EP0033597B1

EP0033597B1 - Games apparatus

Info

Publication number: EP0033597B1
Application number: EP81300167A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Edward Martin Stokes
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1980-01-18
Filing date: 1981-01-15
Publication date: 1984-04-11
Also published as: ATE6990T1; EP0033597A1; GB2067417A; DE3163011D1

Abstract

The invention relates to a games apparatus comprising a lighter-than-air ball,(28) a roof (12) covering at least the intended playing area, and two goals (22, 23). The apparatus is for use in games to be played by two teams, mounted on mechanical devices, such as cycles, on horseback, or on foot, and the intention is for each team to score goals by forcing the ball into the goal defended by the opposing team. The roof, conveniently of a mesh material, is arranged at such height above the playing area as to limit the height to which the lighter-than-air ball can rise, thus to maintain the ball within reach of the players.

Description

This invention relates to games apparatus and, more specifically, to a games apparatus comprising a ball and two goals for a game in which two teams compete, the object of each team being to drive the ball into the goal defended by the other team.
Ball games played with the apparatus and with the object defined above are well known in the art and such popular games as football, rugby, polo, and hockey, are examples of such games.
An object of the present invention is to provide a games apparatus for a ball game which is different from all other such games.
The invention as claimed is intended to provide a games apparatus which allows ball games to be played with unusual and novel variations.
According to the invention there is provided a games apparatus comprising a ball and two goals characterised in that the ball is a lighter-than-air ball and the apparatus includes a roof for preventing the ball from rising beyond the reach of the players.
The advantages offered by the present invention are that the ball, being lighter-than-air, is constantly urged upwardly towards the roof, the ball may in fact remain in contact with the roof throughout the game, and the apparatus thus provides a new dimension to ball games.
The ball preferably comprises a spherical envelope of plastics material charged with a lighter-than-air gas, such as helium with a diameter greater than fifty centimeters and more preferably greater than eighty centimeters.
Whilst the roof proposed by the present invention may comprise a fixed, rigid ceiling in a room or hall of length and breadth dimensions adequate for a ball game such a fixed ceiling roof with a fixed height does restrict the type of play and, as the apparatus is preferably intended to accommodate play by children or adult players, on foot or mounted, the roof is preferably adjustable in height to allow such different types of play.
Thus, the roof is preferably supported by stands adapted to allow said roof to be supported at different mean heights above the ground, the roof may thereby be erected indoors or outdoors and the roof conveniently comprises a flexible material, such as a mesh material, with spaced apart support members intended to be in tension when the roof is in use.
The goals may conveniently be defined by areas of the roof at different heights to the mean height of said roof, said goal areas having a mean height less or greater than the mean height of the roof, or the goals may comprise elements hanging from the roof. Alternatively the goals may be free standing structures independent of the roof.
Advantageously each goal includes means for sensing the ball in a scoring position and the apparatus includes a visual display apparatus for indicating the total numbers of goals sensed by the sensing means as each game progresses.
The apparatus, particularly when used outdoors, preferably includes flexible side walls and/or end walls hanging from or adjacent the edge regions of the roof and serving to prevent the ball from escaping from the playing area beneath the roof.
The apparatus may also include a hand held device, such as a bat or a pole, for each player or selected players to assist such players to engage and displace the ball.
One way of practising the invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 shows, in perspective view, one form of games apparatus in accordance with the invention,
Fig. 2 shows a horizontal cross-section through a side region of the roof structure of Fig. 1 and,
Fig. 3 shows, in enlarged perspective view, a detail of one element of an alternative goal arrangement suitable for use with the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 1 a playing area 11, marked on the ground, is of generally rectangular configuration and a roof 12 is supported by stands 13 so as to cover the playing area 11 and extend for a short distance, for example six feet, beyond each length and width boundary of the playing area 11.
The roof 12 comprises a light weight material, that is to say a material of relatively light weight per unit area, and in the illustrated example the roof 12 comprises a mesh material. The roof 12 includes hanging side and end walls (see Fig. 2) of similar material to the roof, and which conveniently extend downwardly some two or three feet, depending upon the size of the "ball" to be used, to prevent the ball from escaping from beneath the roof. The walls 14 may depend from the periphery of the roof but in the illustrated example said walls 14 are directly above the boundaries of the playing area 11.
The roof 12 is supported by a rectangular wire or cable framework comprising two longitudinal members 15 and 16 and two transverse members 17 and 18. Cables 19 at the corners of the rectangular frame present eyelets 19a for attachment to the support stands 13.
The roof 12 is further supported by spaced- apart intermediate longitudinal cables 20 anchored at their ends to transverse members 17 and 18, and by intermediate spaced apart transverse members 21, each of which has its ends anchored to the members 15 and 16. Thus, when the cables 19 are in tension, the members 15, 16, 17, 18, 20 and 21 are in tension and the roof 12 is in tension and maintains a substantially constant height over the playing area 11. It will be appreciated that some sagging of the roof 12 may occur between adjacent transverse members 21 and adjacent longitudinal members 20 but such sagging is not detrimental to the game and, as the ball may well lift the sagging roof areas as said ball rolls thereunder, the ball in such sagging areas may afford special advantages to one or other of the two teams.
The goal areas in the Fig. 1 embodiment are defined by two rectangular panels 22 and 23 of mesh material, the panel 22 hanging from the roof 12 adjacent transverse member 17 and the panel 23 hanging from the roof 12 adjacent transverse member 18, such panels 22 and 23 being inwardly of end walls 14.
The roof framework 15, 16, 17, 18 is supported by four supports 13 arranged one adjacent each corner of the playing area 11 but outside the playing area 11 so as to leave the playing area 11 clear. Each support 13 comprises an elongate rigid member 24, conveniently of tubular metal, with two guys 25 and 26 attached thereto. The member 24 presents hooks 27 at differently spaced locations from its upper edge and the eyelet 19a associated with each member 24 is selectively engageable with any one of the hooks 27 so that, by utilizing different hooks 27 of the supports 13, the height of the roof 12 above the playing area 11 can be adjusted as desired.
The roof 12 may be simply erected over any playing area by spreading roof 12 over the playing area 11, locating the lower ends of the rigid members 24 in pre-set holes or on ground plates, hooking the eyelets 19a on selected hooks 27 and then raising the rigid members 24 and tensioning the guys 25 and 26 until the desired tension in roof 12 is attained. Once the roof 12 is tensioned the end and side walls 14 and goals 22 and 23 may be hung.
Although in the illustrated example the roof is supported by only four supports, it will be appreciated that more supports 13 are best provided and, conveniently, a support 13 is provided adjacent each end of each, or selected, longitudinal and transverse members 20 and 21 and connected thereto by a cable 19.
The "ball" 28 comprises a thin-walled balloon conveniently of a tough plastics material, charged with a gas such as helium to render the balloon "lighter-than-air" so that the balloon rises to the roof within the confines of the side and end walls 14.
The roof 12 includes a marked area "A" directly above the centre of the playing area, and the ball 28 is located directly beneath said marked area at the start of play.
With the apparatus described above two teams, each team comprising two to six players, play the game with the object of pushing the ball 28 to the goal of the opposing team. The ball, being captive beneath the roof, rolls beneath the roof and, upon the ball 28 striking a goal (panel 22 or 23) a "goal" is declared and the ball 28 is returned to the centre location "A" ready for the next play period.
The game may be played by the teams on foot, in which case the roof 12 may be supported by the lowermost hooks 27 of the supports 13, the game may be played by cyclists, in which case the roof 12 will be supported by a suitable level of hooks 27 above the lowermost hooks 27, but the game offers special advantage when played on horseback where a special control of the mount is required and can be practised. When played on horseback the roof 12 is supported from a suitable level of hooks 27 appropriate to the stature of the mounted players.
The players may engage the ball physically, as by pushing with the hands, or using special implements, such as bats, poles and the like devices, suitably arranged to prevent the ball from being punctured and, to make the game more difficult and interesting for riders (on cycles, ponies or horses) the ball may only be engageable by a rod or staff upstanding from the cycle or the saddle of the rider.
The goal panels 22 or 23 may conveniently be replaced by downwardly hanging elongate members, conveniently of flexible material to avoid injury should a player strike such members, or by a single downwardly depending member, such as the member illustrated in Fig. 3.
The "goal" illustrated in Fig. 3 generally comprises a tubular member 29 in three parts, part 29a including a hook 30 by which the goal is attached to a longitudinal member 20 or a transverse member 21, part 29b being supported from part 29a by a flexible cable 31, which affords a substantially universal displacement of part 29b with respect of part 29a, and a part 29c, depending from part 29b, and forming the greater part of the length of the member 29, said part 29c being made from a flexible resilient tubular material.
One, or a plurality, of micro-switches 32 secured to the part 29a present their actuating members 33 to abutments 34 presented by the part 29b whilst the axis of the part 29b is concentric with the axis of part 29a.
With the goal arrangement 29 in use, the ball 28, when pressed against the member 29, will cause the axis of the parts 29b and 29c to be displaced from the in-line location with respect to part 29a and therefore the, or a, micro-switch 32 will operate to indicate, conveniently by an alarm, that a goal has been scored. The actuation of the micro-switch may also step a visual indicator thus to display the "score" as the game proceeds.
Whilst in the illustrated examples the "goals" are illustrated hanging from the roof or roof supports, it will be appreciated that the goals may be independent of the roof and may, for example, be free standing elements or frames suited to the mode of play.

Claims

1. A games apparatus comprising a ball (28) and two goals (22, 23, 29) characterised in that the ball (28) is a lighter-than-air ball and the apparatus includes a roof (12) for preventing the ball (28) from rising beyond the reach of the players.

2. A games apparatus as claimed in claim 1 characterised in that the ball (28) comprises a spherical envelope of plastics material charged with a lighter-than-air gas and having a diameter. greater than fifty centimeters.

3. A games apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2 characterised in that the roof (12) comprises a flexible material with spaced apart flexible support members (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21) intended to be in tension when the roof is in use.

4. A games apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 characterised in that the roof (12) is supported by stands (13) adapted to allow the roof to be supported at different mean heights.

5. A games apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 characterised in that said goals (22, 23) are defined by areas of the roof (12) at different heights to the mean height of said roof (12).

6. A games apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 characterised in that the goals (22, 23, 29) are suspended from the roof (12).

7. A games apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 characterised in that the goals are free standing and independent of the roof (12).

8. A games apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 characterised in that the apparatus includes flexible side and/or end walls (14) hanging from, or adjacent, the roof edges (15, 16, 17, 18).

9. A games apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim characterised in that each goal (29) includes a sensing device (32, 33, 34) for sensing the ball (28) in a location indicative of a goal scoring location and a visual display means for indicating the number of goals scored at each goal (29).

10. A games apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim characterised in that the apparatus includes a hand-held device for each player or selected players to assist the players to engage and displace the ball (28).