Games using tangible projectile – Playing field or court game; game element or accessory... – Means for dividing field or court into compartments; element...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-18
2002-12-03
Sewell, Paul T. (Department: 3711)
Games using tangible projectile
Playing field or court game; game element or accessory...
Means for dividing field or court into compartments; element...
C473S415000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06488600
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to floor structures for accommodating players in play of a game.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Main stream sports like basketball, football, hockey and baseball enjoy large consumer markets. Throughout the last decade, however, the entirety of sports has suffered from fans's shortened attention spans and busy schedules. This is especially true given that the typical sports enthusiast of the day enjoys and follows such a wide range of different sports. Because most fans do not have the time to attend or watch a wide spectrum of sports and sporting events, most sports enthusiasts greatly depend on sports news and highlight shows to keep them aware of what is happening in the world of sports.
Sports news and highlight shows, by their very nature, feature mainly the exciting sports highlights as a means not so much of communicating scores and other sport-related information but of entertainment value. The entertainment value of these shows is obviously important for achieving a high level of viewership, which is the case for most of the high quality programming. Given this, it is apparent that fans crave highlights because they are often exciting, or at least of great interest as they distill down a large number of sporting events into just a short news show.
To satiate sports enthusiasts' increasing desire for sports entertainment, and to bring sports back from a mere collection of short highlight shows, there is a need for a new and improved sport which utilizes a novel court or flooring structure for facilitating the objects and advantages of the sport.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above problems and others are at least partially solved and the above purposes and others realized in a new and improved court for accommodating players in play of a game that employs a ball of a type substantially like that of a conventional basketball. The court is comprised of a spring-loaded floor that includes a playing surface. The playing surface is substantially rectangular and includes ends and goals that are each supported proximate one of the ends. The goals are preferably baskets that are each supported by one of a plurality of padded support
The playing surface is provided with markings that define fields, which govern the play of the game. A first springiness or spring bias is provided by the floor at selected ones of the fields, and a second springiness or spring bias is provided by the floor at other selected ones of the fields. The first bias is different from the second bias, and the first and second biases provide players with the ability to jump high into the air during play of a game, and especially around the goals. The floor includes padded fields each positioned near one of the goals for providing soft landing areas for cushioning player falls. In terms of structure, the floor is comprised generally of a spring layer supported by a rigid foundation, and a rugged and deformable resilient layer supported by the spring layer in opposition to the foundation. The resilient layer carries the markings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3831941 (1974-08-01), Pease
patent: 5524882 (1996-06-01), Wagner
patent: 0 846 481 (1996-02-01), None
patent: 2 561 698 (1984-03-01), None
Funfacts—http://members.aol.com/msdaizy/sports3/fun7.html-p. 1, Jan. 1, 1995.*
Fansonly—http://www.fansonly.com/channels
ews/sports/c-gym/uwire/012201aaf.htlm-p. 1-3, 2001.*
Anchorage-YMCA—http://www.ymca.ak.org/ymca5.html-p. 1, 1996.*
UCBS Office of student life—http://www.sa.ucsb.edu/osl/CampusScheduling.SchedulingFacilities.asp-pp. 1-4, 1999.*
Flooring article—http://www.prm.nau.edu/prm423/Flooring%20article.htm-pp. 1-4, 1998.*
US 2002/0010042 A1(Gordon, Jan. 24, 2002).
Chambers M.
O'Melveny & Myers LLP
Time Warner Entertainment Co. L.P.
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