Patent Publication Number: US-2005124426-A1

Title: Rally pads

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Fans have and continue to use a variety of items at sporting events to show spirit and provide encouragement to the athletes on their favorite sports teams, whether the sport involved is baseball, football, basketball, hockey, soccer, or other popular game. Such commonly used items include rally towels, pom poms, various types of horns, drumming equipment and similar noise-makers. The current invention is directed to a different type of product designed to be used by the sports fan who wishes to support his or her team.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      It is thus the general object of the present invention to provide a product for demonstrating fan support and encouraging a sports team and its players.  
      It is one object of the present invention to provide a product for demonstrating fan support which comprises rally pad elements which, when clapped together, provide sounds to encourage and rally a fan&#39;s favorite team.  
      It is a another object of the present invention to provide a product for demonstrating fan support which is easy, safe, and fun to use.  
      It is a further object of the present invention to provide a product for demonstrating fan support which is adaptable for use in a variety of sports and for a variety of teams.  
      These and other objects are accomplished by the subject invention which comprises dual rally pads formed from cushionable, foam-like material. Located and secured on the backside of the pads are hand supporting straps. These straps permit the user to securely attach the pads to his or her hands. The pad itself is configured in a shape which represents a particular sport, e.g. a baseball, football, basketball, soccer ball, etc. The pad can also have the name or logo of a particular team on its top surface. When the pads are clapped together by the user, sounds of team support and encouragement are produced to rally the fan&#39;s team.  
      Novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention, itself, however, both as to its design, construction and use, together with the additional features and advantages thereof, are best understood upon review of the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one rally pad of the present invention configured as a baseball.  
       FIG. 2  is a top view of the rally pad shown in  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the rally pad shown in  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the rally pad shown in  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 5  is another side view of the rally pad, turned 90 degrees from the view which is shown in  FIG. 4 .  
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of another rally pad of the present invention showing the proximate location of the placement of a logo on the rally pad.  
       FIG. 7  is a top view of the rally pad shown in  FIG. 6 .  
       FIG. 8  is a top view of one rally pad of the present invention configured as a soccer ball.  
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the rally pad shown in  FIG. 8 .  
       FIG. 10  is a top view of one rally pad of the present invention configured as a basketball.  
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the rally pad shown in  FIG. 11 .  
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view of one rally pad of the present invention configured as a football.  
       FIG. 13  is a top view of the rally pad shown in  FIG. 12 .  
       FIG. 14  is a bottom view of a rally pad shown in  FIG. 12 .  
       FIG. 15  is a side view of the rally pad shown in  FIG. 12 .  
       FIG. 16  is another side view of the rally pad, rotated 90 degrees from the view which is shown in  FIG. 15 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       FIG. 1  shows the first embodiment of the present invention comprising rally pad  1 , configured with the rounded shape of a baseball. Rally pad  1  and all pads described hereinafter, are made of cushionable, foam-like material, similar to that which is used in portable seat cushions. Top side  3  of pad  1  comprises stitching design  4 , which is indicative of a baseball. Attached to bottom side  5  of pad  1  is hand strap  2 .  FIGS. 3-5  show hand strap  2  as a single continuous element secured at its ends to pad  1 . However, various hand securing means are contemplated, e.g. two strapped elements which may be secured by a Velcro® connector to ensure additional tightness of the hand of the user, a glove member secured to bottom side  5  into which the user can insert his or her hand, or other commonly used securing means.  
       FIGS. 6 and 7  show round shaped rally pad  8  with strap  9  which is provided with logo  10  of a particular sport or team. It is contemplated that rally pad  1  shown in FIGS.  1  to  5  would be used in conjunction with rally pad  8 . It is also anticipated that two identical rally pad components can be used.  
      In use, the sports fan inserts his or her hand within strap elements  2  and  9  in pads  1  and  8  respectively. The pads are then clapped together, resulting in sounds of encouragement for a baseball team. As pads  1  and  8  are relatively soft and cushioned in nature, the sound produced is reasonable and not annoyingly. The cushioned nature of pads  1  and  8  also makes them safe to use, thus avoiding injury when the pads are used in the manner intended.  
       FIGS. 8 and 9  show pad  11 , with strap handle  12 , configured in the shape of a soccer ball.  FIGS. 10 and 11  show pad  13 , with strap handle  14 , configured in the shape of a basketball. FIGS.  12  to  16  show pad  15 , with strap handle  16 , configured in the oblong shape of a football, with stitching  17 .  
      It thus can bee seen that the rally pads contemplated by the present invention can be adaptable to a variety of different shapes and sports teams. The pads provide a safe and enjoyable means to show encouragement and to demonstrate support for a team and its players.  
      Certain novel features and components of this invention are disclosed in detail in order to make the invention clear in at least one form thereof. However, it is to be clearly understood that the invention as disclosed is not necessarily limited to the exact form and details as disclosed, since it is apparent that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.