Foeball Reflex Training Device

Abstract

A reflex training device having a target object, such as a spongy rubber ball, connected to a user by an extendable tether such as a fabric covered elastomer. The extendable tether attaches at one end to a users head via an attachment assembly such as a headband. At the other end, the extendable tether attaches to the target object. The target object may have a through-hole that includes a hollow conical frustum to allow the extendable tether to be fixed to an anchor assembly with the hollow conical frustum in order to removably attach the target object to the extendable tether.

1 : A reflex training device, comprising:
 a body attachment assembly, removably attached to a user's body;   a substantially spherical target object having a target through-hole that comprises a hollow conical frustum having a larger, frustum-opening of said hollow conical frustum in a vicinity of a first portion of the target-surface, and a smaller frustum-opening in a vicinity of a second portion of the target-surface such that the frustum axis lies substantially on a diameter of said substantially spherical target object; and   an elastically extendable tether having a first end removably attached to said body attachment assembly and a second end extending part way through said target through-hole and secured to an anchor assembly positioned within said hollow conical frustum, said anchor assembly being sized and shaped to fit into said hollow conical frustum via said larger, frustum-opening but not via said smaller frustum-opening.   
     
     
         2 : The reflex training device of  claim 1 , wherein said anchor assembly further comprises:
 a plug element having a plug-element outer-surface shaped and sized to be a snug fit to said hollow conical frustum, and having a plug-element, small-end, sized and shaped to be a flush fit with a small-opening perimeter of said hollow conical frustum, and with a plug-element large-end, sized and shaped to be slightly smaller than a large-opening perimeter of said hollow conical frustum, such that, when assembled, said plug-element large-end is recessed beneath said larger opening of said hollow conical frustum by a recess amount, and wherein said plug element has both an outer screw-thread and an inner screw-thread, both in a vicinity of said plug-element large-end, and wherein said plug-element has a cylindrical, plug element through-hole extending from said plug-element large-end to said plug-element small-end and wherein the cylinder axis of said cylindrical, plug-element through-hole is substantially aligned with said frustum axis of said hollow conical frustum; and   a piston screw comprising:
 a piston-screw cylindrical-rod having a rod screw-thread in a vicinity of a piston-screw-rod first-end, said rod screw-thread shaped and sized to be a screw fit to said inner screw-thread of said plug element such that a rod cylinder-axis of said cylindrical rod is substantially aligned with both said frustum axis  175  and said cylinder axis  595 , and when assembled, said piston-screw-rod first-end  555  is substantially aligned with the surface of said substantially spherical target object  120  in a vicinity of said larger, frustum-opening  150 , and wherein, when assembled a piston-screw-rod second-end  565  is located between the center of said substantially spherical object and said small opening of said hollow conical frustum, and wherein said piston-screw cylindrical-rod  525  has at least one lateral through-hole  575  in a vicinity of said piston-screw-rod second-end  565 , said lateral through hole shaped and sized to be an attachment fit for said elastically extendable tether. 
   
     
     
         3 : The reflex training device of claim wherein said cylindrical, plug-element through-hole of said plug element further comprises a large-diameter plug-hole section extending from said plug-element large-end to a plug-hole large-to-small-diameter transition-point, and a small-diameter plug-hole section extending from said plug-hole large-to-small-diameter transition-point to said plug-element, small-end; and wherein
 piston screw  515  further comprises a large-diameter, piston-screw section  640  that extends from said plug-element large-end  550  to a piston-screw large-to-small-diameter transition-point  650  located between said center point  180  of said substantially spherical target object  120  and said plug-element large-end  550 ; and a small-diameter, piston-screw section  660  that terminates proximate to, but before reaching said plug-hole large-to-small-diameter transition-point  620  of said plug element  510  when assembled, and wherein the diameter of said small-diameter, piston-screw section  660  is smaller than a diameter of said large-diameter plug-hole section  610  that a space between them forms a tether storage region  670  and wherein the plug-element large-end  550  is formed into a screw head  680 .   
     
     
         4 : The reflex training device of  claim 1  wherein said target through-hole  130  further comprises a second hollow conical frustum, co-axial with said hollow conical frustum  140 , laterally inverted and sized and shaped so that the two connected frustums have a minimum diameter in a vicinity of the center point  180  of said substantially spherical target object  120 . 
     
     
         5 : The reflex training device of  claim 1  wherein said body attachment assembly comprises a headband having a hook and loop closure assembly. 
     
     
         6 : The reflex training device of  claim 1  wherein said target object has a shape that is substantially one of a sphere, a cube, an obloid and a cylinder, or some combination thereof. 
     
     
         7 : The reflex training device of  claim 1  wherein said target object has a filling that is comprised of a material in the form of one of a foam, a sponge, an inflating gas, a granular substance, a powder and a liquid, or some combination thereof. 
     
     
         8 : The reflex training device of  claim 1  wherein target object is substantially a sphere comprised of a spongy rubber and said extendable tether is comprised of a fabric covered elastomer. 
     
     
         10 : The reflex training device of  claim 1  wherein said target object is comprised of one of a rubber, a plastic, leather, paper, a fabric, or some combination thereof. 
     
     
         11 : The reflex training device of  claim 1  wherein said first end of said extendable tether is removably attached to said body attachment assembly via a pivoting clip and a flexible loop secured to said body attachment assembly. 
     
     
         12 : The reflex training device of  claim 8  further comprising a connecting ring for attaching said extendable tether to said pivoting clip and wherein said flexible loop is attached to said body attachment assembly via a reinforcement patch. 
     
     
         13 : The reflex training device of  claim 1  wherein said extendable tether is comprised of one of natural or synthetic polyisoprene, polybutadiene, chloroprene rubber, polychloroprene, neoprene, baypren, butyl rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, nitrile rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, polyacrylic rubber and silicone rubber or some combination thereof.