[0002] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] (1) Field of Invention

[0004] The present invention relates to props and gimmicks used in the field of magic to create a variety of illusions and, more particularly, to a disk with distributed weights to provide an illusion of levitation.

[0005] (2) Description of Related Art

[0006] The present invention relates to props and gimmicks used in the field of

magic. More specifically, the present invention is related to a levitating object. The illusion of levitation is often accomplished using what is referred to as an invisible thread or micro thread. The micro thread is a super thin thread that is not commonly seen with the naked eye, which allows a magician to suspend an item from the thread to provide the illusion of levitation.

[0007] Using invisible thread, some magicians have been able to perform a "Flying Card" trick, in which they spin a suspended card. The "Flying Card" trick was originally created by Bob Hummer in the 1950's. This trick is difficult to accomplish because it requires a magician to spin a lightweight card with little balance. Additionally, the card is extremely difficult to balance while spinning because the card isn't round in addition to it being very light weight.

[0008] Another magician, Jim Pace, created an improvement upon the original Flying Card trick in which he included LED lights on the edges of the card, with a battery in the center. In order to operate the LED's, the product requires a user to manually trigger the battery. Again, because the card is not round, it is difficult to spin. Finally, because the battery is positioned in the center of the card and not on the sides, the product can come off axis easily, which results in the card losing balance and its spin. Thus, the generally shape of a card provides an imbalance that does not allow the item to spin easily. [0009] As an alternative to a card, it can be envisioned that a disk itself is cylindrical and, as such, is better weighted to allow for a balanced spin. For example, because a common Frisbee is evenly weighted, the Frisbee is capable of rotating for extended periods of time. A problem arises when additional components are added to such a disk shape.

[00010] By way of example, U.S. Patent No. 4,228,616, entitled, "Flying Saucer Toy," describes a flying saucer-shaped toy. While the disk is generally circular, lights and a motorized wheel system are added that prevent the item from being balanced upon spinning.

[00011] Another example can be found in U.S. Patent No. 4,301,616, entitled,

"Illuminated Frisbee Toy" (the '616 patent). The '616 patent describes a flying Frisbee that includes lights that are illuminated with three batteries. Although the batteries may be evenly positioned about the Frisbee, they are positioned toward the center of the Frisbee. A problem with this configuration is that the weight of the batteries can create a wobble as the weight is largely centered upon the spinning central axis of the Frisbee.

[00012] Another example can be found in U.S. Patent No. 4,435,917, entitled,

"Lighting System for Rotatable Toy" (the '917 patent). The '917 patent describes an illuminated flying saucer toy. An inherent problem with the device of the '917 patent is that it relies upon a large battery that is centered within the saucer.

Because the weight of the battery is fixed in the center of the saucer, it decreases the rotational stability of the saucer and could cause it to easily lose its rotational balance.

[00013] Yet another example can be found in U.S. Patent No. 4,778,428, entitled, "Illuminated Flying Saucer" (the '428 patent). As was the case above, the '428 patent teaches a saucer where the weight of the batteries and electrical components is centered in the saucer. Again, such centering decreases the rotational stability of the saucer and could cause it to easily lose its rotational balance.

[00014] Additional examples can be found in U.S. Patent No. 5,429.542, entitled,

"Helium-Filled Remote-Controlled Saucer Toy" (the '542 patent) and U.S. Patent No. 5,931,716, entitled, "Illuminated Flying Toy" (the '716 patent). As was the case above, both the '542 patent and the '716 patent teach flying saucers that include electrical components that are centered within the saucer.

[00015] Another example is a product on the market entitled, "Mystery Lights UFO." The Mystery Lights UFO product has 2 LED lights on each side which are very small. Importantly, the LEDs are powered by a battery that is positioned in the center of the device such that when you spin it around the magician's body, the device does not stay balanced and easily flips.

[00016] Again, by centering the components and, ultimately the weight of the saucer, the prior art teaches rotatable saucers that easily lose their rotatable balance.

[00017] Thus, a continuing need exists for a levitating item that can be spun easily, that allows for easy actuation of LED' s, and that is stable when spinning to prevent the item from losing its balance.

[00018] SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[00019] While considering the failure of others to make and/or use all of the above factors/ingredients/steps/components in this technology space, the

inventor unexpectedly realized that a levitating disk with evenly distributed batteries would enable the item to be spun easily while maintaining its spin axis. Thus, the present invention is a levitating disk.

[00020] The levitating disk includes a disk-shaped housing having a central axis, with a series of lights connected with the housing. A circuit board is attached with the housing and electrically connected with the lights. A power source is electrically connected with the circuit board to power the lights. Thus, a user can attach a micro-thread with the disk-shaped housing and spin the disk-shaped housing about the central axis to cause the lights to illuminate and cause the disk to appear as if it is levitating.

[00021] In another aspect, a micro-thread is included for connection with the disk- shaped housing. An adhesive substance is also included for adhering the micro- thread to the disk-shaped housing.

[00022] In yet another aspect, the lights are light emitting diodes (LEDs).

[00023] Additionally, the circuit board is positioned within the housing and includes a central portion and a plurality of arms that each project from the central portion to an arm end. The circuit board is formed to include three arms that are

substantially equally-shaped with one another to cause the circuit board to be substantially equally weighted about the central portion. Further, the power source includes three batteries, wherein each arm end includes a battery attached thereto, thereby causing the levitating disk to be substantially equally weighted about the central axis.

[00024] In yet another aspect, a microprocessor is attached with the housing and

electrically connected with the circuit board. The microprocessor is operable for causing the lights to illuminate in various changing patterns. [00025] Additionally, a centrifugal force operated switch is electrically connected with the circuit board. The centrifugal force switch is operable for activating the lights upon rotation of the levitating disk. The microprocessor is further configured to cause the lights to turn off after the levitating disk ceases rotating for a predetermined amount of time. [00026] Finally, as can be appreciated by one in the art, the present invention also comprises a method for forming and using the levitating disk described herein.

[00027] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[00028] The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed descriptions of the various aspects of the invention in conjunction with reference to the following drawings, where:

[00029] FIG. 1 is a perspective-view illustration of a levitating disk according to the present invention; [00030] FIG. 2 is a perspective-view illustration of the levitating disk, depicting a micro-thread being attached with the disk;

[00031] FIG. 3 A is an exploded-view illustration of the levitating disk; [00032] FIG. 3B is an illustration of an example circuit board; [00033] FIG. 3 C is an illustration of an example circuit board;

[00034] FIG. 3D is an illustration of an example circuit board, in which each arm has a hole formed therethrough;

[00035] FIG. 3E is an exploded-view illustration of the levitating disk, illustrating an alternative position of a switch according to the present invention; [00036] FIG. 4 is an internal-view illustration of the levitating disk;

[00037] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional, side-view illustration of the levitating disk; [00038] FIG. 6 is a rear-view illustration of the levitating disk;

[00039] FIG. 7 is a right, side-view illustration of the levitating disk;

[00040] FIG. 8 is a top-view illustration of the levitating disk; and

[00041] FIG. 9 is a bottom-view illustration of the levitating disk.

[00042] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[00043] The present invention relates to props and gimmicks used in the field of magic to create a variety of illusions and, more particularly, to a disk with distributed weights to provide an illusion of levitation. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and to incorporate it in the context of particular applications. Various

modifications, as well as a variety of uses in different applications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to a wide range of embodiments. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments presented, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[00044] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention.

However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without necessarily being limited to these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.

[00045] The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with this specification and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference. All the features disclosed in this specification, (including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is only one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

[00046] Furthermore, any element in a claim that does not explicitly state "means for" performing a specified function, or "step for" performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a "means" or "step" clause as specified in 35 U.S.C.

Section 112, Paragraph 6. In particular, the use of "step of or "act of in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, Paragraph 6.

[00047] Please note, if used, the labels left, right, front, back, top, bottom, forward, reverse, clockwise and counter clockwise have been used for convenience purposes only and are not intended to imply any particular fixed direction.

Instead, they are used to reflect relative locations and/or directions between various portions of an object. [00048] (1) Description

[00049] As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention is a levitating disk 100. More

specifically, the preset invention is a rotatable disk 100 that can used to provide the illusion of levitation. As noted above, the concept of a levitating object has been applied previously in the "Flying Card" trick, during which a magician spins a suspended card. However, the card is very difficult to spin because it isn't round. Additionally, the card is so light that it is difficult to balance while spinning. A problem also exists with other prior art in that they are not weighted evenly such that when they are spun, they easily lose their balance which diminishes the illusion of levitation. [00050] As an improvement over the prior art, the present invention is a levitating disk 100 that is designed to include batteries positioned in the peripheries of the disk such that when rotating, the weight is spread around the outside/periphery of the disk. An advantage to this configuration is that it provides a perfect balance such that when the disk is rotating, the disk does not lose balance or flip, which allows the disk to spin fast, stay stable, and maintain rotational speed. Further details regarding the present invention are provided below.

[00051] The levitating disk 100 includes a disk-shaped housing 102 with a series of lights 104 connected with the housing 102. The housing 102 can be formed into any suitable shape for rotation. As a non-limiting example, the housing 102 is formed to represent a UFO, such that the levitating disk 100 takes on the appearance of a miniature UFO. The housing 102 includes a central axis 106, around which the disk 100 can be rotated. The central axis 106 passes through the middle of the disk 100 to provide a central point of rotation.

[00052] As shown in FIG. 2, to spin the disk 100, the disk 100 needs to be suspended from something. Thus, the present invention also includes micro-thread 200 for connection with the disk-shaped housing 102. The micro-thread 200 is sometimes referred to as "invisible thread," and is any suitable thread or micro-filament that is very thin and difficult to see with the naked eye. Micro-thread can be made from nylon which has been separated into individual strands or, in some cases, a single strand of silk. A non-limiting example of a suitable micro-thread is "Invisible Thread," as sold by Yigal Mesika.

[00053] An adhesive substance 202 can be included for allowing a user to adhere the micro-thread 200 to the disk-shaped housing 102. The adhesive substance 202 is any suitable item that is operable for allowing a user to selectively adhere the micro-thread 200 to the disk-shaped housing 102, a non-limiting example of which includes wax. Thus, in operation, a user can use the wax to attach the micro-thread 200 to the disk 100. [00054] In operation, it should be noted that the adhesive substance 202 is often attached to the micro-thread 200 first, and then to the disk 100. Thus, as the adhesive substance 202 is wrapped around or otherwise affixed with the micro- thread 200, it can be difficult to center the micro-thread 200 in the adhesive substance 202. Further, when the adhesive substance 202 is then attached to the disk 100, it is rarely centered perfectly. As such, it is important to note that the positioning of the batteries (i.e. power source 306, as described further below) around a periphery of the disk 100 or housing 102 assists in maintaining stabilization of the disk 100 while rotating.

[00055] FIG. 3 provides an exploded view of the disk 100. As shown, the housing 102 includes a first half 300 and a second half 302, with the two halves being held together via a screw 303 (or any other suitable mechanism or device, such as snaps, clips, etc.). As can be understood by one skilled in the art, the housing 102 and various components described herein can be formed of any number of suitable parts and any suitable material for containing and attaching the various items according to the present invention. As a non-limiting example, the screw 303 can be a plastic screw, while the housing 102 can be formed of plastic or Styrofoam, or any other light weight material that allows the disk 100 to be suspended from the micro-thread. It should also be noted that the housing 102 can be formed as a single piece or a plurality of pieces (e.g., first half 300 and second half 302) as depicted in FIG. 3A. Further, the disk 100 can be formed to be any suitable size. As a non-limiting example, the disk 100, when assembled, is 83 millimeters (mm) wide by 22 mm tall.

[00056] A circuit board 304 (such as a printed circuit board (PCB)) is attached with the housing 102 and electrically connected with the lights 104. The lights 104 are any suitable item(s) that are illuminable, a non-limiting example of which includes light emitting diodes (LEDs). To power the lights 104, a power source 306 is electrically connected with the circuit board 304 and/or the lights 104. The power source 306 is any suitable item capable of powering the lights 104, a non- limiting example of which includes a set of 3 volt lithium batteries. It should be noted that in none aspect, each battery will operate on 3.3 volts because a step-up converter is included that increases the power to illuminate the LEDs (e.g., blue and green LEDs can require more power, such as 3.3 volts).

[00057] It should be noted that the present invention can be formed to include any suitable number of lights 105 (e.g., LEDs). As a non-limiting example, the disk 100 includes five (5) lights attached thereto. It should also be noted that the LEDs can be provided in any color and in any order. As a non-limiting example, the colors of the LEDs from the top to bottom are red, blue, yellow, green, and red.

[00058] It should also be noted that the LEDs can be configured to blink while the disk 100 is rotating. For example, the blinks can be constant, or in a changing tempo across the LEDs. As a non-limiting example, changes in blinking tempo can create any suitable pattern or number of multiple patterns (e.g., 30 patterns). Further, while performing the illusion of levitation, the blinking LEDs are used to misdirect the eyes of a crowd to the blinking lights and patterns on the disk 100 and away from the micro-thread that suspends the disk and provides the illusion of levitation.

[00059] FIG. 3A depicts the lights 105 has being connected with an LED strap 305 that is positioned between the housing 102 and an arm 310 of the circuit board 304. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not intended to be limited thereto as the LED strap 305 does not have to be under the arm 310 of the circuit board 304 and, instead, can be positioned at any suitable position. As another non-limiting example, the LED strap 305 can be between layers of the circuit board 304. As another non-limiting example, instead of multiple LED holes 507 in the housing 102 through which the lights 105 protrude, the disk 100 can have a single hole on top of the disk 100, through which a LED strap 305 or wire goes, allowing the LED strap 305 to be glued or affixed on top of the disk 100. A flexible (flex) circuit board with LEDs (e.g., the LED strap 305) can then be glued on top of the disk 100. In one aspect, the housing 102 can be formed of a light weight material, such as Styrofoam, which enables the LED strap 305 to be easily glued thereto.

[00060] As shown in FIG. 3 A, the circuit board 304 is positioned within the housing 102 and includes a central portion 308 and a plurality of arms 310 that each project from the central portion 308 to an arm end 312. The circuit board 304 includes any suitable number of arms 310 that project from the central portion 308, non-limiting examples of which include two, three, and four arms. As shown, the circuit board 304 includes three arms 310 that are substantially equally-shaped with one another and equally distributed about the central portion 308 to cause the circuit board 304 to be substantially equally weighted about the central portion 308 and central axis (depicted in FIG. 1). It should be noted that variations of the circuit board 304 shape can be swapped with the three arm 310 form that is depicted in FIG. 3 A. For example and as shown in FIG. 3B, the circuit board 304' can be formed with four arms to resemble a plus-sign, with the power source 306 (batteries) positioned at the edge of each arm. As yet another non-limiting and as shown in FIG. 3C, the circuit board 304" can be formed in a vertical stick-shape, with only two arms projecting from a central portion and with only two power sources 306 (batteries) positioned at the edge of each of the two arms.

[00061] FIG. 3D illustrates another non-limiting example of the circuit board 304' ", in which each arm 310 has a holes 314 formed through the arms 310. There can be a single hole 314 in each arm 310 or many holes 314 in each arm 310. The holes 314 can run from the central portion 308 all the way along each arm 310 until the edge of the arm 310, where the power source 306 (battery) is positioned. The holes 314 reduce the weight of the circuit board 310"' which helps to distribute the weight to the periphery of the disk. This ultimately reduces the weight that the micro-thread needs to support and helps to keep the disk balanced. As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, although the holes 314 are depicted as being formed through the three-arm configuration, the present invention is not intended to be limited thereto as the holes 314 can be formed in any circuit board configuration, including the four arm and two arm

configurations as depicted in FIGS. 3B and 3C, respectively.

[00062] Additionally, the disk 100 includes any suitable number of batteries as the power source 306. For example, the disk 100 includes three batteries. In this aspect, each arm end 312 includes a battery (i.e., power source 306) attached thereto. By attaching the batteries to the arm ends 312, the weight is evenly distributed around a periphery of the disk 100, which provides rotational stability with the disk 100 is rotated.

[00063] The disk 100 can include any suitable switching mechanism to activate the lights 104. For example, a slide switch (or a button, etc.) can be included to provide electricity to the lights 104 and thereby allow a user to manually actuate and de-actuate the lights 104.

[00064] Alternatively, a centrifugal force operated switch 313 can be electrically connected with the circuit board 304. The centrifugal force switch 313 is any suitable switching mechanism that is operable for activating the lights 104 upon rotation of the levitating disk 104. As a non-limiting example, the centrifugal force switch 313 includes a spring with a pin rising from the circuit board 304. When the disk 100 is rotated, the centrifugal force exerted on the spring causes the spring to touch the pin/contact (and close an electrical circuit) and turn the lights 104 on. Alternatively, when the rotating disk 100 begins to slow down, the switch 313 opens the electrical circuit which causes the lights 104 to turn off.

[00065] It should be noted that the switch 313 that activates the unit can be positioned at any suitable position. For example and as depicted in FIG. 3 A, the switch 313 can be positioned in the center of the circuit board 304. Alternatively and as depicted in FIG. 3D, the switch 313 can be positioned on the arm end 312 of the circuit board 304" ' instead of near the center. This positioning is further illustrated in FIG. 3E, where the switch 313 is on the top of the circuit board 304. More specifically, the switch 313 is near the arm end 312 on top of the power source 306. This allows for the switch 313 to be near the periphery of the disk 100, but still allow the power source 306 (battery) to be easily removed.

[00066] In other words, the spring activates the unit while the disk 100 is spinning and deactivates the unit when not in motion because the spring does not touch the contact. It also can have a timer so that it can be determined how long the light will run for. The spring switch (i.e., centrifugal force switch 313) can be in the middle of the disk 100, it can also be on the edge of the circuit board 304, or close to a battery. It is desirable to have the centrifugal force switch 313 near an arm end 312 and close to a batter because when the disk 100 is spun, the centrifugal force is greater near the periphery of the disk 100 which makes the contact more sensitive to light up the LEDs.

[00067] The disk 100 can also include a microprocessor 314 that is attached with the housing 102 (via the circuit board 304 or any other suitable connection) and electrically connected with the circuit board 304. The microprocessor 314 is operable for causing the lights 104 to illuminate in various changing patterns. For example, the LED's will blink to create different patterns (e.g., thirty different patterns).

[00068] In another aspect, the microprocessor 314 can optionally be configured to cause the lights 104 to turn off after the levitating disk 100 ceases rotating for a predetermined amount of time (e.g., after one second).

[00069] As illustrated, the microprocessor 314 is attached with the circuit board 304 at the central portion 308 to reduce its effect on the rotational stability of the disk 100. As described above and illustrated in the figures, the weighting of the disk 100 is important to maintain rotational stability. This is further illustrated by the position of the three arms 310 with the batteries positioned at the arm ends 312. In other configurations, such as a circuit board 304 formed as a single strip (i.e., two arms projecting from the central portion 312), a battery would be positioned at each of the two arm ends 312, with the microprocessor 314 positioned in the central portion 308. Again, this provides rotational stability to the disk by distributing the weight evenly across the width of the disk 100 and, desirably, toward the periphery of the disk. By distributing the weight toward the periphery, the disk 100, when rotated, maintains rotational momentum, similar to a flywheel or gyroscope.

[00070] FIG. 4 provides an illustration depicting the first half 300 of the disk and the internal components. As shown, the circuit board 304 includes three arms 310 that project from and are evenly distributed about the central portion 308. Also, the microprocessor 314 is attached near (or directly onto) the central portion 308. Additionally, the centrifugal force switch is depicted, including its spring 400 and pin 402 that rises from the circuit board 304. Finally, the batteries (i.e., power source 306) are illustrated as attached with the arm ends 312 of each arm.

[00071] For further understanding, FIG. 5 provides a cross-sectional, side-view

illustration of the disk 100. As shown, the circuit board 304 is encased within the housing 102, with the lights 104 being electrically connected 500 (via wiring, circuitry, or any other suitable electrical connection) with the circuit board 304. Additionally, FIGs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 depict rear, right, top, and bottom-views, respectively, of the disk 100.

[00072] Thus, as can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the construction and weighting of the levitating disk 100 provides for an item that, when spun, includes rotational stability as it spins about the central axis. This is important when performing levitation illusions. An example of such an illusion would be to attach micro-thread to the housing using the adhesive substance (as described above). The other end of the micro-thread can be wrapped around and taped to a user's ear, causing the levitating disk 100 to hang from the user's ear. Once hanging, the levitating disk 100 can be spun, creating the illusion that the disk 100 is floating. Because the micro-thread is difficult to see, a user can "float" the disk 100 from one hand to the other by hooking a thumb around the thread and guiding the disk 100 as desired. This illusion can be enhanced by throwing the disk 100 around the user's body, which, due to its rotational momentum and being anchored to the user's body, will spin around the user. It should be noted that in performing this illusion, the disk can optionally be spun on a table, and then lifted from the table using the micro-thread. In conclusion, the present invention is directed to a levitating disk that includes batteries positioned in the peripheries of the disk such that when rotating, the weight is spread around the outside/periphery of the disk. An advantage to this configuration is that it provides a perfect balance such that when the disk is rotating, the disk does not lose balance or flip, which allows the disk to spin fast, stay stable, and maintain rotational speed.