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Abstract

A toy ball having a solid body of foam plastic material and a noisemaker completely embedded within the foam plastic body. The noise maker includes a hollow rigid housing, which may be formed of a hard plastic, and a marble within the housing free to roll around therein so as to create a clattering sound when the ball is shaken, thrown, and caught. The internal surface of the housing has inwardly-projecting ridges to enhance the clatter produced as the marble, which may be a steel ball, rolls around within the housing. The foam plastic body of the ball is made in a mold cavity having the shape of the ball to be produced. While the mold is open, the noisemaker is resiliently suspended along the centerline of the mold cavity so that the center of the noisemaker substantially coincides with the midpoint of the mold cavity centerline. Plastic material is placed within the mold cavity, the mold is closed, and the plastic foam expands to fill the mold cavity, at the same time completely surrounding the noisemaker. The noisemaker is initially suspended by tying it to two opposite ends of one of the mold parts, while the mold is open, such as by using strings attached to the mold positioning pins. On one side of the noisemaker, the tie includes a spring stretchable in the longitudinal direction of the tie. The spring maintains the tying arrangement taut so that the noisemaker does not sag out of its position when its center is coincident with the midpoint of the centerline of the mold cavity.

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First Claim