Patent Publication Number: US-5295693-A

Title: Game of skill

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to the field of amusement games, in particular, to a game in which a player manoeuvres an object along a path to a goal. 
     PRIOR ART 
     The prior art discloses a number of games wherein a player manoeuvres a ball along a course to a goal. U.S. Pat. No. 1,061,903, issued to Farnum, dated May 13, 1913, teaches a game having a box containing a rectangular incline with a zig-zag groove cut in its face wherein balls, principally by force of gravity, are caused to traverse the grooves by tilting and manipulating the box. U.S. Pat. No. 3,829,088, issued to Pahlas, dated Aug. 31, 1972, teaches a magnetic game device wherein a steel ball or other magnetic ball is caused to traverse a track under the influence of a magnetized stylus. U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,881, issued to Goldfarb et al., dated Jan. 27, 1976, teaches an upright game board on which a plurality of tiltable, generally horizontally extending and staggered platforms are manipulated by a player to guide a plurality of balls from a higher platform to successively lower platforms. 
     The prior art also discloses games wherein obstacles along a course create challenges to a player manoeuvring a ball upon a course. U.S. Pat. No. 3,829,088 teaches a channel track having appropriately positioned holes which constitute obstacles to the progress of a magnetic ball along the channel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,655, issued to Rudell et al., dated Jun. 8, 1982, teaches an upright board game utilizing playing pieces movable along a path or paths wherein slidable or movable hazards or missiles physically remove the playing pieces from the path. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a novel and simple construction for an object and path type of game. 
     The game of the present invention generally comprises a path in an upwardly slanting plane, an object and a manipulating means to direct the object along the path to a goal. In describing this game in this specification the words &#34;forward&#34;, &#34;advance&#34; or the like mean a direction up the slanted plane of the path from the bottom to the top. Conversely, &#34;backward&#34;, &#34;retract&#34; or the like mean in the opposite direction from top to bottom. &#34;Laterally&#34; or &#34;sideways&#34; or the like mean a direction transverse to the forward or backward directions. 
     The path which constitutes the playing surface of the game meanders generally forwardly, laterally and sometimes backwardly in a plane slanting upward from a bottom starting point to a goal. If the game is successfully completed the object will be directed along the path to the goal. If the game is not completed successfully the object will fall from the path before it reaches the goal. The word &#34;goal&#34; is used generally in the sense of an end position and may assume any of a number of forms suitable to the background setting or context in which the game is played. For example, if the setting were a path through a group of soccer players on a field, then the goal could be a soccer net. Similarly, if the path were in a woodland setting, the goal could be a cabin. In preferred embodiments of the game of this invention the goal will include a return device as will be known in the art to return the object to the starting position. 
     The object to be moved along the path could be also configured to conform to the setting of the game. It could be a figure, a ball or any other object which would move freely under the force of gravity along an edge of the manipulating means. The object will also move freely on the slanted path under the force of gravity unless it is controlled by the manipulating means. If control of the object is lost it will move under its on weight until it falls from the path. 
     The manipulating means of this invention slides on guide means over the plane of the path but sufficiently close thereto to interact with the object when the object is on the path. However, the manipulating means is unable to interact with the object if it falls off the path. A player may tilt and slide the manipulating means along the guide means to manoeuvre the object along the path. The manipulating means interacts with the object in a number of ways. First by advancing, it may overcome the force of gravity to push the object up the path. Second by retracting, it may allow the object to move backwards along the path. Third by tilting (i.e. advancing one end of the manipulating means in advance of the other end) it allows the object to move laterally, away from the advanced end, along the edge of the manipulating means under the force of gravity. A rod, bar, plate or other similar means may be a suitable manipulating means provided it has an edge which is sufficiently long to extend across the path anywhere in the plane of the path. A handle may be secured at each opposing end of the manipulating means to allow a player to tilt and slide the manipulating means. 
     The guide means may be rails along both sides of the game adjacent the path. The manipulating means is guided by the guide means to remain in a plane slightly above the plane of the path so that the manipulating means may interact with the object when it is on the path of the game. The edges of a box or container which run parallel to the plane of the path and on either side of the path may form a suitable guide means. Other guide means may be used as are appropriate to the type of manipulating means selected and will be within the skill of the art. A transparent sheet may cover the game and contain the manipulating means (except for projecting handles), the guide means and the path. The sheet protects the game and interacts with the handles to limit the freedom to tilt the manipulating means. 
     The difficulty of the game is determined by the width of the path, the freedom of movement or lack of friction between the object and the edge of the manipulating means, the freedom of movement of the object along the path, the degree of the slant of the plane of the path and the inertial forces of the object and the manipulating means and the friction between the manipulating means and the guides upon which it moves. Further the manipulating means may be restricted at its ends by the guide means to limit the amount of tilt possible or to limit the potential for moving it laterally while maintaining it in a horizontal plane. It will be appreciated that the variables presented by the combination of this invention permit construction of a variety of games of a similar type but with different degrees of difficulty. It will also appreciated that the combination of this invention readily accommodates the introduction of other factors such as obstacles to make other interesting courses. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating the path of the invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an upper portion of the invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In the description of the preferred embodiment, similar numbers indicate similar elements. 
     Referring to FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment is a game comprised of a slanted board 2 having a front face 3, a meandering path 4 elevated upon the said front face 3, an object being a steel ball 23, a manipulating means being a steel rod 6 having a top edge 7 and guide rails 8. The board 2 is mounted within a support structure 10 which comprises a top panel 12, a bottom panel 14 and side panels 16. The support structure 10 may be made of any suitable material, such as wood. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the path 4 continues from a starting point 18 to a higher, terminal point 20. A goal 22 is located at terminal point 20 and is adapted to receive a ball 23. Ball 23 falls from the path 4 and returns to starting point 18 if it deviates from the path 4. The rod 6 may be advanced upwards above the path or retracted or tilted from side to side to control the rolling ball 23 which is free to roll along the rod 6 and along the path 4 as directed by the rod 6 until it reaches the goal or falls off the path. In this embodiment, a player is challenged while manoeuvring ball 23 to goal 22 by the fact that the width of path 4 decreases progressively between starting point 18 and terminal point 20 in relation to the diameter of ball 23. A handle 24 is secured at each opposing end of the rod 6 to facilitate a player to tilt and slide the rod 6. As seen in FIG. 4, the handles 24 are grasped by a player while playing the game. The rod 6, with top edge 7, sliding on guide rails 8, and manipulated by handles 24, comprises a manipulating means for manipulating the ball 23 (object means), the edge 7 having the freedom of movement to move linearly with respect to the path 4 traversed by the ball 23. Where the object means is the ball 23, it will be seen that it has more than one rolling surface (an infinite number of surfaces) which are free to roll along the path 4 and the rod 6 surface 7. 
     The rod 6 rides on the guide rails 8. In the preferred embodiment, the guide rails 8 are the edges of the side panels 16. A transparent front panel 26 is mounted spaced over the board 2 and the support structure 10. The transparent front panel 26 is supported spaced apart and parallel to the front of the board 2 on support structure 10 with suitable means such as screws 28 and spacers 30. 
     A return 32 connects goal 22 with the starting point 18. The return 32 is adapted to permit ball 22 to return to the starting point 18 upon successful completion of the game. 
     Various modifications and changes may be made in the specific structure illustrated without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as is defined in the appended claims.