Ball toss and catch toy

• US 5,174,580 A
• Filed: 04/17/1992
• Issued: 12/29/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seneca Sports Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Seneca Sports Incorporated
• Inventors: Pratt, Kenneth W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grieb, William H.
• Application Number:
  US07/870,687
• Time in Patent Office: 256 Days
• Field of Search: 273/326
• US Class Current: 473/513
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/14 Lacrosse
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 59/20 having means, e.g. pockets, netting or adhesive type surfaces, for catching or holding a ball, e.g. for lacrosse or pelota
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/08 characterised by the material

Abstract

A sport toy for tossing and catching a ball has a frame defining an open, ball-receiving region, a webbing attached to the frame and spanning the ball-receiving region and a handle connected to the frame. The frame has a front member and a rear member. The front member has a throat wall, a pair of opposed side walls diverging from the throat wall and an end wall spaced from the throat wall and extending between the pair of side walls. The webbing, formed of a resiliently deformable material, has a peripheral rim that is secured between the frame members.

Claims

1. A sport toy for tossing and catching a ball, comprising

a frame defining an open, ball-receiving region,

a webbing attached to said frame and spanning said ball-receiving region, and

a handle connected to said frame,

said frame comprising

a front frame member having a throat wall portion, a pair of opposed side wall portions diverging from said throat wall portion and an end wall portion spaced from said throat wall portion and extending between said pair of opposed side wall portions, and

a rear frame member, and

said webbing being formed of a resiliently deformable material and having a peripheral rim sized and adapted to be secured between said front frame member and said rear frame member.

2. The sport toy of claim 1 wherein said end wall of said front frame member has a front surface that slopes from a front edge of said front frame member toward said throat wall portion, and said webbing defines a pocket in a region of said throat wall portion for receiving and retaining a ball.

3. The sport toy of claim 2 wherein said webbing comprises an integral unit of molded plastic, said webbing defining a ball-receiving surface extending at least between said throat wall portion and said end wall portion, said ball-receiving surface being relatively more spaced from a front edge of said frame in a region of said throat wall portion than in a region of said end wall portion, said ball-receiving surface in the region of said end wall portion lying generally tangent with an adjacent portion of said front surface,

whereby a ball entering said ball-receiving region during catching is deflected by said ball-receiving surface of said webbing toward said pocket, and a ball leaving said ball-receiving region during throwing passes smoothly from said ball-receiving surface to said front surface.

4. The sport toy of claim 3 wherein a segment of said webbing in a region of said pocket extends generally perpendicular to a plane of said front edge for further defining said pocket.

5. The sport toy of claim 3 or 4 wherein said webbing is adapted to deflect resiliently with contact of a ball upon said ball-receiving surface to facilitate catching of a ball, and said webbing is adapted to resist deflection as a ball passes along said ball-receiving surface during throwing.

6. The sport toy of claim 1 wherein said front frame member further comprises a front wall extending generally along a front edge of said front frame member in a region of said throat wall portion, said front wall together with said throat wall portion and said webbing defining a pocket sized for receiving and retaining a ball.

7. The sport toy of claim 1 wherein said webbing comprises an integral unit of molded plastic, said webbing defining a ball-receiving surface extending at least between said throat wall portion and said end wall portion.

8. The sport toy of claim 1 wherein said front frame member further comprises a frame sleeve disposed upon an outer surface of said front frame member in a region of said throat wall portion, said frame sleeve sized for receiving an end of said handle for fixed connection of said frame and said handle.

9. The sport toy of claim 8 wherein said sports toy further comprises means for securing said front frame member to said rear frame member, with said peripheral rim of said webbing disposed therebetween.

10. The sport toy of claim 9 wherein said means for securing said front frame member to said rear frame member comprises an elongated tab defined by said rear frame member, said elongated tab being sized and constructed for engagement within said frame sleeve.

11. The sport toy of claim 1 wherein said sports toy further comprises means for securing said front frame member to said rear frame member, with said peripheral rim of said webbing disposed therebetween.

12. The sport toy of claim 10 or 11 wherein said means for securing said front frame member to said rear frame member comprises a plurality of pairs of corresponding, overlying tabs defined by said front frame member and said rear frame member, and fasteners sized and adapted for fixed joining together of said pairs of corresponding, overlying tabs.

13. The sport toy of claim 12 wherein said fasteners comprises rivets.

14. The sport toy of claim 10 or 11 wherein said means for securing said front frame member to said rear frame member, with the peripheral rim of said webbing disposed therebetween, comprises a plurality of pin elements formed integrally with one said frame member, a plurality of orifices defined by an opposed surface of the other said frame member and aligned with and corresponding to said plurality of pin elements, and a plurality of apertures defined by said peripheral rim of said webbing and similarly aligned with and corresponding to said plurality of pin elements and said plurality of orifices, said pin elements extending through said apertures and into engagement in said orifices for securement together of said front frame member and said rear frame member, with said peripheral rim of said webbing therebetween.

15. The sport toy of claim 14 wherein said plurality of orifice are defined by said front frame member and said plurality of pin elements are defined by said rear frame member.

16. The sport toy of claim 1 wherein said handle is of a length suitable for use of the toy with one hand.

17. The sport toy of claim 16 wherein said length is of the order of about seven inches.

18. The sport toy of claim 1 or 16 wherein said handle comprises a handle sleeve of cushioning material.

19. The sport toy of claim 1 wherein said handle is of a length suitable for use of the toy with two hands, a first hand-grasping region being defined by said handle adjacent said frame sleeve and a second hand-grasping region being defined by said handle at a distance spaced from said first hand-grasping region, thereby to permit throwing of a ball with a two-handed motion.

20. The sport toy of claim 19 wherein said length is of the order of about sixteen inches.

21. A sport toy for tossing and catching a ball, comprising

a frame defining an open, ball-receiving region,

a webbing attached to said frame and spanning said ball-receiving region,

a handle connected to said frame,

said frame comprising

a front frame member having a throat wall portion, a pair of opposed side wall portions diverging from said throat wall portion and an end wall portion spaced from said throat wall portion and extending between said pair of opposed side wall portions, said end wall portion having a front surface that slopes from a front edge of said front frame member toward said throat wall portion, and

a rear frame member, and

said webbing comprising an integral unit of molded, resiliently deformable plastic, said webbing having a peripheral rim sized and adapted to be secured between said front frame member and said rear frame member, said webbing defining a pocket in a region of said throat wall portion for receiving and retaining a ball, and said webbing further defining a ball-receiving surface extending at least between said throat wall portion and said end wall portion, said ball-receiving surface being relatively more spaced from a front edge of said frame in a region of said throat wall portion than in a region of said end wall portion, said ball-receiving surface in the region of said end wall portion lying generally tangent with an adjacent portion of said front surface, a segment of said webbing in a region of said pocket extending generally perpendicular to a plane of said front edge for defining said pocket, and

said webbing being adapted to deflect resiliently with contact of a ball upon said ball-receiving surface to facilitate catching of a ball, and said webbing being adapted to resist deflection as a ball passes along said ball-receiving surface during throwing,

whereby a ball entering said ball-receiving region during catching is deflected by said ball-receiving surface of said webbing toward said pocket, and a ball leaving said ball-receiving region during throwing passes smoothly from said ball-receiving surface to said front surface.

22. The sport toy of claim 21 wherein said front frame member further comprises a frame sleeve disposed upon an outer surface of said front frame member in a region of said throat wall portion, said frame sleeve sized for receiving an end of said handle for fixed connection of said frame and said handle, and

said sports toy further comprises means for securing said front frame member to said rear frame member, said means for securing comprising:

an elongated tab defined by said rear frame member, said elongated tab being sized and constructed for engagement within said frame sleeve,

a plurality of pairs of corresponding, overlying tabs defined by said front frame member and said rear frame member with fasteners sized and adapted for fixed joining together of said pairs of corresponding, overlying tabs, and

a plurality of pin elements formed integrally with said rear frame member, a plurality of orifices defined by an opposed surface of said front frame member and aligned with and corresponding to said plurality of pin elements, and a plurality of apertures defined by said peripheral rim of said webbing and similarly aligned with and corresponding to said plurality of pin elements and said plurality of orifices, said pin elements extending through said apertures and into engagement in said orifices for securement together of said front frame member and said rear frame member, with said peripheral rim of said webbing therebetween.

23. The sport toy of claim 21 wherein said handle is of a length suitable for use of the toy with one hand.

24. The sport toy of claim 21 or 23 wherein said handle comprises a handle sleeve of cushioning material.

25. The sport toy of claim 21 wherein said handle is of a length suitable for use of the toy with two hands, a first hand-grasping region being defined by said handle adjacent said frame sleeve and a second hand-grasping region being defined by said handle at a distance spaced from said first hand-grasping region, thereby to permit throwing of a ball with a two-handed motion.

26. A sport toy for tossing and catching a ball, comprising

a frame defining an open, ball-receiving region,

a webbing attached to said frame and spanning said ball-receiving region,

a handle connected to said frame,

said frame comprising

a front frame member having a throat wall portion, a pair of opposed side wall portions diverging from said throat wall portion and an end wall portion spaced from said throat wall portion and extending between said pair of opposed side wall portions, and a frame sleeve disposed upon an outer surface of said front frame member in a region of said throat wall portion, said frame sleeve sized for receiving an end of said handle for fixed connection of said frame and said handle, and

a rear frame member, and

said webbing being formed of a resiliently deformable material and having a peripheral rim sized and adapted to be secured between said front frame member and said rear frame member, and

means for securing said front frame member to said rear frame member, with the peripheral rim of said webbing disposed therebetween, said means for securing comprising:

an elongated tab defined by said rear frame member, said elongated tab being sized and constructed for engagement within said frame sleeve,

a plurality of pairs of corresponding, overlying tabs defined by said front frame member and said rear frame member with fasteners sized and adapted for fixed joining together of said pairs of corresponding, overlying tabs, and

a plurality of pin elements formed integrally with said rear frame member, a plurality of orifices defined by an opposed surface of said front frame member and aligned with and corresponding to said plurality of pin elements, and a plurality of apertures defined by said peripheral rim of said webbing and similarly aligned with and corresponding to said plurality of pin elements and said plurality of orifices, said pin elements extending through said apertures and into engagement in said orifices for securement together of said front frame member and said rear frame member, with said peripheral rim of said webbing therebetween.