I am looking for a table tennis (ping pong) table that has a ball
return features.  If any are found, I would further like to know if
that feature is patented or patent pending.

I would like the answer today 1/2/04, if possible.
Thanks.

Greetings Columob:

Is this the type of device you seek?

"The collecting net that belongs to these robots requires only some
movements to be mounted, totally surrounds the part of the table
towards the player, so it can collect every returned ball and returns
them back to the receiver of the machine, from where the balls will be
forwarded automatically to the shooting head. Its shooting device is
represented by 2 discs with parallel shaft; each of them is driven by
a variable speed motor."
http://www.lcs-sport.hu/html/eng/ [images provided at link]

Best regards,
journalist-ga

SEARCH STRATEGY:

"table tennis" "ball return" device
"table tennis" "automatic ball return"
"ping pong" "automatic ball return"

This is much more elaborate and expensive than I am looking for.  It
is also for solo play only.  What I am looking for is something that
is intended for normal 2-4 player play, and returns the ball to the
player when it is stuck up at the net and hard to reach, especially
for kids.

Does that help?

columbo-ga:

Just a comment here. When I was a kid, our solution for this (on a
relatively cheap table, so your results may vary) was to put some
folded-up paper underneath the center legs of the table. There was
just enough slop in the metal joints of the table to allow this
without making the table wobbly, and this gave a vert slight incline
to the table surface falling away from both sides of the centre net.
Balls that jammed into the net would roll back towards the end of the
table, no ball return mechanism required!

Regards,

aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher

I hear you about jacking up the legs, but I'm trying to determine if
anything is currently made/offered by a table manufacturer (vs. jury
rigged) that would return the ball when stuck at the net.  I
appreciate that I have a researcher that acknowledges the problem from
past personal experience :)

The bottom line is that I have an invention that returns the ball...
trying to see if the way is clear to patent and produce...

Thanks.

This is my first time using this system... are we finished or can I
expect further information/answers?

columbo-ga:

Your question will remain available for a Researcher to respond to
until its expiry date (Feb 01). Google Answers is a system whereby
independent Researchers such as myself, who have been tested and
authorized by the Google Answer editors, provide independent research
services to clients such as yourself. The success rate at which your
questions are answered depend on several factors, including:
- the clarity of the Question (it often helps to state more than the
Question, such as the reason why the Question is asked, as this helps
provide context to the Researchers),
- the value associated with the Question relative to the effort
required to research it (you may notice some questions never get
answered mainly because the client associated too low a list price for
the question in relation to the work involved),
- whether or not an answer exists (some Questions just don't have an answer).

In the case of this particular Question, as one example, I went
through the online search capabilities of the US Patent and Trademark
Office, and was not able to find anything close to what you are
looking for. That does not mean that a solution does not exist, it
simply means that searching for "table tennis ball return" related
patents resulted in a lot of solo-game or solo-practice type of
equipment, nothing that would do what your idea suggests. However,
since your Question asks for tables or features that currently exist,
I could not in good conciousness provide the lack of any findings as
an Answer.

At the same time, I cannot state that no such table or feature exists,
since that might be wrong. So, within the scope of your Question, I
was left with only one option, which was to wait and see if another
Researcher (again, we are all independent contractors) had better luck
or research skills than I did. :)

If you wish, you may add additional details to your Question to
perhaps help the Researchers understand your context better. For
example, if you can safely do so, perhaps you can describe your idea
at a basic level, to help direct a Researcher's investigations better.

Regards,

aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher

Incidentally, you may also notice (if you look at other Questions on
the system, or if it occurs in one of your own Questions) that
non-Researchers are also able to provide comments to other people's
Questions. This is often helpful to the person asking the Question and
for Researchers who can possibly follow up on a lead to provide a
detailed Answer. To tell who is a Researcher and who is not, observe
that Researchers' names are also hyperlinks, whereas non-Researchers'
names are not.

Hope this helps you in your use of Google Answers!

Regards,

aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher