Speed and Agility Game Platform

Abstract

An athletic game, or sport where a player interacts with ricocheting ping pong balls emitting from an apparatus, challenging the player's reaction speed, and dexterity. The apparatus is wall mounted at about eye-level, or higher, said apparatus containing one or more ball retaining, and dispensing apertures that are controlled by a programmed chip. The game is played by a player anticipating a series of balls, that have no predictable sequence, being dropped from any one of several orifices, seeing each ball drop, strike a shelf, then bounce upward, giving the player an attempt to catch, net, hit, or shoot at a time interval controlled series of balls, before any can reach the floor.

1 . An apparatus for providing a game or agility training, the apparatus comprising:
 a ball housing:   a plurality of balls disposed within the ball housing;   an adjustable shelf coupled to the ball housing; and   a control box coupled to the ball housing,   wherein the control box comprises means for regulating how the plurality of balls are dispensed from the ball housing.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the ball housing comprises:
 at least one chamber defined within the ball housing: 
 an aperture defined in a surface of the ball housing and communicated to a distal end of the at least one chamber; and 
 a mechanical switch adjacently disposed to the aperture, the mechanical switch comprising a closed configuration which closes the aperture and an open configuration which opens the aperture, 
 wherein the control box comprises means for alternating the mechanical switch between the closed configuration and the open configuration. 
 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the shelf is coupled to the ball housing by a plurality of telescoping rods directly beneath a bottom surface of the ball housing. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the control box comprises means for communicating with the mechanical switch. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the means for alternating the mechanical switch between the closed configuration and the open configuration comprises means for alternating the mechanical switch between the closed configuration and the open configuration according to predetermined sequence. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the means for alternating the mechanical switch between the closed configuration and the open configuration comprises means for alternating the mechanical switch between the closed configuration and the open configuration according to random sequence. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the ball housing comprises a recess defined around the perimeter, the recess configured to accommodate a cover plate therein. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the at least one chamber comprises a zigzag configuration defined throughout a height of the ball housing. 
     
     
         9 . A system for providing a game or agility training, the system comprising:
 a ball housing;   an extendable shelf coupled to the ball housing:   a plurality of chambers defined within the ball housing;   a plurality of balls disposed within at least one of the plurality of chambers; and   a plurality of mechanical switches disposed within the ball housing,   wherein the extendable shelf is disposed beneath each of the plurality of mechanical switches.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9  wherein the extendable shelf comprises means for rotating the extendable shelf relative to a vertical plane defined by the ball housing. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9  further comprising a control box communicated to each of the plurality of mechanical switches, the control box comprising means for controlling each of the plurality of mechanical switches. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9  wherein at least one of the plurality of chambers comprises a zigzag configuration defined within the ball housing. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 9  wherein each of the plurality of chambers comprises an aperture disposed at its distal end and at least one surface disposed adjacent to the aperture. 
     
     
         14 . A method for playing a game or engaging in agility training comprising:
 disposing a plurality of balls in a ball housing;   dispensing the plurality of balls from the ball housing;   reflecting at least one of the dispensed plurality of balls in a direction away from the ball housing; and   engaging with the at least one reflected plurality of balls by a user.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein reflecting at least one of the dispensed plurality of balls in a direction away from the ball housing comprises dropping the at least one of the dispensed plurality of balls from the ball housing onto an angled shelf disposed beneath the ball housing. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14  wherein dispensing the plurality of balls from the ball housing comprises dispensing the plurality of balls from a plurality of chambers defined within the ball housing according to a predetermined sequence. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14  wherein dispensing the plurality of balls from the ball housing comprises releasing at least one of the plurality of balls from the ball housing by actuating a mechanical switch disposed within the ball housing. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14  wherein dispensing the plurality of balls from the ball housing comprises controlling the operation of a plurality of mechanical switches through a control box communicated to the ball housing. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14  wherein disposing the plurality of balls in the ball housing comprises distributing the plurality of balls between a plurality of chambers defined within the ball housing, each of the plurality of chambers comprising at least one surface which comprises an angle relative to a horizontal axis of the ball housing. 
     
     
         20 . The method of claim of  claim 14  wherein disposing the plurality of balls in the ball housing comprises stacking the plurality of balls in a zigzag configuration within at least one chamber defined within the ball housing.