US3211459A - Game apparatus based on simulated rocket flight - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 12, 1965 J. J. KROPINSKI 3,211,459

GAME APPARATUS BASED ON SIMULATED ROCKET FLIGHT Filed March 8, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

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JOHN J KEOP/Ni/(l BY 22 5a United States Patent G 3,211,459 GAME APPARATUS BASED ON SIMULATED ROCKET FLIGHT John J. Kropinski, 4536 39th Place, Long Island City, N.Y. Filed Mar. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 263,813 Claims. (Cl. 273-139) This invention relates to games of the table or parlor type, and more particularly to a game based on simulated rocket flight.

The general object of the invention is to provide an improved game apparatus for playing a novel game. A more particular object is to provide a game apparatus having multiple elements of chance, thereby increasing the variety of play and the interest aroused by the game. A still further object is to provide a game apparatus, the playing of which is based on simulated rocket flight.

To accomplish the foregoing general objects, and other more specific objects which will hereinafter appear, my invention resides in the apparatus elements and their relation one to another, as are hereinafter more particularly described in the following specification. The specification is accompanied by drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the playing area of a game apparatus embodying features of my invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation drawn to very small scale and showing the apparatus housed in a box;

FIG. 3 is a transverse section taken approximately in the plane of the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section taken approximately in the plane of the line 44 of FIG. 1;-

FIGS. 5 and 6 show typical Change in Flight Plan cards;

FIG. 7 is an elevation of a two-stage scoring peg representing a rocket and capsule;

FIG. 8 shows a scoring disc; and

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary elevation showing a modified air source.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 3, the game apparatus comprises an array of seats 12, and an array of control points 14. There are concealed connections, three of which are shown in FIG. 3 at 16, 18 and 20, between the control points 14 and the seats 12. The connections are preferably in random relation. There are also discs 22 received in said seats. .Most but not all of the discs have a number, as shown in FIG. 8, in which the disc carries the number 3. Such a numbered discs may be called a Go disc. There is also a means 24 whereby an operation by a player at a control point 14 causes ejection of a disc 22 from the seat 12 which happens to be connected to the particular control point.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 4, there are a plurality of rows of scoring holes 26, 28, and 32, there being a row for each player. As here illustrated the game may be played by two, three or four players. There is a similar number of scoring pegs for insertion in the holes, such a peg being illustrated at 34 in FIG. 7. As later explained, the scoring peg is preferably a double or two stage peg, simulating a rocket 34 and a separable capsule 36. Either the rocket and capsule together, or the capsule alone, may be inserted in a scoring hole.

In preferred form there are additional discs which have no numbers, and which correspond to Hold, whereas the numbered Go discs indicate an authorized advance of the scoring peg along the row of scoring holes. There also may be still other discs which indicate a requirement for a change in flight plan, and for convenience the Go discs, and the Hold discs, and the Change in Flight Plan discs, may have different and characteristic colors. For example, the Go discs may be green, the Hold discs red, and the Change in Flight Plan discs blue.

A Change in Flight Plan disc requires a player to refer to the next card in a stack of inverted Change in Flight Plan cards. Two typical cards are illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6.

A simple and inexpensive way to cause ejection of the discs is to use a puff of air coming from a suitable source. Referring to FIG. 3 the source in this case is an ordinary compressible rubber air bulb 24 having a nozzle 40. The control points are sockets dimensioned to receive the nozzle 40. The connections 16, 18 and 20 are flexible plastics tubes which are preferably long enough to facilitate random connection between the sockets 14 and seats 12. The tubes are thinner and longer than shown in FIG. 3. For convenience the connections are shown aligned there, which corresponds to a vertical alignment in FIG. 1, but it will be understood that the connections may extend laterally as viewed in FIG. 1, to afford a great variety in the random connections between sockets and seats. Inasmuch as the tubes are concealed, the player does not know which socket corresponds to which seat. Moreover, the tubes are preferably made detachable so that the connections may be changed from time to time, thus establishing a new random relation between sockets and seats. Finally the G0 discs are turned face down in the seats, so that a player does not know the score value of a disc even if he knows which socket would eject that disc.

In the particular game apparatus here illustrated there are three rows of twelve seats each, making thirty-six seats in all, in the upper array shown in FIG. 1. The lower array similarly has three rows of twelve sockets each, making thirty-six sockets in all. There are two rows of scoring holes along the left edge of the board, and two similar rows of scoring holes along the right edge of the board, each row having thirty holes. If desired these may be in groups, and in the present case they are in groups of three. The discs are preferably light in weight, being made typically of cardboard. There are twenty scoring or Go discs numbere from 1 to 5 and colored green; eight Hold discs colored red; and eight Change in Flight Plan discs, or more briefly, Change discs, colored blue. There are four scoring discs with number 1, four with the number 2, and so on.

Assuming there are two players, the game may be played as follows. Each player selects a combined capsule-rocket scoring peg, that is, the capsule section is connected to the rocket section. The twenty green cardboard playing discs that have the numbers from 1 to 5 printed on one side are placed in seats, with the number side down. They may be placed anywhere on the playing area. Also the eight red discs or Hold discs are placed in seats. There will be eight recesses that have no discs. These are for the eight blue discs, which come into play later in the game. There are a suitable number, in this case twenty, Change in Flight Plan cards that are used with the eight blue discs, and which also come into play later in the game.

To determine which player goes first, a player places the air bulb into one of the sockets, squeezing the blub and thereby blowing a disc from its seat. If no green disc is ejected he changes to a ditferent socket until the first green disc is ejected. This will have a.number from 1 to 5, say 3. The second player does the same, and the player having the higher number disc plays first. The two green discs are replaced in any of the remaining seats, number side down.

The first player places the air bulb into any one of the sockets and squeezes the bulb. If he blows a green Go disc from its seat, he advances his rocket and capsule scoring peg the number of holes indicated by the blown disc.

If it reads 5 he moves his scoring peg to the fifth hole going upward on his row of scoring holes. The same player follows the same procedure twice more for a total of three turns, moving his scoring piece, along each time by the number indicated on the ejected Go discs.

If during his three turns he picks a socket and seat that has no play disc on it he cannot advance because no disc was ejected, but the attempt counts as one of his turns. If three sockets are chosen that are not connected to seats with discs, all three turns are lost. If he ejects one of the eight red or Hold discs the rocket is held up, and again does not advance. A player can advance solely on the green Go discs, and the amount of advance is indicated by the number on the discs. The red Hold discs have no number.

After the first player has completed his three turns his opponent does the same, he too having three turns, and advancing his scoring capsule-rocket accordingly.

The two players alternate their groups of three turns each, as explained above. After each players three turns of play, he replaces the discs in seats, the Go discs being face down. Therefore there are twenty-eight discs on the playing area at each first turn of the group.

The first player to reach the top of his row of scoring holes has reached the peak of capsule-rocket flight. He is now ready for his capsule to go into orbit. At this point he tells his opponent how many orbits he intends to make, this being from one to five orbits (the range of numbers on the Go discs).

Say that he indicates three orbits. In his turn of three tries at blowing off the playing discs, he must blow off a green Go disc that has a number 3 on it before he can move. If he is successful in blowing off such a Go disc he separates his capsule playing piece from the rocket section and starts his capsule orbit, using the capsule peg to move three holes in the adjoining (or same) row of holes to start back down to the starting point. The rocket peg is left in the top hole of the row.

When one player or both players have reached this stage of the game, the eight blue discs are placed in seats. At this point there are thirty-six discs in play, and the Change in Flight Plan cards now also come into play. They are stacked face down. If the player who is now in capsule orbit, in his three turns, blows off a blue disc, he picks up the top Change in Flight Plan card, and does as the card indicates. Thus a card may read Oxygen Low, Speed Up, Advance Three Spaces in which case he advances. The card might indicate Red Warning Light Indicated, Slow Up, Go Back Two Spaces, in which case he goes back two holes. The penalties are not to exceed going back beyond the capsule orbit starting point, that is, the top of the row.

If only one player is in capsule orbit, the blue discs pertain solely to his play, and not to his opponent until his opponent gets into capsule orbit. If the player not in capsule orbit blows off a blue disc, it counts as one of his three turns, but he does not advance on that disc.

The play continues until one player reaches the bottom hole and so wins the game. The total travel consists of sixty holes, thirty holes going up with the combined capsule and rocket, and thirty holes coming down with the capsule alone.

For three or four players the rules are essentially the same. With three players, three of the four columns of scoring holes are in play. Each player uses one column of holes, thirty holes to go up and thirty holes to come down, using the same row of holes up and down. The player indicates reaching the top by leaving his rocket piece in the top hole, and then coming down with the capsule.

In the case of four players, each player again uses one row of scoring holes for ascent and descent.

Considering the structural arrangement in greater detail, and referring to FIG. 3, the playing area 42 may be molded out of a plastics material, and may be molded integrally with the peripheral support walls 44. The board 42, as molded, may be provided with the seats 12 and sockets 14. Metal eyelets are secured in smaller holes beneath the sockets and seats, as is shown in FIG. 3, and these eyelets detachably receive the ends of the flexible tubes. In the present case there are thirty-six tubes connected in random relation, and that relation may be changed from time to time by first inverting the board to gain access to the normally concealed tubes.

For convenience the board may be housed in a suitable box made for example of cardboard or wood. FIG. 2 shows the board 42 received in the lower portion 46 of a box, the latter being closed by a cover 48. By making the side walls of the cover higher than that of the board 42, space is provided above the board to receive the bulb 24, the rockets 34, the discs 22, and the Change in Flight Plan cards 50.

These cards may be of great variety, and may give the player either a bonus or a penalty. Thus, in FIG. 5 the card gives the player a bonus, whereas in FIG. 6 the card penalizes the player.

The air source need not necessarily be a compressible bulb. In FIG. 9 a compressible bellow-s 60 is provided, this being fixedly mounted on the board 62 and having a flexible discharge tube 64 which is long enough so that its nozzle end may be inserted in one of the sockets. The bellows is then pushed downward to eject a disc. Telescopic cylinders or other forms of pump may be employed instead of a compressible bellows.

It will be understood that the discs may all be of one color, in which case the Hold discs may have the word Hold printed thereon, and Change in Flight Plan discs may have the word Change printed thereon. The discs are all placed face downward and the player would not have even the clue of color. Also, even when using differently colored discs, the color may be applied to the face side only of the disc, the backs of all discs being alike. This would serve the same purpose of concealment. Anadvantage of using different colors is that an ejected Go disc may land with the number side down, and because of the color the players know that it should be turned over to see the number.

It will be understood that the rules given above may be modified in many ways. For example, each player may have a lesser or greater number of turns than three. The number of seats and sockets may be different than shown, and, similarly, the number of Go discs, Hold discs, and Change discs may be increased or decreased. The game may be played without replacing the blown discs after each player has had his turn, and conversely, they may be replaced after each blow, instead of after each group of blows. The numbers indicated on the Go discs may have a range different from the specified range of 1 to 5. A player in orbit who ejects a blue or Change disc may be permitted to select a card at random from the stack, instead of being compelled to take the top card. The number of scoring holes in a column may differ from the thirty here indicated. A disc may be ejected by means other than compressed air.

It is believed that the construction and method of use of my improved game apparatus, as Well as the advantages thereof, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description. It will also be apparent that While I have shown and described the apparatus in a preferred form, changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as sought to be defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. Game apparatus comprising an array of seats for discs, an array of control points for said seats, concealed connections in random relation between said control points and said seats, discs to be received in said seats, some of said discs having a number, and means whereby an operation by a player at a control point causes ejection of a disc from the seat connected to that control point.

2. A game apparatus comprising an array of seats for discs, an array of sockets, concealed flexible tubes connecting the seats to the sockets in random relation, a compressible air source with a nozzle insertable in any socket, and discs to be received in said seats, some of said discs having a number, the arrangement being such that compression of the source causes ejection of a disc from its seat.

3. A game apparatus based on simulated rocket flight and comprising an array of seats for discs, and an array of sockets, flexible tubes connecting the seats to the sockets, a compressible air source with a nozzle insertable in any socket, a stack of Change in Flight Plan cards, and discs to be received in said seats, some of said discs having a number corresponding to an authorized advance of the rocket, other discs having no number and corresponding to Hold, and still other discs indicating a requirement for a Change in Flight Plan.

4. Game apparatus comprising an array of seats for discs, an array of control points for said seats, connections between said control points and said seats, discs to be received in said seats, some of said discs having a number, means whereby an operation by a player at a control point causes ejection of a disc from the seat con nected to that control point, and means whereby the player selecting a control point for operation does not know what is on the disc to be ejected by said operation.

5. A game apparatus comprising an array of seats for discs, an array of sockets, air passages connecting the seats to the sockets, a compressible air source With a nozzle insertable in any socket, discs to be received in said seats, some of said discs having a number, the arrangement being such that compression of the source causes ejection of a disc from its seat, and means whereby a player selecting a socket for compression of the source at that socket does not known what is on the disc to be ejected when using that socket.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 143,032 5/20 Great Britain.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primaly Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. GAME APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ARRAY OF SEATS FOR DISCS, AN ARRAY OF CONTROL POINTS FOR SAID SEATS, CONCEALED CONNECTIONS IN RANDOM RELATION BETWEEN SAID CONTROL POINTS AND SAID SEATS, DISCS TO BE RECEIVED IN SAID SEATS, SOME OF SAID DISCS HAVING A NUMBER, AND MEANS WHEREBY AN OPERATION BY A PLAYER AT A CONTROL POINT CAUSES EJECTION OF A DISC FROM THE SEAT CONNECTED TO THAT CONTROL POINT.

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