A bubble-propelled amusement device in which play pieces are dispersed in a water bath contained in an enclosed transparent tank having on its bottom wall an air nozzle and having in the air space above the bath an air intake, the pieces normally tending to sink toward the nozzle. Below the tank is a pump assembly comprising an air chamber coupled to a player-operated bellows, the chamber being provided with an air outlet and an air inlet, each having a check valve therein. The air outlet is coupled to the nozzle so that when the bellows is actuated by the player and compressed, the resultant positive air pressure in the chamber causes the outlet valve to open to feed air into the nozzle which injects into the water bath a stream of air bubbles that act to propel play pieces toward a target, the bubbles then being discharged into the air space. When the bellows is released by the player and permitted to expand, the resultant negative air pressure in the chamber causes the inlet valve to open to draw air from the air space into the chamber. Thus the pump assembly forms with the tank a closed air loop and is isolated from the water therein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of Invention: 
This invention relates generally to toys or amusement devices of the type 
in which play pieces dispersed in water contained in a transparent tank 
are propelled by a player toward a goal or target, and more particularly 
to a device in which the propulsive force for this purpose is a stream of 
air bubbles produced by a player-actuated air pump assembly operatively 
coupled to the tank. 
2. Status of Prior Art: 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,715 to Matsumoto and U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,141 to 
Tanimura disclose amusement devices in which a transparent tank filled 
with water has dispersed therein play pieces in the form of rings or other 
members having a specific gravity greater than water so that the pieces 
tend to sink to the bottom of the tank. Coupled to the tank bottom is a 
water pump which when actuated by a player shoots a stream of water into 
the tank that acts to propel the play pieces toward a goal or target. The 
object of this toy is to so operate the liquid pump as to cause the pieces 
to be caught by or fall into the target. 
The practical drawback of a toy of this type in which the propulsive force 
is a water stream is that the player, while he can see the effect of the 
stream on the play pieces on which the stream impinges, is unable to see 
the stream itself, for the stream of water produced by the water pump is 
not visibly distinguishable from the pool of water into which the stream 
is injected. 
Since the player cannot see the stream of water but only its effect on the 
play pieces, he cannot see the direction it takes, and this makes it 
difficult for the player to control the play pieces. Thus if the play 
pieces are small basketballs and the target a miniature basketball goal, 
it is then hard for the player to so manipulate the water pump as to avoid 
overshooting the goal. 
Inasmuch as the present invention makes use of air bubbles as the 
propulsive force rather than a liquid stream as in the above-noted 
patents, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,738 to Kramer, is pertinent. In Kramer, 
an air pump blows bubbles into a column of water, the bubbles being 
intercepted by a capsule which is caused to rise and fall in the column 
under the control of the pump operator. 
Also of background interest is the U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,302, to Henderson, 
in which an air bellows pump acts to blow air bubbles into a water tank to 
provide a bubble bath for a doll immersed in the tank. The use of air to 
impel balls toward a target is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,097, to 
Begley, but there is no water in his arrangement. 
SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
In view of the foregoing, the main object of this invention is to provide 
an amusement device in which play pieces dispersed in a bath of water 
partially filling an enclosed transparent tank are propelled by a stream 
of air bubbles toward a target or goal, the air bubbles being generated by 
a player-actuated air pump assembly operatively coupled to the tank. 
A significant advantage of the invention is that the stream of air bubbles 
is visible to the player, making it easier for him to so manipulate the 
air pump assembly as to direct the play pieces toward the goal, and also 
giving the player the feeling of greater control over the operation of the 
amusement device. Moreover, the generation of visible air bubbles by the 
player enhances the appeal of the amusement device. 
More particularly, an object of this invention is to provide an amusement 
device of the above type whose transparent enclosed tank is fillable with 
water to create a water bath therein at the required level, the 
arrangement being such as to isolate tank water from the air pump assembly 
and to isolate the assembly from the atmosphere and thereby form a closed 
air loop between the enclosed tank and the assembly. 
Also an object of the invention is to provide an amusement device which is 
reliable and efficient in operation, and which can be manufactured at low 
cost. 
Briefly stated, these objects are attained in a bubble-propelled amusement 
device in which play pieces are dispersed in a water bath partially 
filling an enclosed transparent tank having on its bottom wall an air 
nozzle and having in the air space above the bath an air intake, the 
pieces normally tending to sink toward the nozzle. Below the tank is a 
pump assembly comprising an air chamber coupled to a player-operated 
bellows, the chamber being provided with an air outlet and an air inlet, 
each having a check valve therein. 
The air outlet is coupled to the nozzle so that when the bellows is 
actuated by the player and compressed, the resultant positive air pressure 
in the chamber causes the outlet valve to open to feed air into the nozzle 
which injects into the water bath a stream of air bubbles that act to 
propel play pieces toward a target, the bubbles then being discharged into 
the air space. When the bellows is released by the player and permitted to 
expand, the resultant negative air pressure in the chamber causes the 
inlet valve to open to draw air from the air space into the chamber. Thus 
the pump assembly forms with the tank a closed air loop and is isolated 
from the water therein.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown an air-propelled amusement 
device in accordance with the invention whose main components are a 
transparent tank 10 mounted above an air pump assembly, generally 
designated by numeral 11, having a molded plastic case 12 from one end of 
which projects a push button 13. 
Tank 10, which is of molded, transparent, plastic material, has a generally 
rectangular cross section and an arched top wall having an open neck 14 at 
its center to receive a removable stopper 15. Supported within the tank is 
a target plate 16 formed of rigid plastic material that is edge contoured 
to define an animal or bird having an upraised beak 17. Beak 17 acts as a 
target for play pieces which are dispersed in a water bath 18 partially 
filling the tank. Target plate 16 also includes a pointed up finger 19 
serving as a second target. The target plate 16 is supported by 
transparent plastic posts P.sub.l and P.sub.2 anchored in the rear wall of 
the tank. 
Dispersed within bath 18 are play pieces 20 in ring form having a diameter 
such that the rings can hook onto targets 17 and 19. Rings are shown by 
way of example only, for the play pieces may be in ball or in any other 
form, and the targets need not be spike-like, as shown, but may take the 
form of a miniature basketball goal or any other form appropriate to the 
nature of the play pieces. 
The specific gravity of play pieces 20 is such that they do not float on 
the surface of the liquid bath but tend normally to sink to the bottom 
wall 21 of the tank. This wall is inclined to form a ramp leading toward a 
depressed well 22 having mounted therein an air nozzle 23. 
Extending upwardly along one side wall of the tank is a transparent plastic 
tube 24 which is held against the wall by clear plastic fixtures 25 and 26 
and terminates in an air intake 27. This air intake is positioned in the 
head of air or air space above the level of the water bath. When the tank 
is partially filled with water to create bath 18 therein, it is not filled 
to the top, but to level leaving an air space above the bath. 
In operation, when a player depresses push button 13 to actuate the air 
pump assembly, a stream of bubbles is expelled from nozzle 23 in the water 
bath, and these act to propel play rings 20 upwardly. The player 
repeatedly actuates the push button to shoot out the bubbles with varying 
force in order to propel the rings in a direction toward the targets. 
Since the rings are subjected to the upward force of the air bubbles and 
the downward force of gravity, and the upward force is not exactly 
vertical but at an angle that depends on the collective effect of the 
pattern of air bubbles in the right hand region of the tank, the rings can 
be made to travel in a curved path leading to the targets which are in the 
left hand region of the tank. Those rings which miss the targets sink to 
the bottom wall ramp in the tank and move toward well 22 where they are 
exposed to nozzle 23 and are again subjected to the bubble action. 
The air bubbles rise in the water bath and are discharged into the air 
space thereabove where the air is sucked back into the air pump assembly 
11 through air intake 27. When the tank is filled with a proper amount of 
water and stopper 15 put back in place, the tank is then sealed and 
atmospheric air is excluded therefrom. Hence the air which is pumped into 
air nozzle 23 is derived from the air space within the sealed tank and not 
from the atmosphere, so that in operation the air within the tank is 
circulated within a closed loop. 
The Air Pump Assembly 
As shown separately in FIG. 3, the air pump assembly 11 comprises a 
cylindrical air chamber 28, one end of which is axially coupled to a 
blow-molded bellows 29 to which push button 13 is attached. Hence when the 
button is pressed in by a player, the bellows is compressed to produce a 
positive pressure in air chamber 28. The other end of air chamber 28 is 
axially coupled through a normally-closed check valve 30 to an air outlet 
29. Outlet 29 is coupled by a tube 31 to nozzle 23 in the bottom of tank 
10. 
Outlet valve 30 includes a spring-biased valve member 30V, which when a 
positive air pressure is produced by the bellows in air chamber 28 is 
forced open to feed air into nozzle 23 from which the air is injected into 
the water bath to produce a stream of bubbles therein which propel the 
play pieces. 
Extending laterally from air chamber 28 is a check valve 32 leading to an 
air inlet 33 coupled to tube 24 terminating in air intake 27. Inlet valve 
32 includes a spring-biased valve member 32V which is normally closed. But 
when bellows 29 is released by the player and expands to resume its normal 
form, then a negative pressure is developed in air chamber 28 which causes 
inlet valve 31 to open and to draw air from the air space in tank 10 into 
air chamber 28 to release the vacuum. 
Thus outlet check valve 30 prevents water in the tank from entering the air 
pump assembly, for this valve opens only when a positive pressure is 
produced to force air into the tank, the forced air then going through 
tube 31 acting to expel water therefrom. 
The arrangement is such that the air pump assembly is isolated from the 
tank water and is also isolated from atmospheric air, for the air 
circulates in a closed loop. 
While there has been shown and described a preferred embodiment of a 
bubble-propelled amusement device in accordance with the invention, it 
will be appreciated that many changes and modifications may be made 
therein without, however, departing from the essential spirit thereof. 
Thus instead of a bellows, the pump may be a spring-biased, 
piston-operated air pump.