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US 4,324,402 AGranted
Electronic baseball game
AssigneeMattel, Inc.
InventorGeorge J. Klose
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hand held electronic game for baseball or the like having a playing field with illuminatable segments thereon at positions generally corresponding to potential player positions. One group of segments defines the path of a player object such as a ball which when "impacted" in response to a correctly timed manual input illuminates one of another group of segments. The "player" is advanced in response to another manual input a distance determined by the segment so illuminated. Game control and game status is under control of a processor using probabilities to determine game events. In the embodiment illustrated, the game is in the form of a baseball game with the segment depicted on a baseball diamond.
Claims23
In an electronic game for simulating baseball or the like having a defined playing field with a defined path of travel of an object such as a ball to a defined opposing player location for contact therewith, the player then traveling a defined player advance path to the point of origin, the combination comprising;
- a playing field;
- a plurality of groups of illuminatable segments on said playing field, each segment within a group having a predetermined location and each group of segments having a predetermined orientation relative to each other;
- control means internal to said game for selectively illuminating one or more segments of one or more of said groups;
- first manually operable means providing a first input signal to said control means for sequentially energizing the segments of one of said groups to simulate the path of travel of an object;
- second manually operable means for providing a second input signal to said control means;
- means responsive to a timed relation between said second input signal and the illumination of one of a selected number of segments of said one group for providing an intermediate signal;
- and
- third manually operable means operable only in response to said intermediate signal for selectively and sequentially energizing at least one other group of said segments for simulating player advance in response thereto.
5 more elements
In a simulated electronic baseball game, the combination comprising:
- a playing field;
- a first group of illuminatable segments on said playing field simulating the base locations of a baseball diamond;
- a second group of illuminatable segments simulating the path of a pitch in a baseball game from the pitcher's mound to home plate;
- a third group of illuminatable segments simulating outfield positions on a baseball diamond;
- a fourth group of illuminatable segments at positions generally intermediate said base locations;
- processor means;
- first manually operable means providing an input to said processor means for sequentially energizing the segments of said second group;
- second manually operable means for providing an input signal to said processor means;
- means within said processor means for determining the timed relation of occurrence between the input of said second manually operable means and the energization of a predetermined one of a few of the second group of segments;
- means responsive to such occurrence for selectively energizing at least one of said third group of segments;
- and
- third manually operable means operable in response to energization of one of said third group of segments for sequentially illuminating the segments of said first and fourth groups to simulate a player running the base paths.
9 more elements
In an electronic game for simulating baseball, the combination comprising:
- a playing field;
- a plurality of groups of illuminatable segments on said playing field, each segment within a group having a predetermined location and each group of segments having a predetermined orientation relative to each other;
- control means internal to the game for selectively illuminating one or more segments of one or more of said groups;
- first manually operable means providing an input to said control means for sequentially energizing the segments of one of said groups to simulate the path of travel of a ball;
- second manually operable means for providing a second input signal to said control means;
- means for comparing the occurrence of said second input signal in timed relation with the illumination of one of the segments of said one group;
- means responsive to said means for comparing for automatically affecting the progress of the game in accordance with a predetermined algorithm in response to determination of the timing of said second input signal and the illumination of a selected one of the segments of said one group, including means responsive to concurrence of timing of said second input signal and the illumination of a selected one of the segments of said one group for selectively energizing at least one of another group of segments;
- and
- third manually operable means operable in response to energization of one of said other group of segments for enabling sequential illumination of the segments of still another of the groups of said segments for simulating base running.
6 more elements
In an electronic game for simulating baseball, the combination comprising:
- a playing field;
- a plurality of groups of illuminatable segments on said playing field, each segment within a group having a predetermined location and each group of segments having a predetermined orientation relative to each other, at least one of said groups of illuminatable signals being so positioned on said playing field to define a base path, an another of said groups being so positioned on said playing field for simulating the path of travel of a ball;
- control means internal to the game for selectively illuminating one or more segments of one or more of said groups;
- first manually operable means providing an input to said control means for sequentially energizing the segments of said another group to simulate the path of travel of the ball;
- second manually operable means for providing a second input signal to said control means;
- means for comparing the occurrence of said second input signal in timed relation with the illumination of one of the segments of said one group;
- and
- means responsive to said means for comparing for automatically affecting the progress of the game in accordance with a predetermined algorithm including first and second probability determining means, said first probability determining means being operable in response to the timed relation between said second input signal and the illumination of a predetermined one of a few of the segments of said another group for generating one of a first hit signal and a second miss signal, with said second probability determining means being responsive to said first hit signal for determining the number of segments of said one group which may be sequentially energized.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.