Football/Soccer Action Board Game

This application is a continuation in part of continuation in part application Ser. No. 18/778,971 filed Jul. 20, 2024 which was a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 17/697,182 filed Mar. 17, 2022 (Edwin Barahona).

The field of this application is soccer action game boards wherein the game of soccer is imitated in a fashion with the action of the players playing on a game board.

The field is intended to be for low-cost games with a feeling of the individual players having a direct action in playing a soccer-based game.

There are a number of soccer machine board games such as Shinado, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 10,688,381 B2, Jun. 23, 2020) which are somewhat complicated mechanisms requiring more cost to manufacture and while no doubt quite good, are nevertheless limited by cost, in availability to a large, widespread public of children and others who follow the world-wide sport of soccer. Similarly for Yoshihiko, et al. (JP 2015-136427). Again, Cheng (U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,457 B1, Dec. 9, 2003) shows a ‘penalty-kick’ apparatus, which can be exciting for a youngster, but still involves a more involved apparatus with similar ancillary detriments as listed above, not as a disparagement, but as a cost separator toward more universal availability to youngsters worldwide excited by World Soccer Tournaments.

On another, less complicated approach, Vaughn (10,179,276 B2, Jan. 15, 2019) demonstrates a soccer game with non-movable figures. So while it captures the lower cost features, it does give up the feature of movable soccer action player figures. This is not a disparagement but just recognizing a limitation. Similarly static soccer board games include Yetgin (5,853,172, Dec. 29, 1998).

Sirlachius (6,749,196 B2, Jun. 15, 2004) uses a channelized honey comb with a number of movable game pieces. While this approach allows movable figures to travel on different paths, nevertheless, because a player has only two hands, the total number of figures that can be played simultaneously is limited.

The hexagonal arrangements of paths provides multiple paths, but also tends to prevent “fast breaks” in the sense of a breakaway soccer player moving down the field for a goal.

In one exemplary embodiment of the current invention there is a game surface board resembling the surface of a soccer field, in reduced dimensions, with soccer figures (“dolls”) moved in slots on the surface board, where the dolls are attached to short springs which penetrate the surface of the board and are held upright on the board by hardware nuts or washers and nuts. The soccer figure dolls can “kick” the “soccer ball” which may be an ordinary marble or a hemispheric-like partial spherical “soccer ball”. It does the “kicking” by a player pulling back slightly on the spring and the spring-mediated return action impinging on the “soccer ball” object and transferring momentum to the “soccer ball” object. The soccer figure dolls have a footlike protuberance which is located when the soccer figure doll is in place on the surface board, slightly off the surface board, allowing the soccer figure doll to have some freedom of movement so as to be bent by a player and let go with the spring potential energy at the extreme point of the player bending back a doll, let go and converting to kinetic energy which impacts the soccer ball object and with the transfer of linear momentum, sends the soccer ball object on its way.

In a second exemplary embodiment of the current invention, which includes the above description of the spring-mounted soccer figure dolls, but which additionally allows for a rotational movement about the vertical axis of the spring. The soccer figure dolls may have a more elongated footlike protuberance. In this embodiment, passing of the soccer ball object by a rotational flipping motion to engage the elongated footlike protuberance, is enabled, along with the spring “pull-back-and-release” action of moving the soccer ball object.

In each of the above exemplary embodiments, each may be further embodied in a “simple” multi-slot configuration; or, each may have a surface board with additional “off-shoot” slots.

Advantageously, the simple multi-slot embodiments ofmain parallel slots, 2 for each player, with one centrally located half slot for each player, allow for a fast action, direct game. The main slots tend to run most of the length of the playing surface, while the central slots, tend to run somewhat short of half the distance and could be regarded as a central main slot which has been truncated in half latitudinally.

Advantageously, a multi-slot configuration with off-shoots allows for a more complicated player action, with a soccer figure doll being moveable into an off-shoot, not-very-long subsidiary slot, so as to gain a better playing position, or to retrieve a soccer ball object, to bring it back to the main flow of the game soccer figure movements.

As well as a marble or marble sized plastic ball, a soccer ball object may be in the form of a hemispheric or a hemisphere of an oblate (“squashed”) sphere, which has the edges of its bottom beveled so as not to have its motion be altered as it slides over the game board surface with its slots. Additionally, the slots may be beveled to aid in this ease of motion, for the oblate hemispheroid soccer ball object.

In another exemplary embodiments, the game board surface is a ferromagnetic material such as iron or steel, magnets are used to attach the soccer figure dolls to the ferromagnetic surface, and the number of dolls on each player's side is limited, typically to a goal tender doll and two offensive/defensive field dolls, for a typical number of three per side, six in total.

In the following detailed description, reference will be made to the accompanying drawing(s), in which identical functional elements are designated by like numerals. The aforementioned accompanying drawings show by illustration, and not by limitation, specific embodiments and implementations that are consistent with the principles of the present invention. These implementations are described in sufficient detail to enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention and it is understood that other implementations may be utilized and that structural changes and/or substitutions of various elements may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be construed in a limiting sense.

is a plan view of the soccer game board's surfacewhere the upper side touchlineand the lower side touchlinealong with the two goal linesform the boundaries of the game board playing field. There are not any out-of-bounds portion of the game board's playing surface. The center pointand the center circleare depicted as shown, as are the goal box delineationsand the penalty boxes, with the penalty shoot arcs. A bubble level is shown. The surface of the field is green with either white or black lines or a combination of black and white lines. The goalsare of a contrasting color such as red or yellow and extend along the goal lines, but within the limits set by the goal boxes.

is a plan view of the soccer game board surfacewith the soccer doll figures movement slots,,,,,, and. The touch linesand, along with the two goal linesdelineate the playing surface.

Slotsand, which will allow for a soccer game player doll () to move along a slot with its spring stem () within a slot. Slotsandare for the soccer game player dolls () which are goal tending soccer game player dolls (), one for each of two opposing (human) players of the game. Thus, each player controls three (). In the case where the goal tending doll (is stationary and does not move in a slot,, each of two players controls two dolls ().

Slots,,andbelong to a first player of the game, along with slot, each slot having a soccer game player doll (), so the first game player has three soccer game player dolls () with which to play.

Slots,,andbelong to a second player of the game, along with slot, each slot having a soccer game player doll (), so the second game player has three soccer game player dolls () with which to play.

It is remarked here that each set of the three opposing soccer game playing dolls () are distinguished by marking which may be different colors or color patterns, or by stickers representing well-known actual international soccer teams or interchangeable, affixable markings.

The slots,,,,,,, andare made wide enough to accommodate the soccer game player doll spring stem () so that the soccer player game doll () is freely movable by a first and second game player, using a game player's hand. A game player will move that game player's soccer game player doll () along a slot while pushing a soccer ball object () and using the bendable spring action () to impelled the soccer ball object () toward an opposing goal ().

In this preferred embodiment of the current invention, while the action soccer game is designed to be played fast, there may arise situations where the soccer ball object () becomes stationary in a place where neither the first nor second game player can activate the soccer ball objects motion, in which case a rule of this version game's embodiment is that the player who has last contacted the soccer game ball object () allows the opposing player to place the soccer game ball object () in front of that opposing game player's goal tending soccer player doll (), located at slotor, so that the opposing goal tending soccer player's goal tending soccer player doll (), located at slotor, is able to contact the soccer game ball object () and impel it into play. In another preferred embodiment, the goal tending dolls () are stationary, and slotsandare not present.

is a plan viewof another embodiment of the current invention. It shows the additional slots which allow (1) for more of the soccer action board game's playing field to be reached by a first game player's soccer game player dolls () and by a second player's soccer game player dolls (); and (2), allows for a wider variety of soccer action game attack and defend options, for a first and a second player. The number of soccer game player dolls () remains at three for each of the players.

The additional slots shown inareand, on the previously shown slot, which is here present; and further, slotsand, on the previously shown slot, which is here present; and slotsand, on the previously shown slot, which is here present; and slotsand, on the previously shown slot, which is here present.

Further, additional slots shown are lots depicted are slotsandon the previously shown slot,, which is here present. Also, additional slots depicted areandon previously shown slot, which is here and present.

shows an exemplar of the soccer game player doll. The body of the soccer game player doll includes a protrusion “kicking” footwhich serves in contacting a game ball object (). The springis held in place on a playing surface () in one of the slots (;,,,,,,,); or in one of the slot extensions in another embodiment with slot extensions (;,,,,,,,,,,) by an upperattachment assembly and a lowerattachment assembly.

The lower attachment assemblymay include a bolt, which threads part-way into the spring through the open bottom of the spring, and a lower assembly washer, or, a nutthreaded externally on the springwith a lower assembly washer. Alternatively, the lower assembly washermay be welded to the spring.

The upper attachment assemblymay have a nutthreaded on the spring with an upper assembly washer. Alternatively, the upper assembly washer may be welded to the spring, or attached by known methods in the art, such as an epoxy.

In a first preferred embodiment the upper assembly washerand lower assembly washerhave a diameter of one inch, although the diameter may vary as long as the dollis able to be supported well enough that the springdoes not wobble.

indicates some typical dimensions for the doll. In one preferred embodiment the heightof the dollis 2 inches, although the heightmay range from 1 inch to 3 inches. The spring clearance, is in one preferred embodiment 0.5 inch. The protruding footlengthat its top in one preferred embodiment is 0.25 inch. The heightof the protruding foot is 0.75 inch in one preferred embodiment. The angle θ of the front face of the protruding footis 10 degrees forward in one preferred embodiment. Other preferred embodiments may range from 10 degrees backward to 15 degrees forward.

shows an animation of using the dolland the attached springwhich are mounted in a slotsuch as shown in. Here the playing surfaceis shown in profile, and a perspective of slotis not shown. A player pulls back on that player's doll, bending the spring back (position “A”). As the player releases the doll, the spring tends to return the doll to an upright position (position “B”). The doll overshoots a bit (position “C”) and imparts a velocity (schematically shown as arrow “D”) to the soccer ball object.

The springis approximately a Hooke's law object with a bending spring constant k, such that as the angle of the springbeing bent back (position “A”), the springbecomes capable of a force proportional to the angle of bend times the Hooke's law constant k. This force, F, proportional to kdθ where dθ is the bend angle, acts on the soccer ball objectas it contacts the soccer ball objectover a time Δt (noting positions “B” and “C”), and the momentum MV imparted is F Δt. M is the mass of the soccer ball object. Consequently, the velocity V imparted to the soccer ball objectis then V=F Δt/M. Thus V=k dθ Δt/M and the soccer ball objectis propelled toward the opposing goal.

illustrates the operation (by a player) of the dollin rotational motion toward “E” or “F”. The doll'sprotruding footengages with the soccer ball objectto move the ball toward the goal line () of the opposing player, or to pass the soccer ball objectto another dollof the player. Further, the sliding motion of the dollalong a slot (e.g.,) is indicated by forward “G” and back “H” directions.

depicts a “three-dimensional” presentation of the football/soccer action game construction. There are screw height adjusterson the four bottom corners of the soccer action game construction. These operate in conjunction with a bubble level (not shown) imbedded in the soccer game playing surface.

The soccer game playing surface typically 0.25 inch thick, depending upon the material. It may consist of wood, plastic, metal, or composite. Grooves, such as shown in, are cut through its surface.

The elongated sidesare typically 16-24 inches long. The narrower sidesare 10-16 inches. The heightsof all sides above the playing surfaceis 2-2.5 inches and the heightbelow the playing surfaceis typically 0.25 inch. A typical thickness (not shown) is typically 0.25 inch, and depends on the choice of the construction material, as noted above, for the playing surface(wood, etc.).

A first preferred embodiment wood have playing surfaceof 0.25 inch thick wood and elongated sidesof 0.375 inch thick wood and 24 inches length. The narrower sides would have 0.25 inch thick wood.

The exact dimensions are not critical.

shows three versions of the soccer ball object. The first version is a common glass marble. The second version is a plastic ballwith standard soccer ball markings. This plastic ball, in one preferred embodiment, is approximately the size of the glass marble. The dimensions are not critical. The weight is in the range of half that of the glass marble. The third versionof the soccer ball object is a hemispheric part of an oblate spheroid. The material is typically plastic although other materials such as wood may be utilized. The bottom edgeof the hemispheric oblate spheroid is beveled to counter any tendency to be channeled by a slot (e.g.,). The diameter of the hemispheric oblate spheroidis typically in the range of that of a common glass marble to 3 times the diameter of the glass marble, with one preferred embodiment with a diameter of twice that of a common glass marble.

shows that each of the dollson one player's side have a color ensemble,such that the dollsof each side have a different color ensemble,so that each player's side is distinguished.

A player's side's color ensemble may be printed on stick-on stickerswhich may be stuck on the each of the dolls on one player's side while the dolls of each side have a different color ensemble so that each player's side is distinguished. The color ensemble may be printed on paper cardswhich are placed in a sloton each doll of each player. The paper cardis shown inin side view, and the slotwould extend around each doll. In an exemplary preferred mode, it can be made of a transparent plastic.

shows that a doll may be attached to the game board by a of spring-loadedpair of axleswith small wheelsat each end. The upper springis the spring which is the spring which is bent back (by hand) on the dolland released to propel a soccer ball object. The upper spring attached between the dolland an upper attachment blockA second springextends between the upper attachment blockand a lower attachment block. This second springspring loads the axlesand the wheels(note: for clarity only one of each is called out). The upper axles (e.g.,) and wheels (e.g.,) are compressed toward the lower axles (e.g.,) wheels providing a holding force on the game-board surface. A stabilizing deviceis shown in more detail in. The lower springand the stabilizing devicepenetrate through a a generic slotin the game-board surface. A first preferred embodiment has wheels (e.g.,) of diameter 0.28 inch and axles (e.g.,) of 0.125 inch. A first preferred embodiment has the wheel-axle-axle-wheel combination spanning a distance of one inch.

shows details of the lower part of. Again, the upper springattaches to the dolland extends down to a first attachment block. This is the springattached between which is bent by the doll(using fingers) to propel the soccer-ball object. The lower springattaches between the upper blockand the lower blockand pulls the lower blocktowards the upper block, acting to clamp the upper wheels (e.g.,) and axles (e.g.,) and the lower axles (e.g.,) and wheels (e.g.,) to the game board surface. The lower springextends through game board surfaceand thus in a first preferred embodiment is a minimum of 0.25 inch.

The stabilizing device has an upper armwhich connects to a lower armby way of a hingeand extends through a generic slot. When the upper springis bent with some sidewise component, the stabilizer device (comprising upper an arm, a lower armand a hinge) moves only a little toward a side of a generic slot and acts to stabilize the whole dolland wheeled base assembly. In a first preferred embodiment a stabilizing device has an upper armof 0.175 in in diameter or square cross-section and the same for the lower arm. An upper anchoring blockand a lower anchoring blockact to support right and left axles (relative to the dolls facing direction, when at rest) and provide attachment point for the upper springand the lower spring.

reprises, however, with thin cylinderson axlesinstead of wheels on axles. The purpose is to provide more contact surface with the top of the game boardAs in the previousthere is an upper springand a lower springas well as an upper anchoring blockand a lower anchoring block. Here there are cylinders (e.g.,) on axles (e.g.,). The lower springextends though a generic slot

reprises, however, with thin, elongated cylinders, on axles. The cylinders (e.g.,) are held on the axles (e.g.,) by an end cap (e.g.,). A first preferred embodiment has cylindersof outside diameter 0.172 inch and an individual length of 0.5 inch, with axles of 0.125-inch diameter.

In an exemplary embodiment utilizing magnets and a ferromagnetic playing surface () the playing field surface is without slots and is typically 0.125 to 0.25 inches thick, typically iron or steel.

illustrates the placement of a magneton the soccer action doll. The magnetcan range from a 1 lb to a 5 lb. pull (holding power).

shows the method of having interchangement magnets, with different holding power (pull). A magnetwith a central hole is attached with thin threaded washers held together with a threaded bolt. This allows for players of different ages to easily play the game according to each individual's strength and speed.