Abstract:
A hockey puck or game puck designed for non-ice street and court play has friction-reducing runners that engage the playing surface, the runners being replaceable without need for tools. The runners, which can have friction characteristics similar to that of traditional non-ice pucks, can easily be replaced by hand when worn or broken, using the same puck body. Multiple sets of runners with different sizes and friction characteristics preferably are provided, the runners being interchangeable as desired. Replacement runners are inexpensive and allow the puck body to be used over a long period of time.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention concerns game pucks, particularly non-ice hockey pucks. The puck of the invention has a series of runners that engage the play surface, the runners being replaceable and interchangeable by hand, without tools. 
     Non-ice hockey pucks are typically used on streets or courts, some of which have rough surfaces which can wear down the plastic puck surfaces rather quickly. Eventually the entire puck must be replaced. 
     It would be desirable to have a puck in which a puck body, the main component and bulk of the puck, is long-lasting and nearly indestructible, but with runner elements that actually contact the playing surface, with these elements of any desired low-friction material, and being relatively inexpensive and easily replaced by hand. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The current invention achieves this purpose with a puck body of highly durable plastic, the puck body comprising an outer peripheral annulus providing a peripheral striking surface, and a central hub or core and a series of spokes connecting the central hub to the peripheral annulus. The puck body preferably is injection-molded of a hard, durable plastic such as PVC. It can also be formed of TPR (thermo plastic resin), PU (polyurethane), plasticized carbon fiber or vulcanized rubber. 
     To this puck body are secured a series of removable/replaceable runners, positioned at both opposed surface-engaging sides of the puck. The runners on each side of the puck can provide either a substantially contiguous ring for play surface engagement, or an interrupted series of circumferentially spaced apart runners for less contact area and lower friction with a play surface. 
     The runners are attached to the puck body in a unique way. Each runner has a glider head that actually contacts the play surface, and a leg curving down from the glider head to extend generally at a right angle to the glider head and gliding surface of the runner. The leg has a distal or inner end adjacent to which is a hook that is positioned to snap over and engage a ledge formed in the inner wall of the peripheral annulus of the puck body. The runner is of integrally molded plastic, such as a hard nylon plastic, and the leg possesses a springing elasticity so as to be capable of deflection when the runner is pushed into position on the peripheral annulus, to the extent that the hook snaps over the ledge and locks the runner in place on the puck body. In a preferred embodiment, replaceable runners are assembled onto both sides of the puck, generally opposite one another and with the legs positioned side by side in openings of the puck body between the spokes. Here, the hooks of the two runner legs latch onto adjacent but oppositely-directed ledges. 
     Although the runners are securely retained on the puck body and will not release during play, they are easily removed by hand when desired. On the opposite side of the puck from a runner&#39;s glider head, the tail end of the leg has a release tooth that can be engaged with a fingernail or with a narrow object such as a ballpoint pen. Engaging this tooth and pressing inwardly toward the hub will quickly release the hook from the ledge causing the runner to be ejected from the puck body. 
     Preferably the runner includes a positioning shank depending from the underside of the glider head, this shank being positioned to engage in a slot of the peripheral annulus so as to hold the glider head in proper position as the runner is pushed, the leg is deflected and the hook is caused to snap over the ledge. 
     The invention allows worn or broken runners to be quickly and easily replaced, as well as interchangeability of runners to provide runners of different size or play characteristics. This is easily achieved by hand, without tools. These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment, considered along with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a non-ice game puck in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing the hockey puck with different runners. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic, exploded perspective view indicating assembly of runners into the hockey puck body of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional elevation view indicating assembly of a runner into the puck body. 
         FIGS. 5 and 6  are perspective views indicating a puck body but with different runners assembled into the bodies, forming different glider configurations. 
         FIG. 7  is a side elevation view showing the assembled puck of  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In the drawings,  FIG. 1  shows a game puck  10  of the invention, particularly a hockey puck for non-ice surfaces. The puck includes a puck body  12  that is comprised of a center hub or core  14 , a plurality of radially-extending spokes  16  (five are shown here) that extend preferably integrally from the hub  14 , and a peripheral annulus  18  that is connected, preferably integrally, to the spokes  16 . This leaves a series of openings indicated at  20 , equal to the number of spokes, an opening being positioned between each pair of adjacent spokes. The outside of the puck body presents a peripheral surface  21 , slightly rounded as shown, for striking. 
     A series of runners  22  are fitted onto the peripheral annulus  18  to present a low-friction surface to engage against the play surface (floor, street, etc.), each runner  22  having a leg  24  extending down into the opening between adjacent spokes. The runners  22  are fitted into the puck body  12  from both sides, and distal or inner or tail ends  26  of some of the runners inserted from the opposite side are seen in  FIG. 1 . 
     In  FIG. 1  the runners  22  have glider heads  22   a  of limited surface area, i.e. limited area for contact with the play surface. These are for smooth surfaces and allow for less friction.  FIG. 2 , on the other hand, shows a puck  10   a  which has the same puck body  12  but with different runners  30 , each having glider heads  30   a  of larger surface area, so that the series of glider heads  30   a  on a side of the puck preferably present a substantially continuous ring as shown. These can be considered training gliders, in that they can be used on coarse surfaces such as streets or concrete and provide a good puck for training, with the runners easily replaced when worn or broken. The hard nylon plastic used in both cases is a low friction material with good wear characteristics. Other plastics could be used. 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  show the pucks  10  and  10   a  of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , along with the respective runners  22  and  30  used in those pucks, the puck body  12  being the same in both cases. 
       FIGS. 3 and 4 , both exploded views, show the configuration of the runners and demonstrate the assembly and securing of runners into the puck body  12 . In this case the runners  22  with smaller glider head  22   a  are shown, as in  FIG. 1 . 
     Each runner has the glider head  22   a , a leg  24  extending down from the glider head, preferably on a curve as shown, toward a distal or inner end  26  which, as explained below, also constitutes a finger tab. In addition, the leg has a hook  32  for securing the runner  22  into the puck body. Also preferably included in the integrally, unitarily molded runner  22  is an anchoring shank  34  as seen in the drawings. As indicated in  FIG. 3 , the runners  22  are inserted from both sides, and in doing so the legs  24  become positioned side by side (but inverted in orientation), and this is illustrated in  FIG. 1  where the leg inner or tail ends  26  inserted from the opposite side are visible, each being directly alongside a leg of the runner  22  at the illustrated top side. 
     The runner body  22 , in the peripheral annulus  18 , preferably includes a series of slots or cavities  36  as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , positioned to receive the anchoring shanks  34  of the runners. On assembly of a runner  22  down into the puck body  12 , as particularly illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the anchoring shank  34  (which may be tapered as shown) is engaged into a corresponding slot  36  of the puck body, as the leg  24  is inserted down into the space  20  between spokes. As shown, the leg  24  preferably is shaped essentially complementarily to the corresponding surface of the peripheral annulus, that shape comprising a deflection ramp  38  (preferably curved) which is engaged by a lower or distal end of the leg as the runner is pushed in. With the anchoring shank  34  in the slot  36 , further advancement of the runner leg down into the puck body bends and deflects the leg  24  somewhat, until the hook  32  clears a ledge  40  at the bottom end of the deflection ramp, whereupon the hook  32  snaps into place, locking the runner firmly in place on the puck body with the glider head  22   a  against the top of the peripheral annulus as viewed in  FIG. 4 . Note that the puck body preferably has top/bottom symmetry, with deflection ramps  38  and ledges  40  side by side (and inverted) in each space  20 , but  FIG. 4  is a sectional view as cut through one of the ledges  40 . When all runners  22  have been snapped into both sides of the puck body, the puck  10  appears as in  FIG. 1 . 
     When a worn or broken runner is to be removed and replaced, or to interchange the type of runner to be used on a puck body, the finger tab  26  of a runner, i.e. the runner&#39;s tail or distal end, is accessible from the side of the puck opposite the runner&#39;s glider head. Thus, as can be envisioned from  FIG. 1  and also  FIG. 4 , one can engage the finger tab  26  and deflect it radially inwardly toward the hub or core, thus releasing the hook from the ledge. In lieu of a finger tip, a narrow object such as a pen or pencil can be used. Releasing the hook tends to pop the runner out from the opposite side of the puck body because of the spring action of the runner leg. 
       FIG. 7  is a side view showing the puck  10  of the invention, i.e. the configuration shown in  FIG. 1 . The glider heads  22   a  of the runners are shown as protruding upwardly (and downwardly) from the peripheral annulus of the puck body, these providing the contact area for engaging with a floor or other play surface. 
     The puck body and the runners are efficiently made by injection molding. Runners can be of any desired color which can be different from that of the puck body. If desired the puck body can carry a central decorative hub insert (which could be co-molded), and this can match the runner color. The size of the puck is about 3 inches outside diameter (+/−10%), and about 1⅛ inches in height (+/−10%), including the runners, generally the size of a standard puck. 
     The above described preferred embodiments are intended to illustrate the principles of the invention, but not to limit its scope. Other embodiments and variations to these preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.