Game footbag with low rebound characteristics

• US 5,566,953 A
• Filed: 08/15/1995
• Issued: 10/22/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: BMC Toys Incorporated, Golden Springs Development Company, LLC
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Roddick, Daniel M., Arriola, Martin F.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAPIRO, PAUL
• Application Number:
  US08/515,278
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 273/415, 273/428, 273/58 F
• US Class Current: 473/594
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/02 Special cores balls with finger holes A63B37/0001, golf ball cores A63B37/005
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/002 with special configuration, e.g. non-spherical discs for throwing A63B65/10

Abstract

A low-rebound, impact-deformable footbag includes plural panels having peripheral edges which are connected together to define an impact-deformable, semi-collapsible chamber which permits the footbag to assume an arbitrarily-changing, random shape in response to an externally-applied deformation force, such as kicking. The footbag includes at least one panel, a portion of which is formed from an apertured material for providing a view internally of the chamber. Plural lightweight, impact-damping filler members are disposed in the chamber, some of which being viewable through the apertured material. Such filler members are positioned within the chamber for interacting with other such filler members for damping such applied deformation force.

Claims

1. A low-rebound, impact-deformable footbag comprising:

a plurality of panels, each of which includes a peripheral edge which is connected to a peripheral edge of at least one adjacent panel for defining a generally impact-deformable, semi-collapsible chamber, wherein such collapsibility permits an arbitrarily-changing, random footbag shape in response to an applied deformation force, and further wherein at least a portion of one of the panels is formed from an apertured material for providing a view internally of the chamber; and

a plurality of lightweight, impact-damping filler members disposed in the chamber, some of which are viewable through the apertured material, and all of which are positioned within the chamber for interacting with other such filler members for damping such applied deformation force.

2. The footbag of claim 1, wherein each panel is generally triangularly-shaped.

3. The footbag of claim 2, wherein each panel is formed from a material which is different from the material from which at least one adjacently-connected panel is formed.

4. The footbag of claim 3, wherein at least one of the panels is formed from a non-apertured material.

5. The footbag of claim 4, wherein the non-apertured material includes nylon.

6. The footbag of claim 5, wherein the footbag includes eight generally-triangular panels connected together to define the chamber, and wherein any one panel which is formed from a non-apertured material is bordered at its peripheral edge by at least three panels formed from an apertured material.

7. A deformable footbag comprising:

a cover constructed from a yieldable material defining a chamber, wherein the cover includes at least one region formed from a mesh material having a plurality of apertures for providing a view internally of the chamber; and

a plurality of resilient, impact-damping members disposed within the chamber for interacting with one another upon the application of an externally-applied deformation force to dampen the force and reduce the tendency of the footbag to rebound in the direction of the external force.

8. The footbag of claim 7, wherein the impact-damping members are generally polygonally-shaped.

9. The footbag of claim 8, wherein the impact-damping members are dimensioned larger than the apertures in the cover so that the members will be retained within the chamber.

10. The footbag of claim 8, wherein the impact-damping members are generally square-shaped.

11. The footbag of claim 10, wherein the impact-damping members are formed from a lightweight foam material.

12. The footbag of claim 11, wherein the foam material includes ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA) foam.

13. The footbag of claim 10, wherein each side of an impact-damping member is no longer than about 0.25 of an inch.

14. The footbag of claim 13, wherein the apertures in the cover are generally oval-shaped and about 0.125 of an inch in longitudinal length.

15. The footbag of claim 7, wherein the cover defines a semi-collapsible, impact-deformable chamber, which, when not in a collapsed state is capable of defining a generally spherically-shaped chamber having a diameter no greater than about four inches.

16. The footbag of claim 15, wherein when the chamber is in a generally uncollapsed state, the chamber has a volume in the range of around four to forty cubic inches.

17. The footbag of claim 16, wherein the total volume of the impact damping members is in a range of around 15 percent to 40 percent of the volume of the chamber when the same is in a generally uncollapsed state.

18. The footbag of claim 7, wherein the total mass of the impact-damping members is around 11 to 12 grams.

19. The footbag of claim 18, wherein the total mass of the footbag is around 15 grams.