Patent Application
20240399226
The present disclosure generally relates to a game apparatus. More particularly, the subject disclosed herein relates to a targeting game apparatus with spraying feature.
According to one or more embodiments, an apparatus may include: a base; a lever extending outwardly from the base; a target coupled to an end portion of the lever opposite the base; and a spray nozzle coupled with the base, and configured to spray liquid responsive to the lever being deflected.
The lever may be configured to be deflected responsive to a force applied to the target.
The spray nozzle may be configured to automatically stop spraying the liquid after a set amount of time.
The force may be applied responsive to a projectile striking the target.
The base may include: a spring-loaded valve actuator configured to open a valve and direct the liquid from a source to the spray nozzle responsive to the lever being deflected; and a water wheel fluidically connected between the source and the spray nozzle, and configured to cutoff the liquid from the spray nozzle.
The water wheel may be coupled to one or more gears such that a spinning motion of the water wheel is configured to close the valve and move the lever to a neutral position via the one or more gears.
A speed of the spinning motion of the water wheel may be set based on pressure of the liquid from the source.
A length of time between the valve in the open position and in the closed position may be set based on a size and number of gears of the one or more gears.
The spring-loaded valve actuator may include springs that are configured to be tensioned responsive to the lever being deflected, and wherein the tension of springs further moves the lever to the neutral position concurrently with the spinning motion of the water wheel.
The target may include a plate and one or more detachable concentric rings.
According to one or more embodiments, a method for operating an apparatus including a base, a lever extending outwardly from the base, a target coupled to an end portion of the lever opposite the base, and a spray nozzle coupled with the base is described. The method may include: receiving, by a target coupled to the lever, an external force; deflecting the lever from a first position to a second position responsive to the force; opening a valve responsive to the deflecting of the lever to direct a liquid from a source applied to the base to the spray nozzle; spraying the liquid from spray nozzle; and stopping the spraying automatically after a set amount of time.
The external force may be applied by a projectile striking the target.
The valve may be coupled to a spring-loaded valve actuator, and the deflecting of the lever from the first position to the second position causes the spring-loaded valve actuator to open the valve.
The method may further include spinning a water wheel fluidically connected between the source and the spray nozzle responsive to the open valve.
The water wheel may be coupled to one or more gears, such that the spinning of the water wheel is configured to close the valve and move the lever to a neutral position via the one or more gears, and wherein the stopping the spraying includes closing the valve.
A speed of the spinning of the water wheel may be set based on pressure of the liquid from the source.
A length of time between the opening of the valve and the closing of the valve may be set based on a size and number of gears of the one or more gears.
The spring-loaded valve actuator may include springs that are configured to be tensioned responsive to the deflecting of the lever, and wherein the tension of springs further moves the lever to the neutral position concurrently with the spinning of the water wheel.
The target may include a plate and one or more detachable concentric rings.
According to one or more embodiments, a system may include: a first apparatus including: a first base; a first lever extending outwardly from the first base; a first target coupled to an end portion of the first lever opposite the first base; and a first spray nozzle coupled with the first base, and configured to spray liquid responsive to the first lever being deflected; a second apparatus including: a second base; a second lever extending outwardly from the second base; a second target coupled to an end portion of the second lever opposite the second base; and a second spray nozzle coupled with the second base, and configured to spray liquid responsive to the second lever being deflected; and a liquid source manifold including an input port and at least a first output port fluidically connected to the first base and a second output port fluidically connected to the second base, the liquid source manifold configured to direct the liquid source to the first apparatus and the second apparatus.
The scope of the invention is defined by the claims, which are incorporated into this section by reference. A more complete understanding of embodiments of the invention will be afforded to those skilled in the art, as well as a realization of additional advantages thereof, by a consideration of the following detailed description of one or more embodiments. Reference will be made to the appended sheets of drawings that will first be described briefly.
Embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. Unless otherwise noted, like reference numerals denote like elements throughout the attached drawings and the written description, and thus, descriptions thereof will not be repeated. In the drawings, the relative sizes of elements, layers, and regions may be exaggerated for clarity.
Aspects of some embodiments of the present disclosure and methods of accomplishing the same may be understood more readily by reference to the detailed description of embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The described embodiments, however, may be embodied in various different forms, and should not be construed as being limited to only the illustrated embodiments herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided as examples so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the aspects of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, processes, elements, and techniques that are not necessary to those having ordinary skill in the art for a complete understanding of the aspects of the present disclosure may not be described.
The foregoing is illustrative of some embodiments of the present disclosure, and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although some embodiments have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications are possible in the embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. It will be understood that descriptions of features or aspects within each embodiment should typically be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other embodiments, unless otherwise described. Thus, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, features, characteristics, and/or elements described in connection with a particular embodiment may be used singly or in combination with features, characteristics, and/or elements described in connection with other embodiments unless otherwise specifically indicated. Therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of various example embodiments and is not to be construed as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, and that various modifications to the disclosed embodiments, as well as other example embodiments, are intended to be included within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims, and their equivalents.
One or more embodiments of the present disclosure is directed to an apparatus that may include a target and a liquid spraying feature, and more particularly to one or more targeting game apparatus in which a first player strikes a target with a bean bag, ball or other projectile, and the deflection of the target actuates a mechanism by which water or other liquid is sprayed for set or prescribed duration on a competing player.
In some embodiments, the target game apparatus with spray feature may include just one target with its respective base and spray nozzle. In such case, the source of water may be connected directedly to the elongated pipe or directly to the base. Yet in some embodiments, the target game apparatus with spray feature may include more than two targets, for example, there may be three or four or more targets and their respective bases and spray nozzles, and the input port may include the same number of ports as there are target game apparatuses.
In operation, the garden hose or other sources of water may be attached to the inlet of the manifold 28 and the water source may be turned on, thereby delivering pressurized water into the device. However, the water is not sprayed out of the spray nozzles until a certain condition is satisfied at the apparatus. A first player throws, fires, or otherwise projects a bean bag, ball or other projectile toward the first target 4. A second player, who is the first player's competitor, stands within the range of the spray nozzle 14 associated with the first target 4. Upon the projectile striking the first target 4, the lever 7 may be deflected as a consequence of the weight and momentum of the projectile, which actuates a valve within the first target base 10 to allow the delivery of pressurized water for a prescribed duration through the spray nozzle 14 to spray the competing player located within the path of the spraying water. In some embodiments, an angle of the spray nozzle 14 may be turned, rotated, or bent so that it points toward the second player that is standing by the spray nozzle 14. The second player can then make an attempt to strike the second target 6, which, if successfully hit, will in turn move the corresponding lever 8 for actuating an internal valve to actuate the delivery of pressurized water through spray nozzle 16 for spraying the first player for a prescribed duration. The back and forth may be repeated as part of the game. The winner may be determined according to a set of rules that may be determined before starting the game, for example, based on the number of times a player gets sprayed, etc.
In order to release the water on the opposing player for a prescribed time once the target is hit, the base of each target includes a mechanism by which water is allowed to be sprayed for a prescribed amount of time, and the target lever is reset to its original or neutral position for continuance of the game.
Referring to
In some embodiments, the flow of water through the water wheel 64 causes the water wheel 64 to spin at a particular speed (e.g., a predetermined or set speed) according to a range of conventional flow rates for pressurized water from the municipal water source. In other words, a desired spin speed of the water wheel 64 is first determined, and based on the water pressure that is being applied to the apparatus, the water wheel 64 may be adjusted so that it spins at the desired speed. The water wheel 64 may be connected to a gear 70, and therefore when the water wheel 64 spins, the gear 70 is spun, which in turn transmits torque through a series of gears 72, 74, 76. The coupling of smaller gears to larger gears may allow multiplying of torque, which ultimately resets the lever arm 7 and the target 6 through a peg 78 connected to the rack and pinion mechanism 56, while also creating a delay (e.g., the prescribed time in which the water is flowing) by which the lever arm 7 is not reset immediately but over the prescribed interval. In some embodiments, the delay time may be further adjusted or changed based on the number of gears and/or the sizes of the gears. Thus, it should be noted that while three gears 72, 74, 76 are illustrated, fewer or greater number of gears may be implemented to achieve desired results. The resetting of the lever arm 7 (e.g., returning to its neutral position) commensurately rotates the valve 62 to the closed position to stop the water flow. Accordingly, the water flow is mechanically activated by the lever arm 7 being deflected by the projectile's kinetic energy and thereby causing a series of mechanical movements within the base 10, which in turn, turns on the water. The pressure from the water source then spins the water wheel 64, which resets the lever arm 7 to its neutral or starting position, and turns the valve to the closed position. Therefore, the targeting game apparatus may be configured to reciprocate the process of turning on the water spray and then turning off the water spray, all without the use or need for electricity or power.
In some embodiments, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, one target may be used, or several targets may be used together to modify the game. However, the operation of the mechanism remains the same. Furthermore, the size of the targets may be changed to account for various skill levels in hitting the target, for example, between a child and adult. Thus, the target may be made of a smaller circular plate, and detachable or attachable concentric ring-shaped target portions may be attached or detached from the circular plate portion to change the overall size of the target. Consequently, a larger target may be easier to strike, for example, by a child, whereas a smaller target may be more difficult to strike.
Unless otherwise noted, like reference numerals, characters, or combinations thereof denote like elements throughout the attached drawings and the written description, and thus, descriptions thereof will not be repeated. Further, parts that are not related to, or that are irrelevant to, the description of the embodiments might not be shown to make the description clear.
In the drawings, the relative sizes of elements, layers, and regions may be exaggerated for clarity. Additionally, the use of cross-hatching and/or shading in the accompanying drawings is generally provided to clarify boundaries between adjacent elements. As such, neither the presence nor the absence of cross-hatching or shading conveys or indicates any preference or requirement for particular materials, material properties, dimensions, proportions, commonalities between illustrated elements, and/or any other characteristic, attribute, property, etc., of the elements, unless specified.
Various embodiments are described herein with reference to sectional illustrations that are schematic illustrations of embodiments and/or intermediate structures. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Further, specific structural or functional descriptions disclosed herein are merely illustrative for the purpose of describing embodiments according to the concept of the present disclosure. Thus, embodiments disclosed herein should not be construed as limited to the particular illustrated shapes of regions, but are to include deviations in shapes that result from, for instance, manufacturing.
For example, an implanted region illustrated as a rectangle will, typically, have rounded or curved features and/or a gradient of implant concentration at its edges rather than a binary change from implanted to non-implanted region. Likewise, a buried region formed by implantation may result in some implantation in the region between the buried region and the surface through which the implantation takes place.
Thus, the regions illustrated in the drawings are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the actual shape of a region of a device and are not intended to be limiting. Additionally, as those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure.
In the detailed description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments. It is apparent, however, that various embodiments may be practiced without these specific details or with one or more equivalent arrangements. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring various embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “under,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of explanation to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or in operation, in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” or “under” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example terms “below” and “under” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein should be interpreted accordingly. Similarly, when a first part is described as being arranged “on” a second part, this indicates that the first part is arranged at an upper side or a lower side of the second part without the limitation to the upper side thereof on the basis of the gravity direction.
Further, in this specification, the phrase “on a plane,” or “plan view,” means viewing a target portion from the top, and the phrase “on a cross-section” means viewing a cross-section formed by vertically cutting a target portion from the side.
It will be understood that when an element, layer, region, or component is referred to as being “formed on,” “on,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element, layer, region, or component, it can be directly formed on, on, connected to, or coupled to the other element, layer, region, or component, or indirectly formed on, on, connected to, or coupled to the other element, layer, region, or component such that one or more intervening elements, layers, regions, or components may be present. In addition, this may collectively mean a direct or indirect coupling or connection and an integral or non-integral coupling or connection. For example, when a layer, region, or component is referred to as being “electrically connected” or “electrically coupled” to another layer, region, or component, it can be directly electrically connected or coupled to the other layer, region, and/or component or intervening layers, regions, or components may be present. However, “directly connected/directly coupled” refers to one component directly connecting or coupling another component without an intermediate component.
Meanwhile, other expressions describing relationships between components such as “between,” “immediately between” or “adjacent to” and “directly adjacent to” may be construed similarly. In addition, it will also be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being “between” two elements or layers, it can be the only element or layer between the two elements or layers, or one or more intervening elements or layers may also be present.
For the purposes of this disclosure, expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list. For example, “at least one of X, Y, and Z,” “at least one of X, Y, or Z,” and “at least one selected from the group consisting of X, Y, and Z” may be construed as X only, Y only, Z only, any combination of two or more of X, Y, and Z, such as, for instance, XYZ, XYY, YZ, and ZZ, or any variation thereof. Similarly, the expression such as “at least one of A and B” may include A, B, or A and B. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. For example, the expression such as “A and/or B” may include A, B, or A and B.
It will be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section described below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The description of an element as a “first” element may not require or imply the presence of a second element or other elements. The terms “first”, “second”, etc. may also be used herein to differentiate different categories or sets of elements. For conciseness, the terms “first”, “second”, etc. may represent “first-category (or first-set)”, “second-category (or second-set)”, etc., respectively.
In the examples, the x-axis, the y-axis, and/or the z-axis are not limited to three axes of a rectangular coordinate system, and may be interpreted in a broader sense. For example, the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis may be perpendicular to one another, or may represent different directions that are not perpendicular to one another. The same applies for first, second, and/or third directions.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a” and “an” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “have,” “having,” “includes,” and “including,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
As used herein, the term “substantially,” “about,” “approximately,” and similar terms are used as terms of approximation and not as terms of degree, and are intended to account for the inherent deviations in measured or calculated values that would be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art. “About” or “approximately,” as used herein, is inclusive of the stated value and means within an acceptable range of deviation for the particular value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art, considering the measurement in question and the error associated with measurement of the particular quantity (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system). For example, “about” may mean within one or more standard deviations, or within +30%, 20%, 10%, 5% of the stated value. Further, the use of “may” when describing embodiments of the present disclosure refers to “one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.”
When one or more embodiments may be implemented differently, a specific process order may be performed differently from the described order. For example, two consecutively described processes may be performed substantially at the same time or performed in an order opposite to the described order.
Also, any numerical range disclosed and/or recited herein is intended to include all sub-ranges of the same numerical precision subsumed within the recited range. For example, a range of “1.0 to 10.0” is intended to include all subranges between (and including) the recited minimum value of 1.0 and the recited maximum value of 10.0, that is, having a minimum value equal to or greater than 1.0 and a maximum value equal to or less than 10.0, such as, for example, 2.4 to 7.6. Any maximum numerical limitation recited herein is intended to include all lower numerical limitations subsumed therein, and any minimum numerical limitation recited in this specification is intended to include all higher numerical limitations subsumed therein. Accordingly, Applicant reserves the right to amend this specification, including the claims, to expressly recite any sub-range subsumed within the ranges expressly recited herein. All such ranges are intended to be inherently described in this specification such that amending to expressly recite any such subranges would comply with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. § 112 (a) and 35 U.S.C. § 132 (a).
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and/or the present specification, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, unless expressly so defined herein.
Embodiments described herein are examples only. One skilled in the art may recognize various alternative embodiments from those specifically disclosed. Those alternative embodiments are also intended to be within the scope of this disclosure. As such, the embodiments are limited only by the following claims and their equivalents.
This application claims the priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 (e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/471,259, filed on Jun. 5, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63471259 | Jun 2023 | US |
