US3746341A - Pin ball game apparatus with supplemental manual - Google Patents

Abstract

A game apparatus is provided having an inclined playing surface and a projection mechanism to project balls onto the surface one at a time. The surface is provided with a plurality of ball receiving pockets, the surface being furthermore divided into upper and lower sections in which the aforesaid pockets are distributed. Two rods are provided which are longitudinally and angularly displaceable with respect to the surface and to each other for purposes of directing a ball on the surface into one of the various pockets.

Description

[ July 17, 1973 United States Patent 1191 Reisinger 10/1932 Gravatt....

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS PIN BALL GAME APPARATUS WITH SUPPLEMENTAL MANUAL [76] Inventor:

Andrew J. Reisinger, 61 Chestnut Avenue, East Setauket, NY. 11733 9/1953 France............. 6/1967 Netherlandsa.......t."............

[22] Filed:

[21] Appl. No.: 43,426

June 11, 1970 Primary Examiner- Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Theatrice Brown Attorney-Alan K. Roberts [52] US. 273/121 A, 273/129, 273/124 A,

[51] Int. A63d 3/02 ABSTRACT A game apparatus is provided having an inclined ing surface and a projection mechanism to [58] Field'of Search.................., 122,

273/85,129, 115,116, 129,123,85 D, 119 fifi; 124 12] 121 12] 121 E onto the surface one at a time. The surface is provided e surface being furthermore divided into upper and lower sec- Reierences Cited with a plurality of ball receiving pockets, th

1 UNITED STATES PATENTS tions in which the aforesaid pockets, are distributed. Two rods are provided which are longitudinally and angularly displaceable with respect. to the surfa ce and to each other for purposes of directing a ball onthe' surface into one of the various pockets.

3 Claims, Drawing Figures .mimenm 3.746.341

INVENTOR. NNNNNNNNNNNNNN GER PAIENTEU 1 3.746.341

sum 2 or 3 FIG? " 'INVEN'IOR.

ANDREVI -J. REISINGER PIN BALL GAME APPARATUS WI'III SUPPLEMENTAL MANUAL FIELD OF INVENTION BACKGROUND Various games are known which are of the pin ball type and which include supplemental controls for guiding balls in their descent along an inclined playing surface once the balls have been projected onto such surface.

One such apparatus is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,094,673 (E.P.Rudolph, Oct. 5, I937); In the Rudolph apparatus, a control is provided which is connected with a fixed pivot, there being located, on such control, devices extending through arcuate slots in an associated inclined board to which devices a limited arcuate movement can be given. Such a game is satisfac tory to the extent that it can be employed to test manual skills; however, the control permitted in thisconstruction is very limited and a substantial lack of control exists over the respective balls as they follow a course down the inclined board.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved game apparatus having a supplemental control.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved game apparatus wherein a substantial degree of manual control can be exercised.

It is still another object of the invention to provide an improved game which relies to a greater degree on skill than on chance and in which there is afforded an opportunity for substantial manual control.

In achieving the above and other objects of the invention, there is provided a game apparatus comprising a board means providing an inclined playing surface provided with a plurality of ball receiving pockets, there being provision for at least one ball to be projected onto such surface to follow a course downwardly along the same. Such game apparatus is provided, in accordance with the invention, with a control means to engage the ball on the surface and to push the same directly into one of the aforementioned pockets with the exercise of certain manual skills.

According to a feature of the invention, the above mentioned control means includes at least one rod, there being provided a further means holding the rod on the board for limited longitudinal movement with respect to the board means.

According to a further feature of the invention, the further means mentioned above includes spaced parallel bars having elongated slots through which the rod extends and in which the rod is displaceable.

Another feature of the invention relates to the provision of means on the rods between the bars for engaging the ball, the latter said means being of the size which is too. large to pass through the abovementioned slots.

The above and further features and advantages of the invention will be found explained in greater detail hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a game apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3is a fragmentary section of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIIPTION Relative to the game of the invention, a series of balls 19 are, by means of a projector 22, projected on to an inclined board 1 having a series of holes or pockets 2 arranged in two board sections, an upper section 6 and a lower section 7, into which holes or pockets 2, the player will attempt to push the balls by means of either or both plungers 10 which have rubber cups 12 or catchers attached to them at their ends. A disc 13 is attached at the center of each of said plungers 10.

The holes or pockets 2 in the two sections 6 and 7 can be grouped in different patterns such as lanes, squares or triangles.

The board 1 is supported on a table with legs 5 and 4. Legs 4 arelonger than legs 5 in order to incline the table towards the player.

The board 1 has a border or edge 8 which protrudes slightly above the surface of the board 1. A cross bar 9 is fixed to the borders 8 between the upper section 6 and the lower section 7. This cross bar 9 contains a long narrow slot 28, the length of the cross bar 9, through which the plungers 10 are pushed or retract. A second cross bar 11 is fixed to the borders 8 at the lower end of the board 1. This cross bar 11 also contains a log narrow slot 29, the length of the cross bar 11, through which the plungers 10 are pushed or withdrawn.

The cross bar 11 will stop the plungers l0 at the handles 14 of the plungers I0 when the plungers 10 are pushed forward and will stop the plungers 10 at the disks 13 when the plungers 10 are withdrawn. The cross bar 9 will stop the plungers 10 by means of the disks 13 when the plungers 10 are pushed forward; it will also stop the plungers 10 by means of the rubber cup or catcher 12 when the plungers 10 are withdrawn.

A guard rail 15 deflects the balls to the playing area.

An extension of the guard rail 16 also deflects the balls to the playing area. Another extension of the guard rail 16A deflects the balls to the lower playing area.

The holes or pockets 2 are given certain values. Pocket 18 is the most difficult and has the greatest value. Pins 17 placed nearby the holes or pockets 2 will deflect the ball away from the pockets 2.

A projector 22 covered by a plate 25 forces the balls 19 through a guideway 21. This projector 22 is manually withdrawn from the guideway 21 against the tension of a spring placed on the projector.

In operation, one of the balls 19 is placed in the guideway 21. The ball 19 will lie against the disk at the end of the projector 22 when the projector 22 is withdrawn. The force of the spring on the projector 22 when the projector 22 is released will force the ball 19 through the guideway 21 onto the game board 1 where it will be deflected by the guard rail 15 towards the holes or pockets 2.

The player will then use the plungers 10 to contact the ball 19 and attempt to push it into one of the pockets 2. Since the upper section 6 of the playing area contains the holes or pockets 2 with the highest denomination, the player will attempt to push the balls 19 into these holes or pockets 2 with the rubber cups or catchers 12 attached to the ends of the plungers 10.

As the moving ball 19, which moves downwardly under the influence of gravity, is being constantly turned aside by the pins 17, it may be very difficult to push the ball 19 into one of the pockets 2 in the upper section 6 by means of the catchers 12 at the end of the plungers 10. The free ball will then go towards the lower section 7 of the pockets 2 where it may be contacted by the disks or second catchers 13 on the plungers to be pushed into the holes or sockets (2) in the upper 6 or lower 7 sections.

Should the second catchers or disks l3 miss the free moving ball 19, the ball 19 would fall into the hole or groove 26 marked OUT and no score would register. If however, the ball 19 should fall into the segments 27 on either side of the hole or groove marked OUT 26, the player will receive another opportunity to project the ball.

After the balls 19 drop into a hole or pocket 2 they will roll down anincline to the bottom of the board 1 into a compartment 20 containing a ramp 34 (FIG. 2) where the balls will be racked up. The right side of this compartment 20 is provided with a slot covered with a pivoted gate 35. The balls 19 will roll out into a tray when the lever 37 is depressed.

The registering device 30 contains windows 30A which show the score. This device is not part of the invention.

The holes or pockets 2 are equipped with a trap door 38 (FIGS. 3 and 4) which is pivoted 39 and has a contact arm 40. When a ball 19 has entered a hole or pocket 2 its weight will depress the trap door 3 and the ball will fall to the bottom of the board 1 into the compartment 20. When the ball 19 falls through the hole or pocket 2 it will touch a fixed contact arm 41 hooked up to an electric circuit. The touching between the contact arms 40 and 41 closes a circuit and causes the registering machine to add the score.

I claim:

l. Asurface game apparatus comprising an inclined board, said board having upper and lower sections, each section containing pockets to receive a ball projected onto said board, manually operated elongated plungers for pushing said ball into said pockets, attachment means for attaching said plungers to said board, said attachment means including first and second bars each provided with slots, said first bar serving as a dividing boundary for said upper and lower sections but being disposed to permit a ball to pass between said sections, and said second bar being attached to the lower end of said board parallel to said first bar, said plungers extending through said slots, each plunger including first means at one end for projecting a ball disposed on said upper section toward a pocket and further means intermediate its ends for projecting a ball disposed on said lower section toward a pocket.

2. Game apparatus comprising board means providing an inclined playing surface provided with a plurality of ball receiving pockets, at least one ball, means to project said ball onto said surface at an upper section of the latter whereafter the ball moves downwardly under the influence of gravity along said surface, means to divert the downwardly moving ball from entering into any of said pockets, control means to engage said ball on the surface and to push the ball upwardly into one of said pockets, said control means including at least one manually operable rod, further means holding said rod on said board means for both limited longitudinal and lateral movement with respect to said board means, said further means including spaced parallel bars with elongated slots through which said rod extends and in which the'rod is displaceable, and means on the rod between the bars for engaging the ball, the latter said means being of a size which is too large to pass through said slots, one of said bars effectively di viding said surface into upper and lower sections while being spaced from said surface to permit movement of the ball between said sections, said pockets being distributed in both said sections.

3. Game apparatus as claimed in claim 2 comprising ball engaging means on said rod in said upper section. i

Claims (3)

1. A surface game apparatus comprising an inclined board, said board having upper and lower sections, each section containing pockets to receive a ball projected onto said board, manually operated elongated plungers for pushing said ball into said pockets, attachment means for attaching said plungers to said board, said attachment means including first and second bars each provided with slots, said first bar serving as a dividing boundary for said upper and lower sections but being disposed to permit a ball to pass between said sections, and said second bar being attached to the lower end of said board parallel to said first bar, said plungers extending through said slots, each plunger including first means at one end for projecting a ball disposed on said upper section toward a pocket and further means intermediate its ends for projecting a ball disposed on said lower section toward a pocket.

2. Game apparatus comprising board means providing an inclined playing surface provided with a plurality of ball receiving pockets, at least one ball, means to project said ball onto said surface at an upper section of the latter whereafter the ball moves downwardly under the influence of gravity along said surface, means to divert the downwardly moving ball from entering into any of said pockets, control means to engage said ball on the surface and to push the ball upwardly into one of said pockets, said control means including at least one manually operable rod, further means holding said rod on said board means for both limited longitudinal and lateral movement with respect to said board means, said further means including spaced parallel bars with elongated slots through which said rod extends and in which the rod is displaceable, and means on the rod between the bars for engaging the ball, the latter said means being of a size which is too large to pass through said slots, one of said bars effectively dividing said surface into upper and lower sections while being spaced from said surface to permit movement of the ball between said sections, said pockets being distributed in both said sections.

3. Game apparatus as claimed in claim 2 comprising ball engaging means on said rod in said upper section.

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