US 11,164,428 B1Granted

Crane-style arcade game with turntable mechanism

OwnerStephen P. Shoemaker, Jr.inventor

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Abstract

The present invention is directed to an arcade type vacuum crane game that includes a turntable with a target support structure such as cylindrical, open ended target holders to prevent targets from toppling before, during, and after playing the game. The turntable is rotated by a centrally disposed motor having a shaft that receives a projection on the turntable to rotate the turntable in the direction of the shaft. The shaft receives the peg therein, but does not carry the weight of the turntable, which instead is supported by three peripheral rotatable wheels disposed about the motor on a bracket. Because the turntable is simply mounted over the shaft using a fitted mating, the turntable can be lifted off the motor without tools and another turntable set on top of the shaft and wheels quickly and easily.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A crane game including a pick-up device, player controls, and a housing surrounding a playing field, comprising:

a plurality of targets arranged on a first turntable, the first turntable having a centrally disposed perpendicular projection having a non-circular cross-section;
a motor having a vertical shaft centrally disposed below the first turntable, the shaft including a socket sized and shaped to receive the perpendicular projection therein to rotate the first turntable when the vertical shaft rotates;
and
a support bracket attached to the motor, the support bracket including three wheels configured for rotation about a horizontal axis and located below the first turntable and in contact therewith;
wherein the weight of the first turntable is fully borne by the support bracket and not by the shaft of the motor;
and
wherein the first turntable can be removed from its engagement with the motor's shaft solely by lifting the first turntable off the support bracket.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.