DARTBOARD SPIDER

Abstract

 Disclosed is a spider (10) for a dartboard, including a plurality of radially spaced ring elements (12, 14, 16). Each of the ring elements has a depth in the axial direction. At least one ring element of the plurality of ring elements has a first depth and another ring element of the plurality of ring elements has a second depth. The first depth is less than the second depth.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a spider for a dartboard, and/or the dartboard including the spider.

[0002] Professional dartboards generally include a board portion configured to allow penetration by darts such that the dart will be retained in the board portion. The board portion is divided radially and circumferentially into sections which have different scoring value.

[0003] In order to determine unambiguously the score for a dart, professional dartboards generally include a spider comprising thin strips or wires of metal embedded into the board portion and separating the sections with different scoring values.

[0004] Aspects of the present invention seek to provide an improved spider for a dartboard.

[0005] According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a spider for a dartboard, including:

a plurality of radially spaced ring elements, each of the ring elements having a depth in the axial direction;

wherein at least one ring element of the plurality of ring elements has a first depth and another ring element of the plurality of ring elements has a second depth, wherein the first depth is less than the second depth.

[0006] In some embodiments, the plurality of ring elements includes an outer ring element and at least one divider ring element radially inward of the outer ring element, wherein the at least one divider ring element has the first depth and the outer ring element has the second depth.

[0007] In some embodiments, the at least one divider ring element is a plurality of radially spaced divider ring elements.

[0008] In some embodiments, the or each of the at least one divider ring element has a length in a circumferential direction and has the first depth for the said length.

[0009] In some embodiments the spider further includes an inner ring element.

[0010] In some embodiments, each of the plurality of ring elements is substantially circular.

[0011] In some embodiments, the spider is metallic.

[0012] In some embodiments, the spider is made of steel.

[0013] In some embodiments, the first depth is at least 1 mm less than the second depth.

[0014] In some embodiments, the first depth is at least 1 mm.

[0015] In some embodiments, the first depth is no more than 5 mm.

[0016] In some embodiments, the first depth is from ¼ to ¾ of the second depth.

[0017] In some embodiments, the first depth is from ½ to ¾ of the second depth.

[0018] In some embodiments, the first depth is about 2/3 of the second depth.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first depth is about 4 mm and the second depth is about 6 mm.

[0020] According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a dartboard including the spider recited above.

[0021] Embodiments of the invention are described below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

Figure 1 is perspective view of a spider for dartboard according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a magnified view of a part of the spider of the embodiment of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a magnified view of a part of the spider of the embodiment of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a magnified view of a part of the spider of the embodiment of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a front view of the spider of the embodiment of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the spider of the embodiment of Figure 1 from the front;

Figures 7 and 8 are side views of the spider of the embodiment of Figure 1;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the spider of the embodiment of Figure 1 from the front; and

Figure 10 is a front view of a dartboard including the spider of the embodiment of Figure 1.

[0022] The embodiments described below are for a spider for a dartboard and a dartboard including the spider.

[0023] The dartboard 100, shown in Figure 10, as is conventional, comprises a circular scoring area which is divided radially, and in some areas also circumferentially, into sections, with the sections having different scoring values. At the radial center of the dartboard is the bullseye which is not divided circumferentially. Radially outwardly of the bullseye are circumferentially divided sectors, each with different base values, indicated by the number ring around the outer edge of the dartboard 100. The sectors are further radially divided into different scoring sections, representing "single", "double", and "triple" the base value of the sector. The "single", "double", and "triple" scoring sections of the different sectors are circumferentially aligned so as to form "single" 126, "double" 122 and "triple" 124 scoring rings.

[0024] Figure 1 shows the spider 10 which is configured to be incorporated into the dartboard 100 to divide the different scoring regions in an unambiguous manner. Figure 1 is a perspective view from the rear of the spider 10. The spider 10 comprises a plurality of radially spaced concentric ring elements 12, 14, 16, which, as can be seen, are circular. Each of the plurality of concentric ring elements is a ring of spider material. The plurality of concentric ring elements includes an outer ring element 12 which is the radially outermost ring element of the spider 10. The outer ring element 12 is configured such that when the spider is incorporated into a board portion to form the dartboard, the outer ring element 12 is at the outer edge of the scoring region of the dartboard.

[0025] The plurality of concentric ring elements also includes an inner ring element 14 which is configured to be positioned at the radially innermost edge of the circumferentially divided sectors of the dartboard.

[0026] The plurality of concentric ring elements also includes, radially inwardly of the outer ring element and radially between the inner ring element and the outer ring element, a plurality of radially spaced divider ring elements 16.

[0027] As can be seen, the divider ring elements 16 are configured so as to form, when incorporated into the dartboard, the inner edge of the "double" scoring ring, and the inner and outer edges of the "triple" scoring ring. The ring-shaped gaps in the spider, which would be where the "double" scoring ring and the "triple" scoring ring are located when the spider 10 is incorporated into a dartboard, are labelled 22 and 24 respectively.

[0028] The spider also includes a plurality of radial spoke elements 18 which extend from the inner ring element 14 to the outer ring element 12.

[0029] Each of the divider ring elements 16 in this embodiment is effectively made up of a plurality of circumferential elements extending between adjacent spoke elements 18.

[0030] Each of the plurality of concentric ring elements, as well as each of the radial spoke elements, is provided as a thin strip of spider material which is configured to extend into the depth of the dartboard to enable the determination, unambiguously, of the score for a dart.

[0031] However, a problem is that some darts can fail to lodge in the dartboard as a result of making contact with the spider below the surface of the dartboard.

[0032] In this embodiment of the invention, each of the ring elements of the plurality of concentric ring elements has a depth in the axial direction, (that is in a direction into the dartboard once the spider is incorporated into the dartboard), wherein at least one ring element of the plurality of concentric ring elements has a first depth and another ring element of the plurality of concentric ring elements has a second depth, wherein the first depth is less than the second depth.

[0033] In this particular embodiment, each of the divider ring elements 16 has the first depth, and the outer ring element 12 has the second depth.

[0034] However, it is to be appreciated that not every divider ring element 16 needs to have the first depth in every embodiment of the invention.

[0035] In this embodiment, each of the divider ring elements 16 has a length in a circumferential direction and has the first depth for the said length, in other words has a substantially uniform depth. However, in other embodiments, the depth of one or more of the divider ring elements 16 can vary along the length of the respective ring element in a circumferential direction. Nevertheless, for such a ring element, preferably all points have a depth less than the second depth.

[0036] An advantage that this arrangement achieves is that it can reduce the amount of metal beneath the surface, which can act as a barrier to the point of an incoming dart, and increase the likelihood that a dart will lodge, while retaining the unambiguous division between the different scoring sections provided by the spider.

[0037] Moreover, selectively reducing the depth of just one or more divider ring elements 16 is particularly effective because these ring elements divide relatively narrow scoring sections which are often particularly targeted during the game and thus the most likely areas where a dart may be rejected either because it hits a dart already in the board or it hits the buried strip. As discussed above, the ring elements reduced in this manner are the inner double ring element and the two treble ring elements, these being the ring elements where a deeper depth of metal can impede scoring. Other regions do not benefit in the same way from the reduced depth and can therefore retain the greater robustness resulting from a greater depth of spider. It is less likely that the skilled dart player will aim to throw the dart near the spider when aiming for a single score as opposed to a double or a treble. They aim for the centre of the bed that is denominated with the score desired and this is always larger than the space between rings that denote either the doubles or trebles. That is why the radial spoke elements 18 of the spider can be the second depth as earlier defined because it provides rigidity for manufacture and handling for example in the course of a dartboard's construction during which it is pressed into a sisal substrate disc. In this embodiment, the ring elements save for the outermost ring element 12, the inner ring element 14, and the bull's eye are the first depth. The outermost ring element 12 and the inner ring element 14 are the second depth and the Bull's Eye is separately inserted and is not connected with the main body of the spider.

[0038] Figure 2 shows a magnified view of part of the spider 10 from the front of the spider 10, showing part of the divider ring elements 16 that demarcate the 'triple' scoring ring, annotated to mark the depth reduction as compared to the spoke elements 18. The spoke elements 18 have the second depth.

[0039] Figure 3 shows a magnified view of part of the spider 10 from the rear of the spider 10, showing part of the divider ring elements 16 that demarcate the 'triple' scoring ring. Figure 4 shows a magnified view of part of the spider 10 from the front of the spider 10, showing part of the divider ring elements 16 that demarcate the 'triple' scoring ring.

[0040] Advantageously, the first depth is at least 1 mm, preferably at least 2 mm and more preferably at least 3 mm in order to retain the function of unambiguously dividing adjacent scoring sections. However, preferably, the first depth is no more than 5 mm, preferably no more than 4 mm, in order to reduce the number of rejected darts.

[0041] Preferably, the first depth is at least 1 mm less than the second depth, preferably from ¼ to ¾ of the second depth, preferably from ½ to ¾ of the second depth.

[0042] In the embodiment of Figure 1, the first depth is about 4 mm, and the second depth is about 6 mm, such that the first depth is about 2/3 of the second depth.

[0043] In this embodiment, the spider is metallic, in particular it is made of steel, plated steel in this embodiment. However, other suitable materials can be used in other embodiments, such as plastic or a carbon fibre based material.

[0044] In this embodiment, the spider includes a plurality of barbs 20 to secure the spider to the board portion. Although other arrangements are possible in other embodiments, in this embodiment the barbs 20 are placed on the inner ring element 14 and the outer ring element 12, at the outer edge thereof, so as not to provide a potential impediment to a scoring dart. Good practice places them equally spaced around the circular symmetrical object desired to be anchored and in sufficient numbers to achieve stability. The number of the barbs is not important.

[0045] Although in the embodiments described above the ring elements with the reduced depths are substantially circular, in other embodiments they can be circumferential parts of substantially circular rings, thereby restricting the reduced depth to a few select locations for example where maximum impact on scoring is likely to occur.

[0046] Although the embodiments described above relate to a conventional dartboard with the conventional scoring regions, the scoring regions can be varied in other embodiments, preferably while providing the reduced depth ring elements at regions that are likely to impact scoring.

[0047] All optional and preferred features and modifications of the described embodiments and dependent claims are usable in all aspects of the invention taught herein. Furthermore, the individual features of the dependent claims, as well as all optional and preferred features and modifications of the described embodiments are combinable and interchangeable with one another.

[0048] The disclosures in UK patent application number GB2106625.3, from which this application claims priority, and in the abstract accompanying this application, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Claims

1. A spider for a dartboard, including:

a plurality of radially spaced ring elements, each of the ring elements having a depth in the axial direction;

wherein at least one ring element of the plurality of ring elements has a first depth and another ring element of the plurality of ring elements has a second depth, wherein the first depth is less than the second depth.

2. The spider of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ring elements includes an outer ring element and at least one divider ring element radially inward of the outer ring element, wherein the at least one divider ring element has the first depth and the outer ring element has the second depth.

3. The spider of claim 2, wherein the at least one divider ring element is a plurality of radially spaced divider ring elements.

4. The spider of claim 2 or 3, wherein the or each of the at least one divider ring element has a length in a circumferential direction and has the first depth for the said length.

5. The spider of claim 2, 3 or 4, further including an inner ring element.

6. The spider of any preceding claim, wherein each of the plurality of ring elements is substantially circular.

7. The spider of any preceding claim, wherein the spider is metallic; wherein the spider is optionally made of steel.

8. The spider of any preceding claim, wherein the first depth is at least 1 mm less than the second depth.

9. The spider of any preceding claim, wherein the first depth is at least 1 mm.

10. The spider of any preceding claim, wherein the first depth is no more than 5 mm.

11. The spider of any preceding claim, wherein the first depth is from ¼ to ¾ of the second depth.

12. The spider of any preceding claim, wherein the first depth is from ½ to ¾ of the second depth.

13. The spider of any preceding claim, wherein the first depth is about 2/3 of the second depth.

14. The spider of any preceding claim, wherein the first depth is about 4 mm and the second depth is about 6 mm.

15. A dartboard including the spider of any preceding claim.

Drawing