US3655189A — Automatic electric baseball game

Claim 1

Independent Claim 302 words

In an automatic baseball game apparatus, the combination of: a translucent playing field; a first series of lights to simulate the movement of a batted ball thereon; additional lights simulating a ball being thrown from one player to another; successive lights arranged in a diamond shaped pattern to represent animated men moving around the base paths; first electromechanical means for controlling the movement of said men on the base paths, whereby some men may be allowed to advance while others retain their positions or are removed; manually operated offensive and defensive switching means for determining and selecting each play to be enacted on the playing field; circuitry responsive to motorized means for simulating said plays in an animated manner by means of said series of lights and said additional lights on said playing field when the ball is batted; circuitry means connected to said electromechanical means for automatically advancing the men around the base paths in a regular or irregular manner in coordination with the current play by lighting said successive lights; a second series of lights depicting the path of the ball from pitcher to catcher; motorized means to illuminate said second series of lights, simulating a ball being thrown from the pitcher to the catcher; additional electromechanical means for lighting a designated area of the apparatus to reveal the pitch selection made by the pitcher when the pitched ball is not batted, including supplementary circuitry for registering said situation as a ''''ball'''' or ''''strike'''' on appropriate registering units; electrically operated registering units for automatically recording outs, scores, innings, balls and strikes; additional circuitry for automatically advancing the men around the base paths in the proper manner when the ball registering unit reaches its fourth ball, or walk position; and manually operated means for resetting said apparatus to its starting state.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 302 words

In an automatic baseball game apparatus, the combination of: a translucent playing field; a first series of lights to simulate the movement of a batted ball thereon; additional lights simulating a ball being thrown from one player to another; successive lights arranged in a diamond shaped pattern to represent animated men moving around the base paths; first electromechanical means for controlling the movement of said men on the base paths, whereby some men may be allowed to advance while others retain their positions or are removed; manually operated offensive and defensive switching means for determining and selecting each play to be enacted on the playing field; circuitry responsive to motorized means for simulating said plays in an animated manner by means of said series of lights and said additional lights on said playing field when the ball is batted; circuitry means connected to said electromechanical means for automatically advancing the men around the base paths in a regular or irregular manner in coordination with the current play by lighting said successive lights; a second series of lights depicting the path of the ball from pitcher to catcher; motorized means to illuminate said second series of lights, simulating a ball being thrown from the pitcher to the catcher; additional electromechanical means for lighting a designated area of the apparatus to reveal the pitch selection made by the pitcher when the pitched ball is not batted, including supplementary circuitry for registering said situation as a ''''ball'''' or ''''strike'''' on appropriate registering units; electrically operated registering units for automatically recording outs, scores, innings, balls and strikes; additional circuitry for automatically advancing the men around the base paths in the proper manner when the ball registering unit reaches its fourth ball, or walk position; and manually operated means for resetting said apparatus to its starting state.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 98 words

An automatic baseball game as set forth in claim 1 wherein said manually operated offensive and defensive switching means comprise: manually operative controls for an offensive operator and similar controls for a defensive operator positionable at various indicia representing pitching and batting selections common to real baseball, said controls comprising switching means for each of said selections, intercircuitry between said offensive and defensive control switches, a group of play selecting relays responsive to said intercircuitry for determining each play of the game, and a motorized unit containing circuitry for the plays to be animated on the playing field.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 220 words

An automatic baseball game as set forth in claim 1, wherein said manually operative switching means for an offensive player simulates the manipulation of a bat and said manually operative switching means for a defensive player is a push button to initiate said simulation of a ball being thrown from the pitcher to the catcher and further including: designated areas in the immediate proximity of the bat switching means whereby the operator of the ''''bat'''' may place it in various positions including ''''at bat,'''' ''''out of box, '''' and ''''Swing,'''' as the play of the game demands; a motorized pitching unit activated by a circuit completed when the offensive player places his ''''bat'''' in the ''''at bat'''' position and the defensive operator engages said push button, said motorized pitching unit comprising a series of contacts mounted in a circular manner on stationary discs secured to the unit, and wiper fingers mounted on a shaft to successively engage said contacts as the shaft revolves causing said second series of lights to be illuminated to simulate a ball being thrown from the pitcher to the catcher and returned if necessary, said wiper arms also providing the impulse for circuitry that passes thru closed contacts when the offensive operator has his ''''bat'''' in the ''''swing'''' position and eventually energizes the play control relays.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 154 words

In an automatic baseball game as set forth in claim 1: a master play-mixing stepping switch unit comprising a motivating coil, and stationary contact discs having a multiplicity of contacts thereon each representing a predetermined play, said contacts being arranged in groups containing an equal number of contacts, said contacts being attached to the plates in a preferred circular manner wherein each group of contacts is respectively responsive to a secondary circuit created by a corresponding play selection relay and is engaged by common sets of insulated wiper fingers which, being secured to a shaft, change positions each time the motivating coil for the unit is pulsed; circuitry from said contacts interconnected with respective circuitry of a motorized play animating unit comprising a plurality of sets of wiper arms and fixed contacts, said fixed contacts being interconnected with said series of lights and said additional lights, to animate the play on the playing field.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 125 words

In an automatic baseball game as set forth in claim 1, said first electromechanical means simulating in lights the placing and advancing of animated players on the base paths, said first electromechanical means consisting of a motorized unit having a disc secured thereto with groups of contacts attached to said disc in a preferred circular manner, said disc being employed to simulate the players occupying and running the bases and paths, and to activate associated relays which automatically control the movement of the men so that they comply precisely to the real game of baseball, said motorized unit and associated relays being interconnected by circuitry whereby men on base may be permitted to advance, or retain their bases independently, or may be removed during play.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 105 words

In an automatic baseball game as set forth in claim 1, third electromechanical means and associated circuitry interconnected to said registering units for indicating the progress of the game whereby the registration of a third out on the ''''outs'''' registering unit will cause said ''''inning'''' registering unit to advance one step automatically alternating the offensive and defensive circuitry, manually controlled by the operators, from one operator to the other, and wherein each ''''even'''' numbered step taken by the ''''innings'''' registering unit will indicate, by a light in a designated area of the apparatus, that the play of the game has moved to the next inning.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 153 words

In an automatic baseball game apparatus, the combination of: a playing field having an infield area and an outfield area; first means effective when energized for simulating the flight path of a batted ball across said playing field; runner means for indicating animated runners moving around a base path within said infield area; outfielder means spaced from said runner means for indicating the position of an outfielder player within said outfield area; animation means effective when energized for causing said outfielder means to move across the outfield area of said playing field in generally a direction toward said flight path; and circuit means effective when the ball is batted for energizing said first means and said animaTion means to indicate said outfield player moving across said outfield area in an attempt to catch the batted ball as said runner means indicates said runner is moving around the base path in said infield area.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 153 words

In an automatic baseball game apparatus, the combination of: a playing field having an infield area and an outfield area; first means effective when energized for simulating the flight path of a batted ball across said playing field; runner means for indicating animated runners moving around a base path within said infield area; outfielder means spaced from said runner means for indicating the position of an outfielder player within said outfield area; animation means effective when energized for causing said outfielder means to move across the outfield area of said playing field in generally a direction toward said flight path; and circuit means effective when the ball is batted for energizing said first means and said animaTion means to indicate said outfield player moving across said outfield area in an attempt to catch the batted ball as said runner means indicates said runner is moving around the base path in said infield area.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 53 words

The automatic baseball game of claim 7 including further means for indicating the position of another player on said playing field, and said animation means includes dual operating means for causing both said outfielder means and said further means to move across said playing field in generally a direction towards said flight path.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 26 words

The automatic baseball game of claim 8 wherein said dual operating means causes said second and further means to converge while moving across said playing field.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 163 words

In an automatic baseball game apparatus, the combination of: a playing field; first means effective when energized for simulating the flight path of a batted ball across said playing field; second means for indicating the position of a player on said playing field; animation means effective when energized for causing said second means to move across said playing field in generally a direction parallel with or toward said flight path; circuit means effective when the ball is batted for energizing said first means and said animation means to indicate a player moving across said playing field in an attempt to catch the batted ball; and catch means effective when energized for indicating that the player has caught the batted ball, play indicating means having a first state for energizing said catch means and a second state in which said catch means is not energized to simulate the player missing the batted ball, and means for selecting the state of said play indicating means.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 163 words

In an automatic baseball game apparatus, the combination of: a playing field; first means effective when energized for simulating the flight path of a batted ball across said playing field; second means for indicating the position of a player on said playing field; animation means effective when energized for causing said second means to move across said playing field in generally a direction parallel with or toward said flight path; circuit means effective when the ball is batted for energizing said first means and said animation means to indicate a player moving across said playing field in an attempt to catch the batted ball; and catch means effective when energized for indicating that the player has caught the batted ball, play indicating means having a first state for energizing said catch means and a second state in which said catch means is not energized to simulate the player missing the batted ball, and means for selecting the state of said play indicating means.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 160 words

In an automatic baseball game apparatus, the combination of: a playing field; first means effective when energized for simulating the flight path of a batted ball across said playing field; second means for indicating the position of a player on said playing field; animation means effective when energized for causing said second means to move across said playing field in generally a direction parallel with or toward said flight path; circuit means effective when the ball is batted for energizing said first means and said animation means to indicate a player moving across said playing field in an attempt to catch the batted ball; and third means effective when energized for simulating the flight path of a ball thrown by a player across said playing field, and said circuit means includes second circuit means effective after energization of said first means and said animation means for energizing said third means, thereby simulating a player returning the ball after interception thereof.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 160 words

In an automatic baseball game apparatus, the combination of: a playing field; first means effective when energized for simulating the flight path of a batted ball across said playing field; second means for indicating the position of a player on said playing field; animation means effective when energized for causing said second means to move across said playing field in generally a direction parallel with or toward said flight path; circuit means effective when the ball is batted for energizing said first means and said animation means to indicate a player moving across said playing field in an attempt to catch the batted ball; and third means effective when energized for simulating the flight path of a ball thrown by a player across said playing field, and said circuit means includes second circuit means effective after energization of said first means and said animation means for energizing said third means, thereby simulating a player returning the ball after interception thereof.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 83 words

The automatic baseball game of claim 11 wherein said animation means includes catch means for locating said second means at one position on said playing field and throw means for locating said second means at another position on said playing field, said second circuit means sequentially energizing (1) said catch means, (2) said throw means, and (3) said third means, thereby simulating said player catching the batted ball at one position and throwing the batted ball from another position on said playing field.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 193 words

In an automatic baseball game apparatus, the combination of: a playing field having a base path; means to represent animated men; simulation means associated with said playing field and responsive to electrical signals for simulating plays including the advancement of said animated men means around the base path; manually operated switching means for selecting plays to be enacted on the playing field; circuit means for coupling said simulation means to said switching means and for generating electrical signals representing plays occurring in accordance with the selection of said switching means; automatically operated registering means coupled to said circuit means and responsive to said electrical signals for automatically recording informaTion including balls, strikes, and outs, and means for generating control electrical signals including a player advancement electrical signal in response to recorded information; and additional circuit means for coupling said simulation means to said generating means to cause said simulation means to simulate plays including the advancement of at least one of said animated men means in response to said player advancement electrical signal, whereby both said manually operated switching means and said automatically operated registering means are effective to control said simulation means.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 193 words

In an automatic baseball game apparatus, the combination of: a playing field having a base path; means to represent animated men; simulation means associated with said playing field and responsive to electrical signals for simulating plays including the advancement of said animated men means around the base path; manually operated switching means for selecting plays to be enacted on the playing field; circuit means for coupling said simulation means to said switching means and for generating electrical signals representing plays occurring in accordance with the selection of said switching means; automatically operated registering means coupled to said circuit means and responsive to said electrical signals for automatically recording informaTion including balls, strikes, and outs, and means for generating control electrical signals including a player advancement electrical signal in response to recorded information; and additional circuit means for coupling said simulation means to said generating means to cause said simulation means to simulate plays including the advancement of at least one of said animated men means in response to said player advancement electrical signal, whereby both said manually operated switching means and said automatically operated registering means are effective to control said simulation means.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 46 words

The automatic baseball game of claim 13 wherein said generating means includes walk means for generating a walk electrical signal in response to recording of four balls, and said simulation means including means for advancing said animated men means in response to said walk electrical signal.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 84 words

The automatic baseball game of claim 13 wherein said generating means includes erase means for generating an erase electrical signal in response to recording of the third out, and said simulation means including base occupying means for controlling the simulation of said animated men means occupying bases after advancement of the animated men means around the base path, and means coupling said erase means to said base occupying means for preventing said animated men means from occupying bases in response to said erase signal.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1975-04-11	1975-10-11	1976-04-11	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1979-04-11	1979-10-11	1980-04-11	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1983-04-11	1983-10-11	1984-04-11	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Automatic electric baseball game

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