Abstract:
An illuminated game ball for use in playing a game at night. The ball includes a translucent outer wall that can be tinted with various colors, a light with rechargeable power source mounted in the interior of the ball, and an electrical connector mounted substantially flush with the outer surface of the ball that is connected to the power source. When it is desired to illuminate the ball for nighttime play an electrical power source is plugged into the connector for a short time to charge the rechargeable power source which then discharges through the light to illuminate same.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates generally to sporting goods and toy products, and more particularly to a ball such as a football, round ball, or any other game ball or play ball which is internally lighted.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    A wide variety of games are played both in the field and on the court where a ball is kicked, thrown, bounced, paddled, and batted as part of game play. Such game balls must have a relatively heavy-duty construction in order to survive the shock forces resulting from the ball repeatedly rebounding off hard surfaces. Such balls and toys stimulating ball play have always been very popular. Many of the consumers of balls and toy products simulating balls have expressed a desire to use said products in a darkened environment as indicated by relatively large sales of such prior art products. However, relatively expensive, heavy-duty, electrical components must be used to survive the shock forces resulting from a ball repeatedly rebounding off hard surfaces.  
           [0003]    Several designs have been proposed for illuminating game balls to enable play in dark conditions.  
           [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,030 describes an illuminated translucent ball having an access opening in its side and in the opening is mounted a case that contains batteries in a battery compartment, a mount for a light source in the form of an light emitting diode (LED), and a switch for selectively activating the light source. The switch is formed in a cap that is used for closing the access opening so is actuable from the surface of the ball.  
           [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,686 describes an illuminated translucent ball that has LEDs mounted in the inner surface of the ball shell and are connected to an interior rechargeable battery set via a power switch for energizing the LEDs. The switch is mounted in the interior of the ball and is actuated by a slender rod-like tool that must be inserted into a switch access passage. The batteries are recharged via a recharging connector mounted interior to the ball and accessed via a passage that extends from the recharging connector to the surface of the ball body, and a slender rod-like electrical connector is inserted through the access passage to engage the recharging connector for recharging the batteries.  
           [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,589 describes an illuminated translucent ball having an opening in its side that accesses a compartment in which are mounted a battery and lights. A switch is mounted in the wall of the ball to connect the battery to the lights and illuminate the ball. A cap with living hinge is used to create a watertight seal for the opening. The cap is opened to access the compartment and install or replace batteries.  
           [0007]    U.S. Patent No. 4,133,528 describes an illuminated translucent ball that has a passage there through into which an insulating, rigid case is inserted. The ends of the case may be substantially flush with the surface if the ball. The case has mounted therein lights and a battery, and the ends of the case are sealed by end caps that are also used to access the interior of the case to replace the batteries. One end cap may serve as a switch to turn the lights on and off.  
           [0008]    These and other similar designs utilize components, materials and construction that, while generally suitable for their purposes, make the illuminate balls relatively complex and expensive to manufacture and thereby render them undesirable for applications where such design and high manufacturing cost is not needed. Hence, there is a need for an illuminated game ball designed for relatively simple, inexpensive manufacture, assembly, and use.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    The shortcomings of the prior are overcome by the present invention. An illuminated ball is provided that is rugged enough for use, but which is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and is easy to use.  
           [0010]    There is a hollow compartment of a soft membrane PVC layer at the central part of a translucent ball in which one or more for light emitting diodes (LEDs) and a capacitor or rechargeable battery are mounted, so that the ball may be lighted to be played with for fun even at night or in dark places such as a beach, swimming pool or lawn in order to improve its practicability and novelty.  
           [0011]    The interior capacitor or rechargeable battery is connected via wires to a charging connector mounted flush with the outer surface of the ball. When the ball is to be lighted for play a power supply with a mating charging connector is utilized to charge the capacitor or batteries by inserting the mating connector into the flush mounted connector. The charged capacitor or batteries illuminate the LEDs for play.  
           [0012]    The use of a charging connector and a sealed, hollow compartment internal to the ball creates a game ball that is impervious to water and can be used for play in the water. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0013]    The invention will be better understood upon reading the following Detailed Description in conjunction with the drawing in which:  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 shows the illuminated ball in accordance with the present invention; and  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the illuminated ball.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0016]    In FIG. 1 is a preferred embodiment of the invention showing details of an illuminated, inflatable game ball. There is shown a game ball  10  having a translucent wall  20  defining a hollow interior  21 . The translucent material may be made of different colors while still being translucent. Mounted in wall  20  is a valve  11  that is well known in the art and is used to inflate ball  10 . At opposite sides of ball  10  are manufactured openings  22  and  23  that are used in assembling illumination means into ball  10 .  
         [0017]    Stretched between and fastened to openings  22  and  23  by thermally fusing or a flexible adhesive (not shown) is a hollow piece of flexible PVC tubing  12 . After being fastened to the openings  22  and  23  the interior of tubing  12  is accessible from the exterior of ball  10 .  
         [0018]    Separately assembled is a module  13  with a charging connector  17  attached thereto by wires (not shown). Module  13  contains a light emitting diode (LED)  14 , a resistor (not shown in FIG. 1, but shown in FIG. 2), and a capacitor  15  that is charged and acts as a power source for LED  14 . Alternatively, a rechargeable battery may be used in lieu of capacitor  15 . There is a series circuit created through LED  14 , the resistor, capacitor  15  and charging connector  17  when a mating charging plug  19  of a power source/battery charger  18  is not plugged into connector  17 . Thus, a charged capacitor  15  will slowly discharge through LED  14 , lighting it and thereby illuminating ball  10 . Charger  18  is preferably of a type well known in the art and available in stores. Charger  18  can be powered by replaceable batteries, or it can preferably have a small power supply (not shown) that plugs into a standard  110  volt household outlet to produce a d.c. voltage necessary to charge capacitor  15 . When charging plug  19  is plugged into charging connector  17  it opens the series circuit there through created by a normally closed contact (not shown in FIG. 1) and applies the d.c. voltage to capacitor  15  to charge it. A schematic of the circuit for ball  10  is shown in FIG. 2 and is described further in this detailed description.  
         [0019]    After ends of tubing  12  are fastened to openings  22  and  23 , module  13  is inserted into PVC tubing  12  using a long slender rod like tool (not shown) to push module  13  into tuning  12 , expanding the tubing as seen in FIG. 1, until module  13  is in the center of ball  10  as shown. With module  13  located in the center of ball  10  the wires are long enough that connector  17  is still outside ball  10 . The wires, not shown in FIG. 1 but shown and described with reference to FIG. 2, connecting module  13  to connector  17  are positioned alongside the tool at the time of installation and the diameter of the tool is small enough not to interfere with or damage the wires or connector  17  during installation of module  13 .  
         [0020]    After module  13  is inserted into tubing  12  to the center of ball  10 , connector  17  is then inserted into opening  22  with some adhesive (not shown) to permanently attached it to ball  10  such that the entrance to charging connector  17  is flush with the surface of ball  10 . A small amount of adhesive  23  may also be inserted through opening  23  to be in contact with module  13 , as shown, to assure that it stays positioned in the center of ball  10 . The use of charging connector  17  sealed into opening  22  and creating a sealed, hollow compartment internal to ball  10  using tubing  12  and sealant  23  creates a game ball that is impervious to water and can be used for play in the water.  
         [0021]    An on-off switch may be implemented, without changing the design of ball  10  described above, so batteries  15  may be charged and ball  10  be put away, or to preserve any remaining charge in batteries  15  following a use of ball  10 . Such a switch is implemented by using a dummy plug (not shown) that is identical to the dimensions of plug  19 , but has no charger associated therewith. When this dummy plug, which may be a real plug or a dummy one made from plastic, is inserted into charging connector  17  the series circuit described above is opened and batteries  15  cease discharging through LED  14 . When it is desired to use ball  10  the dummy plug is removed from connector  17  closing the series circuit described above and batteries  15  commence slowly discharging through LED  14 . Thus operation is better understood with reference to FIG. 2 and the following description thereof  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 2 shows an electrical schematic diagram of illuminated ball  10 . Module  13  is shown with capacitor  15 , resistor  26  and LED  14 . The wires  24  and  25  that connect charging connector  17  to module  13  are also shown. Finally, the details of charging connector  17  are shown.  
         [0023]    As shown in FIG. 2 there is no charging plug  19  inserted into connector  17 . Accordingly, there is a circuit starting at the uppermost terminal of capacitor  15 , as shown in FIG. 2, and through wire  24  to flexible contact  17   a  in connector  17 . As shown, a contact  17   b  is in electrical contact with contact  17   a  so the electrical circuit is extended therethrough and via wire  25  to the positive terminal of LED  14  in module  13 . The circuit includes LED  14  and current limiting resistor  26  and is completed at the lowermost terminal of capacitor  15  as shown in FIG. 2. With this complete circuit current flows and LED  14  functions to emit light. When capacitor  15  is discharged the LED ceases to emit light.  
         [0024]    When a dummy plug  19  is inserted into connector  17  it causes flexible contact  1   7 a to be moved away from contact  17   b  thereby opening the circuit. No electric current flows and LED  14  does not emit light. The use of plug  19  permits capacitor  15  to be charged ahead of time and to retain its charge until ball  10  is to be used.  
         [0025]    When plug  19  of battery charger  18  is inserted into connector  17  it pushes against flexible contact  17   a  moving it away from contact  17   b  opening the circuit. In this instance a portion of plug  19  called the tip has a negative potential thereon from battery charger  18  and this negative potential is connected via contact  17   a  and wire  24  to one terminal of capacitor  15 . At the same time a portion of plug  19  called the sleeve and having a positive potential thereon from capacitor charger  18  is in electrical contact with terminal  17   c.  Current flows through the circuit in the reverse direction, through now forward biased LED  14  and resistor  26 , and capacitor  15  is charged. Preferably capacitor  15  is a polarized capacitor, such as an electrolytic capacitor, having a positive and negative terminal, and it&#39;s positive terminal is connected to resistor  26  while its negative terminal is connected to contact  17   a  via wire  24 .  
         [0026]    While what has been described hereinabove is the preferred embodiment of the invention, one skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, two or more LEDs may be utilized, and/or additional LEDs may be strung out from module  13  to stretch from the center of the ball toward the surface of the ball. Alternatively, the module, charging plug and any additional LEDs (if any) may be pre-assembled inside the tubing before the whole assembly is inserted through an opening and guided into proper position using alignment rods.