US20250303319A1

US20250303319A1 - Toy water ball

Info

Publication number: US20250303319A1
Application number: US19/238,310
Authority: US
Inventors: Yunfeng Chen; Lixiang Liao
Original assignee: Dongguan Saienchuangke Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Dongguan Saienchuangke Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-12-25
Filing date: 2025-06-13
Publication date: 2025-10-02
Also published as: ES3037205T3; EP4527478B1; EP4650011A3; NZ791260A; RS67333B1; GB202410828D0; HUE072029T2; HRP20250879T1; AU2021407719B2; EP4529963B1; WO2022134251A1; MX2023007695A; EP4650011A2; US20250303318A1; EP4527478A3; EP4527478A2; SI4094816T1; AU2025267316A1; US20250256218A1; CN118615720A

Abstract

A toy water ball includes a plurality of petals each having a first edge portion and a second edge portion. Each first edge portion is provided with first magnetic members, and each second edge portion is provided with second magnetic members. When all petals are closed to form a spherical shape, an attraction force is generated between the first magnetic members of each petal and the second magnetic members of the adjacent petal so that the first edge portion of the petal tightly fit the second edge portion of the adjacent petal and a water-carrying cavity is formed. The toy water ball can be closed or opened repeatedly and can be reused. Thus, it is environmentally friendly and clean. Furthermore, the toy water ball can be filled with water in a common water source without a specific pressure, so it can be used in many occasions, and has strong applicability.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/549,920, filed Dec. 14, 2021, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202011567478.4, filed on Dec. 25, 2020, entitled “TOY WATER BALL.” The entire contents of the above-identified applications are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD

The invention relates to the field of entertainment toys, in particular to a toy water ball.

BACKGROUND

As the weather gets hotter, toys that use water as the medium are more popular and people can play with them, for example, water guns, and feel cooling. However, water guns have high risk of hurting people, especially in the eyes, due to the high pressure of water jetted. At present, there is a game of throwing a water ball, in which a balloon filled with water is thrown at a player. The player who is hit will get wet by the water due to the balloon burst. The player will try to avoid the flying water ball as much as possible. This game is safe and can bring great fun and coolness for people, so it is really a good activity for people to play in summer.
However, the balloons used in the current water ball activities can only be used once and can't be reused after bursting. The large number of used balloons is likely to cause environmental pollution. In addition, to play with this water ball, water needs to be injected into the balloons under pressure, so this game often requires an environment with a water tap. Many people like to play it in places with water such as grassland, seaside or riverside in the suburbs. However, under normal atmospheric pressure, it is difficult to directly inject water into balloons to expand them. Therefore, it is difficult to inject water to sufficiently expand the water ball on the spot due to the lack of water pressure in the natural environment. As a result, this game is limited by an environment.

SUMMARY

Based on various embodiments of the present application, a toy water ball that can be reused and can be used in many occasions is provided.
A toy water ball, comprising a plurality of petals, wherein each of the petals comprises a first edge portion and a second edge portion, each of the first edge portions is provided with at least one first magnetic member, and each of the second edge portions is provided with at least one second magnetic member; when the petals are closed to form a spherical shape, an attraction force is generated between the first magnetic members on the first edge portion of each of the petals and the second magnetic members on the second edge portion of an adjacent petal so that the first edge portion of the petal tightly fits with the second edge portion of the adjacent petal and the petals cooperatively form a water-carrying cavity therebetween.
The beneficial effects of the invention are as follows.
The toy water ball of the invention is provided with the first magnetic members and the second magnetic members, so that the toy water ball can be folded or opened repeatedly and thus can be reused; therefore, the water ball is environmentally friendly and clean. In addition, the toy water ball can be filled with water in a common water source without a specific pressure, so it can be used in many occasions, and has strong applicability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective schematic view of a toy water ball according to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective schematic view of the toy water ball of FIG. 1 in an unfolded state;

FIG. 3 is a perspective schematic view of the toy water ball of FIG. 1 , viewed from another aspect;

FIG. 4 is a perspective schematic view of the toy water ball of FIG. 3 in an unfolded state;

FIG. 5 is a perspective schematic view of one of the petals of the toy water ball of FIG. 2 tilted;

FIG. 6 is a perspective schematic view of a petal of FIG. 5 cut along the midline, in which first magnetic members and the petal are in an exploded state;

FIG. 7 is a perspective schematic view of a connecting member of the toy water ball of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 8 is a perspective schematic view of a toy water ball according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a perspective schematic view of a toy water ball according to a third embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a perspective schematic view of a toy water ball according to a fourth embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a perspective schematic view of a toy water ball according to a fifth embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a perspective schematic view of the toy water ball of FIG. 11 in an opened state;

FIG. 13 shows a connecting member of the toy water ball of FIG. 12 and a first edge portion and a second edge portion of each of the petals;

FIG. 14 is a perspective schematic view of a toy water ball according to a sixth embodiment; and

FIG. 15 is a perspective schematic view of the toy water ball of FIG. 14 in an opened state.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

For easy understanding of the invention, a more comprehensive description of the invention will be given below. However, the invention may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the contents disclosed by the invention understood more thoroughly and comprehensively.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field to which the invention belongs. The terms used herein in the specification of the invention are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only but not intended to limit the invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 7 , a toy water ball of a first embodiment of the invention can be thrown as a prop in games and entertainment. The toy water ball has a folded state and an unfolded state. When the toy water ball is placed into water and filled with water, and after the water ball returns to a combined state, the toy water ball forms a closed water-carrying cavity. When the toy water ball hits a person or hits the ground or a hard object during the game, the toy water ball is squeezed or compressed to split and turns to the unfolded state, and the loaded or carried water splashes to achieve the purpose of the game and entertainment.
Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 , the toy water ball 100 according to the first embodiment of the invention includes a plurality of petals 10, and each of the petals 10 has a first edge portion 11 and a second edge portion 12; each of the first edge portions 11 is provided with a first magnetic member 21, and each of the second edge portions 12 is provided with a second magnetic member 22. When all the petals 10 are folded and closed to form a spherical shape, the first magnetic member 21 on the first edge portion 11 of each of the petals 10 and the second magnetic member 22 on the second edge portion 12 of the adjacent petal 10 attract each other so that the first edge portion 11 of the petal 10 tightly fits with the second edge portion 12 of the adjacent petal 10, and in this way, every two adjacent petals 10 are connected and fit together in sequence, and all the petals 10 together form a water-carrying cavity.
In this embodiment, the toy water ball 100 has three petals 10, and each of the petals 10 is configured as a one-third-sphere shell. When in the combined state, the three petals 10 are close to each other in pairs and fit together to cooperatively form the water-carrying cavity enclosed by the three petals 10. In this embodiment, the toy water ball 100 is configured in a spherical shape. Understandably, in other embodiments, the toy water ball can also be shaped like an elliptical sphere or an irregular sphere, as long as it can carry water in the folded state. In this embodiment, the three petals 10 are of the same shape to facilitate mass production. In other embodiments, the three petals 10 can be different in size, as long as they can be arranged in a circle and fold up to form a sphere.
In this embodiment, each of the petals 10 is configured as an arc-shaped fan-like shell. Each of the petals 10 is integrally made of a soft material. In this way, people feel less pain when hit by the toy water ball, thus increasing the fun of entertainment. Specifically, each of the petals 10 is made of a light, thin, flexible and soft sheet such as a silicone sheet, and is somewhat elastic. In other embodiments, the first edge portion 11 and the second edge portion 12 of each of the petals 10 can be made of a different material separately and then integrally assembled together, for example, the first edge portion 11 and the second edge portion 12 are made of silicone, soft gel, the body/middle portion of the petal 10 is configured as a soft shell, and the three are connected to form an integral member by injection molding.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 , the first edge portion 11 and the second edge portion 12 of each of the petals 10 are located on opposite sides of the petal 10. In this embodiment, the first edge portion 10 of one of the petals 10 of the toy water ball 100 is provided with a plurality of first magnetic members 21, the second edge portion 12 of the petal 10 adjacent to the first edge portion 11 of the one of the petals 10 is provided with a plurality of second magnetic members 22, and the positions of the first magnetic members 21 of the one of the petals 10 are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the positions of the second magnetic members 22 of the adjacent petal 10. Specifically, in this embodiment, the number of the first magnetic members 21 and the number of the second magnetic members 22 of each of the petals 10 are both five, and the positions of the first magnetic members 21 are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the positions of the second magnetic members 22 so that the magnetic attraction force therebetween is maximized with a relatively light weight. Specifically, the first magnetic members 21 of the first edge portion 11 of the same petal 10 are spaced apart from each other, and the second magnetic members 22 of the second edge portion 12 of the same petal 10 are spaced apart from each other. In other embodiments, the number of the first magnetic members 21 or the second magnetic members 22 of the same petal 10 can be determined according to the size of the toy water ball 100 and the size of the first magnetic member 21 or the second magnetic member 22. The number of the first magnetic members 21 or the second magnetic members 22 can also be one. For example, one elongated first magnetic member and one elongated second magnetic member are applied for one petal. In a case where the plurality of first magnetic members 21 or the plurality of second magnetic members 22 are spaced apart, the weight of the toy water ball 100 associated with the first magnetic members 21 or the second magnetic members 22 can be reduced while a sufficient magnetic attraction force is ensured, and the lightness and entertainment interest of the toy water ball 100 can be improved.
In this embodiment, the first edge portion 11 of each of the petals 10 has a first fitting surface 31, and the first magnetic members 21 are mounted on an inner side of the first edge portion 11, the inner side facing away from the first fitting surface 31; the second edge portion 12 of each of the petals 10 has a second fitting surface 32, and the second magnetic members 22 are mounted on an inner side of the second edge portion 12, the inner side facing away from the second fitting surface 32.
The first fitting surface 31 and the second fitting surface 32 are both concavely arranged in a natural state and are prone to deformation when squeezed. When the first fitting surface 31 is fit on the corresponding second fitting surface 32 of the adjacent petal 10, under the action of magnetic attraction, the first fitting surface 31 and the second fitting surface 32 are deformed into a tight fit to form a sealed water-retaining layer to prevent the water loaded in the toy water ball 100 from leaking out in advance. Specifically, the first fitting surface 31 or the corresponding second fitting surface 32 of the adjacent petal 10 has an inclined surface leaning toward each other. Understandably, in other embodiments, the first fitting surface 31 or the second fitting surface 32 may be provided with a flat surface, as long as the sealed and water-retaining effect can be achieved when they are close to each other and fit together under the action of magnetic attraction.
Preferably, the first magnetic members 21 are arranged corresponding to a middle position of the first fitting surface 31, i.e., the midline between inner and outer edges of the first fitting surface 31. The inner edge of the first fitting surface 31 is close to the water-carrying cavity and the outer edge of the first fitting surface 31 is away from the water-carrying cavity. The second magnetic members 22 are arranged corresponding to a middle position of the second fitting surface 31. Specifically, the first magnetic members 21 are mounted and fixed inside the first edge portion 11 to avoid affecting the waterproof effect of the first fitting surface 31; similarly, the second magnetic members 22 are mounted and fixed inside the second edge portion 12 to avoid affecting the waterproof effect of the second fitting surface 32.
In this embodiment, an inner side of the first edge portion 11 of each of the petals 10 is provided with a first groove 41, and the first magnetic members 11 [sic] are fixed in the first groove 41. The first magnetic members 21 are fixed on the first edge portion 11 by binding/adhering/bonding. An inner side of the second edge portion 12 of each of the petals 10 is provided with a second groove (not shown), and the second magnetic members 22 are fixed in the first grooves [sic]. The second magnetic members 22 are fixed on the second edge portion 12 by binding/adhering/bonding. Understandably, in other embodiments, the first magnetic members 21 may also be fixed on the first edge portion 11 by means of snap connection, integral molding, or the like; the second magnetic members 22 may also be fixed on the second edge portion 12 by means of snap connection, integral molding, or the like.
In this embodiment, the first magnetic members 21 and the second magnetic members 22 are both magnets, and both shaped like rectangular blocks. The first magnetic members 21 of the first edge portion 11 and the second magnetic members 22 of the adjacent second edge portion 12 are opposite in polarity to achieve the effect of attracting each other when approaching. In other embodiments, the first magnetic members 21 are magnets and the second magnetic members 22 are iron blocks, or the first magnetic members 21 are iron blocks and the second magnetic members 22 are magnets, which can also achieve a mutual magnetic attraction effect.
Referring also to FIG. 7 , the toy water ball 100 further includes a connecting member 50 that connects each of the petals 10 respectively. The connecting member 50 includes an elastic connecting ring 51 and connecting ends 52 respectively connecting the connecting ring 51 to each of the petals 10. The connecting end 52 is connected to the same end of each of the petals 10. After each of the petals 10 is connected by the connecting member 50, when the toy water ball 100 is thrown out and hits a person or falls on the ground and splits open, each of the petals 10 can be well connected, and there is no need to pick the petals up one by one. Understandably, in some embodiments, the connecting ring 51 can be configured as a common inelastic rope. In addition, in embodiments where few petals 10 are provided, the connecting member 50 can be omitted. For example, in the case of three petals 10 in this embodiment or in the case of two petals 10 in other embodiments, without the connecting member 50, the toy water ball still can be used normally.
In use of the toy water ball 100, a player can hold or grip the toy water ball 100 and put it directly into a water source, for example, in water in a bucket, river, or sea, and then squeeze the toy water ball 100 hard to deform the petals 10 to a certain extent, so that a gap is formed between two adjacent petals 10 to allow water inflow. After water flows into the toy water ball 100, the player unlooses the toy water ball 100, the first edge portion 11 and the second edge portion 12 of the adjacent petals 10 come into a tight fit by virtue of the magnetic attraction between the first magnetic members 21 and the second magnetic members 22, thus achieving the sealed waterproof effect. When the toy water ball 100 fully filled with water is thrown out and hits a person or an object, the adjacent petals 10 are forced to depart from each other, the toy water ball 100 splits open, and the water in the toy water ball 100 splashes out to achieve the game effect.
Compared with an existing water balloon, the toy water ball of the invention is provided with the first magnetic members and the second magnetic members, so that the toy water ball can be folded or opened repeatedly and thus can be reused; therefore, the water ball is environmentally friendly and clean. In addition, the toy water ball can be filled with water in a common water source without a specific pressure, so it can be used in many occasions, and has strong applicability.
Referring to FIG. 8 , a toy water ball 100 a according to a second embodiment of the invention is illustrated. The toy water ball 100 a includes a plurality of petals 10 a, and each of the petals 10 a has a first edge portion 11 a and a second edge portion 12 a; each of the first edge portions 11 a is provided with first magnetic members (not shown), and each of the second edge portions 12 a is provided with second magnetic members (not shown). The toy water ball 100 a of the second embodiment is similar to the toy water ball 100 of the first embodiment except that the number of the petals 10 a in the toy water ball 100 a of the second embodiment is two, and each of the petals 10 a is configured as a hemispherical shell. The toy water ball 100 a further includes a connecting member 50 a respectively connected to each of the petals 10 a.
Referring to FIG. 9 , a toy water ball 100 b according to a third embodiment of the invention is illustrated. The toy water ball 100 b includes a plurality of petals 10 b, and each of the petals 10 b has a first edge portion 11 b and a second edge portion 12 b; each of the first edge portions 11 b is provided with first magnetic members (not shown), and each of the second edge portions 12 b is provided with second magnetic members (not shown). The toy water ball 100 b of the third embodiment is similar to the toy water ball 100 of the first embodiment except that the toy water ball 100 b of the third embodiment has four petals 10 b, and each of the petals 10 b is configured as a one-fourth-sphere shell. The toy water ball 100 b further includes a connecting member 50 b respectively connected to the petals 10 b.
Referring to FIG. 10 , illustrated is a toy water ball 100 c according to a fourth embodiment of the invention. The toy water ball 100 c includes a plurality of petals 10 c, and each of the petals 10 c has a first edge portion 11 c and a second edge portion 12 c; each of the first edge portions 11 c is provided with first magnetic members (not shown), and each of the second edge portions 12 c is provided with second magnetic members (not shown). The toy water ball 100 c of the fourth embodiment is similar to the toy water ball 100 of the first embodiment except that the toy water ball 100 c of the fourth embodiment has five petals 10 c, and each of the petals 10 c is configured as a one-fifth-sphere shell. The toy water ball 100 c further includes a connecting member 50 c respectively connected to the petals 10 c.
Referring to FIGS. 11 to 13 , illustrated is a toy water ball 100 d according to a fifth embodiment of the invention. The toy water ball 100 d includes a plurality of petals 10 d, and each petal 10 d has a first edge portion 11 d and a second edge portion 12 d; each first edge portion 11 d is provided with first magnetic members (as shown in FIG. 13 ), and each second edge portion 12 d is provided with second magnetic members (shown in FIG. 13 ). The toy water ball 100 d of the fifth embodiment is similar to the toy water ball 100 a of the second embodiment except that the toy water ball 100 d of the fifth embodiment further includes a connecting member 50 d respectively connected to the petals 10 d and the connecting member 50 d is configured as a sheet. In this embodiment, the connecting member 50 d is integrally formed with the first edge portion 11 d and the second edge portion 12 d of each petal 10 d, and then is connected to a main body of each petal 10 d. In this embodiment, an outer surface of each petal 10 d is provided with a wave-like pattern.
Referring to FIGS. 14 and 15 , illustrated is a toy water ball 100 e according to a sixth embodiment of the invention. The toy water ball 100 e includes a plurality of petals 10 e, and each petal 10 e has a first edge portion 11 e and a second edge portion 12 e; each first edge portion 11 e is provided with first magnetic members (not shown), and each second edge portion 12 e is provided with second magnetic members (not shown). The toy water ball 100 e of the sixth embodiment is similar to the toy water ball 100 of the first embodiment except that the toy water ball 100 e of the sixth embodiment further includes a connecting member 50 e respectively connected to the petals 10 e and the connecting member 50 e is configured as a sheet. In this embodiment, the connecting member 50 e is integrally formed with the first edge portion 11 e and the second edge portion 12 e of each petal 10 e, and then is connected to the main body of each petal 10 e. In this embodiment, an outer surface of each petal 10 e is provided with a wave-like pattern.
Understandably, the toy water ball of the invention is not limited to being filled with water, and the toy water ball of the invention can be used to be filled with other liquids suitable for people's entertainment, such as beer, milk or other liquids harmless to the human body or drinkable.
The above-described embodiments only show several implementations of the invention, which are more specific and detailed, but not to be construed as limiting the patent scope of the invention. It should be noted that those of ordinary skill in the art may further make variations and improvements without departing from the conception of the invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the invention. Therefore, the patent protection scope of the invention should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1-20. (canceled)

21. A toy water ball, comprising:

a first petal comprising an elastic silicone material, the first petal including a first edge portion having a first fitting surface, and a plurality of first magnetic members mounted and fixed inside the first edge portion away from the first fitting surface;

a second petal comprising an elastic silicone material, the second petal including a second edge portion having a second fitting surface, and a plurality of second magnetic members mounted and fixed inside the second edge portion away from the second fitting surface, wherein the first fitting surface is shaped to fit and contact the second fitting surface; and

a connecting member connecting the first petal to the second petal, wherein the first petal, the second petal, and the connecting member form an integral molded member,

wherein the plurality of first magnetic members are spaced apart from each other, and the plurality of second magnetic members are spaced apart from each other,

wherein the plurality of first magnetic members mate with the plurality of second magnetic members to position the first petal and the second petal in a closed state and define a water-carrying cavity,

wherein a magnetic attraction force between the plurality of first magnetic members and the plurality of second magnetic members is sufficient to cause the first edge portion and the second edge portion to contact each other and create a water-tight seal.

22. The toy water ball of claim 21, wherein the connecting member is configured as a sheet.

23. The toy water ball of claim 21, wherein the connecting member is integrally formed with the first edge portion and the second edge portion.

24. The toy water ball of claim 21, wherein the first fitting surface and the second fitting surface deform into a tight fit in the closed state.

25. The toy water ball of claim 21, wherein the first hemispherical shell of the first petal is integrally formed with the first edge portion.

26. They toy water ball of claim 25, wherein the second hemispherical shell of the second petal is integrally formed with the second edge portion.

27. The toy water ball of claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of first magnetic members is shaped as a rectangular block, and each of the plurality of second magnetic members is shaped as a rectangular block.

28. The toy water ball of claim 27, wherein the each of the plurality of first magnetic members is fixed in the first edge portion by integrally molding each first magnetic member in the first edge portion.

29. The toy water ball of claim 28, wherein the each of the plurality of second magnetic members is fixed in the second edge portion by integrally molding each second magnetic member in the second edge portion.

30. The toy water ball of claim 21, wherein the first petal and the second petal each comprises a semispherical shell.

31. The toy water ball of claim 21, wherein the first fitting surface comprises a slope and the second fitting surface comprises a slope; and wherein the slope of the first fitting surface and the slope of the second fitting surface are tilted to each other.

32. The toy water ball of claim 31, wherein the first fitting surface and the second fitting surface deform into a tight fit.

33. The toy water ball of claim 31, wherein the first fitting surface and the second fitting surface are both concavely arranged in a natural state.

34. The toy water ball of claim 31, wherein the magnetic attraction force is sufficient to cause the first fitting surface and the second fitting surface to deform into the tight fit, thereby creating the water seal.

35. The toy water ball of claim 21, wherein the first petal and the second petal are shaped in an irregular sphere in the closed state.

36. The toy water ball of claim 21, wherein the first petal and the second petal are shaped in an elliptical sphere in the closed state.