GB2231501A - Dartboards - Google Patents

Abstract

A wire structure for defining the playing area of a dartboard comprises twenty equiangularly spaced, radially-extending wires (6), each radial wire (6) being formed at its inner end with a circumferential first portion (8) which is stepped at (11), the free end of the first portion having a down-turned second portion providing a spike (9) by which the radially-inner end of the wire (6) is attached to the dartboard, the first portions (8) overlapping each other and together forming an outer bullseye ring (5). <IMAGE>

Description

DARTBOARDS This invention relates to dartboards and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for constructing the wire structure which overlies the playing surface of a dartboard.

As is well known, the playing area of a conventional dartboard is circular with a small circle, known as the inner bullseye, being defined at the centre of the board and surrounded by an annulus, known as the outer bullseye or 25 ring". From the outer bullseye, twenty identical segments radiate, with each segment being provided with a first transverse area, known as the "treble", approximately mid-W-ay along the segment, and terminating in a second transverse area, known as the "double". The "treble" and "double" areas of the twenty segments together form two annuli concentric with the centre of the playing area of the dartboard. The segments are numbered from one to twenty, typically by fixing the appropriate numbers to a wire ring movably attached to the dartboard and surrounding the playing surface.The numbers ring is movable so as to permit even wear and "recovery" of the dartboard as will be explained.

Traditionally, the inner and outer bullseyes and the twenty segments have been defined by wires so that it is readily discernible in which portion of the playing area a dart lands so as to be able to allocate the score to that "throw". More specifically, the "treble" and "double" annuli are each formed by two concentric rings each fashioned from a length of wire, and the size of the segments are defined by radially-extending wires which are disposed over the "treble" and "double" wires, terminating at one end beyond the periphery of the outer ring of the "double" annulus and terminating at the other end immediately inside the ring defining the outer bullseye. The end of each radial wire is formed, such as by turning over the ends of the wire, with a spike which is driven into the playing surface of the dartboard to secure the ends in position.It is necessary to secure the "double" and "treble" wire rings in position and this is normally achieved using wire staples placed over each radial wire, one immediately adjacent the inner "treble" ring, one immediately adjacent the outer "treble" ring, and one immediately adjacent the inner "double" ring, with the staples being positioned outside the "treble" and "double" annuli, as appropriate, whereby the "treble" and "double" areas of each segment are cleanly defined by the radial wires and the "treble" and "double" wires, save for the "treble" areas of two adjacent segments and the "double! areas of the same or different adjacent segments inbetween which areas the ends of the "treble" ad "double" wire rings abut each other.An extra staple is placed over the appropriate radial wire immediately adjacent the inner "treble" wire ring and another immediately adjacent the inner "double" wire ring where the ends thereof abut each other.

It will be appreciated that the ends of the twenty radial wires which terminate in the outer bullseye take up a relatively high proportion of the area thereof which is not, therefore, available for entry by a dart.

Furthermore, these ends present obstacles to a dart which is likely to bounce therefrom and thus fail to score. A similar problem arises with the staples used on the radial wires as these present obstacles to a dart, there being some sixty-two staples in this category.

It has always been a problem to minimise the number of lost darts by virtue of them bouncing off wires and staples and thus failing to score but this has assume greater proportions as a result of the dramatic increase in the popularity of darts resulting in every increasing prize money in top competitions. Accordingly, an otherwise valid dart which is lost as a result of bouncing off an obstacle and not penetrating the pla > -ind area could make a very significant difference in the result of a game and hence in the financial reward of a player. Of course, the wires themselves present obstacles in addition to the staples but attempts have been made to overcome this aspect by making the wires of a crosssectional shape such that they tend to deflect a dart into one area or another of the playing surface as opposed to the dart bouncing from the playing area.

The present applicants attempted to obviate the problem of the presence of staples and inner ends of radial wires presenting obstacles for darts by constructing the wire structure from a plurality of wires each profiled as as to define at least part of a radial segment of the playing area, at least part of the 'treble" area at the playing area, and at least part of a "double" area at the playing area and each having securing means at least at or towards each end, the wires being secured together to form an integral wire structure for application to the playing surface of a dartboard.

Whilst a wire structure formed in accordance with such an arrangement represents a significant improvement upon the prior arrangements in providing a virtually stapleless dartboard, it suffers from one disadvantage in that inhere adjacent wires contact each other at points along their lengths, there can be presented a small crevice in which a dart might lodge although the changes of this happening are extremely remote. If the crevice is adequately filled by a weld, then the weld itself presents an obstacle to a dart apart from the time factor in ensuring that all junctions between adjacent wires are adequately "sealed" in this respect.

The present applicants overcame this problem, as is disclosed in EP-A-0309212, by providing a method of making a wire structure for defining the playing area of a dartboard comprising the steps of providing a series of concentric rings of wire positioned so as to define the "double" area, the "treble' area and the outer bullseye of the playing area, positioning twenty equiangularly spaced, radially-extending wires over at least the "double" and "treble" concentric rings of wires, each radial wire extending from the outer bullseye ring to beyond the concentric ring of greatest diameter, each radial wire at that end being provided with a spike for engagement with a dartboard when the completed wire structure is applied thereto, and attaching the radial wires to the concentric circles of wires at each junction thereof b fusing.

This method of making a stapleless dartboard has proved highly satisfactory as regards the major part of the wire structure but the outer bullseye ring suffers from being a little bulky by virtue of the radial wires terminating at, and being attached to, a ring of wire forming the outer bullseye, which ring may in turn be attached to a structure which is embedded in the surface of the dartboard to secure the outer bullseye ring.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a "clean" outer bullseye ring for a dartboard.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of making a wire structure for defining the playing area of a dartboard comprising the steps of providing twenty equiangularly spaced, radially extending wires, each radial wire being formed at its radially-inner end with an out-turned first portion extending at an angle to the wire and being stepped along its length, the free end of the first portion having a down-turned second portion providing a spike by which the radially-inner end of the wire is attached to a dartboard, and assembling the radial wires so that the first portions of the radial wires overlap each other and together form an outer bullseye ring.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a wire structure for defining the playing area of a dartboard comprising twenty equiangularly spaced, radially-extending wires, each radial wire being formed at its radially-inner end with an out-turned first portion extending at an angle to the wire and being stepped along its length, the free end of the first portion having a down-turned second portion providing a spike by which the radially-inner end of the wire is attached to a dartboard, the first portions of the radial wires overlapping each other and together forming an outer bullseye ring.

The depth of the step in each of said first portions is preferably substantially equal to the diameter of wire being used, and each first portion is preferably slightly arcuate so as to conform to the circumference of the outer bullseye although substantially linear first portions extending at an angle of about 120 to the respective radial wires will together approximate satisfactorily to the circumference of the outer bullseye.

The radial wires may each be down-turned at the radially-outer end to provide a spike for attaching that end to the dartboard. Furthermore, the radial wires may be arranged as disclosed in EP-A-0309212 and fused to the "double" and "treble" rings or may be formed so as partially to define "double" and "treble" rings, with the radial wires then attached together.

A method and apparatus in accordance with the present invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front view of a dartboard fitted with a wire structure constructed in accordance with the present invention, Figure 2 is a side view of one element of the wire structure of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 2, Figure 4 is an enlarged view of part of Figure 1, and Figure 5 is a plan view of Figure 4, to a smaller scale.

Referring first to Figure 1 of the drawings, this illustrates a dartboard provided with a wire structure in accordance with the present invention and which in the main is similar to that described in EP-A-0309212 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The wire structure comprises a first pair of concentric wire rings 1 and 2 defining the "double" area of the playing surface, and a second pair of wire rings 3 and 4 defining the "treble" area of the playing surface, the second pair of wire rings 3 and 4 being concentric with the wire rings 1 and 2. The wire structure further comprises twenty equiangularly spaced, radially-extending wires 6 which extend from an outer bullseye 5 to beyond the concentric ring of greatest diameter, namely ring 1.

As seen in Figure 2 of the drawings, each radial wire 6 is turned through 90 at its radially-outer end in order to form a spike 7 for engaging the dartboard. The spike is preferably of the order of 30m long in order that it penetrates through the bristle which, on a quality dartboard, is provided for the playing surface, and into a backing for the bristle, which backing is normally composed of wood, fibreboard or the like.

Each radial wire 6 is formed at its radially-inner end with an out-turned first portion 8 having at its free end a down-turned portion 9 to provide a further spike, similar to spike 7, for securing the wire to the dartboard. Each first portion 8 is stepped at 11 generally mid-way along its length, the depth of the step 11 being substantially equal to the diameter of the radial 'wires 6. The first portion 8 of each radial wire 6 is at an angle of approximately 103" to the main body of the wire and is also arcuate so as to conform to the circumference of the outer bullseye 5 of radius R (Figure 3).Each radial wire 6 is stepped along its length at 12 and 13 to accommodate the treble wires 3, 4, and at 14 and 15 to accommodate the double wires 1,2, whereby these wires 1, 2, 3 and 4 lie in substantially the same plane as the major part of the main bodies of the radial wires 6.

Each radial wire 6 is kinked or stepped at its radiallyiner end (as indicated at 10) by an amount substantially equal to the thickness of the wire.

The wire structure comprising the components 1 to 6 described above is formed, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, by placing the various wires in appropriate slots in a jig and then securing the wires together at the respective junctions thereof in order to provide an integral wire structure for application to the dartboard itself. This step of connecting the wire components of the wire structure together can be accompanied by an actual fusion technique in which sufficient heat is applied to the wires in order to soften the same and fuse contacting wires together (for example by resistance welding), or may be accomplished by welding, spot welding or the like.Once the wire structure has been completed in this respect, it is then applied to the dartboard and merely pressed into position, whereupon the spikes 7 and 9 engage the bristle playing surface and extend therethrough into the backing of the dartboard so as firmly to secure the wire structure in position.

It will be appreciated that as the radial wires 6 are positioned in the jig, the first portions 8 at radially-inner ends will overlap with the "heel" part 16 of each portion sitting on the stepped "toe" 17 part of an adjacent first portion 8, whereby the heels 16 make up a substantially continuous outer bullseye ring 5 as best seen in Figures 4 and 5. In as much as the spikes 9 securely fasten the radially-inner ends of the wires 6 in position on the dartboard, then a very stable outer bullseye ring 5 is provided but which has no impediments, such as staples, and this provides to the user of the dartboard a very "clean" outer bullseye which in fact appears to the user as being larger than normal due to the absence of staples or other fastening means. When the hire structure is attached to a dartboard, the radial wires 6 lie flat on the bristle face of the board, other than where stepped, and the kink or step 10 makes the toe 17 of each portion 8 substantially co-planar with the main bodp of the associated radial wire, whereby the toe alc lieç flat or. ths face of the bristle.

As yet, no reference has been made to the inner bullseye and this can be in the form of a ring of wire 18 which is stapled in position although preferably, it is otherwise secured to the playing surface of the dartboard in a manner described in relation to Figures 3 to 5 of the drawings of EP-A-0309212.

The wire used for entire wire structure is preferably of stainless steel and wire of 1/16" (1.5mm) diameter has been found particularly suitable. The use of stainless steel wire permits welding and yet provides a corrosion free, stable structure which does not require to be subjected to annealing in order to remove brittleness which needs to be done if steel or other wire is employed.

Claims (12)

1. A method of making a wire structure for defining the playing area of the dartboard comprising the steps of providing twenty equiangularly spaced, radially-extending wires, each radial wire being formed at its radiallyinner end with an out-turned first portion extending at an angle to the wire and being stepped along its length, the free end of the first portion having a down-turned second portion providing a spike by which the radiallyinner end of the wire is attached to the dartboard, and assembling the radial wires so that the first portions of the radial wires overlap each other and together form an outer bullseye ring.

2. A wire structure for defining the playing area of a dartboard comprising twenty equiangularly spaced, radially-extending wires, each radial wire being formed at its radially-inner end with an out-turned first portion extending at an angle to the wire and being stepped along its length, the free end of the first portion having a down-turned second portion providing a spike by which the radially-inner end of the wire is attached to the dartboard, the the first portion of the radial wires overlapping each other and together forming an outer bullseye ring.

3. A wire structure according to claim 2, wherein the depth of the step in each of the first portions of the radial wires is substantially equal to the diameter of the wire used to form the radial wires.

4. A wire structure according to claim 2 or 3, wherein each said first portion is arcuate so as to confirm to the circumference of the outer bullseye.

5. A wire structure according to claim 2 or 3, wherein each said first portion is substantially linear and extends at an angle of about 103 to the associated radial wire.

6. A wire structure according to any of claims 2 - 5, wherein each radial wire is down-turned at the radiallyouter end Lo provide a spike for attaching that end to the dartboard.

7. A wire structure according to any of claims 2 - 6, wherein the radial wires are fused to "double" and "treble" rings.

8. A wire structure according to any of claims 2 - 6, wherein each radial wire is formed so as partially to define "double' and "treble" rings, with the radial wires being attached together.

9. A wire structure according to any of claims 2 - 8, wherein the radial wires are of stainless steel.

10. A wire structure according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each radial wire is kinked at its radially-inner end adjacent said first portion by an amount substantially equal to the thickness of the wire, whereby the toe of the stepped first portion is substantially co-planar with the main bod of the radial wire.

11. A method of providing a wire structure for defining the playing area of the dartboard substantially as particularly herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. A wire structure for defining the playing area of a dartboard substantially as herein particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings.