Street Hockey Puck

The present invention relates to hockey pucks, and in particular to a hockey puck for playing street or roller hockey on a paved surface.

For the past several years, street and roller hockey has been the fastest growing team sport in the United States. Street hockey is played on a paved surface, such as asphalt or concrete. Such a surface is cheaper and more accessible than playing ice hockey in an ice rink. Street hockey is typically played with a hockey stick and either a ball or a plastic puck similar in appearance to an ice hockey puck. Roller hockey is the same as street hockey, but the players wear roller skates or in-line skates.

With the advent of the in-line skate, there is a trend to make roller hockey "feel" more like ice hockey. The challenge has been to make a ball or puck travel on the rough paved surface such that the players can pass and shoot with the same "feel" as if playing with an ice hockey puck on a relatively frictionless ice surface. There has been only limited success with the use of balls and specially made roller hockey pucks.

A plastic ball rolls relatively well over a rough paved surface. The ball, however, tends to bounce too much and reacts to the hockey stick in an unpredictable manner. Hockey players complain they cannot "dribble" the ball because the rolling ball skips and bounces unpredictably off of the stick and the playing surface.

Therefore, there has been a number of puck shaped devices that have attempted to capture the ice hockey feel in a roller hockey puck. Most of these designs attempt to address the three biggest problems with a traditionally shaped puck being played on a paved surface. The first problem is how to reduce the friction between the puck and the paved surface so the puck travels more like it were on ice. The second problem is how to reduce the tendency of a puck to flip about when an edge of the puck catches an irregularity in the playing surface. When a puck flips, it becomes difficult to control and may begin rolling. The third problem is how to reduce the tendency of a puck to roll on its end or edge, and provide a puck that is easier to knock down flat onto the paved playing surface after it does begin to roll. Once a puck starts rolling on its end or edge on a paved surface, it is quite difficult to knock the puck down to a flat orientation again.

There are several prior art devices that have employed different techniques to address the problem of high friction between the puck and the paved surface. Different substances have been mounted on the puck's flat surfaces to reduce friction, such as bristle material as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,251, or runners or bosses as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,072 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,410. These pucks do reduce the friction such that play on a very smooth paved surface begins to approach the feel of an ice hockey puck played on ice. However, a rougher surface renders these pucks nearly useless. The runners, bosses, and edges catch on surface irregularities, slowing the puck down and sending it flipping and bouncing out of control.

Other prior art pucks have incorporated spherical rollers that protrude through both flat surfaces of the puck, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,144 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,769. While the spherical rollers help to reduce the friction between the puck and the playing surface, there is generally too much friction between the rollers and the puck body for the rollers to work effectively, especially if there is debris trapped within the body. The relatively large contact surface of the rollers with the puck body tends to bind the rollers, resulting in the rollers dragging along the playing surface rather than rolling. This configuration of the rollers also allows the puck to tilt relative to the playing surface, which can result in an edge catching and flipping the puck. Further, these puck designs do not address the tendency of the puck to roll on its side or edge.

There are prior art designs that specifically address the problem of the puck's tendency to roll on its side or edge. These puck designs employ inserts, metal studs, and protrusions on the circumferential side of the puck, as shown in U.S. Pat. No.'s 3,114,788, 4,111,419, and 5,275,410. Experimentation has shown that for inserts, studs, or protrusions to be effective in roll prevention, they need to be extremely large relative to the puck or placed in an asymmetric configuration. Such large or asymmetric features would significantly alter the behavior and feel of the puck. In addition, these inserts, studs and protrusions only help knock down a puck once it starts rolling on its side. They do not prevent such rolling in the first place. Further, these pucks can roll on one edge of the circumferential side of the puck at such an angle that the inserts, studs and protrusions are rendered ineffective. Finally, these studs and protrusions do not address the problem of reducing the friction between the puck and the playing surface.

There is a need for a street hockey puck that has the feel of an ice hockey puck being played on ice, while simultaneously preventing the puck from rolling on its edge or side.

The present invention solves the aforementioned problems by providing reduced friction between the puck and the playing surface, while preventing the puck from rolling on its edge or side.

The puck of the present invention includes a plurality of rotatable members which project through the side or circumferential surface of the puck and neither, one, or both of the top and bottom surfaces of the puck.

In a preferred embodiment, the rotational members are wheels supported in a ring configuration. Each wheel has an axis of rotation that is substantially perpendicular to a plane that contains both the central axis of the puck and a radius formed between the central axis and the wheel.

In another aspect of the invention, spherical cavities are formed by the puck housing, wherein spherical rollers freely rotate and protrude through the side surface of the puck and one or both of the top and bottom surfaces of the puck.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, wheels are mounted directly on a ring to form the puck.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent by a review of the specification, claims and appended figures.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention which uses spherical rollers.

FIG. 4a is a perspective view of a second alternate embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4b is a perspective view of the second alternate embodiment of the present invention with spherical rollers.

FIG. 5a is a perspective view of a third alternate embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5b is a perspective view of the third alternate embodiment of the present invention which uses spherical rollers.

FIG. 6a is a partially exploded perspective view of the ring assembly of the fourth alternate embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6b is a top view of the fourth alternate embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention is a street hockey puck that slides over rough paved surfaces with reduced friction while reducing the likelihood of the puck rolling on its side or edge.

The street hockey puck of the preferred embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The puck includes a housing 10 and rotatable members which in the preferred embodiment take the form of wheels 12.

The housing 10 includes two cylindrically shaped housing sections 14 and 16, each having an outer planar surface 18, an inner planar surface 20, and a radially peripheral side surface 22. The outer planar surfaces 18 form the top and the bottom of the puck, and the inner surfaces 20 abut on another when the housing sections 14/16 are assembled together. The housing 10 is molded with an elastomeric material, such as polyurethane or polyethylene with vinyl or polyvinyl chloride, to more closely approximate the feel of a rubber ice hockey puck. Each housing section 14/16 has a plurality of slots 24 extending radially inward from the side surface 22. The slots 24 extend through the outer planar surfaces 18 and the inner planar surfaces 20. Conical axle cavities 26 are formed in the inner planar surfaces of housing sections 14/16 opposing one another across each slot 24. Male snaps 28 extend out from the inner planar surface 20 of housing sections 14/16 near the side surface 22. Female snaps 30 are formed in housing sections 14/16 opposing the male snaps 28 to receive the male snaps 28 when the housing sections 14/16 are assembled together.

Wheels 12 are cylindrical in shape, and have conical wheel axles 32 on each side wall thereof. Wheels 12 are molded from a hard plastic, such as nylon. The hard plastic provides low friction between the wheel 12 and the housing sections 14/16, and between the wheels 12 and the paved playing surface. Preferably, the hard plastic includes a filler, such as glass. The filler material provides increased abrasion-resistance.

To assemble the street hockey puck, conical axles 32 of wheels 12 are placed in the conical axle cavities 26 such that the wheels rotate in planes which extend radially outward from the center of the puck and which contain the central axis A of the wheel support structure. In FIG. 1, one such plane P for one wheel is shown. The housing sections 14 and 16 are pressed together whereby the opposing conical axle cavities 26 engage and secure the conical axles 32 in the puck. The dimensions of the conical axle cavities 26 are slightly larger than the conical axles 32, so axles 32 freely spin in cavities 26. The housing sections 14/16 are held together by a fastener 34, such as a screw, snap, annular snap, bolt, or rivet, located near the center of the puck. Male snaps 28 engage female snaps 30 to secure the outer circumference of the housing sections 14 and 16 together.

When assembled, wheels 12 spin freely in slots 24 about their conical axles 32. The conical axles 32 and cavities 26 provide point contacts between each wheel 12 and the puck housing 10, which results in low friction. Low friction can also be achieved with cylindrical axle pins of small diameter. However, the conical axles are much stronger and less prone to breakage than axle pins. Furthermore, when the puck is struck with a stick, the relatively large surface area of the conical axles 32 helps to distribute the force of impact to the elastomeric housing 10 of the puck. The wheels 12 are dimensioned such that they extend out of slots 24 through outer planar surfaces 18 and the side surface 22.

The puck exhibits excellent horizontal travel on paved playing surfaces. For example, the puck of the preferred embodiment has eight wheels 12, and therefore eight points of contact with the paved surface. When the puck travels in a particular direction along the paved surface, up to four wheels will be closely aligned with the direction of travel, thus exhibiting almost no friction with the paved surface because they will rotate about their axles. Several other wheels will be partially aligned to the direction of travel, and thus will rotate some and exhibit slight friction with the paved surface. The last few wheels will not be aligned in the direction of travel, and will therefore exhibit some friction with the paved surface as the wheels slide rather than roll along the playing surface. In summary, only a few of the eight points of contact will tend to slide rather than roll along the paved surface, thus producing an improved travel of the puck over the paved surface.

Unlike other pucks, the puck of the present invention has a tendency not to roll on its side. Because the wheels 12 on the leading edge of the puck rotate about an axis perpendicular to the direction of travel, there is no edge to catch the playing surface that could send the puck onto its side. If the puck is sent onto its side, the freely rotating wheels 12 will rotate to allow any forces acting upon the puck (such as gravity, a stick blade, etc.), or any puck momentum not directly aligned with the direction of travel, to bring the puck back down to a flat orientation. Unlike the prior art pucks, there is no edge or side for the puck to roll on. The rotating wheels decrease the friction between the puck's side and the playing surface such that the puck's behavior approximates that of an ice hockey puck being used on smooth ice. Further, the puck is less likely to accidentally flip up during stick handling as compared to other pucks. This is so because the blade of the stick engages wheels 12, not a firm puck side or edge. While stick handling with a conventional puck, the rising stick blade will sometimes flip the puck due to friction between the blade and the side or top edge of the puck and friction between the leading edge of the puck (opposite the blade) and the paved surface. With the present invention, a lifting stick blade will tend to roll off the wheels 12, instead of lifting the puck up by its side. Moreover, the reduced friction on the leading side of the puck helps keep the puck sliding on the playing surface, and not catching an edge or inducing the blade to flip the puck up onto its side or up into the air.

The puck of the present invention, however, can be intentionally lofted into the air by a player as easily as with a conventional puck. Lofting the puck is often desired when shooting at the goal or when attempting to pass the puck above an opponent's stick. The cylindrical shape of the wheels allows the stick blade to "scoop" the puck slightly from underneath the puck, making it easier to loft the puck into the air.

In the preferred embodiment, wheels 12 have a diameter of approximately 1.2 inches. This diameter has been found to best simulate the feel of an ice hockey puck, which is 1 inch in height. When a hockey player "dribbles" the puck, the stick blade typically contacts the upper circumferential puck edge at an angle of about 45 degrees. Since the preferred embodiment has no circumferential edge to contact, the blade contacts the wheels 12. A wheel diameter of 1.2 inches results in a blade at 45 degrees contacting the puck at a height of about one inch above the playing surface. It has also been found that a puck weight of 3.5-4.5 ounces, and an overall diameter of about 3 inches, makes the puck feel most like an ice hockey puck.

Puck stability is enhanced when the mass of the puck is concentrated around the circumference of the puck. The configuration of the preferred embodiment, with wheels 12 mounted near the outer circumference of the puck, greatly enhances the stability of the puck. To further concentrate the mass of the puck around its circumference, holes or depressions can be formed in the housing 10 at or near the puck's center.

An alternate embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 3. Spherical rollers 36 are used instead of the cylindrical wheels 12 of the preferred embodiment. Housing 10 forms a plurality of spherical cavities 38 that open onto both outer planar surfaces 18 as well as the side surface 22. The spherical rollers 36 contained in the spherical cavities 38 protrude through both planar surfaces 18 and the side wall 22, and freely rotate within the spherical cavities 38. The spherical rollers 38 reduce friction for puck travel on the playing surface, as well as prevent the puck from rolling on its side.

A second alternate embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 4a and 4b. The rotatable members extend out of the side surface 22, but not out of the planar surfaces 18. The puck slides on the playing surface on either of the outer planar surfaces 18, and the rotatable members prevent the puck from rolling on its side surface 22. This embodiment is ideal for playing on smooth surfaces,, such as plastic tile, painted concrete, or wood, where the relatively smooth playing surface negates the need for rotatable members on the outer planar surfaces 18, but there still is a need for the rotatable members to prevent the puck from rolling on its side surface 22. This configuration reduces the amount of wear on the rotatable members. Alternately, runners or bumps can be used to decrease friction between the outer planar surfaces and the playing surface. The rotatable members can be either cylindrical wheels 12 in slots 24, as illustrated in FIG. 4a, or spherical rollers 36 in spherical cavities 38, as illustrated in FIG. 4b.

A third alternate embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 5a and 5b. Two rows of rotatable members are mounted inside the puck. The first row of rotatable members is mounted to protrude through the upper planar surface 39 and the side surface 22, and the second row of rotatable members is mounted to protrude through the lower planar surface 40 and the side surface 22. The rotatable members can be smaller than the previous embodiments because they do not have to reach both the upper and lower planar surfaces 39/40. Further, this embodiment looks more like a traditional ice hockey puck. The rotatable members are smaller and the puck has a flat, cylindrical side wall. The rotatable members in this embodiment can be cylindrical wheels 12 in slots 24, as shown in FIG. 5a, or spherical rollers 36 in spherical cavities 38 shown in FIG. 5b.

A fourth alternate embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 6a and 6b. Wheels 41 mount directly onto a ring assembly 42 to form the puck. The ring assembly 42 includes two half rings 44 and 46, each of which include a cross member 48 that terminates in an eyelet 50. The ring portion of each half ring 44/46 terminates at one end with a pin 52 and the other end in a pin hole 54. After the wheels 41 are mounted onto the half rings 44/46, the half rings 44/46 are pressed together such that the pins 52 engage the pin holes 54, and the eyelets 50 overlap each other. A fastener 56, such as a screw or rivet, mounts through the overlapped eyelets 50 to secure the half rings 44/46 together. The cross member also provides transverse support across the ring assembly 42 during use.

The ring assembly 42 forms the axle for each wheel 41 to rotate about. The ring assembly is preferably made of glass-reinforced plastic. The wheels 41 are preferably made of high-impact impact nylon with a metal center such that they freely rotate about the ring assembly 42. This embodiment would exhibit near-optimal mass distribution with most of the weight concentrated along the perimeter of the puck. Such mass distribution results in greatly enhanced puck stability.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated herein, but encompasses any and all variations falling within the scope of the appended claims. For example the wheel axles need not be conical. Further, the number of wheels or rollers need not be eight. In addition, planar surfaces 18 need not be planar, nor even be solid surfaces, for those embodiments where the paved surface only contacts wheels 12 or rollers 36, and not housing 10. Finally, the structure used to support the cylindrical wheels in a ring configuration need not be the housing 10 or ring assembly 42 as illustrated above, but any structure that can support the wheels 12 in a ring configuration as shown in the above embodiments.