Patent Publication Number: US-2011070983-A1

Title: Catching toy

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a catching toy. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE ART 
     As a conventional catching toy, there is known a catching toy having a target, a main body which can be held one-handed and has a catching unit to catch the target by touching the target, and an elastic in which one end of the elastic is fastened to a hand of a player and the other end of the elastic is fastened to the main body. (Refer to Patent Document 1, for example.) 
     A player throws the main body at the target with the one end of the elastic fastened to the hand of the player, and catches the target by making the catching unit of the main body touch the target. 
     RELATED ART DOCUMENT 
     Patent Document 
     Patent Document 1: Registered Utility Model Gazette No. 3048342 (Refer to FIG. 1. thereof.) 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The Problems to be Solved by the Invention 
     In the catching toy, the main body is thrown at the target by stretching the elastic against elasticity thereof with the one end of the elastic whose length is predetermined, fastened to a finger of a player. 
     Consequently, in the catching toy, unless the main body is thrown in a predetermined direction, the main body is not returned into a hand of a player. As a result, not only a problem that the main body returned by reaction cannot be caught by hand, but also a problem that the returned main body may hit a body part other than a hand of a player arises. 
     The present invention is made in view of the circumstances. An object of the present invention is to provide a catching toy which can make sure that a thrown main body is returned into a hand of a player. 
     Means for Solving the Problems 
     The invention of claim  1  is a catching toy including a target; a main body which can be held one-handed and includes a catching unit to catch the target by approaching or touching the target; and a string made of a non-stretchable material, the string in which a base end of the string is fastened to the main body and a top end of the string is fastened to a hand of a player, wherein the main body is thrown at the target by the player in order to catch the target with the top end of the string fastened to the hand of the player, and wherein the main body further includes internally: a reel rotatable around a predetermined shaft, the reel to which the base end of the string is fastened, and which winds the string by rotating in one direction and extends the string by rotating in the other direction; and a flat spiral spring in which one end of the flat spiral spring is fastened to the predetermined shaft and the other end of the flat spiral spring is fastened to the reel, the flat spiral spring maintaining the reel at an initial position where the string is wound around the reel in order that the main body be in the hand of the player with the top end of the string fastened to the hand of the player, and when the main body is thrown by the player with the top end of the string fastened to the hand of the player, temporarily allowing the reel to rotate in the other direction and then retuning the reel to the initial position. 
     The invention of claim  2  is the catching toy according to claim  1 , wherein the catching unit is disposed in the main body in order to move toward the outside of a case of the main body and move back, and is given force by a spring, the force to move toward the outside of the case. 
     The invention of claim  3  is the catching toy according to claim  1 , wherein the catching unit is disposed in a holder; and the holder is loosely fitted into a hole of a case of the main body in order to move toward the outside of the case, move back, and tilt, and is given force by a spring, the force to move toward the outside of the case. 
     The invention of claim  4  is the catching toy according to any one of claims  1 - 3 , wherein the catching unit is a permanent magnet to catch the target by magnetic force. 
     The invention of claim  5  is the catching toy according to claim  4 , wherein the target includes: a magnetic material to be attracted to the permanent magnet; and a rib made of a non-magnetic material and set upright around the magnetic material to hinder the permanent magnet from approaching or touching the magnetic material from a predetermined direction. A plurality of the ribs may exist in such a way that the magnetic material is encircled, or one or more of the rib may exist in a part of the circumference of the magnetic material. 
     The invention of claim  6  is the catching toy according to any one of claims  1 - 4 , wherein a fastening unit is disposed at the top end of the string, the fastening unit including: a looped finger insertion section to insert a finger of the player; and a looped hand insertion section to insert the hand of the player, the looped hand insertion section disposed further than the looped finger insertion section from the top end of the string. 
     The invention of claim  7  is the catching toy according to claim  6 , wherein the looped hand insertion section includes a movable adjuster to adjust the size of the looped hand insertion section. 
     ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the invention of claim  1 , when the main body is thrown, the string is temporarily extended and the extended string is pulled back into the main body thereafter by the reel which winds the string and the flat spiral spring which controls the rotation of the reel working together. As a result, the main body is definitely returned into the hand of the player. Therefore a catching toy with excellent usability can be obtained. 
     According to the invention of claim  2 , the shock when the catching unit hits the target and the like can be reduced by the spring, and as a result, durability of the catching toy can be increased. 
     According to the invention of claim  3 , the target can be definitely caught even when the main body is thrown at the target from an oblique direction. 
     According to the invention of claim  4 , since the target is caught by magnetic force, the structure of the catching toy can be simple, and as a result, the catching toy can be provided at a low price. 
     According to the invention of claim  5 , since the direction in which the main body is thrown in order to attract the target by the permanent magnet is controlled by the presence of the rib, variety is added to the play using the control toy. 
     According to the invention of claims  6  and  7 , since the fastening unit including the looped finger insertion section and the looped hand insertion section is disposed at the top end of the string, the top end of the string can be definitely fastened to the player. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view conceptually showing a catching toy in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-section view of the catching toy of FIG.  1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing how to use a strap of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing an example of how to play with the catching toy of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     In the following, an embodiment of the catching toy of the present invention will be described referring to the drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a catching toy, and  FIG. 2  is a cross-section view of a main body. 
     A catching toy  1  includes a main body  1 , a string  40  which is non-stretchable, and a target  50  which is made separately from the main body  10 . The main body  10  includes a catching unit  11  to catch the target  50 . 
     In the catching toy  1 , as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the main body  10  is thrown at the target  50  by a player with one end of the string  40  fastened to a hand of the player, and the catching unit  11  of the catching toy  1  approaches or touches the target  50 , so that the target  50  is caught. 
     In the following, the details of the catching toy  1  will be described. 
     The main body  10  is nearly oval in shape as a whole. A case  12  of the main body  10  is composed of a front end case  13  and a main case  14 . Hereinafter, the front is a surface which faces the target  50  when the player holds the main body  10  to play, and the rear is a surface which touches the palm of the player. 
     The main case  14  is composed of two case pieces  14   a . The two case pieces  14   a  are combined by engaging male screws  15  with female screws  16  of one of the case pieces  14   a  through screw holes of the other of the case pieces  14   a , respectively. Accordingly, the main case  14  is formed. The two case pieces  14   a  have the same shape except for the above-mentioned parts which are related to the screws. 
     The front end surface of the main case  14  is flat, and a large circular hole  17  is formed therein. The front end case  13  is attached to the front end surface of the main case  14  by gluing, screwing, fusion, or the like. 
     A small circular hole  18  is formed at the rear end of the main case  14 . 
     The inside of the case  12  is divided by a division plate  19  so as to form two rooms. The division plate  19  is formed in the two case pieces  14   a  of the main case  14 . 
     A flat spiral spring unit  20  is accommodated and fastened in one of the two rooms which is located at the rear. The catching unit  11  is in the other room. 
     The structure of the flat spiral spring unit  20  is as follows. A shaft  22  is fastened in a case  21  of the flat spiral spring unit  20 . A reel  23  is fitted with the shaft  22  to be rotatable. A flat spiral spring  24  is accommodated in the reel  23 . One end of the flat spiral spring  24  is fastened (fixed) to the shaft  22 , and the other end thereof is fastened (fixed) to an inner circumferential surface of the reel  23 . As a result, when the reel  23  rotates in one direction, the flat spiral spring  24  is wound up, and when the reel  23  rotates in the other direction, the wounded-up flat spiral spring  24  is unwound. 
     In a normal condition, the flat spiral spring  24  maintains the reel  23  at an initial poison where the string  40  is wound around the reel  23  in order that the main body  10  be held by a hand of a player with a top end of the string  40  fastened to the hand of the player. When the main body  10  is thrown by the player with the top end of the string  40  fastened to the hand of the player, the flat spiral spring  24  temporarily allows the reel  23  to rotate in the other direction, and then returns the reel  23  to the initial position. 
     One end (base end) of the string  40  is fastened (fixed) to the reel  23 . The string  40  is led to the outside of the case  21  through a hole  25  of the case  21 , and then to the outside of the case  12  through the hole  18  of the case  12 . The string  40  in which the base end is fastened to the reel  23  can be wound around the reel  23  when the reel  23  rotates in the one direction, and can be extended from the reel  23  when the reel  23  rotates in the other direction. 
     A fastening unit  41  is disposed at the top end of the string  40 . The fastening unit  41  is composed of a strap  42 . The strap  42  is connected to the string  40  via a connecter  43 . That is to say, the connecter  43  has a hole  43   a , and is fastened to the string  40 . In the embodiment, the strap  42  is connected to the string  40  via the connecter  43 . However, the strap  42  may be directly connected to the top end of the string  40 . 
     Next, the structure of the strap  42  will be described. The strap  42  includes a looped finger insertion section  44  to insert a finger of the player and a looped hand insertion section  45  to insert a hand of the player. The looped finger insertion section  44  is formed by connecting both ends of a relatively short string to a connecter  46 . The looped hand insertion section  45  is formed by connecting both ends of a relatively long string to the connecter  46 . The looped hand insertion section  45  includes a movable adjuster  47  to adjust the size of the looped hand insertion section  45 . The movable adjuster  47  is not essential. In the embodiment, the looped finger insertion section  44  and the looped hand insertion section  45  are formed by using the strap  42 . However, as long as the looped finger insertion section  44  and the looped hand insertion section  45  are formed, the looped finger insertion section  44  and the looped hand insertion section  45  may be formed by making a knot with the string  40  itself, or may be formed by using not the string  40  but another string and connecting the string to the string  40 . 
     The strap  42  is connected to the string  40  by inserting the looped finger insertion section  44  into the hole  43   a  of the connecter  43 , and then by inserting the looped hand insertion section  45  into a loop formed by the looped finger insertion section  44  which is projected from the hole  43   a.    
     The string  40  is fastened to a hand of a player, as shown in  FIG. 3 , by placing the strap  42  on the back of the hand of the player, inserting the hand of the player into the looped hand insertion section  45  and the index finger or the middle finger of the hand of the player into the looped finger insertion section  44 , and then moving the movable adjuster  47  in a direction which makes the looped hand insertion section  45  smaller, for example. 
     Next, the catching unit  11  will be described. The catching unit  11  is composed of a permanent magnet  26 . The permanent magnet  26  is accommodated in a holder  27  which is cylindrical and has the bottom. The permanent magnet  26  is always given force to move forward by a coil spring  29  via a disc  28 . The coil spring  29  is for absorbing the shock when the catching unit  11  hits the target  50 . 
     A flange  30  which functions as a stopper is formed at the verge of an opening of the holder  27 . The holder  27  is projected forward from the hole  13   a  of the front end case  13 , and the flange  30  touches the verge of the hole  13   a  on the back. The holder  27  is loosely fitted into the hole  13   a , so that the holder  27  can tilt within the hole  13   a . Consequently, the front end surface of the holder  27  can touch the target  50  and the target  50  is caught even when the main body  10  is thrown at the target  50  from an oblique direction. 
     Next, the target  50  will be described. The target  50  includes a magnetic material  51  such as an iron plate or a permanent magnet. The target  50  except the magnetic material  51  is made of a non-magnetic material. The target  50  also includes a rib  52  which is disposed on the top surface of the target  50  in a radial direction. The reason why the rib  52  is provided is to practically reduce an attracting surface of the magnetic material  51 , namely, not to attract the target  50  when the main body  10  is thrown from obliquely above in a direction where the rib  52  which acts as an obstacle exists. By changing the length or the width of the rib  52 , or the number of the ribs  52 , difficulty of catching the target  50  can be changed. The target  50  is not limited to a two-dimensional target, and a three-dimensional target such as a miniature of an animal may be used. The ribs  52  may be disposed in such a way that the magnetic material  51  is encircled. 
     In the catching toy  1 , the string  40  is wound around the reel  23  of the case  12  of the main body  10  to the maximum by the flat spiral spring  24  in the normal condition (not-in-use condition). 
     To play a game, the target  50  is placed, for example, on a mat  60 , a hand of a player and a finger thereof are inserted into the looped hand insertion section  45  of the strap  42  and the looped finger insertion section  44  thereof, respectively, and the main body  10  is lightly held by hand. 
     Then, the main body  10  is thrown at the target  50 . When the holder  27  which covers the permanent magnet  26  of the main body  10  touches the target  50 , the permanent magnet  26  is attracted to the target  50  by magnetic force. Thereafter, the string  40  of the main body  10  which catches the target  50  is wound around the reel  23  by biasing force which is given by the flat spiral spring  24 , and the main body  10  is returned into the hand of the player accordingly. 
     In the embodiment, the catching unit  11  catches the target  50  by magnetic force. Instead, the catching unit  11  may catch the target by adhesion. Furthermore, like the invention of the related art mentioned above, the catching unit  11  may catch the target  50  by clutching when the catching unit  11  hits the target  50 . 
     Moreover, by displaying a point or a picture of an animal on the top surface of the target  50  which is caught, various games become available, so that the catching toy can be more fun to play with. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The catching toy of the present invention is applicable in the field of a catching toy having a target, a main body which can be held one-handed and has a catching unit to catch the target by touching the target, and an elastic in which one end of the elastic is fastened to a hand of a player and the other end of the elastic is fastened to the main body. 
     EXPLANATIONS OF NUMERALS 
     
         
         
           
               1  catching toy 
               10  main body 
               11  catching unit 
               20  flat spiral spring unit 
               22  shaft 
               23  reel 
               24  flat spiral spring 
               26  permanent magnet 
               27  holder 
               42  strap 
               44  looped finger insertion section 
               45  looped hand insertion section 
               47  movable adjuster 
               50  target 
               51  magnetic material 
               52  rib