Abstract:
An adjustable shuttlecock including means for attaching and detaching an interchangeable tail and a head including an interchangeable weight portion and an interchangeable springing mechanism. The springing mechanism and tail may be designed in such a way as to allow for proprietary designs and logos to be added to them. Additionally, the shuttlecock is designed from durable materials, which will help provide the shuttlecock with a very long life-span. Furthermore, the shuttlecock&#39;s spring may be constructed in such a manner as to cause a noise to be made upon compression.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to sporting equipment, and more particularly to a shuttlecock including interchangeable components and which may be struck by the foot, knee, or other parts of the body as well as paddles and other equipment. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is directed to amusements and sporting equipment generally, and more particularly to a shuttlecock designed to be struck with the foot, knee, or other parts of the body as well as by paddles and other equipment. 
     The typical shuttlecock used in badminton is a small plastic piece with a rubber head; however, other larger shuttlecocks have been proposed in the past for play without a racket, see e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,265,886 and 2,911,219, wherein shuttlecocks are disclosed having heads from a series of plastic spring-like portions and paper sheets, respectively. The present invention is an improvement over the prior shuttlecocks because it allows for interchangeable and adjustable springing mechanisms, an adjustable weight for adjusting the shuttlecock&#39;s center of gravity, and interchangeable tail portions, thereby providing a shuttlecock which is user-adjustable to allow for various configurations depending on the desired play characteristics. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     A shuttlecock of simple and durable construction designed for fitness, including a shaft to which are attached an interchangeable and adjustable springing mechanism which allows one to adjust the amount by which the shuttlecock bounces from an impact, and an interchangeable weight which allows the shuttlecock&#39;s center of gravity to be adjusted. Additionally, the shuttlecock is designed such that it has an easily interchangeable tail portion which provides the option of using a variety of tails, such as plastic or rubber blades, feathers, streamers, etc. The shuttlecock is designed to be hit by any portion of the body or by a paddle or racket as necessary for a particular game. 
     Accordingly, the primary object of the invention is to provide a shuttlecock for kicking, hitting, or striking with either one&#39;s body or with a paddle or racket which has an adjustable and interchangeable springing mechanism, an interchangeable weight portion, and an interchangeable tail portion. 
     Other objects and advantages will be come apparent in the following specification when considered in light of the attached drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front view of a fully assembled embodiment of the invention utilizing a clear casing, a coil-type springing means, and a series of tail fins; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded front view of an embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the shaft and tail of an embodiment of the invention in which the tail portion of the shaft is detachable and interchangeable; 
     FIG. 4 provides examples of different tail portions, each of which import different flight characteristics upon the shuttlecock; 
     FIG. 5 is a front view of two examples of springing means which may be utilized in the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The shuttlecock of the present invention is displayed in an assembled fashion in FIG. 1, and in an exploded view in FIG. 2 with its components identified. The shuttlecock of the invention is constructed from a number of individual pieces, generally including a shaft  2  and a head  3 . The shaft  2  includes a tail portion  4 , a mid-portion  6 , and an end portion  8 . The tail portion  4  of the shaft  2  includes a guidance means  10 , designed to impart desired aerodynamic qualities to the shuttlecock. Examples of different guidance means are demonstrated in FIG.  4 . Possible guidance means include many possible configurations, only a few of which are shown. Additional configurations could include such items as streamers, tassels, varying shapes, etc. By providing an adjustable guidance means, a user may, for example, choose a configuration which causes the shuttlecock to spiral or to fall straight without spinning. Configurations may be chosen based on the provision of a desirable flight characteristic, or simply for aesthetic appeal. The mid-portion  6  of the shuttlecock includes a mid-knob portion  12  and a retaining portion  14 . The mid-knob  12  may be designed as a weight to adjust the center of gravity of the shuttlecock, as a means of enhancement to the aerodynamic qualities of the shuttlecock, or purely for aesthetic appeal. The retaining portion  14  of the mid-portion  6  of the shaft  2  is positioned next to the end portion  8  of the shaft  2 , providing a means for keeping the various parts of the head  3  fixedly attached to the end portion  8  of the shaft  2 . The end portion  8  of the shaft  2  includes a top attachment portion  16 , which may optionally be unthreaded, partially threaded, or fully threaded on the portion abutting the retaining portion  12 . The end portion  8  also includes a bottom-attachment portion  18  opposite the retaining portion  12  on the end portion  8 . The head parts  3  include an annular adjustable top  20 , which includes a center hole  22 . The annular adjustable top  20  is formed such that the end portion  8  of the shaft  2  can be slid through the center hole  22 , so that the annular adjustable top  20  may abut the retaining portion  14 . The center hole  22  may also include threads and/or a frictional material to allow it to be threadably and/or frictionally attached and adjustable on the top-attachment portion  16  of the shaft  2 . The remaining head parts include a springing means  24 , an annular weight  26 , an optional casing  28 , and a tip  34 . The springing means  24  is designed to fit around the end portion  8  of the shaft  2  and to abut the annular adjustable top  20 . The springing means  24  may take various forms such as an annular coil spring, an elastic springing means such as foam, or a series of springing plates or pillow-like elements. The annular weight  26  includes a center hole  30 , designed to fit around the top attachment portion  16  of the shaft  2 , and has a large enough radius to abut the springing means  24 . The optional casing  28  covers the springing means  24  and the annular weight  26  in a circumferential manner so as to prevent the springing means from pinching or otherwise hurting a user. The optional casing  28  may be designed of a soft, flexible, and non-fatiguing material such as plastic, elastic, etc. to prevent interference with the operation of the springing mechanism  24 . The tip  32  may include an attachment means  34  whereby it may be attached to the bottom-attachment portion  18  of the shaft  2 . For a particular configuration of the attachment means  34  of the tip  32 , the bottom-attachment portion  18  of the shaft  2  includes a corresponding element to allow attachment. Examples of attachment means include snaps and threading schemes where the attachment means  34  may be male or female threaded and the bottom-attachment portion  18  may be female or male threaded, respectively to form a proper fit. Typically, the tip  34  is constructed of a soft rubber or foam material to minimize the chance of bodily injury to the user. It is also desirable, though not necessary, to choose component sizes for all parts of the invention to prevent the possibility of eye injury. By providing an attachable/detachable tip, the annular weight  26  may be interchanged to adjust the desired weight of the head  3  and to adjust the center of gravity of the adjustable shuttlecock. Furthermore, the springing means  24  may also be interchanged to provide different spring options for varying the amount of bounce the adjustable shuttlecock has upon impact. The optional casing  28  may also be interchanged to provide for different designs, etc. Finally, all of the parts of the head  3  may be interchanged to provide different geometric configurations for the head  3 . For example, a group of head  3  components may provide for a square shape, or a cylindrical shape of greater or lesser diameter. The tension on the spring means  24  may be adjusted by varying the gap between the annular adjustable top  20  and the tip  34 . Depending on the particular configuration, this may be accomplished either through an adjustment of the annular adjustable top  20  relative to the top-attachment portion  16  or of the tip  34  relative to the bottom-attachment portion  18 . The threaded or other adjustment means of either may be varied to allow for greater or lesser compressibility of the spring means  24  upon impact. 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the shaft  50 , in which the shaft  50  includes an interchangeable tail portion  52  and a body portion  54 . The body portion  54  of the shaft  50  includes parts directly analogous in both form and function to parts  12 ,  14 ,  16 , and  18  of FIG. 2, and additionally includes a body-to-tail attachment means  58 . The interchangeable tail portion  52  is directly analogous in both form and function to that of the tail portion  4  of FIG. 2, and additionally includes a tail-to-body attachment means  56 . The body-to-tail attachment means  58  of body portion  54  and the tail-to-body attachment means  56  of the interchangeable tail portion  52  provide the means whereby the body portion  54  and the interchangeable tail portion  52  may be detachably and rigidly attached such that they structurally act as the equivalent of a single-piece shaft  2  as in FIG.  2 . The means of attachment may take such forms as male/female threads or interlocking snapping means. 
     Examples of different tail portions are demonstrated in FIG. 4, each of which import different flight or aesthetic characteristics upon the shuttlecock. The materials used in the guidance means of the tail portions may include plastics, cloth, paper, etc. The tail portions shown a nd other tail portions may be formed as part of a singular shaft or as part of an interchangeable tail portion. 
     Two examples of possible embodiments for the springing means are demonstrated in FIG.  5 . An annular coil springing means  80  is shown without the shaft, and an annular plate springing means  82  is shown with the top-attachment portion of the shaft  84 . In the embodiment using an annular plate springing means  82 , the plates may either be substantially flat or substantially wavy depending on the particular configuration desired. Other embodiment of the springing means than those shown are anticipated, such as the use of a foam core, etc. 
     The foregoing descriptions of the preferred embodiments of the invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto.