Racing game device

Abstract

A racing game device includes a sloped basin with a hole at its lowest point and a stand to support the basin. One or more balls are configured to roll in the basin and pass through the central hole. A channel is provided arranged to collect balls falling out of the hole wherein the channel is sloped and runs from beneath the hole within the stand, to a more accessible point, laterally further away from the hole.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a non-provisional patent application which claims priority to GB Patent Application No. 2500748.5 filed Jan. 20, 2025, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a racing game device and related methods and in particular embodiments to a racing game device where balls roll in a spherical basin until they reach a hole at the lowest point and fall down a channel.BACKGROUND

[0003] Racing games involving balls or marbles are known, e.g., in children's toys described in US2021 / 245038A1, U.S. Pat. No. 801,427, US 2022 / 0203216A1 and US2013 / 0090035A1. Such racing games may involve a series of interconnected tilted paths along which a ball can run, with platform sections where the balls can overtake each other. These games typically have multiple sections and balls can take anywhere from a few second to a few minutes to finish the race. Shorter racetracks, where the balls will race for less than thirty seconds typically have a limited area for platform sections in which the balls can overtake each other, leading to less possibility of changes in the order of the balls. In addition, narrow sections within the tracks can lead to balls becoming stuck, ending the game prematurely. The narrow tracks can also make it difficult to retrieve the balls at the end of a game. These racing games typically have many interconnecting sections, meaning that they take up a large area, and require a large space in which they can be set up.

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,056 relates to a timing mechanism for use with a board game including a marble which rolls around a circular saucer with a central depression where the marble comes to rest to signify the end of the time period.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to address some or all of these limitations.SUMMARY

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a racing game device comprising; a sloped basin, wherein at the lowest point of the basin there is a hole, a stand to support the basin, one or more balls configured to roll in the basin and pass through the hole, and; a channel, arranged to collect balls falling out of the hole wherein the channel is sloped and runs from beneath the hole within the stand, to a more accessible point, laterally further away from the hole.

[0007] The use of a single freestanding basin provides various advantages over the prior art, because the basin is a standalone device, as opposed to being connected to other path sections, the tilted area running down to a hole can be much larger, providing more opportunities for the balls to change places, leading to a more exciting race. Additionally, the simplicity of the design makes it easier to set up, the structure can be pre-assembled reducing the time needed for construction. The simplicity of the device also provides fewer places where the balls could become stuck, ensuring that the game runs smoothly. The balls run along the channel to a point outside the device, making them easier to retrieve and providing a clear indication of which ball has won the race, i.e., the ball that rolls down the channel first is the winner. The lack of a long racetrack means that each race ends quickly, allowing for more games to be played in a shorter length of time.

[0008] In an embodiment the sloped basin is a curved basin, with upwards extending sides around the edge. The basin is sloped to ensure that the balls will roll around the basin and eventually fall inwards towards the bottom of the basin. The hole is positioned at the bottom of the basin, at the lowest point of the slope, where the balls fall towards. The edges have upwards extending sides to ensure that the balls cannot fall out of the basin and become lost, for example if they were pushed into the basin at high speed, or collide with each other.

[0009] In an embodiment, the balls, when released around the top of the basin, roll along the surface of the basin in a decaying orbit around the hole. This circular motion increases the length of time it takes for the balls to reach the hole, and presents more opportunities for the balls to overtake each other and change positions. The basin is sloped with a gradient sufficient to ensure the balls will roll around the basin in the way described, eventually reaching the hole, but the gradient is small enough to ensure that the race does not end too quickly.

[0010] In an embodiment the channel may be is connected to the hole at the lowest point of the basin, configured to receive the balls as they fall out of the basin.

[0011] In an embodiment the stand may be comprised of a base section and a skirt, which supports the basin around all or a portion of the periphery of the basin.

[0012] In another embodiment the channel extends outside of the device stand skirt, and ends in a runway comprised of an open-top flat base with upwards extending sides and a stop at the end, configured to allow the balls to roll down the channel, and along the runway until they hit the stop. This allows the balls to roll out of the device after passing out of the hole. The stop at the end prevents the balls from rolling away and becoming lost, and the runway provides a convenient receptacle which the balls can be easily retrieved from. In another embodiment the base section of the stand extends beyond the skirt and contains the channel from which the balls may be received or comprises a depressed channel which extends beyond the skirt. This allows the device to be more easily constructed as the base and the channel can be formed for example from a single piece of molded plastic, making this section cheap and easy to manufacture.

[0013] In an embodiment the channel is narrow enough to allow only one ball to roll along it at once, thereby preserving the order in which the balls fell out of the hole. The balls roll out in the order in which they passed through the hole, providing a clear indication of the balls in first second and third positions.

[0014] In an embodiment, the base section of the stand connects to the skirt and may thereby be removable from the skirt, and the sloped basin may be further removable from the stand. This allows for the components of the device to be manufactured separately, potentially from different materials. This may reduce manufacturing costs and time. Additionally, this allows the device to be deconstructed and stored more compactly.

[0015] In an embodiment the stand skirt is formed from two connected segments, with external walls forming a curved support for the basin around a portion of the periphery and central walls forming a central y-shaped section, arranged to receive the base, such that a receiving portion of the channel in the base is directly beneath the hole in the basin.

[0016] This provides a receiving area for the base, to ensure that the structure can be easily assembled, with the channel in the base correctly positioned beneath the hole in the basin.

[0017] In an embodiment the base is configured to slot into the y-shaped receiving portion formed by the internal walls of the skirt and the channel is formed from a curved zig-zag depression in the base.

[0018] The base is arranged to abut the y-shaped portion of the skirt to ensure the device can be easily assembled and disassembled. The zig-zag channel structure provides additional visual interest for players of the game and can also reduce the speed of balls running along the channel to rescue the risk of them rolling out of the base.

[0019] In an embodiment the stand is configured to support the basin, such that the device is suitable to be used on a flat surface. This makes the game convenient to play as it can be set down on a table or floor with a stable base. This also means that the device will take up less space than some prior art designs where there may be multiple supports or towers.

[0020] In an embodiment the balls are color coded. This allows each player to choose a specific color of balls and makes it easier to identify in which position a player's ball or balls have finished.

[0021] In an embodiment at least one of the balls has a radius larger than that of the hole in the basin, such that when this ball reached the bottom of the basin it covers the hole and prevents any of the other balls from passing through the hole. When the larger ball is introduced in gameplay, all of the balls roll around the basin orbiting the hole. Any racing balls which reach the hole after the large ball will be unable to pass through and will be unable to finish the race. This allows the number of potential podium positions in the game to change, based on how many balls pass through the hole before it is blocked, adding an additional aspect to the gameplay. This feature is not present in prior art ball racing games, where all of the balls are the same size, such that the number of balls entering the race will always be equivalent to the number of balls finishing the race.

[0022] In an embodiment the balls may be introduced to the basin via a hand-held runway, which delivers the balls with sufficient momentum that they orbit the hole. This helps ensure the balls are released with similar momentum and direction, helping to ensure that the game is fair, stopping any player gaining an advantage by pushing their balls into the basin with greater velocity.

[0023] In another aspect there is provided a game where, in each round, players each choose a number of color coded balls to introduce to the spherical basin, the winning ball being the first to exit through the hole in the basin, the players coming first, second and third are awarded points, and the game ends when every player has used up all of their balls. This allows for multiple rounds to be played, where the players can choose how many balls to enter into each round based on factors such as the number of balls they have left, the number of balls other players have entered, and the number of points assigned to a round.

[0024] In another aspect there is a provided method of racing balls, comprising introducing balls into a basin with a hole at the lowest point, such that the winning ball will be the first to fall through the hole.

[0025] In another aspect there is provided a handheld device for introducing balls into the basin with a consistent direction and speed, comprising an open ended chute.

[0026] It will be appreciated that any features expressed herein as being provided “in one example” or “in an embodiment” or as being “preferable” may be provided in combination with any one or more other such features together with any one or more of the aspects of the present disclosure.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an example of the racing gaming device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 2 shows a top view of the sloped basin of the racing game device of FIG. 1.

[0030] FIG. 3 shows a cross-section side view of the racing game device of FIG. 1.

[0031] FIG. 4 shows an example of the channel and base section of another example of a racing game device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 5 shows a disassembled view of the stand and basin of the racing game device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 6A shows an example of the handheld runway according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 6B shows an example of the unfolded handheld runway design according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] FIG. 1 shows the racing game device, comprised of a sloped basin 50, a stand 20 configured to hold the basin, and balls 100, 101 which can roll around the surface of the basin. FIG. 2 shows the sloped basin of the racing game device, from above. The basin 50 may be generally circular and has an upwards extending wall 52 around the rim, the basin slopes inwards towards a hole 53 located at the lowest point of the basin, which may be at the center of the basin. Spherical balls are be introduced to the basin close to the rim with some tangential speed so they orbit, i.e., roll around the hole 53. The rim prevents any balls from rolling out of the basin. The balls then roll along the surface of the basin in a decaying orbit as they lose energy and / or bumping into each other until they each reach and are gathered by the hole at the bottom.

[0036] Two types of balls may be used in the racing games, balls 100 with a radius less than that of the central hole, and one or more balls 101 with a radius greater than that of the hole. When they reach the bottom of the basin, the balls with a radius less than the central hole will pass through and drop out of the basin, however balls with radius greater than the central hole will fully cover the hole, preventing any subsequent balls from passing through the hole. In gameplay, for example, the first ball to pass through the hole could win the race.

[0037] FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the racing game device, with a view of the stand 20 comprising a base section 25 and a skirt 27 at least partially surrounding the base. The cross section shows a channel 24 which extends from beneath the hole 53 in the sloped basin 50, to an accessible point outside the skirt 27 of the stand 20. The channel 24 is configured to receive the balls as they fall through the hole 53. The balls are then able to run along the channel, i.e., due to the channel being sloped away from the hole, until they reach a runway 26 and hit a stop 28 at the end of the channel. The channel 24 is wide enough to allow just one ball to pass along it at once, such that the order in which the balls pass through the hole is preserved.

[0038] In some configurations the channel 24 is connected to the basin 50 underneath the hole 53, in other configurations the channel 24 may begin below the hole 53 in the basin and be separated by a small gap. In configurations where the basin 50 and channel 24 are connected it may be possible to disconnect and reconnect them for ease of storage.

[0039] In some alternative configurations the base 125 and the channel 124 are formed of a single piece, e.g., of molded plastic, as shown in FIG. 4. There is a sloped zig zag channel 124 formed in the base, where the balls are received in a small receiving section 122 at the top, with a stop 123 to prevent them rolling out, which connects to a zig zag section 124 along which the balls may pass, until they reach the bottom of the channel, from where they may be retrieved 126. The end portion of the channel runs laterally in this example, i.e., so the balls collected in this portion are at a similar distance from the central hole outside or visible through an aperture in the skirt, so a plurality of balls can be easily visible such that the players of the game can see clearly the order in which they emerge and be retrieved.

[0040] In this configuration, where the channel 124 is formed from a depressed section in the base 125, the base 125 is preferably arranged to slot into the skirt as shown in FIG. 5. In this arrangement the skirt 27 is formed from two connected segments, forming an external curved wall 27 beneath at least a portion of the periphery of the basin, and two connected internal walls 130 forming a y-shaped section beneath the basin. Preferably the base 125 will be arranged to slot into the space formed between the internal walls and abut with the walls to align the receiving portion of the channel 122 beneath the hole in the basin 53. The internal walls 130 will preferably be curved along their top edge to conform to the shape of the basin 50.

[0041] The basin 50 rests sitting on top of the skirt 27 surrounding the base 25, the stand is configured such that when the basin 50 is placed onto the stand, supported by the skirt 27, the hole 53 will line up with the channel 24 directly below it. The rim of the basin may extend slightly in a downwards at the edges to form a lip, such that the rim of the basin may fit over the top of the skirt holding it securely in place. The skirt may comprise a sheet of flexible material such as cardboard fluting or plastics that is curved round to match the periphery of the basin. Thus, the skirt may be detached from the basin and base and stored flat when not in use. The base may have grooves at each side (not shown) to receive the lateral edges of the skirt to help hold it in position. In this configuration the skirt would stand upright and curve around the base, the basin would sit on top of the skirt 27, with the upper portion of the skirt fitting into a groove in underside of the rim of the basin, thus supporting the structure, and ensuring the skirt remains in place.

[0042] In some configurations the runway section 26 of the channel 24 may extend beyond the radius of the skirt 27 and the base 25, such that channel may be a separate component to the base of the device. In other configurations the runway section 26 of the channel 24 may be affixed to or formed from the base section 25 of the stand, a portion of the base with the runway attached may then extend beyond the skirt 27.

[0043] The device 10, when fully constructed, as shown in FIG. 1, can be used to play racing games. Players race color coded balls 100, by releasing them at the top of the basin 50. The balls then orbit around the hole 53 at the lowest point of the basin, until they reach the bottom of the basin and fall through the hole, one by one. The balls then pass along the channel 24 to the runway 26 in the order in which they passed through the hole 53. The winner of the race is the player whose ball reaches the end of the runway 26 first. The balls 100 can be easily retrieved from the runway 26, and another round can be played. The runway with the stop at one end is configured to allow players to easily retrieve their balls, prevent them from rolling away, and to preserve the order in which the balls passed through the hole ensuring that the winning ball is easily identifiable.

[0044] To assist in ensuring that the game is fair, and no player gains an advantage by for example pushing their ball faster. The balls may be introduced into the basin by means of a handheld runway, as shown in FIG. 6A. The balls 100 may be placed on the runway 70, and then rolled into the basin by tilting the runway and placing the lower end of the ramp 74 against the top of the basin. In some configurations the end may be adapted to engage with the rim of the basin. The runway could be constructed from a foldable sheet of material e.g., carboard, such that is can be stored flat and constructed when in use. An example of the unfolded net for the runway is shown in FIG. 6B. The runway is constructed by folding along the indicated lines 72.

[0045] In some examples of gameplay, one or more additional balls 101 could be introduced to the basin at the same time as the balls 100 belonging to the players. These additional balls or ball will have a radius larger than the radius of the hole 53 at the bottom of the basin. This will prevent any balls 100 which subsequently reach the bottom of the basin from passing through the hole 53. In this example, each player could receive a set number of color coded balls 100 at the start of the game and receive a choice of how many balls to enter into each round. Each round would be assigned a number of points, which would be awarded to at least the winner, and potentially also second and third place. Each player could then choose how many balls to enter into each race, introducing a strategy element to the game. If a player's ball failed to finish, or it did not finish in the first three balls they would receive no points for that round. The winning player would then be the player with the most points at the end of the game, or the first player to reach a set total. Variations on this gameplay could include, changing the number of balls each player is assigned, introducing or excluding one or more balls large enough to block the hole and varying the number of points awarded to the winner.

[0046] The stand of the device is comprised of the skirt 27, base 25 and connected channel 24. The base and channel can be manufactured from materials such as molded plastic at low cost and the skirt can be manufactured from similarly low cost materials such as carboard or plastics. The three components could be manufactured as a single connected section, or as three, or two easily assembled separate components—this allows the device to be stored in a more compact form. The basin 50 can similarly be manufactured from materials such as tin or molded plastic at low cost, and the device can be assembled by either fixing the basin to the stand, or resting it on top of the stand. Finally, the balls 100, 101 may also be manufactured from a range of materials such as plastic or glass, allowing the entire device to be manufactured at reasonably low cost.

[0047] Embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with particular reference to the examples illustrated. However, it will be appreciated that variations and modifications may be made to the examples described within the scope of the present claims.

Claims

1. A racing game device, comprising:a sloped basin comprising a hole at a lowest point of the basin;a stand configured to support the basin;one or more balls configured to roll in the basin and pass through the hole; anda channel configured to collect one or more balls that fall out of the hole, wherein the channel is sloped and runs from beneath the hole within the stand, to an accessible point located laterally away from the hole.

2. The racing game device of claim 1, wherein the one or more balls, when released around a top of the basin, roll along a surface of the basin in a decaying orbit around the hole.

3. The racing game device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the balls is a larger-radius ball that has a radius larger than a radius of the hole in the basin, such that when the larger-radius ball reaches a bottom of the basin, the larger-radius ball covers the hole and prevents any other ball from passing through the hole.

4. The racing game device of claim 1, wherein the channel is connected to the hole at the lowest point of the basin, and is configured to receive one or more balls as they fall out of the hole.

5. The racing game device of claim 1, wherein the stand comprises:a base section; anda skirt that supports the basin around at least a portion of a periphery of the basin and / or surrounds all or part of the base section.

6. The racing game device of claim 5, wherein the channel extends outside of the skirt and ends in a runway comprising an open-top flat base with upward-extending sides and a stop at an end of the runway, wherein the runway is configured to allow the one or more balls to roll down the channel and along the runway until the one or more balls contact the stop.

7. The racing game device of claim 6, wherein the base section of the stand extends beyond the skirt and contains the channel from which the one or more balls may be received.

8. The racing game device of claim 5, wherein the base section of the stand connects to the skirt and may thereby be removable from the skirt, and wherein the sloped basin may be further removable from the stand.

9. The racing game device of claim 6, wherein the skirt is formed from two connected segments, having external walls forming a curved support for the basin around a portion of the periphery of the basin, and central walls forming a central y-shaped section, arranged to receive the base, such that a receiving portion of the channel in the base is directly beneath the hole in the basin.

10. The racing game device of claim 9, wherein the base is configured to slot into the y-shaped receiving portion formed by the central walls of the skirt, and wherein the channel is formed from a curved zig-zag depression in the base.

11. The racing game device of claim 1, wherein a width of the channel is such that only one ball is able to roll past any point along the channel at a same time, thereby preserving an order in which the balls fell out of the hole.

12. The racing game device of claim 1, wherein the stand is configured to support the basin such that the device is configured to rest on a flat surface.

13. The racing game device of claim 1, wherein the sloped basin is a curved basin with upward-extending sides around an edge of the basin.

14. The racing game device of claim 1, wherein the one or more balls are color-coded.

15. The racing game device of claim 1, further comprising a hand-held runway, wherein the hand-held runway is configured to introduce the one or more balls to the basin with sufficient momentum that the one or more balls orbit the hole.

16. A game comprising the racing game device of claim 1, wherein the basin is a spherical basis, wherein in each round, players each choose a number of color-coded balls to introduce to the spherical basin, wherein a winning ball is a first of t he color-coded balls to exit through the hole in the basin, wherein a constraint on the game is that players coming in first, second, and third places are awarded points, and wherein the game ends when every player has used up all of their balls.

17. A method of racing balls with the racing game device of claim 1, comprising introducing a plurality of balls into the basin with the hole at the lowest point, such that a winning ball is a first one of the plurality of balls to fall through the hole.

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