TABLE TENNIS TABLE HAVING TWO BARRIERS DEFINING AREAS MOUNTED THEREON

• US 3,819,182 A
• Filed: 10/04/1972
• Issued: 06/25/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alfred E. Lersch
• Original Assignee: Alfred E. Lersch
• Inventors: Lersch, Alfred E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pinkham, Richard C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Siskind, Marvin
• Application Number:
  US05/294,817
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 273/95R,95H,30,12R,12S,85
• US Class Current: 273/342
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/12 specially adapted for children
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 67/04 Table games physically beneficial for the human body, modelled on outdoor sports, e.g. table tennis other table games A63F

Abstract

There is disclosed a table game which may be played on a table similar to that employed in a table-tennis game. The surface of the table has at its ends areas or zones which are marked-off or otherwise defined and which are separated by an area or zone in the center. There are barriers at the boundaries of each end area and the center area. The game is played by opponents, each stationed adjacent an end area, who stroke a ball across the table over the barriers. The ball is a relatively large ball, about three or four inches in diameter and of soft rubber or foam. Each opponent may stroke the ball before it bounces twice on the area on his side. The purpose of the game is to project or stroke the ball into the area on the opposite side without projecting the ball into the center zone or committing a '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'fault'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' such as projecting the ball off the table or having it deflected back by a barrier. If the ball is projected into the center zone between the barriers, the player who so projects the ball suffers a penalty which is higher than the penalty for a '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'fault.

Claims

1. A table game including a generally horizontal table having first and second zones at the opposite ends of the surface thereof and an intermediate zone between said first and second zones, barriers extending generally vertically from said table and extending transversely thereacross at the respective boundaries of said first zone and said intermediate zone and said second zone and said intermediate zone, the said table game also including a ball which is stroked back and forth desirably over said barriers by players disposed adjacent the first and second zones, each player returning the ball after it passes the barrier nearest his zone, and endeavoring to move the ball over both barriers into the opposite zone, each said barrier preventing the stroking of said ball through the area between the surface of said table and the bottom of said last-named barrier.

2. The game of claim 1 wherein the barriers are rods extending across the table, the bottom of each said rod being spaced from the surface of the table on which the zones are provided a distance less than the diameter of the ball, the said rods including means at the ends thereof for removably securing said rods to the table.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ball is composed of plastic foam and has a diameter of about 3 to 4 inches.

4. The table game of claim 1 wherein the spacing between the barriers measured along the length of the table is substantially greater than the diameter of the ball but substantially less than the length of each zone measured along the length of the table.

5. A game table for a game including a ball of substantially larger diameter than a table-tennis ball to be stroked back and forth across the table, said table including a generally horizontal surface, means, having visually defined at opposite ends thereof, spaced first and second playing end zones and also having, visually defined thereon, in the space between said end zones an intermediate zone, a first barrier extending generally vertically above the junction of said first zone and said intermediate zone and transversely across the table and a second barrier extending generally vertically above the junction of said second zone and said intermediate zone and transversely across the table, each said barrier being unpenetrable by a said ball stroked to impinge between the bottom of said last-named barrier and said horizontal surface, said intermediate zone being of substantially greater width in the general direction in which said ball is stroked than the diameter of said ball and being of substantially smaller width in said direction than the width of said end zones.