GB2417001A

GB2417001A - Aquatic toy

Info

Publication number: GB2417001A
Application number: GB0417670A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Herman Chiang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-08-10
Filing date: 2004-08-10
Publication date: 2006-02-15
Anticipated expiration: 2024-08-10
Also published as: GB2417001B; GB0417670D0

Abstract

An aquatic toy is formed with a buoyant portion 2 and a counterweight portion 3 with respective engaging elements 4, 5 formed on each portion. The buoyant portion is further provided with stand means 22 comprising at least one leg 221-223. When the buoyant portion is engaged with the counterweight portion and immersed in water, the toy sinks to the bottom and is supported on its stand means. When the counterweight portion is disengaged from the buoyant portion, e.g. by a diver pressing down on the counterweight portion, the buoyant portion floats to the surface.

Description

SPECIFICATION

SINKABLE FUN TOY

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

1] The present invention relates to a fun toy, and particularly to a sinkable fun toy which is sinkable and floatable; when a player dives into water and presses a specific part of the sinkable fun toy, a part of it will float on the water, so that combines diving sport and amusement.

PRIOR ART

2] As is well-known, diving sport is able to enhance our vital capacity and is one of the popular aquatic sports in summer. To most people, it would be the greatest enjoyment in summer if combining aquatic sport with amusement. We often see some people play an aquatic game by tossing a coin into water then diving to pick it, as of the first one who picks up the coin as a winner, or some people compete with each other for staying the longer time in water. Such as these games combines diving sport and provides competitive sport.

3] Furthermore, some aquatic team sports are also combing diving with guessing game. Players are divided into groups. Members of each group listen to the riddle, then dive into the water to pick out the answer, which is prearranged in water. These activities provide both exercises and amusing games.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

e r ' ;; ' c, [0004] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a sinkable fun toy, which is used for an aquatic game confabbing the features of diving sport and amusement, and is a much vivid and funny sinkable fun toy.

5] A feature of the present invention is that the sinkable fun toy includes a floater body and a counter weight member. The floater body includes a receiving portion, which has a receiving opening and a stand portion, which has at least one leg for supporting the receiving portion.

The counter weight member is received in the receiving opening of the receiving portion. The first and second engaging portions are formed between the receiving portion and the counter weight member and being engaged with each other. After assembled, the floater body and counter weight member being sinkable, sink in water, and the receiving portion is kept a desired height from the ground of water by the stand portion. When the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are disengaged through pressing the counter weight member, the floater body floats on the water but the counter weight member remains in water.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

6] Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a sinkable fun toy of the present invention; [0007] Fig. 2 is an assembled view of Fig. 1; [0008] Fig. 3 is a top plan view of Fig. 2; [0009] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 3 taken along line 4-4 in Fig. 3; [0010] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 3 taken along line 5-5 in Fig. 3; and ea. ad. . .. . e....

0011] Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing a floater body floating on water after the floater body is disengaged from a counter weight member.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

2] Referring to Fig. 1, a sinkable fun toy 1 of the present invention includes a floater body 2, a counter weight member 3 and first and second engaging portions 4, 5. The floater body 2 is made from floatable material, such as floatable plastic, stick foam-cotton, a ballonet and so on. The floater body 2 includes a receiving portion 20, a buffering portion 21 and a stand portion 22. The receiving portion 20 includes a first receiving wall 201, a second receiving wall 202 and a third receiving wall 203, thereby defining a receiving opening 24. The receiving opening 24 is large enough to receive a hand and receives the counter weight member 3 therein.

The receiving opening 24 may be in one of any symmetrical shapes. In this embodiment, the receiving opening 24 is in a flat cylindrical shape.

9] The buffering portion 21 includes a first outer wall 211, a second outer wall 212, and a third outer wall 213, correspondingly surrounding the first, second and third receiving walls 201, 202, 203 of the receiving portion 20. Space T is kept between the outer walls 211, 212, 213 and the receiving walls 201, 202, 203 thereby providing resilience to the first, second and third receiving walls 201, 202, 203 in assembly.

3] The stand portion 22 includes three legs 221, 222, 223, respectively formed at the first, second and third walls 211, 212, 213 of the buffering portion 21 and symmetrically extending from opposite edges of the first, second and third walls 211, 212, 213 with same length. The three legs 221, 222, 223 may be evenly spaced from each other. When the floater body 2 is put underwater, the receiving portion 20 of the floater body 2 keeps a desired height from the bottom of the water through the stand portion 22. The desired height depends on the length of the legs 221, 222, e.e. :e i.. A. 223 projecting from the receiving portion 20 and should be large enough to disengage the counter weight member 3 from the floater body 2 whereby the floater body 2 floats on the water.

4] A ring 23 connects the legs 221,222,223 and the outer walls 211, 212,213 together.

5] The counter weight member 3 is in one of any symmetrical shapes corresponding to the shape of the receiving opening 24. In this embodiment, the counter weight member 3 is in a flat cylindrical shape for being received in the receiving opening 24. The counter weight member 3 may be made from solid hard plastic or hollow hard plastic inside which material with a specific gravity thereof being larger than that of water is filled.

6] Referring to Figs. 3-5, the first and second engaging portions 4, 5 are formed between the receiving portion 20 and the counter weight member 3 and engage with each other. The first engaging portion 4 includes three protrusions respectively formed at the first, second and third receiving walls 201, 202, 203 of the receiving portion 20 corresponding to the legs 221, 222, 223 of the stand portion 23. Each protrusion has upper and lower guiding surfaces for guiding the protrusion to engaging with the second engaging portion S. The second engaging portion 5 includes a recess defined in a peripheral surface of the counter weight member 3.

Opposite side surfaces of the recess are arcuate or slanting for facilitating to engage with the protrusions of the first engaging portion 4, whereby the first and second engaging portions 4, 5 are ready to engage or disengage.

Furthermore, since the first engaging portion 4 is formed corresponding to the legs 221, 222, 223, when the counter weight member 3 is pressed to disengage from the floater body 2, the legs 221, 222, 223 are supported by the bottom of the water to provide a counterforce to the first engaging A. c.. . . ......

portion 4 thereby facilitating to disengage the second engaging portion S from the first engaging portion 4.

7] Further referring to Figs. 1-5, in assembly, the counter weight member 3 is received in the receiving opening 24 of the floater body 2 and connects to the floater body 2 through the engagement between the first and second engaging portions 4, S. Thus, the assembled floater body 2 and counter weight member 3 is ready to put underwater and keeps a desired height between the receiving portion 20 and the bottom of the water through the stand portion 23 of the floater body 2.

8] In use, the assembled sinkable fun toy 1 is put underwater. Since the legs 221, 222, 223 of the stand portion 23 symmetrically project from the opposite edges of the first, second and third outer walls 211, 212, 213 with the desired length, the receiving portion 20 of the floater body 2 keeps the desired height from the bottom of the water whichever surface of the receiving portion faces the bottom of the water. Thus, the players may dive into water from a start to look for the sinkable fun toy 1 and the one finding the sinkable fun toy 1 may depress the counter weight member 3 to disengage the second engaging portion S from the first engaging portion 4.

Thus the floater body 2 floats on the water (see Fig. 6) thereby indicating the one is the winner of the game. Therefore, the sinkable fun toy 1 of the present invention can be used in a diving game and bring fun for the game thereby facilitating diving exercise.

9] It is understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit thereof. Thus, the present examples and embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein. s

Claims

:e:. eee. ce. .:' .e CLAIMS

1. A toy for an aquatic game in water comprising: a buoyant body including a receiving portion defining a receiving opening and a stand portion with at least one supporting leg for supporting the receiving portion; a counterweight member receivable in the receiving opening; a first engaging portion formed on the receiving portion; and a second engaging portion formed on the counterweight member wherein in use said buoyant body engages said counterweight member and is immersed in water in a container such that the at least one supporting leg maintains the toy at a desired distance above the base of the container and such that when said buoyant body and said counterweight member are disengaged said buoyant body floats to the surface of said water and said counterweight member remains immersed.

2. A toy as claimed in claim 1 wherein said receiving portion comprises a first receiving wall, a second receiving wall and a third receiving wall and the inner surfaces of said first, second and third receiving walls define the receiving opening.

3. A toy as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2 wherein said receiving portion additionally comprises a buffering portion comprising a first outer wall, a second outer wall and a third outer wall which are adjacent to and spaced apart from the outer surfaces of said first, second and third receiving walls.

4. A toy as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said receiving opening is symmetrical.

5. A toy as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said stand portion comprises three substantially evenly spaced supporting legs.

6. A toy as claimed in claim 5 wherein the three supporting legs are formed respectively at each of the first, second and third outer walls and said supporting legs protrude . . . :. :e e.. :e.e.e symmetrically above and below the planar axis of said receiving portion legs a distance sufficient for said counterweight member to be disengageable from said buoyant body.

7. A toy as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 6 wherein said first engaging portion includes first, second and third protrusions formed respectively at the first, second and third receiving walls adjacent to a supporting leg.

8. A toy as claimed in claim 7 wherein each protrusion has an upper guiding surface and a lower guiding surface for guiding the protrusion to engage the second engaging portion.

9. A toy as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 8 wherein said counterweight member is a symmetrical shape corresponding to the shape of said receiving opening.

10. A toy as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9 wherein said second engaging portion includes at least one recess on the peripheral surface of said counterweight member, wherein said at least one recess comprises opposing arcuate or slanting surfaces engageable respectively with said first, second and third protrusions.

11. A toy as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 10 wherein said buoyant body additionally comprises a ring, wherein said ring connects said supporting legs to the first, second and third outer walls of said buffering portion.

12. A toy as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein said counterweight member is composed of a solid hard material or a hard plastic outer shell with an internal cavity housing a material with a specific gravity greater than water.

13. A toy as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein said buoyant body comprises a

floatable material.

14. A toy as claimed in claim 13 wherein said floatable material is selected from one or more than one of the group consisting of floatable plastic, stick foam-cotton and a ballonet. e

C -

: : : : :

15. A toy as claimed in any one of claims I to 14 wherein said receiving opening is larger than a hand.

16. A sinkable fun toy, comprising: a floatable body, comprising a receiving portion and a stand portion wherein a receiving opening is defined in the receiving portion, and the stand portion has at least one leg for supporting the receiving portion; a counter weight member received in the receiving opening of the receiving portion; and first and second engaging portions formed between the receiving portion and the counter weight member and being engaged with each other; whereby when the assembled floated body and counter weight member is put underwater, the receiving portion of the floater body is kept at a desired height from the ground of water by the stand portion, and when the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are disengaged through pressing the counter weight member, the floater body floats on the water but the counter weight member sinks in water.

17. A toy substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying Figures.