A BOUNCING DISC FOR GAMES

A BOUNCING DISC FOR GAMES

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a bouncing disc for games, in particular a disc for games of the type bearing a visible laminar graphic image, said disc being designed to rebound strongly, or bounce repeatedly when hurled against a surface, thus enabling a game, more or less difficult, to be played consisting in gripping the disc, throwing it in one or more ways, and using one or more contact surfaces. Background Art The prior art comprises games balls formed by two hemispheres made of an elastic and transparent material, in which a laminar graphic image is inserted at the point of junction of the hemispheres. The sphere is designed to be thrown against a hard surface in order for it to rebound off, or subsequently bounce on other hard surfaces, then to be caught, more or less expertly, by a player. Document WO 2007/042741 describes a game formed by a hoop in the circumference of which a series of identical elastic rings is inserted, equidistantly separated. Said hoop can be thrown against a hard surface so that it rebounds or bounces and thus can be caught by a player. Also known is document ES 1057123, which describes a disc for games for infants, of the type of discs incorporating a graphic representation having a double use, as the discs can be used as a collector's item or as a recreational object, as they can also be played with in different ways, by stacking them or pushing them against other discs, etc.; these discs have the characteristic that the disc is defined by joining a first base body and a second body, both translucent, the first base body having a general disc-shape with the edge of each face being bevelled and having a small circular recess in one of the faces thereof, while the second body has a circular shape similar to the recess in the first base body. In the conformation of the disc, the second circular body joins, with the interposition of a label, in the recess of one of the faces of the first base body, defining a disc-shaped disc. This disc is not able to bounce or rebound. Disclosure of the Invention Differently to the elements described in the prior art, the bouncing disc for games of the present invention, thanks to its composition which will be described in greater detail herein below, and apart from being collectable or an object usable for recreational activity, has the advantage that one or more players can play with it by throwing the disc against a hard surface so that it rebounds (and bounces, generally strongly) and can be caught by the same or a different player, or so that it rebounds subsequently against another hard surface or surfaces and, finally, one or more of the players can attempt to catch it. This particularity of said bouncing disc implies that some training exercises are associated to its use, leading to the players' acquiring sufficient ability to catch the disc confidently and rapidly after one or more bounces against a surface, thus increasing the functional range of the disc.

The above objects are achieved by the present bouncing disc for games, of the type incorporating an illustrated sheet housed internally of a flat body or structure having a closed perimeter, realising a collectable element, characterised by the fact that said flat body constituting the disc comprises at least a first configuration of elastic material which is at least partly transparent or translucent, said configuration containing the illustrated sheet, the perimeter edge of said configuration having, in transversal section, a rounded profile exhibiting a convex shape, such that the disc (1) is designed to be thrown and to rebound when said edge strikes against a hard surface.

More in detail the flat body has a closed perimeter, with a printed sheet arranged internally thereof and visible from the outside, at least through one of the faces of the disc, thus obtaining an easily transportable and collectable element. Said flat body illustrated in a preferred embodiment of the present invention is disc-shaped; also provided is an embodiment with a body having a polygonal perimeter configuration, with a large number of sides and with vertices of obtuse angles.

The above disc configuration, which is at least one in number, is advantageously formed by a first and a second disc-shaped part, superposed on one another and solidly joined with the interposition of said sheet bearing the graphic image or illustration, and one of the disc-shaped parts will be totally or partially transparent or translucent, the illustrated sheet being visible through at least said transparent or translucent disc-shaped configuration or part. The bouncing disc described herein above is designed to join, by one of its faces, in particular by its non-transparent face, with the respective non- transparent face of a further identical disc, by pressing both superposed discs one against another, forming, between the identical discs, a single unit destined also to bounce when thrown and when it strikes against a hard surface, maintaining the conjunction of both discs or not, during one or more bounces. Alternatively the disc is composed of two disc-shaped configurations, each configuration having an edge with a rounded convex profile and forming, in the joining area, a concave groove. One or two illustrated sheets will be interposed between said two configurations, or parts thereof.

Other advantageous characteristics of the present bouncing disc for games will be illustrated in the description that follows. Brief Description of the Drawings For a better understanding of the description that follows, a preferred embodiment of a bouncing disc for games according to the invention is described purely by way of non-limiting example in the figures of the drawings, in which: figure 1 is a raised view of the bouncing disc of the invention, in exploded view and in section; figure 2 is a perspective view of the disc, once assembled; figure 3 is a portion of said disc, in section, in the zone denoted by III in figure

2; figure 4 is a schematic view illustrating a possible game, not exclusive, using the present disc, in which, in the illustrated example, two players participate; figure 5 is a provisional joining of two identical discs, like the disc in figure 2, pressed together and joined to constitute a single game unit, and figures 6, 7 and 8 respectively illustrate different alternative configurations of bouncing discs in raised view and partial cross-section. Ways of carrying out the Invention

With reference to a first embodiment illustrated in figures 1 , 2 and 3, the bouncing disc for games 1 of the invention is disc-shaped and formed by two parts 3, 5 that are symmetrical with respect to an intermediate circular plane 6, said parts 3, 5 being constituted by respective identical disc-shaped bodies made of an elastic material such as rubber or plastic, at least one of said parts 3 being transparent and said first and second parts 3, 5 being solidly joined to one another by vulcanisation, heat-forming or a similar process, with the interposition of a slim illustrated sheet 7, an image of which is visible via at least said transparent part 3, forming an assembly which is designed to rebound when hurled against a hard surface. Each of the above-mentioned parts 3, 5 is considerably rounded at the peripheral edge thereof, forming approximately a half-projection 3a, 5a such that by joining said first and second disc-shaped parts 3, 5 with the rounded edges 3a, 5a thereof orientated in opposite directions, a rounded convex element, in a projecting shape, is defined on the perimeter of the assembled disc 1 which facilitates rebounding thereof. Figure 4 illustrates, purely by way of example, one of the many games which can be played with the present disc 1 ; two players 1 1 , 12 are represented (but there could be one player, or more than two), one player 1 1 being in the act of throwing a disc 1 onto the ground 14, the disc 1 then bouncing against a wall 16 and then newly rebounding towards the second player 12, who tries to catch it. Obviously the users might develop other games with the bouncing disc for games 1 , in particular other throwing modes and different numbers of surfaces the disc 1 has to impact against.

The disc 1 described up to the present point is destined to adhere to a further identical disc Ia, by the respective non-transparent parts 5. By pressing one disc against another, a single game unit 20 is created (figure 5) which can stay together or not after one or more bounces after being thrown against a surface. In this way, the disc of the invention, both in the single version thereof 1 or the double version thereof 20, is a collectable item, and can be used as a table game as it internally contains an illustrated sheet, or incorporates a graphic image 7 (visible from at least one of the external faces). Further, the disc can be used for rebounding and bouncing games against the ground and/or against a wall or similar hard surface. Apart from the functional versatility of the disc 1, and thanks to the composition thereof with two identical parts 3, 5, the disc 1 of the present invention enables use of a single mould for realising said identical parts 3, 5, thus leading to a considerable saving in tooling. Figure 6 illustrates a second preferred embodiment of the bouncing disc for games of the present invention, in a raised and partly sectioned view of a bouncing disc which, with respect to the disc of figures from 1 to 4, differs in that it provides two superposed configurations 13, 15 which are partially differentiated from one another at the edges thereof and which are tightly joined to one another. As can be seen in the figure, this structure provides a similar configuration to that of the two temporarily-joined discs of figure 5, but is narrower with respect to said pair of discs 1 of figure 5, as far as the diameters thereof are concerned. This construction of this alternative bouncing disc to the one illustrated in figures from 1 to 4 is such that said configuration facilitates control of the bounce and makes the game easier to control. A part 13 of said disc is transparent or translucent, while the other part 15 is opaque. The laminar illustration, or illustrated sheet 7, is located between said two parts and is visible through the transparent or translucent part 13 and the edge of the disc is a double edge having a rounded profile based on the two configurations. The disc illustrated in figure 7 is similar to the disc of figure 6, and also has a double rounded edge, but is different in that the laminar illustration, or illustrated sheet 7 is on a circular plane which corresponds to the larger diameter Dm of a disc-shaped configuration 13 of the disc; the part 13a of disc which is above the illustration on the sheet 7 is transparent, while the remaining part 13b, 15 of the disc is opaque. This position of the sheet 7 is such that the sheet can be larger if positioned on a larger diameter Dm of the disc 1. Independently of the various configurations that the bouncing disc 1 can have, at least one of the flat faces thereof is destined to be slightly convex 17 or externally rounded (figure 6). In the same way, at least one of the flat faces of the disc is slightly concave 18 or internally rounded (figure 7).

Figure 8 is similar to figure 6, with the difference that it has two transparent external parts 13a, 15, solidly joined to the rest of the disc 1, which is opaque. A respective illustrated sheet 7, 7a is positioned at the join between the transparent parts.

The invention has similar further embodiments, and an expert in the field will obviously understand that the bouncing disc for games 1 can be realised in other forms (for example with a polygonal perimeter having a large number of sides and obtuse angles) and using other and equivalent elements, materials and components without forsaking the ambit and the essential characteristics defining it. In the same way, the two disc-shaped parts 3, 5 of the disc 1 can be transparent and the sheet 7 can be printed on both sides thereof, thus providing a view on either external face of the disc 1 and thus increasing the versatility thereof, especially as a collector's item. Similarly the projection 30 can have a convex configuration that is more or less pronounced, as well as providing a triangular profile with the obtuse angle. Moreover other embodiments of the disc 1 are possible in which lighting means are envisaged. For example the lighting means can comprise one or more coloured or colourless LED (Light Emitting Diode), which are placed in an internal or external seat arranged in the disc 1.

If the LED are arranged inside the disc 1, the emitted light can cross the transparent parts of the disc 1 ; on the contrary, if the LED are arranged on the external surface of the disc 1 (e.g.: in the concave groove between two superposed disc-shaped configurations), they can be seen directly from the outside.

In order to supply energy to the LED, the disc 1 can be provided with supplying means (i.e. a battery or similar devices) arranged inside the disc 1. The LED can be lighted in a constant way or in a blinking way; for example the LED can be usually off and turned on every time the disc 1 bounces against the hard surface.

However, other kinds of lighting means different from LED are not ruled out, for example other type of light sources (lamps, light bulbs) and/or luminescent surfaces (photoluminescence, phosphorescence, fluorescence).

The described embodiments of the invention must be considered in all their aspects an example and thus not restrictive, the ambit of the invention being set out in the accompanying claims and not being limited by the preceding description.