Flying toy

Details Flying toy Flying toy

1996-04-08

2001-01-30

Ackun, Jacob K. (Department: 3712)

Games using tangible projectile

Projectile, per se; part thereof or accessory therefor

Boomerang

C446S036000, C446S243000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06179738

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to toys generally and more particularly to flying toys with extended arms adapted to be thrown or otherwise launched by a user.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
Flying toys are known and include boomerangs and flying disks. Generally toy boomerangs and like devices include an air foil or other aerodynamic surface that provides lift to promote the flight of the toy. The following United States Letters Patent and Design Patents and other references disclose various examples of such flying toys:
UK 27,067 (1902) Mikorey et al.
UK 699,214 (1953) Andrews
D. 31,877 (1899) Berry
D. 239,403 (1976) Jarvis
U.S. Pat. No. 1,040,702 (1912) Lee
U.S. Pat. No. 2,816,764 (1957) Gleason
U.S. Pat. No. 2,837,077 (1958) Frazelle
U.S. Pat. No. 3,403,910 (1968) Claycomb
U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,729 (1975) Block et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,389 (1977) Atchisson
U.K. Patent No. 27,067 to Mikorey et al. discloses apparatus for throwing or casting boomerangs and like projectiles. One of the projectiles is depicted as having three arms seemingly arranged equiangularly about a center axis with the outer junction of the arms defining an arc. Boomerangs and like projectiles typically include beveled edges or other airfoil type surfaces that enable the boomerang to return to the thrower. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,403,910 to Claycomb discloses a boomerang having three arms extending from a center hub with each of the arms having an airfoil shaped to provide lift during flight. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 31,877 to Berry discloses a two-arm boomerang with arms that extend from an elbow intersection.
U.K. Patent No. 699,214 to Andrews discloses a boomerang with three arms extending from a central planar hub in an offset manner so that the tips of the arms lie in a plane parallel to the plane of the hub. The hub includes inwardly arced portions between each of the arms. U.S. Pat. No. 2,816,764 to Gleason and U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,729 to Block et al. disclose one-piece flying toys with four arms extending equiangularly from a central hub. Each of the arms terminates with a bent portion that lies outside the plane of the central hub and provides both lift and stability to the flying toy during flight.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,837,077 to Frazelle discloses a spring loaded launching device that imparts both forward and angular velocity to a flying toy. The toy comprises a first and second wooden strips with rounded ends. The strips join at their respective centers with one strip lying in a first plane and the other strip lying in a second parallel plane. U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,962 to Flemming on the other hand discloses a boomerang having two convex surfaced airfoils joined at their center with one airfoil overlying the other. The ends of the Flemming boomerang curve upwardly from the center of each of the airfoils. The toy boomerang disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. Des. 239,403 to Jarvis includes a raised center hub from which four, equiangularly disposed arms extend. The arms include a reduced width portion proximate the center hub and an increased width air foil portion at the distal end of each of the arms.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,389 to Atchisson discloses a throwing knife having four blades that lock at their base with the blades each being in a parallel plane to the other blades. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,817,961 to Stone and 1,040,702 to Lee both disclose flying toys that include two elongated pieces joined at their centers to define four radially extending, equiangular disposed blades. In Stone the blades also extend upwardly from the center so that the tips of the blades lie in a plane parallel with the center while Lee provides chamfered edges on each of the blades. Each of these features provide an aerodynamic surface for providing lift to these devices in their use.
These flying toys thus generally include a relatively thin body that includes at least a plurality of arms extending from a central portion. Most of the devices also include a lifting surface or other air foil arrangement to provide improved flight characteristics of such devices. That is, some have arms that extend outwardly and bend upwardly from a central hub; others have arms that are formed with a convex surface; still others have arms that include airfoil features at their ends; and still others have arms that include portions longitudinally rotated about a central hub. Yet still others require launching devices.
Each of the disclosed devices requires a plurality of steps to produce the device. That is, each requires manufacturing steps to form aerodynamic features on the arms (e.g., forming beveled edges on the arms) or to assemble the arms or to construct a toy that requires an individual to manipulate the arms prior to use so the device exhibits proper flight characteristics. For example, the flying toy disclosed by Frazelle requires the orienting of wooden strips and the securing of the strips together. The device disclosed in U.K. Patent No. 699,214 requires the bending of the arms after they are formed to provide the aerodynamic shapes. In many cases the devices are not formed from a unitary piece of material, so the individual may have to assemble the device and, in some cases, modify the device after assembly. Many of the devices, such as boomerangs that have defined upper and lower surfaces, require throwing or launching in a particular manner or orientation.
The volume of any product determines the volume of shipping containers and the display space required in a store. It is desirable to minimize these volumes. Prior art flying toys, however, due to their bulk and thickness, do not minimize such packing and display volumes.
Generally speaking, these devices fail to provide flying toys that can be easily made from a single sheet of planar material, essentially in a single step, without further manufacture or pre-use assembly or modification. Prior art devices do not provide an easily manufactured, single-piece planar flying toy with equiangularly spaced, radially extending arms that eliminates structure for enhancing lift during flight.
SUMMARY
Therefore it is an object of this invention to provide a flying toy with extending arms that is relatively easily manufactured, packaged, shipped, displayed and stored.
It is another object of this invention to provide a durable flying toy that is made of a relatively inexpensive material.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a durable flying toy that is inexpensive to manufacture.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a flying toy that generates an optical display when used.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a flying toy that can be easily launched by a user.
It is still a further object of this invention to provide a method for manufacturing a flying toy by simply cutting the flying toy from a sheet of planar material.
According to one aspect of this invention a flying toy adapted for being thrown by a user into the air is formed of a thin planar sheet of material of substantially uniform thickness. The flying toy includes at least three arms extending radially in an equiangular fashion from a center portion of the sheet defined by the intersection of the arms. The arms and the center portion lie in substantially a single or common plane.
According to a further aspect of this invention a flying toy is produced by a process that includes the steps of providing a thin planar plastic sheet and cutting the sheet to define a plurality of equiangularly spaced arms that extend from a central hub such that the central hub and the arms including a distal or free end portion lie in substantially a common plane.


REFERENCES:
patent: D. 31877 (1899-11-01), Berry
patent: D. 34964 (1901-08-01), Stauffer
patent: D. 139813 (1944-12-01), Walker
patent: D. 219822 (1971-02-01), Rockaitis
patent: D. 239403 (1976-03-01), Jarvis
patent: D. 342368 (1993-12-01), Gibson
patent: 692608 (1902-02-01), Bristow
patent: 1040702 (1912-10-01), Lee
patent: 2324022 (1943-07-01), Prause, Jr.
patent: 2361988 (1944-11-01), Bonnifield
patent: 2816764 (1957-12-01), Gleason
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