Game ball

• US 4,003,574 A
• Filed: 03/04/1075
• Issued: 01/18/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thingamajig Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Thingamajig Pty Limited
• Inventors: MacDonald, James A., MacDonald, Richard A., Andrews, Joseph J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marlo, George J.
• Application Number:
  US05/555,245
• Time in Patent Office: 329,404 Days
• Field of Search: 273/65 EE, 273/65 EC, 273/199 R, 273/58 C, 273/106 R, 273/106.5 R, 273/DIG. 20, 273/55 R, 273/106 E, 46/60, 46/74 A, 46/74 B, 46/74 C
• US Class Current: 473/613
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/007 American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 39/00 Hollow non-inflatable balls , i.e. having no valves rigid balls A63B37/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 273/20 Weighted balls

Abstract

A football-like game ball which is manually thrown through the air. The ball has a generally truncated ellipsoid outer contour with a Venturi-like nozzle passage extending coincident with a major axis of the ball. A plurality of weighted elements are located within or adjacent to an outer wall of the ball to provide rotational stability when the ball is thrown through the air and spun about the major axis.

Claims

1. A football adapted to be manually thrown through the air, having an oblate spheroid contour being substantially symmetrical about a major and a minor axis of said oblate spheroid contour, said football having a through nozzle passage formed about said major axis, said through nozzle passage being symmetrical in cross-sectional area about said minor axis to provide maximum cross-sectional nozzle passage area at opposing longitudinal ends of said football and continuously decreasing to a minimum cross-sectional nozzle passage area at substantially a mid-point region between said opposing ends.

2. The football as recited in claim 1 where said nozzle passage converges linearly to a minimum cross-sectional area at said minor axis.

3. The football as recited in claim 2 where said linearly converging nozzle through passage forms a cone angle approximately within the range 2°

- 25°

.

4. The football as recited in claim 2 where said linearly converging nozzle through passage forms a cone angle approximately being within the range:

##EQU5##where;

α

= cone angle

l = one-half the length of said major axis

D = nozzle cross-sectional diameter at opposing ends of said major axis.

5. The football as recited in claim 1 where said through nozzle passage having a minimum diameter at said minor axis, said cross-sectional area of said passage being constant on opposing sides of said minor axis for a distance approximating said minimum diameter of said nozzle passage.

6. The football as recited in claim 1 including means for increasing the moment of inertia of said football about said major axis, said inertia means being disposed symmetrically about said major axis.

7. The football as recited in claim 6 where said inertia means includes a plurality of weighted elements formed within an outer wall of said football.

8. The football as recited in claim 7 where said weighted elements are positionally placed symmetrical about said minor axis.

9. The football as recited in claim 8 where said weighted elements include a set of weighted disc members having a density value in excess of said outer wall of said football.

10. The football as recited in claim 1 where said football includes outer wall surfaces in contact with said air, said outer wall surfaces being generally formed of a plastic material.