GB2196868A - Table-top football or like game - Google Patents

Abstract

A football-like or similar ball game is played on a soft, flexible or rigid material representing a miniature pitch with square or rounded corners, together with goalposts, nets and all the markings and surrounded by an essentially vertical edging fixed to the goalposts. The pitch has a vertical border of appropriate height, the parts of the border being joined together by a rubber ring stretched over U-shaped cut-outs in the border near the ends thereof. The goalposts are fixed by hooks to the border. The goalkeepers are vertical magnets of various shapes and forms; the rest of the players are either simple round dome-shaped objects, or have on top of their dome, superimposed small figures of various shapes and forms. The ball itself is made of magnet-attractive metal material of various shapes. It may have a narrow rubber ring fixed round it horizontally, to give it bounce. The ball is propelled by pressing down on the dome-shaped base of the player by a finger or fingers, alternatively by a special flicking instrument. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements to table-top ball games The essential novelty of the present invention is that the goal-keepers are represented by magnets of various shapes or forms, and the ball, of whatever shape, is made essentially of magnet attractive material.

Although we are concerned in this instance, mainly with football game, the said novelty applies equally to any table-top ball game, where goalkeepers take part, such as quasy ice hockey or hockey games.

There are many football games on the market, played by two or more persons, on table tops or on spetial boards, using various figures and more and more complicated methods of propulsion.

The present invention has been devised to give the game a simpler yet more active and realistic form, relying more on skill.

To achieve its objective, the invention comprises the following: (Part a.) A flat soft, flexible or rigid material surrounded by edging.

(Part b.) A number of field players.

(Part c.) The "Goalkeepers" in the form of vertical magnets.

(Part d.) A football made essentially of metal, attractive to magnets.

(Part e.) Two goal-posts and netting.

(Part f.) Two identical propelling or flicking instruments.

The game would usually be played on an ordinary dining table.

Now follows a detailed description of the various parts and their relation to each other.

When necessary references will be made to the accompanying drawings and as to how the game is to be played.

(Part a.) The flat material representing the football field can be made of any suitable flexible or rigid material, In the present example cardboard is used made to fold in half making it more compact. The surface of the field has markings similar to a real footbail-field. It is surrounded by an essentially vertical border of appropriate height, having only a narrow horizontal lip. The border is tailor-made to fit around the pitch, thus keeping the players and the ball within the confines of the field. The football-field and its border could have either square or rounded corners. Various methods can be used to join and hold the pieces of the border firmly together. In the present example a small rubber.ring is stretched over small Ushaped cuts in the border near its ends, thus forming a kind of bridge between them.

(Part b.) The field players, equal numbers on each side, are represented in their simplest form, by round dome-shaped, practically flatbased objects, not unlike ordinary large plastic buttons, with or without their holes. (Fig. 4) To make it more realistic, the centre of the dome can have a small figure superimposed, (e.g. in the form of a man or robot) while leaving the base of the player dome-shaped.

(Fig. 5) An alternative shape for the players could be a round flat object, such as those used in the "tiddly-wink" game.

(Part c.) The "Goalkeepers" are essentially vertical Magnets of various size, shape and form. Using magnets as goalkeepers is the essence and indispensable element of the invention. It is the "Kingpin" of the invention. In creating a magnetic field around itself of appropriate distance, it compensates to a certain degree for a real goalkeeper's activity and reach of arms and hands. In its simplest form it is a simple round column with provisions made for fixing to the football field in thecenter position between the goalposts, at a slight distance in front of the goal-line. Alternatively, it could be moved about by a special handle.

(Part d.) The football is made essentially of metal, attractive to magnets and is essentially a round, dome-topped object of appropriate size, having vertical sides on its lower half. It could have a narrow rubber ring around its lower half to give it a quality of bounce. (Fig.

2) An alternative shape for the football could be that of a shallow traditional barrel, its waistline being wider than the rest, with or without a rubber ring. (Fig. 3) Further shapes could be hexagonal or the traditional football shape.

(Part e.) The goal-post structure and netting can be made either as one integral piece in plastic, or the goalpost structure made of plastic as a separate piece and the conventional netting fixed onto the goalposts by appropriate means.

The goalposts are fixed to the border of the field holding the whole arrangement in a firm, neat unit. This can be done by various methods. In the present example this is achieved by hooks that are an integral part of the border (the ends of the border adjacent to the goalposts curl back forming a hook into which the goalposts can be inserted Fig. 8., or of the goalposts (an inverted U-shaped hook at right angles to the post and set at border height.) Fig. 9.

(Part f.) The propelling or flicking instruments are flat strips of appropriate width, length and thickness, made preferably of a flexible, plastic material. Alternatively they could be flat, round objects (in the case where the players themselves are also flat, round objects as in the tiddly-wink game.) The propelling or flicking is in this case achieved by pressing the propeller's edge on the round edge of the player. When the base of the player is of the dome-shaped type the kicking of the ball is achieved by pressing down with the end of the flicker onto the dome-shaped base, propelling the player with some force in the direction of the football, thus hitting and kicking it. Kicking the ball is then an indirect action (not unlike what happens in the game of snooker) needing real skill.The game can be played without the special flicker, by simply pressing down on the dome-shaped base of the player by a figer or fingers (the thumb and index finger).

The rules of the game can vary according to the wishes of the people playing the game. It could be similar to the traditional real football, allowing for the obvious limitations of the inorganic participants. It could be as in "Five-a side", or "Football Six", where the fence is utilised for bouncing the ball off. The rubber ring round the football in the present invention becomes useful, giving the ball a better bounce.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 shows a complete football field with its edging, together with the magnetic goalkeeper, field players and football.

Figure 2 and Figure 3 shows some of the alternative shapes of football.

Figure 4 and Figure 5 show alternative shapes of field players.

Figure 6 shows the propeller or flicker in perspective.

Figure 7 shows a football-field and its edging with rounded corners together with the football posts.

Figure 8 shows the hook as part of the border.

Figure 9 shows the hook as part of the goalposts.

Claims (9)

1. A football-like or similar ball game played on a flat surface made of any suitable rigid material with rectangular or rounded corners, with similar markings to a real football pitch except that it is miniaturised and made to fold in half, where the goalposts and nets are made either as one solid integral piece or the goalposts are made of a solid plastic material and the conventional net is fixed appropriately on to it and where the football pitch is surrounded by a tailor-made essentially vertical border of appropriate height, the parts of the border being joined together by a small rubber ring stretched over U-shaped cutouts in the border near their end thus forming a bridge between them and where the goalposts are fixed by hooks to the border, the hooks being either an integral part of the border or of the goalposts, where the goalkeepers are represented by vertical magnets of various shape and form fixed to the pitch at equidistant position position between the two goalposts and a slight distance in front of the goal-line, where the football itself is made essentially of metal attractive to magnet and is in the form of a dome-shaped rounded object and where the rest of the players are represented by quasi dome-shaped rounded, flat-based objects of appropriate size made preferably of plastic and where the propelling or flicking instruments are flat, flexible strips of appropriate length, width and thickness made preferably of plastic.

2. A football-like or similar ball game as claimed in Claim 1, where the field players have at the centre of their dome a small figure fixed, of various shape and form.

3. A football-like or similar ball game as claimed in Claim 1, or Claim 2, where the magnet attractive metal football is of hexagonal shape.

4. A football-like or similar ballgame as claimed in Claim 1, or Claim 2, where the football is of the traditional football shape, made of magnet attractive metal.

5. A football-like or similar ball game as claimed in Claim 1, or 2 where the shape of the magnet attractive football is that of a shallow traditional barrel, with or without a rubber ring fixed round its widest section.

6. A football-like or similar ball game as claimed in Claim 1, but where both the field players as well as the flicking instruments are round coin-shaped objects of appropriate size, made of plastic.

7. A football-like or similar ball game as claimed in previous Claims, where the magnetic goalkeeper can be moved about by a special handle.

8. A football-like or similar ball game as claimed in previous Claims, but where the footballfield is made of a soft flexible material.

9. A footbal-like or similar ball game substantially as described herein and with reference to figures of the accompanying drawings.