US3841292A - Hand operated catapult toy - Google Patents

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Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F41—WEAPONS
  • F41B—WEAPONS FOR PROJECTING MISSILES WITHOUT USE OF EXPLOSIVE OR COMBUSTIBLE PROPELLANT CHARGE; WEAPONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F41B3/00—Sling weapons
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B59/00—Bats, rackets, or the like, not covered by groups A63B49/00 - A63B57/00
  • A63B59/30—Bats, rackets, or the like, not covered by groups A63B49/00 - A63B57/00 forming hand-held throwing or catching aids for use with rings, discs, wheels or cylindrical throwing-bodies, or for use with balls having a central bore
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F41—WEAPONS
  • F41B—WEAPONS FOR PROJECTING MISSILES WITHOUT USE OF EXPLOSIVE OR COMBUSTIBLE PROPELLANT CHARGE; WEAPONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F41B3/00—Sling weapons
  • F41B3/04—Centrifugal sling apparatus

Definitions

• the ball is provided with a central axis hole diametrically disposed to enable the ball to be fitted onto the front end of the flexible wand, with the ball material having sufficient resilience, and the diametral hole being of such dimensions, that the ball will be frictionally held on the front end of the wand until a whipping operation of the wand will forcibly catapult the ball from the wand.
• FIG. 1 shows a front elevational view of the wand and the ball in position on the wand;
• FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C show sectional dimensional views taken along the shaft of the wand
• FIG. 2 shows the ball positioned on the wand ready to be catapulted from the wand
• FIG. 3 shows schematically several trajectories through which the ball may be projected from the wand, to illustrate how the skill and dexterity of the operator may be tested and demonstrated by being able to catapult the ball to preselected areas as targets.
• the toy comprises a wand 12 of resilient flexible material, and a mass in the shape of a ball 14, preferably consisting of a resilient rubber-like material.
• the wand 12 embodies a shaped handle 22, with suitable flutes 24, to provide good non-slipping hand grip, and further embodies an elongated shank 26 that extends to a shaped front-end 28 whose surface is shaped to embody irregularities 30, to provide frictional characteristics to the surface of front end 28.
• the wand may be tapered as indicated in the necked region 32 to provide greater flexibility to the wand, for whipping action, when it is operated as a whip to snap the wand for the purpose of operation of the toy, to catapult the ball through a selected trajectory to hit a selected target.
• the ball mass 14 may be of any shape, but for the sake of symmetry, is more easily formed as a sphere or ball, and is provided with a hole 40, diametrically and axially through the ball, in order to permit the ball to 2 be applied and pressed onto the irregularly shaped front end surface 28 of the wand 12.
• the wand may then be whipped as implied by the curved condition of the wand in FIG. 2, and the ball then catapulted and projected off the wand to move in a preselected path of projection, such as one of the many possible paths, of which three are illustrated in FIG. 3, and identified by the numerals 45, 50 and 55.
• the toy may be used in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, to test the skill of the operator in being able to catapult the ball through any selected trajectory -to reach a predetermined area as the target, as indicated by the regions 60-1, 60-2 and 60-3, under the arrows of the trajectories shown in FIG. 3.
• the structural design and formation of the surface irregularities at the front end of the wand may take any desired shape, since their function primarily is to provide sufficient friction to hold the ball against casual displacement, and to requirea fair amount of energy in the whipping action to dispel the ball and cause it to travel through a preselected distance, corresponding to some such trajectory as shown in FIG. 3, to reach aselected target area.
• wand may be made of wood or metal, and the mass need not be round and need not be made of resilient rubber-like material, but may be made of non-resilient material and may also be made in other forms and shapes such as longer cylinders or flat shallow cylinders in the shape of a disc.
• a My comprising a flexible wand having a handle grip on one end, and
• said wand may be whipped to displace and project the mass in selected direction and with selective force to attempt to place said mass in a preselected area.
• a toy as in claim 1, in which the axial opening through said ball mass is of appropriate size to engage the frictional surface with a slight degree of holding pressure .to avoid slipping off until whipped off by an operator.
• a catapult toy as in claim 1, wherein said wand is resilient and has a tapered whippable shank.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Toys (AREA)

Abstract

Description

Claims (3)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=22831009

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (1)

Cited By (32)

Citations (2)

• 1972
  • 1972-01-31 US US00222138*A patent/US3841292A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (2)

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