Pass-Football

This application is for an original patent involving a game comprised of throwing a VELCRO fleece covered foam football and catching it with a glove to which strips of VELCRO hook material is attached to the palm side of the hand.

This invention relates to the game of playing pass-catch football inside with young children as a game.

Prior art includes the separate items comprised of a foam rubber (Ensolite.TM.) football, cotton glove with elastic wrist band and rubber coated palm, and VELCRO material. Present art involves the incorportion of the foam football with a VELCRO fleece covering secured by glue and strips of VELCRO hooks attached to the cotton glove with rubber coated palm. The advantage of the new art over the prior art is that the VELCRO covered foam football may be used indoors with young children wearing the VELCRO hook glove. It is easier for children to catch the foam football covered with the VELCRO fleece material using the VELCRO hook glove due to the VELCRO's ability to "snag" when the VELCRO hook glove touches the VELCRO fleece material which covers the foam football. This increases the child's ability to catch the football thereby making the game of catch more enjoyable and inducing the child to practice the game which will better develop hand/eye coordination.

Foam rubber (Ensolite.TM.) football covered with VELCRO fleece and secured in place by rubber or silicone-based contact cement and with 1/2 inch wide strips of VELCRO fleece material attached on each of the football's four seams for increased gripping potential and easier throwing ability. Also, 1/2 inch wide strips of VELCRO hook material secured in place by rubber or silicone-based contact cement on the palm side of each finger (thumb, index, middle, ring, little) of a cotton glove with elastic band and with a rubber coated palm surface. The Game is played by throwing the VELCRO fleece covered football with the ungloved hand and catching it with the hand that has the cotton glove with the VELCRO hook strips attached to it. The gloved hand is put out toward the thrown ball and the glove should "snag" the ball making catching the ball easier for young children.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the pass-catch football toy of this invention with a end view and dimensions of the foam rubber football before the VELCRO fleece material is attached as a cover to the football's surface. The diameter is taken at the middle or widest part of the football's axis (maximum girth). Football DIAMETER: 53/4 inches. Football CIRCUMFERENCE at maximum girth is approximately 18 inches. FIG. 1 also shows a perspective view of the catching glove.

FIG. 2 shows the side view and dimensions of the foam rubber football before the VELCRO fleece material is attached as a cover to the football's surface. The diameter is taken at the middle or widest part of the football's axis (maximum girth). Football LENGTH: 10 inches; Football WIDTH: 53/4 inches.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the foam rubber football with the general VELCRO fleece material cover placed on the football's surface with the strips of VELCRO fleece material placed on the football seams. The thickness of the VELCRO fleece material for the general covering is approximately 1/8 inch. The single hatch shading indicates the VELCRO fleece covering. The thick lines along the plane of the football indicate the "seams".

FIG. 4 is a side view of the foam rubber football with the general VELCRO fleece material cover placed on the football and the strips of VELCRO fleece material placed on the four football seams. The single hatch shading indicates the general VELCRO fleece covering. The double hatch shading indicates the VELCRO fleece strips secured on each of the foam rubber football's four seams. Each of the four strips of the VELCRO fleece material placed on the four football seams are 1/2 inch wide and are cut six (6) inches long. The 1/2 inch wide strips of VELCRO fleece material are placed on each of the foam football's four seams (the "seam" is where the four separate sections of the ball can be seen on a regular football). The strips of VELCRO fleece material are centered on the seams so that their ends are equidistant from each end of the tip of the foam rubber football, a distance of approximately three (3) inches. These VELCRO fleece "grip tabs" are secured in place with rubber or silicone based contact cement.

The thickness of the VELCRO fleece material for the seam strips is roughly 1/10 inch. The additional height on the seams of the football from the strips of VELCRO fleece material make the football easier to grip and allows one to throw the ball much better (functional equivalent to the string lacing on a regular football).

FIG. 5 shows the view from the cotton glove from the palm side. The cotton glove has a two (2) inch elastic wrist band. The palm surface of the entire hand, and the index finger and thumb, are coated with a thin layer of rubber (1/64 inch). The rubber covering is known as a "dot" coating. The single hatch shading indicates the rubber coated section of the cotton glove. The dark vertical line along the wrist and hand indicates the dividing line where the elastic wrist band exists. The strips of hook material are shown secured to the palm surface of each of the five (5) fingers. The VELCRO hook material is approximately 1/16 inch thick. Each of the five (5) separate VELCRO hook strips are 1/2 inch wide.

All five (5) strips of VELCRO hook material are glued to the palm side of the cotton glove with the rubber coated palm surface. The five (5) individual strips of VELCRO hook material are placed to within 1/4 inch of the end of each finger tip and centered in the middle of the finger. The strips of VELCRO hook material are secured in place with rubber or silicone-based contact cement.

For each finger, the 1/2 inch wide strips of VELCRO hook material are cut to the indicated lengths:

(1) Thumb; 4 inches

(2) Index Finger: 3 inches

(3) Middle Finger; 5 inches

(4) Ringe Finger; 7 inches

(5) Little Finger; 5 inches

In the pass-catch football toy of this invention 10, a foam rubber football 12 having two ends 14a, 14b and a core portion 16, is fully covered with a fleece 18 of contact material, preferably VELCRO, and additional thin strips of fleece are placed on each of four longitudinal seams 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d of the football and secured by contact cement 21. A cotton catching glove 28 having an elastic wristband 36 with a rubber coated palm surface 38 has thin strips of hook material 32, preferably VELCRO, placed on the palm side of each finger of the glove.

The football 12 and glove 28 are for use in the game of playing pass-catch football indoors with children ages 4-8 or outdoors with adults under formal rules which are attached with this specification. The VELCRO system makes it easier for young children to catch the VELCRO fleece covered foam rubber football 12 with the VELCRO hook cotton glove 30 thereby making the game easier and more enjoyable. The addition of the 1/2 inch wide strips of VELCRO fleece material (grip-tabs) 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d on the four seams make the foam rubber football 12 easier to grip and throw.

The process of making the invention begins by taking a foam rubber 13 (Ensolite.TM.) football 12 and covering the entire surface with rubber or silicone-based contact cement 21. Next, the VELCRO fleece 18 material 22 is manually cut with shears into four separate pieces in the pattern of the four sections of a standard (American) football 12, i.e., which is shaped as an oblate spheroid. The VELCRO fleece 18 material is then molded or formed onto the glued surface of the foam rubber football 12; a time period elapses until the cement 21 dries and securely fastens the VELCRO fleece 18 material to the foam rubber football 12. Four 1/2 inch strips of VELCRO fleece material 22 are then cut to a length of six (6) inches and the backing is covered with the contact cement 21. The 1/2 inch wide strips 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d of VELCRO fleece material are then secured on each of the four seams 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d of the foam rubber football 12; the VELCRO strips are centered on the axis and plane of each seam of the football so that there is a distance of three (3) inches from each end of the VELCRO strip to the tip of the foam rubber football 12. The additional 1/2 inch wide strips of VELCRO fleece material secured to the four seams on the football are for better gripping and throwing ability.

Next, five 1/2 inch wide strips of VELCRO hook material 33 are cut to the appropriate sizes as follows: 4 inch, 3 inch, 5 inch, 7 inch, 5 inch. A cotton glove 28 with elastic wristband 36 is then employed. The cotton glove 28 has a rubber coated palm surface 38. The rubber covering 38 is known as "dot coating". The back of each of the five 1/2 inch wide strips 32 of VELCRO hook material 33 are then covered with contact cement 21 and secured onto the palm side (front) surface 29 of each finger with the length of each separate strip indicated in parenthesis as follows: thumb (4 inches), index finger (3 inches), middle finger (5 inches), ring finger (7 inches) and little finger (5 inches). The VELCRO hook strips 32 are glued in place with rubber or silicone-based contact cement 21.

The foam rubber football 12 is produced in the standard spray foam injection mold process. The cotton glove 28 is made with the standard weaving process: the pattern is first cut and then the material is sewn into the shape of a glove. The rubber coating 38 on the palm side (front surface) 29 of the cotton glove's surface is stamped on in a separate process which creates many closely spaced small "dots". The VELCRO fleece 18 and hook material 33 is manufactured in the ordinary process and then cut to the shapes and dimensions indicated previously.

The best method for making the foam rubber football 12 is by injection molding; the best method for making the cotton glove 28 is by cutting the pattern and sewing the material into the shape of a glove; the best method for applying the VELCRO coverings is by cutting and gluing and various raw manufactured component parts in an assembly style process.

The pass-catch football toy 10 of the invention is used in the normal manner of playing catch with a football: in the adult game, separate rules which are attached to the specification are utilized to make the game more challenging. For the children's game, there will generally be two players; adult thrower, child catcher. The catcher (child) wears the cotton glove 28 (to which the VELCRO hook material 33 has been glued) on the non-throwing hand; the child plays catch with the gloved hand. The thrower (adult) grips the VELCRO fleece 18 covered foam rubber football 12 on the seam strips 32 for better throwing ability. The VELCRO hooks 33 on the glove 30 "snags" the VELCRO fleece material 22 on the covering of the foam rubber football 12 thus assisting the child in catching the ball. Therefore, one need not be skilled in the art of catching passes.