Abstract:
A toy is described that, during play, is rotated in a horizontal circular path about a player&#39;s ankle and simultaneously provides illuminating and eye-catching reflections of ambient light. The toy includes a collar and a transparent housing connected to the collar by a tether. During play, the transparent housing rotates about the player&#39;s ankle, while the player simultaneously hops or skips the tether. The transparent housing contains a multi-faceted, reflective sphere. This multi-faceted, reflective sphere rotates or otherwise moves within the transparent housing so as to reflect ambient light in a sparkling manner.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This description relates to toys, and more particularly to skipping toys. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Conventional toys exist that include an element attached to a loop by a tether. A person plays with such a toy by, for example, loosely placing the loop around the ankle region of one of his or her legs, and then continuously moving the looped ankle in a small circular motion. In this way, the element horizontally revolves around the person&#39;s looped ankle, as long as the person raises the of his or her non-looped leg in a skipping or hopping motion during each revolution of the element, so as to avoid the tether as it moves with the element. 
     A person&#39;s ability to continuously twirl the element with one leg, while periodically raising the other leg so as not to impede the twirling of the element, provides an interesting game of physical dexterity and coordination. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to one general aspect, a toy includes a collar adapted to fit around an ankle region of a person, a tether having a first end attached to the collar, a housing attached to a second end of the tether, and a multi-faceted, reflective object mounted within the housing. 
     Implementations may include one or more of the following features. For example, the housing may be partially-transparent. The object may be substantially spherical in shape, and may be mounted within the housing so as to move independently of the housing. The object may be mounted within the housing so as to rotate about an axis that generally corresponds to an axis defined by an attachment shaft connecting the tether to the housing. 
     The object may be mounted within the housing by a pair of diametrically-opposed shaft elements extended from the object, where the shaft elements are substantially aligned with an attachment shaft connecting the tether to the housing. In this case, the shaft elements may be received within a pair of cup-shaped elements inside the housing. 
     The housing may be weighted so as to rotatably engage a ground surface along a circumference of the housing during a rotation of the object around the ankle region, where the circumference is defined at an outermost diameter of the housing. In this case, the object may be mounted within the housing such that an equator of the object is substantially aligned with the circumference of the housing. Also, a counter may be contained within the housing and may be operable to produce and visually display a count corresponding to a number of successive rotations of the housing around the ankle region. 
     According to another general aspect, a toy includes a loop adapted to encircle an ankle region of a user, a semi-transparent housing containing a reflective polyhedron, where the polyhedron is movably mounted with respect to the housing, and a cord connecting the loop to the housing. 
     Implementations may include one or more of the following features. For example, the polyhedron may be substantially spherical in outline. Opposing ends of the polyhedron may be respectively mounted within a pair of concave elements. 
     A central axis of the polyhedron may be substantially aligned with the cord during a rotation of the housing around the ankle region. In this case, the polyhedron may be rotatable about the central axis. 
     A central cross-section of the polyhedron may be aligned with an outer circumference of the housing. Also, a counter may be included with the toy that is operable to produce and display an indication corresponding to a number of successive rotations of the housing around the ankle region. 
     According to another general aspect, a toy may be operated. In so doing, a loop is around an ankle region of a first leg of a user, and the first leg is moved so as to swing a housing attached to the loop by a tether around the ankle region. A second leg of the user is moved so as to avoid impeding the housing as it swings around the ankle region, and ambient light that passes through the housing is reflected off of a multi-sided element contained within the housing. 
     Implementations may include one or more of the following features. For example, in reflecting ambient light through the housing, the element may be moved independently of the housing during the moving the first leg. Also, a counter may be implemented to count successive rotations of the housing around the ankle region as a function of a number of revolutions of the housing around an axis defined by the tether during the movement of the first leg. 
     The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a skipping toy with a disco ball. 
     FIG. 2 is a magnified elevational view of a transparent housing and disco ball of the skipping toy of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a further magnified elevational view of a transparent housing of the skipping toy of FIG. 1 showing an attachment of the disco ball to the housing in greater detail. 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the transparent housing and disco ball of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the skipping toy of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another implementation of a skipping toy. 
     FIG. 7 is a rear view of the skipping toy of FIG.  6 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a skipping toy  100 . In FIG. 1, the skipping toy  100  is illustrated as including a collar  102  connected to a housing  104 . The collar  102  is suitably sized to allow a player to insert a foot therethrough, while allowing sufficient clearance about the ankle region of the player to avoid discomfort during play. The collar  102  may be made of, for example, any type of material that may be formed into a loop or circular shape for loose placement around an ankle region of a first leg of a player, as illustrated in FIG.  1 . For example, the collar  102  may be formed of a plastic or rubber material. The collar  102  also may be referred to as a loop, ring, or other similar name. 
     The housing  104  is made of a transparent, semi-transparent, or translucent material. For example, the housing  104  may be formed of various types of plastic, may be completely transparent or translucent, and may be clear or colored (e.g., pink, blue, or green). The housing  104  also may contain openings that reveal an interior of the housing  104 . The housing  104  also may be referred to as, for example, a drum or a container. 
     The housing may be integrally formed. In the implementation of FIG. 1, however, the housing  104  is formed of a first portion  104   a  and a second portion  104   b  that are snapped and screwed together. The housing portions also could be connected in other ways, such as through use of glue. In FIG. 1, the portions  104   a  and  104   b  are substantially cone-shaped in outline, but the portion  104   a  is deeper than the portion  104   b.  Both of the portions  104   a  and  104   b  include outer surfaces having multi-faceted arrangements that impart a jeweled appearance to the housing  104 . 
     A flexible, elongated tether  106  of a predetermined length interconnects the collar  102  with the housing  104 . Other mechanisms for interconnecting the collar  102  and the housing  104  also may be used as the tether  106 . For example, the tether  106  may represent a rope, cord, or any other material that permits the housing  104  to rotate around the first leg of the player, while simultaneously revolving around an axis defined by the tether  106  during its rotation around the first leg of the player. Also, as with the collar  102  and the housing  104 , the tether  106  may be referred to by other names, such as, for example, a shaft or cord. 
     As referred to above, a player may operate the skipping toy  100  of FIG. 1 by placing the collar  102  around an ankle region of a first leg of the player, and then moving the first leg so as to induce a circular, rotating motion of the housing  104  around the ankle region. The player may maintain this circular motion indefinitely by periodically raising, skipping, hopping or otherwise moving the player&#39;s other leg out of the way of the tether  106  as the tether  106  and the housing  104  rotate. 
     The skipping toy  100  further includes a disco ball  108  within the housing  104 . The disco ball  108  is a multi-faceted, reflective object that, in the implementation of FIGS. 1-5, is substantially spherical in shape. More specifically, the disco ball  108  is a polyhedron defined by surfaces at angles to one another, and is substantially spherical in outline. Of course, the disco ball  108  could take a number of other shapes or forms, and could be, for example, substantially elliptical in outline. 
     The disco ball  108  is loosely mounted within the housing  104 , and is movable within the housing  104 . For example, the disco ball  108  may rotate within (and independently of) the housing  104 , and/or may rock back and forth (appearing to float) within the housing  104 . Due to the movement of the housing, the movement of the disco ball  108  within the housing  104 , and the reflective nature of the surface(s) of the disco ball  108 , ambient light in an area of use of the skipping toy  100 , such as sunlight, is reflected in a dazzling, sparkling, or otherwise eye-catching manner. 
     FIG. 2 is a magnified elevational view of the transparent housing  104  and the disco ball  108  of the skipping toy of FIG.  1 . In FIG. 2, a protective ring  202  is more clearly shown as being fixed about a periphery of the housing  104 . Ring  202  may be formed from, for example, a resilient elastomeric material that provides a skid-resistant contact surface about the periphery of housing  104 . More specifically, as also can be seen in FIG. 1, the ring  202  may be formed about a perimeter of the housing  104  having the longest circumference of any perimeter of the housing  104 , so as to ensure that the ring  202  remains in contact with the ground during play. To further ensure contact between the ring  202  and the ground, the housing  104  may be additionally weighted. 
     A shaft connector  204  connected to the tether  106  (not shown in FIG. 2) extends through an opening  206  in a housing base  208 . In order to allow the rotation of the housing  104  along the ring  202  during play, as just described, it should be understood that the housing  104  is free to rotate about the shaft connector  204 . Also, the shaft connector extends from the housing  104  along an axis that is generally perpendicular to the ring  202 . 
     The shaft connector  204  extends through the opening  206  to connect with a first sphere receptacle  210 . The first sphere receptacle  210  is substantially similar in form and function to a second sphere receptacle  212 , which can be seen in greater detail in FIG.  2 . 
     Specifically, the second sphere receptacle  212  can be seen to include a cup-shaped or concave portion  214  that is adapted to receive a shaft element  216  that is attached to the disco ball  108  along an axis defined by the tether during operation of the skipping toy  100 . In this way, the disco ball  108  is free to spin about this axis essentially independently of a motion of the housing  104 . 
     In other implementations, the disco ball  108  may be attached to the receptacles  210  and/or  212  in alternative fashions. For example, the receptacles  210  and  212  may be fashioned so that the disco ball  108  simply sits within the receptacles  210  and  212 , without benefit of the shaft  216 . In this way, the disco ball may be less likely to rotate, but may be more likely to rock back and forth or otherwise move within the housing  104 . 
     As also shown in FIG. 2, evenly-spaced standards  218   a  serve to attach the first portion  104   a  of the housing  104  to the second portion  104   b  (not shown in FIG. 2) of the housing  104 , and/or to generally provide support to elements of the housing  104 . More specifically, as will be seen, corresponding standards  218   b  are included within the second portion  104   b  of the housing  104 , which respectively snap or otherwise attach to the standards  218   a.    
     FIG. 3 is a further magnified elevational view of a transparent housing of the skipping toy of FIG. 1 showing an attachment of the disco ball to the housing in greater detail. In FIG. 3, the shaft  216  can be clearly seen to sit within the concave portion  214  of the second sphere receptacle. 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the transparent housing  104  and the disco ball  108 . In FIG. 4, an interior portion of the first sphere receptacle  210  can be seen to receive a shaft  402  of the disco ball  108 , within a cup-shaped or concave portion  404 . Shaft  402  and portion  404  within the first sphere receptacle  210  correspond to the shaft  216  and cup-shaped portion  214  of the second sphere receptacle  212 . In this way, as also explained above, the disco ball  108  is able to rotate within the housing  104 . 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the skipping toy of FIG.  1 . FIG. 5 illustrates essentially all interior portions of the skipping toy  100 , including additional is elements  502  within the second housing portion  104   b  that snap into the first housing portion  104   a.  The elements  502  help to more securely attach the housing portions  104   a  and  104   b,  and provide space in which the ring  202  may be attached. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another implementation of a skipping toy  600 . In the skipping toy  600 , a counter  602  with a re-set button  604  is included within the housing portion  104   a.  The counter  602  is designed to automatically count and visually display a number of rotations of the skipping toy  600  around the first leg of the player. 
     More specifically, during play and as explained above, the ring  202  revolves along a ground surface during play, relative to the axis defined by the shaft connector  204 . Thus, a number of revolutions of the ring  202  around the axis of shaft connector  204  that corresponds to a full rotation of the housing  104  around the ankle region of the player causes the counter  602  to increment once. 
     FIG. 7 is a rear view of the skipping toy  600  of FIG.  6 . FIG. 7 illustrates a gear mechanism  702  for operating the counter  602 . The gear mechanism  702  includes a first gear  704  that is wrapped around a shaft  706  that extends from, and in the direction of, the shaft connector  204 . The first gear  702  engages a second gear  708 , which, in turn, is connected to the counter  602 . In order to accurately operate the counter  602 , appropriate gear ratios for the gear mechanism  702  are selected relative to a length of the tether  606 . An example of a counter/gear mechanism with appropriately-selected gear ratio(s) that may be used in conjunction with a skipping toy is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,675, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     The shaft  706 , along with standards  710 , supports a platform  712 . The platform  712 , in turn, supports a receptacle  714 . Although not shown in FIG. 7, the receptacle  714  may contain a cup-shaped or concave portion (similar to portion  404  in FIGS. 4 and 5) for receiving the shaft  402  of the disco ball  108 . 
     Various features of the skipping toys  100  and  600  may be appreciated with regard to the above-discussed FIGS. 1-5 and FIG.  6 . For example, in FIGS. 1-5, and particularly in FIG. 4, it can be seen that the disco ball  108  is situated such that the ring  202  is concentric with an off-center cross-section of the disco ball  108 . In contrast, in FIGS. 6 and 7, the ring  202  is concentric with an equator, or central cross-section, of the disco ball  108 . 
     As can be understood from the above description, the ability to rotate one foot in a manner imparting circular rotation to a skipping toy while simultaneously raising the other foot in a timely coordinated fashion, thereby allowing the toy to traverse a circular path which is generally centered about the ankle of the player, is not only challenging, but also improves a player&#39;s dexterity and coordination. Adding to this game the reflective, multifaceted disco ball within a transparent housing, as described above, provides a visually stimulating and eye-catching enjoyable aspect to the game. Moreover, automatically counting the rotation of the skipping toy about the ankle of the player adds enjoyment and a competitive nature to the skipping toy. 
     A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made. For example, the housing  104  is illustrated in FIG. 1 as being jewel shaped; however, in other implementations, the housing  104  may take any number of shapes. For example, the housing  104  may be spherical or ellipsoidal. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.