AU2019100900A4 - A table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants - Google Patents

Abstract

A table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants comprising a game table, characterised in that the game table is evenly divided into a plurality ball bouncing areas from a centroid of a tabletop of the game table, wherein the tabletop has a non-flat surface and the tabletop has an uneven surface.

Description

Α TABLE TENNIS EQUIPMENT OF RECREATIONAL SPORT FOR MULTIPLE PARTICIPANTS Technical field

The present application relates to a sport/entertainment equipment, and more particularly to a table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants.

Background

Table tennis originated in England in the 19th century and soon became a popular sport in Europe and America. Since the 1920s, table tennis has become a popular ball game in the world. The skill level of Chinese playing table tennis has been at the forefront of the world in the 1960s. Table tennis is a popular sport or recreational activity in Japan and China. Nowadays, table tennis game has become a national sport in China. Traditionally, table tennis games have two primary gameplay rulesets being either singles or doubles.

Until now, table tennis typically utilises a flat and rectangular tabletop as the game table. In the 21st century where the skill level of playing table tennis became mature, there were fewer changes in the trajectories of a ping-pong ball on the plane table. The bouncing directions of the ping-pong ball are easier to be predicted. The difficulty level of the game became lower, and the game challenge is not great. There is not enough excitement especially when multiple players participate in a game.

Previously, there are three-player team, four-player team, or six-player team in the multi-player table tennis game. For example, the Chinese patent application with publication number CN102462165A discloses a table tennis table for six people. It has a circular tabletop, and the entire tabletop is evenly divided into six areas. A baffle at the centre of the circular tabletop separates the areas of the tabletop. By reviewing the description and drawings, it is understood that the tabletop has a flat surface. It is easy to predict the placement point and bouncing direction of a ping-pong ball on a table tennis table with plane top through the movement trajectories of ping-pong ball. In a recreation game with multiple-player team, there would not be enough interaction. Two players may obsess in competing while others can only watch the game. This would adversely affect the fun of participation. If such

-22019100900 11 Mar 2019 scenario happens in a recreation game amongst partners or colleagues, this would adversely affect the enthusiasm of team's cooperation and is not constructive to the promotion and development in the table tennis game for multiple participants.

Summary of Invention

The present application provides a table tennis equipment of recreational sport that may be participated by multiple players. The present invention aims to increase the excitement of multipleplayer recreational sports, so that each player in the team sports has a strong sense of participation.

The purpose of the present application can be achieved by the following technical solutions: a table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants, comprising a game table, wherein the game table is evenly divided into multiple ball bouncing areas from a centre which is the centroid of the profile of the tabletop. In order to enhance or to increase the difficulty level and excitement of a table tennis game for players, the present inventor aims to make the trajectory of a ping-pong ball less predictable by causing changes in its trajectory or bouncing direction after impact with the table top or gaming surface. Thereby, increasing the variety and general randomness of the possible trajectories of the ping-pong ball. Specifically, the tabletop of the game table is set to have a nonplane surface. In other words, the tabletop of the game table comprises an uneven surface.

Preferably, the tabletop or portions thereof of the game table may include uneven surfaces or undulating surfaces. More preferably, the uneven or undulating surface may comprise a regular or irregular geometrical shape includes a continuous curvature.

Specifically, the uneven surface of a preferred embodiment may be directed to be a wave-like surface or sinusoidal. This may make it easier for a player to predict the bouncing direction or trajectory of a ping-pong ball and easier to adjust the difficulty level and excitement of a recreational table tennis sport game.

-32019100900 11 Mar 2019 ln a further improved embodiment, an edge of the tabletop of the game table comprises a circular strip shape serving area to facilitate the serving of a ping-pong ball, and wherein the serving area on the tabletop has a flat surface.

As a first preferred embodiment with the wave-like surface, the wave-like surface comprises circular wave patterns propagating along the radial direction from the centroid of the tabletop profile as a starting point.

As a second preferred embodiment with the wave-like surface, the patterns of wave-like surface are discrete waves with the centroid of the tabletop profile as a centre point.

Specifically, as a preferred design of an embodiment with the wave-like surface, the amplitude of the wave surface, that is the vertical distance between the crest and the trough, is set between 1 mm and 30 mm and the wavelength of the wave surface, that is the horizontal distance between every two adjacent crests or every two adjacent troughs, is set between 3 mm and 500 mm to prevent the pingpong ball from bouncing in an uncontrollable manner after placement which adversely affects the entertainment nature of the table tennis game.

A further improvement of the present invention comprises a tabletop being a circle shape, an oval shape, or a polygonal shape in order to facilitate the division of the tabletop of game table with evenly divided areas.

The present invention has further made the following improvement to clearly define boundaries of the ball bouncing areas and to reduce the blockage of ping-pong balls by a net. The tabletop is provided with separation nets or boundary lines to divide the tabletop into a plurality of ball bouncing areas.

More preferably, there are six bouncing ball areas on the tabletop, wherein the separation nets comprise one main net and two sub-ordinary nets. The main net and the sub-ordinary nets all pass through a centroid of the tabletop and extend along the directions of the two ends of the sub-ordinary

-42019100900 11 Mar 2019 nets on the tabletop of the game table to mark the boundary lines. Also, the vertical height of the main net is larger than the vertical height of the sub-ordinary nets.

Specifically, the maximum height of the main net is H, its width is equal to the width L of the desktop section where the main net is located. The upper edge of the sub-ordinary nets comprises a symmetric arc, and the width of the sub-ordinary net is l/3Lto 1/2L, and the maximum height of the sub-ordinary net is 1/3H to 1/2H.

This present invention includes the following advantages:

1. The present invention is adapted to provide different trajectories for the ping-pong ball by designing an uneven surface for the tabletop such that the bouncing direction of a ping-pong ball after placement is not easy to be predicted, which makes it is more suitable for entertaining multiple players and more adaptable for entertainment. It also breaks the traditional way of table tennis entertainment, and enhances the excitement of the game.

2. The present invention is more suitable for a variety of recreational table tennis gameplay. The present invention is adapted to allow single-player games, double-player games, triple-player games. It may also use one or more balls of different but easily recognition colours in multiple player games.

3. In a preferred design of the present invention, the tabletop comprises a regular shape wave-like surface. This can increase the excitement of the game play while allowing it easier to adjust the difficulty level of the game. The present invention makes it easier to design a table tennis table with various difficulty levels to adapt to different recreational table tennis groups.

4. The main net and sub-ordinary nets of the present invention may provide a clear division of ball bouncing areas while reducing the probability of a ping-pong ball being abnormally blocked by the nets, and increasing the adaptability of the entertainment value of the present invention.

The Descriptions Of Drawings

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The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of the first embodiment of a table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants of the first embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view along A-A of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural view of the second embodiment of a table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants of the second embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view along B-B of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a schematic structural view of the third embodiment of a table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of a table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants of the third embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view C-C of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is a right side view of a table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants of the third embodiment of the present invention.

Reference in Drawings:

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1-game table; 2-main net; 3-sub-ordinary net; 4-ball bouncing area; 5-wave-like surface area A; 6centre plane area; 7-plane-wave transition area; 8- crest; 9- trough 10 - wave surface area B; 11 serving area; 12 - tabletop support; 13 - racket; 14 - ping-pong ball.

Method of Implementation

The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in the following with references to the accompanying drawings.

Furthermore, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below may be combined with each other as long as they do not constitute a conflict with each other.

Descriptions of Embodiments

A first preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants, comprising, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, a game table 1, tabletop supports 12 for supporting the game table 1, rackets 13 and a ping-pong ball 14. The game table 1 comprises a circular tabletop with six evenly distributed ball bouncing areas 4. The ball bouncing area 4 is evenly divided in area size from the centroid point of the tabletop. The tabletop of the game table 1 has a wave-like surface area B 10 and a serving area 11 being circular strip shape at the edge of the tabletop to facilitate ball serving. The wave-like or sinusoidal surface area B 10 is a wave-like surface as a preferred embodiment. The waveforms of the wave-like surface are shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The waveform is similar to circular water wave propagating outwardly along the radius from the centroid of the tabletop profile as a starting point. The amplitude is 2mm and a wavelength is 10mm, wherein the amplitude is the vertical distance between the crest 8 and trough 9, and the wavelength is the horizontal distance between two adjacent crests 8 or between two adjacent troughs

9. The serving area 11 has a flat surface. The above mentioned wave-like surface area B 10 may be replaced with other non-plane surfaces with regular or irregular geometric patterns, namely uneven

-72019100900 11 Mar 2019 surface. The uneven surface is adapted to alter the bouncing direction of a ping-pong ball 14 after its placement on the uneven surface in order to create a multitude of trajectories for the ping-pong ball 14.

In order to clearly define the position of the ball bouncing area 4, the tabletop of the game table 1 comprises one or more of separation nets and boundary lines to separate the tabletop into a number of ball bouncing areas 4. The separation nets comprise a main net 2 and two sub-ordinary nets 3 to be installed on the game table 1. The main net 2 and the sub-ordinary nets 3 pass through the centre point of the tabletop. The maximum height of the main net 2 is assumed to be H. The width of the main net 2 equivalent to the sectional width of the game table is assumed to be L. The upper edge of the sub-ordinary nets 3 comprises a symmetric arc. The width of the sub-ordinary net is 1/ 3L, and the maximum height of the sub-ordinary net is 1/2H. The boundary lines are set by extending the two extremities of the sub-ordinary net 3. In this way, it is possible to reduce the probability that the pingpong ball 14 will be blocked by the sub ordinary net 3 after passing through the main net 2. In this embodiment, the ping-pong ball 14 can be a spherical ball or an elongated ovoid ball. The use of elongated ovoid ball further increases the barrier of the game, thereby increases the excitement of the recreational sport game.

The Second Embodiment

Reference is now made to Fig. 4 to 6. In this embodiment, the tabletop of game table 1 is a polygonal tabletop, wherein the tabletop is evenly divided into six triangular ball bouncing areas 4. The entire tabletop comprises an uneven surface, or wave-like surface in specific. The wave-like surface comprises discrete waves propagating from the centroid of the tabletop as shown in Fig. 4. The wave on the wave-like surface has a maximum amplitude of 30 mm, a minimum amplitude of 1 mm, a minimum wavelength of 3 mm, and a maximum wavelength of 500 mm. The height of the subordinary nets 3 is 1/3 of the height of the main net 2. The width of the sub-ordinary nets 3 is 1/2 of

-82019100900 11 Mar 2019 the width of the main net 2. Other technical features and implementation of this embodiment is similar to the first embodiment.

The Third Embodiment

Reference is now made to FIG. 7 tolO. This embodiment provides a game table 1 comprising an ovalshaped tabletop. The tabletop is evenly divided into six ball bouncing areas 4 being of fan-shaped. The tabletop of the game table 1 comprises a centre plane area 6 located at the centre of the tabletop, and a wave-like surface area A 5 around the edge of the tabletop. There is a plane-wave transitional area 7 between the wave-like surface area 5 and the centre plane area 6. The transitional area 7 may be an uneven surface being in a regular and / or irregular geometrical shape. The wave-like patterns in the wave-like surface area A 5 has a maximum wavelength of 300 mm and amplitude of 20 mm. The maximum height of the sub-ordinary nets 3 is 1/2 of that of the main net 2, and the maximum width of the sub-ordinary nets 3 is '/ι of that of the main net 2. Other technical features and implementation of this embodiment is similar to the first embodiment.

The present invention is not confined within the scope of the above embodiments. The table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants may comprise a tabletop with an uneven surface. The uneven surface may have a discontinuous curvature. The embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto. The wave-like surface may comprise other kinds of irregular uneven surface or non-flat surface in order to increase the difficulty level of predicting the bouncing direction of the ping-pong ball after its placement. These other variations can be derived by the ordinary technical knowledge and the conventional means in the art within the scope of the technical features disclosed in this specification. Other modification, replacement, or alteration of the structure of the present invention, as long as they are not outside the ambit of the technical knowledge of this specification, are also included within the scope of this specification.

Claims (10)

1. A table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants comprising a game table, characterised in that the game table is evenly divided into a plurality ball bouncing areas from a centroid of a tabletop of the game table, wherein the tabletop has a non-flat surface and the tabletop has an uneven surface.

2. The table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants according to claim 1, characterised in that the tabletop of the game table comprises all or a plurality of areas of an uneven surface, wherein the uneven surface comprises regular and / or irregular geometric patterns of continuous curvatures.

3. The table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants according to claim 2, characterised in that the tabletop of the game table comprises a serving area being circular strip shape around the edge of tabletop, and the tabletop where the serving area located is a flat surface.

4. The table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants according to claim 2, characterised in that the uneven surface is a wave-like surface.

5. The table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants according to claim 4, characterised in that the wave surface-like comprises circular wave propagating along the radial direction from a centroid of the tabletop profile as a starting point; or the wave-like surface comprises discrete wave propagating from a centroid of the tabletop as a centre point.

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6. The table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants according to claims 4 or 5, characterised in that the wave-like surface has a wave amplitude between 1 mm to 30 mm and a wavelength between 3 mm to 500 mm.

7. The table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the tabletop of the game table comprises a circular tabletop, an oval-shaped tabletop, or a polygonal tabletop.

8. The table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the tabletop of the game table is divided into a plurality of the ball bouncing areas by separation nets and boundary lines.

9. The table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants according to claim 8, characterised in that the tabletop comprises six ball bouncing areas; the separation nets comprises a main net and two sub-ordinary nets installed on the tabletop, and wherein the main net and the subordinary nets all pass through the centre point of the tabletop, and boundary lines are defined on the tabletop of the game table along direction of the sub-ordinary nets extending outwardly towards the two ends thereof; and wherein the vertical height of main net is larger than the vertical height of the sub-ordinary nets.

10. The table tennis equipment of recreational sport for multiple participants according to claim 9, characterised in that the main net has a maximum height of H, and has a width L equal to a sectional width of the tabletop of the game table where the main net is located, the sub-ordinary nets has an upper edge of symmetrical arc, a width of being between 1/3 L to 1/2 L, and a maximum height of being between 1/3 H to 1/2 H.