Basketball game

• US 5,224,699 A
• Filed: 06/22/1992
• Issued: 07/06/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cap Toys, Inc. (Kid Brands Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cap Toys, Inc. (Kid Brands Incorporated)
• Inventors: Zaruba, John V.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAPIRO, PAUL
• Application Number:
  US07/901,725
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• Field of Search: 273/1.5 R, 273/1.5 A, 273/85 B, 273/371, 273/387, 273/402, 273/411
• US Class Current: 273/375
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/1645 for anchoring on a door
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/1663 for anchoring between a door and the door frame
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/083 for basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0605 Decision makers and devices using detection means facilitating arbitration

Abstract

A basketball game including two hoops and a backboard that is adapted to be mounted indoors on an interior structure, such as a door. Deflectable paddles detect the passage of balls through the hoop. Each score (passage of a ball through a hoop) generates a reproduced human voice announcement. A microprocessor registers each score and keeps track of the differential between the number of balls passing through each respective hoop. The score differential is displayed along a row of light emitting diodes. The first player to achieve a four hoop differential in his favor is the winner. Two players may compete against each other, or one player may compete against himself. In one player mode, the microprocessor registers random scores for the machine. The frequency of machine scores depends upon the skill level selected by the player.

Claims

1. A basketball game including:

a backboard;

a pair of basket hoops mounted side by side on said backboard;

means to detect the passage of balls through said hoops;

means to compute the differential between the number of balls passing through each of said hoops;

means to display said differential consisting of the illumination of particular light emitting diodes arranged along a differential score indicator.

2. The basketball game o claim 1 wherein said means to detect the passage of balls through said hoops consist of deflectable paddles mounted in or below each hoop in a position to be deflected downwardly when a ball passes through said hoop.

3. The basketball game of claim 1 wherein said means to compute the differential between the number of balls passing through each of said hoops consists of a programmed microprocessor which receives a signal each time a ball passes through one of said hoops and keeps a running total of the difference between the total number of signals received from each hoop.

4. The basketball game of claim 1 further characterized by eh emission of an audio signal each time passage of a ball through on of said hoops is detected.

5. The basketball game of claim 4 wherein said audio signals consist of reproductions of the human voice and wherein the passage of a ball through a particular hoop generates a voice signal unique to that hoop.

6. The basketball game of claim 1 further characterized by an audio signal indicating the end of the game when said differential reaches a predetermined value.

7. The basketball game of claim 1 further characterized by means of mounting said backboard on a door.

8. The basketball game of claim 7 wherein said means of mounting said backboard on a door consists of clips attached to the top of said backboard.