Tennis table and a net structure therefor

Abstract

Table tennis has a long history. It began as a parlor game played on the dining table. Since any table could be used, the dimensions of tennis tables remained unfixed until years later when a standard size was established for tournament play. There was no apparent need or reason since to change the standard size of a table tennis table. Lately, the game of tennis has evolved from a game of soft strokes to a game of flat, hard, drives with low trajectories. In addition tennis professionals on tour began playing table tennis between matches in the professional player's lounges in order to relax and to warm up before games. Hence there have been attempts to carry the same strokes over into table tennis. However regular tennis strokes are difficult if not impossible to execute on conventional tennis tables. We have now found that such low trajectory drives are possible if the tennis table is a scaled down form of a standard tennis courts. In addition, the net structure herein is a scaled down reproduction of a regulation tennis net, and the net structure is so fabricated that the ball interacts with its top portion on contact as does a tennis ball with a tennis net during tennis play.

1 . A table tennis table enhancing a player's reflexes and visual acuteness so that they carry over to a standard tennis court thereby improving the player's tennis game, the tennis table having a top face comprising a rigid rectangular playing surface fabricated as a scale form of the standard tennis court, the scale of the fabrication being a ratio in the range of one-ninth to one-sixteenth thereby permitting players using the table tennis table to utilize the regular tennis strokes and to improve hand-to-eye coordination.  
   
   
       2 . The table tennis table of  claim 1  wherein the playing surface is fabricated with lines forming back courts, right and left service courts and alleys, reduced in size by scaling each in the same ratio as that selected within the one-ninth to one-sixteenth scale for the playing surface, the lines assisting teaching tennis rules and scoring.  
   
   
       3 . The table tennis table of  claim 2  wherein the playing surface is a high impact plastic.  
   
   
       4 . The table tennis table of  claim 3  wherein the high impact plastic is an acrylic resin.  
   
   
       5 . The table tennis table of  claim 3  in combination with a conventional mesh tennis net.  
   
   
       6 . A table tennis net comprising a scaled fabrication of a regular tennis net from a solid piece of high impact plastic panel to form a net structure, the scale ratio being in the range of one-ninth to one-sixteenth relative to the regular tennis net, the net structure having both of its top edges machined to form truncated radii enabling a table tennis ball to duplicate the travel of let chord shots across the net as in conventional tennis.  
   
   
       7 . The table tennis net structure of  claim 6  wherein the high impact plastic is an acrylic resin.  
   
   
       8 . The combination of the table tennis table of  claim 1  with the net structure of  claim 6 .  
   
   
       9 . The combination of  claim 8  wherein the table tennis table and the net structure are each fabricated as clear plastics treated with a neon color process which provides a frame of reference for balls crossing the net structure.  
   
   
       10 . The combination of  claim 8  wherein the table tennis table scale is one-ninth and the net structure scale is one ninth.  
   
   
       11 . The combination of  claim 8  wherein the table tennis table scale is one-twelfth and the net structure scale is one twelfth.  
   
   
       12 . The combination of  claim 8  wherein the table tennis table scale is one-sixteenth and the net structure scale is one-sixteenth.