Bean bag toss game board set
An improvement on a bean-bag game-board that allows the user to fold up the game boards into a case and easily carry them around with the bean bags inside. The popular game is known by names like “bag toss”, “bags”, “tailgate toss” or “cornhole”. The present invention is a light-weight, easy to use and carry version of the original game that takes up minimal space when consolidated for storage. Lightweight construction allows one game board to fit within the other while forming a case for game bags. A handle for carrying that also acts as a hinge-free and locking fastener for easy assembly when game set is packed for carrying or storage. Folding legs allow the boards to fit together in a small space and have an offset pivot point that provides the strength of having three points of contact when in the open position.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention refers to a game that has many different names and rule variations. It is called bean bag toss, bags, tailgate toss and more specifically cornhole. The game of cornhole is so called because of the target of a 6″ diameter hole in a slanted board target and the corn filled bags that are used to project to this target. It is said that the game has been around in some form for centuries. The game is well documented and has associations that determine rules and specifications for equipment. The prior art is filled with different examples of slight variations in size and design. The problem with these designs is that they are either constructed of 2″×4″ wood frames that are 2′ wide×4′ long (regulation cornhole size) which makes them very heavy, or there are lighter style boards that are smaller than regulation size making them illegal for use at tournaments. Regulation size, tournament worthy boards are heavy and take up an unnecessary amount of space when in storage and at roughly 25 to 30 lbs. per board, they are often carried one at a time from storage place or vehicle to game positions, with the bags being carried separately. The idea for this invention was conceived of and put on the market for sale by website less than one year before the submission of this application in October 2010. Since the introduction of easyhandler.com, a similar idea was introduced that uses detachable suitcase hinges coupled with a suitcase style handle to benefit from the suitcase-style and bag storage aspect of the easyhandler.com design, however it is larger when stored, more complicated to use and manufacture than the immediate invention.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a unique “bag toss” or “cornhole” game board set that is lighter in weight while retaining the official 24″×48″ size and structural integrity.
Another object of the present invention is a bean bag game board set that takes up minimal space, while still being official size.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an easily transported, easily used and easily manufactured game set with a minimum of parts.
Many people from a growing number of states have stumbled onto the easyhandler.com website and bought cornhole board sets from a manufacturer that is unknown to them because of the unique, simple, portable, lightweight and effective design of this invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention of this application is an improvement of the functionality of the target boards of an existing popular game that incorporates two target boards, each with an upper deck measuring nominally 24 inches wide at the front and back, nominally 48 inches long from front to back, and slanted from a 2.5 to 4 inch height at the front to a 12 inch height at the back which is supported by a one or two leg apparatus, with the center of a 6 inch diameter hole located 9 inches from the rear, high end and centered @ nominally 12 inches from either side. All dimensions given are for illustrative purposes and are approximated.
The improvements are a framework that incorporates a plurality of members and supports the upper playing surface or deck that is of sufficient size to support this playing surface without adding unnecessary weight whose dimensions are deemed to be roughly 2.5 inches in height and ½″ to ¾ inches thick and made of plywood or a similar lightweight material. The framework of one of the two boards is smaller in length and width in order to reside within the framework of the second board when all four legs are folded up close to the upper decks, faced together bottom to bottom and brought together to the closed position with the upper decks facing out resulting in a width that is the sum of both ½ inch upper deck and one frame height of 2.5 inches for a total storage thickness of 3.5 inches. When the two game boards are brought together for carrying or storage, there is a void between the two upper decks and the frameworks that is used as a storage space for the eight game bags.
One lengthwise member of the smaller frame has two holes close to the center of the part at nominally 6 inches apart. A rope of approximately 24 inches in length and about the same diameter as said holes with a knot at one end is fed through from inside to outside of one of said holes, then through a 3.5 inch length of sturdy, lightweight tube and continued back through the other hole from outside to inside and then knotted to form a strong but flexible handle that can be fed through a specially shaped hole in one of the lengthwise frame members of the larger framed game board to lock game boards together as well as making the set easy to carry and comfortable for the hand.
The specially shaped slot-like hole in the lengthwise frame member of the larger frame is shaped in such a way as to allow the tube handle to be pushed through at an angle while the two ends of the slot are tapered smaller than the diameter of the handle tube to hinder the handle tube from naturally going back through the slot hole. This slot hole is wider at the middle to allow the user to insert several fingers in to grab and pull the handle through the slot hole. Another feature of the slot hole is located at each end of the tapered slot where it widens again into a round hole much smaller than the wider middle and about the same diameter as the rope part of the handle. These rounded slot ends function to hold the rope handle in the extended position while unattended.
The four game board legs are shaped in a way that combined with the location of the pivot point, they come into contact with the upper deck and frame with three points of contact when in the open position. One properly placed screw and washer are all that is necessary to fasten each leg to the game board frame side member. This design provides the additional strength that is sometimes needed when game boards are used for unintended purposes while keeping weight to a minimum.
The present invention in its preferred embodiment has been manufactured, weighed, and compared to other traditional game board sets available on the market and the present invention game set design is
The invention will now be discussed in more detail referring to the drawings.
Looking at
Looking at
An illustration of the two game boards 20 and 21 assembled into the closed travel mode can be seen in
The legs 8 of the present invention are illustrated in
When game boards 20 and 21 are combined into the closed position there is a resulting cavity within the area of the frame members of board 21 where the game bags can be stored as shown in
Claims
1. A set of two bean-bag-game boards having improved functionality with each of said game boards comprising:
- a nominally ½″ thick by nominally 24″×48″ upper deck playing surface constructed of a material such as ½″ plywood or similar. A frame assembly that is light weight and short in height, made from ½″ or ¾″ plywood or similar. A handle that serves as the carrying device and simultaneously as a locking mechanism.
2. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the overall length and width of the frame construction of one board frame is substantially smaller than that of the opposing larger board frame while the height of the frame and the dimensions of the game deck remain the same, allowing the frame and legs of the smaller board to fit inside the frame and legs of the larger board with the remaining space between decks and frames to be used for game bag storage.
3. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the folding legs are shaped and pivoted in such a way that gives each leg the sturdiness of three points of contact with the game deck and board frame when in the open position.
4. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein a handle constructed of a light weight, sturdy tube with a length of rope pushed through it and affixed to a game board side frame of the smaller board so as to form a fixed yet flexible handle that is then pushed through a hole in the larger exterior game board side that serves to fasten the two boards together and when lifted by said handle, the weight of the boards serves to hold them in a closed position.
5. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the hole of the larger game board frame side is shaped in such a way as to allow the slightly larger handle to be pushed through at an angle, but must be manipulated back to said angle to return back through the hole, preventing the accidental release of the handle and giving it the further benefit of use as a fastener.
6. A device in accordance with claim 4 wherein the hole of the larger game board frame side is shaped in such a way as to support and hold the rope of the handle in a somewhat fixed and upright position when employed in the closed or fastened position and left unattended.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 2, 2011
Publication Date: Apr 4, 2013
Inventor: Christopher Blake Hanel (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Application Number: 13/251,253
International Classification: A63B 63/00 (20060101);