US3408072A

US3408072A - Toy with magnetically operated striking members

Info

Publication number: US3408072A
Application number: US457040A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles R Luchsinger
Original assignee: Luchland Co
Current assignee: Luchland Co
Priority date: 1965-05-19
Filing date: 1965-05-19
Publication date: 1968-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 1985-10-29

Description

Oct. 29, 1968 c, R. LUCHSINGER 3,408,072

TOY WITH MAGNETICALLY OPERATED STRIKING MEMBERS Filed May 19, 1965 INVENIOR. Char/66 ,8. lac/2510961" Ar/hur 4. March United States Patent 3,408,072 TOY WITH MAGNETICALLY OPERATED STRIKING MEMBERS Charles R. Luchsinger, Glen Cove, N.Y., assignor to The Luchland Company, Newfoundland, N ..I., a partnership Filed May 19, 1965, Ser. No. 457,040 1 Claim. (Cl. 273-108) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Oval shaped pellets weighted at one end and propelled into apertured targets in a game board by a striking member. The striking member has a rounded magnetized base and outstretched wings. These wings impact against the pellets. The striking member is moved by a magnetic control stick which interacts with the magnets of the striking member.

This invention relates to a magnetically operated toy comprising pellets and magnetic striking means therefor together with magnetic actuating members for controlling the operation of the striking members.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a toy in which skill of operation is a factor in using the toy to play a game but in which a certain erratic operation of the components produces spontaneous, anomalous results that greatly enhance the enjoyment of the toy and at the same time provide an additional requirement for skill on the part of the players. Further objects will become apparent hereinafter.

The toy with which the present invention is concerned comprises basically a playing board or surface with one or more target areas and one or more pellets disposed about the surface of the board. Also disposed on the board is at least one striking member which has a permanent magnet as one of its component parts and one or more arms with which the pellet or pellets may be struck. Each striking member is controlled by at least one control member operated by at least one of the players and placed beneath the board. The control members also have magnets that provide fields interacting with the magnetic field of the striking members so that motion of the control members determine more or less precisely the way that the striking members will move. In general, the object of the game is for each player to move a control member beneath the board so as to control one of the striking members and thereby hit or push one or more of the pellets to a predetermined target area. Certain modifications of the game will be spelled out in detail hereinafter.

The invention will be described in connection with the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the toy or game of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the toy or game of FIG. 1.

The toy of FIG. 1 includes a playing board 11 having a raised rim 12 and corner legs 13 to hold the play board 11 off of a surface, such as a table or the floor or any other suitable support. On the board 11 are two striking members 14 and 14a, each comprising a

rounded base

16 and 16a and a figure, which in the present embodiment is in the form of a chicken 17 and 17a with

outstretched wings

18 and 19 for the

member

14 and 18a and 19a for the member 14a. The striking members 14 and 14:! also include permanent magnets which are not visible in FIG. 1.

Several pellets 21-24 are disposed about the surface 3,408,072 Patented Oct. 29, 1968 ice of the board 11, and in the present embodiment these pellets are oval-shaped to represent eggs; although for other embodiments of the game different forms of pellets may be used. Preferably these pellets are weighted at one end so as to be heavy in an asymmetrical manner and thereby increase the erratic courses to be folded when these pellets are struck by the outstretched wings, or extensions, 18 and 19 of the member 14 or the wings-18a and 19a of the member 14a.

Three target areas are shown on the board 11 in the form of three apertures 26-28. In the present embodiment these apertures represent nests to receive the pellets 21-24. If desired, the target apertures 2628 may be numbered or their rims colored to correspond to certain of the pellets 21-24, and the striking members 14 and 14a may also be correspondingly colored. However, it is not essential to the basic invention that any particular coloring relation be followed.

The striking memebrs 14 and 1411 are moved about by

control members

29 and 31 of which only the handles are visible in FIG. 1. These control members include magnets that interact with the magnets in the striking members 14 and 14a to move the latter about the surface of the board 11 and to cause the

wings

18, 19 and 18a, 19a to push or strike the pellets 2124 and eventually to direct these pellets into the target apertures 2628.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the toy of FIG. 1 and better illustartes the arrangement and relationship of the control member 29 and the striking member 14a. As may be seen, the base 16a of the striking member 14a is hemispherical in shape and is weighted down to be sure that it remains in contact with the surface of the board 11 and that the respective striking members 14 and 14a do not topple over. Part of the weight may be furnished by a permanent magnet of alnico or one of the ferrite permanent magnetic materials and indicated by reference character 32a.

The control member 29 includes a permanent magnet 33 the magnetic field of which coacts with the magnetic field of the magnet 32a either to repel or to retract the striking member 14a and thus to permit the striking member to be guided, at least crudely, around the surface of the board 11 by means of the control member 29. At the same time the interaction of these magnetic fields provides means for causing the

extensions

18a and 19a to strike the pellets of which only the

pellets

23 and 24 are shown.

If the game is used as a competitive game in which two or more players attempt to cause designated pellets to drop into designated aperture targets of which only the

apertures

26 and 28 are shown in this figure, the striking members, of which there were usually but one for each player, may be guided by the respective control members of the players either to cause that players pellet to fall into its designated target apertures or to force an opponents pellet to be diverted away from its designated target area. The game may be played with many variations of the rules to provide either simpler or more complex games so as to adjust the degree of difiiculty to the skill of those playing and thereby make the game suitable for people of different skill or age levels.

While the invention has been described in terms of a specific embodiment it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that modifications may be made therein within the scope of the claim.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy comprising: a playing board having a plurality of target areas and a ridge around the perimetre of said board; a plurality of oval-shaped pellets disposable on said board,-tsaidlpellets beingweighted atone end; a plurality A of striking members disposable on said board each comprising a permanent magnet, a hemispherically rounded base, and a pair of outstretched wings, said rounded base being weighted down to prevent said striking member from toppling over; and a plurality of control members, each comprising a control magnet and a handle to move said magnet beneath said board into the vicinity of and beneath said striking members whereby the magnetic field oisaid-control magnet interacts with the magnetic field of the permanent magnet of at least one of said striking members to move said striking member to cause the wings thcreofto strike at'zleast one of said pellets.

. References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 665,861 1/1901 Armbruster 273-115 1,384,057 7/1921 Fleet 273 1 1,630,137 5/1927 Ruwwe 46155 2,716,028 8/1955 Yeager "273-4 FOREIGN PATENTS 761,345 11/1956 Great Britain.

RICHARD c. PINKHAM; Primary Examiner.

T. ZACK, Assistant Examiner. I