GB2468661A

GB2468661A - A court for a table-top squash game

Info

Publication number: GB2468661A
Application number: GB0904527A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alan Bernard Stone
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-03-17
Filing date: 2009-03-17
Publication date: 2010-09-22
Anticipated expiration: 2029-03-17
Also published as: GB2468661B; GB0904527D0

Abstract

A table-top court for a squash-like game played in a two-dimensional horizontal plane, during which the playing piece is intended to remain in contact with the court's floor, comprises a floor 1, side-walls 2, 3 and far wall 4. Players (not shown) at an open end of the court alternately strike a playing piece (16, fig. 5), e.g. using strikers 17, 18, so that it rebounds from the walls 2, 3, 4, and a deflector 5 deflects the playing piece into a recessed channel 6 when it has been missed by the players. The walls are inclined so as to overhang the table (see fig. 13) and reduce the likelihood of the playing piece leaving the court. A front edge 15 of the channel 6 may stabilise the court against the edge of a supporting table (T, fig. 2). A screen 11, 12, 13, 19 may be included to prevent flight of the playing piece above the walls, and the screen may fold down to facilitate the court's storage, and/or create a receptacle for accessories. The score may be recorded on a sliding-bead mechanism 14. A self-assembly version of the court may be easily dismantled, stored and re-assembled without the use of tools. In one embodiment the playing piece comprises a ball. In an alternative embodiment (not shown) the court comprises an apertured surface through which air is forced by a pump to generate an air cushion, and the playing piece is a disc which floats on the air cushion.

Description

TITLE

A court for a table-top activity game

BACKGROUND

Competitive court games in which a ball is made to rebound from a wall opposite the players, such as squash, racquets, hand-ball and fives, are popular in many parts of the world, but they requires specially constructed room-sized courts and demand considerable athletic ability to play effectively. Several table-top versions of squash have been attempted, but they have failed to become either popular or commercial successes for various reasons. One version attempts approximately to replicate a squash court on a small scale, involving a front wall and two side-walls mounted on a table, with the players using table tennis bats and a table-tennis ball. One problem with this idea is that the size of the court has to be long enough to give the players sufficient time to react to a bouncing ball fast approaching at various angles and various heights in 3-dimensional space. Another drawback is that the court has to be wide enough to allow the players to approach the oncoming ball without getting in each other's way and to avoid their being visually or physically constrained by the high side-walls. Finally, the front wall and side-walls must be rigid enough to provide a good bounce, so the court has to be of fairly heavy construction. As a result, a court of sufficient length, width and height is inevitably cumbersome and is not readily suitable for use in domestic, pub, club or office environments. Another unsuccessful version of the table-top squash court has a front wall but lacks the two side-walls and is thus little more than a table-tennis practice wall.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION

To overcome the above problems, the present invention involves a court for a game which has many of the features of squash, racquets, hand-ball and fives but which is scaled-down in size and which is played in a 2-dimensional horizontal plane, with the ball remaining in contact with the court's floor. The court comprises a floor, which may be marked out like the floor of a conventional squash court, with a low wall at the end furthest from the two side-by-side players, two low side-walls, and a ball-trapping device comprising a deflector and a channel located at the end of the court nearest the players. The court is designed so as to sit firmly on any suitable table. Each player strike the ball alternately, either with a suitable implement (the "striker"), or with the hand, so as to make it hit and rebound from the far wall, either directly or by bouncing off the side-walls. A rally ends when a player fails to return an approaching ball and it is stopped by the trapping device, or if a player strikes the ball so that it rises above the walls, or if the ball comes to rest on the court's floor before it is struck. The court may be supplied as the finished article or may be supplied in several pieces for self-assembly, for which no tools are required.

ADVANTAGES

The court can be set up ready for play on a table, office desk, worktop or other suitable support literally within seconds; it does not need to have its own legs unless in a particular case this is desirable. The court is of design and materials that allow it to be set up even on a table that is considerably shorter than the length of the court, so that up to half of the court may overlap the end of the table. Because the game is played in only two dimensions rather than three it can be played at high speed without great difficulty. The two-dimensional nature of the game means that the far wall and side-walls of the court may be low. This means, first, that they do not constrain the players' movements or impede their view of the ball and, second, that the court occupies little space during storage. To the players, despite the game's 2-dimensional nature, it creates much of the "feel" of a conventional squash game in terms of tactics and speed. The court has certain design features to ensure that the ball generally remains on the floor of the court no matter how hard it is struck, and a winning shot results in its coming to rest in a trapping device, from which it may be easily and quickly retrieved. This means that no time is wasted in searching for the ball even when a player fails to make a return. A ridge on the underside of the court's floor near the players' end serves to position the court firmly against the edge of the table, and this, together with anti-slip surfaces on the underside of the court, keep the court stationary on the supporting table.

The game can be enjoyed by adults, children and older people. It requires less space than table-tennis, and the court can be easily stored and is readily portable. It is on a scale compatible with domestic, pub, club and office environments. Unlike games like air-hockey that depend on a cushion of air to keep a disc slightly above the playing surface, the present system needs no electricity supply (except in the case of one particular optional variant; see below) and as a result it can be played outdoors on the garden table as well as indoors. Unlike both table-tennis and air-hockey, which can only be played if an opponent is available, this game can be practised very effectively by a single individual to improve speed and tactics. Unlike computer games and board games, it provides physical exercise, because, as in conventional squash, the players need to move swiftly out of each other's way to avoid obstructing play and then move swiftly back into position.

The far wall and the side-walls of the court are angled from the vertical so that they slightly overhang the court's floor, to counteract the natural tendency of a fast-rolling ball to climb the court's walls and rise off the floor on rebounding. The playing surfaces of the walls are covered with a material that provides an effective rebound, for example plastic foam or cork.

The floor of the court may be marked out with a service line, a centre line and two service boxes, as for a conventional squash court.

The ball may be hit with an implement ("striker") designed specifically for that purpose.

A three-sided screen may be mounted on top of the far wall and side-walls of the court to stop the flight of any ball struck in such a way, exceptionally, that it leaves the floor of the court and rises above the walls.

The side sections of the screen may decrease in height towards the near end of the court where the players are, so that they do not impede visibility or movement.

The screen may be removed or folded down so that the court requires less storage space when not in use.

The periphery of the underside of the court's floor has a non-slip surface which, together with the ridge on the underside of the floor, referred to above, also with a non-slip surface, stabilises the court's position on the table.

A self-assembly version of the court may be rapidly and easily dismantled and collapsed for compact packaging, warehousing, transportation and storage, and may be rapidly and easily re-assembled for use, for which no tools are required.

INTRODUCTION TO DRAWINGS

Examples of the invention will be described by referring to the accompanying drawings (not to scale): * Figure 1 shows a plan view of the court.

* Figure 2 shows a side view of the court and its position on the table.

* Figure 3 shows how the playing surfaces of the far wall and the side-walls of the court slightly overhang the court's floor (overhang exaggerated for clarity).

* Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the court.

* Figure 5 shows a ball suitable for playing this game.

* Figure 6 shows an example of a "striker", an implement for hitting the ball.

* Figure 7shows a cross-section of the "striker" shown in Figure 6.

* Figure 8 shows part of the court with the left and right sections of the 3-sided screen folded back against the central section of the screen.

* Figure 9 shows all three sections of the screen completely folded away between the two side-walls of the court, creating a hollow "box" for storing the ball and the "strikers".

* Figure 10 shows a flange-and-slot mechanism for locking the sides of the screen into the court's side-walls.

* Figure 11 shows a tongue-and-slot mechanism which joins the far wall of the court to the side-walls.

* Figure 12 shows a tongue-and-slot mechanism which joins together the two lengths of each side-wall (in a version of the court in which the long side-walls are supplied in two parts to facilitate compact storage).

* Figure 13 shows a simple version of one of the court's walls and the angle of overhang, with lining material covering the playing surface and a protective buffer strip.

* Figure 14 shows one version of the court's floor, with hook-and-loop fastening strips to fix it to the undersides of the court's walls.

* Figure 15 shows an alternative version of the court's floor, which can be fixed to the walls by means of flexible perforated flanges.

* Figure 16 shows one of the floor's flexible flanges.

* Figure 17 shows one of the floor's flexible flanges locked onto studs protruding from a wall.

* Figure 18 shows in cross-section an alternative version of one of the court's walls, with an integral buffer and a recess in which the lining material is affixed by adhesive.

* Figure 19 shows in cross-section another version of a wall, with an integral buffer and a recess into which the lining material may be slotted without adhesive.

* Figure 20 shows the structure of the ball-deflector/channel unit and its means of attachment to the court's side-walls.

* Figure 21 shows the ball-deflector joined to the side-wall by a tongue-and-slot mechanism, with the channel hanging down on its hinge.

* Figure 22 shows the channel fixed to the side-wall by means of a flexible flange locked onto a stud protruding from the side-wall.

* Figure 23 shows a plan view of the scoring-bead mechanism.

* Figure 24 shows a front view of the scoring-bead mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The accompanying Figures illustrate features of examples of this invention. The court, of a size suitable for placing on a table or of a larger size more suited to placing on the floor or on specially built supports, comprises a floor (1), left and right side-walls (2 and 3), a far wall (4), and an angled ball-deflector (5) which deflects any ball that hits it into an adjacent recessed channel (6), behind which the players stand side-by-side (at P in Figure 1). The ball-deflector and the channel may be formed as a single integral unit as shown in Figures 20, 21 and 22. The floor of the court ends at the line marked 1 a in Figure 1, at which point a wall of the channel fonns a vertical drop (15). The distance between the end of the floor (la in Figure 1) and the ball-deflector (5) should be sufficient to allow the ball to be easily retrieved from the channel (6) but not sufficient to allow the possibility of a "striker" (18) catching the end of the floor.

The court's floor may be marked out as for a conventional squash court with a centre line (7), left and right service boxes (8 and 9) and a service line (10). A three-sided screen (11, 12 and 13) may be mounted on top of the far wall and side-walls of the court to stop the flight of any ball that rises above the walls. The side sections of the screen (11 and 12) may decrease in height towards the players' end of the court. The screen may be permanently fixed to the walls of the court or it may be removable to facilitate portability and storage of the court when it is not in use. In either case, the screen may be hinged or scored so that it can be folded (see Figures 8 and 9), such that in the completely folded state the central section of the screen (13) and its extension (19) form two walls of a hollow "box" (see Figure 9) in which accessories such as ball and "strikers" may be stored when not in use. A pair of clasps (34) secures the screen in the folded ("box") configuration.

The court may be fabricated from one or several of a range of materials, including suitable plastics, timber, plywood, fibre-board (eg MDF), fibreglass, cork, hardboard, metals, papier-mâché, card, corrugated plastic sheet, coated and uncoated fabrics, composites, laminates and other materials, or combinations of some of these, which may be variously pressed, moulded, extruded, cut or machined to shape or otherwise processed. The court may be formed as a one-piece item or as two or more components which are subsequently assembled either in the factory or after despatch. The court's floor (1) may be made of a rigid material, or alternatively of a flexible material so that it can be rolled for compact storage and packaging. The screen (11, 12, 13) and its extension (19) may be made of rigid or flexible sheet material, or may be fashioned out of fabric, including netting.

The ball (16) for this game may be of hollow or solid construction and of a weight and made of materials chosen to provide faster or slower rebound speeds, as desired, including cork, wood, plastic, celluloid, plastic foam, leather, rubber, metal or other suitable materials.

The implements used for hitting the ball ("strikers") (see Figure 6) may be made of cork, wood, plastics, plastic foam, leather, rubber, metal or other suitable material, or combinations of some of these, and the striking surface (18) that makes contact with the ball may be covered with a different material from that of the main block to achieve the desired rebound characteristics. The surface of the striker that comes into contact with the court's floor during use is of a low-friction material to allow free movement. Figure 7 shows a cross-section of a striker, indicating a slot for the fingers (17).

A simple version of the court's walls (2, 3 and 4) is shown in Figure 13. The playing surfaces may consist of the exposed surfaces of the material(s) from which the walls are constructed or the walls may be lined with a layer (21) of a material specifically chosen to provide an effective rebound, including cork, plastic, plastic foam, wood, leather, rubber, metal or other suitable material. The wall's lining (21) and the striker (see Figure 6) are protected from damaging each other in the event of a hard contact by means of a robust buffer strip (24) attached to the top edge of the lining. An alternative version of the court's walls is shown in cross-section in Figure 18. This has an integral buffer (24) and a recess in which the lining (21) is affixed by adhesive.

Figure 19 shows a variant of this which also has an integral buffer (24), and in this variant the lining (21) can be slotted into the recess without the need for adhesive. All three types of wall can be made from a variety of materials, including timber, plastics, fibre-board (eg MDF), fibreglass, metals, papier-mâché, composites, laminates and other materials, or combinations of some of these, which may be variously pressed, moulded, extruded, cut or machined to shape or otherwise processed.

To counteract the tendency of a fast-moving ball to rise off the floor on rebounding from the court's walls, particularly in the case of a fast-rolling ball which has a natural tendency to climb the court's walls which could result in the ball rebounding through the air instead of rolling along the court's floor, the playing surfaces of the far wall (4) and the side-walls (2 and 3) of the court are angled from the vertical so that they slightly overhang the floor (see Figure 3, in which the overhang is exaggerated for clarity). However, too great an angle of overhang can deflect the ball against the floor from which it can rebound through the air. A suitable angle of slope is 2-10 degrees from the vertical, preferable 3-7 degrees, and more preferably 5 degrees (that is, when angle X = 85 degrees and angle Y = 95 degrees in Figure 13).

The ball-deflector (5) is angled to overhang the recessed channel (6). A suitable angle of slope is 20-40 degrees from the vertical, preferably 25-35 degrees and more preferably 30 degrees.

The surface of the ball-deflector (5) may consist of the exposed surface of the material from which it is constructed, or it may be variously covered with materials specifically chosen to dampen the reboimd, including felt, plastic foam, wood, plastic, leather, rubber, metal, cork or other suitable materials.

The periphery of the underside of the court's floor and the outer surface of the vertical wall (15) of the channel (6) may have non-slip surfaces to stabilise the court's position on the top of the table (T in Figure 2) and against the table's edge. Optionally, the court when in use may be fixed to the table by suitable clips, clamps, hook-and-loop fasteners or other means.

A self-assembly version of the court allows it to be rapidly and easily dismantled for packaging, warehousing, transportation and storage, and to be rapidly and easily re-assembled for use, without the need for any tools. The left and right side-walls of the court (2 and 3) can be fitted to the far wall (4) by a tongue-and-slot mechanism (22 and 23 in Figure 11) or by means of other suitable fixing devices. In a version of the court where the long side-walls (2 and 3) are provided as two separate lengths to facilitate compact storage, in assembling the court the two lengths are joined together by means of a tongue-and-slot mechanism (22 and 23 in Figure 12) or by means of other suitable fixing devices. The flexible floor, which can be rolled-up for storage and transport, can be fitted to the far wall and the two side-walls either by hook-and-loop fastening strips (26 in Figure 14) or by means of flexible flanges perforated with holes slit radially (27 in Figures 15 and 16), which lock onto a series of studs (25 in Figure 17) protruding from the walls. The combination of the tongue-and-slot devices with either the hook-and-loop fastenings or with the flange/stud arrangement holds the three walls and the floor of the court together as a solid structure. The ball-deflector/channel unit (5 and 6) may be attached to the side-walls either by a tongue-and-slot mechanism (see Figures 20, 21 and 22) or by means of other suitable fixing devices, with the assembly being locked in position by means of a perforated flexible flange (27) on each end (28) of the channel (6), the flange being locked onto a stud (25) protruding from each side-wall.

The screen (11, 12, 13 and 19 in Figure 4) may be permanently fixed to the court, or it may be removable to facilitate the court's storage and transportation. If it is a removable screen, its central section (13) may be reversibly attached to the court's far wall (4) by means of a flange which is either surfaced with hook-and-loop fastening strip or a mechanism to lock onto studs or clips in the far wall. Each hinged side section (11 and 12) of the screen has a small flange (20 in Figure 10) which can be pushed into a corresponding slot (35) in the court's side-wall (2) to secure the screen in its erect configuration during play.

When the court is dismantled, all its components, together with the two strikers and the ball, may be conveniently packaged, stored and shipped inside a cardboard, plastic or metal "postal tube"; that is, a protective cylinder of suitable size, capped at bottom and top. The court's flexible floor can be rolled-up and placed inside the periphery of the tube, then the other components placed inside the rolled-up floor.

In a different version of the game, instead of playing it with a ball, a disc may be used, and the floor of the court may be perforated by a great number of small holes though which air from an electric pump is blown vertically upwards. The disc, supported by the numerous jets of air, slides freely just above the court's floor.

A scoring mechanism (Figures 23 and 24) is mounted on top of the ball-deflector/channel unit (5 and 6). A single bead (14) slides on a wire (30) fixed at each end by a short post (31). The bead can be moved from its starting point in the centre of the wire in either direction, one step at a time, each step being defined by an indentation (32 and 33). (See Rules of the Game, below).

RULES OF THE GAME

The game may be played according to rules largely similar to those of conventional squash, with the obvious difference that the present game is played on a 2-dimensional rather than a 3-dimensional court. In the present game, a rally ends when one player fails to hit an approaching ball before it hits the ball-deflector and lands in the channel, or if he hits the ball so that it rises above the court's walls, or if the ball comes to rest on the court's floor before being struck. In either case, a point is then awarded to the other player. Players may vary the squash rules according to their wishes, or invent their own rules.

Each of the two strikers (see Figure 6) may be of a different colour, eg one blue and one red to match the colours of the blue and red indentations (32 and 33) of the scoring mechanism (see Figures 23 and 24). At the start of the game the bead is in the centre, between the two colours.

When the "Blue" player wins a point, he moves the bead (14) one step to the left along the series of Blue indentations (32); when the "Red" player wins a point, he moves the scoring bead (14) one step to the right. Thus the bead is moved to the left or to the right one step at a time along the Blue or Red series indentations until eventually, with sufficient accumulated points, it reaches either the blue or the red "Winning Post" (31) at one end of the wire (30), when the game is over.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A court for a table-top squash-like game in which a moving ball, struck alternately by the two players, unlike in conventional squash always remains in contact with the court's floor in a two-dimensional horizontal plane, the rectangular or square floor being bounded by a low wall on each of three sides, all three walls slightly overhanging the court so as to ensure that a ball rebounding from any of these walls, even at high speed, stays in contact with the floor, while the fourth side of the court, that nearest the players, instead of being closed by a wall is fitted with a deflector which propels any ball missed by the players into an adjacent channel.
2. A court according to Claim 1, in which a vertical ridge on the underside of the court's floor near the players' end, which for simplicity may be the wall of the channel furthest from the players, serves to position the court finnly against the edge of the table.
3. A court according to Claim 2, in which some or all of the underside of the court, and the vertical ridge referred to in Claim 2, have non-slip surfaces to stabilise the court's position onthe table.
4. A court according to Claim 3, in which a screen is mounted on top of the walls of the court to arrest the flight of any ball mis-hit in such a way that it leaves the floor of the court and rises above the walls, the screen being removable to facilitate the court's storage when not in use, and/or is capable of being folded down when the court is not in use to form a hollow receptacle in which accessories, such as balls and implements for striking them, may be stored.
5. A court according to Claim 4, in which the floor of the court is marked out with a service line, a centre line and two service boxes, or other appropriate markings, or no markings.
6. A court according to the preceding Claims, in a version for self-assembly, made of several separate components capable of being joined together by means of suitable fixing devices, including screws, bolts, dowels, tongues, pivots, slots, clips, brackets, roller-catches, ball-catches, hook-and-loop fasteners, spigots, dovetails or other fixings, such that it can be rapidly and easily assembled, dismantled and re-assembled.
7. A court according to Claim 6, in which the two side-walls are joined at one end to the far wall and at the other end to the ball-deflector and channel by means of tongues which slide into corresponding slots, the resulting structure being locked in place by attaching it to the court's floor either by means of hook-and-loop fasteners or by means of flanges on the floor's periphery which lock onto studs protruding from the walls, the entire assembly process being accomplished without the use of any tools.
8. A court according to Claim 7, in which the court's floor is made of flexible material so that it may be rolled-up for compact storage, for example inside a cardboard, plastic or metal cylinder with the other components of the dismantled court placed inside the rolled-up floor.
9. A court according to the preceding Claims, in which the court is fitted with legs, which may be fixed, removable or folding.
10. A court according to the preceding Claims, fabricated from one or several of a range of materials, including suitable plastics, timber, plywood, fibre-board (eg MDF), fibreglass, cork, hardboard, metals, papier-mâché, card, corrugated sheet, leather, rubber, coated fabrics, composites, laminates and other materials, or combinations of some of these, which may be variously pressed, moulded, extruded, cut or machined to shape or otherwise processed.
11. A court according to the preceding Claims, in which the playing surfaces of the court's walls and of the ball-deflector are covered with materials specifically chosen to provide suitable faster or slower rebound speeds, including cork, plastic, plastic foam, leather, rubber, woven fabric, wood, metal or other suitable materials.
12. A court according to the preceding Claims, in which the floor of the court is perforated by a great number of small holes though which air from an electric pump is blown vertically upwards to create a cushion of air to support a disc-shaped projectile.
13. A court according to the preceding Claims, in which the ball is made of a material selected for appropriate weight and rebound characteristics, including cork, wood, plastic, plastic foam, leather, rubber, metal or other suitable materials.
14. A court according to the preceding Claims, in which the ball is propelled by a hand-held implement with an appropriate slot or grip for the fingers, or a handle, and a suitable surface for striking the ball.
15. A court according to the preceding Claims, which includes a sliding bead mechanism on which the score is recorded as the game proceeds, the bead starting in the centre and being moved progressively with each point won, one step at a time, in one direction or the other, until with accumulated points it eventually reaches one or other end of the mechanism, when the game is over.AMENDMENTS TO THE CLAIMS HAVE BEEN FILED AS FOLLOWS1. A court for a table activity game comprises a fiat, substantially rectangular or square floor bounded by a wall on each of three sides, with all three walls slightly overhanging the court so as to ensure that a ball propelled along the surface of the floor remains in contact with the court's floor when it rebounds from any of these walls, while the fourth side of the court instead of being closed by a wall is fitted with a deflector bar which serves to guide any ball which strikes it into an adjacent recessed channel, the deflector bar, the channel and the floor spanning unobstructed the entire width of the court.2. A court according to Claim 1, in which a ridge on the underside of the court serves to position the court firmly against the edge of a table when placed thereupon.3. A court according to Claim 2, in which the recessed channel referred to in Claim 1 serves as the ridge referred to in Claim 2.4. A court according to the preceding Claims, in which a screen is mounted on top of the walls of the court.5. A court according to Claim 4, in which the screen is positioned so as to arrest the flight of any ball that rises above the walls.6. A court according to the preceding Claims, in which the floor of the court is marked out with a service line, a centre line and two service boxes.7. A court according to the preceding Claims, in a version for self-assembly, in which the floor, walls, deflector bar, recessed channel and screen are joined together by fixing devices which allow the court to be assembled and dismantled without the use of tools.8. A court according to Claim 7, in which the walls, deflector bar and recessed channel are fitted together by means of tongues which slide into corresponding slots.9. A court according to Claim 7, in which the floor and screen are fitted to the walls by means of hook-and-loop fasteners.10. A court according to the preceding Claims, in which the court is fitted with legs.* : * 11. A court according to the preceding Claims, in which the ball is propelled by a hand-held implement with an appropriate slot or grip for the fingers and a suitable surface for striking the *A ball.I S..ISI. * . * I I..... * S