Precise Electronic Dartboard

Abstract

An electronic dartboard apparatus with an “in-play” scoring area that includes a plurality of narrow concentric circular areas, as well as a plurality of narrow straight-line areas which extend from the innermost circular area, through the interior circular areas, to the outermost circular area. The outermost circular area serves to distinguish between the “in-play” and “out-of-play” areas. The distinct color of the narrow concentric circular and straight-line areas makes them distinguishable from the rest of the board, creating very clear boundaries between all the other scoring areas that make up the “in-play” area. Both the narrow circular and straight-line areas are flush with the rest of the dartboard, and include scoring holes identical to those throughout the entire “in-play” area, thus making the “in-play” surface one continuous, very precise scoring area, where darts no longer bounce off the board, and fail to register the proper score.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An electronic dartboard apparatus comprising;
 an “in-play” scoring area having a plurality of narrow concentric circular areas and a plurality of narrow straight-line areas which extend from the innermost narrow circular area, through the interior narrow circular areas, to the outermost circular area;   an “out-of-play” non-scoring area outside the said outermost narrow circular area.   
     
     
         2 . An electronic dartboard apparatus as in  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of narrow concentric circular areas and said plurality of narrow straight-line areas are a different color than the rest of the dartboard, making the areas very distinct, and highly visible. 
     
     
         3 . An electronic dartboard apparatus as in  claim 2 , wherein said plurality of narrow concentric circular areas, and said plurality of narrow straight-line areas, are flush with the entire circular “in-play” scoring area, having scoring holes in them identical to the holes in the rest of said “in-play” area, creating one continuous “in-play” scoring area. 
     
     
         4 . An electronic dartboard apparatus as in  claim 2 , wherein said narrow straight-line areas serve to create, and establish borders between, the different numeric pie-shaped scoring areas within the said “in-play” scoring area. 
     
     
         5 . An electronic dartboard apparatus as in  claim 2 , wherein said plurality of narrow concentric circular areas serve to establish different scoring areas within each said numeric pie-shaped area; said innermost concentric circle serves to establish a small, round area in the center of the board known as the bull’s eye, distinguishing the bull’s eye from the rest of the numeric scoring areas. 
     
     
         6 . An electronic dartboard apparatus as in  claim 3 , wherein there is a number at the end of each said narrow straight-line scoring area, just outside said outermost narrow circular scoring area in the said “out-of-play” area, indicating the value of darts that hit/stick in each particular narrow straight-line scoring area. 
     
     
         7 . An electronic dartboard apparatus as in  claim 3 , wherein the electronics of the board would be configured so that darts landing in the narrow concentric circular scoring areas and the narrow straight-line scoring areas would be scored properly. 
     
     
         8 . An electronic dartboard apparatus as in  claim 3 , wherein the straight-line scoring areas between the numbers contains two rows of holes extending from the bull’s eye to the outermost ring, with one row of holes being a unique color to the board, and the other row of holes being a different unique color to the board, creating a border area that consists of two colors side by side, with each row of holes being a part of the number it borders for scoring purposes. 
     
     
         9 . An electronic dartboard apparatus as in  claim 8 , wherein the outermost holes encompassing each scoring area on the board are one of the two unique colors added to the board, such that each scoring region is outlined in a unique color that is different from the unique color that outlines every scoring area adjacent to it, establishing very clear, staggered boundaries between each individual scoring area of the board.