Parabolic ball launcher amusement game
OwnerRonald Halliburton, David Hodgesinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An amusement game with a parabolic ball launcher for projecting a ball that will attempt to strike a primary hoop target, which can pivot or oscillate. The primary target allows the stricken ball to fall through and attempt to hit one of the two openings on a suspended platform positioned on a rotating wheel, which has openings toward the periphery of the wheel to eventually rest the ball. The rotating wheel has programmable displays corresponding to each of the openings on the periphery of the wheel, which can be adjusted based on user input to reflect new parameters or values.
Claims15
An apparatus for operating an amusement game in a secure cabinet, comprising:
- a game piece;
- a launch device for projecting said game piece;
- said launch device comprising a switch to activate a stationary launcher element to impose a force on said game to propel said game piece in a repeatable and predictable parabolic trajectory wherein it freely travels through the air, unguided in a parabolic path upwardly past the position of a target opening and then, from an apex, downwardly towards said opening, a pivotable primary target that moves back and forth along an arc in a vertical plane by pivoting on a horizontal axis, said target having at least one primary target having a passage with an opening facing upwards when positioned at the apex of said arc, and sized to allow said game piece to pass through, and allowing said game piece to vertically fall through said passage of said primary target;
- a rotatable secondary target wheel having a plurality of secondary targets for receiving said game piece, and allowing said game piece to vertically fall through said secondary targets;
- wherein said primary target is located above said secondary target wheel and said targets are located at radial positions on said wheel, and wherein said launch device is located below said target opening of said passage of said primary target.
A method for operating an amusement game in a secure cabinet, comprising:
- launching a game piece with a game piece launch device having a switch;
- receiving said game piece through a moving primary target comprising an opening to a passage, said opening oriented to face upward, and allowing said game piece to vertically fall through said primary target;
- detecting said game piece as it falls through said passage,
- receiving said game piece with a moving secondary target, and allowing the game piece to vertically fall through the secondary target;
- and
- wherein said primary target is located above said secondary target,
- detecting the game piece as it passes through said through said secondary target and wherein said game piece launch device is stationary and located below said opening of said passage of said primary target and launches said game piece in a parabolic arc so that it freely travels through the air, unguided in a parabolic path upwardly past the position of said opening and then, from an apex, downwardly towards said opening.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.