Patent Application
20200238143
The disclosure relates generally to games, and in particular to toss games.
Toss games provide competitive entertainment to players and include, for example basketball, bocce and beanbag toss games. Players of toss games compete with accuracy skills to place a game object closest to a target and accumulate scoring points until a tally goal is reached. One example is the toss game of darts. The more accurate the player, the quicker the accumulation of points to reach an agreed upon total to win the game. Other toss games are enjoyed by attempting to place a game object within an opening, such as a basketball within a basketball goal or a beanbag through a hole in a surface.
The majority of toss games require throwing a game object directly at a target. To improve the challenge of the common toss game, there is a desire to add a difficulty of play. Introducing a bounce back surface to a toss game improves the challenge of the toss game.
In an embodiment, a toss game apparatus includes a first assembly and a second assembly pivotally connected to the first assembly. The first assembly includes a first outer frame, a target surface connected to at least a portion of the first outer frame, and at least one target pocket that is recessed below the target surface. The at least one target pocket is configured to receive a toss game piece. The second assembly includes a second outer frame, and a bounce surface connected to at least a portion of the second outer frame. The target surface is configured to be positioned at an angle non-linearly relative to the bounce surface.
Optionally, a target pocket may be collapsible. A target pocket may be removably attached to at least a portion of the target surface. Alternatively, a target pocket is fixedly attached to at least a portion of the target surface.
Optionally, the bounce surface is formed of a resilient material. The bounce surface may include one or more visual markings indicating a target location as to where the toss game piece should be tossed.
The toss game apparatus may further include a third assembly that is pivotally attached to the second assembly. One or more of the second assembly or the third assembly may include a pouch configured to store the one or more toss game pieces.
The second outer frame may include an upper member, a lower member, and a pair of leg members that are configured to connect to one or more of the upper member or the lower member. The bounce surface may be at least partially connected to the upper member.
In an embodiment, a toss game apparatus includes a first assembly, and a second assembly pivotally connected to the first assembly. The first assembly includes a first outer frame, a target surface connected to at least a portion of the first outer frame, and at least one target pocket that is recessed below the target surface. The at least one target pocket is configured to receive a toss game piece. The second assembly includes a second outer frame having an upper member having a first portion and a second portion, a lower member having a first portion and a second portion, a first leg member, and a second leg member. A first end of the first leg member is configured to connect to the first portion of the upper member, and a second end of the first leg member is configured to connect to the first portion of the lower member. A first end of the second leg member is configured to connect to the second portion of the upper member and a second end of the second leg member is configured to connect to the second portion of the lower member. A bounce surface is connected to at least a portion of the upper member. The target surface is configured to be positioned at an angle non-linearly relative to the bounce surface.
Optionally, the at least one target pocket may be collapsible. The at least one target pocket may be removably attached to at least a portion of the target surface. At least one target pocket may be fixedly attached to at least a portion of the target surface.
The bounce surface may be formed of a resilient material. The bounce surface may include one or more visual markings indicating a target location as to where the toss game piece should be tossed.
The toss game apparatus may further include a third assembly that is pivotally attached to the second assembly. One or more of the second assembly or the third assembly may include a pouch configured to store the one or more toss game pieces.
As used in this document, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. As used in this document, the term “comprising” means “including, but not limited to.” When used in this document, the term “exemplary” is intended to mean “by way of example” and is not intended to indicate that a particular exemplary item is preferred or required.
In this document, when terms such “first” and “second” are used to modify a noun, such use is simply intended to distinguish one item from another, and is not intended to require a sequential order unless specifically stated. The term “approximately,” when used in connection with a numeric value, is intended to include values that are close to, but not exactly, the number. For example, in some embodiments, the term “approximately” may include values that are within +/−10 percent of the value.
When used in this document, terms such as “top” and “bottom,” “above” and “below”, “upper” and “lower”, or “front” and “rear,” are not intended to have absolute orientations but are instead intended to describe relative positions of various components with respect to each other. For example, a first component may be an “upper” component and a second component may be a “lower” component when a device of which the components are a part is oriented in a first direction. The relative orientations of the components may be reversed, or the components may be on the same plane, if the orientation of the structure that contains the components is changed. The claims are intended to include all orientations of a device containing such components.
A toss game piece 20 refers to a movable object that is capable of being tossed at and received by one or more target pockets 160. Example toss game pieces 20 may include, without limitation, beanbags, rings, discs, spheres (for example tennis balls, baseballs, golf balls, or ping pong balls) or other objects. The toss game pieces 20 may be organized into two or more groups. In an embodiment, toss game pieces 20 may be organized into groups based on a characteristic of a toss game piece 20 such as, for example, color, shape, size, markings or the like. For example, toss game pieces 20 may be organized into groups of pieces in which each piece in a group shares one or more characteristics, but those characteristics differ from group to group to differentiate between players or teams. As another example, toss game pieces 20 may be grouped by color or by markings to assist players with color-blindness. The markings on one or more toss game pieces 20 may be numbers, characters, symbols, images, or any combination thereof. For example, a marking may be a number between 1 and 8 or an ‘X’ and an ‘O’. While a single player may enjoy the toss game apparatus, two or more players may utilize a toss game apparatus in teams (designated by toss game piece color or markings) for more competitive play. The toss game pieces 20 may be stored when not in use in the toss game piece storage pouch 340.
As illustrated in
The upper member 182 may include two portions 182b that are connected via a connection member 182a. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Attorney Docket No. 182123.02601 connected in any suitable way such as, for example, via screws, pins, or other fasteners or connectors.
The upper member 282 may include two portions 282b that are connected via a connection member 282a. In various embodiments, the lower member 286 may also include two portions 286b that are connected via a connection member 286a. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The lower member 382 may include two portions 382b that are connected via a connection member 382a. As illustrated in
Providing adjustable connections for both the second assembly 200 and the third assembly 300 may allow a player to orient the target surface 140 and/or the bounce surface 240 at varying elevations above the game support surface G as well as tilting the target surface 140 and/or the bounce surface 240 forward and rearward.
The toss game piece storage pouch 340 may be attached to the second assembly 200, or as shown in
The first outer frame 180, second outer frame 280, and third outer frame 380 may be formed from various materials such as, for example, plastics, metals, or other rigid materials. In various embodiments, the first outer frame 180, second outer frame 280, and third outer frame 380 may be formed from tubular metal parts and may be connected in any suitable way such as, for example, via screws, pins, or other fasteners or connectors.
In various embodiments, a third assembly 300 may be releasably connected to a first assembly 100 and/or a second assembly 200. The first assembly 100 may include a first attachment portion 120, the second assembly 200 may include a second attachment portion 220, and the third assembly 300 may include a third attachment portion 320. An attachment portion may be a bracket assembly, a pin assembly, a screw assembly, or other fastener or connector. The first and third attachment portions 120, 320 may be separate portions each having a separate pivot point. Alternatively, as shown in
At least a portion of the target surface 140 may be attached to at least a portion of the first outer frame 180 of the first assembly 100 along at least a portion of the upper member 182 and/or the two leg members 184. In various embodiments, at least a portion of the target surface 140 may also be attached to at least a portion of the crossmember 400. The target surface 140 may provide one or more targets allowing a player to bounce a toss game piece 20 off of the bounce surface 240 toward the target surface 140 with the goal of landing the toss game piece 20 into a target pocket 160 of the target surface 140. In various embodiments, a bounce surface 240 may include one or more visual markings that indicate a target location on the bounce surface where a player should toss a toss game piece 20 in order to bounce the toss game piece 20 into a target pocket 160. The visual markings may include, without limitation, a character (e.g., an “x”), a symbol (e.g., a single ring or a group of concentric rings forming a bullseye target), an image, a graphic and/or the like. In various embodiments, the toss game apparatus 10 may be placed at various elevations above the game support surface G for increased difficulty in play. For example, the toss game apparatus 10 may be placed at a height above the game support surface G where the target surface 140 would obstruct the view of the bounce surface 240. The player, in this instance, would look through the target surface 140 in order to aim the toss game piece 20 toward the visual marking on the bounce surface 240. In various embodiments, the target surface 140 may be a fabric or other resilient material pulled taut onto the first assembly 100 and crossmember 400 via any suitable manner such as, for example, using hook and loop fasteners, straps, or sewn in loops 142. The resilient target surface 140 may be formed of transparent, opaque, or tinted materials, may include a sheer weave, and/or a pattern of apertures of various diameters (i.e., perforations). For example, the resilient target surface may be formed of NO-SEE-UM SCREEN™ material having a pattern of perforations allowing a player to see through the target surface 140. Alternatively, the target surface 140 may be a substantially rigid surface fixed to the first outer frame 180 of the first assembly 100 and/or the crossmember 400. The rigid target surface 140 may be transparent, semitransparent, tinted, colored, painted, or the like. For a variation of play, the target surface 140 may be one of a set of interchangeable target surfaces 140 having varying properties (resilient or rigid, transparent or darkened, perforated or obstructed, or any combination thereof). The players may place the toss game apparatus 10 at various elevations and/or interchange the target surfaces 140 to increase the difficulty in play.
At least a portion of the bounce surface 240 may be attached to at least a portion of the second outer frame 280 of the second assembly 200 along at least a portion of the upper member 282 and/or the two leg members 284 of the second assembly 200. In an embodiment, at least a portion of the bounce surface 240 may also be attached to at least a portion of the crossmember 400. The bounce surface 240 may allow a player to bounce a toss game piece 20 off of the bounce surface 240 toward the target surface 140. The bounce surface 240 may be a fabric or other resilient material pulled taut onto the second assembly 200 and/or crossmember 400 via any suitable manner such as, for example, using hook and loop fasteners, straps, or sewn in loops 242. Alternatively, the bounce surface 240 may be a substantially rigid surface fixed to the second outer frame 280 of the second assembly 200 and/or the crossmember 400.
In an embodiment, the toss game apparatus 10 may be fixed with no moving parts in a simple orientation allowing for the target surface 140 to be adjacent to the bounce surface 240. Alternatively, the toss game apparatus 10 may be at least partially collapsed into a stored orientation. In a stored orientation, the first assembly 100 and third assembly 300 may be placed co-planar to the second assembly 200. The toss game apparatus 10 may be opened to the play orientation where the first assembly 100 and third assembly 300 are placed at an angle in relation to the second assembly 200. In the stored orientation, the first assembly 100 and third assembly 300 may be secured to the second assembly 200 via a fastener 600, such as, for example, magnets, latches, mating hook and loop material and/or the like. The fastener 600 may be placed between the upper member 182 of the first assembly 100 and the upper member 282 of the second assembly 200 and/or between the lower member 382 of the third assembly 300 and the lower member 286 of the second assembly 200 (not shown). The toss game apparatus 10 may further include an optional carrying strap 500, such as, for example, one attached to the second assembly 200, in order to allow a player to support the weight of the toss game apparatus on his or her shoulder when in the stored orientation. In the play orientation, the second assembly 200 and third assembly 300 may include a non-slip material 290, 390 able to contact the game support surface G in order to reduce movement of the toss game apparatus 10 when toss game pieces 20 bounce against the bounce surface 240 and target surface 140.
A target pocket 160 on the target surface 140 may be a single target pocket 160 or multiple target pockets 160. As seen in the sectional view of
As illustrated in
The above-disclosed features and functions, as well as alternatives, may be combined into many other different apparatuses or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements may be made by those skilled in the art, each of which is also intended to be encompassed by the disclosed embodiments.
