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US 5,207,434 AGranted
Throwing dart with collapsible tail portion
OwnerTimothy K. Oudekerkinventor
Life of this patent
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OwnerTimothy K. Oudekerkinventor
Estimating the term…
A throwing dart provided with a tail portion which collapses into a smaller cross-sectional area to reduce interference with subsequently thrown darts. The tail portion includes a stem portion having an elongated cylindrical shaft provided with a disk-shaped cam member. A slotted tubular sleeve is slidably and rotatably affixed to the shaft, the slots opening to the axially rearward end of the sleeve. A shaped flight or vane is fitted to each slot and flexibly retained therein by a resilient holding ring which retains the forward ends of the flights to the sleeve. In operation, the tail portion is cocked by sliding the sleeve and flight assembly in a rearward direction such that the cam urges the flights into an extended, fanned position. When the dart is thrown and impacts the game board, the tail portion moves forwardly due to inertia, and the cam is received in angled recesses in the flights to permit them to retract toward the longitudinal axis of the dart. A deflector for deflecting away subsequently thrown darts is affixed to the rearward end of the stem portion.
A throwing dart comprising a dart body having an axis, a tail portion connected to said body and comprising a plurality of flights movable axially relative to said dart body, means connected to said flights for moving said flights from radially retracted positions to radially outwardly extended positions relative to said axis in response to movement of said flights axially away from said dart body, means for biasing said flights toward said radially retracted positions, means connected to said flights for retaining said flights in said radially outwardly extended positions during the flight of said dart and means responsive to the impact of said dart with a target for releasing said flights from said radially outwardly extended positions such that said biasing means moves said flights to and retains said flights in said radially retracted positions.
A throwing dart comprising a dart body having a longitudinal axis and a tail portion, said tail portion comprising a stem portion and a sleeve axially movable along said stem portion, a plurality of flights mounted to said sleeve for radial movement relative to the axis of the dart body and cam means cooperating between said stem portion and said flights for moving said flights from retracted positions to radially outwardly extended positions in response to axial movement of said sleeve along said stem portion in a direction away from said dart body, said stem portion including a shaft, said cam means comprising a cam member mounted to said shaft and a recess in each of said flights, said cam member being engagable with each recess.
A throwing dart comprising a dart body having a longitudinal axis and a tail portion, said tail portion comprising a stem portion and a sleeve axially movable along said stem portion, a plurality of flights mounted to said sleeve for radial movement relative to the axis of said dart body, cam means cooperating between said stem portion and said flights for moving said flights from retracted positions to radially outwardly extended positions in response to axial movement of said sleeve along said stem portion in a direction away from said dart body, said sleeve means comprising a first tubular portion and a conical portion, a plurality of slots in said tubular portion, a flight in each of said slots, and means engagable with each of said flights for resiliently biasing said flights toward the retracted positions thereof.
A throwing dart comprising a dart body having a longitudinal axis, a tail portion connected to said dart body, said tail portion comprising a plurality of flights, means for mounting said flights for axial movement relative to said axis, means responsive to axial movement of said mounting means away from the dart body for camming said flights from retracted positions adjacent said axis to radially extended, cocked positions relative to said axis, and means for resiliently biasing said flights from said radially extended, cocked positions toward said retracted positions whereby upon impact with a target said flights are released from said cocked positions and said biasing means moves said flights to and retains said flights in said retracted positions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.