Pinball game employing liquid

A game having a transparent housing, a liquid located within said housing, a movable member having a specific gravity greater than the specific gravity of said liquid, said movable member located within said housing in said liquid, two circulating means for circulating said liquid within said housing, each of said circulating means capable of being independently operated such that each is capable of removing liquid from the interior of said housing and ejecting a stream of said liquid into the interior of said housing at a variable rate, each of said circulating means having a nozzle directed into the interior of said housing for ejecting said stream of liquid into the interior of said housing the improvement which comprises:

• said nozzles located seperately within the interior of said housing and spaced apart from one another such that said stream of liquid ejected from each of said nozzles will at least each initially move independently from the stream of liquid ejected from the other of said nozzles;
• two pivoting members each independently pivotally mounted within the interior of said housing in said liquid and each capable of moving with respect to said housing, one of said pivoting members operatively associated with the nozzle of one of said circulating means and the other of said pivoting members operatively associated with the nozzle of the other of said circulating means, each of said pivoting members independently being capable of being pivoted with respect to said housing in response to impingement upon at least a portion of each of said pivoting members by a portion of said stream of liquid ejected from its associated nozzle;
• a portion of said stream of liquid ejected from each of said nozzles capable of moving past the pivoting member associated with said nozzles from which said stream of liquid is ejected without impinging upon said pivoting member to cause currents to flow within the body of liquid located within said housing;
• each of said pivoting members capable of independently causing movement of said movable member within said housing when said movable member is positioned adjacent to said pivoting member such that it can be contacted by said pivoting member as said pivoting member pivots;
• goal receptacle means located within said housing and surrounded by said liquid so as to be capable of receiving said movable member as said movable member moves through said liquid;
• said goal receptacle means comprises a goal receptacle having an inlet opening and an outlet opening and including a closure means associated with said outlet opening to reversibly close said outlet opening allowing retention of said movable member within said goal receptacle and release of said movable member from said goal receptacle through said outlet opening by disassociating said closure means from said outlet opening;
• said housing is vertically oriented and includes said pivoting members located below said goal receptacle and said outlet opening of said goal receptacle located below said inlet opening of said goal receptacle;
• movable member launcher means located within said housing, at least a portion of said launcher means is located within said liquid;
• said movable member launcher means capable of causing said movable member to move within said liquid such that it is capable of being acted upon by said pivoting members;
• at least one out-of-play receptacle located in association with the lower extremities of said vertically oriented housing, said movable member capable of being located within said out-of-play receptacle and incapable of being acted upon by said pivoting members when located in said out-of-play receptacle;
• transfer means associated with said out-of-play receptacle and said launcher means, said transfer means capable of transferring said movable member from said out-of-play receptacle to said launcher means;
• said transfer means includes a member pivotally mounted at a point between its two ends to said housing, said member forming the bottom surface of said out-of-play receptacle and capable of retaining said movable member within said out-of-play receptacle when the first of its ends is at a lower vertical orientation than the second of its ends and capable of transferring said movable member to said launcher means when the first of its ends is at a higher vertical orientation than the second of its ends.

A game having a transparent housing, a liquid located within said housing, a movable member having a specific gravity greater than the specific gravity of said liquid, said movable member located within said housing in said liquid, two circulating means for circulating said liquid within said housing, each of said circulating means capable of being independently operated such that each is capable of removing liquid from the interior of said housing and ejecting a stream of said liquid into the interior of said housing at a variable rate, each of said circulating means having a nozzle directed into the interior of said housing for ejecting said stream of liquid into the interior of said housing the improvement which comprises:

• said nozzles located separately within the interior of said housing and spaced apart from one another such that said stream of liquid ejected from each of said nozzles will at least each initially move independently from the stream of liquid ejected from the other of said nozzles;
• two pivoting members each independently pivotally mounted within the interior of said housing in said liquid and each capable of moving with respect to said housing, one of said pivoting members operatively associated with the nozzle of one of said circulating means and the other of said pivoting members operatively associated with the nozzle of the other of said circulating means, each of said pivoting members independently being capable of being pivoted with respect to said housing in response to impingement upon at least a portion of each of said pivoting members by a portion of said stream of liquid ejected from its associated nozzle;
• a portion of said stream of liquid ejected from each of said nozzles capable of moving past the pivoting member associated with said nozzles from which said stream of liquid is ejected without impinging upon said pivoting member to cause currents to flow within the body of liquid located within said housing;
• each of said pivoting members capable of independently causing movement of said movable member within said housing when said movable member is positioned adjacent to said pivoting member such that it can be contacted by said pivoting member as said pivoting member pivots;
• goal receptacle means located within said housing and surrounded by said liquid so as to be capable of receiving said movable member as said movable member moves through said liquid;
• said housing is vertically oriented and includes said pivoting members located below said goal receptacle and said outlet opening of said goal receptacle located below said inlet opening of said goal receptacle;
• movable member launcher means located within said housing, at least a portion of said launcher means is located within said liquid;
• said movable member launcher means capable of causing said movable member to move within said liquid such that it is capable of being acted upon by said pivoting members;
• at least one out-of-play receptacle located in association with the lower extremities of said vertically oriented housing, said movable member capable of being located within said out-of-play receptacle and incapable of being acted upon by said pivoting members when located in said out-of-play receptacle;
• transfer means associated with said out-of-play receptacle and said launcher means, said transfer means capable of transferring said movable member from said out-of-play receptacle to said launcher means;
• said transfer means includes a member pivotally mounted at a point between its two ends to said housing, said member forming the bottom surface of said out-of-play receptacle and capable of retaining said movable member within said out-of-play receptacle when the first of its ends is at a lower vertical orientation than the second of its ends and capable of transferring said movable member to said launcher means when the first of its ends is at a higher vertical orientation than the second of its ends.