Day and night croquet and bocce

• US 6,575,855 B1
• Filed: 06/02/2000
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Technical Visions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Technical Visions, Inc.
• Inventors: Ilcisin, Kevin J., Buzak, Thomas S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sewell, Paul T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Legesse, Nini F.
• Application Number:
  US09/586,448
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 273/DIG.20, 273/DIG.24, 473/569, 473/570, 473/594, 473/595
• US Class Current: 473/569
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/36 Croquet
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/74 with powered illuminating means, e.g. lights
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/06 with illuminating devices ; with reflective surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 59/60 of mallet type, e.g. for croquet or polo
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/26 Magnetic or electric toys electric drives A63H29/22 ; indoor games played with small balls using magnetic power A63F7/0088, A63F7/068
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 273/08 Urethane

Abstract

Chemoluminescent illuminators are used in night visible game equipment, notably, croquet and bocce. Game balls overcome rotational wobble tendencies resulting from perturbations in the rotational moments of inertia. The balls are at least partially transparent or translucent and include a receptacle for receiving a chemoluminescent illuminator. Different colored illuminators are provided to mark different balls as relating to different players. In one embodiment the balls have relatively thin outer walls and internal metallic rings to contribute a majority of the necessary weight and to add differential weighting to equalize the moments of inertia around all three axes. Wickets comprise chemoluminescent illuminators held in proximity to conventional wickets. Wicket holders may assist with supporting the illuminators. Stakes and mallets accept chemoluminescent illuminators to illuminate the stakes.

Claims

1. A game ball, comprising:

a spherical shell;

a receptacle formed in said shell for receiving a chemoluminescent light source;

weight means for adding mass to said ball, said weight means comprising an equatorial ring weight extending around an equator of said shell adjacent said interior shell surface, and a pair of circumferential polar ring weights spaced apart from said equatorial ring weight and extending around said interior shell surface at opposite poles of said sphere, whereby said weight means compensates for perturbations in the rotational moments of inertia of the ball.

2. The game ball of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the surface area of said shell is translucent.

3. The game ball of claim 1 wherein a major portion of the surface area of said shell is translucent.

4. The game ball of claim 1 including a chemoluminescent light stick received in said receptacle.

5. The game ball of claim 1 wherein said receptacle comprises a longitudinal axial tube extending through said shell and opening to the outer shell surface on at least one end thereof.

6. The game ball of claim 5 wherein said spherical shell has a hollow core defined by an interior shell surface.

7. The game ball of claim 5 wherein said equatorial ring weight defines an equatorial plane and said axial tube extends through said sphere transverse to said equatorial plane.

8. The game ball of claim 7 wherein said polar weight rings lie in planes that are coplanar with said equatorial plane.

9. The game ball of claim 5 including a rib within said axial tube extending toward the axis thereof and configured for contacting a light stick received within said axial tube.

10. The game ball of claim 9 including plural ribs.

11. The game ball of claim 10 including diametrically opposed ribs within said axial tube defining a serpentine path through said axial tube.

12. The game ball of claim 1 wherein said shell comprises a first material and said weights comprise a second material that is different from said first material.

13. The game ball of claim 12 wherein said second material is of higher density than said first material.

14. The game ball of claim 1 in which said translucent spherical shell includes light scattering means for scattering light emitted by a light stick received within said receptacle.

15. The game ball of claim 14 in which said light scattering means comprise scattering centers contained within said shell.

16. The game ball of claim 15 in which said scattering centers include glass beads contained within said shell.

17. The game ball of claim 14 in which said light scattering means comprise bubbles contained within said shell.

18. The game ball of claim 1 including an equatorial band extending around an equator of said ball, said band being colored differently from said shell.

19. The game ball of claim 18 in which said band is translucent.

20. The game ball of claim 18 wherein said band is opaque.

21. A game ball, comprising:

a spherical shell having an outer shell surface and a hollow core defined by an inner shell surface, said shell formed of a first material and wherein at least a portion of said shell is translucent;

a receptacle in said shell for receiving a chemoluminescent light source;

a weight contained in said hollow core and formed of a second material that has a greater density than said first material, said weight comprising a first circumferential ring extending around an equator of said shell within the core, and second and third circumferential rings within the core and positioned on opposite sides of said first circumferential ring, and wherein said circumferential rings define coplanar ring planes.

22. The game ball of claim 21 wherein said weight is fixed within said hollow core adjacent said inner shell surface.

23. The game ball of claim 21 including a chemoluminescent light stick received in said receptacle.

24. The game ball of claim 23 wherein said receptacle comprises a tube extending through said shell and opening to the outer shell surface on at least one end thereof.

25. The game ball of claim 21 wherein said tube extends axially through said shell and each opposite end of said tube opens to said outer shell surface.