Scoop and ball toss to bucket game

Abstract

A game and its components are disclosed which comprises, in one embodiment, one or more buckets for arranging on a playing surface, and scoops for receiving a malleable ball wherein players may toss the malleable balls or at the bucket in an effort to score points. Also disclosed are various methods for playing the game. The preferred arrangement of components of the invention includes two buckets that may stand alone or equidistant from the other bucket and opposite each player (or, if the players are more numerous than two-opposite each team of players), two identical malleable spherical balls which are shaped and sized such that the balls form a friction fit with two equally sized identical scoops, and two scoops for tossing the aforementioned balls into the bucket. The scoops can be used for catching and throwing without the buckets.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A game apparatus comprising:
 a. one or more scoops, each scoop including a handle and a rounded protrusion extending outward from the handle;   b. a bucket for receiving balls tossed using the one or more scoops, the bucket further comprising a fixed or detachable backboard to stop balls;   c. a raised backboard to stop balls;   d. wherein the raised backboard may have a decline to allow for the balls to bounce straight up in the air after hitting the backboard.   e. one or more malleable spherical balls sized and shaped to fit within the rounded protrusion of the scoop;   f. wherein the rounded protrusion of the scoop is configured to friction fit with the malleable spherical balls;   g. wherein the one or more scoops are also usable as stand-alone equipment for playing toss and catch games.   
     
     
         2 . The game apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more scoops are made of a hard or semi-hard material, selected from the group consisting of but not limited to plastic, leather and rubber. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the extended handle and rounded protrusion of the one or more scoops are identically shaped and sized, and the scoop apparatus can be used as a stand-alone or used in games like cricket, baseball, lacrosse, but not limited to, as a throwing object using suction lock and release mechanism. 
     
     
         4 . A method of playing a game, comprising the steps of:
 a. providing a game apparatus comprising one or more scoops, a bucket, and one or more malleable spherical balls;   b. tossing the malleable spherical balls at or into the bucket using the one or more scoops;   c. evaluating the tosses based on predetermined criteria to determine the score of each toss;   d. continuing the game until a predetermined number of team turns or points are reached, declaring a winner based on the higher score.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the predetermined criteria for evaluating the tosses include:
 a. the ball bouncing or rolling and hitting the bucket, worth one point;   b. the ball hitting the bucket without first touching the ground or other objects, worth two points;   c. the ball landing inside the bucket without being obstructed or redirected by other objects, automatically winning the game;   d. deducting points from the opposing team's score if they catch the tossed balls with the scoop after they hit the bucket.   
     
     
         6 . A game kit comprising:
 a. targets or buckets;   b. Scoop-like tossing mechanism;   c. One or more malleable spherical balls;   d. for use in a versus game with multiple players forming teams of equal number, each team using both buckets, scoops, and balls.