ILLUMINATED GAME-PLAYING APPARATUSES AND GAMES

• US 20140342857A1
• Filed: 05/19/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Christopher Gill
• Original Assignee: Christopher Gill
• Inventors: Gill, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US14/281,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20140342857A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/570
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2039/003 substantially hollow and pressureless
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/18 Baseball, rounders or similar games
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/22 Field hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/80 Special sensors, transducers or devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/74 with powered illuminating means, e.g. lights
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/06 with illuminating devices ; with reflective surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 59/50 Substantially rod-shaped bats for hitting a ball in the air, e.g. for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 67/00 Sporting games or accessories therefor, not provided for in groups A63B1/00 - A63B65/00

Abstract

A game-playing set including a striking device and a ball, and games for playing therewith, are disclosed. The ball includes a hollow spherical translucent outer shell and a smaller inner object loosely disposed within the outer shell. The inner object includes a first illumination element and a first inertia switch. The striking device includes a hollow translucent tube, a second illumination device rigidly disposed within the tube, and a second inertia switch. The first inertia switch is triggered by impact of the inner object against the outer shell to cause illumination of the first illumination element and the second inertia switch is triggered by an externally-applied impact against the tube to cause illumination of the second illumination element.

Claims

1. A ball for game-playing comprising:

a hollow spherical translucent outer shell and a smaller inner object loosely disposed within the outer shell and thereby cause illumination of and through the hollow spherical translucent outer shell;

the inner object comprising an illumination element and an inertia switch;

wherein the inertia switch is triggered by impact of the inner object against the outer shell to cause illumination of the illumination element.

2. The ball of claim 1 wherein the outer shell comprises a plurality of through-holes spaced substantially equally there-around, each enabling direct view through the outer shell to the inner object.

3. The ball of claim 1 wherein the outer shell is made of a material from the group including polypropylene and high density polyethylene.

4. The ball of claim 1 wherein the outer shell has a continuous wall thickness.

5. The ball of claim 1 wherein the inner object is spherical.

6. The ball of claim 5 wherein the inner object ball comprises two translucent polymeric semi-spherical shell halves, an LED module, and translucent potting medium.

7. The ball of claim 6 where the LED module comprises the illumination element and inertia switch.

8. The ball of claim 7 wherein the LED module further comprises a battery.

9. The ball of claim 1 wherein the inner object is waterproof.

10. The ball of claim 1 wherein the hollow spherical translucent outer shell outer float in water.

11. The ball of claim 1 wherein the illumination is continuous.

12. The ball of claim 11 wherein the continuous illumination terminates at approximately three minutes after the impact of the inner object against the outer shell.

13. The ball of claim 12 wherein the continuous illumination is terminated by a second impact of the inner object against the outer shell within the approximately three minutes.

14. The ball of claim 12 wherein the continuous illumination is extended for an additional approximately three minutes by a second impact of the inner object against the outer shell within the approximately three minutes.

15. The ball of claim 1 wherein the illumination is flashing.

16. The ball of claim 11 wherein the flashing illumination terminates at approximately three minutes after the impact of the inner object against the outer shell.

17. The ball of claim 12 wherein the flashing illumination is terminated by a second impact of the inner object against the outer shell within the approximately three minutes.

18. The ball of claim 12 wherein the flashing illumination is extended for an additional approximately three minutes by a second impact of the inner object against the outer shell within the approximately three minutes.

19. The ball of claim 6 wherein the inner object is made by the process of;

Partially filling both of the two shell halves with the potting material while the potting material is in a gelatinous state;

closing the partially filled shell halves around the LED module; and

allowing the potting material to harden and secures the shell halves permanently together to become a single unitary translucent structure encapsulating the LED module visibly within.

20. Ball of claim 1 made by the process of forming the outer shell around the inner object to capture the inner object within the hollow outer shell by spin-welding two semi-spherical outer shell halves together.