Practice hockey puck

Abstract

A practice hockey puck to be used by a young player to learn how to pick up a hockey puck off the ice with the blade of his hockey stick. The puck is like an ordinary puck but with a lower, outer, annular portion removed, thereby moving the outer perimeter of the bottom surface of the puck inwardly from the outer perimeter of the top portion of the puck. The outer perimeter of the bottom surface acts as a pivot edge. A portion of the puck lies outside this pivot edge. Pressing on this portion with the blade of the stick allows the player to easily pivot the puck about the pivot edge onto its side starting the process of picking the puck up with the stick.

1 . A practice hockey puck comprising; a cylindrical top portion having a top, circular surface and a top, cylindrical, side surface extending down from the outer perimeter of the top surface, the top portion being between three-eighths and five-eighths the thickness of the puck; a bottom portion having a bottom surface parallel to the top surface with the outer perimeter of the bottom surface spaced inwardly of the outer perimeter of the top surface, and a bottom, side surface joining the outer perimeter of the bottom surface with the bottom edge of the top cylindrical side surface; the connection between the bottom, side surface and the top, cylindrical, side surface forming a top pivot edge, the connection between the bottom, side surface and the bottom surface forming a bottom pivot edge located below and inwardly of the top pivot edge. 
   
   
       2 . A practice hockey puck as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the bottom portion is an inverted, right truncated, conical portion, the bottom of the conical portion forming the bottom surface, and the bottom side surface is an angled surface extending upwardly and outwardly from the bottom surface. 
   
   
       3 . A practice hockey puck as claimed in  claim 2  wherein the top of the inverted conical portion has a diameter equal to the diameter of the top portion, the angled surface joining the top and bottom of the conical portion extending at an angle to the bottom surface ranging between thirty and sixty degrees. 
   
   
       4 . A practice hockey puck as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the bottom portion is a cylindrical portion having a smaller diameter than the top portion and concentric within the top portion when viewed from the bottom; the bottom, side surface having a bottom cylindrical surface portion extending up from the bottom surface to the top portion, and an annular surface portion extending outwardly from the top of the bottom cylindrical surface portion to the bottom of the top, cylindrical surface, the annular surface being parallel to the top surface and forming part of the top portion. 
   
   
       5 . A practice hockey puck as claimed in  claim 4  wherein the difference in diameter between the top and bottom portions is about equal to twice the height of the bottom portion. 
   
   
       6 . A practice hockey puck as claimed in  claim 4  wherein the bottom portion is a cylindrical ring portion having a smaller diameter than the top portion and concentric within the top portion when viewed from the bottom. 
   
   
       7 . A practice hockey puck as claimed in  claim 6  wherein the difference in diameter between the top and bottom portions is about equal to twice the height of the bottom portion. 
   
   
       8 . A practice hockey puck as claimed in  claim 4  wherein the bottom portion is a discontinuous, cylindrical ring portion having a smaller diameter than the top portion and concentric within the top portion when viewed from the bottom. 
   
   
       9 . A practice hockey puck as claimed in  claim 8  wherein the difference in diameter between the top and bottom portions is about equal to twice the height of the bottom portion. 
   
   
       10 . A practice hockey puck as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the bottom portion is formed by a ring of spaced-apart posts, the outer portion of the posts touching a circle within and concentric to the top portion, the outer portion of the posts defining the outer edge of the bottom portion. 
   
   
       11 . A practice hockey puck as claimed in  claim 9  wherein the height of the posts is about half the difference in diameter between the top and bottom portions. 
   
   
       12 . A practice hockey puck having a top cylindrical portion with a circular top surface, a circular bottom surface and a cylindrical side surface joining the top and bottom surfaces, a bottom portion integral with the top portion, the bottom portion comprising a set of posts arranged in a circle, the posts extending down from the bottom surface, the posts spaced inwardly from the periphery of the bottom surface, the connection of the bottom surface to the side surface forming a top pivot edge, the outer, bottom edge of the posts forming a discontinuous, bottom, pivot edge. 
   
   
       13 . A practice hockey puck as claimed in  claim 12  wherein the top portion is three-eighths to five-eighths the thickness of the puck. 
   
   
       14 . A practice hockey puck as claimed in  claim 13  wherein the height of the posts is about half the difference in diameter between the top and bottom portions.