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AssigneeThe Little Tikes Company, a corporation of the State of Ohio
InventorsPeter Colin McEachen, Michael Miroewski, Stewart Lenox, Bryan Keller
Estimating the term…
A compact ball launching activity device has an upper and lower member. The upper member having multiple funnel shaped openings that are positioned on the sides of the upper member. The upper member also has one funnel shaped opening positioned at the top of the upper member. The device includes a launch system having an angled feeder tray and flywheel. The balls enter the side funnels of the upper member and are collected on the angled feeder tray. The balls fall through a hole in the feeder tray to a launch channel. The flywheel propels the balls through the launch channel, up and out of the funnel positioned at the top of the ball launching activity device.
A compact ball launching activity device for children, the device comprising:
A compact ball launching activity device for children, the device comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
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Stationarily-arranged devices for projecting balls or other bodies: with rotating discs, wheels or pulleys gripping and propelling the balls or…
Devices for handling or treating balls , e.g. for holding or carrying balls: devices for dispensing balls, e.g. from a reservoir
Specially adapted for particular training aspects: catching
Characteristics or parameters related to the user or player: specially adapted for children
Term end not estimated
This invention relates generally to a children's toy, and, more particularly to, a multiple entry ball collection and launching activity device.
Various amusement devices that allow children to collect balls or to collect and reinsert balls into a device are known in the art. For example, it is know to provide a ball collection game where balls are blown upward from an apparatus and collected by a basket or other hand held device. Since the balls are air blown, they are typically small and light in weight. The user typically stands next to the apparatus so that he may collect the balls with the hand held device as they are blown from the bottom of the apparatus. If a ball is not collected, it will drop back into the apparatus. The apparatus continues to blow the balls until the user collects all of the balls.
It is also known to provide a ball collection game where the user attempts to shoot balls into a cylindrical opening. Once the ball is correctly inserted through the opening, it travels through the device and is released at the bottom of the device so that the user may continuously shoot the ball towards the opening.
FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the ball launching activity device of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective partially exploded view of the upper member of the ball launching activity device of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a perspective exploded view of the ball launching activity device of FIG. 1 with the upper member detached from the lower member.
FIG. 1 illustrates the multiple entry ball launching activity device of the present invention, in general at 10. The ball launching device includes a housing 12 with funnels 40 and 50 that extend out from the housing 12. The housing 12 includes an upper member 20 and a lower member 30. The upper member 20 is shaped as half of a sphere with an opening at the underside of the half. The upper member 20 forms a ball receiving chamber 14. The upper member 20 also has a border 22 around the bottom outer rim of the upper member 20 with a plurality of integrally formed receptacles 23 (see FIG. 2) adapted to receive a fastener. The lower member 30 is cylindrical in shape with a border 32 around the top outer rim. The border 32 around the lower member 30 includes an upwardly extending projection 33 (see FIG. 3) that abuts the border 22 of the lower member 30 and a plurality of integrally formed holes 34 that align with the receptacles 23 of the upper member 20 to form the housing 12, as illustrated in FIG. 1. A fastener (not shown) is inserted through the underside of each hole 34 in the lower member 30 and into the receptacle 23 of the upper member 20 to secure the members of the housing together.
The lower member 30 also has four foot members 36 that are downwardly extending from the lower member 30. The foot members 36 are positioned an equal distance apart from one another thereby forming a square.
An on/off button 70 is positioned on the outside surface of the housing 12. The on/off button 70 is surrounded by the borders 22 and 32 of the upper member 20 and lower member 30, respectively. The on/off button 70 is coupled to a control circuit 71 (see FIG. 5), and when activated, sends a signal to the control circuit 71.