ARENA APPARATUS AND METHODS OF USING AND CONSTRUCTING THE SAME

Abstract

An arena apparatus for staging a sport with at least one athlete, the arena apparatus includes a floor defining a perimeter, a wall coupled to the floor at the perimeter and extending upwardly and outwardly from the floor at an obtuse operative angle relative to the floor, an access point configured to permit the at least one athlete to selectively access the arena; and a support coupled to the floor.

Claims

1. An arena apparatus for staging a sport with at least one athlete, the arena apparatus comprising: a floor defining a perimeter; a wall coupled to the floor at the perimeter and extending upwardly and outwardly from the floor at an obtuse operative angle relative to the floor; an access point configured to permit the at least one athlete to selectively access the arena; and a support coupled to the floor.

2. The arena apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wall comprises at least one rigid or padded panel.

3. The arena apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one rigid or padded panel comprises wood or metal.

4. The arena apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one rigid or padded panel is a rectangular mat.

5. The arena apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one rigid or padded panel is substantially planar.

6. The area apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an adjustment structure configured to adjust the obtuse operative angle of the wall.

7. The arena apparatus of claim 6, wherein the adjustment structure comprises a plurality of connection points and braces configured to be selectively coupled to one of the connection points and a primary support rod comprising a proximal end coupled to the wall and a distal end coupled to the brace.

8. The arena apparatus of claim 1, wherein the floor comprises at least one floor frame and at least one floor covering coupled to the floor frame.

9. The arena apparatus of claim 8, wherein the support comprises a primary support and a secondary support, the primary support and the secondary support mechanically coupled to the at least one floor frame.

10. The arena apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wall includes at least one wall frame and at least one wall covering coupled to the wall frame.

11. The arena apparatus of claim 10, wherein the support comprises a primary support and a secondary support, the primary support and the secondary support mechanically coupled to the at least one wall frame.

12. The arena apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one wall frame comprises at least one wall frame primary support and at least one wall frame secondary support.

13. The arena apparatus of claim 1, wherein the access point is a door defined along the perimeter.

14. The arena apparatus of claim 1, wherein the access point is defined in the wall.

15. The arena apparatus of claim 1, further the access point comprises at least one stair.

16. The arena apparatus of claim 1, wherein the floor and the wall are each substantially planar.

17. The arena apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wall is a first wall, and wherein the arena apparatus comprises four walls, the four walls comprising the first wall.

18. The arena apparatus of claim 1, wherein the floor is square.

19. The arena apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a scaffolding system configured to elevate the arena.

20. The arena apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support is a floor of a room.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several aspects of the disclosure and, together with the description, explain various principles of the disclosure. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Corresponding features and components throughout the figures may be designated by matching reference characters for the sake of consistency and clarity.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an arena apparatus according to the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the arena apparatus of FIG. 1 including floor and wall coverings, according to the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates a wall frame, according to the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 4 illustrates another wall frame, according to the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the wall frame of FIG. 4 including floor and wall coverings, according to the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another arena apparatus, according to the present invention.

[0025] FIG. 7 illustrates an adjustment structure for adjusting the angle of one or more wall frames 110.

[0026] FIGS. 8a and 8b illustrate front and top views, respectively, of a set of stairs, according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The present disclosure can be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description, examples, drawings, and claims, and their previous and following description. However, before the present devices, systems, and/or methods are disclosed and described, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific devices, systems, and/or methods disclosed unless otherwise specified, as such can, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting.

[0028] The following description is provided as an enabling teaching of the present devices, systems, and/or methods in their best, currently known aspect. To this end, those skilled in the relevant art will recognize and appreciate that many changes can be made to the various aspects described herein while still obtaining the beneficial results of the present disclosure. It will also be apparent that some of the desired benefits of the present disclosure can be obtained by selecting some of the features of the present disclosure without utilizing other features. Accordingly, those who work in the art will recognize that many modifications and adaptations to the present disclosure are possible and can even be desirable in certain circumstances and are a part of the present disclosure. Thus, the following description is provided as illustrative of the principles of the present disclosure and not in limitation thereof.

[0029] As used throughout, the singular forms a, an, and the include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to a quantity of one of a particular element can comprise two or more such elements unless the context indicates otherwise. In addition, any of the elements described herein can be a first such element, a second such element, and so forth (e.g., a first widget and a second widget, even if only a widget is referenced).

[0030] Ranges can be expressed herein as from about one particular value and/or to about another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another aspect comprises from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent about or substantially, it will be understood that the particular value forms another aspect. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint and independently of the other endpoint.

[0031] For purposes of the current disclosure, a material property or dimension measuring about X or substantially X on a particular measurement scale measures within a range between X plus an industry-standard upper tolerance for the specified measurement and X minus an industry-standard lower tolerance for the specified measurement. Because tolerances can vary between different materials, processes, and between different models, the tolerance for a particular measurement of a particular component can fall within a range of tolerances.

[0032] As used herein, the terms optional or optionally mean that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur and that the description comprises instances where said event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not.

[0033] The word or as used herein means any one member of a particular list and also comprises any combination of members of that list. The phrase at least one of A and B as used herein means only A, only B, or both A and B; while the phrase one of A and B means A or B.

[0034] As used herein, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the term monolithic in the description of a component means that the component is formed as a singular component that constitutes a single material without joints or seams. Unless otherwise specified herein, any structure disclosed in the drawings or in the written description as being so formed can be monolithic whether or not such an explicit description of the structure is included herein.

[0035] To simplify the description of various elements disclosed herein, the conventions of left, right, front, rear, top, bottom, upper, lower, inside, outside, inboard, outboard, horizontal, and/or vertical may be referenced. Unless stated otherwise, front describes that end of a break check valve nearest to an outlet of the valve, and rear is the end of the break check valve which can be opposite or distal the front. Horizontal or horizontal orientation describes that which is in a plane extending from left to right and aligned with the horizon. Vertical or vertical orientation describes that which is in a plane which can be angled at 90 degrees to the horizontal.

[0036] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is seen an arena apparatus 100 according to the present invention. Arena apparatus 100 is provided for staging a sporting event, such as, but not limited to, a fight. Arena apparatus 100 includes a floor frame 105 having at least one floor frame primary support 140 and at least one floor frame secondary support 145 for supporting at least one floor covering 130. Arena apparatus 100 also includes four wall frames 110, each having at least one wall frame primary support 150 and at least one wall frame secondary support 155 for supporting at least one wall covering 135. The bottom end of each wall frame 110 is located proximal to a perimeter 125 of floor frame 105, with wall frames 110 extending upwardly and outwardly from vertical at an angle of forty-five degrees. Arena apparatus 100 also includes one or more stairs 160 (which may be constructed from any suitable material, such as wood, steel, aluminum, sturdy plastics, etc.) to permit athletes to enter and exit the arena apparatus 100. FIGS. 8a and 8b show front and top views, respectively, of another embodiment of stairs 160, which may be positioned to straddle one of wall frames 110 to permit athletes to enter and exit the arena apparatus 100. It should be appreciated, however, that the present invention contemplates embodiments that do not include stairs, and others which incorporate ramps in addition to or in place of stairs.

[0037] In some embodiments of the invention, such as the one shown in FIG. 2, at least one gap covering 175 (which may be constructed from materials similar to those used for constructing floor and/or wall coverings 130, 135) is positioned between adjacent wall frames 110 to cover a gap in or therebetween. In the depicted embodiment, the corners of arena apparatus 100 include gap coverings 175 that include two gap walls 170, each of which is angled appropriately to mate with a respective wall frame 110. The configuration of gap walls 170 relative to one another and to wall frames 110 assists in facilitating offensive and defensive tactical plays including, without limitation, launch attacks, evasions, and angle attacks.

[0038] While arena apparatus 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a floor frame 105 having multiple primary and secondary supports 140, 145, in some embodiments, a floor of a room in which arena apparatus 100 is positioned may form some or all of floor frame 105, thereby dispensing with one or more of primary supports 140 and secondary supports 145. In other embodiments, such as the one shown in FIG. 6, scaffolding 165 is provided for raising arena apparatus 100 from the ground, such as may be desirable to provide better viewing for spectators.

[0039] Although FIGS. 1 and 2 depict a square-shaped arena apparatus 100 with four wall frames 110, it should be appreciated that arena apparatus 100 may be any shape and include any number of wall frames 110, and that the present invention is not limited by or to any specific shape or number of wall frames 110. Further, while the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 shows wall frames 110 positioned at forty-five degrees with respect to vertical, it should be appreciated that that the present invention as a whole is not limited by or to any particular angle. For example, various embodiments of the present invention contemplate any angle greater than or equal to fifteen degrees and less than sixty degrees. Other embodiments contemplate any angle greater than or equal to thirty-three degrees and less than fifty-two degrees, with a specified tolerance, such as, for example, one to three degrees. In still other embodiments, an angle is selected so that wall frames 110 are steep enough to prevent an athlete from standing on them comfortably or at all, but not so steep that the athlete is unable to launch or jump off of them.

[0040] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, floor frame 105 and wall frames 110 are constructed primarily from wood. However, some or all of floor frame 105 and/or wall frames 110 may be constructed from any other material(s) suitable for supporting floor covering 130 and the weight of various athletes to compete within arena apparatus 100, such as, for example, steel, aluminum (formed, for example, into a trestle-see, e.g., embodiments of wall frames 110 shown respectively in FIGS. 3 through 5), PVC pipe, sturdy plastics, tubing, and the like. In another embodiment, floor frame 105 and wall frames 110 are formed in part from various constituent parts, such as a plurality of hinges, trestle sections (off-the-shelf and custom pieces), bolts, washer plates, and brackets. In yet another embodiment (not shown), wall frames 110 are each manufactured from square and/or rectangular tubing ranging in size from 1? to 4 and ranging from 11 to 14 gauge.

[0041] Floor and wall coverings 130, 135 are substantially planar (but need not be in other embodiments) and may be constructed from any material suitable for a particular sporting event. For example, where the sporting event is a fight, floor and/or wall coverings 130, 135 may be constructed from a solid and rigid material (such as wood or metal, which may be the case when floor frame 105 and/or wall frames 110 and floor and wall coverings 130, 135, respectively, are formed integrally), or alternatively, from a fabric or padded material, such as a mat or panel. Floor and wall coverings 130, 135 may also be formed together as a single integral piece or in modular fashion, e.g., from multiple mats or panels positioned adjacent to one another. For example, in one embodiment (not shown) floor covering 130 is formed from five adjacent, rectangular mats. In another embodiment (not shown), wall covering 135 for each wall frame 110 includes one or more mats, together forming one surface with angled sides to accommodate an angle at which wall frame 110 meets an adjacent wall frame 110. That is, the mat(s) covering each wall frame 110 is/are formed in the shape of a trapezoid. However, it should be appreciated that alternate shapes and/or quantities of mats may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0042] Referring now to FIG. 7, there is seen an adjustment structure 180 for adjusting the angle of one or more wall frames 110. Adjustment structure 180 includes a primary support rod 185 having a proximal end 190 pivotably coupled to wall frame 110 and a distal end 195 pivotably coupled to brace 205. Locking end 210 of brace 205 may be selectively coupled to one of multiple connection points 215 on wall frame 110, thereby permitting primary support rod 185 to be pivoted into multiple selectable positions. This, in turn, permits the angle of wall frame 110 to be adjusted. It should be appreciated that any number of connection points 215 may be provided for enabling wall frame 110 to be adjusted to any number of selectable angles. It should also be appreciated that the invention contemplates other structures and mechanisms for adjusting the angle of wall frame 110, and that the invention as a whole is not intended to be limited to the structure depicted in FIG. 7 or any other specific structure.

[0043] One should note that positional language, such as, among others, can, could, might, or may, unless expressly stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain aspects include, while other aspects do not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such positional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more particular aspects or that one or more particular aspects necessarily comprise logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular aspect.

[0044] It should be emphasized that the above-described aspects are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described aspect(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure. Further, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any combinations and sub-combinations of all elements, features, and aspects discussed above. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure, and all possible claims to individual aspects or combinations of elements or steps are intended to be supported by the present disclosure.