Title:
Skipping projectile water target
United States Patent 3895801
Abstract:
A game to be played on bodies of water comprising a floating target and projectiles which are skipped across the surface of the water toward said target by the participants in the game, differing objectives being defined by the nature of the target, the nature of the projectiles and the relationship of the projectiles to the target.
US Patent References:
Game
Root - August 1921 - 1388666
Practice guide for baseball pitchers
Rovane - July 1926 - 1592005
Diving darts game
Butler - December 1961 - 3014723
Game apparatus
Cairns - October 1963 - 3107095
Floating target and disc game apparatus
Keller - October 1968 - 3403907
Game
Root - August 1921 - 1388666
Practice guide for baseball pitchers
Rovane - July 1926 - 1592005
Diving darts game
Butler - December 1961 - 3014723
Game apparatus
Cairns - October 1963 - 3107095
Floating target and disc game apparatus
Keller - October 1968 - 3403907
Application Number:
05/381242
Publication Date:
07/22/1975
Filing Date:
07/20/1973
View Patent Images:
Export Citation:
Primary Class:
International Classes:
A63B63/00; A63B71/02
Field of Search:
273/15R,16R,16B,95R,12R,12S 272/1B
US Patent References:
Other References:
Playthings, Vol. 56, No. 6, 6/58, p. 16..
Primary Examiner:
Pinkham, Richard C.
Assistant Examiner:
Siskind, Marvin
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
Kenyon & Kenyon Reilly Carr & Chapin
Claims:
What I claim is
1. Apparatus for playing a game of skipping projectiles on a body of water such that the projectiles richochet off the water and then pass through a target comprising, a target which includes an H-shaped base member enabling said target to float on the water, an arch-shaped upright member attached at its open ends to the cross bar of said H-shaped base member such that the plane containing said upright member intersects the plane of the surface of the water at substantially right angles thereto, and one or more cross pieces placed within and attached to said arch-shaped upright member substantially parallel to and at different vertical distances from the cross bar of said H-shaped member, said H-shaped base member, said arch-shaped upright member and said cross pieces being readily detachable from and reattachable to each other; and one or more disc-shaped projectiles adapted to skip off the water when directed at the water at a suitable angle thereto, such that said projectiles pass completely through the plane containing said upright member after skipping off the surface of the water.
1. Apparatus for playing a game of skipping projectiles on a body of water such that the projectiles richochet off the water and then pass through a target comprising, a target which includes an H-shaped base member enabling said target to float on the water, an arch-shaped upright member attached at its open ends to the cross bar of said H-shaped base member such that the plane containing said upright member intersects the plane of the surface of the water at substantially right angles thereto, and one or more cross pieces placed within and attached to said arch-shaped upright member substantially parallel to and at different vertical distances from the cross bar of said H-shaped member, said H-shaped base member, said arch-shaped upright member and said cross pieces being readily detachable from and reattachable to each other; and one or more disc-shaped projectiles adapted to skip off the water when directed at the water at a suitable angle thereto, such that said projectiles pass completely through the plane containing said upright member after skipping off the surface of the water.
Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to games, and in particular to games which can be played in various recreational water areas such as pools, lakes and the like. There are many land-based games which involve throwing projectiles at targets and testing the accuracy and skill of the participants. On the other hand, one of the most popular activities for those who find themselves around water with nothing to do has been to pick up stones and skip them across the surface of the water. However, this is usually done haphazardly and to no purpose other than to pass the time. There are no water-based games which combine and test these skills. Most water-based games known to date are either of the water sport variety requiring the participants to actually get in the water such as water polo or diving at targets, or require a great deal of auxillary equipment such as boats or other flotation devices which have to be large and buoyant enough to support the participants in the water without getting them wet.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide simple water-based games which can be conveniently played on any recreational body of water where the participants may or may not come in contact with the water, depending on their desires.
It is a further object of this invention to provide simple water-based games which test a participant's ability to accurately direct projectiles across the surface of a body of water to certain designated targets.
It is a further object of this invention to provide simple water-based games which test a participant's ability to skip projectiles across the surface of bodies of water.
It is a further object of this invention to provide simple water-based games which can be used competitively by more than one participant, such as an entire family, as well as by a single participant.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects are accomplished by the present invention which provides floating targets of varying types, depending on the game to be played, together with projectiles which are to be skipped across the surface of a body of water through or into certain designated areas in the targets. The degree of difficulty can be measured and altered by altering the size of the target, its height or its distance from the participant as well as by requiring more or less skips of the projectiles before they are permitted to reach the target. These and other advantages of the present invention can be determined from the following drawings and detailed description of the invention.
DRAWINGS AND DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a target of the present invention as it is placed on a body of water.
FIG. 2 is a top view of a second embodiment of a target of the present invention as it is placed on a body of water.
FIGS. 3a and 3b are views of the projectiles of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, the target of one embodiment of the present invention is comprised of an H-shaped base member which is made up of two parallel side legs 3 and 4 connected at points 3a and 3b by a perpendicular cross bar 2 lying in the same plane as the side legs. This base part floats on the water 25 such that the plane of the side legs and cross bar is parallel to the plane of the surface of the water. An arch like center member 1 is secured to the cross bar 2 at points 2a and 2b such that the plane of the arch like center member is perpendicular to the plane of the H-shaped base member. Arch like center member 1 has one or more cross members (two, 5 and 6, are illustrated in the drawing) which are in the same plane as arch like member 1 and placed parallel to cross bar 2 at varying distances from cross bar 2. Side legs 3 and 4 of the H-shaped member are further provided with flotation material 7 and 8 which will supply the necessary buoyancy to enable the entire assembly to float. Weights 9 and 10 are provided to anchor the whole assembly in one position relative to the water.
The various parts of the target are preferably made of a suitable strong light-weight plastic so as to be easily portable, yet strong enough to resist the impact of the projectiles, although other materials such as wood or light-weight metal would be suitable. The flotation material can be anything which will give the entire assembly the necessary buoyancy to float and should be chosen in coordination with the material chosen for the target. When the target is made of plastic, it has been found that styro-foam will provide the necessary buoyancy. Alternatively, if material is chosen for the target which itself has the necessary buoyancy, the extra flotation material can be dispensed with. The weights 9 and 10 can be any conventional weights which will keep the target in one position relative to the water and they may be attached in any conventional manner such as by strings 9a and 10a as illustrated.
While the entire assembly may be made in one piece, it is preferable that the various parts be detachable from one another for ease of storage and transportation. This detachability can be provided in any convenient manner, such as by force fits, screw threads and the like. Thus, if the assembly is made of plastic, the parts could be so dimensioned such that cross bar 2 readily force fits into holes provided in side legs 3 and 4 at points 3a and 3b and arch like member 1 force fits into holes provided in cross bar 2 at points 2a and 2b. Similarly, a series of parallel holes can be drilled in the legs of arch like member 1 and cross members of differing lengths, such as 5 and 6, provided which will force fit into these holes so that the height of the spaces between cross bar 2 and the lowest cross member, the height of the spaces between cross members, and the height of the space between the highest cross member and the arch like member may be adjusted for varying degrees of difficulty as more fully described below.
FIG. 3a illustrates the preferred projectile which is generally of saucer shape. As shown in FIG. 3b, it is preferred if the disc is constructed of an outer plastic shell 20 having a hollow elliptical air space 21 in its center. The outside of the projectile 19 may be painted with appropriate markings such as differing colors, numbers or letters. Although the preferred projectile is illustrated in FIGS. 3a and 3b, it will be appreciated that any projectile can be used which will skip across the water's surface when thrown and float upon the water's surface after coming to rest.
The game illustrated by the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is set up and played as follows. The various parts of the target described above are assembled as described above and floated out any desired distance in the water where it is anchored by weights 9 and 10. One or more participants stand at a convenient place on shore facing the arch like target and skip the projectiles across the surface of the water toward the target. Scores are determined by which space in the target the projectile passes through. Thus, for the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 1, the largest space 22 is shown between cross bar 2 and cross piece 5 and a projectile skipping off the water and passing through space 22 would receive a relatively low number of points. The next smallest and higher space 23 is between cross pieces 5 and 6 and a projectile 26 skipping off the water and passing through space 23 would receive a higher number of points than a projectile passing through space 22. Similarly, a projectile passing through the smallest and highest space 24, would receive the highest number of points. As explained above, by altering the spacing by adding or moving cross pieces the point values can be altered to make the game easier or more difficult. Also, by using projectiles of different sizes coordinated with differing spacing in the target the point values can be similarly altered. For instance, getting a large projectile through a small space would receive more points than getting a smaller projectile through the same space. Also other types of target arrangements, such as concentric circles and other well known variations may be utilized. The targets may also be varied by being placed parallel to the water so the projectiles skip off the water and fall into a space in the target as described below in connection with FIG. 2, instead of being placed perpendicular to the water so the projectiles skip off the water and through the target as described above in connection with FIG. 1. For instance, the arch like member 1, instead of being attached perpendicular to the plane of the H-shaped member at points 2a and 2b could be attached parallel to the plane of the H-shaped member by having holes 2c and 2d drilled in cross member 2 at right angles to the holes 2a and 2b. Similar variations are possible for other targets which may be envisioned. Additionally, other requirements may be imposed to alter the difficulty of the game such as requiring the projectile to skip on the water more than once before passing through the spaces in the target or by using different colored cross pieces and requiring matching colored projectiles to be skipped only between cross pieces of the same color. Other variations will occur to those skilled in the art.
After any number of projectiles have been utilized they can be retrieved by any convenient method such as a net or other retriever on a long rod. Such a rod may itself be made in a telescoping collapsible manner for portability.
A second embodiment of the game of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 2. This provides a means whereby the well-known game of tic-tac-toe can be played utilizing the present invention. The target is formed of four perimeter pieces 11 connected at their corners by force fit or other conventional means to form a square. Horizontal cross pieces 12 and 13 and vertical cross pieces 14 and 15 are placed within the perimeter pieces and by force fit or other conventional means secured to perimeter piece 11 to form nine equally dimensioned spaces in typical tic-tac-toe fashion as shown in FIG. 2. Again, appropriate flotation material 16 may be added to insure the necessary buoyancy or alternatively the target itself may be made of sufficiently buoyant material. Appropriate weights 17a, 17b, 18a and 18b are attached to keep the target from moving relative to the water. This version of the game of the present invention is best played by two people. Each is given projectiles as described above except that for this game all the projectiles for one player are of one color and those of the second player of a different color or those of one player marked with an "x," e.g., projectiles 27 and those of the second player marked with an "o," e.g., projectile 28 or otherwise distinguished. Each player then skips his projectiles across the surface of the water trying to get them to land in one of the nine equally dimensioned boxes until he has gotten three of his in a row either vertically, horizontally or diagonally in typical tic-tac-toe fashion.
Other variations of the game of the present invention are possible without departing from the invention and will occur to those skilled in the art.
This invention relates in general to games, and in particular to games which can be played in various recreational water areas such as pools, lakes and the like. There are many land-based games which involve throwing projectiles at targets and testing the accuracy and skill of the participants. On the other hand, one of the most popular activities for those who find themselves around water with nothing to do has been to pick up stones and skip them across the surface of the water. However, this is usually done haphazardly and to no purpose other than to pass the time. There are no water-based games which combine and test these skills. Most water-based games known to date are either of the water sport variety requiring the participants to actually get in the water such as water polo or diving at targets, or require a great deal of auxillary equipment such as boats or other flotation devices which have to be large and buoyant enough to support the participants in the water without getting them wet.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide simple water-based games which can be conveniently played on any recreational body of water where the participants may or may not come in contact with the water, depending on their desires.
It is a further object of this invention to provide simple water-based games which test a participant's ability to accurately direct projectiles across the surface of a body of water to certain designated targets.
It is a further object of this invention to provide simple water-based games which test a participant's ability to skip projectiles across the surface of bodies of water.
It is a further object of this invention to provide simple water-based games which can be used competitively by more than one participant, such as an entire family, as well as by a single participant.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects are accomplished by the present invention which provides floating targets of varying types, depending on the game to be played, together with projectiles which are to be skipped across the surface of a body of water through or into certain designated areas in the targets. The degree of difficulty can be measured and altered by altering the size of the target, its height or its distance from the participant as well as by requiring more or less skips of the projectiles before they are permitted to reach the target. These and other advantages of the present invention can be determined from the following drawings and detailed description of the invention.
DRAWINGS AND DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a target of the present invention as it is placed on a body of water.
FIG. 2 is a top view of a second embodiment of a target of the present invention as it is placed on a body of water.
FIGS. 3a and 3b are views of the projectiles of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, the target of one embodiment of the present invention is comprised of an H-shaped base member which is made up of two parallel side legs 3 and 4 connected at points 3a and 3b by a perpendicular cross bar 2 lying in the same plane as the side legs. This base part floats on the water 25 such that the plane of the side legs and cross bar is parallel to the plane of the surface of the water. An arch like center member 1 is secured to the cross bar 2 at points 2a and 2b such that the plane of the arch like center member is perpendicular to the plane of the H-shaped base member. Arch like center member 1 has one or more cross members (two, 5 and 6, are illustrated in the drawing) which are in the same plane as arch like member 1 and placed parallel to cross bar 2 at varying distances from cross bar 2. Side legs 3 and 4 of the H-shaped member are further provided with flotation material 7 and 8 which will supply the necessary buoyancy to enable the entire assembly to float. Weights 9 and 10 are provided to anchor the whole assembly in one position relative to the water.
The various parts of the target are preferably made of a suitable strong light-weight plastic so as to be easily portable, yet strong enough to resist the impact of the projectiles, although other materials such as wood or light-weight metal would be suitable. The flotation material can be anything which will give the entire assembly the necessary buoyancy to float and should be chosen in coordination with the material chosen for the target. When the target is made of plastic, it has been found that styro-foam will provide the necessary buoyancy. Alternatively, if material is chosen for the target which itself has the necessary buoyancy, the extra flotation material can be dispensed with. The weights 9 and 10 can be any conventional weights which will keep the target in one position relative to the water and they may be attached in any conventional manner such as by strings 9a and 10a as illustrated.
While the entire assembly may be made in one piece, it is preferable that the various parts be detachable from one another for ease of storage and transportation. This detachability can be provided in any convenient manner, such as by force fits, screw threads and the like. Thus, if the assembly is made of plastic, the parts could be so dimensioned such that cross bar 2 readily force fits into holes provided in side legs 3 and 4 at points 3a and 3b and arch like member 1 force fits into holes provided in cross bar 2 at points 2a and 2b. Similarly, a series of parallel holes can be drilled in the legs of arch like member 1 and cross members of differing lengths, such as 5 and 6, provided which will force fit into these holes so that the height of the spaces between cross bar 2 and the lowest cross member, the height of the spaces between cross members, and the height of the space between the highest cross member and the arch like member may be adjusted for varying degrees of difficulty as more fully described below.
FIG. 3a illustrates the preferred projectile which is generally of saucer shape. As shown in FIG. 3b, it is preferred if the disc is constructed of an outer plastic shell 20 having a hollow elliptical air space 21 in its center. The outside of the projectile 19 may be painted with appropriate markings such as differing colors, numbers or letters. Although the preferred projectile is illustrated in FIGS. 3a and 3b, it will be appreciated that any projectile can be used which will skip across the water's surface when thrown and float upon the water's surface after coming to rest.
The game illustrated by the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is set up and played as follows. The various parts of the target described above are assembled as described above and floated out any desired distance in the water where it is anchored by weights 9 and 10. One or more participants stand at a convenient place on shore facing the arch like target and skip the projectiles across the surface of the water toward the target. Scores are determined by which space in the target the projectile passes through. Thus, for the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 1, the largest space 22 is shown between cross bar 2 and cross piece 5 and a projectile skipping off the water and passing through space 22 would receive a relatively low number of points. The next smallest and higher space 23 is between cross pieces 5 and 6 and a projectile 26 skipping off the water and passing through space 23 would receive a higher number of points than a projectile passing through space 22. Similarly, a projectile passing through the smallest and highest space 24, would receive the highest number of points. As explained above, by altering the spacing by adding or moving cross pieces the point values can be altered to make the game easier or more difficult. Also, by using projectiles of different sizes coordinated with differing spacing in the target the point values can be similarly altered. For instance, getting a large projectile through a small space would receive more points than getting a smaller projectile through the same space. Also other types of target arrangements, such as concentric circles and other well known variations may be utilized. The targets may also be varied by being placed parallel to the water so the projectiles skip off the water and fall into a space in the target as described below in connection with FIG. 2, instead of being placed perpendicular to the water so the projectiles skip off the water and through the target as described above in connection with FIG. 1. For instance, the arch like member 1, instead of being attached perpendicular to the plane of the H-shaped member at points 2a and 2b could be attached parallel to the plane of the H-shaped member by having holes 2c and 2d drilled in cross member 2 at right angles to the holes 2a and 2b. Similar variations are possible for other targets which may be envisioned. Additionally, other requirements may be imposed to alter the difficulty of the game such as requiring the projectile to skip on the water more than once before passing through the spaces in the target or by using different colored cross pieces and requiring matching colored projectiles to be skipped only between cross pieces of the same color. Other variations will occur to those skilled in the art.
After any number of projectiles have been utilized they can be retrieved by any convenient method such as a net or other retriever on a long rod. Such a rod may itself be made in a telescoping collapsible manner for portability.
A second embodiment of the game of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 2. This provides a means whereby the well-known game of tic-tac-toe can be played utilizing the present invention. The target is formed of four perimeter pieces 11 connected at their corners by force fit or other conventional means to form a square. Horizontal cross pieces 12 and 13 and vertical cross pieces 14 and 15 are placed within the perimeter pieces and by force fit or other conventional means secured to perimeter piece 11 to form nine equally dimensioned spaces in typical tic-tac-toe fashion as shown in FIG. 2. Again, appropriate flotation material 16 may be added to insure the necessary buoyancy or alternatively the target itself may be made of sufficiently buoyant material. Appropriate weights 17a, 17b, 18a and 18b are attached to keep the target from moving relative to the water. This version of the game of the present invention is best played by two people. Each is given projectiles as described above except that for this game all the projectiles for one player are of one color and those of the second player of a different color or those of one player marked with an "x," e.g., projectiles 27 and those of the second player marked with an "o," e.g., projectile 28 or otherwise distinguished. Each player then skips his projectiles across the surface of the water trying to get them to land in one of the nine equally dimensioned boxes until he has gotten three of his in a row either vertically, horizontally or diagonally in typical tic-tac-toe fashion.
Other variations of the game of the present invention are possible without departing from the invention and will occur to those skilled in the art.