US3588111A

US3588111A - Slot car game

Info

Publication number: US3588111A
Application number: US803605A
Authority: US
Inventors: B Kumar Agarwala
Original assignee: Revell Inc
Current assignee: Revell Inc
Priority date: 1969-03-03
Filing date: 1969-03-03
Publication date: 1971-06-28
Anticipated expiration: 1988-06-28

Abstract

A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUALLY DRIVEN SLOT CARS ON ADJACENT TRACKS ENGAGE AND MOVE A LIGHTWEIGHT BALL ALONG THE RACEWAY FOR THE GAME PURPOSE OF TRYING TO PUSH THE BALL INTO ANY ONE OF SEVERAL OPENINGS ARRANGED IN THE COURSE BED. SCORING OF THE GAME IS ACCOMPLISHED WHEN A BALL ENTERS SUCH AN OPENING ACTUATING A SWITCH TO PROVIDE AN ELECTRICAL INDICATION OF A SCORE. VARIOUS OBSTRUCTIONS ARE PROVIDED ON THE COURSE FOR

DEFLECTING A BALL FROM THE CONTROL OF A CAR DRIVEN BY AN UNWARY OR UNSKILLFUL PLAYER.

Description

United States Patent B. Kumar Agarwala Los Angeles, Calif. 803,605

Mar. 3, 1969 June 28, 1971 Revell Incorporated Venice, Calif.

inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee SLOT CAR GAME 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 273/119A,

273/868, 273/86D, 273/123A, 340/323, 340/325 Int. Cl A631 7/06 Field ofSearch 273/119,

123,85 (G), 86 (2),86 (4),94, l (M), 108

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,l34,l85 10/1938 Hansen 273/121A 3,408,072 10/1968 Luchsinger 273/108 Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant ExaminerTheatrice Brown Altorneys- Kendrick and Subkow, Elwood S. Kendrick and George J. Netter ABSTRACT: A plurality of individually driven slot cars on adjacent tracks engage and move a lightweight ball along the raceway for the game purpose of trying to push the ball into any one of several openings arranged in the course bed. Scoring of the game is accomplished when a ball enters such an opening actuating a switch to provide an electrical indication of a score. Various obstructions are provided on the course for deflecting a ball from the control of a car driven by an unwary or unskillful player.

SLOT CAR GAME The present invention pertains generally to a model car game, and, more particularly, to such a game in which model cars drivingly propel a ball along a raceway for scoring by moving the ball into openings in the raceway.

SUMMARY AND DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a slot car raceway game of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional enlarged view of the raceway of FIG. 1 taken along the line 2-2, illustrating the moving ofa ball into a scoring pocket or opening.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2, showing the raceway and general mode of driving operation of the model cars.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1, illustrating scorekeeping apparatus of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a circuit schematic depicting the game electrical apparatus in stylized form and the interconnections therefor.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning now to the drawings and in particular FIG. 1, the game of the invention is seen to comprise a generally rectangular, substantially fiat surface having a plurality of slot car tracks 11 arranged thereon in an oblong, closed raceway. More particularly, the raceway utilizes four such tracks 11, each of which in the game accommodates a single slot car 12 driven in a preferred direction, as will be more particularly described later herein.

0n the outer margins of the long sides of the game surface 10 there are provided, two at each side, switch controls 13, one for each of the cars 12. In a way that is well known in the art, each car 12 is propelled along a track 11 of the raceway at a desired speed by means of the control 13. That is, each contestant in the game manipulates the control 13 associated with his car, controlling its speed as it moves along the track 11 to accomplish purposes of the game that will be described later herein.

Along the one long side of the raceway, and intermediate the two innermost tracks 11, there is provided a scoring pocket 14. Similarly, between the two outermost tracks and spaced longitudinally from the scoring pocket 14 there is provided a further scoring pocket 15. It is the general object and aim of the present game to drive a car 12 against a ball I6 and move it into either of the scoring pockets I4 and 15.

The central portion of the surface 10, enclosed by the tracks 11, includes a plurality of wells 17 for storing cars 12 and balls 16 when not in use. Adjacent each end of the storage wells is a game-scoring device 18 which is manipulated by hand to provide a running total of the score for the respective players or teams.

With reference now to FIG. 2, there is shown a longitudinal cross-sectional view through the scoring pocket 15. The surface 10 of the raceway has wall portions defining an opening I6 of circular cross section passing completely through the surface, which wall portions further define a bottom and sides for the opening 16. The dimensions of the opening 19 are such as to permit receipt of a game ball 16 therein. At the front or leading-in portion of the scoring pocket there is provided an inclined runway 20, leading from the generally horizontal surface of the raceway into the pocket or opening. This inclined entranceway as seen in plan (FIG. 1) is generally triangularly shaped with the base portion being of substantially the same length as the diameter of the opening 19. At the backside of the opening, that is, directly opposite the incline 20, an upstanding portion 21 extends above the general plane of the raceway surface and serves as a backstop for a game ball moving from the incline 20 into the opening 19. The backstop 21 includes an inclined portion 22 which slopes downwardly toward the surface 10. The backstop 21 and triangular ramp 22 deflect a game ball coming from the right as depicted in FIG. 2 and thereby prevent scoring from that direction.

A generally U-shaped switch spring member 23 mounted within the opening 19 has a movable arm 24 that extends across substantially the complete width of the opening. The arm 24 is so constructed that when a ball is received within the opening, it will depress the arm 24 bringing it into electrical contact with a fixed electrode 25 to close an electric circuit and turn on the light means 26 mounted to the underside of the surface 10.

The material composing the backstop 21 and inclined portion 22 is constructed of a transparent or translucent material permitting the light from the means 26 to be seen by the game players.

Removal of the ball from the pocket opening causes the arm 24 to move upwardly due to inherent spring tension and resume the position shown in solid line in FIG. 2, breaking electrical connection to the light means.

FIG. 3 shows a sectional view taken transversely of the track raceway along which the model cars are driven. As is conventional in the art, slots 27 define the tracks 11 for the different model cars to follow. These slots or grooves accommodate a guide pin 28 on the undercarriage of the model car 12 keeping the car on its respective track throughout its movement along the course. Brushes, also on the underside of the auto and identified as at 29, are maintained in continuous electrical contact with electrodes 30 via which electrical power is provided to the car motor. It is to be particularly noted that the region of the surface 10 including the tracks is bounded at its outer periphery by a wall 31 and at its inner confines by a wall FIG. 4, illustrates in section the devices 18 for keeping score. A plurality of spaced, circular openings 33 are provided in the upper surface of the track raceway, lying along the circular path. Each of these openings includes a translucent insert 34 with an identifying score number. The surface of the raceway located inwardly of the openings 33 is provided with downwardly directed convexities 35 arrangedin a one-to-one ratio for each of the openings and lying on the same radial. A rotor 36 is received from the underside of the track surface with a rotor shaft 36a passing through an opening 37 which is located at the center of the circular path for the openings 33 and convexities 35. An adjustment knob 38 is received onto the end of the rotor shaft, rotative adjustment of which serves to position the rotor. The rotor further includes a flat indicating arm 39 rotatable with the shaft and adjustment knob. At one extremity of the arm 39 there is provided an opening 40 of dimensions substantially identical to that of the opening 33 and with the opening so located in the arm 39 as to permit the

openings

33 and 40 to be brought into axial alignment. A bracket 41 carries a conventional socket and bulb 42 emitting light through the opening 39.

Mating concavities

43 and 44 on the arm 39 and further rotor stub arm 45, respectively, such that rotation of the knob 38 and rotor brings the concavities into mating relation with the convexities 35 to position the arm 39, aligning the opening 40 with opening 33. In this way, rotation of the knob indexes the rotor to positions at which light from the bulb 42 illuminates the numerical indicia on the insert 34 to provide a score indication. Also on the underside of the raceway surface, there is an extension 45 which serves as a detent and engages the side of the arm 39 at the extremity of both directions of rotation.

With reference now to FIG. 5 and the electrical circuit aspects of the present invention, conventional domestically available alternating current power inlet is selectively applied via power switch 46 to the primary of a stepdown transformer 47. The center tap of the transformer secondary is passed through a circuit overload breaker 48 of conventional design to provide one lead 49 of a low-voltage DC supply line (e.g., 12 VDC). The two ends of the secondary of the transformer 47 are connected respectively to anodes of a single-plate, double-anode rectifier 50. The plate of the rectifier is connected to a second DC power lead 51. The light bulb 42 for the scoring device is maintained in continuous connection across the

leads

49 and 50. On the other hand, the scoring light 26 in a scoring pocket is arranged in series with its respective switch 23 across the DC power leads. The electrodes 30 for the model are shown as provided with DC power depending upon the position of controls 13.

At the beginning of the game the players place their respective cars on the track at START in the directions indicated by the arrows in FIG. 1, where the cars that will traverse the raceway in the same direction are on the same team. A ball is then placed on the raceway, preferably either at a point midway between the two innermost tracks or at a point midway between the two outermost tracks. The players then drive their cars against the ball and attempt to move it toward and into scoring pocket 14 or l as the case may be. When a score is made, it is registered on whichever device 18 was allotted to the team making the score. The game is completed when one of the teams has first made the maximum total score provided for by the device 18.

lt is to be particularly noted that four obstructions 54--57 project inwardly from the surface of the wall 31, two along each of the long sides of the raceway. These obstructions will knock the ball from control of the car in the outermost track or lane as it moves therepast. This is necessary to overcome the inherent advantage of the car in the outer lane resulting from the fact that a fast-moving ball in this lane will tend to hug the wall 31 through centripetal force and could otherwise remain in the continued possession of the outer lane car.

Although only one specific embodiment of the present invention has been described and illustrated herein, many changes and modifications will, of course, suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. This single embodiment has been selected for this disclosure for the purpose of illustration only.

The present invention should, therefore, not be limited to the embodiment so selected, the true scope of the invention being defined only in the appended claims.

I claim:

I. A game, comprising:

a substrate having a generally flat, upwardly directed major surface;

a ball resting on said surface;

at least one pair of fixed configuration, closed-path tracks carried by the surface;

a corresponding number of toy model vehicles, each adapted to move along a separate track; and

the surface of said substrate being formed into at least a single opening for receiving said ball pushed therein by a vehicle as it moves along its associated track.

2. A ball game as in claim l, in which signal means having an actuating member disposed within the opening are operated when the wall is received in said opening.

3. A ball game as in claim 1, in which the surface includes deflection means mounted adjacent one side of the opening to prevent moving a ball into the opening from that direction.

4. A ball game as in claim 1, in which the track regions of the surface along which the vehicles travel and including the opening, are enclosed by an upstanding wall member having at least one inwardly directed deflector for engaging the ball as it is moved thereagainst and throwing it inwardly.

5. A game as in claim 1, in which there are further provided individual means for controlling the speed of movement of each vehicle.