Abstract: An illuminated ball may be used to play games in the water. An illuminated ball may include a hollow, spherical shell. A translucent light housing may be coupled to the shell. A light emitting device may be within the translucent housing. A battery housing coupled to the light emitting device. At least one battery may be within the battery housing. A circuit board may be coupled to the battery housing. Four conductors may be coupled to the circuit board, wherein two of the four conductors are coupled to the light emitting device and another two of the four conductors are coupled to at least two water contacts. The at least two water contacts are located on an outside of the illuminated ball, wherein on exposure to water, the at least two water contacts are electrically connected causing the light emitting device to emit light.

Abstract: A golf tee having a contact alert coating provides a novel training aid that is economical, compact, and encourages proper golfing form. The golf tee has a golf tee body with a top plate, top wall and side walls. The top plate is fixedly attached to a shaft which terminates into a point that is inserted into a ground surface when a ball is placed on the top plate. A contact alert coating is coated on at least an upper portion of the golf tee body. The contact alert coating is composed of a material that will generate an alert when a golf club head strikes the ball and strikes the contact alert coating of the golf tee at the coating/golf tee interface. Preferably, the material is a spark inducing composition or a spark and sound generating composition.

Abstract: A sports ball system for calculating movement characteristics uses a sports ball having components for monitoring and calculating the movement characteristics of the sports ball. The components are mounted on a spherical circuit board within the sports ball so the sports ball is balanced. A plurality of wearable sensors is provided monitoring body characteristics of an individual throwing the sports ball.

Abstract: A golf green divot repair tool is provided that includes a handle and a tine structure. The tine structure includes a trough wall forming a trough, the trough wall mounted to the handle at a first end of the trough wall, and a tapered wall mounted to extend to a tip from a second end of the trough wall. The second end and the first end are on opposite ends of the trough. A trough cross section is defined in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis that extends from the first end to the second end. The trough cross section is further defined by an open side. The trough wall of the trough cross section is configured to trap soil within the trough wall when inserted in a divot.

Abstract: A sports ball for calculating movement characteristics has a spherical core. A spherical circuit board is mounted within the spherical core. The spherical circuit board has components for monitoring and calculating the movement characteristics of the sports ball. The components are mounted on the spherical circuit board so the spherical circuit board is balanced. A winding is wrapped around the spherical core. A cover is positioned around the winding.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a beach ball including a light-emitting device which can be disposed in the beach ball and a light-emitting device accommodating groove which can removably accommodate the light-emitting device in the ball such that the beach ball can be played with even at night.

Abstract: The present invention provides a device for repairing a pitch mark in a playing surface such as a golf green, the device comprising a head from which projects a plurality of generally parallel prongs of fixed length each having a proximal end and a distal end, and wherein each prong is undulated along its length, the undulations of each prong lying within a respective plane, such that the prongs may be inserted into a pitch mark in a playing surface, where the prongs engage with the material of the playing surface and as the prongs are retracted they act to restore the playing surface by drawing out the pitch mark.

Abstract: Lace designs for footballs are provided. The laces have geometries that improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the football during flight. Additionally, the placement of the laces on the football is selected to maximize aerodynamic performance of the football during flight.

Abstract: The invention generally relates to multi-dimensional puzzles for teaching, entertainment, and construction. One embodiment of the invention comprises two forms, one planar and one non-planar, which comprise a plurality of protrusions and recesses. These forms may be assembled by selectively interconnecting the various protrusions and recesses to create multi-dimensional shapes such as a cube, cylinder, and sphere among many other possibilities.

Abstract: Provided is a water raceway device comprising a tub and a raceway insert. The tub is adapted to contain water to a functional depth, is open at the top, and is bounded by a set of side walls and a set of end walls. The raceway insert has a pair of dividers each having a first end, and a base. The base is engaged with the first ends of the dividers, has supports adapted for supporting the base on the tub, has a pair of slots elongated to define a forward direction and a rearward direction, each slot having slidably engaged therewith a handle, the handle having a paddle pivotably mounted thereon, and wherein each paddle can be moved in the forward direction or in the rearward direction. The dividers and the side walls define within the tub, wave sluices and a current sluice.

Abstract: A leather-based cover material for an inflatable sports ball that consists of a composite of a thin external layer, a filler, and an internal liner. The thin external layer is dimpled by using positive/negative embossing plates to create pebble projections on an exterior side and voids on the other or interior side. The interior side is coated with a filler material that fills the voids. The cover material is completed by attaching a liner layer to the cured filler material.

Abstract: Golf is waning in popularity partly because of the difficulty of becoming a good player. A key aspect of this difficulty is in using a golf club to drive a ball in a desired direction. To make this easier, the present inventor devised, among other things, a directional golf tee structure that enables players to select a drive direction by orienting the golf tee in the desired direction and then using a golf club to strike a portion of the golf tee instead of the ball. The struck portion of the golf tee filters out or reduces the effect of golf club swing errors, thereby promoting greater accuracy. In some embodiments, the tees are configured for specific loft angles, fade, and/or draw attributes, not only providing a variety of play and training options, but ultimately making golf easier and more enjoyable for players of all skill levels.

Abstract: A sport ball may include a plurality of panels having a first surface and an opposite second surface, the first surface forming a majority of an exterior surface of the ball. In addition, the sport ball may include an interior layer secured to the second surface of the panels and forming substantially all of an interior surface of the ball to retain a fluid within the ball, the interior layer extending between the panels to join the panels together. Further the sport ball may include a valve secured to the interior layer.

Abstract: A football having a prolate spheroidal shape including longitudinally spaced apart first and second ends. The football is capable of being analyzed under computational fluid dynamics analysis, and includes upper and lower central regions. Each positioned between first and second upper and lower end regions, respectively. The football further includes a bladder, a cover, a plurality of boundary layer trip mechanisms coupled to the upper and/or lower central regions, and a lacing coupled to the upper central region. The analysis includes first and second configurations. The first configuration is conducted on the football with the trip mechanisms, and the second configuration is conducted on the football without the trip mechanisms. The first and second configurations provide first and second drag coefficients, respectively. The first coefficient is at least 3 percent lower than the second coefficient. The length of the upper and lower central regions is defined by the lacing.

Abstract: The invention provides a puzzle game comprising a background defining a graph (40, 80, 1 10), having nodes (44, 46, 82, 84) connected by lines, or a diagram having sites or nodes, and elements (51-59, 102, 104, 106) having a plurality of indices disposed thereon. The background is metallic or non-metallic board, and the game might be implemented on an electronic game apparatus or on a computer system. The elements are removably disposable on the graph nodes. The indices are of one of up to three distinct types. An arrangement of the elements disposed on the graph nodes defines a magic graph so that patterns of the magic graph are characterized by having a first relationship and a second relationship. The graph may be a triangle, a hexagram, a heptagram, a tri-trapezoid shape, or other shape which is substantially symmetric under a rotation. The indices might be numbers, colors, domino-like groups of dots, symbols, or a geometric structure.

Abstract: An educational ball has a body and multiple operating sets. The body is a square block and has six outer surfaces, six mounting recesses respectively formed in the outer surfaces, and six engaging holes respectively formed through the mounting recesses. The operating sets are connected to the body, are respectively and rotatably mounted in the mounting recesses, and each one of the operating sets has a rotating mount, two covering plates, a sliding groove, and multiple sliding sheets. The rotating mount is rotatably mounted in a corresponding mounting recess, and has an engaging jacket and two inserting holes. The covering plates are connected to the rotating mount, and each covering plate has a connecting pipe, multiple track grooves, and a guiding channel. The sliding sheets are movably mounted in the track grooves of the covering plates and the sliding groove of the operating set to cover the rotating mount.

Abstract: A puzzle includes a puzzle board having a plurality of cutouts, each cutout having a different geometric shape; a plurality of puzzle pieces adapted to fit within the cutouts, at least some of the puzzle pieces comprising a first segment and a second segment that mate with one another, wherein the first segment and the second segment have a mathematical correlation to the cutout into which the puzzle piece fits. A method of assembling a puzzle is also described.

Abstract: A prolate spheroidal inflatable game ball in the form of a football is provided with a segmented panel having stripes formed by attaching stripe pieces to adjacent segments. In one embodiment, the stripe pieces have beveled edges and the edges of adjacent segments have corresponding beveled edges. The component pieces of the panel can be joined to the stripe pieces using stitching to securely fasten the components of the segmented panel together. A segmented panel of this construction can allow different materials having different characteristics to be used for various portions of the segmented panel.

Abstract: The present application is directed to methods and apparatus for playing a throwing game, employing a ball in which the surface of the ball is divided into zones, with indicia contained in each zone. In preferred examples, the ball is shaped like a football, and the indicia indicate number of points to be awarded, if any. Preferably a player catching the ball will receive the number of points indicated by the indicia within a zone on which the catching player's thumb lands. Reach player's points are added in a running tally. The invention also concerning a ball to be used in such a game.

Abstract: A golf tee has a stake made of a rigid material such as a rigid polymer, combined with a flexible crown with flexible projections and possibly also a flexible pivot point. This reduces resistance at impact, producing less friction and low ball spin. As a result, distance and accuracy are improved. The fusion of the rigid and flexible materials provides a tee that can tolerate repeated hits and be used over and over.