Illuminated game-playing apparatuses and games

Abstract

A game-playing set including a striking device and a ball, and games for playing therewith, are disclosed. The ball includes a hollow spherical translucent outer shell and a smaller inner object loosely disposed within the outer shell. The inner object includes a first illumination element and a first inertia switch. The striking device includes a hollow translucent tube, a second illumination device rigidly disposed within the tube, and a second inertia switch. The first inertia switch is triggered by impact of the inner object against the outer shell to cause illumination of the first illumination element and the second inertia switch is triggered by an externally-applied impact against the tube to cause illumination of the second illumination element.

1 . A ball for game-playing comprising:
 a hollow spherical translucent outer shell and a smaller inner object loosely disposed within the outer shell and thereby cause illumination of and through the hollow spherical translucent outer shell;   the inner object comprising an illumination element and an inertia switch;   wherein the inertia switch is triggered by impact of the inner object against the outer shell to cause illumination of the illumination element.   
     
     
         2 . The ball of  claim 1  wherein the outer shell comprises a plurality of through-holes spaced substantially equally there-around, each enabling direct view through the outer shell to the inner object. 
     
     
         3 . The ball of  claim 1  wherein the outer shell is made of a material from the group including polypropylene and high density polyethylene. 
     
     
         4 . The ball of  claim 1  wherein the outer shell has a continuous wall thickness. 
     
     
         5 . The ball of  claim 1  wherein the inner object is spherical. 
     
     
         6 . The ball of  claim 5  wherein the inner object ball comprises two translucent polymeric semi-spherical shell halves, an LED module, and translucent potting medium. 
     
     
         7 . The ball of  claim 6  where the LED module comprises the illumination element and inertia switch. 
     
     
         8 . The ball of  claim 7  wherein the LED module further comprises a battery. 
     
     
         9 . The ball of  claim 1  wherein the inner object is waterproof. 
     
     
         10 . The ball of  claim 1  wherein the hollow spherical translucent outer shell outer float in water. 
     
     
         11 . The ball of  claim 1  wherein the illumination is continuous. 
     
     
         12 . The ball of  claim 11  wherein the continuous illumination terminates at approximately three minutes after the impact of the inner object against the outer shell. 
     
     
         13 . The ball of  claim 12  wherein the continuous illumination is terminated by a second impact of the inner object against the outer shell within the approximately three minutes. 
     
     
         14 . The ball of  claim 12  wherein the continuous illumination is extended for an additional approximately three minutes by a second impact of the inner object against the outer shell within the approximately three minutes. 
     
     
         15 . The ball of  claim 1  wherein the illumination is flashing. 
     
     
         16 . The ball of  claim 11  wherein the flashing illumination terminates at approximately three minutes after the impact of the inner object against the outer shell. 
     
     
         17 . The ball of  claim 12  wherein the flashing illumination is terminated by a second impact of the inner object against the outer shell within the approximately three minutes. 
     
     
         18 . The ball of  claim 12  wherein the flashing illumination is extended for an additional approximately three minutes by a second impact of the inner object against the outer shell within the approximately three minutes. 
     
     
         19 . The ball of  claim 6  wherein the inner object is made by the process of;
 Partially filling both of the two shell halves with the potting material while the potting material is in a gelatinous state; 
 closing the partially filled shell halves around the LED module; and 
 allowing the potting material to harden and secures the shell halves permanently together to become a single unitary translucent structure encapsulating the LED module visibly within. 
 
     
     
         20 . Ball of  claim 1  made by the process of forming the outer shell around the inner object to capture the inner object within the hollow outer shell by spin-welding two semi-spherical outer shell halves together.