Abstract:
An arcade game is disclosed having a rotating roulette type wheel with holes along a concentric circle of the upper face, and a coin track for carrying a coin from a player to the roulette type wheel at the position of the holes, which serve as targets. An optical sensor signals a microprocessor that a coin is entering the rotating playing field, and a second optical detector detects the nearest target and communicates a target value to the microprocessor. The microprocessor compares the timing of the coin passing through the coin track and the passage of the most proximal target, and awards the target value of the time between the two events is within a predetermined interval.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to arcade style amusement games of chance, and more particularly to an arcade game where a coin or token is dispatched down a track to enter a rotating roulette wheel type playfield where electronic sensors determine a score based on a proximate target. 
         [0002]    Arcade games that measure a player&#39;s skill and luck are well known in the art. The present inventor is also the inventor and owner of many popular games found in today&#39;s arcades. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,082, entitled “Coin Projecting Amusement Device,” discloses an amusement wherein coins may be controllably deposited by the player on a playing surface having a multiplicity of surface interruption means thereon. A vertical dam translates over at least a portion of said playing surface and pushes said deposited coins against a random pattern of accumulated coins, causing some of said accumulated coins to fall over an edge into a collecting and counting means. This game is marketed and sold under the trademark “Wedges and Ledges.” U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,248, also invented by the present inventor, discloses an amusement game where coins are dropped onto a flat surface over which a vertical dam is horizontally translated. The vertical dam translates over a portion of the flat surface and drops a certain of the accumulated coins over the edge. As the coins drop over the edge, they are collected in a counting chute to be synchronously counted in a memory which is then unloaded to vend out a corresponding number of tokens. 
         [0003]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,585 also discloses an amusement apparatus in which a player controls a pushing device to push items off of a playing field. A moveable surface is driven in a first pre-determined path and the pusher device is moveable in a linear path traverse to the path travel of the moveable surface. A delivery passage at one end of the path of the pusher device is arranged to deliver any item swept off the surface to a retrieval bin. U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,045 is directed to an amusement device comprised of a pair of spaced apart elongate members defining a track, and a rolling member for rolling along that track under control of an operator. The elongate members are spaced a fixed distance apart at their first ends since this ends comprising since this end comprising the normal home position of the rolling member. The opposite, second ends of the elongate members are moveable relative to one another to adjust their spacing and to control the movement of the rolling member along the track. The operator controls the separation of the elongate member so that the rolling member can roll from its home position to the opposite end of the track without falling between the opening separating the elongate members. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,865 discloses a rotary arcade game including a turn table having a central aperture. Prizes are positioned on the surface of the turn table and moved by a pivoting arm member operated by the player. The player attempts to manipulate an arm member to push prizes into a collection pocket where they are detected and dispensed to the player. U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,374 is directed to a crane game using a vacuum to selectively pick up prizes within a bin. The prizes are arrayed on a rotating turn table, and the player manipulates a vacuum pick up device linearly along a radial direction of the turn table to pick up prizes below. U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,429 discloses another crane game using a video screen for displaying images. A maneuverable sensor contacts the display screen to select prizes displayed thereon. U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,519 discloses an arcade game including a directing mechanism for aiming a game piece such as a token. U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,881 discloses a crane game with a prize redistribution mechanism for dispersing prizes to a substantially level configuration. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,770,001 discloses a vacuum crane game with targets having beaded portions that vary the difficulty of acquiring said targets. 
         [0005]    The foregoing illustrate arcade type games credited to the present inventor. The games are predominantly skill-based with an element of luck woven into the overall operation of the games. The present invention is the inventor&#39;s most recent creation in this line of arcade type games. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention is an arcade game that can be simultaneously played by one or more players, and includes a rotating playing field with a plurality of circumferentially spaced holes serving as targets. The holes or targets are assigned a point value and the point value is indicated by demarcations adjacent each target so that the player can easily determine which targets have the highest point value. The rotating playing field is enclosed in a transparent housing to prevent the player or onlookers from influencing the play. An elongate track extends from a chute just outside of the transparent housing and above the playing field, down to the playing field, where the track&#39;s width is narrow and sized to carry a coin or token under the influence of gravity down the track in a rolling manner. The end of the track leads directly to the playing field, and more precisely to a radial position on the playing field in which all of the targets lie. As the playing field rotates, each target on the playing field sequentially passes by the end of the coin track. The determination of which target a coin will “hit” is determined solely by the player&#39;s timing in coordinating the travel of the coin down the track with the rotation of the playing field and associated movement of the desired target. The player thus attempts to time the placement of the coin or token in the chute, which causes the coin to travel under the influence of gravity down the track, with the arrival of the desired target so as to achieve the best score. 
         [0007]    The game may be equipped with multiple chutes arranged around the perimeter of the housing that are coupled to their own coin tracks, allowing many players to participate simultaneously. In order to determine which player scores which target, each coin track is provided with an optical sensor disposed above the rotating playing field that detects the passage of a coin having a correct trajectory, but does not detect a coin with an incorrect trajectory, and sends a signal to a microprocessor if a coin is detected. The microprocessor receives the signal from the optical sensor and determines the nearest target to the exit of the coin track, and awards the player the value of the target based on this determination. The game can then dispense tickets, prizes, or otherwise score points based on the accuracy and the luck of the players in shooting the coin at their intended targets. The game can also be made more difficult by adding mechanical mechanisms to oscillate the end of the track, making it more challenging for the player to obtain the correct trajectory. 
         [0008]    Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the features of the invention 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is an elevated perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0010]    For a better understanding of the present invention together with other and further objects, advantages and capabilities thereof, reference is made to the following disclosure and appended claims in connection with the above described drawing.  FIG. 1  illustrates a general depiction of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein an arcade game  10  comprises a housing  15  wherein the upper half of the housing  20  is at least partially transparent and encloses a game area to protect the game from interference or tampering. In a preferred embodiment, the upper half of the housing  20  is configured to include a transparent dome so that the game may be viewed by players and observers. Alternatively, the dome can be replaced by a flat panel, pyramid, or other structure as the main consideration is the ability of the players to watch the action. The lower half  25  of the housing  15  stores the electronics and operational components to be described more fully below to enable the game to be played. 
         [0011]    On at least one lower panel is a ticket dispenser  40  for dispensing redemption tickets  41 , coupons, receipts, or the like as is known in the art. Such ticket dispensers  40  are notorious in this field and the construction and operation of the ticket dispensers are not part of the present invention. Tickets  41  are awarded to the player based on commands from a microprocessor that controls the operation of the game and the distribution of rewards.  FIG. 1  also illustrates additional features of the game  10  including an electric motor  45  that is connected to a power source (not shown). The motor  45  drives a large rotating playing field or wheel  55  at a constant speed in a similar manner to the popular roulette wheels used in gaming casinos. The upper surface of the rotating playing field  55  includes concentrically aligned holes  60  arranged at a common radial position adjacent the outer edge. Each hole  60  is assigned a point value and establishes a target for the player to aim for. That is, one hole may represent a value of “100” and a second hole may represent a value of “10.” If a player is deemed to have successfully landed a coin at the target, the ticket dispenser  40  dispenses tickets  41  based on the value of the target. 
         [0012]    Located on the side of the rotating playing field  55  adjacent each hole are projections  65  of varying number. The projections  65  are read by an optical sensor (not shown) positioned within the housing adjacent the rotating wheel. The optical sensor reads the projections  65  as each target  60  passes by, where the spacing and number of the projections  65  correspond with a specific target on the wheel. The sensor sends a signal to a microprocessor within the housing  15  that interprets the signal as a location of the wheel at the sensor, which is used to determine the location of the targets adjacent each chute. In this manner, the microprocessor tracks the target  60  that most recently passed the chute at all times the game is powered on. 
         [0013]    At each wall of the game is a coin chute  75  into which a player can deposit a token, coin, or the like  72 . The coin chute  75  leads to a downwardly inclined curved coin track  80 . A coin  72  placed in the chute  75  will enter and travel down the track  80  onto the rotating playing field  55 . As the coin exits the track  80  it encounters a surface  68  supported just above the rotating playing field  55 . The surface  68  includes a hole  69  that coincides with the radial distance of the targets  60  and is similarly sized. The surface  68  carries ramps on either side of the path between the end of the chute  80  and the hole  69 , where such path defines a winning path. 
         [0014]    On opposite sides of the surface  68  is one or more optical readers  85  that detects the passage of a coin and relays a signal to the processor  50  that a coin is exiting the track  80 . The optical reader  85  is positioned so that only a coin that maintains contact with the surface  68  will trigger a successful shot. If the sensor reads a coin as passing along the winning path, the processor then compares the time from the most recent passage of a target  60  to determine the nearest target, and awards a point value corresponding to the most proximal target. Once the microprocessor determines the most proximal target, the microprocessor commands the ticket dispensing machine  40  to dispense tickets corresponding to the predetermined value of the target. However, adjacent the optical sensor  85  on each side of the path to the target are ramps  90  extending a height above the sensor  85 . If the coin or token  72  exits the chute  80  and encounters a ramp  90  it will be diverted over the sensor&#39;s optical beam  92  and thus not be recognized by the microprocessor. Accordingly, a coin that fails to register with the optical sensor  85  is deemed to be a failed attempt and no points are awarded for this try. 
         [0015]    A player can test his skill by timing the gravitationally driven token or coin  72  to exit the track  80  coinciding with the passage of the higher value targets, and thus earn the highest ticket value. The determination of whether there has been a successful score is determined by the optical reader  85 , and the microprocessor which determines the position of the wheel and extracts the nearest target when the coin exits the chute and actuates the sensor  85 . The microprocessor  50  can also be programmed to require the most proximal target be within a predetermined distance from the end of the chute before awarding a winning score. That is, the microprocessor will not award a winning score despite the sensor  85  determining that a coin has successfully passed through the path to the target if the target is determined to be spaced too far from the hole  69  as the coin exits the chute  80 . The proximity of the target to the hole  69  can be adjusted to vary the required skill level. In other words, the range of delay between the passage of the target and the entrance of the coin onto the playing field can be set to 2 to 3 tenths of a second for higher accuracy, to a full second or more for lower accuracy, where if the passage is within the tolerance the microprocessor interprets the attempt as a successful hit. This determination eliminates the need for the coin to actually enter and stay in the hole/target, which is irrelevant for purposes of winning the tickets. 
         [0016]    The present embodiment allows for multiple players to play simultaneously. Otherwise, if a coin  72  entered a target  60  it would be difficult to determine whose coin entered the target. By tying the success of the player to the proximity of the coin to a moving target, with sensors adjacent each player&#39;s chute, the need to determine whether a coin entered the target hole and which player&#39;s coin entered target is eliminated which greatly simplifies the game. Each player can thus win or lose simultaneously and the game keeps track of each attempt by each player and awards tickets, scores, points or the like accordingly. 
         [0017]    There may be alternative methods in which the token is put in play in the game, which can make the game more random. In the above described embodiment, the player fully controls the timing of the coin apart from the influence of gravity. However, a coin acceptor can be employed that recognizes the presence of a coin that initiates a game sequence in the microprocessor  50 . The acceptor then drops the coin onto the coin track after a random delay controlled by the microprocessor, such that the element of skill is eliminated from the game. 
         [0018]    The difficulty can also be adjusted by adding a mechanical shaker  110  that oscillates the chutes  80  using a linkage. The shaker  110  is driven by the same motor  45  as drives the rotating playing field, or the shaker can be driven by a separate motor  115  as shown in the figure. The shaker  110  includes a rod  119  driven by the motor and coupled via pivoting links  121  to a cross bar  125 . The cross bar  125  is coupled to shaker arms  130  that are fixed to the chutes  80 . When the motor  115  is actuated, the rod  119  rotates causing the pivoting links to move in a circular manner. The pivoting links  121  are fixed to the cross bar  125  and cause the shaker arms  130  to reciprocate back and forth, which in turn causes the ends of the chutes to undulate in a predictable pattern. This pattern can be timed by the player, but adds a degree of difficult to the game as a coin will be off-center if the player&#39;s timing is not correct. 
         [0019]    The above described embodiments are intended to be illustrative but not limiting to the scope of the present invention, the breadth of which is intended to be governed solely by the words of the appended claims. Those skilled in the art will readily envision various changes and alternate embodiments that fall within the scope of the present invention, and the claims are intended to include all such changes and alternate embodiments.