Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~ .d~ S
The pre~ent irlverltiorl rel~-te~ to a ~nowball m~ker.
~A~Du~D o~ v~ o~
Throwing snowballs i~ a popular wirlter past -time
for children. Forming the snowballs i8 a task that many
younger children have trouble with as it requires a
certain degree of strength and manual dexterity. Af-ter
being involved in snowball throwing for a period of time
a child 1 5 mittens -tend to become covered with snow and
10 his or her finger~ as a consequerlce become cold.
The above mentioned problems are mitigated if the
child utilizes an apparatus for making snowballs. A
number of snowball making appara-tus have been devised.
15 The problem with such devise~ is that they do not limit
the amount of snow used in the formation of the
snowball, and do not have any means to dispose of excess
~now. The resul-t of such shortcomin~s is that the
snowball.~ they form generally are oblong in shape,
20 rather than having a more aes-thetically plea~irlg and
aerodynamically sound round shape.
S~aRY 0~ T~E ~NVE~TI0~
The primar~ object of the present invention is to
25 provide a ~nowball maker that m~keY botter snowball~
than i0 possible usirl~ prior art devioe0.
Broadly, the pre~ent inventiorl provlde~ ~ ~nowball
maker which i~ oompri~ed of a pair o~ semi-sp}lerical
cups, the cups havlng bevelled peripheral edges; and a
30 yuide adapted to ~ermit rapid movemerlt of the cup~
between a first position wherein the edges of the cups
are in spaced relation and a second position wherein the
edge~ are engaged, the guide having stop mean~ which
defi~e the first position and thereby control the volume
35 of snow compressed between the cups.
~3~35
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF T~ DRAWING5
These a~d other features of -the i~lven-tion will
become more apparen-t from the followin~ description in
which reference is made to the appended drawiny~,
wherein:
FIGURE 1 is a side view of a preferred embodimellt
of the invention.
FIGU~ 2 i~ an end view vf a preferred embodiment
of the inverltion.
FIG~E 3 is a detailed view of a por-tion of a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIGUR~ 4 is a section view of a portion of a
preferred embodiment of the invention, taken along
section lines 4-~ o FIGURE 3.
FIGURE 5 i~ an exploded detail view of a portion of
a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIGURE-6 is an end view of a portion of a preferred
embodiment of the invention.
FIG~RE ~ is a side view of a por-kion of a preferred
20 embodiment o~ the inventiorl.
D~T~IL~D D~S~RIPT.IO~ OF T~ P~E~RE~ EM~ODI~T
The preferred embodim~nt~ will now b~ de~cribecl
with re~ererlc~ to FIGU~E~ 1 through 7. T~le pref~sred
25 embodiment lllu~trated, gen~rally de~ign~ted by
ref~rerlce numqrals 10, 1~ a ~nowball maker.
5nowball maker 10 has a pair of ~emi-spherica] cup~
14 and 1~ and a guide 1~. Both of the CUp5 have a
30 bevelled peripheral ed~es 20. A~ best illu~trated in
~IG~R~S 3 and 4, cup 14 has slots 22 with bev011ed edges
24 which permit the exit of exceas ~ow. Guide 18
permit~ the rapid movement of the cups between a firc~t
po~ition where the edges of th~ cups are in ~p~ced
s
relation and a second po~ition where the edges are
engaged. There are prior art device~ which use cups to
form snowballs. A probleM with prior art d0vice~ is
that an accumulation of excess ~now cau~e~ the snowball~
to be oblon~. Some of these devices even have
protruding flanges or mating lip~ which aggravate exce~
snow accumulation by providirlg a surface between which
snow is compre~sed. The problem of snow accumulation i8
reduced if the cups are brought rapidly together. This
10 is, of course, not possible in the absence of a guide.
The problem can be further reduced by having a
streamline profile on the cups such as bevelled edges
20 thereby eliminating any surface which might compress
accumulations of snow, and promoting the cutting away of
15 exce~s ~now. The problem can further be reduced by
creating an opening, such as slots 22 through which
excess ~now may exit.
Snowball maker 10, as best illustrated in ~IGURE 1,
20 has a guide 18 which consists of a pair of pivotally
attach~d ogee shaped sci~sor members 40 and 42. The
ogee shape of members 40 and 42 permits a stop -to be
placed on one of the members either as a ~rmanently
fixed should~r or as a movable clamping m~mb~r as will
25 be hereinafter described. Handle~ 44 are mourlted at erld
46 of the members. Cup8 14 ~nd 16 ar~ mourlt~d to t~
other end 48 o~ member~ 40 and 42. Member~ 40 and 42
pivot about pivct point formed by bolt 50 arld nut 51.
0ll member 40 iY placed a clamp 43 which i~ po~itionecl
30 adjacerlt pivot point 60 toward end 46. Clamp 43, which
is best illustrated in FIGUR~S 6 and 7, i5 intended to
limit the relative movement of the sci~sor mernbers and
defines th~ fir~t position previously referred to. The
first position could otherwise be defin~d by shoulders
3552, if shoulders 52 were positioned to en~ure -the volume
s
of snow taken into cup 14 and 16 would produce a ruund
~nowball withou-t exceYs snow. 5houlders 52 would not be
adjustable, however, and for that reason clamp 43 i5
preferred. Clamp 43 consists of two sectionY 45 ar d 47
which are placed around member 40 and fas-tened together
by screws 49. A thumb screw 53 goe~ through section 4~
and serves to clamp member 40 in a preselected position
against section 45 forming an obstruction which limits
the range of pivotal movement of members 40 and 42.
~ hen u~ing snowball maker 10, the user grasp~ the
snowball maker by handle6 44 and moves them radially
outward until their movement is stopped by cl~mp 43
which limits the re~pective movement of members 40 and
1~ 42 thereby defining a first position. (Alterrlately, the
first position can be defined by shoulder~ 52.) End 48
of scissor members 40 and 42 upon which CUp8 14 and 16
are mounted is then inserted into a snowbank. A~
handles 44 are drawn rapidly together cups 14 and 1~ are
20 forced toge-ther compressing the SIlOW therebetween. The
rapid motion of CUp5 14 and 16 causes them to cut
through the snow. As edge 20 i~ bevelled snow does not
become compre~sed ~gainst and build up on th~ periph~ral
edge of the cup~. Should the snow contalrl ice c;ry~tal~
25 which adver~ely a~-fect~ the abil~ty of cup~ 14 and .16 t:o
compr~s~ th~ volume o ~IlOW obt.~irl~ by th~ ~ovement uf
the aup~ ~rom the ~irst posi-tion the present invelltion
can be adap-ted to accommodat0 the chanye ln ~now
condition~. The user can turn thumb ~crew 53 to release
30 member 40, thereby permitting the clamp 43 to be mvved
axially along member 40. This adju~tment changes the
range of movement of members 40 and 42, and con~e~uently
the volume of snow collected in cups 14 and 16. By
experimentation the user can find a po~itioning for
3~ clamp 43 which is optimum for the 8now condition~. As
3~;
long as the adju~tment is r~asonably c108e to -the volume
of ~AOW r~quired, ~xce~8 ~now will be ~queezed out o~
810ts 22. Upon the separating of harldles 44, ~up~ 14
and 16 similarly ~eparate giving access to a snowball,
5 which will be clo~er to a round ~nowball than i8
possible with any prior art device.
It will be apparent to one skilled .in the art that
modifications may be made to the structure o~ guid~ 18
10 without departing from the teachin~s of the present
invention. It will further be apparent that following
the teachings of the pre~en-t invention resolves problems
present in the prior art relating to oblon~ snowball~
being produced as a result of excess ~now build up
15 between the cup~.
.
