BALL TOSSING GAME AND METHODS OF PLAY

Abstract

The present invention relates to games and methods of playing the games, as well as kits for playing such games, and more particularly to ball toss games played on a playing field surface, by way of non-limiting example on a surface such as a turf field, tennis court, sand field or sand beach, for example.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/545,724 filed Oct. 11, 2012.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Playing sports along beaches, yards, and fields is a popular recreational pastime which has the advantage of promoting good health through outdoor exercise. Common beach games include Volleyball, Football, Soccer, Baseball, Bocce Ball, and Frisbee. Although these activities are excellent forms of exercise for children and young adults, the may not necessarily be suitable for all ages. This is especially true for in the case of high intensity sports such as Volleyball, Football, and Soccer. It is also true in the case of Bocce Ball, which requires the participant to throw very heavy balls considerable distances.

Therefore, there is a need for a game which can be played by all ages, wherein the use of a low weight ball, similar to a softball, enables participants of any age or physical ability to partake.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to games and methods of playing the games, as well as kits for playing such games, and more particularly to ball toss games played on a playing field surface, by way of non-limiting example on a surface such as a turf field, tennis court, sand field or sand beach, for example. In an embodiment, the invention comprises a method of playing a game, the method comprising the steps of: providing a court having a boundary that defines a playing surface; providing at least one hole in the playing surface; providing a game ball to a user located at a selected playing location on the court; and allowing the user to take a turn, the turn comprising a toss, throw, or roll of the game ball toward the hole from the selected playing location, wherein the object is to score by landing the game ball in the hole.

In another embodiment, the invention comprises a kit for executing the method of playing the game, the kit comprising at least one game ball, at least one hole apparatus, at least one apparatus for marking the boundaries of the court, at least one smoothing tool, and optionally a carry bag.

Additional embodiments and features will be apparent from the description, claims, and figures herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawing figures wherein like numerals denote like elements.

FIG. 1 is a bird's-eye-view of a game court layout in an embodiment, wherein the court includes two holes on opposite sides of a rectangular court formation.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a game court layout in a second embodiment, wherein the court comprises a slope to increase the desired difficulty of the game.

FIG. 3 is a bird's-eye-view of an alternative game court layout comprising a single hole, wherein players stand on the opposite side of the court to attempt to score goals.

FIG. 4 is a bird-s eye perspective view of a hole apparatus in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational perspective view of the hole apparatus embodiment of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a bird's eye perspective view of game apparatus in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a bird's eye perspective view of a kit comprising the game apparatus of FIG. 6 in an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The ensuing detailed description provides preferred exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention. Rather, the ensuing detailed description of the preferred exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing the preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention. It being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

To aid in describing the invention, directional terms are used in the specification and claims to describe portions of the present invention (e.g., upper, lower, left, right, etc.). These directional definitions are merely intended to assist in describing and claiming the invention and are not intended to limit the invention in any way. In addition, reference numerals that are introduced in the specification in association with a drawing figure may be repeated in one or more subsequent figures without additional description in the specification in order to provide context for other features.

In some embodiments, elements shared with the first embodiment are represented by reference numerals increased by factors of 100. For example, the field 10 in FIGS. 1-2 corresponds to the field 110 in FIG. 3. In the interest of clarity, some features of this embodiment that are shared with the first embodiment are numbered in other figures, but are not repeated in the specification.

The invention generally relates to sports which can be played on a beach or other soft terrain. More particularly, the invention relates to a game which can be played on a beach, wherein the object of the game is toss, roll, or throw a ball into the target hole in order to score goals.

In an embodiment, the game is one of skill to be played between two or four players on sand or other soft terrain, wherein players toss, roll, or throw a ball into one or more holes formed in the surface of a field or court (hereinafter commonly referred to as a “court”). The object is to score goals by having the ball land in any of the holes provided at the opposite (distal) end of the court across from the tossing player.

The court is formed on a large surface of preferably flat ground, whether turf, sand, or otherwise. Most preferably, the surface is a soft surface (i.e. not bare concrete or bare asphalt). The surface can additionally or alternatively be formed on slightly sloping terrain, such as in order to achieve a desired level of difficulty. In an example of a sloped surface embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a hole is placed in the approximate center of either one or two opposite end boundaries of the court. However, other placements are possible, as well as the inclusion of more than one whole on each side of the court, in any number and combination of hole sizes and locations. In such examples, the method of playing and scoring includes a different score value for each hole, which value corresponds to the difficulty of landing the game ball in each hole. For example, a small diameter hole on a steep slope and the extreme opposite end of a court (or at the break of a slope) may have a score value of 10 points, while a large diameter hole on a flat area of the court 10 and possibly closer than the opposite end line) may have a value of 1 point.

In each embodiment, players roll, toss, or throw a game ball in an attempt to cause the ball to fall into a hole, such as a hole on the opposite end of the court, in order to score points. In games with teams of two players, teammates preferably take turns in addition to each team taking turns. A team wins the match by scoring a predetermined number of goals, or a predetermined number of goal value points, before the other team.

By way of further example, FIG. 1 is bird's-eye-view of the original court layout which requires two holes on opposite sides of a rectangular formation, the size of which can be adjusted to fit the desired difficulty of the participants. Courts which are made to be long in length, typically 30-40 feet, allow for increased difficulty and added skill. Courts which are made to be mid-range length, typically 15-25 feet, tend to be less difficult and more appealing to children 8 years and younger.

In another example of FIG. 2, a court is illustrated in a perspective view to show a court slope, the degree of which can be adjusted to fit the desired difficulty for the players and participants. Courts which are made on more severe inclines, typically 171-160 degrees, allow for increased difficulty and added skill. Courts which are made on less sever inclines, typically 180-170 degrees, allow for decreased difficulty and skill.

In still another example, shown in FIG. 3 is a bird's-eye-view of an alternative court layout which only requires a single hole, the size of which can be adjusted to fit the desired difficulty of the participants, who in this case would stand on the same side of the court to attempt to score goals. Courts which are made to be long in length, typically 30-40 feet, allow for increased difficulty and added skill. Courts which are made to be mid-range length, typically 15-25 feet, tend to be less difficult and more appealing to children 8 years and younger.

In order to set up and play the game, several key items are needed, while others are helpful. A kit 80 can be provided with all necessary items (except the surface for court 10), and optionally with any optional items, as further described herein.

One necessary item is a game ball 20. The game ball 20 should be of a size and weight that is compatible with the size, skill, and strength of the user. The ball 20 should also be compatible with the surface of the court 10 so that the ball 20 maintains a consistent performance throughout the game, without wearing down, or becoming heavier such as by absorbing water from a wet sand surface of a court 10, for example. Moreover, the ball 20 should be selected to be tossable for the full length of the court 10, while also being of a friction and weight so as to allow for rolling of the ball 20 by a player from one end line of the court to the opposite end line of the court 10. In an embodiment, the game ball 20 is a standard softball or baseball. In other embodiments, the game ball 20 can include a croquet ball, bocce ball, volleyball, basketball, tennis ball, racquet ball, hand ball, golf ball, or any commercially available game ball from a court sport or a field sport.

Another necessary item is a hole apparatus. The hole apparatus can include means for creating a hole 11 in a surface of the court 10. In some embodiments shown in FIGS. 4-5, the hole apparatus is a circular hole frame 50. The frame 50 is designed to maintain the shape of a hole 11 as a substantially perfect circle. In some embodiments, the frame 50 can further include an extension member 52 that protrudes vertically downward from the frame 50 and away from the surface of the court 10. The length of the extension member 52 is designed to be compatible with the hardness, foliage, slope and other features of the surface of the court 10, so that the member 52 can be easily pressed down into the surface of the court 10, preferably without requiring a hammer, such that the top surface of the frame 50 does not protrude more than an inch above the surface of court 10, if it protrudes at all. An other advantage of the hole frame 50 is that, once pressed into the surface, it allows a user to dig out the entire court surface surrounded by the frame 50 to form the hole 11, with the extension member 52 preventing the hole sides and adjacent surface from collapsing into the hole 11.

An optional item is a court string 14, as well as court stakes 12. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, the court boundaries can be delineated by use of stakes 12 and strings 14.

In a method of forming the court 10, a user would place at least 3 stakes for a triangular court, (or 4 stakes for rectangular court, 5 stakes for a pentaganol court, etc.), and then connect the stakes 12 using the string 14 to form the outer boundaries of the court 10. Alternatively, the boundaries of court 10 can be scratched into a soft court surface, and/or chalked and/or painted onto a court surface.

Another optional item is a smoothing tool 60, as shown in FIG. 6. For example, the smoothing tool 60 can be a rake, squeegee, or broom. The purpose of the smoothing tool 60 is to allow a user to restore the court surface to a desired state, whether at the beginning, during, or after a game is played on the court 10. For example, where the court 10 is wet sand, a sand rake can be used as a smoothing tool 60 between shots to remove from the court 10 any lines from rolled game balls and to remove dents from tossed game balls.

Another optional item is a carry bag 70, as shown in FIG. 7. In an embodiment, the game bag is large enough to carry all game elements except the court 10. The carry bag 70 is preferably comprised of permeable sidewalls, such as a netting material, to allow water, sand, and other contaminants to be shaken from the bag 70 and its contents.

In another embodiment, the invention comprises a kit for playing a tossing game. In an example shown in FIG. 7, the kit 80 includes at least one game ball 20, at least 3 stakes 30, at least one string 40, at least one hole frame 50, and optionally a smoothing tool 60 and carry bag 70. Thus, the kit 80 includes everything a user would need to set up a court 10 in any location, and to play the games described herein. Optionally, the kit 80 may include written instructions for playing the game, and optionally a scoring apparatus, such as a scorecard, scoring book, abacus, or other known scoring devices. In an alternative method, the game methods involve scoring by simply writing the scores into the court or an adjacent surface, such as in the sand adjacent a sand court 10. In this manner, the game can be played and the environment restored afterwards, making the game environmentally and aesthetically acceptable anywhere.

While the principles of the invention have been described above in connection with preferred embodiments, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation of the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method of playing a game, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a court having a boundary that defines a playing surface;

providing at least one hole in the playing surface;

providing a game ball to a user located at a selected playing location on the court; and

allowing the user to take a turn, the turn comprising a toss, throw, or roll of the game ball toward the hole from the selected playing location, wherein the object is to score by landing the game ball in the hole.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the court comprises at least one of sand or turf.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the court comprises at least two holes in the playing surface.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least two of the holes are located at opposite ends of the court, and wherein at least one playing location is located at each of the opposite ends of the court.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises providing more than one user, and wherein each user alternates the taking of a turn.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises each user continuing to take a turn until any user has landed the game ball in the hole a predetermined number of times.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the game ball is selected from the group consisting of baseballs, softballs, tennis balls, racquet balls, handballs, playground balls, bocce balls, croquet balls, basketballs, volleyballs, beach balls, field hockey balls, and lacrosse balls.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further includes allowing a user to smooth the playing surface during a game.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein method comprises providing a hole apparatus for removably forming the hole in the playing surface.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the hole apparatus comprises a frame member.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the hole apparatus further comprises a sidewall protruding downward from the frame member, the frame member and sidewall configured and arranged to allow a user to press the apparatus into the playing surface, remove the playing surface enclosed by the frame member to a selected depth, and wherein the sidewall portion prevents collapse of the playing surface surrounding the apparatus.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of providing a kit, the kit comprising game apparatus for executing the method of playing the game.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the kit comprises apparatus for marking the boundaries of the court, and at least one hole apparatus.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the apparatus for marking the boundaries of the court comprise temporary marking apparatus.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the temporary marking apparatus comprise at least 3 stakes, and at least one string element for interconnecting the stakes to form court boundaries.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the hole apparatus of the kit comprises a frame member and a sidewall protruding downward from the frame member, the frame member and sidewall configured and arranged to allow a user to press the apparatus into the playing surface, remove the playing surface enclosed by the frame member to a selected depth, and wherein the sidewall portion prevents collapse of the playing surface surrounding the apparatus.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the kit further comprises a game ball.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the kit further comprises a smoothing tool, and wherein the kit optionally includes a carry bag for enclosing all game apparatus.

19. A kit for executing the method of playing the game of claim 1, the kit comprising at least one game ball, at least one hole apparatus, at least one apparatus for marking the boundaries of the court, at least one smoothing tool, and optionally a carry bag.

20. The kit of claim 19, wherein the kit comprises a carry bag, the carry bag made of permeable material that allows water, sand, and other contaminants to escape from the carry bag and its contents, such as by a user shaking the bag.