On track an improved shoot the moon game

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11577152-B2
Application number	US-202016934034-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2020
Priority date	Jul 21, 2020
Publication date	Feb 14, 2023
Grant date	Feb 14, 2023

Abstract

A game board comprising a tapered playing field with walls rising from a perimeter thereof. The board comprises open receptacles arranged in a pattern or randomly on the playing field. A triangular pattern extends from an apex adjacent to a first wall to a base adjacent to a second wall. Each of the receptacles comprise a depth and a diameter sufficient to capture a ball used in the game. A movable track comprising a pair of rods comprising first and second ends is disposed above the field. The first ends are attached to a pivot disposed on the first wall and the second ends are inserted through an elongate opening in the second wall. The track is inclined from the pivot ends. A ball placed on the track near the pivot ends is urged to travel uphill along the track and dropped into a receptacle by manipulating the rods.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A game board, comprising:
an enclosure comprising a playing surface therein tapered outwardly downward from a center thereof comprising a playing field with walls rising around a perimeter of the enclosure;
the playing field comprising open receptacles disposed randomly or in a pattern arranged in columns and rows substantially covering the playing field;
the receptacles comprising diameters and depths sufficient to capture a ball used in the game;
a laterally movable dual-rod track comprising a pair of rods comprising first and second ends disposed above the playing field at a sufficient height to pass over a captured ball on the playing field;
the rods' first ends being attached to a pivot mounted on the first wall and the second ends extending beyond the second wall, the track being inclined from the pivot to the second wall, the track swinging laterally over substantially all the receptacles on the playing field;
a game ball stop movable along the dual rod track comprising a through channel and an elastic band looped therethrough, the rods passing through the loops, and
wherein when a ball is placed on the track near the the game ball stop, a player urges the ball to travel uphill along the track and dropped into one of the receptacles by manipulating the distance between the rods.

2. The game board of claim 1 , wherein the playing field is removable.

3. The game board of claim 1 , wherein the playing field is interchangeable with different playing fields.

4. The game board of claim 1 , wherein the playing field comprises a pattern selected from a group consisting of triangles, squares, rectangles, or circles.

5. The game board of claim 1 , wherein the playing field comprises one or more punch-out receptacles.

6. The game board of claim 1 , wherein the receptacles comprise varying diameters and depths.

7. The game board of claim 1 , further comprising multiple balls used in the game comprising varying diameters.

8. The game board of claim 1 , wherein the first wall comprises two or more pivots.

9. The game board of claim 8 , wherein the rods rotate within the respective openings in the respective pivots.

10. The game board of claim 1 , wherein the first wall comprises an elongate channel in which a pivot comprising a slider is slidably disposed.

11. The game board of claim 1 , wherein the rods comprise an uninterrupted side and an interrupted side along their respective lengths.

12. The game board of claim 11 , wherein the interrupted side of the rods comprises one or more detents spaced along the length of the respective rods.

13. The game board of claim 11 , wherein when the respective rods are rotated, the respective detents face one another for detaining the ball as it travels along the track.

14. The game board of claim 11 , wherein when one rod is rotated, the respective detents face the uninterrupted side of the opposite rod for detaining the ball as it travels along the track.

15. The game board of claim 1 , wherein one or more receptacles are blocked.

16. The game board of claim 1 , wherein two or more receptacles are joined.

17. The game board of claim 1 , wherein the game ball stop slidably attached to the dual-rod track comprises a sphere, a disk, a cube, a polyhedron, a prism, a tube, or a solid rod.

18. The game board of claim 1 , wherein one or more receptacles comprise one or more letters and numerals appearing in or around the respective receptacles.

19. The game board of claim 1 , further comprising jacks mounted adjacent to the second wall to tilt and incline the playing field.

20. The game board of claim 1 , wherein a tensioner is attached to the respective rods selected from the group consisting of elastics, springs, coils, or pistons and cylinders.

Assignees

• Crenshaw Donald R
• Fox Joe

Inventors

• Crenshaw Donald R
• Fox Joe

Classifications

• A63F2003/0035

  with stackable playing surfaces · CPC title

• A63F3/00028 Primary

  Board games simulating indoor or outdoor sporting games, e.g. bowling, basketball, boxing, croquet, athletics, jeu de boules, darts, snooker, rodeo (racing games played on boards A63F3/00082; indoor games played with small balls A63F7/00) · CPC title

• A63F2003/00482

  Hexagonal · CPC title

• A63F2003/00179

  Triangular game board · CPC title

• A63F2007/303

  Parts of the playing surface being movable, replaceable or removable (A63F2007/301 takes precedence) · CPC title