Suspended Target Trampoline Game

Abstract

A suspended target trampoline game includes a trampoline having a trampoline frame which includes a trampoline leg supporting the trampoline frame, and an enclosure. The enclosure includes an enclosure pole connected to the trampoline frame. The enclosure pole supports an enclosure net. An overhanging pole is connected to the enclosure pole. A line is suspended from the overhanging pole. A target is suspended from the line. A detachable connection can be formed between the target and the line. The detachable connection releasably attaches the target to the line. A slack control mechanism can adjust a height of the target. The target can be a ball.

Description

[0001] The present application is a non-provisional of U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/342,753 entitled Suspended Target Trampoline Game by inventor Samuel Chen, filed May 27, 2016, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention is in the field of trampoline games.

DISCUSSION RELATED ART

[0003] A variety of different trampoline games can provide alternate uses for trampolines. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,967, entitled Team Trampoline Game And Method Of Playing The Same published Jan. 24, 2006, by inventor Allison, a team trampoline game utilizes an elongate rectangular enclosure with parallel side and end walls. On the end walls, goals are positioned to permit the game projectile to pass through. The base of the enclosure has two trampolines, one for each participating team, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0004] U.S. patent publication 20060135321A1, entitled Lighted Trampoline published Jun. 22, 2006, by inventor Chen illustrates a trampoline enclosure with upper surface lights and sounds activated by bounce sensors connected to the rebound surface, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Inventor Clausell suspends a plurality of trapezes from a canopy over a trampoline superstructure in his invention, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,623A, entitled Exercising Game Apparatus published Mar. 7, 1978, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Inventor Chen connects infrared-receiving targets to a trampoline enclosure in U.S. Pat. No. 8,585,558, entitled Trampoline Game published Nov. 19, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Contestants utilize an infrared-emitting gun to shoot the targets while jumping on the trampoline surface.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 7,481,740, entitled Trampoline Accessories published Jan. 27, 2009 by inventor Colling portrays and describes a soccer net, a rebounding surface to bounce a ball back to a thrower, and a catch panel that will gather the ball when thrown against the panel, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. These may be added to either the trampoline frame or enclosure. Deflective netting may be added adjacent the accessories to prevent ball or users from falling off the trampoline surface.

[0006] Inventor Smith connects a projectile launcher to a trampoline in U.S. patent publication 20120010050, entitled Projectile Launcher and published Jan. 12, 2012. The projectile launcher, which may be used to expel playing balls and the like, includes a propulsion element that extracts energy from the bouncing action of a user to provide power to the propulsion element, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,201,126, entitled Game Apparatus With Target And Trampoline and published Aug. 17, 1965, by inventor Nissen, one embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1 describes two adjacent trampolines that are fitted with three superstructures--one on each far end of the trampolines and one that separates the two trampolines--on which goals are suspended, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0007] A variety of tether ball games have also been devised for gameplay independent of trampolines. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,420, entitled Soccer Training And Practice Device and published Oct. 23, 1984, inventor Sowards describes a device comprised of a trampoline playing surface surrounded by a rebounder on one end and elastic ball-retaining cords on the other ends, all of which are supported by safety poles, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,517, entitled Tennis Stroke Practice Device and published Apr. 6, 1976, by inventor Feiler, a U-shaped frame member is mounted to a support post such that its legs extend horizontally. A ball is tethered from the upper leg of the support post such that it may be struck with a racket, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 2,134,328, entitled Practice Apparatus and published Oct. 25, 1938, by inventor Dickson relates to a ball throwing or batting practice device. A ball is tethered to a vertical pole that, through the use of various gears and mechanisms, oscillates in order to swing the tethered ball through space in a circular path. The primary object of the device is to automatically throw a ball so that a batter may practice the striking of the ball while in motion, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,643A, entitled Erratic Movement Tethered Ball Striking Toy and published Jan. 15, 1974, by inventor Rich describes a tethered ball toy wherein multiple balls are suspended on a line. At least one of the balls are either partially filled with liquid or solid or mounted off-center such that the when struck, it produces erratic movement of the other balls, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] A suspended target trampoline game includes a trampoline having a trampoline frame which includes a trampoline leg supporting the trampoline frame, and an enclosure. The enclosure includes an enclosure pole connected to the trampoline frame. The enclosure pole supports an enclosure net. An overhanging pole is connected to the enclosure pole. A line is suspended from the overhanging pole. A target is suspended from the line. A detachable connection can be formed between the target and the line. The detachable connection releasably attaches the target to the line. A slack control mechanism can adjust a height of the target. The target can be a ball.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the suspended target game with a telescopically mounted overhanging pole.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the suspended target game with an externally mounted overhanging pole.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ball and target line connection.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the line retainer.

[0013] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the line retainer.

[0014] FIG. 6 is a close-up view of the externally mounted overhanging pole.

[0015] FIG. 7 is a diagram of a string pinata with an openable pinata hatch.

[0016] The following call out list of elements can be a useful guide in referencing the element numbers of the drawings. [0017] 21 Target [0018] 22 Target Connection [0019] 23 Target Line [0020] 24 Target Line Eyelet [0021] 25 Target Line Eyelet Opening [0022] 26 Eyelet Opening Connector [0023] 31 Overhanging Pole [0024] 32 Enclosure Pole [0025] 33 Reel [0026] 34 Reel Handles [0027] 35 Target Line Weight [0028] 36 First Overhanging Pole Connector [0029] 37 Second Overhanging Pole Connector [0030] 38 First Enclosure Pole Connector [0031] 39 Second Enclosure Pole Connector [0032] 40 Line Retainer [0033] 41 Line Retainer Body [0034] 42 Line Retainer Clamp [0035] 43 Line Retainer Clamp Slot [0036] 44 Line Retainer Hinge [0037] 45 Pinata Hatch [0038] 46 Pinata Active Line [0039] 47 Pinata Decoy Line [0040] 51 Trampoline Frame [0041] 52 Net [0042] 53 Upper Enclosure Support [0043] 54 Trampoline Leg [0044] 55 Enclosure Pole Connection [0045] 56 Enclosure Pole Connection Nut [0046] 58 Spring Cover

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0047] A trampoline generally has a trampoline frame 51 having a ring of horizontal members. The trampoline frame 51 is connected to multiple trampoline legs 54. The trampoline legs 54 are U-shaped and connected to the trampoline frame 51 to support the trampoline frame 51 above the ground. The trampoline legs have enclosure poles 32 connected to them. The enclosure poles 32 are connected to the trampoline legs at an enclosure pole connection 55. The enclosure pole connection 55 includes a first enclosure pole connector 38 and a second enclosure pole connector 39 which can be formed of a screw or bolt for example. The enclosure pole connection nut 56 can thread to the enclosure pole connectors when the enclosure pole connectors are formed as bolts. The enclosure poles 32 support an upper enclosure support 53. The upper enclosure support 53 has a net 52 suspended from the upper enclosure support. The net 52 retains users bounding on the trampoline bed. The trampoline bed is connected to the trampoline frame 51 at a plurality of springs that are covered by spring cover 58.

[0048] An overhanging pole 31 is connected to the enclosure pole 32. The overhanging pole 31 can be connected telescopically such as seen in FIG. 1, or can be connected with overhanging pole connectors such as a first overhanging pole connector 36 and a second overhanging pole connector 37 as seen in FIG. 2. The first overhanging pole connector 36 and the second overhanging pole connector 37 preferably bisected and are orthogonally oriented relative to the enclosure pole 32. When telescopically connected, the overhanging pole 31 can slide into the enclosure pole 32. The overhanging pole 31 can be flexible and of a smaller diameter than an internal diameter of the enclosure pole 32. When externally connected in a parallel fashion as seen in FIG. 2, the overhanging pole 31 preferably fits over a top portion of the enclosure pole 32. The enclosure pole 32 can be made of tubular steel, while the overhanging pole 31 is made of a fiberglass or flexible steel rod.

[0049] A target 21 is connected to a target line 23 which suspends the target 21 above the trampoline bed. The target connection 22 connects the target 21 to the target line 23. The target connection 22 can be a detachable hook and loop or magnetic connection. The target line 23 is retained to the pole system by a target line eyelet 24 that retains the target line 23 so that it drapes over a center portion of the trampoline bed. Preferably, the target line eyelet 24 has a target line eyelet opening 25 on an upper surface of the target line eyelet 24. The target line eyelet opening 25 is formed as a gap to allow release and attachment of the target line 23 to facilitate assembly. The target line opening 25 can be closed by a clip or carabiner or the like. The eyelet opening 25 can be connected to the overhanging pole 31 by the eyelet opening connector 26.

[0050] The target can be formed as a tetherball such as a sponge ball, foam ball or as a traditional tetherball. A user can grasp at the target. If the target has extending lines such as cords, strings or rope, the user can pull on the lines which may activate certain features of the target such as lights, sound on the target, or open a hatch such as in the case of a string pinata.

[0051] A slack control mechanism such as a reel, a line retainer 40 or a hitch knot retains line tension in the target line 23 and also adjust the height of the target 21. Preferably, a reel 33 can control slack in the target line 23. The real 33 can be controlled by a reel handle 34. The reel handle 34 can be optionally geared to a higher or lower ratio for faster or slower reeling. A slack portion of the target line extends from the reel and can be weighted by a target line weight 35. The slack portion of the target line can also be clamped with a line retainer such as a nautical line retainer. Instead of a reel or line retainer, the user can also hitch the line around the lower end of the trampoline enclosure pole, or can hitch the line around one of the trampoline legs.

[0052] The line retainer 40 could be used in conjunction with the reel. The line retainer 40 includes a line retainer body 41. The line retainer body 41 can be attached to the enclosure pole 32. The line retainer body 41 includes a line retainer clamp slot 43. The line retainer clamp slot 43 is formed vertically along a length of the line retainer 40 and holds the line retainer clamp 42. The line retainer clamp 42 is hinged to the line retainer body 41 at a line retainer hinge 44. The line retainer clamp 42 can rotate toward the line retainer slot 43 and retain the target line 23 between the line retainer clamp 42 and the line retainer body 41. The end of the line retainer clamp 42 can have an eccentric cam that binds to the target line 23. The line retainer clamp 42 could also be formed as a wheel, a lever or a wheel mounted on a lever.

[0053] Alternatively as seen in FIG. 6, the first overhanging pole connector can be formed as a helical spring that provides a spring tension to the overhanging pole 31. The helical spring can receive a lower end of the overhanging pole 31. The helical spring can be attached to the second overhanging pole connector 37. The second overhanging pole connector 37 can be attached to an upper end of the enclosure pole 32 get the second overhanging pole connector 37 is formed as a plastic end cap that fits over the enclosure pole 32.

[0054] User play can involve touching the target 21 at different heights. The target height can be adjustable by the reel or by the line retainer. As a user increases jumping height, the user can track the record height jumped.

[0055] The target 21 can be formed as a pinata designed to hold candy and be activated when burst such as by impact. Instead of a traditional impact burst pinata, 21 the target can be formed as a string pinata that opens a pinata hatch 45 for releasing candy or other small prizes when a particular pinata active line 46 is pulled on the string pinata. For example, as seen in FIG. 3 the string pinata can be styled as an insect with extending legs being the string lines. At least one string line is connected to a pinata hatch 45 for opening the pinata hatch of the string pinata. The pinata hatch 45 can be hinged, or held in place by weak adhesive. After pulling, the pinata active line 46 remains attached to the pinata hatch 45 which means that the pinata hatch 45 and the pinata active line 46 are pulled away from the target 21. The pinata is a string pinata with an active line connected to a pinata hatch. The pinata hatch is configured to release from the string pinata when a user pulls on the active line. To a child, this would appear as if he pulled away a leg of the insect which remained attached to a body section of the insect.

[0056] The following claims define the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A suspended target trampoline game comprising: a. a trampoline having a trampoline frame which includes a trampoline leg supporting the trampoline frame, and an enclosure, wherein the enclosure includes an enclosure pole connected to the trampoline frame, wherein the enclosure pole supports an enclosure net; a. an overhanging pole connected to the enclosure pole; b. a line suspended from the overhanging pole; and c. a target suspended from the line.

2. The suspended target trampoline game of claim 1, further including a detachable connection between the target and the line, wherein the detachable connection releasably attaches the target to the line.

3. The suspended target trampoline game of claim 1, further including a slack control mechanism for adjusting a height of the target.

4. The suspended target trampoline game of claim 1, wherein the target is a ball.

5. The suspended target trampoline game of claim 1, wherein the target is a pinata.

6. The suspended target trampoline game of claim 5, wherein the pinata is a string pinata with an active line connected to a pinata hatch, wherein the pinata hatch is configured to release from the string pinata when a user pulls on the active line.

7. The suspended target trampoline game of claim 6, further including a detachable connection between the target and the line, wherein the detachable connection releasably attaches the target to the line.

8. The suspended target trampoline game of claim 6, further including a slack control mechanism for adjusting a height of the target.

9. The suspended target trampoline game of claim 7, further including a detachable connection between the target and the line, wherein the detachable connection releasably attaches the target to the line.