US3730524A

US3730524A - Multi-game system

Info

Publication number: US3730524A
Application number: US00131983A
Authority: US
Inventors: M Green
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-04-07
Filing date: 1971-04-07
Publication date: 1973-05-01
Anticipated expiration: 1990-05-01

Abstract

A game system for children for simulating polo, hockey, soccer and other games by means of hobby horses and auxiliary devices. Stability of the hobby horse structure is obtained by a wide base construction of the supporting frame. Additional safety factors are incorporated into the game system by having the hooves of the hobby horse turned inwardly; elimination of sharp edges; utilization of light-weight construction material; and supporting T-sections within the horse for structural strength. Maneuverability of the hobby horse is achieved by means of swivelable casters and by means of greater leg room for the game participants. The height of the hobby horses are adjustable by means of telescopic support posts. The game system also provides for vertical and horizontal stacking of the hobby horses for storage in a small area. A pair of hollow posts extend laterally through front and rear sections of the hobby horse body and engage the supporting T-sections. A stacking rack comprising horizontal posts attached to a frame is provided. The horizontal posts fit into the hollow posts to support the hobby horses.

Description

United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,730,524 Green 51 Ma 1 1973 [54] MULTI-GAME SYSTEM Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle [76] Inventor: Martin Green, 243 Franklin Turn- Ass'smm ExaminerfpaulE'shaplm p Mahwah, Att0rneyConstant1ne MIChalOS [22] Filed: Apr. 7, 1971 57 ABSTRACT p NOJ 131,983 A game system for children for simulating polo, hockey, soccer and other games by means of hobby 52 U.S. c1. ..273/85 R, 272/52.5, 280/8702 R hmses and auxiliary devices Stability of the hobby 51 Int. Cl. ..A63f 7/06 horse Structure is Obtained by a Wide base Construc- [58] Field of Search ..273/85 R, 94 R, 1 R, of the Supporting frame Additional safety factors 273/127; 272/52, 525 531, 5122803702 v are incorporated into the game system by having the v R, 8702 w hooves of the hobby horse turned inwardly; elimination of sharp edges; utilization of light-weight con- [56] References Citedv struction material; and supporting T-sections within the horse for structural strength. Maneuverability of UNITED STATES PATENTS the hobby horse is achieved by means of swivelable 1,499 628 1924 Al and by means of greater leg mom for the game 145461606 Z1927 sg 5245: participants. The height of the hobby horses are 311- 2,103,428 12 1937 Lutes ..273/127B jumble y means of telescopic Support P The 1,468,993 9/1923 Converse ..272/52 game system also provides for vertical and horizontal 503,979 8/1893' Normington et a1. 272/52 stacking of the hobby horses for storage in a small 2,993,530 7/1961 Little et a1. 1 ..272/52 area A pair of hollow posts extend laterally through 1,679,659 8/1928 Hassl ar1 et a1. ..273/85 R from and rear Sections of the hobby horse body and 2,997,299 8/1961 I W1lk1ns,Jr ..272/52X g g the supporting T Sections A Stacking rack FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS comprising l'lOI'lZOlltQl pOSlS attached [0 a frame 18 pIlO- I I vided. The horizontal posts fit into the hollow posts to 742,697 12/1955 Great Britain ..'.272/53.1 'support h h bb horses 612,804 11/1926 France .280/87.02 W

1 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures gozozsew, 1o v t Q QQQQQZ: 62

- wwooefl 64 WooW 5 o v QQAQ QA v 38 1 39 N I 5 22" 3% 58 "24 60 8 (F4 52 1 28 l) I 80 Q -36 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention In general, this invention relates to games and particularly to games that are played by two opposing teams within a game area and permitting the game area to be quickly converted for other recreational purposes.

More particularly, this multi-game system for children simulates polo, hockey, soccer and other games by means of hobby horses and auxiliary devices, provides safety features to protect the game participants, and a storage structure for the hobby horses utilizes a small storage area and provides for a flexible game area that integrates this multi-game system.

2. Description of Prior Art Heretofore, hobby horses have not been considered for competitive games by schools and other institutions due to safety, cost and storage reasons. Moveable hobby horses have been used by children on an individual basis merely to simulate the riding of a horse, while a collection of hobby horses have been used in a fixed relation to each other, such as a merry-go-round or in carnival rides. The present invention overcomes these problems by providing a multi-game system that possesses improtant safety features, has low cost factors, and minimizes the storage area for hobby horses utilized in these competitive games.

SUM MARY OF THE INVENTION The invention simulates adult games such as polo, hockey and soccer by means of hobby horses and auxiliary devices. A major object of this invention is to provide children with the enthusiasm and motivation associated with competitive games so that they will derive exercise, team spirit and coordination from these games.

Another object of this invention is to provide handicapped and retarded children with needed physical thereapy for their arms and legs by participating in these enjoyable games.

Another object of this invention is to provide hobby horses having good maneuverability, safe construction features, and low cost factors.

Another object of this invention is to provide auxiliary game devices so that different games may be played.

Another object of this invention is to provide a practical means for storing the hobby horses in a small area so that the game area may be used for other games.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide an integrated game system that utilizes the competitive features of the game itself, the game participants, the game devices, the play area, and the storagetechnique.

These and other objects and features of the invention are pointed out in the following discription in terms of the embodiments thereof which are shown in the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view embodying some of the features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the invention in a stacking position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a structure shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a detail view of the invention. FIG. 5 is another detail view of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, it will be seen that the hobby horse body 10, which is made of a durable plastic material, has a seat 12, hand grips l6, and is supported by a pair of upper

vertical support posts

18, 20. These

posts

18, 20 are adjustable by telescoping within corresponding hollow, lower

vertical support posts

26, 32. Both upper and lower posts contain

lateral aligning holes

22, 24, 28, 34 for adjustment of the hobby horse to the desired height. The adjusted height is fixed in position by boltles fastening devices 80 to be described later in this specification. In addition, the upper ends of the upper

vertical support posts

18, 20 terminate in hollow T-sections 82 within the body of the hobby horse for structural support.

The

vertical posts

26, 32 are connected to a supporting base frame 40 having a front 42 and rear 44 section. Both of these

sections

42, 44 are mounted on

swivelable casters

48, 50 so that the hobby horse may be easily maneuvered in all directions during the game. These casters are removable andmay be replaced by swivelable and therefore, self-aligning ice skating structure when the games are played on ice. Additionally, the front section 42 is somewhat narrow so that it does not interfere with the moving feet of the game participant. However, the rear section 44 is relatively wide so that the hobby horse structure is vertically stable and will not topple over during the game. In addition, the rear section 44 has an integral platform 46 that is frictionally surfaced so that a second child may stand on this platform with one foot and push the hobby horse with the other foot during racing or coasting games.

The hand-held, auxiliary stick device 52 is a mallet when polo is played or a hockey stick when hockey is played. These sticks are made of plastic or other light weight material. The game component object 54 is a puck when polo or hockey is played and is also made of plastic or other light weight material. When soccer is played the game component object 54 is a ball having substantially low resiliency so that it will not bounce outside the game area when kicked by the game participants.

For the simulated games of polo, hockey and soccer, a pair of goal devices are used. One of these goals is depicted in FIG. 1. It is comprised of a rear frame member 56 with hingedly mounted

gates

58, 60 at each end of the

frame

62, 64. The gate opening may be adjusted to vary the difficulty of maneuvering a game component object within these goals. At the end of the game these gates fold flat against the rear frame for easy storage.

The stacking structure shown in FIG. 3 provides an efficient means for stacking the hobby horses vertically and horizontally for storage in a small area so that the game area may be used for other games. In a typical stacking structure that was constructed it was possible to stack twelve hobby horses very easily in an area of 42 inches by 42 inches. Referring to FIG. 3 it will be seen that the stacking structure is comprised of vertical bars 72, 74 which'are intersected by

horizontal bars

64, 66, 68, which serve to both position and support the hobby horses when they are stacked for storage.

A construction element of the hobby horse permits the vertical and horizontal stacking of the hobby horses on the stacking structure. This construction element 38 is shown in FIG. 1 which comprises a hollow tube that extends laterally through the rear section of the body of the horse and is also coupled within the body of the horse to the T-section 82 of the upper vertical support post 18 in order to provide structural strength. ln addition, this lateral hollow tube 38 has its ends turned down flush against the body of the horse to eliminate any sharp edges and also to fasten itself to the horse. A similar hollow tube 39 also extends laterally through the front section of the body of the body of the horse.

During the storing operation the hobby horses are A mounted on the

horizontal bars

64,66,68,70 by engaging the hollow

lateral tubes

38, 39 of each horse with two of the horizontal bars. For efficient utilization of space the horses on top are inverted while the costers of the horses on bottom are used for supporting the entire stacking structure and for easy manuevering of the stacking structure to the storage area. The relative positions of the hobby horses during storage are shown in FIG. 2. When all the horses are mounted in position the ends of the horizontal bars are locked by means of a boltless, quick-disconnect device 80 having a spring and clasp mechanism. This device 80 is also used for locking the upper and lower vertical support posts shown in FIG. 1. The details of this device 80 are shown in FIG. 4. In addition to this quick disconnect feature, this device has smooth edges to prevent injury to children in the area.

An important feature of the game system is the provision of smooth edges and corners of all game components and elements to prevent injury to the game participants.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, various changes in the form and relative arrangements of the parts, which will now appear to those skilled in the art, may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Reference is, therefore, to be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A multi-game system for children for simulating adult games comprising. in combination:

a plurality of wheeled hobby horse means movable in all directions within a horizontal plane, said hobby horse means to be ridden by the participants of the game and propelled by the pushing action of the feet of said game participants against the ground;

a game component object means, propelled along the ground and receiving energy by a striking force from said game participant;

a pair of adjustable goal means for receiving said game component object means;

and wherein said hobby horse means further comprises:

a plastic hobby horse body having a seat to support said game participant;

a first adjustable, vertical support post located at lower front portion of said hobby horse body;

a first hollow T-section element connected to upper end ofsaid first adjustable, vertical support post;

a second adjustable, vertical support post located at lower rear portion of said hobby horse body;

a second hollow T-section element connected to upper end of said second adjustable vertical support post;

a supporting base connected to said first and second 5 vertical support posts;

a plurality of wheeled coasters attached to said supporting base so that said hobby horse may move in all directions along the ground; and

a pair of hollow posts extending laterally through the front and rear sections of said body of said hobby horse and engaging first and second T-sections to permit vertical stacking of said hobby horse by auxiliary stacking means and to provide structural support for said hobby horse body.

2. A multi-game system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first and second adjustable, vertical posts are each comprised of:

ahollow upper post member having apertures in a transverse direction;

a hollow lower post member having apertures in a transverse direction so that one post member may be telescoped within the other post member and apertures of both post members may be placed in alignment; and

fastening means for engaging said apertures in said upper and lower post members so that each vertical support post may be locked at a selected level.

3. A multi-game system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said supporting base comprises:

an axial base member disposed in a parallel direction to the body of said hobby horse;

a front base member connected transversely to said axial base member wherein said front base member is substantially short in a direction perpendicular to said axial base member so as not to interfere with the feed of said game participants during a game;

a rear base member connected transversely to said axial base member wherein said rear base member is substantially longer than said front base member so that said hobby horse will remain in a stable upright position when ridden by said game participants; and

a frictionally surfaced pad attached to the top surface of said rear base member so that said hobby horse may be used by a standing game participant in addition to the seated game participant for racing, coasting, and other games.

4. A multi-game system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising:

a movable stacking structure for vertical and horizontal stacking of said hobby horses when not in use so that a storage area for said hobby horses is substantially reduced and allows the play area to be utilized for other games; said stacking structure comprising;

a plurality of parallel horizontal bars engaging said hollow posts extending laterally through said bodies of said hobby horses; and

means for structurally connecting said horizontal bars so that said horizontal bars are in a parallel, fixed relationship to each other.

5. A multi-game system in accordance with claim 4 wherein said stacking structure further comprises a locking device at the ends of said horizontal bars so that said hobby horses are retained in position, said locking devices further comprised of an integral, quickdisconnect spring and clasp mechanism having smooth edges to prevent injury to children in the game area.

Claims

1. A multi-game system for children for simulating adult games comprising in combination: a plurality of wheeled hobby horse means movable in all directions within a horizontal plane, said hobby horse means to be ridden by the participants of the game and propelled by the pushing action of the feet of said game participants against the ground; a game component object means, propelled along the ground and receiving energy by a striking force from said game participant; a pair of adjustable goal means for receiving said game component object means; and wherein said hobby horse means further comprises: a plastic hobby horse body having a seat to support said game participant; a first adjustable, vertical support post located at lower front portion of said hobby horse body; a first hollow T-section element connected to upper end of said first adjustable, vertical support post; a second adjustable, vertical support post located at lower rear portion of said hobby horse body; a second hollow T-section element connected to upper end of said second adjustable vertical support post; a supporting base connected to said first and second vertical support posts; a plurality of wheeled coasters attached to said supporting base so that said hobby horse may move in all directions along the ground; and a pair of hollow posts extending laterally through the front and rear sections of said body of said hobby horse and engaging first And second T-sections to permit vertical stacking of said hobby horse by auxiliary stacking means and to provide structural support for said hobby horse body.

2. A multi-game system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first and second adjustable, vertical posts are each comprised of: a hollow upper post member having apertures in a transverse direction; a hollow lower post member having apertures in a transverse direction so that one post member may be telescoped within the other post member and apertures of both post members may be placed in alignment; and fastening means for engaging said apertures in said upper and lower post members so that each vertical support post may be locked at a selected level.

3. A multi-game system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said supporting base comprises: an axial base member disposed in a parallel direction to the body of said hobby horse; a front base member connected transversely to said axial base member wherein said front base member is substantially short in a direction perpendicular to said axial base member so as not to interfere with the feed of said game participants during a game; a rear base member connected transversely to said axial base member wherein said rear base member is substantially longer than said front base member so that said hobby horse will remain in a stable upright position when ridden by said game participants; and a frictionally surfaced pad attached to the top surface of said rear base member so that said hobby horse may be used by a standing game participant in addition to the seated game participant for racing, coasting, and other games.

4. A multi-game system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising: a movable stacking structure for vertical and horizontal stacking of said hobby horses when not in use so that a storage area for said hobby horses is substantially reduced and allows the play area to be utilized for other games; said stacking structure comprising; a plurality of parallel horizontal bars engaging said hollow posts extending laterally through said bodies of said hobby horses; and means for structurally connecting said horizontal bars so that said horizontal bars are in a parallel, fixed relationship to each other.

5. A multi-game system in accordance with claim 4 wherein said stacking structure further comprises a locking device at the ends of said horizontal bars so that said hobby horses are retained in position, said locking devices further comprised of an integral, quick-disconnect spring and clasp mechanism having smooth edges to prevent injury to children in the game area.