Patent Application
20060055106
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to indoor table top games. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved magnetic hockey game of the type disclosed in Applicant's prior patent U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,135.
(2) Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.
The current state of the art contains many table top games simulating actual game play of a variety of sports, including hockey. In addition, there are many table top games employing magnetic elements to achieve specific results.
Traditional table top hockey games utilize rods and slots to move the players. These traditional-style games have a limited range of movement for the players, resulting in unrealistic game play.
Magnetic playing pieces afford a much greater range of mobility, more closely simulating actual game play. There are many table top games in the prior art that utilize magnets. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,007,932, 4,012,040, and 6,682,070 B1 disclose magnetic hockey games. However, several disadvantages still exist in current magnetic hockey-type games.
First, most magnetic table top games are played from underneath, with the action occurring on top of the game board. The playing pieces are exposed, and can be knocked over, or off the board entirely, disrupting game play. My original invention solved this problem with a game board where all action is contained between two plates, minimizing outside interference.
Most magnetic table top games require both players to control their playing pieces from the identical surface, usually from underneath. Players are exposed to possible injuries from knocking into each other during aggressive game play. My instant invention solves this problem by requiring each player to control his playing pieces from opposite surfaces. This ensures no physical contact between the players.
In addition, in magnetic-type games where both teams are controlled from underneath, if both teams have identical polarization, a player can move his opponent's playing pieces. In games where the teams have opposite polarization, a player can actually ‘repel’ an opposing playing piece. In real life, opponents cannot repel each other. Therefore, the ability to repel opponents is an unrealistic factor. My instant invention solves this problem by insuring a critical height difference between two transparent plates. The ‘top’ player cannot affect the ‘bottom’ player's pieces.
The original game utilized a combination of trap doors for inserting and removing the puck. Not every scoreable goal was strong enough to activate the trap doors. My new improved hockey game provides a hinged lid that allows access to the entire inside of the enclosed playing surface, providing significant advantages in maintaining the game board in a clean and working condition as well as in repositioning playing pieces as needed.
A major drawback to my original invention was the limited strength of the ceramic magnets being used. My improved invention utilizes rare earth cobalt magnets. The increased strength of the magnetic field brings another level of realism to the game. Players can move their pieces in real-time, without a need to slow their movements to accommodate a weaker magnetic pull.
In addition, the original playing pieces, as well as most magnetically coupled playing pieces, bear a certain amount of friction as they move across the playing surface. In real ice-hockey, the players glide effortlessly along the ice. My new invention provides friction-free play with an ultra thin highly polished polymer on all sliding surfaces of the playing pieces.
Another significant shortcoming in the original invention was the unrealism of the puck. The puck, as originally disclosed, contained several disadvantages. The movement of the puck was not as smooth as a real puck on ice. Springs were disclosed in the original invention to make the puck more resilient and allow greater rebound properties. However, the result did not accurately represent true game play. The newly designed puck of my instant invention simulates real-life play much more accurately with a circular disc embedded with a non-magnet attracting ball and surrounded by a resilient material.
There are many hockey-type pucks in the prior art adapted to reduce friction or enhance rebound properties to simulate ice hockey for street use. Several pucks use freely rotatable ball bearings, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,531,442, 4,793,769, and 4,801,144. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,710 discloses a puck defined by a plastic ring carrying a freely rotatable steel ball bearing to be used in a table top game. However, the puck as disclosed does not have a rubber or elastic band surrounding it. Additionally, the ball disclosed is metal, and my invention specifically requires a glass or non-metal ball. Lastly, the ball disclosed is freely rotatable, and the ball in my invention is not intended to rotate.
There are hockey pucks with a rubber band for enhanced rebound, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,348,298, 6,645,097 B2, and 5,816,964. In addition, GB 2,196,868 discloses a tabletop game that simulates a football with a magnet-attractive material surrounded by a rubber ring. However, my invention requires the puck to glide on a non-metal ball.
The original playing pieces in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,135 were controlled by magnetic ‘hockey sticks.’ The hockey sticks had to be held at the right angle to maintain attraction with the playing pieces, significantly limiting mobility and range of motion. My new improved hockey game uses mirror image playing pieces which allows the players to actually grasp their playing pieces, providing complete and uninhibited range of motion and full range of mobility.
Another drawback of the original invention was the emphasis on maintaining the goalie in a restricted part of the game board. A recessed upper plate was disclosed to restrict the goalie's access to the center of the board. However, in actual game play, the goalie has full mobility. In the improved game, a player can choose to take the risk and move the goalie away from the goal if he desires.
No device in the current art exists containing the improvements of my instant invention: Hinged enclosed game board, stronger magnetic attraction using rare earth cobalt magnets, friction reducing highly polished polymer, similarly shaped inner and outer game pieces, and a puck formed of a circular disc with a spherical center and rubber band around its perimeter.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved table top magnetic hockey-type game with spaced apart plates that more closely simulates actual game play and overcomes all the above mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, with the enhanced safety feature provided by separate top and bottom players.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved table top magnetic hockey-type game with spaced apart plates utilizing rare earth cobalt magnets embedded in the playing pieces.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved table top magnetic hockey-type game that utilizes a puck formed of a circular disc with a spherical center and elastic band around the perimeter.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved table top magnetic hockey-type game with spaced apart hingedly connected plates, rare earth cobalt magnets embedded in the playing pieces and covered with an ultra thin highly polished polymer, similarly shaped inner and outer playing pieces, and a puck formed of a circular disc with a spherical center and elastic band around the perimeter to more closely simulate actual game play.
I have invented an Improved Hockey Game. The preferred embodiment of the game comprises hingedly connected critically spaced upper and lower transparent plate assemblies, two corresponding sets of magnetically coupled playing pieces, with inner pieces slidably set between the plates and outer pieces slidably set on the outside surface of the upper and lower plates, a goal permanently set between the plates at either end of the playing surface, a non-magnetic puck with a hard spherical center and a flexible resilient band around its perimeter, and a means for moving the magnetic playing pieces contained between the plates from the outside surfaces of the upper and lower plates comprising cobalt magnets covered with an ultra thin highly polished polymer.
The Improved Hockey Game 5, as depicted in
In the preferred embodiment, as depicted in
As illustrated in
In the preferred embodiment, the distance between the upper and lower transparent plates 30, 35 is 1¼″. This critical height allows the magnetically propelled playing pieces to interact well while eliminating the effect of the ‘bottom’ player's magnets on the ‘top’ player's magnets, and the ‘top’ player's magnets on the ‘bottom’ player's magnets. If the game is built on a different scale, with playing pieces and magnets of different size and strength, a similar critical height will be used to achieve the same result.
In the preferred embodiment, as illustrated in
In the preferred embodiment, moveable magnetically coupled playing piece assemblies 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100 are provided. In the preferred embodiment, a non-magnetic puck assembly 105 is provided.
In the preferred embodiment, the non-magnetic puck assembly 105, as illustrated in
Magnets 155, 155 are embedded right beneath the sliding surfaces 135, 135 of the inner and outer pieces 125, 130. In the preferred embodiment, the magnets are rare earth cobalt magnets. In the preferred embodiment, the rare earth cobalt magnets are rectangular 1″ by ½″ by ¼″ deep. An even stronger magnetic attraction can be achieved with rare earth cobalt magnets with dimensions of 1½″ by ½″ by ¼″ deep. The rare earth cobalt magnets provide increased magnetic field strength, allowing the players to move their playing pieces faster without losing the magnetic attraction. Utilizing opposite magnets in both the inner and outer pieces 125, 130 also provides greater magnetic attraction than using only one magnet and a magnetically attractive material in the corresponding piece.
In the preferred embodiment, the sliding surfaces 135, 135 of the inner and outer pieces 125, 130 are covered by a highly polished 1/16″ sheet of a plastic polymer 160, 160. In the preferred embodiment, the highly polished polymer is ‘Moving Men™,’ a product intended to facilitate the moving of heavy furniture. The highly polished ultra-thin polymer eliminates friction while maintaining the integrity of the magnetic attraction, allowing the playing pieces to glide like ice skates on ice. A friction reducing lubricant such as WD-40™ can be applied to the contact surfaces of the playing pieces for even further enhanced glidability.
To engage in hockey-type game play each player will grasp his outer game pieces. The ‘top’ player will control his pieces from on top of the enclosed game board assembly 10, and his playing pieces glide along the upper plate 30. The ‘bottom’ player will control his pieces from on bottom of the enclosed game board assembly 10, and his playing pieces will glide along the lower plate 35. The players will move their outer pieces 130 to direct their inner pieces 125 in maneuvering around the board, propelling the puck, and bodychecking the other player's inner pieces. The playing pieces and game board can be adjusted to accommodate simulations of other sport games such as football, soccer, basketball, boxing, tennis, car racing, horse racing, human figurine racing, etc. The height of the game board can be adjusted to accommodate player's of varying heights. The height of the table legs is adjusted to accommodate the ‘bottom’ player, leaving enough room for unrestricted mobility. Players can alternately play on top or on bottom, but should not play on top or on bottom simultaneously to avoid injury.
Both the upper and lower plates can be transparent, but the top plate must be transparent. If only the upper plate is transparent, and the game is modified for single player use, the enclosed game board assembly 10 can rest directly on a table top, eliminating the need for table legs.
Lights, sensors, and sound effects can be added to the game for an enhanced game play experience. An electronic scoreboard can be added to the game.
The table legs can rest directly on the floor, or on a table top. The height of the legs can be adjustable. The legs can contain a means for securing them to a table top surface such as clamps.
The enclosed game board assembly 10 can be modified to any shape and height to accommodate simulations of other games. The enclosed game board assembly 10 can be oval, square, rectangular, or any other appropriate shape and size.
In the preferred embodiment a small opening 165 is provided at the midpoint along one side of the enclosed game board assembly 10. The opening 165 is used to shoot the puck for a face off. The opening 165 can be along either or both sides of the enclosed game board assembly 10. Additional openings can be provided near each goal for face offs for each team.
In the preferred embodiment, there are three color coded players on each team. Rectangle shaped playing pieces 75, 100 are provided as goalies, square shaped pieces 80, 95 are provided as defense men, and triangle shaped pieces 85, 90 are provided as forwards. The players can be of any appropriate size or shape. The players can be coded to denote teams using color or any other means. The amount of playing pieces can be increased or reduced to accommodate player's preferences and type of game being played.
We have illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention. However, it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.
Many variations of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art. All such variations are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the invention. Although some embodiments are shown to include certain features, I specifically contemplate that any feature disclosed in this description may be used together or in combination with any other feature on any embodiment of the invention. I have also contemplated that any feature may be specifically excluded from any embodiment of the invention.
Further aspects of the invention will become apparent from consideration of the drawings and the description of preferred embodiments of the invention. A person skilled in the art will realize that other embodiments of the invention are possible and that the details of the invention can be modified in a number of respects, all without departing from the inventive concept. Thus, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.
