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US 4,050,697 AGranted
Game and game apparatus
AssigneeNone recorded
InventorJohn R. Purviance
Life of this patent
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AssigneeNone recorded
InventorJohn R. Purviance
Estimating the term…
A game based on retrieval of randomly positioned game articles employs a housing containing such articles along with a filler material of light weight, such as polystyrene spheres, in order to have the filler material of relatively lesser specific weight and the game articles of relatively greater specific weight. The housing, provided with access apertures, is vibrated as to thereby cause the game articles to be randomly positioned within the housing as well as randomly positioned with respect to such access apertures. The players, following particular related game rules, in turn, employing related retrieval appliances, attempt to retrieve the game articles through such access apertures without benefit of being able to visually locate such game articles which are covered by the filler material.
A game apparatus for retrieval of randomly positioned game articles, comprising support base means, housing means, connecting means operatively interconnecting said support base means and said housing means, a plurality of retrievable game articles situated within said housing means, a quantity of generally dry and loose particle-like material also situated in said housing means, said material being of a density different from the density of said retrievable game articles, vibration producing means effective for at times inducing a vibratory motion to said housing means as to thereby cause said retrievable game articles and said material to mechanically coact with each other and result in said retrievable game articles being randomly positioned within said housing means and obscurred by said material, wall means generally overlying said housing means as to thereby provide a cover for said retrievable game articles and said material within said housing means, probe-like retrieving means for operatively engaging and retrieving said retrievable game articles from said housing means and from said material, and access aperture means formed through said wall means for enabling the passage therethrough of said retrieving means for at various locations within said housing means attempting to retrieve and for retrieving any of said retrievable game articles within said housing means without benefit of being able to visually locate said retrievable game articles randomly positioned in said housing means.
A game comprising game board means, container means situated generally below and beneath said game board means, movable retrievable game article means situated within said container means, access aperture means formed through said game board means, generally dry and loose particle-like filler means within said container means obscuring the location of said retrievable game article means within said container means, said filler means being of a density different from the density of said retrievable game article means, and probe means employable by a player of said game for locating said obscured retrievable game article means and to attempt to retrieve said retrievable game article means through said access aperture means.
A method of playing a game comprising the steps of placing retrievable game article means within suitable container means provided with access aperture means and having a quantity of generally dry and loose particle-like filler material as to have said retrievable article means loosely confined therein and obscured by said filler material, imparting a vibratory-like motion to said retrievable game article means as to thereby cause random motion of said retrievable game article means with respect to said container means and said access aperture means, and then employing probe means for attempting to locate and retrieve through said access aperture means said retrievable game article means from said container means within a given period of time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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No related US applications are recorded in the indexed filing history.
Constructional details not covered by groups A63F7/24 - A63F7/34, e.g. frames, game boards, guide tracks: rolling boards with special surface,…
Games not otherwise provided for: games representing technical, industrial or scientific activities, e.g. oil exploration, space ship navigation games
Card, board, or roulette games
Term ended 27 Sep 1994 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
Various games have heretofore been devised and proposed. However, almost without exception, when such prior art games are played often enough the players develop a degree of skill when then becomes a factor in the subsequent playing of such games and what was originally intended to be a game of complete and simply chance becomes a game of individual skill.
The invention as herein disclosed and claimed is primarily directed to overcoming the problem of the prior art, that being skill learning, and providing a game which, for all practical purposes, assures the continuance of simple chance in the playing thereof.
According to the invention, apparatus for playing the game of the invention comprises a pan-like housing with cover means carried thereby, access aperture means carried by said cover means, game article means situated within said housing and movable with respect thereto, filler means situated within said housing covering said game articles and movable with respect to said game articles and said housing, and means for vibrating said housing as to thereby cause said game articles to translationally move within said housing and become randomly positioned with respect to said access aperture means.
In the drawings, wherein for purposes of clarity certain details and/or elements may be omitted from one or more views:
FIG. 1 is a top plan view, in simplified form, of game apparatus embodying the teachings of the invention, with such view being taken generally on the plane of line 1--1 of FIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;
FIG. 2 is simplified side elevational view, taken generally on the plane of line 2--2 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;
Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 illustrate a game apparatus or structure 10 having an upper disposed portion 12 and lower disposed portion 14 which may be operatively interconnected as by suitable connecting means illustrated as by phantom lines 16. In the preferred embodiment, the upper portion 12 comprises housing means having opposed side walls 18, 20 and 22, 24, cover means 26, and a lower base or bottom wall 28. Related vibration producing means 30 is preferably suitably secured to and carried by and at the underside of bottom wall 28. Although the vibration producing means 30 may actually be any such suitable means, in the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the invention, the means 30 comprises an electric motor assembly driving suitable associated eccentrically disposed weight means, as is generally well known in the art, to thereby produce a resulting vibratory action. Many such specific vibratory devices are well known in the art and since the invention as disclosed and claimed herein in no way depends upon the specific construction of such vibratory means, any suitable vibration producing means 30, has electrical conductors 32 and 34 which lead as to suitable associated electrical switch means 36.
The lower portion 14 comprises a base-like member 38 which, at its underside 40, is preferably provided with four resilient foot-like members 42. Such members 42 may actually be in the form of suction cups as to thereby not only provide for a clamping effect with respect to a related support surface 44 but also prevent translational motion of the base 38 with respect to such support surface 44. As partially illustrated in FIG. 2 and as subsequently more fully described, the upper housing portion 12 is preferably provided with a plurality of downwardly depending legs 46, 48, 50 and 52 which are respectively connected at their upper ends as to the lower wall 28 of housing 12 and with each of such legs having their respective lower ends, typically illustrated at 54, spaced some suitable distance above base 38. The general location of such legs 46, 48, 50 and 52 with respect to related cooperating elements is further illustrated in FIG. 4 wherein such legs 46, 48, 50 and 52 are shown in phantom line.
With particular reference to FIGS. 4 and 6, in the embodiment wherein the housing 12 is rectilinear, the preferred plan view configuration of the base 38 is also rectilinear as to thereby have opposed vertical sides 56, 58 and 60, 62 with a top-most or upper surface 64. A first medially disposed longitudinally extending slot or guide-like recess 66 is formed in the upper surface 64 as to generally intersect with a second transverse medially extending slot or guide-like recess 68 also formed in the upper surface 64.