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U.S. Patent 4,696,468 Sept. 29, 1987 Juggling Club Inventor: Brian J. Dube

Filed: July 20, 1982

 

ABSTRACT: A juggling club is formed of a hollow, unitary molded plastic body having a bulged portion, a relatively heavy knob and handle portion, and a center of gravity located at between 55 and 59 percent of the length of the longitudinal axis toward the bulged end of the club. The thickness of the body wall of the club is substantially greater at the handle and knob portions (.180 inches) than at the bulged portion (.110 inches).

 

BACKGROUND: The present invention is concerned with a novel juggling club and, more particularly, a juggling club having a center of gravity more advantageously disposed than centers of gravity of prior art juggling apparatus. In the prior art, the center of gravity is typically located well beyond the physical center of the club, i.e., in the neighborhood of 70 percent of the distance from the club handle to the opposite end of the club. The prior art design typically involves the use of a solid wood knob and handle which are secured into a hollow wooden center body.

 

Given the considerable size and weight of the center body in the prior art design, the unavoidable result is a center of gravity located well past the longitudinal center of the club.

 

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, useful and non-obvious and, accordingly, secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

 

1. A juggling club, comprising: a hollow, unitary, molded plastic body substantially in the configuration of a kingpin in which one end of said club includes a bulged portion and the opposite end thereof includes a knob portion, said bulged portion and said knob portion being in tegrally connected by an elongated handle portion, where the thickness of the body wall of said juggling club gradually increases from the bulged end to the knob end wherein such thickness results in the center of gravity of the club being located at between 55 and 59 percent of the longitudinal length of the club from the knob end of the club toward the bulged end so as to bring the center of gravity in close proximity to the physical center of the club, further wherein the ratio of the greatest width of the body wall to the least width of the body width is about 1.9.

 

2. The juggling club... in which the center of gravity thereof is disposed at about 57 percent of the length of the longitudinal axis from the knob end of the club and toward the bulged portion thereof.

 

3. The club... in which the body thereof is rotationally molded and is formed of a polyethylene material.

 

4. The juggling club... comprises an overall length of about 21 inches, and a total weight of about 8 ounces.

 

5. The juggling club... in which the ratio of the external diameter of the bulged portion to that of the mean diameter of the handle portion is approximately 3.6.

 

6. The juggling club... in which the ratio of the wall thickness at the knob portion of the club to the wall thickness at the bulge portion is approximately 1.65.

 

7. The juggling club... in which the ratio of the mean wall thickness of the handle to that at the bulge is about 1.33.

 

Other prior art approaches involve the use of a hollow unitary plastic body having a uniform wall thickness. The prior art designs also suffer from certain inherent physical and, thusly, aerodynamic instability due primarily to the fact of the considerable displacement of the center of gravity from the center of the longitudinal axis of the club...

 

An additional shortcoming of prior clubs is that the use of wood as a material causes the overall weight of the club to be greater than necessary for most juggling needs. This enhanced weight is yet another factor which has made life more difficult for the juggling community.

 

SUMMARY ...It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved juggling club composed of a sturdy, hollow, unitary molded body having a center of gravity that will result in a club which may be more easily controlled and safely handled than those of the prior art.

 

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a club which may be more easily and economically manufactured.

 

It is still a further object to provide a club which can be more readily used by amateur jugglers and students.

 

It is a yet further object to provide a club which is more durable than prior art juggling clubs.. ..

 

... While there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise than is herein specifically illustrated or described and that within said embodiment certain changes in the detail and construction, and the form and arrangement to the parts, may be made without departing from the underlying idea or principle of this invention within the scope of the appended claims.