IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TABLE GAMES APPLICABLE TO BASKETBALL, FOOTBALL AND OTHER LIKE GAMES

Abstract: The present invention refers to some improvements in the table games which are applicable to basketball, football and other like games, said table games being of the type comprising a game ground provided with cavities wherefrom the ball is driven by mechanical or pneumatic means, the direction which may be imparted to the ball being very limited. In this invention, directing the ball (B) from each cavity (3) towards other different directions with more or less elevation is achieved by arranging at each cavity (3) a nozzle (10) provided with two or more outlets with different orientations, to these outlets are associated respective controls to adjust at each outlet the pressure of the outgoing air jet and in this way be able to drive the ball (B) at any convenient direction above the plane of the playing ground and by actuating on the controls individually or collectively.

Description: The present invention refers to a table game which are applicable to basketball, football and other like games. As already known far back in time, there are several systems of table games generally comprising a game ground or playing court making up a series of perforated or non-perforated cavities as many of them as players are in a football, basketball, hockey teams or any other like teams, from these cavities the ball is driven by mechanical means, some toys of certain complexity being thus turned out with a tendency to failure and very small accuracy in the throws. The same applicant company is the owner of the Spanish Utility Model No. 292.177, from which said types of games have substantially been improved from the structural and functional viewpoints, since as provided in said model, a collective participation in each move of the playing children meeting in the game is possible by driving or deflecting the ball from its course in the perspective attacking and defending moves. In the present invention is characteristic the fact that the ball is driven by means of an air jet provided from a nozzle fitted at each perforated cavity and by the performance of the player against a bellows associated to the respective nozzle. Each nozzle is conveniently guided and an air jet can be provided to the nozzles of several cavities with a control or bellows. It is also known by the French Invention patent no. 2 358 908 a pneumatic table game which in each perforated cavity comprises two opposed nozzles corresponding to respective controls arranged at opposed sides of the playing ground or court and are driven by contrary players for driving the ball in opposite directions i.e. in the opposite directions wherein the corresponding control is placed. To take advantage of the best chances in the direction of the ball course and obtain the ball is being driven with a better directional accuracy, the present improved table game have essentially been devised featuring the arrangement in each cavity of a nozzle with two or more air jets holes for the same player, said air jets being related to respective controls which are independently depressed by the same player, the air jets being angularly guided in different directions, whereby by depressing one or other control or two or more concurrently with the same or different pressure, the ball from the same court point may thus be directed towards one side or the other or in a more or less frontal or tilted direction, even with a major or minor elevation, i. e. towards all possible directions on the plane of the playing ground. These and other characteristics will be better understood from the following detailed description related to a practical embodiment of the present invention, shown only by way of a non-exhaustive example of the scope of the invention and by making reference to the attached drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows in a schematical and partially fragmented plan view a table game making up a football ground. Figure 2 shows a side elevation view of this same game with a cross-section of one of its ends. Figure 3 shows in a cross-sectioned elevation view made following the III-III line of the figure 1, a detail of the structure from one control to the nozzle, and Figure 4 shows in a cross-sectioned elevation view, a detail of the setting up of a nozzle with incorporation of the character of a football player. As shown in these drawings, this game comprises a football ground made up with a moulded upper plate 1 around which a handrail 2 is provided as moulded in the same way which can inwardly simulate for example a step, the plate 1 making up a series of tapered cavities 3 conveniently distributed according to the basic rules of the football game, each cavity relevant to a football player and respective characters 4 of football players (figure 4) being arranged contiguous to the cavities and said plate 1 being whereby marked with the relevant lines 5 marking off the football ground. At both sides of said plate as representative of a football ground there are three pairs of controls 5a and 5b, 5′a and 5′b, and 5″a and 5″b at one side and 6a and 6b, 6′a and 6′b and 6″a and 6″b at the other side, being set up by respective pushbuttons actuating on the respective bellows 7 (figure 3), which bellows downwardly through ducts 8 provided with thin walls and placed between the upper plate 1 and the lower plate 9 drive the air towards the nozzles 10 conveniently projected and guided from the cavities 3. Each of these nozzles has two outlets 11, 12 relevant to respective controls of each pair, said outlets being obliquely guided in a converging way, so that when the pushbutton 6a or 6b of a pair of controls is for example depressed, an air jet in laterally opposed ways will be obtained. However, when the player concurrently depresses the two controls a third direction for the ball B is achieved in the convergence of the two air jets, this third direction can be relevant to the pressure applied upon each of the two controls, whereby the ball can thus be directed towards another cavity 3 or towards the goal 13 wherein is also provided a nozzle 10, in this case supplied with four outlets 14 to give to the goalkeeper character still more chances of stopping the ball. After having above explained the composition of the present game, the playing mode can be referred as follows: two or more players may participate in the game, each provided at least with a pair of controls making possible a duplicate access to several nozzles, whereby for example with the pair of controls 5a, 5b, a concurrent access to the three nozzles is possible and with the controls 6′a, 6′b the access to four nozzles is also provided. When a player attacks, the opponent player can withstand the attack by attempting to interfere or deviate the ball course to avoid any eventual pass to a player of the same team or a throw to the goal, or even deviate the ball towards one of the own team for a counter-attack. In this game, is intended that each nozzle can be provided with more than two outlets and the controls to be also more than two for each player, in this way the ball can possibly be directed towards much more directions, thereby the ball being subjected to three or more air jets to different directions, either laterally orientated or in elevation; the ball can thus be driven possibly towards any direction on the plane of the playings ground. In the figure 4 with numeral reference 15 is shown the possible existence at the bottom of the cavity 3 of an outlet for an elevated air jet. It shall thus be obviously understood that if required, the bellows can possibly be replaced by another compressed air supply source, for example by means of a cylinder-piston unit, or air coming from a compressor or any other means. In the event the game is played on a basketball, hockey court or any other type of ground court, the game will be provided with any associated accessories to develop in a simulated way the playing of any of said sporting events.

Claims: Table game applicable to basketball, football and other like games, comprising a playing court with cavities from which a ball is driven by an air jet coming out from at least one nozzle, each cavity having two nozzle arrangements which correspond to respective controls arranged on opposed sides of the playing court, each nozzle arrangement being arranged such that the ball is driven in a direction away from the corresponding control, characterized in that each nozzle arrangement (10) comprises two outlets (11,12), the axes of both outlets are at an angle to each other, each outlet comprising its respective control so that both outlets are independently operable. Table game according to claim 1, characterized in that each nozzle arrangement comprises more than two outlets (14).

Inventors: ARNAU MANRESA, LUIS MARIA
Applicants: EXIN-IBER, S.A.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: A63F7
IPC codes: A63F7