Patent Application
20230266103
The invention relates to electronic dartboards, which were first introduced to the world in the mid-1970s. By the mid-1980s, sales of electronic dartboards had taken off. Throughout the years electronic dartboards have become immensely popular. People of all ages, and from all walks of life, enjoy throwing darts. Some people are casual throwers, who just throw for fun and don’t take it seriously. However, there is a high percentage of serious dart throwers, many of whom compete in leagues and tournaments. It is with these competitive throwers in mind, that we created the invention.
Use of an electronic dartboard may be known. Nearly everyone from young children to elderly adults can identify an electronic dartboard when they see one. Throwing darts is a popular activity. It’s something millions of people do, either on a frequent, or occasional, basis. However, the scoring on these devices has always been seriously flawed, and often not indicative of how well a player is throwing.
The present invention is designed to dramatically increase the scoring accuracy of electronic dartboards, and be far more indicative of how well each player is throwing darts. With the addition of both concentric circular scoring areas, and straight-line scoring areas, the entire surface within the outermost circular scoring area will become one continuous scoring area that is considered to be “in-play”. Well-thrown darts that hit in the field of play will no longer bounce off the borders and fail to register. Instead, they will register and be scored correctly. This, in turn, will eliminate the vast majority of the controversy, debates, and erroneous scoring that exists on the current devices.
The following detailed description represents the best currently contemplated modes for carrying out the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention.
Although we will use the boards pictured in
The area around the actual dartboard, including the scoreboard and game selection areas, also varies from dart machine to dart machine. However, the numbers outside the outermost yellow circular border, and the actual playing area inside the outermost yellow circular border are basically identical on every dartboard.
In order to discuss how the invention will dramatically reduce controversial scoring, and scoring errors, we must first describe the dartboard and its scoring areas. Descriptions of the multitude of games that can be played on a dartboard, and the countless number of situations that can occur are not relevant to the scope of the invention, since we are proposing a physical change to the board itself that will greatly increase the accuracy of the scoring, not a change in the rules of the games that are played.
The following is a general description of a typical dartboard (see
The outermost circular yellow border, which we will call the first border, separates the field of play from the out-of-bounds area. The black area outside this border is “out of play”. Any throw that hits in this area will register as a “miss”, and will receive no credit for the throw, regardless of the game being played. Only darts that hit within this border are considered “in-play” and may, or may not, score, depending on the game being played and the situation that exists at the time of the throw.
The narrow region between the first border and the next outermost circular yellow border, which we will call the second border, is referred to as the “double area” for each number. Darts landing in this area receive credit for hitting the number two (2) times. For example, if a dart lands in this “black” region within the 20, the player receives credit for hitting the 20 twice. As far as scoring is concerned, the player will usually be credited with two 20 marks, or will score 40 points (20 × 2). Similarly, if the dart lands in this “red” region within the 19, the player will usually be credited with two 19 marks, or will score 38 points (2 × 19). These same rules apply for numbers 1 through 18. We use the word “usually” because there can be times when the throw may score differently, or could possibly not score anything, depending on the game being played, and the circumstances at the time of the throw. These circumstances are contingent on the rules of the game, as well as how the player has done, and how his opponents have done, up to that point in the game.
As we move toward the center of the board, we come to the third circular yellow border. The area between the second and third borders is one of two “single” areas. It is much larger than the double area. In fact, it is the biggest area within each number. Darts hitting in this area are scored as if the thrower hit the number once. Let’s say a dart hits in this big “red” region within the 20, the player receives credit for hitting the 20 one (1) time. In this case, the player will usually be credited with one 20 mark or 20 points (1 × 20). If the dart hits this big “black” region within the 19, the player receives credit for hitting the 19 once. In this case, the player will usually be credited with one 19 mark or score 19 points (1 × 19). These rules apply to all the numbers on the board.
Continuing toward the center of the board, we come to the fourth circular yellow border. The area between the third and fourth borders is narrow in width like the double area. However, it is much smaller than the double area because it is closer to the center of the board and shorter in length. This is the “triple” area. When a dart hits in this region, it is scored as hitting the number three (3) times. For example, if a dart lands in this small “black” area within the 20, the player receives credit for hitting the 20 three (3) times. As far as scoring is concerned, the player will usually be credited with three 20 marks, or will score 60 points (20 × 3). Again, these rules apply to all the numbers on the board.
The fifth circular yellow border is the innermost, and smallest, border. It separates the bull’s eye from the rest of the board. It is located near the center of the board. The long narrow, triangular-shaped area between the fourth and this fifth border is the second “single” area. Just like the “single” area discussed above, it is scored as hitting the number one (1) time. Let’s say a dart hits in this “red” region within the 20, the player receives credit for hitting the 20 one (1) time. The player will usually be credited with one 20 mark or 20 points (1 × 20). Once again, these rules apply to all the numbers on the board.
Inside this fifth (innermost) border lies the area known as the bull’s eye. The bull’s eye consists of a small round black area surrounded by a larger round red area. The single bull’s eye is the red area, and the double bull’s eye is the black area. The scoring for these areas varies, and can be determined by the players when they select and set up the game they wish to play. Some games consider the whole area as one region and it is scored as hitting the bull’s eye one (1) time, regardless of whether the darts land in the red area, or the black area. Other games consider the black area a “double” bull, and score the dart as hitting the bull’s eye twice.
Each player throws three (3) darts per turn. If a dart hits outside the outermost circular yellow border, that throw is “out of play”, and scored as a “miss”. It counts as a thrown dart, but the player receives no credit for the throw, as it should be.
However, there are far too many times that a thrown dart hits the board “in play” and the dart does not register, or is scored a “miss”. The darts that hit “in play”, but do not register, almost always bounce off the board, onto the floor. If a dart happens to stick in the board and does not register, it can simply be pushed into the board by hand, and it will register.
The vast majority of the times darts bounce off the board is due to darts hitting the yellow borders. Once in a while, a dart that hits inside a region will bounce off the board, but it almost always registers, and scores what it hits.
When a dart hits any of the yellow borders between the numbers, or the circular borders between the scoring areas within each number, the throw does not register, and the player receives no credit for the throw. This is extremely unfair to the player. He/she threw a good dart that was definitely in the field of play, yet the throw is considered “out of play”, and receives no credit. It’s scored the same as a poorly thrown dart that hits outside the field of play.
These yellow borders are the direct cause of inaccurate, unfair, and highly controversial scoring when players are competing in leagues, tournaments, or even social gatherings. It is particularly disturbing when a player throws a dart that hits the circular yellow borders between the different scoring areas within the same number and it is fails to register, and counts a “miss”. When this occurs, the player who threw the dart usually feels he/she has been cheated. It often leads to debates among the players as to where the dart actually hit the board. When darts bounce off the board repeatedly in a competitive environment, it creates resentment, complaints and debates among the players. Of course, these debates can never be settled because the thrown darts aren’t sticking in the board, as they should be. Instead, they’re lying on the floor!
For example, let’s say a player hits the yellow border between the “triple” 20 and the “single” 20, and bounces off the board. The dartboard does not register a score, just the same as if the dart was thrown out of bounds. The board should have rewarded him with a either a “triple” 20, or at least a “single” 20. However, since it hit the yellow border, he receives absolutely no credit for a very good throw. This is totally unfair, and quite possibly could cost that player the game. Although, it doesn’t happen a lot, we’ve seen players have all three (3) darts bounce off the board, and not receive credit for any of the thrown darts.
Another problem with the darts that bounce off the yellow borders is that sometimes they register as hitting one number when it is clearly obvious that the tip of the dart did not hit anywhere near that number. Because the dart hit the yellow border, which made it to turn sideways, a part of the dart, other than the tip, made contact with the board in a different number, causing it to register as hitting that number.
Recently, we have been tracking the number of darts that do not stick in the board. Each trial consisted of playing a game called “Hammer Cricket” ten (10) times to see what percentage of darts would bounce off the board. We chose Hammer Cricket because each player always throws twenty-four (24) darts per game (8 turns × 3 darts per turn). Therefore, you only have to track the number of darts that fail to stick in the board, and not worry about tracking the total number of darts thrown because that number is already known. There were four players participating in each of the ten (10) games. Figuring out the number of darts thrown each game is very simple:
During our trials, the highest number of darts that bounced off the board in a game was 34, which is a whopping (35.4%). The lowest number was 19, which is still an unacceptable (19.8%). The average per game over each of the ten game trials was 26.1 (27.2%), One, or two, thrown darts can determine the outcome of a game. Imagine the effect on a game that twenty-six (26) darts can have. Not to mention, all the disputes and complaints that arise because the players who threw the darts think they got “cheated”.
It can also happen the other way. That is, a player gets credit for hitting a number when the dart bounces off the board, while his opponents claim the dart missed the number all together. The arguments can get heated at times when competitive dart throwers are playing. This is especially true when a player believes the dart hit in the “double” or “triple” areas of the targeted number, and he/she gets no credit for the throw. Or, he gets credit for a throw that his opponents feel did not hit the targeted number. Darts bouncing off the thick yellow border around the bull’s eye are particularly frustrating because the bull’s eye is a critical target that, in many cases, decides the outcome of the game.
The bottom line is that something has to be done about these thick yellow borders in order to greatly reduce the inaccurate, controversial scoring that currently exists on electronic dartboards. This will, in turn, alleviate the anger and frustration felt by the players, thus enhancing the dart-throwing experience. More importantly, it will make the scoring fair and accurate, and be a true indication of how well the players are throwing.
The borders certainly provide a very clear and obvious distinction between the regions of the board. However, there is no doubt they are thicker than they need to be. Instead of risking the clarity and aesthetic nature of the board by thinning the borders altogether, they could be thinned out as they come out from the board, in the shape of an inverted “v”, with the pointed side facing out from the board. Currently, the thick borders are in an inverted “u” shape. The surface area of these borders that a thrown dart can hit is normally around three (3) millimeters thick. With the inverted “v” shape, the surface area that the dart could hit would be reduced to under one (1) millimeter. This would reduce the surface area of the yellow borders that the dart could bounce off of by at least 67%. Also, the darts that hit the slightly slanted sides of the borders would not bounce directly off the board, but instead would slide into the board, and likely register in the region it hits. Based on the redesigned borders, we estimate that the number of darts not registering because they hit the yellow borders would be reduced by about 67%.
As you can see, this simple solution would dramatically reduce the number of non-scoring throws, and greatly improve the game with far more accurate scoring. These inverted “v” borders would allow many more darts to slide one way or the other into a region on the board, where it would register a proper score, and eliminate most of the controversy that arises when darts bounce off the board and don’t register, or register incorrectly.
Another side benefit of the newly designed borders is the manufacturer should lower costs because less plastic would be used when making the “v″-shaped borders.
Although this solution would greatly improve the scoring, the board would lack the distinct boundaries between the numbers, and the boundaries between the premium areas within each number. The outside part of the bull’s eye could not be red, or black, because it would blend in with every other number whose inside single area was of the same color. There simply would not be any clear distinction between the different scoring areas. Without clear boundaries between areas, it would also be hard for the player throwing from eight (8) feet away and the others looking on to tell which area the dart was in if the dart landed where the red and black areas meet. You would constantly have players approaching the board during their turns to get a closer look at whether the dart was in the red, or black, area. The board would completely lose its aesthetic value as well. It would be a sea of red and black. The out-of-bounds area also could not be black or red, because it would blend in with the double areas of the same color. The boundaries need to be clearly visible to the players for clarity and aiming purposes.
If you kept the outermost ring, there would be a clear boundary between the out-of-play area and the in-play area. By keeping the innermost yellow ring, there would be a clear boundary between the bull’s eye and the rest of the “in-play” area.
However, there still would not be clear boundaries between the numbers, or between the different scoring areas within each number.
All sports have clearly defined, and visible boundary lines to eliminate ambiguity and controversy. Darts is no different. A board without clear boundaries would have players second-guessing the board, and making sure the dart stuck in the area where the screen said it was. The board would lose its clarity, and all its charm. So, even though it would improve the accuracy of the scoring, this is not the solution we prefer.
This is, without a doubt, the preferred solution. The goal is to come as close as possible to eliminating darts that don’t register, even though they hit the board “in-play”. This, in turn, would make the scoring far more accurate, and far less controversial. The “in-play” surface would become one continuous scoring area. However, the yellow circular scoring areas, and the yellow straight-line scoring areas between the numbers, would still be clearly visible, and would still serve as boundaries that make it very easy for the players to distinguish between the different regions of the board. This solution would also lower costs because the hard, plastic borders would no longer need to be manufactured, and inserted into the board.
The main change with this solution is the board would have to be configured so that darts hitting in the yellow areas would register the proper score. The receptors in the yellow areas would simply have to be wired up and connected to the LCD display. When a darts hits these yellow areas, an electronic impulse would be sent to register the score. The score would be displayed on the LCD, exactly like it currently does when a dart hits in any of the numeric scoring areas on the board. The cost to do this would be minimal since the technology is already in place. It would take nothing more than to add the receptors to the prototype and program them.
Discussing the technology, and how it works, in detail is not appropriate for our discussion, since the technology has already been invented, and is currently in use. The present invention is designed to use the existing technology in a way that makes the scoring on electronic dartboards far more accurate by ensuring that the entire area within the outermost circular yellow scoring area correctly registers at to where darts hits the board.
The question is how to score darts that hit in these new yellow scoring areas, since they are in the “field of play”. Darts hitting in these yellow areas on the board must register as a score. Not counting them as a score, or considering them to be out of bounds would be similar to the yard markers and hash marks on a football field being considered out of bounds, or the half-court line and foul line being considered out of bounds on a basketball court. Could you imagine a football player being called out of bounds because he stepped on a hash mark, or one of the yard lines; or a basketball player being called out of bounds because his foot touched the half-court line or the foul line? Any of those scenarios would be absolutely absurd. Well, it’s just as absurd for a thrown dart that lands in the “field of play” to be considered out of bounds, and register as a “miss”. Any time a thrown dart hits in the “field of play”, it should register as to where it hit the board.
Henceforth, we will refer to the yellow circular scoring areas as the “yellow rings”, and the yellow straight-line scoring areas between the numbers as the “yellow borders”. This will make the reading less cumbersome and wordy.
Let’s now examine the possible scoring methods. We will begin by discussing the yellow borders. Then we can address the yellow rings which intersect those yellow borders.
If a dart hits in a yellow border it could be scored as hitting the number immediately preceding it, or the number immediately following it, as you go in a clockwise direction.
For example:
Now, we need to discuss the five (5) yellow rings on the board. As we mentioned in the description of the dartboard earlier, these rings are designed to separate, and easily distinguish the different scoring areas within each number on the board. Just like the borders between the numbers, these rings would also be flush with the rest of the board, and have holes in them, making them active scoring areas. Darts that hit in these yellow rings would be scored as either hitting in the area just outside them, or in the area just inside them.
If we score the yellow rings as hitting the area just outside of them, the scoring of darts would be as follows:
The second method for scoring these darts would be to score the yellow rings as hitting the area just inside of them, the scoring of darts would be as follows:
A third method of scoring would look as follows:
The final part of these yellow borders that needs to be discussed is when darts hit, directly in the hole where the yellow border between the numbers intersects one of the yellow rings. The scoring of these darts will be contingent on how each yellow border and ring are configured.
Let’s assume a dart lands where the outermost yellow ring intersects the border between the “20” and the “1”. Let’s also assume the outermost ring is configured to be part of the “double” area and the yellow border between the “20” and the “1” is configured to be a “20”. In this case, the dart would be scored as a double “20”, and count as hitting the “20” two (2) times.
However, if the outermost yellow ring is configured to be part of the “double” area and the yellow border between the “20” and the “1” is configured to be a “1”, then the dart would be scored as a double “1” and count as hitting the “1” two (2) times.
Using the same scenario, let’s assume that the outermost yellow ring is configured to be out-of-bounds. Then, it doesn’t matter how the yellow border between the “20” and the “1” is configured because the dart is a miss based on the yellow ring being out-of-bounds.
As you can see, the outermost yellow ring is involved with three (3) possible scenarios.
Let’s assume a dart lands where the yellow innermost ring intersects the border between the “15” and the “10”. Let’s also say the innermost ring is configured to be part of the “single” area, and the yellow border between the “15” and the “10” is configured to be a “15”. In this case, the dart would be scored as a single “15”, and count as hitting the “15” one (1) time.
However, if the innermost ring is configured to be part of the “single” area and the yellow border between the “15” and the “10” is configured to be a “10”, then the dart would be scored as a single “10” and count as hitting the “10” one (1) time.
Using the same scenario, let’s assume that the innermost yellow ring is configured to be part of the “bull’s eye”. Then, it doesn’t matter how the yellow border between the “15” and the “10” is configured because the dart is a bull’s eye based on the yellow ring.
Therefore, when the innermost ring is involved there are also only three (3) possible scenarios.
The interior rings we will be discussing in this section are the rings that serves as the inside border of the “double” area and the two rings that serve as the borders of the “triple” area. Unlike the intersections involving the outermost and innermost yellow rings, which have three (3) possible scenarios, there are four (4) possible scenarios at the intersections of the interior (second, third, and fourth) yellow rings and the yellow borders between the numbers.
Let’s assume a dart lands in the hole where the fourth yellow ring intersects the yellow border between the “19” and the “7”. Let’s also say the yellow ring is configured to be part of the “single” area and the yellow border between the “19” and the “7” is configured to be a “19”. In this case, the dart would be scored as a single “19”, and count as hitting the “19” one (1) time.
If the fourth yellow ring is configured to be part of the “single” area inside, and the yellow border between the “19” and the “7” is configured to be a “7”, then the dart would be scored as a single “7”, and count as hitting the “7″one (1) time.
If the fourth yellow ring is configured to be part of the “triple” area, and the yellow border between the “19” and the “7” is configured to be a “19”, then the dart would be scored as a triple “19”, and count as hitting the “19” three (3) times.
The fourth scenario would be if the fourth yellow ring is configured to be part of the “triple” area, and the yellow border between the “19” and the “7” is configured to be a “7”. In this case, the dart would be scored as a triple “7”, and count as hitting the “7” three (3) times. This procedure would work for every intersection of the three interior rings with the borders between the numbers.
However, if we use the third method of scoring the yellow rings, the scoring of the three interior rings would be simplified. The only consideration would be which number the yellow border between the numbers is configured to be. Therefore, there would only be two possible scenarios for the intersections.
Let’s assume a dart lands in the hole where the third yellow ring intersects the yellow border between the “19” and the “7”. Since we already know the yellow ring is configured to be part of the “triple” area, the only question is whether the dart is a “triple” 19, or a “triple” 7, which of course, depends on whether the border between the numbers is configured to be a 19 or a 7. The same rules would apply to the fourth yellow ring because it is always part of the “triple” area as well.
It would be similar for the outermost and second outermost yellow rings except the darts landing where they intersect the border between the 19 and the 7 would count as either a “double” 19 or a “double” 7.
The intersection between the innermost yellow ring and any of the yellow borders would be irrelevant because the dart would always count as a bull’s eye.
The last item we are proposing to incorporate into this solution is to add smaller numbers in between the big numbers outside the outermost yellow ring. These smaller numbers would be located at the end of each yellow border. It would indicate what each holed yellow border is worth. (See
For example, there would be a little number “20”, or a little number “1” at the end of the yellow border area that separates the “20” from the “1”, depending on the configuration of the board. Between the “1” and the “18”, there would be a little number “1” or “18” at the end of the border. This would continue all around the board, with a small number at the end of each yellow border area. This would provide clarity to anyone whose dart stuck in the yellow border area. They wouldn’t have to keep remembering in which direction the board is configured, and to what number each yellow border belongs. It would be clearly marked.
However, when we take these double-wide borders in
As you can see in
For example, the “20” area has yellow borders on both sides of it, whereas the “1” and the “5” areas on either side of the “20” area, are both enclosed within blue borders. When a dart hits in the yellow border between the 20 and the 1, or the yellow border between the “20” and the”5” it is scored as hitting the “20”. However, when a dart hits in the blue border between the “20” and the “1”, it is scored as hitting the “1”, and when a dart hits in the blue border between the “20” and the “5”, it is scored as hitting the 5. This principle would hold true for all the numbers as you go around the board. The borders on either side of each number are considered to be a part of that number.
There would also be no need to have the little numbers at the end of each border, since the two-color borders represent both numbers on either side of it. If the dart is in the yellow, it’s scored as being part of the number the yellow border is adjacent to, and if it’s in the blue, it’s scored as the number the blue border is adjacent to.
The yellow rings are also reduced to their original one-hole width, restoring the accuracy needed to hit the premium areas within each number.
Each red scoring area of the board has a blue border, while each black area of the board has a yellow border. We chose those colors because blue shows up well on red, and yellow shows up well on black. It doesn’t matter what the colors are as long as they are clearly visible. For example, dark blue is not easy to distinguish from black. Therefore, it would not make sense to outline a black area with a dark blue border. Just like it would not make sense to outline a red area with an orange border.
These border areas, of course, are flush with the rest of the board and have scoring holes in them. The yellow areas are scored as being part of the black areas, and the blue areas are scored as being part of the red areas.
For example, let’s look at how the areas within the 20 of
The areas within the other numbers would work the same. Any dart hitting/landing in the yellow border would count as hitting the black area which it surrounds. Any dart hitting/landing in the blue border would count as hitting the red area which it surrounds.
This solution would provide more clarity than solution 4, since it clearly distinguishes all the areas of the board.
There will always be an occasional dart that bounces off electronic dartboards because it hits directly between the holes, hits a dart that is already stuck in the board, or is poorly thrown. Darts that hit between the holes, however, almost always register as hitting the correct number. The problem with current electronic dartboards is that far too many darts bounce off the hard, yellow rings and borders, receiving no credit. They are scored the same as darts that miss the board completely. As we alluded to earlier, scoring darts that bounce off these rings and borders as a “miss” is no different than a football player being called out of bounds because he steps on a yard marker, or a basketball player being called out of bounds because he steps on the free throw line.
As previously mentioned, this description, and the solutions we have provided, are not to be taken in a limiting sense but have been made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention. The foremost principle of which is that when darts hit “in-play”, that is, within the boundary of the outermost ring, they must accurately register as to where they hit the board. The only way to accomplish this is to eliminate the plastic borders and rings which exist in the field of play, and make the whole playing surface one continuous scoring area.
Any of the solutions we have presented, or any number of variations of the presented solutions, will accomplish this, and dramatically improve the scoring accuracy of electronic dartboards. Nearly all the complaints, arguments, and disputes as to where darts actually hit the board when they bounced off will be eliminated because the vast majority of the thrown darts will no longer bounce of the board onto the floor! They will be stuck in the board, and there will be no argument as to where they hit!
Based on our measurement and mathematical calculations, we estimate that solution 1 which changes the borders to be shaped like an inverted “v” coming out from the board will reduce the number of “in-play” darts that bounce off the board, and fail to register, by approximately 67%.
Solutions 2 through 5, where the hard, plastic borders are replaced with holed scoring areas which are flush with the rest of the board, will reduce the number of “in-play” darts that bounce off the board by between 85% and 95%. These solutions would also lower costs because the plastic borders would not need to be manufactured and inserted into the dartboard. However, we strongly believe that solution 2 will cause too many other problems with its lack of clarity, and distinction between scoring areas. We feel that solution 3 is definitely a better choice than solutions 1 and 2.
It is our opinion that solutions 4 and 5 are the best choices. Solution 4 provides both clarity and distinction between the numeric scoring areas. However, for absolute clarity and distinguishability between every scoring area of the board, solution 5 (
In closing, we would like to reiterate that there is no reason for a player who throws a good dart not to get credit for that dart. Way too many darts currently bounce off the board because they hit directly on the “in-play” rings, and the borders between the numbers. The present invention will remedy this problem by turning the rings and borders into active scoring areas, and allow dart throwers to compete in a fair environment where the scoring is accurate. This, in turn, will eliminate the debates, stress, and controversy caused by darts bouncing off the board, and the arbitrary nature in which those darts are scored.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63311949 | Feb 2022 | US |
