CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/060,166 filed on Oct. 6, 2014. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to toys that can be thrown and caught. More particularly, the present invention provides a football that is configured to be thrown like a conventional football wherein the football is more easily gripped by a user and provides a unique appearance during flight.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There have been a variety of different footballs that have been developed and marketed. These footballs are configured to be tossed around by people of all ages. Some of these footballs include a soft foam football, which are particularly useful among children because the ball is relatively soft in order to minimize injuries and property damage. Other types of these soft foam footballs include a dimpled and/or ribbed outer surface to improve the grip of the ball. Typically, these footballs have a uniform weight density through the ball, which creates a moment of inertia that is not conducive to promoting spiral rotation. Therefore, some people consider these types of footballs to be difficult to throw, especially in a spiral.

In addition, other footballs have been made from a rigid polyethylene. These footballs have an outer plastic shell forming and surrounding a hollow inner chamber. The outer plastic shell provides a moment of inertia that is more conducive to throwing spirals than the aforementioned soft foam footballs. However, unlike the soft foam footballs, these footballs are typically harder to catch due to the outer plastic shell. Therefore, there exists a need and a desire for a football that is decorative in appearance and allows a user to more easily throw and catch the football.

Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to toys designed to be thrown and caught. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. Such devices fail to provide a football-type ball having a tapered body portion with a tail extending therefrom, wherein the tail may include feathers or husks, depending upon the embodiments.

More specifically, the present invention provides a football that is substantially in the shape of a corn on the cob or a cooked ear of maize. The football includes a body portion having a blunt end that tapers towards a tapered end. An outer surface of the body portion includes a plurality of kernels that are aligned substantially in a plurality of parallel rows that encircle the body portion. The blunt end includes a tail, such as a plurality of feathers, that extend outwardly therefrom.

It is therefore submitted that the present invention is substantially divergent in design elements from the prior art, and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to footballs. In this regard, the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of footballs now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a football wherein the same can be utilized for providing a user with a throwing toy that is easily gripped and that provides a unique appearance during flight.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a new and improved football that has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved football comprising a body portion having a blunt end that tapers towards a tapered end, wherein the tapered end serves as the leading end of the football.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved football, wherein the body portion comprises an outer surface having a plurality of kernels substantially aligned in a plurality of parallel rows placed against one another.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved football, wherein said blunt end includes a tail extending therefrom, wherein the tail helps to provide aerodynamic stability during flight.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved football, wherein the tail comprises a plurality of feathers.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved football wherein the device may be readily fabricated from materials that permit relative economy and are commensurate with durability.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a side perspective view of a first embodiment of the football.

FIG. 2 shows a side cross sectional view of a second embodiment of the football.

FIG. 3 shows a side perspective view of a third embodiment of the football.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the football. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used to provide a throwing toy that can be easily caught and that provides a unique appearance in flight. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a side perspective view of an embodiment of the football. The football 20 comprises a body portion 21 having a tapered end 24 opposite a blunt end 25. The blunt end 25 is substantially wider than the tapered end 24 and the blunt end 25 has a squared or rounded configuration. The body portion 21 tapers to a point at the tapered end 24 so as to provide the body portion 21 with an aerodynamic shape. The body portion 21 is configured to be thrown with the tapered end 24 as the leading end pointed towards a potential catcher. The body portion 21 further comprises a substantially circular cross sectional area so as to improve the aerodynamics of the body portion 21. The body portion 21 is preferably shaped similarly to a corn on the cob. However, in alternative embodiments, the body portion 21 may have a substantially conical shape.

The body portion 21 comprises an outer surface 22 having a plurality of kernels 23 thereon configured to provide grip for users while throwing and catching the football 20. The plurality of kernels 23 are substantially aligned in a plurality of parallel rows that encircle the outer surface 22 of the body portion 21. The rows are directly adjacent to one other so as to fully cover the outer surface 22 of the body portion 21.

The body portion 21 is composed of any of various materials. In some embodiments, the body portion 21 is composed of a preserved and dried corn cob so as to provide a natural and unique appearance. However, in alternate embodiments, the body portion 21 is composed of a synthetic material that resembles a corn cob, such as foam rubber or other similar material, wherein the foam rubber is soft yet resilient.

A tail 27 extends outwardly from the blunt end 25 of the body portion 21. The tail 27 is preferably aligned with or parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body portion 21, wherein the longitudinal axis is defined as a central axis extending through the body portion 21 from the tapered end 24 thereof to the blunt end 25. The tail 27 helps to provide stability to the body portion 21 so that when the football 20 is thrown, the football 20 does not tumble end over end. The tail 27 helps to stabilize the football 20 as it is thrown so that the football 20 can be thrown accurately and with minimal rotation.

In some embodiments, the tail 27 comprises one or more feathers. The feathers comprise a stem having one or more vanes 26 extending therefrom. The stem is composed of a semi-rigid material so that the stem can flex but largely retains its shape and configuration. The vanes 26 are composed of a flexible material, such as a fabric material. The vanes 26 are adapted to flutter as the football 20 is thrown, providing a unique visual effect that increases the appeal of the football 20 during flight. Preferably, the feathers are arranged such that they flare outwardly from the blunt end 25 of the body portion 21. This helps to further improve the aerodynamics and stability of the football.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a cross sectional view of a second embodiment of the football. The illustrated embodiment is substantially the same in design and construction as the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. However, the illustrated embodiment comprises a body portion 21 having an open blunt end 25 and a closed tapered end 24 forming a hollow interior, wherein a tail 27 is preferably affixed to an interior side 51 of the tapered end 24 and extends outward from the body portion 21 through the open blunt end 25. The hollow body portion 21 helps to reduce the weight of the football 20. Further, the tail 27 may be more securely connected to the body portion 21 by attaching the tail 27 within the interior of the body portion 21, as the connection is not exposed to the user and to other outside elements. In the illustrated embodiment, the tail 27 comprises feathers having a stem 90 and vanes 26 thereon. The stems 90 are secured to the interior side 51 of the tapered end 24 of the body portion 21.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a side perspective view of an embodiment of the football. In the illustrated embodiment, the tail 27 comprises a husk 35. The husk 35 that is inverted and extends outwardly away from the blunt end 25 of the body portion 21. The inverted husk 35 is also configured to stabilize the football 20, which allows a user to throw the ball further and more accurately.

It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.