US2859037A

US2859037A - Game apparatus simulating an invasion

Info

Publication number: US2859037A
Application number: US604416A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert V Howard
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1956-08-16
Filing date: 1956-08-16
Publication date: 1958-11-04
Anticipated expiration: 1975-11-04

Description

Nov. 4, 1958 R. V. HOWARD 2,859,037

' GAME APPARATUS SIMULATING AN INVASION Filed Aug. 16, 1956 IN V EN TOR. Roesm' V. Ham RD United States Patent Ofiice 2,859,037 Patented Nov. 4, 1958 GAME APPARATUS SIMULATING AN INVASION Robert V. Howard, Denver, Colo. Application August 16, 1956, Serial No. 604,416

Claims. (Cl. 2731) This invention relates to war games and the like, and particularly to what I choose to term an invasion game.

The main object of my invention is to provide a game for several players in which war maneuvers on and in water are performed on a miniature scale, but of an educational and entertaining character.

An ancillary object of my invention is to provide a war game of the type intimated with a special water trough or open tank having a water course for several small ship elements to be sponsored by the players of the game.

Another object of the invention is to have such a water trough or tank which is provided with a bottom drainage plug and a plurality of problem handicaps or obstacles, tending to develop skill in sending off the individual ship elements to traverse the water course.

A further object of this invention is to provide the tank or trough with a launching end for the ship elements and an enemy position forming a goal toward which the ship elements are set to travel.

It is also an object of the invention to have such an invasion game wherein players may be pitted against each other as invaders by ship and defenders on land, with appropriate defense means disposed in effective defe'nse position at the goal end of the water trough or-tank.

A practical object forming an important feature of my invention is to have each ship element equipped to be self propelled and capable of steering a course selected by the player involved, and also equipped for defense against handicaps and obstacles of certain types.

An object with a view to economy is also to have an invasion game of the character indicated which is simple to make and easy to play with a low cost in order to encourage wide distribution of the game on the market.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear in greater detail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invention for a proper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, and in which:

Figure l is a longitudinal section of a ship element of the invasion game involving my invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a complete assembly of water tank equipment and ship elements, etc., embodying my invention in a practical preferred form;

Figure 3 is a transverse section of the water tank or trough as taken on line 3-3 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of one of the mines forming handicaps or problem obstacles in the game; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical section of the spring actuated gun and bunker device showing the plunger in retracted position to project a pellet.

In these views, the same reference numerals indicate the same or like parts and features.

In educational games and games of skill and entertainment, it is, of course desirable to have features included that simulate actual conditions and situations in practical life and experience. This is certainly true of games 2 that simulate war maneuvers and the like, and when skill in handling ships and guns and quick observations are all involved, the eye, the hand and the mind are all improved in the direction of quick perception and instant response to recognized situations.

With these thoughts in mind, obviously a problem existed in the field of educational and entertainment games, and it occurred to me that a game could he invented that would challenge the mind and improve and educate it while entertaining several players simultaneously. As a result of such consideration, I have succeeded in producing a war game' or invasion game along the lines already indicated, which will now be described in detail in the following, due reference being had to the drawing previously referred to.

Hence, in the practice of my invention, a pan, tank or trough generally indicated at 5 is preferably made of metal or plastic, has a flat bottom 6 in which is fitted a drain plug 7 having a finger piece or loop 8 by which to remove it at will to drain off even small amounts of water to obtain a definite water level 9 between the

walls

10, 10 when filled with water 11. Preferably, the

bottom edges

12, 12 and

wall corners

13, 13, 14, 14 are all rounded, and the whole cast in one operation. At one end 15, the pan is formed into a group of launching

docks

16, 16 and an adjacent simulated beach at end 15, while the opposite end 18, forming the goal of the invasion operation is provided with a group of simulated guns and

bunkers

19, 19 occupying the greater part of the goal end, but also provided with a spring actuated operable gun and bunker device 20 at one corner capable of sweeping the entire area of the water surface within the tank with lead or other heavy pellets.

At the

sides

10, 10 are formed

inclined deflectors

21, 21 tending to direct any moving object on the water to veer inwardly toward the central area of the water from either side of the pan. In the general goal area indicated at 22 are placed a group of simulated

mines

23, 23 actually formed individually of inflated rubber balloons having their lower inflating ends closedby cord or wire 24 tightly entwined about these ends 25 to maintain a predetermined amount of air in each balloon, while the lower ends of the cords or wires involved are ballasted with small lead weights 26 suflicient to sink to the bottom and allow each balloon to extend upward as far as its cord or wire will permit it to go. These balloons are intended to be below the water surface but at different levels so as to form hazards or handicaps to the objects floating on the water when traveling toward the goal end of the pan.

At the docks 16 are initially located a group of, say seven ships, each ship 27, as best seen in Figure'l having a hollow hull 28 provided with a superstructure 29 completely closing the top of the boat but having a charging opening 30 provided with a tightly fitting top plug 31, allowing the ship to be filled with carbonated water or fluid and the plug then inserted to retain the gas pressure generated when the'ship is picked up and shaken. At the rear 32 of the ship is pierced a small escape hole 33 for the gas within the hull serving to drive the ship toward the far end 18 when desired. Each ship may have a number applied thereon to figure in the total credits for the player involved, and the front end 34 is equipped with a balloon piercing pin 35 at a suitable level to be capable of striking any one of balloons or mines 23 if driven directly at them. At the rear, again a rudder 36 is swivel mounted and provided with a tiller 37 accessible from above.

The arrangement is such that when several players are divided into two camps, two may first be opposed, one

launched by the other player from docks 16, by shaking each ship and then setting it down and initially directing it toward the enemy shore or end 18. Of course, prior to such launching, each ship is filled, but not quite full with carbonated water or beverage, so that when the ship is shaken, the gas generated will be limited to the escape hole or vent 33 for escaping from the ship. The latter Will thus be driven along the water and may strike one or the other of the inclined side deflectors 21, but

when once launched, the ship may not be touched or redirected by the player sponsoring it. Then again, the ships started on their way will encounter one or the other of the mines or balloons 23 if unlucky and will pierce the same by the front pin 35, causing the balloon to burst and register loss of the ship from the players credit. On the other hand, a lead pellet from enemy gun 20 may strike a ship and then it is listed as sunk and thus lost. Only that ship that reaches the end 13 without exploding a balloon or being directly hit by a pellet from gun 20 is considered a successful invasion ship and counted in a winning score according to the number that may be applied thereon, if desired. The game can, of course be played without having such numbers applied to the ships, and the number of ships actual- I ly arriving safe at the invasion end 18.

In order to introduce a more emphatic element of chance into the game, the inside at least of the pan, trough or tank is preferably given a dark color, or the pan itself may be made of plastic of dark color, and the balloons or simulated mines are also given the same or approximately the same dark color, so that when players look down into the water, the mines will be most difficult and virtually impossible to descry in the water. Thus, it will be very difiicult to initially direct a ship so that it will surely miss all of the mines, for they will be virtually invisible.

A suitable projector is shown in Figure to include a tubular body 38 open at its front end and closed at its rear end with an opening in its rear wall through which a plunger rod 39 may reciprocate. The plunger rod has a disk 40 at its front end with a compression spring 41 between the rear wall of the body and the disk for urging the plunger rod forwardly, a handle 42 mounted on the rear end of the plunger provides means to operate or withdraw the plunger against the end of the compression of the spring 41 and when the plunger 39 is released the spring forces the disk forwardly and forces a pellet 43 out of the projector.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to, and parts and features may be modified or used without others within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim:

1. An invasion game of the character described, including the combination of a pan or trough having a continuous bounding wall and capable of holding a quantity of water of predetermined depth, means forming a launching area at one end of the pan and means forming an invasion area at the other end, and at least one ship adapted to float upon the water and travel from the launching area toward the invasion area thereon, said ship having a hollow hull with a closed top formed with a charging opening for a carbonated fluid and a rear discharge opening for discharging fluid and gases rearwardly to drive the ship through the water, the ship having a closure for the charging opening, said launching area including a plurality of individual docks disposed in a series and having sides forming the docks into adjacent ship pockets, a defense weapon in the invasion area capable of propelling pellet against invasion ships, each ship having a piercing pin at its forward end, a plurality of weighted small balloons simulating mines and floating in the water in the pan a distance above the bottom and below the surface of the water in effective position to be punctured by the piercing points of the ships.

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which short lines are fixed to the balloons, weights are fixed on the lines in such a position as to maintain the balloon below the surface at a selected location, the balloons being of a color indistinguishable from the color of the interior of the pan and the water whereby the players cannot determine the location of such balloons, said pan being provided with deflectors at its sides to direct ships toward the center.

3. An invasion game of the character described, including the combination of a pan or trough having a continuous bounding wall and capable of holding a quantity of water of predetermined depth, means forming a launching area at one end of the pan and means forming an invasion area at the other end, and at least one ship adapted to float upon the water and travel from the launching area toward the invasion area thereon, said ship having a hollow hull, means to propel the ship in a forward direction, a balloon piercing point mounted on the forward end of said ship, a plurality of weighted small balloons simulating mines floating in the water in the pan a distance above the bottom of the pan and below the surface of the water in effective position to be punctured by the piercing point on the ship.

4. The invention according to claim 3 in which the balloons are maintained in selected position by anchors.

5. The invention according to claim 3 in which a pellet projecting device is mounted on the invasion area.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,299,551 McGahey Oct. 20, 1942 2,355,118 Storey Aug. 8, 1944 2,551,055 Scharkopf May 1, 1951 2,668,390 Fredericks Feb. 9, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 131,912 Great Britain Oct. 21, 1920