GB2303311A

GB2303311A - A frisbee

Info

Publication number: GB2303311A
Application number: GB9514536A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gian Pearson
Original assignee: PROMOULD Ltd
Current assignee: PROMOULD Ltd
Priority date: 1995-07-15
Filing date: 1995-07-15
Publication date: 1997-02-19
Anticipated expiration: 2015-07-15
Also published as: GB2303311B; GB9514536D0

Description

A Frisbee This invention relates to frisbees, that is to disc or plate-like objects generally made from plastic materials and that are used for playing throwing games.

A frisbee typically comprises a plate like or disc like plastic body with an outer annuler skirt by which the frisbee is thrown between players in a game. The upper surface of the frisbee may be decorated by surface decoration and/or perhaps by the printing of a slogan, name, logo or like at its centre.

A problem with printing onto a frisbee is that due to its relatively large size it is necessary to support the frisbee on a very large print pad in order to say hot foil stamp a decoration in its upper surface.

The present invention provides a frisbee which is easily decorated.

According to the invention there is provided a frisbee comprising a disc like body with wherein the upper surface of the body has a recess therein to receive an insert which is secured to the upper surface.

The recess is preferably a circular recess into which an insert is a snap-fit. The insert may be a substantially flat disc having symbols on the upper external surface thereof which may have been moulded integrally in the disc, or printed onto the disc.

The insert may be a shaped insert which changes the external profile of the frisbee and which may effect the aerodynamics of the frisbee.

The inserts may be formed of a different plastics material from the body of the frisbee. The term different material also includes the use of the same plastics composition and polymer but of different colours, as well as the use of different plastics composition or polymers for the body and insert.

There is also provided a method of displaying symbols, indicia or information on the upper surface of a frisbee, wherein the frisbee is formed with its upper surface having a recess therein, and a insert displaying said information on an upper surface thereof is accommodated within the recess.

Preferably the insert resiliently snaps into a detent in the recess.

Also according to the invention there is provided a method of changing the aerodynamics of a frisbee in which a frisbee is provided with a recess in its upper surface into which shaped inserts may be snapped.

The invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the following drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a plan view of a frisbee according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is section on the line A-A in Fig 1, and Fig. 3 A-C are a selection of inserts that may be secured in the recess in the upper surface of the frisbee.

Now with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 there is illustrated an injection moulded plastic frisbee 10 which is made from a suitable plastics material, for example polypropylene, low density polyethylene, or a high density polyethylene.

As shown, the frisbee 10 has a plate-like or disc like body 11 having an annular side skirt 12, which may terminate in a thickened annular portion 13 which provides some stiffness to the skirt 12 for throwing the frisbee 10.

The upper surface 14 of the body 11 has a central recess 15 formed therein. The recess is preferably a circular recess but could be other shapes such as square, rectangular, oval, etc., to match the shape of any insert to be located therein.

The recess 15 has a sidewall 16 which has an inwardly projecting peripheral lip 17 adjacent the upper surface 14 of the body. The lip 17 projects into the recess 15 by a distance such that it can act as a detent for any insert to be secured in the recess. It has been found that for a 10cm diameter recess, a lip height of about 0.5mm is sufficient to act as a detent for a disc that resiliently snaps therein.

The recess 15 is surrounded by concentric circular lines 18 on or in the surface 14 and which are for surface decoration.

The recess 15 may be utilised for securing resilient inserts 21, 22, 23 (see Figs. 3A-C) to the upper surface of the frisbee. The inserts 21-23 are shaped so that their outer peripheral edges 24 are held by the lip 17 after the insert has been snapped into the recess 15. The edge 24 of each insert is chamfered, preferably at 45 degrees , to assist the location of the respective inserts 21 - 23 into the recess 15.

With reference to Fig. 3A the inserts 21 is a flat disc which may have information printed or moulded into its upper surface 25 before it is assembled to the moulded plastics body 11. Alternatively or additionally the insert 21 may be formed from a different plastics material for example a PVC insert in a polypropylene frisbee body. The insert may also be formed of a different coloured plastics material, for example the frisbee body could be green polypropylene and the insert 21 red polypropylene, so as to provide a two coloured frisbee. The disc 21 may have coloured sectors so that as it spins in the air it gives the appearance of white light at its centre.

The inserts 22, 23 may be coloured or printed as described above and may be used to change the shape of the upper surface 14 of the frisbee 11 for either aesthetic or aerodynamic reasons.

The inserts as shown may be any desired shape, for example as shown in Fig. 3A a flat disc, a top hat section as shown in Fig. 3B, or a domed section as shown in Fig. 3C.

Claims

1. A frisbee comprising a disc like body wherein the upper surface of the body has a recess therein to receive a further part which is secured to the upper surface.

2. A frisbee as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the peripheral margin of the recess has a detent formed thereon and said insert is a snap-fit into the recess.

3. A frisbee as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the detent is in the form of a peripheral lip formed on the sidewall of the recess.

4. A frisbee as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the recess is substantially circular.

5. A frisbee as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein and further including said insert which is formed from a different material than the material of the frisbee.

6. A frisbee as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, and further including said insert which may carry symbols logos, or other indicia on its external surface.

7. A frisbee as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6 wherein the insert is a flat insert the external surface of which is substantially flush with or recessed into the upper surface of the body.

8. A frisbee as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein said insert is a shaped insert which alters the profile of the upper surface of the body.

9. A method of displaying symbols or information on the upper surface of a frisbee, or of making a two colour frisbee, wherein the frisbee is formed with its upper surface having a recess therein, and an insert displaying said information on an upper surface thereof, and/or of a different colour is accommodated with the recess.

10. A method as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the insert is a snap-fit within the recess.

11. A method of changing the aerodynamics of a frisbee in which a frisbee is provided with a recess in its upper surface into which shaped inserts may be snapped.