Patent Application
20150008643
1. Field of Disclosure
The present invention is directed to game systems having a game board or playfield and, more particularly, to an adjustment mechanism for correcting warping of the game board playing surface wherein a series of adjusters are spaced along the underside of the game board at predetermined locations along the length thereof to adjust for warping of the game board due to temperature, humidity or other atmospheric conditions.
2. Background Art
Shuffleboard games typically involve an elongated playing field and a plurality of game pieces such as a puck or a disk which may be slidably propelled along the surface of the playing field. The elongated playing field is typically made of wood and is typically incorporated into a heavy table like structure of considerable length with a relatively massive perimeter frame to accommodate the playing disks sliding off of the playfield anywhere along its length. The disks are propelled by a player in a sliding motion on the flat playing surface to impart a desired momentum to the disk so as to score points based upon the proximity of the disk trajectory terminus to a target location. Because of the sliding motion of the game, a flat level playfield throughout its entire length is imperative both to scoring points and to give full credit to the skill of the players.
Such shuffleboard games have been popular for generations, particularly in commercial establishments such as bars and arcades. In such commercial establishments, temperature, humidity or other atmospheric conditions vary greatly due to a variety of factors, including the change in seasons, the use of the establishment's heating and cooling systems and even the number of people present in the establishment at a given time. Despite their basic appeal, the playfield or playing surface of shuffleboard games has been impacted or affected by such changes in temperature, humidity or other atmospheric conditions. Specifically, changes in atmospheric conditions can cause the wooden playfield to warp, thereby making the playing surface upon which the disks or pucks slide uneven or not level. This means that the disks will not slide or travel true to form and will impact the play of the game, resulting in decreased enjoyment and use. To counteract this warping problem, various types of leveling mechanism have been proposed and are known in the art.
Alternatively, there may be instances where a playing surface needs to exhibit a transverse cross-sectional concave pattern to offer variations in the play of the game. In such instances, a mechanism that can introduce warping or some degree of concavity to the playing surface would be desirable.
Another prior art leveling mechanism 202 is disclosed in
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved adjustment mechanism wherein the user can quickly make the requisite adjustment in one motion without having to assume an uncomfortable position or remove component parts of the mechanism. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an adjustment mechanism which overcomes one or more of the problems set forth above. Specific advantages and features of the present invention will be apparent from the attached drawings and description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
The present invention teaches the construction and operation of an adjustment mechanism adaptable for use with a game board playfield such as shuffleboard. The object of this invention is to provide a mechanism by which a user may easily adjust the playfield of a shuffleboard or other game boards to correct for warping created by changes in climatic conditions such as temperature and humidity or to induce a desirable degree of concavity to the playfield.
The first exemplary embodiment provides a mechanism for adjusting a game board playing surface including at least two adjusting members secured to the underside of the game board in a transversely spaced arrangement and at least one connecting member attached therebetween. The connecting member is of sufficient length to span the distance between, and connect directly to, the adjusting members and to apply sufficient force necessary to drive the adjusting members away from one another or to pull them toward one another in one motion when the connecting member is rotated in one of two possible directions. The connecting member has a polygonal portion that can be engaged with a tool to enable rotation.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the adjustment mechanism includes a pair of bracket members having threaded sleeve members, one sleeve member having right-hand threads, the other sleeve member having left-hand threads, and a single connecting bar or rod member having right-hand threads on one end portion thereof and left-hand threads on the opposite end portion. The bracket members are connected by the rod member and mounted with screws to the underside of the game board in a transversely spaced alignment adjacent to opposing outer edges of the game board. The connecting bar or rod member includes a polygonal portion that can be engaged with a tool to enable rotation, and its opposed threaded end portions mate with the matching threaded sleeve members associated with the bracket members to create a reverse turnbuckle-style configuration. More specifically, the left hand threaded end portion of the bar member is threaded through the corresponding left hand threaded bracket sleeve member and the right hand threaded end portion of the bar member is threaded through the corresponding right hand threaded bracket sleeve member. Since the first and second bracket sleeve members have respective left and right hand threads and since the opposite end portions of the bar member have corresponding and mating left and right hand threads, rotating the bar member in one direction, such as clockwise, will cause the two bracket members to be drawn towards each other whereas rotating the bar member in the opposite direction, such as counterclockwise, will cause the two bracket members to be drawn away from each other. A wrench, pair of pliers or other suitable tool can be used to fixedly grasp the intermediate polygonal portion of the bar member to rotate the bar member in the proper direction. By way of this configuration, a user is able to apply force, either inwardly or outwardly, to the bracket members by rotating the bar or rod member either clockwise or counterclockwise. The bracket members transfer the inward or outward force generated by the rotation of the bar member to the outer edges of the game board thereby inducing greater or lesser levels of concavity depending upon the direction in which the bar member is rotated. For example, if the game board is slightly convex on its upper surface, the bar member will be rotated so as to exert a force on the bracket members to move the bracket members outwardly away from each other. This movement will be communicated to the game board to adjust the convex warping of the game board. On the other, if the upper surface of the game board is slightly concave, the bar member will be rotated so as to exert a force on the bracket members to move the bracket members inwardly towards each other to compensate for the concave warping of the game board.
It is also anticipated and recognized that a slight amount of warping (concave or convex) can, be introduced into the particular game board or playfield depending upon the type of game involved and depending upon the skill level of the players involved. It is also recognized that any plurality of the present adjustment mechanism can be positioned and located at predetermined locations along the length of the game board, depending upon its overall length, so as to adjust for warping at intermediate locations along the entire length of the game board.
In another exemplary embodiment, a method of removing and/or introducing warp to a game board is disclosed wherein the method includes installing at least one of the present adjustment mechanisms along a stretch of the game board where the warp occurs by attaching the two adjusting members or bracket members to the underside of the game board at the desired location perpendicular to the length of the game board and thereafter rotating the bar member in one direction to increase concavity, or in the opposite direction to reduce concavity of the playing surface. The bar member includes a polygonal or tubular portion that can be engaged with a tool to enable rotation.
These and other objects and advantages of the present adjustment mechanism will become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the following detailed description of several illustrative embodiments of the present invention in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the present drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the embodiments disclosed herein are sometimes illustrated by fragmentary views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the present invention or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should also be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein. Like numbers utilized throughout the various figures designate like or similar parts or structure.
Referring now to the drawings more particularly by reference numbers, wherein like numerals refer to like parts,
The shuffleboard playfield 102 is typically made of wood with the numbers and lines typically painted or etched into the top surface thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the wood material of the shuffleboard playfield 102 should be a relatively hard wood material such as solid maple and the top surface thereof is covered with a polished polymer layer to improve the sliding surface of the playfield. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other materials can likewise be used. Since a typical shuffleboard playfield as well as other game boards is made of a wood material, such playfields such as the playfield 102 are impacted or affected by changes in temperature, humidity or other atmospheric conditions. Specifically, changes in atmospheric conditions can cause the wooden playfield to warp thereby making the playing surface upon which the disks or pucks 120 slide uneven or not level.
In the discussion that follows and also in the drawings, illustrative approaches to the disclosed mechanisms and methods are shown in detail. Although the drawings represent possible approaches, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated, removed, or partially sectioned to better illustrate and explain the present invention. Further, the descriptions set forth herein are not intended to be exhaustive or otherwise limit or restrict the claims to the precise forms and configurations shown in the drawings and disclosed in the following detailed description.
The present invention is directed to adjustment mechanism 302 for a board game such as a shuffleboard game for correcting warping of the game board due to climate changes such as changes in temperature, humidity or other atmospheric conditions. In a first exemplary embodiment, the mechanism 302 illustrated in
The adjustment mechanism 302 may be secured to the game board through the use of fastening members or screws 308 as illustrated in
In another embodiment, the mechanism 302 includes a first bracket member 304 having a sleeve member 306, a second bracket member 305 having a sleeve member 307, a plurality of connectors or fastening members 308 for fixedly mounting the bracket members 304 and 305 to the under surface of a particular game board, and a bar member 310. The first sleeve member 306 includes a first threaded cylindrical hole having left hand threads and the second sleeve member 307 includes a second threaded cylindrical hole having right hand threads 311. The first bracket member 304 is aligned with the second bracket member 305 as best illustrated in
The bar member 310 includes left hand threads 312 on a first cylindrical end portion, right hand threads 313 on a second or opposite cylindrical end portion, and an elongated tubular or polygonal shaped bar portion 315 located intermediate the two cylindrical end portions 312 and 313. The left hand threads 312 bar member 310 are threaded through sleeve member 307 having mating left hand threads 309 and the right hand threads 313 of bar member 310 are threaded through sleeve member 307 having mating right hand threads 311. The bar member 310 can be cooperatively engaged with the respective bracket sleeve members 306 and 307 either prior to fixedly attaching the bracket members 304 and 305 to the under surface of a particular game board, or bar member 310 can be cooperatively engaged with the respective bracket sleeve members once the bracket members are fixedly mounted to the game board depending upon the overall length of bar member 310.
As best illustrated in
The central or intermediate portion 315 of bar member 310 is specifically shaped and designed such that a conventional wrench, pair of pliers, vice grips, or any other appropriate tool can be easily engaged with the bar portion 315 so as to rotate the same in either direction, that is, either in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction so as to movingly thread the respective threads 312 and 313 within their respective sleeve members 306 and 307. By attaching or clamping an appropriate tool to the bar portion 315, a user can easily rotate the entire bar member 310 in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction as indicated by the arrow 317 in
As a result, the present adjustment mechanism 302 overcomes many of the problems and shortcomings set forth above with respect to the known prior art leveling mechanisms and allows a user to easily attach an appropriate tool to the bar member 310 so as to easily rotate such bar member in the appropriate direction to compensate for any warping of the top surface of the game board. No nuts, bolts, or any plurality thereof need to be manipulated and/or rotated in order to exert the appropriate pressures to compensate for any warping. Also, a user can quickly make the requisite adjustment to the game board surface without having to assume an uncomfortable position or loosen a plurality of component parts associated with the mechanism.
It is also recognized and anticipated that the present adjustment mechanism 302 can likewise be used to introduce a certain amount of warping, either in the concave or convex direction, depending upon the particular game involved, and depending upon the particular size and shape of the game board or playfield involved. Also, depending upon the skill level of the players involved, concavity can be introduced even to a shuffleboard playfield to increase the degree of difficulty, or to offer variations to the play of the game.
It is also recognized and anticipated that the position and location of the right and left hand threads associated with the bar member 310 and with the respective sleeve members 306 and 307 can likewise be interchanged with each other and that the shape and length of the sleeve members and connecting bar member can vary depending upon the width of the particular game board involved. Still further, although the threads associated with the opposite end portions of the bar member 310 and the respective sleeve members 306 and 307 associated with bracket members 304 and 305 have been described predominantly as left hand threads and right hand threads, other descriptions of such threads are likewise known to those skilled in the art including describing such variations in threads as being opposite threads, mirror images of each other, or counter threads. So long as rotation of the bar member 310 in one direction exerts a force to move the bracket members away from each other and so long as rotation of the bar member in the opposite direction exerts a force so as to move the bracket members towards each other, the exact description and location of the threads 309, 312 and 311 and 313 is not important.
Based upon the construction and operation of the present adjustment mechanism 302, a user can easily adjust for warping of the game board due to climate changes. In fact, the present invention discloses an exemplary embodiment of a method for both removing and/or introducing warp to a game board depending upon the specific conditions of the game board and/or the desires of the user or players of the particular game. The present method for correcting warp and/or for introducing warp to a game board includes installing or mounting at least one of the present adjustment mechanisms 302 along a stretch of the game board where the warp or desired change needs to occur. This is accomplished by attaching or mounting the two adjustment members or bracket members 304 and 305 to the under surface of the game board 300 at the desired location perpendicular to the longitudinal length of the particular game board. Once the bracket members 304 and 305 and the connecting bar member 310 are appropriately mounted to the game board as described above, rotation of the connecting member or bar member 310 in one direction will increase concavity of the playing surface as described above whereas rotation of the connecting member or bar member 310 in the counter or opposite direction will reduce concavity of the playing surface as previously described. In one embodiment, rotation of the bar member 310 in one direction will exert an inward force along the length of the bar member towards the two respective bracket members 304 and 305 thereby pulling the respective bracket members 304 and 305 towards one another so as to squeeze or contract the game board thereby reducing concavity and/or removing or introducing warp as desired. Similarly, if the connecting member or bar member 310 is rotated in the opposite direction, an outward force is exerted along the length of the bar member 310 towards the two respective bracket members 304 and 305 so as to drive the bracket members away from one another thereby increasing concavity of the playing surface and stretching the game board to remove and/or introduce warp as necessary. As described above, the connecting member or rod member 310 includes a polygonal or tubular portion 315 which is positioned and located to enable easy engagement of an appropriate tool to facilitate rotation of the bar member 310 as previously described. As explained above, any plurality of adjustment mechanisms 302 can be positioned at predetermined spaced locations along the longitudinal length of the game board 300 to compensate for warp or to create the desired level of concavity across the entire length of the game board 300.
It is also recognized and anticipated that the turnbuckle style configuration of the present adjustment mechanism 302 which produces a force, either inwardly or outwardly, with respect to the adjustment members or bracket members 304 and 305 by rotating the connecting bar member 310 either clockwise or counterclockwise can be achieved by means other than the left hand and right hand threads described above with respect to the present mechanism 302. In this regard, another exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include attaching the connecting member or bar member 310 to the adjusting members or bracket members 304 and 305 such that they employ a joint that is able to pivot with respect to the adjusting members. This embodiment utilizes a connecting member having two independent and counter-threaded shafts connected by an internally threaded sleeve commonly known in the art as a “turnbuckle”. The independent shafts terminate at the respective ball and socket or pivot joints. When the internally threaded sleeve is rotated, it effectively increases or decreases the length of the connecting member and in turn applies force to the adjusting members through the joints thereby driving them away from, or pulling them towards, one another and effectively increasing or decreasing the concavity of the game board. The preferred embodiment of the turnbuckle mechanism has a polygonal shaped sleeve member with internal threads enabling engagement with a tool to facilitate rotation as described above.
When the present adjustment mechanism is utilized on a typical shuffleboard apparatus, it is anticipated that a plurality of the adjustment mechanisms 302 will be mounted or attached to the under surface of the game board at spaced locations along the entire length of the game board wherein the space between the respective mechanisms will be about 2 to 3 feet. Obviously, other spacing arrangements are likewise anticipated and recognized depending upon the particular game board involved.
While the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments of the present invention have been shown by way of example in the drawings. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description presented herein are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular embodiments disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling with the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
Thus, there has been shown and described several embodiments of a novel adjustment mechanism for shuffleboards and other game boards. As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. The terms “having” and “including” and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of “optional” or “may include” and not as “required”. Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present invention will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering this specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow. All defined terms used in the application are intended to be given their broadest reasonable constructions consistent with the definitions provided herein. All undefined terms used in the claims are intended to be given their broadest reasonable constructions consistent with their ordinary meanings as understood by those skilled in the art unless an explicit indication to the contrary is made herein. In particular, use of the singular articles such as “a,” “the,” “said,” etc., should be read to recite one or more of the indicated elements unless a claim recites an explicit limitation to the contrary.
