Abstract:
The invention is a game that includes a miniature basketball court. Players control the rotational direction and the side to side movement of their team members. A player scores a goal by shooting a miniature basketball through a basket or hole in the goal. The basketball court comprises several crescent-shaped regions.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a tabletop version of the game of basketball. This invention is based on principles similar to that of foosball in which two to four players engage in a game that emphasizes and aids in the development/strengthening of hand and eye coordination.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    Many games operated in arcades and pubs teach hand and eye coordination. Games, such as foosball or pool, train a users dexterity and are operated in many entertainment businesses. These games are enjoyed by people of all ages and are usually a great source of revenue. They are also a source of entertainment for spectators. The games are manufactured in such a way that they are functional and affordable for both home and commercial uses.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    The present invention is a tabletop basketball game having a series of crescent shaped regions that represents a basketball court. The basketball court includes typical markings such as a key, foul line and tip-off circle. Players of the game are positioned on opposite sides of the court facing one another.  
           [0006]    Each player controls a team that has team members arranged on two rods. The rods are arranged above the basketball court and located equidistance from one another above the crescent shaped regions and allow two-dimensional movement of the team members. The team members can be rotated about the rods and can be moved towards and away from the players. Each team member has a spoon-like feature for accommodating a miniature basketball.  
           [0007]    The game includes backboards at either end of the basketball court and has two methods of scoring. In the first scoring method, a player&#39;s team members slam dunk the miniature basketball by throwing it through a hoop or net located against a backboard. A goal is also scored by rolling or throwing the miniature basketball through a goal opening located below the hoop or net  
           [0008]    Other embodiments of the game include three-point lines similar to those displayed on actual basketball courts. When a player shoots and scores from outside the three-point line, he will score a greater number of points than if he shoots inside the three-point line.  
           [0009]    It is an object of the invention to provide and teach a game that is enjoyed by people of all ages.  
           [0010]    It is another object of the invention to provide a game that is easy to operate, uses no electricity and may be a source of revenue for the owner.  
           [0011]    It is another object of the invention to provide a game that improves dexterity and is affordable for both home and commercial uses.  
           [0012]    These objects and others will become apparent when the aforementioned discussion is taken in conjunction with the following disclosure. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is an overhead view of the invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a side view of the invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is an end view of the goal.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is an end view of the invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]    The following is the preferred embodiment or best mode for carrying out the invention. It should be noted that this invention is not limited by the discussion of the preferred embodiment.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 is an overhead view of the game  100 . Baskets or hoops  2  are located at each end of the basketball court  4 . Four rods  7  intersect side panels  6 . The rods  7  pass through bearings  9  or other friction reducing means. The rods  7  include players  5  affixed thereto. Handles  10  are attached to an end of the rods  7 . End boards  22  support baskets or hoops  2 .  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 is a side view of the game  100 . A cover  12  comprised of transparent plastic or plexi-glass prevents the ball  11  from being thrown from or leaving the game  100 . Backboards  1  are provided behind hoops  2 . The backboards  1  are used in the same manner as those in a regular basketball game. The ball  11  can be thrown against the backboard  1  causing the ball  11  to be deflected into the hoop  2 . Team members  5  include spoon-like recesses  21  for moving the ball  11  towards the goal  3 .  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the game  100 . The court  4  comprises a plurality of crescent-shaped portions  25 . Each crescent-shaped portion  25  includes two peaks  26  and one valley  27 . Team members  5  are positioned above the valleys  27  such that the ends of the team members  5  maintain a constant distance from the court  4  as the team members  5  are rotated around the rods  7 . The team members  5  are equipped with two spoon-like recesses  21 , one recess on either side of the team member  5 .  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4 is a view of the goal  3 . The backboard  1  includes a shooting square  17 . The ball  11  is thrown towards the shooting square  17  on backboard  1 . If the ball  11  hits the shooting square  17 , it will deflect into the hoop  2  to score points. The goal  3  also includes an opening  28  into which the ball  11  may be rolled or thrown to score.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 5 is an end view of the game  100 . End boards  22  support the goal  3  and backboard  1 . Cover  12  prevents the ball  11  from leaving the playing surface of the game  100 .  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the game  100 . A player grasps the handles  10  and controls the movement of the team members  5  by twisting the handles  10  to rotate team members  5 . The team members  5  move across the court  4  by sliding the rods  7  through the bearings  9 . Stoppers  8  prevent the team members  5  from being pushed into side panels  6 .  
         [0026]    As shown in FIG. 6, a player moves the ball  11  by positioning it in the spoon-like recess  21  and throwing or rolling the ball  11  towards the goal  3 . Basketball markings simulating those on a real basketball court are provided on court  4 , as shown. Legs  13  are provided on the game  11 .  
         [0027]    An opening  16  is provided for putting the basketball into play. A player simply drops the ball  11  onto the basketball court  4  through the opening  16  and the game begins. It should be noted that the opening  16  is shown on the side of the cover  12  for ease in understanding the invention. However, the opening  16  may be provided above the middle of the basketball court  4 . Or, openings may be provided on both sides of cover  12  for allowing each player a chance to put the basketball into play.  
         [0028]    The game  100  is also equipped with a ball return slot  15 . In the residential version of the game, the ball  11  returns to the ball return slot  15  after a goal has been scored. Tubing or other suitable means guide the ball from either goal into the ball return slot  15 .  
         [0029]    Game  100  is also shown with a coin slot or actuator  14 . A player deposits a predetermined amount of coins into the coin slot  14  to have a ball deposited into the ball return slot  15 . This feature is only provided on the commercial use version of the game. The game  100  may be equipped with a mechanism that allows a predetermined number of goals to be scored before a player must deposit more money to continue playing the game. It may also be equipped with a timer for timing either halves or quarters of the total game.  
         [0030]    It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact construction illustrated and described above, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.