a user to play the music or chant associated with the related team. The present invention comprises a sport-ball-shaped ornament 1, an audio box 7, and an ornament holder 17, as seen in
The general configuration of the aforementioned components allows the present invention to efficiently and effectively play athletic team music, chants, and other sounds. The sport-ball-shaped ornament 1 comprises an ornament body 2 and a box-receiving cavity 3, as seen in
The audio box 7 requires components that will allow the audio box 7 to produce music and sounds. To this end, the audio box 7 comprises a housing 10, a speaker 11, a controller 12, and a button 13. The housing 10 encloses the other components of the audio box 7. The speaker 11 is an electrical component that allows for the transformation of electrical signals into sound waves, thus allowing for the projection of music and other sounds into a room. The controller 12 is an electrical device which accepts electric inputs and returns corresponding electrical signal outputs. The button 13 is an input that allows for user interaction with the controller 12. The button 13 is bistably mounted to the actuation end 9. In this way, the button 13 is able to switch between an on position and an off position. The speaker 11 and the controller 12 are mounted within the housing 10. This arrangement allows for mechanical proximity of the speaker 11 and the controller 12. The speaker 11 is positioned between the button 13 and the controller 12. Furthermore, the speaker 11 is oriented toward the cavity opening 4. In this way, sound produced by the speaker 11 is not interfered with by the controller 12. The button 13 and the speaker 11 are electronically connected to the controller 12, as seen in
The present invention requires a mechanism for emitting sound effectively. To this end, the present invention comprises a plurality of sound-emitting holes 22. The plurality of sound-emitting holes 22 is a series of cuts that improve the ability of the speaker 11 to project outside of the audio box 7, as seen in
The button 13 has to be prepared to actuate smoothly to allow for user interaction with the present invention. To this end, the button 13 comprises a press panel 14, a stopping lip 15, and a compression spring 16, as seen in
In order to actuate properly, the compression spring 16 needs to compress appropriately within the audio box 7. To this end, the present invention comprises a structural support 23 and at least one button-pressing nub 24. The structural support 23 is a rigid unit extending within the audio box 7. The at least one button-pressing nub 24 is rigid segment that actuates the button 13 as the button 13 is pushed into the housing 10, as seen in
The audio box 7 requires a mechanism for providing power to the controller 12. To this end, the present invention comprises a power supply 25. The power supply 25 is a battery, set of batteries, electrical cord, or other such portable or non-portable power sources capable of providing the controller 12 and electrical components with adequate power, as seen in
The ornament holder 17 functions best when equipped to support the sport-ball-shaped ornament 1. To this end, the ornament holder 17 comprises a plurality of protrusions 18 and a base panel 21, as seen in
The present invention is fully-adapted for both comfort in a user's hand and display of graphics and designs. To this end, in an exemplary embodiment, the ornament body 2 is made of a polyester resin foam. This gives the ball comfortable hand feel when squeezed. In another exemplary embodiment, the sport-ball-shaped ornament 1 further comprises a vulcanized shell 6. The vulcanized shell 6 is any of a variety of flexible rubber exteriors that improves the user's grip upon the present invention. The ornament body 2 is enclosed by the vulcanized shell 6, as seen in
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 62/589,226 filed on Nov. 21, 2017.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62589226 | Nov 2017 | US |