What Is the Name of the Curve Traced by a Ball on a Ripple Wave?

[topito2]

Do you know if there is any name for the equation that describes the shape of a ripple wave? An example of that kind of wave can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Elliptical_trajectory_on_ripples.png.
My question is: what would you call the curve traced by the ball rolling along the ripple wave curve?

 

[Integral]

The best approximation to water surface waves currently in use is a version of the Shcrodinger Wave equation.

Oceanographers often use something called the "linear model" but it fails in extreme cases.

I believe that that path followed by a floating object is nearly an elipsiod.