GB2196267A

GB2196267A - Darts

Info

Publication number: GB2196267A
Application number: GB08723428A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Joseph Raymond Mccabe
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-10-21
Filing date: 1987-10-06
Publication date: 1988-04-27
Anticipated expiration: 2007-10-06
Also published as: GB2196267B; GB8723428D0; IE862774L

Abstract

A dart comprises a body portion having a front end 12 and a rear end 13, the rear end of the body portion adapted to receive a tail flight 14. The front end 12 of the body portion has an elongate channel 18 accommodating the rear end 22 of an elongate pointed member 19 having a pointed front tip 20 which projects forwardly from the front end of the body portion. The pointed member 19 is axially slidable in the channel, and a camming arrangement 24, 25 and 26 produces a slight vibration of the pointed front tip 20 transverse to the axis of the pointed member during axial sliding of the pointed member rearwardly into the channel, caused for example by the dart striking a dart board wire. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Darts The present invention relates to improvements in darts for playing the game also known simply as darts.

Darts are well known and comprise a pointed member fixedly secured at one end of a weighted body portion, with a tail flight secured to the opposite end of the body portion. The darts are thrown at a dart board comprising a board having an array of various scoring areas which are separated by a mesh, usually consisting of metal wire.

A problem with the existing darts is that, if when thrown at the dart board, the pointed member strikes a portion of the wire mesh, the dart often rebounds from the wire mesh.

This is extremely undesirable as it results in a "no score" for the player involved causing frustration and the player involved possibly losing the game because of this dart. The rebounding of darts, to a lesser extent, may be dangerous to the players involved in the game.

According to the present invention there is provided a dart comprising a body portion having a front end and a rear end, the rear end of the body portion being capable of receiving a tail flight and the front end of the body portion having an elongate channel accommodating the rear end of an elongate pointed member having a pointed front tip which projects forwardly from the front end of the body portion, the pointed member being axially slidable in the channel, and means for producing a slight movement of the pointed front tip of the pointed member transverse to the axis of the pointed member during axial sliding of the pointed member rearwardly into the channel.

Because the pointed member is axially slidable relative to the body portion, then if the tip of the pointed member impinges upon a portion of the wire mesh of the dart board, the pointed member stops, and the body portion slides forwardly along the pointed member with a consequent axial sliding of the pointed member rearwardly into the channel. This sliding causes a slight movement of the front tip of the pointed member transverse to the axis of the pointed member, so that the tip of the pointed member moves out of line with the wire mesh, to enable the pointed member to engage in the dart board.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the body portion is of two part construction which are screw threaded together.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of an example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which the single figure is a cross-sectional view of an improved dart according to the invention.

Referring now to the drawing there is shown therein an improved dart generally indicated at 10 embodying the invention. The dart 10 comprises a body portion 11, having a front end 12, and a rear end 13 capable of receiving a tail flight 14 in conventional manner. The body portion 11 is of two-part construction including front and rear parts 15, 16 respectively which are screw threaded together as shown at 17 in conventional manner.

The front end 12 of the body portion 11 is hollow and defines an elongate channel 18 in which is located the rear end 22 of a pointed member 19, with the pointed front tip 20 of the member 19 projecting outwardly and forwardly of the front end 12 of the body portion 11. The channel 18 is narrower at 21 where the member 19 emerges from the front end 12 and is of a diameter in this region only very slightly larger than the diameter of the pointed member 19, as will be explained below.

The rear end 22 of the pointed member 19 has formed thereon a series of equally axially spaced annular grooves 24. A camming rod 25 is fixed to the interior surface of the channel 18 and extends transverse to the axis of the pointed member, and a spring 26 is arranged on the interior surface of the channel 18 opposite to the rod 25 to bias the rear end 22 of the pointed member 19 against the rod 25. A second rod (not shown) is arranged transverse to the rod 25 and a second spring is arranged opposite to the second rod to bias the pointed member 19 also against the second rod.

An annular boss 27 is located adjacent to the extreme rear end 23 of the member 19 and locates in a corresponding annular recess 28 at the rear end of the channel 18 to locate the pointed member concentric with the channel prior to throwing the dart 10. The extreme rear end 23 of the pointed member is tapered and the rear part 11 of the body portion is shaped correspondingly at 29, so that the pointed member 19 is concentric when being driven into the dart board.

In use the dart is thrown at a dart board in the normal way, and prior to throwing the dart, the user will ensure that the pointed member is in the fully extended position with the annular boss 27 located in the annular recess 28. If the tip 20 of the pointed member 19 impinges upon a portion of the wire mesh of the dart board, the pointed member 19 will effectively stop or may very slightly rebound from the wire mesh. The body portion 11 of the dart will move along the rear end 22 of the pointed member 19 and as the rods 25 cooperate with the grooves 24 on the rear end of the pointed members 19, the rear end 22 of the pointed member is caused to vibrate sideways so that the front tip 20 similarly vibrates about its normal axis indi cated at 30.Since there are in fact two rods 25 arranged at right angles to each other, this causes vibration of the pointed member 19 in two mutually perpendicular directions.

it is believed that such vibration in two directions will result in a generally rotational movement of the tip 20 around the normal axis 30. The springs 26 which bias the rear end 22 of the pointed member 19 against the rods 25, are provided so that the pointed member 19 can move against the springs 26 and enable the grooved region 24 of the member 19 to move past the rods 25.

The vibration of the tip 20 of the pointed member 19 enables the tip 20 to move out of line with the wire mesh and when this occurs and when the body portion 11, at 29, strikes against the end extreme rear end 23 of the pointed member 19, the dart is engaged into the dart board. It is only necessary for the region 21 of the channel 18 to be of a diameter very slightly greater than the diameter of the pointed member 19 to enable a sufficient magnitude of vibration of the tip 20 about its normal axis so that the tip can move past a portion of wire mesh.

The advantage of the invention is that if the dart impinges upon a portion of the wire mesh of a dart board, there is a much lower incidence of dart rebound.

Claims

1. A dart comprising a body portion having a front end and a rear end, the rear end of the body portion being capable of receiving a tail flight and the front end of the body portion having an elongate channel accommodating the rear end of an elongate pointed member having a pointed front tip which projects forwardly from the front end of the body portion, the pointed member being axially slidable in the channel, and means for producing a slight movement of the pointed front tip of the pointed members transverse to the axis of the pointed member during axial sliding of the pointed member rearwardly into the channel.

2. A dart as claimed in claim 1, wherein the last mentioned means comprises camming means in the channel effective to cause at least one sideways displacement of the rear end of the pointed member during the said rearward axial sliding.

3. A dart as claimed in claim 2, wherein the camming means comprises a plurality of axially spaced irregularities in the surface of the rear end of the pointed member which successively engage at least one camming member fixed to the interior surface of the channel during rearward sliding of the pointed member, the channel further including resilient means biassing the rear end of the pointed member against the camming member.

4. A dart as claimed in claim 3, wherein the axially spaced irregularities comprise a series of annular grooves around the rear end of the pointed member, and wherein the camming member comprises a rod fixed to the interior surface of the channel on one side of the rear end of the pointed member and extending transverse to the axis thereof.

5. A dart as claimed in claim 4, wherein the resilient means comprises a spring on the interior surface of the channel opposite the rod.

6. A dart as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein two camming members are provided to effect sideways displacement of the rear end of the pointed member in two substantially perpendicular directions.

7. A dart substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.