RECREATIONAL DISK WITH BLADE MEMBERS

Abstract

Recreational disks with blade members are provided herein. An exemplary recreational disk includes a disk having an upper surface and a lower surface, a first plurality of radially arranged blades rotatably supported on any of the upper surface and the lower surface of the disk, the first plurality of radially arranged blades rotating during flight so as to change at least one aerodynamic behavior of the disk, compared to the disk without the first plurality of radially arranged blades.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/446,591, filed on Jan. 16, 2017, and of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/447,053, filed on Jan. 17, 2017, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes, including all references and appendices cited therein.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to recreational disks, and more particularly, to recreational disks that incorporate blade members to selectively adjust flight dynamics of the recreational disks.

SUMMARY

According to some embodiments, the present disclosure is directed to a recreational disk comprising: a disk comprising an upper surface and a lower surface; and a first plurality of radially arranged blades rotatably supported on any of the upper surface and the lower surface of the disk, the first plurality of radially arranged blades rotating during flight so as to change at least one aerodynamic behavior of the disk, compared to the disk without the first plurality of radially arranged blades.

According to some embodiments, the present disclosure is directed to a recreational disk comprising: a disk comprising an upper surface, a lower surface, and a central aperture defined by an inner sidewall; and a first plurality of blades extending radially from the inner sidewall into the central aperture to form a second aperture, the first plurality of blades producing lift in a direction that is perpendicular to a flight path that is coplanar with the disk when the disk rotates during flight.

According to some embodiments, the present disclosure is directed to a recreational disk comprising: a disk comprising an upper surface, a lower surface, and a central aperture defined by an inner sidewall; a first plurality of radially arranged blades rotatably supported on any of the upper surface and the lower surface of the disk, the first plurality of radially arranged blades rotating during flight as the disk spins so as to be a first source of additional lift for the spinning disk; and a second plurality of radially arranged blades rotatably supported on an opposing surface relative to the first plurality of radially arranged blades, the second plurality of radially arranged blades rotating during flight as the disk spins so as to be a second source of additional lift for the spinning disk.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated in and form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrate embodiments of concepts that include the claimed disclosure, and explain various principles and advantages of those embodiments.

The methods and systems disclosed herein have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example recreational disk, constructed in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an alternate perspective view of the example recreational disk of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another example recreational disk, constructed in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4 and 5 collectively illustrate another example recreational disk with dual sets of radially arranged blades, constructed in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another example recreational disk having a skirt with vent holes, constructed in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another example recreational disk having a skirt with vent holes and dual sets of radially arranged blades, constructed in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIGS. 8 and 9 collectively illustrate another example recreational disk with fixed radially arranged blades, constructed in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another example recreational disk having a ring with radially arranged blades, constructed in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIGS. 11 and 12 collectively illustrate another example recreational disk with fixed radially arranged blades, constructed in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another example recreational disk with fixed radially arranged blades aligned with a disk body, constructed in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of another example recreational disk with fixed radially arranged blades below a disk body, constructed in accordance with the present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Devices of the present disclosure include recreational disks that have flight altering components that change or alter at least one aerodynamic behavior of the disk when the disk is in flight. For context, the shape of a recreational disk in combination with a user imparting spin on the disk when the user throws the disk creates lift. That is, the spinning of the disk when thrown creates lift on the disk. The present disclosure describes embodiments of recreational disks that incorporate blade members that increase lift forces on the recreational disks. This is what is referred to as changing or altering an aerodynamic behavior of the recreational disks. These aerodynamic behaviors are altered when compared to the same recreational disk without such blade members.

In some embodiments, the blade members are in fixed relationship to a disk body. In other embodiments, the blade members can rotate relative to the disk (e.g., rotatably supported on/by the disk body).

In various embodiments, a recreational disk can comprise multiple sets of blade members. Some embodiments include the blade members being radially arranged to resemble turbine blades. The blades can have unique geometrical configurations that include variances in cambering, twisting, angle of attack, and cross-sectional size along chord length—just to name a few.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 collectively, an example recreational disk 100 is illustrated. The disk 100 comprises a disk body 102 having a substantially planar upper surface 104 and a substantially planar lower surface 106. A skirt 108 extends around an outer peripheral edge of the disk body 102. In some embodiments, the skirt 108 can comprise a curved sidewall that smoothly transitions into the disk body 102 so as to not create drag and/or reduce lift when the disk 100 is thrown. In other embodiments, the skirt 108 extends downwardly from the outer peripheral edge of the disk body 102.

The disk 100 can be manufactured from any number of suitable materials that would be known to one of ordinary skill in the art with the present disclosure before them.

The disk 100 comprises a first plurality of radially arranged blades 110 that are arranged around a hub 112. The hub 112 can be rotatably coupled with a shaft 114 that is fixed to the disk body 102. To be sure, the first plurality of radially arranged blades 110 mounted to the hub 112 can freely rotate around the shaft 114 independently from rotation of the disk body 102 itself. In some embodiments, the first plurality of radially arranged blades 110 are directly or indirectly mounted to the shaft 114. The shaft 114 is rotatably supported at a central axis A of the disk 100, according to some embodiments.

In one embodiment, the blades 110 extend away from the hub 112. The blades 110 each have a cross-section and size that varies according to performance and/or design requirements, such as how much additional lift is required or desired (other embodiments can reduce lift as explained herein). When arranged onto the hub 112, the blades 110 comprise cambering and/or twisting that produce a right-handed effect or a left-handed effect. That is, the arrangement of the blades 110 onto the hub 112 will cause the first plurality of radially arranged blades 110 to rotate either clockwise or counterclockwise during flight, based on their right-handedness or left-handedness.

When the blades 110 are arranged in such a way that they spin in a direction that is opposite to a spin direction of the disk body 102, the blades 110 will reduce lift produced by the disk 100. Conversely, when the blades 110 are arranged in such a way that they spin in a direction that is equal to a spin direction of the disk body 102, the blades 110 will increase lift forces on the disk 100.

In some embodiments, rather than being rotatably supported, the blades 110 can be held in a fixed position such that the hub 112 cannot rotate relative to the shaft 114.

In use, when the disk 100 is rotated and thrown by a user, the first plurality of radially arranged blades 110 will rotate during flight so as to change at least one aerodynamic behavior of the disk 100. This change in aerodynamic behavior is determined in relation to the disk 100 without the first plurality of radially arranged blades 110.

The blades 110 can include additional or fewer blades than those illustrated in the drawings. Additionally, the blades 110 can be manufactured from the same materials used to construct other portions of the disk 100 or different materials.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another example recreational disk 200 that comprises a disk body 202 that is constructed similarly to the disk body 102 of FIGS. 1 and 2. The disk 200 comprises a first plurality of radially arranged blades 204 that are disposed below a lower surface 206 of the disk body 202. The first plurality of radially arranged blades 204 are coupled to (or integrated with) a hub 208 that is rotatably supported on the disk body 202 by a shaft 210 that is similar to the shaft 114 of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIGS. 4 and 5 collectively illustrate another example recreational disk 300 that comprises two sets of radially arranged blades. By way of example, the recreational disk 300 comprises a disk body 302 that is constructed similarly to the disk body 102 of FIGS. 1 and 2. A first set of radially arranged blades 304 are disposed above an upper surface 306 of the disk body 302, while a second set of radially arranged blades 308 are disposed below a lower surface 310 of the disk body 302. Each of the sets of radially arranged blades 304 and 308 can freely rotate in relation to the disk body 302. For example, the first set of radially arranged blades 304 can be associated with a hub and shaft arrangement, as described above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2. The sets of radially arranged blades 304 and 308 can also be coupled to a single centralized shaft such as shaft 312. A bearing 314 is disposed on the shaft 312, between the shaft 312 and the disk body 302. The bearing provides independent rotatable movement of the shaft 312 relative to the disk body 302. In some embodiments, the second set of radially arranged blades 308 are spaced apart from the lower surface 310 of the disk body 302. This separation between the second set of radially arranged blades 308 and the lower surface 310 of the disk body 302 allows the second set of radially arranged blades 308 to be disposed below a lower terminal edge of a skirt 316, allowing for air to contact the second set of radially arranged blades 306 when the disk 300 is thrown through the air.

As mentioned above, the blades of both the first of radially arranged blades 304 and the second set of radially arranged blades 308 have specific geometries that affect the amount of lift produced thereby. In some embodiments, the shape, size, number, and otherwise arrangement of blades on each of the sets of radially arranged blades 304 and 308 can be identical between the first and second sets of radially arranged blades 304 and 308. In other embodiments, the blades of the first set of radially arranged blades 304 comprise a first configuration (e.g., cambering, twisting, angle of attack, and cross sectional size along chord length) and the blades of the second set of radially arranged blades 308 comprise a second configuration. The first and second configurations can be different from one another. In one embodiment, the first set of radially arranged blades 304 have an overall diameter D1 and the second set of radially arranged blades 308 have an overall diameter D2. In some embodiments, the diameter D1 is greater than the diameter D2, although these diameters can be equal to one another. In other embodiments, the diameter D2 is greater than the diameter D1.

FIG. 6 illustrates another example recreational disk 400 that comprises a skirt 402 that includes a plurality of vent holes such as vent hole 406. The vent holes allow air to enter inside the skirt 402 so as to contact and rotate a first set of radially arranged blades 404. That is, during flight, air passes through the plurality of air vents to rotate the first set of radially arranged blades 404.

FIG. 7 is constructed similarly to the embodiment of FIG. 6, with the exception that a second set of radially arranged blades 502 are disposed above an upper surface 504 of a disk body 506, while a first set of radially arranged blades 508 are disposed below a lower surface 510 of a disk body 506.

FIGS. 8 and 9 collectively illustrate another example recreational disk 600 that comprises a disk body 602 that is comprised of an annular ring 604. The disk 600 can be manufactured from any number of suitable materials that would be known to one of ordinary skill in the art with the present disclosure before them. The disk body 602 comprises an inner sidewall 606 to which a first set of radially arranged blades, such as blade 608, are mounted. In one embodiment, the first set of radially arranged blades are fixedly arranged in a radial pattern. The first set of radially arranged blades extend into an aperture 610 defined by the inner sidewall 606. In one embodiment, the inner sidewall 606 do not fill the aperture 610 entirely but terminate to form a central aperture 612 that is defined by the terminal ends of the first set of radially arranged blades.

Again, the configuration of each of the first set of radially arranged blades are selectable according to performance and design requirements. In some embodiments, a terminal end 614 of a blade body 616 of each of the blades, such as blades 608, has a length L1 that is greater than a length L2 of an opposing end of the blade body 616 that couples with the inner sidewall 606. This configuration allows a portion of the first set of radially arranged blades to extend above an upper surface 618 of the annular ring 604, while allowing a portion of the first set of radially arranged blades to extend below a lower surface 620 of the annular ring 604. That is, a shape and size of the blades cause the blades to terminate along an upper reference line R1 that is disposed at an angle θ1 that is defined relative to the central axis C_A of the recreational disk 600. Moreover, the shape and size of the blades cause the blades to terminate along a lower reference line R2 that is disposed at an angle θ2 that is also defined relative to the central axis C_A of the recreational disk 600.

In various embodiments, the annular ring 604 comprises an outer rim formed by a protrusion 622 that extends circumferentially around an outer edge 624 of the annular ring 604, generally referred to as the disk body 602.

FIG. 10 illustrates another example recreational disk 700 that comprises a substantially flat disk body 702, an annular ring 704 mounted to the disk body 702, and a first plurality of radially arranged blades, such as blades 706, that are disposed within the annular ring 704.

In one embodiment, the flat disk body 702 comprises a central aperture 708. The annular ring 704 forms collar above the central aperture 708 of the flat disk body 702. In some embodiments, the blades 706 are disposed within the annular ring 704. The blades 706 extend from a lower edge of the annular ring 704 to an upper edge of the annular ring 704. The blades 706 can have any desired configuration as mentioned above. The annular ring 704 with blades 706 can be disposed above or below the disk body 702, protruding both above and/or below a plane of the disk body 702.

FIGS. 11 and 12 collectively illustrate another example recreational disk 800 that comprises a first plurality of radially arranged blades 802 that are each embedded within an inner sidewall 804 of a disk body 806. As shown in FIG. 11, the first plurality of radially arranged blades 802 extend above and below the disk body 806. The first plurality of radially arranged blades 802 are disposed within an aperture 808 of the disk body 806. Each of the first plurality of radially arranged blades 802 has a length that creates a second aperture 810 when the first plurality of radially arranged blades 802 are arranged into a radial pattern.

FIG. 13 illustrates another example recreational disk with fixed radially arranged blades aligned with a disk body. The recreational disk 900 comprises a first plurality of radially arranged blades 902 that are disposed within a central aperture 904 of a disk body 906. The disk body 906 has a thickness that is defined by its upper surface 908 and a lower surface 910. In some embodiments, each of the first plurality of radially arranged blades 902 has a height that ensures that the first plurality of radially arranged blades 902 do not extend above or below the upper surface 908 and the lower surface 910 of the disk body 906.

In FIG. 14, a first plurality of radially arranged blades 902 that extend below a lower surface 910 of a disk body 906. The first plurality of radially arranged blades 902 can also extend only above the upper surface 908 of the disk body 906, in some embodiments.

While this technology is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and has been described in detail several specific embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the technology and is not intended to limit the technology to the embodiments illustrated.

Although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not necessarily be limited by such terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be necessarily limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “includes” and/or “comprising,” “including” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Example embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to illustrations of idealized embodiments (and intermediate structures) of the present disclosure. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, the example embodiments of the present disclosure should not be construed as necessarily limited to the particular shapes of regions illustrated herein, but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing.

Any and/or all elements, as disclosed herein, can be formed from a same, structurally continuous piece, such as being unitary, and/or be separately manufactured and/or connected, such as being an assembly and/or modules. Any and/or all elements, as disclosed herein, can be manufactured via any manufacturing processes, whether additive manufacturing, subtractive manufacturing and/or other any other types of manufacturing. For example, some manufacturing processes include three dimensional (3D) printing, laser cutting, computer numerical control (CNC) routing, milling, pressing, stamping, vacuum forming, hydroforming, injection molding, lithography and/or others.

Any and/or all elements, as disclosed herein, can include, whether partially and/or fully, a solid, including a metal, a mineral, a ceramic, an amorphous solid, such as glass, a glass ceramic, an organic solid, such as wood and/or a polymer, such as rubber, a composite material, a semiconductor, a nano-material, a biomaterial and/or any combinations thereof. Any and/or all elements, as disclosed herein, can include, whether partially and/or fully, a coating, including an informational coating, such as ink, an adhesive coating, a melt-adhesive coating, such as vacuum seal and/or heat seal, a release coating, such as tape liner, a low surface energy coating, an optical coating, such as for tint, color, hue, saturation, tone, shade, transparency, translucency, non-transparency, luminescence, anti-reflection and/or holographic, a photo-sensitive coating, an electronic and/or thermal property coating, such as for passivity, insulation, resistance or conduction, a magnetic coating, a water-resistant and/or waterproof coating, a scent coating and/or any combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized and/or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

Furthermore, relative terms such as “below,” “lower,” “above,” and “upper” may be used herein to describe one element's relationship to another element as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Such relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of illustrated technologies in addition to the orientation depicted in the accompanying drawings. For example, if a device in the accompanying drawings is turned over, then the elements described as being on the “lower” side of other elements would then be oriented on “upper” sides of the other elements. Similarly, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements would then be oriented “above” the other elements. Therefore, the example terms “below” and “lower” can, therefore, encompass both an orientation of above and below.

The description of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the present disclosure in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present disclosure and its practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the present disclosure for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. The descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the technology to the particular forms set forth herein. Thus, the breadth and scope of a preferred embodiment should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the above description is illustrative and not restrictive. To the contrary, the present descriptions are intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the technology as defined by the appended claims and otherwise appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art. The scope of the technology should, therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description, but instead should be determined with reference to the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.

Claims

1. A recreational disk, comprising:

a disk comprising an upper surface and a lower surface; and

a first plurality of radially arranged blades rotatably supported on any of the upper surface and the lower surface of the disk, the first plurality of radially arranged blades rotating during flight so as to change at least one aerodynamic behavior of the disk, compared to the disk without the first plurality of radially arranged blades.

2. The recreational disk according to claim 1, wherein the first plurality of radially arranged blades are mounted to a shaft that is rotatably supported at a central axis of the disk.

3. The recreational disk according to claim 2, further comprising a second plurality of radially arranged blades that are located on the shaft on an opposing side of the disk relative to the first plurality of radially arranged blades.

4. The recreational disk according to claim 1, wherein the disk comprises a skirt that extends downwardly from an outer peripheral edge of the disk.

5. The recreational disk according to claim 4, wherein the skirt comprises a plurality of air vents, further wherein during flight, air passes through the plurality of air vents to rotate the first plurality of radially arranged blades, the first plurality of radially arranged blades being disposed below the lower surface of the disk.

6. The recreational disk according to claim 1, wherein the disk comprises a central aperture that is defined by an inner sidewall, further wherein the first plurality of radially arranged blades extend from the inner sidewall into the central aperture.

7. The recreational disk according to claim 6, wherein each of the first plurality of radially arranged blades comprises a blade body, further wherein a terminal end of blade body has a length that is greater than a length of an opposing end of the blade body that couples with the inner sidewall.

8. The recreational disk according to claim 7, wherein a portion of the blade body extends above the upper surface of the disk and below the lower surface of the disk.

9. The recreational disk according to claim 8, wherein the blade body of the first plurality of radially arranged blades are any of cambered and twisted.

10. The recreational disk according to claim 1, further comprising an annular ring mounted to the disk and in alignment with the central aperture, wherein the first plurality of radially arranged blades are disposed within the annular ring.

11. The recreational disk according to claim 1, further comprising a second plurality of radially arranged blades that are rotatably coupled to an opposing side of the disk relative to the first plurality of radially arranged blades.

12. The recreational disk according to claim 1, wherein the first plurality of radially arranged blades are mounted on a rotatable shaft and the first plurality of radially arranged blades are mounted on a second rotatable shaft.

13. The recreational disk according to claim 1, wherein the first plurality of radially arranged blades change the at least one aerodynamic behavior of the disk by producing lift in a direction that is perpendicular to a flight path that is coplanar with the disk.

14. A recreational disk, comprising:

a disk comprising an upper surface, a lower surface, and a central aperture defined by an inner sidewall; and

a first plurality of blades extending radially from the inner sidewall into the central aperture to form a second aperture, the first plurality of blades producing lift in a direction that is perpendicular to a flight path that is coplanar with the disk when the disk rotates during flight.

15. The recreational disk according to claim 14, wherein each of the first plurality of radially arranged blades comprises a blade body, further wherein a terminal end of the blade body has a length that is greater than a length of an opposing end of the blade body that couples with the inner sidewall.

16. The recreational disk according to claim 15, wherein a portion of the blade body extends above the upper surface of the disk and below the lower surface of the disk.

17. The recreational disk according to claim 16, wherein the blade body of the first plurality of radially arranged blades are any of cambered and twisted.

18. The recreational disk according to claim 17, further comprising an outer rim formed by a protrusion that extends circumferentially around an outer edge of the disk.

19. A recreational disk, comprising:

a disk comprising an upper surface, a lower surface, and a central aperture defined by an inner sidewall;

a first plurality of radially arranged blades rotatably supported on any of the upper surface and the lower surface of the disk, the first plurality of radially arranged blades rotating during flight as the disk spins so as to be a first source of additional lift for the spinning disk; and

a second plurality of radially arranged blades rotatably supported on an opposing surface relative to the first plurality of radially arranged blades, the second plurality of radially arranged blades rotating during flight as the disk spins so as to be a second source of additional lift for the spinning disk.

20. The recreational disk according to claim 19, wherein each of the first plurality of radially arranged blades and the second plurality of radially arranged blades comprises a blade body, wherein the blade body is any of cambered and twisted.