Probe chance device having electrical signalling readout

Claim 2

A chance device comprising an electroconductive probe and several sheets assembled in a tier, the outermost sheet having a regular pattern of perforations with the several remaining relatively movable sheets therebeneath having slots randomly disposed therethrough to be alignable by chance with said perforations by said movement, said slots being elongated in the direction of movement and larger than said perforations, all being sized to receive the shank of said probe inserted through any chosen one of said perforations and capable of penetrating one or more of said slots depending upon whether slots of said slot-bearing sheets are aligned with said chosen perforation, and said sheets being non-conductive with the surface area of each of said slotted sheets being electroconductive except in the areas of said slotted sheet inclusive of and immediately surrounding each of said slots, whereby passage of said probe through perforations and slots avoids electrical contact with the surrounding conductive surfaces, an electrical signalling means, said signalling means, probe and conductive surfaces being in circuit with a source of electrical current completable to activate said signalling means when the probe, inserted into a perforation, comes into contact with a conductive surface area.

Claim 3

The chance device as defined in claim 1 wherein separate signalling means are mounted in circuit, each with the conductive surface of a respective one of said conductive sheets, and the signalling means significant of only the contacted sheet is activated by the probe inserted through a perforation into contact with the electroconductive surface area of that sheet.

Claim 4

The chance device as defined in claim 1 wherein the several remaining sheets are discs of plate-like thickness and are pivotally secured together, whereby rotation of any of the discs with respect to the others resets the positions of slots and perforations in the assembly to a changed pattern of vertical alignment and disalignment.

Claim 5

The chance device as defined in claim 3 wherein separate signalling means are mounted in circuit, each with the conductive surface of a respective one of said discs, and the signalling means significant of only the contacted disc is activated by the probe inserted through a perforation into contact with the conductive surface area of that disc.

Claim 6

The chance device as defined in claim 1 wherein the said signalling means emits both light and sound.

Claim 7

The chance device as defined in claim 1 wherein the movable sheets are plate-like discs having arcuate slots cut therethrough pivotally secured together, said perforations being disposed in said outermost disc which is in the form of a stationary uppermost surface in a pattern of concentric circles of different radii with respect to said pivot, and the arcuate slots of the tier of said slot bearing discs are each cut at random but spaced from said pivot to lie in concentric circles of the same radii as said perforations.

Claim 8

The chance device as defined in claim 6 wherein there is a substantially greater number of perforations in said stationary surface than slots in the tier of discs of said assembly, the number of slots beginning with the next adjacent disc to the perforated surface being progressively reduced in number through the subsequent series of discs mounted therebeneath to provide progressively fewer slots in each respective disc.

Claim 9

The chance device as defined in claim 6 including a lowermost disc of the assembly having an electroconductive surface which is imperforate.

Claim 10

The chance device as defined in claim 1 wherein said circuit means is completed through a source of electrical current including a wall connector for circuit supply of AC high voltage plug household current, said circuit further including a rectifier for conversion of said current to DC and a traNsformer for reducing said current to low voltage.

Claim 11

The chance device as defined in claim 1 wherein said circuit means is completed through a battery as DC current of low voltage.

Claim 12

A game board having a stationary playing surface including markings thereon sub-dividing said surface into areas, a pattern of perforations in said surface passing through said surface sub-divided by said markings into groups of several perforations in each area, a chance device comprising a probe and several sheets assembled into a tier of adjacent, relatively movable surfaces, the uppermost comprising said stationary gameboard playing surface having said markings and pattern of perforations, the assembled sheets beneath said upper playing surface having slots therethrough alignable with said perforations, said slots being as wide and longer than said perforations in the direction of movement of said sheets to receive said probe inserted through any chosen one of said perforations and capable of penetrating one or more of said slots when the slots in said sheets are aligned after chance movement with said chosen perforation and with other slots of the tier, said probe having an elongated shank terminating in a penetrating electroconductive tip insertable through said perforations and through any slots aligned therewith, said sheets being non-conductive with the surface area of each of said slotted sheets being electroconductive except in the areas of said slotted sheet inclusive of and immediately surrounding each of said slots whereby passage of said probe through perforations and slots avoids electrical contact with the surrounding conductive surfaces, an electrical signalling means, said signalling means, probe and conductive surfaces being in circuit with a source of electrical current to activate said signalling means to indicate completion of said circuit when the probe inserted into a perforation comes into contact with a conductive surface area and means in the surface of said gameboard for manual movement of one sheet with respect to the next to reset the same to a new pattern of alignment and disalignment of slots and perforations.

Claim 13

A game board having a stationary playing surface including markings thereon sub-dividing said surface into areas, a pattern of perforations in said surface passing through said surface sub-divided by said markings into groups of several perforations in each area, a chance device comprising a probe and several sheets assembled into a tier of adjacent, relatively movable surfaces, the uppermost comprising said stationary gameboard playing surface having said markings and pattern of perforations, the assembled sheets beneath said upper playing surface having slots therethrough alignable with said perforations, said slots being as wide and longer than said perforations in the direction of movement of said sheets to receive said probe inserted through any chosen one of said perforations and capable of penetrating one or more of said slots when the slots in said sheets are aligned after chance movement with said chosen perforation and with other slots of the tier, said probe having an elongated shank terminating in a penetrating electroconductive tip insertable through said perforations and through any slots aligned therewith, said sheets being non-conductive with the surface area of each of said slotted sheets being electroconductive except in the areas of said slotted sheet inclusive of and immediately surrounding each of said slots whereby passage of said probe through perforations and slots avoids electrical contact with the surrounding conductive surfaces, an electrical signalling means, said signalling means, probe and conductive surfaces being in circuit with a source of electrical current to activate said signalling means to indicate completion of said circuit when the probe inserted into a perforation comes into contact with a conductive surface area and means in the surface of said gameboard for manual movement of one sheet with respect to the next to reset the same to a new pattern of alignment and disalignment of slots and perforations.

Claim 14

The game as defined in claim 11 wherein separate signalling means are mounted in circuit, each with the conductive surface of a respective one of said conductive sheets, and the signalling means significant of only the contacted sheet is activated by the probe inserted through a perforation into contact with the conductive surface area of that sheet.

Claim 15

The game as defined in claim 11 wherein the several sheets are plate-like in thickness and are pivotally secured together for rotation as discs whereby upon rotation of one with respect to the other the slots and perforations are resettable to a changed pattern of alignment and disalignment therebetween.

Claim 16

The game as defined in claim 13 wherein separate signalling means are mounted in circuit, each with the conductive surface of a respective one of said conductive sheets, and the signalling means significant of only the contacted sheet is activated by the probe inserted through a perforation into contact with the conductive surface area of that sheet.

Claim 17

The game as defined in claim 11 wherein the said signaling means emits both light and sound.

Claim 18

The game as defined in claim 11 wherein the movable surfaces are discs pivotally secured together but separable by non-conductive spacers, said perforations being disposed in a pattern of concentric circles of different radii with respect to said pivot, and the slots are arcuate extending a distance substantially longer than said perforations in the direction of movement of said discs and being cut at random but spaced to lie in circles of the same radii as said perforations.

Claim 19

The game as defined in claim 16 wherein there is a substantially greater number of perforations in said stationary playing board surface than slots in the lower discs of said assembly, the number of slots in the said next adjacent disc to the perforated playing board surface being substantially greater than the slots in the discs mounted in the subsequent series therebeneath to provide progressively fewer slots from disc to disc.

Claim 20

The game as defined in claim 16 including a lowermost sheet, opposite to the stationary upper perforated playing board surface of the assembly, having an electroconductive surface which is imperforate.

Claim 21

The game as defined in claim 16 wherein separate signalling means are mounted in circuit, each with the conductive surface of a respective one of said conductive sheets, and the signalling means significant of only the contacted sheet is activated by the probe inserted through a perforation into contact with a conductive surface area of that sheet.

Claim 22

The game device as defined in claim 11 wherein said circuit means is completed through a source of electrical current including a wall connector for circuit supply of AC high voltage plug household current, said circuit further including a rectifier for conversion of said current to DC and a transformer for reducing said current to low voltage.

Claim 23

The game device as defined in claim 11 wherein said circuit means is completed through a battery as DC current of low voltage.