Patent Document

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to board games. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Many studies have compiled data that more and more children are becoming addicted to videogames. More than 2 hour per day use “screen time” is “gaming overuse,” according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Children as well as adults are becoming sedentary and only using their thumbs to move players on the screen. The classic games that use dice, boards with squares, and cards are slowly moving away and being replaced with high tech 3D graphic computer generated games. The issue with video (computer) games is that it makes the players “space out” or generate automatic responses to signals. Thus, they make the players react but not think to different situations. Also, video games simply visual, hence no motor skills are developed in the player. At the same time thinking board games are also becoming a thing of the past. One of the reasons they are disappearing is that they are not engaging the player in ways that mimic real outdoor sports. Furthermore, since these games are purely mental, they exercise thinking skills, for example chess, checkers or strategy games, but few motion skills are developed. 
     There is a need in the board gaming community to create an engaging game that mimics sports. Furthermore, the gaming community has in the past relied on games that are static where the player&#39;s motor skills are not used and not measured. Without measuring the motor skills of the player, a player does not know if their motor skill and abilities are improving. There is a further need to create a game that engages the player in a motor skill competition such as surfing world cup. There is also need in the industry, to manufacture a game that develops both a player&#39;s fine and gross motor skills and at the same time promote imagination. Moreover, in the board gaming arts, it would be desirable to progress from the classic static board games, to games that are both mentally engaging and at the same time physical motor skills are developed. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a board game that simulates the sport of wave surfing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  depicts the assembled surf game and the wave sheet caving into an action figure surfer. 
         FIG. 2  depicts how the magnets attract the action figure holder to the magnetic handle. 
         FIG. 3  depicts figure holder with and action figure surfer. 
         FIG. 4  depicts the back side of the wave sheet and the movements of the caving wave and the magnetic handle. 
         FIG. 5  the assembled game and how the player would maneuver on the wave sheet and though the obstacles, a wave former is also depicted here. 
         FIG. 6  depicts a crossection of an embodiment of the invention, the magnetic handle, the wave sheet, the wave sheet coating, the magnets, the magnetic flux between the magnets, the action figure, the board and the magnetic figure holder. 
         FIG. 7  depicts a crossection of an embodiment of the invention, a magnetic figure holder with different location to the center of gravity and magnetic strength. 
         FIG. 8  depicts a crossection of an embodiment of the invention, a magnetic figure holder with different location to the center of gravity and magnetic strength. 
         FIG. 9  depicts a crossection of an embodiment of the invention, a magnetic figure holder with yet a different location to the center of gravity and magnetic strength. 
         FIG. 10  depicts an embodiment of the invention, a wave sheet with different coating and friction coefficient and obstacles. 
         FIG. 11  depicts an embodiment of the invention, a wave sheet with different coating and friction coefficient and obstacles. 
         FIG. 12  depicts how the wave sheet collapses and how the action figure surfer would clear a tube. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is a board game. The concept of the game is to mimic the sport of wave surfing. The game can be played by at least one person but is preferred to be played in a group so that the game becomes more competitive. As seen in  FIG. 1 , the board game comprises at least one wave sheet  103  that is attached to at least one base  102  by at least one attachment means  101 , the wave sheet  103 . The users or players, maneuver the game by holding a magnet handle  202  that in turn attracts at least a magnetic figure holder  204 . Said magnetic figure holder  204  further comprises a surf board  302 , a magnet or a ferrous material  301  and action  figure 303 . By using different wave sheets  103 , the player&#39;s imagination can take off on different waves and surf way around the world. Furthermore, during the player&#39;s ride, they will experience the thrills and obstacles every surfer encounters. The user has the option to play the game as “free style surfing” if you want to be entertained, or if prefer you can surf skills with scores of exercises, using scoring sheets and special operations such as criteria used in the Surf World Cup. 
     The surf game comprises a game for toy surfing through a sheet  103  of thick cardboard paper or paper with the silky texture surface  103 ′ of a sea wave. The sea-wall sheet will be rolling it-self  105  and therefore simulating the gradual formation of a wave as the surfer  figure 303  attached to a magnetic figure holder  204 , moves perpendicular  107  to the sheet  103  and guided by a handle with a magnet  201  and magnetic handle  202  brought against the opposite surface  103 ″ of sheet  103  opposite to the silky texture surface. The wave sheets  103  are already pre-coiled or pre-rolled to facilitate a gradual rolling of the wave while the surfer advances  107  on the wall of the wave or wave sheet  103 . The game is to maneuver on the wave wall as it rolls, and this could last several seconds. The user will be able to do real surfing maneuvers such as: bottom turn, rollers, cutbacks, 360, tube ride, among others. The game comes with several pieces of surfer-figures  303  and colored plastic molded represented various styles of surfers such as a “free styler”, and a “surf competitor”, a “longboard surfer”, a “female surfer” and a “sport.” As depicted in  FIG. 5 , the wave sheets  103  may have obstacles  503  such as rocks and surfers in the water. 
     The wave sheets or wave sheets  103  come pre-rolled and ready to be glued or be attached on the table by means of clamps  501 . The wave sheet  103  is further comprised of a series of wave ends  504  for esthetics and stability to the wall. The strength of the magnet and friction between the surfaces will then unwind the wave wall, while gliding the surfer  figure 303  on the wave sheet  103 . Inevitably, after some time will be necessary “to force wind” again wave in order to maintain to the angular roll-spring force. This is ingeniously accomplished by the use of a wave former  106  in by applying force in the direction  105 . The containment of the angular roll-force of the wave wall was ingeniously solved by attaching a wear-strip  505  of pre-rolled fiber tape behind the wave wall as seen in  FIG. 5 . wear-strip  505  maintains the original coiled shape longer in use. The wear-strip  505  is made be made from the materials selected from the group consisting of fibers made of organic polymer fiber tape in a polymer binder, and non organic materials such thin as metal wires or coils in a polymer binder. The wear-strip or ware tape  505 , and wave wall is formed or molded by a wave-former  106 . The wave former has the original shape of the wave and gives the wave wall and the wear-strips  505  the original spring force and shape. Since the wave-strip  505  comprises fibers that are made out of more resilient materials, then the forces are retained more than if it was just the bare wave sheet. For larger waves, a wave former  106  helps the cardboard wave sheet  103  roll on a continuing basis 
     The surf game described herein is a game for manually surfing through a wave sheet  103 . The game is to maneuver on a game path  506  on that wave sheet  103  and that lasts several seconds, just like a real wave. The player/user holds the magnetic handle  202  and mimics real surfing maneuvers such as, bottom turn, rollers, cutbacks, tube-ride, 360&#39;s, among others or by following a specified or non-specified path  506 . The player (like in real surfing) will improve the maneuverability with more practice using the magnetic handle  202 . By using his hands and by standing up, motors skills in the body are developed, something that is not found in traditional board games. As depicted in  FIG. 6 , the magnetic handle  202  attracts the magnetic figure holder  204 , using a magnetic field  203  though wave sheet  103  and wave wall coating  605 . The magnetic field  203  is created by at least two magnets  601  and  602 , where magnet  602  is disposed within the magnet handle  202  and magnet  601  is disposed within the magnetic figure holder  204  respectively. The magnetic figure holder  204  is further comprised of at least one action  figure 303  and at least one surf board  302 , the surfboard is there mainly for esthetics reasons. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, the wave sheet  103 , was made of at least one sheet of heavy paper or card board stock. However, the wave sheet  103  can be made of materials selected from the group consisting of polymers or plastics, flexible plexi-glass, cellulose materials, thin flexible metals, flexible gypsum cloth and heavy cloth for substantially the same purpose to obtain substantially the same result. The wave sheet  103  was imprinted  507  with the texture to simulate a sea wave that is gradually winding. At least one side of the wave sheet  103  was coated with an epoxy coating  605 , which was later cured with UV light. The printed features  507  were covered with the said coating  605 . The purpose of the coating  605  is to prevent scratching of the print  507  and to regulate the friction against the wave sheet  103 . The coatings  605 , could also be made from the materials selected from the group consisting of organic and non organic waxes, acrylic monomers, fluoropolymer composites TEFLON® (PTFE), prepolymers, halogenated compounds, polymer resins, petroleum polymers, and styrene polymers. The coatings  605  are usually applied by using hydrocarbon co-solvents when coating and drying onto the paper or board substrates, to form an inert transparent film. Yet another method that may be used for the substantially the same purpose to obtain substantially the same result is, coating the wave sheet  103  by using of at least a solvent by dispersing a catalyst or quenching agent to a graft initiating or regenerating system by allowing graft polymerization to occur on the cellulose material thus forming the cardboard wave sheet  103 . 
     The game kit also offers several sheets as wave sheets  103  to simulate different beaches. Additional elements are sand, rocks, reefs, palm trees etc, for a better setting of the beach. For the larger waves, larger wave sheets  103  needs assistance of a wave-former  106  this wave maker helps to roll of cardboard continuously. The game kit is presented in a cardboard tube and a means to attach the wave wall sheets to the table. The wave sheet  103  is attached to the board at specific points specified in the instruction sheet. One embodiment of the invention makes the user to use (double sided tape) or sticky tape  101  to attach it to the table. The magnetic figure holder  204  and plastic surfer figure joins the active face of wave through a metal plate located below the magnetic figure holder  204 . The user will hold the magnetic handle  202  and guide the surfer from the rear of the wave sheet  103 . When the magnetic the magnetic figure holder  204  falls, the surfer “lost balance” and falls off the wave. 
     The level of difficulty is created by using different variable factors depicted in  FIG. 9 . They are the friction coefficient between the coating material  605  A-C and the magnet  301  A-C, the strength of the magnetic field  203  A-C the position of the center of gravity  301  of the action  figure 303  relative to the wave wall  103  and the number of obstacles  503  on the wave sheet  103 . As depicted in  FIG. 10  and  FIG. 11  the different wave walls simulate different beaches, with different obstacles  503 . The obstacles  503  can be comprised of sharks, dolphins, rocks and reefs. Palm trees and sand would also enhance the esthetics of the beach.  FIG. 12  depicts the continuous motion of the action figure on the surfboard. The difficulty levels are given as the player performs surfing maneuvers while the waves are rolling-in (cascading) while keeping surfaces flat at the point of contact between the magnets, while clearing the obstacles thus mimicking what is surfing is in reality. 
     The users/players will use the handle bar  202  to make the maneuvers, hand coordination skill will play an important part to clear the obstacles and surf the tube. Depending on the level of skill, and as an option, the player will assemble a magnetic figure holder  204  that the center of gravity  301  is close to the wall such as in  FIG. 7 , a magnet  301  A with greater magnetic strength  203  A, a wave sheet  103  with larger friction coefficient on the coating  605 A, and less obstacles  503 . As the player becomes more advanced and skilled, the player will assemble a magnetic figure holder  204  with the center of gravity  301  further away from the wall such as in  FIG. 9 , a magnet with less magnetic strength  301  C, a wave sheet  103  with lower friction coefficient on the coating  203  C, and more obstacles  503 . 
     The components of the game kit comprise, several wave sheets  103  coated with different coatings  605 A-C to create a range of fiction coefficients, at least one attachment means or board holder  501 , a base made out of heavy carton  102 , several action figures  303  with different center of gravity  301 , several magnets  601 A-C of different magnetic strength, at least one magnetic figure holder  204 , one handle bar  202  further comprising at least a magnet  602 , instructions for use with a description of scores and schedules for maneuvering skills, a wave former/shape maker  106  simulating the formation of a true “wave” as a the action figure moves. The game is be presented in a cardboard box and assembled on a table. The player can use the wave sheet  103  to play just too see how long the action figure remains on the board, just as free surf, or the player may play with others to show surf skills a maneuvers with using scores for different maneuvers, by means of a spreadsheet and ad hoc scoring criteria. The game also offers Surf World Cup. The scores will be used to visualize the progress of the motor skills as well as the maneuvering skills of the players. 
     In an embodiment of the invention, the several pieces of surfer action figures  112  are made of colored plastic and metal. The metal is placed at different locations in the action figure body  112  in order to dictate the location of the center of gravity  301 . The metal is later covered with molded plastic. The obstacles  503  are made of plastic covered metal pieces and some are also made out of wood. Also the obstacles can be made of injected molded plastic but can also be made out of wood or cork with rubber lining for the substantially the same purpose to obtain substantially the same result. The base holder  501  is made of two clamp springs that clamp the wave sheet  103  in order to switch to more difficult wave walls. The handle  107  was made out of injected molded plastic but can also be made out of wood or cork with rubber lining for substantially the same purpose to obtain substantially the same result. 
     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this technology is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present technology. Numerous characteristics and advantages have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of structure and function. The novel features are pointed out in the appended claims. The disclosure, however, is illustrative only and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts, within the principle of invention, to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

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