Dart for Aiming at a Game Board

The present invention is concerned with a dart that is used in a target game.

In a metal tip dart game, a dart is thrown at a target area, typically outlined by a wire grid on the face of the dart board. If a dart point strikes an obstruction like a wire, there is a possibility that the dart will bounce from the target and fall to the floor.

Similarly, in a soft tip or electronic game, the dart is thrown at a target which is honeycombed with holes designed to receive the plastic pointed tips of the dart. The areas between the holes, although tapered to help guide the dart points into the holes, occasionally cause the darts to rebound thereby resulting in no score.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,322, Bottelsen, pertains to a no bounce dart having an elongated body with a point sliding in one end of the body and a tail carried at the other end of the body. On impact with a target, the momentum of the body causes the point to slide in the body to a position where the body impacts the head of the point and hammers the point into the target. If an obstruction is hit directly, mere horizontal movement of the point may not be sufficient to prevent dart rebound.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,893,787 pertains to a movable point torpedo dart. A movable tip dart is also shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,684,851.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,126 teaches a dart having a flexible or pivotal point which serves to reduce bounce off.

U.S Pat. No. 4,697,815 discloses a dart having a cavity into which the rear portion of the point can enter, thereby engaging the rear wall of the cavity and shifting the point into the target.

It is an object of this invention to reduce the bounce off of a dart from an obstruction on a target by utilizing a movable point that is capable of moving both horizontally and vertically as compared to the axes of the dart.

It is a further object of the present invention to enhance the adhesiveness of the dart to the target by utilizing movable ballast which enhances the momentum of the dart and permits changing weight and balance of the dart.

Described is a dart for aiming at a game board comprising:

a body having a tail portion and, spaced therefrom, a point portion;

the point portion being movable on a line with the horizontal longitudinal axis of the body and on a line with the vertical axis of the body so that the point can strike the board and avoid an obstruction on the board.

Also described is a dart for aiming at a game board comprising a body having a tail portion and spaced therefrom a point portion;

contained within the body, a movable ballast means capable of moving to the point region for assisting the adherence of the dart to the game board.

FIG. 1 is an enlarged partial sectional view of a dart having a slidably movable point;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the dart of FIG. 1 depicting the movement of the point;

FIG. 3 is an alternative embodiment of FIG. 1 showing an alternative rear cavity area;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an alternative dart of FIG. 1 showing a variation in the point retainer means;

FIG. 6 is the dart of FIG. 5 showing the point having moved within the internal body cavity and being retained in the target;

FIG. 7 is an alternative to FIG. 1 showing an improved point;

FIG. 8 is an alternative to FIG. 1 wherein the head portion of the point has a recessed area for holding the dart point in position;

FIG. 9 is the dart of FIG. 8 wherein the point has moved rearwardly in the internal cavity of the dart;

FIG. 10 is another alternative to the retaining means shown in FIGS. 1 to 9;

FIG. 11 is a dart of the present invention showing the movable ballast means;

FIG. 12 is the dart of FIG. 11 wherein the ballast has moved forwardly in the cavity of the dart;

FIG. 13 is an alternative to the ballast means utilized in the dart of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is an alternative to the ballast means utilized in the dart of FIG. 11;

FIG. 15 is an alternative dart of the present invention showing a cross sectional view with a rotatable tail portion; and

FIG. 16 is the dart of FIG. 15 showing the movement of the point into the cavity of the body.

The dart 10 of the present invention is comprised of a body portion 12 having a tail portion 14 and a tip portion 16. The body 12 is generally comprised of a solid material such as metal where the tail is threadably engaged into the rear portion of the dart shown at 18. The body has a front portion 20 into which the insert 22 is threadably engaged. The body likewise has a cavity portion 24 into which the point 16 snugly fits and is held in place by a retaining means such as an elastomeric O-ring 28. The point 16 has a needle portion 26 and a head portion 30.

As the dart is prepared for aiming towards a target, the point portion is moved forwardly towards the front portion of the dart (towards the right as shown in FIG. 1). When the dart approaches an obstruction 32 on the target 34, the dart point 26 moves around the obstruction and the point portion moves from the right to the left (the back of cavity 24 as shown in FIG. 2).

As can be seen on review of FIG. 2, the point not only moves horizontally along the axis of the body portion, that is, longitudinally along the axis of the body portion, but also moves along the vertical axis of the dart. Elastomeric 0-ring 28 is compressed as shown at reference numeral 36 when the front portion of the point circumvents the obstruction 32.

The shape of the rear portion of the cavity 24 can be adjusted to affect the movement of the hammer portion 30 of the point. A V-shaped portion 38 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 which tends to return the point to a central position within the cavity at the end of the travel of the point from right to left after impact with a target. FIG. 3 shows an additional feature to FIGS. 1 and 2. An angled portion 42 acts as a ramp to mechanically move the tip portion 16 along the vertical axis of the dart, each time the dart strikes the target. The angled portion is shown best in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 shows an alternative retainer means such as a band or bushing 46 which can be a soft metal or a plastic such as nylon or rubber. A metal circlip, which is an incomplete circle of metal, can also be used. As can be seen in contrasting FIGS. 5 and 6, the point portion 16 is retained in position by the retaining means 46 engaging the head portion 30 as shown in FIG. 5. As the dart engages the target, the point moves from the right of FIG. 5 to the left portion of the cavity as shown in FIG. 6.

As can be seen in FIG. 6 at reference numeral 48, there is a space between the retaining means 46 and the point 16. Also, there is a space 50 between the head portion 30 and the interior of the cavity wall 52. This allows for the dart body to be rotated freely, thus offering minimal resistance to the flight of successive darts.

FIG. 7 shows an alternative to the point 16 having a tapering diameter 56. This tapering diameter is a smaller diameter than the main portion 16 of the point. It also has a smaller diameter than the front portion 58 of the point. The purpose of this tapering diameter point is to decrease the frictional resistance of the point upon entry into the target and once embedded therein, to increase the holding action of the target on the point, thus minimizing the possibility of darts falling out or being knocked out by successive darts. Another way to describe the point 16 of FIG. 7 is that the portion of the pointed front end of the needle that is exposed (not within cavity 24) has one or more portions with reduced dimensions.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show an alternative technique for retaining the head portion of the point. The internal cavity of the dart has a retaining means 29 which is positioned within the grooved area 60 of the rearward portion of the point.

By virtue of the frictional engagement of the retaining means 29 about the shaft of the point, the point is held in place. This retaining means can be a split metal circlip or an 0-ring. Included within the body cavity is a cylindrical bushing 62 which can be comprised of metal, plastic, or rubber. Note that there is still a spacing between the head 30 and the bushing 62 as is shown by reference numeral 64. FIG. 9 shows the rearward movement of the point shaft from the right to the left as shown in comparing FIGS. 8 and 9. As the point shaft moves rearwardly, the tapered diameter 63 of the groove 60 expands the resilient member 29 allowing the point to pass through and contact the cavity end wall 38. Forward point movement is limited as shown in FIG. 8, because the resilient member contacts the tapered diameter of the passage 61 and is thus held firmly in the groove.

FIG. 10 is an alternative design showing the retaining means 28 as an 0-ring and being contained around the point between the bushing 62 and the insert 22. This method of containing the retaining means 28 could be employed equally for the darts shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7. The rear wall 65 of the cavity is shaped to conform to the shape of the head 30. Bushings of varying lengths and retaining means of different widths can be used to adjust the frictional force of the retaining means upon the shaft by changing the extent to which the retaining means is compressed and thus deformed against the point 16.

Referring now to FIGS. 11-14, these are generally characterized as darts that comprise a plastic point 70 which is threadably engaged at 72 with the metal body portion 74. The body has a substantially larger internal cavity 76 than that of FIG. 1. This cavity has a front portion 78 and a rearward portion 80. Contained within the body cavity is a ballast means 82 which is shown in FIG. 11 as a solid metal slug being retained in the rearward position by the spring 84. When contrasting FIGS. 11 and 12, the ballast portion moves from the left as shown in FIG. 11 to the right as shown in FIG. 12 thereby compressing the spring 84 and assisting the dart to be retained in target 86. Note that there is a separation between the rear portion of the ballast 88 and the threaded tail portion 90. This therefore shows the amount of distance the ballast has moved during the aiming of the dart 92. The movable ballast permits increased momentum to assist the dart in being retained in the target board.

FIG. 13 shows an alternative to the solid slug of FIGS. 11 and 12, namely a collection of metal balls or shot 94 which moves from the left to the right as the dart impacts the target. The shot stops the bounce of the dart from the board.

FIG. 14 also shows variations in the ballast means by utilizing multiple metal slugs. In this FIG. 3 slugs, 96, 98 and 100. These metal slugs can move independently or in unison as they go from the rest position as shown in FIG. 14 to the right as the dart would strike the target (not shown). The slugs can vary in material and density and size, thus enabling their interchangeability to affect the overall weight of the dart and the balance of that weight within the dart.

While the ballast means that has been described as to the plastic point darts, it is equally to be appreciated that it may be used with the metal tipped darts as well with equal proficiency as to reducing rebounds, and changing the overall weight of the dart and the balance of the weight within the dart.

Turning now to FIGS. 15 and 16, these are alternatives to the invention described herein. These Figures show the dart without a threadably engaging point. The darts 110 have a front portion 112 into which is inserted the point portion 114 having a needle tip 116 and a rearward head portion 118 which fits within cavity 120 of the dart. The needle has a groove 121 with a shoulder portion 122 and a tapered diameter 133. When the dart strikes the target 34 (FIG. 16), the needle moves into the interior of the cavity of the dart. The point moves from the right to the left as shown in FIG. 16, whereby the head 118 of the point strikes the rearward portion 124 of the cavity. Upon withdrawing the dart from the target, the point portion moves to the right and the tapered diameter 133 of the needle pushes the retainer means 126 outward against the cavity wall and increases the frictional force between the retainer means and the cavity, thus preventing further needle movement to the right. The retainer means 126 can be made of a number of materials such as metal, plastic or rubber or can be a metal circlip.

The tail portion 134 of the dart can be comprised of any well known configuration for a threadably engaged tail portion as described in FIGS. 1 through 14. An alternative embodiment is a rotatable tail 136 having a shaft 138 and a head with a tapered diameter 142. The tail is positioned in a bushing 137 which fits snugly in the axial passage 140 of the tail portion 134 of the dart. The bushing can be made of plastic, rubber or metal. The design of FIGS. 15 and 16 show that the shaft 138 may rotate about the longitudinal axis of the tail 136, thereby permitting other subsequently tossed darts to not be interfered with by a rigid tail portion. The tapered diameter of the head prevents the tail from easily pulling out by pushing the bushing outward against the axial passage, thus increasing the frictional holding resistance of the bushing in the passage.

While the forms of the invention herein disclosed constitute presently preferred embodiments, many others are possible. It is not intended herein to mention all of the possible equivalent forms or modifications or ramifications of the invention. It is understood that the terms used herein are merely descriptive rather than limiting and that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.