METHODS AND COMPONENTS FOR A WALL-MOUNTABLE GAME SYSTEM

Abstract

Disclosed is a wall-mountable game system comprising a plurality of game pieces and one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels wherein the receiving non-woven acoustic panels may be affixed to a vertical surface by an adhesive patch. The plurality of game pieces may be attached to the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels by a hook and loop fastening system. Embodiments of the wall-mountable game system include game pieces and receiving non-woven acoustic panels made of synthetic fibers with sound dampening characteristics, and/or fire retardant characteristics. Auxiliary non-woven acoustic panels may be included, which are affixable to the vertical surface and configured to at least partially surround the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels.

Claims

1. A wall-mountable game system, comprising: a plurality of game pieces, each game piece of the plurality of game pieces being affixed to a hook patch that comprises a plurality of hooks; and one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels, wherein each receiving non-woven acoustic panel of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels is formed from a material that defines loops configured to selectively engage with hooks of the plurality of hooks of the hook patch of each game piece of the plurality of game pieces, wherein each particular receiving non-woven acoustic panel of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels is associated with one or more adhesive patches configured to secure the particular receiving non-woven acoustic panel to a vertical structure.

2. The wall-mountable game system of claim 1, wherein the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels comprises a plurality of receiving non-woven acoustic panels that are each individually adherable to the vertical structure to form a vertical game board.

3. The wall-mountable game system of claim 1, wherein the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels comprise a sound absorption average (SAA) within a range of about 0.2 to about 0.5.

4. The wall-mountable game system of claim 1, wherein the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels comprise a noise reduction coefficient (NRC) within a range of about 0.2 to about 0.5.

5. The wall-mountable game system of claim 1, wherein the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels comprise a flame spread index (FSI) within a range of about 0 to about 25.

6. The wall-mountable game system of claim 1, wherein the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels comprise a smoke-developed index (SDI) within a range of about 0 to about 450.

7. The wall-mountable game system of claim 1, wherein the hook patch of each game piece of the plurality of game pieces comprises a greater area than each of the one or more adhesive patches.

8. The wall-mountable game system of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more adhesive patches comprise an area that is within a range of about 2% to about 6% of an area of each of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels.

9. The wall-mountable game system of claim 1, wherein the hook patch of each game piece of the plurality of game pieces comprises an area that is within a range of about 5% to about 10% of an area of each game piece of the plurality of game pieces.

10. The wall-mountable game system of claim 1, wherein the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels and the plurality of game pieces comprise synthetic fibers.

11. The wall-mountable game system of claim 1, wherein each game piece of the plurality of game pieces and each of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels is formed from polyethene terephthalate (PET) fibers, acrylic fiber, polyamide fiber or polyester fiber.

12. The wall-mountable game system of claim 1, wherein each game piece of the plurality of game pieces and each of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels comprises a density within a range of about 400 g/m.sup.2 to about 2400 g/m.sup.2.

13. The wall-mountable game system of claim 1, further comprising one or more auxiliary non-woven acoustic panels.

14. The wall-mountable game system of claim 13, wherein the one or more auxiliary non-woven acoustic panels are associated with one or more adhesive patches configured to secure the one or more auxiliary non-woven acoustic panel to the vertical structure.

15. The wall-mountable game system of claim 13, wherein the one or more auxiliary non-woven acoustic panels are different sizes relative to the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels.

16. The wall-mountable game system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of game pieces or at least some of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels are comprised of a mass weight of about 99% fiber and a mass weight of about 1% dye.

17. A wall-mountable game system, comprising: a plurality of game pieces, each game piece of the plurality of game pieces being affixed to a hook patch that comprises a plurality of hooks; and one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels, wherein each receiving non-woven acoustic panel of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels is formed from a material that defines loops configured to selectively engage with hooks of the plurality of hooks of the hook patch of each game piece of the plurality of game pieces, wherein each particular receiving non-woven acoustic panel of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels is associated with one or more adhesive patches configured to secure the particular receiving non-woven acoustic panel to a vertical structure, wherein: the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels comprise a plurality of receiving non-woven acoustic panels that are each individually adherable to the vertical structure to form a vertical game board, and each game piece of the plurality of game pieces and each of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels is formed from polyethene terephthalate (PET) fibers.

18. A game piece for a wall-mountable game system, the game piece comprising: an outer panel defining an opening; a front face and a rear face; a game piece design that is inserted into the opening of the outer panel and retained therein via friction fit, wherein the game piece design extends from the front face to the rear face and is exposed on the front face and the rear face; and a hook patch affixed to the outer panel or the game piece design at the rear face of the game piece.

19. The game piece of claim 18, wherein the outer panel and the game piece design comprise non-woven acoustic panel material.

20. The game piece of claim 19, wherein the outer panel and the game piece design comprise different colors.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] In order to describe the manner in which the above recited and other advantages and features can be obtained, a more particular description briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific examples thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings are merely illustrative and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, embodiments described herein will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates example components of an unassembled wall-mountable game system in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates a receiving non-woven acoustic panel in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates four receiving panels in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

[0013] FIG. 4 illustrates two receiving panels in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

[0014] FIG. 5 illustrates a game board area formed from receiving panels in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

[0015] FIG. 6 illustrates an auxiliary non-woven acoustic panel in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

[0016] FIG. 7 illustrates a game board area with one auxiliary non-woven acoustic panel in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

[0017] FIG. 8 illustrates a game board area with more than one auxiliary non-woven acoustic panel in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

[0018] FIG. 9 illustrates a wall-mountable game system without game pieces in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

[0019] FIG. 10 illustrates a game piece in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

[0020] FIG. 11 illustrates a game piece with a hook patch in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

[0021] FIG. 12 illustrates a wall-mountable game system with game pieces in a starting configuration in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

[0022] FIG. 13 illustrates a wall-mountable game system with game pieces positioned in a game in progress in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

[0023] FIG. 14 illustrates a wall-mountable game system with a game piece positioned on an auxiliary non-woven acoustic panel in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Embodiments described herein include components and methods related to a wall-mountable game system.

[0025] As noted above, some wall-mounted game systems have been developed as a new alternative to traditional tabletop games. However, existing wall-mounted board games often utilize magnets, sleeves, or shelves in order to place or retain game pieces on the board. Magnets are commonly used due to their ability to securely attach pieces to the board, preventing them from falling, while still enabling rapid reconfigurability. However, this approach can limit the types of materials that can be used for game pieces and boards. Some wall-mounted game systems utilize sleeves or pockets that can hold game pieces. However, sleeves and pockets can be associated with difficulty or lack of case in moving the game pieces, affecting the fluidity of the game. Sleeves and pockets can also be disruptive to the visual aesthetic of the game system.

[0026] Some wall-mounted game systems utilize shelves or ledges to provide physical support surfaces for pieces. However, such shelves or ledges can visually obstruct or occlude parts of the game board (e.g., unless facing the game board head-on), which can negatively affect gameplay experiences and/or can disrupt the visual aesthetics.

[0027] According to one embodiment, a wall-mountable game system can include one or more game pieces. Each game piece can be affixed to a hook patch that has one side of a hook and loop fastener. The wall-mountable game system can also include one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels that can include a complementary side of the hook and loop fastener to receive the one or more game pieces and establish a hook and loop connection between the respective receiving non-woven acoustic panel and the respective game piece. Each receiving non-woven acoustic panel can have an adhesive patch for mounting to a vertical structure. The wall-mountable game system can additionally include one or more auxiliary panels that can provide one or more additional complementary sides of the hook and loop fastener and be used for additional play space, a border around the play area, storage of game pieces, etc.

[0028] The disclosed wall-mountable game systems can provide various advantages relative to existing systems. In one embodiment for instance, the receiving panels (and/or the auxiliary panels) can be manufactured from a felt material that can function as or provide the loops to facilitate hook and loop fastening between the game pieces (equipped with hook patches) and any part of the receiving panels (and/or the auxiliary panels). This can enable selective positioning of the game pieces on any part of the outward-facing surfaces of the receiving panels (and/or the auxiliary panels) without requiring visually disruptive connection elements on the receiving panels (e.g., pockets, sleeves, shelves, ledges, magnets, etc.).

[0029] In some embodiments, the felt material that forms the receiving panels (and/or the auxiliary panels and/or the game pieces, in some embodiments) is comprised of polyethene terephthalate (PET) fiber. Alternative materials include polyester fiber, or other synthetic fibers (e.g., acrylic fiber, polyamide fiber, and/or others). PET can be created from recycled post-consumer plastics. For example, a 1212 non-woven acoustic panel with a 9 mm depth can comprise 4 recycled water bottles. Utilizing PET fibers to form the panels for a wall-mountable game system as described herein may appeal to consumers who are environmentally conscious.

[0030] In one embodiment, the receiving panels, the auxiliary panels (if implemented), and/or the game pieces are formed from PET and one or more color pigments. In some embodiments, the mass weight percent of the PET is about 99% and the mass weight percent of the one or more color pigments or dye are about 1%. The combination of the one or more color pigments and the PET enables various visual aesthetics to be achieved. In some instances, the PET material can cause the game system to embody various desirable characteristics, such as a low flame spread index (FSI) (e.g., about 5, or within a range of 0 to 25), a low smoke-developed index (SDI) (e.g., about 30, or within a range of 0-450), sound absorption (e.g., a sound absorption average (SAA) of about 0.35, or within a range of about 0.2 to 0.5 or 0.2 to 1.0), noise reduction (e.g., a noise reduction coefficient (NRC) of about 0.35, or within a range of about 0.2 to 0.5 or 0.2 to 1.0), low weight (e.g., with a density of about 1900 g/m.sup.2, or within a range of about 400 g/m.sup.2 to about 2400 g/m.sup.2), and/or other characteristics.

[0031] In some instances, the hook patches connected to the game pieces are implemented as sections of hook tape comprising miniaturized hooks (e.g., formed from polypropylene or another polymer material). In some implementations, because of the low weight of the game pieces, a relatively small section of hook tape may be connected to a game piece to facilitate selective connection and disconnection of the game piece to the receiving panels and/or auxiliary panels of a wall-mountable game system. The miniaturized hooks of the hook patches can engage with the loops formed by the material of the receiving panels to achieve a level of mechanical interlocking that is well-suited for gameplay scenarios that involve repeated and/or rapid connection and disconnection between the game pieces and the receiving panels. For instance, the mechanical interlocking force between the miniaturized hooks and the loops of the receiving panels that retains the lightweight game pieces on the receiving panels can be overcome with a relatively small amount of tensile or peel force compared to other mechanical interlocking options.

[0032] Furthermore, the receiving panels can be provided as a set of individual non-woven acoustic panels that are each individually mountable to a wall or other vertical surface/structure (e.g., via respective adhesives) to collectively form a vertical (or substantially vertical) game board on which the game pieces can be selectively mounted and moved, which can allow for diverse game board designs and can greatly reduce shipping costs and/or complexity. In some embodiments, because of (i) the light weight of the receiving panels and/or the game pieces that can be selectively secured thereto and/or (ii) the low amount of tensile or peel force needed to disconnect hook patches of game pieces from receiving panels, a small area of adhesive may be used to secure each receiving panel to the wall. In one embodiment, for an individual receiving panel, the area of adhesive used to secure the individual receiving panel to the wall may be smaller than the area of the hook patch that secures a game piece to the individual receiving panel.

[0033] The receiving panels and game pieces can have generally rigid structures with a depth that allows them to visually protrude, at least slightly, from the vertical surface on which they are mounted, providing a desirable aesthetic. Such depths may be about 9 mm or 0.35 inches. In some instances, as noted above, the game pieces and the receiving panels are made from a common material, which can simplify manufacturing processes and allow the game pieces to horizontally stack on one another. For instance, a first game piece may be connected to a receiving panel via a hook and loop connection (e.g., via the hook patch on the first game piece connecting directly to the loops formed by the surface/material of a receiving panel), and a second game piece may be connected to the first game piece (e.g., via the hook patch on the second game piece connecting directly to the loops formed by the surface/material of the first game piece).

[0034] Additionally, as indicated above, a wall-mountable game system can include one or more auxiliary panels, which may complement the aesthetic of the receiving panels and/or can provide additional mounting locations for game pieces. For instance, auxiliary panels of a wall-mountable game system can be made of a material (e.g., the same material as the receiving panels and/or the game pieces) that forms loops to which the hook patches of the game pieces can selectively connect. Such functionality can advantageously provide a convenient and/or aesthetically cohesive location for game pieces to be placed when not currently being used in a game (e.g., when a game piece is captured, is eliminated from play, or has not yet entered play).

[0035] Although examples described hereinbelow may be directed to a wall-mountable game system adapted for playing a particular game (e.g., chess), one will appreciate, in view of the present disclosure, that the principles disclosed herein can be applied to numerous types of games. In this regard, the particular sizes, shapes, designs, colors, layout/arrangement, quantities, and/or other characteristics of the components of the example wall-mountable game system(s) shown/described herein are provided by way of example only and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the disclosed subject matter.

[0036] FIG. 1 illustrates example components of an unassembled wall-mountable game system in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. As shown in FIG. 1, the unassembled wall-mountable game system 100 may include one or more receiving panels 110. The receiving panels 110 can include any quantity of non-woven acoustic panels that may have any distribution of characteristics. For instance, the receiving panels 110 may all have a substantially uniform size and/or shape (as shown in the example of FIG. 1), or at least some receiving panels within a set of receiving panels may have different sizes and/or shape. The receiving panels 110 illustrated in FIG. 1 are shown as including non-woven acoustic panels of two different colors, though any quantity of colors may be represented in a set of receiving panels (e.g., one or three or more colors). The receiving panels 110 shown in FIG. 1 also demonstrate a horizontally stacking of each receiving panel on one another. As mentioned, this characteristic is advantageous in the manufacturing, distributing, and storage of the wall-mountable game system 100.

[0037] As indicated above, in some implementations, the receiving panels 110 may be formed from a polymer material, such as PET fibers formed into a felt-like material/construction (e.g., with color pigment added). When so constructed, the receiving panels 110 can embody various characteristics. For instance, the receiving panels 110 (with a depth of about 9 mm) can have a density of about 1900 g/m.sup.2, or a density within a range of about 400 g/m.sup.2 to about 2400 g/m.sup.2, making each of the receiving panels 110 lightweight.

[0038] As another example, the receiving panels 110 may have a SAA of about 0.35, or an SAA within a range of about 0.2 to 0.5 or 0.2 to 1.0. The receiving panels 110 may have an NRC of about 0.35, or an NRC within a range of about 0.2 to 0.5 or 0.2 to 1.0. Table 1 below provides example acoustic test results of a PET material usable to form receiving panels 110 for a wall-mountable game system. The results were achieved using three PET non-woven acoustic panels sized 240 cm90 cm0.85 (96.12535.8750.335) and arranged in an array with dimensions 270 cm240 cm0.85 cm (107.62596.1250.355) in a test room with the volume of 290 m.sup.3 (10311 ft.sup.3) and an area of 270 m.sup.2 (2864.3 ft.sup.2).

TABLE-US-00001 OCTAVE CENTER ABSORPTION TOTAL ABSORPTION FREQ. (Hz) COEFFICIENT (SABINS) 32 0.24 17.49 40 0.02 1.29 50 0.05 3.93 63 0.02 1.56 80 0.02 1.38 100 0.04 2.59 125 0.01 0.94 160 0.02 1.24 200 0.00 0.05 250 0.04 2.72 315 0.07 4.67 400 0.10 6.91 500 0.16 11.33 630 0.23 16.34 800 0.34 24.62 1000 0.44 31.61 1250 0.57 40.65 1600 0.66 47.40 2000 0.73 52.69 2500 0.81 57.83 3150 0.89 63.73 4000 0.96 69.00 5000 1.03 74.29 6300 1.08 77.43 8000 1.08 77.23 10000 1.10 79.20 12500 1.07 76.73 SOUND ABSORPTION AVERAGE [SAA] = 0.35 NOISE REDUCTOIN COEFFICIENT [NRC] = 0.35

[0039] In this regard, the acoustic characteristics of the receiving panels 110 may beneficially allow the receiving panels 110 to exhibit acoustic dampening characteristics in a space occupied by the wall-mountable game system 100 while simultaneously providing an aesthetically pleasing and efficient presentation of a playable game.

[0040] FIG. 1 also shows that the wall-mountable game system may include one or more auxiliary panels 120. The shape, size, color, quantity, and/or other characteristics of the auxiliary panels 120 may be the same as or different from those of the receiving panels 110. Within the set of auxiliary panels 120, different non-woven acoustic panels can have different characteristics. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the auxiliary panels 120 include a set of elongated non-woven acoustic panels (shown in the middle of FIG. 1) and a set of square non-woven acoustic panels (shown on the bottom of FIG. 1).

[0041] The auxiliary panels 120 may be constructed from the same material as the receiving panels 110 or from alternative materials including polyester fiber, or other synthetic fibers (e.g., acrylic fiber, polyamide fiber, and/or others). In this regard, the auxiliary panels 120 can have acoustic, fire retardant, density, and/or other characteristics similar to those of the receiving panels 110.

[0042] FIG. 2 illustrates a receiving panel 210 and an adhesive patch 240 in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. The adhesive patch 240 may be one of a set of adhesive patches provided with the wall-mountable game system 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the adhesive patch 240 may be adhered (on a first side of the adhesive patch 240) to the receiving panel 210 (e.g., on a rear or wall-facing side of the receiving panel 210). In some instances, an end user or other individual adheres the adhesive patch 240 to the receiving panel 210 pursuant to setup of the wall-mountable game system in an interior space. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the adhesive patch 240 occupies only a small portion of the wall-facing side of the receiving panel 210 because of the low weight of the receiving panel and the force required maintain adhesion between a wall and the receiving panel 210. For instance, the adhesive patch 240 (or a combination of adhesive elements used to secure the receiving panel 210 to a wall or other surface) can comprise an area that is within a range of about 1.5% to about 10% of the area of the receiving panel 210 (e.g., within a range of about 2% to about 6% of the area of the receiving panel 210).

[0043] FIG. 3 illustrates the rear or wall-facing side of a receiving panel 310 with an adhesive patch 340 connected thereto, as well as the wall-facing sides of additional receiving panels 330 that do not yet have adhesive patches connected thereto.

[0044] FIG. 4 illustrates a specific embodiment where there is a first dark colored receiving panel 412 and a second light-colored receiving panel 414 affixed to a wall 450. For instance, the first receiving panel 412 and the second receiving panel 414 may each have an adhesive patch affixed to their rear or wall-facing side, and the adhesive patch affixed to each of the first receiving panel 412 and the second receiving panel 414 may be affixed to the wall 450 to mount the first receiving panel 412 and the second receiving panel 414 to the wall. In this way, multiple receiving panels may be individually connected to the wall 450 in a pattern that forms an interactable game board over the wall 450, enabling the formation of versatile types of game boards. The creation of game boards is not limited to grid-based games but may include a wide variety of games.

[0045] FIG. 5 illustrates a plurality of receiving panels 510 attached to a wall 550 such that the receiving panels 510 form a playable area for a game. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the receiving panels 510 form a 64-square grid, suitable for playing a game of chess or checkers/draughts. As noted above, the principles described herein can be applied to form other types of playable areas or game boards such as tic-tac-toe, Go, Reversi, Sudoku, Gomoku, Hex, Lines of Action, Connect 4, and/or others.

[0046] FIG. 6 illustrates an auxiliary panel 620 (e.g., corresponding to an auxiliary panel 120 of FIG. 1) to which multiple adhesive patches 640 are connected. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, four adhesive patches 640 are connected to the auxiliary panel 620. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, in view of the present disclosure, that any quantity of adhesives may be used to connect an auxiliary panel or a receiving panel to a wall. In some embodiments, where the auxiliary panel has a sufficiently low weight, a relatively small area of the wall-facing side of the auxiliary panel 620 may be covered with adhesives to facilitate securement of the auxiliary panel 620 to a wall. For instance, the multiple adhesive patches 640 (or a single adhesive patch used to secure the auxiliary panel 620 to a wall or other surface) can comprise a total or combined area that is within a range of about 1.5% to about 10% of the area of the auxiliary panel 620 (e.g., within a range of about 2% to about 6% of the area of the auxiliary panel 620).

[0047] FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment wherein the auxiliary panel 620 is affixed to the wall 550 via the adhesive patches 640 connected to the auxiliary panel 620. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the auxiliary panel 620 is attached to the wall 550 at a position that is immediately adjacent to the playable area created by the plurality of receiving panels 510. While the auxiliary panel 620 is shown in a particular position in FIG. 7, other configurations are possible (e.g., with the auxiliary panel 620 spatially offset from the receiving panels 510).

[0048] FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate additional auxiliary panels 620 and 660 affixed to the wall 550 about the playable area formed by the plurality of receiving panels 510, such that the auxiliary panels 620 and 660 form a border about the playable area. In at least such a way, the plurality of auxiliary panels 620 and 660 may entirely surround, or nearly entirely surround, a playable area created by the plurality of receiving panels 510 and provide an aesthetically pleasing and noise dampening surface on which a variety of games may be played.

[0049] FIG. 10 illustrates a game piece 1070 of a wall-mountable game system, in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. The game piece 1070 may be made from the same material as the receiving panels and/or auxiliary panels of the wall-mountable game system (e.g., PET fibers with color pigment(s)), which can give the game piece 1070 acoustic, density, and other characteristics similar to those of the receiving panels (and/or the auxiliary panels). In the example shown in FIG. 10, the game piece 1070 may have a game piece design 1080 incorporated therein. The example shown in FIG. 10 includes a game piece design 1080 in the form of a king for a game of chess. However, the present disclosure is not limited to any particular game design. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, the game piece 1070 is formed from two differently colored and precisely cut pieces of material connected together (e.g., via friction fit), which can enable game pieces 1070 of a wall-mountable game system to have diverse aesthetic characteristics. In an example embodiment, cutting of the game pieces and the receiving panels is accomplished via an electric oscillating tool (EOT), which may provide fast, precision cuts with low complexity (avoiding use of chemicals, heat, or lasers to cut the material, which could damage the synthetic fibers).

[0050] One will appreciate, in view of the present disclosure, that a game piece, receiving panel, or auxiliary panel can be formed by any number of constituent material pieces that are connected together (e.g., via friction fit).

[0051] FIG. 11 illustrates the wall-facing side of the game piece 1070 of FIG. 10 (the outward-facing side of the game piece 1070 was shown in FIG. 10). FIG. 11 illustrates a hook patch 1120 connected to the game piece 1070 (e.g., via adhesive or other means). In some implementations, the hook patch 1120 comprises a piece or section of hook tape that includes miniaturized hooks that can hook onto loop structures to facilitate hanging of the game piece 1070 from the loop structures. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the hook patch 1120 occupies a small region or area on the wall-facing side of the game piece 1070, which can be made possible by the low weight of the game piece 1070. In some instances, a hook patch 1120 connected to a game piece 1070 can comprise a larger area than an adhesive patch that connects a corresponding receiving panel (e.g., from which the game piece 1070 hangable via the hook patch 1120) to a wall. The hooks of the hook patch 1120 can selectively hook onto loops formed by the material from which the receiving panels and/or auxiliary panels are made (e.g., PET fiber panels). For instance, the hook patch 1120 (or multiple hook patches connected to the game piece 1070) can comprise an area that is within a range of about 3% to about 20% of the area of the game piece 1070 (e.g., within a range of about 5% to about 10% of the area of the game piece 1070).

[0052] FIG. 12 illustrates example game pieces 1270 connected to receiving panels 510 of a wall-mountable game system. The connection between the game pieces 1270 and the receiving panels 510 can be achieved via mechanical interlocking between (i) hooks of hook patches on the wall-facing sides of the game pieces 1270 and (ii) loops defined by the material that forms the receiving panels 510. The interlocking force between the hooks and the loops noted can be sufficient to retain the game pieces 1270 on the receiving panels 510 (e.g., to counteract the shear force of gravity on the game pieces 1270) while still allowing the game pieces 1270 to be easily removed from the receiving panels 510 by application of a small amount of tensile or peel force. Such a configuration can be well-adapted for gameplay scenarios where game pieces 1270 are frequently moved to different positions on the playable area defined by the receiving panels 510, necessitating frequent connections and disconnections between the hook patches of the game pieces 1270 and the loops defined by the receiving panels 510. FIG. 13 depicts an instance in which some of the game pieces 1270 have been moved to new positions on the game board defined by the receiving panels 510 (e.g., moved to new receiving panels 510), and FIG. 14 depicts an instance in which a game piece 1270a has been moved into connection with an auxiliary panel 620 (e.g., after removal of the game piece 1270a from play in the game being played on the wall-mountable game system).

[0053] In the example shown in FIGS. 12-14, the game pieces comprise complementary colors For instance, a first subset of the game pieces 1270 comprise a primary color (e.g., either white or black) and a secondary color different from the primary color, while a second subset of the game pieces 1270 comprise an inverted color scheme (e.g., where the primary color for the second subset is the same as the secondary color of the first subset, and where and the secondary color for the second subset is the same as the primary color of the first subset). By way of example, with reference to FIG. 14, a first game piece 1300a comprises a primary color 1301a that is white and a secondary color 1302a that is black, while a second game piece 1300b comprises a primary color 1301b that is black and a secondary color 1302b that is white.

[0054] In some implementations, at least some components of game pieces for a wall-mountable game system may be created/manufactured in a low-waste or substantially no-waste manner. In accordance with the example set forth in FIGS. 12-14, certain components of the game pieces 1270 may be created in such a low-waste or no-waste process. For instance, a game piece design 1080 (see FIG. 10, the shape of a king for a game of chess) may be precisely cut from a first sheet of PET fiber panel of a first color (e.g., black), using narrow-width cutting techniques (e.g., with a kerf less than about 2.0 mm, or less than about 1.0 mm, or less than about 0.5 mm) such as knives, electric oscillating tools (EOTs), slitting machines, die cutting tools, laser cutters, CNC cutting tables/tools, water jet cutters, thermal cutters, ultrasonic cutters, and/or others. The same game piece design 1080 may additionally be precisely cut from a second sheet of PET fiber panel of a second color (e.g., white). Each game piece design 1080 may be removed from its respective sheets of PET fiber and then friction fit into the hole/opening created by the removal of the opposing game piece design 1080. The PET panels that receive the game piece designs 1080 may be cut to a desired game piece size (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 10-14). Advantageously, the PET fibers of the different PET panel pieces may deform slightly to interlock (e.g., due to their inherent flexibility and tensile strength), allowing the game piece designs 1080 to be retained by the surrounding PET panel material after insertion into the hole/opening. The physical properties of the PET fibers may thus be leveraged to achieve a stable connection between the PET panel pieces, which can mitigate dislodgement during use (e.g., when manipulated as a game piece 1270). Other types of non-woven synthetic fiber-based panels may exhibit similar advantageous properties.

[0055] In the example shown in FIG. 14, the game piece design of a first game piece 1300a (where the game piece design comprises a circle) has a primary color 1301a of white, which is the same color as the secondary color 1302b of a second game piece 1300b that has the same game piece design. Similarly, a second game piece 1300b (where the game piece design also comprises a circle) has a primary color 1301b of black, which is the same color as the secondary color 1302a of the first game piece 1300a. In one example, the game piece design for the first game piece 1300a (e.g., the inner circle) may be cut from the white sheet of PET fiber that forms the outer portion of the second game piece 1300b. Similarly, the same game piece design for the second game piece 1300b (e.g., the inner circle) may be cut from the black sheet of PET fiber that forms the outer portion of the first game piece 1300a. The first game piece 1300a may be assembled by inserting the white game piece design into the opening in the black sheet of PET fiber (from which the black game piece design was cut), and the second game piece 1300b may be assembled by inserting the black game piece design into the opening in the white sheet of PET fiber (from which the white game piece design was cut). Such a technique may be employed to form the various game pieces shown in FIG. 14, resulting in complementary game pieces formed in a substantially no-waste manner.

[0056] Advantageously, by utilizing friction fitting and leveraging the material properties of the PET fibers, the game piece 1300a (and the game piece 1300b) may remain in an assembled state without additional securement implements/means (e.g., without adhesives, fasters, etc.). Such a configuration may enable the game piece design (e.g., the circle inserted into the surrounding PET fiber panel material) to extend through the game piece 1300a and be exposed from both faces thereof. By way of illustrative example, with brief reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, the game piece 1070 may comprise a front face 1072 (see FIG. 10) and a rear face 1074 (see FIG. 11). The game piece design 1080 may be cut from a panel (e.g., a black PET fiber panel, or other material) and inserted into an outer panel 1076 (e.g., a white PET fiber panel from which another game piece design was cut to define an opening for receiving the game piece design 1080) to form the game piece 1070 as shown. The friction fit between the game piece design 1080 and the surrounding outer panel 1076 may cause the game piece design 1080 to be retained by the outer panel 1076 without additional retention mechanisms, while still permitting the game piece design 1080 to extend through the game piece 1070 (e.g., from the front face 1072 to the rear face 1074) and be exposed from both the front face 1072 (see FIG. 10) and the rear face (see FIG. 11).

[0057] This techniques described herein for forming complementary game pieces are not to limited by the example(s) described above, and may be used to create game pieces for chess, checkers, tic-tac-toe, Go, Reversi, Sudoku, Gomoku, Hex, Lines of Action, and/or any other game which uses game piece designs of complementary color and geometry.

[0058] Disclosed embodiments include at least those represented in the following numbered clauses:

[0059] Clause 1. A wall-mountable game system, comprising: a plurality of game pieces, each game piece of the plurality of game pieces being affixed to a hook patch that comprises a plurality of hooks; and one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels, wherein each receiving non-woven acoustic panel of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels is formed from a material that defines loops configured to selectively engage with hooks of the plurality of hooks of the hook patch of each game piece of the plurality of game pieces, wherein each particular receiving non-woven acoustic panel of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels is associated with one or more adhesive patches configured to secure the particular receiving non-woven acoustic panel to a vertical structure.

[0060] Clause 2. The wall-mountable game system any preceding clause, wherein the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels comprises a plurality of receiving non-woven acoustic panels that are each individually adherable to the vertical structure to form a vertical game board.

[0061] Clause 3. The wall-mountable game system any preceding clause, wherein the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels comprise a sound absorption average (SAA) within a range of about 0.2 to about 0.5.

[0062] Clause 4. The wall-mountable game system any preceding clause, wherein the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels comprise a noise reduction coefficient (NRC) within a range of about 0.2 to about 0.5.

[0063] Clause 5. The wall-mountable game system any preceding clause, wherein the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels comprise a flame spread index (FSI) within a range of about 0 to about 25.

[0064] Clause 6. The wall-mountable game system any preceding clause, wherein the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels comprise a smoke-developed index (SDI) within a range of about 0 to about 450.

[0065] Clause 7. The wall-mountable game system any preceding clause, wherein the hook patch of each game piece of the plurality of game pieces comprises a greater area than each of the one or more adhesive patches.

[0066] Clause 8. The wall-mountable game system any preceding clause, wherein each of the one or more adhesive patches comprise an area that is within a range of about 2% to about 6% of an area of each of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels.

[0067] Clause 9. The wall-mountable game system any preceding clause, wherein the hook patch of each game piece of the plurality of game pieces comprises an area that is within a range of about 5% to about 10% of an area of each game piece of the plurality of game pieces.

[0068] Clause 10. The wall-mountable game system any preceding clause, wherein the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels and the plurality of game pieces comprise synthetic fibers.

[0069] Clause 11. The wall-mountable game system any preceding clause, wherein each game piece of the plurality of game pieces and each of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels is formed from polyethene terephthalate (PET) fibers, acrylic fiber, polyamide fiber or polyester fiber.

[0070] Clause 12. The wall-mountable game system any preceding clause, wherein each game piece of the plurality of game pieces and each of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels comprises a density within a range of about 400 g/m2 to about 2400 g/m2.

[0071] Clause 13. The wall-mountable game system any preceding clause, further comprising one or more auxiliary non-woven acoustic panels.

[0072] Clause 14. The wall-mountable game system any preceding clause, wherein the one or more auxiliary non-woven acoustic panels are associated with one or more adhesive patches configured to secure the one or more auxiliary non-woven acoustic panel to the vertical structure.

[0073] Clause 15. The wall-mountable game system any preceding clause, wherein the one or more auxiliary non-woven acoustic panels are different sizes relative to the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels.

[0074] Clause 16. The wall-mountable game system any preceding clause, wherein at least some of the plurality of game pieces or at least some of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels are comprised of a mass weight of about 99% fiber and a mass weight of about 1% dye.

[0075] Clause 17. A wall-mountable game system, comprising: a plurality of game pieces, each game piece of the plurality of game pieces being affixed to a hook patch that comprises a plurality of hooks; and one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels, wherein each receiving non-woven acoustic panel of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels is formed from a material that defines loops configured to selectively engage with hooks of the plurality of hooks of the hook patch of each game piece of the plurality of game pieces, wherein each particular receiving non-woven acoustic panel of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels is associated with one or more adhesive patches configured to secure the particular receiving non-woven acoustic panel to a vertical structure, wherein: the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels comprise a plurality of receiving non-woven acoustic panels that are each individually adherable to the vertical structure to form a vertical game board, and each game piece of the plurality of game pieces and each of the one or more receiving non-woven acoustic panels is formed from polyethene terephthalate (PET) fibers.

[0076] Clause 18. A game piece for a wall-mountable game system, the game piece comprising: an outer panel defining an opening; a front face and a rear face; a game piece design that is inserted into the opening of the outer panel and retained therein via friction fit, wherein the game piece design extends from the front face to the rear face and is exposed on the front face and the rear face; and a hook patch affixed to the outer panel or the game piece design at the rear face of the game piece.

[0077] Clause 19. The game piece any preceding clause, wherein the outer panel and the game piece design comprise non-woven acoustic panel material.

[0078] Clause 20. The game piece any preceding clause, wherein the outer panel and the game piece design comprise different colors.

[0079] While certain embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail, with reference to specific configurations, parameters, components, elements, etcetera, the descriptions are illustrative and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the claimed invention.

[0080] Furthermore, it should be understood that for any given element of component of a described embodiment, any of the possible alternatives listed for that element or component may generally be used individually or in combination with one another, unless implicitly or explicitly stated otherwise.

[0081] In addition, unless otherwise indicated, numbers expressing quantities, constituents, distances, or other measurements used in the specification and claims are to be understood as optionally being modified by the term about or its synonyms. When the terms about, approximately, substantially, or the like are used in conjunction with a stated amount, value, or condition, it may be taken to mean an amount, value or condition that deviates by less than 20%, less than 10%, less than 5%, less than 1%, less than 0.1%, or less than 0.01% of the stated amount, value, or condition. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.

[0082] Any headings and subheadings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims.

[0083] It will also be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms a, an and the do not exclude plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, an embodiment referencing a singular referent (e.g., widget) may also include two or more such referents.

[0084] It will also be appreciated that embodiments described herein may also include properties and/or features (e.g., components, members, elements, parts, and/or portions) described in one or more separate embodiments and are not necessarily limited strictly to the features expressly described for that particular embodiment. Accordingly, the various features of a given embodiment can be combined with and/or incorporated into other embodiments of the present disclosure. Thus, disclosure of certain features relative to a specific embodiment of the present disclosure should not be construed as limiting application or inclusion of said features to the specific embodiment. Rather, it will be appreciated that other embodiments can also include such features.