Abstract:
The present invention provides a game having accentuating light emanating through or from a translucent playing surface, sidewalls, and/or representative players.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/224,051, filed Aug. 20, 2002, titled “TABLETOP GAME WITH LIGHTED PLAYING FIELD.” 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to tabletop games and, more particularly, to tabletop sports games, such as foosball, baseball, basketball, bowling, hockey, or the like, having lighted fixtures.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Many arcade style tabletop games exists. Some of the more popular arcade style tabletop games simulate soccer (or football as it is known outside of the United States) and hockey. These games typically comprise a tabletop playing field that simulates the field and players of the actual game. While the below application refers to soccer simulations, a.k.a. foosball games, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize other tabletop games can be substituted for foosball.  
           [0004]    A foosball table includes rows of representative athletes, suspended like pendulums from control rods that are mounted transversely above a playing field. Players slide and rotate the control rods to make the athletes kick a small ball, attempting to score a goal. The representative athletes are suspended over a playing field that represents a traditional soccer field. Often times, the traditional field is modified in the corners to provide a slope so the foosball does not get caught in the corner. Instead of slopes, some style foosball games have representative goalies (one or more) that can extend into the one or the other of the corners.  
           [0005]    While generally enjoyable in its own right, these tabletop games frequently do not sustain the interest of players for an) length of time. Thus, it would be desirable to produce a tabletop game having additional features to increase interest in the tabletop game.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    To attain the advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a tabletop game is provided having a clear, translucent or semi-translucent surface. A light source is placed under the surface.  
           [0007]    Another feature of the present invention is a tabletop game with lighted representative players. Still another feature of the present invention is a tabletop game with lighted sidewalls.  
           [0008]    The foregoing and other features, utilities and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0009]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles thereof. Like items in the drawings are referred to using the same numerical reference.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a foosball game illustrative of the present invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 shows a side plan view of the foosball game illustrative of the present invention;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a playing surface associated with one potential embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a tabletop game illustrative of the playing surface described in FIG. 3. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0014]    The present invention will be further explained With reference to FIGS.  1  to  4 . With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a representation of a soccer field is generally illustrated by playing field  10 . Playing field  10  may include indicia of a regulation soccer field including, for example, goalie box  12 , Center kickoff circle  14 , center line  16 , and the like. Playing field  10  is surrounded by sidewall  18 . Instead of regulation markings, playing field  11  may have indicia of players, whimsical designs, or the like.  
         [0015]    Playing field  10  is made, at least in part, of a material clear, transparent, translucent, or semi-translucent to light. For simplicity, the term translucent as used in this application, is intended to encompass anything other than opaque. For example, playing field  10  could be a clear plastic, glass, colored plastic, colored glass, a frosted glass like surface, or the like. Further, playing field  10  could have portions of the playing surface translucent (including varying degrees of translucence) or opaque to form patterns and designs in the playing surface. Still further, playing field  10  could be designed to have a lighting effect that may reflect, refract, or disburse light, such as, for example, a prism. A light source, which will be explained further below, can be placed below the playing field  10 , providing a lighted surface on which foosball could be played.  
         [0016]    Referring now to FIG. 2, a side plan view of the foosball table is provided. Residing beneath playing field  10 , is at least one light source  20 . As shown, light source  20  could be a single florescent light tube extending down the center of the playing surface. Of course, the tabletop game could be designed so that the light is completely or partially enclosed by the sidewalls. However, multiple rows of florescent light tubes may be used. Further, light tubes could be arranged parallel or diagonal to the long or short dimension of the playing field  10 . Other types of lights, however, could also be possible, such as, incandescent lights, halogen lights, light strings (such as Christmas lights), lcds, leds, lasers, electro luminescent light sources, chemical light sources, light tubes, flexible light wires, or the like. Still further, one or more light sources may be mounted in sidewalls so lights tubes, such as florescent lights would not have to run the length of the playing field. In general, almost any arrangement of light can be provided depending on the lighting effect desired. Further, light source  20  could be a strobe light or other light that has an on and off feature, similar to a timer, or a string of blinking Christmas lights. Still further, it would be possible to have a dimmer to manually or automatically control the brightness of light source  20 . Finally, a timer could be used to control an on and off pattern of the lights and the dimmer.  
         [0017]    Instead of having light source  20  reside beneath the playing field  10  as shown, it would be possible to mold a glass or plastic playing surface such that one or more tubes or conduits  32  existed in the playing field  10 , as shown in phantom in FIG. 3. For example, FIG. 3 shows three conduits  32  molded in playing field  10 . In this case, conduits  32  are open to each end  34  of playing field  10 , but conduits  11  could be open on one, both, or neither side. If ends  34  and conduits  32  are not open, light could be coupled, refracted, or reflected into conduits  32  through a solid end  34 . While conduits  32  are shown generally straight and parallel the longer dimension of playing field  10 , other configurations are possible. Conduits  32 , for example, do not need to be identical, could be curved, could be part curved and part straight, could be diagonal, or the like. Further, conduits  32  are shown with a cylindrical geometric shape, but other shapes are possible whether irregular, random, or geometric. Further, ridges, grooves and other imperfections in the conduits may cause desirable lighting effects (such as a prism effect).  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 shows optional reflective layer  36 . Instead of reflective layer  36 , a reflective surface  38  could be supplied, which is shown in phantom. Reflective layer  36  or reflective surface  38  can be any conventional light reflecting surface, such as a mirror or mirrored coating on, for example, glass. While reflective layer  36  or reflective surface  38  could be used with any light source mentioned to provided various lighting effects, it is contemplated that reflective layer  36  or reflective surface  38  would enhance the ability of light source(s)  20  residing along a sidewall to illuminate areas of playing field  10  not substantially adjacent light source(s)  20 .  
         [0019]    It is believe using reflective layer  36  or reflective surface  38  will reduce the amount of light the light source needs to provide. By, reducing the amount of light the light source needs to provide, it is hoped that the number of lights that need to be packaged will be reduced.  
         [0020]    A light source (not shown in FIG. 3) could be placed such that light from the source shines down conduits  32 . Instead of simply providing a light source, conduits  32  could be lined to enhance the light or light carrying ability. Further, emitting tubes could be placed in conduits  32  to assist in light transmission. Such light carrying tubes are described in, for example, U.S Pat. No. 5,879,076, titled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LIGHT TRANSMISSION,” issued on Mar. 9, 1999. Other light tubes include electro luminescent lights as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,335, titled “ELECTROLUMINESCENT LIGHT SOURCES,” issued on Jan. 16, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,930, titled “ELECTROLUMINESCENT LIGHT SOURCE WITH A MIXTURE LAYER FILLED WITH A TRANSPARENT FILLER SUBSTANCE,” issued on Feb. 9, 1999, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,400,093, titled “FLEXIBLE ELECTROLUMINESCENT LIGHT SOURCE WITH ACTIVE PROTECTION FROM MOISTURE,” issued Jun. 4, 2002, incorporated by reference. Electro luminescent light sources are sometimes known as flexible light wire. Other light sources include chemical luminescent compositions, which are sometimes known as light sticks, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,843, titled “SUPERIOR OXALATE ESTER CHEMICAL LIGHTING SYSTEM,” issued on Feb. 2, 1982, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,608, titled “CHEMILUMINESCENT COMPOSITION,” issued on Jul. 7, 1987. All of which are incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0021]    Referring back to FIG. 1, residing substantially about playing surface  10  are a plurality of representative players  22 . While not shown in detail, one or more players  22  could incorporate various types of lights also. For example, flexible light wire could be used to illuminate an edge of one or more players  22 , LCD light sources could be used to illuminate a strike surface  22   s  on one or more players  22 . It is contemplated that players  22  could have some type of electro luminescent light source or chemical luminescent light source because, for manufacturing purposes, it would be difficult to supply a power source to players  22 . Howvever, other styles of light sources can be used, such as, conventional lights, lasers, strobes, halogens, fluorescents, and the like. Power for lights could be supplied by running power through bars  24  on which players  22  reside, in this case, by batteries (not shown) contained in players  22 , or the like. Other style games may have more or less options for supplying power to players  22 . For example, a hockey style game typically has runners in playing surface  10  instead of bars  24  for players  22 . Thus, contacts could be supplied along the runners to enable power to players  22 .  
         [0022]    Tabletop games, be they foosball games, table hockey games, football games, or baseball games, basketball games, or the like generally define playing field  10  by a sidewall  18 . As mentioned above, sidewall  18  may have lights affixed to reduce other lighting requirements. Further, sidewall  18  may also be translucent, opaque, or a combination thereof to provide reflective light from light source  20  or a separate light source (not shown). Moreover, in some embodiments of the present invention, playing field  10  may be completely opaque, but sidewall  18  may be at least partially translucent to allow light to pass.  
         [0023]    Referring now to FIG. 4, a tabletop game  400  is shown using the reflective surface  38 . As shown by the cross sectional view, game  400  has a playing surface  10  surrounded by sidewalls  18 . For convenience, one representative player  22  (the goalie) is shown on a series of cross bars  24 . Under playing surface  10  is light source  20  arranged on sidewal  118 . Sidewall  18  can be arranged as shown to have a continuous side, or sidewall  18  could be broken into separate parts, such as a playing field portion above playing field  10  and a support portion below playing field  10 . In this case, a single light source  20  is shown between playing field  10  and a reflective surface  38 , such as a mirror. Arrows  42  indicate how the single light source  20  can illuminate the entire playing field by reflecting light off of surface  38 . If playing surface  10  had a laser or coating  44  of a partially reflective material, more light would be transmitted to side  200  opposite light source  20 . Partially reflective means some light passes through layer  44  and some is reflected back to reflective surface  38 . The amount of light actually passed by the partially reflective material is a matter of design choice. FIG. 4 also shows a ball drop  46 . If, as mentioned above, lights are provided on players  22 , power could be supplied to the players by wires  48  running through cross bars  24 .  
         [0024]    While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to particular embodiment(s) thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various other changes in the form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.