Abstract:
The competitive skill game includes a playing surface upon which any number of a plurality reboundable balls are launched toward and away from a barrier, toward an opponent who attempts a return through use of a paddle, the number of balls in simultaneous play being determined by the desired degree of difficulty for the game.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a competitive game of skill requiring an increasingly high degree of hand-eye coordination, and more particularly to such game where any number of a plurality of balls are in action at any one time, being received and returned by a pair of opponents. 
     2. Prior Art 
     Heretofore competitive ball and paddle games have been proposed. 
     For example, hockey type games are proposed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,785,648 and 4,261,568, and a croquet game apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,863. These games are played on a horizontal surface. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,470 discloses a ball rolling game including an inclined ramp centered over a divided catching field with divisions of the field into which the balls fall having various point values. 
     Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,294 discloses a competitive projectile game having a totally enclosed inclined playing surface wherein a single reboundable ball is launched toward and rebounded from a flexible rebound barrier toward an opposing player using a block like paddle. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The skill game includes paddle members used to maneuver any desired number of a plurality of reboundable balls from one opponent toward another opponent with the playing surface being inclined toward adjacent play stations at a lower open end of the surface. 
     Each opponent has one set of up to four or more balls, depending on the desired level of difficulty, and any number of balls may be sequentially launched upon the playing surface and simultaneously played. Play begins when one or both opponents launch a first ball and ceases when either opponent allows a ball to escape the playing surface. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the game of the present invention showing two balls in play upon a playing surface of the game. 
     FIG. 2 is a cross sectional side view through the game of FIG.  1  and shows one ball captured within a blind pouch at a lower end of the game. 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of one paddle of the game. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, there is illustrated therein the competitive skill game of the present invention generally identified by the reference numeral  10 . 
     As shown, the game  10  includes an inclined rectangular playing surface  12  which is framed along two elongate sides  14  and an upper end  16  which intersects both sides  14  by an upstanding wall  18 . An unframed lower end  20  is open and is divided into two playing stations  22  by means of a centered dividing wall  24  which extends from open end  20  substantially over half way across the surface  12  toward the upper end  16 . At each corner  26  defined at each intersection of the upper end  16  with the sides  14 , an upstanding barrier  28  is provided which angles across the corner  26  at approximately 45° to the corner  26 . 
     Depending from and fixed to the unframed lower end  20  and extending thereacross is a blind pouch  30  which descends a short distance from the end  20  and then folds back upwardly and outwardly over itself to a predetermined level above the playing surface  12  and is further fixed to free ends  32  of the upstanding wall  18  and centered dividing wall  24  aligned along open end  20 . 
     Each opponent is provided with a paddle  34 , a number of balls  36  designated for a particular level of difficulty, and a glove  38  for protecting an opponent&#39;s playing hand. 
     It is preferable to use the glove  38  because the balls  36  are weighty, being similar in weight and size to croquet balls, and further because play is close to the playing surface  12 , with the glove  38  protecting the opponent&#39;s hand from contact scrapes. 
     The paddles  34  are themselves rather weighty and are shaped to resemble miniature bowling pins, with a larger ball engaging base  40  extending into a narrower graspable neck portion  42 . If desired, the neck portion  42  may be covered with a frictional strip  44  for secure gripping and may further include a strap  46  fixed along the neck portion  42 , with the glove  38  sliding between the neck portion  42  and the strap  46  for enhanced grasping security, as best illustrated in FIG.  3 . 
     In play, as shown is FIG. 1, either one or both opponents begin the game by launching a ball  36  toward upper end  16  from one playing station  22  in a manner to rebound the ball  36  toward the opponent&#39;s playing station  22 . Thus, upstanding wall  18  acts not only to contain the balls  36  upon the playing surface  12  but serves as a primary barrier against which launched balls  36  may be rebounded. Further, each corner barrier  28  may also be used for ball  36  rebound, and is positioned to create an angulation to the rebound path, as shown in FIG. 1, in phantom. 
     Because the playing surface  12  is downwardly inclined toward the playing stations  22 , as best illustrated is FIG. 2, a ball  36  in play will not lose speed as it rebounds toward the playing station  22  to which it is directed and, if launched with sufficient force, will even gain speed after rebounding, as it rolls downwardly, adding a further dimension of challenge to play of the game  10 . 
     It will be understood that anywhere from one to eight (or more) balls  36  may be in play at any given time, based on the desired level of difficulty, with balls  36  being added or launched as either opponent may choose. 
     Play continues as long as all balls  36  launched remain on the playing surface  12 . 
     If a ball  36  escapes the playing surface  12 , it drops and is collected into the blind pouch  30 , as shown. Because of the weightiness of the balls  36 , and the speed at which they travel, the pouch  30  has been configured as described above to assure that a ball  36  does not contact the body of an opponent standing along the end  20 . 
     To allow for ease of removal of the balls  36  from pouch  30 , attachment thereof to the aligned free ends of wall  18  and divider  24  is created using deformable member  48  such as a spring or heavy section of elastic. It will be understood that the deformable member  48  should be elevated above the playing surface  12  sufficiently to assure that a ball  36  cannot escape thereover, as best illustrated in FIG.  2 . 
     It will be seen further that each play station  22  of the playing surface  12  may be provided with a foul line  50 , if desired, which defines an area beyond which paddle  34  engagement of the ball  36  by an opponent is not allowed. The foul line  50  is particularly useful in creating an “equalization” of play in an instance where an adult is competing with a child, so that the adult cannot have an advantage of extended reach over that of the child. 
     As described above, the skill game  10  of the present invention has a number of advantages, some of which have been described above and other of which are inherent on the invention. Also, modifications may be proposed to the skill game  10  without departing from the teachings herein. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should only be limited as necessitated by the accompanying claims.