Adjustable ball court system and method for handicapping a contest

• US 5,976,039 A
• Filed: 11/10/1997
• Issued: 11/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Herman Foster, Joseph N. Epel
• Original Assignee: Herman Foster, Joseph N. Epel
• Inventors: Epel, Joseph N., Foster, Herman
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CLAYTON, SHEILA
• Application Number:
  US08/967,660
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 473/473, 473/463, 473/475, 473/479, 473/490, 473/496, 473/469, 473/470, 473/471, 473/472, 473/474, 473/466, 473/492, 473/430, 473/491, 473/445, 473/612, 124/5, 273/317.3, 273/393
• US Class Current: 473/490
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 61/006 Accessories for training purposes mounted on the net
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 19/02 Shaping of the surface of courts according to the necessities of the different games surface construction E01C

Abstract

A system and method for handicapping a ball game such as tennis or volleyball between opponents of lesser and greater skills, by varying or moving at least one of the parameters of the court on which the game is played, a sufficient amount to balance the disparity in such skills. The parameters described are the net, and court boundary lines which may be defined by electric luminescent tape embedded in, or fastened to, the surface of the court floor in parallel spaced lines which selectively can be lit to define the desired boundary, or, may be defined by projected lines on or adjacent to the floor from narrow beam or laser beam projectors capable of projecting lines at desired locations either from overhead or at floor level.

Claims

1. A court for a ball game having a playing surface on which two sides of opposing contestants are positioned for movement on said playing surface, said court comprising:

a width defined at said playing surface by two opposed parallel side boundary lines, a length defined at said playing surface by two opposed parallel end boundary lines, a net extending across said width between and parallel to said end boundary lines and between the positions of said opposing contestants, and two additional service lines located parallel to and between said end boundary lines and being on each side of, and spaced from, said net;

said end boundary lines, said two additional lines and said net being characteristic parameters and the location of each such parameter being movable toward and away from the other parameters so that relocation of at least one of said parameters in relation to the other said parameters will alter the playing surface length of said court on one side of said net relative to the playing surface length on the other side of said net and thus redefine the overall playing surface to favor one contestant side more than the other contestant side according to a prearranged assessment of the relative skills of said contestants.

2. A lawn tennis court having a playing surface on which two sides of opposing contestants are positioned for movement on said playing surface, said court comprising:

a width defined at said playing surface by two opposed parallel side boundary lines, a length defined at said playing surface by two opposed parallel end boundary lines, a net extending across said width parallel to said end boundary lines and between the positions of said opposed contestants and supported at each end of said net by a post movably supported to move exteriorly of and parallel to said side boundary lines, and two parallel service lines, one on each side of said net between said net and the end boundary line on the same side of the net, said each of said end boundary lines, service lines and net being essential parameters movable with respect to each other, so that relocation of at least one of said parameters in relation to the other of said parameters will alter the playing surface length of said court on one side of said net relative to the playing surface length on the other side of said net and thus redefine the overall playing surface to favor one contestant side more than the other contestant side according to a prearanged assessment of relative skills of said contestants.

3. A court as called for in claim 2, wherein, said end boundary lines and service lines are defined by light sources.

4. A court as called for in claim 3, wherein, said light sources are narrow line light projectors oriented as overhead projectors defining lines on the playing surface of said court.

5. A court as called for in claim 3 wherein said light sources are narrow line light projectors oriented horizontally to generate lines in close proximity to the playing surface of the court.

6. A court as called for in claim 3 wherein said light sources are light luminescing strips fastened to said playing surface.

7. A court as called for in claim 3 wherein said light sources are a plurality of light luminescing strips embedded in said playing surface.

8. A court as called for in claim 2 wherin said net is is fastened to a post at each end, said posts being joined to movable carriers supported by said playing surface exteriorly of said side boundary lines.

9. A court as called for in claim 2 wherein said net is fastened to a post at each end, said posts being movable from one to another of a plurality of sockets embedded in said playing surface and located exteriorly of and parallel to said side boundary lines.

10. A method of handicapping a ball game between two opponents with lesser and greater skills, played on a court having end and side boundaries and a net stretched across the court normally midway between the end boundaries, comprising the step of, modifying the area of the court on one side of the net to be defended by the opponent with lesser skills relative to the area of the court on the other side of said net to be defended by the opponent with the greater skills, in proportions estimated to balance the disparity in skills of the opponents.

11. A method as called for in claim 10, step of modifying of the court area is accomplished by moving the net toward the end to be defended by the lesser skilled opponent.

12. A method as called for in claim 10, wherein, the area on said one side of said net is altered relative to the area on said other side of said net by relocating at least one of said end boundaries as determined by the said estimated proportions.

13. A method as called for in claim 10 wherein said court further contains service lines within said end boundary lines parallel to, and located one on each side of, said net, and wherein said area on one side of said net is modified relative to the area on said other side of said net by relocating at least one of said service lines as determined by the said estimated proportions.