Street hockey ball

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a ball for use in street hockey play. More specifically, this invention relates to an improved street or field hockey ball having superior dampening characteristics to cause the ball to roll rather than bounce on the playing surface.

The sport of street hockey has gained widespread popularity as children and adults alike search for new and interesting ways to stay active and compete against their peers. Many reasons account for the increasing number, of participants. Street hockey can be played outside during warm weather or cold. Ice hockey, of course, may be played outdoors only when the temperature is sufficiently cold. Moreover, compared to ice hockey, the sport of street hockey is inexpensive to play, yet provides a similar level of competition. In addition, while ice hockey requires a substantial investment in equipment and costly ice time, street hockey requires little more than a hockey stick, level ground on which to play, and a ball or other object that simulates the ice hockey puck.

Several products are commercially available to simulate a puck. The products most similar to the present invention include solid balls made of a hard substance such as rubber or plastic, and hollow balls partially filled with liquid, solid particles or a combination of both. The solid balls are resilient, but their tendency to bounce reduces their effectiveness as hockey puck substitutes. The hollow balls partially filled with liquid or solids reduce the ball=s tendency to bounce somewhat by lowering the ball=s center of gravity. They do not, however, totally eliminate bounce because the liquid or solids filling material does not stay in the lower half of the ball as the ball rolls. This characteristic tends to impart an erratic or jerky motion to the rolling ball. Moreover, the liquid or solids tend to splash or disperse when the ball is struck by the hockey stick and each time the ball bounces which can contribute to erratic motion.

The tendency of bounce and erratic motion reduces the effectiveness of commercially-available products. Accordingly, a need remains in the sporting goods industry for a street hockey ball having minimal bounce and uniform rolling characteristics. The primary objective of this invention is to meet this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide a street hockey ball of durable and quality construction having a steady and uniform rolling motion when struck to travel over a level playing surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a street hockey ball having a reduced tendency to bounce when struck to travel over a level playing surface.

A further object of the invention is to provide a street hockey ball of the character described partially filled with a liquid to maintain a low center of gravity for the ball as an aid in reducing the tendency to bounce.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a street hockey ball of the character described partially filled with a liquid to maintain a low center of gravity for the ball as an aid in reducing the tendency to bounce and a layer of floating solids to minimize splash of the liquid and to improve the ability of the liquid to remain in the lower portion of the ball as it travels over a playing surface.

In summary, a ball for use in playing street hockey having a substantially smooth spherical shell with a hollow interior cavity partially filled with a liquid and a plurality of prills to less than one-half of the volume of the interior cavity. The specific gravity of the prills is less than that of the liquid to minimize splash of the liquid and to improve the ability of the liquid to remain in the lower portion of the ball as it travels over a playing surface.

Other and further objects of the invention, together with the features of novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear in the course of the following description of the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals are employed to indicate like parts in the various views:

FIG. 1

is a cross-sectional view of a prior art street hockey ball partially filled with a liquid,

FIG. 2

is a cross-sectional view of another prior art street hockey ball partially filled with liquid and solid particles; and

FIG. 3

is a cross-sectional view of a street hockey ball constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawing in greater detail,

FIGS. 1 & 2

show examples of prior art street hockey balls. Prior art ball

10

includes a spherical outer shell

12

having a hollow interior cavity

14

partially filled with a free flowing liquid

16

. The liquid

16

lowers the center of gravity of the ball

10

and imparts some dampening effect to the natural tendency of the ball to bounce when struck to travel over a level playing surface (not shown). Commercially available products as shown in

FIG. 1

typically provide a non-toxic antifreeze as the liquid

16

to permit play during winter conditions.

Prior art ball

20

in

FIG. 2

includes a spherical outer shell

22

having a hollow interior cavity

24

partially filled with a free flowing liquid

26

and solid particles

28

. Some prior art balls use only solids

28

. The liquid

26

and solids

28

(or solids alone) lower the center of gravity of the ball

10

and impart an improved dampening effect to the natural tendency of the ball to bounce when struck to travel over a level playing surface (not shown). Introduction of solids

28

such as sand or small, dense beads to the interior cavity

24

of a prior art ball

20

, either alone or in combination with a liquid

26

, results in a tradeoff between desirable and undesirable characteristics. Due to the weight of the solids

28

, there is a better lowering of the center of gravity of the ball

20

which improves dampening of the ball, but motion of the ball

20

can become more erratic. It is believed that the erratic motion is caused by centripetal force on the solids as the ball rotates and by the tendency of the solids to Acling≅ to the trailing side of the ball

20

during travel across a playing surface. An attempt to illustrate this phenomena is shown in FIG.

2

. Rotation of the shell

22

in the direction of arrow

29

would result in the solids

28

being displaced to the left of the view in

FIG. 2

as the ball

20

itself moves across the playing surface to the right in the same view.

A street hockey ball

30

constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG.

3

. The ball

30

includes a spherical outer shell

32

constructed of a durable, bounce-resistant material such as high impact plastic. The shell

22

has a hollow interior cavity

34

partially filled with a liquid

36

and a plurality of light weight prills

38

which float as a layer on the surface of the liquid

36

.

In the preferred embodiment, the liquid

36

is a salt water solution, such as calcium chloride dissolved in water. Such a solution has good viscosity characteristics and also permits use of the ball

30

during a wide range of ambient conditions. However, any free flowing liquid may be used which is nonreactive with the material from which the shell

22

is fabricated.

The prills

38

are preferably of a spherical shape and uniform in size. Expandable polystyrene is an acceptable material of construction for the prills

38

. Nonetheless, various shapes, sizes and compositional materials may be utilized without departing from the scope of the invention. It is of critical importance, however, that the prills

38

have a substantially uniform density and have a specific gravity less than the specific gravity of the liquid

36

. It is also important that the prills

38

not react chemically with the liquid

36

. Accordingly, once the chemical and physical properties are determined by selection of a liquid

36

, then the correspondingly appropriate compositional materials available for use as the prills

38

can be determined.

In operation, the combination of the liquid

36

and solid prills

38

provide a street hockey ball

30

with a greatly reduced tendency to bounce as compared to other commercially-available balls, while at the same time providing a consistently uniform motion when traveling across a playing surface. When struck by a hockey stick or when striking the playing surface, the liquid

36

contained within the shell

32

quickly settles to the bottom of the interior cavity

34

, thereby lowering the center of gravity of the ball

30

. The prills

38

reduce the splashing or dispersing of the liquid

36

and reduce the length of time it takes for the liquid

36

to settle to the bottom of the interior cavity

34

, without imparting erratic ball motion characteristic of prior art balls.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects hereinabove set forth, together with the other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the invention.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.

Since many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

NUMERALS

prior art street hockey ball

10

outer shell

12

interior cavity

14

liquid

16

prior art street hockey ball

20

outer shell

22

interior cavity

24

liquid

26

particles

28

direction arrow

29

street hockey ball

30

outer shell

32

interior cavity

34

liquid

36

particles

38