US3391934A - Chance operated projector - Google Patents

Description

July 9, 1968 J. w. RYAN ET L CHANCE OPERATED PROJE CTOR Filed May 17, 1965 VIM/ 0?! 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 irrai/vi/s July 9, 1968 J. w. RYAN ET AL CHANCE OPERATED PROJECTOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 17, 1965 140 042/ dairy/e5 July 9, 1968 J, w, A ET AL 3,391,934

CHANCE OPERATED PROJECTOR Filed May 17, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 [38 3081 328 328/ 33 MA!- a 8 3/4 x s24 k f7 7 /6z 1 1 3/8 33 336 July 9, 1968 J, w, RYAN ET AL CHANCE OPERATED PROJECTOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 17, 1965 United States Patent 3,391,934 CHANCE OPERATED PROJECTOR John W. Ryan, 688 Nimes Road, Bel-Air, Calif., and

Adolph E. Goldfarb, 7427 Varna St., North Hollywood, Calif. 91605 Filed May 17, 1965, Ser. No. 456,180 5 Claims. (Cl. 273-95) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toy, simulated castle has an open-topped tower and an apertured belfry. A catapult is reciprocally mounted in the tower below the open top and is urged into the open top by a strong spring. The catapult may be maintained in a depressed position below the open top by a trigger means having one end positioned beneath the aperture in the belfry. A ball-distributing wheel is mounted in the castle for receiving balls dropped through the aperture in the belfry and distributing them either onto the trigger means for releasing the catapult or away from the trigger means so that the catapult is released on a chance basis. Objects may be placed on the catapult for ejection when the ball engages the trigger means. Child-users of objects.

The present invention relates to a new and useful animated action toy and game and more particularly to an improved toy and game of the type described in copending application Ser. No. 413,555, now Patent No. 3,358,998 filed Nov. 24, 1964 for Animated Action Toy and Method on behalf of the assignee of the present application.

As pointed out in said co-pending application, many games are available for children which are not only amusing, but which also develop a childs coordination and agility. The toy described and claimed in said co-pending application and the toy described and claimed in the present application are not only amusing to children of all ages, but also form the basis for playing a game which develops a childs coordination and agility in a manner somewhat different from that employed in prior art toys and games.

The toy of the present invention employs the same basic principle employed in the toy of said (to-pending applicationi.e., the toy incorporates an action object which, upon actuation of an appropriate release mechanism at an unpredicable time, is ejected from the toy without prior warning to a child user of the toy who may then attempt to catch the object.

In said co-pending application, a toy is provided wherein a first tower is mounted on a base plate. A coil spring is mounted inside the first tower and has one end attached to the base plate and another end attached to a platform. The platform can be depressed within the first tower against the pressure of the spring and locked in a depressed position. A chlid-user of the toy may then place an action object, such as a simulated butterfly or the like, on top of the platform in the first tower. The mechanism which maintains the platform in a depressed position includes a triggering device having a lever arm extending into a first lower passageway provided in a second tower. The second tower has an upper passageway adapted to receive a ball or marble with close tolerance. The upper passageway communicates with the first lower passageway and a second lower passageway which are separated by a central divider. A child-user of the toy may play a game by dropping a marble or ball into the upper passageway. As the ball drops down the upper passageway, it strikes the divider and rolls into one of the lower passageways unobserved by the player. Should the ball roll into the second lower passageway, the ball will be returned to the player without a score. On the other band, should the ball roll from the central divider into the first lower passageway, the ball strikes the lever arm releasing the triggering mechanism permitting the platform to fly upwardly in the first tower. This causes the butterfly which is stored in the ower to fly out the top thereof. The player is provided with a butterfly net and attempts to catch the butterfly flying out of the tower. Should the player succeed in catching the butterfly in the net, the player is entitled to the number of points indicated on the butterfly by suitable indicia placed thereon. The score-indicating indicia are not visible to the players of the game so that they never known how many points they can score on a given occasion.

The toy of the present invention, on the other hand, includes several features not found in the toy described in said co-pending application. For example, means are included in the toy of the present invention to permit players, other than the player whose turn it is, to depress a button unobserved by the player whose turn it is and thereby change the setting of an internal mechanism which determines whether or not the ball will release the platform. Also, the internal mechanism of the toy of the present invention includes means which are actuated by a previously dropped ball to determine the course which a subsequently dropped ball will take in its passage through the device, whether or not the ball trips the platform-releasing mechanism. Many other new and useful features not found in the device described in said co-pending application are also incorporated into the toy of the present invention.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and useful toy constituting an improvement over the toy described in co-pending application Ser. No. 413,555, filed Nov. 24, 1964.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a toy of the type described and a method of playing a game with the toy by one or more individuals.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a toy which forms the basis of a highly amusing game which not only amuses the players, but also develops their coordination and agility.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful game of the type described wherein points may be scored upon the happening of a chance event, providing a player of the game acts with skill and agility after the happening of the event.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful game of the type described in which points may be scored upon the happening of an unpredictable event wherein the chances of the event happening may be changed by one player while another player is taking his turn.

Although the toy of the present invention may manifest itself in many shapes and forms, it is shown and described herein for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, as being in the form of a castle having a tower and a belfry. The castle is mounted on a suitable base simulating an island. A catapult means or platform is provided in the tower below a plurality of vertical slots provided around the open top of the tower. The platform may be depressed against the pressure of a strong coil spring and locked in a depressed position. One or more simulated, flying bats may be inserted in the slots in the tower for subsequent ejection therefrom when the platform is released.

The platform may be released by dropping a ball into the belfry, providing an internal mechanism in the castle is positioned in an unpredictable, predetermined manner. The ball travels downwardly in the belfry through a maze provided therein and onto a trigger mechanism which releases the platform, providing the internal mechanism is set in said unpredictable, predetermined manner. Otherwise, the ball bypasses the trigger mechanism and is returned to the players through one of a plurality of apertures provided in the bottom of the castle, depending upon other unpredictable, predetermined settings of the internal mechanism. Also, should the ball trip the trigger mechanism, it is still returned to the players through an unpredictable aperture provided in the bottom of the castle.

The bats are provided with certain indicia forming the basis of points which may be scored by the players. In addition, a suitable catching device, such as a simulate monster claw, is provided for the players to use in catching the bats as they fly from the tower. Game tokens are also provided which may be supplied to the players. The tokens contain indicia corresponding to the indicia employed on the bats so that additional points may be scored by a player if he matches his token with the bats which he catches in the monster claw.

Although many difierent types of games may be played with the toy of the present invention, only a few examples will be set forth herein for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements in the several views.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of a toy of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a plurality of simulated, flying bats constituting action objects of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view showing somewhat diagram- .matically game tokens which may be employed to enhance the excitement of a game which may be played with the toy of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along line 44 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view taken along line 66 of FIGURE 5 with the parts therein shown in a first operating position;

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG- URE 6 showing the parts in a second operating position;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view taken along line 8--8 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of a first ball-distributing wheel employed in the device of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 10 is a perspective view of the wheel of FIG- URE 9 in a rotated position;

FIGURE 11 is a perspective view of a second ball-distributing wheel employed in the device of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 1212 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIGURE 4; and

FIG-URE 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 14-14 of FIGURE 4.

Referring again to the drawings, a toy constituting a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, generally designated 10, includes a simulated castle 12 which may be mounted on a base plate 14 simulating an island. The castle 12 may be conveniently formed in halves, as indicated in FIGURE 8, by separately molding a first half 16 and a second half 18 out of a suitable plastic material, such as a high-impact polystyrene. The two halves may then be joined together along a seam or joining line indicated generally at 20 in FIGURE 1. The base 14 may also be injection-molded from a suitable high-impact polystyrene plastic and includes a shaped recess 22 which receives the lower end 24 of the castle 12. The castle 12 includes a tower 26 having an open top 28 in which a catapult means 29, including a circular platform 30, is reciprocally mounted subjacent a plurality of vertical slots 32 provided in an encompassing sidewall 34 forming the open top 28. The castle 12 also includes a belfry 36 which is formed integrally with the tower 2-6 and which is provided with an arcuate ball-receiving aperture 38 at its upper end 40.

The my -10 also includes a plurality of action object means 42 which may be molded in the form of simulated, flying bats from a suitable plastic-type material and which may be mounted in the open top 28 after the platform has been depressed to the position shown in FIGURES l and 4 by engaging a slot 32 with .a wing portion 44 provided on each bat 42. The platform 30 is maintained in a depressed position in a manner to be hereinafter described so that the bats 42 will remain in position in the slots 32. The toy 10 also includes a ball 46 which may be dropped into the belfry 36 through the aperture 38 from whence it travels by gravity downwardly through the belfry 36 to a point of discharge to be hereinafter described. During its course of travel through the belfry 46, the ball 36 may trigger a mechanism to be hereinafter described which causes the bats 42 to fly out of the tower 26 whereupon a user of the toy 10 may attempt to catch the bats 42 in a suitable catching implement, such as a simulated monsters claw 48. The toy 10 also includes a plurality of bat racks such as the one shown at 50 in FIGURE 1. Each bat rack 50 is provided with a plurality of upstanding pins 52 which may be engaged by an aperture 54 provided in a base member 55 on each bat 42 to store the bats after they have been caught. On the other hand, the ball 46 may travel through the belfry 36 without actuating the platform releasing mechanism. In either event, the ball 46 will be returned to the users of the toy in a manner to be hereinafter described.

The toy 10 also includes a plurality of diet tokens 56. As shown in FIGURE 3, one token may carry a suitable legend 5611 which reads, VAMPIRE BATS. Another token may be provided with a legend 56b which reads, GIANT BATS and a third token may be provided with the legend 560 which reads, X-WILD BATS. The ba-ts 42, as shown in FIGURE 2, may also be divided into vampire bats, giant bats and wild bats by providing them with suitable indicia such as the letter V, as shown at 42a, the letter G, as shown at 42b, and the letter X, as shown at 420, respectively, The indicia 42a, 42b and 420 may be provided on the bottom of the base 55 so that the indicia will be obscured from view when the bats 42 are either in position on the bat racks 50 or in the tower 56. Point values may be given each bat 42 by providing suitable indicia on the underside of their bases 55, such as the numerals 5, 10, and 20 shown at 59, 60 and '61 respectively.

The bats 42 also include head portions 62 which are provided with apertures 64 for simulating a mouth. Either the aperture 64 or the aperture 54 may be used to suspend the associated bat 42 from the castle 12 by engaging suitable pegs or pins 66, which are provided on the castle 12.

Referring now to FIGURES 4 and 12, the platform 30 is reciprocally and non-rotata'bly supported in the tower 26 by the end 67 of a non-circular member 68 which is reciprocally and non-rotatably mounted in a non-circular opening 70 provided in a partition 72. The partition 72 is mounted horizontally in the tower 26 below the open top 28. The other end of the member 68 is attached to a stop member 74 which is engageable with a resilient pad 76 afiixed to the underside 78 of partition 72 to stop the upward travel of platform 30 when it is released in a manner to be hereinafter described. The stop member 74 is attached to one end 79 of a non-circular stem member 80 having a flat tang 82 formed at its other end 84. The stem 80 is reciprocally and non-rotatably mounted in an aperture 86 provided in a horizontal partition 88 which, in turn, is mounted in the tower 26 below the partition 72. A rather strong compression spring 90 encompasses the stem 80 and has one end 92 hearing against the stop member 74 and another end 94 hearing against the partition 88 to 'bias the platform upwardly in the tower 26.

The platform 30, the member 68, the stop member 74 and the stem may be conveniently formed as an integral unit from a suitable high-impact polystyrene plastic by employing injection-molding techniques and, when combined with the spring 90, comprise the catapult means 29.

The platform 30 may be depressed to the position shown in FIGURE 4 where it abuts the partition 72 and maintained at this position against the force of spring by a latch means or jam plate 96 having one end 98 pivotally connected to the tower 26 by a pivot pin 100 and another end 102 provided with an aperture 104 in which the tang 82 is received. When the jam plate 96 is canted to the position shown in FIGURE 4, the tang 82 is firmly gripped within the aperture 104. However, when the jam plate 96 is swung to approximately a horizontal position, suflicient clearance exists between the aperture 104 and the tang 82 to permit the stem 80 to be released so that the catapult means 29 will be suddenly thrust upwardly in the open end 28 under the influence of spring 90. The jam plate 96 is moved to a horizontal position by a trigger mechanism indicated generally at 106 and which is connected to the plate 96 by a link 108 having one end 110 pivotally connected to the plate 96 intermediate its ends by a pin 112 and another end 114 pivotally connected to the trigger mechanism 106 by a pivot pin 116. The pin 116 engages a "bracket 118 provided on the trigger mechanism 106 intermediate its ends 120 and 122. The end 120 of the trigger mechanism 106 is pivotally connected to the castle 12 by a pivot pin 124 and the end 122 is biased upwardly in the castle 12 by a spring 126 having one end 128 connected to the trigger mechanism 106 adjacent its end 122 and another end 130 connected to a pin 132. The pin 132 is mounted on a vertical partition 134 which is, in turn, mounted inside the castle 12. The trigger mechanism 106 includes a cutout portion 136 which accommodates a rotatable shaft 138 forming part of a first ball-distributing mechanism indicated generally at 140. The shaft 138 has a non-circular cross-section defined by a plurality of flutes 141 and includes a plain end 142. The shaft 138 also includes an end 144 upon which a first ball-distributing wheel 146 is mounted. The balldistributing wheel 146 is surmounted by a spindle 148 which rotatably engages a counter bore 150 provided in a boss 152 which, in turn, is supported by a vertical partition 154 depending from the horizontal partition 88. For manufacturing convenience, the spindle 148, the Wheel 146 and the shaft 138 may be manufactured in a single step from a suitable plastic, such as high-impact polystyrene, by employing injection-molding techniques. The shaft 138 may be rotated by a ratchet-wheel or gear 156 having upstanding key-means 158 which lock the gear 156 to the end 142 of shaft 138 by being engaged between the flutes 141. The gear 156 is rotatably mounted on the base 14 by a spindle 160 which may be formed integrally with the gear or ratchet Wheel 156 by injection molding it from a suitable plastic material. The spindle 160 is seated in a counter bore 162 provided in an upstanding boss 164 which is formed integrally with the bottom wall 166 of the base 14.

The ball-distributing wheel 146 includes a top Wall 168, a downwardly and outwardly sloping sidewall 170 (FIG- URE 11) and an open bottom 172. The top wall 168 is provided with a first plurality of ball-directing channels 174 formed by radially extending, spaced-apart, upstanding partitions 176 and a peripheral lip 178 which are adapted to direct a ball 46 rolling down the channel 174 into an aperture 180 provided in the sidewall 170 in communication with the open bottom 172. The wheel 146 is also provided with a second plurality of ball-directing channels 182 formed by the partitions 176 from adjacent channels 174. The channels 182 direct a ball 46 over the peripheral edge 184 of the wheel 146. A slight land 186 is formed in each channel 182 adjacent the edge 184 for elevating the ball 46 slightly as it leaves the wheel 146.

Referring again to FIGURE 4, the apertures 180 may be positioned in alignment with the end 122 of trigger mechanism 106 by rotating the wheel 146 through the medium of ratchet wheel 156 in a manner to be hereinafter described. When a particular aperture 180 is brought into alignment with the end 122 of trigger 106, the channel 174 which communicates with the aligned aperture is also aligned with a discharge chute 188 which is adapted to deliver the ball 46 onto the wheel 146 after it passes downwardly through the belfry 36 by negotiating a maze, indicated generally at 190, which includes a plurality of staggered partitions 192.

The maze 190 also includes a necked-down portion 193 formed by mounting plates 192a in communication with the chute 188 to assure that the ball 46 is properly centered thereon as it is discharged from the maze 190. As will become apparent, the maze 190 adds to the excitement of a game which may be played with the toy 10 by lengthening the time it takes the ball 46 to travel through the castle 12.

The players have no way of knowing if an aperture 180 is aligned with the trigger mechanism 106 so that the ball 46 will engage end 122 thereof and release the platform 30 causing the bats 42 to fly from the tower 26. If an aperture 180 is not aligned with the trigger mechanism 106, one of the channels 182 must necessarily be aligned with the discharge chute 188 so that a ball 46 discharging therefrom will roll over the periphery 184 of the Wheel 146 and along the path indicated by broken lines 194 in FIGURE 4, thereby bypassing the trigger 106 so that the platform 30 is not released. Such a ball passes down a passageway 196 formed by vertical partitions 198 and 200 which are mounted in the castle 12 in spaced relation. As a ball 46 reaches the lower end 202 of passageway 196, it engages a second ball-distributing wheel 204 which is rotatably mounted in the castle 12 on a horizontal axle 206 and which has the configuration shown in FIGURES 9 and 10. The wheel 204 also lies in the path of travel of balls 46 which pass through an aperture 180 onto the end 122 of trigger mechanism 106. Such balls are directed into engagement with the trigger mechanism 106 by a passageway 208 formed by the partitions 200 and 134. The weight of a ball 46 engaging the end 122 of trigger mechanism 106 is sufiicient to overcome the bias of spring 126 causing the trigger mechanism 106 to swing downwardly in a counter clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 4, about its pivot pin 124 causing the link 108 to swing the plate 96 to its horizontal position releasing catapult means 29 so that the platform 30 will fly upwardly in the tower 26 ejecting the bats 42 through the open top 28. As the trigger mechanism 106 swings in a counter clockwise direction, the ball 46 which engaged the end 122 will roll therefrom onto the wheel 204. Thus, the balls 46 which are dropped into the belfry 36 eventually come into engagement with the wheel 204 being received in one of four pockets, 210, 212, 214 or 216, respectively, provided thereon for distribution thereby. The pockets 210 and 212 are each provided with a pair of spaced sidewalls 218 so that a ball 46 entering either of the pockets 210 or 212 can only leave these pockets by rotating the wheel 204 in such a manner that the ball 46 is discharged onto a chute 220 which directs the ball 46 into engagement with a third ball-distributing wheel which, for manufacturing convenience, is made identical to the second balldistributing wheel 204 and which will be hereinafter referred to for purposes of identity as the lower wheel 204 to distinguish it from the second ball-distributing wheel 7 204, which will be referred to as the upper ball-distributing wheel 204. The lower wheel 204 is rotatably mounted in castle 12 downstream of the upper wheel 204.

The pocket 214 for each wheel 204 includes a single sidewall 222 which is mounted adjacent the edge 224 of the associated wheel 204. A wedge member 226 is mounted in each pocket 214 adjacent the wall 222 so that a ball entering the pocket 214 will be directed in the direction of arrows 228, as shown in FIGURE 10, over the other edge 230 of the associated wheel 204. The edge 230 for the upper-wheel 204, in one position thereof, communicates with a passageway 232 (FIGURES 4 and 8) which is provided in the lower portion of the castle 12. The passageway 232, in turn, communicates with a ball-receiving recess 234 provided on the upper surface of the base 14 through an aperture 236 provided in the lower end 24 of the half 16 of castle 12. The recess 234 is identified by a message 235 reading PLACE BAT. The pocket 216 for each wheel 204 is provided with a single sidewall adjacent the edge 230 of its associated wheel 204 and a wedge 240 is mounted in the pocket 216 where it cooperates with the wall 238 to direct a ball 46 from pocket 216 over the edge 224 of the associated wheel 204. Balls which are received within the pocket 216 of the upper wheel 204 are directed by the wedge 240 over the edge 224 into a passageway 242 (FIGURE 8) which is provided in the castle 12 adjacent the bottom 24 and which has a discharge end 244 mounted in an aperture 246 provided in the lower portion 24 of the half 18 of the castle 12. The discharge end 224 of passageway 242 communicates with a recess 248 provided on the base 14. The recess 248 may be identified by a suitable message 250 such as, STEAL BAT.

Balls 46 which are discharged by either of the pockets 210 or 212 of the upper wheel 204 onto the chute 220 engage one of the pockets provided in the lower wheel 204. As shown in FIGURE 9, the pockets 210 and 212 are oiTset with respect to each other. This feature is not necessary for the upper wheel 204, but is necessary for the lower wheel 204, as will become apparent. A Y-shaped partition 252 is provided in the bottom of castle 12 down stream of, and in alignment with, the lower wheel 204 for directing balls discharging therefrom into either a first passageway 254 or a second passageway 256. The passage- Way 254 has a discharge end 258 which is mounted in an aperture 260 provided in the lower portion 24 of the half 18 of castle 12 and which communicates with a recess 262 provided on the base 14. The recess 262 is identified by a suitable message 264, such as the expression TRADE BAT. The discharge end 266 of passageway 256 is mounted in an aperture 268 provided in the lower portion 24 of the half 16 of castle 12 and communicates with a recess 270 provided on the base 14. The recess 270 is also identified by a suitable expression 272, such as the expression EXTRA TURN. A ball 46 travelling down the chute 220 will be distributed into either the passageway 254 or the passageway 256 depending upon the position of the lower wheel 204. When either the pocket 210 or the pocket 214 are in position to receive such a ball 46, the lower wheel 204 will be rotated to a position where the ball is discharged into passageway 256. On the other hand, if

the lower wheel 204 is in such a position that a ball travelling down chute 220 enters either pocket 212 or 216, the entering ball will cause the lower wheel 204 to rotate in such a manner that the ball is discharged into passageway 254 from whence it travels to the recess 262 outside of the castle 12. Whenever a ball 46 engages either the upper wheel 204 or the lower wheel 204, the wheels are caused to rotate. Thus, when the toy is used for playing a game to be hereinafter described, the players have no way of knowing which of the recesses 234, 248, 262 or 270 will receive the ball 46 as it is discharged from the castle 12. Also, as previously noted, the players have no way of knowing the position of the wheel 146 so that they cannot predict whether or not a ball will engage the trigger mechanism 106 causing the platform 30 to be released. However, the players will know that, once a ball 46 releases the platform 30, it will be released the next time ball 46 is dropped into belfry 36 unless the wheel 146 is rotated one increment to move an aperture away from the passageway 208. Conversely, should the tower 30 not be released by a previous ball 46, the player will know that a succeedingball will not release the tower 30 unless the wheel 146 is rotated to bring the channel 176 out from under the chute 188.

The wheel 146 may be rotated one increment at a time by four separate wheel-actuating means, indicated generally at 273 in FIGURE 5. The wheel actuating means 273 is mounted in the base 14 and includes first, second,

third and fourth pawl- means 274, 276, 278 and 280, re

spectively. Each pawl means includes a pawl lever 282 which is reciprocally mounted in an encompassing sidewall 284 forming a chamber 286 in which the ratchet wheel 156 is rotatably mounted above the bottom Wall 166 of the base 14. Each pawl lever 282 may be manufactured in a single operation by injection-molding highimpact polystyrene or other plastic material which produces a flexible member. Each lever 282 includes a rod portion 288 having a pawl 290 at one end, a button-engaging portion 292 at its other end, and a transverse, spring-engaging bar 294 intermediate its ends, all of which may be formed as an integral unit during the molding operation. Each pawl 290 is disposed within the chamber 286 and includes a shoulder portion 296 which is engageable with teeth 298 on ratchet wheel 156 to rotate it one increment each time a pawl lever 282 is reciprocated by depressing a pawl-actuating button 300 to the position shown in FIGURE 7. This forces the lever 282 to the left in the direction of arrow 302 against the bias of a pawllever-return spring 304. When button 300 is released, the spring 304 moves the lever 282 to the rig-ht, as viewed in FIGURE 6, causing the shoulder 296 to engage a tooth 298 and rotate the ratchet wheel 156 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 5. The spring 304 is afiixed to the bottom wall 166 inside the chamber 286 by securement means 306 and includes an arcuate, bifurcated portion 208 which straddles the rod 288 and engages the bar 294 to normally maintain the lever 282 in its FIG- URE 6 position. The button-engaging portion 292 of each lever 282 includes a pair of parallel, spaced-apart sidewalls 310, a vertical endwall 312, a topwall 314 and a sloping frontwall 316. The sloping front wall 316 preferably forms an angle of approximately 45 degrees with a vertical line passing through its junction with the top wall 314 and co-acts with a similarly sloped portion 318 provided on the shaft portion 320 of an associated button 300.

Each button 300 is preferably molded as an integral unit from a plastic material having a lower co-efiicientof-friction than the sloping wall 316 of lever 282. This minimizes falling and frictional forces when the button 300 is depressed causing the portion 318 thereof to slide downwardly with respect to the sloping wall 316, thereby forcing the lever 282 to the left, as viewed in FIGURE 7. A hook member 322 is formed on the lower end of the shaft 320 and is engageable with a lower lip-portion 324 on the sloping wall 316 when the button 300 is moved to its FIGURE 6 position by the wall 316 under the influence of spring 304. The button 300 includes a head portion 326 which, for the amusement of childusers of the toy 10, may be formed in the shape of a skull and may be referred to as a SKUN-KER SKULL. The shaft 320 is in the shape of an I-beam having parallel flanges 328 which slide in grooves 330 provided on a pair of upstanding, parallel, spaced-apart partition members 332 which are mounted in the base 14 between its bottom wall 166 and its top wall 334. The flanges 328 are prevented from becoming wedged within the grooves 330, due to the non-vertical force applied to the shaft 320 by the wall 316, by a light compression spring 336 having one end 338 bearing against the shaft 320 adjacent 9 the hook 322 and another end 339 bearing against the bottom wall 166.

The toy 10 may form the basis of a number of different and exciting games, a few of which are given by way of example as follows:

Example 1 Two persons may play a game by first dropping a ball 46 into belfry 36 to determine whether or not the tower 26 will shoot by releasing platform 30. If the tower 26 does not shoot, it is an indication that wheel 146 should be rotated one increment to bring an aperture 180 into alignment with the trigger mechanism 106. This may be accomplished by depressing one of the buttons 300 causing its associated pawl lever 282 to rotate the ratchet wheel 156 one increment, thereby rotating the wheel 146 one increment to bring an aperture 180 into alignment with the trigger mechanism 106.

One of the players may then lock the tower by depressing platform 30 so that the tang 82 on the shaft 80 will be gripped by the jam plate 96.

The players then load 10 load bats 42 onto the tower 26 by engaging the bats 42 in slots 32.

Each player then takes a monster claw 48 and a bat rack 50 and prepares himself to catch the bats 42 as they fly out of the tower 26. One player must catch VAM- PIRE BATS 42a and the other player must catch GIANT BATS 42b. Both players may catch WILD BATS 42c.

One player, or a disinterested third party, may drop the ball 46 into the aperture 38 in the belfry 36 whereupon the ball 46 will travel down the tower 36 negotiating the maze 190 from whence it is discharged through throat 193 onto the chute 188. The ball 46 rolls down the chute 188 and through the aperture 180 in wheel 146 from whence it travels down the passageway 208 striking the end 122 of trigger mechanism 106. The weight of the ball 46 overcomes the bias of spring 126 causing the trigger mechanism 106 to swing in a counter clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 4, causing the link 108 to move the jam plate 96 to a substantially horizontal position releasing its grip on tang 82. The compression spring 90 then causes the platform 30 to catapult upwardly in tower 26 ejecting the bats 42 from the open top 28 thereof.

Each player tries to catch as many bats as he can looking at the base of each bat caught. Each player may keep only the right kind of bat which he stores on his bat rack 50. Also, each player must replace any bats of the wrong kind in an appropriate slot 32 on tower 26.

The tower 26 is again locked by depressing platform 30. The players then make sure that a total of 10 bats 42 are in position on the tower 26 in slots 32. The ball 46 is then dropped and the players again try to catch the bats 42 as they fly from the open top 28.

The first player to catch 12 bats comprising either bats of his kind or wild bats or a combination of both is declared the winner.

Example 11 Four or six players may play the game described in Example I, by dividing into two teams, one for GIANT BATS and one for VAMPIRE BATS. Each time the ball 46 is dropped, a new player from each team takes a claw 48 and catches as many bats as he can following the rules of Example I.

The first team to accumulate 12 bats on its bat rack of the proper type, as described above in Example I, is declared the winner.

Example III Two to four children may play and may assume that they are monsters who satisfy their diet by catching bats in their monster claw 48.

Each player is given a bat rack.

Eight diet tokens 56 of the types shown in FIGURE 10 3 may be shufiled face up so that the indicia 56a, 56b and 560 are not visible. Each player then takes one diet card 56, looks at it secretly and sets it aside.

Each player then takes two bats 42, looks at the base 55 to determine whether it is a VAMPIRE BAT 420, a GIANT rBAT 42b or a WILD BAT 42c and then puts them on his bat rack.

The platform 30 may then be depressed so that it will automatically lock. One bat 42 from the remaining pile of bats is placed in a slot 32 in tower 26. The remaining bats 42 are then snapped onto pegs 66 on castle 12 by engaging the pegs through the aperture '64 or the aperture 54 in the bats mouth or base, respectively.

Assuming there are four players, each player positions himself around the base 14 adjacent a button 300 and then the players decide who shall have the first, second, third and fourth turns, respectively.

The players having the first and second turns each takes a monster claw 48. Either of the remaining players may then sneakily press his SKUNKER SKULL or button 300 to rotate the wheel 146 one increment bringing the aperture out of alignment with the trigger mechanism 106 so that the tower 26 will not eject bats when the ball 46 is dropped into belfry 36. However, if the players whose turn it is feel that the tower 26 will not shoot, they may press their skunker skulls 300 to again rotate the wheel 146. By pressing his skull 300, a particular player can keep the tower 26 from shooting on other players turns, so they cannot catch the bats 42 which he wants. Conversely, when it is a particular players turn, he can make sure the tower 26 will shoot bats by remembering that, if nobody presses a skull 300, the tower will repeat what it just did on the previous turn. On the other hand, each time a skull 300 is pressed once, the tower 26 will do just the opposite of what it did on the previous turn. Thus, if the player whose turn it is feels that a skull 300 has been pressed, he may also press his own skull 300 to again rotate the wheel 146 one increment. The player having the first turn is entitled to drop the ball 46 in the belfry and he drops it when he feels that the tower is conditioned to shoot. Then, if the tower 26 ejects bats 42 from the opening 28, the player whose turn it is and the next player try to catch bats 42 in their claws 48. Each of these players then keep the bats caught on his own bat rack 50 and puts any uncaught bats back on the tower 26. In the meantime, the ball 46 will have rolled out of the tower 12 onto the base 14 in one of the recesses 234, 248, 262 or 270, depending upon the positions of the upper and lower wheels 204, as previously explained. The player who dropped the ball 47 then does what he is instructed to do by the message adjacent the recess in which the ball came to rest.

For example, if the ball 46 comes to rest in recess 234, the player notes that message 235 says PLACE BAT. The player then takes one hat off the castle by disengag ing it from a pin 66, looks at it secretly to determine which type it is and places it on the locked tower. This player is the only one who knows what kind of bat it is. If the ball 46 comes to rest in recess 270, then the player would get an extra turn, as indicated at 272 in FIGURE 8. The player may then drop the ball 46 again and, on this extra turn, he is the only one who may catch bats. If there are no bats on the tower, one is taken from the peg 66 on castle 12 and placed on the locked tower before dropping the ball. If the ball 46 comes to rest in recess 262, the player whose turn it was is instructed to trade bats. When so instructed, the player gives one of his bats to any other player. The other player must then give him any one of his bats or the player whose turn it was may trade a diet token 56 with the other player. Also the player whose turn it was may take a new diet token from the left over tokens. In the latter event, however, the player can only win with the bats on his new diet. The player whose turn it was must do as instructed by the 11- message adjacent the recess where the ball left the tower 12 even though the tower did not eject any bats 42.

When the first player completes his first turn by doing What he was instructed to do by the message adjacent the recess in which the ball 46 came to rest, he passes his monster claw 48 to the third player. The second player then takes his turn by repeating the steps described above for the first player.

The first player to catch five bats on his own dieti.e., bats which match his diet token, wins the game. Players may also count any wild bats as being on their diet. Bats not on a particular players diet do not count.

Example IV Two to four players may play the game described above in Example III. Each player keeps score after a particular round by totalling the point value of the numerals found on the base 55 of his five winning bats plus the numbers on any wild bats which he has. The player with the highest score after three rounds is the winner of the game.

While the particular toy and games herein shown and described in detail are fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that they are merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction, design or method steps herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: 1. A toy comprising: a simulated castle having a tower and a belfry, said tower having an open top and said belfry having a ball-receiving aperture provided therein;

catapult means reciprocally mounted in said tower subjacent said open top, said catapult means being thrust upwardly into said open top when actuated;

actuating means connected to said catapult means for actuating it when energized, said actuating means having a portion extending into the path of travel of a ball dropped through said ball-receiving aperture in said belfry, said ball energizing said actuating means by contacting said extending portion;

ball-distributing means rotatably mounted in said castle between said ball-receiving aperture and said actuating means in the path of travel of said ball, said ball- 12 distributing means having at least one position permitting said ball to contact said extending portion and a second position preventing said ball from contacting said extending portion, whereby said catapult means is actuated on a chance basis depending on the position of said ball-distributing means; a ball for dropping through said ball-receiving aperture; and a ratchet Wheel connected to said ball-distributing means for rotating it one increment at a time andpawl means reciprocally mounted adjacent said ratchet wheel, said pawl means including pawl actuating means extending exteriorly of said castle for actuation by a user of said toy to cause said ball-distributing means to rotate.

2. A toy as stated in claim 1 including passageway means mounted in said castle for directing said ball to the exterior thereof after it has been discharged from said ball-distributing means.

3. A toy as stated in claim 2 wherein said passageway means includes a plurality of passages, each of said passages being positioned within said castle in such a man-.

ner that said ball is discharged from said castle at a separate point for each passage.

4. A toy as stated in claim 1 including maze means mounted in said belfry in the path of travel of said ball.

5. A toy as stated in claim 1 including action object means positionable in said open top of said tower for ejection therefrom by said catapult means as it is thrust upwardly into said open top.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 518,875 4/1894 Brong 273-138 579,630 3/ 1897 Zimmerman. 1,843,587 2/1932 Wolin et al. 273l3 3,139,700 7/1964 Wyrick 124-26 X 3,190,656 6/1965 Weisbecker 273-138 FOREIGN PATENTS 24,259 1901 Great Britain.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

M. R. PAGE, Assistant Examiner.

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