PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15959148
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-04
Publication Date: 2019-04
Patent Classification: ["273", "400000"]

Abstract:
An apparatus for playing a game includes a first plurality of spherical game-pieces of a first color and a second plurality of spherical game-pieces of a second color, each sized and dimensioned to be thrown by hand. A base stand that supports a plurality of vertically oriented channels each configured to hold and display a column of the spherical game-pieces. A funnel is affixed to the base stand that is configured to receive a thrown game-piece, and to direct the thrown game-piece into the upper end of one of plurality of vertically oriented channels. A storage container may be located under the plurality of vertical channels configured to receive and store the game-pieces. The apparatus for playing a game is useful for playing a game with at least one participant.

Claim (Index 17):
An apparatus for playing a game, the apparatus comprising:\n a first plurality of spherical game-pieces of a first color, each sized and dimensioned to be thrown by hand; a second plurality of spherical game-pieces of a second color, each sized and dimensioned to be thrown by hand; and a base stand configured to rest upon a substantially horizontal surface, the base stand having a top and a bottom, relative to the substantially horizontal surface; a plurality of vertically oriented channels affixed to the base stand, each configured to hold and display a column of a portion of the first plurality of the spherical game-pieces, a portion of the second plurality of spherical game-pieces, or any combination thereof, each of the plurality of vertically oriented channels having an upper end and a lower end, relative to the base stand, each upper end configured to individually receive at least one of the first plurality of the spherical game-pieces and the second plurality of spherical game-pieces, each lower end configured to support a respective column by preventing passage of a bottom game-piece from a respective channel; and a funnel affixed to the base stand, said funnel configured to receive a thrown game-piece, and to direct the thrown game-piece into the upper end of one of plurality of vertically oriented channels; further comprising a storage container configured to contain both the first plurality of spherical game-pieces and the second plurality of spherical game-pieces together; wherein the storage container is sized and dimensioned to contain at least twenty-four 3 inch diameter balls; wherein the plurality of vertically oriented channels are aligned substantially in a plane; and wherein the funnel includes a forward ramp, a rear ramp, and two sidewalls, the forward ramp and the rear ramp extending upward from the upper ends of plurality of vertically oriented channels and away from each other relative to the plane of the plurality of vertically oriented channels, the two sidewalls extending between the forward ramp and the rear ramp, with one of the two sidewalls extending upward from the upper end of a first of the plurality of vertically oriented channels aligned in the plane, and the other of the two sidewalls extending upward from the upper end of a last of the plurality of vertically oriented channels aligned in the plane, the forward ramp, the rear ramp, and the two sidewalls together configured to circumscribe the upper ends of plurality of vertically oriented channels; wherein the funnel includes a frame configured to define edges of the funnel, and a netting material extending between the edges of the frame configured to receive and direct the thrown game-piece into the upper end of one of plurality of vertically oriented channels; wherein the first plurality of spherical game-pieces of the first color and the second plurality of spherical game-pieces of the second color are tennis balls; wherein the first plurality of spherical game-pieces of the first color and the second plurality of spherical game-pieces of the second color each have diameter of three inches; wherein the first plurality of spherical game-pieces of the first color and the second plurality of spherical game-pieces of the second color are ping-pong balls; wherein the first plurality of spherical game-pieces of the first color and the second plurality of spherical game-pieces of the second color each have a diameter of one-and-a-quarter inches; wherein the plurality of vertically oriented channels includes seven vertically oriented channels; wherein each of the plurality of vertically oriented channels includes a viewing slot vertically disposed along the vertically oriented channel, and configured such that the contents of the vertically oriented channel are visible; wherein the base stand comprises a self-supporting stand having a display side and a supporting side, the self-supporting stand configured such that the display side and the supporting side are disposed at an acute angle relative to each other; wherein the plurality of vertically oriented channels are aligned substantially in a plane, said plane at an incline relative to the substantially horizontal surface, the plurality of vertically oriented channels being located on an upward facing side of the base stand with respect to the substantially horizontal surface and said plane; wherein the base stand is made of wood; wherein each lower end of the plurality of vertically oriented channels has a closed position and an open position, and is further configured to release its respective column by opening from the closed position to the open position, permitting passage of its respective column; further comprising a storage container configured to contain both the first plurality of spherical game-pieces and the second plurality of spherical game-pieces together, the storage container sized and dimensioned to contain at least twenty-four 3 inch diameter balls, and to fit beneath the plurality of vertically oriented channels and receive the first plurality of spherical game-pieces and the second plurality of spherical game-pieces when the each lower end of the plurality of vertically oriented channels is opened from the closed position to the open position;

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 30.0
- Percentile: 91.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.2459
- Patent Class: 273.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['15073814', '15355694', '14322413', '15262839', '12254694']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.562729762614823
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.4847560373130671
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.5549323900846475
- Mean Citation Score: 180.220316
- Max Citation Score: 193.51376
- Similarity Product: 135.4867930142021

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test