DISC BOWLING GAME

JEU DE BOWLING SUR TABLE, AVEC PIECES EN FORME DE DISQUE

English Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A disc bowling game employing a rotatably mounted
turntable provided with a playing surface, a multi-faced de-
flection member rotatably mounted on top of the turntable, and
adjustable bowling chutes for directing disc-shaped game pieces
onto the playing surface of the turntable. The turntable
rotates in one direction while the deflection member rotates in
the opposite direction with an eccentric motion sweeping the
playing surface of the turntable. The playing pieces are bowled
down the chutes at angles selected by the players to strike the
faces of the deflection member and/or to be deposited directly
on the playing surface of the turntable. The object of the game
is for each player to deposit as many of his playing pieces as
possible in selected target compartments adjacent the rotating
turntable.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or
privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A game, comprising a base, a turntable mounted to
rotate with respect to said base, a deflecting member mounted
to rotate with respect to said turntable, means rotating said
turntable and deflecting member in opposite directions, a plurality
of chutes sloping downwardly towards the vicinity of said turntable
and deflecting member, and a plurality of game pieces adapted to
move down said chutes onto said turntable.
2. A game as in claim 1, wherein said turntable is mounted
to rotate in a substantially horizontal plane.
3. A game as in claim 1, wherein said deflecting member
is mounted to rotate eccentrically with respect to said turntable.
4. A game as in claim 1, wherein said deflecting member
comprises a plurality of flat faces intersecting each other.
5. A game as in claim 4, wherein said intersecting flat
faces of said deflecting member define a star.
6. A game, comprising a base, a turntable, means mounting
said turntable on said base for rotation in a substantially
horizontal plane, a deflecting member, means mounting said
deflecting member for rotation with respect to said turntable,
at least one game piece, at least one chute mounted to said base
extending downwardly to said turntable and adapted to permit said
game piece to roll downwardly onto said turntable to be deflected
by said deflecting member, and at least one compartment formed
within said base outside and below said turntable for receiving
said game piece after deflection by said deflection member.
7. A game as in claim 6, including means rotating said
turntable and deflecting member in opposite directions, and means
causing said deflecting member to rotate eccentrically with
respect to said turntable.

8. A game as in claim 7, wherein said game piece is
disc-shaped and wherein said chute is provided with an elongated
trough permitting said piece to roll freely therealong.
9. A game as in claim 1, wherein said means rotating said
turntable and deflecting member in opposite directions comprises
a motor mounted within said base, a source of energy for said
motor, first and second meshing gears, said first gear operatively
connected to said deflecting member, said second gear operatively
connected to said turntable, and means driving one of said gears
by said motor.

Description

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The present invention relates to the general
class of amusement devices whexein players compete
with each other in attempting to deposit their res-
pective playing pieces within target areas.
According to the present invention, there
is provided a game, comprising a base, a turntable
mounted to rotate with respect to the base, a de-
flecting member mounted to rotate with respect to
the turntable, means rotating the turntable and
lQ deflecting member in opposite directions, a plurality
of chutes sloping downwardly towards the vicinity
of the turntable and deflecting member, and a
plurality of game pieces adapted to move down the
chutes onto the turntable.
Preferably, the deflecting member is an
angularly shaped, multi-faced deflection member ec-
centrically mounted to rotate above the turntable,
each chute defining a runway down which the pre-
ferably disc-shaped game pieces are bowled by the
players. The sloplng bowling chutes may be manually
- rotatable to thereby change the direction at which
the game pieces strike the deflection member and/or
the playing surface of the turntable.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
. .
Fiyure 1 is a perspective view of a disc
bowling game embodying the present invention;
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Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view
of the preferred embodiment o~ the present inven-
tion with the turntable and deflecting member ro-
tated from their normal position so as to expose
the structure of the underneath sides thereof; and :~
Figure 3 is a sectio:nal view illustrating
the mechanism for rotating the turntable and the
deflection member.
:
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREE'ERRED EMBODIMENT
_ . .
The disc bowling game illustrated in
Figure 1 has a base 10 which houses the battery,
motor and gearing mechanism for driving the vari-
ous components, as explained in detail herein-
after. A turntable 12 is mounted on the base 10
for rotation within the circular wall 14 while a
multi-faced, angularly configured, deflection mem-
-ber 16 is mounted~eccentrically for rotation above
the turntable 12. As illustrated in Figure 2, the
. . deflection member:16 is provided with a depending ;~
post 18 which passes through the opening 20 pro-
vided withiD the turntable 12. Although it will
be apparent hereinafter that the deflecting mem-
ber 16 may be of virtually
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any configuration, in the preferred embodiment disclosed herein
it is configure~ as an equi-angular, six-point star haviny
twelve deflecting sides 22 of equal dimension.
A plurality of sloping, bowling chutes 24 are positioned
along the base 10 at equally spaced intervals along the circum-
ference of the turntable 12. Each of the bowling chutes 24 is
provided with a trough-like portion 26 and a stem 28. It will
be apparent from Figure 2 that the stems 28 of the chutes 24
are positioned within sockets 30 within the upstanding turrets
31 permitting the chutes 24 to be rotated from side to side.
The ridges 32 of the base 10 define separate target com-
partments 34. In the preferred embodiment, there are four
bowling chutes 24 and four corresponding target compartments 34.
Disc-shaped game pieces 36 are bowled down the trough-
like portions 26 of the sloping chutes 24 onto the turntable 12.
~ Sometimes the game pieces 36 that have landed on the playing
; surface of the turntable 12 are subsequently deflected by the
eccentrically rotating deflection member 16 to the outer edge of
the turntable 12 and fall downwardly into the compartments 34.
As will be explained in detail hereinafter, other times the game
pieces strike the faces 22 of the deflection member 16.
With reference to Figure 2, it will be apparent that a
miniature electric motor 36 and source of energy 38 are provided
within the base 10. Energization of the motor 36 causes the
meshing gears 40 and 42, suitably journalled within the base 10,
to rotate in opposite directions. It will be apparent that any
suitable gearing mechanism may be employed to operably connect
the driveshaft (schematically shown in Figure 3) of the motor 36
to the meshing gears 40 and 42. The gear 40 is provided at the
top thereof with a smaller gear 44 which meshes with the teeth
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of a contlnuous ~ack 46 formed wi-thin the depending circular
flange 4~ of the turntable 12. The depending post 18 of the
deflecting member 16 after passing downwardl~ through the opening
20 within the turntable 12 enters into fitting engagement with
the upstanding support 48 formed as an integral part of the
~- gear 42. Thus, as -the gear 42 rotates the deflecting member
16 is caused to rotate in a direction opposite to that of the
turntable 12, and eccentxically with respect to the turntable
12 as a result of the post 18 being off-set from the center of
the deflecting member 16.
The game of the present invention is played in the fol-
lowing manner. Each player is issued a predetermined number of
~: the game pieces 36 which may, for example, be of different
~ colors for each player or of different colors to indicate
: different values. Each player then places a predetermined number
of game pieces 36 on the playing surface defined by the outer
circumference of the turntable 12, as illustrated in Figure 1.
Thereafter, the motor 36 is energized causing the turntable 12
and the deflecting member 16 to rotate in opposite directions. :~
Each player, in turn, bowls a playing piece 36 down his
respective chute 24. Depending primarily upon the direction
the player has aimed his chute 24, the playing piece 36 will
. either strike both the turntable 12 and one or more of the
surfaces 22 of the deflecting member 16 or roll directly onto
the turntable 12. It is to be understood that the eccentric
motion of the deflecting member 16 relative to the turntable
12 serves not only to continuously change the angles at which
the surfaces 22 are exposed to the chutes 24 but in addition
to push certain of the playing pieces 36 that are located on
the surface of the turntable 12 to the outer edge thereof to
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eventually be pushed off -to the turntable 12 into the compart-
men-ts 34. When each player has bowled the last of his playing
pieces 36 the game is terminated. The player who has accumu-
lated the greatest number or value of playing pieces 36 within
his own target compartment 34 wins. It will be apparent that
skill is required since the eccentric rotation of the deflect-
ing member 16 results in the angles of deflection of the sur-
faces 22 being continuously changed, and by rotating the chutes
24 the playing pieces 36 may be directed towards the changing
deflecting surfaces 22 at different angles.
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