US2835494A - Throw-and-catch game racquet - Google Patents

Description

May 20, 1958 H. v. HULL THROW-AND-CATCH GAME RACQUET Filed Nov. 19, 1956 INVENTOR. HILDE V. HULL 2,835,494 THROW-AND CATCH GAME RACQUET Hilde V. Hull, Ogden, Utah Application November 19, 1956, Serial No. 623,195

1 Claim. (Cl. 273-96) This invention relates to game devices and toys designed to develop skill and muscular co-ordination in the handling of a ball. It is concerned particularly with ball propulsion and catching devices.

A great variety of toys utilizing balls for dynamic play have been developed in the past. The present invention adds to such array of known toys a new toy or game racquet designed to capture the interest of youngsters and to contribute materially to the development of muscular co-ordination, visual-muscular oo-ordination, and skill in handling moving objects.

A principal purpose of the invention is to provide such a toy that can be economically manufactured on a mass production basis, and that will be highly attractive to youngsters.

' An important structural feature of the toy is the provision of aflexible catch basket from a sheet of drape material, such as cloth or net, having oppositely disposed and rigid handles for grasping and manipulation by the hands of a youngster or other person playing with the toy. Resilient means are incorporated with the sheet of material in such a way that the handles may be manipulated to alternately flatten and re-form the basket. In this Way, a ball resting freely in the basket may be pro jected into the air repeatedly, with force dependent upon the forcefulness and rapidity of handle manipulation.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred form of the device illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 represents a top perspective view of the game racquet in relaxed, basket position, with a ball resting in the basket, ready for play;

Fig. 2, a corresponding view illustrating how the basket is flattened during play and the ball projected into the air;

Fig. 3, a corresponding view showing how the basket member is made and how it is applied to the handles; and

Fig 4, a transverse vertical section taken along the line -44 of Fig. 1 and drawn to an enlarged scale, intermediate portions being broken out for convenience of illustration.

Referring now to the drawing:

In the constructionillustrated, a rectangular sheet 10 of flexible and pliable material having drape characteristics, for example, various fabrics, net, plastic sheeting, or the like, is provided with elasticized shirring along one set of mutually opposite margins 11 thereof and engages re spective handle members 12 along the other set of mutually opposite margins 13 thereof.

The handle members 12 are preferably of elongate, rectilinear, rod-like formation, and are advantageously provided by suitable lengths of ordinary wood dowel stock. The margins 13 of the drape sheet 10 are gathered along corresponding end portions ofsuch handle members, leavnited States Patent ing opposite elongate end portions 12a as handles for use in the manipulation of the device.

The normal, relaxed position of the device is shown in Fig. l, the drape sheet 10 being drawn by the elasticized shirring into basket formation capable of retaining a ball 14- therein.

In using the device for play purposes, the handles 12a are grasped by therespective hands of a player, and are vigorously spread apart to the position illustrated in Fig. 2, whereby the basket formation of the sheet 10 undergoes a rapid change to the relatively flat condition shown. Such rapid transformation from basket formation to flat condition has the effect of forcefully projecting the ball 14 into the air.

A single player may alternately project the ball into the air in the manner described above and catch the ball as it descends, the latter being accomplished by rapidly bringing the handle portions 12a together to re-form the basket. When several players each have one of these devices, the ball may be tossed back and forth between players according to appropriate rules of play.

The drape sheet 10 may have its margins 11 elastically shirred in any suitable manner. In the form illustrated, the material of the sheet along such margins is folded over. and. seamed to provide respective'elongate pockets 15, Fig. 4, for receiving respective lengths 16 of elastic or elasticized material, such as rubber or elastic webbing. Such elastic lengths 16 are sufficiently shorter than the respective margins 11 of the drape sheet to provide the desired shirring effect, exemplified by the showing of Fig. 1.

The drape sheet 10 is secured to the handle members 12 in any suitable manner involving a gathering of the material of such sheet along the margins 13 thereof. Likewise, the opposite ends of the respective lengths 16 of elastic material are held in fixed position relative to the handle members 12 in any suitable manner to produce the shirred effect.

In the form illustrated, the material of the sheet along the margins 13 and the ends of the lengths 16 of elastic are folded over and seamed to provide elongate pockets 17 for snugly receiving the handle members 12, respectively. Because the elastic lengths 16 are shorter than the respective margins 11 of the sheet, such margins assume a shirred form in the relaxed position of the device shown by Fig. 1. This and the gathering of the margins 13 of the sheet on the handle members 12 provide the basket formation of -Fig. 1.

For the purpose of insuring retention of the sheet 10 in gathered form on the corresponding end portions of handles 12, it is preferable that metal bands 18 or some equivalent retaining means be tightly applied to such handles near or upon respective opposite ends of the gathered margins 13 of such sheet 10. As illustrated,

the bands 18 are applied to the handles at opposite ends of such margins 13 after the sheet is gathered from condition of Fig. 3 to the condition of Fig. 2.

Whereas this invention is here illustrated and described With respect to a particular specific embodiment thereof, it should be realized that changes may be made, within the scope of the following claim, without departing from the essential contributions to the art made by the teachings hereof.

I claim:

A throw-'and-catch ball game device, comprising a sheet the of drape material; a pair of elongate rods to and along corresponding end portions of the lengths of which respective mutually opposite margins of said drape sheet are attached and gathered, leaving the remainder of the lengths of said rods free as respective elongate handles; elasticized shirring extending along mutually opposite 3 margins of said sheet, intermediate and transversely of the References Cited in the file of this patent first-named margins, so as to normally draw said handle UNITED STATES PATENTS members toward each other and normally draw said sheet into basket-like, ball-retaining position, but permitting 2465808 Kmam 1949 taut extension of such sheet by lateral spreading move- 5 FOREIGN PATENTS ment applied to said handles; and means attached to said 355,672 France Sept. 8, 1905 rods for retaining said mutually opposite margins of the 23,690 Great Britain 1907 drape sheet in gathered condition. 27,679 Great Britain l908

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