US20150111460A1

US20150111460A1 - Throwing toy with special trajectory and buzzing sound

Info

Publication number: US20150111460A1
Application number: US14/058,086
Authority: US
Inventors: Ronald Duncan Gates
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-10-18
Filing date: 2013-10-18
Publication date: 2015-04-23

Abstract

The present invention discloses a throwing toy which comprises a substantially rectangular elongated body having two ends and a gripping portion located at the center of the elongated body. The length of the elongated body should be between 0.8 inches to 5 feet, wherein width of the elongated body is between ⅕ and 1/150 the length of the elongated body and the thickness of the elongated body is up to half an inch. When the elongated body is being thrown, the elongated body will spin parallel to direction of flight creating unique trajectory and make buzzing sound. The elongated body is made from durable and lightweight materials such as wood, plastic, light metal or fiberglass.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention relates to a throwing toy. More particularly, the present invention relates to a throwing toy which, when being thrown, will create unique trajectory and buzzing sound during its flight.

BACKGROUND

Over the past few decades, throwing toys, such as boomerang, propeller flyer or Frisbee, have enjoyed great popularity as recreational items for use in throwing games and contests. However, most of these throwing toys are complicate in design and high in cost.
In addition, some of the throwing toys, while aesthetically viable, do not provide users with satisfactory playing experience because they lack distinguishing features. Thus, users may get bored after playing them for a while.
Accordingly, a need existed for a throwing toy that is novel and easy to manufacture with low cost. There also exists a need for a throwing toy that, while aesthetically viable, will provide user with more long-lasting playing experience.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The major objective of the present invention is to provide a throwing toy that has distinguishing features which enhance user's playing experience with the toy.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a throwing toy that is aesthetically viable while maintaining its playability.
The following summary is not an extensive overview and is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the apparatuses, methods, systems, processes, and the like, or to delineate the scope of such elements. This Summary provides a conceptual introduction in a simplified form as a prelude to the more-detailed description that follows.
In accordance with one aspect of at least one embodiment of the present invention, a throwing toy is provided. The throwing toy comprises a substantially rectangular elongated body having two ends and a gripping portion located at the center of the elongated body. The length of the elongated body should be between 0.8 inches to 5 feet, the width of the elongated body is between ⅕ and 1/150 the length of the elongated body and the thickness of the elongated body is up to half an inch. When the elongated body is being thrown, the elongated body will spin parallel to direction of flight creating unique trajectory and make buzzing sound.
In another aspect of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the elongated body is made from durable and lightweight materials such as wood, plastic or fiberglass.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention are more readily apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments set forth below, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the throwing toy according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the throwing toy according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the throwing toy according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the throwing toy according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a top/bottom plan view of the throwing toy according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the throwing toy according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an end view of the throwing toy according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the throwing toy according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of the throwing toy according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a top/bottom plan view of the throwing toy according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a trajectory comparison between normal flying object and the throwing toy according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the throwing toy according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the following claims. Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features.
Broadly, embodiments of the present invention generally provide a throwing toy that is made of durable material. The throwing toy has a substantially rectangular elongated body having two ends and a gripping portion located at the center of the elongated body. The length of the elongated body is longer than its width and its width is longer than its thickness. When the elongated body is being thrown, the elongated body will spin parallel to direction of flight creating unique trajectory (e.g., unique lift for flying or combating gravity) and buzzing sound.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a perspective view of the throwing toy according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. The throwing toy comprises an elongated body 2 having two ends 6 with a gripping part 4 around its center area.
As shown in FIG. 3, the length 8 of the elongated body is between 0.8 inches to 5 feet, preferably 3 feet. As shown in FIG. 2, the width 10 of the elongated body is between 0.5 to 8 inches, preferably between 0.5 to 3 inches, and the thickness 12 of the elongated body is between 0.1 to 2 inches, preferably up to half an inch. The length 8 of the elongated body is greater than its width 10 and its width is greater than its thickness 12. To achieve the best performance, it is recommend that the width 10 is between ⅕ to 1/150 of its length 8. Nonetheless, the throwing toy of the present disclosure will also work when the width 10 is between ½ to 1/300 of its length 8. The thickness 12 of the elongated body 2 can be uniform throughout the elongated body 2 to reduce manufacturing cost. However, the thickness 12 of the elongated body 2 can also be made thinner at two ends 6 and thicker at the gripping part 4.
While the elongated body can be made from any material, it is preferred that lightweight and durable material such as wood, plastic, fiber glass or light metal be used to achieve the best throwing (or flying) result.
In one aspect of at least one embodiment of the present invention, as shown from FIG. 6 to FIG. 10, the two ends 6 of the elongated body 2 can be designed to have convex shape that are identical to each other. Such design not only increases the safety of the present invention by eliminating the sharp corners of the elongated body, but also makes the appearance of the present invention more aesthetically viable.
Based on the design of the present invention, a user can grab the gripping part 4 of the elongated body 2 and throw it to a direction desired by the user. When the user throws and releases the elongated body 2, the elongated body 2 will spin parallel to direction of its flight (i.e., direction which user throws). If the elongated body 2 is being thrown from the user's overhead (i.e., like throwing a baseball), the elongated body 2 will spin backwards when it is released by the user. To achieve best spin, it is preferred that the user swings his or her arm in a straight line, starting over his or her head, before throwing and releasing the elongated body 2. The spin will even be stronger if the user gives the elongated body 2 a wrist-snap before releasing it.
The spin of the elongated body 2 will cause the elongated body 2 to vibrate in the air due to the air resistance, thereby creating buzzing sound (sound similar to a wasp flapping its wings). Thus, the stronger the spin, the louder the buzzing sound.
In addition to the buzzing sound, the spin will also allow the elongated body to have unique trajectory when it is in the air. The spin will create a unique lift on the elongated body for flying and combating gravity. As shown in FIG. 11, when a user throws a conventional throwing toy such as football or baseball, the trajectory of the conventional throwing toy is normally parabolic. When the elongated body 2 of the present invention is thrown, the backward spin of the elongated body 2 will cause the elongated body 2 to decline first and fly at low altitude for certain distance, then it will rise again before dropping to the ground, allowing another user to catch it. This is due to that the spin and the forward motion of the elongated body 2 create a kind of whirlpool of rotating air about itself. Since the motion of the whirlpool on one side of the elongated body 2 (i.e., top side during backward spin) will be in the same direction as the incoming wind, the velocity on this side will be increased. Conversely, the velocity on the opposite side of the elongated body 2 will be decreased because the motion of the whirlpool is in the opposite direction of the incoming wind. The pressure in the air is then reduced from atmospheric pressure by an amount proportional to the square of the velocity, so the pressure will be lower on one side than the other causing an unbalanced force at right angles to the wind. This is also known as Magnus Force. In addition, the flight of the elongated body 2 will be steadier if the length of the elongated body 2 is at least 5 times of its width and its width is at least twice of its thickness.
In another aspect of at least one embodiment of the present invention, the surface of the elongated body 2 can optionally include color, painting, sticker or anything to enhance its appearance. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the surface of the elongated body 2 has stripe design which will make the elongated body 2 appears like a wasp flapping its wings during the flight.
Among other things, the present invention provides various benefits and advantages. First, it creates a throwing toy that is easy and cheap to manufacture. Second, the throwing toy has unique features such as making buzzing sound and having unique trajectory. It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A toy comprising:

a substantially rectangular elongated body having two ends and a gripping portion located at the center of the elongated body;

wherein length of the rectangular elongated body is between 8 inches to 5 feet;

wherein width of the elongated body is different from its thickness; and

wherein the elongated body will spin parallel to direction of flight when the elongated body is being thrown.

2. The toy of claim 1, wherein the two ends have convex shape identical to each other.

3. The toy of claim 1, wherein the elongated body has stripes on its surface.

4. The toy of claim 1, wherein the elongated body is made from lightweight and durable material.

5. The toy of claim 4, wherein the lightweight and durable material is wood, plastic, metal or fiber glass.

6. The toy of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the elongated body is uniform throughout the elongated body.

7. A toy comprising:

wherein length of the elongated body is between 8 inches to 5 feet;

wherein width of the elongated body is between ½ and 1/150 the length of the elongated body;

wherein thickness of the elongated body is up to half an inch;

wherein the elongated body will spin parallel to direction of flight when the elongated body is being thrown and will make buzzing sound.

8. The toy of claim 7, wherein the two ends have convex shape identical to each other.

9. The toy of claim 7, wherein the elongated body has stripes on its surface.

10. The toy of claim 7, wherein the elongated body is made from lightweight and durable material.

11. The toy of claim 10, wherein the lightweight and durable material is wood, plastic, metal or fiber glass.

12. The toy of claim 7, wherein the thickness of the elongated body is uniform throughout the elongated body.

13. The toy of claim 7, wherein the width of the elongated body is at least twice the thickness of the elongated body.

14. The toy of claim 7, wherein the spin creates unique lift for flying or combating gravity on the elongated body.

15. A method of making an elongated board flying and buzzing in air, the method comprises:

providing a substantially rectangular elongated body having two ends and a gripping portion located at the center of the elongated body where length of the elongated board is between 0.8 inches to 5 feet, width of the elongated body is between ⅕ and 1/150 the length of the elongated body and thickness of the elongated body is up to half an inch;

grabbing the elongated board near its center area; and

throwing and releasing the elongated board in the direction desired by user with a wrist snap to allow the elongated board to spin parallel to direction of flight.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprises swinging the arm in a straight line, starting over the user's head, before throwing and releasing the elongated board.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the elongated board is made from lightweight and durable material such as wood, plastic, metal or fiberglass.