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Novelty loose string ball assembly and its associated method of manufacture

Novelty loose string ball assembly and its associated method of manufacture description/claims

1. Field of the Invention

In general, the present invention relates to bound clumps of string of similar strands, therein producing a loose string ball. More particularly, the present invention relates to the structure of novelty loose string ball assemblies and the manners in which they are fabricated.

2. Prior Art Description

There are many balls, such as baseballs, that are primarily made from a wound length of string. Typically, such balls have a covering that prevents the wound string from fraying or otherwise becoming unwound. In the case of a baseball, the ball of string is covered in a stitched rawhide cover. However, toy manufacturers have often purposely created balls of string where the strings are exposed. Having exposed string on a ball makes a ball easier to catch. Exposed strings also limit the speed of flight of a thrown ball and prevent a ball from bouncing on impact. All of these features are desirable for particular types of games.

A well known example of a loose string ball is the Koosh® ball, which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,529 to Stillinger, entitled Generally Spherical Object With Floppy Filaments To Promote Sure Capture. The Koosh® ball has a multitude of elastomeric filaments that emanate from a common core to produce a ball. Within the core of the Koosh® ball, all the filaments are physically tied together. This makes the ball very complicated to manufacture. Each of the filaments must be separately manufactured and precisely bound together to form a uniform ball. This complicated manufacturing process requires complex and expensive machinery to accomplish on a mass scale. Accordingly, such loose string balls are expensive to produce. Furthermore, the longer the strands used in the loose string ball, the more complex it becomes to create the loose string ball. Loose string balls are therefore typically manufactured with relatively short loose strings.

A need therefore exists for a new manner in which a loose string ball can be manufactured, without requiring that the loose strings be tied together. Furthermore, a need exists for a new manner of inexpensively creating a loose string ball with long strings. These needs are met by the present invention as described and claimed below.

The present invention is a novelty loose string ball assembly having a multitude of long string elements that extend from opposite sides of a narrow central hub.

The loose string ball assembly is created by fabricating a rolled structure. The rolled structure contains at least a first string ribbon. The first string ribbon has a first central band and a first plurality of long string elements that extend from opposite edges of the first central band. The rolled structure is created by rolling the first string ribbon up along the first central band. Adhesive is deposited along the first central band that prevents the rolled structure from unraveling.

Secondary string ribbons can be added to the rolled structure. The secondary string ribbons can be stacked atop the first string ribbon, prior to rolling. Alternatively, the secondary string ribbons can be wound around the first string ribbon after it is rolled.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of exemplary embodiments thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention loose string ball assembly;

FIG. 2 is a partially assembled perspective view of a first exemplary loose string ball assembly;

FIG. 3 is a partially assembled perspective view of a second exemplary loose string ball assembly; and

FIG. 4 is a partially assembled perspective view of a third exemplary loose string ball assembly.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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