Patent Abstract:
An arcade type amusement game is disclosed having a housing with a playing field therein, the game further comprising a turntable and a counter rotating pointer. A pair of motors control the rotation and counter rotation of the turntable and pointer, initiated and stopped by player controls. The coincidence of the pointer over the turntable&#39;s sectors determine a reward for the player, modified by a quadrant of the playing field to which the pointer comes to rest.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates generally to arcade style entertainment apparatus, and more particularly to a coin or token actuated amusement game wherein a player attempts to stop a rotating pointer above a counter-rotating playing field in order to win credits or tickets. 
     Arcade games that measure a player&#39;s skill and luck are well known in the art. The present inventor is the named inventor of many popular games found in today&#39;s arcades. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,082, entitled “Coin Projecting Amusement Device,” discloses an amusement wherein coins may be controllably deposited by the player on a playing surface having a multiplicity of surface interruption means thereon. A vertical dam translates over at least a portion of said playing surface and pushes said deposited coins against a random pattern of accumulated coins, causing some of said accumulated coins to fall over an edge into a collecting and counting means. This game is marketed and sold under the trademark “Wedges and Ledges.” U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,248, also invented by the present inventor, discloses an amusement game where coins are dropped onto a flat surface over which a vertical dam is horizontally translated. The vertical dam translates over a portion of the flat surface and drops a certain of the accumulated coins over the edge. As the coins drop over the edge, they are collected in a counting chute to be synchronously counted in a memory which is then unloaded to vend out a corresponding number of tokens. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,585 also discloses an amusement apparatus in which a player controls a pushing device to push items off of a playing field. A moveable surface is driven in a first pre-determined path and the pusher device is moveable in a linear path traverse to the path travel of the moveable surface. A delivery passage at one end of the path of the pusher device is arranged to deliver any item swept off the surface to a retrieval bin. U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,045 is directed to an amusement device comprised of a pair of spaced apart elongate members defining a track, and a rolling member for rolling along that track under control of an operator. The elongate members are spaced a fixed distance apart at their first ends establishing the normal home position of the rolling member. The opposite, second ends of the elongate members are moveable relative to one another to adjust their spacing and to control the movement of the rolling member along the track. The operator controls the separation of the elongate member so that the rolling member can roll from its home position to the opposite end of the track without falling between the opening separating the elongate members. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,865 discloses a rotary arcade game including a turntable having a central aperture. Prizes are positioned on the surface of the turntable and moved by a pivoting arm member operated by the player. The player attempts to manipulate an arm member to push prizes into a collection pocket where they are detected and dispensed to the player. U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,374 is directed to a crane game using a vacuum to selectively pick up prizes within a bin. The prizes are arrayed on a rotating turntable, and the player manipulates a vacuum pick up device linearly along a radial direction of the turntable to pick up prizes below. U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,429 discloses another crane game using a video screen for displaying images. A maneuverable sensor contacts the display screen to select prizes displayed thereon. U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,519 discloses an arcade game including a directing mechanism for aiming a game piece such as a token. U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,881 discloses a crane game with a prize redistribution mechanism for dispersing prizes to a substantially level configuration. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,770,001 discloses a vacuum crane game with targets having beaded portions that vary the difficulty of acquiring said targets. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,991,230 discloses an amusement device in the form of an arcade game that comprises a rotating playing field arrayed with targets at the perimeter. Using a projectile such as a token or coin, the player drops the projectile into a chute in an attempt to knock down the targets on the rotating playing field. If the player knocks over a target with the projectile, the target is recognized by a detector and then returned to its original position for subsequent play. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,168,702 invented by the present inventor discloses an arcade type amusement device wherein a projectile such as a token is aimed at a target via a guidance mechanism such as an elongate chute. A deflector may be used to alter the path of the projectile, where the deflector is intermittently present along the trajectory of the projectile so as to require timing to engage the deflector. Upon a successful strike of the target, a ball is released down a helical track toward a rotating playing field interspersed with holes assigned various values. When a ball reaches the rotating playing field, it will rebound and roll until it falls within one of said holes, whereupon a point value is awarded based on the particular value of the hole. The player may receiver redemption tickets or points based on the point value awarded. 
     The foregoing illustrate some of the many arcade type games credited to the present inventor. The games are predominantly skill-based with an element of luck woven into the overall operation of the games. The present invention is the inventor&#39;s most recent creation in this line of arcade type games. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is an arcade type game in which a circular turntable rotates in a first direction and includes a plurality of designations corresponding to pie-shaped areas and point values associated with the areas, and a pointer centered on the turntable that rotates in the opposite direction. The turntable sits in housing that is divided in quadrants, where each quadrant is associated with a multiplier or percentage. When the game is played, the turntable and the pointer rotate in opposite direction, as the pointer passes over the pie shaped areas of the turntable. The player stops the rotations (or causes the rotations to coast to a stop), and the player&#39;s result is based on the particular pie-shaped area that the pointer overlays when all the rotations have stopped, multiplied by the value assigned to the quadrant that the pointer is present. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an elevated perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of the playing field, turntable, pointer, and quadrants of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view side of the present invention, showing in schematic form elements of the operational components; 
         FIG. 4  is an elevated perspective view of the turntable with a position recognizing system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, comprising an amusement device  10  having a housing  12  that encloses a playing field  14 . The portion of the housing  12  that surrounds the playing field  14  is preferably made of a transparent Plexiglas or acrylic window  16  that allows players to look into the housing  12  and see the playing field  14 . The playing field  14  includes a generally flat surface  18  that is divided into four quadrants  20 , although other configurations and number of subdivisions are also possible. In one preferred embodiment, each quadrant  20  is assigned a multiplier such as 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, although again other values increasing or decreasing the total are within the scope of the invention. The values assigned to the quadrant play a role in the outcome of the game, as will be explained below. 
     Disposed in the middle of the quadrants  20  (see  FIG. 2 ) is a turntable  22  divided into radial sectors  24 . The sectors  24  can be uniform size or vary is their angular width, and each sector  24  on the turntable  22  is assigned a point value. The point value can be a credit or monetary value, or can represent prizes, redemption points, or tickets. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the turntable  22  is coupled an annular spindle  26  that is driven by a motor  28  (or hand spun in an alternate embodiment) in a first direction. The motor  28  is controlled by a control box  30  that receives input from the player controls  32 . For example, when the player activates player controls (e.g., presses the button)  32 , a signal is sent from the player controls  32  to the control box to start or stop the motor  28 , which causes the turntable  22  to stop or coast to a stop. The motor or motors and reversing gears may be controlled by a variable potentiometer to modify the speed of the rotations. This system can be operated by the microprocessor, or controlled by a knob adjusted by the player. 
     In addition to the turntable  22 , the playing field includes an elongate indicator  34  that is connected to a second spindle  36  received inside the first annular spindle  26 . The second spindle  36  is coupled to a second motor  38 , or a reversing gear (not shown) which causes the spindle  36  and the elongate indicator  34  to rotate above the turntable  22  and in the opposite direction. Control over the second motor  38  or reversing gear is also controlled by the control box  30 , which receives a signal from the player controls  32 . As with the turntable  22 , when the player activates the player controls  32 , a signal is sent to the control box  30  to start or stop the motor  38 , causing the elongate indicator  34  to stop or coast to a stop. 
     The game begins when a player inserts a coin, token, game card, magnetic card, or other form of payment. In a preferred embodiment, the insertion of payment by the player starts motors  28  and  38 , which in turn rotates spindles  26  and  36 , respectively, in opposite directions. Through the window  16 , the player can observe the elongate indicator  34  spinning above the turntable  22  in counter-rotating motions. At some instant selected by the player, the player controls  32  are actuated by the player which sends a signal to the control box  30 . The control box  30  then sends a signal to the motors  28 , 38  to stop, whereupon the spindles  26 ,  36  begin to slow down and eventually stop. When the spindles  26 ,  36  stop, the elongate indicator  34  will overlay one of the plurality of sectors  24  on the turntable  22 . Whatever “value” is assigned to the sector  24  that coincides with the elongate indicator  34  when both the indicator  34  and turntable  22  have stopped rotating is the “award” that is won by the player, adjusted by the multiplier of the particular quadrant  20 . For example, if the indicator  34  stops above a sector  24  that corresponds to a value of “200,” and the multiplier for the quadrant  20  that the indicator  34  comes to rest in is “50%”, then the player is awarded “100” points. Conversely, if the indicator falls on “200” and the multiplier is “2,” the award would be 400 points. The award can come in the form of a receipt that is printed by a printer  50 , tickets, tokens, magnetic card, or some other prize distribution device, or some other type of reward system. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a system for recognizing the position of the indicator  34  over the turntable  22 . In one embodiment, each sector  24  is delineated by posts or markers  70  at the periphery of the turntable  22 . The indicator  34  includes a sensor  60  with a switch  62  that is triggered every time the actuator  34  passes a marker  70 . A signal is sent to the microprocessor within the control box  30  each time a marker  70  is passed, and the microprocessor using logic designed to keep track of the actuator  34  recognizes which sector  24  the actuator  34  overlays. Because the logic also has in its memory the values assigned to each sector, the microprocessor can determine the result of the game when the actuator and turntable come to rest. Similarly, a similar counter can be used to keep track of the quadrants so that the microprocessor knows which multiplier to use on the point value of the sector. The switch  62  can be a mechanical switch, an optical switch, a magnetic switch, or any other type of switch that can detect the passing of each sector  24  using some object that is detected by the switch (magnet, light source, post, etc.). 
     While particular embodiments have been described above with respect to the present invention, they are not intended to be limiting. Modifications and alterations would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, and the present invention is intended to include all such modifications and alterations. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined by the words of the appended claims, using their ordinary meanings, with in the context of the foregoing disclosure by without limitation thereby.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0