AU609161B2 - Improved amusement machine - Google Patents

Description

AU-Al -19606/88 WORLD) INTEiLLECTTUAIN t'R1i'LiTY OR1JANIZATION iarnalional lOuredu

PCT

0 INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION& JIB fND TIA'ATTAT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) (51) International Patent Classification 4 1 Ilcto Number: WO 80/ 10138 A63F 7/02 1 AI (43) Internationail PubIlicaion Date.,~c~br198(91.8 (21) International Applicatin Number:, PCT/AU88/0O200 Pu~blishecd (22) International Filing Date.- 23 June 1988 (23.06.838) WIth i nernational searchi report, (31) Priority Application Number,. P1 2627 (32) Priority Date: 23 June 1987 (23.06.87)

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(33) Priority Country: AU ii -A (71X72) Applicant and Invenitor: CAMPBELL, George, Valentine (AU/AUJ; 10 Amsterdam Street, Wishart, QLD16MR 98 4122 (A J, P. MA 18 (74) Agent: GRANT ADAMS COMPANY; GP.O. Box ASRLA 1413, 333 Adelaide Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000 ASRLA 19 JAN 1989 (81) Designated States: AT (European patent), AU, BE (E~uropean patent), CH (European patent), DE (European PATEN'r oFFI patent), FR (European patent), GB (European patent), IT (European patent), LU (European patent), NL (European patent), SE (European patent), US.

(54) Title: IMPROVED AMUSEMENT MACHINE (57) Abstract An amusement machine of the pin-bail or 26 flipper game type is made for simultaneous and is 1 81 competitive play by two or more players, its playrield (14) being in the form of a shallow cone divided into four equal sectors B, C, D) D 41 or a half cone divided into two equal sectora, 1 Each sector has ejecting means (22) for projecting a bail (23) onto the sector in the direction of i18.-" its apex, an out hole to receive the ball when it 2 travels gravitationally to the lower part of the 2 sector, and flipper bats, manually operable by a player, flanking the out hole for deflecting the172 1 bail., Each sector also includes usual pin-ball tix-0_ 2 _0 tures such as rebound or slingthot devices and 1 rollover buttons for scoring.

SWO 88/10138 PCT/Ar88/00200 TITLE: "IMPROVED AMUSEMENT MACHINE" BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention This invention relates to a pin-ball amusement machine.

Prior Art Amusement machines of the pin-ball or flipper game type are well known and widely popular, being usually coin-operated for commercial operation, but also of a free-playing variety for use in homes or elsewhere.

Such a machine comprises a cabinet containing a rectangular table or playfield tilted at an angle towards the front, that is, towards the player. A steel ball is propelled to the rear or top of the playfield by the operation of a spring loaded plunger or by electromechanical means, and gravitates towards the front of the playfield and an out-hole or gate. The ball may be kept on the playfield by the player's manipulating flipper bats near the bottom of the playfield and normally to both sides of the out-hole. The flippers are usually electro-mechanical devices, solenoid operated. Various obstacles, targets and other electromechanical devices are placed on the playfield whereby the player may be awarded points and the ball may be further propelled about the playfield, counters and read-out displays being provided so that the players score of points may be registered and displayed. The time for which a ball may be kept in play and the score recorded is dependant largely on the skill of the player in manipulating the flipper bats. Normally a preset number of balls are given by the machine for one game.

The machine provides for one or more players (usually up to four) to play in one game and individual read-out displays are provided for each player. Players competing in one game receive the same number of balls and play the machine in turn after each ball is lost

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I C- i I; a *E 0 0 2 0 0 0 through the 'out hole' by the previous play--r. In some machines more than one ball may be projected on to the playfield or released into play at the same time.

Amusement machines of the type described restrict competition between players to games played in turn.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The general object of the present invention is to provide an amusement machine broadly of the type set out which allows players to compete with each other simultaneously using the same ball or a single player to compete with the machine on the same basis. In some versions of the game more than one ball io-ay be in play at the same time as in conventional machines.

With this and other objects in view the invention resides broadly in an amusement machine of the pin-ball or flipper game type wherein the playfield comprises a plurality of contiguous sectors of a cone and each sector includes: propelling means for projecting a ball onto the sector and towards its apex, an out hole for receiving the ball moving gravitationally to the lower part of the sector, and a pair of flipper bats flanking the out hole and manually controllable by a player at the sector; the contiguous sectors being such that the ball can pass substantially unimpeded from one sector to the next.

Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that exemplary embodiments of the invention may be readily understood reference is now i made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an amusement machine according to the invention, SUBSTITUTE SHEET PO1T/AU F! 1 I a 1 0 0 RECEIVED, 2 4 APR

FIG.

machinef and 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ~ij*

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4/ SUB~STITUTE SHEE, WO 88/10138 PCT/AU8'8/00200 3 1~3 is a plan view of a modif ied f ori of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The amuaoment machine shown in FIGS. I. and 2 of the drawings includes a cabinet having a lower square section 10 and an octagonal upper sontion 11 with four equal long sides 12 and four equal short sides 13. The upper cabinet section houses a playfield 14 which may be viewed through a top window opening 15, sheeted with a glass panel 16 secured by a frame 17. Conventional power supply and electronic control components (not shown) are housed in the lower cabixiet.

The playfield 14 is ir. the shape of a shallow cone and located centrally in the top section 11 of the cabinet, its surface inclining downwards from its centre towards its outer edge at an angle of approximately Four cover plates 18 are mounted in adjacent sequence above the outer part of the playfield 14, each with an arcuate outer edge with the same radius as the playfield, and a wide-angled inner edge. The playfield is divided into four sectors, A, B, C and D each having an out-hole 19 located on the playfield near its circumference in a position central to a long side 12 of the upper cabinet 11 and between succeeding cover plates 18. To opposite sides of each out-hole 19 are two flipper batL 20. These flipper bats are any suitable means such as solenoids and are controlled by buttons 21, two of which are located on each short side 13 of the upper cabinet 11 so that a player f acing a sector of the playf ield at the long side of the cabinet has a button to his left hand to control the lef t f lipper and a button to~ his right hand to control the right flipper in usual manner.

At each out-hole 19 there is a soleno~id operated ball eject mechanism 22 of known type so that when the solenoid is actuated a steel ball 23 is WO $8/10138 PCT/A U88/00200 4 propelled onto the appropriate sector of the playf iold 14.

At the apex of the cone a solenoid operated central pop bumper 24 is affixed so that a ball 23 reaching the apex will be rebounded towards the base.

As the ball is rebounded and gravitates towards the circumference it may strike, and be deflected by, one of a number of further pop bumpers 25 equally spaced from the central pop bumper 24. The ball' may also strike, and be rebounded by sling-shot devices 26 of known type, located between the cover plates 18 and the playfield 14. Various roll-over buttons 27 on the playfield 14 have electrical switch contacts which, when a ball 23 rolls over them, cause scoring to be recorded and registered on generally conventional displays 28 located on the cover plate 18 in front of each player.

IThe machine is started by the insertion of a coin into the coin slot 29 located in the lower cabinet in front of each player whereupon the ball is projected into the playfield. one to four players may play a game on the machine and in case of f ewer than f our players playing the machine the flipper in the sectors not claimed by a player are operated by sensors or by the buttons of active players to keep the ball moving in those sectors. Scoring and flipper control in those sectors is then a matter of the f ormat of a particular version of the basic game. The number of balls allotted to and lost by each player will be computed by conventional electronics and indicated on the status displays In the further embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3, the playfield 31 is semi-conical, and is divided into two sectors with two out-holes 32 and two pairs of flipper bats 33 set up as previously described. A machine according to this embodiment allows operation by one or two players and its flat back WO 88/10138 Pcr/A U88/00200 may be placed against a wall, saving space where this is a consideration.

The apparatus according to the invention allows players to compete simultaneously with each other for scores, which is not possible on conventional pinball machines, and to retain the ball on the playfield or cause an opponent to lose a ball thus providing more exciting and interesting entertainment than will be provided by a conventional pin-ball machine. The playfields of the invention extend the range of possible innovations to games of pin-ball to make them more interesting and exciting for one or more players.

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Claims (6)

1. An amusement machine of the pin-ball or flipper game type wherein the playfield comprises a plurality of contiguous sectors of a cone and each sector includes: propelling means for projecting a ball onto the sector and towards its apex, an out hole for receiving the ball moving gravitationally to the lower part of the sector, and a pair of flipper bats flanking the out hole and manually controllable by a player at the sector; the contiguous sectors being such that the ball can pass substantially unimpeded from one sector to the next.

2. An amusement machine according to Claim 1 wherein: the playfield is substantially in the form of a cone divided into four equal sectors.

3. An amusement machine according to Claim 1 wherein: the playfield is substantially in the form of a semi-cone divided into two equal sectors.

4. An amusement machine according to any one of the preceding claims wherein: a cover plate is mounted above and parallel to the outer part of each sector, having outer edges above the arcuate edge of the sector, and inner edges convergent to a position to the out hole of that sector, and resilient rebound devices are installed between the said inner edges and the playfield.

An amusement machine substantially as herein described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

6. An amusement machine substantially as herein described with reference to FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawings.