Action toy game apparatus

An action toy game apparatus includes a base, a timer in the base, a plurality of game elements, a game element support assembly, a game element retrieving mechanism and an ejection mechanism. The game element support assembly is receivable on the base for releasably supporting the game elements, and the timer is actuatable for set periods of time for rotating the game element support assembly so that the game elements travel in a substantially circular path which is spaced upwardly from the base. The retrieving mechanism is preferably embodied as an amusing character figure and it is operable for retrieving the game elements from the support assembly, and the ejection mechanism is operative for ejecting the support assembly and any of the game elements thereon upon the expiration of the set period of time as determined by the timer.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The instant invention relates to action toys and more particularly to an 
action toy which is operative for playing an amusing game wherein a game 
player must perform certain feats within a set period of time in order to 
achieve a game score. 
It has been found that games of the general type which require game players 
to perform certain manipulations within set periods of time in order to 
achieve game scores often have significant degrees of play value. Further, 
it has been found that games of this type which incorporate interesting 
and amusing game apparatus which must be skillfully manipulated in order 
to achieve game scores ave even greater levels of appeal. Still further, 
it has been found that games of this general type which are adapted for 
use by children can be of significant value in aiding in the development 
of both hand-to-eye coordination and manual dexterity. 
The instant invention provides an amusement game apparatus which can be 
effectively adapted for use by children and which is operative for playing 
an amusing and interesting game of the general type wherein a game player 
must perform certain manipulations within a set period of time in order to 
achieve a game score. More specifically, the action toy game apparatus of 
the instant invention comprises a base, a timer in the base which is 
actuatable for a set period of time, a plurality of game elements, and a 
game element support assembly for releasably supporting the game elements 
in upwardly spaced relation to the base. The game element support assembly 
is mounted on the base, and it communicates with the timer for rotating 
the game element support assembly when the timer is in an actuated 
condition. Further, the game element support assembly is adapted for 
releasably supporting the game elements so that they move in a 
substantially circular path which is spaced upwardly from the base when 
the support assembly is rotated by the timer. The apparatus further 
includes a retrieving mechanism mounted on the base which is manually 
actuatable for individually retrieving the game elements from the support 
assembly as the support assembly is rotated. The retrieving mechanism 
preferably comprises a depressible member and a retrieving member, and the 
depressible member is preferably manually depressible for moving the 
retrieving member upwardly to retrieve the game elements from the support 
assembly. The support assembly preferably comprises a pedestal portion 
which is mounted on the base so that it extends upwardly therefrom and an 
upper support portion which is mounted on the pedestal portion in upwardly 
spaced relation to the base. The support assembly is preferably adapted so 
that it is ejectable from the base, and the apparatus preferably further 
comprises an ejection mechanism for ejecting the support assembly and any 
of the game elements thereon from the base upon the expiration of the set 
period of time as determined by the timer. The retrieving member is 
preferably formed in the configuration of an amusing character figure, and 
it includes an upper head portion and a lower jaw portion which cooperate 
to define a mouth of the character figure. The lower jaw portion is 
preferably pivotably mounted on the upper head portion for moving the 
mouth between open and closed positions thereof in order to capture the 
game elements therein so that they can be retrieved from the support 
assembly. Further, the retrieving mechanism is preferably operable for 
automatically moving the mouth of the character figure to the closed 
position thereof when the retrieving member is moved upwardly in order to 
enable the retrieving member to be effectively utilized for individually 
capturing and retrieving the game elements from the support assembly. 
For use and operation of the game apparatus of the instant invention, a 
plurality of the game elements are assembled on the support assembly, the 
support assembly is assembled on the base, and the timer is moved to a 
wound position wherein it is operative for rotating the support assembly 
during a set period of time. Once the timer has been actuated, the support 
assembly is rotated on the base so that the game elements are moved in a 
substantially circular path above the base, and accordingly the retrieving 
mechanism can then be manipulated in order to individually retrieve the 
game elements from the support assembly. Specifically, the retrieving 
mechanism can be manipulated by depressing the depressible member so that 
the retrieving member is moved upwardly in order to individually capture 
the game elements in the mouth of the character figure embodied in the 
retrieving member. In this connection, the retrieving mechanism is adapted 
so that as the depressible member is operated to move the retrieving 
member upwardly, the mouth of the character figure embodied in the 
retrieving member can be automatically moved to a closed position in order 
to effectively capture the game elements in the mouth of the character 
figure during the set period of time as determined by the timer. However, 
when the timer reaches the fully unwound or deactuated position thereof, 
the ejection mechanism is operative for ejecting the support assembly and 
any of the game elements retaining thereon from the base so that the game 
elements can no longer be retrieved in the mouth of the character figure. 
As a result, in order to achieve a game score, a game player must quickly 
and effectively manipulate the retrieving mechanism during the set period 
of time as determined by the timer in order to capture as many of the game 
elements as possible in the mouth of the character figure during the set 
period of time. 
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide an 
effective and amusing game apparatus wherein a game player must perform 
certain manipulations within a set period of time in order to achieve a 
game score. 
Another object of the instant invention is to provide an amusing action toy 
game apparatus including an amusing character figure which is actuatable 
for retrieving game elements during a set period of time as the game 
elements are rotated in a substantially circular path. 
An even further object of the instant invention is to provide an action toy 
game apparatus which is adapted for use by children and operative in 
connection with an amusing game wherein game elements must be captured in 
the mouth of a character figure within a set period of time in order to 
achieve a game score. 
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become 
apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection 
with the accompanying illustrative drawings. PG,6

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring now to the drawings, the action toy game apparatus of the instant 
invention is illustrated and generally indicated at 10 in FIGS. 1 through 
5. The apparatus 10 comprises a base generally indicated at 12, a timer 
generally indicated at 14, a plurality of game elements 16, a game element 
support assembly generally indicated at 18, a game element retrieving 
mechanism generally indicated at 20, and an ejection mechanism generally 
indicated at 22. The timer 14 is mounted in the base 12, and it is 
actuatable for set periods of time, and the support assembly 18 is adapted 
to be releasably supported on the base 12 so that it is operative for 
supporting the game elements 16 in upwardly spaced relation to the base 
12. In this regard, the support assembly 18 is adapted so that when it is 
supported on the base 12 in this manner, it communicates with the timer 14 
for rotating the support assembly 18 so that the game elements 16 travel 
in a substantially circular path which is spaced upwardly from the base 12 
when the timer 14 is in an actuated condition. The retrieving mechanism 20 
is manually operable for individually retrieving the game elements 16 from 
the support assembly 18 as they travel in the circular path above the base 
12, and the ejection mechanism 22 is operative for automatically ejecting 
the support assembly 18 and any of the game elements 16 remaining thereon 
upon the expiration of the set period of time as determined by the timer 
14. Accordingly, the apparatus 10 is adapted to be utilized in an 
interesting and amusing game wherein a game player must retrieve the game 
elements 16 from the support assembly 18 utilizing the retrieving 
mechanism 20 during a set period of time as determined by the timer 14 in 
order to achieve a game score. 
The base 12 comprises upper and lower housing sections 24 and 26, 
respectively, which cooperate to provide a housing for containing the 
timer 14 and the ejection mechanism 22 and to provide a mounting structure 
for supporting the retrieving mechanism 20 and the support assembly 18. 
The upper and lower housing sections 24 and 26, respectively, include 
upper and lower walls 27 and 28, respectively, and they cooperate to 
define a first slot 29 of elongated configuration and a second slot 30 of 
reduced length in the side wall of the base 12. A substantially circular 
support assembly opening 32 is formed in the upper wall 27 of the upper 
housing section 24, and an ejection slot 34 is also formed in the upper 
wall 27 adjacent the opening 32. A substantially circular retrieving 
mechanism opening 36 is also formed in the upper wall 27, and a retrieving 
mechanism actuator opening 38 is formed in a section of the upper housing 
section 24 which is slightly recessed below the upper wall 27. 
The timer 14 is illustrated most clearly in FIGS. 6 through 9, and it 
comprises a timer housing 40 having an open peripheral notch 41 therein, 
the housing 40 including upper and lower housing sections 42 and 44, 
respectively, and a partition 46 which segregates the upper and lower 
housing sections 42 and 44, respectively. The timer 14 further comprises a 
winding mechanism generally indicated at 48 which is mounted in the lower 
housing section 44, a decay mechanism generally indicated at 50 which is 
mounted n the upper housing section 42, a coupling gear 52, and a shutoff 
lever 54. The winding mechanism 48 is operative between the wound and 
unwound positions thereof illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 8, respectively, for 
driving the decay mechanism 50 and the transmission gear 52. The decay 
mechanism 50 is operative for retarding the rate at which the winding 
mechanism 48 is advanced to the unwound position thereof, and the 
transmission gear 52 is operative for communicating rotation from the 
timer 14 to the support assembly 18. The shutoff lever 54 is operative for 
arresting the advancement of the winding mechanism 48 toward the unwound 
position thereof so that the winding mechanism 48 can be temporarily 
retained in a fully wound and various partially unwound positions. 
The winding mechanism 48 comprises a winding arm 56 which is mounted on a 
shaft 58, a winding spring 60, and a fan gear 62. The winding arm 56 
includes an outer end portion which travels in the slot 29 in the base 12 
as the winding arm 56 is pivoted about the axis of the shaft 58, and a lug 
63 (see FIG. 6) is formed on the upper side of the winding arm 56. The fan 
gear 62 is integrally formed with the winding arm 56, and it is positioned 
so that it passes through an open gear housing 64 on the partition 46 as 
the winding arm 56 travels in the slot 29. Lugs 66 and 68 are formed on 
the underside of the winding arm 56 and on the partition 46, respectively, 
and the spring 60 extends between the lugs 66 and 68 for biasing the 
winding arm 56 toward the unwound position thereof illustrated in FIG. 8. 
The decay mechanism 50 is illustrated in FIG. 7, and it includes a reduced 
main drive gear 70 and an enlarged intermediate drive gear 72. The reduced 
main drive gear 70 is mounted in the open gear housing 64 so that it 
communicates with the fan gear 62 as the fan gear 62 passes through the 
gear housing 64. The intermediate drive gear 72 is formed with a 
substantially circular central recessed area therein, and a plurality of 
inner ratchet teeth 74 are formed in the intermediate drive gear 72 around 
the periphery of the central recessed area therein. Mounted on a common 
shaft with the main drive gear 70 is a ratcheting 76 including a pair of 
resilient ratchet arms 78 which are operative for selectively providing 
communication between the main drive gear 70 and the intermediate drive 
gear 72 so that the intermediate drive gear 72 can be rotated by the main 
drive gear 70 and the ratchet arms 78 in the direction indicated but not 
in the reverse direction. Specifically, the ratchet ring 76 is adapted so 
that when the main drive gear 70 is rotated in the opposite direction to 
that indicated, the ratchet arms 78 pass over the ratchet teeth 74 to 
permit relative rotation between the main drive gear 70 and the 
intermediate drive gear 72. The decay mechanism 50 further comprises a 
reduced transmission gear 80 which intermeshes with the intermediate drive 
gear 72, an enlarged transmission gear 82 which is integrally formed with 
the reduced transmission gear 80, and an escapement wheel gear 84 which 
intermeshes with the enlarged transmission gear 82. The decay mechanism 50 
further comprises an escapement wheel 86 which is integrally formed with 
the escapement wheel gear 84, an escapement arm 88 which is pivotably 
mounted on a shaft 90 and a coupling drive gear 91 which is mounted on a 
shaft 92 so that it intermeshes with the intermediate drive gear 82. The 
escapement wheel 86 is formed with a plurality of pointed or V-shaped 
teeth 93 thereon, and the escapement arm 88 includes a pair of jaws 94 
both of which are engageable with the teeth 93 and one of which projects 
outwardly into the notch 41. Accordingly, as the escapement wheel 86 is 
rotated, the escapement arm 88 oscillates back and forth as the jaws 94 
pass from tooth 93 to tooth 93 in order to produce a ticking sound from 
the timer 14, and also in order to retard the decay of the timer 14 so 
that the winding mechanism 48 is advanced toward the unwound position 
thereof at a controlled rate. 
The coupling gear 52 is mounted on the shaft 92 on the upper side of the 
upper housing section 42 so that it rotates with the coupling drive gear 
91. The coupling gear 52 is formed with an upwardly facing multitooth ring 
thereon which is adapted to be received in intermeshing engagement with a 
corresponding gear in the support assembly 18 as will hereinafter be more 
fully set forth. The coupling gear 52 is mounted in an upwardly extending 
tubular sleeve 100 which is integrally formed with the upper wall of the 
upper housing section 42, and the timer 14 is assembled in the base 12 so 
that the sleeve 100 is received in the opening 32 in the upper housing 
section 24 and so that the multitoothing on the coupling gear 52 faces 
upwardly. 
The shutoff lever 54 is pivotably mounted on the upper wall of the upper 
housing section 42, and it includes a control member 102 which travels in 
the slot 30 in the base 12 and a stop member 104 which is positioned in 
the notch 41 in the timer housing 40. Specifically, the stop member 104 is 
positioned so that it is receivable in interfering engagement with the 
escapement arm 88 in order to arrest the advancement of the timer 14. The 
stop lever 54 is pivotably mounted with a screw 106, and a coil spring 108 
is received on the screw 166 for biasing the stop lever 54 toward the 
upper wall of the upper housing section 42 in order to retain the stop 
lever 54 in a set position until it is manually repositioned. 
Accordingly, for use and operation of the timer 14, the winding arm 56 is 
moved to the wound position thereof illustrated in FIG. 9 against the 
force of the drive spring 60. As the winding arm 56 is moved toward the 
wound position thereof, the ratchet wheel 76 is rotated in the recess in 
the intermediate drive gear 72 and the ratchet arms 78 pass over the 
ratchet teeth 74 so that the intermediate drive gear 72 remains 
stationary. In order to retain the timer 14 in a fully or partially wound 
position, the stop lever 54 can be moved to the off position thereof 
wherein the stop member 104 engages the escapement arm 88 so that 
oscillation of the escapement arm 88 is prevented. This also prevents the 
winding mechanism 48 from advancing to the unwound position thereof. 
However, when the stop lever 54 is moved to the on position thereof 
wherein it is disengaged from the escapement arm 88, the winding arm 56 is 
advanced toward the unwound position thereof, and the coupling gear 52 is 
rotated in the sleeve 100 by the coupling drive gear 96. when the winding 
arm 56 is advanced to a position wherein the fan gear 62 is disengaged 
from the main drive gear 70, the winding arm 56 is rapidly advanced to a 
position wherein it engages the end of the slot 29. In this connection, 
the slot 29 is preferably formed so that the winding arm 56 can travel a 
sufficient distance after the fan gear 62 is disengaged from the main 
drive gear 70 to gain sufficient momentum and speed to effectively operate 
the ejection mechanism 22 as will hereinafter be set forth. 
The game elements 16 are preferably formed in the configuration of small 
insects or bugs, although they include upwardly extending shafts 100 
having spherical balls 112 on the upper ends thereof to enable the game 
elements 16 to be releasably suspended from the supporting assembly 18. 
The support assembly 18 is preferably formed in the configuration of an 
imaginary or fanciful tree, and it comprises a pedestal portion 114, an 
upper support portion 116, and a coupling gear 118. The pedestal portion 
114 includes an enlarged circular base portion 120 and a shaft 122 which 
extends downwardly from the base portion 120, and the coupling gear 118 is 
mounted on the shaft 122 so that it faces downwardly from the lower end 
thereof. The shaft 122 and the coupling gear 118 are adapted to be loosely 
received in the sleeve 100 so that the coupling gear 118 is receivable in 
intermeshing engagement with the coupling gear 52 to communicate rotation 
from the timer 14 to the support assembly 18. The base portion 120 is 
positioned so that when the coupling gears 118 and 52 are received in 
intermeshing engagement, the base portion 120 is positioned adjacent the 
upper end of the sleeve 100 and extends at least partially over the slot 
34. The pedestal portion 114 is further formed with an upwardly opening 
interior cavity 124 adjacent the upper end thereof, and the upper support 
portion 116 is loosely secured to the upper end of the pedestal portion 
114 with a shaft 126. The shaft 126 extends through the support portion 
116, and a spherical ball 128 which is received in the cavity 124 is 
secured to the shaft 126 for loosely retaining the support portion 116 on 
the upper end of the pedestal portion 114. The support portion 116 is 
formed in a generally dome-like configuration, and it has a plurality of 
peripheral slots 129 therein which are adapted to receive the shafts 110 
of the game elements 16 in order to suspend the game elements 16 from the 
support portion 116 with the ball elements 112. 
The retrieving mechanism 20 comprises a retrieving member character figure 
assembly 128 which is received in the opening 36 in the upper housing 
section 24, a depressible member 130 which is received in the opening 38 
in the upper housing section 24, and a connecting lever 132. The character 
figure assembly 128 is preferably embodied as an amusing character figure, 
such as a frog, and it includes an upper head portion 134 and a lower jaw 
portion 136 which is pivotably connected to the upper head portion 134 
about an axis 138. The character figure assembly 128 further comprises a 
lower neck portion which extends downwardly from the upper head portion 
134 and includes a pair of outwardly extending pins 140 which are received 
in tracks 142 so that the character figure assembly 128 can be moved 
upwardly and downwardly within a predetermined range in the opening 36. 
The depressible member 130 includes a downwardly extending shaft 144 which 
is slidably received in a socket 146 in the lower housing section 26, a 
spring 148 which is received on the shaft 144 for biasing the depressible 
member to the upwardly extending position illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, 
and a leg 150 which extends outwardly from the depressible member 130 for 
communicating movement from the depressible member 130 to the connecting 
lever 132. The connecting lever 132 extends between the leg 150 and the 
lower end of the character figure assembly 128, and it is pivotably 
mounted in the base 12 with a pair of pins 152 which extend outwardly from 
opposite sides of the connecting lever 132. Accordingly, the depressible 
member 130 is depressible for pivoting the connecting lever 132 to move 
the character FIG. 128 upwardly. Further, the depressible member 130 is 
operative for pivoting the lower jaw portion 136 to the closed position 
thereof. Specifically, by depressing the depressible member sharply 
downwardly, a sufficient amount of upward momentum can be imparted to the 
lower jaw portion 136 to cause the lower jaw portion 136 to be pivoted 
upwardly when the character figure assembly 138 reaches the upper limit of 
its upward travel. Accordingly, the depressible member 130 is operative 
for both moving the character figure assembly 128 upwardly and for moving 
the lower jaw portion 136 to the closed position thereof to enable the 
character figure assembly 128 to capture the game elements 16 and to 
retrieve them from the support assembly 18. 
The ejection mechanism 22 is illustrated most clearly in FIGS. 3 through 6, 
and it is operative for ejecting the support assembly 18 from the base 12 
upon the expiration of a set period of time as determined by the timer 14. 
The ejection mechanism 22 comprises an integrally formed member including 
a pivot shaft 152, a downwardly extending leg 154, and an L-shaped arm 
156. The pivot shaft 152 is mounted in a pair of mounts 158 which are 
integrally formed on the upper wall of the upper timer housing section 42, 
and the leg 154 extends downwardly from the shaft 152 into the notch 41 in 
the housing 40. The leg 154 is further positioned so that when the winding 
arm 56 is advanced to the fully unwound position thereof, the lug 63 on 
the winding arm 56 engages the leg 154 to pivot the shaft 152 in the 
mounts 158. The arm 156 extends outwardly from the shaft 152 and then 
upwardly so that it is receivable through the slot 34 in the housing 12 as 
illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5. Accordingly, when the lug 63 on the winding 
arm 56 engages the leg 154 to pivot the pivot shaft 152, the L-shaped arm 
156 engages the base portion 120 of the support assembly 18 in order to 
eject the support assembly 18 from the base 12. In this connection, the 
slot 29 is preferably dimensioned to enable the winding arm 56 to travel a 
significant distance therein after the fan gear 62 is disengaged from the 
drive gear 70. Hence when the lug 63 on the winding arm 156 is propelled 
into engagement with the leg 154, the lug 63 sharply engages the leg 154 
in order to rapidly move the arm 156 upwardly so that it sharply engages 
the base portion 122 with sufficient force to propel the support assembly 
18 upwardly from the base 12. 
For use and operation of the apparatus 10, the winding arm 56 is moved to 
the wound position thereof illustrated in FIG. 9, and the stop lever 54 is 
moved to the "off" position thereof wherein the stop member 104 engages 
the escapement arm 88 to prevent the advancement of the timer 14. The 
support assembly 18 is then assembled on the base 12 so that the coupling 
gears 118 and 52 are received in intermeshing engagement, and the game 
elements 16 are assembled in the slots 129 in the support member 116. The 
stop lever 54 is then moved to the "on" or actuated position thereof so 
that the support assembly 18 with the game elements 16 thereon is rotated 
by the timer 14 as the timer 14 is advanced toward the unwound position 
thereof. Once the timer 14 has been actuated, a game player can operate 
the depressible member 130 in order to move the character FIG. 128 
upwardly for retrieving the game elements 16 from the support assembly 18. 
In this connection, by sharply depressing the depressible member 130, it 
is possible to rapidly move the character figure assembly 128 upwardly so 
that the momentum which is imparted to the lower jaw portion 136 causes 
the lower jaw portion 136 to be pivoted to a closed position when the 
character figure assembly 128 reaches its uppermost position. As a result, 
the character figure assembly 128 is operatable with a simulated snapping 
action for capturing the game elements 16 in order to effectively retrieve 
them from the support assembly 18. However, it should be pointed out that 
by depressing the depressible member 130 too sharply, it is possible to 
dislodge the game elements 16 from the support assembly 18 without 
capturing them in the mouth of the character figure assembly 128. 
Accordingly, the ability of a game player to achieve a game score depends 
both on the ability of the game player to time the operation of the 
retrieving mechanism 20 with the positions of the individual game elements 
16 and also to effectively depress the depressible member with the 
appropriate amount of force so that the game elements 16 are retrieved in 
the mouth of the character FIG. 128 and not merely dislodged. In any 
event, when the timer 14 reaches a position wherein the fan gear 62 is 
disengaged from the main drive gear 70, the winding arm 56 is rapidly 
advanced to the adjacent end of the slot 29 so that the lug 63 engages the 
leg 154 of the ejection mechanism 22 to eject the support assembly 18 and 
any of the game elements 16 remaining thereon from the base 12. 
It is seen therefore that the instant invention provides an effective and 
amusing game apparatus which is adapted for use in connection with an 
interesting and challenging amusement game. In this connection, in order 
to achieve a game score, a game player must manipulate the retrieving 
mechanism 20 at the appropriate times and with the appropriate amount of 
force in order to capture the game elements 16 in the mouth of the 
character figure assembly 128. As a result, the apparatus 10 requires the 
application of a significant level of skill and manual dexterity in order 
to achieve a high game score. Hence, it is seen that the apparatus of the 
instant invention represents a significant advancement in the art which 
has substantial commercial merit. 
While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure 
embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art 
that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made 
without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive 
concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein 
shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the 
appended claims.