US1993911A - Combination ball pick-up and driver - Google Patents

Description

March 12, 1935. A, A. ABRAMs 1,993,911

COMBINATION BALL PICK-UP AND DRIVER v Filed Nov. 27, 1953 A rroe/vzv Patented Mar. 12, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,993,911 COMBINATION BALL PICK-UP AND DRIVER I Albert A. bram st. Louis, Mo. 7 Application November 27, 1933,Serial No. 699,877

' 4 Claims. (01. 273-67) 5 time.

Among the objects of my invention is the production of a combination device whereby the ball may be quite easily picked up by pressing the device over the ball, and without the use of movable levers, or other parts, requiring manual setting or release. I l

A further object of the invention is the production of a device of thekind described, in which there will beseveral jaws for springing over the ball to pick it up, and one or more of these jaws may be formed with a striking or pushing face to engage the ball in play.

Another object of my invention is to provide a reinforcing means at the ball-striking face, to strengthen the same, and at the same time act as a limit stop to abut'the respective jaw having the striking face formed as part thereof, and thus serve to limit the degree of bending of this striking face in the event that the ball has been struck unduly hard. I,

A still further object of my invention is the production of a device of the kind described, in which there will be anti-friction means .provided on some of the ball-engaging jaws, to thereby save wear and tear upon the floor over which the game is played, and to more easily move the device along the floor, and further, moreaccurately guide the same during play.

My invention has among other objects, the production of such a device, which shall be neat and attractive in appearance, novel, simple, light and compact, sturdy, efiicient, and durable and satisfactory for use wherever found applicable.

Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown and described will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, from the disclosures herein given.

To this end, my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, combination of parts, and uses mentioned, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing, wherein I have indicated like or corresponding parts throughout, by like reference characters, throughout the views,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device; and

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, with a portion broken away to show one of the jaws in cross-section.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, wherein I have illustrated one of the preferred forms of the invention, there is shown a device intended to be used with a ball, such as a tennis ball or the like, in play, and to either push or strike said ball from time to time. In order to avoid stooping and bending, a pick-up is incorporated into the device as a part of the playing this space to remove the ball from the cen ral opening formed by the several jaws.

The several jaws 2, depending from thetop plate 1, are arranged in peripherally spaced or' circumferentially spaced relation, and are'arcuate or bowed in longitudinal or median crosssection, the lower ends of the jaws being radially closer to the central or longiutdinal axisof the device than the intermediate portions of said jaws. The ball-receiving opening thus provided is preferably such that when the device is held above the ball ,3 and pressed down over said ball, the jaws will spread radially apart in the event that the ball is a hard one, and then contract after the ball has passed up into the central pocket. When the ball is very soft and yieldable, the jaws will not spread (unless the material from which the device is made is extremely resilient, ,or extra thin), the ball itself compressing momentarily as it moves relatively past the lower ends of the jaws and into the central pocket. In either event, the ball is held therein and may be carried thus to any desired point for removal, or may be immediately removed after the pick-up.

The principal point to be stressed in this connection is that the resilient jaws define a circle at their lower ends, smaller than the diameter of the play ball B, but the central or ball holding space is substantially of the same diameter as that of the ball.

A sleeve or ferrule 3 may be secured to the plate 1, to receive the lower end of the handle 4 of the toy, this securement being either by forcing the handle into the ferrule or by additional fastening means.

One or more of the jaws 2 may be provided with a playing or striking face 5, extending in a plane substantially parallel to either the adjacent jaw or the median plane which passes through the longitudinal axis of the member. This face 5 is formed by bending the free end of the jaw outwardly and thence upwardly or rea'rwarclly and preferably spaced from the adjacent jaw portion by a distance indicated by the length of the transversely extending portion 6, thereby giving this striking face a resilient juncture to the jaw itself, and by means of which said face portion may move relatively to the jaw portion, either at the innermost or outermost line of securementto the jaw, or both.

The striking face is further provided with a central pocket 7, as by pressing the metal thereat, the pocket extending toward the adjacentjaw to a point quite close thereto. This depressed pocket not only reinforces the striking face, but acts as a stop, abutting against the jaw, to limit bending movement of the striking face during play. Further, this pocket enables the ball to be struck more squarely than if the striking face were a flat surface. If desired, the face 5 may be suitably roughened as indicated, to further avoid inaccuracies in striking the ball.

Anti-friction means, such as the rollers 8, may be provided on a pair of opposed jaws, and also the rear anti-friction means 9 may be provided. Thus, the device may be moved along the floor without damaging the latter, and with greater ease. Further, when playing a game by pushing or shoving the ball, as indicated in Fig. 1, the rear wheel enables the device being rapidly swung around to the desired position for best directing the ball to the goal. All of the antifriction means, however, are mounted outwardly of the ball-receiving portions of the jaws, so as not to interfere with the picking up of the ball.

In playing with the ball, the latter may be either pushed, as by rolling the device along the floor, or the ball may be struck with said striking face, while holding the device off the floor and in any position between vertical and horizontal, the players not being limited to one particular angle for striking the ball.

It might be mentioned at this point, that the center of the striking face is preferably at or slightly below the center of the ball used for play, as it has been found that this makes for more accurate pushing of the ball, while the device is held on the floor.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of the same; hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exactform, arrangement, combination, and construction herein shown and described, except as limited by the state of the art to which this invention appertains, and the claims hereto appended.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a toy of the kind described and in combination, a sheet metal member having a plurality of circumferentially spaced, longitudinally extending, resilient jaws, at least one of said jaws bent outwardly and thence 'back upon itself substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said member to a ball-striking face.

2. A toy of the kind described, comprising a one-piece member having a top plate portion and a plurality of circumferentially spaced, bowed, resilient jaws depending therefrom, said jaws being reducingly tapered in width downwardly from said plate portion and the upper ends of adjacent side edges of adjoining jaws terminating at a common point to thereby provide jaws of maximum strength with sufiiciently large finger openings between said jaws.

3. In a toy having a plurality of resilient, longitudinally extending, circumferentially spaced jaws, anti-friction ground-engaging means carried by some of said jaws outwardly beyond the latter.

4. In a device of the kind described, a member having a plurality of resilient jaws integrally depending therefrom, one of said jaws bent rearwardly and outwardly upon itself to form a ballstriking face, and a reinforcing pocket in said striking face extending rearwardly to adjacent said respective jaw to strengthen said face and provide a stop against said jaw to limit bending movement of said face portion during striking.

ALBERT A. ABRAMS.

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