The present invention relates generally to a disc tossing game in which points are awarded for tossing a disc into an opposing player's goal.
The present invention is a game that comprises of two goals for two opposing players. The goal of the game is for the players to take turns tossing a disc into the opposing player's goal. The goals have a plurality of goal openings with a goal net, each corresponding to a point value. Points are awarded to players when a disc is thrown into the goal openings or the corresponding borders to each goal opening. The goal openings are arranged in a stacked fashion and take a form of a ladder. The objective of the game is for a player to cumulatively score a number of points to win.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The present invention is a game comprising of a goal 1 and a disc 20. The goal comprises of a left side bar 3, a right side bar 4, a left support leg 5, a right support leg 6, a plurality of rungs 2, a plurality of fasteners 11, a top goal frame 10, a plurality of goal openings 12, and a goal net 9. The plurality of rungs 2 being fastened to the left side bar 3 and the right side bar 4 by means of the plurality of fasteners 11. The left side bar 3, the right side bar 4, and the plurality of rungs 2 are connected in a fashion that takes the form of a ladder. The plurality of rungs 2 are positioned perpendicular to the left side bar 3 and the right side bar 4. The top goal frame 10 is positioned at the top most point of the left side bar 3 and the right side bar 4, fastened by a fastener of the plurality of fasteners 11. The goal 1 formed by the left side bar 3, the right side bar 4, the plurality of rungs 2, and the top goal frame 10 has a height of five feet. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the goal in upright position has a height of five feet. The plurality of goal openings 12 are defined by the plurality of rungs 2, the left side bar 3, and the right side bar 4. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of rungs 2 comprises of a quantity of 4 rungs. The plurality of rungs 2 and the top goal frame 10 create a total of five goal openings 12. The bottom four goal openings 12 have a height of ten inches. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, for each goal opening of the plurality of goal openings 12, the width of the goal opening decreases as it is positioned closer to the top of the goal 1. To correspond with the decreasing width of the plurality of goal openings 12 as they get closer to the top of the goal 1 and top goal frame 10, the plurality of rungs 2 decreases in length correspondingly. The left side bar 3 and right side bar 4 are positioned at an angle so that they tilt towards each other at the top of the goal 1. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the left side bar 3 and right side bar 4 are not positioned parallel to each other but rather positioned at an angle towards the other. However, in other embodiment of the invention, the left side bar 3 and right side bar 4 can be positioned to be parallel to each other with the plurality of goal openings 12 decreasing in height towards the top of the goal 1. With the rungs 2 decreasing in length towards the top, the left side bar 3 and the right side bar 4 are angled to have a distance between each other of two feet at the base and one foot at the top. The top goal frame 10 positioned on the top of the present invention is one foot wide and three inches in height. The result is a plurality of goal openings 12 wherein the bottommost opening is the largest and each subsequent opening positioned closer to the top of the goal 1 is smaller than the previous goal. The goal net 9 is connected to each of the plurality of goal openings 12 by means of the plurality of fasteners 11. The plurality of fasteners 11 fastens the goal net 9 to be pinched to the plurality of rungs 2 to form individual sacks for each goal opening. The goal net 9 is connected on the rear side of the goal 1 and hang freely from the plurality of goal openings 12. When users toss the disc 20 into the plurality of goal openings 12, the goal net 9 is able to catch and hold the disc 20. The size of the disc 20 being fixed creates more difficulty for the disc 20 to be tossed into a higher positioned opening of the plurality of goal openings 12 than a lower positioned opening of the plurality of goal openings 12 as higher positioned opening has a narrower opening for the disc 20 to pass through. There is a greater chance for the disc 20 to hit the plurality of rungs 2, the left side bar 3, the right side bar 4, or the top goal frame 10 and not land in goal net 9.
When playing the game, the users are required to stand the goal 1 up to receive thrown discs 20. The present invention makes use of the left support leg 5 and the right support leg 6 for standing support. The left support leg 5 and the right support leg 6 are manufactured to be the same length. The left support leg 5 is jointly fastened to the left side bar 3 by the plurality of fasteners 11. The right support leg 6 is jointly fastened to the right side bar 4 by the plurality of fasteners 11. The left support leg 5 and the right support leg 6 pivot to a stored position parallel to the left side bar 3 and the right side bar 4, respectively. To retract the left support leg 5 and the right support leg 6 for propping the goal 1, the user is able to pull and pivot the left support leg 5 and the right support leg 6 from the rear of the goal. For users to play the game, at least two of the goals 1 are required and comprise of at least two players 31. Each player 31 has possession of one goal 1, allowing one player 31 to toss the disc 20 into the goal 1 of the other player 31. To ensure that all goals 1 of the game in play are propped at the same upright angle, the left support chain 7 and the right support chain 8 are used to connect the left support leg 5 and the right support leg 6 to the left side bar 3 and the right side bar 4, respectively. The left support chain 5 and the right support chain 6 are of equal lengths of fourteen inches. The left support chain 5 connects the left side bar 3 and the left support leg 5 together in a fashion making the left support chain 5 parallel to the ground when the goal 1 is in the propped position. The left support chain 7 connects to the left side bar 3 at a height of one-third the length of the left side bar 3. The right support chain 6 connects the right side bar 4 and the right support leg 6 together in a fashion making the right support chain 6 parallel to the ground when the goal 1 is in the propped position. The right support chain 6 connects to the right side bar 4 at a height of one-third the length of the right side bar 4. The left support chain 5 and the right support chain 6 hold the goal 1 in an upright position at a fixed height and angle.
The plurality of goal openings 12 of the goal 1 each has a predetermined point value 13. The plurality of goal openings 12 towards the bottom of the goal 1 have a lower point value 13 and the plurality of goal opening 12 towards the top of the goal 1 have a higher point value 13. The sizes of the plurality of goal opening 12 directly correlate with the amount of points awarded for having the disc 20 thrown into the corresponding goal opening 12. The opening formed by the top goal frame 10, being significantly smaller than the remainder of the plurality of goal openings 12, is valued to automatically win the game. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is a two player game that makes use of two separate goals 1. The first goal 1 represents the goal 1 of a first player 31 and a second goal 1 represents the goal 1 of a second player 31. The first goal 1 and the second goal 1 are placed at a distance from each other. A first foul line 30 is defined for the first player 31 by the front of the first goal 1. A second foul line 30 is defined for the second player 31 by the front of the second goal 1. The foul line 30 is an imaginary line which exists right in front of the goal 1 and the plurality of goal openings 12. The first player 31 and the second player 31 stand beside or behind their corresponding goal 1 and take turns tossing the disc 20 into the goal 1 of the opposing player 31. The first player 31 is automatically awarded points by tossing the disc 20 into the goal net 9 corresponding to each of the goal openings 12 on the second goal 1. The second player 31 is automatically awarded points by tossing the disc 20 into the goal net 9 corresponding to each of the plurality of goal openings 12 on the first goal 1. Another method for the first player 31 and the second player 31 is to toss the disc 20 and deflect it off of the left side bar 3, the right side bars 4, the rungs 2, or the top goal frame 10. When the first player 31 deflects the tossed disc 20 off any of the plurality of rungs 2, left side bar 3, right side bar 4, or the top goal frame 10 of the second goal 31, they are awarded a single point. However, the second player 31 is allowed to nullify these points awarded to the first player 31 by catching the deflected disc 20 off the left side bar 3, the right side bar 4, the plurality of rungs 2, or top goal frame 10 of the second goal 1 before the disc 20 falls onto the ground. The second player 31 is awarded a point when the disc 20 is deflected off the left side bar 3, right side bar 4, the plurality of rungs 2, or the top goal frame 10 of the first goal 1. However, the first player 31 is allowed to nullify points awarded to the second player 31 by catching the deflected disc 20 off of the first goal 1 before the disc 20 falls onto the ground. When a step is taken past the first foul line 30 by the first player 31 as the disc 20 is being tossed, any points earned by the first player 31 during the turn is automatically nullified. When a step is taken past the second foul line 30 by the second player 31 as the disc 20 is being tossed, any points earned by the second player 31 during the turn is automatically nullified.
The players 31 of the game can customize the point values to their own desires. The conditions to win the game can also be determined by the players 31. For example, the rungs 2 can be valued from 2 to 5 from the bottom goal opening of the plurality of goal openings 12 to the top goal opening of the plurality of goal openings 12. The players can take turns tossing the disc 20 into the opposing player's goal 1 until one of the players 31 accumulates 21 points. Should any player 31 toss the disc 20 into the top goal frame 10 at any time during the game, the player 31 who tossed the disc 20 wins the game. Another variation of the point system for the present invention can value each of the plurality of goal openings 12 with a negative value. The players 31 can start with an agreed upon number of points and toss the disc 20 until one player 31 reaches 0. The player 31 that reaches 0 points first is the winner. In another variation of the rules for the present invention, the players 31 must achieve tossing the disc 20 into the plurality of goal openings 12 in a certain sequence. In any scoring variations of the present invention, a player 31 automatically wins if the disc 20 is tossed into the top goal frame 10.
The difficulty of the present invention can also be customized by the players 31. This can be achieved by increasing the distance at which the first goal 1 and the second goal 1 are placed away from each other. The distance can be adjusted according to the skill of the players 31. Younger and less experienced players 31 could set the goals at 50 feet apart. For even younger players 31, the goals 1 can be set just 20 feet apart. More experienced players 31 may decide to set the two goals 1 apart at a distance of 100 feet or more. The more experienced players 31 may also choose to angle the direction that the goals 1 are facing. This requires players 31 to curve the disc 20 into the goal openings 12.
The disc 20 used for the present invention can also be of different types for different players 31. Younger players 31 can use a soft and floppy type of disc 20 for safety reasons. Players 31 who often play disc golf may choose to use putter discs or mid-ranger discs. Free-stylists or ultimate Frisbee players may decide to use a disc that is regularly use for their respective sport.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 61/252,776 filed on Oct. 19, 2009.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61252776 | Oct 2009 | US |