BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

[1] The present invention generally relates to games but more particularly to a game of skill.

2. Description of Related Art

[2] In the art of games, there are games of chance as well as games of skill. A game of skill requires a mental or physical test to determine the outcome. Some games are played with many players while other games are played with a single player.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVEN TION

[3] The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. [4] In one aspect of the invention a game of skill is provided, comprising a central ring having an interior circumference configured to receive a ball; a pair of shaft sections extending from the central ring in opposite directions; and, a pair of paddles attached to each end of the pair of shaft sections.

[5] In one embodiment, the pair of paddles includes a first paddle and a second paddle, wherein the first paddle is formed as a hand or mitt. In one embodiment, the first paddle and the second paddle includes a flat area configured to bounce the ball, and a recessed portion. In another embodiment, the flat areas of the first paddle and the second paddle are in line with the central ring. In one embodiment, an adapter ring configured to be positioned in the interior circumference to adjust the diameter of the central ring is provided.

[6] In another aspect of the invention, a method of playing the game of skill is provided, comprising steps (a) throwing the ball in the air; (b) hitting the ball with a first paddle of the pair of paddles; (c) hitting the ball with a second paddle of the pair of paddles, and, (d) receiving the ball in the central ring. In one embodiment, the method may be performed with one or more players.

[7] The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the more pertinent and important features of the present disclosure so that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood and so that the present contribution to the art can be more fully appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the disclosed specific methods and structures may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent structures do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[8] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent when the following detailed description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[9] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the game of skill according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[10] FIG. 2A is a front view of the game of skill according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[11] FIG. 2B is a side view of the game of skill according to an embodiment of the present invention; and,

[12] FIG. 2C is a rear view of the game of skill according to an embodiment of the present invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[13] The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since die general principles of tire present invention have been defined herein to specifically provide a game of skill. [14] Referring now to any of the accompanying FIGS 1-2C, the game of skill 10 is illustrated. In one embodiment, the game of skill comprises a central ring 16 having two shaft sections 11 and 11' extending from each side of the central ring 16. In one embodiment, at the end of each shaft section 11 and 11' is a pair of paddles 12 and 14 respectively. In one embodiment, the first paddle 12 is shaped like a mitt or a hand. In one embodiment, the second paddle 14 has a circular of oval shape defining more of a traditional paddle shape compared to the first paddle and includes a recessed portion 15. It should be understood, that the paddle shapes disclosed herein are merely examples and may have any shape known in the art, as the critical aspect is that the paddles are clearly different such that the player or players may identify each paddle. This will be described in further detail below.

[15] In one embodiment, the central ring includes an interior circumference 17 that is sized to catch a ball (not shown). Tire size of the interior circumference may vary depending on the diameter of the ball included or to be used with the game of skill. In one embodiment, the ball is a tennis ball or any ball having a similar diameter. In some embodiments, the interior circumference is smaller than the circumference of the ball, such that the ball may be trapped in the ring by frictional engagement. In other embodiments, the interior circumference is larger than the circumference of the ball, allowing the ball to pass through the ring. In one embodiment, an adapter ring 18 is provided allowing the user to switch the size of the interior circumference as previously discussed by positioning or removing the adapter ring from the interior circumference.

[16] Each shaft section extends away from the central ring in opposite directions, such that the angle between the pair of shaft sections is 180 degrees. In some embodiments, each paddle has a flat area configured for bouncing the ball during use. Preferably, the flat areas of the paddles and the central ring are in line (parallel) with each other (as seen in FIG. 1). [17] The various components of the game of skill may be constructed from a variety of materials.

In some embodiments, synthetic materials are used, such as plastics. In one embodiment, phenol formaldehyde (PF) plastics are used. In some embodiments, a light weight metal may be used, such as aluminum

[18] During use, the game of skill may be played with one or more players. For a single player the game of skill may be played in the following sequence: (a) throwing the ball in the air; (b) hitting tire ball with the second paddle 14, (c) hitting the ball with the first paddle 12; and, (d) catching the ball in the ring 16. It should be understood, that steps (b) and (c) may be swapped. If a proper sequence id completed with the ball hitting the ground, a point is earned for the player. The points may be used to compare the skill of one player compared to another during competition, as well known in the art. For two players, each play may do the previous sequence in alternating order using two game of skill devices by hitting it back and forth to each other to create the sequence discussed above. For example, tire first player does (a), then second player does (b), then tire first player does (c), and finally the second player does (d), i.e. catches the ball in his ring. This two player alternating order sequence can also be played as doubles (two vs. two). In this way, the team that accumulates the most points by not dropping the ball during the aforementioned sequence wins. In some embodiments, when playing doubles, the game can be played in a tennis, badminton, or similar court so that playing partners are positioned across the net from each other, making it more challenging. It should be understood, that numerous game play variations are possible.

[19] Although the invention has been described in considerable detail in language specific to structural features, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features described. Rather, tire specific features are disclosed as exemplary preferred forms of implementing the claimed invention. Stated otherwise, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Therefore, while exemplary illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described, numerous variations and alternative embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. Such variations and alternate embodiments are contemplated, and can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

[20] In addition, reference to “first,'' “second, '' “third,” and etc. members throughout the disclosure (and in particular, claims) are not used to show a serial or numerical limitation but instead are used to distinguish or identify the various members of the group.