Circular court basketball game with ball ejector

Claim 2

A basketball game comprising a pole mountable in an upright position at the center of a court; a horizontal hoop; support means carried by the pole and supporting the hoop above the top of the pole; a tapered net basket suspended from the hoop within said support means; a ring secured to and closing the bottom of the basket to prevent a ball entering through the hoop from falling through the net; and a ball ejection mechanism carried by the pole and operable through the ring to eject the ball upwardly through the hoop and out of the basket.

Claim 3

A basketball game as defined in claim 1, wherein said support means are arms detachably engaged with said hoop and said pole.

Claim 4

A basketball game as defined in claim 1, wherein said ejection mechanism comprises an axially vertical coil spring disposed in a bore inside the pole; an axially movable rod engaged with said spring for compressing the spring, said rod having a portion extending through said ring and retractable therefrom when the spring is compressed; and means operatively engaged with said rod for retracting the same axially of the pole to compress the spring, whereby the rod is thrust upwardly by said spring when the rod is released for ejecting the ball up out of the basket through the hoop.

Claim 5

A basketball game as defined in claim 3, wherein said pole is hollow and the rod is disposed inside the pole, said rod having a bent upper end to deflect the ball laterally as it is ejected upwardly out of the net and through the hoop.

Claim 6

A basketball game as defined in claim 4, wherein the last-named means comprises a sleeve slidably disposed outside the pole to serve as a handgrip for retracting the rod.

Claim 7

A basketball game as defined in claim 3, wherein the rod is disposed outside the pole and has a bent upper end defining a curved bight and short arm. Said arm carrying a flange engaging the spring, said curved bight extending eccentrically through the ring for deflecting the ball laterally as it is ejected upwardly out of the net and through the hoop.

Claim 8

A basketball game as defined in claim 6, wherein the last-named means is a coiled handgrip integral with the rod and slidably encircling the pole.

Claim 9

A basketball gaMe as defined in claim 1, wherein the net is made of twine with courses engaged between the ring and hoop.

Claim 10

A basketball game as defined in claim 1, wherein said pole has a bore at its upper end; said support means comprising a head engaged in said bore, and arms detachably engaged at opposite ends with said head and said hoop in circumferentially spaced positions said ball ejection mechanism comprising an axially vertical coil spring disposed in said bore inside the pole; an axially movable rod engaged with said spring for compressing the spring, said rod having a portion extending through said ring and retractable therefrom when the spring is compressed; and means operatively engaged with said rod for retracting the same axially of the pole to compress the spring, whereby the rod is thrust upwardly by said spring when the rod is released for ejecting the ball up out of the basket through the hoop.

Claim 11

A basketball game as defied in claim 1, further comprising means at the bottom end of the pole for mounting the pole in axially vertical position at the center of a circular court, with means for quickly demounting the pole.