PENTAGONAL POOL

Abstract

A five-sided pool may be used to play a game such as water baseball. The pool may include a base having a top surface and a bottom surface. The base may include batter boxes and a home plate on the top surface of the base. The pool may further include multiple sides joined at a periphery of the base. The base and the multiple sides may form a pentagonal-shaped pool.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a pool, and more particularly to a pentagonal pool that may enable users to play water baseball.

Description of the Related Art

There exist miniature inflatable pools (e.g., kiddie pools) that are typically placed in home backyards and are used by users for playing water activities. Such pools are lightweight and may be easily moved from one location to another.

Typically, users play different water activities using such pools. However, there may be instances where the users may desire to play additional activities or sports that are generally not possible using conventional inflatable pools. For example, some pools are too short and/or too tall for the players to effectively play the activities or sports that they desire.

Wiffle ball was invented in 1953. Since then, it has had only minor innovation, mostly around bats and balls.

Thus, there is a need for a pool that facilitates players to play additional activities or sports.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of the present disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented herein.

In accordance with embodiments of the invention, there is provided a pool that may enable users to play a game such as water baseball or wiffle ball, played in a pool to enhance fun in the sun. The pool may include a base having a top surface and a bottom surface. The base may include batter boxes and a home plate disposed on the top surface of the base. The pool may further include a plurality of sides disposed at a periphery of the base. In certain embodiments, the base and the plurality of sides may form a pentagonal pool.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a five-sided pool, in accordance with embodiments of the invention, shown in use; and

FIG. 2 depicts a top plan view thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

Broadly, provided is a five-sided, home plate-shaped pool for playing baseball or wiffle ball.

In use, a batter holding a tool such as a bat or racquet may stand in the pool with a pitcher standing at a distance, throwing a ball into the pool at the batter. The batter may hit the ball and run the bases, e.g., according to conventional baseball rules, and slide into the pool for a run, using the home plate as a strike zone. Alternatively, the pool may be filled with balls for use as a ball pit.

The pool may have any suitable dimensions. For example, the dimensions of five sides of the pool may be about 8×about 4×about 5.6×about 5.6×about 4 feet. Each batter box may have a dimension of about 4×about 2 feet², and the home plate may have a dimension of about 17×about 8.5×about 12×about 12×about 8.5 inches. The floor may be positioned at about a 90° angle to the sides. A longest wall may be joined to the two adjacent walls at about a 90° angle. The dimensions mentioned above are exemplary and not limiting.

In some embodiments, the pool may have mesh netting disposed in proximity to a back portion of the base. The mesh netting may be removably attached to the ground and may be disposed in proximity to the third side and the fourth side. The mesh netting may face a pitcher and may act as a backstop to the balls thrown by the pitcher. In addition, there may be provided rubber bases, balls, and bats to play water baseball.

The pool may also comprise an air valve for filling the pool with air so that it contains water. The pool may further comprise a drain, enabling the user to drain water out of the pool. The user may then fold the pool up for storage. In embodiments, the pool may have a home plate and batter's box imprinted on the floor. In embodiments, lateral I-Beams may be affixed to the pool material to reinforce the structure.

The pool (i.e. the base and the five sides) may be made of any plastic material including, but not limited to, Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene (PE), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), and/or the like. PVC may be preferred in some cases. The plastic material may be cut to predetermined dimensions. The floor may be printed with a batter's box and home plate. A hole may be cut into one side and an air valve may be installed into the hole, allowing the material to seal in air while being watertight. A hole may be cut in the floor and a watertight drain may be installed into the hole. The floor and sides may be air or heat melded together to create a solid structure, e.g., using a high frequency welding machine.

The sidewalls may be inflatable, having a width when inflated. The sidewalls may have a scalloped configuration, e.g., having vertically oriented arcuate portions, each pair of which has a common edge. The scalloped configuration may be present on both an interior surface of the sidewalls and an exterior surface of the sidewalls.

Turning to FIGS. 1 and 2, FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a pool 10 to play water baseball, in accordance with embodiments of the invention. Pool 10 may be an inflatable pool that may include a base 14 (or floor) and a plurality of sides 12 that are attached to the periphery of base 14. In an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of sides may include five sides, e.g., a first side, a second side, a third side, a fourth side, and a fifth side. The five sides may be securely attached to base 14 and disposed perpendicular to the plane of the base 14 (when the pool 10 is inflated), such that the pool 10 may hold water in the interior portion of the pool 10 defined by the five sides. Although FIG. 1 depicts five sides of the pool 10, in other embodiments of the present disclosure, the pool 10 may include more or less sides, can be of any shape capable of retaining water, and can be of any dimension. FIG. 2 depicts a top view of the pool 10.

In an exemplary embodiment, pool 10 may be of a shape of a pentagon, such as a baseball home plate, as depicted in FIG. 1. The second side may be parallel to the fifth side and may be disposed opposite to each other. A distal end of the second side and a distal end of the fifth side may be connected to two opposite ends of the first side. The second side and the fifth side may be disposed perpendicular to the first side. A proximal end of the second side may be attached to a distal end of the third side, and a proximal end of the fifth side may be attached to a distal end of the fourth side. The proximal end of the third side and the proximal end of the fourth side may be attached to each other.

In embodiments, the pool 10 can be dimensioned such that the second side may have a length equivalent to a length of the fifth side. The third side may have a length equivalent to a length of the fourth side. The first side may have a length greater than respective lengths of the second side, the third side, the fourth side and the fifth side. In an exemplary embodiment, the first side may be 8 feet long, the second side may be 5 feet long, the third side may be 6 feet long, the fourth side may be 6 feet long, and the fifth side may be 5 feet long. Further, in an exemplary embodiment, each of the fives side may have a height of about 18 inches.

In some embodiments, base 14 may include regulation-sized home plate 18 (e.g., a plate having a shape of a home, and having 5 sides) and regulation-sized batter boxes 16 (e.g., a first batter box 16 and a second batter box 16) in a base front portion. Home plate 18 and the first and second batter boxes 16 may be disposed on a top surface of the base 14, which may enable a batter to stand in the first batter box 16 or the second batter box 16 to play water baseball. The home plate 18 and batter boxes 16 may be formed with pointed corners and/or rounded corners.

Home plate 18 may be disposed between the first batter box 16 and the second batter box 16. Further, the home plate 18 and the first and second batter boxes 16 may be of any dimensions. For example, the home plate 18 may have a dimension of 17×8.5×8.5×12×12 inches. Each of the first batter box 16 and the second batter box 16 may be a rectangle with dimensions of 4×2 feet². The dimensions mentioned above are exemplary and not limiting.

Pool 10 may further include air compartment plugs (not shown) that may enable the user to inflate pool 10. The air compartment plugs may be disposed anywhere in pool 10. For example, the air compartment plugs may be disposed on any of the sides 12. In addition, pool 10 may include a drain channel (not shown) configured to drain water from pool 10.

In a method of playing a ball game, a batter 22 may stand in water 20 on the pool 10, for example (see FIG. 1), in the first batter box 16 or the second batter box 16, and other players (e.g., other batters) may stand on the ground (e.g., outside the pool 10, and on rubber bases disposed on the ground). A pitcher may also stand on the ground and may face pool 10 and the batter standing in pool 10. As players get on base 14 and in order for a run to count, another player (e.g., another batter) may jump or safely slide into pool 10. Thus, pool 10 would enable players to play the game of water baseball using pool 10 as home plate. A pitch within the designated strike zone that lands in the pool 10 may be considered a strike. Any ball that lands outside of pool 10 is an automatic ball. If the pitcher hits the batter with a pitch, he or she can decide to charge the pool for a fun wrestling match within the pool. These pitches may be considered a ball rather than a player hit by pitch and granted first base.

Except as may be expressly otherwise indicated, the article “a” or “an” if and as used herein is not intended to limit, and should not be construed as limiting, the description or a claim to a single element to which the article refers. Rather, the article “a” or “an” if and as used herein is intended to cover one or more such elements, unless the text expressly indicates otherwise.

Claims

1. A pool configured for playing a ballgame, the pool comprising: a base having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the base comprises batter boxes and a home plate on the top surface of the base; anda plurality of inflatable sidewalls disposed at a periphery of the base, wherein the base and the plurality of inflatable sidewalls form a pentagon shape when in a use position.

2. The pool of claim 1, wherein the pool is made from a plastic selected from the group consisting of: Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene (PE), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), and any combination thereof.

3. The pool of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sides have a height of about 18 inches.

4. A method of playing a ballgame, comprising: providing the pool of claim 1 containing water;positioning a batter in the water, a pitcher outside of the pool facing the batter, and other players outside the pool on bases;pitching, by the pitcher, a ball to the batter;swinging a tool by the batter toward the ball;wherein if the batter strikes the ball, the batter runs to one of the bases and one of the other players is positioned in the water; if one of the other players enters the pool from the bases, a run is recorded; if the batter misses the ball and the ball lands in the pool, a strike is recorded; and if the ball lands outside of the pool following the pitching, a ball is recorded.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein if the pitcher hits the batter with the ball, the pitcher enters the pool and a ball is recorded.