US2201246A - Missile - Google Patents

Description

K. A. LLS

MIS LE Filed Dec( 2, 1938 Patented May 21, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IWISSILE Kenneth A. Sells, Kansas City, Kans. Application December 2, 1938, Serial No. 24.3,551

1 Claim. p (CI. 273--106) This invention relatesto missiles, such as shuttle-cocks, commonly called birdies," employed in games of Battledore and shuttle-cock, Badminton, "Indoor aerial tennis," and the likerin which a birdie is struck back and forth, usually across a net, by opposing players with bats, rackets, paddles and/or similar impelling objects.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a birdie of durable character, which is` accurate in fiight and relatively economical of` manufacture.

Other important objects of the invention are to provide a birdie, the feathers of which bloom at the instant of impact of the birdie with a bat and which subsequently nest relative to each other for slowing the game at opposite ends of play and for providing a uniform speed for the birdie between each of the bats striking it and the peaks'of forward fiight of the birdie while in the air.

Other objects of the invention are to provide for improving the seats for the feathers in relation to the body of the birdie; to provide a birdie the body of which co-acts with the feathers in affecting flight of the birdie; and to provide improved elements and arrangements of those elements in the construction of a birdie of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tip for the body of the birdie, when the game is played with paddles or the like, which improves the action of the birdie both when hit and while in the air.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the present invention, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a birdie embodying the features of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical central cross-section through the birdie.

Fig. 3 is a Vertical cross-section through the birdie illustrating the effect produced by impact member of the birdie shown with the feathers removed thererom.

Referring more in detail to the drawing: I clesignates a body member for a birdie embodying features of the present invention, which is preferably formed of a suitable solid cushion gum rubber and which is preferably stream-lined from its tip end 2 to its eather supporting end 3.

i designates a tip for the end 2 of the birdie the body member I of the birdie is provided on the feather supporting end 3 thereof inannularly disposed upstanding relation thereto. An annular series of sockets l is also provided in the body member of the birdie, which initiate at the surface of said feather supporting end and project angularly inwardly in planes which would ultimately cross if extended, the sockets being of a depth suitable for receiving and seating substantial portions of the lower ends of the shafts 8 of feathers 9.

It has been found highly desirable to employ turkey feathers, preferably from White Holland and/or Bourbon Red turkeys, or from bronze turkeys, if desired, for the purpose of this birdie, such feathers beingdurable and uniform in construction and capable of withstanding hard usage. As a matter of practice the center of the feather is used, which has been found to be of suitable size and strength and has a suitable pulp content and thickness of sheath.

On turkey wings, the eathers consist of pointers and webs in approxmately equal proportions. The web feathers are suitable for the present purpose because the plume is evenly divided on both sides of the quill, whereas the pointers have a heavy plume on only one side of the quill. Web feathers of turkeys are thus preferably employed. It has also been found that web feathers of approximately from twelve to fourteen inches in length are preferable for the reason that the center portions of such feathers have a maximum strength with a minimum of weight and give the desirecl results required of control members for game objects constructed in accordance with the present invention.

As a matter of practice, a suitable adhesive cement is provided in the sockets 'I of the body of the birdie and the lower ends of the feather shafts are preferably spirally bound with tape to facilitate cementing the feathers in the sockets, the upper ends of the feather shafts being overlapped with tape as at il to prevent fraying.

An important feature of the present invention consists of the rim 6, which rim is provided with spaced grooves l2 formed as continuations of the outer walls of each of. the sockets 1. The feathers, being disposed angularly relative to each other in the sockets "I, seat in the grooves l2 and are therefore engaged by the rim 6, which tends to hold the feathers in the .desired positions initially given them.

As a matter of practice, it has been found preferable to space the feathers in such a manner that they are normally substantially nested in adjacent relation to each other and in such a manner that they guide and control the direction and speed of flight of the birdie.

In using a birdie of the character described and assuming the game of. aerial tennis dart, for example, is being played With the paddles 5, the birdie is preferably struck out of the hand with the paddle in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3. At the instant of impact, the tip 4 of the body member is compressed, the compression being carried throughout `the body member in such a manner as to spread or bloom the feathers 5 and efiect expandingof the resilient rim 6. The birdie is momentarily slowed by such expansion of the rim and feathers and thus provides an opposing player with time to ready himself to receive, strike and return the birdie to his opponent. Immediately subsequent to the impact of the paddle with the tipend of the birdie, the resiliency of the rim 6 efiects nesting of the feathers to normally contracted condition, and the birdie is thus permitted to fly, in response to the impact, with a uniform speed and accurate direction depending upon the skill of the players,

to its peak of forward flight, at which point it drops and may be returned in the same manner by impact with the opponent's paddle, bat or` racket. r

Due to the fact that the feathers are bound with tape and cemented in the body of the birdie, the birdie is very durable and withstands hard usage. When, however, a eather is broken, it may be removed from the socket by merely pulling the feather outwardly, and a new feather may be substituted therefor. The life of the birdie is therefore substantially prolonged, and a useful game object having accurate and attractive characteristics is thus provided. An advantage lies in the spiral binding of the lower ends of the eathers for the reason that when the feathers are pulled out of the body member of the birdie all the tape comes with it, whereas if the tape were overlapped on the feather the tape would remain in the socket upon removal of the feather.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a device of the character described, a body member having a series of sockets in one end 'thereof and having an elastic rim extending from the body member in surrounding relation to said sockets and in a continuation of. the plane of the outer surface of the body member, and feathers mounted in said sockets resiliently engaged by said rim to allow temporary blooming of the feathers upon striking said body member with an impelling instrument, said rim having grooves forming continuations of said sockets seating and acting on said feathers above the portions thereof engaged by said sockets to normally maintain the feathers in nested relation.

KENNETH A. SELLS.

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