US3031191A - Tethered ball game - Google Patents

Description

April 1962 w. E. BONANG 3,031,191

TETHERED BALL GAME Filed Jan. 50, 1961 Irv 6217b)- WL HIQmEdM/ rd 5 720.?

United States Patent 3,031,191 Patented Apr. 24, 1962 3,031,191 'IETHERED BALL GAME William Edward Bonang, 139 Sydney St., Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada Filed Jan. 30, 1961, Ser. No. 85,580 1 Claim. (Cl. 273-95) This invention relates to a game of skill involving a tethered ball game.

Many games and toys are played with balls. In many such games, a resilient rubber ball is elastically connected directly to a wooden handle, and the ball is adapted to be struck by the wooden handle.

By the present invention, there is provided a game of skill comprising a resilient solid sponge rubber ball having a hole diametrically formed therethrough, a rigid inelastic hollow cylindrical handle adapted to be gripped by the hand of the user and a single elastic band passed through said hollow handle and through said hole in said ball and elastically connecting said ball to said handle, said elastic band constituting a closed loop, the length of said handle being at least equal to the diameter of said ball, whereby motion of the users hand causes said elastic band to be stretched thereby causing said ball to be extended away from the hand of the user, and whereby contraction of said extended elastic band causes said ball to be moved towards the hand of the user and to be struck by the hand of the user.

In the drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the 3 her ball 10, and through a hole 13 bored through the handle 12. The length of the handle 12, as shown in the drawing, is at least equal to the diameter of the ball 10.

FIG. 2 shows the invention in use. The user, a young boy 21, grips the handle 12 with his hand 22 so that his fist is facing the ball 10. Oscillatory motion of the users arm causes the elastic rubber band 14 to be stretched and this causes the ball to be extended away from the users fist. Then, the elastic contracts causing the ball to come closer to the users fist. Eventually, the ball contacts the users fist, and then the ball is punched away by the users fist. It is to be noted that only a single closed loop of elastic connects the rubber ball to the handle so that the user must exercise considerable skill to strike the ball repeatedly. This repeated operation continues at the discretion and skill of the user.

I claim:

A game of skill comprising a resilient solid sponge rubber ball having a hole diametrically formed therethrough, a rigid inelastic hollow cylindrical handle adapted to be gripped by the hand of the user and a single elastic band passed through said hollow handle and through said hole in said ball and elastically connecting said ball to said handle, said elastic band constituting a closed loop, the length of said handle being at least equal to the diameter of said ball, whereby motion of the users hand causes said elastic band to be stretched thereby causing said ball to be extended away from the hand of the user, and

0 whereby contraction of said extended elastic band causes said ball to be moved towards the hand of the user and to be struck by the hand of the user.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 729,473 Wilson May 26, 1903 2,210,024 Cayo Aug. 6, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 774,181 France Sept. 17, 1934 6881151 Gre-at i "rift-7'7: f

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,031,191 April 24, 1962 William Edward Bonang corrected below.

In the heac iing t9 the printed specification, after line 5 insert Clalms priority, application Canada Dec. 29, 1960 Signed and sealed this 11th day of September 1962.

SEAL) \ttest:

ERNEST w. SWIDER DAVID LADD meeting Officer Commissioner of Patents

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