Games using tangible projectile – Projectile – per se; part thereof or accessory therefor – Disk- or ring-shaped
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-28
2001-06-19
Chiu, Raleigh W. (Department: 3711)
Games using tangible projectile
Projectile, per se; part thereof or accessory therefor
Disk- or ring-shaped
C473S589000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06248034
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to hockey pucks. It finds particular application in conjunction with street or roller hockey pucks, and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the present invention is also amenable to other like applications.
In recent years the sport of street or roller hockey has increased in popularity due to the advent of the roller blade or in-line skate. The skate itself feels more like an ice skate then a roller skate. Likewise, for street hockey, a puck is desired which travels and/or otherwise performs on asphalt, concrete, or other like playing surface as if it were on ice, i.e., gliding or sliding smoothly.
Typically, in street hockey, the playing surface is rough, unlike ice hockey where you have a lower coefficient of friction. These rough playing surfaces tend to cause conventional pucks to act erratically forcing the puck to flip and/or roll on its outer edge. These are undesirable results.
There have been pucks designed to address the problem of puck performance. While some of the prior designs have worked better than others, all of the previously designed pucks have, due to their hardness and/or inflexibility, a tendency to injure players or spectators when struck therewith. A rigid or hard puck is unable to sufficiently absorb the shock upon impact with a player and/or spectator. Accordingly, a large portion of the force upon impact is delivered to the individual struck.
In addition to being constructed of hard polymers, several pucks employ rolling parts such as wheels, spheres, ball bearing, etc. on which the puck travels over the playing surface. These rolling features change the nature of the puck's performance or play from gliding or sliding across the playing surface to rolling across the playing surface thereby reducing the ice hockey feel. Moreover, a common problem associated with these designs is that the wheels or rolling parts are jammed or clogged during play by debris getting caught between the rolling parts and the body of the puck. When this happens, the puck no longer travels across the playing surface freely.
Other previous puck designs employ skids or runners on which the pucks are able to glide or slide across the playing surface. With reference to
FIGS. 1A through 1C
, a prior art skid assembly
10
for use with a street hockey puck is shown. It includes a top skid
10
a
and a bottom skid
1
b
which sit proud of a top surface
20
a
and a bottom surface
2
b
of a main body
20
. Typically, the main body
20
is cylindrical in form and a plurality of skid assemblies
10
are installed around it's circumference at it's periphery. As best seen in
FIGS. 1B and 1C
, the skid assemblies
10
are installed via opposing solid pins
12
and hollow pin-receiving housings
14
which are integral with the skids
10
a
and
10
b
and that extend longitudinally through the main body
20
.
As shown in
FIG. 1C
, these types of skid assemblies
10
are not optimal insomuch as the relatively thin walls of the hollow pin-receiving housings
14
tend to develop cracks
16
under the extreme impacts experienced by the puck during play. Additionally, during it's use, the skids
10
a
and
10
b
on the puck wear down through repeated sliding contact and friction with the playing surface. In these pucks, there is no way to readily measure the amount of wear on the skids
10
a
and
10
b,
or determine when a skid should be replaced. Accordingly, play tends to continue with a puck having overly worn skids that are less than optimal. Such worn skids in turn allow the body
20
of the puck to more readily catch on the playing surface causing the puck to flip and/or lose momentum.
The present invention contemplates a new and improved street hockey puck which overcomes the above-referenced problems and others.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a street hockey puck includes a main body having opposing top and bottom sides and an outer periphery. A plurality of skid assemblies are disposed around the outer periphery of the main body. The skid assemblies each include opposing first and second skids having profiles that sit proud of the top and bottom sides of the main body, respectively. The first and second skids each include a pin and a pin receiving recess. The pin extends longitudinally through the main body, and has a distal end and a proximal end. The pin receiving recess of the first skid receives therein the distal end of the pin extending from the second skid, and the pin receiving recess of the second skid receives therein the distal end of the pin extending from the first skid.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a street hockey puck includes a main body having opposing top and bottom sides and an outer periphery. A plurality of skid assemblies are disposed around the outer periphery of the main body. The skid assemblies each include opposing first and second skids having profiles that sit proud of the top and bottom sides of the main body, respectively. The profiles include ridges which, with use, wear flush with a gap therebetween.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a street hockey puck includes a main body having opposing top and bottom sides. The main body includes a cylindrical center hub and a deformable annular outer ring which is concentric with the cylindrical center hub. A plurality of skids assemblies, upon which the street hockey puck rides as it traverses a planar playing surface, are disposed around the deformable annular outer ring. A plurality of shock absorbing mechanical linkages connect the deformable annular outer ring to the cylindrical center hub. The mechanical linkages are disposed angularly about the cylindrical center hub.
One advantage of the present invention is that it's flexibility makes it safer when impacting a player or other individual.
Another advantage of the present invention is it's improved performance with play mimicking the gliding or sliding ice hockey feel.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is the durability of the skid assemblies.
Another advantage of the present invention is that wear on the skids is readily determinable from a simple observation.
Still further advantages and benefits of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3675928 (1972-07-01), Gentile
patent: 5149096 (1992-09-01), Keating et al.
patent: 5269520 (1993-12-01), Vellines
patent: 5275410 (1994-01-01), Bellehumeur et al.
patent: 5518238 (1996-05-01), Hu et al.
patent: 5531442 (1996-07-01), Gill
patent: 5695420 (1997-12-01), Bellehumeur
patent: 5697858 (1997-12-01), Lekavich
patent: 5733213 (1998-03-01), Colarusso
patent: 5855528 (1999-01-01), Aiello et al.
Chiu Raleigh W.
Fay Sharpe Fagan Minnich & McKee LLP
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