SLINGSHOT FOOTBALL

• US 20160303459A1
• Filed: 04/15/2016
• Published: 10/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marc G. Martino
• Original Assignee: Marc G. Martino
• Inventors: Martino, Marc Gregory
• Granted Patent: US 11,441,868 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/01 Special aerodynamic features, e.g. airfoil shapes, wings or air passages
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/002 with special configuration, e.g. non-spherical discs for throwing A63B65/10
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/007 Arrangements on balls for connecting lines or cords
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 65/122 Hand-held mechanical projectors, e.g. for balls
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 3/02 Catapults, e.g. slingshots

Abstract

A launching and/or catching toy kit has a football and at least one associated slingshot. The football includes a generally elongated spheroidal body, a support non-movably attached to the body, a tail, and a first and a second elastic band hook oppositely disposed. The slingshot is configured to launch the football from a first user to a second user. The slingshot includes a handle and a pair of prongs connected and/or extending from the handle top. At least one elastic band is connected to each prong. Each of the at least one elastic bands are releasably captured by their respective first or second elastic band hook on the football during launching by the first user. When two slingshots are available, the users can shoot and catch the football between each other allowing for a game of catch.

Claims

1. A launching and/or catching toy kit, comprising:

a football comprising;

a) a generally elongated spheroidal body defined as comprising a longitudinal axis, where a length of the body along the longitudinal axis between a front end of the body to a back end of the body is longer than an equatorial diameter;

b) a support non-movably attached to the body, where a first end of the support is disposed within the body or attached to the body and a second end of the support extends beyond the back end of the body;

c) a tail attached to the second end of the support;

d) a first and a second elastic band hook oppositely disposed about the longitudinal axis and attached to the body and/or the support; and

a slingshot associated with the football, the slingshot configured to launch the football from a first user to a second user, the slingshot comprising;

a) a handle configured to be gripped by the first user;

b) a pair of prongs connected and/or extending from a top of the handle, wherein the pair of prongs form an opening wherein the opening is at least as wide as a maximum width of the football;

c) at least one elastic band connected to each prong of the pair of prongs;

wherein each at least one elastic band is releasably captured by its respective first or second elastic band hook on the football during launching by the first user.

2. The toy kit of claim 1, wherein the tail comprises a twisted shape configured to induce a spin of the football after launching.

3. The toy kit of claim 1, wherein the tail extends outwardly in a vertical plane aligned along the longitudinal axis which is generally perpendicular to a horizontal plane which is aligned along the longitudinal axis but also extends through the first and second elastic band hook.

4. The toy kit of claim 1, wherein the tail comprises a finger grip feature configured to be easily grasped by the first user when launching.

5. The toy kit of claim 1, including a wrist lasso attached to a bottom of the handle, wherein the wrist lasso is configured to be wrapped and/or placed around a wrist of the first user.

6. The toy kit of claim 1, wherein the pair of prongs are pivotably connected to the handle.

7. The toy kit of claim 6, including at least one spring disposed between the pair of prongs and the handle biasing the pair of prongs to move out of the path of the football when released by the first user during launching.

8. The toy kit of claim 1, wherein the support is not disposed through the front end of the body.

9. The toy kit of claim 1, wherein the equatorial diameter is at least 2.0 inches.

10. The toy kit of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the front end of the body comprises a Shore A durometer hardness substantially equal to or less than 25.

11. The toy kit of claim 1, wherein at least the front end of the body is football shaped.

12. The toy kit of claim 1, wherein an overall weight of the football is less than 100 grams.

13. The toy kit of claim 1, wherein the support comprises a hollow aluminum tube.

14. The toy kit of claim 1, including a lift-generating wing non-movably attached to the support.

15. The toy kit of claim 14, wherein the lift-generating wing is disposed behind a center of the body in relation to along the longitudinal axis or wherein an outside contiguous envelope of the body does not coincide with any portion of an outside contiguous envelope of the lift-generating wing or wherein the body and lift-generating wing are separately disposed.

16. The toy kit of claim 14, including a floor stand attached to a bottom of the body, where the floor stand is configured to stabilize the football in a fixed position when the football is placed upon a generally horizontal surface.

17. The toy kit of claim 14, wherein the lift-generating wing comprises a dihedral angle of at least 5 degrees.

18. The toy kit of claim 14, including a horizontal stabilizer disposed behind the lift-generating wing attached to the support and/or the tail.

19. The toy kit of claim 18, wherein the horizontal stabilizer comprises a downward force producing horizontal stabilizer which creates a nose-up pitch of the football in flight.

20. The toy kit of claim 19, including a manual adjuster associated with the horizontal stabilizer, the manual adjuster controlling a shape of the horizontal stabilizer, where the manual adjuster is mechanically engaged between the horizontal stabilizer on one side and the support or tail on the other side.

21. The toy kit of claim 20, wherein the manual adjuster comprises a hand-turnable threaded fastener.

22. The toy kit of claim 14, wherein the lift-generating wing comprises a generally convex upper surface opposite a generally concave lower surface, where the upper and lower surfaces define a wing thickness.

23. The toy kit of claim 22, wherein the wing thickness is less than 0.10 of an inch.

24. The toy kit of claim 22, wherein the lift-generating wing comprises an injection molded, non-foamed, polymer wing.

25. The toy kit of claim 1, wherein the body is comprised of a front section abutting a rear section, where the front section and rear section comprise different materials and where a rear section volume is at least double a front section volume.

26. The toy kit of claim 1, including at least one divot disposed within the body behind the first or second elastic band hook.

27. The toy kit of claim 1, wherein the body, support and tail are made as a single manufactured part from the same material.

28. A launching and/or catching toy kit, comprising:

a football comprising;

a) a generally elongated spheroidal body defined as comprising a longitudinal axis, where a length of the body along the longitudinal axis between a front end of the body to a back end of the body is longer than an equatorial diameter;

b) a support non-movably attached to the body, where a first end of the support is disposed within the body and a second end of the support extends beyond the back end of the body;

c) a vertical tail attached to the second end of the support;

d) a horizontal tail attached to the support;

e) a lift-generating wing non-movably attached to the support

f) an elastic band hook oppositely disposed about a bottom of the body and attached to the body and/or the support; and

a slingshot associated with the football, the slingshot configured to launch the football from a first user to a second user, the slingshot comprising;

a) a handle configured to be gripped by the first user;

b) a pair of prongs connected and/or extending from a top of the handle, wherein the pair of prongs form an opening wherein the opening is at least as wide as a maximum width of the football;

c) at least one elastic band connected to at least one prong of the pair of prongs;

wherein the at least one elastic band is releasably captured by the elastic band hook on the football during launching by the first user.

29. A launching and/or catching toy kit, comprising:

a baseball comprising;

a) a spherical body;

b) a support non-movably attached to the body, where a first end of the support is disposed within the body and a second end of the support extends beyond the back end of the body;

c) a tail attached to the second end of the support;

d) at least one elastic band hook attached to the body and/or the support; and

a slingshot associated with the baseball, the slingshot configured to launch the baseball from a first user to a second user, the slingshot comprising;

a) a baseball glove attachment feature configured to be attached to a baseball glove worn by the first user;

b) a pair of prongs connected and/or extending from the baseball glove attachment feature, wherein the pair of prongs form an opening;

c) at least one elastic band connected to the pair of prongs;

wherein the at least one elastic band is releasably captured by the elastic band hook on the baseball during launching by the first user.