GB2318302A - Darts - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention proposes a new and improved way of providing a replaceable point; it suggests that the dart body/barrel (11) be made as a tube, with an axial opening extending along it from the flight end to the tip end, the opening being narrower, and preferably stepped (12), at the tip end so that a new point (14) shaped like a dressmaker's pin - that is, a pointed shaft (15) with a "head" (16) at the non-pointed end - can be inserted into the body (11) and pushed down to be secured, by the flight (17) that carries the dart's vanes (18) on a screw-in rod (19), with its head (16) in the body's tip end and the pointed shaft (15) projecting from the end to make the new dart point. The dart body (11) may be made of plastic, and, in the case of a full-size dart may include an insert weight.

Description

Darts This invention relates to darts, and concerns in particular darts having replaceable tips/points in the form of pins or pin-like objects.

Conventional darts - that is to say, darts used with dartboards - have an elongate, usually cylindrical, body at one end of which are the flight feathers (or plastic vanes) and from the opposed end of which projects a point, or tip, in the form of an elongate metal rod the actual end of which is sharpened to a point so that when the thrown dart strikes the dartboard the pointed rod will penetrate the board's material sufficiently for the dart to stick in - and stay in the board. Invariably the dart's point gets blunted as the dart is used - merely hitting the board blunts the point in time, and this is commonly accelerated when the dart either hits the much harder wall surrounding the board or bounces out or off the board and hits the floor. This blunting is presently dealt with by the simple expedient of sharpening the point, typically using a small whetstone, or a strip of glass-paper, but it would be useful were the dart to have a replaceable tip/point, that could be removed when it got blunt and then replaced by a new, sharp point.

It has been suggested in the past that the point the pointed rod - could be mounted in the body by being screwed thereinto, and that when the point became seriously blunt (or otherwise damaged beyond proper use) it could be unscrewed and replaced by a new point. This works well, but is not always convenient (and it may in practice be quite difficult to undo the point after it has been repeatedly hammered as the dart hits the board). The invention proposes a new and improved way of providing a replaceable point. More particularly, the invention suggests that the dart body/barrel be made as a tube, with an axial opening extending along it from the flight end to the tip end, the opening being narrower at the tip end so that a new point shaped like a dressmaker's pin - that is, a pointed shaft with a "head" at the non-pointed end - can be inserted into the shaft and pushed down to be secured with its head in the body's tip end and the pointed shaft projecting from the end to make the new dart point.

In one aspect, therefore, the invention provides a dart body having a flight end and a point end, the body being in the form of a tube with an axial opening extending along it from the flight end to the point end, the opening being narrower at the point end so that a new point in the form of a headed and shafted pin-like member can be inserted point first into the flight end of the opening and pushed down to be secured with its head positioned in the body's point end and the pointed shaft projecting from that end to make the new dart point.

In a second aspect the invention provides a dart using the aforementioned dart body, and having a pin member point mounted as described at one end and a flight mounted at the other, there being securing means to hold the pin member within the body.

As will become apparent from what follows, the dart body of the invention is of particular value for the construction of a miniature dart - the use of miniature darts and miniature dartboards is becoming increasingly popular, and while miniatures are unlikely to supplant the full-sized equipment nevertheless there are places where it is more convenient to play with smaller darts and boards.

The invention provides a dart body having a flight end and a point end, and being essentially hollow so that the pin member point can be inserted down it from the flight end. The body can be of any convenient material, but preferably is of a plastic, such as a nylon or a polyalkylene, that is easy to shape and form as required. For a miniature dart a plastic body is sufficiently heavy to be thrown with the desired accuracy and force, though for a full-size dart such a body lacks mass, and is most preferably employed together with some form of insert weight - a lead or tungsten shaft placed within the body, for example.

The invention's dart body is in the form of a tube with an axial opening extending along it from the flight end to the point end, the opening being narrower at the point end so that a new point in the form of a headed and shafted pin-like member can be inserted into the shaft and pushed down to be secured with its head positioned within the body's point end and the pointed shaft projecting from the end. Though the tube could become progressively narrower, the pin member simply being pushed down it until it jammed, it is much preferred that the tube opening be stepped - made suddenly narrower - near the point end, so that the pin member will easily slip down into a predetermined position at the point end.

The pin member - which may advantageously be formed of a hard steel or some similar suitable material - is itself shaped to fit within the point end of the dart body. It is most preferably either actually or like a real pin - with a uniform shaft with a point at one end and a small head at the other - though it could be more like a poniard, a long shaft with a gradually-increasing diameter dimensioned suitably to fit - and to jam within the body.

One advantage of the dart point being a replaceable pin member as just described is that it is so easily replaceable that the pin shaft can be quite thin - even if it is relatively easily damaged it is so readily and cheaply replaced that this doesn't matter. A surprising - but highly advantageous - consequence of employing a thin-shafted pin is that the dart may be used with a dart board that is of a much less damage-resistant, and so much less costly, board material. Indeed, rather than being a conventional natural or synthetic fibre "bristle" board, wherein the whole board is made of fibres orientated normal to the board's surface and jammed tightly together, the board can quite effectively be made of ordinary soft paper fibreboard or cardboard (much like the boards, often used in kitchens and the like, to which "reminder" notes can be pinned), or even of a foamed plastics material such as a polyurethane or a polystyrene. A dart with a thin-shafted pin point can repeatedly penetrate and be removed from such a soft board with minimal damage, whereas a conventional dart, with a much thicker point, would cause such substantial damage that within a comparatively short time the board's surface would be effectively destroyed.

Of course, once in position within the tube forming the dart's body the pin member needs to be retained there. This is conveniently effected by fixably inserting into the tube from the flight end a removable pin-securing member, and pushing it into contact with the pin member's head, pressing the head into the narrower part of the tube's opening and thus holding the pin member in place. The securing member must be removable so that, when the pin member becomes blunt, the securing member may be removed, the old, blunt pin member extracted and replaced by a new, sharp one, and the securing member then repositioned to hold in the new pin member. Advantageously, the securing member is an externally threaded rod, the flight end of the tube is correspondingly threaded internally, and the former is simply screwed into the latter into engagement with the pin member, or is unscrewed therefrom to permit the (old, blunt) pin member to be extracted and replaced.

In one preferred form of the dart and dart body of the invention the pin securing member is the dart "flight" itself. It is common for a dart flight to be a combination of three or four vanes (the flight proper) mounted on a rod that screws into the flight end of the dart body, and it will easily be seen that by suitably dimensioning the flight rod, the dart body and the pin member it will be possible for the flight rod itself to screw into the body down into contact with the pin member, thus holding the latter in position. This is particularly so for a miniature dart, though for a full size dart with a weight therewithin it is more convenient for the weight to bear down upon the pin member head and then for the dart flight rod to screw down into contact with the weight and so retain both weight and pin member in position.

Two embodiments of the invention are now described, though by way of illustration only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic Drawings (which are not to scale) in which: Figure 1 shows an axial sectional "exploded" view of a miniature dart according to the invention; and Figure 2 shows an axial sectional "exploded" view of a full size dart according to the invention.

In the Figure 1 miniature the dart has a tubular body (11) the axial opening through which is internally stepped (12) at the point end and internally threaded (13) at the flight end. The replaceable point is a pin member (generally 14) with a pointed shaft (15) and a head (16). The associated flight (generally 17) has vanes (18) mounted on an externally-threaded rod (19); when it is screwed into the flight end of the body 11 it travels in far enough to engage the pin member's head 16, pushing the head against the step 12 and so holding the pin member in position.

The Figure 2 full size version is much like the miniature version save that the body (21) is much longer and retains a cylindrical weight (22) that provides the dart with the needed mass. The weight 22 bears against the pin member's head 16, and when the flight 17 is screwed into place it bears against the end of the weight so ensuring that the pin member 14 is secured abutting the step 12.

Claims (16)

1. A dart body having a flight end and a point end, the body being in the form of a tube with an axial opening extending along it from the flight end to the point end, the opening being narrower at the point end so that a new point in the form of a headed and shafted pin-like member can be inserted point first into the flight end of the opening and pushed down to be secured with its head positioned in the body's point end and the pointed shaft projecting from that end to make the new dart point.

2. A dart body as claimed in Claim 1, which body is made of a plastic that can be shaped and formed as required.

3. A dart body as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the dart body is made of a nylon or a polyalkylene.

4. A dart body as claimed in either of Claims 2 and 3, wherein for a full-size dart the body is employed together with an insert weight.

5. A dart body as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the insert weight is a lead or tungsten shaft placed within the body.

6. A dart body as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, wherein the tube opening is stepped near the point end to provide the required narrower portion.

7. A dart body as claimed in any of the preceding Claims, which includes a removable pin-securing member.

8. A dart body as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the pinsecuring member is an externally-threaded rod, and the flight end of the tube is correspondingly threaded internally, so that in use the former is screwed into the latter into engagement with the pin member, or is unscrewed therefrom to permit the (old, blunt) pin member to be extracted and replaced.

9. A dart body as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the pinsecuring member is the dart "flight" itself.

10. A dart body as claimed in Claim 8, wherein for a full-size dart with a weight therewithin the pinsecuring member is the combination of the weight, bearing down upon the pin member head, and the dart flight rod, screwing down into contact with the weight and so retaining both weight and pin member in position.

11. A dart body as claimed in any of the preceding Claims and substantially as described hereinbefore.

12. A dart using a dart body as defined in any of the preceding Claims, and having a pin member point mounted therein at one end and a flight mounted at the other, there being pin-securing means to hold the pin member within the body.

13. A dart as claimed in Claim 12, wherein the pin member is itself shaped to fit within the point end of the dart body.

14. A dart as claimed in Claim 13, wherein the pin member is either actually or like a real pin - a uniform shaft with a point at one end and a small head at the other.

15. A dart as claimed in any of Claims 12 to 14, wherein the pin member is formed of a hard steel material.

16. A dart as claimed in any of Claims 12 to 15 and substantially as described hereinbefore.