A collapsible structure has a base panel (22c,52a,72a) having separate first and second sides (23a,23c,54a,54c,74a,74c), and first and second wall panels (22a,22b,52b,52d,72b,72e), each having a bottom side (26b,27b,58a,60a,80a,82a) connected to one of the sides of the base panel. Each panel further includes a foldable frame member (32a,32b,32c) having a folded and an unfolded orientation, and a fabric material (34) substantially covering the frame member to form the panel when the frame member is in the unfolded orientation. The fabric assumes the unfolded orientation of its associated frame member. The first and second sides of the base panel rest on a surface when the structure is in its deployed configuration.

- L'objet de l'invention est un dispositif d'entraînement au jeu de boules caractérisé en ce qu'il comprend une piste de lancer (1), au moins un support (15) d'une boule-cible (5), ledit support étant agencé au voisinage de l'une des extrémités de la piste et de manière mobile en s'escamotant au moins partiellement dans la piste suivant une direction sensiblement perpendiculaire au plan de la piste, un moyen (17,26) sensible à l'amplitude des déplacements vers le bas dudit support (15) de boule-cible sous l'impact d'une boule lancée par un joueur et propre à détecter l'atteinte ou le dépassement par ledit déplacement d'un seuil pré-déterminé réglable et un moyen (25) de rappel dudit support de boule-cible dans une position haute de repos pour laquelle ladite boule-cible (5) est approxima-tivement de niveau avec le plan de la piste (1).

- Application notamment à la pétanque.

Rules of a game and its game pieces. The game utilizes free-standing game pieces to enhance a player's options when there are a less than desirable number of participants for a traditional field game. Each of the game pieces is composed of a lightweight material for easy positioning. The game pieces are large enough to serve as both a target and an obstacle. The game pieces are also constructed with a flexible support means (12) to both cushion contact with a human player or the game object and lessen the possibility of the game pieces breaking upon such contact. The game pieces are connected to a base (11) that disconnects upon contact capable of breaking the support means. Rules for use of the game pieces are also disclosed.

Le dispositif conforme à l'invention comprend un châssis (1) dont la partie supérieure du cadre (4) supporte un filet (2) qui comporte des moyens de former une poche (2d) dont la partie inférieure est lestée par une rondelle (8) entourant son ouverture (2c).

Le châssis (1) porte un pivot (14) vertical sur lequel est posée la base du boîtier du lanceur (3) qui est, en outre, attaché audit châssis par une liaison souple (15, 16). Ainsi, l'impact des balles sur le filet (2) provoque des vibrations du châssis (1) qui entraînent des variations de position du lanceur (3) qui sont, en outre, provoquées par l'éjection des balles, de sorte que leurs trajectoires sont aléatoires.

A ball game apparatus includes a loosely put-up net (30), an elastic cord (43) one end of which is con­nected to a fixed frame (13) of the net and the other end of which is connected to a ball (40), and a target (60), located behind the net, for outputting ball speed and hit signals of the ball flying toward the net.

Matériel d'entrainement pour joueurs pratiquant des sports comportant l'envoi d'un ballon ou analogue dans une cible choisie, caractérisé en ce qu'il se compose essentiellement :

- d'au moins une cible (5,6) au moins partiellement matérialisée et comportant sur sa périphérie extérieure des moyens d'amarrage (14) à un cadre fixe, constitué de préférence par la fenêtre d'un but (1-3) traditionnel,

- et d'au moins un filet de renvoi (11,12), accroché le long des/d'une de ses extrémités à la périphérie intérieure de ladite cible (5,6).

Disclosed is a device for generating an analog output signal indicative of an impact to a transducer. The transducer may be mounted on protective equipment utilized in various martial arts fields, such as headgear, hand or footgear, protective vests and the like or can be mounted on training equipment, such as a heavy bag, striking pad, etc. In a preferred embodiment the transducer is a piezoelectric film which, upon deformation, generates an electrical signal which is indicative of the amount of deformation. By placing the piezoelectric film on top of a deformable material, in a preferred embodiment sandwiching it in the deformable material, impacts to the deformable material will strain the piezoelectric film generating the signal output. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the piezoelectric transducer is mounted on a target pad and provides an analog output indicative of the characteristic of an object impacting the target pad, i.e., baseball, softball, tennis ball, hockey puck, golf ball, etc. For use in the martial arts, the transducer may be connected to a transmitter and remote receiver for providing an indication of the impact at a remote location. In further preferred embodiments, the transducers may be mounted on one participant's headgear so as to provide an indication of impacts delivered to that participant by another participant in the sport or mounted on the hands or feet of the participant to provide a signal by means of a flexible transducer mounted on the hand or foot, thus providing an indication of a blow delivered to another party.

A recreational/ sport apparatus (1) comprises a playing field (2), on which a target (3) is arranged protruding from a surface (S) of the playing field (2), and a ball (4) adapted to be shot toward the target (3).

Conveniently, the apparatus (1) comprises means apt to perform the reconstruction of the trajectory (γ) of the ball (4), those means comprising at least one first camera (Cam1) and at least one second camera (Cam2) apt to simultaneously acquire a plurality of first images (Img1) and second images (Img2), respectively, of the ball (4), and a central unit (5) that receives the first and second images (Img1, Img2) by means of data reception/transmission means (TX1, TX2, TX5) and that processes those first and second images (Img1, Img2) in predetermined consecutive time-intervals, the central unit (5) calculating the two-dimensional position of the ball (4) in each of those first and second images (Img1, Img2), so as to determine, at each time-interval, the three-dimensional position of the ball (4) by comparing those two-dimensional positions, the target (3) being divided into a plurality of target areas (3'), the central unit (5) being apt to recognize a coordinate (s_t) at which one of the target areas (3') is intersected by the trajectory (γ) of the ball (4).