Racket sport system and method of play for an aerial projectile game

Abstract

A racket sport system and method of play for an aerial projectile game are disclosed. The system generally comprises of two truncated-cone or pyramid shaped containers, at least two rackets, and a game ball. The containers are targeted objects with an opening located on the top and on the front sidewall for game ball entry. Players of two-player teams are placed a distance apart as with the distance apart of the two containers. Teams take turns serving and receiving the game ball with their rackets to contact or enter the opposing containers for assisted or unassisted points. To win, a team must be the only team to score exactly twenty-one points or score the most points in the overtime round(s) when a tie occurs. Teams can also win immediately during any round when a player serves the game ball into an opposing container without assistance from their teammate.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A racket sport system for an aerial projectile game comprising:
 a game ball;   at least two rackets; and   two targeted containers each having a predetermined bottom diameter and top diameter, a top opening at the narrowest part of the container having a predetermined diameter for potential entry of the game ball, and having a sidewall opening at a predetermined location and diameter for potential entry of the game ball.   
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein each targeted container has a bottom diameter larger than the top diameter so that each container is not generally cylindrical and is one of a truncated-cone shaped container or a pyramid shaped container. 
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein each targeted container has a top opening at the narrowest part of the container having a predetermined diameter large enough for game ball entry. 
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein each targeted container has a sidewall opening at a predetermined location and diameter that is large enough for game ball entry. 
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 4 , wherein the sidewall opening of each container is located on the mid-upper half of the front sidewall of each container. 
     
     
         6 . A method of play for an aerial projectile game, the method comprising:
 forming two, two-player teams;   placing two truncated-cone or pyramid shaped containers facing each other at a predetermined distance apart;   situating one player from each team behind a first of the containers;   situating the remaining player from each team behind a second of the containers;   determining an initial team and a subsequent team by the closeness of a game ball to one of the containers;   targeting the second container with the game ball using a first racket by the first player of the initial team who is situated behind the first container;   targeting the first container with the game ball using a second racket by the second player of the initial team who is situated behind the second container;   targeting the second container with the game ball using a third racket (or reusing the first racket) by the first player of the subsequent team who is situated behind the first container;   targeting the first container with the game ball using a fourth racket (or reusing the second racket) by the second player of the subsequent team who is situated behind the second container;   determining the score for each game play during the round(s); and   determining the victor of the aerial projectile game.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the step of determining an initial team and a subsequent team by the closeness of the game ball to a container comprises:
 having one player from each of the two, two-player teams stand behind the first container;   having each of the two players behind the first container serve the game ball toward the second container; and   allowing the player whose served game ball lands closest to the front of the second container decide who will be the initial team and who will be the subsequent team.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the step of determining the scoring comprises:
 determining the score of an assisted play when a player assists his or her teammate to contact or enter the targeted container;   not scoring assisted points if the game ball contacts any surface, object, or person prior to contacting the racket of the receiving teammate;   not scoring assisted points if the opposing container is not first contacted or entered into by the game ball following the contact made by the racket of the receiving teammate;   not scoring assisted points if any one player of a team contacts the game ball multiple times during a turn in a round;   scoring one assisted point if the game ball contacts, but not enters into, the opposing container with the assistance of the receiving teammate;   scoring three assisted points if the game ball enters through the top opening of the opposing container with the assistance of the receiving teammate;   scoring five assisted points if the game ball enters through a front sidewall opening of the opposing container with the assistance of the receiving teammate;   determining the score of an unassisted play when a player serves the game ball to the opposing container to either contact or enter into the container without the assistance of his or her teammate;   not scoring unassisted points or an immediate-victory-point if the game ball contacts any surface, object, or person prior to contacting or entering into the opposing container;   scoring two unassisted points by the server if the game ball contacts, but does not enter into, the opposing container without assistance;   scoring an immediate-victory-point by the server if the game ball enters through the front sidewall opening of the opposing container without assistance;   scoring an immediate-victory-point by the server if the game ball enters through the top opening of the opposing container without assistance;   determining the score after a penalty when either of the two, two-player teams score over twenty-one points; and   deducting the number of points last earned from the number of total points the team had prior to going over twenty-one points.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the step of determining a victor of the aerial projectile game comprises:
 determining if each of the two, two-player teams have an equal amount of chances to score exactly twenty-one points, wherein if the initial team is the first to score exactly twenty-one points then the subsequent team will still have another turn to try to score twenty-one points if the subsequent team has at least eleven points, and wherein if the subsequent team is the first to score exactly twenty-one points then the initial team will not have another turn to try to score twenty-one points;   determining a team victorious after one of the two, two-player teams is the only team to score exactly twenty-one points, wherein if a team is the only one to score exactly twenty-one points then the opposing team will be given the opportunity for a rebuttal whereby each player of the opposing team has one opportunity to score an immediate-victory-point;   determining a team victorious after a player scores an immediate-victory-point, wherein if any player scores an immediate-victory-point at any time during the game then the team of the player who scored an immediate-victory-point will be declared the victor; and   determining a team victorious when both of the two, two-player teams score exactly twenty-one points, wherein if both of the said two two-player teams score exactly twenty-one points then the teams will go into overtime to break the tie, wherein the team that scores the most after an overtime round will be declared the victor and overtime rounds will continue until one of the teams score higher in one round over the other team, and the team with the highest score in an overtime round will be declared victorious.