INFLATABLE DROP-STITCH CORNHOLE BOARD
An inflatable cornhole game board that is compact and light for transport, easy to inflate, and maintains a smooth and rigid surface for play. The rectangular playing board uses drop-stitch material, formed of opposing base layers of polyester support fabric joined to each other by thousands of fine polyester threads. One or more layers of airtight PVC coating layers are applied to the outer surfaces of both base substrates. Near one end of the rectangular playing board, a hole passes through the playing board. Sidewall material, usually made of a polyester base fabric with a non-breathable coating is glued between the outer edges of the top and bottom layers, as well as the inner edges of the cornhole, to create an airtight drop-stitch core. An inflatable support member, also formed by the drop-stitch construction, is glued to the bottom surface of one end of the rectangular playing board. The support member extends down from the bottom surface of the playing board to hold the playing board up at one end, which creates the sloped playing board needed to play the cornhole game. The dense matrix of fixed-length threads between the top and bottom layers of the drop-stitch material hold the layers in a very even distance from each other and, under inflation, create an extremely hard board. The drop-stitch construction can be inflated to pressures up to 20 pounds per square inch (psi), creating a hard and rigid structure suitable for playing the cornhole game or other games requiring a board with a hard playing surface, such as billiards.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) from provisional patent Application No. 62/893,796, filed Aug. 29, 2019. The 62/893,796 Application is incorporated herein by reference.
2. FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to the construction of an inflatable cornhole board, and more specifically to the use of drop-stitch material for such construction.
3. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe cornhole game is an outdoor or indoor recreational game played in backyards, living rooms, driveways, garages, parks, gyms, beaches, and other areas. The game is played by people of all ages and has of late become very popular. Sometimes called “Corn Bag Toss”, the game employs two sloped rectangular boards, each with a 6-inch diameter hole near the raised end of the sloped board, and corn filled bags. The rectangular boards are 4-feet by 2-feet, the front end rests on the ground, the rear end is raised 12 inches off the ground, and the center hole is 9 inches from the raised rear end of the board and 12 inches from each side. The bags are 6-inch fabric squares filled with 2 cups of feed corn (or plastic pellets), and weigh between 14 to 16 ounces The front ends of the boards are placed opposite each other at a distance and players compete against each other by attempting to throw the bags through the hole in the board or, less desirably, onto the sloped board. This game is described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0,023,762 of Greiwe et al. (“Greiwe”), and by the American Cornhole Association (“ACA”). See https://www.playcornhole.org/pages/rules (“ACA Rules”). Greiwe describes the construction of the rectangular boards from boards from plywood, acrylic, plexi-glass or plastic composite (see Greiwe FIG. 15), and the ACA describes the use of plywood, plastic, and other surfaces, preferring wooden boards for “ACA sanctioned cornhole tournaments”. See ACA Rules, “Equipment: Standards for Cornhole Boards and Bags”).
Many players enjoy playing the cornhole game at the beach, park, or when camping, but lugging the boards around is a significant impediment. What is needed is a cornhole board that is light and compact for transport, but easy to deploy.
Efforts to create game tables that are compact for transport and sufficiently strong for play have had deficiencies. U.S. Pat. No. 7,850,534 to Smith (“Smith”), discloses an inflatable pool table using “flexible rubber sheets” (58) between the top (30) and bottom (32) panels of the inflatable table (10) “so that, in the inflated condition of the table (10), the top panel can not bulge upwardly”. See Smith, col. 2, lines 44-47. Although Smith asserts that “the top playing surface is, surprisingly, maintained in a flat horizontal condition”, the reality is that the surfaces will, nevertheless, bulge under inflation in the areas between the spots where the flexible rubber sheets (58) are attached to the top and bottom panels. Moreover, because Smith's rubber sheets are, admittedly, “flexible”, they will stretch under tension when the table is inflated.
What is needed is an inflatable cornhole board that is strong enough to act like a plywood cornhole board.
4. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is an inflatable game board that is compact and light for transport, easy to inflate, and maintains a smooth and rigid surface for play. In the disclosed embodiment of a cornhole board, the inflatable board uses drop-stitch construction. The drop-stitch material is formed of opposing base layers of polyester support fabric joined to each other by thousands of fine polyester threads. One or more layers of airtight PVC coating are applied to the outer surfaces of both base substrates. Near one end of the rectangular playing board, a 6-inch diameter “cornhole” is cut through the playing board. Sidewall material, usually made of a polyester base fabric with a non-breathable coating is glued between the outer peripheral edges of the top and bottom layers, as well as the inner edges of the cornhole, to create an airtight drop-stitch core. An inflatable support member, which may also be formed of the drop-stitch construction described above, is glued to the bottom surface of the raised rear end of the rectangular playing board nearest the cornhole. The support member extends down from the bottom surface of the playing board to hold the playing board up at the cornhole end, which creates the sloped playing board needed to play the game. The dense matrix of fixed-length threads between the top and bottom layers of the drop-stitch material hold the layers in a very even distance from each other and, under inflation, create an extremely hard board. Inflation valves are provided in the playing board and support member, or an air passage between the playing board and support member allows both to be inflated together through a single valve. The drop-stitch construction can be inflated to pressures up to 20 pounds per square inch (psi), creating a hard and rigid structure suitable for playing the cornhole game or other games requiring a board with a hard playing surface, such as billiards.
In an alternative embodiment, shown in
The stiffening film 37 is, preferably, made of an inelastic material that allows little stretching or bending, such as acrylic. When supported by an inflated drop-stitch core, an acrylic stiffening film layer 37 provides significant added stiffness to the top 13 of the board 10.
In an alternative embodiment, the inflatable cornhole playing board member 11 may be propped up at its rear end 18 by non-inflatable supports 40, such as those shown in
The drawings and description set forth here represent only some embodiments of the invention. After considering these, skilled persons will understand that there are many ways to make an inflatable drop-stitch cornhole game board according to the principles disclosed. The inventor contemplates that the use of alternative structures, materials, or manufacturing techniques, which result in an inflatable drop-stitch cornhole game board according to the principles disclosed, will be within the scope of the invention.
Claims
1. An inflatable drop-stitch cornhole game board comprising:
- a rectangular board member comprising a planar top surface with a top edge about a top periphery of the planar top surface, a bottom surface with a bottom edge about a bottom periphery of the bottom surface, longitudinal sides and transverse sides, a side member joining the top edge to the bottom edge, a rear end at one of the transverse sides and a front end at the transverse side opposite the rear end, a cornhole passage between the top surface and the bottom surface of the board member, wherein the cornhole passage is formed by a cornhole inner wall joined to the top surface and the bottom surface of the board member, wherein the cornhole passage forms a hole configured to allow a game playing piece to pass through the hole, wherein the board member defines an airtight interior board space formed by the top surface, bottom surface, side member, and cornhole inner wall, and wherein the top surface and bottom surface of the board member are joined within the airtight interior board space by drop-stitch construction formed of an array of threads holding the top surface and bottom surface at a fixed distance when inflated;
- a support member on the bottom surface of the board member proximate the rear end to prop the rear end of the board member above the front end of the board member.
2. The inflatable drop-stitch cornhole game board of claim 1 wherein the inflatable board member further comprises a valve to inflate and deflate the inflatable board member.
3. The inflatable drop-stitch cornhole game board of claim 2 wherein the support member is formed by an inflatable airtight support core.
4. The inflatable drop-stitch cornhole game board of claim 2 wherein the support member further comprises a support member valve to inflate and deflate the support member.
5. The inflatable drop-stitch cornhole game board of claim 3 further comprising an air passage between the airtight interior board space and the airtight support core.
6. The inflatable drop-stitch cornhole game board of claim 5 wherein the support member comprises a front face and a rear face joined by drop-stitch construction formed of an array of threads holding the front face and rear face at a fixed distance when inflated, wherein the front face has a front periphery and the rear face has a rear periphery, wherein a support wall joins the front periphery and the rear periphery, whereby the front face, rear face and support wall form the airtight support core.
7. The inflatable drop-stitch cornhole game board of claim 1 wherein the inflatable board member further comprises at least one flap at the bottom edge proximate the front end, wherein the flap comprises a passage through which a stake may be inserted to secure the inflatable drop-stitch cornhole game board to a playing surface.
8. The inflatable drop-stitch cornhole game board of claim 1 further comprising a stiffening layer formed of an elastic film disposed over the top surface of the board member.
9. The inflatable drop-stitch cornhole game board of claim 1 wherein the support member is hinged to the bottom surface of the board member and may be folded against the bottom surface of the board member or folded out from the bottom surface to prop up the rear end of the board member.
10. The inflatable drop-stitch cornhole game board of claim 1 wherein the support member comprises a pair of legs.
11. The inflatable drop-stitch cornhole game board of claim 10 wherein the legs are hinged to the bottom surface of the board member and may be folded against the bottom surface or folded out from the bottom surface to prop up the rear end of the board member.
12. The inflatable drop-stitch cornhole game board of claim 1 wherein the longitudinal sides of the board member have a length of between 47.5 and 48 inches and a width between 23.5 to 24 inches, the hole has a center and a diameter of 6 inches, and the center of the hole is 9 inches from the rear end of the board member and equidistant from longitudinal sides of the board member, and wherein the support member props the rear end of the board member above a front end of the board member by 12 inches.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 28, 2020
Publication Date: Mar 4, 2021
Inventor: Bryan Dingel (Boise, ID)
Application Number: 16/941,069