Cup-and-ball toy with finger-ring mount

Abstract

A toy having a ball, a base, and a tether which tethers the ball to the base, where the base has a landing structure and a ring mechanism for removeable attachment of the base to a finger of the player. The landing structure may, for instance, be a cup. Or if the ball has a complementary-dimensioned bore, the ball retaining means may be a spike. The ring mechanism is preferably a pair of straps which may be wrapped around the finger and removably bonded to each other (such as with Velcro®).

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A toy comprising:
 a ball;   a base having a landing structure for seating said ball;   a tether which tethers said ball to said base and allows said ball to be swung so as to land on and be seated by said landing structure, and to be swung so as to be unseated from said landing structure; and   a ring mechanism attached to said base for securing said base to a hand of a player of the toy.   
     
     
         2 . The toy of  claim 1  wherein said ball has a landing bore having a landing bore diameter, and said landing structure is a spike having a spike diameter less than said landing bore diameter. 
     
     
         3 . The toy of  claim 1  wherein said landing structure is a first cup-shaped receptacle. 
     
     
         4 . The toy of  claim 3  wherein a depth of said first cup-shaped receptacle is between 25% and 50% of a diameter of said ball. 
     
     
         5 . The toy of  claim 4  wherein said ball has a diameter between 5.5 cm and 8 cm. 
     
     
         6 . The toy of  claim 3  wherein a depth of said first cup-shaped receptacle is between 35% and 47% of a diameter of said ball. 
     
     
         7 . The toy of  claim 6  wherein said ball has a diameter between 6 cm and 7.25 cm. 
     
     
         8 . The toy of  claim 3  wherein a depth of said first cup-shaped receptacle is between 40% and 45% of a diameter of said ball. 
     
     
         9 . The toy of  claim 8  wherein said ball has a diameter between 6.5 cm and 6.75 cm. 
     
     
         10 . The toy of  claim 3  further including a base at the bottom of said first cup-shaped receptacle, said base having a first concavity for seating said ball. 
     
     
         11 . The toy of  claim 10  wherein said ball, when seated in said concavity, rests at a resting point against an outside surface of said first cup-shaped receptacle. 
     
     
         12 . The toy of  claim 11  wherein said first cup-shaped receptacle includes an indent at said resting point. 
     
     
         13 . The toy of  claim 10  wherein said base extends outwards in a base plane parallel to a rim of said first cup-shaped receptacle. 
     
     
         14 . The toy of  claim 10  wherein said base further includes a second concavity for seating said ball. 
     
     
         15 . The toy of  claim 10  wherein said ball has a first radius, said first cup-shaped receptacle has a concave interior surface with a first radius of curvature equal to said first radius, and said concavity has a second radius of curvature equal to said first radius. 
     
     
         16 . The toy of  claim 1  wherein said ball has a throughbore which includes a tether entrance section, a tether securing section, and an expanded section, said tether entering said tether entrance section, said tether being terminated with a width-increasing unit located in said expanded section, said width-increasing unit having a first width greater than a second width of said tether securing section. 
     
     
         17 . The toy of  claim 16  wherein central axes of said tether entrance section, said tether securing section, and said expanded section are collinear. 
     
     
         18 . The toy of  claim 16  wherein said width-increasing unit is a bead secured to said tether by a knot at an end of said tether. 
     
     
         19 . The toy of  claim 1  wherein said ball and said base have weights which are equal to within 25%. 
     
     
         20 . The toy of  claim 1  wherein said ball and said base have weights which are equal to within 20%. 
     
     
         21 . The toy of  claim 1  wherein said ball and said base have weights which are equal to within 15%. 
     
     
         22 . The toy of  claim 1  wherein said ball and said base have weights which are equal to within 10%. 
     
     
         23 . The toy of  claim 1  wherein said ball and said base have weights which are equal to within 5%. 
     
     
         24 . The toy of  claim 1  wherein said ring mechanism includes a first flexible strap and a second flexible strap, said first flexible strap and said second flexible strap being attached to said base, said first strap being removably securable to said second strap to form a loop. 
     
     
         25 . The toy of  claim 24  wherein said first strap has a top surface covered with fastening loops and said second strap has a bottom surface covered with fastening hooks, contact of said fastening hooks with said fastening loops providing a detachable connection of said first and second straps. 
     
     
         26 . The toy of  claim 24  wherein attachment of said first strap to said base extends to a first edge of said base, and wherein attachment of said second strap to said base extends to a second edge of said base. 
     
     
         27 . The toy of  claim 26  wherein any first gap between said first strap and said first edge of said base is less than a width of said tether, and any second gap between said second strap and said second edge of said base is less than said width of said tether. 
     
     
         28 . The toy of  claim 24  wherein said first strap has first rounded edges with a first radius greater than a radius of said tether, and said second strap has second rounded edges with a second radius greater than said radius of said tether. 
     
     
         29 . The toy of  claim 1  wherein said tether is made of a transparent material. 
     
     
         30 . The toy of  claim 29  wherein said tether is made of a material used for fishing line. 
     
     
         31 . The toy of  claim 1  further including a second cup-shaped receptacle, said second cup-shaped receptacle being attached to said ring mechanism so when said toy is worn with said first cup-shaped receptacle located on the back side of said player's hand, said second cup-shaped receptacle is located on the front side of said player's hand. 
     
     
         32 . The toy of  claim 31  wherein said second cup-shaped receptacle is made of an elastomeric material and said second cup-shaped receptacle can be collapsed within said player's palm when said player's hand closes. 
     
     
         33 . The toy of  claim 1  further including an auxiliary unit having an auxiliary landing structure, and wherein said ring mechanism removably secures the toy to said auxiliary unit so said ball may be seated and unseated from said auxiliary landing structure and from said landing structure. 
     
     
         34 . The toy of  claim 1  further including an auxiliary toy having an auxiliary ball, having an auxiliary base having an auxiliary landing structure for seating said auxiliary ball, and having an auxiliary tether which tethers said auxiliary ball to said auxiliary base and allows said auxiliary ball to swung and seated and unseated on said auxiliary landing structure, wherein said tether and said ball are removable from said base, and wherein said ring mechanism removably secures the toy to said auxiliary toy so said auxiliary ball may be seated and unseated on said landing structure. 
     
     
         35 . The toy of  claim 1  further including a first light emitter, first light control circuitry, and a first proximity detector for detecting seating of said ball on said landing structure, a first state of said first light emitter being changed to a second state by said first light control circuitry upon said seating of said ball on said landing structure. 
     
     
         36 . The toy of  claim 35  wherein said first state is a light-emitting state and said second state is an increase in brightness in comparison to said first state. 
     
     
         37 . The toy of  claim 35  further including a second light emitter, second light control circuitry, and a second proximity detector for detecting seating of said ball on said landing structure, said first light emitter, said first light control circuitry, and said first proximity detector being located in said ball, said second light emitter, said second light control circuitry, and said second proximity detector being located in said base, a third state of said second light emitter being changed to a fourth state by said second light control circuitry upon said seating of said ball on said landing structure. 
     
     
         38 . The toy of  claim 37  wherein said first state and said fourth state are light-emitting states, and said second state and said third state are non-light-emitting states. 
     
     
         39 . The toy of  claim 37  wherein said base further includes a second landing structure, said second landing structure including a third light emitter, third light control circuitry, and a third proximity detector for detecting seating of said ball on said second landing structure, a fifth state of said third light emitter being changed to a sixth state by said third light control circuitry upon said seating of said ball on said second landing structure. 
     
     
         40 . The toy of  claim 35  wherein said first proximity detector uses a structural screw in a capacitive proximity detector.