CA2339336C - Adjustable training device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is an adjustable weighted training puck 14. It is known to have two cylinder body halves 10, 12, each body half 10, 12, having a cylindricial cutout 42, 44, that together will create a means to retain weighted steel tube rings 48. The puck also uses twelve ressions 16 and twelve protruding bosses 18, to create an interlocking friction fit. A nut 20, in one cylinder body half 12, and a bolt 22 in the other cylinder body half 10, travelling from the recession for bolt 28 through the hollow post 38, and attached to the nut 20 in the recession for nut 26, holding both body halves 10, 12 together creating extra strength and extra safety. The pucks total weights can be interchangable to three, six and a half, eight and a half, and twelve ounces respectively.
This hockey puck will develop and improve the user's ability to stick handle, pass, shoot, stop, control, coordinate, and gain confidence. This hockey puck has the same height and circumference as a standard hockey puck.

Description

ADJUSTABLE WEIGHTED TRAINING PUCK
Background--Field of invention This invention relates to an adjustable weighted, safety training hockey puck for improving hockey skills, safety, and confidence.
Background--Description of Prior Art Improving the individual skills in the sport of hockey means the individual must concentrate on more than one aspect. These different aspects include:
shooting, passing, stick handling, stopping, controlling, checking, scoring, feeling the puck on the stick and confidence. To improve these different aspects will mean practicing; the more practice the better the results and more confidence will result. To work with a puck that is too heavy, the individual will not learn the proper technique used in different aspects that are involved in the game of hockey. If a puck is too light and an individual already has the proper technique, the individual will have difficulty improving or accelerating their skills that are involved in the game of hockey, with that light puck. Having the ability to decrease the weight of the hockey puck will also ensure added safety. When a young, inexperienced individual uses a puck that is too heavy, the individual can hurt their wrists. arms or shoulders with that puck because of the resistance and over abundance of weight. Safety is also important with an individual that has a more advanced shot.
Prior art includes the following U.S Pat. No. 5,284,343, Bigornia, issued Feb.1994 shows a practice hockey puck with a main body member having a cavity were denser than rubber particulate material can be added or removed. A diagram shows a similar cavity can be filled with metallic disks, the disadvantage is, if the cavity is not completely empty or full, the contents inside have a free air gap inside to move around, this can create uncharacteristically strange bounces and movements that may not be similar of a hockey puck. As described in the operation of the puck it is stated that to fill the space left by removal of the material is not essential. Bigornia shows a diagram of the puck with the main body made of aluminum or steel covered by a rubber coating on the exterior. The problem with this design is that if the pucks cavity is not completely full, and the pucks impact on an object is at a high speed, the puck might absorb the impact leaving a dent or inbulge into it, making it very difficult if not impossible to now add or remove the metallic disk or denser than rubber particulate material. This puck does not have the ability to absorb impact without possibly damaging the aluminum or rigid main body.

U.S Pat. No. 3,704,891 Chiarelli, issued Dec. 1972, show plans for a weight to be embedded into a puck through a vulcanization process. This invention's feature was the different ways of distributing the weights, but the puck is always one weight.
This means the puck could be too heavy for a beginner and too light for a more advanced player. This puck is limited to less then the majority.
U.S Pat. No. 5,531,442 Gill July 2 1996. A hockey puck having integral rollers. This puck is limited to only one weight and is not described as a training puck.
U.S Pat. No. 4,078,801, White Sr. , issued Mar.l4 1978. This is an impact safety puck, which is limited to a single weight. Once the cavity is filled, the puck is permanently sealed, thus the puck may be useful to only a select few.
U.S Pat. No. 4,793,769, Dolan Issued Mar. 3 1988. A puck used for road hockey that has three rollers moving inside an enclosed puck shaped structure. This puck is limited to one weight when used to simulate a slippery ice surface, the advantages of using the puck as a training puck are narrowed because the pucks weight cannot be changed to suit an individual user.
U.S Pat. No. 4,111,419 , Pellrgrino, issued Sept. S, 1978 discloses a puck that is attached to a hockey stick by means of an elastic cord. This puck is limited to one weight, and this means the user cannot adjust the weight to their specific training purposes.
U.S Pat. No. 3,512,763, Holm, issued Oct 1986. A puck with a soft outer covering and having safety in mind by creating an impact absorbing surface. This puck does not allow the user to change the weight that will suit each individual users specific training purposes.
U.S Pat. No. 6089998, O'Neil, issued July 18 2000. A puck used on a non-ice surface.
This puck is not used on ice surfaces, limiting the user to funny bounces and a sliding puck on cement or pavement that is not a true slide as a puck on ice would have. Shooting a puck on cement, pavement or rough surfaces, takes away from a truer shot that one would get on an ice surface. This is because the hockey stick comes in contact with the rough surface, increasing the resistance of the push on the stick, and taking away energy that would have be used to shoot the puck off the stick, and wasting that energy on the stick to ground contact. On an ice surface the sticks resistance is lower because the ices surface is smoother, thus more energy can be released on the puck and a truer shot is the end result. This puck has a strong potential of being difficult to take apart and adjust the center element. This puck does not tell us of the exact total range of weight that the puck is adjustable to, this is important to all individual users, especially a paying consumer.
Summary-- Brief summary of Invention Briefly stated, the invention involves a training puck having a pair of sliding surfaces, comprising a cylindrical body having a pair of cylindrical portions each with a mating surface, holding means for holding the cylindrical portions together, each cylindrical portion having a toroidal cavity which is open to the mating surface, the cavity being radially outwardly bordered by an outer peripheral wall and radially inwardly bordered by an inner peripheral wall, each toroidal cavity having a side wall which is substantially parallel with a neighbouring outer sliding surface, the puck further comprising a pair of nested ring members, the pair of ring members including an outer ring member which has an outer peripheral surface to engage the outer peripheral wall and an inner ring member which has an inner surface to engage the inner peripheral wall, both the inner ring member and the outer ring member having a width sufficient to engage the side walls of both cylindrical portions, wherein the outer ring member, the inner ring member or both are removable from the puck to adjust its weight.
Preferably, the puck has a central passage extending through the inner peripheral wall of each cylindrical portion, the holding means including a threaded fastener to extend through the central passages of each cylindrical portion to fasten the cylindrical portions together.
Preferably, the cylindrical portions further include a plurality of complementary formations on the outer peripheral walls and along the mating surfaces for engagement when the cylindrical portions are fastened together. In one example, the complementary formations also include a plurality of projections and a corresponding plurality of recesses to receive the projections. In this case, each projection is held in a friction fit in the corresponding recess.

In one embodiment, the training puck has two cylinder body halves, each having an inner face, an outer face, seven recessions, six protruding bosses, and a cylindrical cutout. The cylindrical cutout of each body half will form a means for retaining weighted steel tube rings, when both body halves are joined together. A nut and bolt to strengthen the training puck when the cylinder body halves are assembled together.
Objectives It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel puck.
Drawing Figures In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number but different alphabetic suffixes.
Figs 1 A and I B show an exploded perspective view of the adjustable weighted training puck.
Fig 2 shows a plain view of the fully weighted adjustable weighted training puck.
Fig 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the fully weighted adjustable weighted training puck taken along line 3--3 of Fig 2.
Fig 4 shows a plain view of the partially weighted adjustable weighted training puck.
Fig 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the partially weighted adjustable weighted training puck taken along line 5--S of Fig 4.
Fig 6 shows a plain view of the partially weighted adjustable weighted training puck.
Fig 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the partially weighted adjustable weighted training puck taken along line 7--7 of Fig 6.
Fig 8 shows a plain view of the empty adjustable weighted training puck.

Fig 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the empty adjustable weighted training puck taken along 9--9 of Fig 8.
Fig 10 shows a side view of the main body.
Fig 11 A and 11 B show a perspective view of the main body.
Fig 12A and 13A show a side view of the weighted steel tube rings.
Fig 12B and 13B show a plain view of the weighted steel tube rings.
Reference Numerals In Drawings first cylinder body half 12 second cylinder body half 13 main body 14 adjustable weighted training puck 16 recession 18 protruding boss nut 22 bolt 24 small weighted steel tube ring large weighted steel tube ring 26 recession for nut 28 recession for bolt outer face first cylinder body half 32 outer face second cylinder body half 34 inner face first cylinder body half 36 inner face second cylinder body half 38 hollow post impact absorbable material 42 cylindrical cutout first cylinder body half 44 cylindrical cutout second cylinder body half 46 outer friction fitting assembly ring 48 means of retaining weighted steel tube rings circular depression 52 Sticker Description-Ffigs. 1A and 1$-Preferred Embodiment A preferred em~bodi;tueut of the adjustable weighted bra~,ng puck is illustrated in Figs lA, sad 1B. ltcferring to drawing, importantly Figs lA, and 1B, the adjustable weightod training puck is generally indicated by refer~uce nuanber 14. The adjustable weighted txa~ing puck ~onain body 13 bras a pain of cylindrical portions in the foam, of a f rat cylinder body half 10 and a second cylinder body half 12, slang with a small weighted steel tube ring 24, a nut 20 and bolt 22 and a sticker 52. Main body 13 is constructed of iuapact absorbable anuatenial 40 called Santopzeve 101-80. The pzcfe~nred Saratcipxeve (a trademark) is 101-80 supplied by Prot~last lac.. However, other reailxetxt materials ~aaay also be appropriate, as would be understood by those of skill izt the an. The small steel tuba ring 24 weighs approximately 3.5 ounces , the height is 3/4 of an inch.
Large steel tube riog 25 weighs appro~tiuoo~ately 5.5 ounces the height is 3/4 of an iuach. The nut 20 is a quarter inch, Hx nut, the bolt 22 is a quarter inch, twenty treads per inch.
Panhead cozn (slot socket) Machine Screw. The small steel tube ring 24 and the large steel tube ring 25 are naachuaed to 5t together leaving no ~~ee aiur gap. The sticker 52 has a s~ooialler ciorcu~,f~e~re~ce tlteo tile cizcrmx~erence of the caxcular depzession 50.
During assembly nut 20 is placed into recession for nut 26 of outer face of second cylinder body half 32 and is covered by attaching slicker 52 onto outer face of the circular depressirna 50.
The first cylinder body half 10 feariur,9 include an innar floe 34, an outer face 30, reversion for bolt 28. The second cylinder body half 12 feabeu~s include an inaer face 36, an outer face 32, recession for nut 26, circular deproasion 50 for attachment of stickix 52.
The tbaclmess of the walls xatage fi~tt 1/8 iuoch (3.2xaan) to 1/2 (12.8aun).
First cylinder body half 10 has a recession far bolt 28 and second cyxinder body half 12 has a recession for nut 26. Bolt 22 sad nut 20 attach to reinfoTOe coll~gadon of mvaiuo~ body 13. Bolt 22 a~ad nut 20 are zecessed below the outer face of ~xst cylitxdet body half 30 acrd outer face of second cylipdez body half 32. , .
Cylinder body half 10 and oylindex body lxalf 12 each cvxttain a cyFuudrical cut out 42 end 44 respectively. Cylindrical cut out 42 and cylindrical cut out 44 are identical and both having identical dimensions throughout. Both cylindrical cut outs 42, 44 contain a hollow post 38 positioned in the center of the cylindrical cut outs 42, 44. The height of each hollow post 38 located in each cylindrical cut out 42, 44 is parallel with the height of each inner face cylinder body half 34, 36. The hollow posts 38 each align with each other when the adjustable weighted training puck 14 is constructed together into main body 13.
Fig 1 A and 1 B show six protruding bosses 18 each having a height equal to the depth of each one of the six recessions 16.
Referring to Fig 2 and Fig 3, first cylinder body half 10 and second cylinder body half 12 are held together by means of a friction fitting assembly 46. Outer friction fitting assembly ring 46 will allow first cylinder body half 10 and second cylinder body half 12 to be joined together to form main body 13. Outer friction fitting assembly ring 46 will also allow first cylinder body half 10 and second cylinder body half 12 to be forcibly detachable. Recession 16 circumference has a narrower first half depth then the circumference of the outer friction fitting assembly ring 46, while recession 16 second half depth has a circumference equal to the circumference of the outer friction fitting assembly ring 46, this gives the protruding boss 18 a friction fit inside the recession 16 when protruding boss 18 is fully received in recession 16.
Fig 3 shows main body 13 fully weighted with small weighted steel tube ring 24 and large steel tube ring 25. Small weighted steel tube ring 24 weight is approximately 3.5 ounces the large weighted steel tube ring 25 weight is approximately S.5 ounces , and the first cylinder body half 10 and second cylinder body half 12 which are constructed of impact absorbable material 40, the weight of the impact absorbable material 40 being 3 ounces . The total weight of the main body in Fig 3 weighs 12 ounces .
The protruding boss 18 has an outer friction fitting assembly ring 46. As seen in Fig 1 A
and 1 B all six protruding boss 18 of first cylinder body half 10 must align with all six recessions 16 of second cylinder body half 12. Also all six protruding bosses 18 of second cylinder body half 12 must align with all six recessions 16 of first cylinder body half 10. When bosses 16 are received in recessions 16, the adjustable weighted hockey puck 14 forms the main body 13. Bolt 22 is dropped in recession for bolt 28, travels through both the hollow post 38 of the first cylinder body half 10 and the hollow post 38 of the second cylinder body half 12, and colligated with the nut 20 which is position in the recession for nut 26, thus reinforcing the main body 13.

Fig 4 and Fig 5 when the adjustable weighted training puck 14 is completed into main body 13, the cylindrical cutout of the first cylinder body half 42 and the cylindrical cutout of the second cylinder body half 44 together form a means of retain weighted steel tube rings 48. Main body 13 in Fig 5 has the large weight steel tube ring 25 held firmly in place and confined therein with the means of retaining weighted steel tube ring 48, that is with the outer peripheral walls formed as a result of the cut outs 42, 44. The large weighted steel tube ring 25 weighs 5.5 ounces .
First cylinder body half 10 and second cylinder body half 12 which are constructed of impact absorbable material 40. The weight of the impact absorbable material 40 being 3.0 ounces plus the weight of the large weighted steel tube ring 25 being 5.5 ounces giving the main body 13 in Fig 5 a total weight of 8.5 ounces .
Fig 6 and Fig 7 show the two cylindrical cut outs 42 and 44 and the two body halves 10, 12 forming a means of retaining weighted steel tube rings 48. Main body 13 in Fig 7 has the small weighted steel tube ring 24 held firmly in place with the help of , and confined by, both hollow posts 38. The colligating of the nut 20 and bolt 28 reinforces the main body 13. The main body 13 in Fig 7 has a total weight of 6.5 ounces , with the small weighted steel tube ring 24 weighing 3.5 ounces and the impact absorbable material 40 weighing 3.0 ounces .
Fig 8 and Fig 9. The main body 13 has no weighted steel tube rings 24, 25, in the means of retaining weighted steel tube rings 48, and no bolt 22 but the nut 20 stays in place in the recession for nut 26 due to the fact that the recession for nut 26 is covered by the sticker 52. The reinforcing provided by the colligating of the bolt and nut is not necessary because the main body 13 has no weighted steel tube rings 24, 25 inside the means to retain weighted steel tube rings 48 which is formed by both cylindrical cut outs 42, 44. thus the total weight of the main body 13 in Fig 9 is approximately 3 ounces .
The main body can now be used by the user to play hockey on the pond or rink without the worry of being hit by a non-impact absorbing object, and suffering cuts and bruising.
The friction fit produced by the receiving of the protruding bosses 18 into the recessions 16 will be enough to keep the main body 13 from separating in Fig 9.

Fig 10, 1 1 A, and 1 1 B. These views show the main body 13 has basically the same dimensions of a standard hockey puck are a 1.0 inch height and a width of 3.0 inches .
The outer face 30 is generally flat with a recession for the bolt 22. The recession for the nut 20 is located under the sticker 52. The sticker 52 has been located in the circular depression 50. The sticker 52 is brightly colored with the name shot enforcer written on it, and with the sticker 52 placed in the circular depression 50 the surface of the sticker will not be stretched or torn off as main body 13 slides along the different surfaces.
Fig 12A, 12B, 13A, and 13B shows the weight steel rings 24, 25. Small weighted steel tube ring 24 is 3.5 ounces , a height of 3/4 of an inch , a width of approximately 1 31/64 of an inch . The machined out inside of the small weighted steel tube ring 24 is approximately 7/8 of an inch , which is forced onto the hollow post 38 which has a width of 7/8 of an inch , thus fitting and staying firmly in place with in the cylindrical cutouts 42, 44. The large weighted steel tube ring 25 has a weight of 5.5 ounces , a height of 3/4 of an inch , and a width of approximately 2 inches . The machined out inside of the large weighted steel tube ring 25 is 1 1/2 of an inch. The large weighted steel tube ring 25 fits firmly in place with in the cylindrical cutouts 42, 44, this is because the width of both cylindrical cutouts 42, 44 is 2 inches.
Advantages (a) The puck 14 can be used with or without the extra security of the nut and bolt.
When the adjustable weighted training puck is empty, the friction fit created by the interconnecting six bosses and six recessions will be strong enough to keep the training puck firmly intact. When the weighted steel rings are added to the puck, so to is the nut and bolt creating extra security and piece of mind, reinforcing and keeping whole the structure of the puck.
(b) The steel tube rings that the adjustable weighted training puck 14 uses have no free air gaps to move around inside the training puck. This is because the steel tube rings are always held in place by the cylindrical cutouts inner face of both first, and second cylinder body halves, and either the hollow post or the cylindrical walls of the cylindrical cutout. Therefore the puck will not create any strange or uncharacteristic movements or bounces.
(c) The puck 14 is affordable to build, therefore affordable to the consumer.

(d) The weight of the training puck 14 can be adjustable to all users specific needs, thus creating a safely adjustable weighing training puck that will not hurt or injury the users wrists, arms, or shoulders when the user trains with my puck.
(e) The puck 14 is constructed of an impact absorbable material, thus giving the training puck the dual ability to absorb impact and deflect impact, thus no damaging of the adjustable weighted training puck will occur.
(f) The puck 14 has the advantage of a total weight being adjustable to 3, 6.5, 8.5 and 12 ounces respectively.
(g) The puck 14 allows the user to develop the techniques and skills needed to create a wrist shot, a slap shot, and a back-hand shot. Stick handling, and passing of the puck are also skills my adjustable weighted training puck will help develop, and strength.
(h) One under-estimated development that puck 14 can create and increase is confidence. The longer you practice and train at hockey, the better your chances will be that you will create a better player of yourself. This can be said of my adjustable weighted training puck, the longer you practice and train with my puck, the better your chances of creating a better player of yourself, and this in turn can create more confidence in yourself.
Thus, the puck 14 provides:
(a) an adjustable weighted training puck with an extra measure of safety, by means of the nut and bolt securely keeping both cylinder body halves from separating and sending removable weighted steel tube rings randomly projecting;
(b) an adjustable weighted training puck that can equally absorb and deflect impact;

(c) an adjustable weighted training puck with a cylindrical cutout that will firmly station and hold any or all of the removable weighted steel tube rings placed within;
(d) an adjustable weighted training puck with an adjustable weight to the user so not to injure the user;
(e) an adjustable weighted training puck built from a material able to prevent permanent indents; and absorb and defect impact;
(f) an adjustable weighted training puck that is affordable; and (g) an adjustable weighted training puck which can be convenient to open, adjust the training pucks total weight, and assemble the training puck back to its proper form, without damaging the adjustable weighted training puck.
Operation--Figs I A and Figs 1 B
The manner of using the adjustable weighted training puck is described with respect to Fig 1 A and Fig I B. Assembly of the training puck 14 involves setting either and or both the smaller weighted steel tube ring 24, and the larger weighted steel tube ring 25, into the cylindrical cutout 44 of the second cylinder body half 12. The six protruding bosses 18 of the first cylinder body half 10 are aligned with the six recessions 16 of the second cylinder body half 12, and the six recessions 16 of the first cylinder body half 10 are aligned with the six protruding bosses 18 of the second cylinder body half 12.
The cylinder body halves 10, 12 are forced together, and the protruding bosses 18 are received therein into the recessions 16, the main body 13 is formed. The bolt 22 is inserted into the recession for bolt 28 and travels through the hollow post 38 of the first cylinder body half 10 and continues through the hollow post 38 of the second cylinder body half I 2 to be attached to the nut 20 which is firmly in place within the recession for nut 26.
Referring to Figs 12A, 12B, 13A, and 13B, the small weighted steel tube ring 24 can be added to the empty main body 13 to create a main body 13 weighting 6.5 ounces.
The larger weighted steel tube ring 25 can be added to main body 13 to create a main body 13 weighing 8.5 ounces. Both weighted steel tube rings 24 and 25 can be added to empty main body 13 to create a main body 13 weighing 12 ounces. An empty main body weighting 3 ounces, can be used also to play a game of pond hockey or floor hockey.
Conclusion, Ramifications, and Scope Accordingly, the adjustable weighted training puck 14, provides a unique, low cost, and universal training tool for the skills and techniques that are needed to play the game of hockey. Further more, the adjustable weighted training puck has additional advantages in that * it permits the adjustable weighted training puck to retain its cylinder shape at all times, this is because the training puck is made of Santopreve (a trademark) which allows the training puck the dual ability to absorb and deflect impact.
* it provides the user with a training puck adjustable to three ounces, this assists the individual user to learn the proper techniques needed to handle, control, and shoot a hockey puck. Once the techniques are learned the individual user can now increase the weight of the adjustable weighted training puck, this can excel and strength their handling, controlling, and shooting of the hockey puck.
* it allows the user the potential for increasing their confidence once the techniques are learned and their abilities strengthened.
While the present invention has been described for what are presently considered the preferred embodiments, the invention is not so limited. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
For example, the second cylinder body half can hold a sticker on the outer face, this will help in keeping dirt out of the recession containing the nut, and can assist in keeping the nut from falling out of the recession when the puck is separated for adjusting of the training pucks weight.

Claims (4)

1. A training puck having a pair of sliding surfaces, comprising a cylindrical body having a pair of cylindrical portions each with a mating surface, holding means foot holding the cylindrical portions together, each cylindrical portion having a toroidal cavity which is open to the stating surface, the cavity being radially outwardly bordered by an outer peripheral wall and radially inwardly bordered by an inner peripheral wall, each toroidal cavity having a side wall which is substantially parallel with a neighbouring outer sliding surface, the puck further comprising a pair of nested ring members, the pair of ring members including an outer ring member which has an outer peripheral surface to engage the outer peripheral wall and an inner ring member which has an inner peripheral surface to engage the inner peripheral wall, both the inner ring member and the outer ring member having a width sufficient to engage the side walls of both cylindrical portions, wherein the outer ring member, the inner ring member or both are removable from the puck to adjust its weight.

2. A puck as defined in claim 1, further comprising a central passage extending through the inner peripheral wall of each cylindrical portion, the holding means including a threaded fastener to extend through the central passages of each cylindrical portion to fasten the cylindrical portions together.

3. A puck as defined in claim 1, the cylindrical portions further including a plurality of bosses and a corresponding plurality of recessions to receive the bosses.

4. A puck as defined in claim 3 wherein each boss is held in a friction fit in a corresponding recession.