Patent US4003574A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4003574A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Game ball
Assignee: THINGAMAJIG CORP
•
Filing: 1975-03-04
•
Granted: 1977-01-18
•
Expires: 1995-03-04
Abstract
Abstract A football-like game ball which is manually thrown through the air. The ball has a generally truncated ellipsoid outer contour with a Venturi-like nozzle passage extending coincident with a major axis of the ball. A plurality of weighted elements are located within or adjacent to an outer wall of the ball to provide rotational stability when the ball is thrown through the air and spun about the major axis.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard A. MacDonald
- 👤 James A. MacDonald
- 👤 Joseph J. Andrews
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 20:22
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63B; A63B39/00; A63B2243/00; A63B2243/0066; A63B2243/007; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S273/00; Y10S273/20
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
88 words
A football adapted to be manually thrown through the air, having an oblate spheroid contour being substantially symmetrical about a major and a minor axis of said oblate spheroid contour, said football having a through nozzle passage formed about said major axis, said through nozzle passage being symmetrical in cross-sectional area about said minor axis to provide maximum cross-sectional nozzle passage area at opposing longitudinal ends of said football and continuously decreasing to a minimum cross-sectional nozzle passage area at substantially a mid-point region between said opposing ends.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
88 words
A football adapted to be manually thrown through the air, having an oblate spheroid contour being substantially symmetrical about a major and a minor axis of said oblate spheroid contour, said football having a through nozzle passage formed about said major axis, said through nozzle passage being symmetrical in cross-sectional area about said minor axis to provide maximum cross-sectional nozzle passage area at opposing longitudinal ends of said football and continuously decreasing to a minimum cross-sectional nozzle passage area at substantially a mid-point region between said opposing ends.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The football as recited in claim 1 where said nozzle passage converges linearly to a minimum cross-sectional area at said minor axis.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
The football as recited in claim 2 where said linearly converging nozzle through passage forms a cone angle approximately within the range 2° - 25°.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
49 words
The football as recited in claim 2 where said linearly converging nozzle through passage forms a cone angle approximately being within the range: ##EQU5##where: α = cone angle l = one-half the length of said major axis D = nozzle cross-sectional diameter at opposing ends of said major axis.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
The football as recited in claim 1 where said through nozzle passage having a minimum diameter at said minor axis, said cross-sectional area of said passage being constant on opposing sides of said minor axis for a distance approximating said minimum diameter of said nozzle passage.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
The football as recited in claim 1 including means for increasing the moment of inertia of said football about said major axis, said inertia means being disposed symmetrically about said major axis.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
The football as recited in claim 6 where said inertia means includes a plurality of weighted elements formed within an outer wall of said football.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
19 words
The football as recited in claim 7 where said weighted elements are positionally placed symmetrical about said minor axis.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
The football as recited in claim 8 where said weighted elements include a set of weighted disc members having a density value in excess of said outer wall of said football.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
The football as recited in claim 1 where said football includes outer wall surfaces in contact with said air, said outer wall surfaces being generally formed of a plastic material.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US1483165A
Cited
US1554781A
Cited
US1597308A
Cited
US1826221A
Cited
US2705148A
Cited
US3216727A
Cited
US3264776A
Cited
US3550940A
Cited
US3884466A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1980-01-18 | 1980-07-19 | 1981-01-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-01-18 | 1984-07-19 | 1985-01-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-01-18 | 1988-07-19 | 1989-01-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |