Patent Publication Number: US-2023149799-A1

Title: Pinball machines

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/278,729, filed Nov. 12, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present specification generally relates to pinball machines, and particularly to pinball machines having ramped and/or pendulum targets. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Pinball machines are games in which a pinball is moved to accomplish certain game objectives. Many pinball machines allow a player to move the pinball by striking the pinball with one or more levers or “flippers.” In general, a player scores by activating the one or more flippers to cause the pinball to move across a play area and hit targets or specified locations in accordance with the particular games objectives. 
     SUMMARY 
     Additional features and advantages of the present disclosure will be set forth in the detailed description, which follows, and in part will be apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing the embodiments described herein, including the detailed description, which follows the claims, as well as the appended drawings. 
     In one embodiment, a pinball machine includes a pinball, a tabletop surface, and a play area on the tabletop surface. The play area includes a ramp including a raised surface rotatable about a rotational axis, an upward pass, and a downward pass. The upward pass extends between the tabletop surface and the raised surface and allows the pinball to move from the tabletop surface to the raised surface. The downward pass extends between the raised surface and the tabletop surface and allows the pinball to move from the raised surface to the tabletop surface. 
     In another embodiment, a pinball machine includes a pinball, a tabletop surface, and a play area on the tabletop surface. The play area includes a pendulum assembly movable between a rest position and a rotated position. The pendulum assembly includes a pendulum suspended from a frame, a weighted ball coupled to a bottom of the pendulum, and a stationary ball coupled to the tabletop surface and positioned adjacent the weighted ball when the pendulum assembly is in the rest position. 
     In yet another embodiment, a pinball machine includes a pinball, a tabletop surface, a play area on the tabletop surface, a motor, and a controller. The play area includes a ramp including a raised surface rotatable about a rotational axis, the raised surface defining a ball drop aperture therethrough, an upward pass extending between the tabletop surface and the raised surface and allows the pinball to move from the tabletop surface to the raised surface, and a downward pass extending between the raised surface and the tabletop surface and allows the pinball to move from the raised surface to the tabletop surface. The motor is operatively coupled to the raised surface and configured to rotate the raised surface about the rotational axis. The controller is communicatively coupled to the motor and configured to control rotation of the raised surface. 
     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description describe various embodiments and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the claimed subject matter. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the various embodiments and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate the various embodiments described herein, and together with the description, explain the principles and operations of the claimed subject matter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The embodiments set forth in the drawings are illustrative and exemplary in nature and not intended to limit the subject matter defined by the claims. The following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments can be understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, where like structure is indicated with like reference numerals and in which: 
         FIG.  1    schematically depicts a top view of a pinball machine, according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; 
         FIG.  2    schematically depicts a perspective view of a ramp of the pinball machine of  FIG.  1   , according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; 
         FIG.  3    schematically depicts a raised surface of the ramp rotated about a rotational axis, according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; and 
         FIG.  4    schematically depicts a perspective view of a pendulum assembly of the pinball machine of  FIG.  1   , according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of pinball machines, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.  FIG.  1    schematically depicts a pinball machine including a pinball, a tabletop surface, and a play area on the tabletop surface. The play area includes, in some embodiments, a ramp including a raised surface rotatable about a rotational axis, an upward pass, and a downward pass. The upward pass extends between the tabletop surface and the raised surface and is configured to enable the pinball to move from the tabletop surface to the raised surface. The downward pass extends between the raised surface and the tabletop surface and is configured to enable to pinball to move from the raised surface to the tabletop surface. In some embodiments in addition to or in lieu of the ramp, a pendulum assembly may be included. The pendulum assembly may include a pendulum suspended from a frame, a weighted ball coupled to a bottom of the pendulum, and a stationary ball coupled to the tabletop surface and positioned adjacent the weighted ball when the pendulum assembly is in the rest position. The various targets and/or obstacles provided by the ramp and/or the pendulum provide new, unique features, and/or gaming experiences as will be described in greater detail below. 
     Directional terms as used herein—for example up, down, right, left, front, back, top  104 , bottom  106 —are made only with reference to the figures as drawn and are not intended to imply absolute orientation unless otherwise specified. 
     Unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that any method set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps be performed in a specific order, nor that with any apparatus specific orientations be required. Accordingly, where a method claim does not actually recite an order to be followed by its steps, or that any device or assembly claim does not actually recite an order or orientation to individual components, or it is not otherwise specifically stated in the claims or description that the steps are to be limited to a specific order, or that a specific order or orientation to components of an device or assembly is not recited, it is in no way intended that an order or orientation be inferred, in any respect. This holds for any possible non-express basis for interpretation, including: matters of logic with respect to arrangement of steps, operational flow, order of components, or orientation of components; plain meaning derived from grammatical organization or punctuation; and the number or type of embodiments described in the specification. 
     As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a” component includes aspects having two or more such components, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. 
     Referring to  FIG.  1   , an embodiment of a pinball machine  100  is schematically shown. The pinball machine  100  may include a tabletop surface  118  and a play area  102  arranged on the table top surface  118 . The play area  102  generally includes structure, obstacles, and/or targets mounted to the tabletop surface  118 . The tabletop surface  118  and the play area  102  may generally extend between a top end  104  and a bottom end  106 . The tabletop surface  118  and/or the play area  102  may be tilted or angled such that the bottom  106  of the play area  102  may be gravitationally lower than the top  104  of the play area  102 . The pinball machine  100  further includes a pinball  10 . Accordingly, the pinball  10 , may tend toward the bottom  106  of the play area  102  and/or tabletop surface  118 . 
     The pinball machine  100  may include a border  108 , which may surround the play area  102  wholly or in part. In embodiments, the border  108  may be raised relative to the play area. In some embodiments, the border  108  may be coupled to a glass or transparent substrate to enclose and protect the play area  102 . The pinball machine  100  may further include a pinball entrance  110  and a pinball exit  112 . In some embodiments, the pinball entrance  110  and the pinball exit  112  may be apertures through the border  108 . The pinball exit  112  may be located at or near the bottom  106  of the play area  102 . Accordingly, the pinball  10 , which may tend toward the bottom  106  of the play area  102 , may also tend toward the pinball exit  112 . The pinball entrance  110  may be arranged above the pinball exit  112  (e.g., closer to the top  104  of the play area  102  than the pinball exit  112 ). 
     The pinball machine  100  may include one or more flippers  114  within the play area  102 . In particular, in some embodiments, the one or more flippers  114  may be positioned adjacent the pinball exit  112 . Each of the one or more flippers  114  may be rotatable about an axis A such that the one or more flippers  114  may rotate toward the top  104  of the play area  102  (e.g., in the depicted rotational direction P). Each of the one or more flippers  114  may be coupled to a user input device  116  such as a button, lever, or other movable or togglable device. In particular, each of the one or more flippers  114  may be coupled to said user input device  116  such that activation of the user input device  116  may cause a corresponding movement of the one or more flippers  114 . Accordingly, a player may activate the user input device  116  to move the one or more flippers  114  which may, in some circumstances, cause the one or more flippers  114  to rotate into contact with the pinball  10  (e.g., in the depicted rotational direction P). This may, in turn, cause the pinball  10  to move upward along the play area  102  (e.g., toward the top  104  of the play area  102 ) and away from the pinball exit  112 . It is noted that while only one user input device  116  is depicted, in embodiments, each flipper  114  may have a dedicated user input device  116 . 
     The pinball machine  100  may include various obstacles and/or targets toward which a user may direct the pinball  10  using the one or more flippers  114 . For example, and referring to  FIGS.  1 - 3    in combination, the pinball machine  100  may include a ramp  120 . The ramp  120  may include a raised surface  122  and an upward pass  124  extending between the tabletop surface  118  and the raised surface  122 . The upward pass  124  may be configured and positioned such that the pinball  10  may move from the tabletop surface  118  to the raised surface  122  of the ramp  120  along the upward pass  124 . The upward pass  124  may extend between the tabletop surface  118  and the raised surface  122  along a substantially linear direction, such as depicted. However, it is contemplated that the upward pass  124  may curve, undulate, or the like. The upward pass  124  may have sides  126 , which, in some embodiments, may be bound by sidewalls  128 . In some embodiments, the sidewalls  128  may be substantially flat or planar, such as depicted or, in some embodiments, sidewalls  128  may be curved such that the sidewalls  128  and the upward pass  124  form a U-shaped cross section. In some embodiments, the sidewalls  128  may extend at about  90  degree angles from the upward pass  124 , such as depicted. In other embodiments, the sidewalls  128  may extend at acute or obtuse angles from the upward pass  124 . The sidewalls  128  may prevent the pinball  10  from traveling over the sides  126  of the upward pass  124 . In some embodiments, the upward pass  124  may be wider at the tabletop surface  118  than at the raised surface  122  such as depicted. In other words, the distance between the sides  126  of the upward pass  124  may be greater at the tabletop surface  118  than at the raised surface  122 . The wider geometry of the upward pass  124  at the tabletop surface  118  may increase the likelihood or ease that the pinball  10  enters the upward pass  124 . 
     The ramp  120  may further include a downward pass  130  extending between the raised surface  122  and the tabletop surface  118 . Accordingly, the pinball  10  may move from the raised surface  122  to the tabletop surface  118  along the downward pass  130 . The downward pass  130  may extend between the raised surface  122  and the tabletop surface  118  along a curved or serpentine path, such as depicted. In other embodiments, the downward pass  130  may extend between the raised surface  122  and the tabletop surface  118  along a straight path. The downward pass  130  may have sides  132 , which, in some embodiments, may be bound by sidewalls  134 . In some embodiments, the sidewalls  134  may be curved such that the sidewalls  134  and the downward pass  130  form a U-shaped cross section such as depicted. In other embodiments, the sidewalls  134  may be substantially flat or planar. The sidewalls  134  may prevent the pinball  10  from traveling over the sides  132  of the downward pass  130 . 
     The ramp  120  may include a rotating ball diverter  136 . The rotating ball diverter  136  may include the raised surface  122  and a rotating wall  138 . The raised surface  122  and the rotating wall  138  may be coupled such that the raised surface  122  and the rotating wall  138  may rotate together. For example, the rotating wall  138  and the raised surface  122  may be coupled via screws, adhesive or other attachment mechanism or may be integrally formed. In embodiments, the rotating wall  138  may extend orthogonally from the raised surface  122  (e.g., into and out of  FIG.  1   ). The rotating wall  138  and the raised surface  122  may each be rotatable about a rotational axis L in a rotational direction θ. 
     The rotating ball diverter  136  may define a ball drop aperture  140  through the raised surface  122 . Stated another way, the raised surface  122  may define the ball drop aperture  140  therethrough. The ball drop aperture  140  may be positioned adjacent the rotating wall  138 . In particular, in embodiments, the ball drop aperture  140  may be directly adjacent the rotating wall  138  in the —θ direction of the depicted cylindrical coordinate system. The ball drop aperture  140  may provide an alternative route to the tabletop surface  118  as opposed to the downward pass  130 . 
     As depicted in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , the raised surface  122  may provide a pinball path  142 . The rotating wall  138  may extend radially across the pinball path  142  (e.g. in the R direction of the depicted cylindrical coordinate system) such that it blocks or substantially blocks the pinball  10  to and/or from the upward pass  124  and/or the downward pass  130 . Accordingly such as depicted in  FIG.  2   , in embodiments, as the pinball  10  travels up the upward pass  124 , the pinball  10  may strike the rotating wall  138  and/or may drop through the ball drop aperture  140  or otherwise prevented from traveling along the pinball path  142 . 
     The rotating ball diverter  136  may include a circumferential wall  144 . The circumferential wall  144  may surround a perimeter  146  of the raised surface  122 . Accordingly, the circumferential wall  144  may enclose the pinball path  142  and may prevent the pinball  10  from dropping over the perimeter  146  of the raised surface  122 . In some embodiments, the circumferential wall  144  may not rotate with the raised surface  122  and may instead be stationary. As depicted, the circumferential path may define openings  148   a,    148   b  at the upward pass  124  and the downward pass  130 , respectively. Accordingly, the circumferential wall  144  may not prevent the pinball  10  from moving onto or off of the raised surface  122  via the upward pass  124  or the downward pass  130 . 
     In light of  FIGS.  1  and  2   , it will now be appreciated that, after the pinball  10  moves up the upward pass  124 , depending upon the current position of the rotating wall  138 , the pinball  10  will either strike the rotating wall  138  and/or fall through the ball drop aperture  140 . However, with the rotatable wall rotated out of the way, such as depicted in  FIG.  3   , the pinball  10  may move to the downward pass  130  and travel down the downward pass  130 . 
     Still referring to  FIGS.  1  and  2   , the rotating ball diverter  136  may include a motor  152 , schematically depicted. The motor  152  may be coupled to the raised surface  122  and/or the rotating wall  138 . In embodiments, the motor  152  may be togglable between an active state and a passive state, via a controller  180  (schematically depicted in  FIG.  1   ). In the active state, the motor  152  may actively rotate the raised surface  122  and the rotating wall  138  about the rotational axis L. In the passive state, the motor  152  may passively allow the raised surface  122  to rotate in response to a force, such as from the pinball  10  colliding with the rotating wall  138 . In other words, the force with which the pinball  10  contacts the rotating wall  138  may cause the rotating wall  138  and the raised surface  122  to rotate. 
     In some embodiments, the motor  152  may have a stopped state. In the stopped state, the motor  152  may prevent rotation of the raised surface  122 . In some embodiments, the motor  152  may position the raised surface  122  at a designated rest position when in the stopped state. For example, the motor  152  may position the raised surface  122  such that the rotating wall  138  is positioned between the upward pass  124  and the downward pass  130 . Accordingly, when the motor  152  is in the stopped state, the pinball  10  may move from the upward pass  124 , about the raised surface  122 , and down the downward pass  130  without contacting the rotating wall  138 . In embodiments, the pinball machine  100  may allow a player to select between one or more game options such as via the controller. For example, in some embodiments, the player may select between playing with the motor  152  in the active state, in the passive state, or in the stopped state. This may enable different types of pinball games to be played with the pinball machine  100 . 
     The controller  180  may control various operations of the pinball machine  100  and may be any type of computing device and may include one or more processors and one or more memory modules. The one or more processors may include any device capable of executing machine-readable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Accordingly, each of the one or more processors may include an integrated circuit, a microchip, a computer, and/or any other computing device. 
     The one or more memory modules may be communicatively coupled to the one or more processors. The one or more memory modules may be configured as volatile and/or nonvolatile memory and, as such, may include random access memory (including SRAM, DRAM, and/or other types of RAM), flash memory, secure digital (SD) memory, registers, compact discs (CD), digital versatile discs (DVD), and/or other types of non-transitory computer-readable mediums. Depending on the particular embodiment, these non-transitory computer-readable mediums may reside within the pinball machine  100  and/or external to the pinball machine  100 . The one or more memory modules may be configured to store one or more pieces of logic as described in more detail below. The embodiments described herein may utilize a distributed computing arrangement to perform any portion of the logic described herein. 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure include logic that includes machine-readable instructions and/or an algorithm written in any programming language of any generation (e.g., 1GL, 2GL, 3GL, 4GL, and/or 5GL) such as, machine language that may be directly executed by the one or more processors, assembly language, object-oriented programming (OOP), scripting languages, microcode, etc., that may be compiled or assembled into machine-readable instructions and stored on a machine-readable medium. Similarly, the logic and/or algorithm may be written in a hardware description language (HDL), such as logic implemented via either a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) configuration or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and their equivalents. Accordingly, the logic may be implemented in any conventional computer programming language, as pre-programmed hardware elements, and/or as a combination of hardware and software components. Logic may include game logic, scoring logic, or the like. 
     In embodiments, the rotating ball diverter  136  may include one or more contact sensors  182  (see  FIG.  1   ) communicatively coupled to the controller  180 . In particular, the rotating ball diverter  136  may include one or more contact sensors  182  coupled to the rotating wall  138 . The one or more contact sensors  182  may be configured to output a signal indicative of the pinball  10  in contact with the rotating wall  138 . For example, the one or more contact sensors  182  may be, but are not limited to positional sensors, rotational sensors, angular velocity sensors, velocity sensors, force sensors, or the like. The controller  180  may receive the signal from the one or more contact sensors  182  to determine a contact by the pinball  10  with the rotating wall  138  has been made. Based on the indication that the pinball  10  has contacted the rotating wall  138 , the controller may operate the motor to rotate the rotating ball diverter  136  to direct the pinball  10  per the particular game logic, randomly, or the like. In some embodiments, the motor may be in a passive state until it is determined that the pinball  10  has contacted the rotating wall  138 . That is, in some embodiments, the controller  180  may activate the motor  152  from the passive state to the active state in response to the contact by the pinball  10 . 
     In light of  FIGS.  1 - 3   , it will now be appreciated that, in some embodiments, during a pinball game the controller  180  may determine or output a score based on sensor input from the one or more contact sensors  182 . For example, in some embodiments, points may be scored when the pinball  10  contacts the rotating wall  138 . In some embodiments, a score may be determined by the controller  180  as a function of the force with which the pinball  10  contacts the rotating wall  138  or as a function of how far the rotating wall  138  moves as a result of the pinball  10  contacting the rotating wall  138 , such as when the motor is in the passive mode. In some embodiments, the pinball game may have customizable or adjustable scoring. For example, in some embodiments, a player may select between scoring rules (e.g., between scoring as a function of if the pinball  10  contacts the rotating wall  138  and scoring as a function of the force with which the pinball  10  contacts the scoring wall) via the controller  180  (such as via one or more user input devices). This may allow for a greater range of pinball game options. 
     In various embodiments, the controller  180  may, using the output of the one or more contact sensors  182  measure, in real or near-real time the variable direction, speed, and/or position of the rotating ball diverter  136 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS.  1  and  4    in combination, the pinball machine  100  may include a pendulum assembly  160 . The pendulum assembly  160  may include a pendulum  162  suspended from a frame  163 . In embodiments, the pendulum assembly  160  includes a pin  168 , which may be rotatably coupled to a top of the pendulum  162  to form a hinged joint. Accordingly, a bottom of the pendulum  162  may rotate or swing about the pin  168  of the frame  163 . In particular, the pendulum  162  may move between a rest position (such as depicted) and a rotated position wherein the pendulum  162  is rotated about the pin  168  and away from the rest position. At the bottom of the pendulum  162 , the pendulum  162  may include a weighted ball  164 . 
     The pendulum assembly  160  may include a stationary ball  166 . The stationary ball  166  may be substantially the same size, shape, and/or material as the weighted ball  164  of the pendulum  162 . The stationary ball  166  may be positioned adjacent to and in contact with the weighted ball  164  when the pendulum  162  is in the rest position. As may be appreciated, if the pinball  10  contacts the stationary ball  166 , the stationary ball  166  may transfer momentum to the pendulum  162 , which may cause the pendulum  162  to move from the rest position to the rotated position. The pendulum  162  may then return to the rest position. It is noted that because of the spherical shape of the stationary ball, the stationary ball  166  may be contacted by the pinball  10  in a number of directions while still allowing force transfer to the pendulum  162 . 
     In embodiments, the pendulum assembly  160  may include one or more pendulum sensors  184  communicatively coupled to the controller  180 . For example, the one or more pendulum sensors  184  may include positional sensors, rotational sensors, angular velocity sensors, velocity sensors, force sensors, or the like. The one or more pendulum sensors  184  may output a signal indicative of a movement of the pendulum assembly  160  (e.g., the pendulum  162 ). The controller  180  may be configured to execute logic which allows the controller to determine, based on the pendulum sensor signal, how far the pendulum  162  swings, with what force the pendulum  162  was contacted, and/or how many consecutive contacts with the stationary ball  166  occurred. Such information may be provided continuously and in real or near-real time. 
     In embodiments, the controller  160  may output a score based on the signal of the one or more pendulum sensors  184 . For example, the controller  180  may calculate the score as a function of whether the pinball  10  contacts the stationary ball  166  and/or as a function of the force with which the pinball  10  contacts the stationary ball  166 . In some embodiments, a pinball game may include scoring as a function of the distance that the pendulum  162  travels when the stationary ball  166  is contacted by the pinball  10 . 
     In view of the above, it should now be understood that at least some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a pinball machine including various targets that provide new and unique pinball game experiences and new ways to score performance for interaction with those targets such as the above-described ramp and pendulum assembly. 
     It is noted that the terms “substantially” and “about” may be utilized herein to represent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation. These terms are also utilized herein to represent the degree by which a quantitative representation may vary from a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basic function of the subject matter at issue. 
     While particular embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be understood that various other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, although various aspects of the claimed subject matter have been described herein, such aspects need not be utilized in combination. It is therefore intended that the appended claims cover all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of the claimed subject matter.