US 4,401,304 AGranted

Electronic tennis game with interactive controls

AssigneeTomy Kogyo Co., Inc.

InventorNobuo Hamano

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Abstract

An electronic tennis game having a display panel with ball segments which are illuminated in different sequences to simulate a tennis ball which can move from one side of the tennis court to the other along different trajectories. Player elements are provided on each side of the display panel at positions which intercept the trajectories, each player element including a body portion and racket segments which can be sequentially illuminated to simulate a tennis player swinging his racket. Corresponding to each player element is a return button. A game operator attempts to ascertain the trajectory of an approaching ball and depress the return button corresponding to a player element positioned to intercept it. If the return button is depressed at the right time, the sequentially illuminated racket segments of the selected player element appear to hit the ball back to the other side of the tennis court.

Claims17

Dependent claims

An amusement device, comprising:

a housing;
a limited plurality of manually operable first return buttons mounted on said housing;
a display panel having first and second sides mounted on said housing, said panel having a limited plurality of projectile segments permanently disposed between the first and second sides of said panel and a limited plurality of first player elements permanently disposed adjacent said first side of said panel, each of said first player elements corresponding to one of said first return buttons and comprising at least one body segment and a limited plurality of peripheral segments, one of said peripheral segments of each first player element being a returning peripheral segment disposed adjacent a corresponding returnable projectile segment;
and
first means for sequentially displaying projectile segments along a limited plurality of predetermined first trajectories toward said first side of said panel, each of said first trajectories including at least one returnable projectile segment and at least one first trajectory including a returnable projectile segment corresponding to the returning peripheral segment of one first player element and a returnable projectile segment corresponding to the returning peripheral segment of another first player element, said first means including second means for displaying said at least one body segment of a first player element while sequentially displaying its peripheral segments when the corresponding first return button is depressed as said projectile segments are being displayed along a first trajectory and third means for sequentially displaying projectile segments along a predetermined second trajectory toward said second side of said panel if a returning peripheral segment of a first player element and its corresponding returnable projectile segment are simultaneously displayed, the second trajectory displayed when the returning peripheral segment of said one first player element and its corresponding returnable projectile element are simultaneously displayed being different from the second trajectory displayed when the returning peripheral segment of said another first player element and its corresponding returnable projectile segment are simultaneously displayed.

2 more elements

An amusement device, comprising:

a housing having first and second sides;
a limited plurality of manually operable first return buttons mounted adjacent the first side of said housing;
a first manually operable serve button mounted adjacent the first side of said housing;
a limited plurality of manually operable second return buttons mounted adjacent the second side of said housing;
a second manually operable serve button mounted adjacent the second side of said housing;
a display panel having first and second sides mounted on said housing, said panel having
a limited plurality of ball segments permanently disposed between the first and second sides of said panel,
a limited plurality of first player elements permanently disposed adjacent said first side of said panel, each of said first player elements corresponding to one of said first return buttons and comprising at least one body segment and a limited plurality of racket segments, one of said racket segments of each first player element being a returning racket segment disposed adjacent a corresponding returnable ball segment, and
a limited plurality of second player elements permanently disposed adjacent said second side of said panel, each of said second player elements corresponding to one of said second return buttons and comprising at least one body segment and a limited plurality of racket segments, one of said racket segments of each first player element being a returning racket segment disposed adjacent a corresponding returnable ball segment, and
a limited plurality of second player elements permanently disposed adjacent said second side of said panel, each of said second player elements corresponding to one of said second return buttons and comprising at least one body segment and a limited plurality of racket segments, one of said racket segments of each second player element being a returning racket segment disposed adjacent a corresponding returnable ball segment;
and
control means for sequentially illuminating ball segments along a serve trajectory in response to depression of a serve button, the serve trajectory including at least two returnable ball segments, each corresponding to the returning racket segment of a different player element, illuminating the body segments of a player element while sequentially illuminating its racket segments in response to depression of the return button corresponding to the player element as said ball segments are being illuminated, and sequentially illuminating ball segments along a return trajectory if a returning racket segment is illuminated at the same time as the corresponding returnable ball segment, the return trajectories arising from said at least two returnable ball segments included in said serve trajectory being different.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.