Patent Application
20140265136
The present invention relates in general to a game apparatus for playing a game commonly known as “beer pong.”
Beer pong is a popular game among young people and it is typically played on a table top where an array of plastic cups are generally placed on a flat table top in a triangle formation on both ends of the table. Each cup has a beer or other liquids placed inside of the cups. Players on each side of the table alternatively attempt to throw a ping pong ball into the cups on the other side of the table. When a throw successfully lands in a cup, the opposing team must drink the contents of the cup in which the ball landed and the cup is removed from play. The objective is to remove all of cups from play on the opposing side of the table. A limitation of the typical beer pong game is that there is limited opportunity to increase the game play challenge beyond merely rearranging the cups on the table top and also that the game play is limited to flat table tops.
A need therefore exists for a game apparatus for playing beer pong with a similar triangular arrangement of cups that can be played in a variety of setting where space is limited or the difficulty of game play can be increased.
However, in view of the prior art at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art how the identified needs could be fulfilled.
A game apparatus with pivotally mounted cup holders is disclosed. The apparatus includes a game board that is orientated in a vertical plane and a plurality of cup holders pivotally secured to a vertical surface of the game board, where the cup holders are configured to pivot to hold a cup between about 30 degrees and 60 degrees relative to the vertical surface of the game board. The game board also includes a cavity formed into the game board for each cup holder, where the cavity is configured to receive and support a portion of a bottom edge of a cup placed in the respective cup holder. In addition, the apparatus may include a pair of removable legs mounted to opposing sides of the game board to provide free-standing support of the game board in a vertical orientation. The game board may also include an aperture for hanging the game board on a wall so that the legs can be removed when not needed. The game board further includes a depression formed into the game board and configured to receive a respective cup holder to lay flat when the cup holder is pivoted against the game board. The plurality of cup holders are disposed in a triangular formation on the game board and configured for cups to be placed adjacent to one another on the game board.
The cup holders are configured to angle the mouth of each cup outwards away from the game board so that a ball can be tossed inside. In standard game play the cups are placed in the cup holders in the standard triangular tight formation, which is accomplished because the mouths of the cups are orientated at the desired angle. In non-standard game play the cups can be positioned in a variety of alternate positions by only placing cups in certain cup holders or by relocating cup holders on the game board as desired. Additional game variations are achievable and a range of different sized cups can be accommodated by the cup holders. Generally, the degree of the angle between the cup and the vertical surface of the game board will vary depending on the size and shape of the cups, the weight of liquid place inside the cups, and the placement of cups within the cup holders.
Other aspects, advantages, and features of the present disclosure will become apparent after review of the entire application, including the following sections: Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description, and the Claims.
The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs.
Referring to
The game board 102 may include removable or permanent support legs 106 attached to opposing sides of the game board 102 so that the game board is supported in a vertical orientation. Accordingly, the game apparatus 100 may be set up on a table or used poolside, for example. The game board 102 may also be mounted to a wall or support structure using a wire or a hook without the use of the support legs 106. The game board 102 may also be configured to be mounted or supported at varying angles relative to the vertical orientation to change game play. In addition, a pair of slots 108 may be disposed in the game board 102 that hold typical ping pong type balls used with the beer pong game.
Referring now to
Referring now to
The plurality of depressions 110 are sized and shaped to receive a respective cup holder 104 when the cup holder 104 is folded flush against the game board 102 as shown in
Further, the movement of the cup holders 104 may be accomplished thru manual or automatic positioning. For example, mechanisms such as gears, motors, jackscrews, and other known translating devices can be applied to pivot and move the cup holders 104. Control of the cup holder 104 translation may be provided using control devices including computer control, WIFI control, mobile device control, remote control, pre-programmed control, dynamic control, or cam path control techniques, among other known motion control techniques.
Referring now to
The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosed embodiments. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope possible consistent with the principles and novel features.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61799644 | Mar 2013 | US |
