HOCKEY PUCK

Abstract: A hockey puck comprising a cylindrical disc having a central core (412) of hard rubber and an annular bumper (414) of softer rubber or like material completely surrounding the periphery of the hard core, whereby violent impact will be reduced when the hockey puck hits a person during play.

Description: HOCKEY PUCK Technical Field The present invention is directed to a hockey puck, and more particularly to a simulated hockey puck for use in street hockey or "shinny" hockey, and possibly in recreational or organized hockey. Background Art There are two types of hockey pucks presently available, namely, a hard puck which is util¬ ized to play ice hockey and a soft puck. The hard rubber puck is also used for street or "shinny" hockey. The hard puck weighs approximately 6 oz. , allowing it to remain stable on the ice during regular hockey play. It also feels right when manipulated by a hockey stick, and the hockey player develops better shooting skills using the hard conventional puck. Unfortunately, the hard puck can injure players or goaltenders when they are hit. In a regular ice hockey game, players and goalies tend to be well protected with sufficient padding. On the street or on the ice, "shinny" hockey or recreational hockey is played with a minimum of protection, and thus players and goaltenders get hurt. A soft puck has been developed which is safer than the hard puck for "shinny" hockey. However, it does not have the weight of a 6 oz. hard puck and does not have the proper feel on the stick. It bounces around and is generally unstable. Accordingly, other than its safety features, the sponge or soft puck has few desired characteristics of the conventional hard puck. Disclosure of the Invention It is an aim of the present invention to provide a hybrid puck which has the feel of a hard puck, yet is almost as safe as a soft puck. In other words, the hybrid puck bears the best qualities of both the hard puck and the soft puck. A construction in accordance with the present invention includes a hockey puck in the form of a cylindrical disc which includes a hard center core having a density similar to the density of a hard puck and at least a soft annular portion providing a bumper in order to reduce the violent impact when the puck hits a person. Brief Description of the Drawings Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration, a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which: Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a puck show- ing an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a component making up the puck; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the component shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an alternative method of manufacturing the puck of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a front elevation, partly in cross-section, showing the same embodiment as that used in assembly Fig. 1 and Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a radial cross-section of a puck in accordance with a different embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 8 is a vertical cross-section of yet another embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 9 is a top plan view of a further embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 10 is a radial cross-section of a puck in accordance with the embodiment shown in Fig. 8; and Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a suitable mold in an open position. Mode For Carrying Out The Invention Referring now to the drawings, a puck 10 is shown made up of a hard core 12 and an annular bumper portion 14. The hard rubber core may be of a 90 durometer hardness, and it may be compression molded or injection molded. The bumper or annular soft portion may be made of soft rubber or urethane foam approxi- mately of 30 durometer foam hardness. Figs. 1 to 4 show the method of fabricating the puck. The core 12 is H-shaped in cross-section and includes a central portion 12a and top and bottom, larger diameter members 12b and 12c. These members 12b and 12c have smooth parallel outer surfaces. Thus, the core member 12 is first molded and then placed in a second mold. In this second mold, a two-part foam com¬ pound may be mixed (urethane foam) and poured into the cavity of the second mold. It may also be compression molded or injection molded therein. Further, a foaming agent may be added to rubber to make foam rubber by injection molding. The mixed compound adheres to the first core 12. Heat or pressure sensitive glue may be applied to the core 12, and perforations or rough edges may also be used to roughen the peripheral surfaces of the core 12 to improve the adherence of the foam outer bumper 14 when molded thereon. Fig. 5 shows an alternate method of fabri¬ cating the puck. A first hard rubber puck 112 is molded, and a separate annular bumper 114 of soft rub¬ ber or foam rubber or plastic is separately compression or injection molded. Thus, each piece is molded separately, and the soft outer rubber bumper is stretched over the first core member 112. In addition to the tongue and groove fitting, adhesive may also be used. It is also contemplated to slightly reduce the inner diameter of the bumper member 114 so as to form a tight stretch fit onto the first core member 112. Fig. 7 shows an embodiment of the invention in which the hard core rubber member is represented by two separate discs 212 and 213. These discs are either glued in the instep portion of the annular bumper 114 made in accordance with Fig. 5 and as shown in Fig. 6 or set in a recessed puck body made of soft rubber or foam and represented by the number 214. As can be seen in Fig. 7, the soft rubber portion 214 of the puck would include recesses 214a and 214b in which the core elements 212 and 213 would be set. All of the above embodiments provide a puck which, in addition to having a hard core and a soft bumper, also provide a hard smooth gliding or sliding surface since the core 12, 112, 212, 213 project beyond the thickness of the bumper 14, 114, 214. However, the embodiment in Fig. 8 shows a core member 312 which is completely embedded in the body which makes up the bumper, therefore providing a soft bumper protection on all surfaces of the puck. Figs. 9 and 10 show another embodiment where the hard core 412 is a hard rubber having a durometer reading of 80 to 90 while the outer bumper 414 is annular and is made of rubber having a durometer reading of 15 to 25. A blowing agent could be used to provide a sponge rubber effect of the outer ring 414. The puck is vulcanized so that the core 412 fuses to the soft rubber annular bumper 414. Fig. 11 shows a mold 250 whereby a puck according to the embodiment of Fig. 7 can be produced. The mold 250 includes a central mold portion 252, a top mold 254 and a bottom mold 256. The hard rubber inserts 212 and 213 with the soft rubber disc 214 are inserted in the mold 250. The mold is then closed and heat and pressure is applied to vulcanize the rubber so that the discs 212 and 213 will adhere to the soft rubber element 214 which has a larger diameter than the hard rubber inserts in order to provide the bumper. It will be understood that the core and the bumper of the puck may themselves be composites of materials having different characteristics. Thus, for example, the core may comprise two or more materials which in combination, or separately, provide individual desired characteristics such as the desired weight characteristic and a gliding characteristic. Thus, one material of the core might provide the weight and another material of the core might provide the gliding characteristic. In a particular embodiment, the puck might have a core of hard rubber to provide body weight and polytetrafluoroethylene (e.g. Teflon) runner surfaces to provide the gliding characteristic, with the protective bumper being of foamed material.

Claims: CLAIMS : 1. A hockey puck comprising a cylindrical disc having a central core of hard rubber and an annular bumper of softer rubber or like material completely surrounding the periphery of the hard core, whereby violent impact will be reduced when the hockey puck hits a person during play. 2. A hockey puck as defined in claim 1, wherein the hard core has top and bottom, smooth, parallel sur- faces which extend beyond the thickness of the bumper portion to provide a hard smooth gliding surface for the puck. 3. A hockey puck comprising a composite body of at least two different materials, said composite having a core of material effective to provide at least one characteristic selected from a predetermined body weight and a hard smooth gliding surface for the puck, and a peripheral bumper surrounding the core, said bumper being of material softer than that of the core to reduce the effects of impact of the puck with a person during play. 4. A puck as defined in claim 3, wherein said core is a composite of at least a first material to provide said predetermined body weight, and at least a second material to provide the hard smooth sliding surface.

Inventors: JEWITT CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY, JEWITT, CHRISTOPHER, ANTHONY
Applicants: JEWITT CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY, YOUR CHOICE PERS COMM INC, JEWITT, CHRISTOPHER, ANTHONY, YOUR CHOICE PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS INC.
Application year: 1995
Main classification: A63B67
IPC codes: A63B67