A variable-weight play piece, such as a ball or bat, the weight of the piece depending on the amount of water dispersed within a compressible internal body confined within a water-impermeable outer casing. The casing, whose shape is determined by the nature of the piece, is provided with a port having a removable closure, at least one section of the casing being flexible so that when manually pressed in, it acts to compress the internal body, and when pressure is released, the body then resumes its original shape which conforms to that of the casing. The internal body is formed of open-cell, flexible foam material having sponge-like properties. To impart heft to the play piece, the port is opened and pressure is applied to the flexible section of the casing to compress the internal body and thereby expel air therefrom through the open port. The pressure is then released to cause water introduced through the port to be drawn into and absorbed by the body, the port then being closed to retain the water in the play piece. To thereafter reduce the weight of the play piece, the port is opened and the internal body compressed to expel water therefrom through the open port.
RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 743,279, filed Aug. 9, 1991, entitled "Variable-Weight Play Ball", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,907, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
5967916 - Lazer ball - Owned by Lazer Ball Technologies, LLC (Virginia Beach, VA)
The lazer ball is a foamed ball or projectile which glows under particular lighting conditions and which can be fired through a standard air gun, such as a paint ball gun. The lazer ball can be prepared from any suitable foam material which is capable of being molded or extruded into a spherical shape, is compressible when pressure is applied to it and can return to its original shape when pressure is released. Other properties of the lazer ball include a density of between about 11.0 to about 15.0 pcf, a skin thickness of between about 0.015 and about 0.025" and a shore "A" durometer of between about 35.0 and 45.0. A preferred foam material is an integral skin urethane foam system. Standard foam systems may require chemical modification in order to meet the required surface properties.
A variable-weight playball whose outer casing is formed of liquid-impervious, flexible material, having a closable port therein. Confined within the casing is a compressible body having the same configuration which depends on whether the ball is spherical or in some other shape. The body is formed of low-density, open-cell, flexible foam plastic material having sponge-like properties. To impart heft to the ball, water is introduced through the port into the body and absorbed thereby, the port then being closed to retain the water. To thereafter lighten the ball, the port is opened and the ball is squeezed to discharge water through the port until the ball has the desired reduced weight, after which the port is closed. The casing may be contoured, printed or otherwise arranged so that the ball simulates the head of a humanoid or animal-like character having a mouth. The port of the casing is integrated with the mouth of the character so that when water is added to the ball, it is seemingly introduced through the mouth.
A container for liquid includes a body portion for accommodating liquid and a release portion for selective release of liquid contained in the body portion. The body portion and the release portion together define a container structure shaped to facilitate manual throwing and/or catching of the container and/or rolling of the container along the ground while liquid is accommodated within the container. The container structure defined by the container is suitably substantially spheroidal. The body portion is preferably substantially deformable, to facilitate expulsion of liquid contained in the body portion by external squeezing. The release portion includes a frame portion and a seal portion. The seal portion is displaceable relative to the frame portion to occlude or to expose a discharge outlet for the passage of liquid through the outlet. Relative displacement between the seal portion and the frame portion may be rotational, delimited between end positions, and accompanied by relative axial displacement of these components.
The present invention provides a ball bat having a knob, a handle portion extending from the knob, a barrel portion extending from the handle portion, and an inflatable grip disposed on the handle portion. The inflatable grip includes an inflatable tubular sleeve through which the handle portion extends, an inflator in fluid communication with the inflatable tubular sleeve for pumping air into the inflatable tubular sleeve, and a release valve in fluid communication with the inflatable tubular sleeve for releasing air from the inflatable tubular sleeve. The ball bat according to the invention allows a batter to selectively pressurize the inflatable tubular sleeve to adjust the rigidity and size of the grip, which improves batter comfort and reduces the amount of shock and vibration transferred from the ball bat to the batter's hands.
A children's baseball bat with a pressurizable, external hitting zone to selectively control the trampoline effect when a ball is struck by the bat. The hitting zone is provided by expandable tubing wrapped spirally around the barrel of the bat and connected to a manual air pump built into the handle of the bat to increase air pressure in the tubing. A pressure relief valve connected to the tubing allows the user to decrease air pressure in the hitting zone to control the trampoline effect or to decrease the circumference of the barrel.
