Abstract:
A thrown toy has a water tank with valves which are opened by centrifugal force. When thrown, the toy is designed to whirl so that the centrifugal force opens a valve and water is dispersed out the valves while the toy is in flight.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to water propelling and dispersing toys and more particularly to thrown toys which trail a stream of water as they fly through the air. 
     For convenience of description, the term &#34;thrown toy&#34; is used hereinafter to generically describe the invention as any suitable device. The structure of the invention will be described hereinafter as a flying disk; however, it should be understood that this description does not limit the invention to this specific structure. Many toys are adapted to be thrown through the air, a few examples of which are balls, disks, rings, boomerangs, or the like. 
     These and similar thrown toys have a universal appeal going back through time, perhaps to the first person who threw something as a matter of entertainment or sport. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine how any improvement could be made to toys of this type at this late date. On the other hand, in view of the great appeal for throwing things, it is also apparent that new and novel thrown toys are attractions which are often sought. 
     Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide new and novel thrown toys. In particular, an object of the invention is to provide thrown toys in combination with a device for dispersing water as the toy flies through the air. Another object of the invention is to provide a safe toy which does minimum damage if it strikes a person or an unintended target. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In keeping with an aspect of the invention, these and other objects are accomplished by a thrown toy having a structure with three principal parts. Two of these parts are upper and lower members which are cemented or ultrasonically welded together, for example, in order to form a toroidal water tank. The third part includes a soft sponge covering which snaps on over the water tank in order to prevent damage if the thrown toy strikes a person or an unintended object. The water tank includes at least one spring biased valve having a construction which responds to centrifugal forces. Among the force responsive means is a weight which also acts as an orifice shutter. When the toy is thrown, the centrifugal force acting on the weight and on the water in the tank, moves the orifice shutter against the spring bias to release water from the tank. Before the toy is thrown or after the toy lands there is no centrifugal force, and the spring bias closes the valve to terminate the flow of water. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A preferred embodiment of the thrown toy is shown in the attached drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the inventive thrown toy; 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view of the toy, partially broken away to show the assembled toy of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross section taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 4 is a cross section of the water tank and a valve, taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 1. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The thrown toy 20 (FIG. 1) includes three principal parts, a toroidal lower half 22 of a water tank, a toroidal upper half 23 of the water tank, and a soft cover 24, which cushions the blow if the toy strikes a person or an unintended object. The two tank halves 22, 23 (preferably made of a hard plastic) are joined to each other in a face to face contact by any suitable sealing means, such as cement, sonic or thermal welding, as at 25, 26 (FIG. 4) in order to form a toroidal water tank 27. The soft sponge like cover 24 (FIG. 1) snaps on over the water tank 27. 
     In addition to these three principal parts, a water inlet 36 provides means for filling the water tank 27. A cap 38 has an O-ring 40 for closing and sealing the opening 36. A string or other cord 42 attaches a plastic spring anchor 43 to cap 38. Spring 43 fits into but cannot be removed from opening 36 so that, while the cap 38 may be pulled from hole 36, it may not be separated from the toy. Thus, the water tank may be filled by removing the cap 38, without a danger of losing it. 
     The lower tank half 22 includes upstanding collars 44, 46 defining concentric inner and outer tank walls, respectively. The outer tank wall 46 has any suitable number (here four) of projecting box-like valve compartments formed therein. Each valve compartment comprises a box-like structure having spaced parallel side walls 47a, 48a and an end wall 49a. The upper tank half 24 includes a matching box-like structure having corresponding walls 47b, 48b, 50b. 
     The toy 20 includes any suitable number of water valves 51, 52, 53, 54, here four valves are shown by way of example. Each valve (e.g., 51) comprises an elongated shaft 55 having a flat spring support plate 56 on one end and a shutter or ball valve weight 58 on the other end. A spring 60 is mounted on shaft 55 and extends between the spring support plate 56 and the forward wall 49 valve of the compartment. An O-ring 62 is embedded in one end of the ball valve 58 to rest against a valve seat 64 under the urging of spring 60. If the toy is thrown in a manner which makes it whirl, valve shutter 58 moves against the urging of spring 60 and in direction A (FIG. 4), so that water W,W (FIG. 4) escapes from tank 27. When the whirling stops and the centrifugal force disappears, spring bias reasserts itself, the ball valve 58 is drawn back against its valve seat 64 to terminate the water flow. 
     The soft sponge-like cover 24 has notches 70, 72, 74, 76 formed therein to enable the valves 51-54 to disperse water from the tank 27 and out into the ambient air. 
     In operation, the toy 20 is held in a horizontal orientation and thrown, like a flying disk is thrown. The disk whirls as it travels through the air. The centrifugal forces generated by the whirling of the disk press water against the spring support plate 56 and slings the weight of the ball 58 outwardly from the valve seat 64. As a result, water W,W is flung outwardly from the disk as long as it is whirling and traveling over a trajectory through the air. Before the toy is thrown or after it stops whirling upon impact or when caught, the valves are closed by their individually associated springs so that no water leaves the tank 27. 
     Those who are skilled in the art will readily perceive how to modify the invention. Therefore, the appended claims are to be construed to cover all equivalent structures which fall within the true scope and spirit of the invention.