Throwing toy with non-spinning tail

Abstract

A throwing toy is provided which is adapted to be thrown by a user for a flight through the air along a flight path. The toy includes a football-shaped head portion, generally centered about a longitudinal axis, an elongate tail portion extending axially rearward the head portion along the longitudinal axis, and a coupling, which interconnects the head and tail portions and allows the portions to be movable relative to each other, particularly to be rotatably movable about the longitudinal axis. Because the head portion and tail portion can rotate relative to each other, the user can hold the head portion in the hand and throw the toy through the air, imparting a spin to head portion causing it to rotate about its longitudinal axis throughout the flight. At the same time, the tail portion remains substantially fixed throughout the flight with respect to the longitudinal axis because the spin imparted to the head portion is substantially isolated from the tail portion by the rotatable coupling. The coupling includes a shaft and a bearing tube which receives the shaft and substantially locks the shaft in place against movement along the longitudinal axis while allowing rotation about the longitudinal axis. The head portion is fixed about the bearing tube and the tail portion is fixed about the shaft. Head portion is formed of polyurethane foam directly around the bearing tube by holding the bearing tube in a mold and injecting and curing the foam around the bearing tube. The in-flight football realizes the benefits of spiraling, namely, accuracy and stability. Simultaneously, the non-spinning fins provide stabilizing and gliding effects, further augmenting the flight-enhancement provided by spiraling. The fins do so without the resistance or turbulence inherent in spinning fins.