Upright ball maze board game

Abstract

The apparatus comprises a game for developing the user's fine motor control while maintaining the user's interest to prolong game usage. The game comprises a removeable maze which is positioned upright adjacent to a backstop so that a gap is created between the maze and the backstop. A clear cover placed over the upright maze, creating a second gap between the upright maze and cover. A control member rests within this second gap and is used to guide a ball along the maze pathway of the game. If the user makes a mistake, the ball falls off the upright maze and falls down the first gap between the maze and the backstop. First and second ball returns may optionally exist on the top and the bottom of the apparatus. The upright maze can be removed from the apparatus and replaced with a different upright maze with a different maze pathway.

1 . A game comprising:
 a backstop, wherein the backstop defines a plane which has a bottom end and an opposite top end;   a first ball return device located at the bottom end of the backstop;   a second ball return device located at the top end of the backstop;   a removeable upright maze which lies adjacent to the backstop,
 wherein a first gap exists between the removeable upright maze and the backstop, 
 wherein the upright maze has at least one entrance at the side of the maze corresponding to the bottom end of the backstop, and 
 wherein the upright maze has at least one exit at the side of the maze corresponding to the top end of the backstop; 
   a sheet of clear cover material which lies along the removeable upright maze,
 wherein a second gap exists between the removeable upright maze and the sheet of clear cover material; 
   a control member configured to move through the second gap between the removeable upright maze and the clear cover material; and   a ball with a diameter that is less than the width of either the first or second gaps.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first ball return device includes a first ramp located at the bottom of the backstop which descends in a direction away from the backstop,
 wherein the first ramp is configured to receive balls which fall through either the first or the second gaps; and 
   the second ball return includes a second ramp at the top end of the backstop which runs the width of the backboard and slopes toward the bottom end of the backstop,
 wherein the second ball return further comprises a tube which runs from the top end of the backboard to the bottom end of the backboard, 
 wherein the second ball return ramp is configured to deliver any ball which reaches the end of the upright maze into the tube. 
   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the game further comprises an upper shell section and a lower shell section, wherein the upper shell section is operably connected to the lower shell section via a joint or hinge, wherein the joint or hinge is configured operably to allow the upper and lower shell sections to substantially fold against each other. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising a ball retention apparatus placed at the bottom of the first ramp to catch balls as they roll down the first ramp. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the control member has at least one handle configured to aid manipulation of the control member. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a sensor which detects when a ball has passed through the first or second ball return device and is configured operably to thereafter or concurrently activate an output device which is configured to output a visual and/or audio signal.   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the clear cover is removeable. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the clear cover is fixed in place, and upright maze is replaced through a side of the apparatus. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a pathway of the upright maze lies within a second plane parallel to a first plane of the backstop, and the pathway does not extend out of said second plane. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the pathway of the upright maze lies within a second plane parallel to a first plane of the backstop and parts of the pathway contain ridges or valleys which extend out of said second plane. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the upright maze is formed out of a single sheet of material, wherein the space between the edges of the maze pathway is cut out of the single sheet of material. 
     
     
         12 . A method of using the apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising:
 obtaining the apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus contains a first upright maze;   obtaining a ball with a diameter less than or equal to the width of either the first or the second apparatus gaps;   moving the control member to the side of the upright maze corresponding to the bottom end of the backstop;   placing the ball on the control member at the location of the start of the maze;   moving and tilting the control member to guide the ball along a path of the maze until the ball is moved to the end of the maze;   causing the ball to enter the second ball return device;   using the ball return device to return the ball to the apparatus user.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 removing the first upright maze which laid between the clear cover and the backstop of the apparatus of  claim 1 ;   obtaining a second upright maze with a different maze-shape than the removed upright maze;   placing the second upright maze between the clear cover and the backstop;   placing the ball at the bottom of the second upright maze;   using the control member to guide the ball along the path of the maze until the ball is moved to the end of the maze.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 moving and tilting the control member with the apparatus user's hands.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising: removing the clear cover from the apparatus before replacing the original upright maze with a second upright maze. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , causing the ball to interact with a sensor configured to activate a visual and/or audio indicator which emits a signal when the ball passes the sensor. 
     
     
         17 . A game comprising:
 an open-backed frame configured to hold a removeable upright maze with a bottom side and a top side,
 wherein the removeable upright maze has least one entrance at the bottom of the maze and at least one exit at the top of the maze, 
 wherein the upright maze has at least one pathway which connects the at least one entrance to the at least one exit, and 
 wherein the upright maze is formed out of a single sheet of material,
 wherein the space between the edges of the maze pathway is cut out of the single sheet of material; and 
 
   a ball with a diameter equal to or less than the width of upright maze's pathway;   a control member configured to move the ball through the maze.   
     
     
         18 . The game of  claim 17 , further comprising a first ball return device. 
     
     
         19 . The game of  claim 18 , wherein the removeable upright maze is configured so that if a ball falls off an edge of the maze or exits an end of the maze, the ball falls off the maze and drops into the first ball return device. 
     
     
         20 . The game of  claim 17 , wherein the frame is covered by a clear cover which configured to have a gap between the clear cover and the removeable maze, wherein said gap is greater or equal to the diameter of the ball.