US3674263A

US3674263A - Game stick and method of manipulating it

Info

Publication number: US3674263A
Application number: US66286A
Authority: US
Inventors: Antonio R Villanueva
Original assignee: HOLVY WREN
Current assignee: HOLVY WREN
Priority date: 1970-08-24
Filing date: 1970-08-24
Publication date: 1972-07-04
Anticipated expiration: 1989-07-04

Abstract

A game stick having an off-center handle member with slightly concave opposing surfaces and exhibiting an axial mass unbalance accomplished by the off-center location of the handle member. The stick is engaged with the outside surface of one''s thumb and the thumb is moved in a closed looping trajectory to maintain the engagement without actually grasping the stick between one''s fingers.

Description

United States Patent Villanueva [541 GAME STICK AND METHOD OF MANIPULATING n" [72] Inventor: Antonio R. Villanueva, Oak Park, Mich.

[73] Assignee: Holvy Wren, St. Clair Shores, Mich. a

part interest [22] Filed: Aug. 24, 1970 211 App]. No.: 66,286

[52] US. Cl. ..273/1 R, 46/47, 272/8 R, 272/67, 273/109 [51] Int. Cl. ..A63f 9/00 [58] Field of Search ..273/1 R, 106 R, 109; 46/47; 272/8 R, 67

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,364,137 12/1944 Gibb ..273/l06 R 1 July 4, 1972 3,124,356 3/1964 Chordas ..273/l06 R X 3,069,804 12/1962 Cirafesi 3,528,659 9/1970 Benham 3,443,809 5/1969 Montanez..

2,377,498 6/1945 Jacke ..273/l06 R Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Paul E. Shapiro Attorney-McGlynn, Reising, Milton & Ethington [57] ABSTRACT A game stick having an off-center handle member with slightly concave opposing surfaces and exhibiting an axial mass unbalance accomplished by the off-center location of the handle member. The stick is engaged with the outside surface of ones thumb and the thumb is moved in a closed looping trajectory to maintain the engagement without actually grasping the stick between ones fingers.

10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures GAME STICK AND METHOD OF MANIPULATING IT This invention relates to game sticks and particularly to a mass unbalanced game stick which may be manipulated in such a fashion as to perform a dynamic balancing operation which appears to defy gravity.

The game stick which is used in performing the amusing and skillful operation described herein is characterized as a straight elongated member of such size and weight as to per mit easy handling by a child. The stick is constructed in accordance with the present invention to exhibit an axial mass unbalance about a handle region between the ends of the stick. The handle region is adapted to be engaged by ones hand in the operation of the game stick so as to permit the stick to be dynamically balanced and maintained in engagement with the hand by movement of the stick in such a fashion as to be inertially balanced in apparent defiance of the law of gravity.

In particular, the method of operation of the stick involves placing the outside surface of ones thumb against the handle region with the heavy end of the stick lower than the light end. The stick is then moved back and forth across ones body in a closed looping path with the stick generally leading the thumb so as to be inertially balanced and maintained in engagement with the thumb at all times.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention involves an axially off-centered handle member secured to axially oppositely extending rods, each of which may have an object such as a block or semi-spherical member attached to the end thereof. The portions of the stick on opposite sides of the handle member are also preferably of different colors and the handle member itself is constructed with concave parallel and opposite faces to permit engagement the handle region by either thumb and to permit the stick to be passed from one person to the next or from one hand to the other of the same person.

The various features of the subject game stick and the method of operating the game stick will be made more apparent in the following specification which describes a specific embodiments of the game stick and the method of operating the game stick.

This specification is to be taken with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a sequential illustration of the trajectory described by the stick in use;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a stick employing the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the stick of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along a line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a broken plan view of another embodiment of the invention; and,

FIG. 6 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 5.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, there is shown a game stick 10 of straight elongated configuration, such stick being approximately between and 36 inches long and weighing between about 2 and 6 ounces so as to be readily handled by a child of modest physical ability. The stick 10 is preferably constructed of plastic, wood or other lightweight durable material.

Stick 10 is shown to comprise a generally central member 12 of generally fiat rectangular configuration and having opposite concave faces 14 and 16 defining a handle region which is to be engaged by ones hand in accordance with a method of operation to be described. Handle member 12 is preferably slightly off-center with respect to the opposite ends of the stick 10 so as to produce an axial mass unbalance wherein the upper end of the stick 10, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is heavier than the lower end of the stick l0, taken about the center of the handle member 12. Mass unbalance may also be accomplished by placing the handle member in an exact central position and weighting one end of the stick 10 either by the use of dissimilar materials for the two ends or by means of dissimilar size components or by means of an add-on weight.

Handle member 12 has formed in the upper end surface thereof a pair of axially extending symmetrically spaced holes l7 and 19 for receiving a pair of cylindrical and

elongated rods

18 and 20. The other end of handle member 12 has a similar set of holes for receiving

rods

22 and 24. Rods l8 and 20 form a first parallel and axially extending pair while rods 22 and 24 form a second parallel and axially extending pair. Rods l8 and 22 are coaxial whereas

rods

20 and 24 are coaxial. The

rods

18, 20, 22, and 24 are inserted into the holes formed in the end surfaces of the handle member 12 and preferably bonded in position. In a 36 inch stick,

rods

18 and 20 are on the order of 13 inches in length whereas

rods

22 and 24 are on the order of 18 inches in length so as to produce the aforementioned axial mass unbalance. The remainder of the overall length is accounted for by the handle member 12.

Rods l8 and 20 are connected together at the axial extremity thereof by means of a semispherical object 26. Similarly,

rods

22 and 24 are connected together by means of a semispherical object 28. The

object

26 and 28 may be provided with suitable holes to receive the ends of the rods. The

objects

26 and 28 may take any desired shape so to represent various elements. FIGS. 1 through 4 show the objects to be semispherical whereas FIGS. 5 and 6 show objects 26 and 28' to be rectangular blocks. The

objects

26 and 28 are identified with prime numbers in FIGS. 5 and 6 to show the distinction in appearance yet similarity in function to the

objects

26 and 28 of FIGS. 1 through 4.

To add additional weight to the stick l0, laterally extending holes may be drilled in the member 12 at positions which are spaced about the centerline of the [handle member 12 to receive

steel dowels

30 and 32. These dowels may be eliminated in favor of the use of added weight in the

rods

18, 20, 22 and 24 or in the

objects

26 and 28.

The light and heavy sides of the stick 10 are preferably identified with suitably indicia, such as different colors as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. For example, the light end of the stick 10 as defined by

rods

18 and 20 may be red whereas the heavy end of the stick 10 as defined by

rods

22 and 24 may be blue. Any other suitable combination of colors or other indicia, such as stripes, may be used.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a method of dynamically balancing the game stick 10 will be disclosed in detail. FIG. I shows a looping closed path 34 which defines the path of the handle member 12 of the game stick 10 when moved back and forth across ones body in accordance with the preferred method of operating the stick. To carry out the method, the stick 10 is placed in engagement with the outside surface of ones thumb, as shown in FIG. 1, with the heavy side of the stick l0 defined by

rods

22 and 24 being below and slightly ahead of the light Side of the stick l0 defined by

rods

18 and 20. Once the stick 10 has been placed with the outside surface of the thumb against one of the concave surfaces 1-4 or 16 of the stick 10 with the heavy end of the stick below and leading the light end of the stick, the thumb is moved from right to left along the loop 34 shown in FIG. 1. The mass of the stick 10 produces an inertial force as the stick 10 is accelerated across the body tending to maintain it in engagement with the thumb. As the stick 10 and the thumb proceed toward the left-hand side of the looping path 34, the hand with which the stick 10 is engaged is turned in a circular fashion such that the thumb is brought into an orientation pointing substantially toward the body rather than away from the body as it was originally oriented. This accelerates the stick 10' in a circular trajectory and maintains the reaction force of the stick 10 in a direction toward the thumb so as to maintain the stick always in engagement with the thumb and to prevent the stick from falling from the thumb under the force of gravity. This circular rotation reverses the direction of movement of the thumb and the stick 10 and permits the stick to be accelerated back from left to right along the lower portion of the looping path 34. As the stick reaches the right-hand side of the body from which it originally came, the thumb is gradually rotated from an orien tation point toward the body to an orientation pointing away from the body and used to brake the stick 10 to a stop. The stopping point occurs at 36 as shown in FIG. 1. Actually, a

stopping point may also be accomplished on the left-hand side of the loop 34 without dropping the stick from engagement with the thumb. At this point the looping path 34 is simply followed again for as many times as the operator can maintain the stick in engagement with the thumb. It has been found in practice that several hundred cycles can be accomplished by a child of considerable skill.

To become acquainted with the operation of the stick 10, it is suggested that the operator be seated in a chair allowing the heavy end of the stick 10 to rest upon the floor. The thumb is then engaged with the stick 10 by placing it into one of the recessed concave surfaces 14 and 16. Allowing the lower end of the stick 10 to remain on the floor at a pivot point, the thumb and stick are then moved through the trajectory or path 34 shown in FIG. 1 until the operator has become accustomed to the movement. After this brief practice, it has been found that the average operator can maintain the stick in engagement with the thumb by moving it through the looping path 34 with the stick generally leading the thumb except, of course, during the last portion of the loop 34 wherein the thumb must be used to brake the stick to a stop with very little time and practice.

Many other games, including movements which involve passing the stick to one person to the other or from one hand to the other, can be worked out and many of such games will be apparent to those who have used the stick 10 for some time. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the stick 10 is not limited to use in the manner described above but that such an operation is suggested as the preferred and one of the most enjoyable methods of operating the stick 10. The foregoing description is not to be construed in a limiting sense but is to be understood as being illustrative in character.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A game stick for performing an amusing and skillful dynamic balancing operation comprising: means defining a straight elongated stick of such size and weight as to be readily handled by a child, and an elongated rectangular member defining an approximately central handle region upon said stick for engagement with one's hand, the handle member having opposite faces for engagement with ones hand, the

faces being slightly concave, the stick including means for producing a mass unbalance about the handle region to permit the stick to be dynamically balanced by manual engagement of the handle region and movement of the stick in such a manner as to inertially maintain such engagement.

2. The game stick defined in claim 1 wherein the handle member is off center with respect to the stick to accomplish said mass unbalance.

3. The game stick as defined in claim 1 wherein the handle member is provided with axially spaced weights.

4. The game stick as defined in claim 1 wherein the means defining the stick includes at least two parallel and coaxial rods contiguous with the handle member.

5. The game stick as defined in claim 1 wherein the means defining the stick includes at least four straight rods secured to the handle member in parallel pairs, each pair being coaxial with the other.

6. The game stick defined in claim 1 including similar objects discrete from the stick and disposed at each end of the stick.

7. The game stick defined in claim 6 wherein the objects are semi-spherical.

8. The game stick defined in claim 1 wherein the portions of the stick on opposite sides of the handle region are of different colors.

9. The game stick defined in claim 8 wherein the handle re gion is defined by a rectangular member having laterally opposite concave faces, axially extending holes in the ends of the member, rods forming the stick disposed in the holes, the rods being of dissimilar length so as to provide the mass unbalance of the stick, and similar objects disposed on the opposite ends of the rods.

10. A method of performing a dynamic balancing operation using an axially mass unbalanced game stick having a handle region generally centrally thereof comprising the steps of: placing the outside surface of the thumb against the handle region with the heavy end of the stick lower than the light end, and moving the thumb across ones body to move the stick through a closed looping path wherein the stick generally leads the thumb and is maintained in engagement therewith by inertial forces generated by the movement.

Claims

1. A game stick for performing an amusing and skillful dynamic balancing operation comprising: means defining a straight elongated stick of such size and weight as to be readily handled by a child, and an elongated rectangular member defining an approximately central handle region upon said stick for engagement with one''s hand, the handle member having opposite faces for engagement with one''s hand, the faces being slightly concave, the stick including means for producing a mass unbalance about the handle region to permit the stick to be dynamically balanced By manual engagement of the handle region and movement of the stick in such a manner as to inertially maintain such engagement.

7. The game stick defined in claim 6 wherein the objects are semi-spherical.

9. The game stick defined in claim 8 wherein the handle region is defined by a rectangular member having laterally opposite concave faces, axially extending holes in the ends of the member, rods forming the stick disposed in the holes, the rods being of dissimilar length so as to provide the mass unbalance of the stick, and similar objects disposed on the opposite ends of the rods.

10. A method of performing a dynamic balancing operation using an axially mass unbalanced game stick having a handle region generally centrally thereof comprising the steps of: placing the outside surface of the thumb against the handle region with the heavy end of the stick lower than the light end, and moving the thumb across one''s body to move the stick through a closed looping path wherein the stick generally leads the thumb and is maintained in engagement therewith by inertial forces generated by the movement.