Illuminated flying disk having balanced housing for split circuitry

• US 5,290,184 A
• Filed: 11/12/1992
• Issued: 03/01/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Luminator, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Imagination Factory, Inc.
• Inventors: Toler, Michael, Balogh, John M., Kress, Donald V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Muir, David N.
• Application Number:
  US07/974,984
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• Field of Search: 446/46, 446/47, 446/242, 446/484, 446/485, 446/48, 446/34, 446/232, 446/242, 446/255, 273/424, 273/425, 273/428
• US Class Current: 446/47
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/18 Throwing or slinging toys, e.g. flying disc toys discs used in athletics A63B65/10as part of a game A63F9/02; sling weapons F41B3/00; spring toy guns F41B7/08

Abstract

A flying disc with two lights located on or near the disk'"'"'s perimeter, with two symmetrically opposed housings on the underside of the disk near the disk'"'"'s outmost edge. The two housings store the batteries and the electrical components for illuminating the disk. The housings are placed on opposite sides of the disk, so that the bulk of the disk'"'"'s weight is on the disk'"'"'s outside edge. Aerodynamic stability in a flying disk is optimum when the bulk of the disk'"'"'s weight is distributed on it'"'"'s outside edge. Thus, the present invention has greater stability when set in rotational motion than existing disks which house electronic components and batteries in the center.

Claims

1. An illuminated flying disk, comprising:

a disk having a perimeter, said disk further having a top and a bottom;

a lip disposed on said perimeter, said lip having an inside and outside;

an electronic housing and a switch housing symmetrically opposed on said disk at said lip, said electronic housing in electrical communication with said switch housing;

at least one light emitter mounted on said disk; and

said light emitter illuminated by control circuitry having at least one battery disposed in said electronic housing and a switch disposed in said switch housing, said control circuitry further including a capacitor, at least one transistor and at least one resistor, said switch manipulated to cause illumination of said light emitter;

said battery with said electronic housing and said switch with said switch housing constructed to provide approximately equal mass to enable balanced spinning of said illuminated flying disk during spinning flight.

2. The illuminated flying disk of claim 1, wherein said at least one light emitter is disposed on the outside of said lip of said disk.

3. The illuminated flying disk of claim 1, wherein two light emitters are disposed on opposite sides of the outside of said lip.

4. The illuminated flying disk of claim 1, wherein said electronic housing has a living hinge.

5. The illuminated flying disk of claim 1, wherein said electronic housing has a slide-in cover.

6. The illuminated flying disk of claim 1, wherein said control circuitry is powered by two low current batteries disposed in said electronic housing.

7. The illuminated flying disk of claim 1, wherein said switch has an eyelet, and disposed within said switch housing is a switch circuit board having a first contact pad and a second contact pad, said eyelet enabling electrical communication between said first contact pad and said second contact pad when said switch is set in a closed position.

8. An illuminated flying disk, comprising:

a disk having a perimeter, said disk further having a top and a bottom;

a lip disposed on said perimeter, said lip having an inside and an outside;

an electronic housing and a switch housing oppositely opposed on said disk at said inside of said lip, said electronic housing in electrical communication with said switch housing;

at least one light emitter mounted on said disk; and

said light emitter illuminated by control circuitry disposed with an electronic housing and a switch housing,

said control circuitry comprised of a capacitor, at least one transistor and at least one resistor,

said switch housing having a switch circuit board disposed therein, said switch circuit board including multiple contacts with a single moving bridge element,

said single moving bridge element manipulated to cause illumination of said light emitter;

said battery with said electronic housing and said switch with said switch housing constructed to provide approximately equal mass to enable balanced spinning of said illuminated flying disk during spinning flight.

9. The illuminated flying disk of claim 8, wherein said at least one light emitter is disposed on the outside of said lip of said disk.

10. The illuminated flying disk of claim 8, wherein two light emitters are disposed on opposite sides of the outside of said lip.

11. The illuminated flying disk of claim 8, wherein said electronic housing has a living hinge.

12. The illuminated flying disk of claim 8, wherein said electronic housing has a slide-in cover.

13. The illuminated flying disk of claim 8, wherein said control circuitry is powered by two low current batteries disposed in said battery housing.

14. The illuminated flying disk of claim 8, wherein said single moving bridge element is a switch having an eyelet, said eyelet enabling electrical communication between said multiple contacts when said switch is set in a closed position.

15. An illuminated flying disk comprising:

a disk having a perimeter, a top, and a bottom;

a lip disposed on said perimeter, said lip having an inside and an outside;

a battery housing and a switch housing oppositely opposed on said bottom of said disk at said inside of said lip;

a wire track disposed on said bottom of said disk along said perimeter at said inside of said lip, said wire track receiving at least one wire for providing electronic communication between said battery housing and said switch housing;

at least one light emitter mounted on said disk; and

control circuitry for illuminating said at least one light emitter, said control circuitry including a switch circuit board disposed in said switch housing, said switch circuit board having multiple contacts with a single moving bridge element, said single moving bridge element manipulated to cause illumination of said light emitter;

said battery housing and said switch housing constructed so that when a battery is in said battery housing approximately equal mass is provided to enable balanced spinning of said illuminated flying disk during spinning flight.

16. The illuminated flying disk of claim 15, wherein said control circuitry further includes a capacitor, at least one transistor and at least one resistor, said capacitor, transistor and resistor disposed on said switch circuit board.

17. The illuminated flying disk of claim 16, wherein said control circuitry further includes a battery circuit board disposed in said battery housing, said control circuitry is powered by at least one low current battery disposed in said battery housing on said battery circuit board.

18. The illuminated flying disk of claim 17, wherein said battery circuit board includes a first contact and a second contact each receiving a low current battery.

19. The illuminated flying disk of claim 15, wherein said single moving bridge element is a switch having an eyelet, said eyelet enabling electrical communication between said multiple contacts when said switch is set in a closed position.

20. The illuminated flying disk of claim 15, wherein two light emitters are disposed on said disk.