US3815917A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Tiltable table apparatus for ball rolling games
Assignee: Midway Manufacturing Co
•
Filing: 1972-08-04
•
Granted: 1974-06-11
•
Expires: 1992-08-04
Abstract
Abstract A table as a playing field for a rollable ball which table is tiltable about one or both of a pair of substantially horizontal perpendicular axes, the apparatus being provided with suitable power source means for tilting the table whereby the ball travel relative to a table target is independent of a contestant''s physical strength, but rather is dependent upon his ability in wielding a manipulator device for the powering means, which device is wielded at a remotely positioned operator''s station. The table tilting powering means is preferably throttled whereby the ball is not catapulted from the table but rather remains rollably engaged therealong, the manipulator device motion is desireably directionally correlated with the ball rolling direction likely to result therefrom, and there is the further capability for two competing players at opposed operator stations including therewith apparatus means for resolving individual player efforts to control the ball through the table tilting powering means.
Inventors
- 👤 R Brown
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 15:26
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63F; A63F7/00; A63F7/22; A63F7/36; A63F7/38; A63F7/386
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
313 words
A tiltable table apparatus for ball rolling games and comprising: A. A base member adapted to stably rest upon a suitable underlying substrate and being adapted to elevate above said substrate a tiltable table having a substantially horizontal normal-condition; B. The said table at normal-condition intersecting a vertical zaxis and being horizontally defined by a pair of mUtually perpendicular horizontal axes including an x-axis and a y-axis which axes also perpendicularly intersect said vertical z-axis, the table having a broad upper-side as a playing field for a rollable ball and being provided with ball containment means effectively surrounding the z-axis and defining said playing field, said table through the base member being elevated above the substrate and being aptly associated therewith so as to be non-rotatable about the vertical z-axis and also, commencing at said normal-condition, selectively tiltable about the x-axis and the y-axis; a first manipulator device at a first operator station and a second manipulator device at a second operator station; C. Two separate powering means attached to said apparatus operable both individually and in concert including a first powering means having a servomechanism for accepting directive input from either manipulator device and also from both manipulator devices simultaneously, and a second powering means having a servomechanism for accepting directive input from either manipulator device and also from both manipulator devices simultaneously, said first and second power means causing table tilting about the x-axis and the y-axis respectively, the respective powering means being throttled to limit table tilting acceleration to prevent the rollable ball from being catapulted upwardly away from the playing field; each said manipulator device requiring only a relatively low initiate-level of operator physical exertion to actuate said powering means and being sufficiently physically divorced from the table that operator physical exertion upon the manipulator device exceeding said low initiate-level will have substantially no additional effect upon table tilting.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
313 words
A tiltable table apparatus for ball rolling games and comprising: A. A base member adapted to stably rest upon a suitable underlying substrate and being adapted to elevate above said substrate a tiltable table having a substantially horizontal normal-condition; B. The said table at normal-condition intersecting a vertical zaxis and being horizontally defined by a pair of mUtually perpendicular horizontal axes including an x-axis and a y-axis which axes also perpendicularly intersect said vertical z-axis, the table having a broad upper-side as a playing field for a rollable ball and being provided with ball containment means effectively surrounding the z-axis and defining said playing field, said table through the base member being elevated above the substrate and being aptly associated therewith so as to be non-rotatable about the vertical z-axis and also, commencing at said normal-condition, selectively tiltable about the x-axis and the y-axis; a first manipulator device at a first operator station and a second manipulator device at a second operator station; C. Two separate powering means attached to said apparatus operable both individually and in concert including a first powering means having a servomechanism for accepting directive input from either manipulator device and also from both manipulator devices simultaneously, and a second powering means having a servomechanism for accepting directive input from either manipulator device and also from both manipulator devices simultaneously, said first and second power means causing table tilting about the x-axis and the y-axis respectively, the respective powering means being throttled to limit table tilting acceleration to prevent the rollable ball from being catapulted upwardly away from the playing field; each said manipulator device requiring only a relatively low initiate-level of operator physical exertion to actuate said powering means and being sufficiently physically divorced from the table that operator physical exertion upon the manipulator device exceeding said low initiate-level will have substantially no additional effect upon table tilting.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
80 words
The tiltable table apparatus of claim 1 wherein said servomechanism is interposed between the operator wieldable manipulator device and the table tilting powering means, said servomechanism providing the capability that only a modicum initiatelevel of operator physical exertion to the manipulator device is required to actuate the powering means, said servomechanism also providing the function of a throttled powering means to limit the table tilting acceleration to ensure against catapulting the rollable ball upwardly from said tiltable table playing field.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
53 words
The tiltable table apparatus of claim 2 wherein the operator wieldable manipulator device is multi-directionally movable by the operator, there being ball travel path correlation means extending from the manipulator to the powering means to ensure that a predetermined directional movement for the manipulator will direct a prescribed tilting motion for the table.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
50 words
The tiltable table apparatus of claim 3 wherein the manipulator device is an uprightly extending handle with the manually wieldable upper portion at initiate-level physical exertion being multi-directionally movable including parallel to the respective horizontal axes, the ball travel path correlation means extending from the handle to the powering means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
66 words
The tiltable table apparatus of claim 4 wherein the handle is attached to the base member remote of the tiltable table with universal joint means whereby the multi-directionally movable handle upper portion includes directions reflecting vectorial combinations of said horizontal axes, said correlation means ensuring that the ball travel path will be directionally similar to handle movement and even including directions non-parallel to said horizontal axes.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
83 words
The tiltable table apparatus of claim 2 wherein said at least one operator wieldable manipulator device is actuatable connected to the first powering means through an exciter assigned thereto and also to the second powering means through an exciter assigned to it, there being ball travel path correlation means operatively extendable from the operator movable manipulator device to the first and second exciters to ensure that a predetermined directionaL movement for the manipulator device will direct a prescribed tilting motion for the table.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
80 words
The tiltable table apparatus of claim 6 wherein the manipulator device is an uprightly extending handle having its medial portion attached to the base member remote of the tiltable table with universal joint means whereby the operator wieldable upper portion is multi-directionally movable including bi-directionally parallel to and vectorial combinations of the x and y horizontal directions, the multi-directionally movable handle being even selectively engageable with the first and second exciters simultaneously to provide the ball travel path correlation means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
122 words
The tiltable table apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first exciter includes a pair of opposed switches independently actuatable by opposite directional handle movements in the x direction, the first exciter two switches respectively causing through the powering means clockwise and counterclockwise table tilting about the y-axis, and wherein the second exciter includes a pair of opposed switches independently actuatable by opposite directional handle movements in the y direction, the second exciter two switches respectively causing through the powering means assigned thereto clockwise and counterclockwise tilting about the x-axis, the said four switches being maintained in a rectangular array surrounding the handle lower portion whereby said handle can selectively simultaneously engage two switches for causing table tilting about both horizontal axes simultaneously.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
63 words
The tiltable table apparatus of claim 2 wherein there is a pair of opposed operator stations, each station having thereat a said operator wieldable manipulator device appropriately actuatably connected to the two respective table tilting powering means whereby identical table tilting directions and movements can be afforded by a single lone player for the apparatus from whichever operator station he chooses to utilize.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
58 words
The tiltable table apparatus of claim 2 including means operatively connected to said servomechanisms and to said manipulator devices for receiving with respect to either horizontal axis simultaneous tilting directives from the two manipulator devices, countervailing directives from two players resulting in no tilting about the axis and concurrent directives resulting in augmented tilted amplitude about the axis.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
155 words
The tiltable table apparatus of claim 10 wherein at each manipulator device the first exciter includes a pair of opposed switches independently actuatable by opposite directional movements of a handle like manipulator device in the x direction, the first exciter two switches respectively causing through the powering means and its servomechanism clockwise and counterclockwise tilting about the y-axis; and wherein the second exciter includes a pair of opposed switches independently actuatable by opposite directional movements of the handle in the y direction, the second exciter two opposed switches respectively causing through the appropriate powering means and its servomechanism clockwise and counterclockwise tilting about the x-axis, the said four switches at each handle manipulator being maintained in a rectangular array surrounding the lower portion of said upright handle, the handle medial portion being supported in universal joint fashion whereby the handle can selectively engage two switches simultaneously for causing table tilting about both horizontal axes simultaneously.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-06-10 | 1977-12-10 | 1978-06-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-06-10 | 1981-12-10 | 1982-06-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-06-10 | 1985-12-10 | 1986-06-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |