A hand-held noisemaker for use at sporting and other events. A dome-shaped, metal ringer is secured to a shallow, cup-shaped base by a lock knob having a parallel pair of barbed ends inserted into a keyway cutout of an upstanding boss within the base. A depending, cylindrical wall portion of the ringer is received within an annular recess of the base, but touches no part of the base. Whenever the noisemaker is shaken, and whenever two noisemakers are clapped together, a spherical ball within a closed, annular space defined by the ringer and base strikes the ringer, causing the ringer to emit a ringing sound.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY APPROVED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to hand-actuated noisemaking devices, and, more particularly, to noisemaking devices that, when attached to the hands and shaken or clapped together, cause a metal ringer portion of each device to emit a ringing sound.

2. General Background

Sports fans, as well as participants at political rallies, weddings, New Year's Eve parties and other kinds of events, enjoy expressing their excitement and enthusiasm by clapping, shouting, stomping, horn blowing and other means of generating noise. My invention, which is intended for making noise at any of those kinds of occasions, provides a device that may be held in the palm of the hand—preferably one device in each hand—and shaken or clapped together to generate a metallic, ringing sound. The device creates noise in two ways. First, the device includes a ball that is captured between a base and metallic ringer such that shaking the device makes the ball repetitively strike the ringer, causing the ringer to emit a ringing sound. Second, when the devices are clapped together so that the ringer of one device strikes the ringer of another device, the ringers likewise emit metallic rings.

Prior to my invention, a variety of devices were known for creating noise at sporting and other kinds of events. U.S. Pat. No. 7,001,238 to Gonzalez disclosed a clapping apparatus comprising a knob-like handle fastened to a clapping plate; a pair of the devices could be clapped together to generate noise by impact of the plates against each other.

U.S. Pat. D577,390 S to Collier disclosed a hand-held noisemaker comprising a first, hemispherical half for the palm of the left hand and a second, hemispherical half for the palm of the right hand, which halves, when held together resemble the appearance of a basketball, and when struck against each other emit noise. Similarly, U.S. Pat. D565,125 S to Collier disclosed a hand-held noisemaker comprising two halves that together mimic the appearance of a football. Attachment to the hands of Collier's basketball and football noisemakers was by insertion of the index, middle and fourth fingers underneath straps attached to outer surfaces of each of the noisemaker halves.

U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2009/0100572 A1 of Jones disclosed a pair of gloves for achieving a louder clapping sound. Noisemaking members, preferably made of a firm plastic or other rigid polymer, were affixed to the palm and fingers of each glove.

U.S. Patent Application No. US 2009/0077712 A1 of Polucha et al. disclosed a hand-held, noisemaking device comprising a pair of gloves, the palm region of each glove being provided with a dome-shaped, hollow member formed of a rigid sound transmitting material. The hollow member extended upwardly from the surface of the palm portion of the glove so that, when the hollow members were clapped together, noise was generated.

U.S. Patent Application No. US 2003/0224689 A1 of Jenkins disclosed a food or drink container integrated with a noisemaking device. An enclosure containing at least one pellet was provided that, after the food or beverage was consumed, made noise when shaken as a fan cheered for a sports team.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

My invention provides a noisemaker that may be held in the palm of the hand—preferably one noisemaker in each hand—and shaken or clapped together to generate a metallic, ringing sound. Each noisemaker comprises a base that is centered on an axis A-A, a dome-shaped, metal ringer, a locking knob for holding the metal ringer in axially-aligned, mating engagement with the base, a spherical ball captured between the base and ringer and free to move about therein and strike the ringer whenever the noisemaker is shaken or clapped against another device, as indicated by arrow50inFIG. 3, and means for attaching the noisemaker to at least one finger of one hand.

The base includes a disk-shaped bottom wall that is centered on and aligned normal to axis A-A, which base has a lower surface and an upper surface. The base further includes a cylindrical wall that is centered on and aligned along axis A-A. The cylindrical wall is attached to, and extends away from, the bottom wall of the base in an upward direction up to a circular, top margin. The base also includes an annular flange that surrounds, and extends radially outward from, the cylindrical wall near to, but below, the top margin of the cylindrical wall. A cylindrical rim extends axially upward and away from the flange. The flange, rim and cylindrical wall are dimensioned such that, in combination, they define an annular recess above the flange and between the rim and an upper portion of the cylindrical wall. The base further includes an upstanding boss that is centrally disposed within the base and extends upward from the bottom wall of the base to a top surface. In a preferred embodiment, the boss is cylindrical and centered on, and aligned along, axis A-A. The top surface of the boss has a centrally-disposed, keyway cutout.

The dome-shaped, metal ringer is centered on axis A-A. The ringer includes a top wall disposed normal to axis A-A. The top wall has a circular periphery and a recessed, central area that is dimensioned for mating engagement with the top surface of the boss. The central area has a central opening that is centered on axis A-A. The ringer further includes a cylindrical, ringer wall that extends from the circular periphery of the top wall of the ringer down into the annular recess of the base. The ringer wall is dimensioned to be received within the annular recess of the base without touching any portion of the base—otherwise, the sound emitted by the ringer would be muffled by contact with the base.

The locking knob has an enlarged, head end and an opposite, axially-directed shank end that is inserted through the central opening of the ringer and into the keyway cutout of the boss, which thereby attaches the ringer to the base. The shank end of the locking knob preferably includes a parallel pair of members that each terminate in a barb end, and the keyway cutout in the boss is shaped and dimensioned to receive and retain the barb ends.

A spherical ball is captured within the closed, annular space between the boss, the cylindrical wall of the base, and the ringer. The ball, preferably a glass ball, is dimensioned and disposed to make repetitive impacts with the ringer whenever the noisemaker is being shaken or whenever two of the noisemakers are being clapped together.

Means are provided for attaching the noisemaker to at least one finger of one hand, preferably to the middle finger, so that the base of the noisemaker rests against the palm of the hand. In a preferred embodiment, said means comprises a symmetrically apposed pair of arcuate members attached to a lower surface of the base. The arcuate member's arch toward one another and cooperate to form a ring that is dimensioned to receive at least one finger of one hand.

Like numerals designate like component parts throughout the several views.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1depicts a preferred embodiment of my noisemaker, denoted generally by the numeral10, attached to the palm side of a right hand.FIG. 2depicts a second such noisemaker10attached to a left hand, wherein it may be seen that the noisemakers are secured to the palm sides of the hands by insertion of a middle finger of each hand through a ring portion22of each noisemaker. Referring toFIGS. 3-7, it may be seen each noisemaker10includes a shallow, cup-shaped base12that is sized and shaped to comfortably fit within the palm of a hand, a dome-shaped, metallic ringer14, a spherical ball16, and a locking knob18for attaching the ringer to the base and for capturing the ball within the closed space defined by the base and the ringer. For purposes of description, it will be supposed that the noisemaker10is oriented as depicted inFIG. 7such that the ringer14vertically overlies the base12and the lock knob18vertically overlies the ringer.

The base12includes a disk-shaped bottom wall13that is centered on, and disposed normal to, an axis A-A. The bottom wall13has a lower surface15and an upper surface17. The base12further includes a cylindrical wall40that is centered on, and aligned along, axis A-A. Referring toFIG. 8, the cylindrical wall40extends upward from the bottom wall13up to a top margin42a distance x measured from the upper surface17of the bottom wall. The cylindrical wall40has inner diameter D1and outer diameter D2. At a vertical distance y above the upper surface17of the bottom wall13, an annular flange44is aligned on, and normal to axis A-A, and extends radially outward from the cylindrical wall40. A cylindrical rim46extends upward and away from the flange a vertical distance z. The cylindrical rim46has internal diameter D3. The flange44is located a little below the top margin40of the cylindrical wall40—that is, x is greater than y. Moreover, the rim46preferably extends higher than the top margin42of the cylindrical wall40—that is, z is greater than or equal to x minus y. The internal diameter D3of the rim46is greater than the outer diameter D2of the cylindrical wall40and, of course, the outer diameter D2of the cylindrical wall40is greater than its inner diameter D1. Moreover, the diameter of the base wall13preferably is also D2. Thus, in combination, the rim46, cylindrical wall40, and annular flange13define an annular recess R in the base12.

The base12further includes an upstanding boss20that is centered on axis A-A, and is attached to, and extends upward from, the bottom plate13a vertical distance that exceeds y plus z; that is, the boss20preferably extends higher than the rim46. The boss20is preferably cylindrical with diameter less than D1minus twice the diameter of the spherical ball18so that there will be sufficient room for the ball to move around between the boss and the ringer14. The boss20has a top surface20T in which a keyway20K is cutout. The keyway cutout20K is shaped and dimensioned to receive and retain the parallel pair of barbed, shank ends18B of the knob lock18; seeFIG. 8.

The metal ringer14is generally dome-shaped and centered on axis A-A. The ringer includes a top wall14T having a circular periphery and a central area14C that is dimensioned for mating engagement with the top surface20T of the boss20. A parallel pair of shank ends18B of the knob lock18are inserted through a central opening15within the central area14C of the ringer top wall14T and into the keyway cutout20K. An enlarged head-end18H of the knob lock18overlies the central area14C and thereby presses against the ringer top wall14T. The central area14C is preferably recessed at14R, as is the knob lock18, so that when two noisemakers10are clapped together, their top walls14T will impact, and not their knob locks. The ringer14further includes a cylindrical, ringer wall48that extends from the ringer periphery P vertically down into the annular recess R of the base12. The ringer wall48and boss20are dimensioned such that the ringer wall touches no part of the base12, and that permits the ringer14to freely vibrate whenever the noisemaker10is shaken or clapped. To ensure that result, the outer diameter D4of the ringer wall48is less than the inner diameter D3of the rim46and the inner diameter D5of the ringer wall is greater than the outer diameter D2of the cylindrical wall; compareFIGS. 8 and 9. To the same end, the height H of the boss20, measured from the upper surface17of the bottom wall13to the top surface20T of the boss, is large enough to prevent the ringer wall48from touching the flange.

The base12is preferably fabricated of plastic as one integrated unit, including the bottom plate13, the boss20, the cylindrical wall40, the flange44, the rim46and the ring22. The knob lock18can be fabricated from plastic and/or sheet metal. The ball is preferably a glass ball, but other suitably hard and durable materials could be substituted. The ringer14is preferably fabricated from sheet metal, such as aluminum.

The preferred method of use is as follows. A first noisemaker10is attached to the right hand and a second noisemaker10is attached to the left hand, by inserting a respective middle finger of each hand through a ring22attached to a lower surface of the bottom wall13of a noisemaker and then holding the bases12of the noisemakers in the palms of the hands. The ring22includes a symmetrically apposed pair of arcuate members23,23′ attached to a lower surface15of the base12, which members arch toward one another and cooperate to form a ring. To make noise, the noisemakers may be shaken with the left and/or right hand, and/or the noisemakers may be clapped together. These actions cause noise to be generated in two ways: first, by causing the ball to ricochet back and forth between the boss20and the ringer14; and second, by direct impacts to the top walls14T of the ringers. The barbed ends18B of the knob lock18are so firmly retained within the keyway cutout20K, that not even vigorous shaking and clapping will cause the noisemakers10to come apart.

Although the above description and accompanying drawings relate to a specific preferred embodiment of the present invention as presently contemplated by the inventor, it will be understood that various changes, modifications and adaptations may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, a strap having spaced-apart, opposite ends attached to the lower surface15of the bottom wall13of the base12and of suitable length to receive one or more fingers could be substituted for the ring22. It is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular terms used in the following claims and/or to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include any and all embodiments and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims.