CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application 16/520,258 filed July 23, 2019 and titled BALL GAME and U.S. Provisional Application 62/718,875 filed August 14, 2018 and titled BALL GAME, the entire

disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND

STATE OF THE ART

The present invention relates to a ball game. In some embodiments it relates to a portable ball game which is compact and can be set up in a variety of locations.

FIELD OF ART

Many people enjoy games involving balls. Every day, millions of people play basketball, tennis, soccer, volleyball and the like. Most of these games, however, have various physical components which limit where they can be played. For example, basketball requires a basketball hoop and a relatively large area of clear ground, soccer requires goals and tennis and volleyball require a net and large areas of clear ground. Because of this, people often avoid playing a particular game at outings, such as on the beach, at a picnic or when camping. Ball games are good for a variety of reasons. In addition to being fun and entertaining, they encourage people to engage in activities which promote physical activity which provides health benefits and may reduce the effects of aging by encouraging movement of the limbs.

The advantages of the present ball gam include that the game is relatively inexpensive, storable in a small space, easy to set up and easy to play. The game can be played by relatively young children and by senior citizens alike. Moreover, the game can be played on a wide varieties of surfaces includes sand, grass, pavement, concrete and other types of flooring. Additionally, it can be played indoors or out.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following summary of the present invention is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every possible implementation of the invention, but rather to give illustrative examples of application of principles of the present disclosure.

In some configurations, the present disclosure comprises a ball game which can be played in a variety of location by providing a portable playing field boundaries, a ball and a plurality of paddles or rackets.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the playing field includes a plurality of elongate boundary markers which are or can be attached to one another to define the playing area of the game. The elongate boundary markers are preferably flexible so that they may be collapsed and carried in a small bag, backpack or the light so as to keep the game portable and then be straightened or otherwise placed to clearly identify the

boundaries of the game. Thus, for example, the boundary markers may be made or rope or straps made of nylon or other materials. For ease of reference the boundary markers will be referred to as straps.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the straps have adjustable attachments to allow the straps may be detached from one another to increase the ability to compact the playing boarders when the game is not in use.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the adjustable attachments may be used to adjust the size of the playing area to adapt to the abilities of those playing the game.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the boundary markers may be attached to or attachable to a central boundary marker which identifies a central point in the game in which the ball may not be hit during play without penalty. The elongate boundary markers may be selectively attachable to the central boundary marker and to an exterior boundary marker so as to allow users to select the number of slices present in the game. Thus, for example, the game could be made to provide 2 slices, 3 slices, 4 slices, 6 slices, etc. Thus, the game can be adjusted to compensate for the number of people who are available to play.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the game may include a plurality of rules which define the process for playing the game. The rules may require the players to stand in one of a number of areas, referred to as a slice, designated by the elongate boundary markers. The rules may further require paddles to be used to hit a ball in an upward trajectory toward the slice of another player such that if the ball lands in that players slice a point is accessed against that player.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the process for playing the game may include accessing a point against a player if the player does not hit the ball in an upward direction. The process may also include accessing a player a point if the player hits the ball and it lands outside the playing area, or within the central boundary marker.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the process may include assessing the player a point if the ball hits any of the boundary markers. Likewise, the process of playing the game may assess a player a point if the ball lands in their slice.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the process may include a player being dismissed from the game once the player has reached a predetermined threshold of points, such as 7 points or 10 points. Play may continue with the remaining players continuing to play and rotating through the slices. Because one of the players has been dismissed from the game, one of the slices will be empty. Therefore a player who hits the ball into an empty slice may be assessed a point. The game may continue until all but one player has been dismissed or eliminated from the game. If 2 or more slices are empty, the players may be rearranged to generally have them opposite one another during play.

These and other aspects of the present invention are realized in a ball game with a plurality of elongate boundary markers, paddles or rackets, and a ball. It will be appreciated that some or all of the aspects of the invention discussed above may be used in the game and the summary of these aspects is not intended to imply that any aspect is required.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described in reference to the numbered drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of a ball game including a playing area designated by a plurality of boundary markers, a plurality of paddles, and a ball;

FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of a ball game similar to that shown in FIG

1 , where in the boundary markers can be adjusted to change the size of the playing area;

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a ball game where in the boundary markers are in an alternate position to alter the number of slices provided within the playing area;

FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of the ball game wherein the boundary markers are in yet another alternate position to alter the number of slices provided within the playing area;

FIG. 5 shows a side view of an inner boundary marker and two different releasable fasteners for attaching the inner boundary marker to the outer boundary marker and the central boundary marker;

FIG. 6 shows a top view of an alternate playing area where in the playing area has been sliced into 6 slices; and

FIGs. 7, 8 and 9 show alternate configurations of playing areas.

It will be appreciated that the drawings are illustrative and not limiting of the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims. The embodiments shown accomplish various aspects and objects of the invention. It will be appreciated that it is not possible to clearly show each element and aspect of the present disclosure in a single figure, and as such, multiple figures are presented to separately illustrate the various details of different aspects of the invention in greater clarity. Similarly, not all configurations or embodiments described herein or covered by the appended claims will include all of the aspects of the present disclosure as discussed above.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Various aspects of the invention and accompanying drawings will now be discussed in reference to the numerals provided therein so as to enable one skilled in the art to practice the present invention. The skilled artisan will understand, however, that the methods described below can be practiced without employing these specific details, or that they can be used for purposes other than those described herein. Indeed, they can be modified and can be used in conjunction with products and techniques known to those of skill in the art in light of the present disclosure. The drawings and the descriptions thereof are intended to be exemplary of various aspects of the invention and are not intended to narrow the scope of the appended claims Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the drawings may show aspects of the invention in isolation and the elements in one figure may be used in conjunction with elements shown in other figures.

Reference in the specification to“one embodiment,”“one

configuration,”“an embodiment,” or“a configuration” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the

embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment, etc. The appearances of the phrase“in one embodiment” in various places may not necessarily limit the inclusion of a particular element of the invention to a single embodiment, rather the element may be included in other or all embodiments discussed herein.

Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics of embodiments of the present disclosure may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details may be provided, such as examples of products or

manufacturing techniques that may be used, to provide a thorough

understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that embodiments discussed in the disclosure may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations may not be shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.

Before the present invention is disclosed and described in detail, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to any particular structures, process steps, or materials discussed or disclosed herein, but is extended to include equivalents thereof as would be recognized by those of ordinarily skill in the relevant art. More specifically, the invention is defined by the terms set forth in the claims. It should also be understood that

terminology contained herein is used for the purpose of describing particular aspects of the invention only and is not intended to limit the invention to the aspects or embodiments shown unless expressly indicated as such.

Likewise, the discussion of any particular aspect of the invention is not to be understood as a requirement that such aspect is required to be present apart from an express inclusion of that aspect in the claims.

It should also be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, singular forms such as“a,”“an,” and“the” may include the plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to“a bracket” may include an embodiment having one or more of such brackets, and reference to“the target plate” may include reference to one or more of such target plates.

As used herein, the term“substantially” refers to the complete or nearly complete extent or degree of an action, characteristic, property, state, structure, item, or result to function as indicated. For example, an object that is“substantially” enclosed would mean that the object is either completely enclosed or nearly completely enclosed. The exact allowable degree of deviation from absolute completeness may in some cases depend on the specific context, such that enclosing the nearly all of the length of a lumen would be substantially enclosed, even if the distal end of the structure enclosing the lumen had a slit or channel formed along a portion thereof. The use of“substantially” is equally applicable when used in a negative

connotation to refer to the complete or near complete lack of an action, characteristic, property, state, structure, item, or result. For example, structure which is“substantially free of” a bottom would either completely lack a bottom or so nearly completely lack a bottom that the effect would be effectively the same as if it completely lacked a bottom.

As used herein, the term“generally” refers to something that has characteristics of a quality without being exactly that quality. For example, a structure said to be generally vertical would be at least as vertical as horizontal, i.e. would extend 45 degrees or greater from horizontal. Likewise, something said to be generally circular may be rounded like an oval but need not have a consistent diameter in every direction.

As used herein, the term“about” is used to provide flexibility to a numerical range endpoint by providing that a given value may be“a little above” or“a little below” the endpoint while still accomplishing the function associated with the range.

As used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements, compositional elements, and/or materials may be presented in a common list for

convenience. However, these lists should be construed as though each member of the list is individually identified as a separate and unique member.

Concentrations, amounts, proportions and other numerical data may be expressed or presented herein in a range format. It is to be understood that such a range format is used merely for convenience and brevity and thus should be interpreted flexibly to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. As an illustration, a numerical range of“about 1 to about 5” should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited values of about 1 to about 5, but also include individual values and sub-ranges within the indicated range. Thus, included in this numerical range are individual values such as 2, 3, and 4 and sub-ranges such as from 1 -3, from 2-4, and from 3-5, etc., as well as 1 , 2, 3, 4, and 5, individually. This same principle applies to ranges reciting only one numerical value as a minimum or a maximum. Furthermore, such an interpretation should apply regardless of the breadth of the range or the characteristics being described.

T urning now to FIG. 1 , there is shown a top view of a ball game, generally indicated at 4, made in accordance with aspects of the present invention. The ball game includes a playing area 8 which is divided into a number of player playing areas or slices 12. The playing area 8 is defined by an outer boundary marker 16. As shown in FIG 1 , the outer boundary marker 16 has been laid out in a circular shape. It will be appreciated that other shapes could also be used. The outer boundary marker 16 may be made from an elongate piece of material such as nylon strap, rope, or cord. It is preferable for collapsibility of the outer boundary marker 16 that the material is made is flexible. While the outer boundary marker 16 may be formed in a circle with 2 opposing ends sewn together, the outer boundary marker may also be formed with a releasable attachment 20, such as hook and loop fastener (a.k.a. VELCRO), a button snap or other fasteners. Providing a releasable attachment 20 allows the outer boundary marker 16 to be folded compactly for storage. It will also be appreciated that the outer boundary marker 16 may be formed from a material of a different color or size. This helps users to distinguish the outer boundary marker during set up and also makes it more visible during play.

The playing area 8 may also include a central boundary marker 24.

The central boundary marker 24 may be simply formed from an elongate piece of boundary marker material, or may include central material 28 which can include the name of the game, advertising, or other information. The central boundary marker 24 may be of virtually any size, with the larger the size causing more challenging play for reasons which will be discussed below with respect to rules for the game.

Extending between the central boundary marker 24 and the outer boundary marker 16 are a plurality of elongate inner boundary markers 32. The inner boundary markers 32 divide the area between the outer boundary marker 16 and the central boundary marker 24 into the player play areas or slices 12. Thus, the number of inner boundary markers used will determine the number of slices. As shown in FIG 1 , there are 4 inner boundary markers 32, resulting in 4 slices 12.

As shown in FIG 1 , the inner boundary markers 32 may be generally fixedly attached to the central boundary marker 24. This could be

accomplished, for example, by placing two elongate nylon straps in an overlapping perpendicular relationship and then placing the central boundary marker over the juncture and sewing the elongate nylon straps to the central boundary marker 24. Alternatively, each inner boundary marker 32 could be sewn at one end to the central boundary marker 24 or the central material 28. Likewise, releasable attachments such as hook and loop fastener, snaps, buttons, hooks etc. could be used. As shown in FIG 1 , the outer ends of the inner boundary markers 32 include a fastener 36, such as hook and loop fastener or other fasteners as discussed above to secure the inner boundary markers to the outer boundary marker 16.

Set up of the playing area 8 can be done relatively quickly. With the configuration shown in FIG 1 , the central boundary marker 24 and the inner boundary markers 32 may be folded together. The outer boundary marker 16 is likewise folded for storage. To set up the game one need only open the storage sack, etc., unfold the central boundary marker 24 and layout each of the inner boundary markers 32 in the manner shown. The outer boundary marker 24 as laid out and the fasteners 36 at the end of each inner boundary marker 32 are attached to the outer boundary marker. Thus, setting up the playing area can take as little as 1 to 2 minutes.

The ball game 4 also includes a plurality of rackets or paddles 40 and a ball 44. In playing the game, each player would stand in their own slice 12 while holding one of the paddles. In one example of play, the paddle 40 is used to hit the ball into play with a serve. After the ball has been hit by the paddle 40, the ball during a serve must pass above the servers’ shoulders. Thereafter, each hit need only be in an upward direction. If the ball lands in one of the slices, such as slice 12a, the person standing in the slice is assessed a point or a“burn”. If a ball lands outside the outer boundary marker 24, the player who hit the ball is assessed a burn. If the ball lands within the area of the inner or central boundary marker 24, the player that hit the ball receives a burn. Once a player has a predetermined number of burns, such as 7 burns or 10 burns, the player is eliminated from the game. The remaining players continue to play until only one player remains with fewer than the predetermined number of burns. Some rules may be modified once a player is removed. For example hitting the ball into an empty slice may result in a burn for the party hitting the ball. Additionally, the players may be repositioned in the slices to balance the game as players are eliminated. Alternatively, players may be assigned multiple slices. Thus, for example, in FIG. 1 , one player may have to defend both of the slices 12 on the right side while the other player may have to defend both of the slices on the left side.

Obviously, different rules may be used to accommodate the desires of various players. However, one set of rules for the game may be as follows:

ShakaBall Setup

The game is comprised of a circular court outlined by a long red strap that is laid out around the small white“Shaka circle” in the middle.

There are four (4) black straps attached to the white Shaka circle, that are pulled out straight to attach to the red outside circle (with

VELCRO). This creates 4 equal sized "slices" that the players play inside.

The easiest way to set up the ShakaBall court is to first (a)“pop” out the white Shaka circle (careful it pops quickly once you unwrap it!), then (b) lay it on flat ground (grass, dirt or sand is best, but it can be played on any flat surface) and (c) pull the black straps straight out from the circle. Next, (d) unwrap the red strap and lay it down in a circle that connects to the ends of the black straps, and (e) use the Velcro at the end of the black straps around the red strap circle. Lastly, (f) walk around the big circle to fix the red strap so that the slices are somewhat even (doesn’t have to be perfect), and (g) pull the paddles and ball out of the bag to get ready to play!

ShakaBall Rules 1 ) ShakaBall is played with four (4) players. Each player stands in a slice, and the object of the game is to protect your slice during every point, and to avoid getting a“burn”, which is a point against you.

2) Each player must keep track of their“burns” (often calling out before each point is started), and when a player gets seven (7) burns, they are eliminated from the game. The game is played until the last player has eliminated the other three opponents. 3) For each point, the ball will be served by the player who lost the previous point, and the serve must be above chest height. After the serve, the ball can be hit at any height, as long as it is hit with an obvious upward trajectory. Drop shots, trick shits and spin shots are encouraged, as long as they have an upward trajectory off the paddle.

4) After every point, the players shift clockwise to the next slice, so that players are rotating through every slice throughout the game.

5) Each player tries to avoid getting burns, while trying to get the opponents to receive burns. The following are how you receive burns:

(a) If the ball lands in your slice, you receive one (1 ) burn.

(b) If you hit the ball outside the boundary of the court, you receive one (1 ) burn.

(c) If you hit the ball and it lands on a red or black strap, you receive one (1 ) burn.

(d) If you hit the ball downward (without obvious upward trajectory), you receive one (1 ) burn. If there is uncertainty or disagreement about whether it was hit upward or not, the consensus of the other players will be the deciding vote. (e) If you double-hit the ball, you receive one (1 ) burn. (f) If the ball hits your body, you can still hit the ball with your paddle (upward) to play the ball fairly, as long as the paddle is the last thing to hit the ball. But if the ball hits your body and drops to the ground, in or out of your slice, you receive one (1 ) burn.

(g) If you hit the ball and it lands on the Shaka circle (white circle in the middle), you receive two (2) burns!

6) When a player is eliminated after getting seven (7) burns, remaining players continue playing the game with that empty slice as out of bounds.

7) When the final two players are remaining, they play on opposite slices (facing each other), until the winner eliminates the last opponent. Turning now to FIG. 2, there is shown a top view of an alternate configuration of a ball game 4. The various components shown in FIG. 2 are generally the same as those in FIG. 1 and are numbered accordingly. One difference is that the outer boundary marker 16 is longer - as shown by tail 16a - and may overlap when sized similar to that shown in FIG. 1 . However, the tail 16a is additional length of elongate material which allows the outer boundary marker 16 to be expanded to have a greater diameter as shown by outer boundary marker 16b. Each of the inner boundary markers 32 may also have a tail 32a or peace which is unused when the outer boundary marker is shown in the position of 16, but which may be used to attach to the outer boundary marker in the position shown as 16b. This enables the players to exercise some control over the size of the slices 12. For young children or older adults, a smaller slice size may be used. In the alternative, teenagers and young adults may prefer larger slice sizes as defending your slice grows more challenging with the greater the surface area covered thereby. The inner boundary markers 32/32a can be attached to the outer boundary marker 16/16b by the use of various fasteners 36 such as hook and loop snaps buttons and other fasteners known in the art. Such fasteners 36 can also be used to hold the unused portion of the inner boundary markers 32a when the playing area is in the reduced size.

Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown an alternate configuration of the playing area 8. Rather than using four inner boundary markers 32, this configuration uses only 3 and divides the playing area outside the central boundary marker 24 into 3 slices 12. In this configuration, a smaller number of players can begin the game without requiring the use of an empty slice. It will also be appreciated that rules of the game could be changed in such a way that if there are more players who wish to play than slices, when a player is dismissed from the game for receiving 7 or some other predetermined number of burns, a new player is able to enter the game to fill the empty slice.

It will also be appreciated that the configuration shown in FIG. 3 could be made using the component shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 by simply providing inner boundary markers which have releasable attachments at each end which can attach at a variety of locations upon the outer boundary marker 16 and the inner boundary marker 24. Likewise, the playing area 8 can be configured to allow a larger number of players. Thus, for example, FIG. 4 shows a playing area with 5 inner boundary markers 32 so as to form 5 slices The inner or central boundary area 24 can be in the shape of a pentagon or could be other shapes so long as the inner boundary markers 32 can be attached. It will also be appreciated that the size of the area within the central boundary marker 24 will have an effect on the difficulty of the game. If landing the ball in the area 28 within the central boundary marker 24 counts as a burn, or multiple burns, the larger the area the more challenging as the player must hit the ball sufficiently to get over the central boundary marker without going over the outer boundary marker 16.

Turning now to FIG. 5, there is shown a side, fragmented view of an inner boundary marker 32. At one end the inner boundary marker 32 has a fastener 36a formed form hook and loop (a.k.a. VELCRO) so as to releasably hold the outer boundary marker 16. The opposing end of the inner boundary marker 32 has a second fasteners 36b, such as a snap 36b which is used to secure the central boundary marker 24. While shown as being disposed on the nylon strap, cord, rope, etc., it will be appreciated that a separate fastener could be used to secure the various boundary markers together.

FIG. 6 shows another configuration of a playing area in which the outer boundary marker 16 is circular and the central boundary marker 24 is star- shaped, with the inner boundary markers 32 dividing the playing area into 6 slices. It will be appreciated that the central boundary marker can be hexagon shaped, octagon shape or any other shape which facilitates dividing the playing area into the appropriate number of slices. Obviously, the larger number of slices 12, the more people can play the game together.

It is not required that the outer boundary marker 16 be circular. FIG. 7 shows a playing area with a triangular outer boundary marker 16 and a triangular central boundary marker 24 disposed in a reverse orientation. Likewise, FIG. 8 shows a playing area 8 having an outer boundary marker 16 which is pentagonal and a central boundary marker 24 which is also pentagonal. It will be appreciated in light of the present disclosure that the outer boundary marker an inner boundary marker can be different shapes. Additionally, the inner boundary markers can be fixedly attached or releasably attached to either or both of the outer boundary marker and the central boundary marker.

It will also be appreciated that the playing area 8 could be formed as a kit a user can mix-and-match outer boundary markers, central boundary markers an inner boundary markers to define the desired playing area. Any unused length of inner boundary marker can simply be folded over and secured in place with 1 of the fasteners if needed. While not required, it is advantageous that all of the boundary markers are made from a flexible and preferably foldable material so that the entire playing area can be fold up into a small bag, backpack, etc. Could easily be done with rope, cord, or straps of nylon or other similar material. Additionally, the outer boundary markers and the inner boundary markets may have two pieces of elongate material disposed into one another, with the area therebetween providing a different burn assessment than when the ball lands in a different area.

Turning now to FIG. 9, there is shown an alternate configuration of the playing area for the ball game. The outer boundary marker 16 and the inner boundary marker 24 may both be round and may include a number of fasteners, 36a and 36b respectively, (or one continuous fastener) positioned about the boundary markers. This enables the inner boundary markers 32 to be used to divide the playing area 12 into a number of difference sized slices. For example, FIG. 9 shows the option of using different numbers of inner boundary markers 32 to make four slices or eight slices. By electing the proper fasteners 36a/36b, the playing area 16 may also be divided into a number of other slices. Thus, a single playing area can be used to accommodate a wide number of players.

Thus there is disclosed a ball game and methods for playing the same.

It will be appreciated that numerous modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. The appended claims are intended to cover such modifications.