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US 4,506,892 AGranted
Ball and tube game apparatus and method
OwnerSheldon R. Shacketinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A toy or game comprising an elongated transparent tube, the tube containing a column of sand and a sphere or ball. According to the method of the invention, the sphere is moved through the column of sand from one end of the tube to the other.
Claims13
A mechanical toy comprising:
- an elongated, transparent tubular sidewall having a longitudinal axis and a circular cross-section;
- a pair of circular inserts, each said insert mounted adjacent an end portion of said tubular sidewall and cooperating with said sidewall to define an enclosed tube;
- a fine granular material in said enclosed tube, the height of said granular material being at least seventy-five percent of said longitudinal axis when said tube is in a vertical position;
- a ball-receiving chamber in said enclosed tube, said chamber defined by said tubular sidewall, a circular insert, and a top surface of said granular material when said tube is in a vertical position;
- a sphere in said enclosed tube, said sphere having a diameter in excess of 50 percent of the diameter of said tubular sidewall circular cross-section and a mass sufficient to displace a quantity of said fine granular material when subjected to a periodic upward thrust.
2 more elements
A method of moving a sphere through a column of granular material, said sphere and granular material contained in a sealed elongated transparent tube, said method comprising the following steps in sequence:
- placing said tube in a vertical position with said sphere in a lower end portion of said tube;
- grasping said tube between the palms of one's hands;
- moving said tube in a vertically upward direction employing a short, intermitent stroke;
- and
- repeating said step of moving said tube until said sphere reaches the top end portion of said tube.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.