EP0271421A1

EP0271421A1 - Improvements in the table games applicable to basketball, football and other like games

Info

Publication number: EP0271421A1
Application number: EP87500079A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Luis Maria Arnau Manresa
Original assignee: Exin Iber SA
Current assignee: Exin Iber SA
Priority date: 1986-11-21
Filing date: 1987-11-13
Publication date: 1988-06-15
Anticipated expiration: 2007-11-13
Also published as: ES2002078A6; EP0271421B1; DE3768781D1; BR8706218A

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 some improvements in the table games which are applicable to basketball, football and other like games.
As alredy 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 and air jet can be provided to the nozzles of several cavities with a control or bellows.
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 improvements have been devised essentially featuring the arrangement of two or more nozzles in each cavity, each nozzle relevant to respective controls, these nozzles being also 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 comprisses 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, 5ʹa and 5ʹb, and 5ʺa and 5ʺb at one side and 6a and 6b, 6ʹa and 6ʹb and 6ʺa and 6ʺb 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 counterattack.
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 directiones, 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 of a lower outlet for an elevated air jet.
It shall thus be obviously understood that if required the game can be simplified with only a single air outlet for each nozzle and with a single control for each nozzle. In the same way, 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 accesories to develop in a simulated way the playing of any of said sporting events.
The invention within its essentiality can practicably be carried out in other ways of embodiment only differing in detail from the one previously shown by way of example only, these other embodiments also obviously being included in the protection herein applied for.

Claims

1.- Improvements in the table games applicable to basketball, football and other like games of the type comprising a game court with perforated or non-perforated cavities wherefrom a ball is driven by means of an air jet projected by a nozzle arranged at each cavity and used by the player when actuating upon the relevant control and essentially characterized in that at each cavity (3) are fitted two nozzles (10) each related to a relevant associated control, said nozzles showing different orientations so that the ball (B) can be driven from the same point of the court in different directions, mainly towards obliquely opposing sides with the peculiarity that when the player concurrently depresses the two controls a third direction for the ball in the convergence of the two air jets is achieved, this third direction can be more or less fully frontal or tilted according to the pressure applied to each of the controls.

2.- Improvements in the table games applicable to basketball, football and other like games, according to the previous claim, characterized in that the nozzles (10) installed at each cavity (3) can be more than two and be connected to the relevant controls and greater chances can thus be obtained in the direction of the driven ball and also air jets in three or more directions can be combined either laterally or in elevation and all the possible directions can thus be achieved on the plane of the playing ground.