Patent Application
20240058673
The present invention relates to a bag toss game and, more specifically, to a bag toss game that includes a frame having a plurality of rotatable paddles and an associated set of game cards.
Bag toss games have long been known in the art and are typically formed such that a user tosses a bean bag into a hole to accumulate points. While such games may be fun, they do not provide additional features that enhance the game play.
Thus, a continuing need exists for a new and improved bag toss game.
The present invention relates to a sharp-shooter bag toss game. The bag toss game includes a frame having a center rod with a plurality of paddles rotatably connected to the center rod. Each of the plurality of paddles have a first end and a second end opposing the first end. Notably, each first end has a first marking and each second end has a second marking, such that the first marking is distinct from the second marking. To control spin and rotation of the paddles, each paddle includes an elongated aperture, with the center rod passing through the elongated aperture to rotatably connect each of the plurality of paddles to the center rod.
In another aspect, the invention includes a deck of cards, each card having a distinct pattern of paddles for a user to attempt to accomplish by throwing bags or other items at the paddles.
In yet another aspect, the invention is directed to a method for playing a bag toss game, comprising acts of (1) each user drawing a card from a deck of cards, wherein each card has a distinct pattern of paddles; (2) throwing, by a first user, one or more bags at a plurality of rotatable paddles, such that each paddles has opposing ends, with the opposing ends having a distinct color, shape, or marking, and wherein the first user attempts to hit the paddles to cause the paddles to rotate and match the pattern on the first user's card; (3) throwing, by a second user, one or more bags at the plurality of rotatable paddles in an attempt to cause the paddles to rotate and match the pattern on the second user's card; and (4) repeating acts 2 and 3 until one of the user's causes the paddles to match the pattern on that user's card.
Finally, as can be appreciated by one in the art, the present invention also comprises a method for forming and using the invention described herein.
The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed descriptions of the various aspects of the invention in conjunction with reference to the following drawings, where:
The present invention relates to a bag toss game and, more specifically, to a bag toss game that includes a frame having a plurality of rotatable paddles and an associated set of game cards. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and to incorporate it in the context of particular applications. Various modifications, as well as a variety of uses in different applications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to a wide range of embodiments. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments presented, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without necessarily being limited to these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.
The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with this specification and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference. All the features disclosed in this specification, (including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is only one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Furthermore, any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Section 112, Paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” or “act of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, Paragraph 6.
Please note, if used, the labels left, right, front, back, top, bottom, forward, reverse, clockwise and counter clockwise have been used for convenience purposes only and are not intended to imply any particular fixed direction. Instead, they are used to reflect relative locations and/or directions between various portions of an object.
The present disclosure provides a bag toss game that includes a frame having a plurality of rotatable paddles and an associated set of game cards, as well as a method for use thereof. As shown in
Notably, each paddle 106 has two opposing ends, each with a distinct color or otherwise identifiable marking (e.g., shape, color, texture, etc.). For example, a first end 110 of the paddle 106 is a first color (e.g., blue, etc.), while a second end 112 of the paddle 106 is a second color (e.g., red, etc.) that is different than the first color. As can be understood by those skilled in the art, the markings are not limited to colors and could be any identifiable marker, such as faces, characters, etc.
In one aspect, the middle of each paddle 106 includes an elongated aperture 114 through which the center rod 108 passes. The elongated aperture 114 is, for example, an oval shaped hole passing through the paddle 106. Through inclusion of the elongated aperture 114, the majority of the weight of each paddle 106 is shifted toward the bottom of the paddle 106 or otherwise below the center rod 108. By having the majority of each paddle's 106 weight below the center rod 108, the paddles 106 are prevented from freely rotating about the rod 108 (as they would with a centrally positioned circular hole) and, instead, require a sufficient hitting force to cause each paddle 106 to rotate and change positions about the rod 108. Further, once a paddle 106 is hit and changes its orientation (such as the second end (e.g., red) being up instead of the first end (e.g., blue) being up, etc.), the paddle 106 rotates and settles into a new stable configuration due to the elongated aperture 114. For example, if a user were to throw a bag 116 at a paddle 106 in which the first end 110 is up and hit the paddle 106 with sufficient force to cause it to rotate beyond horizontal, the elongated aperture 114 slides down along the center rod 108 to bring the paddle 106 to rest in its new orientation with the first end 110 facing down (and the second end 112 facing up), thereby changing red to blue, or blue to red, etc. Thus, the elongated aperture 114 allows the paddle 106 to rest in a new configuration instead of simply rotating back to the configuration whence it started.
Since each paddle 106 is individually rotatable about the rod 108, it is possible that the paddles 106 drift away or towards one another during use. To prevent lateral drift and maintain each paddle 106 an appropriate distance from one another and from the posts 102, a plurality of spacers 118 can be included. In this aspect, spacers 118 (e.g., a cylindrical sleeve) are positioned around the rod 108 between the posts 102 and paddles 106 and also between each paddle 106. In this aspect, the spacers 118 have a diameter that exceeds the width (not length) of the elongated aperture 114 to prevent the paddles 106 from laterally traveling when spinning about the rod 108. Alternatively, the rod 108 can be shaped to have a first, thinner diameter around which each paddles 106 rotate, and a second, thicker diameter between the paddles 106 and posts 102 to prevent lateral travel of the paddles 106. In this aspect, the second, thicker diameter would be greater than the width of the elongated aperture 114 to prevent the paddles 106 from laterally traveling on the rod 108. For further understanding,
As noted above, a bag 116 can be thrown at the paddles 106 to cause the paddles 106 to individually rotate about the rod 108. Thus, the bag toss game includes a plurality of bags 116 or other throwable items (e.g., balls, etc.) that can be thrown at the paddles 106. As such, while the term bag 116 is used, it is not intended to strictly limit the throwable item to a bag and, instead, is intended to include any weighted and throwable item that is sufficiently weighted and sized to allow a user to throw the item at the paddles 106 to cause the paddles 106 to rotate. As a non-limiting example, the bags 116 are bean bags that are filled with beans, beads, or other fillers. Further, the bags 116 can be distinctly colored to allow for different players to each have their own color. As a non-limiting example, the bag toss game includes eight bags 116, four of which are a first color (e.g., red, blue, etc.), and four of which are a second color (blue, red, etc.). Thus, each player can use their designated bags 116 to throw and hit the paddles 106.
As noted above, the rotatable paddles 106 can be formed to have ends with distinct markings (e.g., colors, shapes, etc.). As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, there are a variety play patterns or game play that can be implemented using the ends (first end 110 and second end 112) and distinct markings. As a non-limiting example, the goal of one play pattern is for a first user to attempt to orient the paddles 106 such that all of the first player's color (e.g., blue) are up, while the second player attempts to hit the same paddles 106 so that all of the second player's color (e.g., red) are up. In doing so, the opposing players are competing with one another to turn up their selected color, while knocking downward the opposing player's color.
The goal of another play pattern is for each player to orient the paddles 106 in a particular pattern. For example, the bag toss game may include a deck of cards 120. As shown in
Finally, while this invention has been described in terms of several embodiments, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the invention may have other applications in other environments. It should be noted that many embodiments and implementations are possible. For example, it should be noted that although the invention is described with respect to tossing bags (any predetermined number as desired), the invention is not intended to be limited thereto as it can be implemented with balls, or any other tossable or throwable items. Additionally, the paddles and other components can be made out of wood, plastic, or any other suitable material. Further, the following claims are in no way intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the specific embodiments described above. In addition, any recitation of “means for” is intended to evoke a means-plus-function reading of an element and a claim, whereas, any elements that do not specifically use the recitation “means for”, are not intended to be read as means-plus-function elements, even if the claim otherwise includes the word “means”. Further, while particular method steps have been recited in a particular order, the method steps may occur in any desired order and fall within the scope of the present invention.
The present application is a non-provisional application of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/398,779, filed Aug. 17, 2022, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63398779 | Aug 2022 | US |
