INFLATABLE PITCH BOARD GAME

Abstract

A pitch board game includes a board made of drop stitch inflatable material. The board, prior to inflation, is light weight, compact and easily carried from location to location. When inflated, the board is comparable in strength and hardness to solid wooden board. The game itself is played like the game “cornhole,” as bean bags are tossed by players onto the upper surface of the board, which is propped up at an acute angle. Bags landing on the surface count one point, and bags landing in a hole in the board count three points.

Claims

1. A game comprising: a first board having a rectangular shape, an upper playing surface, a first end, a second, opposite end, and a hole formed through the first board near the first end; a leg connected to the first board at the first end, and supporting the first board at an acute angle relative to a substantially horizontal plane of a ground upon which the first board is positioned; at least one throwing object, sized and shaped to approximately fit within the hole when tossed at or onto the playing surface of the first board, wherein the first board and leg are made of an inflatable drop stitch fabric.

2. The game of claim 1, wherein the leg and the first board are in fluid communication with each other, and the game further comprises an inflation valve disposed on one of the leg and the first board.

3. The game of claim 2, wherein the leg and the first board are inflatable to a pressure of between 4 and 20 p.s.i.

4. The game of claim 1, wherein the first board has a length of approximately four feet, and a width of approximately two feet.

5. The game of claim 1, wherein the leg extends substantially across the width of the first board.

6. The game of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of throwing objects, shaped and sized to fall through the hole in the first board when thrown by a player.

7. The game of claim 1, further comprising two sets of throwing objects, each set having a distinguishing feature which distinguishes throwing objects from one set from throwing objects from the other set.

8. The game of claim 6, wherein each throwing object is approximately six inches by six inches, and contains a loose, granular material sufficient to provide an overall weight of approximately one pound.

9. The game of claim 1, further comprising a second board, of substantially the same construction, size, shape and material as the first board, and having a rectangular shape, an upper playing surface, a first end, a second, opposite end, and a hole formed through the second board near the first end, a leg connected to the second board at the first end, and supporting the second board at an acute angle relative to a substantially horizontal plane of a ground upon which the second board is positioned, wherein the at least one throwing object includes a plurality of throwing objects comprising two distinct sets, wherein one set is used by a first player and the second set is used by a second player.

10. The game of claim 9, wherein the first and second boards are arranged in substantial axial alignment, and spaced apart by a predetermined distance with the playing surface of each board sloping upwardly relative to a direction of throw of a throwing object, wherein a throwing position for two competing players is defined by an area of ground to a side or behind each of the first and second boards.

11. The game of claim 3, wherein the leg and the first board are inflatable to a pressure of 10 p.s.i.

12. A method of playing a game comprising: forming a first inflatable board from drop stitch fabric and having a first flat playing surface and a second opposite surface, a first end and a second, opposite end, a hole extending through the first board near the first end of the board, and a support leg disposed near the first end on the opposite surface of the first board; locating a substantially flat area of ground; inflating the first board and leg and placing the first board on the ground with the leg resting on the ground and propping the first board up at an include, acute angle; and providing a plurality of throwing objects, each sized, shaped and weighted to be thrown by a player towards the first board from a predetermined distance and position, wherein the first board is sloped upwardly relative to the player throwing objects at the first board.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the inflating step comprises inflating the first board and leg to a pressure of between 4 and 20 p.s.i.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising forming a second inflatable board from drop stitch fabric and having a first flat playing surface and a second opposite surface, a first end and a second, opposite end, a hole extending through the second board near the first end of the second board, and a support leg disposed near the first end on the opposite surface of the second board; inflating the second board and leg and placing the second board on the ground with the leg resting on the ground and propping the second bard up at an inclined, acute angle; axially aligning the first and second boards and spacing the first and second boards at a predetermined distance from each other, wherein the boards are sloped downwardly towards each other, and upwardly relative to the position of players throwing the throwing objects.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein providing a plurality of throwing objects includes providing two sets of throwing objects, each set being visually distinguishable from the other set while having the same size, shape and weight.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the inflating step comprises inflating the first board and the leg to a pressure of 10 p.s.i.

17. A game of claim 1, wherein the first board includes an upper layer of plastic material, a lower layer of plastic material, and a plurality of stitches extending between the upper and lower layers of plastic material.

18. A method of claim 12, wherein the first board includes an upper layer of plastic material, a lower layer of plastic material, and a plurality of stitches extending between the upper and lower layers of plastic material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an inflatable pitch board game according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the inflatable pitch board game of FIG. 1;

[0021] FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the inflatable pitch board game of FIG. 1;

[0022] FIG. 4 is a reverse, or underside, view of the inflatable pitch board game of FIG. 1;

[0023] FIG. 5 is a transverse, sectional view of the inflatable pitch board game of FIG. 1, taken along line V-V of FIG. 4; and

[0024] FIG. 6 is an enlarged, sectional view of a portion of the inflatable pitch board game of the present invention, showing details of the drop stitch fabric used to construct the board.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Referring to FIGS. 1-5, a game 10 includes a board 12 having a rectangular shape, an upper playing surface 14, a first end 16, a second, opposite end 18, and a hole 20 formed through the board 12 near the first end 16.

[0026] A leg 22 is connected to the board 12 at the first end 16, and supports the board 12 at an acute angle relative to a substantially horizontal plane 24 of a ground upon which the board 12 is positioned, At least one throwing object 26 is sized and shaped to approximately fit within the hole 20 when tossed at or onto the playing surface 14.

[0027] A key aspect of the present invention is that at least the board 12, and preferably the leg 22, are made of inflatable drop stitch fabric. As seen in FIG. 6, a typical construction for inflatable drop stitch fabric includes an inner PVC layer 28, 30 and an outer PVC layer 32, 34, and a plurality of nylon drop stitches 36 adhesively or otherwise bonded to the inner PVC layer 28, 30. An inflation valve 38, shown in FIG. 4 on the reverse side of the board 12, is used to inflate the board 12 and leg 22, which preferably are in fluid communication so that they can be inflated through a single valve. Although the inflation valve is located on the reverse side of the board 12, any location other than the playing surface 14 can be used. The leg 22 extends substantially across the width of the board 12.

[0028] Prior to inflation, the board 12 and leg 22 are easily stowed in a folded, compact space, so it can be easily carried in a bag, backpack, or similar devices, so it can be moved from place to place easily. A battery operated portable electric pump (not shown), which is also easily carried, can be used once the game is placed in a desired location. Likewise, a non-electric pump could be used, such as a bicycle or ball pump, so long as the pump is capable of generating pressures in the range of 4 to 20 p.s.i. A particularly preferred inflation pressure is 10 p.s.i. give or take slight variations, for a board having the dimensions of four feet long by two feet wide, by three inches thick. The thickness of the board 12 is primarily a function of cost and aesthetics, so while three inches is preferred, the preferred thickness could range between two and six inches.

[0029] The game 10 includes a plurality of throwing objects 26 which are sized and shaped to fall through the hole 20 when thrown by a player, either when a toss or throw by the player results in the throwing object hitting the board and sliding into the hole, or when a toss or throw by the player results in the throwing object 26 entering the hole 20 on the fly.

[0030] The throwing objects 26 preferably are provided in two sets, each set having a distinguishing feature which distinguishes throwing objects 26 from one set from throwing objects 26 from the other set. One distinguishing feature is color, so that all throwing objects 26 from one set will be of one color, while the throwing objects 26 of the other set are of a different color. Another distinguishing feature, particularly appropriate for football tailgating, would have a first set having a team identifier, logo or name on one set, and a second set bearing the team identifier, logo or name of the other team's opponent, e.g., an Auburn University set and a University of Alabama set, where those two teams may be playing on a given day.

[0031] A method of playing the game of the present invention is described as follows. In setting up the game, it is preferable to find a flat area of ground. A board 12 is inflated, preferably on site so it can otherwise be easily carried to a preferred site. Players can take turns throwing objects 26 at the board 12 from a predetermined position and distance from the board. Competing players can use different colored objects 26 to throw so as to distinguish one player's results from another's. When placed on flat ground, the leg 22 of the board 12 will prop the board at a slight, or acute angle, preferably in the range of 10-15 degrees. The thrown objects 26 are like bean bags, meaning soft, pliable, and conforming, while sized and shaped to fit through the hole 20 if tossed accurately.

[0032] When a bag 26 hits the playing surface 14 of the board 12, which has a low frictional coefficient, the bag 26 will slide on the playing surface 14. A bag 26 that hits the playing surface 14 in line with the hole 20, but in front of the hole 20, the bag 26 will slide towards and into the hole 20, so long as the speed of the bag 20 is not too great or too slow. In practice, a bag 26 could be thrown into the hole 20 without sliding, but most often, the players will gauge speed and angle of toss with point of impact on the playing surface 14 so that the bag 26 passes through the hole 20 when tossed accurately at the right speed. Under traditional cornhole rules, a bag 26 that passes through the hole 20 accounts for three points, while a bag 26 that lands on the playing surface 14 accounts for one point.

[0033] Multiple players can use a single board in a more informal set up of the game. A distance and location from which players throw the bags at the board can be a function of what space or section of ground is available. Crowded tailgate areas, for example, may necessitate a shorter than desirable throwing distance. If regulation distances are desired, a section of ground ten meters long will be required. Preferably the ground is flat or substantially horizontally planar, so that when the leg of a board is placed on the ground, the board is propped up at an angle relative to the players throwing objects. Playing with teams or more than one player, it is preferable to set up two boards at a distance spaced apart from each other and axially aligned. Competing players stand behind or to the side of the board which the opposite team or competing player is throwing towards.

[0034] The use of drop stitch fabric allows for boards to be portable, stowable and deployable on site, rather than wooden or solid material boards which are bulky, heavy and difficult to transport to events like ball games, picnics, or other outdoor social gatherings. When inflated, the boards take on the hardness and strength of solid materials. Drop stitch fabric is generally known and several suppliers are commercially available. The same materials has been described in my prior patent applications for inflatable stand up paddleboards (SUPs).