US3179409A - Elastic amusement toy - Google Patents

Description

Ap 1 965 A. MARIINO 3,179,409

ELASTIC AMUSEMENT T'OY Filed we so, 1962 INVENTOR. A/VGfZO MAR/N0 United States Patent Ofi ice 3,179,469 Patented Apr. 20, 1965 3,179,409 ELASTIC AMUSEMENT TOY Angelo Marino, 1955 51st St., Brooklyn, NY. Filed Oct. 30, 1962, Ser. No. 234,097 1 Claim. (Cl. 272-57) The present invention is directed to toys, and more particularly to the type wherein the child places himself thereon and causes the toy to move.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a toy of the type described on which the child may stand, which is readily manipulated by him in all directions and which may be used by the child for obtaining exercise by himself, or may be used in competitive sport by him. 7

It is also among the objects of the present invention to provide a toy which is simple in construction, which is light in weight and is sturdy, and has a resilient or elastic element which is highly effective and which is readily replaceable. 7

It is further among the objects of the present invention to provide a toy of the above described character which in use shows substantially no wear and which embodies a resilient member having a large area of support to avoid wear.

In the accompanying drawing constituting a part hereof, and in which like reference characters indicate like parts,

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the toy of the present invention showing the frame thereof and having some parts broken away for clearness;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of an inverted cup constituting a part of the toy and shown partly in sect-ion;

FIG. 3 is a similar view of the elastic or resilient member or ball, being shown partly broken away for clearness;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the completed toy, which is an assembly of the elements shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, some parts being shown in section for clearness; and

FIG. 5 is a top plan view thereof taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4. 7

An essential element of the toy is a ball 1 or the like made of elastic material such as vulcanized rubber, here shown as being spherical in shape. The center 2 of the ball is hollow so that the ball is elastic. The frame consists of a yoke which has as an essential element an annulus 3 located at about the horizontal diameter of ball 1. A convex connector 4 of approximately a semi-circle, is welded to annulus 3 at points 5 and 6. A similar convex connector 7 has its plane'at right angles to the plane of a connector 4. It is welded to annulus 3 at points 8 and 9. Elements 3, 4 and 7 are preferably tubular.

A vertical handle 10 in the form of a tubehas a cap 11 at the upper end thereof. The lower end is weldedat 12 to the center point of connector 7. Bar 13 in horizontal position is welded at the junction of handle 12 and connector 7. At the ends 14 and 15 of bar 13 are downward extensions 16 and 17, respectively, the ends of which are welded at 18 and 19, respectively, of annulus 3(On opposite sides of handle 10, areas 20 and 21 of bar 13 are flattened to form foot rests. Both bar 13 and extensions 16 and 17 remain tubular in shape. This gives both lightness and strength to the entire structure.

Ball 1 may be held within the yoke formed by elements 3, 4 and 7 and will operate satisfactorily. However, the stresses imposed on ball 1 in use are concentrated at relatively small areas so that wear of the ball is likely to occur. In order to avoid this, there is provided as shown in FIG. 2, a cup-shaped member 22 which is inverted. The edges 23 thereof are turned up and notches 24 are provided along the periphery of about 90 apart. Cup 22 is inserted in the yoke and edge 23 is curled over annulus 3 as shown at 25. Thereby it is held securely in position. The cup gives complete support to the ball over about half of its area and practically eliminates any possibility of damage to the ball even in severe use of the toy.

Although the invention has been described setting forth a single specific embodiment thereof, various changes in the details may be made within the spirit of the invention. For instance, one or more of the members constituting the frame or yoke may be of solid material and any suitable type of material for the purpose may be used. The

shape of the yoke or of the annulus may be other than that shown and both the cup and the ball may be similarly shaped to fit into the yoke. The ball need not be spherical but other shapes may be used, such as oval, or the like. The ball may be made inflatable so that various pressures may be introduced into the hollow thereof depending upon the weight of the individual who uses the toy. The handle may have a different form than shown; it may have a cross .bar for grapsing with the hands, and cap 11 may be omitted or replaced by a dilferent element.

These and other changes may be made in the details without departing from the spirit of the invention, which is to be broadly construed and not to be limited except by the character of the claim appended hereto.

I claim:

A toy comprising, a hollow resilient ball, a cup fitted over the upper portion of said ball, the cup having an upturned peripheral lower edge, a pair of yokes extending over the cup and crossing one another, each yoke being provided with downwardly-extending legs, the legs of both of the yokes being connected by an annulus encircling the cup, the annulus being confined in the upturned edge of the cup, one of the yokes having a horizontal cross bar flattened at spaced points to form foot rests, and a. vertical handle extending upwardly from one of the yokes at a point between the foot rests, said yokes crossing one another at substantially right angles; the edge of the cup being curled upwardly and outwardly; one of the yokes being arcuately shaped to conform to the convex exterior of the cup, and the edge of the cup being notched at spaced points to receive the legs of the yokes.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 880,846 3/08 Wentworth -22o-73x FOREIGN PATENTS 370,108 4/32 Great Britain. 169,297 3/51 Austria.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

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