Amusement devices: games – Surface projectile game; game element – Ball games
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-10
2001-04-03
Chiu, Raleigh W. (Department: 3711)
Amusement devices: games
Surface projectile game; game element
Ball games
C273S12300A, C273S138300, C273S138400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209868
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to article dispensing machines, and in particular to article dispensing apparatus in which a dispensed article is used as a playing piece in a game of skill or chance before being delivered to a buyer.
2. Background Information
Vending machines are well known for dispensing novelty items stored in generally spherical or egg-shaped containers, and for dispensing a variety of balls which may be rubber toys, hard candy or candy-coated chewing gum balls, etc. One commonly finds several such machines, each displaying items of merchandise stored in a transparent hopper, grouped together in a row to provide the customer with a selection of products.
It is also known to use an item being vended as a playing piece in a game of skill or chance in which the customer or player is awarded additional merchandise or some other prize in response for a successful play. An extensive discussion of such apparatus is provided by Dickerson in U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,656. In that reference Dickerson teaches a pinball-like game in which the playing piece, which may be a gum ball or some sort of generally spherical container holding an item of merchandise, is delivered to the player on each play. The disclosure of Dickerson in U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,656 is herein incorporated by reference.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides apparatus combining a vending machine with a game of skill and chance in which a “ball”, as hereinafter defined, is vended to a player each time the player deposits an adequate amount of money, tokens, or the like. In preferred apparatus of the invention, the vended ball is visibly dropped from a hopper onto an intermediate carrier whence the player causes the ball to be ejected onto an upper portion of a slanted playing surface. The player attempts to control the ejection so that as the ball rolls down the slanted playing surface it strikes or falls into a target, which leads to the apparatus awarding a prize or a prize credit of some sort or another. Whether or not the ball strikes the target, the ball eventually falls into a delivery chute from which the player can retrieve it.
In one preferred embodiment the intermediate carrier simulates a dump truck, train, or other cargo vehicle from which loads are customarily dumped. This carrier may be in constant horizontal reciprocating motion behind a front window of the apparatus whenever the apparatus is available for play. In preferred apparatus of this sort an item is vended into the simulative vehicle, which then resumes its reciprocating motion until the player hits a “Dump” button or the like, at which time the simulative vehicle stops and dumps the vended ball onto the top of the slanted playing surface.
In another preferred embodiment the intermediate carrier comprises a preferably circular rotatable surface partially surrounded by an upstanding wall or collar arranged to guide the ball towards an upper portion of a slanted playing surface. In apparatus of this sort an item is vended onto the rotatable surface, after which the player spins the rotatable surface so as to fling the item onto a slanted playing surface. In particular preferred embodiments of this sort, the slanted playing surface is tilted only slightly away from a horizontal orientation and means are provided to the player to shake and jostle the slanted surface in order to move the ball thereabout.
It is a further feature of some embodiments of the invention to provide apparatus that vends a selected item each time a player deposits a predetermined payment, that provides a game of skill and chance played with the vended item during the course of its delivery, that awards and accumulates credits for successful play or plays of the game, and that delivers a player-selected prize (where the prize is an actual item of merchandise rather than being a ticket or other credit-indicating means redeemable by a game operator) that is one of several displayed prizes corresponding to the player's accumulated credit.
Although it is believed that the foregoing recital of features and advantages may be of use to one who is skilled in the art and who wishes to learn how to practice the invention, it will be recognized that the foregoing recital is not intended to list all of the features and advantages. Moreover, it may be noted that various embodiments of the invention may provide various combinations of the hereinbefore recited features and advantages of the invention, and that less than all of the recited features and advantages may be provided by some embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1
is a perspective elevational view of an apparatus of the invention.
FIG. 2
is a detail view of components used to control the motion of an intermediate carrier portion of the embodiment of FIG.
1
.
FIG. 3
is schematic block diagram of a control system usable with apparatus of the invention.
FIG. 4
is a partial, cut-away, perspective view depicting an alternative embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 5
is a horizontal sectional detail view of a player control used in the embodiment of
FIG. 3
FIG. 6
is a perspective elevational view depicting a second embodiment of a crediting means of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3476391 (1969-11-01), Fejko
patent: 5722656 (1998-03-01), Dickerson
patent: 5988637 (1999-11-01), Dickerson
patent: 6062560 (2000-05-01), Peterson
Chiu Raleigh W.
Kiewit David
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