EP0040656A1 - Disque volant et procédé pour lier un disque à un anneau - Google Patents

Disque volant et procédé pour lier un disque à un anneau Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0040656A1
EP0040656A1 EP80301746A EP80301746A EP0040656A1 EP 0040656 A1 EP0040656 A1 EP 0040656A1 EP 80301746 A EP80301746 A EP 80301746A EP 80301746 A EP80301746 A EP 80301746A EP 0040656 A1 EP0040656 A1 EP 0040656A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
disc
ring
annular
sheet
spoilers
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP80301746A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Richard H. Harrington
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Wham O Manufacturing Co
Original Assignee
Wham O Manufacturing Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Wham O Manufacturing Co filed Critical Wham O Manufacturing Co
Priority to EP80301746A priority Critical patent/EP0040656A1/fr
Publication of EP0040656A1 publication Critical patent/EP0040656A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
    • A63H—TOYS, e.g. TOPS, DOLLS, HOOPS OR BUILDING BLOCKS
    • A63H33/00—Other toys
    • A63H33/18—Throwing or slinging toys, e.g. flying disc toys

Definitions

  • This invention relates to flying discs and particularly to toy discs thrown by hand in such a way as to have both forward and angular momentum.
  • toy with which this invention is concerned is similar to discs marketed under the name Frisbee by Wham-0 Corporation.
  • Such a toy has a relatively flat, circular central plate with an outer rim curved away from the plate to form a shallow dish.
  • the edge of the rim has a rounded cross section resembling an air foil.
  • the thickest part of the air foil is not immediately adjacent the edge but is perhaps one-third or so of the distance from the edge to the plate.
  • the inwardly facing surface of the air foil section is substantially flat in cross section and, therefore, defines a generally cylindrical surface.
  • the entire Frisbee is molded of a suitable thermoplastic material, such as polyethylene, and the cylindrical configuration of the inwardly facing surface of the rim makes it easy to remove the Frisbee from the mold.
  • central section has been referred to as a plate, it need not be perfectly flat, although it may be. Frequently this section is molded to have a slightly convex curvature as viewed from the side away from the rim. However, the central surface is so nearly planar that, for descriptive simplicity, it will be referred to as planar hereinafter.
  • Frisbees which amounts virtually to a cult, is based on their flight characteristics.
  • the shape of the Frisbee gives it lift, when properly thrown, so that it does not simply sink to the ground as would a smooth, spherical ball of the same mass thrown with the same force.
  • Frisbee enthusiasts try to throw a Frisbee so that it flies as far as possible, and contests are held for that purpose.
  • Still other players try to cause their Frisbees to follow unusual, curved flight paths.
  • Frisbee designs As might be expected, the various requirements of different players have led to different Frisbee designs. A main difference-is in the weight, which may be as light as about 110 grams or as heavy as about.180 grams. Wind conditions have an important bearing on the particular Frisbee that an enthusiast will select at a given time. Heavier ones are usually preferred in windy weather.
  • polyethylene does not shatter as would a more brittle material, it can be nicked particularly when it is bounced off a paved surface or flies into an abrasive surface. The resulting projections from the originally smooth surface can make the Frisbee painful to catch.
  • Frisbees are affected by the air foil and surface configuration, especially on the convex surface. Frisbees are normally thrown with the rim extending downwardly from the plate, which is equivalent to saying that the convex surfaces face upwardly. For this reason the convex surfaces will be referred to as the upper ones and the concave surfaces as the lower ones in the following description.
  • Frisbees are the book FRISBEE by Stancil E.D. Johnson, M.D. published by Workman Publishing Company, New York, and a paper entitled "Adaptation of the Frisbee-Flight Principle to Delivery of Special Ordinance" by G.D. Stilley of Honeywell Incorporated and D. L. Carstens of the Naval Ammunition Depot, Crane, Indiana, and presented at the AIAA 2nd Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Conference at Palo Alto, California, September 11-13, 1972 (AIAA Paper No. 72-982).
  • Another object is to provide a flying disc with improved structural features.
  • Still another object is. to provide a disc with snap- attachment means to adjust the flight characteristics.
  • Another object is to provide a disc with improved spoilers that operate at low forward velocity of the disc.
  • a further object is to provide a disc with improved air foil.
  • a still further object is to provide a disc of improved strength to weight ratio.
  • a still further object is to increase the angular momentum of a flyable toy disc.
  • Yet another object is to provide a disc suitable for printing art work by photographic techniques.
  • a still further object is to provide a disc on which individual art work can be printed photographically.
  • Fig. 1 is a top view ofa decorated disc shaped like a Frisbee and comprising an annular member 21 and a circular central sheet, or web 22 the perimeter of which is joined to the radially inner part of the member 21.
  • the top surface of the annular member 21 has a circular array of spoilers 23, which are illustrated in this figure as a series of raised, narrow ridges each of which extends in a substantially radial direction. Several embodiments of suitable spoilers will be described farther on in this description.
  • the central openings in the annular member.21 is covered by a disc of strong, lightweight material, such as Mylar or Estar brand film (a trademark of Eastmen Kodak Co.), or similar polyester film that has a good strength-to-weight ratio, or a film of other suitable materials, such as acrylic material or polycarbonate materials, or a laminate of polyethylene and polyester, or even cloth, such as denim.
  • the Mylar and other plastic films need only be of the order of about .007" to about .011" thick, which is thinner than even the thinnest polyethylene web that can be satisfactorily molded integrally with the annular outer section.
  • a lightweight, but strong central web 22 has, as two of its most important advantages, substantially greater tear strength and lighter weight than a thin, integrally molded polyethylene web, which means that for a polyethylene molded annular member 21 of exactly the same configuration, the two-part disc (annular member and web) will stand up under greater abuse than an integrally molded, one-part disc.
  • the greater concentration of weight in the outer annular member, or ring results in increased angular momentum which, in turn, results in greater stability and flights of longer duration and dis- tance for a given impetus..
  • a mylar web 22 with a thickness of only .007" using .003" laminating material weighs approximately 12 grams and can replace an integrally molded central web portion weighing about 50 grams in existing Frisbees, thus resulting in a weight reduction of about 24%. Since the reduced weight is in the central region and not in the outer ring, the weight of the latter automatically is a greater percentage of the smaller total weight, which yields longer flight times, slower velocity, and slower drop rate. This allows two players throwing such a disc back and forth to each other more time to catch it. Furthermore, the mylar or other plastic web is very smooth, which reduces drag and results in flights of still greater distance.
  • Tests made to determine the puncture strength of mylar webs attached tautly across the opening formed by removing the integrally molded central polyethylene web of a Wham-0 SuperPro Frisbee and to compare the strength so measured with the strength of the D79" thick integrally molded central web of mold #60 SuperPro Frisbees were carried out as follows. The round, or shank, end of a .089" drill bit was cut off perpendicular to its axis and the intersection of the cu.t-off end and the cylindrical side was left sharp and not beveled. The bit was placed in a drill press vice with the squared-off end facing upwardly, and the vice was placed on a bathroom scale.
  • the zero adjustment knob of the scale was turned to bring the scale pointer to zero, and the integrally molded web of a .079" thick mold #60 SuperPro Frisbee was forced down on the drill bit until the web ruptured.
  • the scale reading just before rupture was noted, and the same experiment was performed on five such Frisbees. The average of the five scale readings thus obtained was 19.4 pounds.
  • Mylar is a suitable photographic base on which to reproduce artistic designs or personal photographs or commercial messages.
  • Fig. 1 shows a simple design, the yin and .yang of Chinese antiquity, but this is only a simple illustration.
  • Person photographs can be printed on a Mylar or the like such as Kodak Extacolor I.D.
  • Print Material #4023 with a white back Ester base to provide incontrovertible proof of ownership in case the disc is commingled with other discs on a beach or other public play area.
  • Designs on the plastic or cloth webs can also be printed by silk screening, and cloth webs can be embroidered.
  • One surface of the Mylar can also (or alternatively) be given a reflective coating to serve as a signalling mirror or even a solar stove by covering the concave side of the disc with a rubber membrane that closes the space airtight and then pulling the central part of the membrane to create a spherically concave depression in the Mylar to concentrate reflected sunlight.
  • Another alternative is to leave the Mylar or other plastic web transparent but form one or both of its surfaces into a Fresnel lens to concentrate the sun's rays.
  • Fig. 2 shows part of the annular ring 21 in cross section.
  • the perimeter of web 22 is glued to the upper surface of the inner perimeter of the ring 21 and the radially inner ends of the spoilers 23 terminate at the periphery of the web.
  • the adhesive may be neoprene with 1, 1, 1-trichloroethane as a thinner.
  • the part of the surface of the ring to which the web is to adhere is oxidized, either chemically or by being directly heated with a flame just long enough to make that part of the surface of the ring 21 slightly shiny.
  • the ring may be mounted on a turntable and rotated at about 20 to 100 r.p.m.
  • the oxidized inner annular part of the ring 21 is coated with the adhesive as is the part of the web 22 to be joined to the ring.
  • the adhesive is allowed to dry for about 15 minutes to 3 hours on the web and the ring before they are brought into contact with each other.
  • the adhesive-coated outermost annular part of the web 22 is pressed against the adhesive-coated innermost annular part of the ring 21 with a force of about 250 to 1000 lb./sq. in. pressure for about 10 seconds or longer.
  • a pressure of 500 lb./sq. in. for 15 seconds has been found quite satis- factory.
  • the web 22 is captured between the inner part 27 of the ring 21 and the under side 28 of the section of the ring beneath the spoilers 23.
  • the spoilers 23 in this embodiment may, instead of being integrally molded with the ring, be individual strips of suitable material, such as a cloth.based tape, one surface of which is coated with pressure-sensitive adhesive that is capable of sticking to the material 22.
  • the peripheral region of the web 22 may be molded within the inwardly extending part of the ring 21 and not merely between the spoilers 23 and an unbroken annular region therebelow.
  • Fig. 4 shows an annular member 21 modified by having a plurality of projections 28 molded near its inner perimeter and extending substantially parallel to the axis of the annular member.
  • the web 22 has plurality of holes 29 that fit over the projections 28. For adequate dispersion of stresses, there should be preferably about 50 pins 28 and holes 29.
  • Fig. 5 shows the same structure as Fig. 4 but at a later step of manufacture after the pins 28 have been heated and flattened out.
  • Fig. 5 also shows a cross-section of an annular ring 31 of paper having pressure-sensitive cement on its lower surface so that it can be sealed over the flattened pins.
  • the mylar webs 22 attached to annular rings 21 as shown in Figs. 1-5 are not only more resistant to rupture by either a rounded punch or a sharp-edged punch than are the integrally molded polyethylene webs but are more resistant to deflection.
  • a two-pound weight resting in the center of a Frisbee having a web thickness of about .055" causes a deflection of about .44".
  • a laminated mylar web attached to the outer ring of the same type of Frisbee after the integrally molded web has been removed is deflected only about 16", which is about 36% of the deflection of the much thicker polyehtylene web. It has been suggested that too thin a web (of the integrally molded type) is deflected too much in flight, which inter- fers with its flying characteristics. The much more rigid web of taut mylar avoids this disadvantage.
  • Figs. 6-8 show radial spoilers that may be used instead of the spoilers 23 that extend partly in a radial direction and partly tangentially.
  • the spoilers in Figs. 6-8 are integrally molded on the upper surface of the annular member 21.
  • the spoilers 32 have a rectangular cross section; in Fig. 7 the spoilers 33 have a rounded, and in fact, a sinusoidal, cross section; and in Fig. 8 the spoilers 34 have a triangular cross section.
  • the spoilers should be balanced about the axis of the disc but they may or may not be uniformly angularly spaced apart. For example, the spoilers as shown in any of Figs.
  • the six-8 could be separated into three groups with those in the first group having one angular spacing, those in the second group having a second spacing, and those in the third group having a third spacing.
  • the three spacings could be selected to set up sound vibrations of the proper relative frequencies to produce, for example, C, E, and G notes, resulting in a C major chord.
  • the radial spoilers also strengthen the ring 21 by acting as rip stops for any rip in the tangential direction and within the radial extent of the spoilers.
  • the radial spoilers also reduce the tendency to follow a path that curls at the end of a flight, as Frisbees are wont to do.
  • Figs. 9-11 show discs 21 with snap attactments.
  • an external snap-on cover 36 fits over the down-turned rim of the ring 21 to protect it and to add weight at the periphery of the disc.
  • the cover 36 also changes the curvature of the outer surface of the air foil.
  • the original cross section of the ring 21 may be formed with a flatter air foil so that the snap-on cover provides only an ordinary amount of curvature.
  • the cover 36 may be of uniform thickness throughout to avoid changing the air foil shape.
  • Fig. 10 also shows a snap-on external ring 37 that is generally hollow and contains one or more light-emitting diodes 38 and a printed circuit 39 to control the light of the L.E.D.'s to produce an interesting stroboscopic effect at night. Except for the electrical components, the ring 37 is hollow, which provides enough bouyancy to be certain that the disc will float if it falls into water.
  • Fig. 11 shows a disc with two snap-in rings 41 and 42 for extra weight.
  • the rings may be graded in some specific ratio, such as 10 gram intervals.
  • the ring 41 may be representative of 10 gram, 20 gram, and 30 gram weights.
  • the ring 42 is additionally weighted by a loop of steel 43 that is .25" wide and .010" to .020" thick.
  • the ring 21 may be molded of polyethylene.
  • the snap-in rings are molded to have a tight interference fit with the down-turned rim of the ring 21.
  • the inner surfaces of the ring toes in slightly. The toe in angle is known as the Angle of Francioni.
  • Fig. 12 shows a ring 21 with a steel band 44 molded into it to add weight.
  • the total weight may be 200 grams.
  • the weighted rings 21 in Figs. 11 and 12 are less inclined to remain deformed than are regular Frisbees. If deformed in any direction, they spring back immediately into their proper shape. This minimizes wobbling during flight.
  • Fig. 12 also illustrates an arrangement for printing information photographically on the web 22.
  • the web may be photosensitized Mylar coated on both surfaces with sheets of opaque paper 46 and 47 attached by pressure-sensitive adhesive to the Mylar.
  • the top paper 46 layer is peeled off to allow the photo-sensitized Mylar to be exposed to the desired image, and then the latent image is developed.
  • the bottom paper 47 is preferably removed before the latent image in the Mylar is developed.
  • Fig. 13 illustrates still another way to attach the web 22 to the ring 21.
  • An annular ring 48 of paper is coated top and bottom with pressure-sensitive cement. It is then placed on the ring 21 to be affixed to the top surface of the ring 48.
  • Fig. 14 is an enlarged view of just the innermost part of the outer ring 21 similar to that in Fig. 1, for example but showing only the part to which the web is attached.
  • the web indicated by reference numeral 49, includes a central disc 51 of artwork, such as a photograph, print drawing, painting, etc. on any suitable material, such as a plastic photographic film base or even paper.
  • the central disc 51 is entirely enclosed by two laminated discs 52 and 53 of somewhat larger diameter than the disc 51.
  • the laminated disc 52 is a sheet of extruded polyester and polyethylene.
  • the layer 54 of polyester is on the outside and is approximately .005" thick, while the layer 56 of polyethylene is approximately .002" thick and is on the inside in contact with the disc 51.
  • the other extruded disc 53 has corresponding layers of .005" thick polyester 57 and .002" thick polyethylene 58, and an annular band of the edges of the polyethylene layers 56 and 58 are sealed together to encase the disc 51 snugly.
  • Fig. 14 also shows two members 59 and 61 to apply pressure to join the disc 49 to the ring 21.
  • the member 59 is a disc of steel or other suitable material capable of withstanding high pressure and has an up-turned rim 62 with a frusto-conical upper surface 63 having an included angle o( of between 150° and 180°.
  • the outer peripheral region of the layer 54 and the inner peripheral region of the ring 21 are pressed together by the members 59 and 61.
  • the frusto-conical shape of the surface 63 helps to stretch the disc 49 taut so that it will remain that way after the pressure is removed.
EP80301746A 1980-05-27 1980-05-27 Disque volant et procédé pour lier un disque à un anneau Withdrawn EP0040656A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP80301746A EP0040656A1 (fr) 1980-05-27 1980-05-27 Disque volant et procédé pour lier un disque à un anneau

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP80301746A EP0040656A1 (fr) 1980-05-27 1980-05-27 Disque volant et procédé pour lier un disque à un anneau

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0040656A1 true EP0040656A1 (fr) 1981-12-02

Family

ID=8187174

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP80301746A Withdrawn EP0040656A1 (fr) 1980-05-27 1980-05-27 Disque volant et procédé pour lier un disque à un anneau

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0040656A1 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2701857A1 (fr) * 1993-02-22 1994-09-02 Rocca Marc Jouet à lancer explosif.

Citations (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US356929A (en) * 1887-02-01 Flying target
US3359678A (en) * 1965-11-01 1967-12-26 Wham O Mfg Company Flying saucer
DE6944364U (de) * 1969-11-14 1970-03-12 Jakob Roth Wurfspielzeug
DE1594257A1 (de) * 1964-11-02 1970-10-29 Siemens Ag Verbindung eines Metallrohres mit einem Rohr aus einem schwer benetzbaren Kunststoff,insbesondere aus Polyaethylen
US3724122A (en) * 1971-03-16 1973-04-03 Wham O Mfg Co Flying saucer
AT306896B (de) * 1969-02-24 1973-04-25 Usm Corp Verfahren zum Verkleben einer Fläche eines Polymerharzkörpers niedriger Oberflächenspannung
US3939602A (en) * 1975-05-27 1976-02-24 Marvin Glass & Associates Circular air glider
US3948523A (en) * 1974-08-05 1976-04-06 Michael Henry G Lighted rotating flying body
US4045029A (en) * 1975-12-31 1977-08-30 Katzmark Peter C Aerodynamic orificed disc
US4173839A (en) * 1977-12-19 1979-11-13 Kovac M Jane Aerodynamic toy
US4176843A (en) * 1976-11-29 1979-12-04 Dewitt Leslie Jr Aerodynamic throwing disc

Patent Citations (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US356929A (en) * 1887-02-01 Flying target
DE1594257A1 (de) * 1964-11-02 1970-10-29 Siemens Ag Verbindung eines Metallrohres mit einem Rohr aus einem schwer benetzbaren Kunststoff,insbesondere aus Polyaethylen
US3359678A (en) * 1965-11-01 1967-12-26 Wham O Mfg Company Flying saucer
AT306896B (de) * 1969-02-24 1973-04-25 Usm Corp Verfahren zum Verkleben einer Fläche eines Polymerharzkörpers niedriger Oberflächenspannung
DE6944364U (de) * 1969-11-14 1970-03-12 Jakob Roth Wurfspielzeug
US3724122A (en) * 1971-03-16 1973-04-03 Wham O Mfg Co Flying saucer
US3948523A (en) * 1974-08-05 1976-04-06 Michael Henry G Lighted rotating flying body
US3939602A (en) * 1975-05-27 1976-02-24 Marvin Glass & Associates Circular air glider
US4045029A (en) * 1975-12-31 1977-08-30 Katzmark Peter C Aerodynamic orificed disc
US4176843A (en) * 1976-11-29 1979-12-04 Dewitt Leslie Jr Aerodynamic throwing disc
US4173839A (en) * 1977-12-19 1979-11-13 Kovac M Jane Aerodynamic toy

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2701857A1 (fr) * 1993-02-22 1994-09-02 Rocca Marc Jouet à lancer explosif.

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US4204357A (en) Flying disc
US4503635A (en) Flying disc with weighted outer ring
US4086723A (en) Chemi-luminescent flying saucer toy
CA1219296A (fr) Anneau planneur
CA1151694A (fr) Planeur annulaire
US3765122A (en) Flying toy
CA1213920A (fr) Boomerang
US4209936A (en) Flying saucer appendage
WO1997034673A1 (fr) Disque volant multicouche
CA1320516E (fr) Dispositif aquatif
US3673732A (en) Aerial toy
US4255893A (en) Flying saucer capable of performing aerial acrobatic maneuvers
US4173839A (en) Aerodynamic toy
US5562512A (en) Rescue device
US5676581A (en) Deformable flying toy
EP0040656A1 (fr) Disque volant et procédé pour lier un disque à un anneau
US5209008A (en) Winging material for fishing flies
GB1588390A (en) Aerodynamic toy
WO1981003433A1 (fr) Disque volant
CA1161874A (fr) Disque volant
US4906216A (en) Paper spinning top
US5800237A (en) Flying segmented ring
CA1174251A (fr) Disque-jouet reployable
US6179738B1 (en) Flying toy
US5403221A (en) Aerial toy with short axis rotational ascent and long axis rotational descent

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

AK Designated contracting states

Designated state(s): BE DE FR GB IT NL SE

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 19820514

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN

18D Application deemed to be withdrawn

Effective date: 19831214

RIN1 Information on inventor provided before grant (corrected)

Inventor name: HARRINGTON, RICHARD H.