RACQUET SPORT APPARATUS & METHOD
Apparatus for playing a game includes a racquet having a handle and an elongated foam member defining a hoop shape and having two ends, each end of the hoop shape terminating in the handle.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/772,070, entitled “BALL GAME AND APPARATUS USED THEREIN,” filed on Feb. 10, 2006, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to games played with racquets and balls, and to the equipment with which such games are played. The invention more particularly relates to the racquets with which such games are played.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Racquet sports are quite ancient, and numerous racquets of various constructions are known. Some of the better-known examples are now noted.
Well-known games such as tennis, racquetball, squash, badminton, lacrosse and jai-alai are all played with various types of racquets, and indeed with various objects to be hit. Usually, the object to be hit using the racquet is a ball of one sort or another, although badminton is an example of a sport in which the target is not conventionally a ball, but rather is a birdie having a cork or hard rubber body and a cone of feathers projecting to one side. Usually, the racquet includes the basic features of a handle and a head, the handle having a grip and the head having a hitting surface, although lacrosse and jai-alai are sports where the racquet, known in lacrosse as a stick and in jai-alai as a cesta, the head has a basket-shape for catching and throwing the ball.
SUMMARY OF INVENTIONAspects of embodiments of the invention herein are ball games played with various types of racquets.
Other aspects of embodiments of the invention herein are the apparatus (equipment) used in playing the various games.
According to aspects of embodiments of the invention, the apparatus for playing a game may include: a handle; and an elongated foam member defining a hoop shape and having two ends, each end of the hoop shape terminating in the handle. The handle of the apparatus may include a feature for performing a function other than providing a hand grip. For example, the handle may have a hollow for storing an object within the handle. Alternatively, the handle may include a ball launcher, a bubble maker, a sound generator or a counter. In the case of a sound generator, there may be an impact sensor sensitive to an impact produced by a ball striking the hitting surface. In the case of a counter, there may be an impact sensor sensitive to an impact produced by a ball striking the hitting surface.
The apparatus may further include a support passing through an elongated longitudinal passage within the elongated foam member. The elongated foam member may be buoyant. The head of the apparatus defined by the hoop shape may include a cover spanning a region enclosed by the elongated foam member so as to define a hitting surface. The covering may be substantially closed, or may be an open mesh. The hoop shape may alternatively be larger than the ball and a covering defining a catching pocket can be provided.
The apparatus may be constructed of specialized materials. For example, at least part of the apparatus may change color on exposure to liquid water or on exposure to a change in temperature.
The apparatus may include a compartment defined in the handle, in which the cover can be stored, or in which a ball with which the game is played can be stored.
The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. The variations and options shown in the drawings can be mixed and matched to produce any desired configuration. In the drawings:
This invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing”, “involving”, and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.
Considering first
Numerous variations on game play are contemplated. The exemplary matches are being played in a swimming pool, and the game and equipment were first developed by the inventors in a swimming pool environment. However, it is contemplated that the game can be played other than in the water, such as on a playground, in a yard, on grass, on artificial turf, on sand, on a beach, on blacktop or on any other convenient, reasonably level site where a net can be set up or the site can be divided visibly into two or more part-courts defended by two or more teams, and the players have adequate room to maneuver. The playing surface can be hard or soft. Similarly, it can also be played indoors in any room large enough to allow for flight of the ball and movement of the players, such as in a gymnasium. It can also be played in water environments other than in a swimming pool, such as in shallow water at the edge of a beach or lake shore. Although a net is shown in connection with the exemplary embodiment, other embodiments can be played without use of a net. Indeed, other obstacles, such as walls, shrubbery, painted lines, etc. can serve to divide part-courts. Moreover, games can be defined that include such objects as targets, and games can be defined that use no targets or dividers whatsoever. Games can be played on a single half-court, bounded by at least one wall against which shots are directed. Teams can be any convenient size, including one or more players. Games can be defined and played by individuals alone, as a sort of solitaire.
A template, printed on any convenient medium, such as paper or paperboard, or stored as software on a computer-readable medium, can set forth choices of alternative rules, such as court type, ball type, playing surface, part-court dividers or targets, etc. by which one or more players can agree to define their own game. Rules other than the given choices can also be selected, as may be desired by the players.
The equipment as used is seen in
The typical flight path of the ball 4 can be observed from
The racquet (or paddle, or, when playing the game in water, a “waddle”) is illustrated in a number of aspects in
The hitting portion 8 is formed of an elongated plastic foam tube which has an axial central opening 28 running through it. Any suitable foam material may be used. The exemplary material is water-tolerant foam used for such swimming pool products as the popular “noodle” or “water worm” floating pool toys. The foam tube has an elongated configuration similar to such toys. The foam should be sufficiently stiff to resist crushing when striking the ball 4, but still be soft enough so that if one player accidentally hits another player with a racquet when swinging at the ball, the latter player will not be injured.
Inside the axial central opening 28 of the hitting portion 8 is positioned a piece of stiff tubing 10, for example polyethylene tubing, as seen in
In the exemplary embodiment, the end portions 24 of the tubing 10 have one side cut away along the central opening 28 so that the remaining portion of the central opening appears as a groove 26 on the inside of each end portion 24, as seen in
According to the exemplary embodiment, a leash or lanyard 16 will be attached to the handle core 12, as by passing the leash cord through a hole 22 drilled into the outer end of the handle core 12, as seen in
Once the interior of the handle 14 according to the exemplary embodiment is pulled together and tied off, as shown in
The visible portions of the racquet 2—i.e., the hitting portion 8 and the tape covering 36/36′ of the handle—can be brightly colored, as indicated in 1-6, 15-16 and 18, both for an attractive appearance and also to make them readily visible during play so that players will be alerted to stay clear of a player who is using his/her racquet to serve or hit a ball. It is contemplated that sets of racquets will be commonly comprised of two different color schemes, so that each of two opposing teams will have a uniform color set for its players which contrasts in color with the racquets of the opposing team.
The overall size of the racquets is readily apparent by comparison of the racquet sizes to the players in the matches illustrated in
Several variations are now described, the features of which are interchangeable under suitable circumstances to an extent that will be understood by the reader.
In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
Embodiments of the invention as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
It has been described previously, herein, how the materials, characteristics thereof and shapes of the racquet and its parts, and the ball, may be varied to achieve different use and playing characteristics. Additionally, the materials, characteristics thereof and shapes of the racquet, and the ball, may be varied to vary the speed and difficulty of games played therewith. For example, to create faster game play, a smaller, harder ball can be used with racquets having stiffer, more solid head coverings, while slower game play can be achieved using a large, light ball such as a beach ball, together with an uncovered or mesh-covered racquet.
The shape of the racquet can be varied to achieve other goals or effects. Varied shapes are achieved by varying the shape of the semi-rigid or rigid support to which the “noodle” material or the like will conform, or by employing multiple elements of supported or unsupported “noodle” material, which in combination form the desired shape. Examples of such shapes include a hand or hand-like shape, or a heart shape. Combinations of shapes with other game elements described above will now also be apparent to the reader. For example, a hand-shaped racquet might be combined with a sound generator that produces a funny “boink” or slapping sound upon each impact. As in the case of other examples given above, the size and shape of any opening formed by the racquet shape selected can be varied to vary the difficulty and speed of game play, or even to vary whether the game is based on hitting a ball or on passing the ball through such an opening in the racquet to score.
The term “ball” is used here in a very broad sense. Although the exemplary embodiments described so far use conventional balls of generally spherical shapes, other target objects can serve as the “ball.” For example, a badminton birdie, as mentioned in the background, or other suitable birdie-like object can be used wherever a “ball” is mentioned. Objects of other, arbitrary shapes can also be used. For example, a “ball” shaped like a rocket ship or airplane can be used, or even a “ball” shaped like a conventional football or other conventional ball of unusual shape.
Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of this invention, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.
Claims
1. Apparatus for playing a game, comprising:
- a handle;
- an elongated foam member defining a hoop shape and having two ends, each end of the hoop shape terminating in the handle.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, the handle further comprising:
- a feature for performing a function other than providing a hand grip.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the feature is:
- a hollow for storing an object within the handle.
4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the feature is:
- a ball launcher.
5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the feature is:
- a bubble maker.
6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the feature is:
- a sound generator.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the sound generator includes an impact sensor sensitive to an impact produced by a ball striking the hitting surface.
8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the feature is a counter.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the counter includes an impact sensor sensitive to an impact produced by a ball striking the hitting surface.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
- a support passing through an elongated longitudinal passage within the elongated foam member.
11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the elongated foam member is buoyant.
12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
- a cover spanning a region enclosed by the elongated foam member.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the cover defines a hitting surface.
14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the cover defines a catching pocket.
15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the covering is substantially closed.
16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the covering is an open mesh.
17. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a compartment defined in the handle, in which the cover can be stored.
18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least part of the apparatus changes color on exposure to liquid water.
19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least part of the apparatus changes color upon a change in temperature.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 12, 2007
Publication Date: Aug 16, 2007
Inventors: Dana A. Genereux (Rapid City, SD), Michael A. Dargatz (Keystone, SD)
Application Number: 11/674,112
International Classification: A63B 49/02 (20060101);