---

Game table

Table games are known to be a part of many societies. Game boards for games such as chess, checkers, and backgammon are typically played on game boards which are laid flat on a supporting table surface. Tables may be designed specifically for games and recreational purposes, and such tables often include a game board painted on the surface of the table. Other game tables may include a game board integrally formed in the surface of the table by inlays into the permanent structure of the table. Generally, these games can be classified into two groups: ones incorporating interaction of an individual with a dealer (e.g., blackjack or roulette) and the others, hereinafter referred to as tournament games, where a participant, which can be an individual or a team, competes only with another participant or team. Many recreational games are placed upon a surface which is formed as a top of a table surface. Typical of these games are pool, billiards, Ping Pong, various dice and other games. A game table is a furniture which is free-standing, e.g., it has legs or a base which maintains a game surface at a height which is roughly the same height as a regular table, so that players that are standing adjacent to the game table are suitably positioned to manipulate the game elements on the game surface. Still other game tables do not have legs or a base, and therefore are not free-standing. Instead, they have a game surface which is configured to be placed on an existing flat table top. There are many types of game tables on which a game simulating a sport is played, such as the billiard table, the table for playing table football and the table for playing table hockey. The early game table can only provide one single type of game for the players. Conventional game tables include billiards, foosball, air hockey, etc. Many tables are specifically designed to serve as a playing surface for a particular game, which game is played upon the table's top. Typical of these tables and games are pool tables for playing pool, ping-pong tables for playing ping pong, craps tables for playing craps, and air hockey tables for playing air hockey. Many of these table surfaces are large, bulky and heavy. Some conventional game tables relate to sports played on ice. For example, one typical game table includes miniature hockey players that can be moved over a surface of a game table to hit a small puck and simulate the sport of ice hockey.

---