Patent Application
20080217850
This Invention relates to a game board and more specifically to a new and improved game board for use in the playing of a traditional board game of the Indian subcontinent, known as Carrom. The origins of Carrom are obscure at best. Some believe it was the invention of the Maharajahs of India. Some believe that it was introduced by the British. Others believe it originated in Burma, Egypt or Ethiopia. What we do know is that over the past century or so, Carrom has become the regional pastime of the Indian subcontinent, as well as other countries where South Asians have migrated.
Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Applicant has identified many obstacles and drawbacks to the popular expansion of the carrom game. The first has to do with the manufacture of the frame which is made of solid hard wood and requires a curved inner surface behind each pocket. A known way to make this inner corner involves joining four pieces of hardwood at the corners with high-quality dovetail joints and then routing out the inner edge of the frame, so as to provide an inner curved surface at each of the four corners. This way of making the inner corner, however, is expensive and labor intensive; it requires equipment capable of accuracy of detail and an experienced, skilled operator to produce a high quality frame. This method is also wasteful of raw material since the routed out portion is reduced to dust. In South Asian countries where routing equipment and experienced technicians are not readily available, manufacturers of carromboards solve this problem by carving a corner piece by hand, which they insert into a keyhole at each corner. While this alternative way of making the inner corner is more labor intensive than the first method mentioned, it requires no exceptional skill. Since the cost of south Asian labor is relatively less expensive, as compared to the cost of labor in the United States, virtually all South Asian manufacturers use the inner carved corner fabrication technique. A carved corner piece can however work loose. Most International carromboards available today are handmade in India without the benefit of modern machinery and technology. Unfortunately, as a result, variations in finish and material are normal.
The second drawback with the traditional carromboard, is that the flat square playing surface, being made of plywood, is hand polished to a very smooth finish. Apart from being labor intensive and time consuming, there is no uniformity and no two pieces are exactly alike.
Aside from the drawbacks created by the way the frame and the board are manufactured, as discussed above, the other major obstacle to the widespread popularization of international game of carrom is the required use of very fine dry powders. Powders (e.g., boric powder, french chalk, soapstone powder, etc.) are required on the playing surface of the carromboard, to make the game pieces and striker move and slide better over the playing surface. The powder is sprinkled, or dusted on the playing surface. The powder is necessary for the smooth gliding of the playing pieces on the playing surface. The striker playing piece is made of a smooth hard plastic material and the sliding of a smooth plastic piece over a very smooth, highly polished playing surface causes a binding effect and therefore the pieces cannot move very well or freely; that necessitates the need for the use of these powders, which are sprinkled or dusted on often and at regular intervals to enable the game pieces and the striker to glide and move smoothly over the playing surface. These powders are very fine and some of them are also toxic, making them a health hazard. The players, as well as the spectators, are at risk of inhaling these fine powders. The powder also gets on the hands and clothes of the players. It also collects at the edges of the board, which impedes the rebounding action of the pieces; thus it has to be brushed, blown, or dusted regularly and that results in more of this fine powder getting into the air.
Another drawback of the traditional carromboard is that its a game that's played both indoors and outdoors, and being made of plywood, its surface is very susceptible to the elements, like high humidity, dampness and liquid spills. Plywood tends to absorb moisture and can warp.
Another drawback to the enjoyment of this game is that the playing surface is surrounded by thick wooden rails, which are made of a hard wood, which make a very loud knocking sound when the game pieces and the striker hit and rebound against them. Since it's often played indoors, it can be very disturbing and distracting to others in the house, specially older people and people who are ill or resting.
The inherent drawbacks as discussed above, in the manufacture and performance of International carromboards today is a major factor in the need for improvement on these carromboards.
The present carromboard incorporates features and construction unlike any previously known in the playing of the game, which heretofore was traditionally played on a flat smooth plywood surface, with a raised border rail made of hardwood.
Accordingly several objects and advantages of my carromboard are
(a) To provide a carromboard that does not require the use of toxic or other powders to be sprinkled on the board to facilitate the smooth movement of the game pieces and striker.
(b) To create a standardized carromboard that is of uniform quality.
(c) To provide a carromboard that is quieter and makes less sound when its played.
(d) To provide a carromboard that is more durable and less susceptible to external conditions like humidity, dampness or other atmospheric conditions.
Further objects and advantages are to provide a carromboard that is lighter in weight, and easier and more cost-effective to manufacture.
The above and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the specification and drawings.
An improved carromboard according to the present invention comprises:
(1) a square, flat carromboard with a grainy playing surface, over which flat disc-like pieces slide. The grainy surface enables the disc-like pieces to slide and move over the playing surface much more easily, as there is less friction, because the grainy surface reduces the contact points between the two surfaces, thereby eliminating the need for the use of powders to facilitate the movement of the pieces.
(2) a one piece molded border rail surrounding the playing surface which has a resilient rebounding front face against which the game pieces rebound or ricochet. The one piece molding of the border rail helps eliminate a lot of labor and costs associated with the making of the frame. Also, the resilient rebounding front face makes for a quieter game with less sound. The underside of the border rail is hollow or trough like, which means that it has three sides, the top and the two sides, and it's open at the bottom, which results in reduction of material used, thereby reducing the cost of manufacture.
(3) the game pieces have a plurality of orderly arranged convex circular projections on their underside, which is the side they slide on. The projections on its underside reduces the contact points, and thus the friction, between the game pieces and the playing surface, thereby further helping in the smooth movement of the pieces.
(4) since the playing surface and the border rail are injection molded of plastic material, and the resilient strip is also manufactured by a molding or calendering process, the result is a uniform and standardized carromboard, which is lighter in weight and more cost effective to manufacture. The plastic material is also more durable and not susceptible to variations in atmospheric conditions.
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With reference to the Figures, the carromboard of the present invention comprises a game board 70, presenting a square flat grainy bed or playing surface 22 preferably made of a plastic material with a low coefficient of friction, on which can slide the game pieces 42 and the striker 44. The striker is a disk that is propelled by the flicking of a finger, and when so propelled, to glide and strike the game pieces on the playing surface 22 and strike and rebound against each other and against the rail 24 which delimits the playing area 22. Because the playing surface 22 is grainy, it reduces the contact points between all playing pieces (42 and 44) and the playing surface, thereby reducing the friction between the sliding pieces and the playing surface. That reduction of friction allows for a smooth movement or sliding of the pieces on the playing surface; thereby eliminating the need of any external lubricants such as fine powders, or boric acid powders, which have been historically used as anti-friction aids.
In the corners of the playing surface 22, there are arranged four circular pockets 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D which are intended to receive the game pieces 42 through the openings. At the bottom of each pocket 30A-30D there is a piece of netting 40A, 40B, 40C, 40D or other means affixed below the corner pocket holes to collect the pocketed game pieces 42. As seen in
There are some very distinct, definite and unique advantages of the design and construction of my carromboard. Since the four sides of the border rail 24 are injection molded as one piece, as a unitary unit, it eliminates the labor and the costs associated with the making of the border frame assembly. It also uses less material because the way its made is that it has only three sides, the top and the two sides, and it is open on its bottom side, almost like the letter “n”. In other words the underside of the border rail running along its length is hollow or trough-like. To give it more support, strength and rigidity there are multiple support cross-bars 34 on each of the four sides on the underside in the hollow of the rail 24. Thus not only is there a saving in the material cost, it also results in a carromboard that is lighter. As seen in
To further facilitate the movement of the game pieces 42 and the striker 44 on the playing surface 22, the game pieces 42 and the striker 44 are provided with a plurality of orderly arranged convex circular projections 46 on their underside. The underside is the side intended to come into contact with the playing surface. The convex circular projections provide fewer contact points between the playing pieces (42 and 44) and the playing surface, thereby reducing the friction created between them; less friction means the game pieces 42 and the striker 44 can glide and move more easily on the playing surface 22.
The reader can see that the carromboard of this invention provides a standardized carromboard which is
of uniform quality
lighter in weight
quieter and makes less sound in play
easier and more cost effective to manufacture
more durable and less susceptible to external atmospheric conditions, and
does not require the use of toxic or other powders to be sprinkled or dusted on the playing surface.
While my above description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof. Many other variations are possible. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
