Abstract:
A modified croquet game is provided which may have a single continuous course or one or more sections each comprising a continuous course, wherein the course may be constructed in a similar fashion as a traditional miniature golf course. The course of the modified croquet game may include conveyors, obstacles, slanted surfaces, etc. and a plurality of wickets positioned to make successfully navigating the course more difficult. The plurality of wickets may be comprised of wickets of different colors, with more or less points being awarded for successfully hitting a ball through a wicket of a particular color. According to one aspect of the present invention the modified croquet game may include at least one post or area which may provide a player with additional hits and/or the ability to effect the play of opponents when a player successfully hits the post.

Description:
PRIORITY 
       [0001]    The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/475,563, filed Apr. 14, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     THE FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention generally relates to games. More specifically, the present invention relates to a modified croquet game, and a method for playing the same. The course may include a theme and may also include conveyors, obstacles, inclined surfaces, and other features that require skill to successfully pass a ball through a wicket. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Traditional croquet is a well-known game played by many people throughout the world. Croquet is popular and well-liked because game play is interesting and presents a modest challenge, and the rules are relatively simple. Croquet involves hitting round balls with a mallet through wickets positioned in a playing area. 
         [0004]    As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , in a typical croquet game a number of wickets  4  are positioned in a standard configuration. Each player starts with his or her ball adjacent a finishing stake  8  at one end of the field. The players hit their balls through the wickets  4  towards a turning stake  12  located at the far side of the field. An extra hit is given to a player that successfully passes his or her ball through a wicket  4 . If the ball of a player strikes the ball of another player during the player&#39;s turn, the player is allowed to relocate the other player&#39;s ball by resting their ball next to the other player&#39;s ball, holding their own ball under their foot, and striking their ball so as to send the other player&#39;s ball rolling far away (i.e. “roqueting” another player&#39;s ball). After striking the turning stake with the ball, a player navigates back through the wickets  4  to the finishing stake  8 . 
         [0005]    To win at croquet, a player or team must score the highest number of points. One point is awarded for every wicket passed through in the proper direction and proper order, as is more clearly indicated by the arrows in  FIG. 1 . Each player must drive his or her ball around the course. When all the players on a team have completed the course, the game is over and the points are tallied. Thus, one team will get the full number of points available, while the other team will achieve something less. 
         [0006]    When a player hits the final stake he ceases to take turns. It is sometimes to a team&#39;s advantage for a player to pass through all the wickets, but not hit the final stake in order to return to the field to help his teammates. However, this player must eventually hit the final stake in order to ultimately win the game. A player from the other team may actually roquet such a player into the final stake just to get him out of the game. 
         [0007]    There are a number of variations on the game of croquet described above. For example, variations may differ in the scoring systems, order of shots, and/or layout. For example, two croquet variations are referred to as, association croquet and golf croquet. These two variations have rules that are agreed upon internationally and are played in many countries around the world. 
         [0008]    To add more excitement to croquet other variations to the game have been developed, such as mondo croquet, extreme croquet, and bicycle croquet. Extreme croquet, for example, is typically played on terrain that might present novel challenges such as trees, roots, hills, sand, mud, or moving or still water. Playing on a surface which presents such challenges may make  3  the game of croquet more interesting. However, one must first find a proper location where extreme croquet can be played then plan and lay out the playing area which takes time and effort. 
         [0009]    Although the game of croquet is highly entertaining, playing the same game can get repetitive and cause players to become disinterested. Thus, there is a need for a modified croquet game that is entertaining and varies from other known variations of croquet. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a modified croquet game. 
         [0011]    According to one aspect of the invention, the course of the modified croquet game may resemble a miniature golf course over which the game is played. 
         [0012]    According to another aspect of the invention, a modified croquet game may include a single continuous course and may be either indoors or outdoors. 
         [0013]    According to another aspect of the invention, a modified croquet game may comprise wickets, hoops, or arches, etc. The wickets may include a variety of wickets which are distinguishable from one another. For example a first wicket may be one color and a second wicket may be a color other than the first wicket. A certain amount of points may be awarded for passing a ball through the first wicket and a different amount of points may be awarded for passing a ball through the second wicket. For example, one point may be awarded for passing a ball through a white wicket, and four points may be awarded for passing a ball through a yellow wicket. Alternatively, the wickets may comprise a plurality of colors which have various point values assigned to them. 
         [0014]    According to another aspect of the invention, the course of the modified croquet game may include one or more conveyors which relocate a ball that has been successfully hit through a wicket from one area of the course to another area of the course. 
         [0015]    According to another aspect of the invention, the course of the modified croquet game may include areas where multiple wickets are configured so as to require a high degree of skill to pass a ball through more than one wicket with a single hit. 
         [0016]    According to still another aspect of the invention, the course of the modified croquet game may include wickets on or near obstacles. 
         [0017]    According to yet another aspect of the invention, the course of the modified croquet game may include wickets on slanted or raised areas of the course to thereby make passing the ball through the wicket more difficult. 
         [0018]    In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the course of the modified croquet game may include at least one post or area which may provide a player with additional hits and/or the ability to effect the play of opponents when a player successfully hits the post. 
         [0019]    According to another aspect of the invention, the course of the modified croquet game may include a plurality of sections. Each section may comprise a continuous course with an end point. The end point may be a line that requires a player to stop play after crossing the line. 
         [0020]    According to another aspect of the invention, the course of the modified croquet game may be themed. For example, the course may incorporate areas of California such as the Calico Ghost Town, Yosemite, Redwood National Forest, Big Sur, and the California Coast and include, among other things, rock(s), a giant redwood, a giant bear, a light house, mining cars, a mining wagon, a bottle house, a stream, an aquarium, ocean murals, undersea murals, and redwood forest murals. Many other themes could also be used, such as the city of New York, European or Asian cities, national parks, ski resorts, etc. 
         [0021]    In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method of playing a croquet game may be provided wherein the game is played on a themed course which may include, conveyors, obstacles, etc. The method of playing the game may include the step of successfully hitting a post in order to obtain additional hits. Successfully hitting the post may also provide a player with the ability to effect to the play of opponents. 
         [0022]    These and other aspects of the present invention are realized in a modified croquet game as shown and described in the following figures and related description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0023]    Various embodiments of the present invention are shown and described in reference to the numbered drawings wherein: 
           [0024]      FIG. 1  shows a top view of a standard nine wicket setup according to the prior art; 
           [0025]      FIG. 2  shows a fragmented, perspective view of one aspect of the course of a modified croquet game made in accordance with principles of the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 3  shows a fragmented, perspective view of a slanted surface that may be used on a course of the modified croquet game of the present invention; 
           [0027]      FIG. 4  shows a fragmented, perspective view of an obstacle that may be used in accordance with a course of the modified croquet game of the present invention; and 
           [0028]      FIG. 5  shows a plan view of a section of a course of the modified croquet game of the present invention. 
       
    
    
       [0029]    It will be appreciated that the drawings are illustrative and not limiting of the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims. The embodiments shown accomplish various aspects and objects of the invention. It is appreciated that it is not possible to clearly show each element and aspect of the invention in a single figure, and as such, multiple figures are presented to separately illustrate the various details of the invention in greater clarity. Similarly, not every embodiment need accomplish all advantages of the present invention. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0030]    The invention and accompanying drawings will now be discussed in reference to the numerals provided therein so as to enable one skilled in the art to practice the present invention. The drawings and descriptions are exemplary of various aspects of the invention and are not intended to narrow the scope of the appended claims. 
         [0031]    Turning now to  FIG. 2 , a fragmented, perspective view of one aspect of the course of a modified croquet game made in accordance with principles of the present invention is shown. The course of the modified croquet game may be constructed indoors or outdoors. However, it will be appreciated that an indoor course may be advantageous in that the game may be played even if weather conditions are poor. The modified croquet game may be set up as a course, rather than a simple playing field as is common in croquet. The course of the modified croquet game may be continuous, rather than divided up into separate “holes”. 
         [0032]    As is described in more detail below, the course of the modified croquet game may alternatively include a plurality of sections, wherein each section is comprised of a continuous course having an endpoint, such as a line. Players who cross the endpoint of a section stop play. After all members of a group playing the modified croquet game cross the endpoint of a section, play may resume on a subsequent section of the course. 
         [0033]    Players may use a traditional mallet  16  to hit a standard size croquet ball  28  (or other croquet ball) through a plurality of wickets, hoops, or arches, including wickets  14   a - c  and  36  shown in  FIG. 2 . Additionally, the players may be required to hold the mallet between their legs while striking the ball  28 . The wickets  14   a - c  and/or  36  may be constructed so as to be visually distinguishable, such as being comprised of a variety of colors, and the amount of points awarded for successfully passing through a wicket may vary depending on the color of the wicket. For example wickets  14   a - c  may be the color white and player may be awarded one point for successfully passing his or her ball through each white wicket  14   a - c.  Alternatively, wicket  36  may be yellow and a player may be awarded four points for successfully passing his or her ball through wicket  36 . One skilled in the art will appreciate that the course may include a great number of differently colored wickets each of which may be assigned a different point value. 
         [0034]    The modified croquet game of the present invention may be played in groups of four to six people; however, it will be appreciated that the game may be played in groups made up of more or less individuals. The object of the modified croquet game is to finish first with highest amount of points. Points may be awarded for successfully navigating through wickets, hitting an opponent&#39;s ball under certain circumstances, and/or for being one of the fastest members of the group to cross the endpoint of the course or a section. In order to finish, a player must cross the endpoint of the course, or, if the course is comprised of a plurality of sections, cross the endpoint of the final section of the course. 
         [0035]    According to another aspect of the present invention, if a player&#39;s ball passes by a wicket without going through the wicket the player may hit the ball backwards and attempt to pass through that wicket again. However, the course may include one or more designated areas where players are prevented from attempting to pass through a given wicket more than two times. Thus, if a player passes by the wicket a second time without going through the wicket in such a designated area, the player may be required to continue on to the next wicket without being awarded any points. 
         [0036]    In other designated areas a player may not be able to pass by the same wicket more than once without going through the wicket. In other words, if a player passes by a wicket without passing through that wicket in such a designated area, he or she may not hit the ball backwards to attempt to pass through the wicket again. Although a player may not be limited in the number of hits it takes to successfully navigate the ball through the wicket, in such a designated area a player only receives one attempt to pass through the wicket. 
         [0037]    According to another aspect of the present invention the rules may require that the players take turns hitting their respective balls in an order that corresponds to the color on a post. Each player may get one hit per turn and an additional hit may be earned if a player successfully passes through a wicket or hits the ball of another player. Rules according to the modified croquet game of the present invention, however, may not allow a player who hits another player&#39;s ball during the normal course of play to thereafter hit away that other person&#39;s ball as is done in some variations of traditional croquet. That is, the rules may limit roqueting of an opponent&#39;s ball. 
         [0038]    As is shown in  FIG. 2 , the course of the modified croquet game may include a conveyor  24  that, for example, carries a ball  28  from one area  10  of the course to another area  20  of the course after a ball is successfully hit through wicket  14   a,  or otherwise passes by wicket  14   a.  Wickets  14   b  and  14   c  may be configured such that care and skill is required to pass through both wickets  14   b  and  14   c  with a single hit. According to an aspect of the invention, the rules may require that a player pass through both wickets  14   b  and  14   c  in order to obtain the maximum available score for those wickets. 
         [0039]    According to another aspect of the invention, if a player, in one hit, passes his or her ball  32  through wickets  14   b  and  14   c  and the ball strikes post  40  (e.g. a “poison post”), the player may be awarded two additional hits, and/or the player may be referred to as “poison”. 
         [0040]    One aspect of being poison may be that hitting another players ball with the poison ball  32  may allow the player with the poison ball  32  to relocate the other ball. For example, if the poison ball  32  hits ball  30 , the player hitting poison ball  32  may be able to pick up ball  30  and place it into a receptacle  44 , such as pot (e.g. a “poison pot”) to thereby relocate ball  30  to a location a distance away from the receptacle  44 , e.g. forward or backward on the course. The receptacle  44  may include a relocating member  46 , such as a tube, trough, rail, or the like for relocating the ball  30  forward or backward on the course. As is shown in  FIG. 2 , placing ball  30  in poison pot  44  would relocate ball  30  backward on the course from area  20  to area  10 . Alternatively, placing the ball in the poison pot  44  may result in the player who is hitting ball  30  having to end play for a designated area or section. 
         [0041]    The ability to hit other balls with a poison ball  32  may be limited to a specific zone, such as area  20 . A poison ball  32  may be able to hit only one ball or multiple other balls and may be awarded points for hitting other balls. Additionally, if a poison ball  32  is hit through a wicket  14   a - c  or  36 , the poison ball  32  may be required to be placed in the poison pot  44  and thus relocated or ending play for that player as described above with respect to ball  30 .Once a player leaves the specific zone (e.g. poison zone), the player resumes normal play and may no longer be poison. 
         [0042]    According to one alternative aspect of the modified croquet game of the present invention, a player who is poison may use his or her ball to affect the score of an opponent. Thus, for example, if a player&#39;s ball  32  is poison and it hits the ball  30  of another player, the player hitting ball  32  may be awarded additional point(s) while the player hitting ball  30  may be deducted point(s). 
         [0043]    Now turning to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , there are shown fragmented, perspective views of a slanted surface  50  and an obstacle  60 , respectively, that may be used in accordance with a course of the modified croquet game of the present invention. The slanted surface  50  and obstacle  60  make it more difficult to successfully hit one&#39;s ball through a wicket  14 , and thus makes the croquet game more interesting. 
         [0044]    As is shown in  FIG. 4 , the obstacle may be a stream  60  on the course of the modified croquet game. A bridge  64  may span the stream  60  and provide a route for a player to hit a ball  26  in the direction of wicket  14 . An additional wicket, such as wicket  36 , may be located on bridge  64  and thus incentivize a player to attempt to use bridge  64  to cross stream  60 . It will be appreciated that a variety of obstacles may be present on a course of the modified croquet game such as walls, angled walls, projections, raised areas, depressed areas etc. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the course may include static obstacles and/or dynamic obstacles. 
         [0045]    At the end of a continuous course of the modified croquet game of the present invention there may be an endpoint, for example a red line. Players in a group may be awarded additional points for the position in which they cross over the endpoint. For example, the first player from a group to cross the endpoint may be awarded two points and the second player from a group may be awarded one point. 
         [0046]    The modified croquet game of the present invention may also include a final bonus element. The bonus element may be for additional points or a free game. The player in a group who finishes with the highest total points is the winner. 
         [0047]    A course of the modified croquet game may also be themed. For example, the course may be California themed and may include a stream, such as stream  60  shown in  FIG. 4 , which represents the American River, site of the 1849 discovery of gold at Sutter&#39;s Mill in the high Siena Nevada Mountains. The course may also incorporate areas of California such as the Calico Ghost Town, Yosemite, Redwood National Forest, Big Sur, and the California Coast and include, among other things, rock(s), a giant redwood, a giant bear, a light house, mining cars, a mining wagon, a bottle house, a stream, an aquarium, ocean murals, undersea murals, and redwood forest murals. Other course themes may include a tropical theme, a national park theme, etc. 
         [0048]    Turning now to  FIG. 5 , there is shown a plan view of a section, generally indicated at  100 , of a course of the modified croquet game of the present invention. According to one aspect of the invention, the course of the modified croquet game may include one or more sections  100 , each of which may comprise a continuous course. The one or more sections  100  may align with the themed elements of the course. For example, section  100  may have a Redwood National Forest theme, whereas other sections  100  may have a Calico Ghost Town theme and/or Big Sur theme. 
         [0049]    Each of the sections  100  may include an endpoint to divide the one or more sections  100 . The endpoint  104  may comprise a line. Players who cross the endpoint  104  of given section of the one or more sections stop play, add up their points scored to that point and wait for the other members of their group to cross the endpoint  104 . After all players have crossed the endpoint  104  except for one, that final player may only take one hit to cross the endpoint  104 .The final player, however, may be able to use any additional bonus hits he or she may have earned during play of that section  100  to cross the endpoint  104 . If the final player is not able to cross the endpoint  104  in a single hit plus any bonus hits, the final player may be required to stop play and move their ball directly to or passed the endpoint  104 . 
         [0050]    Once the final player crosses the endpoint  104  of a section  100 , play may resume on a subsequent section of the one or more sections. The player in a group who starts a given section  100 may alternate based on the order of colors on a poison post (See e.g.  FIG. 2  post  40 ) which may correspond to the color of the balls being hit by the members of a group. Additionally, any player who became poison in the previous section  100  ceases to be poison after they cross an endpoint  104 . Also, once a player crosses an endpoint  104 , that player loses any unused bonus hits accumulated to that point and may not go back across the endpoint  104 . 
         [0051]    There is thus disclosed a modified croquet game that is entertaining and varies from other known variations of croquet. It will be appreciated that numerous changes may be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the claims.