TOY OR NOVELTY HAT

TOY OR NOVELTY HAT

Irvin W. Schmahl and Earl H. Schmahl, both of Box 233, Madison Lake, Minn.

Filed July 21, 1959

This invention relates generally to toys and novelties for the use and enjoyment of young people, and the primary object of our invention is to provide a toy or novelty hat which will not only be entertaining to youngsters but which will also be educational at least to some extent.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hat or helmet to be worn on the head of the user and associated with which is a planetary element connected by an extensible, spring retracted tether to the hat but adapted to be driven and motivated into an orbital path by a rolling, rotating movement of the head about the upright axis of the wearer's neck. Thus the hat may simulate a space station from which is launched a satellite to travel in orbit about said station, said satellite being, of course, the planetary element before mentioned and which normally will rest in a centered position atop the hat but which is placed into orbit by movement of the head as also stated. Since said planetary element is normally retracted to its centered position atop the hat by action of the spring biased tether or flexible cord connecting the element to the hat the diameter of the orbit into which the element is flung will be determined by the vigor with which the head is moved to maintain said element in its "flying" condition. This not only places a premium upon the vigor or dexterity of the head movements, as is necessary to maintain the interest of young people in such toys, but the action as a whole will serve to teach the user something of the nature and effects of centrifugal forces, by varying the head movement the satellite bay be caused to travel in other than circular orbits about the hat, teaching the user and his companions the differences between the terms apogee and perigee as just two examples of the technical terminology brought into common usage by the recent advances in space exploration and rocket travels.