Abstract:
A crane game with a vacuum head adapted to pick up objects with a smooth extraction surface is disclosed wherein the objects, or targets, include perturbations such as bead shaped projections or dimples that present a more challenging target by reducing the available extraction surface. Disk shaped, spherical, or other shaped targets include one or more perturbations that may prevent a seal from being formed with the suction head, denying extraction of the target by the vacuum head. Values may be assigned to the targets based on the number of perturbations, or the targets may encapsulate prizes of a value directly related to the available extraction surface on the target.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to amusement devices known as vacuum crane games, and more particularly to a vacuum crane game with targets having beaded or dimpled surfaces such that the targets can be presented with varying difficulty in their acquisition and extraction. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Crane-type or “claw machine” arcade games are popular amusement devices often provided in game arcades, stores, or other public places. In these types of games, prize objects are provided within a closed housing and are viewable by a player through transparent glass or the like. Upon the insertion of a coin or other monetary input into the game, the player controls a mechanical claw or other grasping implement with a joystick, buttons, toggle switch, or the like. Typically, the claw is provided above the prize objects and the player can change the position of the claw over the prizes. The claw is then lowered toward the prizes upon activation by either automatically by a controller such as a computer or manually by the player, depending on the particular embodiment. The claw is either automatically opened when it reaches the level of the prizes or is opened under the player&#39;s control. After a predetermined amount of time, the claw may be automatically elevated. The claw may or may not be able to grasp a prize and hold onto the prize as the claw is raised. The controller then moves the claw over to a dispensing container and opens the claw, allowing the prize (if any is held) to drop into the dispensing chute and to be guided through the dispenser to an opening accessible to the player. In a common implementation, a sensor within the dispenser detects whether a prize has been won by the player. After the claw is opened over the dispenser, the controller moves the claw to its original starting position and waits for another insertion of the coin (unless the player is provided with multiple tries). 
     The prizes that the operator of a claw-type crane game can provide in the game are usually limited in selection due to the limitations of the mechanical claw. Since the claw must surround an object to be able to pick it up, most prizes in a claw-type crane game have been limited to large stuffed dolls or other soft, rough-surfaced merchandise that can be surrounded and grabbed by the claw fingers and raised from the supporting surface. Usually, flat, smooth or thin objects are not able to be picked up and held by the claw. However, a large number of flat, smooth, and thin objects are desirable to used as prizes in a crane-type game, such as smooth-surfaced spheres or eggshell containers, boxes, gumballs, cups, bulbs, trading cards, etc. Players desire to win these types of items and operators desire to provide them; however, the standard claw type mechanism cannot be used to pick them up. 
     One solution to the inability of claw-type cranes to pick up these objects is to provide a different type of pick-up device. One type of device that is used is a vacuum device that uses air suction to grab and hold an object. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,772 of Glaser, a vacuum embodiment of a crane pick-up game is disclosed in which a vacuum motor is suspended from a string and concealed by a facade or enclosure. The player may move the motor and lower the motor towards a field of prizes similarly to the claw in claw-type crane games. A spinning fan within the motor creates a suction force that is used to pick up and hold prizes. An orifice with a screen is used to prevent items from being sucked into the orifice. Prizes captured and held by the suction are dispensed to the player through a dispenser. 
     More recent vacuum crane games have improved on the concept and made the game more challenging. In my U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,374, a vacuum crane game is disclosed wherein the vacuum head is used to pick up one of the prizes using a suction force that is provided by a vacuum pump coupled to the vacuum head by a hose and located away from the vacuum head. Moving the pumping apparatus away from the crane head mechanism provides greater maneuverability than previous devices that carried the pumping equipment at the crane head. In general, the vacuum crane game is characterized by a vacuum pick up device positioned above the prize or target area and may be moved along a horizontal axis above the prize area. The pick up device includes a vacuum head that may be raised and lowered toward a turntable in a z-direction. The vacuum head is operative to pick up one of the prizes using a suction force that is provided by a vacuum pump coupled to the vacuum head by a hose. The vacuum pump is located away from the vacuum head to allow the vacuum head to move without interference. The player may control the movement of the pick up device to position the vacuum head over the prize area at a desired position, lower the vacuum head, and pick up a prize using the suction force. The pick up device is moved to a dispenser area and the suction force is removed to allow the prize to be dispensed to the player. The disclosure of my &#39;374 patent is incorporated fully herein by reference. In another embodiment, the vacuum head may be moved in both x- and y-directions above the prize area and the turntable is omitted. 
     With vacuum crane games, it is desirable to provide prizes having smooth continuous surfaces such that a seal can be formed by the vacuum head against the prize. Without a complete seal, the vacuum head cannot effectively apply suction to the prize sufficiently to enable the prize to be lifted out of the prize bin. As a consequence, prizes such as jewelry, trading cards, candy, and toys are typically enclosed in transparent or opaque spheroids such as spheres and egg-shaped plastic containers. Such spheroids will have exteriors that meet the requirement of smooth, continuous surfaces allowing the vacuum head to make complete, sealing contact. An example of this type of prize collection for a vacuum crane game can be found in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,881, entitled “Crane Game with Prize Redistribution Mechanism” and incorporated herein fully by reference. 
     While the collection of spheroids in the prize bin of a vacuum crane game provides an enjoyable alternative to mechanical crane games that are used to pick-up irregularly shaped prizes, the challenge of picking up a spheroid once mastered may wane for the player seeking greater challenges. As a consequence, skilled players seeking a challenging game may look to other options due to the absence of variety of the spheroid targets. Further, the options of prizes may be limited to those objects that can fit inside a relatively small spheroids since larger spheroids would take up too much space in the prize bin. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is characterized in a first preferred embodiment by a vacuum crane game with targets having substantially smooth surfaces interrupted strategically with beaded nodules or bumps of varying number and positions to present prizes of varying capture difficultly. Because the flat vacuum crane head requires uninterrupted contact with the target to achieve an airtight seal, the crane game player must either avoid or completely cover the surface bumps to pick up a target. If the vacuum head rests on one or more of the beaded nodules, no seal can be achieved and the capture of the target will be unsuccessful. Targets with more bumps will be inherently more difficult to pick up than targets with fewer nodules, and with a variety of different targets having different bump configurations the game has challenges for all skill levels. 
     In a first embodiment, the target bin of a vacuum crane game is supplied with a plurality of transparent disks resembling Petri dishes having front and rear faces, and where the respective faces include beads ranging from zero to ten or more spaced along the surface. Inside the transparent disks are cards or tags that can be easily viewed by the player showing a prize reward for successfully retrieving the target from the prize bin. A reward can be a numerical point value displayed on the tag that can be applied to redeem prizes, or alternatively the tag can specify a prize displayed at some location where the target is redeemed. In yet a third embodiment, the prize can be physically located inside the disk. The value of the reward is tied to the number and location of the beads, where higher number of beads or centrally located beads correspond to a higher degree of difficulty due to a smaller available continuous surface, and such targets possess a higher prize redemption value. 
     Alternative target shapes can be used in place of transparent disks, such as flat chips with numerical values printed thereon, transparent capsules or spheres with tags viewable from the outside, or boxes, where each target includes substantially flat surfaces with beads on the surfaces to add difficulty to the task of retrieving the target. Alternatively, the beads can be replaced with dimples that likewise act to breakup the continuous surface and increase the difficulty of making an uninterrupted contact with the vacuum crane head. In yet another alternate embodiment, grooves in the surface of the target can resist the application of suction because the air is drawn in at the ends of the grooves, preventing adherence of the target with the vacuum head. Each of these devices can be used to create a more difficult target for a vacuum crane game. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum crane game and target bin housing targets with beaded surfaces; 
     FIG. 2 a  is a first preferred embodiment of a target of the vacuum crane game of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2 b  is a second preferred embodiment of a target of the vacuum crane game of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2 c  is a third preferred embodiment of a target of the vacuum crane game of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an elevated perspective view of a vacuum head of the vacuum crane game of FIG. 1 attempting to lift a target; 
     FIG. 4 is an elevated perspective view of a vacuum head of the vacuum crane game of FIG. 1 in which the head&#39;s periphery lies on a target perturbation; 
     FIG. 5 is an elevated perspective view of a vacuum head of the vacuum crane game of FIG. 1 in which the head&#39;s periphery lies over a target perturbation; 
     FIGS. 6A-G are top views of variations of the target of FIG. 2 a  with multiple perturbations and point values; 
     FIG. 7 is an elevated perspective view of a target with dimples; and 
     FIG. 8 is an elevated perspective view of an alternative target with a prize inside. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a game apparatus  10  in accordance with the present invention. Game apparatus  10  includes a housing  12 , vacuum crane  14 , player controls  16 , and a target bin  18 . The construction and operation of a vacuum crane game is known to one of ordinary skill in the art, and extensive discussion of the construction and operation of the vacuum crane game is omitted in favor of a brief overview for the sake of brevity. 
     A crane game  10  includes a housing  12  divided into two sections, a target bin  18  on a first half of the housing and a storage compartment  20  on the other half of the housing. The storage compartment  20  can enclose pumping equipment and the electronics to manipulate the vacuum crane  14  and produce any sounds or visual effects that accompany the game play. The storage compartment  20  can also provide a repository for surplus prizes or targets as the inventory in the target bin  18  is depleted. On the housing  12  is a control panel  22  including a slot  24  for receiving the tokens, coins, money, or game cards that initiates a game play. The control panel  22  further includes a controlling device such as a joystick or button  16 , or the like for maneuvering the crane  14  within the target bin  18 . The target bin  18  includes a boom  28  spanning its width and driven along two horizontal rails  30  on a set of rollers  32 . Using the controlling device  16  to actuate an electrical motor, the boom  28  can be positioned along the path between the front and rear walls of the target bin. 
     In addition to controlling the position of the boom in the forward/rearward direction, a carriage assembly  34  rides on the boom  28  and translates across the boom  28  from the left side to the right side of the target bin  18 . Once again, the controlling device  16  initiates movement of the carriage assembly  34  along the boom  28  such that, by manipulating the controlling device in a particular manner the carriage assembly  34  can be positioned substantially over any object in the target bin  18 . The carriage assembly  34  is driven by an electric motor or other device that is controlled by the button  16  or other similar input device. 
     The crane assembly  14  includes a vacuum head  36  suspended as a crane by a retractable cable  38  and weight assembly  40 , and further connected to a coiled suction line  42  leading to a pump (not shown), wherein suction from the pump is communicated through the suction line  42  to the distal end of the vacuum head  36 . The head  36  includes a circular lip  44  or peripheral edge selected to mate with the respective extraction surfaces of the targets  100  in the target bin  18  to form a substantially air-tight seal. When the vacuum head  36  is engaged with a target  100  in a sealing relationship (see FIG. 3) and suction is communicated to the vacuum head  36 , the negative pressure inside the vacuum head will cause the target  100  to adhere to the peripheral lip  44  and be captured. As long as suction is maintained at the vacuum head  36  and the seal between the target  100  and the peripheral lip  44  is maintained, the captured target will remain held connected. 
     The vacuum crane game  10  may include a sensing mechanism (not shown) that determines when a target  100  has been captured by the vacuum head  36 , and initiates an operation whereby the vacuum head  36  is raised above the collection of targets  100  and directed to an extraction chute  48  separated from the targets  100 . The suction is automatically disconnected when the vacuum head  36  resides over the extraction chute  48 , causing the captured target to fall into the extraction chute where it enters a compartment  50  that can be accessed by the player. The challenge for the skilled player is to identify a target  100  first and then using the controlling device  16  maneuver the vacuum head  36  appropriately until the peripheral lip  44  of the vacuum head  36  is directly above the selected target, and then the vacuum head is lowered onto the target  100  until mating results in capture and finally extraction. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, in the present invention the targets  100  present additional challenges in that the target&#39;s original extraction surfaces are reduced by the presence of perturbations  110  such as bead shaped projections. The bead shaped projections or bumps increase the difficulty because the vacuum head  36  will be unable to achieve a seal against the target  100  if the vacuum head  36  is located such that the peripheral lip  44  contacts the bead shaped projection (see FIG.  4 ). Thus, the target  100  will not be captured by the vacuum head  36  in this case. The player must therefore avoid the projections  110  as he attempts to land the vacuum head  36  on the target&#39;s available extraction surface  112  (the uninterrupted smooth surface between or around the projections). Adding additional perturbations  110  further reduce the available extraction surface  112  and increase the difficulty, as will the strategic locating of the perturbations  110  to break-up the largest extraction surface areas. 
     The targets themselves can take the shape of disks  100   a  approximating the size of a Petri dish and defining two extraction surfaces  112 , namely the flat smooth top and bottom faces of the disk. Perturbations  110  such as bead shaped projections can be formed on the faces during the manufacturing process or added later. The present inventor has found that using a hot glue gun, beads can be quickly and easily created on the target&#39;s surface that, once dried and hardened, will suffice to effectively reduce the available extraction surface  112  of the disk shaped targets  100   a . This procedure can also be applied to spherical targets  100   b  as well, such as a plastic two-piece capsules with interlocking halves or egg-shaped containers that can be used to hold prizes therein. Other shaped targets  100   c  are also possible. 
     Alternatively, the perturbation can be a recess such as a dimple  114  (see FIG.  7 ), slot, or cavity, or set of grooves in the surface that will similarly reduce the available extraction surface. In each case, the perturbation prevents the vacuum head  36  from sealing with the targets smooth, continuous surface and thus extraction is resisted. The shape of the perturbation  110  is limited only to departures in the curvature or continuity of the extraction surface for the purpose of resisting capture of the target, although bead or bubble shaped perturbations are found to work well with the present invention. 
     As shown in FIGS. 6A-G, the number and placement of the perturbations can result in a varying scale of difficulty assigned to the various targets, with a higher difficulty assigned to targets with five or more perturbations and lower difficulty assigned to four or fewer. Furthermore, spacing can also affect the assigned difficulty level of the target. The difficulty level can then be used to determine the appropriate reward for successfully capturing and extracting the various targets. For example, a system where the targets represent redemption values that can be tracked by inserting tags with point values in each target is benefited by the present invention. Each target is assigned a value of points that can be redeemed for prizes or other rewards, and the player is challenged to attempt to retrieve the most difficult targets and reap the greatest rewards or try the easier targets and accumulate points more slowly. The system provides much greater interest and intrigue to the amusement device. 
     As shown in FIGS. 3-5, when the vacuum head  36  comes into contact with the extraction surface  112  of the target  100  of the present invention, three possibilities are present. First, the player can maneuver the vacuum head  36  clear of the perturbations  110  and create a sealing relation with the extraction surface  112 , enabling the target  100  to be captured and extracted (FIG.  3 ). Second, the vacuum head  36  can contact the extraction surface  112  such that the peripheral lip  44  of the vacuum head  36  resides on top of the perturbation i.e., the perturbation is partially but not totally covered by the vacuum head  36  (FIG.  4 ). In this case, the suction at the vacuum head  36  is defeated by the gap between the extraction surface  112  and the peripheral lip  44 , as air represented by arrows  52  flows through the gap preventing adherence of the target  100  to the vacuum head  36 . This prevents the target  100  from being captured and extracted. Finally, the vacuum head  36  in the third case (FIG. 5) can rest completely over the perturbation  100   d  and form a seal on the extraction surface  112  around the perturbation  100   d , allowing capture and extraction of the target  100 . As more perturbations  110  are added to a target, the available extraction surface  112  is reduced and the difficulty in maneuvering the vacuum head  36  to a suitable position for capture is increased. 
     As described above, the present invention increases the difficulty level of a crane game target  100  by introducing areas where suction against the surface of the target is rendered more difficult. The term “target” is used in the disclosure because the object to be picked up may be a prize, or it may be a holder for a marker or ticket reflecting a point value. Extraction of the holder allows the player to accumulate these markers for redemption at a designated location. The holders themselves can be disk shaped, spheres, boxes, or other suitable container having substantially smooth surfaces capable of achieving a seal with the vacuum head. The vacuum head  36  is typically conical with a circular base that allows round objects to be captured as well as objects with flat surfaces such as boxes or flat chips. The holders may also house a prize  200  itself, as shown in FIG.  8 .