Competitive board game and mechanical energy-storing catch-and-propel

Abstract

A competitive board game wherein two players propel a ball back and forth between them, each attempting to get the ball past his opponent. Each player has a mechanical energy-storing catch-and-propel mechanism which is coupled to the board for limited movement. When the ball is propelled toward a player, he attempts to catch it with his mechanism. The mechanism automatically returns the ball toward the player's opponent. Each catch and propel mechanism is manually cocked by a player after each discharge. The player directs the return to attempt to make it more difficult for the opponent to catch the ball. The play proceeds until someone misses. The players may be opposite one another with the board extending between them, or they may both face an upright wall against which the ball is rebounded. The ball is discharged automatically and essentially instantaneously each time it is caught by a mechanism. One illustrated form of the mechanism discharges the ball each time at a generally predetermined speed.