WO2017149265A1 - Football replica trophy and construction kit - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention there is provided a replica football in several forms, as a construction kit in both metal and plastic and as a ready-made holder or focus for items of memorabilia such as team emblems and colours, player portrait photos and signatures as well as action shots of great moments. Other fields of interest such as film and television celebrities, product and brand logos, places, artistic images and current or topical items may be represented. These images would be obtained by internet download or by other means and inserted into the constructed item to form a unique memento of the enthusiast's favourite team or field of interest. In its simplest form it will be a hobby kit and may have a name such as I-BALL, GEOBALL PRO, or FACEBALL although it may also be made as a fully constructed item. The invention may also be adapted to house a light, a clock and an audio device.

Description

FOOTBALL REPLICA TROPHY AND CONSTRUCTION KIT

This invention relates to a football novelty replica for football fans, collectors and hobby enthusiasts. Football in this context relates to Regulation football or soccer as played outside the USA, but similar geometry may be used to form the elliptical balls used in US football and English rugby to the same intended result.

The background to the invention is that there are many football enthusiasts around the world who enjoy having personal items to connect them with their favourite club and football heroes. In searches some items of prior art were found, but none of the cited items anticipated the current invention. US2004221493

LAMALFA reveals a collectable article of sports memorabilia having common attributes on the article that indicate the sport and sports field with which the article of sports memorabilia is associated and personalized attributes distinctive to the purchaser. US2007023312 MEYER discloses a collectable container for containing a food or beverage in the form of a US football helmet while US4355781 STOLPIN shows a die for injection moulding plastic polygonal panels having male and female connection lugs for connecting a plurality of such panels by a snap action assembly to provide an assembled structure and US4309852 STOLPIN shows a kit for assembling a geodesic structure formed of a plurality of polygonal panels, preferably triangular, so as to be assembled to define a sphere (A unitary plastic injection moulding for a geodesic sphere kit, said moulding comprising: six triangular panels connected to each other). US6059631 MADDOCK defines a toy construction kit for making a sphere comprising a plurality of shell pieces constructed of thin wall plastic and each having an outer convex surface, to form a complete spherical surface. US4701131 HILDEBRANDT features a geometrical device comprising a plurality of hollow nodes and shape-coded connectors and US5199919 GLICKMAN sets forth a construction toy system that comprises a variety of molded plastic connector elements.

According to the present invention there is provided a replica football in several forms, as a construction kit in both metal and plastic and as a ready-made holder or focus for items of memorabilia such as team emblems and colours, player portrait photos and signatures as well as action shots of great moments. Other fields of interest such as film and television celebrities, product and brand logos, places, artistic images and current or topical items may be represented. These images would be obtained by internet download or by other means and inserted into the constructed item to form a unique memento of the enthusiast's favourite team or field of interest. In its simplest form it will be a hobby kit and may have a name such as I- BALL, GEOBALL PRO, or FACEBALL although it may also be made as a fully constructed item. The invention may also be adapted to house a light, a clock and an audio device. The product in kit form will be offered for sale as a pack either containing a set of 90 no. links to form 20 no. hexagons and 12 no. pentagons connected by Allen key headed or other bolts with nuts, or rivets inserted through holes at their ends or 12 pre-formed pentagons together with 30 links which together form all sides of the hexagons. Other known means may be employed to connect the parts if preferred. Although any suitable form may be adopted, the links will typically be formed of flat or curved finished metal in the range of 50-65 mm in length, and 7- 15mm wide but research has found that an ideal link size for a Regulation football is 56 mm long, 12 mm wide and between 0.5 and 1.2 mm thick. If the links are curved, the curvature of each link will ideally be of a radius to suit a finished item of 225 mm diameter, i.e. 112.5 mm. The links may also be coloured, particularly in the football club colours so that the pentagons will be in one colour and the hexagon links will be in the other colour. It has been discovered that the aesthetic appeal of the item is increased when the hexagonal forms are coloured in the darker one of the team's colours, e.g. red against white. The kit will also comprise an Allen key tool or other means of assembly by means of which a sphere the size of a regulation football may be constructed, although other sizes are envisaged within the scope of this patent application. It is also intended to manufacture and sell completed football replicas in a similar fashion. In this case alternative known means of interconnection may be used such as pop rivets or interlocking features formed on the links.

Once assembled, the user may connect a further kit of parts which fit into the assembled form to fill in the vacant holes. These may either be supplied in the kit or purchased separately and will be in the form of hexagonal and pentagonal panels which interconnect with the frame formed by the hexagonal and pentagonal elements, and may be flat or convex in form and will hold or otherwise show the images described earlier herein (hereinafter referred to as the image panels). One form for these parts is as follows: hexagonal or pentagonal shaped sheets of clear plastic which when placed side by side align and connect with the bolts or other connectors provided in the pentagonal or hexagonal forms, while their sides align substantially with the midline of the connecting links of said forms so that there is no overlap, thus allowing the outer surface of the sheets to be as near flush with the outer form of the sphere as possible. The inner plastic sheet may also feature an open central aperture allowing access to any pictures inserted between the layers so that they may be easily moved or if necessary removed without disassembly of that section of the sphere. This will usually be in the form of a circular hole giving access to the space within the outer frame. The user may easily insert paper or card images into the space between the sheets of plastic, or alternatively, pre-printed images on plastic or other material may replace the two sheets of plastic. Equally, decals or transfers may be applied to either clear or opaque single sheets to the same effect. Alternative means of locating the image panels by forming the panels into a size and shape that can be inserted and then turned to fit and be held within the geometric frame are also envisaged. It has been found that by making a radiused edge at each corner of the hexagonal or pentagonal image panels and making the imager panels slightly snmaller it is possible to insert the image panel into the hexagonal or pentagonal aperture at an angle to said aperture and then rotating the image panel in line with the hexagonal or pentagonal frame.

In an alternative form the aim is to manufacture a kit of plastic parts that when assembled will create a full sized football. As in the case of the metal hobby kit, the aim is to allow the user to insert printed items of memorabilia of their choice into the assembled form. The diameter of the Regulation ball is 225mm. When assembled the panels that fill the pentagonal and hexagonal shapes can be used to display club logos and images of players or other matter. A suitable plastic will be specified for said parts. The main frame of the ball will be constructed using 12 shaped pentagons open in the middle and 30 interlinking bars which connect onto the corners of the pentagons. Together said pentagons and interlinking bars (links) connect together to form the hexagonal shapes required to complete the frame. When complete the ball will comprise 12 pentagons and 20 hexagons as hereinbefore described. The bars will lock into the pentagons but will allow disassembly. The outer skin of the football will be created by a plurality of covering pieces in both pentagonal and hexagonal form, as required, that will fit into the frames. These may also cover the frames completely and form the skin of the ball, with their edges radiused so that it creates the impression and appearance of an actual football. In either case these panels will be easily removable with fingernails or a simple tool like a screw driver. When removed, the plain coloured or clear pentagonal panels can be replaced by similar panels displaying the specific club or country logos and colours. The hexagonal panels will then normally contain the player images due to their greater surface area, though the exact content of the panels may vary. The image panels may be constructed in one piece or in a plurality of parts, for example 1 : Clear outer plastic panel, 2: Inner plastic panel of either clear, frosted translucent or solid colour ideally featuring a central aperture and 3: Image printed on paper, plastic, card or decal transfer. It has been found that a substantially circular or scalloped edge permits the rotation and removal of the pentagonal or hexagonal image panels. The two parts of each panel will clip together to hold the paper image therebetween in such a fashion that the image will be able to be moved but may be removed as described above. Should it be desirable, alternative logos, wording and images may be inserted, for whatever field of interest is suitable, such as celebrities, product logos, places, artistic images and current topical items.

In a further embodiment the pentagonal plastic elements may be formed of two pieces which lock together to form the inner and outer parts of the pentagonal element and thus hold the image panels in place. Proximate to each corner of the pentagonal element is provided a stud which interconnects the two halves and also provides a location point for the bars or links required to connect with the adjacent pentagonal panels and thus form the hexagonal elements. Said bars have a hole at each end which co-operates and fits over said stud prior to clipping the two halves of the pentagonal element together. Alternatively the pentagonal forms may be attached to the bars by means of separate rivet-like studs which lock into place by known means in order to connect the links to the pentagonal forms. In this

embodiment the components require an insert to be attached on their inner surface by means of the same studs in the same manner as the metal version described earlier. One form for these parts is as follows: hexagonal or pentagonal shaped sheets of clear plastic which when placed side by side align and connect with the bolts or other connectors provided in the pentagonal or hexagonal forms, while their sides align substantially with the midline of the connecting links of said forms so that there is no overlap, thus allowing the outer surface of the sheets to be as near flush with the outer form of the sphere as possible. The inner plastic sheet may also feature an open central aperture allowing access to any pictures inserted between the layers so that they may be easily moved or if necessary removed without disassembly of that section of the sphere.

Alternatively said bars may be formed in such a way as to clip into the pentagonal elements after they have been assembled. In this embodiment the two halves of the pentagonal element are held together by co-operating connections formed on the inner facing sides of said halves of the pentagonal element while the corners of the pentagons are provided with a locating hole at each corner. Said locating holes will face laterally outwards from the centre of the pentagon. The bars are formed with spigots of a reduced size at each end which form an interference fit with the locating holes, and said spigots may be provided with a detent of known means if required. While in both embodiments the panel elements have been described as pentagonal it is clearly envisaged that if preferred, the hexagonal elements may form the dominant element while the bars link to create the

pentagonal forms. Said bars or links will ideally be provided in both embodiments with an outer face, a middle section of reduced width and an inner face of a width the same as or greater than said outer face, thus forming a cross section in the form of an H in order to hold the image panels as aforesaid.

Another embodiment in plastic is envisaged wherein a sphere is formed, preferably from two interlocking hemispheres, and into which locating holes are provided to locate pentagonal and hexagonal panels containing the graphical elements aforesaid. Said locating holes are placed regularly around the

circumference of the sphere in such a way that when connected, the image panels form the outer surface of the football replica, and one or more locating holes may be provided to locate each individual panel. Said panels are provided with locating studs with or without a detent thereon in order to hold said panels securely against the outer surface of the sphere. Said panels may be formed of one or a plurality of pieces dependent on whether the images are removable, or are printed or on decals applied to said panels. If formed of a front (outer) half and a back (inner) half the panels will connect as hereinbefore described. In all of the embodiments herein described the hexagonal and pentagonal elements, together with the links or bars, may be formed flat or curved to the radius of the finished article.

Optionally one or a plurality of the pentagonal or hexagonal panels may be replaced by a panel that is flat in format so that it may form or attach to a stand for the ball to form a stationary or rotating stand. Said stand may be attached to the replica football by any known means, and optionally a light can be fitted to said stand or within the ball, operating by means of either battery or mains electricity. The whole item may also be used to house a clock and audio or other electrical devices.

Equally, the replica football may be suspended by adaptation of one of the aforesaid panels and may be illuminated from within.

In the following drawings it is not intended to exclude features from another Figure from each specific embodiment but rather to provide a basis for their combination in specific applications.

While the invention has been disclosed in its preferred form, it is to be understood that the specific embodiment thereof, as described and illustrated herein, is not to be considered in a limited sense, as there may be other forms or modifications of the invention which should also be construed to come within the scope of the appended claims.

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows the essential features of the invention in a perspective view;

Figure 2 shows a typical shape for the inserted panels which allows assembly and removal from the completed frame;

Figure 3 shows an alternative method of creating the hexagonal and pentagonal panels using pre-formed pentagonal panels and interconnecting links;

Figure 4 shows the pre-formed pentagonal panels using an alternative form of interconnecting link;

Figure 5 shows an exemplary cross section of an alternative embodiment wherein the sphere is pre-formed and the image panels are connected to it.

Figure 6 shows the football replica mounted on a stand and featuring an electric light.

Figure 7 shows a plan view of the inner face revealing a further method of assembling the football replica using pre-formed plastic parts and transparent inner panels. Figure 8 shows a typical section of the football replica embodied in Figure 7.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows the football replica 1 formed of links 2 connected by nuts 3 and bolts or other connectors 4 to form pentagons 5 and hexagons 6 that are optionally filled by pentagonal panels 7 and hexagonal panels 8. These said pentagonal panels 7 and hexagonal panels 8 may also feature printed images as described earlier. In an alternative form the sphere described by the replica may be formed in different materials and methods to produce a similar end result.

Figure 2 shows a typical shape for the inserts which link into the frame elements to form the complete sphere while still allowing removal and re-insertion of images. The pentagonal panel 7 (and in a similar fashion the hexagonal panel 8) is formed with a plurality of holes 9 positioned to align with the nuts 3 (not shown) and bolts or other connectors 4 in order to hold the panel 7 (or 8) in place. Said holes 9 are of necessity close to the corners of said panel 7 or 8 and between each pair of holes 9 the edge of the panel 7 or 8 is cut away so that there is no overlap of adjacent panels 7 or 8 along the midline 10 of each link 2. Bolts 4, in this case featuring a hexagonal Allen key fitting, are shown located in the holes 9 of each end of the exemplary link 2.

Figure 3 shows an alternative method of forming the football replica 1 using pentagonal panels 5 having a frontal part 11 and a rear part 12 formed to co-operate and interlock and having an interlocking stud 13 proximate to each corner to cooperate with holes 14 formed at the distal ends of a link 5. A plurality of said links attach to the corners of the pentagonal panel 5 to form the hexagonal panel 6 and by replication to create the football replica 1. The inner face 16 of each pentagon and each outer face 17 of the links 15 will feature a rebate 18 capable of retaining the image panels 7 and 8 as required.

Figure 4 shows the pre-formed pentagonal panels 5 using an alternative form of interconnecting link. The pentagonal panels 5 have a frontal part 11 and a rear part 12 (not shown) formed to co-operate and interlock and have a recess 19 at each corner on the outer face of the pentagonal panel 5. The recess 19 is formed to accept a lug or spigot 20 attached to each end of a link 15 and to retain said lug or spigot 20 by means of an interference or snap-fit connection. The combination of pentagons 5 and links 15 when attached together allow the formation of a spherical frame as a basis for the replica football 1. Both pentagonal panels 5 and links 15 feature means for retaining image panels 7 substantially as described in Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment wherein the sphere 21 of the football replica 1 is pre-formed and the image panels 22 (pentagonal) and 23

(hexagonal) are connected externally to it. In this embodiment the requisite number of hexagonal and pentagonal panels 22 and 23 are attached to the sphere 21 by means of a stud 24 placed centrally on the rear face of the image panel 22 or 23 or plurality thereof co-operating with a plurality of holes on the outer face of the sphere 21 to effect an interference fit using a detent ring 25, or other known means. Said image panel 22 or 23 will typically be formed of a rear portion 26, an image sheet 27 and a transparent outer portion or window 28. If preferable, said stud 24 may be replaced by a plurality of locating members co-operating with elements on the surface of the sphere 21. Figure 6 shows the football replica 1 mounted on a stand 29 and equipped with a light fitting 30 and bulb 31. While a mains electric bulb is shown, this may equally be a battery powered or low energy lighting unit, and in a different

embodiment may be suspended to form a ceiling light fitting.

Figure 7 shows the inner face of the pentagonal panel 5 in an alternative method of forming the football replica 1 using pentagonal panels 5 formed in one piece and curved to the appropriate radius to co-operate and interlock and having holes 14 formed proximate to each corner through which an interlocking stud 13 may co-operate with holes 14 formed at the distal ends of curved links 15. At each corner the inner face of the pentagon 5 is relieved to approximately half the depth of the pentagon in order to accommodate an end of link 15 of similarly reduced depth. This allows the structure of the football to be of uniform depth throughout while

maintaining a flat appearance on its exterior face. A plurality of said links 15 attach to the corners of the pentagonal panel 5 to form the hexagonal panel 6 and by replication to create the football replica 1. Ideally the reduced portion 33 surrounding the holes 14 at each corner of the pentagon 5 will be of a shape to seamlessly accommodate the end of the link 15 and the interlocking studs 13 will be formed to lock into the holes 14 in the pentagon using a detent ring 25 or by an interference fit or other known means, said studs 13 having a head 34 at one end and a shaft 35 at the other end. Said studs may be inserted from the outer or inner face of the football replica 1 although in practice the heads 34 are likely to be fitted on the inner face. In this case the image panels 7 (pentagonal) and 8 (hexagonal) may be formed as shown, wherein the rebated sides 36 conform to the sides of the pentagonal panel 5 while the straight-edged sides 37 conform to the links 15. These said image panels 7 and 8 are fitted on the inner face of the frame as before and are equipped with holes 14 through which the interlocking stud 13 is located via the link 15 into the outer face of the of the pentagonal panel 5. The method of fitting the images 22 into said image panels 7 and 8 is as described in Figure 2 above.

Figure 8 shows a typical section featuring pentagonal panel 5, image panel 8, , hole 14, links 15, relieved portion 33 and head 34 of the stud 13.

Claims

Claim 1 A replica football constructed of a plurality of components forming hexagonal and pentagonal panels which together form a decorative ornament in the shape of a regulation football;

Claim 2 A replica football as claimed in Claim 1 formed of metal strips interconnected at their distal ends;

Claim 3 A replica football as claimed in Claim 1 formed of plastic strips interconnected a their distal ends;

Claim 4 A replica football as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the pentagonal elements are pre-formed in plastic and are interconnected by plastic links or bars;

Claim 5 A replica football as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the hexagonal elements are pre-formed in plastic and are interconnected by plastic links or bars;

Claim 6 A replica football as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said panels are formed of two layers of plastic to allow the insertion of an image between the layers;

Claim 7 A replica football as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said panels are formed of two or more layers of plastic to allow the insertion of an image between the layers, the inner layer having a central aperture to allow access when the replica is completed;

Claim 8 A replica football as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said panels are formed of a single layer of clear or opaque plastic or other material optionally featuring printed or transfer decal images; Claim 9 A replica football formed of a sphere composed ideally of at least two parts to which are attached outer panels in the shape of hexagons and pentagons by means of studs formed on the rear face of said hexagons or pentagons locating into apertures formed in the sphere, said panels featuring images printed on the outer face or having an inner portion, an outer portion, and an image panel with or without a clear protective layer;

Claim 10 A replica football as claimed in Claims 1 and 9 wherein one hexagonal or pentagonal panel is adapted to form or attach to a base for display;

Claim 1 1 A replica football as claimed in Claim 1 and 9 wherein one hexagonal or pentagonal panel is adapted to form or attach to a base containing an electric light;

Claim 12 A replica football as claimed in Claim 1 and 9 wherein one hexagonal or pentagonal panel is adapted to form or attach to a pendant light fitting containing an electric light;

Claim 13 A replica football as claimed in Claim 9 formed from a spherical plastic frame provided with a plurality of regularly spaced locating holes into which co-operating studs provided on hexagonal and pentagonal panels with or without images thereon are inserted;

Claim 14 A replica football as claimed in Claims 2, 3 and 4 wherein the linking metal or plastic strips are coloured in the football club colours.

Claim 15 A replica football as claimed in any preceding Claim containing

/

an audio device; Claim 16 A replica football as claimed in any preceding Claim containing a clock;

Claim 17 A replica football as claimed in any preceding Claim featuring images of football teams, logos, players and moments of action;

Claim 18 A replica football as claimed in Claims any preceding featuring images of celebrities and other contemporary topics of interest;

Claim 19 A replica football as claimed in any preceding Claim featuring product or brand logos and images;

Claim 20 A replica football substantially as herein described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.