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US 5,655,767 AGranted
Movable player for board game
AssigneeVision Games, Inc.
InventorsGeoffrey V. Francis, Stephen W. Pendry
Life of this patent
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AssigneeVision Games, Inc.
InventorsGeoffrey V. Francis, Stephen W. Pendry
Estimating the term…
A board game for simulating a sport such as basketball or ice hockey in which the game board has a flat playing surface on which can be moved a number of playing members that can manipulate a small object such as a puck or ball. Each member includes a main body portion extending upwardly from the playing surface and an object manipulating portion pivotally connected to the body portion. A flexible line can be used to pivot the manipulating portion relative to the body portion. Each member has a short vertical shaft that extends through a slot in the game board and a first gear is mounted on the bottom end thereof. Horizontal rod mechanisms are used to move the members along their respective slots. The rod mechanism comprises a hollow tube on which a second gear is fixedly mounted. This second gear is arranged to turn the first gear when the tube is turned about its axis. The line extends through the tube and there is a sliding control member at the outer end of the tube for pulling the line. The playing members disclosed herein can also be used to make board games simulating such games as soccer, baseball and cricket.
A board game apparatus comprising a game board with a generally flat, upwardly facing playing surface, a number of game playing members adapted to manipulate a small object for movement over or above said surface, each playing member including a body portion that extends upwardly from said playing surface and an object manipulating portion pivotally connected to said body portion, means for pivoting said manipulating portion relative to said body portion, a hollow shaft extending from each of said body portions and down through a slot in said playing surface for rotatably mounting the respective body portion on said playing surface, a number of substantially horizontal, rotatable tubes provided for moving said playing members along respective slots formed in said playing surface, means for engaging each tube with a respective vertical shaft so that rotation of each tube about its longitudinal axis causes a corresponding rotation of the shaft engaged therewith, said pivoting means including a flexible control line extending through each tube and its respective shaft and into said body portion, said line being connected at its inner end to said manipulating portion and having means located at an outer end of the respective tube to enable the line to be pulled, and means for rotatably supporting each tube below said playing surface, wherein rotation of each tube about its longitudinal axis rotates its respective playing member about a generally vertical axis.
A combination movable playing member and control mechanism therefor suitable for a board game, said combination comprising a main body section and a pivotable body section connected to said main body section, the two sections comprising the playing member, a hollow shaft extending downwardly from said main body section and sized to extend through a hole in a game board for said game, elongate tube means for moving said playing member along a game board, means for engaging said tube means with the shaft so that rotation of said tube means about its longitudinal axis causes a corresponding rotational movement of the shaft, and a flexible control line extending through said tube means and said shaft and into said main body section, said line being connected at its inner end to said pivotable body section and having means located at the other end of said tube means to enable said control line to be pulled.
A combination movable playing member and control mechanism therefor suitable for a board game, said combination comprising a base member and a movable striking member mounted to or in said base member, said base member and said striking member comprising the playing member, a hollow shaft extending downwardly from said base member and sized to extend through a hole in a game board along a elongate tube means for moving said playing member relative to the game board, means for engaging said tube means with the shaft so that rotation of said tube means about its longitudinal axis causes a corresponding rotational movement of the shaft, and a flexible control line extending through said tube means and said shaft and into said base member, said line being connected at its inner end to said movable striking member and having means at the other end of said tube means to enable said control line to be pulled and thereby pull said striking member in one direction, and means for biasing said striking member to move in a direction opposite to said one direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.