US20080274667A1

US20080274667A1 - Method and Top For Playing Game

Info

Publication number: US20080274667A1
Application number: US11/742,622
Authority: US
Inventors: Chinyere Okoro
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-05-01
Filing date: 2007-05-01
Publication date: 2008-11-06

Abstract

A plastic hollow conical top with a replaceable metal tip at its lower end and an open, annular upper end is spun by twirling it. The spinning top may be placed on various horizontally positioned surfaces of the body and transferred between those surfaces. Thereafter the spinning top is inverted onto a game board, at which time it stops spinning and the annular upper end rests on the board surface. The board may be covered with sand to allow the top to land only partially inverted, in which event sand may be thrown against the top to cause it to become completely inverted.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a game utilizing a top and a method of playing the same.
Various games employing tops which are made to spin and move are known. For example:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,083 to Karabekian et al. discloses a game where a target top is stricken by a spinning top thrown by a player, to move the target top along a playing field. Prior to being thrown, the spinning top is caused to spin on the palm of the player's hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,798 to Yang discloses a game involving impact between opposing tops.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,790 to Camillo discloses a game wherein multiple top-like pieces are caused to spin.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,827 to Liu discloses a fighting game using spinning tops.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,847 to Beck discloses a game wherein spinning disks are manually projected and “thumped”.
U.S. Pat. No. 836,956 to Bekefi discloses a conical top with peripheral concentric grooves for receiving a cord to spin the top.
An object of the invention is to provide a game of skill utilizing one or more tops which can be played by one person or a number of persons.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As herein described, a game is played with a hollow generally conical top. The top has a substantially pointed lower end. The upper end of the top has a generally annular end surface. The top is set spinning by twirling it. While the top is spinning, it is placed on a substantially horizontal supporting surface so that the top continues to spin. The top is then moved without grasping it, so that the top becomes positioned upside down on a designated surface with the end surface of the top resting on the designated surface. The top may be so moved by inverting, overturning, upending or flipping it, or by throwing granular material at it.

IN THE DRAWING

FIG. 1A is an isometric view of a top according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1B is a front elevation view of the top shown in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1C is a bottom plan view of the top shown in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A shows the top of FIG. 1 being twirled at its tip by a player of a game according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2B shows the top spinning on the palm of a hand of the player.

FIG. 2C shows the top spinning on an arm of the player.

FIG. 2D shows the top spinning on the forehead of the player.

FIG. 2E shows the top spinning on a thigh of the player.

FIG. 3A shows the top being tossed by the player so as to invert the top.

FIG. 3B shows the top in its inverted position, about to land on a sand-covered surface.

FIG. 4A shows the top after it has landed in an inverted position on the sand-covered surface.

FIG. 4B shows the top in an alternate landing position wherein the top is only partially inverted on the sand-covered surface.

FIG. 4C shows the top in a fully inverted position after it has been deflected from the partially inverted position shown in FIG. 4B by sand particles thrown by the player.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The top 10 shown in the figures and best seen in FIGS. 1A to 1C has a hollow plastic body 11 with a removable plastic tip 12 at its pointed lower end. The plastic body has a relatively thin wall, and the upper end of the top has an annular end surface 13. The top is symmetrical about a longitudinal axis x-x′ which extends from the pointed end of the tip 12 through the center of the annular surface 13.
The game according to the invention is played by manipulating the top 10 in various ways. The top is caused to spin and is then transferred to one or more horizontally positioned surfaces of a player's body; after which the player inverts, upends, overturns, or flips the spinning top in an effort to cause it to land upside down on a game board or other playing surface. The player may do this by a sudden movement of his or her body and/or by striking the top.
The top is spun by its tip, and then placed with its tip on the playing surface where it spins. The player employs one hand or both hands to tip the top upside down without actually grasping it, so that the top rests with its upper open end on the playing surface.
Scoring may be done according to the number of body surfaces onto which the top is moved, the length of time the top is kept in play, the number of times or percentage of times the top is successfully landed upside down on the game board or other playing surface, or a combination thereof.
In an embodiment wherein the playing surface is sand or a sand covered surface, the top may land only partially inverted, in which case the scoring may provide for a partial credit and the player may throw a clump of sand at the top in an effort to move it to a fully inverted position.
These modes of play are exemplified by FIGS. 1A through 2E. 3A and 3B, and 4A through 4C.
FIG. 2A shows a player twirling the top to set it spinning about its longitudinal axis x-x′. After the player sets the top spinning, he allows it to fall into the palm of his hand as shown in FIG. 2B; and the top continues to spin on his palm, which is horizontally oriented.
Then the player moves his arm in such a way as to cause the top to move onto a horizontally oriented surface of his arm, while the top continues to spin, as shown in FIG. 2C.
The player may also twirl the top as shown in FIG. 2A and then transfer the spinning top to his forehead while maintaining his forehead in a horizontally oriented position, as shown in FIG. 2D.
Alternatively, the player may transfer the spinning top to a horizontally oriented surface of his thigh, as shown on FIG. 2E.
In FIG. 3A the player tosses the top which was spinning on his palm, in such a way that it becomes inverted and lands upside down on sand 14, as shown in FIG. 3B, with the annular surface 13 of the top resting on the sand 14. This inversion may be accomplished by a hand motion which upends, overturns or flips the top onto the sand 14.
The sand may be naturally occurring sand, such as when the game is played on a beach, or may be sand contained in a box or covering the surface of a game board.
According to the game, the player may not grasp the top in order to invert it. Rather, the player must initiate the movement to upend, overturn or flip the top while the top is spinning and without holding onto the top.
When the player is successful in getting the top to land on the sand 14 in a fully inverted position, it appears as shown in FIG. 4A.
When attempting to invert the top 10 so that it lands upside down on the sand 14, sometimes the top lands in such a way that it is only partially inverted, as shown in FIG. 14B. When that occurs, the player may try to increase his score by throwing sand particles 15 at the side of the top so as to deflect it to a fully inverted position as shown in FIG. 4C.

Claims

1. A method of playing a game utilizing a hollow generally conical top having a substantially pointed lower end and an upper end having a generally annular end surface, with a longitudinal axis extending between said lower end and a central part of said end surface, comprising the steps of:

causing the top to spin about said axis;

while the top is spinning, disposing the top on a substantially horizontal supporting surface so that the lower end of the top rests on the supporting surface and the top continues to spin; and

moving the spinning top without grasping the same, so that the top becomes positioned upside down on a designated surface with the end surface of the top resting on the designated surface.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said moving step comprises striking the top.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said top is manually stricken.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said top is stricken by throwing granular material at the same.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the top is made of plastic.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the lower end of the top comprises a plastic tip.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein said annular end surface is circular.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said moving step comprises tossing the top.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said moving step comprises inverting, upending, overturning or flipping the top.

10. A method of playing a game utilizing a hollow conical top having a pointed tip and an annular end surface opposite the tip, with a longitudinal axis extending between the tip and the center of the end surface, comprising the steps of:

twirling the top to set it spinning about said axis;

while the top is spinning, disposing the top on a substantially horizontal supporting surface so that the tip rests on the supporting surface and the top continues to spin; and

while the top is spinning on the supporting surface, overturning the top so that the top becomes positioned upside down on a designated surface with the end surface of the top resting on the designated surface.

11. A hollow generally conical top having a substantially pointed lower end and an upper end having a generally annular end surface, with a longitudinal axis extending between said lower end and a central part of said end surface.

12. The top according to claim 11, wherein said lower end comprises a plastic tip.