US20060270496A1

US20060270496A1 - North bearing cap toy

Info

Publication number: US20060270496A1
Application number: US11/137,054
Authority: US
Inventors: Rolando Salinas
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-05-25
Filing date: 2005-05-25
Publication date: 2006-11-30

Abstract

This North Bearing Cap Toy, also called MagSnap, is a miniature tethered projectile toy comprised of a cap and handle joined by an elongated cord. The cap and handle both contain magnets. The toy is approximately 7.5 millimeters in length. The symmetrical cap is made of a lightweight plastic that contains a ceramic magnet. The light plastic around the magnet and the power of the magnet allows for the magnet to carry and position itself with its magnetic force line to the Earth's north magnetic pole. Additionally, this lightness and power combine to make this magnetic positioning a quick one. For instance, if you were to place the cap at one inch above a surface and then release it, the cap would land on its southern edge and bounce towards the north. The energy that can be imparted on the symmetrical cap to get it airborne is constrained to that of an upward pull, diagonal upward pull, outward swing, and side circular swing. There is no direct energy force on the cap's horizontal or vertical axis such as that of the flipping of a coin. The player casts the cap upward, which will find its magnetic force line—direction alignment towards the Earth's north magnetic pole—when in free flight, and then attempts to align the handle with the cap so that the cap descends or ascends onto the handle and magnetism joins the cap and handle. This north facing angling of the cap piece during free flight adds another element to the objective of bringing the two pieces together. The variable of where you are geographically, with the cap's north angle being at its most horizontal at the equator, and what direction you then pull and/or swing the cap into the air is a factor to account for when the handle is being moved, with timing and dexterity, to the position for the alignment and attraction area of the two pieces.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention is a miniature skill toy whose main parts include a lightweight symmetrical cylindrical cap, which contains a magnet with one north side and one south side, the north side preferably being the surface side, tethered by a cord to a handle, which can contain any magnetically attractive material or a magnet with whatever side, north or south, is needed to attract to the cap piece. The symmetrical cap is made of a lightweight plastic that contains a ceramic magnet. The plastic weighs 1.65 grams and the magnet weighs 2 grams for a combined weight of 3.65 grams. The player attempts to control the toss of the north-angling cap such that it ascends or descends and attaches, through magnetic attraction, to the handle. The placement of the magnet in the cap piece is the key component of this invention. Preferably, the magnet is placed in the cap with the side attracted to north facing outward as the magnetic surface side of the cap. The handle would then contain a magnet with the south side facing outward as the connecting surface side of the handle. Incidentally, this allows the handle to be used as a compass in that when allowed to hang freely from the tethered cord, the handle will point in the direction of the magnetic north pole. FIGS. 3-6 illustrate some of the maneuvers that can be accomplished. FIG. 7 illustrates the directions that a player should face to accomplish the different maneuvers. These directions that a player should face make the maneuvers easier to accomplish because they use the north angling of the cap piece to the player's advantage. These and other directions can be faced for any of the maneuvers, bringing along with it, the challenge of always needing to skillfully adjust for the element of the north angling cap. A second option of placement of the magnet in the cap piece would be to place the side attracted to north inside the lightweight material, thereby the south side being the surface side of the cap. The handle would then contain a magnet with the north side facing outward as the connecting surface side of the handle. The result of this placement would be the added element of chance due to the flip action on the part of the cap, as opposed to just a north angling element as in the preferable first option. This flip action is due to the extreme turn or flip to its magnetic force line—direction alignment towards the north magnetic pole—while the player is attempting a maneuver. In some maneuvers, this flip around can cause uncontrollable additional flips due to centrifugal force and this one or more flips can often cause the eyelet end of the cap to hit and bounce off of the surface of the handle, injecting a variable of chance to the objective.
Although similar toys in the past have utilized the principal of placing a cap or body onto a handle, none of them have utilized a magnet around lightweight material and its north angling or flip action, depending on the placement of the north side of the magnet in the cap, as an added challenge element to the objective. Terrell, U.S. Pat. No. 2,485,788, an early version of a tethered projectile toy, and Darcy, U.S. Pat. No. 3,173,690, which does utilize magnetism, and Luchsinger U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,839 do not contain this north angling or flip action element. Darcy includes a game of chance, which, in one version, is a die that moves in a chamber of the body. The player must dock the tethered body on the handle before the game of chance is played.
Unlike Darcy or any other previous tethered projectile toys, the North Bearing Cap toy utilizes the cap's bearing to north as a force of nature to be compensated for when attempting the different maneuvers. FIG. 7 indicates the recommended directions for both left-handers and right-handers a player should face to accomplish the different types of maneuvers or “snaps.” For example, for the swing-over snap, a player should face south when attempting this snap because the cap's magnet's bearing to north can be used to the player's advantage. In the swing-over snap (see FIG. 5), the cap begins in a stationary position with the magnetic surface side facing the ground. The player, holding the handle, then casts the cap forward and in a south direction. It swings over approximately 80 degrees, and then the cap begins its free flight, no tension from the cord, angles itself to the north magnetic pole while traveling north and then the player adjusts the handle to find the cap's attraction area for a connection or docking.
As an additional example, when trying to accomplish the upside-down snap (FIG. 4), it doesn't matter what direction the player is facing. The direction the player is facing is unimportant because play begins with the vertical upward pull of the cap. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the player holds the handle upside down, with the top of the handle facing down, and then moves the handle upward, causing the tethered cap to fly upward. The handle and cap both face down through most of play until the end of the pull resistance on the cap, at which point the magnetic surface of the cap will turn towards a north direction. At this point the player can move the handle down to find the attraction area and thus a successful docking of the handle with cap. The recommendation for the success of this described maneuver would be that the eyelet on the handle be on the south side during the pull on the cap. To successfully accomplish this maneuver with the eyelet on the opposite north side will necessitate the player to bring the handle down and to the north to find the attraction area and therefore a docking of the two pieces.
In summary, the North Bearing Cap toy allows for greater versatility of application than the aforementioned tethered toys. The main difference between the North Bearing Cap toy and the aforementioned tethered toys is that the North Bearing Cap toy has been invented with the purpose of using the north bearing cap as an important component in a challenging game requiring much fine and gross motor coordination. This added component can make the object of accomplishing the different maneuvers more difficult or it can be used to make the maneuvers easier to accomplish.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the North Bearing Cap toy (MagSnap), a miniature tethered projectile toy with a magnetic weight in the handle and the cap according to a typical embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of the FIG. 1 toy detailing the magnetic weights resting on plastic casings and the approximate dimensions of the weights, handle, cap, and cord.
FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6 illustrate several possible applications or maneuvers. FIG. 3 shows the usual upward cast or balance snap. FIG. 4 illustrates the upside-down snap. FIG. 5 shows the swing-over snap. FIG. 6 illustrates the clockwise side snap.
FIG. 7 illustrates the suggested directions a player should face for each particular maneuver or snap.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In FIG. 2, the game device in accordance with the invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 1 and embodies in its construction a handle 2 and a substantially cylindrical cap 3 which is tethered by an elongated flexible element such as a cord 6 to the handle. The invention is miniature in size, preferably about 7.5 mm in length, the cap 3 being about 1.5 mm in width and 1.8 mm in length, the handle 2 being about 5.7 mm in length, and the tethering element 6 about 19 mm in length.
The invention is preferably formed of plastic. The cap's plastic casing 10 forms a hollow core 8 the sides of which form a platform 11 upon which rests a magnetic weight 5 approximately 1.2 mm in diameter. The side of the magnet attracted to north faces outward as the magnetic surface side of the cap. The top of the cap tapers to an eyelet 12 to which a cord 6 is attached. The opposite end of the cord 6 is attached to an eyelet 13 on the side near the top of the handle 2. The plastic casing 9 of the handle 2 flares 14 near the top to allow space for a magnetic weight 4. The side of the magnet attracted to south faces outward as the magnetic surface side 17, away from the handle 2. The sides of the casing's 9 hollow core 7 form a platform 15 upon which rests the magnetic weight 4 which has dimensions similar to the magnet 5 in the cap 3.
The invention 1 is operated by holding the handle 2 in either hand and casting the cap 3 into the air for the different types of maneuvers. Depending on the type of maneuver, the player then attempts to align the handle 2 under or over the cap 3 so that the magnets 4,5 attract each other, and the cap 3 attaches to the handle 2.
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.

Claims

1. A miniature tethered projectile game device, comprising a lightweight symmetrical cap, a handle, an elongated flexible tethering element, with cap and handle being capable of engagement at a wide variety of angles, with a magnet in the cap to provide the north angling action or flip to north action due to the magnetic force lines factor—cap's direction alignment to the north magnetic pole, and magnetically attractable metal or magnet on the connecting surface side of the handle.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the side of the magnet in the cap attracted to north is the surface side of the cap to provide for the north angling action of the cap while it is in free flight/without string tension.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the side of the magnet in the cap attracted to north is the surface side of the cap to provide for the north angling action of the cap and the handle containing a magnet with the south side of magnet as its connecting surface, thereby allowing for the handle to be hung from the tethered element to act as a compass—the end of handle will point in the direction of north.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the side of the magnet in the cap attracted to north is inside the cap, thereby the south side being the surface connecting side of the cap to provide for the north flipping action of the cap while it is in free flight/without string tension.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the side of the magnet in the cap attracted to north is inside the cap, thereby the south side being the surface connecting side of the cap to provide for the north flipping action of the cap and the handle containing a magnet with the north side of magnet as its connecting surface, thereby allowing for the handle to be hung from the tethered element to act as a compass—the end of handle will point in the direction of south/surface side will point north.

6. The combination of claim 1 wherein the cap(s) can be taken off of the tethering element and used for the display of feats of magic: a north angling cap, the north side of magnet is the surface side of cap, can be held and then let go to show that it will hit the surface with it's southern edge first and bounce to the north all the time, while a cap with a non-magnetized magnet can be switched out with sleight of hand to show that it does not and vice versa.