Amusement devices: toys – Rotating or having visible rotating portion – Having attached cord for imparting rotation
Patent
1996-05-14
2000-03-07
Hirsch, Paul J.
Amusement devices: toys
Rotating or having visible rotating portion
Having attached cord for imparting rotation
446254, 446486, A63H 132, A63H 3300
Patent
active
060332832
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of invention
The present invention relates to string spinning toys.
2. Background of Art
A spinning toy made of narrow thin film strips or fins of durable plastic film, taped to a central hard plastic support cylinder with two holes therethrough for spinning on a string is available from Rainbow Products of Trail, Oreg. under the tradename "ORBITER". The ORBITER transforms the nearly straight film strips on both sides of the rigid spinning cylinder into two side lobs by the action of centrifugal force. Another string spinning toy available from Giggles Toy Co., Inc., of MT. Clemens, Mich. is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,790 and tradenamed the "WILD THINGS". It consist of two rigid plastic cylinders with two holes suspended on a string for spinning.
Historically, string spinning toys have been around for a long time. in the nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries, various rigid, hard, materials such as shells, wood, bones, metals, ceramics, ivory, glass, rigid plastics, ect were used to make buttons. The large buttons with their well placed center holes 6 made them ideal for spinning on strings. In the Eighteen century, large copper pennies were commonly use by children for spinning on a string. These were called "humdingers". The word "humdinger" has since lost its meaning. Today, the word refers to anything that is extraordinary.
It is certain that string spinning toys date back to much earlier times and were enjoyed by many cultures, possibly before recorded history. From the earliest tires to the present, all known string spinning toys utilize a hard structural support with bores or holes. One major disadvantage of spinning toys with hard surfaces is that the string breaks often and requires replacing. No prior art is known to exist that require solutions to problems which are only inherent and unique to the string spinning toys of the present invention.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
Statement of Invention
I have unexpectedly discovered novel string spinning toys and methods of making and using comprising highly elastic gel bodies which are deformed and elongated by the centrifugal force of rotation generated by the dynamic twisting actions of the strings. The invention is also directed to string spinning toys comprising bodies made from materials having low strength which can easily be cut through by the dynamic twisting actions of the string.
For want of a simpler name to call them, I will hereinafter define, describe, claim and in all respects refer to the string spinning toys of my invention as "humdingers".
The preferred embodiments of the string spinning toys of the invention comprises a highly elastic gel body having at least two holes at a selected distance apart and extending through said body along a selected axis of rotation, said body suspended by a selected length of a string(s) having ends, said string formed in a loop through said holes with said ends tied together to provide for alternatively clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of said body by the twisting and untwisting of said string, said body being deformed and elongated by the action of centrifugal force of rotation of said body, and said body having sufficient strengths to withstand the centrifugal force of rotation and shearing force of the twisting and untwisting of said string generated by a first, a second, a third, or higher order dynamic twisting of said string during spinning.
Another preferred embodiment of the string spinning toys of the invention comprises a body made from a low strength material having at least two holes at a selected distance apart and extending through said body along a selected axis of rotation, and a selected length of two or more shear resistant tubes inserted into said holes and positioned within said body, said body suspended by a selected length of a string(s) having ends, said string formed in a loop threaded through said tubes residing within said holes with said ends tied together to provide for alternatively clockwise and counterclockwise
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Applied Elastomerics, Inc.
Hirsch Paul J.
Priddy Michael B.
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