US3700234A

US3700234A - Balancing skill game

Info

Publication number: US3700234A
Application number: US127730A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles W Philippi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-03-24
Filing date: 1971-03-24
Publication date: 1972-10-24
Anticipated expiration: 1989-10-24

Abstract

A ferrous disc has a bubble level located at the center of its upper surface and a partially spherical body fastened to the center of its lower surface. At rest on a base, the object is inclined somewhat from a perfect level condition. The players set small magnetic playing-pieces on the upper surface in an attempt to bring the object to an exactly level condition whereupon the bubble is in the exact center of the level. The one whose piece finally brings it to this state is declared the winner of the game.

Description

United States Patent Philippi Oct. 24, 1972 [54] BALANCING SKILL GAME 3,092,384 6/1963 Herne ..273/1 R 72 Inve-ntor: Charles w Philippi Bucks Road 3,559,989 2/1971 BI'CSlOW ......273/l R Perkasie, Pa. 18944 [22] Filed: March 24, 1971 [21] Appl.N o.: 127,730

[52] US. Cl ..273/1 M, 273/1 L [51] Int. Cl. ..A63f 9/00 [58] Field of Search ..273/1 R, l E, 1 M, 1 L; 73/483, 484, 485, 486

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,729,947 10/1929 v Lannen ..73/483 2,306,528 12/1942 Davis et a]. ..73/483 X 3,287,979 1 1/1966 Dohring ..73/483 2,330,951 10/1943 Burmester et al. .273/1 M UX Prick ..273/ l E Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Paul E. Shapiro Attorney-Zachary T. Wobensmith [5 7] ABSTRACT A ferrous disc has a bubble level located at the center of its upper surface and a partially spherical body fastened to the center of its lower surface. At rest on a base, the object is inclined somewhat from a perfect level condition. The players set small magnetic playing-pieces on the upper surface in an attempt to bring the object to an exactly level condition whereupon the bubble is in the exact center of the level. The one whose piece finally brings it to this state is declared the winner of the game.

8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDIIBTZMBYZ 3.700.234

FIG. 3

INVENTOR CHARLES W. PHILIPPI I W, MLLMM'Q'W ATTORNEY BALANCING SKILL GAME BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A. Field of the Invention This invention relates to games of skill and in particular to a balancing game.

B. Prior Art Games are knownin which weights or other pieces are placed on a surface of an object by the players until the surface tilts to a predetermined degree at which time the winner is declared. One such game involves a platform or board which is pivotally supported at each end and is locked into a horizontal position at the beginning of the game. The players place a certain number of pieces on it while so locked. Then the lock is released and if the board tilts toward one of the players he is declared the winner.

Another balancing game involves a hemispheric body having a vertical rod extending upward from the center of its flat horizontal surface. At the top end of the rod a cup is mounted for holding a loose object such as a I-Iumpty-Dumpty representation. The players put pieces on the flat surface until the addition of one piece by a player causes the rod to tilt so much that Humpty Dumpty comes tumbling down. That player is declared the winner.

In all known games, the object is to go from a balanced to a predetermined unbalanced condition. Furthermore, in known games the placement of the object in attempting to bring about the unbalanced condition does not require a considerable amount of skill and thought. The present invention, in which a highly-sensitive, bubble-level is used and in which the device is brought from an unbalanced condition to a balanced condition, affords more mental exercise and test of manual dexterity than such prior devices.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The game device has a partially spherical portion attached at the center of the lower surface of a disc-like playing-piece supporting portion. A level such as a bubble level is mounted at the center of the upper surface of said piece-support portion. At the beginning of the game when no pieces are set on said upper surface, the supporting portion will be somewhat tilted away from the horizontal. The players set playing pieces on the upper surface in an attempt to bring the bubble to the true level position, the one whose piece finally produces this result being declared the winner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the balancing game A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown generally at the numeral 5 the balancing device according to the present invention. It comprises a disc 6 made of metal or other rigid material measuring, for example, 8 inches in diameter. On its upper surface there is a bubble level 7 mounted approximately at the center thereof by adhesive or any other known fastening method. Directly below the bubble level 7 and attached to the center of the lower surface of the disc 6 is a body 8 having a curved, partly spherical surface 8a. If the device 5 is placed upon a table, floor, or other hard surface, the curved surface 8a will have its lowermost portion on the floor and, in the ordinary course, the disc 6 will be tilted somewhat away from the-horizontal due to slight imperfect weight distribution caused by minutely imprecise alignments of the bubble level, the body 8, or non-uniform thicknesses and/0r fabrication of the various components such as the disc 6. In manufacture, it may even be desired to introduce non-uniformities, eccentricities, or asymmetries to produce the initial unbalanced condition. As a result, the bubble 7a will not be centered exactly at the junction of the two crosshairs 7b (or within the circle marked on the center of the level if that is present). I

To use the device 5 in a balancing game, a number of players-are provided with playing pieces 9. The game can be played two ways. In one way, the players in sequence set one playing piece at a time, at any unoccupied spot on the upper surface of the disc 6 which they believe is likely to bring the device to the true horizontal level position denoted by the appearance of the bubble 7a in dead center. The winner is the one who places his playing piece 9 in a position such that this ultimate balance condition is fulfilled. A second way to play is to have each players performance measured against time. In other words, each player sets out as many of his playing pieces as are necessary to achieve the absolute balance condition and time required for him to do so is measured against the corresponding tirnerequired by the other players.

If the disc 6 is made 3 of a ferrous metal, the playing pieces 9 can be small onefourth inch squares or other shaped magnets. Being magnetic, once they are put upon the ferrous disc 6, they will not slide when the disc 6 is tilted, or when it is accidentally moved by a maladroit player. Alternatively the playing pieces 9 can be of some non-metallic material. The only requirement is that their lower surface is sufficiently frictional with respect to the upper surface of disc 6 that it will not. easily slide. Of course if the disc surface is non-slippery the pieces 9 need not have frictional surfaces. The disc 6 itself can be made of plastic, or of any other rigid planar materials. Actually the disc can be supplanted by other shaped piece-supporting bodies and could even be somewhat convex or concave so long as the pieces do not slide.

The disc may alternatively take the form of disc 6' shown in FIG. 4 which is generally flat and circular and made of metal or plastic with a central hollow portion 6a shown in FIG. 4 which is generally flat and circular and made of metal or plastic with a central hollow portion 6a formed integrally therein. In this form it is not necessary to supply a separate supporting body 8 and cement it to the disc. The portion 6a can be filled with plastic or other filler and the bubble level 7 may be anchored in or otherwise adhered to the plastic. Alternatively, the level 7 may simply be suspended in or above the hollow at a plurality of points at the edge or inner surfaceof the hollow or at selected points on the upper surface of the disc around the hollow Still other forms of the invention which do not depart from its basic concept will occur to others upon perusing the specification and drawings herein. Consequently, I desire my invention to be limited solely by the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. An amusement device comprising:

a curved surface portion adapted to rest upon a predetermined base,

a playing-piece supporting portion of a ferrous material whose lower surface is disposed above said curved surface portion and has an upper surface on which a plurality of playing pieces may be set,

a level disposed on said upper surface substantially at the center thereof which indicates when said device has attained a level condition in response to the setting of; playing pieces on said upper surface, and

a plurality of playing pieces of magnetic material and adapted to adhere magnetically to said supporting portion when placed upon said supporting portion.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said curved surface includes at least a portion of a spherical surface, and wherein said supporting portion is positioned approximately at its center with respect to said curved surface portion.

3. The device according to claim 2 wherein said par- 5 tially spherical portion is integral with said playingiece supporting portion.

4. The device according to claim 2 wherein said spherical surface is part of a section of a sphere which is cemented to said supporting portion and said level is cemented to the other side of said supporting portion opposite said section of a sphere and substantially aligned therewith.v

5. The device according to claim 1 wherein said curved surface portion has a substantially flat surface

Claims

1. An amusement device comprising: a curved surface portion adapted to rest upon a predetermined base, a playing-piece supporting portion of a ferrous material whose lower surface is disposed above said curved surface portion and has an upper surface on which a plurality of playing pieces may be set, a level disposed on said upper surface substantially at the center thereof which indicates when said device has attained a level condition in response to the setting of playing pieces on said upper surface, and a plurality of playing pieces of magnetic material and adapted to adhere magnetically to said supporting portion when placed upon said supporting portion.

3. The device according to claim 2 wherein said partially spherical portion is integral with said playing-piece supporting portion.

4. The device according to claim 2 wherein said spherical surface is part of a section of a sphere which is cemented to said supporting portion and said level is cemented to the other side of said supporting portion opposite said section of a sphere and substantially aligned therewith.

5. The device according to claim 1 wherein said curved surface portion has a substantially flat surface on which said supporting portion rests.

6. The device according to claim 1 wherein said supporting portion is substantially planar.

7. The device according to claim 6 wherein said supporting portion is substantially disc-shaped.

8. The device according to claim 1 wherein said playing pieces have adherence to said upper surface sufficient to prevent their sliding about on said upper surface regardless of the inclination of said supporting portion when said curved surface portion rests on said base.