HK1235024B - Inflated sports mannequin - Google Patents

Description

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a sports mannequin.

Background of the Invention

Sports mannequins are commonly used for training. For example, in football (soccer) players will often practise free-kicks with one or mannequins set up between them and a target to simulate a wall of players, as will be the case in a real-life match. Mannequins may also be used for other play scenarios, for example for dribbling practice.

Other sports, including rugby and basketball, also employ mannequins for similar training purposes.

Conventional mannequins usually comprise a relatively rigid or inflatable body-shaped member that can be secured to the ground, e.g. using spikes or studs, or which is weighted to secure the mannequin in position. The body-shaped member is generally elongate with a head-shaped part at the top so as to resemble the profile of a sports player.

In the case of inflatable mannequins, which are convenient for portability and storage, conventional ones comprise a single-skin body with a valve to enable inflation and deflation. At the base is often provided a weighted disk fixed within the skin, having a flat bottom so that the mannequin when inflated stands upright on flat ground. Such mannequins tend to have a limited life due to the skin being eventually damaged and punctured following repeated use. The fixed base within the skin, at its upper surface where it abuts the wall, can over time also result in weakness around that area. The base also limits the extent to which the mannequin can be flattened for storage.

A prior art self-erecting football dummy is disclosed in US2237599 . Other sports dummies are disclosed in US2937872 , US5335906 , US 2012/252636 , US 5961426 , WO2010/122540 and JP3113540 .

Summary of the Invention

A first aspect of the invention provides a sports mannequin comprising: an inflatable chamber located within a flexible outer casing with an inlet valve to the inflatable chamber passing through the outer casing so that, in use, the inflatable chamber can be inflated from a position to the exterior, and further comprising a weighting member for location at or near one end of the outer casing characterised in that the weighting member is removable from the outer casing by means of accessing its interior using a slide-fastener provided in the outer casing wall.

The flexible outer casing may be provided with at least one exterior arm strap to enable carrying of the mannequin. A pair of arm straps may be provided, for example, so that the mannequin can be transported when inflated and deflated in the manner of a ruck sack.

The weighting member may comprise a hollow unit which in use can be filled with weighting material. The weighting member may comprise a base container with a removable lid to allow the weighting material to be introduced. The weighting member may be shaped so as to be self-righting so that, in use, the sports mannequin when inflated is maintained in a substantially upright orientation and will return to said orientation when struck. The weighting member may comprise a substantially dome-shaped base. The weighting member may have a separate lid. The lid may have one or more holes.

The weighting member may in use be positioned between the inflatable chamber and one end of the outer casing so that when the chamber is inflated the weighting member is substantially secured in position. The weighting member may be secured in position within the outer casing by means of a strap or similar fastener.

The inflatable chamber and outer casing may be formed of such a shape that, when the chamber is inflated, the mannequin assumes a longitudinal form to mimic the approximate shape of a sports person.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will now be described by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• Figure 1 is a plan view of a sports mannequin according to the invention, when deflated;
• Figure 2 is a reverse plan view of the Figure 1 mannequin;
• Figure 3 is a reverse plan view of the Figure 1 mannequin, with a lower part shown open, into which a removable weighting part can be inserted;
• Figure 4 shows views of a base section of the weighting part;
• Figure 5 shows views of a lid section of the weighting part; and
• Figure 6 is a plan view of the sports mannequin of Figure 1, when inflated.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiment(s)

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, which show front and reverse sides respectively, an inflatable sports mannequin 1 is shown when deflated. It comprises an outer casing 3 formed of flexible material which has a shape similar to a human torso. Within the interior space of the outer casing 3 is situated an inflatable bladder 5. The inflatable bladder 5 is connected to the outer casing 3 by an air valve 10 which is located on the head part of the casing. The upper part of the bladder 5 may be adhered to the casing 3 also, e.g. using glue, although this is not essential.

In this form, the mannequin can be easily stored, e.g. by folding or rolling up.

The bladder 5 in its deflated form resembles an elongate rectangle and when inflated will expand to substantially fill the available interior space within the casing 3, resulting in a three-dimensional inflated mannequin resembling a sports player.

The lower part of the outer casing 3 has a space 7 within which a weighting member (not shown) is arranged to be removably located. A slide fastener, in this case a zip fastener 9, enables user access to the space 7 to insert and remove the weighting member. The weighting member provides ballast to the inflated mannequin 1 so that, in use, it will not be easily blown over or away by the wind, and/or by a ball or person striking it Straps (not shown) may be provided both above and below the zip fastener 9 which join, e.g. using Velcro, over the zip.

A pair of arm straps 11 is provided on the rear side of the outer casing 3. This permits the mannequin 1, when inflated and deflated, to be easily moved by carrying it in the manner of a ruck-sack. One such strap 11 is sufficient, but here a pair are provided.

Referring to Figure 3, the mannequin 1 is shown from the rear side with the zip fastener 9 open to reveal the inside 19 of the lower space 7. The weighting member 13 referred to above is shown when removed from the mannequin 1; it comprises a base 15 and a lid 17 which detachably locates on the upper (open) part of the base. The interior of the base 15 is hollow to allow ballast material, e.g. sand, to be inserted and removed. In use, the weighting member 13 is easily inserted through the zip fastener 13 into the space 7 where it is situated against the inner base wall of the outer casing 3. When in position, the zip fastener 13 is closed.

In another embodiment, internal straps or similar fastening means may be provided to secure the weighting member 13 in position inside the outer casing 3.

Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, close-up views of the weighting member 13 are shown. The base 15 is shown in Figure 4a, where it will be seen that it is substantially hemispherical with an upper lip 21 over which the lid 17 locates in use. Referring to Figure 4b, projecting from the lowermost point of the base's inner surface is an upright and hollow tube 23 for receiving a peg of the lid 17, to secure both parts together.

Figures 5a and 5b show the lid 17. The lid 17 comprises a substantially circular plate having a peripheral lip 33 which in use locates over the upper lip 21 of the base 15. A central peg 29 in use locates within the hollow tube 23 of the base 15, as already mentioned. One or more holes 30 are provided in the lid 17.

Ballast material can be introduced into the base 15 when the lid 17 is removed from the base; alternatively, or additionally, ballast can be inserted, or topped-up, through the or each hole 30, which also provide a way of visually gauging how much ballast material is inside.

Figure 6 shows the mannequin 1 when the above-mentioned weighting member 13 is located within the outer casing 3, and the bladder 5 then inflated. This inflating of the bladder 5 causes (by virtue of its shape and dimensions) the bladder's expansion against the upper surface (the lid 17) of the weighting member 13; this secures the weighting member 13 between the bladder 5 and the base section of the outer casing 3 which assumes a shape similar to that of the base 15, i.e. dome-shaped or hemispherical. In this way, the inflated mannequin 1 is self-righting, as well as weighted-down. Wind or contact by a ball or player will not only keep the mannequin 1 stable, but also upright.

To summarise, the inflatable mannequin 1 described herein comprises a double-skin structure, made up of an outer skin or casing 3 and an internal, inflatable bladder. Therefore, the mannequin 1 is more durable and will not deflate if the outer casing 3 is punctured. The outer casing 3 will be made of a more durable material than the bladder 5, whether in terms of the material quality or thickness. If one of the skins becomes damaged, the other one can be replaced, without the user having to purchase or replace the entire product.

Further, the mannequin 1 is easily flattened and stored when not required for use; the mannequin can be rolled-up, for example. The removable weighting member 13 can be removed and stored elsewhere, or used with another mannequin.

It will be appreciated that the above described embodiments are purely illustrative and are not limiting on the scope of the invention. Other variations and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reading the present application.

Moreover, the disclosure of the present application should be understood to include any novel features or any novel combination of features either explicitly or implicitly disclosed herein or any generalization thereof and during the prosecution of the present application or of any application derived therefrom, new claims may be formulated to cover any such features and/or combination of such features.

Claims (9)

1. A sports mannequin (1) comprising: an inflatable chamber (5) located within a flexible outer casing (3) with an inlet valve to the inflatable chamber passing through the outer casing so that, in use, the inflatable chamber can be inflated from a position to the exterior, and further comprising a weighting member for location at or near one end of the outer casing characterised in that the weighting member is removable from the outer casing by means of accessing its interior using a slide-fastener (9) provided in the outer casing wall.
2. The mannequin of claim 1, wherein the flexible outer casing is provided with at least one exterior arm strap (11) to enable carrying of the mannequin.
3. The mannequin of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the weighting member comprises a hollow unit which in use can be filled with weighting material.
4. The mannequin of claim 3, wherein the weighting member comprises a base container (15) with a removable lid (17) to allow the weighting material to be introduced.
5. The mannequin of claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the weighting member is shaped so as to be self-righting so that, in use, the sports mannequin when inflated is maintained in a substantially upright orientation and will return to said orientation when struck.
6. The mannequin of claim 5, wherein the weighting member comprises a substantially dome-shaped base.
7. The mannequin of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the weighting member is in use positioned between the inflatable chamber and one end of the outer casing so that when the chamber is inflated the weighting member is substantially secured in position.
8. The mannequin according to claim 7 wherein the weighting member may be secured in position within the outer casing by means of a strap or similar fastener.
9. The mannequin of any preceding claim, wherein the inflatable chamber and outer casing are formed of such a shape that, when the chamber is inflated, the mannequin assumes a longitudinal form to mimic the approximate shape of a sports person.