Light-up shuffleboard equipment

• US 8,702,099 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2011
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: M & C Innovations, LLC
• Original Assignee: M & C Innovations, LLC
• Inventors: Vanderberg, Matthew Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Chiu, Raleigh W
• Application Number:
  US13/195,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20120025459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 273/126.R, 273/126.A, 473/588, 315/76, D21/321
• US Class Current: 273/126.A
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2007/4068 Sliding play elements, e.g. discs or bodies with a low coefficient of friction
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2454 with LED
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 7/0005 played on a table, the ball or other playing body being rolled or slid from one side of the table in more than one direction or having more than one entering position on this same side, e.g. shuffle boards goal posts per se A63F7/305; miniature bowling-alleys A63D3/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 7/40 Balls or other moving playing bodies, e.g. pinballs or discs used instead of balls
• CPC Class Codes: H01K 7/04 for indicating

Abstract

A light-up shuffleboard disc includes a lighting component, and a disc component containing the lighting component. The disc component is constructed so as to allow light from the lighting component to illuminate the shuffleboard disc when the lighting component is activated. A light-up shuffleboard set includes a plurality of light-up shuffleboard discs, some of which may be illuminated by a first color for representing a first player, and some of which may be illuminated by a second color for representing a second player.

Claims

1. A method for a light-up shuffleboard set comprising:

(a) inserting a lighting component into a cavity of a light-up shuffleboard disc such that

(i) an activation button of the lighting component is disposed inside of the cavity, and

(ii) threaded sidewalls of the lighting component engage threaded sidewalls of the cavity;

(b) rotating the lighting component relative to the light-up shuffleboard disc so as to cause the threaded sidewalls of the lighting component and shuffleboard disc to effect further insertion of the lighting component into the cavity of the light-up shuffleboard disc, such further insertion causing

(i) a bottom of the lighting component to be generally flush with an outer surface of the light-up shuffleboard disc, and

(ii) the activation button of the lighting component to come in contact with a surface of the light-up shuffleboard disc within the cavity thereby depressing the activation button;

(c) determining that a shuffleboard disc is disposed within a certain area of a shuffleboard court; and

(b) in response to said determining step, automatically effecting lighting of a light source of the shuffleboard disc.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the lighting component comprises an incandescent light bulb.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the lighting component comprises a light emitting diode (LED) bulb.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the lighting component comprises a fluorescent bulb.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a bottom of the cavity is partially defined by a planar surface, and wherein, when the lighting component is fully received within the cavity of the disc component, the activation button of the lighting component is depressed via contact with the planar surface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the light-up shuffleboard disc is at least partially transparent.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the light-up shuffleboard disc is at least partially translucent.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the light-up shuffleboard disc is colored.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the lighting component is configured to emit colored light.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the light-up shuffleboard disc is colored and the lighting component is configured to emit colored light.

2. A method for a light-up shuffleboard set comprising:

(a) inserting a lighting component into a cavity of a light-up shuffleboard disc such that

(i) an activation button of the lighting component is disposed inside of the cavity, and

(ii) threaded sidewalls of the lighting component engage threaded sidewalls of the cavity;

(b) rotating the lighting component relative to the light-up shuffleboard disc so as to cause the threaded sidewalls of the lighting component and shuffleboard disc to effect further insertion of the lighting component into the cavity of the light-up shuffleboard disc, such further insertion causing

(i) a bottom of the lighting component to be generally flush with an outer surface of the light-up shuffleboard disc, and

(ii) the activation button of the lighting component to come in contact with a surface of the light-up shuffleboard disc within the cavity thereby depressing the activation button, which in turn activates a light of the lighting component;

(c) determining that the shuffleboard disc is disposed within a certain area of a shuffleboard court; and

(b) in response to said determining step, automatically effecting lighting of a light source of the shuffleboard court.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the lighting component comprises an incandescent light bulb.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the lighting component comprises a light emitting diode (LED) bulb.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein the lighting component comprises a fluorescent bulb.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein a bottom of the cavity is partially defined by a planar surface, and wherein, when the lighting component is fully received within the cavity of the disc component, the activation button of the lighting component is depressed via contact with the planar surface.

16. The method of claim 2, wherein the light-up shuffleboard disc is at least partially transparent.

17. The method of claim 2, wherein the light-up shuffleboard disc is at least partially translucent.

18. The method of claim 2, wherein the light-up shuffleboard disc is colored.

19. The method of claim 2, wherein the lighting component is configured to emit colored light.

20. A method for a light-up shuffleboard set comprising:

(a) removing a lighting component from a cavity of a light-up shuffleboard disc by rotating the lighting component in a first direction relative to the light-up shuffleboard disc so as to cause threaded sidewalls of the lighting component and threaded sidewalls of the shuffleboard disc to effect withdrawal of the lighting component from the cavity of the light-up shuffleboard disc;

(b) replacing a battery of the lighting component;

(c) inserting the lighting component into the cavity of the light-up shuffleboard disc such that

(i) an activation button of the lighting component is disposed inside of the cavity, and

(ii) the threaded sidewalls of the lighting component engage the threaded sidewalls of the cavity;

(d) rotating the lighting component in a second direction opposite the first direction relative to the light-up shuffleboard disc so as to cause the threaded sidewalls of the lighting component and shuffleboard disc to effect further insertion of the lighting component into the cavity of the light-up shuffleboard disc, such further insertion causing

(i) a bottom of the lighting component to be generally flush with an outer surface of the light-up shuffleboard disc, and

(ii) the activation button of the lighting component to come in contact with a surface of the light-up shuffleboard disc within the cavity thereby depressing the activation button;

(e) determining that the shuffleboard disc is disposed within a certain area of a shuffleboard court; and

(f) in response to such determination, automatically effecting lighting of a light source of the shuffleboard court.