FLIP CONES

Abstract

A kit comprises a flip cone game. The game includes a game board having a rectangular shape and constructed of a flexible material. Four openings are formed on the game board, one at each corner of the game board. The kit includes four stakes to be inserted into the openings to secure the game board to the ground. The kit further incudes a plurality of cones.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to game consisting of at least two sets of colored cones that are flipped onto a game board.

BACKGROUND

Encouraging physical activity among people of all ages, and in particular, children of all ages is very important, especially when the physical activity occurs with other participants. Not only does the activity have physical benefits, such as physical exercise, it also has mental benefits, such as helping to develop camaraderie and relationships among other individuals. Developing these relationships and camaraderie plays an important role in an individual's mental health and development. The present invention aims to encourage the aforesaid activity among individuals by disclosing a new and enjoyable toss game.

Many games using boards and related equipment, such as chessboards, playing cards or dice. However, it is unusual for games to permit simultaneous play by all the participants. While it is known to have games that are played outdoors, there are few that include a large playing surface that can be secured to the ground.

Whether at house parties, tailgates, or just a family cookout, lawn-style games are a popular way to spend time outdoors. Lawn-style games (or games that are generally played outdoor on a flat yard or lawn) come in a variety of styles, but many lawn games include some sort of ball, bag, or other object to be tossed, thrown, or rolled. One popular lawn game, called cornhole or baggo, utilizes two angled platforms positioned at a distance apart, with the top of the platforms facing one another. The angled platforms gerierally have a single hole near the top center portion of the platform. The object of the game is to stand at one platform and toss bags toward the platform at the opposite end, particularly aiming to have your bags land in the hole or on the platform, with points awarded based on where the bag lands.

While cornhole is popular, the game does have its limitations. For example, there are only two targets, and these targets are placed at a fixed distance apart, with the players standing at this fixed distance for every “round” of the game. This can lead to players becoming too familiar with the distance, causing the game to lose its competitive and fun nature. Furthermore, only two players (or two teams of players) can play the game at a time, as the game is played laterally in only a single direction and the players are only tossing the game pieces (bags) in that single direction. At large events with lots of people, allowing only two people (or two small teams of people) to play the game leaves a lot of people left waiting; to solve this problem, some people purchase multiple gaming sets and having multiple games running at a time. But this can be costly and having multiple gaming sets can require a lot of storage or transportation space. What is needed is a gaming kit that brings a new and exciting edge to lawn games, one that allows multiple game plays at once and one that limits repetition so that the change and excitement lasts even after hours of gameplay.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a toss game that allows one or more individuals to participate in a recreational activity.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and enjoyable type of toss game.

It is an even further object of the invention to provide a toss game that encourages physical activity among individuals.

According to the present invention, a kit comprises a flip cone game. The game includes a game board having a rectangular shape and constructed of a flexible material. Four openings are formed on the game board, one at each corner of the game board. The kit includes four stakes to be inserted into the openings to secure the game board to the ground. The kit further includes a plurality of cones.

Further according to the present invention, a cone flipping game for players to score the flipping of plural cones to a game board. The game board is of a rectangular shape and constructed of a flexible material. The game board has four openings, one at each corner of the game board. Four stakes are to be inserted into the openings to secure the game board to the ground. The game further includes a plurality of cones.

Still further according to the present invention, a method of playing a flip cone game comprises the following. A game board is presented. The front game board surface bears a depiction of three joined blocks forming cone zones surrounded by a boundary ring. A least one cone is flipped by each of a plurality of players in turns towards the game board in an attempt for the at least one cone to turn at least 270 degrees and land upright on one of the three joined blocks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The foregoing and other features of the invention will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying figures. The figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting.

Certain elements in some of the figures may be omitted, or illustrated not-to-scale, for illustrative clarity. The cross-sectional views may be in the form of slices, or near- sighted cross-sectional views, omitting certain background lines which would otherwise be visible in a true cross-sectional view, for illustrative clarity.

FIG. 1 is a top view of the game surface used in playing the game, according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side, three-dimensional view of a game piece used on the game surface, according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the game piece used on the game surface, according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a stake used to secure the game surface to the ground, according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a side view of two game pieces stacked on one another, according to the present invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the description that follows, numerous details are set forth in order to provide athorough understanding of the present invention. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations of these specific details are possible while still achieving the results of the present invention. Well-known processing steps are generally not described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obfuscating the description of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a top view of an exemplary game board or game surface 10 of the present invention. The game board includes a planar surface has a plurality of lines 11 and 13 there across forming a plurality of cojoined blocks 1, 2, 3 forming cone zones depicted on the surface of the planar surface. The game board 10 is supported by the ground under the game board and is held in place by a plurality of fasteners, such as stakes 14, as shown in FIG. 4 which are inserted into openings 12 located at the corners of the game board and extending there through. The game kit includes a number of traffic cones 24. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the traffic cones is hollow and has a circular collar 24a around its base.

In the shown embodiment, the plurality of traffic cones 24 comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of a plurality of identical cones. In this manner, additional traffic cones may be excluded, or not excluded, so as to control or adjust a difficulty or an enjoyment of a game that utilizes the game kit of the present invention.

In the shown embodiment, the one or more larger traffic cones 24 are arranged within the perimeter of the boundary ring 22 and outside of the cone zone blocks 1, 2, 3. In this manner, the cones are positioned at or near a the blocks of the game board 10 so as to enable a player to aim at or near the center of the planar board 10 when preparing to throw or flip a cone, as described herein after.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a game board or game surface 10 used in the kit for playing the lawn game of the present invention. The game surface 10, as shown, has a rectangular shape and is preferably constructed of a flexible material, such as for example canvas. The game surface 10 can be used outside the house and staked into the ground through four grommets 12 such as with a stake 14 having a sharpened end, as shown in FIG. 4. The game board 10 can be divided up into three (3) “Cone Zones” 16, 18 and 20 (16-20). Each cone zone 16-20 has a corresponding point value assigned to it. For example, cone zone 16 can have a point value of 1, cone zone 18 can have a point value of 20 and cone zone 2 can have a point value of 3.

The game of the present invention is played here with two to sixteen players, each standing in a playing area defined by a boundary ring 22, which in this case is a rectangle having a length L of about 8 feet and a width W of about 4 feet. Cones 24 are laid out on a field or lawn, and spaced apart a predetermined spacing distance S, which in this embodiment is about eight feet.

Each Player or Team gets a total of 4 cones 24. A team may consist of 1, 2 or 4 players. The play starts with a first player (here, player A, shown at the bottom left of the boundary ring 22) tosses or flips one of the 4 cones onto the game board 10 towards the opposite end 30 while standing within the boundary ring 22. Each Player (or team) takes a turn flipping a cone 24 onto the gameboard 10. With teams, each teammate alternates throwing equal numbers of cones. The set of 4 cones 24 can each be the same color such as red or blue.

Rules of Play

Each Player or Team gets 4 total cones. A team may consist of 1, 2 or 4 players. The first player to throw can be selected at random or by a coin flip.

Each Player (or team) takes a turn flipping a cone 24 onto the gameboard. (In teams, each teammate alternates throwing cones in equal numbers).

A player must start with the bottom 24a of the cone 24 facing towards the ground and in one motion simultaneously tosses and flips the cone 24 onto the gameboard. This can be done overhand or underhand. A legal flip requires that the cone 24 must rotate at least 270 degrees before touching ground and landing upright on its base 24a to count towards points.

Players then alternate attempts until all of the cones 24 have been tossed. Any cone that does not land upright is removed from play.

Leaning Cones: Any cone 24 that is leaning on another cone in a way that prevents the nose or tip 24b of the cone 24 from making contact with the ground, gameboard, or the base of another cone is counted for points.

Any cone that is not “flipped” or spun at least 270 degrees of rotation is a foul throw and is removed from play, even if it lands or is bounced to land upright. Any cones that a foul throw knocks over are reset to their former positions.

A player or team may make a legal play to knock the cones of opposing players or teams over. Any cone or cones knocked over in this way are removed from play. All other rules apply.

Stacking cones: Any cone that lands on top of and stacks onto another cone, as shown in FIG. 5, is worth the point value of the zone in which the bottom cone is currently seated multiplied by the total number of cones underneath it. For example, a cone in zone 3 that has 3 total cones stacked is worth 9 points.

Stealing: If a first team's colored cone lands on an opposing team's cone so that the first team's colored cone is on the top of the stack, the first team has stolen that point value. The cone color that is at the top of the cone stack at the end of round wins the point value of the total stack for that round. For example, a stack of 2 blue cones with 1 red cone on top awards 9 points to the red team and 0 points to the blue team. Or a stack consisting of 1 red cone, 1 blue cone, and 2 yellow cones on top, awards 12 points to the yellow team and 0 points to the red and blue team.

Any cone that lands on a line or touches a line between two cone zones, the point values counts towards the lower value point. For example: A cone on the line between cone zones 2 and 3 always counts for 2 points.

Any cone that lands upright but has any part of the cone outside the boundary ring 22 around the board is removed from play.

Scoring

At the end of every round, each team adds up the total of their single cones that have successfully landed on the game board within the boundary ring 22 plus the total score of all stacks that the team has won. The team with the higher or highest score accumulates a total number of points minus the score of the opposing team or the next highest score if more than 2 teams. For example, if the Red team scores 10 points, the Blue Team scores 6 points, and Yellow Team scores 3 points for the round, the Red team wins the round and scores 10 point minus 6 points, totaling 4 points. The remaining team(s) score zero points for the round. The order of the players in the next round is determined by the previous rounds score. In order, the highest throwing first and the lowest throwing last.

Winning

The first team to score exactly 50 points wins. If a team goes over 50 points, then that team scores zero points instead for that round. Rounds are continued until a team reaches exactly points.

Various changes and modifications, other than those described above in the preferred embodiment of the invention described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

In some embodiments, a method of playing a game using a kit of the present invention is comprised of several steps. First, each team, which is comprised of one or more players, is positioned outside of the perimeter of the boundary ring 22. The teams take turns throwing a turn flipping the cones 24 onto the gameboard 10. With teams, each teammate alternates throwing equal numbers of cones. in an attempt to place the one or more cones landing upright on its base 24a to count towards points. This can be done overhand or underhand. A legal flip requires that the cone 24 must rotate at least 270 degrees before touching ground and landing upright on its base 24a to count towards points.

In some embodiments, different points are allotted depending where the cones land. For example, any cone 24 that is leaning on another cone in a way that prevents the nose or tip 24b of that cone 24 from making contact with the ground, gameboard, or the base of another cone is counted for points.

Any cone that is not “flipped” or spun at least 270 degrees of rotation is a foul throw and is removed from play, even if it lands or is bounced to land upright. Any cones that a foul throw knocks over are reset to their former positions.

A player or team may make a legal play to knock the cones of opposing players or teams over. Any cone or cones knocked over in this way are removed from play. All other rules apply.

Stacking cones: Any cone that lands on top of and stacks onto another cone, as shown in FIG. 5, is worth the point value of the zone in which the bottom cone is currently seated multiplied by the total number of cones underneath it. For example, a cone in zone 3 that has 3 total cones stacked is worth 9 points.

Stealing: If a first team's colored cone lands on an opposing team's cone so that the first team's colored cone is on the top of the stack, the first team has stolen that point value. The cone color that is at the top of the cone stack at the end of round wins the point value of the total stack for that round. For example, a stack of 2 blue cones with 1 red cone on top awards 9 points to the red team and 0 points to the blue team. Or a stack consisting of 1 red cone, 1 blue cone, and 2 yellow cones on top, awards 12 points to the yellow team and 0 points to the red and blue team.

Any cone that lands on a line or touches a line between 2 point values counts towards the lower value point. For example: A cone on the line between 2 and 3 always counts for 2 points.

Any cone that lands upright but has any part of the cone outside the boundary ring 22 around the board is removed from play.

In various embodiments, a method or playing a game according to the present invention comprises flipping a cone within the boundary ring 22 of a board unit so that it rotates at least 270 degrees and lands standing. In some embodiments, the method may further comprise landing on the opposing player's cones so they are stacked one on the other. In some embodiments, the method may further comprise winning the game by scoring exactly 50 points.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teaching. The exemplary embodiment was chosen and described to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and its embodiments with modifications as suited to the use contemplated.

While the invention has been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments and exemplifications, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention thereby, but solely by the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A kit comprising a flip cone game including: a game board having a rectangular shape and constructed of a flexible material;four openings, one at each corner of the game board;four stakes to be inserted into the openings to secure the game board to the ground; anda plurality of cones.

2. The kit of claim 1 wherein the game board has three cojoined, rectangular cone zones depicted on a surface of the game board.

3. The kit of claim 2 wherein the plurality of cones are arranged around a perimeter of a boundary ring formed about the three cojoined, rectangular cone zones on the game board.

4. The kit of claim 3 wherein the plurality of cones are hollow.

5. The kit of claim 4 wherein the plurality of cones have an opening at an upper end.

6. The kit of claim 5 wherein the plurality of cones have a circular collar about their base.

7. The kit of claim 1 wherein the game board is constructed of canvas and has grommets at each end to receive the stakes.

8. A cone flipping game for players to score the flipping of plural cones to a game board comprising: the game board being of a rectangular shape and constructed of a flexible material;the game board having four openings, one at each corner of the game board;four stakes to be inserted into the openings to secure the game board to the ground; anda plurality of cones.

9. The cone flipping game of claim 8 wherein the game board the game board has three cojoined, rectangular cone zones depicted on a surface of the game board.

10. The cone flipping game of claim 9 wherein the game board has a perimeter of a boundary ring formed about the three cojoined, rectangular cone zones on the game board.

11. The cone flipping game of claim 10 wherein the canvas gameboard is constructed of canvas and has grommets at each opening to receive the stakes.

12. The cone flipping game of claim 11 wherein the cones are arranged around the perimeter of the boundary ring formed on the game board.

13. The cone flipping game of claim 11 wherein the cones are hollow.

14. The cone flipping game of claim 12 wherein the cones have an opening at an upper end.

15. The cone flipping game of claim 13 wherein the cones have a circular collar about their base.

16. A method of playing a flip cone game, the method comprising: presenting a game board, the game board including:a front game board surface bearing a depiction of three joined blocks forming cone zones surrounded by a boundary ring:flipping at least one cone by each of a plurality of players in turns towards the game board in an attempt for the at least one cone to turn at least 270 degrees and land on one of the three joined blocks.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein each of a plurality of players must stand within the boundary ring when flipping the at least one cone towards the game board.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein each player of the plurality of players takes turns flipping four cones during each turn.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein enough points must be earned to reach a winning score for a round of the game.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising counting the point value towards the lower value point when any cone lands on a line or touches a line between two cone zones.