Racket game

Abstract

 There is described a racket game in which a first player uses a racket to hit a projectile called a shuttleball through a vertical hoop to a second player. The second player has a second racket with which the second player attempts to hit the shuttleball back through the vertical hoop to the first player. The vertical hoop is supported by a frame assembly.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a racket game and apparatus therefor.

[0002] Badminton is a well-known racket game. Badminton is played on a court with specific dimensions indicated by line markings on the surface of the court. The court area is divided into two sides by a net which is generally supported by two posts, one at each end of the net.

[0003] To play the game of badminton, either one or two people are located each side of the net, with each person having a racket. A shuttlecock is hit over the net using a racket and the object of the game is to make the shuttlecock land "in court" on the opponent's side of the net. The phrase "in court" means within the line markings mentioned above.

[0004] While the game of badminton is well suited for playing at a sports club, badminton is not well suited for playing elsewhere due to the need for a well-defined court area free of other obstacles. Further, as the shuttlecock needs to be hit over the net, a high ceiling is necessary. Additionally, the storage space required for the net and net supports can be problematic.

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a new racket game which at least reduces one of the above-described problems.

[0006] According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided apparatus for playing a game in which a projectile is hit by a player through a hole in a target to another player, comprising a target frame member and support frame members for constructing a frame to support the target, wherein the target frame member and support frame members are such that a frame can be constructed in which the target defines upper and lower boundaries between which the projectile can be hit. By having the target define an upper boundary through which the projectile can be hit, the problem of requiring the room in which the game is to be played to have a high ceiling is substantially alleviated.

[0007] Conveniently, the target frame member is a hoop.

[0008] Preferably, the hoop comprises an endless strip whose resilience is such that the hoop is held rigid in a playing format, and is collapsible from the playing format to a storage format in which the size of the hoop is reduced by twisting opposing ends of the hoop in opposite direction. In this way, the storage space required to store the apparatus is reduced.

[0009] Preferably, at least one of the support frame members comprises a piece of rigid, light-weight tubular material so that the apparatus is more easily portable.

[0010] Preferably, said apparatus includes additional frame members so that, at separate times, frames are constructible for which the target is held at respective different heights above the ground.

[0011] Preferably, the rackets have a foam surface for hitting the projectile. By having a foam surface, if the racket was to hit any other objects which may be in the play area such as furniture the damage to those objects will be reduced.

[0012] Preferably the projectile comprises a wing portion which is adjustable to quicken or slow the movement of the projectile through the air. In this way the speed of the projectile can be adjusted to be suitable for the standard of the players.

[0013] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompany drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an illustration of two people playing a racket game according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the hoop of the first embodiment in a playing format;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the hoop of the first embodiment in a playing format taken along A-A shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a hoop and support assembly of the first embodiment;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the hoop of the first embodiment in a storage format;

Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the method of converting the hoop from the playing format into the storage format;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a racket of the first embodiment;

Figure 8 is an exploded view of the construction of the racket of the first embodiment;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a shuttleball of the first embodiment;

Figure 10 is a plan view of the construction of a shuttleball of first embodiment;

Figure 11 is a plan view of a wing for the shuttleball of the first embodiment;

Figure 12 is a plan view of a wing for the shuttleball of the first embodiment adapted for slow play; and

Figure 13 is a plan view of a wing for the shuttleball of the first embodiment adapted to fast play.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, in the racket game which forms the first embodiment a first person 1 uses a racket 2 to hit a projectile called a shuttleball 3 through a vertical hoop 4 to a second person 5. The second person 5 has a second racket 2 with which the second person 5 attempts to hit the shuttleball 3 back through the vertical hoop 4 to the first person 1. The vertical hoop 4 is supported by a frame assembly 6.

[0015] The apparatus and rules for playing the racket game according to the first embodiment will now be described in detail.

The Vertical Hoop

[0016] Referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3, the vertical hoop 4 of the first embodiment is made from a nylon strip 10 having a length of 3.14 metres and a width of 10 centimetres. The ends of the nylon strip 10 are sewn together to form an annular shape.

[0017] The outer edge 11 of the nylon strip 10 is looped over a strip of spring steel 15 and sewn to the body of the nylon strip 10. The spring steel strip 15 has a length of 3.14 metres, a width of 5.5 millimetres and a depth of 1.5 millimetres and the ends of the spring steel strip 15 are fixed together to form a hoop with the width of the spring steel strip 15 forming the outer surface of the hoop. The spring steel strip 15 acts to maintain the steel hoop in a circular shape and therefore provides a frame for the nylon strip.

[0018] The inner edge 12 of the nylon strip is folded over an elastic line 16 and sewn to the body of the nylon strip 10. The elastic line 16 acts to pull the end 12 of the nylon strip away from the end 11 of the nylon strip.

[0019] In this way, a vertical hoop 4 having an outer radius "R₁" of approximately 550 millimetres and an inner radius "R₂" of approximately 470 millimetres is formed.

[0020] Two fixings 13 are attached to respective ends of a notional horizontal outer diameter of the vertical hoop 4. The fixing 13 enable the vertical hoop 4 to be attached to the frame 6.

[0021] As shown in Figure 4, the frame 6 consists of a base member 20, which is approximately 1 metre long, to each end of which are connected two foot members 21 via a connector 23. Each of the connectors 23 also connects a side member 22 to the corresponding end of the base member 20. The base member 20, foot members 21 and side members 22 are all hollow tubes advantageously made from lightweight rigid plastic.

[0022] The connector 23 comprises a number of projections 24 which can fit into the ends of the hollow tubes. The projections are arranged such that the side member 22 is perpendicular to the base member 20 and that when the ends of the foot members 21 away for the connectors 23 are placed on the ground the side member 22 is vertical and the base member 20 is raised slightly above the ground. Plastic caps 25 are placed over the ends of the foot members 21 which are to contact the ground to prevent any marks being made on the ground, and to provide extra stability.

[0023] An auxiliary side member 26 is attached parallel to the side member 22 at the end of each side member 22 which is away from the connector 23. The auxiliary side members 26 are one of a set of pairs of auxiliary side members, the auxiliary side members of each set having the same length which is different to the lengths of the auxiliary side members of the other sets. In this way, the height of the vertical hoop 4 can be adjusted to be suitable for the height of the players of the game by choosing an appropriate set of auxiliary side members.

[0024] An advantageous feature of the vertical hoop and frame assembly used in the first embodiment is that it can easily be disassembled to be stored compactly. It will be appreciated that the frame members can easily be disconnected for storage.

[0025] Further, the size of the vertical hoop 4 can be significantly reduced to storage. As shown in Figure 6, if a user grips opposite ends of the vertical hoop 4 and twists in opposite directions, while initially the resilience of the metal strip 15 will attempt to restore the vertical hoop 4 into the playing format, once a threshold position is passed, the resilience of the spring steel strip 15 will act to place the vertical hoop 4 in a storage position illustrated in Figure 6. In the storage position, the radius of the hoop is reduced by a factor of 3.

[0026] While the resilience of the metal strip 15 will act to maintain the vertical hoop 4 in the storage position, the vertical hoop 6 can easily be converted from the storage position to the playing position by a slight twisting or shaking motion.

The Racket

[0027] Referring to Figure 7 and Figure 8, the racket 2 comprises a handle portion 30 and a head portion 31. The total length of the racket 2 from the tip of the head portion 31 to the base of the handle portion 30 is 48cm.

[0028] The head portion 31, which is used to hit the shuttleball 3, is oval in shape with the length of the long axis of the oval being 24cm and the length of the short axis of the oval being 19cm.

[0029] As can be seen in Figure 8, the head portion 31 consists of a lattice 32 with a polyurethane foam sheet 33 placed at either side of the lattice 32. The lattice is made from a rigid plastic material and thus the polyurethane sheets 32 are advantageous as the racket game is designed to be playable in the room of a house and the polyurethane sheet will help to prevent accidental damage to objects placed around the room.

[0030] The handle portion 30 is made of a rigid plastic material with a grip 34 comprising a foam material surrounding the handle portion 30 to make the racket 2 more comfortable to hold and to improve the purchase of a user's hand on the racket 2.

The Shuttleball

[0031] Referring to Figures 9 and 10, the shuttleball comprises a ball 40, and a wing 41 attached to the ball 40 by a peg 42. The ball 40 is made from a light weight polymer material and is mainly spherical in shape with a diameter of 30 mm. However, a portion of the ball 40 is cut away to allow the peg 42, which is made of polyethylene, to be firmly inserted inside the ball 40. The peg 42 has a head 43 and a stem 44 with a number of circumferential ridges located on the stem which are angled towards the head 42 such that the peg 42 can be easily inserted into the ball 40 but cannot be easily removed. A hole 45 is located at the centre of the wing 41 and the size of the hole 45 is such that the stem 44 of the peg 42 can fit through the hole 45 in the wing 41 but the head 43 of the peg 42 can not. Thus, the wing 41 can be firmly attached to the ball 40 by passing the stem 44 of the peg 42 through the wing 41 and into the ball 40 where the stem 44 is firmly gripped.

[0032] As shown in Figure 11, the wing 41 consists of three projections 50,51,52 projecting from a central portion, with the hole 45 being located at the centre of the central portion. In this embodiment, the foam wing 41 is made by taking a circular piece of polyurethane foam with a radius of 50 mm and cutting out three pieces from the foam whose shapes correspond to circles of radius 37.5 mm whose centres are evenly spaced around the circumference of the original circle.

[0033] The speed at which the shuttleball 3 moves through the air can be adjusted by adjusting the angle of bend of the projections 50,51,52 of the wing 41. For a slow ball,as shown in Figure 12, the projections can be bent such that, from a plan view, the diameter of the foam wing is 85 mm while, as shown in Figure 13, for a faster ball the projections can be bent such that from a plan view the diameter of the wing 41 is 75 mm.

The Rules

[0034] The object of the game is to win points by hitting the shuttleball 3 through the hoop in such a way that the shuttleball 3 lands "in court"

[0035] The court size is determined by the room or area in which the vertical hoop is set up. If there is any furniture or any other objects in the room in which the game is to be played, then the furniture and objects become part of the court. All vertical surfaces, objects and ceiling are, however, "Out of court" and the entire floor area is "in court". In order to keep the game fair, the players swop sides between games.

[0036] Each game is played to eleven points. A player may only score a point against the serve. If a player serves and wins a rally, the score remains the same but the service changes.

[0037] At game point, where the player facing the serve has ten points, if the player facing the serve wins the next rally then that player has won the game, but if the player facing the serve loses the next rally then a point is deducted from that player's score and the service changes.

[0038] A player should be unable to touch the hoop 4 with the racket when serving. The serve must be underarm and the shuttleball 3 must be struck below the player's hip. A serve that touches the hoop 4 is a lost point.

[0039] In a large area, i.e. where there are more than four paces between the hoop 4 and the back of the "court", each player may hit the shuttleball 3 through the hoop 4 using two hits. This does not however apply to the serve.

[0040] If a player touches the hoop 4 or hoop supports with the racket 2 or any part of their body they lose the rally.

[0041] The racket game may also be played by two teams of players. Any member of a team can hit the shuttleball 3 back through the hoop 4. Further, each team is allowed to hit the ball twice to return the shuttleball through the hoop except that both hits must not be by the same player. In practice, this means that a player will try to set the shuttleball 3 up for a team-mate who can then smash a winner.

Modifications

[0042] A number of modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment without departing from the concept of the invention.

[0043] It will be appreciated that while in the described embodiment a hoop 4 is used to form a target through which a shuttleball 3 is hit, the target can be made in other shapes, for example, square, horizontal or oval. The important feature is that the target includes an upper boundary under which the shuttleball 3 must be hit.

[0044] The target may be made from multiple frame members which can be disassembled to reduce the required storage space. This will be particularly the case for square or rectangular targets.

[0045] The connector 23 may comprise a number of sockets to replace some or all of the projections 24, the sockets being arranged such that they fit over the ends of the hollow tubes.

[0046] It will also be appreciated that the materials used to manufacture the apparatus described in the first embodiment can be varied without departing from the inventive concept of the invention.

[0047] The peg 42 for the shuttleball 3 is not essential as the wing 41 may be attached to the ball 40 using an adhesive. The exact shape of the wing may also be varied without departing from the concept of the invention.

[0048] The racket game described above is capable of being played almost anywhere, and is easily stored. The racket game therefore provides a very convenient way to take exercise and improve general fitness.

[0049] If desired, the racket may be constructed in a manner similar to a conventional badminton racket. Such a racket may be more appropriate for use by adults particularly in games rooms and exercise rooms which have adequate length and width but limited height.

Claims

1. Apparatus for playing a game in which a projectile is hit by a first player through a hole in a target to a second player, comprising:

at least one target frame member for forming the target; and

at least one support frame member for forming a frame to support the target,
wherein the target frame member and support frame member are such that a frame can be formed in which the target defines upper and lower boundaries between which the projectile can pass.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the target frame member is a hoop.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 2, wherein the hoop comprises an endless strip whose resilience is such that the hoop is held rigid in a playing format, and is collapsible from the playing format to a storage format in which the size of the hoop is reduced by twisting opposing ends of the hoop in opposite directions.

4. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one of said support frame members comprises a piece of rigid, lightweight tubular material.

5. Apparatus according to and preceding claim, including additional frame members so that, at separate times frames, are constructible for which the target is held at respective different heights above the ground.

6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, including at least two rackets and a projectile.

7. An apparatus according to Claim 6, wherein the rackets have a foam surface for hitting the projectile.

8. An apparatus according to Claim 6 or Claim 7, wherein the projectile comprises a wing portion which is adjustable to quicken or slow the movement of the projectile through the air.

9. Apparatus for playing a game according to any preceding claims, the game being played in accordance with rules substantially as described hereinbefore.

Drawing