Patent Description:
Arena construction and styles are well known. Typical arenas provide enclosed areas within which certain sports are conducted, such as boxing or other fighting sports. Viewing stands are also typically provided for allowing spectators to view and enjoy the sports.

Sporting events are operated primarily for the benefit of spectators, who provide revenue in the form of ticket sales and TV show rentals. For this reason, and to ensure maximum attendance at sporting events, it is important to manage and present sporting events in a manner that maximizes spectator enjoyment.

Spectators of fighting sports, for example, generally enjoy viewing close-quarters fighting at the center of an arena (or ring) where participants vie with one another for control of a fight. However, typical sports arenas (such as fighting arenas) are enclosed by standard vertical walls or other structures that permit fighters to spend substantial time maneuvering to other areas of the ring (rather than fighting) in an effort to gain advantage over their opponents. Such walls or other structures also provide physical support and, thus, do not provide the necessary disincentive to prevent fighters from retreating from their opponents.

Furthermore, existing arena styles often include ropes, cages, or other features that impede viewership of the fight and provide obstacles for production equipment such as video cameras. Such obstacles may require the equipment to be lifted over the ropes, cages, or other features and/or may require events to be filmed from a farther distance and at a higher height.

Existing arenas are also typically large and imposing, having limited ability to blend in with natural backgrounds and environments. <CIT> discloses a circular arena apparatus comprising a sloped wall or wall frame (inclined region <NUM>) having a bottom located proximal to a perimeter of a floor area or a floor frame <NUM> (flat circular central region <NUM>). The inclined region <NUM> slopes upwardly to the outer edge, typically with an incline of one inch per foot (i.e., an angle of <NUM>° with respect to horizontal or over <NUM>° from vertical). <NUM>, lines <NUM>-<NUM>. <CIT> discloses a <NUM>-sided arena apparatus comprising a sloped wall or wall frame <NUM> having a bottom located proximal to a perimeter of a floor area or a floor frame <NUM>, the at least one wall or wall frame extending upwardly and outwardly from a vertical plane of the perimeter at an angle of greater than or equal to fifteen degrees and less than seventy-five degrees (see FIG. <CIT> discloses a wrestling bed provides a defined and restricted area for childrens's vigorous activities, thus serving to protect other articles from accidental damage due to such vigorous play. The wrestling bed is solidly constructed in order to resist damage from active play, which might damage standard bed frames. The wrestling bed includes a platform sized to provide a central area fitting a mattress of standard configuration and includes peripheral tread pads, corner posts and padding, peripheral ropes, and steps at one side of the platform. The wrestling bed has the general appearance of a wrestling or boxing ring, thereby lending some realism to children's wrestling or play therein, while providing copious padding and protection for children playing therein.

In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, an arena according to claim <NUM> is provided for the staging of various sports, such as fighting or boxing. The arena includes walls extending upwardly and outwardly at steep angles from the floor of the arena. By providing angled walls, an athlete that is forced backwards to the perimeter of the arena may lose his or her footing causing the athlete to, for example, trip or fall, into a compromised position, thereby allowing for follow up maneuvers by another aggressor athlete. In this manner, athletes, such as fighters, are incentivized to maneuver towards and aggressively engage with other athletes in the middle of the arena, rather than retreat to the walls of the arena at which there is a greater risk of loss.

The angled walls may also facilitate a greater degree of tactical play based on match-ups or fighting styles, as some athletes fight better moving backwards. For example, an athlete moving backward may launch off the angled wall to transition from a passive retreat to a surprising attack. The angled walls may also facilitate offensive and defensive tactical plays, wall-based attacks, transitions from a retreat to a wall-based attack, evasions, angle attacks, and combinations thereof. These and other inventive features of the arena provide for a more unique and exciting experience for spectators. Additionally, in some embodiments, the configuration of the arena enhances viewing and production angles by eliminating cages, ropes, and other typical obstacles. The arena may also have a relatively low profile that allows it to blend into its surrounding environment, although such features are not required by various claimed embodiments.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an arena apparatus for staging a sport is provided. The apparatus includes at least one wall frame, a bottom end of the at least one wall frame located proximal to a perimeter of a floor frame or a floor area, the at least one wall frame extending upwardly and outwardly from the vertical plane of the perimeter at an angle of greater than or equal to fifteen degrees and less than seventy five degrees; and at least one first covering for covering the floor frame or the floor area and the at least one wall frame, with the at least one first covering forming a floor and at least one wall.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an arena apparatus for staging a sport is provided. The arena apparatus includes at least one wall, a bottom end of the at least one wall located proximal to a perimeter of a floor area, the at least one wall extending upwardly and outwardly from the vertical plane of the perimeter at an angle of greater than or equal to fifteen degrees and less than seventy five degrees.

In accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention, an arena apparatus for staging a sport is provided. The arena apparatus includes at least one wall frame for supporting the at least one covering, a bottom end of the at least one wall frame located proximal to a perimeter of a floor frame or a floor area, the at least one wall frame extending upwardly and outwardly from the vertical plane of the perimeter at an angle that facilitates at least one of the group consisting of offensive and defensive tactical plays, wall-based attacks, transitions from a retreat to a wall-based attack, loss of footing, movement to a compromised position, trips, falls, launch attacks, evasions, angle attacks, and combinations thereof; and at least one first covering for covering the floor frame or the floor area and the at least one wall frame, the at least one first covering forming a floor and at least one wall.

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

Certain terminology may be used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The words lower" and'upper" and"top" and'bottom" designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The terminology includes the words above specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of similar import.

Furthermore, the subject application references certain processes which are presented as series of ordered steps. It should be understood that the steps described with respect to those processes are not to be understood as enumerated consecutive lists but could be performed in various orders while still embodying the invention described herein.

Where a term is provided in the singular, the inventors also contemplate aspects of the invention described by the plural of that term. As used in this specification and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, e.g., "a support" may include a plurality of supports. Thus, for example, a reference to "a method" includes one or more methods, and/or steps of the type described herein and/or which will become apparent to those persons skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure.

Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred methods, constructs and materials are now described. All publications mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Where there are discrepancies in terms and definitions used in references that are incorporated by reference, the terms used in this application shall have the definitions given herein.

Referring now to <FIG> and <FIG>, there is seen an arena apparatus <NUM> according to the present invention. Arena apparatus <NUM> is provided for staging a sporting event, such as, but not limited to, a fight. Arena apparatus <NUM> includes a floor frame <NUM> having at least one floor frame primary support <NUM> and at least one floor frame secondary support <NUM> for supporting at least one floor covering <NUM>. Arena apparatus <NUM> also includes four wall frames <NUM>. each having at least one wall frame primary support <NUM> and at least one wall frame secondary support <NUM> for supporting at least one wall covering <NUM>. The bottom end of each wall frame <NUM> is located proximal to a perimeter <NUM> of floor frame <NUM>, with wall frames <NUM> extending upwardly and outwardly from vertical at an angle of forty-five degrees. Arena apparatus <NUM> also includes one or more stairs <NUM> (which may be constructed from any suitable material, such as wood, steel, aluminum, sturdy plastics, etc.) to permit athletes to enter and exit arena apparatus <NUM>. <FIG> show front and top views, respectively, of another embodiment of stairs <NUM>, which may be positioned to straddle one of wall frames <NUM> to permit athletes to enter and exit arena apparatus <NUM>. It should be appreciated, however, that the present invention contemplates embodiments that do not include stairs, and others which incorporate ramps in addition to or in place of stairs.

In some embodiments of the invention, such as the one shown in <FIG>, at least one gap covering <NUM> (which may be constructed from materials similar to those used for constructing floor and/or wall coverings <NUM>, <NUM>) is positioned between adjacent wall frames <NUM> to cover a gap in or therebetween. In the depicted embodiment, the corners of arena apparatus <NUM> include gap coverings <NUM> that include two gap walls <NUM>, each of which is angled appropriately to mate with a respective wall frame <NUM> The configuration of gap walls <NUM> relative to one another and to wall frames <NUM> assists in facilitating offensive and defensive tactical plays including, without limitation, launch attacks, evasions, and angle attacks.

While arena apparatus <NUM> of <FIG> and <FIG> includes a floor frame <NUM> having multiple primary and secondary supports <NUM>, <NUM>, in some embodiments, a floor of a room in which arena apparatus <NUM> is positioned may form some or all of floor frame <NUM>, thereby dispensing with one or more of primary supports <NUM> and secondary supports <NUM>. In other embodiments, such as the one shown in <FIG>. scaffolding <NUM> is provided for raising arena apparatus <NUM> from the ground, such as may be desirable to provide better viewing for spectators.

Although <FIG> and <FIG> depict a square-shaped arena apparatus <NUM> with four wall frames <NUM>, it should be appreciated that arena apparatus <NUM> may be any shape and include any number of wall frames <NUM>, and that the present invention is not limited by or to any specific shape or number of wall frames <NUM>. Further, while the embodiment of <FIG> and <FIG> shows wall frames <NUM> positioned at forty-five degrees with respect to vertical, it should be appreciated that that the present invention as a whole is not limited by or to any particular angle. For example, various embodiments of the present invention contemplate any angle greater than or equal to fifteen degrees and less than sixty degrees. Other embodiments contemplate any angle greater than or equal to thirty-three degrees and less than fifty-two degrees, with a specified tolerance, such as, for example, one to three degrees. In still other embodiments, an angle is selected so that wall frames <NUM> are steep enough to prevent an athlete from standing on them comfortably or at all, but not so steep that the athlete is unable to launch or jump off of them.

In the embodiment shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, floor frame <NUM> and wall frames <NUM> are constructed primarily from wood. However, some or all of floor frame <NUM> and/or wall frames <NUM> may be constructed from any other material(s) suitable for supporting floor covering <NUM> and the weight of various athletes to compete within arena apparatus <NUM>, such as, for example, steel, aluminum (formed, for example, into a trestle - see. e.g., embodiments of wall frames <NUM> shown respectively in <FIG>), PVC pipe, sturdy plastics, tubing, and the like. In another embodiment, floor frame <NUM> and wall frames <NUM> are formed in part from various constituent parts, such as a plurality of hinges, trestle sections (off-the-shelf and custom pieces), bolts, washer plates, and brackets. In yet another embodiment (not shown), wall frames <NUM> are each manufactured from square and/or rectangular tubing ranging in size from <NUM>-<NUM>/<NUM>'' to <NUM>" and ranging from <NUM> to <NUM> gauge.

Floor and wall coverings <NUM>, <NUM> are substantially planar (but need not be in other embodiments) and may be constructed from any material suitable for a particular sporting event. For example, where the sporting event is a fight, floor and/or wall coverings <NUM>, <NUM> may be constructed from a solid and rigid material (such as wood or metal, which may be the case when floor frame <NUM> and/or wall frames <NUM> and floor and wall coverings <NUM>, <NUM>, respectively, are formed integrally), or alternatively, from a fabric or padded material, such as a mat or panel. Floor and wall coverings <NUM>, <NUM> may also be formed together as a single integral piece or in modular fashion, e.g., from multiple mats or panels positioned adjacent to one another. For example, in one embodiment (not shown) floor covering <NUM> is formed from five adjacent, rectangular mats. In another embodiment (not shown), wall covering <NUM> for each wall frame <NUM> includes one or more mats, together forming one surface with angled sides to accommodate an angle at which wall frame <NUM> meets an adjacent wall frame <NUM>. That is, the mat(s) covering each wall frame <NUM> is/are formed in the shape of a trapezoid. However, it should be appreciated that alternate shapes and/or quantities of mats may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Referring now to <FIG>, there is seen an adjustment structure <NUM> for adjusting the angle of one or more wall frames <NUM>. Adjustment structure <NUM> includes a primary support rod <NUM> having a proximal end <NUM> pivotably coupled to wall frame <NUM> and a distal end <NUM> pivotably coupled to brace <NUM>. Locking end <NUM> of brace <NUM> may be selectively coupled to one of multiple connection points <NUM> on wall frame <NUM>, thereby permitting primary support rod <NUM> to be pivoted into multiple selectable positions. This, in turn, permits the angle of wall frame <NUM> to be adjusted. It should be appreciated that any number of connection points <NUM> may be provided for enabling wall frame <NUM> to be adjusted to any number of selectable angles. It should also be appreciated that the invention contemplates other structures and mechanisms for adjusting the angle of wall frame <NUM>, and that the invention as a whole is not intended to be limited to the structure depicted in <FIG> or any other specific structure.

Claim 1:
An arena apparatus (<NUM>) for staging a sport comprising at least one wall or wall frame (<NUM>), comprising:
a bottom end of the at least one wall or wall frame located proximal to a perimeter of a floor area or a floor frame (<NUM>), the at least one wall or wall frame extending upwardly and outwardly from a vertical plane of the perimeter at an angle of greater than or equal to fifteen degrees and less than seventy-five degree, and at least one first covering (<NUM>, <NUM>) for covering the floor frame or the floor area and the at least one wall frame, with the at least one first covering forming a floor and at least one wall, characterised by an adjustment structure (<NUM>) for adjusting the angle of one or more wall frames (<NUM>).