Swinging bob toy with middle bob having non-cylindrically...

Details Swinging bob toy with middle bob having non-cylindrically... Swinging bob toy with middle bob having non-cylindrically...

2002-04-01

2003-10-07

Banks, Derris H. (Department: 3712)

Amusement devices: toys

Including flaccid element or portion

C446S247000, C446S242000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06629873

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to swinging bob toys, more particularly to swinging bob toys where the middle bob does not have a cylindrically-symmetric weight distribution, and even to swinging bob toys where the middle bob has few or no weight-distribution symmetries. One group of embodiments of particular importance for swinging bob toys where the weight distribution of the middle bob does not have cylindrical symmetry is swinging bob toys where the middle bob includes functional, internal components, such as one or more light-emitting elements powered by one or more electric batteries.
As shown in
FIG. 1A
, a swinging bob toy (
100
) consists of an end bob (
110
) and a cylindrically-symmetric bored bob (
111
) on a string (
120
). The end bob (
110
) is fixed at an end (
121
) of the string (
120
). The bored bob (
111
) has a bore (
130
) through which the string (
120
) passes, thereby allowing the bored bob (
111
) to slide freely along the string (
120
). As shown in
FIG. 1B
, the toy (
100
) is operated by holding the end (
122
) of the string opposite the end (
121
) where the end bob (
110
) is attached, and oscillating the hand (
141
) to cause the bobs (
110
) and (
111
) to separate and the end bob (
110
) to orbit about the bored bob (
111
). The bobs (
110
) and (
111
) can describe a vertical orbit (
190
), as shown in
FIG. 11B
, or horizontal orbits, figure-eight type orbits or irregular paths.
The above-described swinging bob toy (
100
) is described in German Patent No. 572723 issued in February of 1934, and a version of this toy (
100
) was marketed by Playco Plastics of Lincoln, Mass. under the trademark “OY—OY.” It should be noted that the German patent and Playco Plastics teach that the density of the bored bob (
111
) is cylindrically symmetric about the bore axis (
136
) and has a homogeneous density. A disadvantage of the homogeneous density of the bored bob (
111
) is that the string (
120
) tends to snag around the bored bob (
111
) as the bobs (
110
) and (
111
) orbit, inhibiting the enjoyment of operation of the toy (
100
).
An improved version of the swinging bob toy (
200
) is described in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 34,208 issued Mar. 30, 1993. As shown in
FIG. 2
, the improved swinging bob toy (
200
) consists of three bobs (
210
), (
211
) and (
212
) on a string (
220
), with end bobs (
210
) and (
212
) being fixed at the ends (
221
) and (
222
) of the string (
220
), and the middle bob (
211
) having a bore (
230
) through which the string (
220
) passes, thereby allowing the middle bob (
211
) to slide along the string (
220
). Having a bob (
210
)/(
212
) fixed at each end (
221
)/(
222
) of the string (
220
) allows a player to hold either end bob (
210
)/(
212
) during operation and perform juggling tricks, such as switching end bobs (
210
)/(
212
) in mid-air. (In this paragraph and the remainder of the Background of Invention section, the 200-series reference numerals of
FIGS. 2
,
3
A and
3
B, rather than the 100-series reference numerals of
FIGS. 1A and 1B
, will be used in discussions of swinging bob toys. Furthermore, components of the swinging bob toy other than those of the middle bob (
211
) will be assigned 200-series reference numerals corresponding to the 100-series reference numerals of
FIGS. 1A and 1B
.)
As shown in the cut-away view of the middle bob (
211
) of FIG.
3
A and the cross-sectional view of
FIG. 3B
, one of the innovations of the swinging bob toy (
200
) of U.S. Pat. No. Re. 34,208 is a high-density weight (
240
) centered within a low-density surrounding material (
250
). In a swinging bob toy marketed under the trademark AstroJax®, and having been distributed by New Toy Classics of San Francisco, Calif., United States, and Active People of Benningen, Switzerland, the weight (
240
) is made of brass and is essentially cylindrical with a central bore (
232
) along the axis of cylindrical symmetry (
235
) (i.e., the “polar axis”) of the bob (
211
). The material (
250
) surrounding the weight (
240
) is a soft foam having a density of roughly 0.4 g/cc. The exterior surface (
251
) of the foam bob (
211
) is spherical, with the exception of two conical-section indents (
231
) at the top and bottom which lead to the bore (
232
) of the weight. The bore (
230
) of the bob (
211
) consists of the indents (
231
) in combination with the bore (
232
) of the weight (
240
). The mouth (
234
) of each conical-section indent (
231
) is rounded to meet the outside spherical surface (
251
).
The function of the high-density weight (
240
) is to concentrate the mass near the center of the bob (
211
), providing a low moment of inertia I about axes perpendicular to the polar axis (
235
), thereby allowing the middle bob (
211
) to rotate rapidly as the swinging outer bob (
212
) describes the top (
291
) of its orbit (
290
). This is the same principle that a diver uses when she tucks into a bob during a dive to complete more rotations, or an ice skater uses when he brings his anus in during a spin to rotate faster.
A particularly popular embodiment of the swinging bob toy (
200
) is a glow-in-the-dark version where the foam (
250
) surrounding the central weight (
240
) is impregnated with a phosphorescent pigment. When the phosphorescent pigment is exposed to light, the energy is absorbed and stored by the pigment, and then re-emitted as light over a period of ten to fifteen minutes. A user may therefore ‘charge’ up the bobs (
210
), (
211
) and (
212
) under bright light, and then play with the luminescent bobs (
210
), (
211
) and (
212
) in a dark area for the ten to fifteen minutes during which the bobs (
210
), (
211
) and (
212
) re-emit light. This provides the swinging bob toy (
200
) in its purest visual form, since the surrounding environment, and even the string (
220
) connecting the bobs (
210
), (
211
) and (
212
), is not visible.
The glow-in-the-dark embodiment of the swinging bob toy (
200
) has been enjoyed by children, as well as adults playing in nightclubs and rave parties. However, its enjoyment and popularity is limited by the inconvenience of needing to frequently recharge the pigment in the bobs (
210
), (
211
) and (
212
). Therefore, there has been demand for a battery-powered, light-emitting embodiment of the swinging bob toy (
210
), (
211
) and (
212
) for several years.
As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 34,208, a crucial measure of the “goodness of operation” of a swinging bob toy (
200
) is the dimensionless ratio X given by
X
=(
mh
2
/I
)
1/2,
  (1.1)
where I is the moment of inertia about axes perpendicular to the polar axis (
235
), m is the mass of each bob, and h is the height of the bore. It should be noted that this expression is only applicable for a middle bob (
211
) having cylindrical symmetry, so that the moment of inertia I is not a function of the azimuthal angle &phgr; of the axis of rotation for which the moment of inertia I is calculated. If X is much greater than unity, the middle bob (
211
) can rotate rapidly in response to the torque produced by the string (
220
), and so the string (
220
) will not snag around the middle bob (
211
) and the motion will be smooth. However, if X is much less than unity, the middle bob (
211
) cannot rotate rapidly in response to the torque produced by the string (
220
), and so the string (
220
) will tend to snag, or even tangle, around the middle bob (
211
), disrupting the orbital motions of the bobs (
210
) and (
211
) and inhibiting enjoyment of the toy (
200
).
The design of a light-up version of the swinging bob toy (
200
) is further complicated by the fact that the functional, internal components in the middle bob (
211
) will typically produce a mass distribution which is not cylindrically symmetric, and may even have few or no symmetries. Furthermore, the functional, internal components will generally have considerable mass, and it will be difficult or impossible to position the functional, internal components near the center of the bob due to their dimensions.
Therefore, it

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