Game having a magnetic target capable of holding a plurality of objects

A game of the type having a housing including a playing surface, an object launcher located in one end of the playing surface and a magnetic target member located on the other end of the playing surface is improved by including a plurality of ferromagnetic objects being independently capable of being propelled by the object launcher toward the magnetic target member. Each of the objects is capable of being attracted to and magnetically held by the magnetic target member except when another of said objects has already been attracted to and is being held by the magnetic target member then the first of said objects which is magnetically held by the target member is made magnetic by the target member and in turn serves as the target for the next of said objects to be launched by the launching member. Subsequent objects launched by the launching member are launched then toward the first of the objects already captured by the magnetic target member. It being the object of the game to capture all of the objects in a straight line.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention is directed to a game wherein a plurality of objects are 
present which are capable of being launched toward a magnetic target 
member and if correctly launched on the right trajectory capable of being 
captured by the target member and being made magnetic. The first of these 
objects which is captured by the magnetic target member then serves as the 
target for a subsequent object which, if successfully captured by the 
first of said objects, then in turn becomes the target for the next 
object. 
The magnetic force between a magnetic object and a ferromagnetic object 
serves man both as a tool in items such as compasses and magnetic cranes 
and also as a mystifying force which can be incorporated into games and 
the like. Many games exist which utilize magnetic forces as a principal 
basis of the game. Included in this group of games are target games such 
as those found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,562,089 and 2,477,531. In these two 
patents small magnetic missiles are propelled toward metallic targets. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,091,464 complicates this target principle by having the 
metallic target spinning. 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,903,264 improves a board type hockey game by making the 
puck magnetic which thus allows the puck to not only be flipped by 
rotatable players, but also to be drawn toward the metal player by the 
magnetic force between the puck and the player. U.S. Pat. No. 2,470,159 
describes a game mimicking a baseball game wherein movable metallic posts 
representing the team on the playing field can be positioned by moving one 
or more levers in order to attempt to capture a rollable member 
representing a batted ball which has a magnet incorporated within it. 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,956,807 differs somewhat from the above mentioned patents 
in that in this patent the repulsive force between two similar poles of 
two magnets are utilized to move one of the magnets through a maze-like 
pattern. British Pat. No. 198,537 utilizes electro magnets to attempt to 
capture an object moving in a circular path above the surface of the 
electro magnet. U.S. Pat. No. 2,853,830 utilizes a magnetic pencil to move 
iron filings over the surface of a picture to create comic faces on the 
picture. 
A very early patent, U.S. Pat. No. 581,678 describes a game wherein a 
magnet is rotatably mounted in the center of a raised platform and a 
ferromagnetic object in the shape of a sphere is directed through a 
plurality of grooves with the object being to capture the sphere with the 
magnet. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,308 describes a game wherein a small 
magnet is launched toward a large circular magnet with the object being to 
capture the small magnet on the surface of large circular magnet in such a 
way that the small magnet spins about the surface of the large circular 
magnet. 
While all of the above games are based on the principles of magnetism none 
of these games are directed to a game wherein once a ferromagnetic object 
is captured by a magnetic target the ferromagnetic object then serves as a 
subsequent target. This principle allows the target to be variable, 
unpredictable and therefore the type of game which both stimulates and 
holds the player's interest. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the above it is a primary object of this invention to provide a 
game which is based upon magnetism but differs from previous games in that 
when a ferromagnetic object is successfully captured by a magnet it then 
becomes magnetized and therefore subsequently serves as the target. It is 
a further object to provide a game that because of its simplicity of 
manufacture and design is both economically produced and can be expected 
to exhibit both a long useful life while still providing a constantly 
challenging, interesting and stimulating game. 
These objects and others which will become evident from the remainder of 
this specification are achieved by providing a game having a playing 
surface, an object launcher and a magnetic target member associated with 
the playing surface which comprises: a plurality of ferromagnetic objects 
each capable of being propelled independently across the playing surface 
by the object launcher and each of the objects independently being capable 
of being attracted to and magnetically held by the magnetic target member 
when another of said objects has not already been first attracted to and 
held by the magnetic target member; the first of said objects which is 
successfully attracted to and magnetically held by the magnetic target 
member is then magnetic by its association with the magnetic target member 
and further serves as the target member for a subsequent of said objects; 
each of the subsequent objects when successfully attracted to and 
magnetically held by a previous object is magnetized by the association 
with the previous object and in turn serves as a target member for the 
next of the objects to be propelled by the object launcher. 
The game can include a housing located on the playing surface which has a 
recess therein. An opening in the recess serves to allow one object to 
enter the recess such that it can be located against the surface of the 
magnetic target member located at the rear of the recess. An object 
release member slides through the recess and severs the object from the 
magnetic target member demagnetizing all of the objects and allowing them 
to be returned to the object launcher for repeat playing of the game.

The toy illustrated in this specification utilizes certain principles and 
concepts as are set forth and defined in the amended claims forming a part 
of this specification. It is to be realized that those experienced in the 
toy design arts could utilize these principles or concepts in a number of 
differently appearing embodiments without departing from the spirit or 
scope of this invention. For this reason this invention is to be construed 
in light of the appended claims and should not be construed as being 
limited solely to the embodiment illustrated in the specification and the 
drawings. 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
The game 10 of the invention has a lower housing component 12 and an upper 
transparent housing component 14. Upper housing component 14 is sealed to 
lower housing component 14 after the remainder of the parts, hereinafter 
described, are located therein which serves to insure that these parts do 
not get lost. Located in the upper left hand corner of FIG. 1 is an 
internal housing component 16. It projects upwardly from playing surface 
18 and forms a barrier as hereinafter described. 
The upper housing 14 has an indentation 20 which contains an opening 22 
through housing 14. Extending out of the opening 22 so it is thus exposed 
to manipulation of a player's fingers is the lower end 24 of plunger 26. 
The upper end 28 of plunger 26 is located over playing surface 18 and is 
exposed to view of the player using the game through upper housing 14. 
Projecting from the under surface of playing surface 18 is a peg 30. A 
slot 32 extends along playing surface 18 beneath the plunger 26. Extending 
downwardly from plunger 26 in slot 32 and integrally formed with plunger 
26 is a finger 34. A spring 36 connects the finger 34 to peg 30 and biases 
the plunger 26 toward the internal housing 16. 
A plurality of objects collectively identified by the numeral 38 are 
located on the playing surface 18 beneath the upper housing 14. A series 
of baffles identified by the numerals 40, 42, 44 and 46 are integrally 
formed with the upper housing 14 and extend downwardly from the upper 
housing 14 toward the playing surface 18. These baffles serve to define 
guides for the plurality of objects 38 and the area between baffles 44 and 
46 defines a feed channel 48 which serves to feed the objects 38 one at a 
time in front of the upper end 28 of plunger 26. 
Located underneath internal housing 16 is a slidable member 50. One end 52 
of member 50 extends out of an opening 54 in lower housing 12. This 
exposes the end 52 of member 50 to manipulation by a player's fingers. A 
small upright projection 56 projects upwardly from the bottom of lower 
housing 12 underneath internal housing 16. A compression spring 58 fits 
between upright projection 56 and the other end 60 of slidable member 50. 
Compression spring 58 biases slidable member 50 toward opening 54. 
Internal housing 16 contains a recession or chamber 62 in the middle of it. 
A wall 64 which is essentially perpendicular to playing surface 18 
gradually tapers or curves toward opening 66 in chamber 62. The chamber 62 
contains one wall 68 which extends obliquely toward the rear of the 
chamber 62. Located in a cavity 70 in slidable member 50 is a magnet 72. 
When the slidable member 50 is in the position shown in FIG. 3 the magnet 
72 forms the rear wall of chamber 62. The remaining wall, not numbered, 
that is the wall on the left hand side, as viewed in FIG. 3 or 4 of 
chamber 62 is open. Projecting outwardly and integrally formed on sliding 
member 50 is a finger 74 which has an oblique surface 76 thereon. As seen 
in FIGS. 3 and 4, as slidable member 50 slides on the lower housing 12 the 
finger 74 is slid into the chamber 62 and if an object 38 is located 
within chamber 62 the interaction of the oblique surfaces 76 and 68 serve 
to displace the object 38 away from the surface of the magnet 72 expelling 
the object 38 out of the chamber 62. As this happens the magnet 72, since 
it is located in cavity 70 of slidable member 50, is displaced to the 
right of wall 68 which further serves to sever the magnetic attraction 
between the magnet 72 and the object 38. 
The objects 38 are in the shape of spheres and are constructed of 
ferromagnetic material which when isolated exists in a nonmagnetic state, 
but when placed in the magnetic field of a magnet become magnetized 
themselves. Located on playing surface 18 are a plurality of concentric 
circles 78. These circles have their center in the center of chamber 62. 
They are spaced apart one from the other preferably by the diameter of one 
of the objects 38. Located directly in front of plunger 26 is a small hole 
80 in the surface of playing surface 18. This hole serves to disturb the 
flight path of the object 38 toward the magnet 72. 
It is the object of the game to propel one of the objects 38 toward the 
magnet 72 which serves as an initial magnetic target member. The first 
object 38 that is successfully propelled toward and in fact becomes lodged 
in chamber 62 adheres to the surface of the magnet 72. This then 
magnetizes this first object and it now serves as a target. Once a first 
object becomes captured by the magnet 72 and is in fact magnetized by the 
magnet 72 a second object successfully propelled toward it will strike it 
and because the first object is magnetized will adhere to the surface of 
the first object. This then magnetizes the second object, however, since 
it is at a distance from the magnet 72 greater than the distance of the 
first object it is not magnetized as strongly as the first object. A 
further object 38 can now be propelled toward the second object 38 which 
has become magnetic. If this next object strikes the second object 
successfully it will adhere to its surface and in turn become magnetized 
and can serve as a target for even a further object. This sequence is 
repeated in an attempt to form a single line of all of the objects. 
Since each successive object which is captured by the magnet 72 is less 
magnetic than the object it is attached to, objects closer to the magnet 
72 will have a stronger attracting force for objects being propelled by 
the plunger 26 then will objects more distal from the magnet 72. As more 
and more objects are attached in a line it becomes more difficult to 
maintain this line instead of forming branches emanating from objects 
which are closer to the magnet 72. The skill of the player is measured by 
how long a chain of objects can be formed. This chain of objects can be 
recorded by how far out they project in the concentric circules 78 which 
can be given labels indicating a score. 
After all of the objects have been transferred from the feed channel 28 by 
the plunger 26 and have either been captured by the magnet 72 or allowed 
to roll back into dead area 82 on the opposite end of the game 10 those 
objects which are attached to magnet 72 are then released by depressing 
end 52 of slidable member 50 against the bias of spring 58. This causes 
oblique surface 76 to move toward wall 68 severing the first object from 
the magnet 72 as shown in FIG. 4 and thus demagnetizing it which causes 
all of the other objects which are either in a straight or branched chain 
from this first object to also be demagnetized releasing them from each 
other so that they may once again be properly located within feed channel 
48. This upper surface of transparent upper housing 14 can contain indicia 
such as the rocket shaped indicia 84 located over plunger 26 which serves 
to make the game theme oriented and therefore of a greater play value.