GB2342592A

GB2342592A - A dart board

Info

Publication number: GB2342592A
Application number: GB9822623A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Chih-Hao Yiu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-10-17
Filing date: 1998-10-17
Publication date: 2000-04-19
Also published as: DE29819238U1; GB9822623D0

Abstract

A dart board includes two panels 40, 41 each having a number of inductive circuits (400, 410, Figures 3 and 4) for forming a number of inductive detecting areas when the panels are superposed with each other and for detecting the shots of the darts by the inductive circuits. A plate 31 is disposed between the panels for separating the inductive circuits from each other. A cover plate 30 is further attached to the front panel and includes a number of dart areas arranged relative to the inductive detecting areas. A back plate is further attached to the rear panel for increasing the thickness of the dart board. The inductive circuits of one of the panels are arranged in a number of sector areas, and the inductive circuits of the other panel are arranged in a number of circular areas.

Description

DART BOARD HAVING INDUCTIVE DETECTING DEVICE The present invention relates to a dart board having an inductive detecting device for detecting the shots of the darts.

Typical dart boards comprise a number of sliding segments to be shot by the darts and two layers of dot matrix films to be engaged with each other when the dart board is shot by the darts. However, the dart segments may not be shot by the darts having a steel tip which may damage the dart board.

It is accordingly an objective of the present invention to provide a dart board having an inductive detecting device for detecting the shots of the steel darts.

According to the present invention there is provided a dart board comprising: a) a first panel including a plurality of first inductive circuits provided therein, b) a second panel including a plurality of second inductive circuits provided therein, the first inductive circuits and the second inductive circuits forming a plurality of inductive detecting areas when the first panel and the second panel are superposed with each other, and c) a first plate disposed between the first panel and the second panel for separating the first inductive circuits and the second inductive circuits from each other.

A cover plate is further attached to the first panel and includes a plurality of dart areas provided therein corresponding to the inductive detecting areas.

A back plate is further attached to the second panel for increasing a thickness of the dart board.

The first inductive circuits are arranged in a plurality of sector areas. The second inductive circuits are arranged in a plurality of circular areas.

The dart board includes a front portion and a rear portion each having the first panel and the second panel and the first plate provided therein.

In the drawings : FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a dart board; FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the dart board; FIGS. 3 and 4 are front views showing two printed circuits ; FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view similar to FIG. 2, illustrating the operation of the dart board; and FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view similar to FIGS. 2 and 5, illustrating another application of the dart board.

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, a dart board comprises two panels 40,41 and a plate 31 secured between the panels 40,41 by such as adhesive materials. It is preferable that a cover plate 30 is further attached to the front portion of the panel 40 and includes a spider 300 provided thereon for defining a number of dart areas 302. It is further preferable that a back plate 32 is attached to the rear portion of the panel 41 for increasing the thickness of the dart board and for preventing the tip 50 of the dart 5 fron penetrating through the dart board.

Referring next to FIG. 3, and again to FIG. 2, the panel 40 includes a number of sector areas corresponding to the dart areas 302 of the dart board and includes a number of inductive circuits 400 disposed in the sector areas respectively. A number of conductive wires 401 have one end coupled to the inductive circuits 400 respectively and have the other end 402 collected together for plugging into a central processing unit (CPU).

Referring next to FIG. 4, and again to FIG. 2, the panel 41 includes a number of circular areas corresponding to the dart areas 302 of the dart board that have one times or two times or three times of the corresponding scores, or that have zero scores. The panel 41 includes a number of inductive circuits 410 disposed in the circular areas respectively. A number of conductive wires 411 have one end coupled to the inductive circuits 410 respectively and have the other end 412 engaged through the plate 32 and collected together for plugging into the CPU. The inductive circuits 400,410 may be formed by electric wires or by printed circuits and may form a number of detective areas corresponding to the scoring dart areas 302 of the dart board for sensing the shots of the darts through the dart areas 302 (FIG. 5) when the panels 40,41 are superposed with each other and separated from each other by the plate 31 (FIGS. 2,5). The tip 50 of the dart 5 is made of metal eaterial, particularly made of steel, such that the iductance or the magnetic field of the inductive circuits 400,410 may be changed when the dart 5 is shot through the panels 40,41. A signal may thus be generated and supplied to the CPU for calculating the shots and the scores of the players.

The panels 40,41 and the plates 30,31,32 are preferably made of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer materials (EVA) which include an excellent recovery characteristic for preventing the dart board from being easily damaged by the darts 5. The inductive circuits or the printed circuits 400,410 may also be easily recovered after being shot by the darts 5 and after the darts 5 are removed from the dart board.

Referring next to FIG. 6, the dart board nay include two sets of the inductive detecting devices (each including 30,40,31,41,32) attached to the front and the rear portions of the dart board for allowing each of the front and the rear portions of the dart board to be usable for being shot by the darts.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A dart board comprising : a first panel including a plurality of first inductive circuits provided therein, a second panel including a plurality of second inductive circuits provided therein, the first inductive circuits and the second inductive circuits forcing a plurality of inductive detecting areas when the first panel and the second panel are superposed with each other, and a first plate disposed between the first panel and the second panel for separating the first inductive circuits and the second inductive circuits from each other.

2. The dart board as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a cover plate attached to the first panel and including a plurality of dart areas provided therein corresponding to the inductive detecting areas.

3. The dart board as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a back plate attached to the second panel for increasing a thickness of the dart board.

4. The dart board as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first inductive circuits are arranged in a plurality of sector areas.

5. The dart board as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second inductive circuits are arranged in a plurality of circular areas.

6. A dart board having an inductive detecting device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.