Catapult game

Claim 1

Apparatus for missile launching and catching comprising (a) a missile in the shape of a spheroid having at least a portion of its surface defined by an outwardly presented face provided with a first type of contact engaging material; (b) a flexible, resilient, self-supporting body of sheeting material capable of manipulation with two hands, the shape of which is substantially biaxially symmetrical, the longitudinal axis of which is substantially greater than the transverse axis, said sheeting material being constructed and arranged to permit said body to be flexibly transformed from a resting planar configuration to a concave configuration under compressive force, from said concave configuration back to said planar configuration upon release of said compressive force, and, by momentum, therebeyond to a slightly convex form; (c) handle means disposed in opposing relationship on said body for receiving and releasing compressive force manipulations from said two hands; (d) said body having at least a portion of at least one of its surfaces covered with a second type of contact engaging material; (e) one of said contact engaging materials comprising a surface of textile material defined by a multitude of irregular filamentary formations and the other of said contact engaging materials comprising a covering being composed of upstanding hook-like filamentary formations adapted for removably retentive imbediment in said irregular filamentary formations; (f) whereby in a first mode, when said missile is directed against the contact engaging material of said body, said first and second types of contact engaging material engage with each other to removably retain said missile on said body in the area of impact; and, in a second mode, (g) said body having an overall balance of general mechanical properties such that when said missile is engaged and interlocked to said second type of contact engaging material, said body can be manually flexed by compressive force applied at the handle means thereof directed along the longitudinal axis, from a resting planar configuration to a concave configuration such that the missile is removably retained in the concavity of said body, and then by rapid release of said compressive force said body can flex back to its planar configuration and, by momentum, therebeyond to a slightly convex configuration whereupon rapid longitudinal compressive force can again be applied to rapidly form said body into an exaggeratedly convex configuration and thereby propel the missile from said body in the direction of convexity.