US20040256532A1

US20040256532A1 - Ball positioning structure

Info

Publication number: US20040256532A1
Application number: US10/430,336
Authority: US
Inventors: Jim Liao
Original assignee: Hsin Lung Accessories Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hsin Lung Accessories Co Ltd
Priority date: 2002-12-27
Filing date: 2003-05-07
Publication date: 2004-12-23

Abstract

A ball positioning structure on which a ball is placed comprises a lower body; an upper body placed on the lower body; a slide device provided in between the lower body and the upper body such that the lower body and the upper body are mutually rotatable; and a plurality of supports each having a top end and a bottom end, the bottom end being disposed on the surface of the upper body to define a receiving space for placing a ball.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a positioning structure, in particular to a ball positioning structure for positioning a ball thereon, in which the positioning structure may be rotated so as to make playing with the ball more interesting and enjoyable.

2. Description of the Related Art

With reference first to FIG. 1 which shows a perspective view of the conventional ball positioning structure, it can be noted that the structure shown includes a base 1 and a frame 2, in which the frame 2 is fixed on the base 1 for placing a ball 3 thereon, such that a user can bend over and lean on the upper portion of the ball with an up-and-down rocking motion or use his two hands to press the ball. Although the ball is fixed in position and will not roll off, the base 1 can not rotate in itself and, thus, the interesting quality of playing with the ball is diminished.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a ball positioning structure which can accommodate the user to perform rotation by sitting on the ball, pressing the ball or leaning on the ball to improve the interesting quality and enjoyment of playing.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a ball positioning structure comprising:

a lower body having a through-hole in the center thereof, an upper body placed on said lower body having a bore at the center thereof which is in alignment and joined with said through-hole;

a slide device provided in between said lower body and said upper body such that said lower body and said upper body are mutually rotatable; and

a plurality of supports each having a top end and a bottom end, said bottom end being disposed on the surface of the upper body to define a receiving space for placing a ball.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [0010]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conventional ball positioning structure; [0011]
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the present invention; [0012]
FIG. 3 shows the assembled form of the present invention; [0013]
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the present invention in use; [0014]
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an alternative embodiment according to the present invention; and [0015]
FIG. 6 shows the assembled form of the present invention according to FIG. 5.[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIG. 2 in conjunction with FIG. 3, the present invention, according to a preferred embodiment, comprises a [0017] lower body 10, an upper body 20 placed on the lower body 10, a slide device 30 provided on the upper body 20, and a plurality of supports 40 disposed on the surface of the upper body 20.
The [0018] lower body 10 includes a round disk 101, the disk 101 having a through-hole 102 in the center thereof and a plurality of rectangular walls 100 arranged along the circumference thereof Each rectangular wall 100 defines a groove 103. Two opposed sides of the rectangular wall 100 are each provided with a positioning slot 106,107, respectively.
The [0019] upper body 20 is similarly of rounded shape consistent with the shape of the lower body 10, with a bore 201 provided in the center thereof. The upper body 20 is placed on the lower body 10, such that the through-hole 102 is in alignment with said bore 201 and the joined together by a bolt 200. On the surface are disposed a plurality of groove holes 202. In the present embodiment, six of such holes are provided.
The [0020] slide device 30 includes a roller 301 and a shaft 302 inserted into the center of the roller 301 and fixed therein. In the present embodiment, a plurality of slide devices 30 respectively arranged within the plurality of the grooves 103 of the lower body 10 are provided. The two ends of the shaft 302 are positioned in the positioning slots 106,107,respectively, so that the upper body 20 comes in contact with the rollers 301. Therefore, the upper body 20 rotates on the slide devices 30 when applied with a rotational force.
The plurality of [0021] supports 40 are each of arcuate shape and the respective bottom ends 401 thereof are inserted in the groove holes 202, respectively, of the upper body 20. A receiving space 208 is defined by the plurality of supports 40 and a ball 50 is placed therein.
With reference to FIG. 4, a user can sit on the [0022] ball 50 and make up and down movement or bend over to lean on the ball 50 and make rotary movement, to thereby enhance the enjoyment of playing with the ball.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, an alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown. The [0023] top ends 402 of the supports 40 are each provided with two holes 403,404. This embodiment further includes a plurality of arcuate links 60 and a bottom frame 70. Each of the links 60 includes two ends 601,602 each of which is provided with two posts 603,604 respectively for inserting into the holes 403,404 of each support 40. Such an arrangement increases the stability of the ball 50 placed on the receiving space 208. The bottom frame 70 is fixed on the underside of the lower body 10 for increasing the stability of the lower body 10.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. [0024]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A ball positioning structure, comprising:

a lower body having a through-hole in the center thereof;

an upper body placed on said lower body having a bore at the center thereof which is in alignment and joined with said through-hole;

2. A ball positioning structure as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of links each having two ends arranged at the top end of two adjacent supports.

3. A ball positioning structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slide device includes a roller and a shaft fixed into the center of the roller.