Audible flying disc target assembly

This invention discloses an audible target assembly for use in a flying disc golf game. The target assembly consists of an upright post and a tube mounted on the post that when combined produce sound upon impact of the tube by a flying disc. A first plurality of radial support rods around the outer periphery of the tube attaches a plurality of individually suspended members to the tube. The members extend downwardly and connect to a second plurality of radial support rods mounted on the upright post located beneath the tube. The plurality of individually suspended members form a relatively dense mass in the path of a flying disc that transfer the kinetic energy of the disc to the members that in turn come in contact with the tube to produce an audible sound.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to flying disc target assemblies. More 
particularly, the present invention relates to flying disc target 
assemblies that provide an audible sound upon registering the impact of 
the disc on the target. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
Flying disc golf has become extremely popular and is enjoying widespread 
appeal. Such games occur on courses located in parks or other recreational 
areas. The course consists of a number of "holes" with each "hole" having 
a "tee" from where each player throws a flying disc at a post or target 
positioned at a selected distance from the "tee." Similar to ball golf, 
the objective of the flying disc golf game is to hit the target with a 
disc in the shortest number of throws of the disc. The player with the 
lowest score over the course is the winner. 
A typical course usually contains visual obstacles such as trees and hills 
between the tee and the target to make the game more challenging to the 
players. An unfortunate byproduct of the visual obstacles is that they 
make visual observation of a hit with the target quite difficult. One type 
of method to insure the registration of a hit is to use an entrapment 
device for the target. The prior art in the game of flying disc golf 
contains numerous references to entrapment devices, see for example U.S. 
Pat. No. 4,039,189, U.S. Pat. No. 4, 461,484, U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,143 and 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,845. An entrapment device works as its name suggests, 
that is the device prevents or entraps the disc from flying or deflecting 
away after hitting the target. The primary means for scoring a hole using 
an entrapment target is having the disc come to rest in the basket The 
actual hitting of the target is of secondary importance. 
A byproduct of the entrapment design is that the sound produced by a disc 
hitting an entrapment device does not travel very far and is not reliable 
as an indicator for hitting the target at longer distances. Another and 
more subtle of a problem with entrapment devices is that the basket 
usually becomes the primary focus of the player, instead of the target top 
with the chains. Here the result is that the disc more often than not 
comes up short on distance because the player was effectively aiming too 
low at the target. Entrapment devices generally work as advertised, but 
they do not always entrap the disc. Failures to entrap the disc, 
especially when there is no visual observation of the target, can often 
lead to great commotion and discussion between the players in determining 
whether the disc has hit the target. When the target is not under visual 
observation, hearing the disc hit the target becomes the primary means for 
scoring the hole. The present invention, however, uses the audible sound 
of the disc hitting the target as the primary means of scoring the hole, 
making this invention superior to entrapment devices especially on holes 
with visual obstructions or long fairways. 
There are several trends in the game that greatly increase the failure rate 
of entrapment target assemblies. One trend is the relatively modern small 
heavy discs (e.g., 21 cm in diameter, and 150 grams or more in weight) 
that are now the standard for most amateur and professional players. 
Additionally, new throwing techniques such that the disc hits the target 
almost perpendicular to the ground result in the occasional failure of a 
disc becoming entrapped. As a result there is a need for a more reliable 
target. Furthermore, the entrapment assemblies disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 
4,039,189, U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,484, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,143 are 
apparently for a fixed and stationary use such that portability of the 
entrapment assembly from one location to another is inconvenient. The 
entrapment assembly in U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,845, though designed for 
portable use, is actually both awkward and cumbersome to setup and move 
around. 
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the present invention is to provide a target assembly for 
flying disc golf that registers a hit using an audible sound upon impact 
of the assembly by a disc. 
A feature of the invention is that the target assembly produces a very 
audible sound such that the sound carries for distance sufficient for the 
target to register a hit on long throws or blind throws. 
Another feature of the present invention is that the target assembly 
registers a hit for discs impacting the assembly when the discs hit the 
assembly at conventional and unconventional angles. 
An advantage of the present invention is that the target assembly is highly 
portable. 
Another advantage of the present is that the assembly is inexpensive to 
manufacture and inexpensive for the end consumers. 
The present invention provides an audible indication to the thrower for 
registering the impact of the disc upon the target. When visual obstacles 
such as trees block visual observation of the target, audible indication 
of the impact provides the only incontestable means for registering the 
impact. Additionally, the present invention ensures a positive indication 
of a hit even for the ever changing throwing techniques and flying disc 
changes that can cause entrapment devices to fail. Since the present 
invention does not entrap discs, the resulting overall design of the 
present invention provides for a very portable device that is easy to 
setup and move around. 
The present invention is an audible target assembly for a flying disc golf 
game. The invention comprises an upright post attached to the inside of a 
tube. Attached to the outside of the tube is a plurality of individually 
suspended members. A first plurality of radial support rods at spaced 
annular positions around the outside periphery of the tube connects one 
end of the individually suspended members to the tube. A second plurality 
of radial support rods at spaced annular positions around the outside 
periphery of the upright post connects the other end of the individually 
suspended members to the upright post. An embodiment of the present 
invention designed for portable use further comprises a handle attached 
the upright post and a base for mounting the upright post.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Consideration of the following example, which is purely exemplary, further 
clarifies the use of the invention. 
FIG. 1 discloses the preferred embodiment designed for portable use. FIG. 
1A discloses the preferred embodiment designed for stationary or permanent 
mounting. With the exception of the base mounting and handle, both FIGS. 1 
and 1A are identical. Turning now to FIG. 1, an upright central post 10 
mounts into base 17 by flange 16. Base 17 needs to be of sufficient weight 
and size to prevent the target assembly from falling over upon impact of 
the target by a disc. Handle 23 attaches to upright post 10 and allows the 
entire target assembly of FIG. 1 to be extremely portable. In FIG. 1A, 
upright post 10 mounts into the ground or preferably into cement or 
concrete. 
Back to FIG. 1, tube 12 attaches to top of the upright post 10. Tube 12 is 
a hollow and cylindrical device that is at least 8 to 16 inches long and 
preferably 12.5 inches long. The inner diameter of tube 12 is greater than 
the outer diameter of upright post 10 and is among 2 to 6 inches in 
diameter and is preferably 4 inches in diameter. 
At the top and around the outer periphery of tube 12 is a first plurality 
of support rods 13 of at least 3 and preferably 6 in number. The support 
rods 13 are at spaced annular positions around the outer periphery of tube 
12. Attached to the plurality of radial support rods 13 are a plurality of 
individually suspended members 11. The preferred embodiment of the 
invention uses chains for the plurality of individually suspended members 
11. Alternative embodiments of the chain also include elongated strips or 
tubes with the option of the members swinging freely instead of attached 
at both ends. FIG. 3A shows an alternate embodiment of the invention with 
the chains swinging freely. FIGS. 3B and 3C show alternate embodiments of 
the invention using tubes and elongated strips respectively instead of 
chains. The plurality of individually suspended members attach at the 
other end to a second plurality of radial support rods 14 of at least 2 
and preferably 3 in number. The second plurality of radial support rods 14 
are at spaced annular positions around the outer periphery of upright post 
10. Lastly, top cap 19 attaches to one end of tube 12. 
A flying disc 18 impacting the plurality of individually suspended members 
11 will cause the members to travel toward and come into contact with tube 
12 thus producing an audible tone or sound. The members 11 form a 
relatively dense mass in the path of a flying disc 18 that transfer the 
kinetic energy of the disc to the members that in turn come in contact 
with tube 12 to produce the audible sound. The resulting sound 
incontestably proves that the disc has hit the target assembly on the 
hole. This design allows the present invention to generate a highly 
audible sound, that carries for a long distance, when a disc impacts the 
target. An analogy of the invention's design is that the invention is like 
a bell with the tube being the bell and the plurality of individually 
suspend members, chains for example, being the bell's clappers. 
FIG. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the target assembly of FIG. 1. 
FIG. 4 is an overhead plan view of the target assembly of FIG. 2 taken 
through line 4--4. The first plurality of radial support rods 13 with 
loops at one end connect tube 12 to the upright pole 10. The preferred 
embodiment of the invention uses a combination of threaded bolts 24, nuts 
15, and tapped threaded holes 25 in the appropriate places to connect tube 
12 with upright post 10. Other embodiments of the invention comprehend 
using welded or brazed rods or even plastic rods for support and 
connection. An alternate embodiment of the invention comprehends 
eliminating the connection of rods 13 between tube 12 and upright post 10 
and instead using top cap 19 of FIG. 1 as the means for attaching and 
supporting tube 12 with upright post 10. The first plurality of radial 
support rods 13 contain loops at one end that is suitable for connecting 
the plurality of individually suspended members 11 to rods 13. 
FIG. 5 is a cross sectional overhead view of FIG. 2 taken through line 
5--5. A second plurality of radial support rods 14 with loops at one end 
attach to upright post 10. The preferred embodiment of the invention uses 
a combination of threaded bolts 24, nuts 15, and tapped threaded holes 25 
in the appropriate places to connect support rods 14 with upright post 10. 
The plurality of individually suspended members 11 connect to the ends of 
rods 14. Other embodiments of the invention comprehend welding, brazing or 
other suitable means for attaching rods 14 to upright post 10. Another 
embodiment of the invention uses a ring for connecting the plurality of 
individually suspended members to the upright post. In this embodiment, 
the ring replaces the loops at the end of the support rods and goes 
completely around the outer periphery of the upright post so as to 
effectively gather the plurality of individually suspended members at one 
point on the upright post. The ring may connect to the upright post using 
radial support rods as in other embodiments, or the ring may not connect 
to the upright post and instead hang freely and gather the plurality of 
individually suspended members in one place. 
Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the 
art after considering this specification or practicing the disclosed 
invention. The specification and examples above are exemplary only, with 
the true scope of the invention being indicated by the following claims.