US20030157862A1

US20030157862A1 - Entertainment device for skipping over a surface of water

Info

Publication number: US20030157862A1
Application number: US10/075,613
Authority: US
Inventors: Jamie Dunn
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-02-15
Filing date: 2002-02-15
Publication date: 2003-08-21

Abstract

A toy that can be skipped over a surface of water and has a coated top and bottom surface and an edge having a high coefficient of friction.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates, in general, to toys, and, in particular, to a toy which can be skipped over the surface of water.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

In the prior art various types of devices have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,046 to Cosmopulos discloses a game disk for skipping on water made from a material with a density less than water and which has a notch at one edge and auger faces oriented in different directions.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,997 to Glovak et al discloses a hydroplaning disk which is heavier than water with a series of discontinuities around the rim.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,885 to Morrow discloses a throwing disk with a diameter being about six times the thickness of the disk.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,954 to Panse et al discloses a throwing disk in which the lower surface is an inverted frusto-conical shape.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,082 to Hincke discloses a water skipping device which is disk shaped and has an annular flexible edge.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,672 to Milzoff et al discloses a flexible flying disk made of foam rubber and which has a core that is internally stressed by a plurality of stitches.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,840 to Bustamante et al discloses a disk having an ellipsoidal bottom surface, a top surface and a deformable rim.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,486 to Graf discloses a disk having an outwardly bulging plastic body with a hollow interior and a smooth exterior surface.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,637 to McFarland discloses a flying disk having a lower edge made of an abrasion resistant material and a flexible tube within the disk provides a spring action for maintaining the shape of the disk.

U.S. Pat. No. Des. 345,586 to Hanna discloses a design for a flexible flying disk toy.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,922 to Clark discloses a skipping toy having a dome shaped body with a downwardly extending rim and a circular insert positioned within the center of the rim.

Patent No. WO 96/14121 to Sneddon discloses disk shaped throwing toy.

The publication from the Daily News discloses a disk that glows in the dark.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a toy that can be skipped over a surface of water and has a coated top and bottom surface and an edge having a high coefficient of friction.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved toy for skipping over the surface of water.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved toy with a surface coating to protect the body from absorbing moisture.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved toy with properties that will protect users from injury.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved toy with an edge of high coefficient of friction to increase the flick of the wrist skipping characteristics, when thrown by flicking the wrist.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description, when taken in connection with the annexed drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention. [0021]
FIG. 2 is a side view of the present invention. [0022]
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention. [0023]
FIG. 4 is a side view of the present invention showing one form of a high coefficient of friction applied to the sides.[0024]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, FIG. 1 shows the [0025] present invention 1. The present invention 1 is an entertainment device for use, primarily, in water. The present invention would be used in order to skip it over the surface of water by throwing the device so it hits the surface of the water at an angle so it will bounce off the surface at least once. This type of game has been played in the past by skipping rocks off the surface of the water, however, the use of rocks has serious drawbacks. Since the rock is heavier than water, once the momentum of the rock over the water stops, it sinks and can't be used again. In addition, if there are people in the water, the rock could strike them and cause injury.
In order to avoid these problems, the present invention has been developed. The [0026] present invention 1 has a circular shape with a top and bottom 2. The top and bottom surfaces are joined by side edges 3 to form a disk shaped object. Where the top and bottom surfaces 2 join the edges 3 the joint 4 is rounded , as shown in FIG. 2, to present a smooth surface for handling and throwing by the user and, also, to prevent any sharp edges that could cause injury to someone who might accidentally be struck by the device.
As shown in FIG. 3, the [0027] device 1 has an interior 5 made from a soft foam material, to prevent injury if it strikes someone. Also, the foam interior 5 has a density that is less than the density of water so the device will float. In this manner, a user can throw the device at the surface of the water trying to make it skip over the surface as many times as possible and when the momentum of the device, over the water, stops the user can easily retrieve it to throw it again, since it will float on top of the water.
In addition, the device is provided with a [0028] waterproofing coating 6 which covers the entire top and bottom 2 and the sides 3. This coating will prevent the soft foam material of the core 5 from absorbing water, which would cause it to sink and possibly prevent the user from retrieving it.
In order to increase the user's grasp of the [0029] device 1 and to thereby increase the velocity with which the user can throw the device, the device can have a coating 7, as shown in FIG. 4. The coating 7 can be anything that will increase the coefficient of friction of the device. For example, the coating could be any material that will adhere to the device and could include particles such as, but not limited to, sand and pumice. Preferably the coating 7 would be applied to the sides 3 so when the user grips the sides of the device in preparation for throwing, his/her fingers will have a firm secure grip. This will help the user to propel the device with as much velocity as possible, thereby increasing the distance the device can be thrown, and/or the number of times the device can be skipped over the surface of the water. It should be noted that the coating 7 can be any type of coating that will increase the coefficient of friction, but it should not interfere with the waterproof coating that helps prevent the device from sinking.
In addition, the [0030] coating 7 can be applied only to the sides 3 as shown in FIG. 4, or it could also be applied to one of the top or bottom. This would allow the user to hold the device so the coated top or bottom is pointed down when it is thrown. The coated to or bottom surface, along with the side 3 would then be sure to strike the water. This would give the device increased striking power when it hits the surface of the water which would increase the number of times it will skip over the surface of the water. If desired, the top and the bottom and the sides could be coated with the coating 7 so the user will not have to hold the device so the coating is down before throwing it.
The present invention allows a unique method of skipping the device over the surface of the water. In addition, more than one user can enter the water and the device can be thrown by one user toward the other user without fear of injury. This will eliminate the need for a single user to retrieve the device after he/she has thrown it, which will increase the enjoyment of using the device. In addition, the device can be used by teams to play games similar to hockey or soccer. Also, since the device is made from a soft, foam material , it can be used indoors by skipping it off hard surfaces such as floors or tables. [0031]
Although the Entertainment Device for Skipping Over a Surface of Water and the method of using the same according to the present invention has been described in the foregoing specification with considerable details, it is to be understood that modifications may be made to the invention which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims and modified forms of the present invention done by others skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will be considered infringements of this invention when those modified forms fall within the claimed scope of this invention.[0032]

Claims

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A toy adapted to be thrown at a surface, said toy comprising:

a top surface, a bottom surface and sides joining said top and bottom surfaces,

said toy made from a material that has a density less than the density of water,

a first coating means for waterproofing said toy,

a second coating means for providing a roughened surface to said toy.

2. The toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein an area where said sides join said top and bottom surfaces is rounded.

3. The toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first coating means covers all of said top and bottom surfaces and said sides.

4. The toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second coating covers only a portion of said top surface, said bottom surface and said sides.

5. The toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second coating covers only said sides.

6. The toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second coating is a coating having particles embedded therein.

7. The toy as claimed in claim 6, wherein said particles are sand.

8. The toy as claimed in claim 6, wherein said particles are pumice.

9. The toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said material is foam.

10. The toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said top and bottom surfaces are substantially flat.