Toss Game

Abstract

The present invention relates to a toss game, preferably an American football themed toss game, that challenges players to throw a projectile through one of a plurality of orifices on a target board. A game board is also used in the present invention and tracks a player's progress and scoring.

Description

This application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/823,024, filed on May 14, 2013, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a toss game and, in particular, an American football themed toss game that includes a target board with a plurality of orifices and a game board that tracks a player's progress along the field.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Encouraging physical activity among people of all ages, and in particular, children of all ages is very important, especially when the physical activity occurs with other participants. Not only does the activity have physical benefits, such as physical exercise, it also has mental benefits, such as helping to develop camaraderie and relationships among other individuals. Developing these relationships and camaraderie plays an important role in an individual's mental health and development. The present invention aims to encourage the aforesaid activity among individuals by disclosing a new and enjoyable toss game that is preferably football-themed.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a toss game that allows one or more individuals to participate in a recreational activity.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and enjoyable type of toss game that may have an American football theme.

It is an even further object of the invention to provide a toss game that encourages physical activity among individuals.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide a toss game that permits a user to play a number of different types of games,

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a toss game assembly having a target board with a plurality of orifices for receiving a projectile and a game board for monitoring each player's movement along the field and/or score. In particular, the toss game of the present invention preferably has a football theme. The target board may preferably be supported by frame members wherein the target board may preferably be in a substantially vertical position such that it is substantially perpendicular to the surface on which the frame members rest. However, other angles for the target board are possible depending on the desires and skill of the users. The game board may be positioned on any one or more of the frame members. Other positions, however, for the target board and game board may alternatively be used. For example, the game board may be supported by separate frame members than the frame members supporting the target board. Further, the toss game assembly may include a scoreboard for tracking the scores of the players. There may also be a game board that replicates a playing field so that a team's progress along the field can be visually displayed.

Each orifice on the target board may be associated with at least one of either a reward, no reward or a penalty. A player may have a certain number of turns to obtain a certain amount of rewards to score a point. A player's turn may be one or more throws. Further at least one game piece may be in communication with the game board to track the progress of one or more players. In order to score points, a player may preferably be required to move the game piece a certain distance on the game board after each successful toss attempt. The distance moved on the game board corresponds to the reward obtained for each turn by the player. The game piece may be moved in a positive direction on the game board for a reward and in a negative direction or not moved at all for a penalty. The player who wins is the player with the most points at the end of the game. The length of the game may be time based or may be defined by each player having a certain amount of turns or throws, or the game may end when a player is first to reach or exceed a point total.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of the toss game of the present invention including a player standing a certain distance away from the toss game assembly, which includes the frame, target board, and game board.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a second embodiment of the toss game of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the toss game of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the toss game of FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is a first side view of the toss game of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a second side view of the toss game of FIG. 2,

FIG. 7 is a view of an embodiment of the projectiles that may be used in connection with the toss game of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of the toss game of the present invention. The toss game includes a frame 1 for supporting a target board 2 and a game board 3. The frame 1 includes a first base member 4 and an oppositely situated second base member 5 that rests substantially parallel to the first base member 4 and that both act as the supports for the remaining parts of the toss game assembly. The base members can be adjustable so that their angle to the ground can vary as can the distance from the target board surface. This adjustability can permit the assembly to be used on a variety of surfaces, such as but not limited to a smooth parking lot, at the beach or on a grassy field.

The base members 4 and 5 further include a first end 4a and 5a and a second end 4b and 5b. At the first end of each base member 4a and 5a a first game board supporting member 6 and a second game board supporting member 7 may perpendicularly extend, respectively. The game board supporting members 6 and 7 extend to an opposite end 6a and 7a that supports the game board 3. In this embodiment, the game board 3 is a substantially planar member that resembles a football field and that has game pieces 3a and 3b corresponding to the player for keeping the score of the respective player. The game pieces may be made of any material used in the art for game pieces, such as but not limited to plastic, metal, composite, etc. There may be more than two game pieces if more than two players are playing. Alternatively, there may only be one game piece if only one player is playing.

The frame of the first embodiment also includes a first target board supporting member 8 and a second target board supporting 9 member that both perpendicularly extend from a point on the respective base members. The point for extension, as seen in FIG. 1, is preferably the point between the midpoint of the respective base members and the first end of the respective base members but other extension points are also contemplated. There is also a bottom cross member 10 that extends from a lower portion of the first target board supporting member 8 to a directly opposite lower portion of the second target board supporting member 9. Further, a top cross member 11 extends from an upper portion of the first target board supporting member 8 to a directly opposite upper portion of the second target board supporting member 9. The target board supporting members 8 and 9 and cross members 10 and 11 combine to form the boundaries that receive the target board 2 of the present invention. Different locations for the cross members to define different boundaries for receiving the target board are also contemplated in any and all embodiments of the present invention. Flags 8a and 9a are situated at the top of each target board supporting member 8 and 9 in this embodiment but may not be present in other embodiments, or other decorative items may be used in addition to or rather than the flags. FIG. 1 also shows a player 12 standing a certain distance away from the toss game assembly. The distance is the point at which the player is required to throw the projectile towards the toss game assembly. The distance may be as desired by the players based on their age, skill, etc. For example, it can vary when adults are playing with children. An adult may have to be standing at on location while a child can stand closer to the target. Alternatively, the distance may be set as anything from 1-20 yards or anything less than 1 yard or more than 20 yards. For example, a distance from the toss game assembly may be set as 5 yards, 10 yards, or 15 yards.

The target board 2 is a substantially planar member that has a plurality of orifices 2a for receiving a projectile, such as but not limited to a miniature or regular sized football, a bean bag, or other projectile-type object that is used in toss games. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the target board 2 resembles the shape of a square and includes nine orifices 2a in a 3×3 configuration but other shapes, configurations, and more or less orifices are also possible in any and all embodiments of the present invention.

The toss game of the present invention may be played by a player standing a certain distance away from the target board and attempting to throw a projectile through one of the orifices in the target board. If the projectile goes through one of the orifices, the player may move the corresponding game piece a certain distance that corresponds to the orifice. For example, the game board may preferably resemble a miniature football field and may have yard markers corresponding to the yard markers of a regular football field. An orifice may correspond to a player moving his or her game piece on the game board a certain amount of yards as measured by the yard markers on the game board. Further, one or more orifices may correspond to a different amount of yards or, one or more orifices may even correspond to an incomplete pass, a penalty, a turnover, a loss of yards or loss downs, or other football plays. The middle orifice 2b in this embodiment may have a bull's-eye effect such that a scoring play results when a player successfully throws the projectile through the middle orifice or in other embodiments a turnover may result or the middle orifice may correspond to a different yardage amount.

The orifices may be the same size or differently sized depending on the play that the orifice is associated with. For example, an orifice corresponding to a play gaining more yardage may be smaller in size than an orifice corresponding to a play gaining less yardage, i.e., an orifice for a 50 yard play may be smaller than an orifice for a 5 yard play, to increase the difficulty level for obtaining the greater yardage. Furthermore, plays relating to loss of yards or penalties that are more severe may also be smaller or larger than penalties or loss of yards that are less severe. In particular, the orifice for a penalty relating to a loss of downs or a significant loss of yardage may be smaller than a penalty relating to a lesser loss of yardage. Even more so, an orifice for a turnover may be generally larger or smaller in size compared to the remaining orifices to make it easier or more difficult to commit a turnover. The orifice for penalties and loss of downs may also be generally larger or smaller than the remaining target board orifices to make it easier or more difficult to commit a penalty or obtain a loss of yards.

In one embodiment of the invention, a player may have 4 throws in order to accumulate at least 10 yards. If a player accumulates the 10 yards, the player will be rewarded with another 4 throws to accumulate at least another 10 yards. The throws in this embodiment represent downs in an American football game. For example, in an American football game, an offense has 4 downs to accumulate at least 10 yards to gain a first down. In this embodiment, a player's game piece may start from the goal line on the game board every time the player begins a turn and player will have to accumulate 100 yards, as marked on the game's game board, to score a touchdown. There may be orifices on the target board that correspond to plays of more than 10 yards and even orifices that correspond to scoring plays, such as a touchdown or a field goal. Even further, there may be at least one orifice that corresponds to the extra point after scoring a touchdown. Still, further, at least one of the orifices may have multiple associations, such as but not limited to for a play gaining yardage and a play attempting a field goal of a certain yardage. In this embodiment, a player may have to state which play is being attempted before the projectile is thrown.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the toss game may mimic a real football game. Here, there may be a kickoff, from, for example, the 35 yard line of the player kicking off but other kickoff points may be used as desired by the players. The kickoff may comprise a player attempting to toss a projectile through one of the orifices and the length of the kick corresponds to the amount of yardage in the orifice that the projectile was thrown through. If a player is not able to toss the projectile through an orifice, the return of the kickoff may be placed at the 40 yard line of the return player's half. This is the same as in NFL® rules where the football is placed on the kick returning team's 40 yard line if the kickoff is kicked out of bounds. If the projectile is tossed through an orifice, then the returning player may attempt to throw the projectile into an orifice. The yardage associated with the orifice is the yardage of the return. Alternatively, if the attempt is unsuccessful and the projectile is not thrown through an orifice, the return may be for no yards. In addition, the orifice may be associated with a penalty or a loss of yardage.

After the kickoff, a player may have four throws to gain at least 10 yards as was discussed previously herein. By the fourth down, the player may, in an embodiment, also choose to punt or attempt a field goal. The orifices may have multiple associations as discussed above. For example, when relating to a field goal, one or more of the orifices may correspond to a range of yard amounts such as but not limited to, 0-20 yards, 20-40 yards, 40-60 yards, 0-10 yards, 10-20 yards, 30-40 yards, 40-50 yards, 50-60 yards, etc. The longer yardage amounts may have smaller orifices than the lesser yardage amounts to increase the difficulty level of successfully attempting a long field goal. On the other hand, the yardage amounts relating to a kick return, a punt return, a kickoff, and/or a punt may be fixed yards.

The target board may have indicia, preferably in the form of writing, that is next to each orifice to denote how many yards relates to successfully throwing the projectile through each orifice, There may be multiple writings for each orifice that may lead to multiple associations for each orifice as discussed above. For example, at least one orifice may have a writing that corresponds to 30 yards and then another writing that corresponds to 20-40 yards. The range of yards may only be relative to a field goal attempt and the specific yardage, 30, may be relevant to all of the other plays, such as but not limited to a kickoff, a punt, a kickoff return, a punt return, and a play during the game for gaining yardage.

In a further alternate embodiment, one or more of the orifices may be associated with a running play, a passing play, and/or a special teams play. In this embodiment, a player may first attempt to throw the projectile into the orifice to attempt to select the type of play desired, such as a running play, a passing play, or a special teams play. After the player selects the play, the player may then attempt another throw to gain yardage. In the second throw, the player may attempt to throw the projectile through an orifice that is associated with a gain of yardage, a loss of yardage, a penalty, and/or a turnover. Also, at least one of the orifices on the first throw may be associated with a turnover and/or penalty. Further, if the player is unsuccessful in his/her attempt in throwing the projectile through an orifice in any of the two throws, a loss of down may occur. In this embodiment, the orifices may have multiple associations, such that on the first throw there may be at least one orifice that corresponds to a running play and at least one orifice that corresponds to a passing play; and on the second throw one of the aforesaid orifices may be a gain of yardage, a loss of yardage, or no gain of yardage.

In further alternate embodiments of the gameplay system of the present invention, each player may be allotted a certain number of throws, such as but not limited to four, five, six, seven, eight or more than eight or less than four throws to obtain enough yardage to score a touchdown. Further, the scoring system may comprise a touchdown and a successful extra point attempt totaling 7 points, or a touchdown may only be 1 point and there may be no option for field goals. Even further, in the embodiment where a touchdown and successful extra point is worth 7 points, a player may also have the option to attempt a field goal at any point during his/her turn for 3 points. It is to be noted that other scoring systems used in the art for toss games may also be used in the present invention's football-themed toss game.

The duration of the toss game of the present invention may be a certain amount of turns a player has to score points. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, a player's turn may last four, more than, or less than four throws to advance the game piece the length of the game board to score a touchdown or to advance the game piece a sufficient distance on the game board to attempt a field goal. Alternatively, wherein two throws are used to accumulate yardage, the player may have four attempts to accumulate the yardage which may then represent the player's turn. Even further, the game may be played until one of the players first reaches or exceeds a threshold point total.

In the embodiments where a player has 4 downs to get a first down or score, the length of the game may be each player having 2 drives a quarter and the game lasting four quarters. Alternatively, there may be more than or less than 2 drives a quarter, such as but not limited to 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc. Even further, the quarters may be timed by an individual on a continuous running time, for example, 5 minutes a quarter or more or less than 5 minutes a quarter.

The target board may also be reversible such that there is indicia on both sides of the target board corresponding to the orifices. In one embodiment, one side of the target board may relate to a more complex game playing and scoring system than an opposite side. Here the opposite side may relate to a quicker gameplay version of the toss game. In addition, in all or some embodiments of the invention, each of the orifices may have a net, pocket, mesh pocket or other catching means secured around its edge for catching a projectile that is thrown through the respective orifice. The catching means is preferably made of a flexible material.

Further, a support, such as an elongate member, may extend outwardly from the target board towards the end of the catching means, such as a net catching means, to prevent the catching means from interfering with the other orifices. For example, a netting extending from an orifice may hang down and interfere with an orifice that is located directly below. When a projectile is successfully tossed into the above situated netting, the projectile may cause the netting to hang lower and obstruct the opening of the below situated orifice thereby preventing a different projectile from entering the below situated orifice. The support may be used to prevent the catching means from obstructing with other orifices.

The target board may also be removably or non-removably secured to the frame members that support the target board. Removable securing means may be slits or openings in at least a portion of the target board supporting frame members that the ends of the target board may be inserted through. The slits may be situated on the side of the frame members that line the opening that receives the target board. Further, the target board may additionally or alternatively be removably secured by snap locks or hook and loop fastening strips. Here, there may be one or more straps extending from one or more edges of the target board and the straps may loop around one or more of the target board supporting frame members and snap locks, hook and loop fastening strips, etc. may secure the straps around the frame members.

Further, the game board may also be removably or non-removably secured to the game board supporting frame members. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the game board may have orifices 3c and 3d at either end for receiving the respective end 6a and 7a of the game board supporting members 6 and 7. The game board orifices 3c and 3d in this embodiment extend through the both sides of the game board and are adapted to receive the respective game board supporting member ends 6a and 7a and secure them via a friction fit means or by means of a flange protruding from at least a portion of the game board supporting members that is close to the support member ends 6a and 7a. Here, the game board may rest on the flanges. Alternatively, the inner lining of the game board orifices may have a flanged portion that rests on top of the ends 6a and 7a of the game board supporting members and therefore supports the game board on the supporting members 6 and 7. In further alternate embodiments, however, there may be a recessed portion at either end of the game board on the side of the game board that faces the ground. The recessed portions in this embodiment may be adapted to receive the respective ends 6a and 7a of the game board supporting members.

The frame of the toss game may also be easily assembled and disassembled. Some or all of the members of the frame may be removably connected by means known in the art, such as but not limited to snap lock means, friction fit means, and rib and groove means. In further embodiments, some or all of the frame members may be hingedly connected to allow the frame to be easily collapsible.

The target board may be made of a lightweight resilient and flexible material such that it is able to withstand the pressures associated with projectiles being thrown against it. Suitable materials may be materials that are currently used for toss games with orifices, such as but not limited to a breathable nylon or other plastic material, or a wood, metal or a composite material thereof. In addition, the game board may be a plastic, rubber, wood, fiberglass, composite thereof, or other material used in the art. Further, the frame members may be made of a lightweight yet resilient material, such as but not limited to plastic, fiberglass, lightweight metal, a composite thereof or other materials used in the art for similar type frames.

A second embodiment of the toss game of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 2-6. In this embodiment, the game board 3 is positioned on the front surface of the toss game assembly frame 1 and is not supported by separate frame members as in the embodiment of FIG. 1. More specifically, the game board 3 is adhered to the front surface of the second target board supporting member 9. The game board may be adhered to the second game supporting member by laminating, by an adhesive, or by other adhering means used in the art. Further, the game board may be constructed from paper, plastic, a composite thereof, etc. Even further, the game board in this embodiment resembles a miniature football field but sizes, shapes and other sports fields are also contemplated.

The frame members in this embodiment and in the embodiment of FIG. 1 may be PVC piping but other materials used in the art are also contemplated. Unlike the embodiment in FIG. 1, the frame in this embodiment has a base cross member 12 that extends from the second end 4b of the first base member 4 to the directly opposite second end 5b of the second base member 5. The base cross member 12 connects to the second ends of the first and second base members 4 and 5 preferably by a pipe coupling, such as the elbow pipe coupling 13 seen in the FIG. 2. In addition, the first and second 8 and 9 target board supporting members perpendicularly extend from approximately the midpoint of the first and second base members, respectively. A three-way pipe coupling 14 connects the base cross members 4 and 5 and the target board supporting members 8 and 9. The bottom cross member 10 of the frame may also be connected to the first and second target board members 8 and 9 by a three-way pipe coupling 14. In addition, the top cross member 11 may be connected to the top end of each target board support member 8 and 9 by an elbow pipe coupling 13. Even further, the first ends 4a and 5a of the first and second base members 4 and 5 may have caps 15.

The target board in the embodiment of FIG. 2 may be secured to the frame of the toss game by tie wraps 16 that extend through one of a plurality of securing holes 17 on the target board and then loop around either of the first and second target board members 8 and 9 or the either of the top and bottom cross members 10 and 11. The tie wraps in this embodiment are plastic tie wraps. In other embodiments, other tie wraps used in the art may be used and/or other adhering means used in the art may also be used,

One or more of the plurality of orifices 2a located on the target board may be lined by a colored edge 2c on the target board to distinguish one or more of the orifices. For example, the 3 vertically aligned orifices 2d in columns 1 and 3 of the target board are the same color, the top and bottom orifices 2e in column 2 are the same color that is different than the column 1 and 3 orifice edge colors, and the middle orifice 2f has a different color than all of the other target board orifices. In this embodiment the orifices of the same color may correspond to the same reward, penalty or instruction when the projectile is tossed therethrough. For example, throwing the projectile through the orifices of columns 1 and 3 may correspond to a 5 yard advance, throwing the projectile through the top and bottom orifices of column 2 may correspond to a 10 yard advance, and throwing the projectile through the middle orifice of column 2 may correspond to an interception and therefore result in a change of turns. In other embodiments, however, other yardage and/or penalties may be associated with one or more of the orifices. In even further embodiments, each orifice may correspond to a different reward or penalty that the other orifices. Additionally, a penalty may be incurred when a player misses the target board completely.

Another game that may be played using the FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 toss game assembly may be a game to a specific number, such as twenty-one. In this game, the object of each player is to have a certain amount of successful throws in order to reach the desired point total of the game. As described above, all or some of the orifices in this embodiment may correspond to different point totals when a successful toss is performed. There may also be a penalty associated with an unsuccessful throw.

A further game that may be played using the embodiments of the present invention may be an around-the-world type of game that is generally used with a basketball hoop. For example, the object of the game may be to stand a certain distance away from the target board and start targeting one orifice on the target board while ultimately aiming to successfully toss the projectile through all of the orifices in a specific pattern. In one game play pattern, a player may start tossing the projectile at the bottom left corner orifice and then proceed to the orifice directly on top of the bottom left corner orifice once the player successfully throws the projectile through the bottom left corner orifice. The player may then proceed in a counter-clockwise direction on the target board by targeting the peripherally situated orifices. Once all of the orifices besides the middle orifice has been completed, the last throw in the game may be to successfully throw the projectile through the middle orifice. Other desired patterns besides the counterclockwise pattern may also be used, such as but not limited to a clockwise pattern. Further, any orifice may be selected as the starting point besides the bottom left corner orifice.

An even further game that may be engaged in using the present invention's toss game assembly may be tic-tac-toe and the game may be equipped with different colored projectiles to identify each player.

Lights may also be included in the present invention's toss game. For example, lights may be secured to the edges of any or all of the orifices, target board, and/or frame members to allow the toss game frame to be seen better. In addition, the lights secured to the edges of the orifices might be different colored lights to correspond to the color of the respective orifice. The lights may be LED bulbs, LED strips, reflectors, other lights used in the art, a combination thereof, and/or luminescent materials, such as but not limited to luminescent strips. Further, lights surrounding the orifices may blink at a certain rate when a projectile is successfully tossed through the orifice and/or may blink at a different rate when an unsuccessful toss is attempted.

Also seen in FIG. 2 is a netting 18 secured around the edge of each orifice to catch the projectile when it is thrown through the respective orifice. The netting may extend from the orifice to a backing 18a for providing extra support for receiving the projectile.

FIG. 3 shows a rear perspective view of the toss game shown in FIG. 3. Here the netting 18 attached to each orifice and the backing 18a attached to each netting is shown. A support member, not included in this embodiment, such as an elongate support member as discussed previously herein, may extend outwardly from the target board to the backing of the net to prevent the net from hanging down and obstructing the opening of a lower situated orifice. The elongate member may be removable or non-removable and may be designed as such to allow the toss game to retain its reversible gameplay nature.

Seen in FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the toss game of FIG. 2. A better view of the netting 18 and netting backing 18a is seen.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, seen is a first and second side view, respectively, of the toss game of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of the projectiles 19 that may be used in the present invention. Here, the projectile is shown as miniature footballs that are made from a foam material. In other embodiments, however, the projectile may be any other object that is used in the art, such as but not limited to a miniature bean bag, a miniature basketball, etc. The projectiles are preferably made of a softer material yet resilient material, such as foam, but other materials may be used such as but not limited to a rubber, plastic, a composite thereof, etc.

The toss games played in the present invention may preferably be played by at least two players; however, in other embodiments, there may be at least one teams of more than one player rather than two teams of only one player. For example, in the embodiment where an American football themed game is being played, the one team may have one player tossing to accumulate yardage and another player tossing to attempt a field goal. Even further, the players on a team may alternate throws or may alternate series of throws.

The orifices in the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2-6 are all substantially the same size, but as discussed herein, one or more of the orifices may be alternate sizes. Further, two or more of the orifices in the 3×3 arrangement may correspond to the same yardage or range of yardage. For example, the four corner orifices in the 3×3 arrangement may correspond to the same yardage gain wherein the yardage gain may be anywhere from about no gain to about a 100 yard gain, preferably from about 1 yard to about 50 yards, more preferably from about 1 yard to about 25 yards, and most preferably the yardage gain may be 1 yard, 5 yards, 10 yards, 15 yards, 20 yards, 25 yards, 30 yards, 35 yards, 40 yards, 45 yards, 50 yards, 55 yards, 60 yards, 65 yards, 70 yards, 75 yards, 80 yards, 85 yards, 90 yards, 95 yards, or 100 yards. Further, the yardage gain may also be any yardage in increments of 1 yard from about 1 yard to about 100 yards. In addition, a scoring play results if the amount of yardage rewarded to a player exceeds the amount of yardage required to score. The yardage gain for the second orifice in columns 1 and 3, and the top and bottom orifices in column 2 may also be same and may be any amount as discussed with respect to the corner orifices. Further, the yardage gain for these orifices may preferably be different than the yardage gain for the corner orifices but in other embodiments the yardage gain may be the same. An orifice or orifices, such as a middle orifice, may result in a turnover, such as an interception or fumble which leads to a change of possession and preferably the opposing player's game piece is placed on the game board where the piece of the player that created the turnover was marked. The opposing player will then preferably, as in American football rules, aim to move the corresponding game piece into the scoring area that is directly opposite the scoring area that the turnover creating player was targeting. In other embodiments, however, the middle orifice may not correspond to a turnover and/or one or more of the other orifices may correspond to a turnover.

Further, one or more of the orifices may correspond to a penalty, such as but not limited to, one or more of the four corner orifices, one or more of the first and third column orifices and top and bottom orifices in the second column, and/or the middle orifice. Even further, when a player incurs a penalty, a second throw may be attempted to determine the yardage loss of the penalty. Alternatively, the second throw may be attempted to determine the type of penalty such as whether the penalty results in a loss of yardage with a loss of a toss attempt and/or a loss of yardage without the loss of a toss attempt. If the penalty results in a loss of yardage without the loss of a toss attempt, a third throw may be attempted to determine the amount of yardage lost, In this penalty, the player reattempts the throw from the penalized yardage amount. For example, if a player incurs a penalty of a loss of 10 yards on the player's second toss attempt, the player will re-attempt the second toss with the player's game piece being placed on the game board 10 yards away from the previous spot of the game piece.

In the embodiment where a loss of a toss attempt is also incurred with the loss of yardage, the player's toss attempt at the penalized yardage will count as the player's next toss attempt. For example, if a player incurs a penalty of a loss of 10 yards on the player's second toss attempt as well as incurs a loss of a toss attempt, the player will attempt the next toss from the penalized yardage and the toss will count as the player's third toss attempt.

It is to be appreciated that other combinations of orifices may correspond to the same reward or penalty other than the combinations listed above. For example, the orifices in the first column may correspond to the same reward and/or penalty, the orifices in the second column may correspond to the same reward and/or penalty that is different than the first column, and the orifices in the third column may correspond to the same reward and/or penalty that is different than the first and second columns In further alternate embodiments, the orifices in the first row may correspond to the same reward and/or penalty, the orifices in the second row which may or may not include the middle orifice may correspond to the same reward and/or penalty that is different than the first row orifices, and the orifices in the third row may correspond to the same reward and/or penalty that is different than the first and second row orifices. Even further, each orifice may correspond to a different reward and/or penalty.

The distance, in an embodiment of the present invention, that a player may toss the projectile from may vary. For example, the distance may correspond to the amount of yardage the player has to accumulate to obtain a first down. For example, the distance from the target board may be directly related to the yardage left to accumulate such that a player stands 9 yards away from the target board when there is 9 yards left to accumulate. In another embodiment the distance may be measured in feet rather than yards such that a player stands 9 feet away from the target board when there is 9 yards left to accumulate. In addition, other distance measurements for standing away from the target board may also be used rather than feet or yards.

It is to be appreciated by those skilled in the art that all of the different embodiments discussed herein with respect to the FIG. 1 embodiment may also be applied to the FIG. 2-6 embodiment and that all of the embodiments discussed herein with respect to the FIG. 2-6 embodiment may be applied to the FIG. 1 embodiment. Further, it is also to be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the orifices on the target board may assume a different pattern than the square pattern represented in the embodiments of FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2-6. For example, the patterns may include but are not limited to a circular pattern, a football shaped pattern, a dart board shaped pattern, a rectangular pattern, or a triangular pattern.

Claims

1. A toss game assembly for playing a toss game comprising:

a frame;

a target board secured to said frame, said target board being a substantially planar member and having a plurality of orifices for receiving a projectile, wherein said orifices on said target board have a means for catching said projectile, said catching means being a net extending from said orifice to a backing; and

at least one game board secured to said frame in a different location than said target board, said game board including a game piece on a game play surface of said game board to track the rewards and penalties of a player, wherein said toss game is played by a player tossing said projectile at said target board to attempt to toss said projectile through one of said plurality of orifices, said player receiving a reward or a penalty for tossing said projectile through one of said plurality of orifices and a penalty or no reward for being unable to toss said projectile through one of said plurality of orifices, said player tossing said projectile at said target board from a certain distance away from said target board.

2. The toss game assembly according to claim 1 wherein said frame comprises:

a first base member;

a second base member substantially parallel to said first base member;

a cross base member extending from a second end of said first base member to a second end of said second base member;

a first target board supporting member extending from approximately a midpoint of the length of the first base member to a distal end of said first target board supporting member;

a second target board supporting member extending in substantially parallel alignment with said first target board member from approximately a midpoint of the length of the second base member to a distal end of said second target board supporting member;

a bottom cross member extending from a lower portion of the first target board member to a lower portion of the second target board supporting member; and

a top cross member extending from an upper portion of the first target board member to an upper portion of the second target board supporting member, wherein said target board is secured to said frame in an area of said frame defined by the connection between the bottom cross member, top cross member, first target board supporting member and second target board supporting member, and

wherein said game board is secured to the frame on a front surface of the second target board supporting member.

3. The toss game assembly according to claim 2 wherein a support member extends outwardly from a surrounding edge of each of said plurality of orifices to said backing of each of said plurality of orifices to prevent said net and/or backing of said orifices from obstructing one or more of the openings created by the other of said orifices.

4. The toss game assembly according to claim 1 wherein the target board is a square shape with nine orifices in a 3×3 arrangement.

5. The toss game assembly according to claim 4 wherein each of said plurality of orifices includes a surrounding colored edge.

6. The toss game assembly according to claim 5 wherein the 3×3 arrangement includes a first column of three vertically aligned orifices, a second column of three vertically aligned orifices, and a third column of three vertically aligned orifices, said first and third column orifices having a different colored surrounding edge than said second column orifices.

7. The toss game assembly according to claim 6 wherein said second column orifices includes a top, a middle, and a bottom orifice, said colored surrounding edge of said top and bottom orifices having the same colored surrounding edge and wherein said colored surrounding edge of said top and bottom orifices of said second column being a different color than said surrounding edge of said first and third column orifices and said middle orifice of said second column.

8. The toss game assembly according to claim 7 wherein said middle orifice of said second column has a different colored surrounding edge than said first and third column orifices and said top and bottom orifices of said second column.

9. The toss game assembly according to claim 8 wherein said toss game is an American football themed toss game that is played by at least two players.

10. The toss game according to claim 9 wherein the first and third column orifices correspond to the same reward or penalty when said player tosses said projectile through said first and third column orifices.

11. The toss game according to claim 10 wherein the top and bottom orifice of the second column corresponds to the same reward or penalty when said one of said at least two players tosses said projectile through said top and bottom orifice of said second column, said reward or penalty for said second column top and bottom orifice being different than the reward or penalty for the first and third column orifices.

12. The toss game according to claim 11 wherein the middle orifice of the second column corresponds to the same reward or penalty when said one of said at least two players tosses said projectile through said middle orifice, said reward or penalty for said middle orifice being different than said reward or penalty for said top and bottom orifices of said second column top and said reward or penalty for said first and third column orifices.

13. The toss game according to claim 12 wherein said game play surface of said game board resembles the appearance of a miniature American football field, said game play surface further including markers on said game play surface that mimic the one-hundred yards marked on an American football field.

14. The toss game according to claim 13 wherein tossing said projectile into either of said first and third column orifices corresponds to a reward of said game piece of said player being moved five yards on said game play surface of said game board.

15. The toss game according to claim 14 wherein tossing said projectile into either of said top and bottom orifices of said second column corresponds to a reward of said game piece of said player being moved ten yards on said game play surface of said game board.

16. The toss game according to claim 15 wherein tossing said projectile into said middle orifice of said second column by said one of said at least two players corresponds to a penalty, said penalty being an interception and an immediate change of turns from said one of said at least two players to said other of said at least two players.

17. The toss game according to claim 16 wherein said players have four toss attempts to either score a point or accumulate at least ten yards, said players being rewarded with another 4 toss attempts if said players accumulates at least ten yards, wherein said at least ten yards is measured by said markers on said game board.

18. The toss game according to claim 17 wherein said game board further comprises at least two directly opposite scoring areas on said game board and wherein two scoring markers on opposite ends of said game board mark said two directly opposite scoring areas.

19. The toss game according to claim 18 wherein said players score a point by accumulating enough yards to move said players' corresponding game piece into one of said two scoring areas.

20. The toss game assembly according to claim 19 wherein said projectile is a miniature foam football.

21. The toss game assembly according to claim 1 wherein said toss game is tic-tac-toe.

22. The toss game assembly according to claim 1 wherein said toss game is twenty-one.

23. The toss game assembly according to claim 1 wherein said frame comprises:

a first base member;

a second base member substantially parallel to said first base member;

a first game board supporting member extending perpendicularly from a first end of said first base member to an oppositely situated distal end of said first game board supporting member;

a second game board supporting member extending perpendicularly and in substantially parallel alignment with said first game board supporting member from a first end of said second base member to an oppositely situated distal end of said second game board supporting member;

a first target board supporting member extending perpendicularly from said first base member to a distal end of said first target board supporting member;

a second target board supporting member extending perpendicularly and in substantially parallel alignment with said first target board supporting member from said second base member to a distal end of said second target board supporting member;

a bottom cross member extending from a lower portion of the first target board member to a lower portion of the second target board member; and

a top cross member extending from an upper portion of the first target board member to an upper portion of the second target board member, wherein said target board is secured to said frame in an area of said frame defined by the connection between the bottom cross member, top cross member, first target board supporting member and second target board supporting member, and wherein said game board is secured to said distal ends of said first and second game board supporting members.