GB1559976A

GB1559976A - Container for squash balls

Info

Publication number: GB1559976A
Application number: GB4441875A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: ROWLEY B; Woodhall J W
Current assignee: ROWLEY B; Woodhall J W
Priority date: 1976-10-28
Filing date: 1976-10-28
Publication date: 1980-01-30

Description

(54) A CONTAINER FOR SQUASH BALLS (71) We, JOHN JACKSON, of 20 The Chesils, Coventry, West Midlands, BRiAN ROWLEY, of 4 Brackley Cottages, Long Itchington, Warwickshire, and JOHN WILLIAM WOODHALL, of 80 Alfriston Road, .Coventry, West Midlands, all British Subjects, do hereby declare the- invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly declared in and by the following statement: The invention relates to a container for one -or more balls to be used for playing the game of squash racquets and herein called "squash balls".

Squash balls are usally made of a rubber which is comparatively hard at normal room temperature. It is usual to warm squash balls to a slightly higher temperature to make them softer before they are used for playing a game.

If a "cold" ball were to be used, it would be liable to split on impact with a wall or the floor of the court or it could cause injury to the players. Also a "cold" ball does not bounce as well as a warm ball and so requires more effort from the players and does not respond properly until the ball has become warm due to heat generated by repeated impacts. It is therefore the practice of squash players to warm a "cold" ball to a temperature above normal room temperature prior to starting a game.

An object bf the invention is to provide a container in which one or more squash balls can be brought to a court and by which the or each ball in the container can be warmed.

According to the invention, a container for holding one or more standard size squash balls comprises at least two blocks of metal arranged to be placed together to define therein at least one spherical cavity, - the spherical wall of the cavity so defined having a radius of curvature conforming to the radius of curvature of said standard size squash ball, whereby such a squash ball when placed in the cavity is closely enveloped by the cavity wall, and at least one of the blocks having at least one further cavity or passage defined and separated-by the metal of the block from the ball-receiving cavity or cavities said further cavity or passage containing or arranged to recive a heat source ortho communicate with a supply of heated fluid, whereby the blocks when placed together and having absorbed heat from the heat source or said heated fluid will conduct heat to the spherical surface of the or each cavity and thus to a standard size squash ball, contained therein.

The container therefore protects the squash ball or balls contained therein and enables the squash ball or balls to be conveniently carried to and from a court and also provides a way in which squash balls can be warmed to a temperature at which they are playable while a player is on his way to a court or while he is waiting to play a game.

The heat source may be an electrical heating element having a connector to be plugged into an electrical supply socket of the user's house before he leaves home or at the court or the heating element may' be connected to a battery in the container or the heating element may have a connector to be connected to an external battery, for example the battery of a motor car, whereby the container can be heated during the journey to the court.

The heat source may alternatively be one involving combustion. For example, the heat source may be a charcoal stick or a night-light or candle which is ignited and then placed in the heating cavity, which would be provided with an air supply and exhaust gas vent or vents to enable combustion to take place. Another possible heat source would be a gas cartridge of the kind used in cigarette lighters or a wick and a petrol or other liquid fuel reservoir device also of the kind used in cigarette lighters.

Alternatively the blocks of the container may be heated by external heating means by having at least one passage therein through which heated fluid can be passed. For example; the container with the ball or balls therein may be immersed in hot water, the hot water flowing through the passage or passages and heat from the hot water being conveyed by the material of the blocks to the ball or balls.

Yet another way in which the blocks could be heated would be to provide an electrical heater and fan leading through air passages in the blocks to convey hot air to the ballreceiving cavities. The fan and heater may be built into the container or it may be a separate device, such as a hair drier, to be connected by a duct to a hot air inlet port in the container or arranged to blow hot air directly into a hct air inlet port in the container.

One form of the container is now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a perspective view of the container when open and with part of the container cut-away.

The container comprises a pair of metal blocks 1, 2 hinged together or each inserted into a casing portion 8, 9 which casing portions are connected by a hinge 3. Each block 1, 2 contains at least one hemispherical depression 4, pairs of the depressions 4 registering together when the blocks 1, 2 are closed to form a closed spherical cavity into which a squash ball is placed prior to the blocks being closed together. In the container illustrated there are two such pairs of depressions 4, thereby enabling a maximum of two balls, one in each cavity to be accommodated. Spaced from the cavity or cavities one of the blocks 1 has a recess 5 therein in which there is an electrical heating element 6.

The heating element 6 is connected to a socket 7 or to a plug by which the container can be connected to an electricity supply. The socket or plug may alternatively be connected to an external battery, for example a car battery, where the heating element is suitable for heating by a car battery. One convenient way in which the heating element could be connected to a car battery would be to connect the heating element to a plug to be fitted into a cigar lighter socket of a motor car. Thus the container can be heated prior to the player arriving at a court or at the court while he is waiting to play a game.The heat from the heating element 6 will heat the blocks 1, 2 which are of metal and will retain the heat for a period after the container has been disconnected for the external battery or electricity supply and thus heat a ball or balls housed in the cavities formed by the depressions 4 in the blocks 1, 2. The diameter of each of the spherical cavities is a little larger than the diameter of a squash ball and so the latter will be closely engaged over its whole surface by the heated walls defining the depressions 4.

The container may be provided with an internal battery connected to the heating element 6 through a switch, instead of providing a socket 7 or plug for connection to an external electricity supply or battery. The battery would be housed in a cavity sucg as cavity 5 but would be suitably heat insulated from the heating element 6 and the block 1 or it could be provided in a compartment in an outer casing in which the block 1 or 2 is carried.

Although only the electrical heating element 6 has been illustrated, any of the alternative forms of heating described hereinbefore may be used instead of an electrical heating element.

The casing portions 8 and 9 may be of heatinsulating material whereby heat loss from the blocks will be reduced.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A container for holding one or more standard size squash balls, the container comprising at least two blocks of metal arranged to be placed together to define there in at least one spherical cavity, the spherical wall ofthe cavity so defined having a radius of curvature conforming to the radius of curvature of said standard size squash ball, whereby such a squash ball when placed in the cavity is closely enveloped by the cavity wall, and at least one of the blocks having at least one further cavity or passage defined therein and separated by the metal of-the block from the ball-receiving cavity or cavities, said further cavity or passage containing or arranged to receive a heat source or to communicate with a supply of heated fluid, whereby the blocks when placed together and having absorbed heat from the heat source or said heated fluid will conduct heat to the spherical surface of the or each cavity and thus to a standard size squash ball contained therein.

2. A container as claimed in Claim 1 in which the heat source is an electrical heating element mounted in said further cavity.

3. A container as claimed in Claim 2 in which the electrical heating element is connected to a plug or socket in or carried by the container and by which the heating element is connectable to an external battery or source of electricity.

4. A container as claimed in Claim 2 in which the heating element is connectable to a battery carried in the container, externally of the ball-receiving cavities in the blocks.

5. A container as claimed in Claim 1 in which the heat source is of a kind involving combustion and is housed or arranged to be housed in said further cavity, said further cavity being provided with an air supply and exhaust gas vent or vents to enable combustion to take place.

6. A container as claimed in any preceding claim in which the blocks are housed in an outer casing.

7. A container as claimed in any preceding claim in which the blocks or outer casing portions in which they are housed, are hinged

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. the material of the blocks to the ball or balls. Yet another way in which the blocks could be heated would be to provide an electrical heater and fan leading through air passages in the blocks to convey hot air to the ballreceiving cavities. The fan and heater may be built into the container or it may be a separate device, such as a hair drier, to be connected by a duct to a hot air inlet port in the container or arranged to blow hot air directly into a hct air inlet port in the container. One form of the container is now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a perspective view of the container when open and with part of the container cut-away. The container comprises a pair of metal blocks 1, 2 hinged together or each inserted into a casing portion 8, 9 which casing portions are connected by a hinge 3. Each block 1, 2 contains at least one hemispherical depression 4, pairs of the depressions 4 registering together when the blocks 1, 2 are closed to form a closed spherical cavity into which a squash ball is placed prior to the blocks being closed together. In the container illustrated there are two such pairs of depressions 4, thereby enabling a maximum of two balls, one in each cavity to be accommodated. Spaced from the cavity or cavities one of the blocks 1 has a recess 5 therein in which there is an electrical heating element 6. The heating element 6 is connected to a socket 7 or to a plug by which the container can be connected to an electricity supply. The socket or plug may alternatively be connected to an external battery, for example a car battery, where the heating element is suitable for heating by a car battery. One convenient way in which the heating element could be connected to a car battery would be to connect the heating element to a plug to be fitted into a cigar lighter socket of a motor car. Thus the container can be heated prior to the player arriving at a court or at the court while he is waiting to play a game.The heat from the heating element 6 will heat the blocks 1, 2 which are of metal and will retain the heat for a period after the container has been disconnected for the external battery or electricity supply and thus heat a ball or balls housed in the cavities formed by the depressions 4 in the blocks 1, 2. The diameter of each of the spherical cavities is a little larger than the diameter of a squash ball and so the latter will be closely engaged over its whole surface by the heated walls defining the depressions 4. The container may be provided with an internal battery connected to the heating element 6 through a switch, instead of providing a socket 7 or plug for connection to an external electricity supply or battery. The battery would be housed in a cavity sucg as cavity 5 but would be suitably heat insulated from the heating element 6 and the block 1 or it could be provided in a compartment in an outer casing in which the block 1 or 2 is carried. Although only the electrical heating element 6 has been illustrated, any of the alternative forms of heating described hereinbefore may be used instead of an electrical heating element. The casing portions 8 and 9 may be of heatinsulating material whereby heat loss from the blocks will be reduced. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A container for holding one or more standard size squash balls, the container comprising at least two blocks of metal arranged to be placed together to define there in at least one spherical cavity, the spherical wall ofthe cavity so defined having a radius of curvature conforming to the radius of curvature of said standard size squash ball, whereby such a squash ball when placed in the cavity is closely enveloped by the cavity wall, and at least one of the blocks having at least one further cavity or passage defined therein and separated by the metal of-the block from the ball-receiving cavity or cavities, said further cavity or passage containing or arranged to receive a heat source or to communicate with a supply of heated fluid, whereby the blocks when placed together and having absorbed heat from the heat source or said heated fluid will conduct heat to the spherical surface of the or each cavity and thus to a standard size squash ball contained therein.

together to enable the spherical cavities to be opened and closed to permit a squash ball to be placed in or removed from a cavity.

8. A squash ball container substantially as described herein and with reference to the accompanying drawing.