CA1157490A - Attack object - Google Patents

Abstract

TITLE: ATTACK OBJECT

ABSTRACT

A toy has a randomly moving attack object and a second object which are associated together on a surface. The attack object is capable of freely and randomly moving on the surface after being freely positioned on the surface. The attack object includes a motor mechanism for supplying power to propel it across the surface and a mechanism for randomizing its movement across the surface. The second object is capable of serving as a target for the attack object and at least a portion of the second object is capable of being moved with respect to the surface upon contact of it by the attack object.

Description

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TITLE: ATTACK OBJECT

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a toy which includes a randomly movable at~ack object and a second object whiah are associated together on a support surface. The attack object is capable of randomly moving on the surface under the influence of an energizing mo~or and a randomi~ing moving means operatively connected to the motor.

Many toys are known which incorporate the principles of having a first object move toward a second object. Broadly included in this class would be all sorts of pinball games, miniature target games and the like. In these games, however, the attacking object, at least for a portion of its travel toward the target, moves in a predetermined pathway. Thus in a pinball game the pinball always moves under the influence of a plunger up a channel before they are allowed to move across the playing surface. In target games the projectile normally is capable of following a predetermined path and the skill of the player is based solely on the ability of the player to align the projectile on the correct predetermined path.

In reality certain recreational events such as playing golf and bowling have variables in them which are not possible in a toy. For example, the greens of a golf course may be banked, contain ruts and other physical features whlch very definitely influence the pathway of a golf ball. In sporting events such as bowling the participant of the game is capable of introducing centrifugal or rotational momentums which ~ , .: .

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-2-greatly influences the pathway of ~he ball. This is also true of a baseball pitcher, a golfer making a hook or a slice and many o~her things.

In these real life situations discussed in the preceding paragraph sometimes the rotational momentum is introduced purposely such as when a bowler or baseball pitcher endeavors to influence the trajectory of his ball by imparting a predetermined force (curve) on his ball which is in addition to the general direction of the ball. In other situations the actual pathway taken by the ball results solely from human error. A person's wrist may turn causing a hook or a slice in a golf ball or an unwanted hook in bowling and the like.

While many of the existing toys attempt to and in fact do mimic certain of the functions of real life events, because of minia~urization or simply lack of complexity some of the complex movements which are both intentionally and unintentionally achieved in real life situations simply a~e not carried over into their toy counterparts. Further it sometimes is greatly amusing when one is playing with a toy and endeavors ~o do some~hing to have the toy go completely counter to what was in fact planned for it to do.
This tends to normalize or equalize the results between players of differing skills such as when a child plays with a parent. It can be amusing to sometimes have an even~ turn out to be totally uncontrollable or unTelated to the player's skill. Thus, even though the parent may be smarter and more coordinated the child ls able to win the game simply because of random luck.

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-3-BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above discussion lt is considered that there is a need for a class of toy which while requiring a certain degree of skill to play also incorporates randomizing factors which tends to equalize all players irregardless o their age, intelligence or physical dexterity. It is therefore a broad object of this invention to fulfill this need.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a toy having a first randomly moving attack object and a second object which is capable of being expressed in several different embodiments, thus allowing ve-rsatility in the manufac~uri~lg of the toy to mo-re economically make the toy available to the consumer.

These and other objects as will be evident rom the remainder of this speciication are achieved in a toy which comp-rises: a support surface; a first object and a second object capable of being associated with said surface; said first object capable of freely randomly moving on said surface and b0ing freely positionable on said surface, said first object includin~ motor means for supplying power to said first object on said surface and means for randomi~ing said movement; said second object capable of serving as a target for said first object and at least a portion of said object capable of being moved with respect to said surface by contact of said second object by said first object.

In one embodiment of the toy ~he second object can be movably attached to a poTtion of the surface 74~

such that at least a portion of the second object is capable of moving between a first and a second position when said portion is contacted by said first object.

The surface can include one or more deformations which will interfere with or otherwise interact or reorient the direction of movement of the -first object thus contributing to the randomi~a~ion of its movement.
The means for moving said first object can include a small motor loca~ed internally in said first object and operatively connecting to a randomizing moving means which will move the object in both a first diTection and at least a portion of the object in a second direction which is not colinear with the first direction thus randomizing the movement of the first object.

In an al.terna-te embodiment of the toy the second object can in fact be similar to the first object in that it also is capable of random movement on the surface caused by a motor and randomizing moving means which mimic those of ~he first object.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRA~INGS

This invention will be better understood when taken in conjunction with the drawing wherein:
Fig. 1 is an isometric view of one embodiment oE the .nvention;
F'ig. 2 is a side elevational view in partial section o~ the extreme upper left hand side of the embodiment shown in Pig. l;
Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the same area shown by Fig. 2 with the exception that certain > .J

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of the components are in a differ0nt spacial relationship from that shown in Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is an exploded isometr:ic view of one of the components shown in Figs. 2 and 3;
Fig. 5 is an isometric view o:E that portion of Fig. 1 showing interaction of certain of the components shown in Fig. 1 and showing one of these components in partial section; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged isometric view of the components shown in section in Fig. 5 and includes the outside surface of certain portions of this component shown in phantom lines to be*ter illustrate the internal mechanism of the component.

The invention described in this speciication and shown in the drawings utilizes certain principles and~or concepts as are set forth and claimed in the claims appended to this specification. Those skilled in the toy a~ts will realize that these principles and/or concepts are capable of being applied to embodiments differing from the exact embodiment which is depic~ed for illustrative purposes. For this reason this invention is not to be construed as being limited to the exact embodiment herein depicted, but is to be construed in light of the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the embodiment of this invention illustrated in the figures the toy 10 is shown to be composed of an attack or first object 12, a target or a second object 14 and a surface 16. I~ other embodiments of the ~oy multiples of one or the other or both of ~he attack object 12 and the target 14 could be utilized.
In addition a third object, not identical to either .~

of these could also be utilized as an additional or auxiliary component of the toy. Said third object could take the orm of an inanimate but movable piece of sporting equipment such as a sma:Ll football, soccer ball and the like. Such a third object would be simply constructed as a unified mass having appropriate external mo~if located thereon to enable ~he player of the game to identify the third object with i~s real life counterpart.
In the illustrated embodiment the surface 16 is composed of a composite of se~eral components including the outside surface 18 and 20 of case 22 as well as portions of a case insert 24. In the embodiment depicted, the toy 10 is representative of a bowling game. In other embodiments the toy 10 could represent other games such as a golf game.
In such other embodiments the target 14 would thus be constructed to represent an appropriate hole and flag located on a green as is commonly utilized in golf.

The insert 24 in playing the game is simply abutted against portions of the case 22 such as case member 26-b. For the embodiment illustrated which depicts bowling, the case 22 and the insert 24 would be arranged longitudinally to mimic a bowling lane.
In other embodiments such as in a golf game the insert 24 could be placed adjacent to the left or right side of the case member 26-b thus mimickinga golf green commonly identified as having a dog leg. In still other embodiments additional inserts ha~ing additional amounts o~ surface 16 located thereon could also be appropriately positioned next to the case Z2. Thus it might be possible to represent a , ;~

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baseball diamond by arranging a number of inserts into a diamond pattern.

The insert 24 is preferredly si~ed and shaped such that it can fit into the case 22 along with the object 12 and a case 22 folded about hinge 28 to enclose the insert 24 with the taTget 14 attached and the attack object 12 within the interior of the case for storage and portability. Attaching to case 22 is a handle 30 and a latch 32 which allows the case to be closed and conveniently carried.

The surface 16 on the case 22, insert 24 and any other inserts included therein could carry appropriate indicia printed or otherwise reproduced thereon which correlated it to the theme oE the toy 10.
Thus, for the illustrated embodiment, indicia representing the laminated surfQce as well as the spotting marks of a bowling lane could be used. In other embodiments yard lines for alfootball field, ropes and support posts of a boxing ring, sand traps and water hazards of a golf course and the like could be incorporated into the surface 16. Further the crack 33 between the case member 26-a and 26-b as well as ~he crack 34 between the case member 26-b and the insert 24 can serve as deformations on the surface 16 to interact with the attack object 12 redirecting its pathway of travel. These deformations could be more pronounced such as actually including a depression or a raised area in the surface 16 to represent certain irregular surfaces such as a sand trap or elevated green of a gol course.

The attack object lZ in the illus~rated embodiment is formed to represent a bowling ball having feet. A

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spherical body 36 forms the main part of the object 12 and has as its lowermost portion two jointed feet 38 and 40 which move as a unit. Attaclled to the inside of the spherical body 36 is a small windup motor 42 having a sha-ft 44 projecting from one of its sides and through the spherical body 36. A knurled knob 46 is at~ached to the end of shaft 44 allowing the motor to be wound. Pivotally attaching to the sides of the motor 42 are identical pivot members collectively identified by the numeral 48. Attaching between the housing (not separately numbered) of the motor 42 and the members 48 are springs collectively identified by the numeral 50. Proiecting out of either side of the motor 42 are cranks collectively identified by the numeral 52. The cranks 52 are positioned to generally engage wi~h the member 48 and at one point, point 54, to disengage.

As viewed in Fig. 6 as the crank 52 rotates clockwise it engages member 48 and rotates member 48 with respect to motor 42. The c~ank then slips along the surface of member 48 until it reaches point 54.
As this happens, of course, springs 50 are stretched.
After the crank 52 has engaged point 54, continued rotation slides it free of this point and it slips into cutout area 56. When this happens member 48 is no longer under the influence of crank 52 and it is free to return to its original position by the springs 50.
It returns to its original position very suddenly.
This results in rapid movement of the spherical sur-face 36 with regard to the jointçd feet 38 and 40. A
momentum is imparted by this action to the total of the attack object 12 causing the attack object to be propelled generally forward in a hopping manner.
~epending upon a combination of other factors, momentum .

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g vectors other than a straight forward one can be imparted to the attack object 12. Included in these other factors would be the position of the attack object with regards to its last hop, it may still be wobbling after landing from ~he previous hop, that is not resting perfectly flat on both of the feet 38 and 40, it also may have landed with the front portion of one of .~he -feet 38 or 40 in front of the other, i.e. rotation of the object 12 about a vertical axis, thus its n~xt hop would be at a slightly different direction ~rom the previous one and, of course, the cracks 32 or 34 or other discontinuities in the sur-Eace 16 will Teorient the angle of the attack object with respect to the surface 16 and influence the way it moves over the sur-face 16.

The illustrated target embodiment consists of a plurality of objects 58 resembling bowling pins.
These are pivotally attached to insert 24 in a manner which allows them to be stood up as a unit but knocked down either individually or as a group depending upon how the attack object 12 interacts with them. Each of the objects 58 is shaped and sized such that if another one of the objects 58 immedlately in -front of it and to either the right or ~ef~ of it falls, it will cause it ~o fall. Thus the objects 58 act as real bowling pins do act in the manner in which they can be knocked down.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3 and 4 inside o insert 1 24 is a movable member 60. It slides back and forth ¦ between the position shown in Fig. 2 and 3. When it ! is in the posi~ion shown in Fig. 3 it causes all of the exposed portions o:f objects 58 ~o be raised so that they are in a vertical orientation. Movable member 60 .,~ .
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9 ~) - 1 o -is appropriately mounted within the interior of insert 24 by resting on the top of a plurallty of projections 62 projecting out of the inside of left side wall 64 and right side wall 66 of insert 24. A cutout 68 in the left side wall 64 exposes an extension 69 of movable member 60 which has a plurality of ridges on it allowing for easy manipulation by a finger of the user of the toy 10. A compression spring 70 inserted between a projecting 72 formed on the inside of insert 24 and a projection 74 formed on movable member 6n biases movable member 60 to the right as seen in Figs. 2 and 3.

Extending upwardly from the surface of movable member 60 are a plurality of two types of projections.
One type is a wedge shaped projection 76 and the second type is a block shaped projection 78.

~ ach of the objects 58 are "L" shaped and have an oblique surface 80 on the lowermost leg 81 of their ~L~ shape. A shaft 82 extends transverse to the remainder of the object 58. The upper surface 84 of insert 24 has a plurality o~ identical complex shaped slots 86 passing through it and a plurality o "U"
shaped brackets collectively identified by the numeral 88 arranged in pairs on either side of the slots 86 on the bottom of the surface 84. When the movable member 60 is mated with insert 24, one of the blocks 78 is located beneath each of the "U" shaped brackets 88 and one of the wedgas 7S is located beneath one of the slots 86. Prior to this mating9 however, the objects 58 are aligned in conjunction with the upper surface 84 such that the object 58 extends upwardly through the slots 86 and the respective ends of the shaft 82 are located within "U" brackets 88. The blocks 78 fixedly retain the shaft 82 within the "U" brackets 88.

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Since the blocks 78 are elongated a portion o them is always located directly beneath the "U" bracket 88 as the movable member 60 slides back and forth serving to always retain the shaft 82 within the "U" bTackets 88.
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When the extension 69'is moved to the position shown in Fig. 3 the wedges 76 on mo~able member 60 interact first with the oblique surfaces 80 of legs 81 of objects 58 and then with the underside of legs 81 to rotate the objects 58 about ~he shaft 82 putti:ng them in a ~ertical position. When the extension 69 is released the spring 70 returns the movable member 60 to the position shown in Fig. 2. If one, a portion of, or all of the objects 58 are contacted by either the attack object 12 or another object 58, the objects 58 are free to pivot such that they are in the position shown in ~ig. 2. When this happens the oblique surface 80 rests against the wedges 76 ready to once again be utilized in vertically orienting the objects 58.

Claims (8)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A toy which comprises:
a support surface;
a first object and a second object capable of being associated with said surface;
said first object capable of freely randomly moving on said surface and being freely positionable on said surface, said first object including motor means for supplying power to said first object on said surface and means for randomizing said movement;
said second object capable of serving as a target for said first object and at least a portion of said second object capable of being moved with respect to said surface by contact of said second object by said first object.

2. The toy of claim 1 wherein:
said second object is movably attached to a portion of said surface and at least a portion of said second object is capable of moving between at least a first position and a second position, said first object capable of contacting at least said portion of said second object which is capable of moving and moving said portion from said first position to said second position in response to said contact.

3. The toy of claim 2 wherein:
said second object includes a plurality of components which together form said second object, said plurality of components each independently movably associated with said surface and each movable between at least a first position and a second position, said plurality of components located in association with one another such that movement of at least one of said components between said first position and said second position is communicated to at least one other of said components to move said other of said components between said first position and said second position.

4. The toy of claim 3 wherein:
said surface includes a deformation in said surface, said first object capable of interacting with said deformation on said surface and to respond to said interaction by reorienting the direction of the random movement of said first object.

5. The toy of claim 1 wherein:
said means for moving said first object includes a motor located internally within said first object and said means for randomizing said movement operatively connected to said motor and including means causing said first object to move in both a first direction and concurrently at least a portion of said first object to move in a second direction which is not colinear with said first direction.

6. The toy of claim 1 wherein:
said second object is capable of freely randomly moving on said surface and being positionable on said surface and including motor means for supplying power to move said second object on said surface and means for randomizing the movement of said second object;
said second object capable of serving as a target for said first object and said first object capable of serving as a target for said second object, and said second object capable of being moved with respect to said surface by contact of said second object by said first object and said first object capable of being moved with respect to said surface by contact of said first object by said second object.

7. The toy of claim 6 wherein:
said means for moving said second object includes a motor located internally within said second object and said means for randomizing said movement of said second object operatively connected to said motor includes means causing said second object to move in both a first direction and concurrently at least a portion of said second object to move in a second direction which is not colinear with said first direction.

8. The toy of claim 7 including:
a third object capable of being freely located on said surface and being moved on said surface if contacted by one of said first object or said second object.