Patent Publication Number: US-2022212075-A1

Title: Vertical Board Game

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/134,174, entitled “Vertical Board Game”, filed Jan. 5, 2021, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates generally to games and, more particularly, to an interactive competitive ball tossing game. 
     In the area of competitive tossing games, there are many designs that allow players to test their ability to throw an object at a target. Examples include cornhole (also known as bean bag toss), ring toss, ladder ball, and Skee-Ball®. A well-known game, especially amongst college students, is called beer pong (also known as Beirut). This game is played with 6-10 beverage cups arranged into triangular formations on two ends of a table. Variants of this game have also been designed to be hung on a wall and follow similar cup or container arrangements. 
     Wall hung competitive ball toss gaming products are commonly made of plastic and are complex designs involving intricate molding dies and complicated, time-consuming assemblies. In addition, existing cup and ball toss games have further drawbacks. Beer pong played on a table takes up a lot of space and adequate distance to play is not always available in smaller living spaces. Beer pong attached to a wall has so far been characterized by large, plastic designs that, while functional, are not aesthetically fitting in most living spaces and are most accepted as an item to be placed in a “game room” or basement. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The board game invention disclosed herein provides for a simple assembly of a wall-hung vertical game board with easily removable container brackets. This invention has the benefit of being elegantly simple in design and having visual aesthetic appeal. It quickly assembles and disassembles and provides the benefit of ease of manufacturing. 
     During game play, the present invention is compact and can be played even in a small living space. It is assembled with the brackets being quickly and easily inserted into the backboard, also known as and referred to herein as the “game board”. In some embodiments, the container brackets are configured in size and shape to hold drinking cups and the invention provides for the brackets to be designed as torsion or compression springs. The brackets are easy to manufacture and easy to remove and install, without detaching the board from the wall. Yet the brackets are not disposed to falling out of the game board during game play. 
     The benefit of a container bracket acting as a torsion or compression spring is that it allows the user to easily and securely connect container brackets to the game board with no additional locking components or pieces. The brackets are connected by applying opposing forces to each tab of a pair of tabs on the connection end of the bracket and then inserting the bracket into slots in the game board. The resulting spring-back force applied by the bracket to the slots of the game board provides a frictional force that secures the bracket in place. The connection is adequately robust to withstand vibrations and forces incurred during gameplay. Thus, the bracket is prevented from accidentally sliding out of the board slots and falling to the ground. 
     Container brackets of the present invention comprise a container holding end and an opposite connection end. The holding end of the container bracket forms a loop to support a container. The loop may be closed so that when the bracket is attached to a game board a container may be completely encircled. In alternate embodiments, the loop may be discontinuous so that when the bracket is attached to a game a container is not completely encircled. The connection end of a container bracket according to the present invention is configured in size and shape to attach the bracket to game boards having slots. A connection end of a bracket may include a pair of tabs to be inserted within a slot pair or a single elongated slot in a game board. 
     Game boards of the present invention are planar and made from a sheet of wood, plywood, or composite using a CNC router or laser cutter. Game boards could also be injection molded, rotary molded, or thermoformed from plastic. 
     Container brackets of the present invention are made from sheet metal, wood, or injection molded from plastic. The brackets can be a simple two-dimensional shape, or can be a more complex shape with a bend line that angles the bracket down to position the leading edge of the cup lower than the back of the cup to increase the apparent size of the throwing target. In some embodiments, torsional spring-back force may be provided for by manufacturing a twist in the container bracket shape. In other embodiments, a spring-back force is created by designing brackets wider than the slots of the game board to which they will be attached. 
     When made from sheet metal, container brackets can be formed by stamping, laser cutting, or plasma cutting. A bend line angling the cup down can be formed with a brake press or forming die. A twist in the brackets for providing torsion force is formed with a bending fixture, forming die, rotary bender, or by hand. Two or more of these steps can also be combined in a forming die or progressive die. When spring-back container brackets are made from wood, the brackets are preferably cut from resilient wood and made thicker than metal or plastic container brackets to prevent cracking and provide adequate spring-back force. 
     Board game assemblies of the present invention are preferably hung on a wall at about chest height. At the completion of game play, the present invention allows for container holding brackets to be quickly and easily removed without the game board needing to be detached from the wall. The resulting game board that remains hung on the wall is planar and has minimal protrusion. It also doubles as a piece of wall decoration in the living space and can be shaped or adorned with designs so as to increase its interest and appeal. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a vertical board game assembly with closed loop container brackets positioned for insertion into a game board. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the vertical board game of  FIG. 1  with closed loop brackets removably fitted. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the vertical board game of  FIG. 1  with closed loop brackets removably fitted. 
         FIG. 4  is a back view of the vertical board game of  FIG. 1  with closed loop brackets removably fitted. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the vertical board game of  FIG. 1  with closed loop brackets removably fitted. 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of the vertical board game of  FIG. 1  with closed loop brackets removably fitted. 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of a vertical board game assembly with discontinuous loop container brackets positioned for insertion into a game board. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the vertical board game of  FIG. 7  with discontinuous loop brackets removably fitted. 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of the vertical board game of  FIG. 7  with discontinuous loop brackets removably fitted. 
         FIG. 10  is a top view of the vertical board game of  FIG. 7  with discontinuous loop brackets removably fitted. 
         FIG. 11  is a top view of a continuous loop container bracket with a planar configuration of tabs on the connection end. 
         FIG. 12  is a back view of the continuous loop bracket of  FIG. 11 . 
         FIG. 13  is a back view of a continuous loop container bracket with a non-planar configuration of tabs on the connection end. 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of the continuous loop bracket of  FIG. 13 , shown with arrows indicating the direction of forces necessary for holding the tabs in the same plane. 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of the closed loop bracket of  FIGS. 13 and 14  being inserted into slots of a game board. 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of a resilient wooden container bracket and the upper corner of corresponding triangular game board. 
         FIG. 17  is a board game comprised of a triangular game board and a set of resilient wooden brackets that must first be compressed to fit within the slot pairs of the game board. 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view of a vertical board game with discontinuous loop container brackets removably fitted to a game board and supporting drinking cups as containers for catching a thrown object. 
         FIG. 19  is a side view of a vertical board game with discontinuous loop container brackets removably fitted to a game board and supporting drinking cups as containers, as a game player is throwing a ball on a trajectory to land in one of the containers. 
         FIG. 20  shows a top view of a closed loop container bracket with non-planar, lengthened tabs on the connection end. 
         FIG. 21  shows a side view of a bent embodiment of a closed loop bracket with non-planar, lengthened tabs. 
         FIG. 22  shows a side view of a bent closed loop bracket with non-planar, lengthened tabs inserted into a game board and supporting a cup at an angle. 
         FIG. 23  shows a front view of a vertical board game having a rectangular game board with closed loop container brackets removably fitted. 
         FIG. 24  shows a perspective view of a vertical board game having a rectangular game board with discontinuous loop container brackets removably fitted and drinking cups placed within the container brackets. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed towards an improved design of, and manufacturing techniques for, ball toss vertical board games. With reference to  FIG. 1-6 , a vertical board game comprises a triangular game board  1  configured to be fitted with six identical brackets  2 . As seen in  FIG. 1 , the brackets  2  have a container holding end  3  and an opposite connection end comprising a pair of tabs  4 . The pair of tabs  4  can be removably fitted into an adjacent slot pair  5  in the game board  1 . Adjacent slot pairs are grouped in a plurality of pairs and penetrate through the game board as shown in  FIG. 4 . The plurality of adjacent slot pairs are organized into bottom, middle, and top rows. As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the brackets  2  form a closed loop when attached to the game board  1 . 
     To play the game, the brackets are attached to the game board and drinking cups used as containers are suspended by the brackets. Players toss a ball or other suitable item toward the board, aiming to land in one of the containers. As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , when the game board  1  is in a vertical position, the brackets  2  are held outward in a forward position, facing toward players and away from the game board  1  and wall. In other embodiments container brackets may be configured in size and shape to be used with containers other than drinking cups to catch a thrown object. 
       FIGS. 7-10  show an alternative embodiment of a board game according to the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the board game comprises six identical container brackets  2 . Each bracket  2  has a holding end  3  for supporting a container and an opposite connection end, the latter comprising a pair of tabs  4 . The pair of tabs  4  can be removably fitted into an adjacent slot pair  5  in the triangular game board  1 . A plurality of adjacent slot pairs are organized into bottom, middle and top rows. As shown in  FIGS. 7, 8, and 10 , the brackets  2  form a discontinuous loop when attached to the game board  1 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , when the game board  1  is attached to a wall in a vertical position, the container holding end of the brackets  2  are held outward in a forward position, facing toward players and away from the game board  1  and wall. 
     In general, container brackets of the present invention are removably attached to game boards with tabs at a connection end of the bracket which is opposite the container holding end. With reference to  FIGS. 11-12 , a bracket  2  is shown having a holding end  3  opposite tabs  4  at the connection end of the bracket  2 . The bracket  2  is manufactured so that the two tabs  4  are aligned in the same plane. The tabs  4  of the bracket  2  are sized to provide an interference fit with a game board slot so as to remain attached to the board as games are played. 
     In some preferred embodiments of vertical board games of the present invention, container brackets are instead manufactured to present bracket tabs in different planes. Shown in  FIGS. 13-15 , a resilient metal container bracket  2  is configured to be under torsion when inserted into a slot pair  5  of a game board. The bracket incorporates a twist and comprises a pair of tabs  4  configured in different planes and separated by a distance  6 . The bracket configuration creates a torsional spring-back force when the pair of tabs  4  are aligned in the same plane. 
     To insert the pair of tabs  4  of the container bracket of  FIG. 13  into a slot pair of a game board, torque is first applied to the resilient bracket to align the tabs into nominally the same plane. As shown in  FIG. 14 , the torque  7  is applied by twisting the sides of the bracket  2  in opposite directions. With the tabs  4  of the bracket  2  in the same plane, the tabs  4  may be inserted within an adjacent slot pair  5  of a game board  1 , as shown in  FIG. 15 . 
     Torsional spring-back of the bracket of  FIGS. 13-15  results in normal forces applied from the pair of tabs  4  on the adjacent slot pair  5 , which creates a resultant frictional force. Optimally, the bracket  2  is designed with sufficient stiffness to result in adequate frictional force to prevent the bracket  2  from unintentionally slipping and falling out of the game board  1  during game play. The bracket should remain attached to the game board despite expected forces and disturbances, such as impact with a ball and container adjustment, but still allow the bracket to be easily removed. 
     In still other embodiments of board games of the present invention, container brackets are manufactured to present tabs wider than the slots of game boards to which they will connect so that the container bracket will function as a compression spring while secured to the game board. Shown in  FIGS. 16 and 17 , a closed loop container bracket  2  is configured to be compressed when fitted within a slot pair  5  of a corresponding game board  1 . In this embodiment, the container bracket  2  is manufactured from wood and includes tabs  4  that are farther apart than the slots in the game board into which the bracket will fit. The wood is resilient and the bracket  2  is manufactured to be thicker than comparable metal or plastic brackets so that the container bracket can be compressed without damaging the bracket. 
     To install the container bracket of  FIG. 16  into a corresponding game board, the bracket  2  is first compressed to close a portion of the distance  6  between the tabs  4  on the connection end. The direction of movement required to close the distance  6  between the tabs  4  of the wooden bracket is indicated by the compressive force arrows  9  shown in  FIGS. 16 and 17 . 
     Accordingly, the corresponding game board of the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 16 and 17  are comprised of thicker slot pairs to accommodate the thicker dimension of the thicker wooden tabs of the container brackets. As shown in  FIG. 17 , with the tabs  4  the resilient wood brackets aligned with a slot pair  5  of the game board  1 , the container brackets  2  can be inserted within the game board slots. 
     The resilient wood container brackets of  FIGS. 16 and 17  function as compression springs when fitted within their corresponding slots in the game board. Spring-back of the compressed container brackets results in normal forces applied from the pair of tabs  4  on each bracket to an adjacent slot pair  5 , which creates a resultant frictional force between the tabs  4  and the slots of the game board  1 . Optimally, the bracket  2  is designed with sufficient stiffness to result in adequate frictional force to prevent the bracket  2  from unintentionally slipping and falling out of the game board  1  during game play. The bracket should remain attached to the game board despite expected forces and disturbances, such as impact with a ball and container adjustment, but still allow the bracket to be easily removed. In other embodiments, compression spring-back type container brackets are made from resilient metal or plastic. 
     Now with reference to  FIG. 18 , a vertical board game of the present invention is arranged for game play by placing one open-top container  8  into each of six container brackets  2  attached to a triangular game board  1 . In this embodiment, the container holding end of the brackets  2  present a discontinuous loop into which the open-top containers  8  are placed. In this embodiment, each open-top container  8  is a standard disposable drinking cup, for which the container brackets are configured in size and shape to accommodate. With such brackets, the board game provides for ease of setup at social gatherings without the need for specialized containers. In other embodiments, closed loop brackets are used instead but are still configured in size and shape to accommodate disposable drinking cups. 
     Cups or other containers may be weighted with water or another liquid to stabilize the container and reduce the occurrence of a ball or other object from bouncing out of the container. In any case, the connection between container brackets and the game board must be able to withstand forces generated by the weight of the bracket, the container, and any liquid that might be added. In addition, the connection must tolerate the impact of a ball or other item thrown, potentially striking the leading edge of the container. Likewise, the game board and bracket insertion slots must be able to counter the moment and forces generated by the bracket acting as a lever with a pivot point at the leading edge of the insertion slots. 
     As shown in  FIG. 19 , the vertical board game of  FIG. 18  may be used with a player standing away from the game board  1  and throwing an object, preferably a ping pong ball  10 , into one of the beverage cup containers  8  held by a container bracket  2 . Rules of gameplay can be varied, but in a preferred embodiment, cups are removed from the game board  1  as the ball  10  successfully lands in and remains in a cup and the general objective is to remove the majority of cups as a player alternates with their opponent. If players tie, a “re-rack” is performed whereby three cups are returned to brackets of the game board, usually the top three cups of the triangular pyramid arrangement, and game play resumes until one player successfully lands the ball in two of the cups. 
     Another preferred embodiment of a closed loop container bracket for a board game of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 20 . In this embodiment, the container bracket  2  has a greater distance between the far edge of the holding end of the bracket and the opposite connection end, with respect to the container brackets previously shown. The distance between opposite ends of the bracket  2  is made greater by the lengthened tabs  4  of the connection end. The lengthened bracket allows for a container to tilt at a greater angle below horizontal when the bracket  2  is fitted into the slot or slots of a game board hung vertically on a wall. In addition, the bracket  2  of  FIG. 20  is manufactured to present the lengthened tabs  4  in different planes so that the bracket may be held within slots of a game board by torsional spring-back forces as previously described. 
     In a further preferred embodiment, a bend is added to a lengthened container bracket of a board game as shown in  FIG. 21 . The bend is formed across both tabs  4  of the bracket  2  at the junction of the tabs and the loop portion of the bracket. As with the bracket of  FIG. 20 , the container bracket of  FIG. 21  presents tabs  4  in two different planes separated by a distance  6 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 22 , a drinking cup container  8  supported by a lengthened container bracket  2  having a bend is held against a game board  1  at an angle below horizontal. The angle  11  of the container holding end of the bracket below horizontal is preferably  30  degrees, but can vary. The angle  11  allows the apparent opening of the container  8  to be perceived by a player of the board game as enlarged, thus making throwing a ball or other item into the cup easier. The angle  11  also allows a corresponding game board  1  to be designed smaller because rows of brackets can be placed closer together on the board. In other embodiments according to the present invention, a below horizontal angle for a container bracket attached to a game board may be provided for by a given flex of the container bracket rather than a bend line in the bracket. In other embodiments, slots may be cut in the game board at an angle or allow a fit which permits container brackets to lean downward in the slot. 
     In the board game embodiment of  FIG. 18 , six identical brackets are fitted with cups. The particular six-cup arrangement is a preferred triangular configuration resulting from positioning slot pairs on the game board to provide for a bottom row, a middle row, and a top row of cups. More specifically, the cups are arranged with one cup in the first (top) row, two cups in the second (middle) row, and three cups in the third (bottom) row. The triangular pyramid formation allows for players to aim for the top cup, and should they throw too low, or to the right or left of center, they still have a chance of landing a ball or other suitable object in a cup of a lower row. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 23 , another embodiment of a vertical board game of the present invention has a game board  1  in the shape of a rectangle. The game board is sized for and configured with slots pairs holding ten container brackets  2 . The board is designed to hold the brackets in a pyramid formation but alternate embodiments may hold the brackets in other arrangements, in accordance with the present invention. Similarly, the game board of  FIG. 23  is shown fitted with closed loop container brackets but may be fitted with discontinuous loop container brackets instead. 
     Shown in  FIG. 24 , a board game of the present invention comprises a rectangular game board  1  fitted with slots to hold ten container brackets in a pyramid formation. In this embodiment, the brackets  2  are discontinuous loop container brackets and the containers are drinking cups  8  having a protruding rim. The ten-cup arrangement includes four rows, forming a triangular pyramid, with one cup in the first (top) row, two cups in the second row, three cups in the third row, and four cups in the fourth (bottom) row. A sufficient vertical distance  12  between the cup rows provides space for a ball or other suitable item to enter and be caught by cups in the second and lower rows. The specific vertical distance  12  is based on the vertical height of the cups to be used with the game board. In other embodiments, a game board may be manufactured with a plurality of slot pairs, closely spaced vertically and in numerous rows to accommodate the placement of container brackets for cups of various vertical heights. 
     Vertical board games of the present invention may be made in many different shapes and sizes but are most preferably pleasing to the eye. The board games may be furnished to consumers with or without containers and/or balls. Game boards may be large or small to accommodate from one to many container brackets. Slots for connecting with container brackets may be positioned in infinite arrangements on a particular game board and may number from one to many. In some embodiments, two tabs of a single container bracket may be connected to a game board through a single slot. 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, numerous modifications and variations can be made within the scope of the present disclosure. No limitation with respect to the specific embodiments disclosed herein is intended or should be inferred. Rather, it should be understood that the particular features and structures shown and/or described in drawings, specification, or appended claims may be combined in any suitable manner in keeping with the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.