Light-up table tennis paddle and method

Abstract

A table tennis blade for playing table tennis with a ball includes a handle, a paddle extending from the handle having a generally circular configuration, one or more sources of light mounted to the handle or the paddle and/or a sensor mounted to the handle and/or the paddle. The sensor may be in communication with the light and may be configured to illuminate the light when the paddle strikes the ball.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A table tennis blade for playing table tennis with a ball, the blade comprising:
 a handle;   a paddle extending from said handle having a first side and a second side;   one or more light sources mounted to the handle or the paddle that can be illuminated; and   a sensor mounted to the handle or the paddle, said sensor in communication with the one or more light sources and configured to cause the light to illuminate upon sensing a triggering event.   
     
     
         2 . The table tennis blade of  claim 1 , wherein said sensor is an audio sensor. 
     
     
         3 . The table tennis blade of  claim 1 , wherein said sensor is a piezoelectric sensor. 
     
     
         4 . The table tennis blade of  claim 1 , wherein said sensor is a vibration sensor. 
     
     
         5 . The table tennis blade of  claim 1 , wherein said sensor is an accelerometer. 
     
     
         6 . The table tennis blade of  claim 1 , wherein said triggering event comprises contact between said table tennis blade and the ball. 
     
     
         7 . The table tennis blade of  claim 1 , wherein said triggering event comprises acceleration of the table tennis paddle. 
     
     
         8 . The table tennis blade of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first sheet of rubber mounted to the first side of the paddle; and   a second sheet of rubber mounted to the second side of the paddle.   
     
     
         9 . The table tennis blade of  claim 1 , wherein said one or more light sources comprise a light emitting diode. 
     
     
         10 . The table tennis blade of  claim 1 , wherein said one or more light sources comprise a red, green, and a blue light source. 
     
     
         11 . The table tennis blade of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first semi-transparent sheet mounted to a first side of the paddle, said one or more light sources mounted beneath the first semi-transparent sheet.   
     
     
         12 . The table tennis blade of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a second semi-transparent sheet mounted to the second side of the paddle, the one or more light sources mounted beneath the second semi-transparent sheet.   
     
     
         13 . The table tennis blade of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a battery mounted in the handle, said battery in communication with the sensor.   
     
     
         14 . The table tennis blade of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a battery mounted in the handle, said battery in communication with the light.   
     
     
         15 . The table tennis blade of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor is mounted to the handle. 
     
     
         16 . The table tennis blade of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more fiber optic cables or strands. 
     
     
         17 . The table tennis blade of  claim 1 , wherein said sensor can detect the location where the ball strikes the table tennis blade and one or more light sources are illuminated at or adjacent to the location where the ball strikes the table tennis blade. 
     
     
         18 . A table tennis blade for playing table tennis with a ball, the blade comprising:
 a handle;   a paddle extending from said handle having a first side and a second side; and   wherein said table tennis blade comprises at least one LED or LCD display.   
     
     
         19 . The table tennis blade of  claim 18 , wherein the at least one LED or LCD display has a pixel density of greater than or equal to 5 pixels per inch. 
     
     
         20 . A table tennis blade for playing table tennis with a ball, the blade comprising:
 a handle;   a paddle extending from said handle having a first side and a second side;   at least one light source mounted to the handle or the paddle that can be illuminated;   a battery;   one or more switches in communication with said battery and said one or more light sources; and   a sensor mounted to the handle or the paddle, the sensor in communication with the light and configured to cause the light to illuminate when the paddle strikes the ball.