Noisemaker

• US 6,146,236 A
• Filed: 04/29/1999
• Issued: 11/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cliff Kay
• Original Assignee: Cliff Kay
• Inventors: Kay, Cliff
• Primary Examiner(s): Ackun, Jacob K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cegielnik, Urszula M.
• Application Number:
  US09/301,782
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 446/397, 446/421, 446/419, 446/418, 446/422, 446/81, 84/402, 84/403, 84/406
• US Class Current: 446/419
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 5/00 Musical or noise- producing devices for additional toy effects other than acoustical musical tops A63H1/28; sound-producing dolls A63H3/28; musical toy vehicles A63H17/268; acoustical vehicle-signalling devices A63H17/32; whistling toy locomotive arrangements A63H19/14; music, sound or noise production in general G10

Abstract

A noisemaker for producing a drumming sound when shaken rapidly back and forth. The noisemaker includes a head with a spaced apart pair of faces and an outwardly extending tubular extent which terminates at an open end. A plurality of resiliently deformable balls are provided in the head. The extent is inserted into one end of a handle.

Claims

1. A noisemaker, comprising:

a head having a spaced apart pair of faces;

said head having an generally cylindrical tubular extent outwardly extending therefrom;

said extent of said head terminating at an open end;

a plurality of resiliently deformable halls being provided in said head;

a handle having a pair of opposite ends and a longitudinal axis extending between said ends of said handle;

a first of said ends of said handle receiving said extend therein;

said head having a thickness between said faces greater than a diameter of said handle, such that the balls are provided with a greater distance between said faces for movement before striking one of said faces;

wherein said head has a generally triangular outer perimeter comprising three sides and three vertices said extent outwardly extending from a first of said vertices of said head; and

wherein said head has an axis extending between said first vertex of said head and a first of said sides of said head opposite said first vertex of said head, said extent being substantially coaxial with said axis of said head, said open end of said extent lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to said axis of said head.

2. The noisemaker of claim 1, wherein said faces of said head being curved so that they are slightly dome-shaped such that said faces of said head each having an arcuate cross section taken in a first plane in which said axis of said head lies and generally perpendicular to said faces of said head, arcuate cross sections of said faces of said head having inwardly facing concavities facing one another, wherein said outer perimeter of said head has an arcuate cross section taken in said first plane, said arcuate cross section of said outer perimeter of said head having an inwardly facing concavity.

3. The noisemaker of claim 2, wherein said concavities of said arcuate cross sections of said faces and said outer perimeter of said head each have a radius of curvature, said radius of curvature of said arcuate cross section of said outer perimeter of said head being greater than said radius of curvature of said arcuate cross section of each face of said head.

4. The noisemaker of claim 2, wherein said first side has an arcuate cross section taken in a second plane in which said axis of said head lies substantially perpendicular to said first plane, said arcuate cross section of said first side of said head having a concavity facing towards said first vertex of said head, said vertices of said head being rounded and having concavities facing into said head.

5. The noisemaker of claim 4, wherein said concavities of said arcuate cross sections of said first side and said vertices of said head each have a radius of curvature, said radius of curvature of said arcuate cross section of said first side being greater than said radius of curvature of said arcuate cross section of each vertex of said head.

6. The noisemaker of claim 1, wherein head comprises a resonating plastic material.

7. The noisemaker of claim 1, wherein said head comprises a rigid leather material which produces a resonant sound when struck by an object.

8. The noisemaker of claim 1, wherein said plurality of balls consists of three balls.

10. The noisemaker of claim 1, wherein said handle has a bore, said bore of said handle having a length along said longitudinal axis of said handle less than about one-half of said length of said handle and ideally between about 1 inch and about 2 inches.

9. A noisemaker, comprising:

a generally triangular hollow head having a spaced apart pair of generally triangular faces, and a generally triangular outer perimeter comprising three sides and three vertices;

said head having an generally cylindrical tubular extent outwardly extending from a first of said vertices of said head;

said extent of said head terminating at an open end;

said head having an axis extending between said first vertex of said head and a first of said sides of said head opposite said first vertex of said head;

said extent being substantially coaxial with said axis of said head, said open end of said extent lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to said axis of said head;

said faces of said head each having an arcuate cross section taken in a first plane in which said axis of said head lies and generally perpendicular to said faces of said head;

arcuate cross sections of said faces of said head having inwardly facing concavities facing one another;

said outer perimeter of said head having an arcuate cross section taken in said first plane, said arcuate cross section of said outer perimeter of said head having an inwardly facing concavity;

said concavities of said arcuate cross sections of said faces and said outer perimeter of said head each having a radius of curvature, said radius of curvature of said arcuate cross section of said outer perimeter of said head being greater than said radius of curvature of said arcuate cross section of each face of said head;

said first side having an arcuate cross section taken in a second plane in which said axis of said head lies substantially perpendicular to said first plane;

said arcuate cross section of said first side of said head having a concavity facing towards said first vertex of said head;

said vertices of said head being rounded and having concavities facing into said head;

said concavities of said arcuate cross sections of said first side and said vertices of said head each having a radius of curvature, said radius of curvature of said arcuate cross section of said first side being greater than said radius of curvature of said arcuate cross section of each vertex of said head;

said head comprising a resonating plastic material;

said head having an outermost width defined between second and third vertices of said head, and an outermost thickness defined between said faces of said head;

said outermost width being greater than said outermost thickness;

wherein said outermost width is between about 11 inches and about 13 inches and said outermost thickness is between about 2 inches and about 21/2 inches;

a plurality of resiliently deformable generally spherical balls being provided in said head, said balls each comprising a resiliently deformable rubber material, said balls each having an outer diameter of about 1 inch;

a generally cylindrical handle having a pair of opposite ends and a longitudinal axis extending between said ends of said handle;

a first of said ends of said handle having a generally cylindrical bore therein;

said free end of said extent being inserted into said bore of

said first end of said handle to coupled said extent to said handle;

said longitudinal axis of said handle and said axis of said head being substantially coaxial;

a second of said ends of said handle being rounded; and

said handle having a length defined along said longitudinal axis of said handle between said ends of said handle, wherein said length of said handle is between about 5 inches and about 6 inches.

11. A noisemaker, comprising:

a head having a spaced apart pair of faces;

said head having an generally cylindrical tubular extent outwardly extending therefrom;

said extent of said head terminating at an open end;

a plurality of resiliently deformable balls being provided in said head;

a handle having a pair of opposite ends and a longitudinal axis extending between said ends of said handle;

a first of said ends of said handle receiving said extent therein;

said head having a thickness between said faces greater than a diameter of said handle, such that the balls are provided with a greater distance between said faces for movement before striking one of said faces; and

wherein said plurality of balls consists of three balls.

12. The noisemaker of claim 11, wherein said faces of said head being curved so that they are slightly dome-shaped such that said faces of said head each having an arcuate cross section taken in a first plane in which said axis of said head lies and generally perpendicular to said faces of said head, arcuate cross sections of said faces of said head having inwardly facing concavities facing one another, wherein said outer perimeter of said head has an arcuate cross section taken in said first plane, said arcuate cross section of said outer perimeter of said head having an inwardly facing concavity.

13. The noisemaker of claim 12, wherein said concavities of said arcuate cross sections of said faces and said outer perimeter of said head each leave a radius of curvature, said radius of curvature of said arcuate cross section of said outer perimeter of said head being greater than said radius of curvature of said arcuate cross section of each face of said head.

14. The noisemaker of claim 12, wherein said first side has an arcuate cross section taken in it second plane in which said axis of said head lies substantially perpendicular to said first plane, said arcuate cross section or said first side of said head having a concavity facing towards said first vertex of said head said vertices of said head being rounded and having concavities facing into said head.

15. The noisemaker of claim 14, wherein said concavities of said arcuate cross sections of said first side and said vertices of said head each have a radius of curvature, said radius of curvature of said arcuate cross section of said first side being greater than said radius of curvature of said arcuate cross section of each vertex of said head.

16. The noisemaker of claim 11, wherein head comprises a resonating plastic material.

17. The noisemaker of claim 11, wherein said head comprises a rigid leather material which produces a resonant sound when struck by an object.