Two player three in one junior basketball game

Abstract

A multi-game arcade-type apparatus includes a framework, a first goal assembly, a ball return chute, and a second goal assembly. The first goal assembly receives tossed balls in a first game and is attached to a support portion of the framework. The ball return chute includes a bed and sidewalls for collecting balls from the first goal assembly and is attached between the support portion and a foldable portion of the framework. The second goal assembly receives tossed bean bags tossed in a second game and is attached to the bed. A rectangular front-end frame attached to the foldable portion includes a moveable upper cross member. In a first lower position, the moveable upper cross member stops the returning balls of the first game. In a second higher position, the moveable upper cross member acts as part of a third goal assembly for ladder balls tossed in a third game.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A foldable multi-game apparatus, comprising:
 a framework having a support portion and a foldable portion;   a first goal assembly coupled to the support portion for receiving balls tossed by a user in a first game;   a ball return chute having a bed and two sidewalls for collecting balls from the first goal assembly and returning the collected balls to the user, a first end of the ball return chute is coupled to the support portion and a second end of the ball return chute is coupled to the foldable portion; and   a second goal assembly coupled to the bed for receiving bean bags tossed by the user in a second game of bean bag toss.   
     
     
         2 . The foldable multi-game apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the second goal assembly comprises a hole in the bed. 
     
     
         3 . The foldable multi-game apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the second goal assembly comprises a container attached to the hole for collecting bean bags received by the hole in the second game. 
     
     
         4 . The foldable multi-game apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the container comprises netting. 
     
     
         5 . The foldable multi-game apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein a width of the hole is smaller than a maximum width of a ball used in the first game so that the hole does not interfere with the first game. 
     
     
         6 . The foldable multi-game apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a rectangular front-end frame that is attached to the foldable portion of the framework, the rectangular front-end frame comprises a lower cross member that attaches to the bed at the second end of the ball return chute, and a moveable upper cross member that can move with respect to the lower cross member to at least two different positions thereby increasing or decreasing a height of the rectangular front-end frame while still maintaining a rectangular shape;
 wherein, in a first lower position of the at least two different positions, the moveable upper cross member stops the returning balls of the first game at the second end; and   wherein, in a second higher position of the at least two different positions, the moveable upper cross member acts as part of a third goal assembly for ladder balls tossed in a third game of ladder toss.   
     
     
         7 . The foldable multi-game apparatus of  claim 6 ,
 wherein the rectangular front-end frame further comprises a first tee joint, a second tee joint, a first telescoping side tube and a second telescoping side tube; and   wherein the rectangular front-end frame is formed by:
 connecting a first end of the first telescoping side tube to one end of the moveable upper cross member and connecting a first end of the second telescoping side tube to another end of the moveable upper cross member; 
 connecting a middle opening of the first tee joint to one end of the lower cross member and connecting a middle opening of the second tee joint to another end of the lower cross member; and 
 sliding a second end of the first telescoping side tube into a first end opening of the first tee joint and sliding a second end of the second telescoping side tube into a first end opening of the second tee joint. 
   
     
     
         8 . The foldable multi-game apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the rectangular front-end frame is connected to the foldable portion of the framework by connecting a second end opening of the first tee joint to a first connecting tube of the foldable portion and connecting a second end opening of the second tee joint to a second connecting tube of the foldable portion. 
     
     
         9 . The foldable multi-game apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the first telescoping side tube and the second telescoping side tube each include at least one detent for maintaining the moveable upper cross member in the second higher position for the third game. 
     
     
         10 . A foldable multi-game apparatus, comprising:
 a framework having a support portion and a foldable portion;   a first goal assembly coupled to the support portion for receiving balls tossed by a user in a first game;   a ball return chute having a bed and two sidewalls for collecting balls from the first goal assembly and returning the collected balls to the user, a first end of the ball return chute is coupled to the support portion and a second end of the ball return chute is coupled to the foldable portion; and   a rectangular front-end frame that is attached to the foldable portion and that comprises a lower cross member that attaches to the bed at the second end of the ball return chute, and a moveable upper cross member that can move with respect to the lower cross member to at least two different positions thereby increasing or decreasing a height of the rectangular front-end frame while still maintaining a rectangular shape;   wherein, in a first lower position of the at least two different positions, the moveable upper cross member stops the returning balls of the first game at the second end; and   wherein, in a second higher position of the at least two different positions, the moveable upper cross member acts as part of a second goal assembly for ladder balls tossed in a second game of ladder toss.   
     
     
         11 . The foldable multi-game apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the rectangular front-end frame is connected to the foldable portion of the framework by connecting a second end opening of the first tee joint to a first telescoping tube of the foldable portion, and connecting a second end opening of the second tee joint to a second telescoping tube of the foldable portion. 
     
     
         12 . The foldable multi-game apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the first telescoping side tube and the second telescoping side tube each include at least one detent for maintaining the moveable upper cross member in the second higher position for the second game. 
     
     
         13 . The foldable multi-game apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the first lower position produces a height of the rectangular front-end frame that is smaller than a maximum width of a ball used in the first game so that the moveable upper cross member stops the ball at the second end of the ball return chute. 
     
     
         14 . The foldable multi-game apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising a third goal assembly coupled to the bed for receiving bean bags tossed by the user in a third game. 
     
     
         15 . The foldable multi-game apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the third goal assembly comprises a hole in the bed. 
     
     
         16 . The foldable multi-game apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the third goal assembly comprises a container attached to the hole for collecting bean bags received by the hole in the second game. 
     
     
         17 . The foldable multi-game apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the container comprises netting. 
     
     
         18 . The foldable multi-game apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein a width of the hole is smaller than a maximum width of a ball used in the first game so that the hole does not interfere with the first game. 
     
     
         19 . A method for converting a foldable multi-game apparatus from a ball toss game to a ladder toss game, the method comprising the steps of:
 moving a moveable upper cross member of a rectangular front-end frame of a foldable multi-game apparatus from a first lower position that stops returning balls of a first game of ball-tossing to a second higher position to act as part of a second goal assembly for ladder balls tossed in a second game.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein:
 the foldable multi-game apparatus further includes a framework;   the framework includes a support portion and a foldable portion;   the rectangular front-end frame is attached to the foldable portion;   the foldable multi-game apparatus further includes a first goal assembly coupled to the support portion for receiving balls tossed by a user in the first game;   the foldable multi-game apparatus further includes a ball return chute including a bed and two sidewalls for collecting balls from the first goal assembly and returning the collected balls to the user, wherein a first end of the ball return chute is coupled to the support portion, and at a second end of the ball return chute is coupled to the foldable portion;   wherein the rectangular front-end frame further includes a lower cross member that attaches to the bed at the second end of the ball return chute; and   wherein the moveable upper cross member moves with respect to the lower cross member thereby increasing or decreasing a height of the rectangular front-end frame while still maintaining a rectangular shape.