Mass-produced molded plastic cesta
OwnerEdward A. Everlith, Jose J. Echaburuinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A mass-produced plastic cesta for catching and hurling a hard playing object such as a ball against a playing surface and which is to replace a wicker basket cesta. The cesta is of non-uniform thickness and is made of molded material which has the characteristic wherein hardness is a function of thickness, whereby a relatively rigid handle may be provided in contradistinction to ball catching and launching portions which are less rigid, to assist in catching and holding the ball.
Claims15
A mass-produced hand-held plastic cesta for catching and holding a ball and for discharging a ball therefrom in a controlled directional manner toward a playing surface, comprising;
- A. a pocket portion having a recess for catching and holding the ball, said recess having an arcuate shaped bottom wall and a pair of parallel and oppositely disposed walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall;
- B. a handle portion at one end of the cesta and contiguous to the pocket portion and having a substantially flat surface;
- C. a ball launching portion contiguous with the pocket portion and disposed at the other end of the cesta, said ball launching portion having a substantially arcuate shaped wall contiguous to the pocket portion and being substantially flat at the end thereof to form a ball launching tip from whence the ball is discharged from the cesta, said bottom wall of the recess and said arcuate wall of the launching tip portion defining a path of travel for the ball as it leaves the recess for discharge from the launching tip;
- and
- D. a rib formed along the rim of the cesta, said cesta being formed of plastic material having a characteristic wherein hardness is a function of thickness, said walls defining the path of travel of the ball within the cesta being of less thickness than the wall of the handle portion and said rib having a thickness greater than the other portions of the cesta.
Hand holding means for a cesta having a handle, comprising;
- A. a substantially rectangular shaped sheet of flexible material secured to the handle along three sides thereof but open at one side to form a pocket to accomodate a player's hand therein;
- B. a plurality of substantially rectangular shaped web-like pieces of material disposed within the pocket at pre-selected portions having two parallel edges secured to the flexible material and two edges unsecured whereby each web-like piece of material takes on the configuration of a U-shaped loop with the bight portion of the loop being proximate the surface of the handle, means formed in the flexible material adjacent each of said web-like pieces of material permitting expansion of the flexible material in directions transverse of the handle;
- and
- C. a lacing member having portions extending through the loops of said web-like piece of material and so arranged with respect thereto whereby when one end of the lacing member has exerted thereon a pulling force said portions of the lacing member engage and move each loop toward the handle causing said flexible member to contract and to securely hold a player's hand in said pocket.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.