GB2140313A

GB2140313A - Target for playing a game

Info

Publication number: GB2140313A
Application number: GB08413518A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Philip Byrne
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-05-25
Filing date: 1984-05-25
Publication date: 1984-11-28
Also published as: GB8413518D0; GB2140313B

Abstract

A target (10), e.g. for darts, for use in playing a game resembling snooker. The target includes "red", "colour" and "snooker" areas (12, 13, 11). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Target for use in playing a game The present invention relates to a game in which the rules of snooker can be applied to a very considerable extent to the propulsion of missiles such as darts towards a target surface. More particularly it provides a redesigned target surface which can be used in conjunction with darts or other missiles, such as arrows or projectiles having suction-cap heads instead of sharp pointed heads, to play a game using most of the rules of snooker.

According to the invention a target for use in playing a game comprises a base having on a major surface at least 6 separate areas of restricted size designated as "red" areas, at least 6 separate areas of restricted size designated as "colour" areas and a separate area of restricted size designated as a "snooker" area, each of the "red" areas being associated with a colour selected from black, pink, blue, green, brown and yellow such that each of the six colours is associated with at least one red area, each "colour" area having a colour designation selected from said six colours such that each of the six colours is the colour designation of at least one "colour" area, and at least some of the "red" area and at least some of the "colour" areas are each subdivided into a central region and an outer region.

Conveniently there are 6 or a multiple of 6 red areas, so that there are the same number of red areas associated with each colour, and only 6 colour areas, one for each of the six colours.

Desirably the red areas and colour areas are all the same size and shape and are all subdivided into a central region and an outer region which partly or preferably wholly surrounds the central region, as with an annulus surrounding a circle. Preferably the central region is smaller than the outer region. The snooker area is preferably smaller than the red and colour areas and may for example be the same size as their respective central regions when they are subdivided.

An arrangement which has been found to be successful is for the snooker area to be in the centre of the target surface, conveniently as a circle, for the red areas to be arranged around it in an inner ring, conveniently made up of circles, and for the colour areas to be arranged around it in an outer ring, again conveniently made up of circles.

The relative sizes of the target surface and the red, colour and snooker areas may be selected according to the nature of the missile to be projected and, if desired, to the expected average skill of the players. With a darts game the snooker area is suitably the size of the bull on a normal dart board and the target surface is suitably the size of a normal dart board or up to 50% larger. The central regions of the red and colour areas may have about half (e.g. 1 /3 to 2/3) the diameter of the whole of the respective areas.

The target may be made of material normally used for making dart board or archery targets etc., as the case may be, and the red and colour areas may conveniently have the colour they represent.

A very successful design for a target, for use in playing the game using darts, is shown in the accompanying drawing. The target 10 is the size of a normal championship dart board and has a central snooker circle 11, 2 cm in diameter, twelve red areas 12, 4 cm in diameter and six colour areas 1 3, 4 cm in diameter. Each red area is coloured red and the colour areas are coloured respectively, clockwise black, yellow, blue, pink, green and brown. The snooker spot 11 also has a colour contrasting with the background. Outside each red area 1 2 is a colour spot 14 the colour spots of opposed red areas being the same and consecutive spots being coloured in turn with the six colours mentioned above.

Each red and colour area and the snooker area are bounded with wire of the same type as is used in an ordinary dart board. In addition, a further concentric circle of wire e.g. 15, is included in the centre of each red and colour area and has a diameter of 2 cm.

It will be appreciated from what has been said before that this design is not the only possible design and the size, shape and arrangement of the red, colour and snooker areas can be varied.

To play the game, using the target shown in the drawing and according to one set of rules which has been found successful, each player takes it in turn to throw darts at the game. With a normal turn the player throws his first dart at any one of the red areas, then if he hits a red area he throws his second dart at the colour area corresponding to the colour spot outside the red area he has just hit, then if he hits the correct colour area he throws his third dart at any of the red areas again. If at any time he fails to hit the red or colour area he can use the remaining dart or darts of the three to hit that same area and if he is still unseccessful his turn ends immediately.If one or more of his three darts hits the correct areas but none of them is within the inner cirle his turn ends after the third dart but if at least one of the three darts hits the correct area within the inner circle he can throw the three darts again, the first at the colour area corresponding to his last red area and then alternating red areas with colour areas as before until his turn comes to an end by missing the correct area or failing to get any of the three darts within the inner circle. (The requirement of getting at least one of the darts within the inner circle can be omitted if the players' standard warrants it or if the red and colour areas on the target are not subdivided in this fashion.) After the first players' turn is over the second player begins and plays in the same fashion until his turn ends and the two players then play consecutively until one of them wins.As in ordinary snooker the winner is the first player to hit fifteen red areas each followed by a colour area and then the colour areas in the correct order, ending with a hit in the inner circle of the black area, and the scoring follows snooker scoring, (except that a hit within the inner circle of a red area counts double), penalty points being given away if the third dart fails to hit the intended area.

Instead of aiming for the appropriate red or colour area at any point in his turn a player may instead aim for the snooker area. If he hits it a snooker is declared, called a 1-dart, 2-dart or 3-dart snooker depending whether the snooker area has been hit at the first, second or third attempt. After a snooker has been declared that player's turn ends and his opponent must immediately attempt to hit the snooker area using no more darts than were used to set up the snooker in the first place, i.e. 1 dart against a 1-dart snooker, 1 or 2 darts against a 2-dart snooker and 1, 2 or 3 darts against a 3-dart snooker. If he fails he forfeits the normal penalty points for a miss in such circumstances at snooker but if he succeeds he continues with his turn in the normal way using his remaining dart or darts.

It will be appreciated however that these rules can be modified or supplemented at the discretion of the players.

The target 10 may be modified by replacing the circles of dart board wire 1 5 (which are normally attached to the target by means of staples or the like fixing means) by a strip of coherent material forced into the face of the target.

It will be appreciated that strip material forced into into the face of a target can be used to define the the various areas and subdivisions of any targets, including, for example, dart boards of conventional design and appearance.

According to another aspect of the invention, a target for darts comprises a base constructed to retain darts thrown at it and marked on its face with a plurality of areas of restricted size, one or more of said areas being bounded at least in part by a strip of coherent material forced into the face of the target.

Preferably the strip is a strip of rigid material, such as a metal strip (although plastics could be used), which is conveniently in the form of a band having a thickness less than the thickness of the target. Where the area or areas to be bounded by the strip are of a simple shape, for example a circle or other closed loop, the strip is preferably in the form of a closed loop of appropriate shape, although it is also possible, especially when the area or areas to be bounded are of a more complex shape or are fairly large, for the boundary to be formed by means of more than one strip, each of which will be open.

The strip is preferably formed of reduced width at one edge, as if tapered or "shar peeed", so that it is easier to force it into the target base. Overall, its width (i.e. its dimension parallel to the face of the target) should preferably be as small as possible consistent with being able to be forced into the target, because this will reduce the chance of a dart thrown at the target striking the strip. Widths of 3 mm or less will normally be used. The thickness will preferably be from + to i of the thickness of the target.

The strip is preferably forced into the target to such an extent that its rear edge is generally level with the face of the target, although if desired it may project to some extent. It may be forced into the target manually or by means of an appropriate press, which can be designed to force several or all of the strips into the target in the correct configuration in a single operation.

The target may be made of any conventional or other material suitable for use in the construction of dart-boards, provided that it allows such strips to be forced into it, whether it is made of fibrous material, chipboard or the like, cork, plastics material or the like.

Claims

1. A target for use in playing a game comprises a base having on a major surface at least 6 separate areas of restricted size designated as "red" areas, at least 6 separate areas of restricted size designated as "colour" areas and a separate area of restricted size designated as a "snooker" area, each of the "red" areas being associated with a colour selected from black, pink, blue, green, brown and yellow such that each of the six colours is associated with at least one red area, each "colour" area having a colour designation selected from said six colours such that each of the six colours is the colour designation of at least one "colour" area, and at least some of the "red" areas and at least some of the "colour" areas are each subdivided into a central region and an outer region.

2. A target according to claim 1, in which there are 6 or a multiple of 6 red areas, so that there are the same number of red areas associated with each colour, and only 6 colour areas, one for each of the six colours.

3. A target according to claim 1 or 2, in which the red areas are all the same size and shape.

4. A target according to any of the preceding claims, in which the colour areas are all the same size and shape.

5. A target according to claim 1 or 2, in which the red areas and colour areas are all the same size and shape.

6. A target according to any of the preceding claims, in which each red area and/or each colour area is/are subdivided into a central region and an outer region which at least partly surrounds the central region.

7. A target according to any of the preceding claims, in which each outer region compises an annulus surrounding a circular inner region.

8. A target according to any of the preceding claims, in which each central region is smaller than its associated outer region.

9. A target according to any of the preceding claims, in which the snooker area is smaller than any one red area or any one colour area.

10. A target according to any of the preceding claims, in which the said central regions and the snooker area are of substantially the same size.

11. A target according to claim 10, in which the snooker area is circular.

1 2. A target according to any of the preceding claims, in which the snooker area is arranged at the centre of the said major surface of the target, the red areas are arranged in an inner ring around the snooker area and the colour areas are arranged in an outer ring around the snooker area and the inner ring of red areas.

1 3. A target according to any of the preceding claims designed for use with darts, in which the snooker area is substantially the same size as the bull on a normal dart board.

14. A target according to claim 13, in which the said major surface is suitably substantially the same size as, or up to 50% larger than, the target surface of a normal dart board.

1 5. A target according to any of the preceding claims, in which each of the said areas is bounded by a strip of coherent material forced into the face of the target.

16. A target according to any of the preceding claims, in which each subdivided area is subdivided by a strip, or a futher strip, of coherent material forced into the face of the target.

17. A target according to claim 1 5 or 16, in which the strip is a strip of rigid material, such as a metal strip.

18. A target according to claim 17, in which the strip is in the form of a band having a thickness less than the thickness of the target.

19. A target according to any of claims 15 to 18, in which the strip is formed of reduced width at one edge so that it is easier to force it into the target base.

20. A target according to any of claims 1 5 to 19, in which the strip has a width (i.e.

its dimension paraliel to the face of the target) of 3 mm or less.

21. A target according to any of claims 1 5 to 20, in which the strip has a thickness (i.e. perpendicular to the face of the target) of from i to 9 of the thickness of the target.

22. A target according to any of claims 1 5 to 21, in which the strip is forced into the target to such an extent that its rear edge is generally level with the face of the target.

23. A target constructed and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

24. A target for darts comprises a base constructed to retain darts thrown at it and marked on its face with a plurality of areas of restricted size, one or more of said areas being bounded at least in part by a strip of coherent material forced into the face of the target.