EP0126078A1

EP0126078A1 - Game device

Info

Publication number: EP0126078A1
Application number: EP83902138A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hans Rundgren
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-06-21
Filing date: 1983-06-03
Publication date: 1984-11-28
Also published as: WO1984000115A1; SE8203824D0; SE8203824L; SE432886B

Abstract

Un dispositif de jeu pour séparer au hasard et suivant un ordre identifiable plusieurs (2) contenus dans un récipient (1), de préférence des boules marquées différemment, comprend un ventilateur produisant un courant d'air au travers d'une entrée d'air pour fluidiser les éléments (2) et, grâce à ce courant d'air, faire sortir au hasard les éléments (2) par l'ouverture de sortie (11) aménagée dans le récipient (1) pour les transporter dans un dispositif de récupération (12) et les identifier. La partie inférieure du récipient (1) forme un entonnoir dans lequel les éléments (2) ont tendance à se rassembler par l'effet de leur poids. L'entrée (3) est située dans la partie inférieure de l'entonnoir et l'ouverture de sortie (11) permettant aux éléments (2) et au courant d'air de sortir est aménagée dans la partie supérieure du récipient (1); cette ouverture de sortie (11) débouche dans un tube collecteur (12) constitué par une chute ayant deux bords (17, 18) fixés aux récipients (1). Le tube collecteur (12) est pourvu dans sa partie supérieure d'une sortie d'air (14) et est fermé à son extrémité inférieure (13).A game device for separating at random and in an identifiable order several (2) contained in a container (1), preferably differently marked balls, comprises a fan producing a current of air through an air inlet to fluidize the elements (2) and, thanks to this air current, to cause the elements (2) to come out at random through the outlet opening (11) arranged in the container (1) in order to transport them to a recovery device (12) and identify them. The lower part of the container (1) forms a funnel in which the elements (2) tend to come together by the effect of their weight. The inlet (3) is located in the lower part of the funnel and the outlet opening (11) allowing the elements (2) and the air stream to exit is provided in the upper part of the container (1) ; this outlet opening (11) opens into a collecting tube (12) constituted by a fall having two edges (17, 18) fixed to the containers (1). The collector tube (12) is provided in its upper part with an air outlet (14) and is closed at its lower end (13).

Description

Game device

The present invention relates to a game device for mixing and random separation in identifiable order of a number of elements contained in a vessel, preferably differently marked balls, the game device comprising a fan means for producing an air stream through an air inlet into the vessel to fluidize the elements and randomly by means of said air stream carry elements out through an outlet opening in the vessel into a collection means for identification.

Game devices of the above mentioned type, in which balls for gambling purpose are mixed in a vessel by means of air streaming are previously known. These devices, however, are relatively complicated and in view of costs less attractive for mass production in the form of for example a simple and amusing toy. For example, the American patent specification 3,044,780 discloses a ball mixing machine comprising a cage-like mixing room, a separate air circulation circuit for mixing the balls and a separate pick-up tube for removal of a continuous stream of balls to a ball collecting and ball returning device.

According to the invention, it has been achieved a simple, cheap and reliable device of the kind introductively mentioned, the device being mainly characterized in that the mixing vessel has a lower funnel-chaped part in which the ball elements gather through their weight, said air inlet being located in the bottom of said funnel-shaped part, and an outlet opening for the ball elements and air is provided in the upper part of the vessel, said outlet opening leading into a collection tube, which in its upper part is provided with an air outlet blocked for the ball elements and which is closed in its lower end, said collection tube in the neighbourhood of said air outlet being so designed, that a first ball element having passed the outlet opening from the vessel is fixed by the air stream towards the inner wall of the collection tube in such a position that it falls down in the collection tube when the air stream ceases while before then stopping a possibly successive ball element in such a position that it falls back into the vessel when the air stream ceases.

A device having the above mentioned characterizing features implies a substantial simplification compared with similar devices previously known without any loss in amusement value, which makes the device extremely suitable as a toy or a simple party game. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mixing vessel is simply constituted by a transparent plastic globe and the collection tube consists of a chute fixed onto the globe along two edges. The design of the mixing tube so that only one ball element is separated at each mixing run contributes to make the game more exiting and entertaining.

The invention is further described below with reference to the accompanied drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows an in part sectioned view of a device according to the invention, and Fig. 2 and 3 show detail views of two different embodiments of the collection tube.

A transparent plastic globe 1 containing ball elements 2 is mounted on a support structure 4 and is connected through an inlet 3 to the outlet of a fan 5. The fan is driven by a motor 6 which is connected to a battery 7 through connection lines 9 and 10 and a switch device 8 extending out through an opening in the support structure 4.

In the upper part of the vessel, however sideways with respect to the vertical central axis of the vessel, an outlet opening 11 is provided leading into a collection tube 12. The collection tube has an upper end 14, which is open for air streaming while closed by means of a thread 15 for ball elements 2 to pass. The lower end 13 of the collection tube is closed. To make possible the use of a larger air stream than required to randomly carry a ball element through the outlet opening 11 and thereby to achieve an enlarged mixing effect in the vessel, a further small hole 16 is provided through the vessel 1.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the outlet opening 11 is located in a distance from the top point of the vessel 1, and the collection tube 12 is constituted by a chute fixed at the vessel 1 along an upper edge 17 and a lower edge 18. The outlet opening 11 is located closer to the upper edge 17 than to the lower edge 18, the width and the shape of the chute being so adjusted that a ball element having passed the outlet opening 11 is pressed by the air stream towards the lower edge 18 of the chute thereby blocking part of the outlet opening 11, while falling downwards in the collection tube along the edge 18 when the air stream ceases.

Fig. 3 shows a different embodiment of the collection tube. As seen from the outlet from the vessel 1, the collection tube 20 consists of an upwards directed part which through a top zone is connected to a downward directed part. The top zone is provided with an air outlet 21, which is blocked for ball elements by means of a thread 22. In connection to the air outlet 21 also a stop element 23 is provided to maintain a first ball element A during the air streaming in such a position that it will fall down into said downwards directed part of the collection tube while stopping a successive ball element B in a position before the knee point of the collection tube 20 so that it will fall back into the vessel 1.

Claims

1. A device for mixing and random separation in identifyable order of a number of elements (2) contained in a vessel (1), preferably differently marked balls, the device comprising a fan means (5) for producing an air stream through an air inlet (3) into the vessel (1) to fluidize the elements (2) and randomly by means of said air stream carry elements (2) out through an outlet opening (11) in the vessel into a collection means (12) for identification, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the vessel (1) has a lower funnel-shaped part, in which said elements (2) gather through their weight, said air inlet (3) being located in the bottom of said funnel-shaped part, and an outlet opening (11) for said elements (2) and air is provided in the upper part of the vessel (1), said outlet opening leading into a collection tube

(12) , which in its upper part is provided with an air outlet (14) being blocked with respect to said elements (2) and being closed in its lower end (13), said collection tube (12) in the neighbourhood of said air outlet (14) being so designed, that a first element (2) having passed the outlet opening (11) is fixed by the air stream towards the inner wall of the collection tube (12) in such a position that it falls down in the collection tube (12) when the air stream ceases while stopping a possibly successive element (2) in such a position that said successive element falls back into the vessel (1) when the air stream ceases.

2. A device according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the vessel (1) is essentially spheroidal.

3. A device according to claim 2, c ha r a c t e r i z e d i n that said outlet opening (11) is located at a distance from the top point of said spheroidal vessel (1) , the collection tube (12) is constituted by a chute fixed along an upper edge (17) and a lower edge (18) onto the wall of the vessel (1), and that the outlet opening (11) is located nearer the upper edge (17) of the chute than said lower edge (18), the air outlet (14) being located so that an element (2) after having passed said outlet opening (11) is pressed towards the lower edge (18) by the air stream thereby blocking part of the outlet opening (11) as long as the air stream is maintained while following said lower edge (18) downwards in the collection tube (12) when the air stream ceases.

5. A device according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the collection tube (20) from the outlet opening (11) comprises an upwards directed part, which through a top zone is connected to a downwards directed part, said air outlet (21) is located in said top zone, which further is designed so that a first element (A) having passed into the collection tube (20) is fixed by the air stream in said top zone in such a position that it will fall down into said downwards directed part when the air stream ceases and so that said first element (A) stops a successive element (B) in such a position that said successive element falls back through said upwards directed part down into the vessel (1).

6. A device according to any of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that further openings (16) are provided through the vessel (1) to serve as outlets for part of the air flowing into the vessel (1) through the air inlet (3).