Game structure

A game structure capable of being used to simulate to a degree any of a series of games such as basketball, volleyball or the like can be constructed so as to utilize a housing having a transluscent or transparent front surface. In a game structure as disclosed a carriage is mounted in the housing in back of the front surface so as to be capable of being moved back and forth along a path. A member simulating a member which is moved as a game is played is supported on the carriage so as to be moved as the carriage is moved. This member is of such a character as to be capable of being viewed through the front surface of the housing. Two separate structures are provided for moving the carriage. One of these is mounted adjacent to one end of the housing and the other is mounted adjacent to the other end of the housing. Each of these structures for moving the carriage is capable of being actuated so as to exert repetitive blows against the carriage as it is repetitively actuated in order to cause the carriage to move.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention set forth in this specification pertains to new and improved 
game structures. The embodiment of the invention specifically disclosed in 
this specification pertains to a game structure which simulates to a 
degree the game of basketball. It is considered, however, that the 
principles of the invention can be utilized to provide a series of 
different game structures which simulate to various extents any of a 
series of games in which a member such as a ball, a shuttlecock or the 
like is moved or propelled from one extremity of a playing area to 
another. 
It will, of course, be recognized that an untold number of different game 
structures capable of being utilized to simulate games as are noted in the 
preceding have been developed and utilized in the past. Within a 
comparatively recent time period a number of different electronic games 
have been developed which are based upon the movement of a dot of light 
simulating a ball or other member being propelled back and forth across 
the viewing surface of a cathode ray tube. Such games are normally played 
by one or more players adjusting a member with respect to the moving dot 
of light so as to intercept and cause the dot of light to move back and 
forth along the playing surface. 
Games of the latter category have extensively caught the imagination of the 
public. They are considered to be highly effective as game structures. It 
is also considered that such game structures are, because of their 
electronic character, sufficiently high priced so that they cannot be 
widely utilized and accepted, particularly by children. Many children know 
of such electronic games and desire to utilize them. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
As a result of the latter it is considered that there is a need for new and 
improved game structures which effectively simulate electronic games as 
are indicated in the preceding discussion, but which are of such a 
character that they are much less expensive than such electronic games. A 
broad objective of the present invention is to fulfill this need. Related 
objectives of this invention are to provide game structures which simulate 
electronic games in which a dot of light moves back and forth across the 
surface of a cathode ray tube which are comparatively simple to construct, 
which are comparatively inexpensive, which are essentially mechanical in 
character, which are capable of prolonged use by children without 
mechanical breakdown, and which are very effective for play purposes in 
holding the attention of children. 
In accordance with this invention these various objectives are achieved by 
providing a game structure which comprises: a housing having a bottom, a 
transluscent or transparent front surface, and ends connected by the 
bottom and the front surface, a carriage movably mounted on the bottom so 
as to be capable of being moved back and forth along a path in back of the 
front surface, visible means for simulating a member which is moved as the 
game is played supported on the carriage so as to be moved as the carriage 
is moved, this visible means being capable of being viewed through the 
front surface, and at least one moving means for moving the carriage, the 
moving means being capable of being actuated so as to exert repetitive 
blows against the carriage in order to move the carriage.

The particular game structure illustrated embodies certain operative 
concepts or principles as are set forth in the various claims at the end 
of this specification. Those familiar with the design and construction of 
mechanical toys will realize that these concepts or principles can be 
easily embodied within a wide variety of differently constructed and 
differently appearing game structures through the use or exercise of 
routine skill in the field of the design and construction of mechanical 
toys. 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
The toy game structure 10 of the invention illustrated includes a housing 
12 formed so as to include a transluscent or transparent front surface 14, 
a bottom or base 16, opposed ends 18 connected by the surface 14 and the 
bottom 16, a top 20 and a removable back cover 22 serving to enclose 
various operative parts as hereinafter indicated. Indicia 24 simulating a 
basketball court and further indicia 26 simulating the baskets used with 
such a court are provided on the front surface 14. 
A support platform 28 forming part of the bottom or base 16 is located 
within the housing 12 intermediate the ends 18. This platform 28 includes 
an elongated slot 30 extending parallel to the front surface 14. Rubber 
bumpers 32 are mounted on the platform 28 in alignment with the slot 30 
and spaced from the ends 34 of the slot 30. This platform 28 is used to 
support a carriage 36 having wheels 38 which rest upon the platform 28. A 
small guide member 40 extends downwardly from the carriage 36 through the 
slot 30 for the purpose of insuring that the carriage 36 will only move in 
a linear path parallel to the front surface 14. 
Preferably an enlarged head 42 is provided on the guide 40 for the purpose 
of preventing movement of the carriage 36 generally away from the platform 
28. With this structure the bumpers 32 limit the movement of the carriage 
36 toward the ends 18 of the housing 12. These bumpers 32 are preferably 
formed of an elastomeric material such as a rubber composition so as to 
absorb any shock resulting from the carriage 36 hitting against them so as 
to minimize vibration. 
The carriage 36 is provided with parallel, upstanding, spaced supports 44. 
Each of these supports 44 is provided with an upwardly directed groove 
serving as a bearing opening 46. If desired one of these supports 44 may 
include a small, pivotally mounted shaft retainer 48 which frictionally 
bears against the support 44 upon which it is located. These bearing 
openings 46 support a shaft 50 extending from both sides of a light unit 
52. The retainer 48 is adapted to be utilized to hold the shaft 50 so as 
to prevent the light unit 52 from moving away from the carriage 36. 
This light unit 52 includes a bottom section 54 serving as a housing 
holding batteries 56. This bottom section 54 preferably also includes a 
small counter weight 58 tending to balance the entire light unit 52 so 
that it may be pivotted between positions in which an arm 60 extending 
from the bottom section 54 is directed generally toward either of the ends 
18. The arm 60 carries a small housing 62 carrying a light bulb (and 
socket) 64 remote from the shaft 50. An opening 66 in the housing 62 is 
used to convey light from the bulb 64 to immediately in back of the front 
surface 14 so that the light from the bulb 64 will be visible through this 
front surface 14. 
Preferably this front surface 14 will be transluscent so that the light 
from the bulb 64 will be visible through the front surface 14 while 
various other operative parts within the housing 12 are concealed from 
view. It is, however, possible to form an effective game structure 10 in 
which the front surface 14 is transparent. The important factor is to make 
the game structure 10 in such a manner that this light bulb 64 or any 
other equivalent element substituted for it such as a colored disk (not 
shown) is visible through the front surface 14 as the game structure 10 is 
used. 
This opening 66 is preferably formed as indicated in FIG. 6 so as to have 
various internal ribs 68 effectively simulating the stitching on a common 
ball such as a basketball. The light unit 52 also includes various 
conventional conductors 70 and a conventional switch 72 mounted on the 
bottom section 54 and on the arm 60 for the purpose of controlling the 
operation of the bulb 64. A small door 74 of conventional design may be 
provided on the back cover 22 for the purpose of facilitating access to 
the switch 72. 
The carriage 36 also includes two separate levers 76 each of which is 
pivotally mounted on the carriage 36 through the use of conventional 
fasteners 78 serving as pivots. Lugs 80 on the carriage 36 limit the 
downward movement of these levers 76 and the retainer 48 limits the upward 
movement of the levers 76 in such a manner that these levers 76 will 
always tend to fall back against the lugs 80 after they have been engaged. 
These levers 76 are located adjacent to a plate 82 which is mounted within 
the housing 12 parallel to the front surface 14 immediately above the 
bottom 16 within the back cover 22. 
This plate 82 is formed so as to include two identical ramps 84 located 
adjacent to slots 86 which extend parallel to these ramps 84. Each of the 
ramps 84 leads upwardly at an angle from adjacent to an end 18. Each of 
the ramps 84 terminates at a stop 88 formed in the plate 82. These ramps 
84 are adapted to carry what are referred to herein as strikers 90. These 
strikers 90 are mirror images of one another. Each of these strikers 90 
includes a body portion 92 carrying a shaft 94 mounting a comparatively 
heavy roller 96. It will be noted that these body portions 92 include 
enlarged sides 98 which effectively straddle the ramps 84 so as to serve 
to guide the strikers 90 so that they will only move in a linear manner 
along the ramps 84. 
The rollers 96 employed are sufficiently heavy so as to be capable of 
returning the strikers 90 through the action of gravity toward positions 
as shown in FIG. 3 in which these strikers 90 are at the lowermost 
portions (not separately numbered) of the ramp 84 adjacent to the end 18. 
Each of the body portions 92 includes a hammer-like end 100 which is 
adapted to engage one of the levers 76 in order to impart motion to the 
carriage 36. It will be realized that when a lever 76 is engaged by a 
hammer-like end 100 of a striker 90 that this lever 76 will be rotated 
slightly in an amount depending upon the degree of the impact by the 
hammer-like end 100. The initial rotation of a lever 76 will not normally 
result in movement of the carriage 36. If the force applied by a 
hammer-like end 100 is great enough a lever 76 will be moved into 
engagement with the shaft retainer 48 and this in turn will cause movement 
of the carriage 36. 
An important feature of the present invention which is considered to aid in 
the game structure 10 effectively simulating the game of basketball 
relates to the fact that the light unit 52 includes a shock absorbing 
rubber projection 102 which extends outwardly from the remainder of this 
unit 52 to a sufficient extent so as to be capable of engaging a sloping 
surface 104 on either of the levers 76 when the light unit 52 is in either 
of the two substantially horizontal positions that this unit 52 can 
assume. With this type of structure when the projection 102 is at rest 
against a sloping surface 104 of a lever 76 and when this lever 76 is 
engaged by the hammer-like end 100 of the striker 90 the movement of the 
lever 76 which is so engaged by the striker 90 will result in pivotting of 
the light unit 52 relative to the carriage 36. Thus, this rotation of the 
light unit 52 is in a sense independent of the movement of the carriage 36 
although the light unit 52 is supported on the carriage 36 so as to be 
capable of being moved as the carriage 36 is moved. 
Bell crank type levers 106 which are mirror images of one another are 
mounted upon shafts 108 so that arms 110 of these levers 106 project 
outwardly through openings 112 in the ends 18. These arms 110 are 
preferably shaped much as handles so that they may be manually engaged so 
as to be rotated against stops 114 located on the ends 18. During such 
rotation internal arms 116 on these levers 106 will hit against the 
strikers 90 when such strikers 90 happen to be at or adjacent to the end 
(not separately numbered) of a ramp 84 adjacent to an end 18. The impact 
of an arm 116 with a striker 90 is intended to propel such a striker 90 so 
as to impart movement to the carriage 36 and the light unit 52 in the 
manner described in the preceding. Because of their function the striker 
90, the ramp 84 and the lever 106 may be collectively referred to as a 
moving means. 
Such movement as is caused by appropriate actuation of the levers 106 so 
that repetitive blows are delivered to the strikers 90 through the 
actuation of the levers 106 will cause the carriage 36 to move back and 
forth along a linear path parallel to the front surface 14. Concurrently 
the light unit 52 will pivot back and forth relative to the carriage 36 
and the front surface 14. As this occurs the light emitted from the bulb 
64 will on occasion pass adjacent to the areas (not separately numbered) 
on the front surface 14 containing indicia 26 simulating baskets. This 
will, of course, correspond to "baskets" being made in a conventional game 
of basketball. 
In order to improve playability of the game structure 10 it is considered 
desirable to incorporate within this game structure 10 two counters 118 
which will count the number of "baskets" made during the use of the game 
structure 10. Each of these counters 118 includes an assembly (not 
separately numbered) of a framework 120 carrying a rotatable drum 122 
located about a shaft 124. The shafts 124 are mounted on the frameworks 
120 so as to extend to the front surface 14 adjacent to the bottom 16. 
There small hands 126 are located on the shafts 124 so as to point to 
dials 128 containing numbers. The shafts 124 are also secured to 
conventional crown ratchet wheels 130 which are intended to be utilized in 
controlling the rotation of the shafts 124 and the drums 122. 
Elongated actuators 132 are pivotally mounted by pins 134 on the frameworks 
120 so that the lowermost ends 136 of these actuators 132 are adjacent to 
the ratchet wheels 130. Conventional escapement teeth 138 are provided on 
the actuators 132 so as to coact with the ratchet wheels 130 in order to 
permit a limited amount of rotation of each shaft 124 each time a 
corresponding actuator 132 is deflected so as to bring its end 136 
generally toward a ratchet wheel 130. 
Small coil springs 140 extending between the drums 122 and the framework 
120 will normally tend to bias the ratchet wheels 130 so that they are 
held against rotation by escapement teeth 138 and so that during each 
movement of an end 136 toward the ratchet wheel 130 there will be 
restricted motion of a shaft 124. The springs 140 can, of course, be 
placed under tension by rotating the hands 126 so as to reset the counters 
118. The teeth (not separately numbered) of the ratchet wheels 130 slide 
against the escapement teeth 138 in order to permit such resetting of the 
counters 118. 
Each of the actuators 132 is supplied with a tapered surface 142 which is 
adapted to be engaged by the arm 60 as the light unit 52 is moved and 
rotated so as to pass adjacent to the basket indicia 26. Such engagement 
of its tapered surface 142 will cause an actuator 132 to be pivotted in 
order to permit the end 136 to be moved so that the escapement teeth 138 
coact with the ratchet wheel 130 in order to permit limited movement of a 
hand 126 and a counter 118. Small coil springs 144 are normally connected 
between the actuators 132 and the framework 120 for the purpose of biasing 
these actuators 132 in positions in which the escapement teeth 138 prevent 
rotation of the ratchet wheels 130 and in positions in which the surfaces 
142 are located so that they can be engaged by the arm 60. If desired, 
however, these springs 144 may be dispensed with when the actuators 132 
are balanced so as to automatically pivot back to a "normal" position 
through the action of gravity. 
The actuators 132 also include stop walls 146 located at the lowermost 
extremities of the tapered surfaces 142. These stop walls 146 are designed 
to prevent the resilience of the projection 102 from causing the light 
unit 52 to bounce back away from a substantially horizontal position after 
a "basket" has been made as indicated by the light unit 52 passing 
relative to an indicia 26 as indicated. The action of a spring 144 will 
automatically return an actuator 132 to a position in which the light unit 
52 cannot be pivotted relative to the carriage 36 until such time as one 
of the strikers 90 moves so as to cause movement of the carriage 36 to a 
sufficient extent so that a stop wall 146 will no longer preclude rotation 
of the light unit 52 relative to the carriage 36. 
It is believed that it will be apparent from the preceding that the game 
structure 10 is of such a character that it can be manufactured without 
significant difficulty at a comparatively nominal cost. This game 
structure 10 is of a comparatively simple mechanical character which 
contributes to the game structure 10 being capable of prolonged use by 
children without mechanical malfunction. There are obviously a number of 
ways that the particular game structure 10 can be modified. The particular 
game structure 10 is primarily designed or intended for use by two 
children. It is considered that an effective toy or game may be 
manufactured utilizing the principles of this invention so that only one 
of the moving means for moving the carriage 36 are employed. Such a 
modified unit would substantially correspond to an individual shooting 
baskets by himself or herself.