Title:
TARGET GAME WITH SWINGABLY MOUNTED PROJECTING BALL
United States Patent 3794324
Abstract:
A game of skill which is a modified form of the indoor target game of skee-ball. The game includes a playing alley which supports at one end thereof a swingably-mounted drive ball to be manipulated by the player for propelling a series of playing balls along a ramp. The ramp is constructed to catapult the playing balls into concentric scoring troughs located at the other end of the playing alley. An adjustable impact-transfer device is mounted on the ramp and supports successive playing balls in impact-transfer relation to a stationary impact ball. The impact-transfer device is adjusted to aim the playing ball supported thereon towards one of the scoring troughs and the drive ball is swung into contact with the impact ball for propelling the playing ball into the aimed-for scoring trough.
US Patent References:
Skee-ball game apparatus
Sire - December 1951 - 2578375
Bowling came apparatus
Metz - February 1953 - 2541266
Game board
Ritter - March 1925 - 1531880
Skee-ball game apparatus
Sire - December 1951 - 2578375
Bowling came apparatus
Metz - February 1953 - 2541266
Game board
Ritter - March 1925 - 1531880
Application Number:
05/155529
Publication Date:
02/26/1974
Filing Date:
06/22/1971
View Patent Images:
Export Citation:
Assignee:
Aurora Products Corp. (West Hempstead, NY)
Primary Class:
Other Classes:
273/129R
International Classes:
A63F7/00; A63D3/02
Field of Search:
273/95A,95D,101,119R,129R,123R,40
Primary Examiner:
Oechsle, Anton O.
Assistant Examiner:
Siskind, Marvin
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
Amster & Rothstein
Claims:
What is claimed is
1. A portable target game including a game board which defines a playing surface and a target mounted thereon which is adapted to receive a plurality of playing balls, an impact-transfer device secured to said playing surface including a stationary impact-transfer object and means for supporting one of said playing balls in an impact-transfer relation to said impact-transfer object, means for striking said impact object to propel said playing ball onto said playing surface and means for catapulting said playing ball from said playing surface towards the target.
2. A portable target game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said striking means includes a swingably mounted drive ball.
3. A portable target game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said catapulting means includes an inclined ramp mounted on said playing surface.
4. A portable target game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said target includes a plurality of concentric scoring troughs mounted on a slanted portion of said playing surface.
5. A portable target game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said impact-transfer device is adjustably secured to said playing surface so that the playing ball supported on said impact-transfer device may be propelled in different directions.
6. A portable target game comprising a playing alley having one end thereof curved upwardly, the other end of said playing alley including tandemly arranged upper and lower inclined playing surfaces connected by a concave playing surface, a scoring target mounted on the curved end of said playing alley adapted to receive a plurality of playing balls, said scoring target including a plurality of concentric scoring troughs each having a different point value, an impact-transfer device adjustably mounted on said lower playing surface including a stationary impact ball and means for supporting one of said playing balls in an impact-transfer relation to said impact ball, a swingably-mounted drive ball for striking said impact ball to propel said playing ball along said lower playing surface, said concave playing surface and said upper playing surface defining a catapulting edge to catapult said playing ball from said lower playing surface into one of said concentric scoring troughs.
1. A portable target game including a game board which defines a playing surface and a target mounted thereon which is adapted to receive a plurality of playing balls, an impact-transfer device secured to said playing surface including a stationary impact-transfer object and means for supporting one of said playing balls in an impact-transfer relation to said impact-transfer object, means for striking said impact object to propel said playing ball onto said playing surface and means for catapulting said playing ball from said playing surface towards the target.
2. A portable target game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said striking means includes a swingably mounted drive ball.
3. A portable target game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said catapulting means includes an inclined ramp mounted on said playing surface.
4. A portable target game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said target includes a plurality of concentric scoring troughs mounted on a slanted portion of said playing surface.
5. A portable target game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said impact-transfer device is adjustably secured to said playing surface so that the playing ball supported on said impact-transfer device may be propelled in different directions.
6. A portable target game comprising a playing alley having one end thereof curved upwardly, the other end of said playing alley including tandemly arranged upper and lower inclined playing surfaces connected by a concave playing surface, a scoring target mounted on the curved end of said playing alley adapted to receive a plurality of playing balls, said scoring target including a plurality of concentric scoring troughs each having a different point value, an impact-transfer device adjustably mounted on said lower playing surface including a stationary impact ball and means for supporting one of said playing balls in an impact-transfer relation to said impact ball, a swingably-mounted drive ball for striking said impact ball to propel said playing ball along said lower playing surface, said concave playing surface and said upper playing surface defining a catapulting edge to catapult said playing ball from said lower playing surface into one of said concentric scoring troughs.
Description:
This invention relates generally to games of skill and, more particularly, to a game which is a modified form of the indoor target game of skee-ball.
Throughout the years various games of skill have been designed for play by both children and adults. Some of these games are miniature or portable versions of well-known games of skill. One such popular game is skee-ball which is an indoor target game in which a series of hard, rubber playing balls are rolled along a slightly inclined wooden alley whose far end is curved upwards so as to project the ball up and backward into one of several concentric circular scoring troughs whose score values increase as the size of the circles decrease.
The present invention is directed to a modified form of the above-described well-known game of skee-ball. More particularly, the playing balls are propelled towards the scoring troughs by a novel ball launching mechanism and ramp which adds a new dimension to the play of the game and enhances the play value thereof by lending greater interest and excitement to this well-known game which has been played for many years by both children and adults.
It is an overall object of the present invention to provide a game of skill which simulates the game of skee-ball and has an interesting and new dimension in the play thereof. In its modified form, the game is portable and may be of relatively simple construction, is readily manufactured by mass production techniques at relatively low cost and includes a number of simple and relatively indestructible components.
Briefly, in accordance with the principles of my invention, there is provided a game of skill which is a modified form of the indoor target game of skee-ball. More particularly, a playing alley is provided having an enclosed playing surface which is adapted to receive a plurality of playing balls. A swingably-mounted drive ball is supported at one end of the playing alley and is manipulated by the player for propelling a series of playing balls along a ramp. The ramp is constructed in a novel manner to catapult the playing balls into concentric scoring troughs located at the other end of the playing alley. An adjustable impact-transfer device is mounted on the ramp and supports successive playing balls in impact-transfer relation to a stationary impact ball. Adjustment of the impact-transfer device will change the propelling line through the centers of the impact ball and playing ball. In this manner, by adjusting the impact-transfer device, the player may vary the direction in which the playing ball is propelled when the drive ball is swung into contact with the impact ball. Accordingly, if the center scoring trough has a previous played ball located therein, the player may adjust the impact-transfer device and aim for one of the outer scoring troughs. As an added feature of the invention, the swingably-mounted drive ball may be adjusted such that it will swing in a substantially vertical plane common to the propelling line through the impact ball and playing ball. Depending upon the skill of the player in adjusting the point from which the swingably-mounted drive ball is suspended and the height to which the player raises the drive ball before swinging it forwardly, the requisite momentum in the proper direction is imparted to the impact ball and transferred to the playing ball to propel the same towards the target.
Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon the consideration of the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the game board of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a transverse section taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the upper end of the ball launcher of the present invention.
Referring now to FIG. 1, the present game board, which is generally designated by the reference numeral 10, comprises a base 12 which includes a substantially horizontal base portion 14 and a slanted base portion 16 which is supported on legs 18 (see FIG. 2). The base 12 is formed of a light and durable material, such as plastic, and is provided with a continuous wall member 20 to completely surround the base 12. A catapulting device, such as a ramp 22, is centrally located on the horizontal base portion 14 and is constructed to have two inclined surfaces 22a, 22b connected to each other by a concave surface 22c. The slanted base portion 16 is provided with a target scoring device 24, such as a plurality of concentric scoring troughs 24a, 24b, and 24c, for receiving playing balls 26. Playing alley pockets 28a, 28b are provided on either side of ramp 22 to receive those playing balls 26 which are not received in any of the concentric scoring troughs 24 and roll along the slanted portion of playing alley 28 to pockets 28a, 28b.
A ball launcher 30 is mounted on one end wall 20a of continuous wall member 20 and swingably supports a chain 32 and a drive ball 34. End wall 20a is provided with two mounting holes 20b, 20c for receiving mounting legs 30b, 30c of ball launcher 30. As may be seen most clearly in FIG. 3, the upper end 30a of ball launcher 30 includes a U-shaped member 30d having a chain-receiving hole 30e and an adjoining notch 30f for receiving and locking chain 32 and drive ball 34 at a proper height in a manner to be described.
An adjustable impact-transfer device 36 is disposed on ramp 22 in cooperative relation with ball launcher 30 and includes a horizontal base member 36a and a vertical strut member 36b extending therethrough and fixedly attached to base member 36a. One end of strut member 36b is adapted to be pivotally mounted in a receiving hole 22d formed in ramp 22. The other end of vertical strut member 36b mounts an impact-transfer object, such as an impact ball 38. Horizontal base member 36a is provided with a recess 36c formed therein for receiving playing balls 26, one at a time during the play of the game.
To prepare the game for playing, vertical strut member 36b of impact-transfer device 36 is pressed into receiving hole 22d formed in ramp 22 with impact ball 38 mounted on the exposed portion of strut member 36b. As the center scoring trough 24a has the highest point value, the player will probably initially adjust horizontal base member 36a to line up with the center scoring trough 24a. Next, the mounting legs 30b, 30c of ball launcher 30 are pressed into the respective mounting holes 20b, 20c formed in end wall 20a. The chain 32 is then threaded through chain-receiving hole 30e formed in U-shaped member 30d and chain 32 is adjusted up or down so that drive ball 34 is properly aligned with impact ball 38 which is mounted on the impact-transfer device 36. When the player determines that drive ball 34 is at the proper height to transfer the greatest momentum to impact ball 38, the chain is slid from the chain-receiving hole 30e to the adjoining notch 30f to lock chain 32 at the properly adjusted height. With ball launcher 30 and impact-transfer device 36 properly assembled, the game is ready to be played. It should be noted that these elements have been made removable so that the game may be disassembled for easy transport and/or storage.
To play the game, each player, in his turn, places a playing ball 26 in recess 36c adjacent to impact ball 38. Recess 36c is constructed so that when a playing ball 26 is located therein, the playing ball will be in impact-transfer relation with impact ball 38. That is, playing ball 26 and impact ball 38 are perfectly aligned to substantially transfer to playing ball 26 any momentum applied to impact ball 38 by drive ball 34. After a playing ball 26 is in position in recess 36c, the player may grasp with one hand some portion of base 12 or wall 20 to steady the base 12 and brace himself, and with the other hand, the player raises drive ball 34 towards himself with no slack in chain 32. This is another point where the skill of the player may be utilized and improved each time the game is played. With experience, the skill of the player will increase as he determines how the parameters of the game may be varied to produce the highest possible score. Such parameters as the optimum height to which drive ball 34 should be raised, the optimum force with which drive ball 34 should be let go, and the best way to cause drive ball 34 to positively align with impact ball 38 on impact are all parameters which affect the momentum which drive ball 34 transfers to a playing ball 26 through impact ball 38 and, it is this transferred momentum which will determine where, on the playing alley 28, a playing ball 26 will be received. The scoring troughs 24a, 24b, and 24c are each given a different point value with the center ring having a maximum scoring value and the outermost ring having the minimum scoring value.
After the player raises drive ball 34 towards himself, he then quickly swings the drive ball 34 downwardly to strike impact ball 38. As indicated by the arrows in FIG. 2, the force of impact is transferred through impact ball 38 to a playing ball 26 and drives it along inclined surface 22b to the concave surface 22c which catapults the playing ball 26 into one of the scoring troughs 24. Of course, if the momentum transferred to playing ball 26 is insufficient or drive ball 34 does not positively strike impact ball 38, the playing ball 26 may not be received in any of the scoring troughs 24 and will roll into one of the alley pockets 28a, 28b.
Once a ball 26 is played, it may not be played again or removed from the scoring troughs 24 or playing alley 28 until the next player's turn. Accordingly, once a player propels a playing ball 26 into the center scoring trough 24a (which is only large enough to receive one playing ball 26 at a time), the player will utilize his skill to adjust horizontal base member 36a to line it up with the next outer scoring trough 24b. Adjustment of base member 36a will change the propelling line through the centers of impact ball 38 and playing ball 26 and allows the player to propel the remaining playing balls 26 into the outer scoring troughs 24b and 24c as desired. Points are deducted from the score if a player knocks a playing ball 26 off of the playing surface 12. After playing all of the balls 26, the player totals his score and the next player takes a turn. As usual, the player with the highest score wins the game. Of course, several variations in scoring and in playing the game are possible.
It is understood that the above-described game and game pieces are merely an example of the application of the principles of the present invention. Numerous other structural arrangements, variations and embodiments may be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Throughout the years various games of skill have been designed for play by both children and adults. Some of these games are miniature or portable versions of well-known games of skill. One such popular game is skee-ball which is an indoor target game in which a series of hard, rubber playing balls are rolled along a slightly inclined wooden alley whose far end is curved upwards so as to project the ball up and backward into one of several concentric circular scoring troughs whose score values increase as the size of the circles decrease.
The present invention is directed to a modified form of the above-described well-known game of skee-ball. More particularly, the playing balls are propelled towards the scoring troughs by a novel ball launching mechanism and ramp which adds a new dimension to the play of the game and enhances the play value thereof by lending greater interest and excitement to this well-known game which has been played for many years by both children and adults.
It is an overall object of the present invention to provide a game of skill which simulates the game of skee-ball and has an interesting and new dimension in the play thereof. In its modified form, the game is portable and may be of relatively simple construction, is readily manufactured by mass production techniques at relatively low cost and includes a number of simple and relatively indestructible components.
Briefly, in accordance with the principles of my invention, there is provided a game of skill which is a modified form of the indoor target game of skee-ball. More particularly, a playing alley is provided having an enclosed playing surface which is adapted to receive a plurality of playing balls. A swingably-mounted drive ball is supported at one end of the playing alley and is manipulated by the player for propelling a series of playing balls along a ramp. The ramp is constructed in a novel manner to catapult the playing balls into concentric scoring troughs located at the other end of the playing alley. An adjustable impact-transfer device is mounted on the ramp and supports successive playing balls in impact-transfer relation to a stationary impact ball. Adjustment of the impact-transfer device will change the propelling line through the centers of the impact ball and playing ball. In this manner, by adjusting the impact-transfer device, the player may vary the direction in which the playing ball is propelled when the drive ball is swung into contact with the impact ball. Accordingly, if the center scoring trough has a previous played ball located therein, the player may adjust the impact-transfer device and aim for one of the outer scoring troughs. As an added feature of the invention, the swingably-mounted drive ball may be adjusted such that it will swing in a substantially vertical plane common to the propelling line through the impact ball and playing ball. Depending upon the skill of the player in adjusting the point from which the swingably-mounted drive ball is suspended and the height to which the player raises the drive ball before swinging it forwardly, the requisite momentum in the proper direction is imparted to the impact ball and transferred to the playing ball to propel the same towards the target.
Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon the consideration of the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the game board of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a transverse section taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the upper end of the ball launcher of the present invention.
Referring now to FIG. 1, the present game board, which is generally designated by the reference numeral 10, comprises a base 12 which includes a substantially horizontal base portion 14 and a slanted base portion 16 which is supported on legs 18 (see FIG. 2). The base 12 is formed of a light and durable material, such as plastic, and is provided with a continuous wall member 20 to completely surround the base 12. A catapulting device, such as a ramp 22, is centrally located on the horizontal base portion 14 and is constructed to have two inclined surfaces 22a, 22b connected to each other by a concave surface 22c. The slanted base portion 16 is provided with a target scoring device 24, such as a plurality of concentric scoring troughs 24a, 24b, and 24c, for receiving playing balls 26. Playing alley pockets 28a, 28b are provided on either side of ramp 22 to receive those playing balls 26 which are not received in any of the concentric scoring troughs 24 and roll along the slanted portion of playing alley 28 to pockets 28a, 28b.
A ball launcher 30 is mounted on one end wall 20a of continuous wall member 20 and swingably supports a chain 32 and a drive ball 34. End wall 20a is provided with two mounting holes 20b, 20c for receiving mounting legs 30b, 30c of ball launcher 30. As may be seen most clearly in FIG. 3, the upper end 30a of ball launcher 30 includes a U-shaped member 30d having a chain-receiving hole 30e and an adjoining notch 30f for receiving and locking chain 32 and drive ball 34 at a proper height in a manner to be described.
An adjustable impact-transfer device 36 is disposed on ramp 22 in cooperative relation with ball launcher 30 and includes a horizontal base member 36a and a vertical strut member 36b extending therethrough and fixedly attached to base member 36a. One end of strut member 36b is adapted to be pivotally mounted in a receiving hole 22d formed in ramp 22. The other end of vertical strut member 36b mounts an impact-transfer object, such as an impact ball 38. Horizontal base member 36a is provided with a recess 36c formed therein for receiving playing balls 26, one at a time during the play of the game.
To prepare the game for playing, vertical strut member 36b of impact-transfer device 36 is pressed into receiving hole 22d formed in ramp 22 with impact ball 38 mounted on the exposed portion of strut member 36b. As the center scoring trough 24a has the highest point value, the player will probably initially adjust horizontal base member 36a to line up with the center scoring trough 24a. Next, the mounting legs 30b, 30c of ball launcher 30 are pressed into the respective mounting holes 20b, 20c formed in end wall 20a. The chain 32 is then threaded through chain-receiving hole 30e formed in U-shaped member 30d and chain 32 is adjusted up or down so that drive ball 34 is properly aligned with impact ball 38 which is mounted on the impact-transfer device 36. When the player determines that drive ball 34 is at the proper height to transfer the greatest momentum to impact ball 38, the chain is slid from the chain-receiving hole 30e to the adjoining notch 30f to lock chain 32 at the properly adjusted height. With ball launcher 30 and impact-transfer device 36 properly assembled, the game is ready to be played. It should be noted that these elements have been made removable so that the game may be disassembled for easy transport and/or storage.
To play the game, each player, in his turn, places a playing ball 26 in recess 36c adjacent to impact ball 38. Recess 36c is constructed so that when a playing ball 26 is located therein, the playing ball will be in impact-transfer relation with impact ball 38. That is, playing ball 26 and impact ball 38 are perfectly aligned to substantially transfer to playing ball 26 any momentum applied to impact ball 38 by drive ball 34. After a playing ball 26 is in position in recess 36c, the player may grasp with one hand some portion of base 12 or wall 20 to steady the base 12 and brace himself, and with the other hand, the player raises drive ball 34 towards himself with no slack in chain 32. This is another point where the skill of the player may be utilized and improved each time the game is played. With experience, the skill of the player will increase as he determines how the parameters of the game may be varied to produce the highest possible score. Such parameters as the optimum height to which drive ball 34 should be raised, the optimum force with which drive ball 34 should be let go, and the best way to cause drive ball 34 to positively align with impact ball 38 on impact are all parameters which affect the momentum which drive ball 34 transfers to a playing ball 26 through impact ball 38 and, it is this transferred momentum which will determine where, on the playing alley 28, a playing ball 26 will be received. The scoring troughs 24a, 24b, and 24c are each given a different point value with the center ring having a maximum scoring value and the outermost ring having the minimum scoring value.
After the player raises drive ball 34 towards himself, he then quickly swings the drive ball 34 downwardly to strike impact ball 38. As indicated by the arrows in FIG. 2, the force of impact is transferred through impact ball 38 to a playing ball 26 and drives it along inclined surface 22b to the concave surface 22c which catapults the playing ball 26 into one of the scoring troughs 24. Of course, if the momentum transferred to playing ball 26 is insufficient or drive ball 34 does not positively strike impact ball 38, the playing ball 26 may not be received in any of the scoring troughs 24 and will roll into one of the alley pockets 28a, 28b.
Once a ball 26 is played, it may not be played again or removed from the scoring troughs 24 or playing alley 28 until the next player's turn. Accordingly, once a player propels a playing ball 26 into the center scoring trough 24a (which is only large enough to receive one playing ball 26 at a time), the player will utilize his skill to adjust horizontal base member 36a to line it up with the next outer scoring trough 24b. Adjustment of base member 36a will change the propelling line through the centers of impact ball 38 and playing ball 26 and allows the player to propel the remaining playing balls 26 into the outer scoring troughs 24b and 24c as desired. Points are deducted from the score if a player knocks a playing ball 26 off of the playing surface 12. After playing all of the balls 26, the player totals his score and the next player takes a turn. As usual, the player with the highest score wins the game. Of course, several variations in scoring and in playing the game are possible.
It is understood that the above-described game and game pieces are merely an example of the application of the principles of the present invention. Numerous other structural arrangements, variations and embodiments may be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.