Patent ID: 7229072

Claim:
A playing surface, comprising: a first boundary wall, which includes a ramp having a first elevation in the vicinity of the first zone separator and a second elevation in the vicinity of the second zone separator, wherein the first elevation is different from the second elevation, and the ramp includes an exit distal from the first zone separator; a second boundary wall; a first zone separator extending between the first boundary wall and the second boundary wall, the first zone separator having an angled surface that is sloped to inhibit but not prevent a game piece from traversing the first zone separator; a second zone separator extending between the first boundary wall and the second boundary wall, the second zone separator having an angled surface that is sloped to inhibit but not prevent a game piece from traversing the second zone separator, the second zone separator being spaced from the first zone separator in order to present a first zone area residing between the first zone separator and the second zone separator; the angled surfaces of the zone separators being positioned so that a sphere that is rolled toward the angled surface of one of the zone separators must traverse that zone separator in order to access the first zone area, and while traversing that zone separator the sphere is in rolling contact with that zone separator, and the sphere is inhibited but not prevented from leaving the first zone area by the other of the zone separators.