EP3265187B1 - Game of skill for launching and receiving a projectile - Google Patents

Description

Field of the invention

The invention relates to a device for launching in the air and receiving a projectile, such as a ball or a wheel, in the context of a sporting activity or leisure.

State of the art

There are many devices designed to propel in the air and receive a projectile. For example, the document US 4234183 describes a device comprising a flexible and flat surface for launching a projectile. On either side of the flexible surface, handles are arranged to allow manipulation of the device. The flexible surface includes an orifice for receiving the projectile. When the device is stretched away from the handles of each other, the flexible surface is stretched and projects the projectile in the air. The user must then receive the projectile at the orifice.

This device has some limitations. On the one hand the device does not seem easy to handle, because of the position of the handles. the devices of the prior art generally comprise gripping means arranged in the anteroposterior direction relative to the human body when a user uses these devices. This results in a discomfort of use when the projection surface wants to be kept parallel to the ground because of an unusual position of the hands. This can cause a difficulty of handling of the device.

In addition, it is necessary to apply some tension to the flexible surface to propel the projectile with a large amplitude, which can be tiring. On the other hand, such a device does not allow to easily project a projectile with a large amplitude. Finally, the reception of the projectile seems arduous with a flat and flexible surface. The projectile is likely, in case of slight rebound on the flexible surface, to fall back outside the device.

The document US 1 170 948 A1 discloses a game device for projecting and receiving a projectile, comprising a projection and receiving basket, said basket comprising an upper opening and two opposite handles, the basket comprising two side walls, the side walls comprising an upper edge, and each handle being connected to an upper edge.

Summary of the invention

The invention is defined by the independent claim. The dependent claims define preferred embodiments of the invention.

One of the aims of the present invention is to provide a device that is easy to handle and makes it possible to project a projectile manually and easily with a large propulsion force. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device facilitating the reception of the projectile.

For this purpose, the device according to the invention comprises a projection and reception basket. The basket includes a top opening. Two opposite handles are arranged on either side of the basket.

The device is characterized in that the basket comprises two rigid and opposite side walls. They are interconnected by two first members respectively forming a front wall and a rear wall of the basket and which comprise elastic flexible means. The two rigid side walls are further connected to each other by a second non-resilient member forming a bottom wall of the basket. The rigid sidewalls also include an upper edge that merges with a side edge of the top opening of the basket. In addition, each handle is connected to an upper edge by third non-elastic members. In other words, each of the handles is connected to one of the upper edges so that by removing the handles laterally from each other, the upper edges of the side walls move away from each other, so that the lower parts of the side walls deviate and are maintained from one another at a maximum distance defined by a length of the second non-elastic members.

With such a device, it is easy to project a ball into the air with a satisfactory projection force without the player having to provide a particular effort thanks to the projection basket which, under tension, flattened by throwing the ball in the air. The movement required to project the projectile is of limited magnitude, facilitating movement and reducing fatigue. When the device is no longer in tension, the first elastic members allow the basket projection and reception to resume its rest configuration, facilitating the reception of the projectile in the basket.

According to a preferred embodiment, the first members forming the front wall and the rear wall of the basket are flexible and resilient means. This embodiment allows a greater range of motion and facilitates the flattening of the basket when the game device is stretched.

Brief description of the figures

Fig. 1

est une vue de dessus d'un dispositif de jeu en position de repos selon un premier mode de réalisation de l'invention.

Fig. 2

est une vue latérale du dispositif de jeu de la figure 1.

Fig. 3

est une vue du dessus du dispositif de jeu en extension selon le premier mode de réalisation de l'invention.

Fig. 4

est une vue latérale du dispositif en extension de la fig. 3.

Fig. 5

est une vue latérale d'un dispositif de jeu au repos selon un second mode de réalisation de l'invention.

These and other aspects of the invention will be clarified in the detailed description of particular embodiments of the invention, with reference to the drawings of the figures, in which:

Fig. 1

is a top view of a game device in the rest position according to a first embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2

is a side view of the game device of the figure 1 .

Fig. 3

is a view from above of the game device in extension according to the first embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4

is a side view of the device in extension of the Fig. 3 .

Fig. 5

is a side view of a rest game device according to a second embodiment of the invention.

The drawings of the figures are not to scale. Generally, similar elements are denoted by similar references in the figures. The presence of reference numbers in the drawings can not be considered as limiting, even when these numbers are indicated in the claims.

Detailed description of particular embodiments

We will first refer to the Fig. 1 and at the Fig. 2 . The game device (1) comprises two handles (310, 330). Both handles (310, 330) are arranged on either side of a basket (20). The basket allows the projection in the air and the reception of a projectile. By basket, it is necessary to understand a three-dimensional structure having an upper opening (200) delimited by an edge. The dimensions of the opening are such that they allow the projectile to pass through this opening. The side surfaces and a bottom surface of the basket (20) are closed or have openings preventing the projectile from passing through. By way of example, the lateral surfaces may have an organization in the form of parallel tongues or netting, the holes of which are smaller than the size of the projectile.

The general shape of the basket can be variable. By way of example, in the rest position, the basket (20) can be a cube, a parallelogram, an inverted pyramid, possibly truncated as illustrated in FIG. Fig. 2 , even more free forms. When the basket is in maximum extension, the basket extends over a substantially flat surface. This is illustrated in Fig. 3 and 4 on which is represented a game device in almost maximal extension. In maximum extension, the front face (25), the rear face (27), the bottom wall (26) and the two side walls (21, 24) are plane relative to each other.

The basket comprises two rigid side walls (21, 23). The rigid walls may for example be made of wood or any rigid plastic, such as a plastic of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyethylene for example. The walls can be full, or holes. According to a preferred embodiment, the walls comprise holes so as to reduce the resistance to movement of the basket.

The two rigid walls (21, 23) are arranged on either side of the basket, towards the handles. In other words, the rigid walls (21, 23) are opposite in the basket (20). It is understood that these walls can be of varied shape depending on the shape of the basket. They will for example have an inverted lozenge shape when the basket (20) is a truncated inverted pyramid, a square shape when the basket (20) is a cube. More free or more complex shapes are possible. For example, these walls (21, 23) may each comprise two intersecting surfaces, when the upper opening (200) has a hexagonal shape. This embodiment makes it possible to have a channel inside the basket (20) at the intersection of the two surfaces of a rigid wall, to better guide the projectile towards the bottom of the basket (20) when the projectile is received. This channel can also guide a moving projectile to a channel located on the other wall, for example just after receiving, to perform juggling or artistic figures.

The two walls (21, 23) rigid are interconnected by different members forming the other walls of the basket (20). The front wall (25) and the rear wall (27) of the basket (20) are formed by first members (22, 24) which comprise a flexible and resilient means. These two members thus connect lateral edges of the rigid walls (21, 23). The first flexible and resilient members may for example comprise a plurality of strips or ribbons arranged in a general transverse orientation relative to the device. By way of example, these first members may be fabric strips comprising an elastomer or rubber.

The flexible and resilient means allow the basket to resume a form of rest after stretching the game device (1). They can be of relatively short length depending on the general shape of the basket, limiting the risk of injury in case of breakage. As illustrated in Fig. 5 the first members may comprise both a flexible and resilient means and another rigid wall (30). This embodiment allows to have a basket (20) robust. Preferably, the front (25) and rear (27) walls are integrally formed by the flexible and elastic means as illustrated in FIGS. Fig. 1-4 .

The two walls (21, 23) rigid are further connected by a second member (26) flexible and inelastic. This organ will be better visualized at the Fig. 2 . This member (26) forms a bottom surface of the basket. The second flexible and non-elastic members may for example comprise a plurality of strips or ribbons arranged in any orientation of fabric with high tenacity fibers, such as polyester or polypropylene straps. This organ makes it possible to limit the maximum extension of the basket, and to limit the rebound effects without completely eliminating them. This facilitates the reception of the projectile when the user brings the two rigid walls as close as possible, but this can also facilitate a small rebound when the user keeps this member (26) flexible slightly stretched. Preferably, the lower surface of the basket further comprises a rigid piece, for example a molded plastic piece or metal. This rigid piece is preferably disposed in the center of the lower surface of the basket, the outer side of the receiving hopper. This piece may for example be a square covering at least 20% or at least 50% of the bottom surface of the basket. Alternatively, this rigid piece may be disposed on the edges of the lower surface, at the junctions with the side walls, the front wall and the rear wall. This piece makes it possible to reduce even more the risks of turning the hopper.

The handles are each connected to an upper edge of a rigid wall (21, 23). The upper edge (210, 230) of each of the rigid walls (21, 23) coincides with a lateral edge of the upper opening (200). In other words, the lateral edges of the opening are formed by the upper edges of the rigid walls (21, 23), the other parts of the edge of the upper opening (200) being formed by upper parts of the first members (22, 24). The upper edges (210, 230) are not necessarily straight edges. In the case of rigid walls (21, 23) of non-regular shape, the upper edges may have curves.

The handles are each connected to an upper edge (210, 230) by third members (28, 29). These third organs are non-elastic organs. They may for example be flexible and non-elastic members, similar in nature to the second member (26), or ropes or cords. According to a preferred embodiment, these members comprise a surface with a width similar to the length of the upper edges (210, 230) of the side walls (21, 23) near said ridges, the width of the surface gradually decreasing in the direction handles (310, 330). This embodiment makes it easier to receive the projectile when it falls back to these organs rather than to the basket (20). Alternatively, these third organs can be rigid. According to a preferred embodiment, the third members (28) are connected to the upper edge in at least two points of contact. With this embodiment, the basket (20) is less subject to rotational movements. Even more preferably, the two points of contact between the upper edge and the third members (28) are located near the front wall (25) and the rear wall (27). This embodiment is even more effective in preventing rotation of the basket (20).

In order to manipulate the game device (1), the handles are preferably arranged in a continuity of the third bodies, similarly to a right handlebar bike, to facilitate the grip of the device.

Preferably, the third member (28, 29) is connected to an upper edge (210, 230) of a rigid side wall (21, 23) along its entire length or at least two eccentric points of the edge to near the links between the rigid side walls (21, 23) and the first members (22, 24), as illustrated in FIG. Fig. 1 . This reduces the risk of undesirable rotation of the basket.

The projectile can be of various kinds, such as a ball, a balloon, a steering wheel, or similar projectiles.

The present invention has been described in relation to specific embodiments, which have a purely illustrative value and should not be considered as limiting. In general, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the examples illustrated and / or described above. The presence of reference numbers in the drawings can not be considered as limiting, even when these numbers are indicated in the claims.
The use of the verbs "to understand", "to include", "to include", or any other variant, as well as their conjugations, can in no way exclude the presence of elements other than those mentioned.
The use of the indefinite article "a", "a", or the definite article "the", "the" or "the", to introduce an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of these elements.

Claims (11)

1. A game device (1) to propel and receive a projectile (10) comprising a basket (20) for propelling and receiving, said basket (20) comprising an upper opening (200), and two opposed handles (310, 330),
   with the basket (20) comprising two opposed and rigid side walls (21, 23), connected to each other by two first mechanisms (22, 24) respectively forming a front wall (25) and a rear wall (27) of the basket (20) and comprising flexible and elastic means, with the two rigid side walls (21, 23) being further connected together by a second non-elastic mechanism forming a bottom wall (26) of the basket (20), the said rigid side walls (21, 23) comprising an upper edge (210, 230) that merges with a side edge of the upper opening (200) of the basket;
   with each handle (310, 330) being connected to an upper edge (210, 230) by third non-elastic mechanisms (28).
2. A game device (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the first mechanisms (22, 24) are flexible and elastic means.
3. A game device (1) according to claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the third mechanisms (28) are flexible mechanisms.
4. A game device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the opposed handles (210, 230) are arranged in continuity with the third mechanisms (28).
5. A game device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the upper edges (210, 230) of the rigid side walls (21, 23) are straight.
6. A game device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the rigid side walls (21, 23) are made of wood or plastic.
7. A game device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the rigid side walls (21, 23) further comprise openings.
8. A game device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it further comprises a projectile (10) .
9. A game device (1) according to claim 8, characterised in that the projectile (10) is a ball or a shuttlecock.
10. A game device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the third mechanisms (28, 29) are connected to upper edges (210, 230) by at least two links, the said two links being preferably and respectively located close to the front wall (25) and rear wall (27).
11. A game device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the third mechanisms (28) are connected to the upper edges (210, 230) by a hinge type joint or by a pivot whose axis of rotation is arranged parallel to the edge.

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