Patent Application
20250025769
Embodiments of the invention relate to recreational games and more particularly to a game involving throwing darts and poker and methods of play thereof. BACKGROUND
Recreational games are often played at home, bars, restaurants, or various public settings by adults and children alike. A common game is darts where two or more players throw small sharp-pointed objects (referred to as darts) at a round target known as a dartboard. Points are scored by landing the dart on specific marked areas of the dartboard. Another common means of recreation is playing card games, such as poker and its various versions. Card games are most commonly played with a 52 card playing card deck.
This summary is provided to introduce a variety of concepts in a simplified form that is disclosed further in the detailed description of the embodiments. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The embodiments provided herein relate to a game board capable of retaining at least one dart thrown at a front surface of the game board. The game board is partitioned into a plurality of segments each representing a playing card value. Each of the plurality of segments are divided into four sub-segments each corresponding to a suit of the playing card value. A suit key positioned on the front surface of the game board.
The game board may be constructed of common dartboard materials such as wood. If wooden, the game is organized, set-up, and scored by hand, similar to traditional darts. In an electronic configuration, a sensor array may determine the location of the dart which is retained on the game board. The electronic configuration may include one or more electronic scoreboards and controls.
In one aspect, the game board is in operable communication with a computer system and application program. The application program includes a scoring module and gameplay module to store various games, score user results in reference to the specified gameplay, store user scoring data, and the like.
In one aspect, the suits comprise a spade, a heart, a club, and a diamond.
In one aspect, the playing card value is displayed on the front surface.
In one aspect, the electronic game board is in communication with an application program in communication with a network. The application program enables a user to compete against other users in communication with the network.
A more complete understanding of the embodiments, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by references to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
The specific details of the single embodiment or variety of embodiments described herein are set forth in this application. Any specific details of the embodiments are used for demonstration purposes only, and no unnecessary limitation or inferences are to be understood therefrom.
Before describing in detail exemplary embodiments, it is noted that the embodiments reside primarily in combinations of components related to the system. Accordingly, the device components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
In general, the embodiments described herein relate to a recreational game wherein the user utilizes darts as a projectile to throw at a game board. The game board is comprised of 13 regions each divided into 4 subregions, thus creating 52 total areas wherein playing cards (such as a standard 52 card deck) to be provided on the game board. A suit key is also provided on the game board. The embodiments provide a competitive playing experience wherein two or more competitors may engage in competition, betting, and recreational fun. Various common and novel poker and other card games can be played by throwing a dart at the gameboard to gain a card in the user's hand.
In reference to
In some embodiments, the game board 100 is constructed from wood and can be played competitively without electronic features The game board is constructed similar to traditional dart boards wherein darts can be thrown at the board penetrate, stick, or otherwise are retained on the board when thrown properly. The wooden board is the original and gives players a higher interactive feeling where they can calculate points and determine who wins on their own.
In some embodiments, the game board 100 is manufactured having electronic components similar to electronic dart boards known in the arts. In such, the score of the various gameplay methods is provided electronically by sensing the location of the dart on the board.
The embodiments may be implemented and enjoyed in bars, restaurants, pubs, casinos, game nights, college dorms, family residences, arcades, theme parks, state fairs, commercials, sports networks, game shows, and other locations and settings.
In some embodiments, the game board may be in communication with an application program operated on a computing device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, computer, etc.). In such, the user may compete against players around the world via a network connection.
In comparison, the electronic board will have more features and functions than the wooden board, but the fundamentals will stay the same. The electronic board will be manufactured with programmable buttons to specify on/off, start/next, game (of choice), number of players, language preference, volume control, etc.
In some embodiments, the computer system 200 includes one or more processors 210 coupled to a memory 220 through a system bus 280 that couples various system components, such as an input/output (I/O) devices 230, to the processors 210. The bus 280 may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. For example, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, also known as Mezzanine bus.
In some embodiments, the computer system 200 includes one or more input/output (I/O) devices 130, such as video device(s) (e.g., a camera), audio device(s), and display(s) are in operable communication with the computer system 200. In some embodiments, similar I/O devices 230 may be separate from the computer system 200 and may interact with one or more nodes of the computer system 200 through a wired or wireless connection, such as over a network interface.
Processors 210 suitable for the execution of computer readable program instructions include both general and special purpose microprocessors and any one or more processors of any digital computing device. For example, each processor 210 may be a single processing unit or a number of processing units and may include single or multiple computing units or multiple processing cores. The processor(s) 210 can be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. For example, the processor(s) 210 may be one or more hardware processors and/or logic circuits of any suitable type specifically programmed or configured to execute the algorithms and processes described herein. The processor(s) 210 can be configured to fetch and execute computer readable program instructions stored in the computer-readable media, which can program the processor(s) 210 to perform the functions described herein.
In this disclosure, the term “processor” can refer to substantially any computing processing unit or device, including single-core processors, single-processors with software multithreading execution capability, multi-core processors, multi-core processors with software multithreading execution capability, multi-core processors with hardware multithread technology, parallel platforms, and parallel platforms with distributed shared memory. Additionally, a processor can refer to an integrated circuit, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic controller (PLC), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Further, processors can exploit nano-scale architectures, such as molecular and quantum-dot based transistors, switches, and gates, to optimize space usage or enhance performance of user equipment. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing processing units.
In some embodiments, the memory 220 includes computer-readable application instructions 250, configured to implement certain embodiments described herein, and a database 250, comprising various data accessible by the application instructions 240. In some embodiments, the application instructions 240 include software elements corresponding to one or more of the various embodiments described herein. For example, application instructions 240 may be implemented in various embodiments using any desired programming language, scripting language, or combination of programming and/or scripting languages (e.g., Android, C, C++, C#, JAVA, JAVASCRIPT, PERL, etc.).
In this disclosure, terms “store,” “storage,” “data store,” data storage,” “database,” and substantially any other information storage component relevant to operation and functionality of a component are utilized to refer to “memory components,” which are entities embodied in a “memory,” or components comprising a memory. Those skilled in the art would appreciate that the memory and/or memory components described herein can be volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, or both volatile and nonvolatile memory. Nonvolatile memory can include, for example, read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, or nonvolatile random access memory (RAM) (e.g., ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM). Volatile memory can include, for example, RAM, which can act as external cache memory. The memory and/or memory components of the systems or computer-implemented methods can include the foregoing or other suitable types of memory.
Generally, a computing device will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass data storage devices; however, a computing device need not have such devices. The computer readable storage medium (or media) can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium can be, for example, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium can include: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. In this disclosure, a computer readable storage medium is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.
In some embodiments, the steps and actions of the application instructions 240 described herein are embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor 210 such that the processor 210 can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor 210. Further, in some embodiments, the processor 210 and the storage medium may reside in an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a computing device. Additionally, in some embodiments, the events or actions of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and instructions on a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.
In some embodiments, the application instructions 240 for carrying out operations of the present disclosure can be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The application instructions 240 can execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer, or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection can be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) can execute the computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present disclosure.
In some embodiments, the application instructions 240 can be downloaded to a computing/processing device from a computer readable storage medium, or to an external computer or external storage device via a network 290. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing/processing device receives computer readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer readable application instructions 240 for storage in a computer readable storage medium within the respective computing/processing device.
In some embodiments, the computer system 200 includes one or more interfaces 260 that allow the computer system 200 to interact with other systems, devices, or computing environments. In some embodiments, the computer system 200 comprises a network interface 265 to communicate with a network 290. In some embodiments, the network interface 265 is configured to allow data to be exchanged between the computer system 200 and other devices attached to the network 290, such as other computer systems, or between nodes of the computer system 200. In various embodiments, the network interface 265 may support communication via wired or wireless general data networks, such as any suitable type of Ethernet network, for example, via telecommunications/telephony networks such as analog voice networks or digital fiber communications networks, via storage area networks such as Fiber Channel SANs, or via any other suitable type of network and/or protocol. Other interfaces include the user interface 270 and the peripheral device interface 275.
In some embodiments, the network 290 corresponds to a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the Internet, a direct peer-to-peer network (e.g., device to device Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.), and/or an indirect peer-to-peer network (e.g., devices communicating through a server, router, or other network device). The network 290 can comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. The network 290 can represent a single network or multiple networks. In some embodiments, the network 290 used by the various devices of the computer system 200 is selected based on the proximity of the devices to one another or some other factor. For example, when a first user device and second user device are near each other (e.g., within a threshold distance, within direct communication range, etc.), the first user device may exchange data using a direct peer-to-peer network. But when the first user device and the second user device are not near each other, the first user device and the second user device may exchange data using a peer-to-peer network (e.g., the Internet). The Internet refers to the specific collection of networks and routers communicating using an Internet Protocol (“IP”) including higher level protocols, such as Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (“TCP/IP”) or the Uniform Datagram Packet/Internet Protocol (“UDP/IP”).
Any connection between the components of the system may be associated with a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. As used herein, the terms “disk” and “disc” include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc; in which “disks” usually reproduce data magnetically, and “discs” usually reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. In some embodiments, the computer-readable media includes volatile and nonvolatile memory and/or removable and non-removable media implemented in any type of technology for storage of information, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, optical storage, solid state storage, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, RAID storage systems, storage arrays, network attached storage, storage area networks, cloud storage, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and that can be accessed by a computing device. Depending on the configuration of the computing device, the computer-readable media may be a type of computer-readable storage media and/or a tangible non-transitory media to the extent that when mentioned, non-transitory computer-readable media exclude media such as energy, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and signals per se.
In some embodiments, the system is world-wide-web (www) based, and the network server is a web server delivering HTML, XML, etc., web pages to the computing devices. In other embodiments, a client-server architecture may be implemented, in which a network server executes enterprise and custom software, exchanging data with custom client applications running on the computing device.
In some embodiments, the system can also be implemented in cloud computing environments. In this context, “cloud computing” refers to a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned via virtualization and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction, and then scaled accordingly. A cloud model can be composed of various characteristics (e.g., on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, measured service, etc.), service models (e.g., Software as a Service (“SaaS”), Platform as a Service (“PaaS”), Infrastructure as a Service (“IaaS”), and deployment models (e.g., private cloud, community cloud, public cloud, hybrid cloud, etc.).
As used herein, the term “add-on” (or “plug-in”) refers to computing instructions configured to extend the functionality of a computer program, where the add-on is developed specifically for the computer program. The term “add-on data” refers to data included with, generated by, or organized by an add-on. Computer programs can include computing instructions, or an application programming interface (API) configured for communication between the computer program and an add-on. For example, a computer program can be configured to look in a specific directory for add-ons developed for the specific computer program. To add an add-on to a computer program, for example, a user can download the add-on from a website and install the add-on in an appropriate directory on the user's computer.
In some embodiments, the computer system 200 may include a user computing device 245, an administrator computing device 285 and a third-party computing device 295 each in communication via the network 290. The user computing device 245 may be utilized by a user (e.g., a healthcare provider) to interact with the various functionalities of the system including to perform patient rounds, handoff patient rounding responsibility, perform biometric verification tasks, and other associated tasks and functionalities of the system. The administrator computing device 285 is utilized by an administrative user to moderate content and to perform other administrative functions. The third-party computing device 295 may be utilized by third parties to receive communications from the user computing device, transmit communications to the user via the network, and otherwise interact with the various functionalities of the system.
Referring to
In some embodiments, the communication module 302 is configured for receiving, processing, and transmitting a user command and/or one or more data streams. In such embodiments, the communication module 302 performs communication functions between various devices, including the user computing device 245, the administrator computing device 285, and a third-party computing device 295. In some embodiments, the communication module 302 is configured to allow one or more users of the system, including a third-party, to communicate with one another. In some embodiments, the communications module 302 is configured to maintain one or more communication sessions with one or more servers, the administrative computing device 285, and/or one or more third-party computing device(s) 295.
In some embodiments, a database engine 304 is configured to facilitate the storage, management, and retrieval of data to and from one or more storage mediums, such as the one or more internal databases described herein. In some embodiments, the database engine 304 is coupled to an external storage system. In some embodiments, the database engine 304 is configured to apply changes to one or more databases. In some embodiments, the database engine 204 comprises a search engine component for searching through thousands of data sources stored in different locations.
In some embodiments, the user module 312 facilitates the creation of a user account for the application system. The user module 312 may allow the user to create a user profile which includes user information, user preferences, and user-associated information. The user module 312 may be in operable communication with the scoring module 318 and the gameplay module 320 to determine user scores, save user scores and gameplay history, apply user preferences to the gameplay, and the like.
In some embodiments, the display module 316 is configured to display one or more graphic user interfaces, including, e.g., one or more user interfaces, one or more consumer interfaces, one or more video presenter interfaces, etc. In some embodiments, the display module 316 is configured to temporarily generate and display various pieces of information in response to one or more commands or operations. The various pieces of information or data generated and displayed may be transiently generated and displayed, and the displayed content in the display module 316 may be refreshed and replaced with different content upon the receipt of different commands or operations in some embodiments. In such embodiments, the various pieces of information generated and displayed in a display module 316 may not be persistently stored. The display module 216 provides gameplay displays, displays of the users score, historical gameplay data and scores, etc.
The game board is arranged in a standardized arrangement, wherein the game board is placed at a height of 5-feet 8-inches above the ground surface. The toe line (i.e., a minimum distance the users stand from the game board) is 8-feet. Players may determine who has the first turn by the flip of a coin, or the highest dart when thrown at the game board.
Ace+King, Ace+Queen, Ace+Jack, Ace+10
Ace+King→Ace+Queen→Ace+Jack→Ace+10
2→3→4→5→6→7→8→9→10→J→K→ACE
Ace→2→3→4→5→6→7→8→9→10→J→Q→King
Many different embodiments have been disclosed herein, in connection with the above description and the drawings. It will be understood that it would be unduly repetitious and obfuscating to literally describe and illustrate every combination and subcombination of these embodiments. Accordingly, all embodiments can be combined in any way and/or combination, and the present specification, including the drawings, shall be construed to constitute a complete written description of all combinations and subcombinations of the embodiments described herein, and of the manner and process of making and using them, and shall support claims to any such combination or subcombination
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present embodiment is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the following claims.
