Flashing dart

• US 6,758,773 B1
• Filed: 10/21/2003
• Issued: 07/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Forhouse Corporation
• Original Assignee: Forhouse Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Chun-Hung, Liao, Yen-Hwa, Chang, Wen-Fu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ricci, John A.
• Application Number:
  US10/689,048
• Time in Patent Office: 259 Days
• Field of Search: 473/570, 473/578
• US Class Current: 473/578
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 6/003 Darts

Abstract

A flashing dart has a hollow barrel, a point assembly, a transparent shaft, a circuit board, a battery and a resilient element. The barrel has a front end and a rear end and is made of conductive material. The point assembly is attached to the front end of the barrel. The transparent flight shaft is attached to the rear end of the barrel. The circuit board has an integrated circuit controller and is firmly mounted inside the barrel. The battery has two electrodes connected respectively to the barrel and the circuit board. The resilient element abuts the battery and allows the battery to be temporarily disconnected from the circuit board when the flashing dart strikes a dartboard or is thrown thereby activating the integrated circuit controller that causes the lighting element to emit light for a preset period of time.

Claims

1. A flashing dart comprising:

a hollow barrel (10) having a front end and a rear end, and made of conductive material;

a point assembly (12) attached to the front end of the barrel (10) and partially made of conductive material;

a transparent shaft (13) attached to the rear end of the barrel (10),

a circuit board (14) having an integrated circuit controller (142) electrically connected to the barrel (10) and being mounted inside the barrel (10);

a lighting element (16) electrically connected to the circuit board (14) and mounted inside the barrel (10) close to the transparent flight shaft (13);

a battery (17) mounted movably inside the barrel (10) and electrically connected to the circuit board (14); and

a resilient element (18) mounted inside the barrel (10) and abutting the battery (17) to provide a restitution force to the battery (17).

2. The flashing dart as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the barrel (10) has an internal thread defined in the front end;

the barrel (10) has an internal thread defined in the rear end;

the point assembly (12) is composed of a point plug (124) and a point (122);

wherein the point plug (124) is made of conductive material and has a front end having an axial hole with an internal thread and a rear end with an external annular thread that screws into the internal thread at the front end of the barrel (10); and

the point (122) is screwed into the internal thread in the axial hole in the point plug (124).

3. The flashing dart as claimed in claim 2, wherein the resilient element (18) is mounted between the point plug (124) and the battery (17).

4. The flashing dart as claimed in claim 3, wherein the circuit board (14) further has a conductive arm (15) extending from the circuit board (14) to make electrical contact with the barrel (10).

5. The flashing dart as claimed in claim 2, wherein the resilient element (18) is mounted between the battery (17) and the circuit board (14).

6. The flashing dart as claimed in claim 5, wherein the circuit board (14) further has a conductive arm (15) extending from the circuit board (14) to make electrical contact with the barrel (10).

7. The flashing dart as claimed in claim 1 wherein the lighting element is a Light Emitting Diode.

8. The flashing dart as claimed in claim 1, wherein the point assembly (12) is wholly made of conductive material.